Gourmet Sunday Italian Style

For our Sunday gourmet meal I planned this menu and these recipes to be light Italian with lots of flavor. It was a hit with everyone. The entire meal takes about 6 hour to prepare so you might want to break it up into a few days. This is how I did it; on Friday I made the Ladyfingers, berries, and Lime Curd. On Saturday I made the bread, mascarpone mixture and assembled the tiramisu. On Sunday I made the salad and salad dressing and the salmon.

Italian Salad

Mixed baby greens

6 oz kalamata olives

1 cucumber, scored, peeled and sliced

Artichoke hearts

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

Green onions, sliced

Salami, thinly sliced

Prosciutto, thinly sliced

Provolone cheese, very thinly sliced

Gorgonzola cheese

Toss greens, olives, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and green onions together and spread into a wide, shallow serving dish. On top of the bed of greens mixture arrange rolled pieces of salami, prosciutto and provolone cheese. Sprinkle lightly with Gorgonzola cheese. Serve with dressing on the side.

Fresh Italian Salad Dressing

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon white sugar (or xylitol)

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

½ teaspoon fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Salt to taste

½ cup white vinegar

1 ¼ cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Rosemary Bread

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water

2 – 2 ½ cups white flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (1 T dried)

1 tablespoon butter

Place yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.

Mix in butter, salt, and 2 cups flour. Add half of the rosemary. Knead until smooth and elastic, add more flour if necessary.

Put dough in greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled. Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. Grease a cookie sheet. Shape the dough into two rounded oval loaves. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and press into surface gently. Let loaves rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.

Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Brush with butter and serve with butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs. This makes a great dipping bread.

Mediterranean Salmon

4 salmon fillets

1 cup fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers

½ cup chopped artichokes

¼ cup sliced green olives

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 475°F. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place them on a greased pan (skin side down if fillets have skin). Put in oven until they are half cooked (about 10 minutes). Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the garlic and onion. When they are soft, add the olives, artichokes, capers and chicken broth. Cook for 2 minutes and add the tomatoes and some chopped basil. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and pour all but 1 cup over the half-cooked salmon. Return salmon to the oven until they are fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Serve salmon with remaining sauce on tip and garnish with fresh basil or parsley leaves.

Berry Tiramisu

This recipe is involved, but not difficult. Give yourself time as you need to start 2 days in advance. It is delicious and well worth the time.

You will need berries, lime syrup, lime curd, mascarpone cheese tipping and ladyfingers.

Berries:

3 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup water

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Combine blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, powdered sugar and water in a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring gently until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until berries are soft, but intact. Stir in lime juice and cool to room temperature. Stir in strawberries. Chill until cold.

Lime Syrup

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime peel

1/3 cup water

Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature and discard lime peel.

Mascarpone Topping

20 oz mascarpone cheese (if you can’t find mascarpone use cream cheese, however it is worth looking for mascarpone)

½ heavy whipping cream.

Mix cheese and cream together with an electric mixer until smooth and slightly thickened (do not overbeat!). Add Lime Curd (see recipe below) and beat just until blended.

Lime Curd

¼ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

½ cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon grated lime peel (fresh)

Pinch of salt

5 egg yolks

Place a fine strainer over a medium glass bowl. Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar, lime juice, lime peel and salt. Whisk to blend. Add yolks and wish until smooth. Return saucepan to medium heat and whish constantly until curd thickens slightly and reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer (do not boil). Pour curd into prepared strainer. Discard solids. Cover liquid and chill overnight.

Ladyfingers

2/3 cup white flour

Pinch of salt

4 eggs – separated

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease and flour 2 cookie sheets. Beat egg yolks with half of the sugar until thick enough to leave a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat in the remaining sugar until glossy.

Sift flour over the yolks and spoon a large dollop of egg whites over the flour.

Carefully fold. Add vanilla and gently fold in the remaining whites. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe 3 inch long lines on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until crusty on the outside but soft in the center. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

Assembling the Tiramisu

Tiramisu can be assembled in a baking dish or in individual cups.

Lightly brush each ladyfinger with the lime syrup. Layer the ladyfingers, mascarpone cheese mixture, and berry mixture. In a baking dish do one layer of each. For individual servings do three layers. Chill overnight and top with a small dollop of whipped cream.

