Pecorino Romano Toast with Apples and Fig Jam

Here is a real winner. The taste and texture is to die for and this one is a lot better than either of us had expected. Sweet and savory, salty and tangy... crunch and smooth, this one is a super winner and you should give it a try...honest!

Ingredients:

6 dried figs, halved
1/2 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
24 baguette slices
Olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 large apple (Granny Smith or Braeburn), thinly sliced into 24 slices
1/4 pound chunk Pecorino Romano, for shaving 24 pieces

Directions -

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


2. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the figs, simple syrup, and brandy. Bring the mixture up to a simmer.


3. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.


4. Place the fig mixture and the hazelnuts in a food processor and blend, pulsing a few times, until pureed. Set aside.


5. Place the baguette slices on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Top each slice with 1 teaspoon grated Pecorino Romano.


6. Bake until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted and golden, about 7 minutes.


7. Top each slice of toast with 2 teaspoons of fig jam, a slice of apple and a piece of shaved Pecorino Romano.


8. Transfer the toasts to a serving platter and serve.
   

Simple syrup:

1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Presentation: A few slices of heirloom tomato and a sprig of Italian parsley... nothing fancy here, just let the taste speak for itself.

Pan de Papa (Makes 4 Small Loaves)

Today’s pick is Peruvian potato bread. The choice for today's Star Recipe was Sheb’s since I was unconvinced that we had a “Star Recipe”... but she insisted that we did indeed have one and that this was it.

Well, I’ll have to put my trust in someone out there and have you make this, evaluate it and than report back.

Bon Appétit!

Software:

• 1 large potato
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/4 cups bread flour
  

Hardware:

• Stand mixer with dough hook
• Tea towel
  

Preparation

1 - Peel potato and cut into 4 pieces. Boil until tender, then mash thoroughly. Let cool.
2 - Bring milk to a boil and remove from heat. Add butter and salt to hot milk. Let cool until just a little warmer than room temperature.
3 - In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes.
4 - Add egg, potato, half of the flour, and half of the cooled milk mixture to mixer bowl, and knead with dough hook on low speed.
5 - Gradually add remaining flour and continue to knead for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should remain fairly soft, and if it seems to be getting stiff, slowly add remaining milk, as necessary. (The dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky after kneading. If dough seems too wet, add a little more flour.)
6 - Turn dough out into oiled bowl, cover with tea towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (3 hours) or if you have time… in refrigerator overnight.
7 - Punch down dough and cut into pieces the size of a grapefruit. Roll pieces into a ball shape on a floured surface and place on a greased cookie sheet, about an inch apart. Make a one inch slash in the tops of the rolls with a sharp knife.
8 - Preheat oven to 425. Let rolls rise until almost double in bulk.
9 - Bake for 5 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more. Rolls should have light golden brown color when ready. Cool 10 minutes and serve.

Russian Teacakes - Irene Romanowski's recipe (makes 3-4 dozen)

A few weeks ago Sheb and I had a Russian-themed meal set and for the brunch, I tried my hand at Russian Teacakes. They were okay but I felt that they were too dense (hard?) for my liking. I brought some to work and my colleague (Susan Lambert) agreed that they were not ‘right’ and she suggested that I had perhaps overworked the dough. She also suggested that I try her mother’s recipe. As a bit of incentive, today she supplied me a few of these tasty morsels and I must agree that her mother’s recipe is far superior to mine… so in the spirit of Universal Harmony and Altruism I offer it up to you.

(By the way, you can tell that Susan is a ‘numbers-oriented’ kinda gal. Check out her measurements. I am surprised they are not in metric!)

Bon Appétit!

Software:
· 1 cup butter (I have always used a high quality margarine and so did my mother)
· 2.25 cup flour
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
· 0.25 tsp salt
· 0.5 cup powdered sugar (in the dough) + extra powdered sugar to roll the finished cookies in
· 0.75 cup chopped pecans

Preparation –
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed and uniform cohesive dough. (If you like the pecans coarsely chopped, you may want to hold them out until the other ingredients have come together. We had a nut grinder at home and the pieces were all less than 1/4" in size.)

3. Shape into 1" balls by rolling between your palms.

4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-12 minutes. (Check bottom of cookies to determine when done - top of cookie should not be brown).

5. Roll the hot cookies in powdered sugar, cool and roll them in powdered sugar again.

Red Pea Bisque Flambé (Serves 4)

Today’s little treat (and my first attempt at a flambé) is unexpectedly tasty, even when one considers how little it has in the way of ingredients. Heck, there isn’t even any salt and pepper in this gem, yet beyond the obvious “Hollywood” quality of this flambé-style meal, this dish has a taste that is earthy, down-home and downright pleasing.

Take your time, exercise care in the flambé process (lest you burn your house down) but do try this one. It is exceptional!

Bon Appétit!

Software:
1/2 stick butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (plus 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth)
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/4 cups dried kidney beans
1 tablespoon dry Sherry
1/2 cup whole milk (or heavy cream if you prefer)
6 tablespoons high-quality white (Platinum recommended) rum
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Hardware:
Fire stick or long kitchen match

Preparation –

1. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat.


2. Add onion, shallot, garlic, and thyme; sauté until onion is soft, about 8 minutes.


3. Add 4 cups broth, coconut milk, and beans; bring to boil.


4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours.


