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Spinach Crepe Spirals with Cream Cheese,
Sun-dried Tomatoes, Garlic, Lemon Zest and Pine Nuts

Makes 4 dozen appetizers

Crepes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup finely minced green onions (1 bunch)
Vegetable oil for skillet

Filling
1 pound cream cheese (16 oz), room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon vodka
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/2 cup (3 oz) toasted pine nuts, rough chop

1. Thaw spinach over night in fridge, or place unwrapped frozen block in a large bowl of warm water. Stir occasionally until thawed. Pour into a fine mesh sieve and squeeze out as much water as possible. Place on cutting surface and discard obvious large stems. Chop very fine and divide in half. Place one half in batter and reserve second half for another use

2. In a blender, food processor, or large bowl with a whisk, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended. Pour batter into a large bowl, and whisk in the spinach and minced green onions.

3. Warm a 10-inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan over moderate heat and brush lightly with oil. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot pan, tilting to coat evenly with thin layer of batter.

4. Cook until light brown spots start to appear. Flip crepe over and cook until the bumps of the spinach are browned. Remove crepe from pan and let cool on paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil to make 12 crepes.

Note: The recipe can be made ahead to this point. Wrap the crepes in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks. Let return to room temperature before using.

5. For the filling: in a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, basil, vodka, lemon zest, garlic and black pepper.

6. Spread drained sun-dried tomatoes on paper towel-lined plate. Cover with another paper towel and press out as much oil as possible. Chop fine.

7. Mix chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped toasted pine nuts into cream cheese filling.

8. Lay a crepe on a flat surface, smooth side down and bumpy green side up. Spread with about 3 tablespoons cream cheese filling, 1/4-inch thick. Make sure a thin layer of cream cheese covers entire edge farthest from you. This will act like glue to keep the roll tight.

9. Starting at edge closest to you, roll up crepe tightly, making sure the closing edge is completely sealed. Set aside seam down. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.

10. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. Keep refrigerated until ready to slice.

11. Trim ends of each crepe roll on diagonal. Nosh on trimmings while slicing rolls. Cut on the diagonal into about 5 slices, 3/4-inch wide. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

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Poached Egg, Prosciutto, Roasted Asparagus & Frisée with Romesco Sauce

Inspired by an eRecipe from Fine Cooking March 2012

Serves 4

Romesco Sauce Base
1 medium ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
½ cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
One ½-inch thick slice white country-style bread, cut into 3 pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded
½ cup raw almonds or hazelnuts, lightly toasted
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika; more as needed
½ teaspoon hot Pimenton dulce or cayenne; more as needed
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt

1. Put ancho chile in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak about 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

2. Warm a small sauté pan over medium heat and add ¼ cup olive oil. When oil is hot enough, bread will sizzle on contact. Add bread and reduce heat to medium low Fry bread on both sides until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.

3. Put diced tomatoes in a small baking dish, drizzle with a little oil and place under broiler until slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. In work bowl of food processor, put ancho chile, tomatoes, fried bread, red pepper, nuts and garlic. Grind to a chunky paste, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.

5. Add sweet and hot paprika, both vinegars and ¼ cup olive oil from sauté pan. Season with salt. Process again and taste. Should be sweet, nutty and bright with acidity. Place in storage container and allow to sit for 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Season to taste. Set aside.

For the Salad
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
24 medium to large asparagus spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 handfuls frisée (pale and light green center leaves), washed and dried
4 large eggs
4 to 8 thin slices Prosciutto or Serrano ham, for serving

1. Put ½ cup Romesco Sauce Base, ¼ cup olive oil and 1½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar in a mini processor. Process until smooth and spoonable. Place in a small bowl and add additional salt, vinegar or spice to taste. Set aside.

Note: Remaining Romesco Sauce Base can be refrigerated for one week and used for other purposes. Or freeze in ½ cup amounts in plastic zip bags for future Romesco Sauce.

2. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Trim ends of asparagus to fit on serving plates. If stems are tough, peel with vegetable peeler.

3. Place asparagus on foil covered baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread in a   single layer and salt lightly. Roast until just tender but still slightly crisp, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of spears. Set aside at room temperature.

4. Fill a straight sided heavy sauté pan with about 3 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar. Crack eggs into a small bowl and slide into the water. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes until done to your taste. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

5. Arrange asparagus spears on four plates and drape Prosciutto next to them. Place a nest of frisée over end of asparagus and place an egg on top. Drizzle lemon vinaigrette over Frissée, asparagus and Prosciutto.