Butterfly Chicken

THIS IS MIKE’S FAVORITE DISH!!! Every birthday, holiday, special occasion, if I ask Mike want he wants, it is this chicken. It is a family favorite!

4-6 WHOLE BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS (depending on the thickness of breast. I usually pound the breasts with a meat mallet to thin the breast and end up getting two pieces of chicken out of each thick breast. You can determine how thick you want the meat.)

½ CUP FLOUR

½ TEASPOON SALT

¼ TEASPOON PEPPER

½-3/4 CUP BUTTERLEMON JUICE

1 ½ POUNDS OF FRESH MUSHROOMS SLICED OR 2-3 JARS CANNED MUSHROOMS

3 CUPS WHIPPING CREAM

2 CUPS FRESH GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE

MINCED FRESH PARSLEY OR DRIED PARSLEY

Pound chicken breasts between waxed paper or plastic wrap until thin like a cutlet. Dip chicken in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour. Melt part of the butter in a large skillet. Saute’ chicken two to three minutes on each side. While sautéing drizzle 4-5 drops of lemon juice on each chicken piece. Add more butter as needed to the pan for sautéing the chicken pieces. Transfer the chicken to baking pans (8x13 or a little bigger). Give each piece of chicken some space between to let the cream and cheese run between the pieces. Set aside.

Saute’ the mushrooms in the same pan as the chicken was sautéed in. Add more butter if needed. Don’t burn the mushrooms. Spoon the mushrooms and drippings over the chicken. Pour the cream over the chicken. Sprinkle generous amounts of parmesan cheese on each chicken piece. Get the parmesan down in the cream. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Posted by: Kimmy

Gourmet Meal of the Week

Chris and I have started a tradition (inspired by a recent trip of mine to a fabulous restaurant in San Francisco) of making a gourmet meal every week. This meal is to be a once a week departure from the quick casseroles and slow cooker meals that are a part of being a busy mom. Our purpose is three fold. First, we want to expose our children to the difference between plain old food and actual cuisine. Second, it gives us a good opportunity to review table manners on a weekly basis with our children. Third, sometimes cooking dinner gets very mundane. Our weekly gourmet meal may help us breathe life into the chore that cooking can be and make it a culinary experience instead. That being said, I was in charge of coming up with the plan for the gourmet meal this week. The theme for this week is "A Trip to Paris."

Salad with Herb-Dijon Dressing, Brioche, and Tarragon Chicken Fricasee

*When gourmet cooking, don't take short cuts. Follow all the preparation instructions, don't skip any steps. Also, use the fresh herbs instead of settling for the dried ones in your pantry (unless otherwise specified). It will make a huge difference!

Brioche

Brioche is a french pastry. It is similar to a crescent but a little denser in texture. Brioche can be made into many things (like tarts). For this weeks meal it was made into rolls. These are wonderfully crispy on the outside and smooth and soft in the center.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm whole milk
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preparation:

Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warm milk in bowl of heavy duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to moisten evenly. Let stand until yeast dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Blend at medium-low speed until shaggy lumps form, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition, about 4 minutes (dough will be soft and silky). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs paddle, 8 to 9 minutes.

Lightly butter large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Gently deflate dough by lifting around edges, then letting dough fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed. cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill, deflating dough in same way every 30 minutes until dough stops rising, about 2 hours. Chill overnight.

Butter 12 standard muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; cut each piece into thirds. roll each small piece between palms into ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup). Place muffin pan in warm draft free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over. Let dough rise until light and almost doubled (douh will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups), 50 to 60 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet. Gently brush egg glaze over risen dough, being careful that glaze does not drip between dough and pan (which can prevent full expansion in oven). Bake brioches until golden brown, coverin with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove brioches from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Salad with Herb Dijon Dressing

The herbs in this salad really make it special. I did not use the green beans because none of the fresh beans at the store looked very appetizing. If I make this salad again I will top it with some freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup olive oil


12 large green beans
6 large asparagus spears
romaine lettuce (2 cups)
spinach (2 cups)
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
8 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation:
Combine vinegar, shallot, Dijon mustard, basil, tarragon, and thyme in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook green beans and asparagus in medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain. ct vegetables into 1/2 inch pieces; place in large bowl. Add lettuce tomatoes and sliced basil leaves. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat.

