Cook & Be Merry » Grace-Marie’s Kitchen

Sangria Glazed Pears & Honey Almond Cream From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:22:50 +0000

In September I attended Grace-Marie’s Sizzlin’ Spanish Paella cooking class, which culminated with this Sangria Glazed Caramelized Pear & Honey Almond Cream dessert. I love to go to her classes because the food is so beautiful and I get to take marvelous photographs. It helps that my camera is a wizard, I realize. I am just the finger that pushes the button.

First the cut side of the pear halves are caramelized in butter and brown sugar, leaving the pear still firm to the touch. The caramelized brown sugar butter will later be poured over the cooked pears, as you can see in the top photograph.

Meanwhile the Sangria Glaze is cooked to a syrup from Spanish red wine, pomegranate juice, sugar, sherry, orange and lemon slices and seasoned with a cinnamon stick and whole cloves. Can’t you just smell it?

The plates are sauced with the Sangria Glaze and a Vanilla Honey Almond Cream. You could make your own Crème Anglais, or this wonderful adaptation with fine Vanilla ice cream mixed with honey and almond extract. The final plate has the caramelized pear framed with the sauces and garnished with mint and Marcona almonds. This would be a beautiful dessert for your holiday celebrations. And everything could be made ahead of time and quickly assembled. What could be better?

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Sangria Glazed Caramelized Pears & Honey Almond Cream

Serves 8

Sangria Glaze
3 cups Dry Spanish Red Wine
2 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup Spanish Sherry or Brandy
1 medium orange, halved, thinly sliced
½ small lemon, thinly sliced
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cloves

1. Combine wine, pomegranate juice, sugar, sherry, orange, lemon, cinnamon stick and cloves in a tall saucepan. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Cook until thick like honey (30+minutes).

Note: As the syrup begins to thicken, be careful as it will concentrate quickly and can scorch!

2. Cool in pan until room temperature, then strain and discard any solid particles. Keep at room temperature if using within the day; otherwise, refrigerate and bring to room temperature before using.

Cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream, melted to room temperature (premium quality, such as Haagen-Dazs)
3 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Blend together the melted ice cream, honey and almond extract. Refrigerate until read to use.

Pears
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
4 medium pears, halved and cored

1. Warm butter and brown sugar in a large skillet over medium heat. Arrange pear halves, cut side down, onto skillet.

2. Cook until caramelized on the cut side, but still firm (5+ minutes). Remove from skillet and transfer to a platter. Cut off a small slice of the rounded bottom, so it will sit flat and not slide around. Spoon the caramelized sugar over each pear, filling the core wells. Pears can be served either warm or room temperature.

Serve
To garnish: mint springs, and toasted sliced almonds or Marcona almonds

1. Drizzle a spoonful of the Sangria Glaze over half of each serving plate. Spoon the Honey Almond Cream over the other half. Place a pear half, cut side up, onto plate. Garnish with mint and almonds, and serve.

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Sizzlin’ Spanish Paella with Chicken & Chorizo from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:05:50 +0000

Last Saturday I made a special point to attend the cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen because she was making Paella, which I have tried to make a couple of times, but wasn’t happy with the results. Grace-Marie’s recipes are always so well done and delicious, so I was really looking forward to seeing how she made it. And my confidence in her was again rewarded and the Paella was fantastic. Our luncheon also included Valencia Salad with Catalan Tomato Bread and Sangria Glazed Caramelized Pears with Honey Almond Cream. Now, don’t you wish you had been there?

Grace-Marie started off sautéing the cubed chicken thighs and sliced rounds of chorizo until they were lightly caramelized, then set aside on a pan until ready to add to the final paella. We were told not to wash the pan, because all that good chorizo flavor would be cooked in with the Sofrito to be made next.

The Sofrito, which is the flavoring, similar to mirepoix and serving the same function, was now added to the pan. The onions, peppers and garlic were sautéed in oil until tender and then the tomatoes with juice, thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika and bay leaf were added. The mixture was brought to a boil, reduced to a simmer and cooked, uncovered until thickened and slightly caramelized.

When the Sofrito was cooked to the desired consistency, the uncooked rice was added and stirred to completely coat each grain. Dry white wine was added and cooked until absorbed. Simmering chicken stock with saffron and turmeric was poured over and was cooked for about 10 minutes to partially cook the rice.

The reserved chicken and chorizo was folded into the rice. Grace-Marie said this was the point where you make a judgment call as to whether you need to add more stock, and she did.

Grace-Marie included some halibut also, but she said any firm white fish, such as Talapia, would be fine. At this point all of the ingredients were in the paella pan and it was put in the oven to bake, uncovered, until the rice was tender, about 20 to 40 minutes. The length of time to finish cooking the rice would depend on what type you are using. The recipe included this advice: If the rice is not done after 20 minutes, drizzle 1-2 cups of stock over the rice, scatter tomatoes and beans (or peas) over the top and bake until the rice is tender and the bottom is crusty (10+ minutes).

To serve, the Paella had sliced green onions scattered over the top and wedges of lemon inserted into the rice around the edges. I gave my plate of beautiful Paella a generous squeeze of lemon juice all over and it was divine. Thank you Grace-Marie for showing me how to make Paella!

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Sizzlin’ Spanish Farmhouse Paella with Chicken & Chorizo

Serves 8 to 12

Chicken & Sausage
4 tablespoons Spanish extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds chicken thighs, bones/skinless in 1-inch dice
1 pound Spanish chorizo sausage (or any favorite spicy variety), thinly sliced rounds

1. Warm the oil in a medium size (16-inch) Paella pan (or wide stovetop to oven skillet) over medium heat. Add the chicken and sausage and cook until lightly caramelized. No need to season as the sausage will do the trick! Transfer to a bowl until ready to add to final paella. DO NOT CLEAN THE PAN.

Sofrito
4+ tablespoons Spanish extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onions, diced small
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded & cut into thin strips
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded & cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 teaspoons each fresh thyme, dried oregano, ground cumin, Spanish paprika
1 whole bay leaf

1. Add the olive oil to the paella pan and warm over medium heat. Stir in the onions, peppers and garlic until tender (5 minutes).

2. Add the tomatoes with juice, thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring, until thickened and slightly caramelized (10 minutes).

Rice
8 cups chicken stock, or low sodium broth
1 teaspoon saffron threads
½ teaspoon ground turmeric

3 cups Spanish paella rice (or any short to medium grain rice)
1 cup dry white wine

1. In a sauce pan, heat the chicken stock, saffron threads and turmeric and bring to a simmer.

2. Stir the rice into warm sofrito in the paella pan until coated well. Add wine and cook until absorbed.

3. Add 6 cups simmering chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Paella
Precooked chicken & sausage
2 pounds seafood filets, boneless, skinless, in 1-inch dice

2 cups Roma tomatoes, seeded, 1/2-inch chunks (or red or yellow cherry tomatoes, halved)
1 cup frozen peas or green beans, not defrosted, or fresh, blanched

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Nestle chicken, sausage and seafood into the rice. Set pan on lowest oven shelf. Bake, uncovered, until rice is tender and seafood cooked (20 minutes).