5. Remove thyme sprigs.


6. Remove and set aside 1 cup of beans from your preparation.


7. Working in batches, purée remaining mixture in blender until smooth. (Mixture will significantly thicken as it cools.)


8. Return soup to same pot; add reserved beans and Sherry.


9. Up to this point, everything can be done 1 day ahead. If this is the route you choose, cover and chill until ready to serve.


10. When it’s time to eat, bring bisque to simmer over low heat, stirring to prevent bottom from sticking and burning.


11. Once warmed, add whole milk or heavy cream, thinning with the extra broth if desired; cover and keep warm.


12. Place rum in heavy small skillet, bring to simmer (do not boil) and remove from flame. (BE CAREFUL!)


13. Plate soup in individual bowls, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of chives per bowl and drizzle heated rum onto bisque.


14. Move to table and carefully ignite rum. When flames subside, dive in!

Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)

Today’s offering, a Georgian (the country, not the state) cheese bread similar to pizza dough is made all the more authentic if you opt to make your own cheese. If you go the 100% home-made route, rest assured that your efforts will be rewarded with some awesome taste. If you decide to go with store-bought cheese, not to worry… the end result is still good.

If you are going to buy the cheese, jump to the cheese bread section. If you are a brave one…soldier on, comrade!

Nриятного аппетита! (Bon appétit!)

Farmer’s Cheese (Sulguni) Software:

· 1 gallon whole milk
· 2 tbs salt
· 2 tbs white pepper
· ½ cup lemon juice

Farmer’s Cheese (Sulguni) Hardware:

Cheese cloth
Colander

Preparation –

1. Pour the milk into a large pot and stir in salt and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot.
3. When the milk begins to boil (small bubbles will first appear at the edges), turn off the heat. Stir in lemon juice (milk will curdle). Wait 10 minutes.
4. Line colander with a cheesecloth and pour the milk through the cloth to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth is the Farmer's Cheese.
5. Gather the cloth around the cheese, and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can.
6. Hang overnight in refrigerator or in a cold location, to drain out as much liquid as possible.
7. In the morning, wrap in plastic, or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. (Cheese will keep for 2 weeks.)

Georgian Cheese Bread (Khachapuri) Software:

- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 7 tablespoons warm water (105-115°F)
- 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup Farmer’s Cheese, coarsely grated (see above or substitute 1 cup of coarsely grated Havarti)

- 1 cup mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tbs onion powder
- 1 tbs kosher salt

Georgian Cheese Bread (Khachapuri) Hardware:

Pizza Stone (Optional)

Preparation –

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast does not activate, start over with new yeast.)
2. Stir together table salt salt and remaining flour in a large bowl, then stir in egg and yeast mixture to form a dough.
3. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and turn to coat with flour, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and dust with flour. Let dough rest in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, overnight.)
4. The next day, preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle. (If you are using a pizza stone, make sure you pre-heat that too!)
5. Turn out dough, turning to coat in flour, then flatten with your fingers into a 7-inch disk.
6. Toss together cheeses with garlic powder, onion powder and kosher salt, and press into a compact ball with your hands.
7. Place cheese ball in middle of dough, then gather dough up around ball of cheese, squeezing excess dough into a topknot.
8. Press down on topknot with a damp fist to press cheese out from center. Continue to flatten dough and distribute cheese evenly, pressing outward from center, until dough is an 11-inch disk. 9. Cut a 6-inch X through top of dough to expose cheese.
10. Bake until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Brush surface of dough with butter and bake until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Garlic & Sesame Bok Choy (Serves 2)

This little gem began life as a side dish that Sheb and I enjoyed at a Milwaukee restaurant (Tess) courtesy of my daughter and son-in-law. It was good but I wanted to bring a bit more flavor to the party so I deconstructed it, added a few ingredients, and then reassembled it. The recipe below is the result.

My sister-in-law (who lives in Alaska) wrote to us seeking a recipe for bok choy that could utilize the vegetable even if it was a bit wilted. This one hits the target, since a slight wilting is the goal of the preparation.

While the recipe is not, strictly speaking, a ‘Star Recipe’… it was requested, so I’ll post it anyway.
Enjoy!

Software:

• 2 small bok choy
• 4 clove finely minced garlic
• 3 tbsp. sesame seed oil
• 2 tsp. white sesame seeds
• 2 tsp. black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Pinch kosher salt
• Ground black pepper to taste

Hardware:

• Large (16”) cast iron frying pan or wok

Preparation –

1. Cut bok choy free of base and wash stalks to remove surface dirt.
2. Split each stalk lengthwise, pat dry and set aside.
3. Add oil to frying pan or wok and place over medium heat until oil begins to shimmer
4. Add garlic and both sesame seeds, sauté for 2-3 minutes
5. Turn heat to low and add crushed red pepper. Mix well.
6. Lay bok choy on top of garlic/sesame seed mixture and allow to heat (wilt) for 3 minutes.
7. Raise heat to high, turn bok choy over and sauté for an additional 2 minutes, being careful not to tear vegetable.
8. Remove from heat, plate and season (salt and pepper) to taste.

(Note: Adding salt to the dish while cooking will draw out too much liquid from the bok choy and greatly increase wilting…so don’t do it!)