Yogurt Mousse with Apricot Sauce (Serves 6)

Our dessert from our Greek-themed meal,

The sweet and tangy apricot sauce that anchors this dessert is a nod to the spoon sweets — fruit preserves that are eaten from small spoons — traditionally served in Greece to arriving guests.

The tang of the yogurt and the sweet of the sauce is a perfect match and our dinner guests said it was a winner.
Try it and see if you agree,

- Chez

Ingredients-For mousse

• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 1 envelope)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 (4- by 1-inch) strip fresh lemon zest
• 1 (32-oz) container well-stirred whole-milk yogurt
• 3/4 cup chilled heavy cream
  

Ingredients-For sauce

• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 16 oz canned (in light syrup) apricots, drained, rinsed, and quartered
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Preparation-Make mousse:

1. Drain yogurt in a paper-towel-lined sieve set into a bowl in refrigerator, discarding liquid occasionally, 8 hours, then transfer to a clean bowl.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften.
3. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod into remaining 3/4 cup milk in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod, sugar, and zest and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
4. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set into a metal bowl, discarding solids, then set bowl in a larger bowl half-filled with ice and cold water and let stand, stirring frequently, until cool, about 10 minutes.
5. Add milk mixture gradually to yogurt, whisking. Beat cream with an electric mixer at high speed until it just holds soft peaks, then fold into yogurt mixture gently but thoroughly.
6. Chill mousse, covered, folding twice in first 20 minutes, until set, about 2 hours.

Make sauce while mousse chills:

1. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean pod into a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add pod, sugar, water, apricots, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice and cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring frequently and skimming off any foam, until fruit is tender, 8 to 12 minutes.
2. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
3. Add lemon juice to taste and discard pod. Serve sauce topped with mousse.
   

Cooks' notes: · You can substitute 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt. (Do not drain Greek yogurt.) · Mousse can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. · Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Avgolemono (serves 4-5)

Here is a classic Greek soup that's thickened with eggs and spiked with lemon. When you add some shredded rotisserie chicken breast you can call it a meal. We enjoyed it on 4/18 during our Greek-themed meal as our appetizer and no matter how you try it, appetizer or main course, we hope you will enjoy as well.


- Chez



Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup shredded chicken

Preperation

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
2. Add the orzo cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; simmer.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.
4. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, then whisk to combine.
5. Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper and chicken. Heat through and serve.

Artichoke and Mushroom Frittata

Served warm and with a dollop of either sour cream or plain yogurt atop the golden crust, this dish is a pleasant experience for both the eye and the palette. Chez and his lovely wife/sous chef selected this dish as co-‘Star’ for our Anniversary-themed day (it shared ‘Star Status' with the dinner’s dessert) and it set the tone for of the rest of the day’s activities. We hope that you try it and see if you don’t agree.

- Chez

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 package frozen artichoke hearts (thawed)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 8 tablespoons coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 4 ounces fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
  

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichokes to skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to brown around edges, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat broiler.

Whisk eggs and 3 tablespoons cheese in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add artichokes to skillet and stir 2 minutes. Add eggs; stir to blend. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until eggs are almost set, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Transfer frittata to broiler. Broil just until set in center and the top is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using rubber spatula, loosen edges of frittata and slide out onto platter. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.

Natillas [Basque Crème Brûlée] - (Serves 4)

Celebration of eighteen years of wedded bliss and having friends over for dinner is a killer combo and this dessert topped off our multi-course anniversary meal. It was a big hit for us and I hope that it will be for you as well.


Natillas is a sweet custard with a hint of cinnamon. The Basque country of Spain claim this sauce as their own, but the English make a similar sauce, although it is vanilla-based, and call it crème anglaise. Here I have added my own spin on the dish by breaking out the brûlée torch and giving the custard a sweet/bitter sugar shell and adding France to this ethnic-fusion dessert. Enjoy!

- Chez

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Baker’s sugar (fine sugar)
• brûlée torch

In a saucepan, combine the cream and cinnamon sticks, and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the cream is well infused with the cinnamon. Set the pan aside so the cream can cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until they are well mixed. Add the cream and cinnamon sticks, and whisk well.

Heat 1 to 2 inches of water in the bottom pan of a double boiler, and transfer custard mixture to the top pan, or set the bowl over a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches of hot water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the sauce, stirring constantly, for about 30 minutes or until it thickens, adding more hot water to the bottom pan if necessary. Remove the top pan or the bowl from over the hot water, and let the custard cool.

Strain the cooled custard through a fine-mesh sieve into individual ramekins and cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is in contact with the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to 24), until it is cool.

Before serving, sprinkle enough of the Baker’s sugar on the cream to cover the surface and heat with the torch until the sugar melts and turns golden. Re-refrigerate for 2-3 minutes to harden the crust and serve.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Chutney (serves 6)

The winner of our Easter Dinner by unanimous decision. Flavorful and juicy pork with a tart and sweet/savory chutney… Mmmmm, yummy!

Chez served his with Roasted Golden Potatoes with Brown Butter and Capers and Roasted Fennel and Carrots, but that's another show!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cherry preserves
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup chopped onion 2 cups cherries, pitted (frozen or fresh)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin

Preparation

1. Mix preserves, vinegar, and allspice in medium bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup of preserves mixture for glaze; Place tenderloins in plastic (gallon-size) bag and add balance preserves mixture.
2. Marinate for at least 2- but not more than 24 hours.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute.
4. Add cherries, cayenne, and reserved preserves mixture. Boil chutney until thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
   Season with salt. Cool chutney.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. When ready to cook, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
7. Cook over high heat on cast iron frying pan to brown (3 minutes per side).
8. Move pan to oven and roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 155°F, turning often and brushing with glaze, about 45 minutes total.
9. Transfer pork to platter. Let rest 10 minutes.
10. Re-warm reserved chutney; serve with pork.