3. If rice is not cooked, drizzle 1-2 cups of stock over the rice, scatter tomatoes and beans (or peas) over the top and bake until the rice is tender and the bottom is crusty (10+ minutes).

Serve
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 whole lemon, sliced into thin wedges

1. Scatter green onions over top of paella. Garnish with lemon wedges around pan. Serve.

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Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings with Balsamic Sauce from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:23:42 +0000

The theme for the cooking class at Grace’Marie’s Kitchen last Saturday was Concert in the Park Picnic, featuring dishes that could be make ahead of time and eaten at picnic temperature. The menu included these Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings, Mini-Red Bell Pepper & Pesto Bites, Chilled Leek and Zucchini Soup, and Limoncello Squares.

These Chicken Wings may be one of the best chicken dishes I have eaten. Ever. When you look at the photo, you see the sauce is that unphotogenic brown color. Do not be deceived! That sauce is brown because it is made with balsamic vinegar and you know what a sublime dance that does on your tongue. Add in honey, red onion, olive oil-braised garlic and flat leaf parsley, and blend til it’s smooth. Indescribable deliciousness. Oh, and the wings themselves are seasoned with rosemary, oregano, thyme and garlic. You are getting the picture now, right?

I ate my Wings along with the class, while Grace-Marie was demonstrating how to make the Limoncello Squares. I was completely wrapped up in getting every last morsel and drip of sauce off my plate, wiping my finger across the plate and then licking said finger. Well, Grace-Marie saw me from across the room and said to the room at large, “Wow, I guess Lynne really likes the chicken. She’s licking the plate!” At which point everyone in the room turned to see Lynne turn bright red, caught in the act. Oops. They had a nice little chuckle. Well, what can I say, it was so good!

The chicken wings are marinated over night in olive oil, wine, garlic, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Then they are dredged in flour and placed on a parchment lined pan. The remaining marinade with the garlic and herbs is drizzled over and they are baked until brown. The bottom side becomes caramelized and luscious. Crusty on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. Going to a cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen is the best!

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings

Serves 8

Sauce
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup garlic cloves, peeled
To season: kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
3 tablespoons honey, or more to taste
½ cup flat leaf parsley, packed, roughly chopped
½ cup red onion or green onions, thinly sliced
To season: kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1. Place the oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Simmer over a low flame until the garlic begins to turn light brown. Cool completely in the saucepan.

2. Combine the cooled oil and garlic with the vinegar, honey, parsley, onions, salt and pepper in a blender. Process until smooth.

Wings
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons dry oregano, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
To season: kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

24 whole chicken wings

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish.

1. Combine the oil, wine, garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a container large enough to hold all the wings (or use two containers). Add wings, toss to coat well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow container. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off any excess flour.

4. Arrange on baking sheets. Drizzle remaining marinade over the wings.

5. Bake until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (35+ minutes).

Serve

1. Arrange wings on a platter and drizzle with some of the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve. Pass extra sauce.

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Chilled Leek and Zucchini Soup with Pancetta from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:43:11 +0000

The theme for the cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen last Saturday was Concert in the Park Picnic, featuring dishes that could be make ahead of time and eaten at picnic temperature. The menu included this Chilled Leek and Zucchini Soup, Tuscan Picnic Chicken Wings, Mini-Red Bell Pepper & Pesto Bites, and Limoncello Squares. I hope your mouth is watering, because each of these dishes was fantastic. Better even.

I am writing about the Leek and Zucchini Soup first, because I want to show you an absolutely brilliant technique for prepping the leeks that Grace-Marie showed us. I have never seen this technique in any cookbook, class or cooking show and it is so logical I can’t figure out why I haven’t seen it demonstrated someplace before.

Some of the dark green leaves are cut off the end and discarded. If you look at that end, you will see the light yellow and green core of the new leaves inside. So the tough, dark green leaves are pared away, with knife strokes away from you, until only the light edible interior parts remain. Genius!

Next the pancetta was diced and sautéed. I love these salty crispy little bits. The pan was sitting on the stove and I have to admit a few were surreptitiously tested for poison. They were ok, thank goodness.

The diced leeks, potatoes and zucchini were sautéed in the drippings from the pancetta, adding its salty porky-ness to the soup’s flavor. This smelled so good while it was cooking, especially since there was a bunch of garlic in the mix.

Chicken stock was added and the pot was left to simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes began to fall apart. Cream and flat leaf parsley were added and everything was pureed in a blender. It was a beautiful creamy soup bejeweled with little flecks of parsley. And finally garnished with brilliant green flat leafed parsley and crispy knobs of pancetta. Perfect for a picnic. Take it in a thermos and serve in plastic wine glasses. Very fun.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Chilled Leek and Zucchini Soup with Pancetta

Serves 8

Soup
8 slices pancetta – thinly sliced then cut into small dice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds zucchini – ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced
1 pound Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes – unpeeled, diced small
2 medium leeks (2 cups) – trimmed, thinly sliced white and light green portions, then rinsed well
1 cup celery – trimmed, diced small
2 tablespoons garlic, roughly chopped
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

8 cups chicken stock or low sodium broth

2 cups half & half cream
1 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, roughly chopped

1. Cook the pancetta and oil in a soup pot over medium heat until it is slightly browned (2 minutes). Remove from pot with slotted spoon and reserve on paper toweling for garnish. Do not clean the pot. Store cooked pancetta in an airtight container, refrigerate and reheat, or serve room temperature when garnishing.

2. To the same pot add the zucchini, potatoes, leeks, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, just until the vegetables become translucent (3 minutes).

3. Add stock and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the potatoes begin to fall apart (20 minutes).

4. Add the cream and parsley to soup. In batches, puree soup in a blender (or use immersion blender). Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Serve
To Garnish – Reserved Pancetta
To Garnish – Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, roughly chopped

1. Stir chilled soup well, ladle into large wine goblets, cups or bowls, and garnish with pancetta and parsley.

Notes
1. Soup is great served warm.
2. For a picnic… store chilled soup (or warm) in a thermos. Bring along garnish and serve in plastic wine goblets.

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Strawberry Glazed Italian Ricotta Cheesecake from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:25:40 +0000

The theme for my recent visit to Grace-Marie’s Kitchen Cooking School was Italian Cucina Sunday Supper, which I was looking forward to very much, because Grace-Marie grew up in an Italian American family and has been to Italy five times eating her way through the Northern half of the country, so she knows her Italian food. The Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta we had was very similar to a dish she had in Italy, but instead of asparagus, the original had fresh artichoke hearts.

“I always try to explain to the students that my dishes may not be 100% authentic,” Grace-Marie said, “but they are my version of what I’ve experienced based on what is fresh and available where we live, thereby, ‘making it my own’ … something I encourage them to do — change the recipe however they like, making it their own version, but most importantly, inspiring them to get in the kitchen and cook!”

Here you can see Grace-Marie using a microplane to zest the lemon to flavor the cheesecake. She gave a demonstration on how she separates the egg yolks from the whites, before mixing the yolks with the ricotta, sugar and zest in the food processor. The heavy cream is beaten with cream cheese and sugar until thick, and a cup folded into the ricotta mixture. Then the egg whites are beaten with sugar until thick and also folded into the ricotta mixture. It is poured into the cookie crumb coated pan and baked until the top is barely browned and the center is a bit “jiggly.” Before serving, the sliced strawberries were mixed with fruit preserves, then spooned over the cheese cake with a dollop of whipped cream. It was divine!

