Crepes

Alton Brown's recipe for 17-22 crepes

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Butter, for coating the pan
  

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.///Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

*Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

*Sweet Variation Add 2.5 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.

Paula Deen's recipe for 8-10 crepes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups milk (or more if batter is not runny)
  
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• nut safe chocolate sauce
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1 can whipping cream

Sift the flour with the salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the egg and egg yolk. Pour in the milk, slowly, stirring constantly and, when half is added, stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Beat well until smooth. Add the remaining milk, cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before using. The batter should be the consistency of light cream. Heat a well greased 6-inch skillet,. Add 1/4 cup batter. Tip skillet from side to side until batter covers bottom. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, turn and remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Spread a thin layer of chocolate sauce onto crepe and place banana slices down the center. Roll or fold crepe. Just before serving top with whipped cream.

Simple Cauliflower Soup Recipe

To take this soup from simple to sublime, add a dash or two of truffle salt or truffle oil to the soup when serving.

Ingredients

• Florets from one head of cauliflower (tough core of cauliflower discarded)
• 1 quart of water
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Chives
• Olive oil

Method

1 Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized pot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water (if using salted butter in this recipe, use only 1 teaspoon of butter). Add the cauliflower florets, and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove florets to a bowl. Reserve cooking water.

2 Working in batches, fill a blender half-way with cooked cauliflower, add enough cooking water to the blender bowl so that it comes up a quarter of the way. Purée until smooth. You want the consistency to be that of soup, so if you need to add more water, do so. For each blender batch, add salt and butter to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and about a tablespoon or more of butter for each blender batch). Since you are using only lightly salted cooking water for a base, not stock, you will need to salt this more than you would otherwise.

3 Serve immediately into bowls. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Serves 4.

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Homemade chicken stock is the best for this. Also, if you can't locate any of the mushroom types indicated in the recipe, crimini (aka: baby bellas) will do just fine. Or, you can just leave them out all together.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups of chicken stock*
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
• 3/4 cup of straw, enoki, or sliced shitaki mushrooms

*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock and gluten-free soy sauce.

Method

1 Reserve 1/2 cup of the stock and mix with the cornstarch until dissolved.

2 Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3 Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup. The egg will spread out into ribbons. Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Foul Mudammas Breakfast Spread

"A deliciously seasoned fava bean, onion, and tomato dip recipe! Traditionally served with pita bread for breakfast in Egypt."

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can fava/lima/butter beans 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 large tomato, diced 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice salt and pepper to taste ground red pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.

Pour the beans into a pot and bring to a boil. Mix them well and add onion, tomato, olive oil, cumin, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Let the mixture cook 5 minutes. Serve warm with grilled pita. *Usually, we sautee the onion and tomato in some olive oil first... then add the garlic... then add in the rinsed, canned beans. Mash them with a fork. And let cook. Add salt & pepper, cumin, and 1 T or so of tahini. A little lemon and parsley to finish. Divine. Really good served with eggs too... hard boiled are more traditional, but we also do sunny-side up and poached. The yolky-bean mixture is yummy.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins - Eating Well

The secret to the sparkling flavor of these delicately crumbed muffins is the strips of lemon zest finely ground into the sugar. Enjoy the muffins warm right from the oven.

Make Ahead Tip: Wrap each in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (see Shopping Tip)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries

TIP: No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.

Shopping Tip: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole wheat. Whole-wheat pastry flour can be used as a substitute here. Both can be found in the natural-foods section of the supermarket or online.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Wrap each in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.

Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Szechuan Braised Meatballs

Makes 4 servings

1 pound 93%-lean ground beef
1 5- to 6-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and finely chopped
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
½ teaspoon five-spice powder (see Shopping Tip)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
¼ cup Szechuan sauce (see Shopping Tip)
4 cups shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage
1 15-ounce can straw mushrooms, rinsed
2 scallions, sliced (optional)

1. Gently mix beef, water chestnuts, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, five-spice powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Shape the mixture into 12 balls (use about 2 tablespoons each to make 1 1/2-inch meatballs). Whisk broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning once, until brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the reserved broth mixture, Szechuan sauce, cabbage and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until the cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer, return the meatballs to the pan, cover and cook until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with scallions (if using).

Szechuan Braised Meatballs Tips Cont.

Szechuan Braised Meatballs

Per serving: 295 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 64 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrate; 28 g protein; 4 g fiber; 760 mg sodium; 310 mg potassium.

Turkey (Pork) Medallions With Mojo Sauce, Black Beans & Rice, Flan for dessert

• 2 – 3lb turkey or pork loins, fat trimmed and cut into 1 inch medallions

For the Mojo Sauce
• 5-6 lemons, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 heads garlic, peeled and crushed into paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Cut pork loins into medallions, about an inch thick. Place them into a 9x13 dish. Juice all the lemons and orange on top of the medallions. Make sure you have enough citrus juice to fully cover the pork. Set aside.

2. In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic with the salt. Grind until it becomes a paste. Add the oregano, pepper and cumin and mix well. Spread the paste over both sides of each piece of pork. Drizzle the soy sauce over the medallions and sprinkle them with brown sugar. Toss the pork pieces until well covered with the mojo sauce. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

3. In a cast iron skillet, heat some olive oil. Place some medallions into the hot skillet and brown on each side for 3-5 minutes. Skim off excess mojo sauce, leaving a small amount in the pan to caramelize and help turn the pork a rich brown. Transfer the finished medallions to a plate and repeat the process.

4.Once all the medallions are browned, stir a little of the mojo sauce back into the pan, combining it with the caramelized juices. Place all the medallions back in the skillet. Pour the remaining mojo sauce on top of the pork. Simmer on low for another 15-20 minutes. This will ensure cooking off any raw juices from the marinade. Serve with black beans and rice.

Black Beans
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cubanelle pepper, diced
• 6 oz salt pork, scored but left whole
• 1 - 28 oz can black beans
• 1 cup water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

1. Heat a heavy pot with some olive oil. Mix the diced onion, diced pepper, and garlic together to make a sofrito, or vegetable base.

2. Brown the salt pork until most of the fat has rendered. Remove some of the excess fat from the pot. Lightly saute a third of the sofrito with the salt pork and the remaining fat for a couple of minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the beans and water, stirring occasionally to make sure beans don't stick the bottom. Add the bay leaves and cumin. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the cooking wine, brown sugar and the remaining sofrito. Remove the salt pork and serve with white rice when done.

FLAN - find dessert in the style of - bananarama?