Endive Stuffed With Goat Cheese & Walnuts

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I came upon this recipe while looking for something else. Since I had just come back from Costco with a huge bag of walnuts guess what we had last night. Although this is really a late autumn/winter recipe when endive is at its peak, I couldnt help posting it lest I forget. Tuck it in your recipe box until then and remember to try out

This appetizer has a lot going for it: The sweetness of the honeyed walnuts and orange sections complements the endive's natural bitterness, while goat cheese provides a smooth contrast to the crunch of the greens and nuts.  It is truly delightful with cocktails so give it a try and don't omit anything! It would be delightful and very elegant if served with champagne.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed leaves)

Ingredients

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons honey, divided

Cooking spray

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons orange juice

16 Belgian endive leaves (about 2 heads)

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese

16 small orange sections (about 2 navel oranges)

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine walnuts and 1 tablespoon honey; spread on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, vinegar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

Fill each endive leaf with 1 orange section. Top each section with 1 teaspoon cheese and 1 teaspoon walnuts; arrange on a plate. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over leaves, and sprinkle evenly with chives and pepper.


My recipes, Cooking Light

Fourth of July Weekend... Charred Corn Salad

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Chances are you will have some leftover corn on the cob from one of the meals you serve your guests this weekend.   Don't throw it out...make this the next night.  This salad is wonderful with anything you throw on the grill, including hamburgers on the 4th; or bring it along next time you go on a picnic.  If you can't find jicama, skip it.

One thing you don't want to skip is chipotle chiles in adobo.  These are normally packed in cans with a sauce made of spices, vinegar, tomato sauce and sometimes other chilies. You can use the chiles, the sauce, or both in recipes. Don't worry, when I first made this salad, I had to look it up too!  You will find them in small cans in the Mexican section of the supermarket.  Have you noticed how this area is getting larger by the minute? My supermarket now has two sections!  People in this country have really fallen in love with all this hot and spicy food.  As for me, I have to look up most peppers every time they are included in a recipe.  It is soo confusing, all these peppers.  I have learned one thing though...habaneros are the hotest!

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1 Tbs. fresh orange juice

1 tsp. diced chipotle chili in adobo, plus 1 Tbs. adobo sauce

2 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. honey

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil

6 ears of corn, husks and silks removed

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro, plus cilantro leaves for garnish*

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup diced jicama

1/4 cup diced red onion

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, chipotle chili and adobo sauce, 1 tsp. of the salt, the garlic, honey and the 1/4 cup olive oil until smooth. Set the vinaigrette aside.

Prepare a hot fire in a grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat.

Rub the ears of corn with the 2 Tbs. olive oil and the remaining 1 tsp. salt. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until charred in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cobs and place the kernels in a large bowl. Add the black beans, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, jicama, onion and vinaigrette and stir until well combined. Garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve the salad at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8.

*I added 3 TBs

Recipe Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

How to Grill a Great Hamburger

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In my family the women are the great cooks, but the men are not far behind, specially on the grill. Since they know they can't compete with us in the kitchen, the grill is their domain. What they don't know is that behind their backs we do a pretty good job there too, we just don't let them know it!

My brother is now one of my best fans. I understand from my sister in law he reads my blog every night when he gets home from work. Two nights ago, while we were on the phone talking about something else, he suddenly volunteered his newest hamburger recipe, a stroke of genius indeed.  I made some for us last night and they were so good I even forgot to add the cheese.

One of the most important things about a hamburger is obviously the type of meat.  Some people think sirloin is the best meat to use; others swear by ground chuck... neither is right.  The best meat is a combination of sirloin and chuck.  The flavor of sirloin together with the fat from the chuck renders the perfect hamburger.  Salt and pepper and a little Worcestershire sauce is all you need and for cheese fans, some cheddar.  Make a small indentation with your thumb in the middle after shaping to help it cook evenly and whatever you do, do not flatten with a spatula when grilling.  I cringe when I see people do that.  The meat should be room temperature before it goes on the fire but do not let it sit out once blood comes out.  Oil or spray the grill and wait until the coals are very hot before you add the patties.  Wrap a piece of bacon over the hamburger and throw it on the grill.  This is his secret! You can remove it later, add it to the bun, feed it to the dog or just gulp it down while no one is watching!  For medium rare, I cook mine 5 minutes on each side covered,  For medium, I would add another minute on each side. Flip just once!

My brother likes to split an English muffin add some olive oil and grill it while hamburger is cooking.  I love the French hamburger rolls from Publix which are light and airy.  The rest is up to you...for me, a slice of tomato, onion, catsup and lettuce is it, although horseradish mustard is divine!

An Elegant Summer Menu For the Ladies Who Lunch

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A long time ago, I promised one of my readers that I would post a menu for a ladies lunch.  With all the things that have happened lately in my life,  I frankly forgot.  I hope it is not too late to remedy the situation, particularly since she has been one of my earliest and most faithful subscribers.