Our starter salad for the luncheon was a Provolone Bruschetta topped with Spring Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Salad. The crusty Italian bread was first spread with garlic that had been simmered in olive oil and then mashed into the oil. This was topped with slices of Provolone cheese and baked until melted. Over this bruschetta went the roasted red pepper, cucumber, parsley and caper salad which was dressed with an olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette. This salad was so beautiful with shards of Parmesan cheese on top for garnish.

An exciting thing that happened in January was that I had one of my photos on the cover of a magazine! You can see that the photo is of Grace-Marie’s Fiesta Papaya, Pineapple and Avocado Salad which I posted about in May 2010 and had also been in the Beach Magazine. The editor liked the photo so much he decided to use it for the South Bay 2011 Menu Guide cover. Grace-Marie and I were very proud of ourselves, let me tell you.

Here are the friends who came to the Italian Cucina Sunday Supper cooking class. Thank you for coming and sharing this wonderful food from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Click for the Italian Cheesecake Recipe

Strawberry Glazed Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Crust
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup Almond Biscotti or Amoretto Cookies (purchased), finely ground

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Coat bottom and sides of a 10”-12” spring form baking pan with the butter. Sprinkle the ground cookies over the bottom, then tilt the pan to coat all sides with the crumbs. Place onto the baking sheet.

Filling
2 pounds ricotta cheese, drained well if necessary
1 cup granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
½ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated
3 tablespoons Amaretto Liquor
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 pint heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar

6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 /4 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine the ricotta, sugar, egg yolks, flour, zest, Amaretto, vanilla and salt in a food processor. Process until blended well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. In a stand mixer, beat the heavy cream, cream cheese and sugar until thick. Fold 1 cup of cream mixture into ricotta mixture. Reserve the remaining cream for the garnish.

3. In a stand mixer, in a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar until thick and creamy. Fold into the ricotta mixture. Transfer to the prepared spring form pan.

4. Bake 60 minutes until risen, the sides begin to pull away from the edge of the pan, the top is barely browned and the center is a bit “jiggly”. Run a knife inside the outer ring of the spring form pan, then cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Serve
2 pints strawberries, sliced or diced
1 cup preserves (strawberry, raspberry, fig, apricot, etc), warmed and cooled

To garnish – powdered sugar
To garnish – reserved whipped cream

1. Combine strawberries and preserves.

2. Remove outer ring on the spring form pan. Sift the powdered sugar over the top of the cheesecake. Slice into portions, plate and garnish with a spoonful of strawberries and a dollop of cream.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:04:25 +0000

I was really looking forward to my recent visit to Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, because the theme was Italian Cucina Sunday Supper. Grace-Marie grew up in an Italian-American family, so her Italian dishes are always authentic and wonderful. She absolutely fulfilled my expectations with this succulent Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta with a Parmigiano and Mascarpone Sauce, plus Provolone Bruschetta with Cucumber & Pepper Salad, and Strawberry Glazed Italian Ricotta Cheesecake. Grace-Marie has told the story about how her Mom would never tell her what they were going to have for dinner, so each meal was always a big surprise. If this meal is an example, I would have been really happy to wait and find out when it was served.

First the chicken pieces and sausage were sautéed until browned, then held on a big sheet pan, covered, to keep warm. You can see the mise en place for the pasta vegetables in the boxes, waiting expectantly for their turn to be cooked.

Grace-Marie’s assistants, Miss Marty [on the left], and Miss Diane, cook the vegetables in three big pans. Diane is a surgical nurse during the day and Marty is a travel agent, so they come and help Grace-Marie cook for therapy. Finally the chicken and sausage are put back into the pans with the vegetables, and the mascarpone is added in dollops with the Parmigiano and mixed in.

The basil pesto was mixed into the pasta, and Grace-Marie began putting it on plates for the guests and topping it with big spoonfuls of the Chicken, Sausage and Cheese Sauce. The smells in the kitchen were mouth-watering the whole time the cooking was going on, and we finally were served this beautiful pasta dish. The sauce was exceptional and rich, along with the mushrooms and asparagus. It was soooo good! Thank you, Grace-Marie.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

Serves 8

Ragu
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless & cut into 1-inch portions
1 pound Italian sausage (any variety), removed from casing
2 tablespoons dry Italian herb mix (purchased, any favorite brand)
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups yellow, brown or red onion, medium diced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
To season, Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed then angle-sliced into 1-inch portions
1 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup Marsala wine

2 cups Parmigiano cheese, shredded or flaked
½ cup Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup basil, thinly sliced

1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sausage. Season with the dry herbs, salt and pepper. Once browned, remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.

2. Using the same skillet (do not clean), warm the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and garlic. Sauté just until the onions are tender (2 minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper

3. Add the asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes to the skillet. Continue to cook just until the asparagus is crisp tender, the mushrooms are soft and the tomatoes barely cook (3-4 minutes).

4. Off the heat, add the wine, return the skillet to the heat, scraping up any browned portions, cook until it is nearly absorbed. Stir in the precooked chicken and sausage. Cook, stirring, just until warmed through.

5. Just before serving, stir the parmesan, mascarpone and basil into the ragu.

Serve
1+ pound favorite pasta, cooked in salted water to al dente
¼ cup purchased basil pesto

1. Toss the cooked pasta with the pesto. Serve on individual plates or a platter topped with a generous serving of ragu. Garnish with more parmesan cheese if desired.

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Spirited Fruit and Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:19:28 +0000

This tasty appetizer was served as part of an Afternoon Tea which also included Holiday Sweet Potato and Turkey Empanadas, Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Salad, Green Onion Scones, Toffee Pumpkin Bars and Chocolate Pecan Praline Tassies. Grace-Marie has a wonderful ability for creating a medley of dishes that work together and totally satisfy your taste buds and your holiday menu.

The dried fruit for these appetizers is cooked with apple cider and Port wine until they are soft and luscious. The Cheddar cheese spread that tops the wheat crackers is tangy and spicy with Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and hot sauce. This is a starter worthy of any brunch, tea or dinner party.

I had been attending Grace-Marie’s classes at Bristol Farms for about 14 years, way before I decided to create my food blog. I sat at the tables in front of her work counter and stove, totally enjoying her recipes and charismatic presentation. Grace-Marie is one of those people who is smart and funny, and you wish she was your best friend. But one of the mysteries of the kitchen was the back room, from which emanated the hustle and bustle of cooking assistants and the plated dishes. I really wanted to know what was back there in that room, but it would have been the height of impropriety to walk back and look into that private, off-limits place.

So now, as I have the run of the entire Kitchen, I can reveal to you the mysteries of the back room. That is, if you haven’t seen it and are dying to know.

