Artichoke and Potato Salad

Here is a recipe that Robin found and then we have altered it, somewhat. It is really a good variation on the standard potato salad. Give it a try. Cheers!

Artichoke and Potato Salad

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 lbs New Red Potatoes
¾ c Artichoke hearts in oil and course chopped
¼ c Ham, diced
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
½ c Sunflower sprouts
¼ c Pine nuts, dry roasted
dash Cayenne pepper
1 T Tarragon leaves, crushed
3 T Stone Ground Mustard, Plochman's
¼ c Oil from artichokes
¼ c White Wine vinegar
3 T Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil, diced

Directions:
Cook the whole potatoes until just done, you don't want them soft. Cool.

Place the ham, artichoke hearts, cayenne, pine nuts, sunflower sprouts and tarragon in a bowl. Gently mix. Quarter cut the potatoes and place in the bowl. Gently mix.

Place the artichoke oil, garlic from the potatoes, mustard, sun dried tomatoes and white wine vinegar in a bowl. Using a submersible blender, emulsify. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Pour the dressing over the bowl of potatoes and toss gently.

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That's it! It is really that easy to do. I also would dice maybe 2 hard cooked eggs and put them in with this. Have fun.

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Guacamole

A couple of weeks ago, Robin came up with this variation of guacamole that is really awesome. And for someone like me that thinks avocado is like eating tasteless mush, that's really saying something. I ate the better part of the bowl full. If it is not spicy enough for you, add either more jalapeno or more of the seeds and ribs of the pepper. Cheers!

Guacamole

Author: Bob and Robin Young
Web Page: http://www.rockinrs.com/rnrcontents.htm
Comments: This is a really good guacamole with a twist.
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1 can White Canelli Beans, drained
1 c Onion, chopped
¼ bunch Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, juiced
1 sm Jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 med Avocado, ripe and pitted, peeled
1 lg Tomato, diced

Directions:
1.) In a food processor, combine the beans, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and salt and pepper to taste. Process until mostly smooth. Pour into a bowl.

2.) Mash the avocado and add to the bean mixture. Dice the tomato and add to the bean mixture. Fold all together to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to cool and blend the flavors.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Here is a Printable Recipe

Eat your hearts out! Or let the cream do it. Or maybe the butter! Or maybe the brown sugar! Whatever you do, enjoy this. It's not hard to do! Cheers!

Portobello Mushroom Cappuccino Bisque with Brandied Thyme Froth

--from Executive Chef Andrew Sutton of Napa Rose at Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim, CA

Serves: 6

FOR PORTOBELLO CAPPUCCINO BISQUE:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms, gills removed
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
1/2 cup medium dry sherry (Amontillado)
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup veal demi-glace (can be purchased at most high-end
grocery stores)
1 bunch thyme stems
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Kosher salt and cracked
black pepper

TO PREPARE PORTOBELLO CAPPUCCINO BISQUE (CAN BE PREPARED THE DAY BEFORE):
1: Sauté shallots in melted butter until translucent.
2: Add portobello mushrooms and white mushrooms and continue to sauté until they “throw their water” (the liquid inside the mushroom), approximately 7-10 minutes.
3: Add sherry and reduce by half.
4: Add demi-glace, heavy cream and all herbs. Simmer for 25 minutes, strain, chill and reserve.

FOR BRANDIED THYME FROTH:
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons brandy or cognac

TO PREPARE BRANDIED THYME FROTH:
1: Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip up to a soft peak.

FOR BISQUE GARNISH :
1 cup julienned portobellos, stems & gills removed
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, greens and whites
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme
1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brandied froth

TO PREPARE BISQUE GARNISH AND SERVE:
1: Sauté portobello mushrooms until tender. Set aside.
2: Sauté scallions in a little oil. Add the strained bisque and bring to a boil. Add chopped thyme, sage and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and cracked pepper.

TO SERVE:
1: Warm six coffee cups and place the sliced and sautéed portobello mushrooms in the bottom of the cups. Add the hot bisque and top with the brandied froth.

Serve with one of CHALONE WINE GROUP’S FINE PINOT NOIRS: ACACIA, CHALONE VINEYARD, ECHELON VINEYARDS, EDNA VALLEY VINEYARD



And if that doesn't clog your arteries, try this awesome Bananas Foster. Enjoy these dishes. We did!! Cheers.

Elderberry Puff Pie

Elderberry Puff Pie before baking. Look at those berries!

Elderberry Puff Pies after baking. YUM-O!

How good do those look?? Here is the recipe.

Elderberry Puff Pie

Source: Robin and Bob Young
Author Notes: Try using huckleberries or blueberries instead of the elderberries. Use your imagination.

Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
2½ c Elderberries, fresh
½ c Sugar
1/8 t Salt
2 T Flour
3 T Lemon juice
½ pkg Puff Pastry, cut into 12 squares
12 T Cream cheese
½ c Walnuts, broken
4 T Butter

Procedure:
1. Mix elderberries, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Sprinkle with flour and mix.

2. Using a 12 section muffin pan, or 12 - ½ cup ramekin's, place 1 square of the puff pastry in each section.

3. Place 1 T cream cheese in the bottom of each section. Fill each section about ¾ full of the elderberry mixture. Place 1 T walnuts on top then 1 tsp of butter.

4. Bake in the oven at 350°F until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes and serve warm.

Cooking Times:
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Cheers! Do enjoy this treat!

Lamb Shanks - Osso Buco

OK, so you say you like lamb and you don't really know what to do with the shanks? (You could use pork for this, too.) Shanks are just a big hunk of fat and bone? Not exactly if your butcher has cut the leg correctly. Look here for a recipe for Lamb Shanks - Osso Buco. This recipe is a little Middle Eastern and Italian; A blend of the two. It does take a while to prepare: 30 minutes plus for the prep and 2-3 hours at a low simmer to cook. But well worth the wait. Serve with a good red wine (Dusted Valley [WA] Cabernet Sauvignon is suggested) and a mix of steamed Green Beans and Yellow Wax Beans. The preparation has a multitude of other things in it including tomatoes, onion, fennel bulb and herbs and spices. Try it and let us know how you like it. Cheers!

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Here is a good recipe for a rhubarb pie. Not made with strawberries as are most rhubarb pies, but rather with apple - Pink Lady apples, to be exact. Robin makes an awesome Whole Wheat Pastry Flour crust with cinnamon that simply goes extremely well with the filling. You can find the recipe at AFMom's Rhubarb Custard Pie. We got this recipe from an acquaintance of ours from American Falls, Idaho, thus the name of the recipe. Enjoy this rhubarb pie. Cheers!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

We wanted something different to go with Roast Beef last night. So, to change from the "standard" French Fry type potato, Robin came up with these Sweet Potato Fries. A good sweet change from the "standard". Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium-sized Sweet Potatoes*
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ t Cumin
½ t Oregano
½ t Coriander
1 t Kosher Salt
1 t Parsley
Fresh Ground Pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the herbs and spices. Then sprinkle on the oiled potatoes and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching.
Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle. Take them out of the oven and serve immediately. They cool off very quickly so they're best eaten right away. Serves about 4.

Scallops and Asian Slaw

Scallops and Asian Slaw
Buddy, like Mama Cass, "Singing For His Supper"

The Scallops, Sea Scallops, were broiled with salt, pepper, garlic sliced thin, Old Bay Seasoning and Paprika. The slaw was Robin's and the recipe is listed below. It was super with the scallops. Both were excellent with a 2005 Moscato D'Asti, an Italian bubbly wine, full of fruit and slightly sweet. It went extremely well with the dinner.

Asian Slaw

8 Servings

Cabbage is chock full of nutrients including vitamin C and indoles, important cancer-fighting compounds. In addition, red cabbage also contains anthocyanins, the purple pigment with strong antioxidant activity commonly found in blueberries. In the winter months, cabbage is an abundant nutritional resource when other fresh produce is either expensive or unavailable. This recipe calls for a lot of salt, but it is used in this dish to soften the cabbage. Then it is thoroughly rinsed off so the recipe doesn't provide too much sodium. This coleslaw is colorful and makes a delightful accompaniment to any meat, fish or vegetarian main dish. The garnish of minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds brings out the flavor of the slaw and adds additional crunch.

Ingredients:
1 medium head green cabbage
1 medium head red cabbage
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 large carrots
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
2/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons dark-roasted sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Discard the outer leaves of cabbages. Cut heads in quarters; remove and discard cores. Slice cabbage thinly or shred in a food processor. Layer the cabbage in a large bowl with the sea salt. Toss to distribute salt evenly and let cabbage sit for 1 hour to soften.

2. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and grate them into thin shreds.

3. Drain off any liquid produced by the cabbage and rinse the cabbage well in several changes of cold water to remove excess salt. Taste the cabbage; if it is still too salty, rinse it again.

4. Add carrots to the cabbage and mix well.

5. Whisk the rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil together in a small bowl.

6. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and mix well. Let chill. Garnish with minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Nutritional Information (Per serving)
126.8 calories
3.7 g total fat (0.5 g sat)
0.0 mg cholesterol
23.7 g carbohydrate
3.6 g protein
5.7 g fiber