Ladies luncheons are fun to have.  My Mother's generation is great at planning these things but, unfortunately, when it came time for my age group, we were all too busy caring for kids or going to work.  I was seldom a party to the "ladies who lunch" set, but I did have a small group of corporate girlfriends with whom to celebrate birthdays at fancy restaurants in Manhattan.  We all had money to spend in those days and the presents and food were terrific.  It was a great time to catch up on other people's real life and good old fashioned gossip.  For just a couple of hours, we were girls again, in spite of the fact that by 3 o'clock we had to put back our armors and go fight another day.

Later, when I moved to Miami, I was reunited with a lot of my childhood friends and my Mother's friends and I have to confess to attending many a ladies lunch.  It was not a labor of love, believe me, those ladies can cook and when they get together, it's all systems go!  Out came the linen tablecloths, and the silver,  china, and flowers.  Nothing was purchased or catered;  they spent days getting ready for the big event, cooking and ironing with countless hours on the phone figuring out what they were going to wear and what they were going to eat.  On the day of the party they came dressed to the nines, as if  they were going to lunch at Cipriani's... pearls, Hermes scarves, Ferragamo shoes and all the accoutrements from days gone by. Oh, and they never broke a sweat, not this group, even in the heat of the day!  It was kind of fun, but it did take planning and outside help.  Luckily, good help is plentiful in Miami  for it's nice to end the party with all the dishes washed and put away. 

But don't despair, although I love a beautiful party, for occasions such as these, I like to put together a menu that I can cook the day before and that doesn't require a lot of last minute fuzzing or outside help.  The soup definitely must be made the day before so that it is very cold when served.  The pork is also cooked and sliced the day before and can be arranged on a platter and placed in the refrigerator the night before.  Do bring it out at least a couple of hours before you serve it so that it is room temperature. The cake and sauce are also made ahead and the squash casserole can be assembled the night before and cooked on the day of the party.  I always like to have one hot dish with a cold lunch and this is a great match for the menu.  Feel free to use any other hot casserole you may have tucked away.

Remember to clean out your refrigerator ahead of time so everything fits in the fridge.  If you set the table the night before, all you will need to do that day is mix the salad.  Notice I have kept hors d'oeuvres light on purpose.  If you want to expand, just do a small  antipasto type platter with perhaps just olives and thinly sliced prosciutto, but don't overfeed them before they sit down.

If you have pretty demitasse cups, you can fill them with the cold soup and pass them around before you sit down to lunch.  This eliminates more dishes and spoons to wash (you have to think that way) and they love it!  They make quite a splash and provide interesting and trivial conversation for another half hour or so...just make sure you chill them before you pour the cold soup in.

White peaches from California are in and you can usually buy a big case at Costco at this time of the year.  Squeeze the peaches to or three days ahead and keep the juice covered in the refrigerator.  Costco also has some very good Prosecco for around $10.00!  Do make the cheese wafers the weekend before.  They can be shaped into rolls and frozen or refrigerated.

The rose wine I recommend can be purchased at Crown Liquors in Coral Gables (my friend lives there) or at most well stocked liquor stores.

This menu is for 8 but it can be easily double.  If you are organized, you will not need any outside help.

Ladies' Lunch Menu

Bellini's

Cheese wafers

Cold Cucumber and Spinach Soup

Cold Stuffed Roast Pork with Fig And Balsamic Chutney

Summer Squash Gratin

Endive and Watercress Salad With a Lemon Vinaigrette

*Domaine Houchart Rose*

Savannah Sponge Cake With Berries And Sweet Madeira Sauce

Espresso

Now I have shown you how versatile some recipes, like this tenderloin, can be. Served hot it can be the main course for an elegant summer or winter dinner, or it can be served cold for lunch or a buffett. If you have left overs, slice thin and save for a Cuban sandwich...now, how versatile is that!

You may also want to check Cool Summer Menus For A Ladies Lunch


Images: Carolyne Roehm

Easy Summer Desserts....Peach Amaretto Sundaes

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The height of the summer season is next weekend with the Fourth of July.  Chances are you will either be having guests if you live in the country, the seashore, or like me, on a lake; or you will be going somewhere as a guest.  If you are having guests, come on over to my country blog and check out my game plan, including easy menus and recipes, for the entire weekend.  If you are a guests, come and see what your poor hostess has to go through in order for everyone to have an enjoyable weekend..  It would be wonderful if you could alleviate her load and bring over some cookies, dessert,  muffins, jams or anything else that would make things easier for her.  You could bake some cheese wafers and stick them in a tin.  They would be great to have with cocktails over the weekend.  Yes, flowers and wine are wonderful, but what your hostess really needs is some help with the menu.