This little room is a paradigm of organization, with every space neatly occupied. I would bet that Grace-Marie could find whatever she needed in the dark. Also, all the white china plates, bowls and cups are stacked up neatly in a floor to ceiling closet that takes up one whole wall. In the middle of the room is a cloth covered platform, upon which the food is plated. I think I would like Grace-Marie to come and organize my closets and maybe my garage. Definitely the garage.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Spirited Fruit and Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres

Serves 8

Fruit
3 cups mixed dried fruit (any variety), diced small
1 cup apple cider
1/3 cup Port wine

1. Combine the fruit, cider and wine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Cool until most of the liquid has been absorbed (15+ minutes). Drain well.

Cheese
2 8oz boxes cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Dry Mustard
1 tablespoon Hot Sauce (any favorite)

2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese (or any favorite), shredded
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup chives, minced

1. Using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese, cream, Worcestershire, mustard and hot sauce.

2. Stir in the Cheddar, parsley and chives. Cover and refrigerate until firm (4 hours).

Serve
1 box wheat crackers (any favorite)
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Using a small ice cream scooper (or teaspoon), top each cracker with the cheese. Garnish with the dried fruit and parsley. Arrange onto a platter and serve.

Note: The cheese mixture can be rolled into a ball and rolled in chopped nuts for a cheese plate. It can be used to stuff pears, placed under the skin of roasted chicken or on cucumber rounds.

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Holiday Sweet Potato and Turkey Empanadas from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:41:13 +0000

The Holiday Harvest Afternoon Tea at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen was a cornucopia of six delicious dishes that could be prepared for your own holiday gatherings. It started off with Spirited Fruit and Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres, Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Salad, and Savory Green Onion Scones. Then when our taste buds were all tingly with anticipation, we were treated to the wonderful Holiday Sweet Potato Empanadas with Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce, which were the highlight of our tea, with their beautiful color and savory sweet flavor. And we ended with Toffee Pumpkin Bars that were drizzled with caramel sauce and Chocolate Pecan Praline Tassies. Just reading this, isn’t it making your mouth water?

To make the Empanadas, Grace-Marie started off by dicing the sweet potato and sautéing it with the turkey, cumin and cinnamon. When the sweet potato was fork tender and the mixture cooled completely, she stirred in Jack cheese, mango chutney and cilantro to complete the filling.

Next, the prepared pie dough was unrolled, circles were cut out and about a tablespoon of filling placed on each round. Then each circle of dough was folded over and the edges pressed down to seal them.

The edges were crimped with a fork, brushed with beaten egg and dusted with a smokey Spanish Paprika. I could hardly wait to taste these babies, with all the wonderful ingredients in the filling. They were baked for about 15 minutes and they smelled so good.

Here they are with their beautiful appetizing color, all ready to be dipped in the Mango Chutney and Sour Cream Sauce. Grace-Marie has outdone herself again. Can you imagine these empanadas on your brunch table. Oh yes!

This class was really fun, with everyone very chatty and laughing. And of course the food was marvelous. These are the Ladies and Gentleman who came to tea. Thank you so much and I hope to see you all again.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Holiday Empanadas from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen

Serves 8

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup red or yellow onions, finely diced
1 pound ground turkey meat (or leftover roasted turkey)
1 pound yams (sweet potatoes), peeled and diced small
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To season – kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese (or any favorite), shredded
1 cup mango chutney – chopped if mango pieces are large (or cranberry relish)
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Warm the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the turkey is no longer pink.

3. Add the sweet potatoes, cumin and cinnamon. Continue to cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender (about 7 minutes). Cool completely in the skillet then transfer to a bowl.

4. Once cool, stir in the cheese, chutney and cilantro.

Empanadas
2 packages prepared pie crusts (cut into 3”-4” rounds) (or puff pastry or refrigerator rolls rolled flat)
2 large eggs, fork beaten with a bit of tap water
Spanish Smokey Paprika to garnish

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Arrange the crust rounds onto a work surface. Brush the egg wash along the edges. Place a tablespoon or more of the filling into the center of each.

3. Fold over one side of the crust to meet the opposite side (creating a “half moon” or turnover). Gently press down to seal the edges then crimp with a fork to create a decorative edge.

4. Arrange 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Lightly brush with remaining egg wash and dust with the paprika.

5. Bake until risen and light golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheet before removing.

Serve

1. Make a dipping sauce by mixing mango chutney and chopped cilantro, to taste, in about 1 ½ cups of sour cream.

2. Transfer empanadas to a serving platter. Serve warm or room temperature with the dipping sauce. Garnish with leftover cilantro springs.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

End of Summer Zucchini Soup & Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen

Lynne — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:24:48 +0000

The theme for the Saturday Tea class this week at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach was Back to School Autumn Tea. This week the menu was End of Summer Zucchini Soup, Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups, Apple and Cheddar Bread, Caramelized Onion and Brie Croissants, Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake and Autumn Berry Tapioca Parfaits. This is Part Three with the last two recipes from that class. I wanted to post about all of the recipes because all of them were wonderful.

I have to tell you, I love Bristol Farms Market. And no, they’re not paying me to say so. The store is five minutes from my house and I have been shopping there for about 20 years. They have all the items I can’t find anywhere else, for instance, within recent memory, Red Pepper Jelly, Sriracha, lamb shanks, Harissa, Red Current Jelly with Port, jarred chestnuts, apple smoked bacon and Parmigiano-Reggiano. They have the most marvelous cheeses. And if they don’t have what you need, they will get it for you. Recently I wanted to have some Mexican achiote paste, so I talked to the grocery dept manager, and he said he would get it and call me when it arrived. He has a little notebook in his pocket for this purpose. And sure enough, a couple of weeks later, my phone rang. Don’t you just love it when people follow up?

The End of summer Zucchini Soup started out with diced onion, chopped garlic, diced zucchini and chicken stock, with Italian Dried Herbs. This smelled so good when it was simmering away on the stove. I took lots of photos of it so I could get close and let the aroma waft into my nose.

While the soup was bubbling away, more zucchini was sliced into little thin strips and sautéed for the garnish. Grace-Marie sliced the zucchini into ¼-inch slices lengthwise, then turned the stack over flat and sliced them into ¼-inch lengthwise strips. These were sautéed in olive oil and butter until just tender.

When the zucchini and diced onion in the chicken stock was tender, the basil was added and it was pureed with an emersion blender until smooth. It smelled soooo good. And when I finally got to eat, it was so perfectly creamy and zucchini-y. *sigh*

This is an Afternoon Tea and the different treats are put on trays in the metal stands. There is every kind of tea you can think of in the baskets – I had Chamomile – and boiling water is poured out of thermos tea pots. The tea was really good with the Apple and Cheddar Bread.

Next Grace-Marie prepared the Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups. The filling was a tasty mixture of cream cheese, mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, horseradish, smoked salmon, cucumber and sundried tomatoes. The Roma tomatoes were cut in half, the seeds scooped out and the filling spooned in.

This filling is very adaptable and I think you could substitute the salmon with chicken, ham, shrimp, crab, cooked egg or leftover fish from last might’s dinner. Add your favorite herbs. Be creative.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

End of Summer Zucchini Soup

Serves 8

Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cups sweet onion, diced small
2 tablespoons garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Italian dried herb mix (any favorite)
To taste – kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

4 pounds zucchini squash, ends trimmed and diced medium
1+ quart chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup basil, loosely packed
½ cup heavy cream

1. Warm the oil and butter in a large soup pot over a medium flame. Stir in the onions, garlic, herb mix, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are slightly tender (5 minutes).

