Happy Entertaining from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
World renowned Epicurious.com just posted a lovely review of my gift baskets! Check it out here.
BACON & CARAMELIZED ONION DIP
Back in my Mom’s day, an hors d’oeuvre got the ultimate stamp of approval when “the men loved it.” This recipe definitely falls into that category. The strands of caramelized onions make this dip kind of messy to eat, but press on. It’s worth it. Oven roasted fries (recipe follows) make a good sturdy carrier. A little chopped fresh thyme or rosemary makes a nice addition to this hearty dip.
INGREDIENTS
(6 Servings)
3 strips bacon
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
One 16-ounce tub sour cream
Pinch of sugar
DIRECTIONS
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour the bacon grease from the skillet and dispose of it, but don’t wipe out the skillet.
- Peel the onion and slice it in half lengthwise. Cut the halves crosswise into thin slices. Add the butter and oil to the skillet used to cook the bacon and melt butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are very soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Stir in the sugar and remove from heat. Let cool completely.
- Crumble the cooked bacon and stir it into the sour cream, saving a few crumbles for garnish. Stir in the cooled onions and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time. Bring to room temperature before serving.
TO MAKE OVEN ROASTED FRIES, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut 3 large, unpeeled baking potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thick wedges. (3 to 4 wedges per half, depending on the size of the potato.) Place wedges on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 25 minutes. Using a metal spatula, turn wedges over. Roast until tender and golden brown in spots, about 10 minutes longer. The fries should be crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, if desired and serve immediately. (Serves 6)
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Happy Memorial Day from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
I like to kick off the beginning of picnic season with a menu featuring my all time favorite barbeque recipe. It’s absolutely, positively the best pulled pork I’ve ever eaten! (Recipe follows.) It’s good warm or at room temperature on buns, flour tortillas, or sliced baguette. For dessert this year, I’m going with the classic ice cream and cookies combo. Or, in this case, rainbow sherbet and cookies.
OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES WITH SALTED CASHEWS
Substitute dried cherries for the raisins, if you like. This recipe makes a lot of dough. You may want to bake off half of it and store the other half in the freezer for a future cookie emergency.
(Makes about 40 large cookies)
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon each salt, cinnamon and ginger
1- 1/3 cups unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons)
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3- ½ cups regular oatmeal
1- ½ cups chopped, salted cashews
¾ cup raisins
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oatmeal, chopped cashews and raisins until thoroughly incorporated.
- Roll pieces of dough into 1- ½ inch balls and place them on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Press lightly on each ball with your fingers to flatten into 2- ½ inch rounds.
- Bake in upper third of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are flat and brown. Remove from the oven and let cookies stand on baking sheets for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
SWEET & SPICY BARBECUE
This recipe serves 4, but can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark molasses
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon each paprika, ground coriander and salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or stew beef or “stew beef,” cut into 2-inch cubes
2 bay leaves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together the molasses, vinegar, tomato paste and spices. Place the meat cubes in a large, shallow, non-aluminum baking dish. Add the molasses mixture and stir well to coat. Cover with foil and bake until the meat is very tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
2. Remove the meat from the sauce and shred it with a knife or two forks. Return the shredded meat to the baking dish and mix with the sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature in crusty buns or rolled into flour tortillas.
(I adapted this recipe from one developed by Marcia Keisel, test kitchen supervisor of Food & Wine magazine.)
FIND A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST AT ELIZABETH W. GIFT BASKETS
White Pizza with Asparagus & Black Olives
May 12, 2009
Happy entertaining from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets
The asparagus patch is in full flourish and I have asparagus coming out of my ears! Here’s one of my favorite ways to use it. Thin wedges of this rich pie make excellent nibbles for cocktail hour.
WHITE PIZZA WITH ASPARAGUS & BLACK OLIVES
(8 appetizer servings)
If you have white truffle oil on hand, add a quick drizzle to put this already decadent pie over the top. I sprinkle my parchment with a little cornmeal before I lay on the dough. It’s not necessary, I just like the subtle crunch it gives the crust.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
2 cloves roasted garlic
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
6 to 8 small asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
¼ black olives, coarsely chopped
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Olive oil or white truffle oil, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Roll or stretch out dough on a lightly floured surface, pulling on corners to form a roughly 16-by-13-inch freeform rectangle. Transfer to a large, heavy parchment lined baking sheet (17 by 14 inches).
