Tag Archives: butter

Apple Tarts by Ina

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1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
4 small (6 ounce) Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced
3/4 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
3 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares. Divide the pastry between the prepared sheet pans and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally across the pastry and place one slice of apple on each side of the arranged slices. Sprinkle the apples evenly with the sugar and dot them with the butter.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Don’t worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tarts will be fine! When the tarts are done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados until bubbly and brush the apples and pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tarts with a metal spatula so they don’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-tarts-recipe.html?oc=linkback

French Mussel Bisque by Ina

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1 (750-ml) bottle dry white wine, divided
3 pounds fresh mussels, cleaned
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1 large leek, white and light green parts, cleaned and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 whole canned plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or dill

Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup of the wine to a boil in a large, shallow pot. Add the mussels, cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the mussels open. When the mussels are cool enough to handle, separate the mussels from the shells and set aside, discarding the shells and any mussels that didn’t open. Strain the cooking liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl and reserve.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in another large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, leek, carrots, garlic, saffron, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.

Add 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid (discard the rest) and the rest of the wine, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the reserved mussels, the half-and-half, and the cream. Heat until just heated through but not boiling. Stir in the parsley or dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve hot.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-mussel-bisque-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Julia Child soup base

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Onion/Rice Soup Base

2 cups onions; sliced
2 tablespoon butter
4 cups stock
1/2 cup rice
salt and pepper

Sautée the onions in the butter until tender. Add the rice and the 4 cups of stock with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes then cool, puree, and freeze for later use. A blender is FAR superior in this endeavor. A food processor leaves it too chunky.

Another 4 cups of another liquid, milk, stock, cooking liquid, etc. will be needed to properly reconstitute the base to a soup consistency.

Add whatever turns you on to flavor it. …mushrooms, ham, cooked greens, etc. and even brussle sprouts.
NOTE: Blake made the Brussels sprout soup as reported but discovered something else along the way. I.e, the soup base is some pretty darned good stuff all by itself. It tastes suspiciously like a good risotto but far simpler to make.

Blake used the onion/rice soup base….about two cups, sautéed 18-20 sprouts till they got some good color. I cooled and quartered them and put them back in the pot with about two slices of crumbled bacon. I thinned it with as much milk as necessary and adjusted the salt and pepper. It is definitely a winner.

Butter Pecan Turtle Bars from bake or break

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For the crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
For the filling:
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

To make the crust:

Beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add flour gradually and mix well.

Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9″x13″ pan. Sprinkle with pecans.

To make the filling:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and continue stirring for about 30 seconds.

Pour over crust and pecans. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand for a few minutes, and then use a knife to cut through chocolate. Cool and cut into bars. Yield: 54 1″x2″ bars

http://www.bakeorbreak.com

Molten Chocolate Cake – Ree Drummond

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4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cups Butter
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 whole Egg Yolks
6 tablespoons Flour
2 cups Real Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.

Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.

Divide between cups.

Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet.
Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.

Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.
Divide between cups.

Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

Combine sugar and heavy cream and whip until stiff. Invert cakes on dishes and top with whipped cream

pie crust, carla hall

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1 tablespoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Table Salt
1/3 cup Water
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold Unsalted Butter (cut into 1/2-inch dice)
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour (plus more for rolling)

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the water. Refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. During that time, refrigerate your butter, flour, mixer bowl, and paddle, too.

Make sure your butter is cut into 1/2-inch dice. Bigger pieces will make your dough puffy. In the chilled bowl, combine the cold butter and flour. With your hands, toss the butter in the flour until each cube is lightly coated.
With the chilled paddle, beat the flour-butter mixture on low speed to just break up the butter, about 30 seconds.

Add the water mixture all at once and raise the speed to medium-low. Beat just until the dough comes together in big chunks, then immediately turn off the mixer.

Divide the chunks of dough in half and very gently pat each group into a round 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, before rolling. You can refrigerate the disks for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.

Helpful Tips:
1. Make sure that all the ingredients are cold.
2. Mix with your fingertips, not your palms. Fingertips are cool, while your palms are hot.
3. When mixing the flour and butter, pick up some of the flour and butter, squeeze it, and drop it.
4. Make discs with the dough — rather than a ball — so that it is easier to flatten

Hearty Tuna Casserole — Blake

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1 lb. egg noodles
2 12-oz-cans tuna; broken up
4 ribs celery; chopped
5 ea. carrots; chopped
1 large onion; chopped
12 oz. mushrooms; chopped
1 qt. milk; warm
½ cup flour
½ cup butter

Cook the noodles.

Sweat the vegetables till cooked through. Sauté the mushrooms till taking on quite a bit of color and deglaze the pan with brandy or your choice of liquid. Cook off the liquid and combine the mushrooms with the vegetables.

In the pan you used to sauté the mushrooms, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Stir to combine thoroughly and add the milk. Bring it to a slow boil and stir it until it thickens.

Stir the tuna and noodles in with the vegetables to combine it thoroughly and then pour the béchamel over it and mix it in.

This is a distressingly simple recipe that is thoroughly satisfying.

Cream of tomato soup, based on allrecipes.com recipe

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here’s my version
3 tbsp butter
3/4 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp flour
6 – 8c tomato juice
3/4 tsp basil
salt and pepper
1 1/2 c milk or to taste
+/- 1/4 c heavy cream

melt butter in heavy dutch oven, add onions cook gently until translucent, add garlic and cook a few min more. Add flour cook for a min or two. Add tomato juice,salt, pepper and basil. Cook for 12-15 min. Add milk and cream, heat through. Serve with grated parm or romano and crackers.

NOTE:  I like my tomato soup smooth so I ended up running it through a sieve.

 

shortbread

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Amy Voigt’s
1 c soft butter
cream with 5/8 c sugar (this is 1/2c + 2 tbsp)
mix in 2 1/2 c sifted flour

chill then pat to 1/2 ” thick, cut into shapes
bake @ 300 on ungreased sheet for 20-25 min

Grandmother Chisholm’s
cream 1 lb butter cut in 6 c flour, 1/2c rice flour and 1 c sugar
Pat into round shape, bake 30 min at 325  or 45 min at 300

My version:  The Edinburgh Book of Plain Cookery Recipes
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rice flour
8 ounces butter
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer, paddle until the dough clumps together, press in to 1 or 2 cake pans (I like 1 for thicker shortbread, Stepahnie uses 2 8-inch pans).  Prick with a fork to decorate if you wish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned.  Cut into appropriate sized pieces while it’s still warm, and allow to cool completely before removing it from the pans.
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