2. Add the zucchini and sauté for another minute, then pour in stock (just enough to cover the mixture by 2 inches). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fork tender (15 minutes).

3. Puree the soup and basil (in batches) using a blender. Return to soup pot. Stir in cream (add less if you prefer) and reheat just until warmed through.

Garnish
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound zucchini squash, ends trimmed and diced medium or cut into thin strips

To taste – kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper

1. Warm the oil and butter in a skillet over medium flame. Add zucchini and sauté until just tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve
Ladle warm soup into bowls and scatter garnish over top.

Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups

Serves 8

Filling
1 8-ounce box cream cheese, room temperature (not whipped or lite)
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoon Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, such as Mae Ploy
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained well
½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked
2 cups English hot house cucumber, unpeeled & diced very small
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, diced small
¼ cup chives, snipped small
2 tablespoons dill, roughly chopped

1. Using an electric mixer or food processor, blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish and salt.

2. By hand, fold in the salmon, cucumbers, sundried tomatoes, chives and dill. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tomatoes
24 small Roma tomatoes (or any small variety)

1. Cut the tomatoes in half, crosswise or lengthwise. Slice a tiny portion off each bottom so that the tomatoes will sit upright onto a serving platter.

2. Remove seeds and juice. Arrange top side down onto paper toweling to drain out any excess liquid (15 minutes).

3. Generously stuff each tomato with the filling, then arrange on serving platter.

Serve
Sprinkle any of leftover herbs used in the recipe over the platter and serve.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Apple and Cheddar Bread & Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen

Lynne — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:45:45 +0000

The theme for the Saturday Tea class this week at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach was Back to School Autumn Tea. This week the menu was Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake, Apple and Cheddar Bread, Autumn Berry Tapioca Parfaits, Caramelized Onion and Brie Croissants, End of Summer Zucchini Soup and Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups. This is Part Two with the second two recipes from that class. I want to post about all of the recipes because every one was wonderful.

Just for your information, the new class schedule just came out that goes through January 25, 2011. Oh my gosh, time is just spinning along, isn’t it. If you click over to the new class schedule on the Bristol Farms website, you will also notice that you can have your special event at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen. You can have tailor-made classes for Birthdays, Weddings, or Baby showers, Anniversaries, Office Parties and Homeschooling. Grace-Marie would help make your event so much fun, and of course, the food would be great.

Here you can see Grace-Marie cutting the Apple and Cheddar Bread she made for us. This bread was moist and a little sweet from the apple and cheesy from the Cheddar. There was a Holiday note from the minced sage and I can imagine this bread toasted, grilled or sautéed in a little butter. It has a marvelous texture and I ate mine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yum.

Here are the wonderful ladies who came to tea. I know they had a good time, because they were talking and laughing a lot. And eating and drinking tea!

Next Grace-Marie demonstrated how to make the Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake. First the pears were sautéed in butter and brown sugar, and then poured into a parchment lined pan.

The cake batter was made and poured over the pears and baked for about 30 minutes. It was cooled for 10 minutes and inverted onto a serving platter. This cake has a really nice texture from the addition of a little cornmeal. And what is better than a moist, caramelized pear-covered cake with a big dollop of whipped cream. I think I’m making this for my Christmas dinner buffet!

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Apple and Cheddar Bread

I usually use a moist apple like a Golden Delicious or Gala – tip … shredding the apple in the food processor by pulsing usually releases more juice, which should also be included in the batter. This is a very thick batter. When it is transferred to the baking pan it should be leveled off and tapped on the counter to release air bubbles – that helps a bit too! Also, as with all quick breads, it is really important not to cut the loaf until completely cool.

Makes 1 Loaf

Bread
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature & fork beaten
2 cups apple (any favorite), unpeeled & finely shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2-3 tablespoons minced sage, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9” loaf pan with looking spray. Insert parchment paper overlapping over the long sides.

2. Combine and mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. By hand, mix in the flour mixture. Fold in the apples, cheese and sage. Spread batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake until risen and a wooden skewer comes out of the center clean (45+ minutes). Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Serve
To garnish — unsalted butter, room temperature

Slice the bread, place it in a basket and serve with the butter!

Note
Optional – Add 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts.

Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake

Serves 8

Pears
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
3+ cups Anjou or Bartlett4 Pears, peeled or not, cored and diced medium
2 tablespoons brandy

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9” deep pie pan with cooking spray. Place a round portion of parchment paper onto the bottom of the pan.

2. Warm the butter and brown sugar in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pears and sauté just until tender (5 minutes or less). Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the brandy, return the skillet to the heat and cook, stirring, for another minute (be careful as it may flame up).

3. Pour pear mixture into prepared pie pan.

Cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced small and chilled

1 cup whole milk
1 large egg, room temperature & fork beaten
1 tablespoon brandy

1. Using a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Scatter the butter over the top of flour and pulse until crumbly like uncooked oatmeal. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Combine milk, egg and brandy. Mix into flour mixture just until blended. Spread over the pears in the pie pan.

3. Bake until risen, light golden and a wooden skewer comes out of the center cleanly (30 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. Cool completely.

Serve
To garnish – whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Cut into wedges and serve with garnish.

Note: Recipe can be made into 8 muffin cups. Baking time reduces to approximately 20 minutes.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Autumn Berry Tapioca Parfaits & Caramelized Onion and Brie Croissants at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen

Lynne — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:42:07 +0000

The theme for the Saturday Afternoon Tea class this week at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach was Back to School Autumn Tea. I had never been to one of her Saturday Teas before, but I was looking forward to it because she said this was the class where everyone laughed a lot. Also, the regular lunch classes have three to four dishes, but all of the Tea Classes have six recipes. This week the menu was Apple and Cheddar Bread, End of Summer Zucchini Soup, Caramelized Onion and Brie Croissants, Smoked Salmon Tomato Cups, Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake and Autumn Berry Tapioca Parfaits. It smelled so good in the kitchen when I walked in. Yum.

I was also looking forward to being there so Grace-Marie and I could dance a little jig, because Bristol Farms, at long last, put a link on their Cooking School web page to my blog. So now anyone perusing the class schedule on Bristol Farms can click over to my website and check out all the posts about Grace-Marie’s classes. We had been waiting months for this to happen. Very exciting. Yea! Check it out!

Grace-Marie pins up the six recipes on a cork board right next to where she is cooking. The class room is just like going to her home kitchen. There is cooking art all over in the room and it feels so friendly. In fact, at the end of the class, one of the students said to me, “I just love coming here. I love the way I feel when I’m here with Grace-Marie.” Aaaw…

Grace-Marie started out with the Autumn Berry Tapioca Parfaits so they would be finished and cooled by the end of the class. The important thing about the Parfaits when making the strawberry – cranberry concoction is not to use cranberry jelly, but get the sauce with the whole cranberries in it. This dessert was so delicious with the bright berry sauce topped with the vanilla flavored tapioca and whipped cream. I loved being served and eating this dish in a martini glass. It was like red jewels encased in crystal.

