When having a few friends over and you are wanting something different to offer, try these.
- 24 mini tart shells
- 3/4 cup grated guyere cheese
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped crab meat
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped red pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped asparagus tips
- pinch salt and lemon pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese, crab, red pepper , asparagus tips and onion salt evenly into the shells.
Beat the eggs with the cream, salt and pepper and spoon the mixture carefully over the crab shells. Bake for about 20 minutes (watch not to burn) and serve warm. You will get lots of oohs and aahs.
Baked Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce
I love mushrooms ….cooked, raw, baked…it doesn’t matter.
- 8 large white button mushrooms
- 2 slices bacon, diced
- 1 recipe of white sauce
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
Remove stems and coarsely chop. Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove. Add the chopped mushrooms – cook over medium heat until all the fat has been absorbed.
Combine the white sauce and 3/4 cup of cheese. Stir until melted. Stir in the chopped mushrooms.
Arrange caps in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the crumbs.
Pour sauce on, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the topping is brown.
**parmesan or any hard cheese can be used.
This will yield 4 servings.
Cooked Fresh Fruit Dessert
This is summertime and the peaches are abundant and the apples will be shortly. Try it both ways and you will enjoy both of them.
- 6 apples or peaches
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar (approximately)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
Peel, and slice into wEdges. Place sugar and water in a saucepan, heating to boiling .
Add fruit amd cook slowly until tender. Add the vanilla. Taste and add a touch more sugar if you require it.
Allow to cool and when ready to serve, use your prettiest dishes and add whipped cream, lighly flavoured with (peaches – almond), (apples-cinnamon).
Wanting to look like you are a slave to the stove? Just dust a little flour on your nose and sigh….loudly.
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At The Beach Mocktini
Not everyone consumes alcohol and for those who still wish to look trendy, make this one up. It is great for a hot, sunny day at the beach or patio…..
- 1 part cranberry juice
- 1 part grapefruit juice
- 1 part mango nectar
- 1 part club soda
Pour juices into a shaker filled with cracked ice and shake well.
Pour into chilled martini glass and carefully top with the club soda. Garnish with a mango slice. Looks good, tastes good….what more could you want?
Cheesecake With A Spanish Flair
I love cheesecake, but seem to in the minority most of the time. This is easy, not expensive to make and with the flavours of spring fruit offerings, makes it a real winner.
- 1 lb. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 cups berry sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- Icing sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar and 1 tbsp. butter. Add the eggs, blending well after each addition.
Add the flour, zest, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. With the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, butter the sides and bottom of a springform pan. Pour in the batter and bake for just 12 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely.
Strawberry/Rhubarb topping
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- 1 – 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- sugar to taste
Put the ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the rhubarb is tender. Taste and adjust lemon juice and sugar.
Sprinkle the top of the cheesecake with icing sugar and add the fruit topping on top. The topping can be either warm or cold, your decision!
If you didn’t notice….this doesn’t have a crust of any kind. It is so elegant when served.
Mixed Berry Crisp
Summer brings on wonderful dishes and this is one of them.
Serves 8
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1/2 cup melted butter
Sauce
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 tsp grated orange rind
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups blackberries
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup peeled and sliced peaches
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl combine first five ingredients and press one half of the mixture in a greased nine inch cake pan.
To make the sauce, combine the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in the cold water and orange peel until smooth. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for five minutes or until thick and clear, whisking constantly.
Toss the fruit together and arrange over the base. Pour sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and bake for fifty-five-sixty minutes until fruit is tender and top is golden in colour. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream.
This is a nice take on the apple crisp recipes everyone has.
Judith’s Rhubarb Strudel
This is the time for a perfect dessert with rhubarb. Make sure you try this, it is truly awsome.
- 4 cups sliced rhubarb
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
- 2 tbsp chopped ginger in syrup
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- combine and set aside.
- 6 sheets phyllo pastry
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs, divided
- Icing sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place one sheet phyllo on clean work surface. Cover remaining sheets with damp towel so not to dry out. On each sheet cover with melted butter and sprinkle bread crumbs. Repeat for all six layers.
Spread rhubarb mixture on top, leaving two inch border. Fold in sides, and roll up jelly roll style.
Place seam side down on parchment lined cookie sheet and cut five slots in top of pastry to allow steam out.
Bake for thirty minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Trust me, you can’t make enough of this stuff, even when you say you don’t like rhubarb…..you will!
My friend Judith gave me this recipe many years ago and with her permission it is now here for you to try. Too good to be true!
Dark Chocolate Lover’s Cake
For those of us who love dark chocolate, this is the one recipe to make…..over and over again!
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and beat in the egg yolks and melted chocolate.
Stir in the flour and milk alternately until well blended. Stir in the pecans and vanilla.
Fold in the egg whites until just combined.
In a greased 9 inch springform pan, spread the batter. Bake for about 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove from the pan. Cool completelybefore icing.
Icing
- 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 tbsp. cream
- 1 cup sifted icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans for garnish
Melt chocolate with butter and cream in a microwave, medium power, for 2-3 minutes. Lightly whisk in the icing sugar and vanilla until really smooth. Spread on the cake and garnish with the pecans.
Too yummy but remember YOU MUST SHARE….maybe!
Plum Coffee Cake
This is a great coffee cake that is an alternative to banana bread….
- 8 large purple plums
- 1 cup butter (not margarine)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. almond flavouring
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp. each baking powder and grated lime zest
- pinch of salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
A couple of hours before serving, slice the plums and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
In electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Reduce to low speed and add the flour, baking powder, lime zest, salt and eggs and beat until blended. Scrape bowl occasionally. Increase the speed back to medium and beat until smooth.
Spread the batter in the baking dish and top with the sliced plums. (make it look pretty). Top with the topping below.
Topping
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup quick Quaker oats
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Mix together until it resembles coarse crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the plums. Bake about 55 – 60 minutes until cake tests done.
Serve warm with almond flavoured whipped cream.
Baked Omelet
An omelet in the oven? Yes, in this case. This will serve 4
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- pinch of salt
- 1 drop Tabasco
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a blender, beat the eggs, milk, tabasco and cheese. Pour into an ungreased 8 inch round souffle dish.
Bake for roughly 1 hour until the eggs are set.
Serve with a glass of ice cold fruit juice, hot, buttered toast with homemade jam.
Oh yeah, I forgot…..freshly ground, hot coffee. Yummy!
Maple and Pecan Tarts
This is one I will make for sure this for my give-away trays. Absolutely the VERY BEST tarts. Unbelieveable how good they are. This is my favourite Maple Tart recipe EVER.
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 2 pkgs. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (don’t cheat here)
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped fine
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Starting from the short end of the rolled out pastry, cut into twelve equal circles. Flatten each circle with a rolling pin to make four inch shells. In a twelve cup greased muffin tin center the pastry and gently push in. Blind bake according to directions and let cool.
Mix all the ingredients except the whipping cream and cream together until smooth. Whip the cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the mixture.
Sprinkle a spoonful of pecans in the bottom of the tart shell and spoon the cheese mixture into each shell. Chill for at least four hours. Before serving, drizzle with a small amount of maple syrup and pecan halves.
So delicious, there won’t be leftovers.
Mediterranean Martini
This is nicer and makes you think of the south of France or wherever your ‘happy’ place is…….
- 2 parts Raspberry Vodka
- 1 part Creme de Cassis
Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with crushed ice and shake for a minute and strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with fresh raspberries.
You may like this so much it could taste like two. Any more than that and it is hangover time. Be careful.