apple meets pear: apple-pear dessert tart

as you know, this week i've been living out my culinary fantasies and i've always wanted to make a homemade tart of some sort.  i had a dinner party to go to this week, so i whipped up this delicious little gem. i adapated the recipe from realsimple.com so it was incredibly easy and some might even call it beautiful (me).  here's how i did it:

ingredients:
2 tablespoons of flour
2 9-inch ready made pie crusts
1/3 cup apricot jam, plus 2 tablespoons
2 gala apples, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bartlett pears, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 2 more teaspoons
1 egg, beaten

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees.  flour working surface and roll out pie crusts, placing one on top of the other. roll out to 12 inches in diameter.  transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lather with 1/3 cup of apricot jam leaving a 2-inch border.

mix together pears, apples, lemon juice, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar in large mixing bowl.  carefully lay fruit slices on crust in concentric circles, alternating between pears and apples.  make sure to not place fruit on 2-inch border.  fold up remaining crust over fruit for a rustic look.  brush outer crust with egg and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar on top.

bake for 60 minutes until crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender.  in small sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of water and 2 tablespoons of jam for about 3 minutes.  brush over fruit for that glazed professional bakery look.  enjoy!

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this week in the kitchen: lemon and garlic roasted chicken, butternut squash risotto, thyme popovers

earlier this week i had some of the girls over to accomplish task #2 on my weekly to-do list.  i began looking for recipes that reminded me of autumn.  i knew i wanted to use vegetables that were in season, hence the butternut squash, and i wanted to use earthy flavors like thyme and rosemary.  the meal turned out wonderful and the girls were pleasantly stuffed.  i pretty much followed the recipes exactly, except i also stuffed the chicken with rosemary and i substituted bacon for pancetta in the risotto.  i also didn't have a popover pan so i used a mini muffin pan instead.  hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

here's the menu:

lemon and garlic roasted chicken
butternut squash risotto with bacon and jack cheese
thyme popovers

pictures of the beautiful meal:

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food for thought

available here for purchasing, followed by matting, framing, and hanging.

(photo credit - wallblank.com)

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persian perfection: seasoned steak, garlic roasted potatoes & lemon sugar snap peas

last night i whipped up this snazzy meal for the fam as part our our weekly round-up. i was pursuing through the bible (aka cooking light) and found this french delight that called for herbes de provence, which is a fancy name for a mixture of herbs that are predominantly used in southern france. the mixture can vary based on brand, but normally includes basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme and its just delicious. i tweaked cooking light's recipe a little bit and paired it with lemon sugar snap peas and garlic roasted potatoes.

ingredients:
2 large ribeye steaks
2 tablespoons dried herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 package frozen sugar snap peas
8 small red potatoes, cubed
evoo
s&p

directions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. place potatoes on cookie sheet and drizzle with evoo, garlic powder and s&p. cook for 30-35 minutes until crispy on outside and soft in the middle.

preheat grill pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. combine herbes de provence, mustard, and s&p in a small bowl. rub meat evenly with herb mixture, but only on one side. place steak on grill, seasoned side down and cook for 5-7 minutes. season other side with s&p, flip and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

meanwhile, cook sugar snap peas according to directions on package. when done, season with lemon rind, lemon juice, evoo and s&p.

this meal was a perfect weeknight staple that i plan to keep in my repertoire. it was simple, quick, elegant and full of flavor! apprécier!

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southern comfort: stuffed chicken, cheesy grits, & apple harvest salad

the second installment of this week's delicious treats was stuffed chicken with a side of warm cheesy grits and simple apple harvest salad. i made up this recipe on the fly when i wanted to use up the cream cheese in the fridge. the meal turned out better than i expected and the grits were just the creamy, cheesey delicousness i craved. anddddddd it was a weight watchers recipe.


ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/3 cup light cream cheese
3 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of frozen spinach, drained and dried
3 cups of chicken stock
3/4 cup of 5-minute grits
1/4 cup light alouette cheese
evoo
s&p

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine spinach, cream cheese, sundried tomatoes and s&p in mixing bowl. i found it best to mix with my hands. evenly scoop a dallop of mixture on each chicken breast and use knife to spread out over entire chicken. roll up chicken breasts from top to bottom and secure with kitchen twine or these eco-friendly bad boys. cook for 30 to 35 minutes, depending on size of chicken breast.

in another pan bring chicken stock to boil. add grits and cook for 5 minutes. stir in alouette cheese and s&p. it's that easy!

i don't really have an exact recipe for the salad, i just kind of threw together ingredients that reminded me of fall. i added sliced apples, craisins, toasted walnuts, mixed greens, orange peppers and mixed greens. we touched it off with a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. enjoy!

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yum for your tum: pasta with cauliflower and turkey sausage

i promised i'd follow up with this week's cotton top family dinners. so monday night, pasta with cauliflower and turkey sausage was on tap. i adapted this recipe from cooking light. the original version used reserved pasta water to make the sauce. i decided to improvise and make a quick pan sauce to satisfy the picky eaters in the house. i just couldn't see them going for the starchy water sauce.

the picture above doesn't lie. we were all excited to eat that i almost forgot to take a picture - until about halfway through the meal. i'm sure the leftovers will also heat up nicely for lunch later this week. yum-o.

so here's how it goes, foodies.

ingredients:

5 oz. mild turkey sausage, cooked

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons of evoo

4 cups of cooked pasta

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk or cream

s&p

directions:

preheat oven to 450 degrees. place cauliflower on baking sheet and season with s&p and 1 tablespoon of evoo. bake for 20 minutes until toasty. also, boil water for the pasta and get that going.

cut sausage crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. heat medium skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon of evoo and cook the little guys for about 10 minutes. remove from pan and set aside. in same pan melt butter and then whisk in flour to make roux. once roux has turned into a light brown color, whisk in milk or cream. keep stirring until it turns into a cream sauce. remove from heat and add parmesan cheese. season with s&p.

in a large bowl, mix together hot pasta, cauliflower, sausage, cream sauce and s&p. serve immediately and enjoy. yum for your tum?

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cotton top's weekly menu

here's what's on tap this week, foodies. stay tuned for the pics and recipe details. it's gonna be good.

monday: farfalle with cauliflower and turkey sausage

tuesday: stuffed chicken with a side of warm cheesy grits and simple apple harvest salad

wednesday: leftovers (i'll be at comedy night so the fam will have to do without their personal chef)

thursday: herb de provence steaks with roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas

TGIF: thanks goodness it's fajitas night. ariba, ariba!



(image credit - vi.sualize.us)

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