Next Grace-Marie prepared the onions for the Caramelized Onion and Brie Croissants. The onions and garlic were cooked until translucent and then covered with apple juice, along with brown sugar, rosemary and thyme. Then it was cooked slowly for about an hour until reduced and caramelized. While it was cooling, the mini croissants were sliced in half lengthwise and baked about 10 minutes until crisp. Then pieces of Brie were placed on each slice and topped with a generous spoonful of the caramelized onions, and baked until the cheese melted. Ooozy Brie cheese, crispy croissant, and sweet savory onion jam. Oh man. These were to die for.

Because all of the recipes at this Tea Class were so wonderful, I am going to do three posts total. Two recipes per post. Next will Apple and Cheddar Bread, and Autumn Harvest Brandy Pear Cake. So stay tuned.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Autumn Berry Parfaits

Serves 8

Berries
6 cups strawberries, cleaned and quartered
1 can whole cranberry sauce, not jelly
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Using a food processor and working in batches, pulse the strawberries to roughly chop. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cranberries, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Chill until ready to assemble.

Tapioca
4 cups water
1 cup small tapioca pearls (not instant)
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the tapioca, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent (15 minute). Stir in the cream, vanilla, sugar, nutmeg and salt. Cook, stirring, until the tapioca is cooked through (5 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a bowl, bring to room temperature to thicken.

Parfaits

1. Divide the berry mixture into wine goblets or martini glasses. Top with the tapioca mixture. Chill 15 minutes before serving. (Note – cover, refrigerate and when ready to serve set them at room temperature for 30 minutes).

Garnish
1 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped
To garnish – mint sprigs

Top with a spoonful of the cream and a mint sprig.

Carmelized Onion and Brie Croissants

Serves 8

Onion Jam
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cups red and brown onion (mixed), diced medium
¼ cup garlic, thinly sliced
3+ cups apple juice or cider
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 raglespoon rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
To season – kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1. Warm the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, just until tender (3 minutes). Stir in the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until translucent (5 minutes).

2. Stir in the apple juice using just enough to cover the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and stir in the brown sugar, rosemary and thyme. Slowly cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has the consistency of jam (45 minutes or longer).

Note: Throughout this process it is important to add more apple juice to the skillet to avoid browning the mixture. This may be needed several times as it evaporates and the mixture caramelizes.

3. Once cooked, cool in the skillet then stir in the balsamic vinegar and parsley. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Croissants
8 mini-croissants, cut in half lengthwise
8+ ounces Brie cheese, chilled then thinly sliced with the rind on

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Arrange the croissant halves on the baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted (10 minutes).

3. Top each croissant half with some of the brie. Add a generous spoonful of the caramelized onions on top.

4. Bake until the cheese begins to melt (5 minutes).

Serve

To garnish – flat leaf parsley, chopped

Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with additional parsley.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Summer Stuffed Mushrooms from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:11:03 +0000

The theme for the luncheon cooking class this past Wednesday at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen Cooking School at Bristol Farms was Family Summer Reunion, which is sort of how I felt when I arrived. Many of the regulars who attend these classes know me from previous times when I was shooting during class or have visited my website. I hadn’t been to class for about a month, so when I walked in I got a big hello and happy greetings. And a big hug from Grace-Marie. I think they get a kick out of seeing me shooting every little move Grace-Marie makes while she is preparing her dishes. And I am the comic relief as I am lining up a shot of a platter of food, only to have it whisked out from under the camera so it can be served.

It is a big challenge to shoot in the Bristol Farm’s cooking school, because there are four sources of light. The blinds on the south-facing windows are kept shut during class to keep from blinding everyone in the room. In the cooking area it is rather dim with florescent and incandescent bulbs mixed with the sunlight. And in the back prep room, there is solely florescent overhead lighting. I am constantly changing the ISO and white balance on my camera to get the food to look its correct color. After everyone leaves, I set up my tripod, open the blinds, do a little food styling and shoot in the natural light. This will help you to understand why the photos look the way they do.

The Summer Savory Stuffed Mushrooms were the wonderful appetizer for a menu that also included Summer Garden Potato Salad, Family Reunion Chicken Skewers and Surprise White Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will be posting about the other recipes in the near future.

I love baked stuffed mushrooms and these were a perfect rendition. The big meaty mushrooms with the roasted red pepper, green olives and cheese filling were so moist and tasty. Grace-Marie said you could use jarred red peppers or fresh, your preference. She charred one red pepper on the stove burner to show how it was done. Then the Stuffed Mushrooms were placed on platters atop shredded romaine lettuce. However, I didn’t get a good shot because I wasn’t fast enough. One regular in the front row said, laughing, “Well, Lynne, you almost got it!”

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Summer Savory Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 8

Filling
1 cup roasted red bell peppers, fresh or jar – drained and diced small
1 cup Spanish green olives – drained and roughly chopped
1 cup Gouda or Fontina cheese – shredded
1/3 cup green onions – thinly sliced
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley – chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1. Combine and mix the peppers, olives cheese, onions, parsley, oil, salt and pepper.

Mushrooms
2 pounds large white button mushrooms – wiped clean and stems removed
½ cup Parmesan cheese – grated

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Arrange the mushrooms onto the baking sheet with the open end upward. Spoon the filing into the center of each. Be sure the filling is packed down into the cavities of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake until the mushrooms are tender, the filling is warm and the cheese is melted (20 minutes).

Serve

1 head Romaine lettuce – shredded

1. Either on individual plates or a platter, scatter the lettuce. Arrange the mushrooms on top of the lettuce and serve.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

The Alto Adige Region of Italy Celebrated By Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:12:31 +0000

On June 26, Grace-Marie’s Kitchen Cooking School at Bristol Farms presented a cooking class and luncheon in collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission and Eos featuring wines, cheese and speck from Alto Adige, Italy. I had never tasted any of these marvelous products before, so it was a wonderful introduction to the area for me. Grace Marie provided some wonderful California- style recipes perfect for entertaining family and friends utilizing the following authentic alpine ingredients: Speck PGI, and the following cheeses: Alta Badia, Lagrein and Dolomiten Konig. The regional wine selection included Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio and Kurtatsch Cortaccia Lagrein.

Alto Adige, Italy borders Austria and is very mountainous, covering a large part of the Dolomites and Southern Alps. Italian and German are both spoken, however German is the most common language. Potato Dumplings, known as Knodel in German and Canederli in Italian, made with speck and spinach, are much more prevalent in this area of Italy than spaghetti.

The Alto Adige area has been important since time immemorial due to the existence of the Brenner Pass through the Alps and so whoever controlled the region could control all trade flowing north and south from central Europe to Italy. It has been fought over for centuries and has many castles and forts perched upon mountain tops to guard the mountain valleys.

One of the products I had for the first time was Speck Alto Adige PGI. It is a flavorful cousin of bacon, prosciutto and pancetta. Speck is made from boned hog legs and seasoned with salt, pepper, laurel and juniper berries, then rested for a month. It is then cold-smoked at no more than 68F using flavorful low-resin beechwood, ash or juniper for 10 days. Then aged (air-cured) for 22 weeks producing a smoky, slightly spicy product with a distinct pink/red interior with a small amount of fat and a salt content less than 5%.