If you can't cook or bake, or don't have time for either before you leave, offer to make dessert one night.  This desert is one of those easy and simple recipes that look like a million dollars but can be prepared in a jiffy.  Some things you can bring with you but others, like the ice cream, will need to be purchased nearby.   Amaretto cookies can be made or they can be bought in a tin at most gourmet stores.  I see them all the time at Marshall's!  The peaches are beginning to show up at the markets and you can buy some early next week so they will be ready for the weekend. And the liquor, well you know where to get that! Put everything in a basket and presto! you have a nice and very original hostess gift!

If on the other hand you are the hostess, this is the kind of dessert you will definitely need to keep handy for the rest of the summer.  Trust me, you will be pulling it out all the time

Juicy peaches, crushed cookies and vanilla ice cream spiked with brandy and amaretto add up to the perfect summer dessert.

yield: Serves 6


Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

5 tablespoons amaretto

2 tablespoons brandy

6 ripe peaches, peeled if desired, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup crushed amaretti cookies

mint leaves for decoration (optional)


Preparation

Combine ice cream, 3 tablespoons amaretto and 1 tablespoon brandy in large bowl. Stir to blend well. Cover and freeze until firm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep ice cream mixture frozen.)

Combine peaches, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons amaretto and remaining 1 tablespoon brandy in another large bowl. Toss to coat. Let peach mixture stand until sugar dissolves, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Divide sliced peaches among 6 dessert bowls or wineglasses. Spoon vanilla ice cream mixture atop peaches. Sprinkle desserts with crushed amaretti cookies. Decorate with  mint  Serve immediately.



Adapted from Bon Appetit

Savannah Sponge Cake With Berries And Madeira Sweet Sauce

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Sponge cakes are European-style cakes, like the French génoise, and are a fundamental block in your cake-building repertoire. Unlike butter cakes and chiffon cakes, sponge cakes include little or no fat, other than what's in the egg yolks. Traditional recipes produce cakes leavened only by the air beaten into the eggs, not by baking powder or soda.

Sponge cakes are used in layer cakes, charlottes, jelly rolls, and tiramisu (either as a sheet or piped into ladyfingers). Madeleines are also a version of sponge cakes.

Since fat acts as a tenderizer, plain sponge cakes can be dry and seem tough. When soaked with simple syrup and flavorings, sponge cakes are delectable.

This cake supposedly arrived in this country by way of Thomas Jefferson who copied the recipe while abroad and sent it back to his cooks at Monticello.  For many years it was also identified with the city of Savannah from where this recipe comes.  It was very popular in the 50's and 60's and I still remember the one made by a store called the A&P which was where my mother shopped for groceries.  The store and the cake somehow disappeared from the radar and I hadn't thought about it until I saw and made this recipe last night.  Well, it won't be forgotten for long, it is a delectable way to serve fruit in the summer as an alternative to the heavier shortcake.  The Madeira Sauce which accompanies the cake is something else.  That is where the fat is but don't have a hissy fit yet.  ...you won't be eating all the sauce, just about 1 tablespoon (or two) and then you might lick the remnants before you put the pan in the sink...that's all!.

Ingredients

5 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 large lemon

4 ounces cake flour (sifted)

1/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grate rind of the lemon into small glass bowl.  Juice lemon through a strainer into the bowl and let seep while you prepare batter. 

Butter and flour 9 inch  cake pan.

Separate the eggs. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until very thick and lemon colored. Beat in sugar gradually. add lemon extract and lemon rind..

In another bowl, beat egg whites with the salt until frothy Beat mixture until whites are stiff, but not until they are dry. Add flour. Fold this whipped mixture and flour into yolk mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 300 degrees F  for 45 minutes or until done.

Dust with powdered sugar. It makes a delicious tea cake or can be used for triffle, charlotte, or tiramisu.

For dessert, serve with strawberries and blueberries and Sweet Madeira Sauce (follows)



Sweet Madeira Sauce

1/2 cup medium dry Madeira wine

3 to 4 TBS sugar

10 Tbs or 1 1/4 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small bits

1/4 to 1.2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg. or lemon or orange zest

Direction

Put wine in small saucepan, add sugar and stir until dissolved.  Bring to simmer over medium heat.  Reduce to low and remove pan from heat.

Whisk is 3 or 4 bits butter until almost melted.  Continue with rest of the butter a few bits at a time until it becomes a thick cream.  Do not bring to a boil.  I added the nutmeg and left it to come to room temperature.

Ladle some in bottom of plate, cut a slice of cake and place over it.  Put some strawberries and/or blueberries on the side.


Recipe and photo The Savannah Cookbook by Damon L. Fowler

Summer Squash Gratin

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This is my favorite summer squash gratin (okay, casserole) that I made when I lived in North Carolina. I have never had any desire to experiment with other recipes... it was that good.  Easy to make, great with pork!


Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix

2 lb. squash, cooked

4 oz.diced pimento

2. finely chopped onions (small)

2 grated carrots

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Directions

Melt butter. Add stuffing mix. Mix well. Line bottom of casserole dish with 1/2 stuffing miss, reserving rest for top.

Cook squash in salted water, drain and mash. Combine remaining ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle top with reserved stuffing. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Image Getty