6. Stir the Romesco Sauce vigorously and place dollops over and around salad. Pass extra sauce at table. Dust salad with ground black pepper. Stand back and admire your work. Beautiful!

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Cool Watermelon and Hatch Chili Gazpacho

Serves 8

Gazpacho
6 cups seedless watermelon (3 lb melon), diced small
2 cups V-8 Tomato Juice
1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, diced small
2 limes, zest and juice
1 cup red onion, diced small
6-8 ounces roasted mild Hatch Chiles, stem & seeds removed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Spanish (smoky) paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin, dry pan toasted
2 teaspoons ground coriander, dry pan toasted
To season, kosher salt and ground black pepper

1. Using a food processor, in batches, puree all ingredients until thick like a smoothie. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to chill completely. Before serving season with salt, pepper and more lime if necessary.

Garnish
2 cups watermelon, diced small
1/3 cup roasted mild Hatch Chiles, stem & seeds removed, ½-inch dice
¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 lime, juice and zest
To season, kosher salt & ground black pepper

1. Combine garnish ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve
Serve the gazpacho very chilled in small bowls or cups (preferably chilled) and add a spoonful of garnish in the center.

Note: If Hatch Chiles are not available, roasted anaheim or poblano chilies may be substituted.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Dipped in Chocolate & Honey Roasted Peanuts

Yield: about 40 cookies

Cookie Dough

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy’s)
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely grated with a microplane (I used Callebaut)

Finishing

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used a Sharffen Berger bar)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts, finely chopped, but not ground

1 cookie sheet covered with parchment, set inside second sheet of same size, for baking
1 cookie sheet, for chilling dough in freezer

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set rack in middle of oven.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk or stir well to mix.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium speed until well mixed and light, about 2 minutes.

4. Add vanilla and egg and beat until smooth.

5. Lower speed and beat in flour mixture and chocolate. Remove bowl from mixer and finish mixing dough with a large spoon or rubber spatula.

6. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Roll out one piece to 3/8-inch thick on parchment. Do not use additional flour. Place on sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

7. Cut chilled dough with a cookie cutter or into diamond shapes with pizza wheel or knife. Use offset spatula to lift chilled cut shapes from parchment and place onto second parchment covered sheet.

8. Bake cookies double-panned for about 9 to 10 minutes until firm. Cool on paper.

9. Repeat with remaining 2 balls of dough. Collect dough scraps and re-roll to use all of dough. Do not use additional flour.

Prepare Chocolate Mixture

1. In a small bowl stir melted chocolate and butter together. I melted in microwave for 1 minute. Have chopped peanuts in another small bowl nearby.

2. Dip both ends of each cookie in chocolate mixture, then into peanuts. Place cookies on parchment covered pan as finished. Let cool at room temperature for several hours to allow chocolate to set.

3. Store cookies at room temperature between sheets of parchment in plastic container with tight-fitting lid.

Note: Prior to serving, any messy-looking crumbs on the cookies can be brushed off with a pastry brush.

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Tomato Bruschetta

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used S&W Italian )
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley or basil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 slices sourdough baguette, cut diagonally 5” long x 1/2-inch thick
3 tablespoons salted butter, or more
1 garlic clove, peeled
Kosher salt

1. Drain the tomatoes thoroughly through a sieve, reserving tomato juice to drink or for another use.

2. Chop diced tomatoes into smaller pieces, removing cores or other unwanted bits.

3. In a medium bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, olive oil, pressed garlic, parsley and salt. Mix thoroughly.

4. Toast the 4 slices of sourdough, rub top side with garlic clove and slather with butter. Rub bottom side of toast with garlic clove.

5. Scoop tomato mixture onto toasts, mounding it to use entire mixture. Dust with additional kosher salt. Eat.

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Mango and Chicken Kabobs with Green Tomatillo Rice

The Mango & Chicken Kabobs can also be grilled on your BBQ.

Serves 2 – 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 ¼ – 1 ½-inch cubes
1 large mango, cut in 1 – 1 ½-inch cubes
16 cherry or plum tomatoes
1 small red onion, cut into 8 wedges lengthwise, each separated into 2 parts

Honey for glazing

8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour

Green Tomatillo Rice (recipe below)
Mango Dipping Sauce (recipe below), made ahead of time and chilled
Sliced green onions for garnish
Lime wedges for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Make the Green Tomatillo Rice and reserve.