Grace-Marie chose to highlight speck and Dolomiten Konig in a wonderful appetizer, Speck and Dolomiten Konig wrapped Baby Greens and Summer Melon, accompanied by Alta Badia Savory Bread Toasts. I know how much you like photos of melted cheese, so here is a close-up.

Next on the menu was a Quick Summer Pasta with Alto Adige Speck and Lagrein Cheese. This was such a tasty pasta dish, which included one of my favorite ingredients, sun-dried tomatoes. It also used Lagrein cheese, which I fell in love with, that is cured with “Lagrein” wine and spices. This recipe includes artichoke hearts; however, Grace-Marie’s artichokes had small hearts, so she left them whole and included them later in the chicken dish.

The Herb Grilled Chicken with fresh Summer Garden Vegetables was just a spectacular and photogenic dish. The chicken was so tender and flavorful, and the vegetables were crisp and colorful. The addition of the whole artichoke just took it from great to magical.

First the chicken was marinated in a white wine, olive oil and herb mixture.

Some of the chicken was baked. Notice the speck under the skin.

Grace-Marie sautéed two chicken breasts on the stove top to demonstrate that technique.

As you can imagine, we were all stuffed by this time, but the desert Grace-Marie prepared was a light White Chocolate Panna Cotta with Summer Berries. Guilt-free. The perfect finish.

Special thanks to Vincenza Kelly of the Italian Trade Commission for visiting with us and discussing the wonderful wines and gourmet products of Alto Adige. I hope you come back soon, so Grace-Marie can create more fabulous dishes from Alto Adige, Italy!

But then there was one more surprise – a birthday! With a birthday hat and a candle!

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Alto Adige Speck Wrapped Baby Greens and Summer Melon

Serves 8

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic – minced
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in bottom of a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad
4 cups mixed baby salad greens
¼ cup red onions – thinly sliced, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained and dried

2. Add the greens and onion to the salad bowl and toss

Rolls
1 whole Sherbet melon or Cantaloupe – peeled, seeded & sliced into 2” strips
8 ounces Alto Adige Speck – Deli-cut wafer thin slices
8 ounces Dolomitenkonig Cheese – thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

1. Place the Speck onto a work surface and top with the cheese. Put a small handful of greens onto one end of the Speck, top with slice of melon, then roll tightly, allowing some of the greens and melon to show through the ends.

2. Depending on the length of the Speck, before rolling, you may want to cut each piece in half crosswise and create a second roll. Arrange fold down onto a serving platter and drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette.

Dolomitenkonig Cheese is a soft-textured cheese made in the Swiss style. It has a full flavor with just a dash of sweetness and a hint of walnut. Made exclusively using the high quality cows milk of the Pustria Valley, Dolomitenkonig closely follows an ancient local recipe which requires at least 60 days of aging. Its characteristic feature is its slight convex shape and unmistakable holey texture.

Herb Grilled Chicken with Fresh Summer Garden Vegetables

Serves 8

Chicken
3+ pounds chicken breasts – skin on & bone removed
8 ounces Alto Adige Speck – Deli-cut wafer thin slices, then diced medium

½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup flat leaf parsley – roughly chopped
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary – roughly chopped
2 tablespoons garlic – minced
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Place the chicken in a shallow casserole dish. Gently lift up the skin and lay the speck onto the chicken. Replace the skin over the Speck and chicken.

2. Blend the wine, oil, parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Pour over the chicken (top and bottom). Cover with plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 hours. Remove from refrigeration at least 30 minutes before cooking.

3. Prepare and warm an outdoor or stovetop grill to medium heat.

4. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, onto the grill and cook uncovered, until browned (5 minutes). Using a spatula, turn over and cook the second side in the same manner until the juices run clear (approximately 155F internal temperature).

5. Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and wait 10 minutes before slicing.

Vegetables
3 medium Roma or vine-ripened or heirloom tomatoes – seeded and diced small
1 large hot house cucumber – unpeeled and diced small
1 cup black olives (oil cured or brined) – any favorite, pitted and sliced in half
1/3 cup basil leaves – thinly sliced
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley – roughly chopped
1 medium lemon – juice and zest
To drizzle – extra virgin olive oil
To season – Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine and toss the vegetable ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve
Slice the chicken through the skin crosswise, layer onto a serving platter and arrange the vegetables over the top.

Note
Oven method – roast the chicken, uncovered, in a casserole in a 400F oven.

Quick Summer Pasta with Alto Adige Speck and Lagrein Cheese

Serves 8

Sauce
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces Alto Adige Speck – wafer thin slices then cut crosswise into ½-inch portions
¼ cup shallots – thinly sliced

2 cups fresh precooked artichoke hearts – cleaned and cut into 1-inch portions (or frozen artichoke hearts – defrosted and sliced in half)

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes – thinly sliced
¼ cup dry white wine
To season – Kosher or sea salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes

1. Warm the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Speck and shallots. Sauté, stirring, for a minute or so.

2. Stir in the artichokes and tomatoes. Continue to sauté and stir until warmed through. Remove the skillet form the heat, add the wine, them return to the heat. Cook until absorbed into the vegetables. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Pasta
1 pound pasta (any favorite) – precooked al dente
½ cup Weinkaese Lagrein Cheese – grated or shredded
1/3 cup basil – thinly sliced
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley – roughly chopped

1. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Cook and stir until warmed through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese, basil and parsley.

Serve
To garnish – Weinkaese Latrein Cheese – grated or shredded

1. Serve family-style, warm or room temperature, garnished with additional cheese and any leftover herbs.

Weinkaese Lagrein Cheese – This wine flavored cheese, from Alto Adige, is produced with pure mountain milk from the high Venosta Valley. It is characterized by irregular cracks and by a pleasurable elastic, but compact consistency. It is cured with Alto Adige’s own “Lagrein” wine, resulting in a fine balance between the cheese, wine and spices which gives it an unmistakable aromatic and intense taste. This is a pure cow’s milk cheese aged between 2 – 3 months.

Alta Badia Savory Bread Toasts

Serves 8

Coating
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons shallot – minced
2 tablespoons Italian Dry Herb Seasoning Mix (any favorite)
To season — Kosher or sea salt, ground black pepper & crushed red pepper flakes

1. Warm the oil and butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the shallot and cook until just lightly golden (2 minutes). Turn off the heat and stir in the dried herbs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Bread
1 loaf Rustic Italian Bread – cut in half lengthwise
8 ounces Alta Badia Cheese – shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400F/ Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Arrange the bread, cut side up, onto the baking sheet. Generously spread the oil mixture over the cut portion of the bread. Scatter the cheese over the top.

3. Bake until the bread is nicely toasted and the cheese begins to melt (15 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Serve
To garnish – chives, snipped

Slice into 1-inch thick portions, transfer to a basket or serving platter. Serve warm or room temperature garnished with a sprinkle of chives.

Alta Badia Cheese – this cheese has the mountain flavors of spice, fruit and earth without being either overpowering or too rustic. It takes its name from the beautiful Alta Badia valley in the heart of the Dolomite Mountains in Sudtirol/Alto Adige where Italy borders on Austria. It is made with fresh whole milk and is aged for 180 days. This cheese takes on the typical light brown rind and has a firm consistency. The paste is slightly straw-colored, very flavorful and aromatic. It is used frequently in local dishes as it melts well. When served as a table cheese, it pairs well with light, fresh, fruity reds.