Tarragon Chicken Fricasee

Ingredients:
3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken pieces with skin and bone
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning over once, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes total per batch. Transfer to plate

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and bay leaf over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cream, broth, and 1 tablespoon tarragon, then add chicken, skin side up, and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer chicken with tons to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered. If necessary, boil sauce until thickened slightly. Stir in lemon juice, remaining 1/2 tablespoon tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf; pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Chocolate Soufflee

A good souflee is truly a little piece of heaven. This dish, more than anything inspired our idea for the weekly gourmet meal. Souflees are very temperamental. Follow the instructions to a tea. DO NOT OVER COOK! It will collapse. Also try not to open or close your oven too much while baking and don't let anything jar it. This can also make it collapse. With a little bit of planning and good luck, you can experience one of the best culinary treats around, a fabulous souflee.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Souflee ramekins, buttered and sugared (about 5)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine milk, sugar and vanilla in a heavy , non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, sift together cocoa and cornstarch. Remove boiled milk from heat. In a steady stream, whisk dry ingredients into hot milk. Stirring constantly, continue cooking until base is thickened and returns to a boil. Strain through a chinois or fine mesh strainer and chill in an ice water bath.

Meanwhile, place the egg whites in a bowl and beat with and electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar, until soft peaks are achieved. Gently fold 1/4 cup of the chocolate base into the egg whites. Once it is mixed, add the rest of the base and divide among the ramekins.


Tap the ramekins with your finger to release any large air pockets and smooth the tops with a spatula.

Transfer to oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes or until fully risen.

Remove from oven and make a slice with the edge of a spoon down the top of each souflee. Place a spoonful of ice cream into each slice.

*note: a good souflee should be slightly runny and tacky in the center, but well-puffed risen and firm across the top. shake it gently and if it is a little wobbly, it's done.

*Beth

Pasta Alfredo

If you are looking for a healthy meal to serve your friends and family, this is not the recipe for you. If you are looking for an easy, fast, inexpensive meal that will wow your guests and make everyone believe you have spent hours in the kitchen, this is exactly what you are looking for. This is a special occasion meal for our family. My kids love it and my dinner guests can't get enough of it.

12 oz. dried bow tie pasta
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 green onions, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
Fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Sautee garlic and onions in butter until garlic is golden in color. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add cream a little at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to boil. Add all but 1/4 cup of cheese. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Mix sauce and pasta together in a large, shallow bowl. Top with remaining cheese and fresh parsley to garnish.

Serve with sauteed mushrooms and/or grilled chicken or shrimp that has been marinated in italian salad dressing.

Enjoy!

*Beth

General Conference Crepes

We try to make General Conference a special affair. One of the things my kids look forward to is the special breakfasts we have on General Conference mornings. These were a big hit this year. The crepes can be made up to a month in advance and frozen until you are ready to thaw and use.

Chocolate Crepes:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. In another bowl, use a wire whisk to beat eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Let mixture stand 5 minutes to thicken.

Vanilla Crepes:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. In another bowl, use a wire whisk to beat egs, milk, oi, and vanilla until smooth. Let mixture stand 5 minutes to thicken.

To cook crepes:
Heat a nonstick heavy 8-inch skillet over medium heat; spray with cooking spray. Ladle a scant 1/4 cup batter into skillet; tilt pan, covering bottom with batter and creating a 6 inch circle. Cook crepe until top has set and is lighter in color. Carefully turn and cook other side briefly. Transfer crepe to a sheet of waxed aper. set aside until ready to serve or freeze.

Toppings:
Berries with whip cream
Powdered sugar with lemon juice (my kid's favorite)
Any flavor pudding

Banana Cream Filling:(Delicious! Especially with the chocolate crepes)
2 cups heavy cream
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 very ripe bananas, smashed
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Place heavy cream, cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until stiff peaks form. In another medium bowl, mix together bananas and cinnamon. Fold 1 cup whipped cream into banana mixture, then fold banana mixture into remaining whipped cream until well combined.

*Beth