2. Pierce the four ingredients onto the wooden skewers in this order:

tomato/chicken/onion/mango/tomato/chicken/mango/onion

3. Place all skewers on foil lined sheet, leaving at least ½-inch between. Drizzle with honey and spread to cover with a pastry brush. Turn over and brush with honey on second side.

4. Roast in 400*F oven for about 12 minutes, then turn skewers over and roast for a second 10 minutes. If chicken is not cooked through, roast for an additional 5 minutes. For additional char, run under the broiler for a minute on each side.

5. Serve over Tomatillo Rice with a small bowl of Mango Dipping Sauce, garnished with sliced green onions and lime wedges.

Optional: Drizzle some Mango Dipping Sauce over the rice before placing skewers on top.

Green Tomatillo Rice

8 husked tomatillos, husk removed and rinsed well under warm water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 serrano chili, minced
1 small bunch cilantro, stems discarded, leaves chopped
5 large leaves fresh spinach, washed, dried and chopped (or equivalent baby spinach leaves)
Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt to taste, about ½ teaspoon

4 cups hot cooked rice

1. Process tomatillos, garlic, serranos, cilantro and spinach in blender or processor until smooth. Season with lime juice and salt.

2. Pour tomatillo mixture into hot rice and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Note: If you are serving this rice as a side by itself in another dish, fold in a couple tablespoons of butter, or more to taste.

Mango Dipping Sauce

1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced, about 1 cup
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1. In a mini processor, combine mango, orange juice concentrate, vinegar and grated ginger. Puree until smooth. Chill. Serve with skewers.

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Mango-Glazed Bacon

Inspired by Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook

Serves 4 to 6

1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound thick-cut bacon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Line foil with parchment paper to fit bottom.

2. Place sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan and cook until the sugar is melted and it begins to boil. Add mango and cook until reduced by half and mango is soft, 10 minutes or more. Cool slightly.

3. Puree mango mixture in food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in the honey. Season with a dusting of salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

4. Place 6 to 8 slices of bacon on the prepared baking sheet and brush some glaze on both sides of each slice.

5. Bake the bacon slices for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven, brush slices with more glaze and turn them over, brushing with more glaze. Repeat 3 more times, for 10 minutes, 6 minutes and 6 minutes. Watch during the last minutes that slices do not become overly caramelized.

6. Remove slices immediately from sheet onto a new piece of parchment paper to cool.

7. Repeat with remainder of bacon.

8. Store cooked bacon in refrigerator in container singly in between sheets of parchment paper. Do not stack, as they will stick together. They are very sticky.

Note: Leftover glaze can be used for ice cream topping, in salad dressings, as a glaze for any meat or fish, in a dipping sauce. Be creative. Or freeze up to 6 months and use to glaze another pound of bacon.

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Mango & Yogurt Parfait

Makes 6 servings

1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cubed
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and pureed
3 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
6 tablespoons low-fat granola

1. Spoon equal amounts of mango puree into 6 clear plastic cups or parfait glasses.

2. Top each with ¼ cup yogurt.

3. Spoon cubed mango over the top, saving a few pieces for garnish.

4. Top each with remaining ¼ cup yogurt and reserved mango cubes.

5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each serving with a tablespoon of granola just before serving.

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Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

Yield: 16 brownies

Cooking spray

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped medium (I used Callebaut)
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Optional:
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup white chocolate chips -or- make White Butter Frosting (recipe below)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Make a parchment liner for an 8-inch baking pan that covers the bottom and up two sides with a 2-inch overhang, which will be used as handles to remove brownies from pan. Spray bottom of pan, and then parchment with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

4. Place a large stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan with about an inch of simmering water. Melt the chocolates and butter in the bowl, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

5. Remove chocolate and let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until each is thoroughly mixed in before adding another. Mix until glossy and smooth.

6. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs.

7. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Using the handles, remove brownies from pan and cool completely, about 3 hours. At this point you can cut into squares and eat.

8. If you want to do the full monty, using the handles, return the brownies to the pan. Using a toothpick, poke the brownies in several places all over. Douse with the bourbon. Let sit for about a half an hour.

9. Melt white chips in the microwave or in double boiler. Or make White Butter Frosting. Ice brownies and smooth with a small offset spatula. Chill until icing is set.

10. Melt dark chocolate chips and smooth over white icing. Chill until set. Remove brownies from pan with handles and cut into squares. Eat.

White Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Beat in vanilla.

Note: Plain or frosted brownies can be held at room temperature, covered, for three days. If they last that long. Or keep chilled for up to one week.

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