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Alabama BBQ Chicken and Grilled Vege Salad From Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:17:52 +0000

You’ve read my post about the Wisconsin Farmhouse Gooey Cheddar Bread, so this is the follow-up post about the Patriotic Family Picnic menu from the cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach. Grace-Marie chose recipes from the four corners of our country, so we not only had the pleasure of Wisconsin Gooey Cheddar Bread, but also California Coast Grilled Vege Picnic Salad, Alabama Back Roads BBQ Chicken and Maine Countryside Blueberries and Lemon Cream Bars. It was so much fun to watch Grace-Marie grill the ingredients for these homey dishes, creating the wonderful smoky, charred flavors. These recipes are perfect for a picnic or BBQ, and now that I’m looking at the photos, I’d like some more of this food as soon as possible!

Grace-Marie started off with the Alabama Back Roads BBQ Chicken recipe. She had coated the chicken with oil and a seasoning rub, and refrigerated it over night. She browned them on indoor grill pans on the stove and finished them in the oven. Grace-Marie explained that she likes seasoning rubs to flavor the meat, because marinades break down the meat fibers, making them mushy (ugh), and rubs don’t.

Next the white BBQ sauce was ladled over the chicken and returned to the oven. This sauce has a mayonnaise base with cider vinegar, honey, horseradish, garlic and Dijon. Really delicious.

When the chicken came out of the oven, it had such a beautiful caramelized color and flavor to match.

While the chicken was roasting, the vegetables were being grilled. They had been tossed with olive oil, minced shallots and Italian herb seasoning. Is there any better way to prepare veggies? They get charred and caramelized with those great grill marks.

The veggies were cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed with roughly chopped Italian parsley and a red wine vinaigrette.

This was such beautiful food! The BBQ’d chicken, roasted vege salad and the cheese bread.

And then, when I was feeling like I had died and gone to heaven, along came the dessert, Maine Countryside Blueberries and Lemon Cream Bars. The perfect end to a fabulous luncheon. Grace-Marie, you are a genius!

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Alabama Back Roads BBQ Chicken

Serves 8

Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup prepared horseradish (purchased)
2 tablespoons Creole or whole grain Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons garlic – minced
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and reserve.

Seasoning Rub
1/3 cup light brown sugar – packed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Hungarian (sweet) paprika
1 tablespoon Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano – crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme – crushed

1. In a bowl, combine and mix the seasoning rub ingredients.

Chicken
2 whole chickens – split in half
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
Seasoning Rub

1. Coat all sides of the chicken with the oil and seasoning rub. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Prepare and warm an outdoor or indoor grill to medium heat.

3. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, onto the grill over partially indirect heat. Grill, uncovered, until the first side begins to brown (10 minutes), then turn and brown the other side (10 minutes).

4. Once browned all over, continue to grill, brushing with the sauce and turning several times until glazed well and cooked throughout (165 degrees F internal temperature in the thickest portion).

5. Note: Once glazed and charred the chicken can be placed into a large roasting pan and finish cooking in a 400 degree F oven. (To 165 F in the thickest portion).

Serve

1 bunch of green onions – thinly sliced

1. Arrange the chicken onto serving platters and garnish with the onions just before serving.

California Coast Grilled Vege Picnic Salad

Serves 8

Vegetables
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup shallots – minced
3 tablespoons dried Italian herb seasoning (any favorite)
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 cobs corn – husks folded back and silk removed
4 medium zucchini – ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
2 medium bell peppers – halved, stem and seeds removed
2 pounds Yukon potatoes — unpeeled, whole, steamed tender then halved lengthwise
1 bunch green onions – ends trimmed
1 cup flat leaf parsley – roughly chopped

1. Prepare and warm an outdoor or indoor grill to medium heat.

2. Warm the oil, shallots, dried herbs, salt, pepper and crushed red peppers in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer (5 minutes) than cool to room temperature in the pan.

3. Brush the corn with the mixture, wrap the husks back around the cob and grill (uncovered), turning occasionally, until the corn is tender and the outside is charred (15 minutes). Or roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

4. Toss the zucchini, peppers, potatoes and onions with the remaining oil mixture. Grill until the vegetables are crisp tender (10 minutes). Transfer the grilled vegetables to a parchment lined baking sheet and cool to room temperature. Cut the kernels from the cobs and cut the remaining vegetables into large dice. Combine everything in a bowl with the parsley.

Vinaigrette
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar (or more to taste)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon smoky Spanish paprika
To season: Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper

1. Combine and process the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, paprika, salt and pepper in a blender.

Serve
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

1. Just before serving, toss the vegetables with the vinaigrette, place in serving bowl and sprinkle with cheese, if using.

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Wisconsin Farmhouse Gooey Cheddar Bread from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms

Lynne — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:19:13 +0000

A Patriotic Family Picnic was the theme last Saturday for the cooking class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach. Grace-Marie said she wanted to choose recipes from the four corners of our country, so we had the pleasure of Wisconsin Farmhouse Gooey Cheddar Bread, California Coast Grilled Vege Picnic Salad, Alabama Back Roads BBQ Chicken and Maine Countryside Blueberries and Lemon Cream Bars. These are all homey recipes that are perfect for a picnic or BBQ and, in fact, the salad and chicken have grilled ingredients, so you get those smoky, charred flavors. This bread can be reheated on the grill and the Blueberry Lemon Cream Bars are totally portable. Let’s take our picnic to the park or the beach right now, shall we?

The truly spectacular thing about this bread is that under the crisp, browned, toasted top layer of cheddar cheese is a soft gooey cheesy layer full of garlicky ham and onions. The mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce give the cheese mixture an interesting complex flavor that just makes you go Mmmmm. And to make it more wonderful, the original soft bottom crust of the bread becomes crispy, with the soft bread inside. You have to make this bread!

Here’s what the topping looks like before it goes in the oven.

And here is what it look likes when it comes out of the oven.

I am just doing the Gooey Cheddar Bread today, and I will be doing another post about the other recipes in the near future. Stay tuned.

For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.

Grace-Marie Johnston

For more information about the cooking classes visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.

Wisconsin Farmhouse Gooey Cheddar Bread

Topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups red onions – diced small
1 cup ham – diced small (or cooked bacon, or pancetta)
2 tablespoons garlic – minced
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons hot sauce (any favorite)

½ pound (8 ounces) cheddar cheese – shredded
1 cup green onions – very thinly sliced (or chives)

Warm the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, ham and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onions are very soft. Cool in the skillet until slightly warm.

Combine the mayonnaise, dry mustard and hot sauce with the slightly cooled skillet mixture.

Fold in the cheese and green onions.

Bread
1 loaf French or Italian Bread – sliced in half lengthwise.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the bread, cut side up, onto the baking sheet. Spread a thick layer of the topping mixture over the bread.

Bake until the bread has toasted and the topping has melted, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

Serve
Cut into slices and serve warm or room temperature.

Note: Can be made ahead and reheated on the grill (nestled in foil) or in an oven (on a baking sheet).

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