Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto

Source: Adapted from What's Gaby Cooking

1 lb. asparagus
4 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut asparagus into 1" pieces and blanch for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water so that asparagus retains color and set aside. Add stock to a large pot and bring to a simmer. In another large pot (or skillet), melt butter on medium heat. Add shallots to melted butter and let sweat several minutes. Add rice to shallot and butter mixture and stir to coat each grain of rice with butter. Allow rice to toast 1-3 minutes. Add wine and slowly stir. Once wine is absorbed, add stock 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to stir so rice doesn't stick to bottom of pan. Continue adding stock in 1/2 cup increments each time absorption is complete. (Stock measurement is approximate - may require more or less stock - start tasting rice near end and cook until firm but not crunchy). Add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and stir to incorporate. Mix in asparagus pieces and serve.

Makes 2 large servings.

Note - 1 lb of asparagus is too much. Try 3/4 lb.

Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, egg, milk and vanilla.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, mixing only until incorporated.
4. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350˚F for 15-20 minutes.
5. Dip cooled muffins into melted butter then sugar and cinnamon, or sprinkle on powdered sugar.

Note: Fill the muffin tin halfway, spoon in a teaspoon of jam and then cover with more batter for jam-filled muffins.

Fruit & Herb Stuffing

from Simple Bites

1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups sweet onions, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 large loaf of crusty bread, torn into pieces (about 8 cups)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 cups chopped apple
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1. Plump cranberries and raisins in hot water for about ten minutes. Drain and reserve.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add onions and celery. Stirring often, sweat them for about five minutes.

3. Add thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Add chopped apples and cook gently for about 2 minutes.

4. Transfer to a bowl and toss with bread cubes. Add dried cranberries or raisins, parsley and walnuts to the bowl and mix well.

5. Pour turkey stock over stuffing and mix well to combine. Butter an ovenproof dish and pack stuffing into it. (At this point, you may refrigerate the stuffing, well wrapped, for up to a day before proceeding.)

6. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve hot.

No Knead Bread

from The New York Times


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

from The Pioneer Woman

1 bag (12 to 16 ounces) fresh cranberries
16 ounces pomegranate juice
3/4 cup sugar (more or less, to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Mixture will thicken as it cooks and thicken more as it cools.  Cool in a jar or bowl in the fridge.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Cake
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces semisweet chocolate (mini chips or finely chopped)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour with the chocolate chips or pieces. Set aside.

In a third bowl (stay with me here), beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Mix the hot water and molasses in a heatproof bowl or measuring cup.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the molasses mixture in 3 batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in the chocolate chips or pieces and mix just until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and is firm to the touch.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Make sure the cake has completely set before attempting to loosen it from the pan with a spatula or knife and inverting it onto a serving platter (otherwise you will end up with cake parts in the pan and the rough and tumble cake top pictured above). Store covered at room temperature.

Notes: The cake has a delicious crunchy exterior on day one, but it's equally delicious for days afterward. The crust disappears, but the spicy flavours intensify.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, cut into 8 pieces and at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream cream cheese in medium mixing bowl.  Add butter and continue beating until smooth and well blended.  Sift in icing sugar and continue beating until smooth.  Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Prime Rib

from The Gastronomic Goat

Prime rib roast of desired size
Sea salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Herb rub of choice
2 carrots
1 large onion

Note: Each rib in the roast means 2 servings.

A couple hours before roasting, remove the roast from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Rub the meat all over with herbs (e.g. rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano). You can use fresh if you'd like, but dried work fine for this recipe. Just before cooking, season with salt & pepper.

Preheat oven to 450F. Scrub your carrots and remove the ends, no need to peel. Cut them into a couple large pieces. Trim & peel the onion and cut into quarters. Scatter the carrot & onion pieces in the bottom of a roasting pan, and lay the roast, rib side down, on top of them.

Place the roast in the oven and roast at 450F for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven down to 250F, and continue to roast for 20-25 minutes per pound, until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 130F for medium rare. If you like your meat done a little more, roast to 140F for medium.

When the roast is done, cover it with aluminum foil and a kitchen towel to allow it to rest. It's important to allow the roast to rest for at least 20-30 minutes before carving.

For jus/gravy, move the roast to a board for carving. Remove the carrot & onion pieces from the pan, and heat the drippings over medium heat. Deglaze the pan with a splash of red wine and, if necessary, supplement the drippings with beef stock. For a thick gravy, bring to a simmer and thicken with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in a bit of cold water. However, this roast rarely releases enough drippings to make a jus or gravy without supplementation. This is not a bad thing, it just means all those delicious meaty juices are still inside your roast!