Squeeze roasted garlic from skins and gently spread on the dough using your fingers. Sprinkle on 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
Combine the ricotta cheese, heavy cream and a dash of salt and mix well. Dollop generous tablespoons full of the ricotta mixture over the crust, leaving some spots uncovered. Arrange the asparagus and black olives on top and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella.
Bake pizza until edge of crust is golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan and drizzle lightly with the oil. Return to the oven for another minute or two. Serve immediately.
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PARTY ON!
Place Card Favors for Mother’s Day
May 7, 2009
Happy Mother’s Day from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
If you are making a fancy meal for your mom for Mother’s Day, take an extra 10 minutes and put together these sweet take-home place cards. Tiny vases (about 4 inches tall) can be found at craft supply stores, flea markets and big box stores for about a dollar. Fill one for each guest with tiny spring flowers like violets or grape hyacinth. Tie on nametags and place one on each guest’s plate.
For those of you who are NOT making a fancy meal for your mom, get over yourself! Any fool can put together a nice meal even if you can’t cook. If you can hunt and gather, you can make a lovely meal. Here’s how.
Visit your grocery or specialty food store and pick up a rotisserie chicken, a bag of pre-washed salad greens, a bottle of vinaigrette style dressing, oil-cured olives, dried figs or dates, whole almonds, walnut halves and some fresh grapes.
From the deli section, get a pound or so of roasted vegetables and pick out several cheeses to make a cheese board. Include some firm cheeses and some soft; some intensely flavored and some milder. A good combination might include, Grafton Village Cheddar, Camembert, Maytag Blue, aged Mimolette, a goat cheese, an aged sheep’s milk cheese, and a triple-crème cheese, such as St. Andre.
From the bakery section, get a loaf of crusty, country bread and a pretty pie or cake for dessert. Some ice cream to go with that? Up to you. I vote yes.
Pick up your favorite wines or champagne from the liquor store and you’re good to go.
Instead of serving the meal in courses, put everything but dessert on the table at once; even the cheese board. It will look more impressive and you’ll be able to nosh and relax with Mom and your guests rather than jumping up and down to get things.
Put the chicken on a platter and surround it with the roasted vegetables. Put the olives and the nuts in small bowls and arrange them, along with the cheeses, bread, grapes, dried fruits and knives for slicing, on several small cutting boards or platters. Just before serving, toss the salad greens with the dressing in a large bowl. That’s it. Dinner is served!
For dessert, put the cake or pie on a cake stand, if you have one, and serve with ice cream and coffee, if desired.
Cake stand or not, Mom will love this meal. She will love it for the same reason she loved that goofy dinosaur diorama you made for her in third grade, or the very strange vase you created in pottery class. She will love it because she loves you… and because you made it yourself!
FIND A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST AT ELIZABETH W. GIFT BASKETS
Lemon-Garlic Asparagus with Roasted Red Peppers
May 1, 2009
Mother’s Day is May 10th.
Cook something nice for your Mom with this appetizer recipe from
Oh boy! My asparagus patch is starting to produce those first tender, luscious spears. On the rare occasion that I make it back to my kitchen without eating my entire harvest, I like to prepare this simple dish. It’s perfect for tapas, appetizers, or the first course of a special Mother’s Day luncheon.
LEMON-GARLIC ASPARAGUS WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS
Parmesan is the traditional pairing with asparagus dishes such as this, but when I shot this photo I only had sharp smoked cheddar on hand. It was a delicious alternative and seemed to enhance the earthy goodness of the young asparagus.
INGREDIENTS
(4 Servings)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 ½ pounds fresh asparagus
3 ounces drained jarred roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips (about ½ cup)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan
DIRECTIONS
- Smash the garlic clove with the side of a knife to release its essence. Remove peel and place it in a small bowl with the olive oil. Let it sit for at least 1 hour. Remove the garlic and discard.
- Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and blanch just until bright green and tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and place under cold running water to prevent further cooking. Pat dry. Cut the tip of each spear into a 3 to 4 inch length. (Save remaining pieces for snacking.)
- Toss the asparagus and roasted red pepper strips with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Divide among 4 small plates, garnish with the shaved Parmesan and serve.
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