Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chip Scones

Mini Chocolate Chip Scones
Sugar Spun Run Blog
5 stars

Inspired by the Great British Baking Show, we decided to make scones, mini ones.  I found this recipe on the Sugar Spun Run blog while Googling for 'scones' in general.

These scones were a-maz-ing!!!  So flaky.  Flavorful.  Great amount of chocolate chips.  The perfect size.  One night I had 2 scones (they were THAT good) and really shouldn't have since I felt stuffed afterwards.

Tips:

• Freeze the butter and instead of using a box grater which takes a long time (and the butter starts to melt), use a food processor.
• Put the grated butter and also the dough in the freezer for a minute or so to ensure the butter doesn't melt.
• The dough will be very shaggy but will eventually come together.  Just make sure not to overwork the dough.

Scone ingredients:  flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, chocolate chips

Glaze ingredients:  powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract

Recipe: Polenta and Sausage Stuffing

Polenta and Sausage Stuffing
Gourmet Magazine, Nov 2005
4 stars

I found this recipe from a 2005 issue of now defunct Gourmet Magazine that we had saved.  Really delicious dish and quite simple to make -- there were just some steps like cooling the polenta, broiling half of it, and baking it for 35 min which takes a bit of time altogether.

Tip:

• Make sure to broil the polenta until crispy!  We were trying to speed up the process and get dinner on the table and didn't brown it enough.
• Also, we made half the recipe which was more than enough for 2 people with leftovers for a couple of days.

Ingredients:  polenta, sweet Italian sausage, onion, garlic, chicken broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, olive oil, butter, water, salt

Recipe: Bucatini with Tomato, Guanciale and Chile

Bucatini with Tomato, Guanciale and Chile
Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2014, p.130
5 stars

This is a restaurant-worthy dish (in fact, it's from the restaurant Tosca in San Francisco) and a quick, weekday meal.  We've made similar dishes before, but the layers of flavor from the salty prosciutto (umami!) to the underlying barely-there rosemary and the heat of the red pepper -- and then the garlic and Pecorino. . . yum!  This is one we'll be serving to guests for sure in the future.

Tips:

• Used prosciutto instead of pancetta
• Added garlic
• Topped with parsley

Ingredients:  guanciale or pancetta, red onion, crushed tomatoes, bucatini, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, Pecorino, olive oil

Recipe: Corn Cake Stacks with Aged Cheddar and Arugula

Corn Cake Stacks with Aged Cheddar and Arugula
Country Living, Jun 2014, p.105
4 stars

A nice main or side dish.  The corn cakes didn't get as crispy as I thought they would; they were a bit soft, but the flavor was good especially with the aged Cheddar cheese.  We made refried beans on the side with the extra diced red bell pepper as well as onion, garlic and cumin.

Tip:

• Instead of baking in the oven as the last step, we'll try the broiler next time.

Ingredients:  corn kernels, red bell pepper, aged Cheddar cheese, baby arugula, cornmeal, eggs, olive oil, sugar, kosher salt, baking powder

Recipe: Omelet Souffle

Omelet Souffle: An Experiment
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2010, p.36
4 stars

I love souffles, but sometimes there just isn't enough time to make them especially on a weekday.  This is a quick 'omelet souffle' recipe that works in a pinch, but it doesn't have the depth of flavor as a regular souffle as the ingredients in this recipe are few.  I'd definitely make this again; however, do prefer regular souffles.

Ingredients:  eggs, butter, Gruyere cheese, salt, top with herbs