Raspberry Bellini
Ingredients:
- 1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 bottle chilled brut champagne or prosecco
To Make:
Puree raspberries and sugar in a food processor or blender. Strain puree through a sieve. Set up 6 champagne flutes, and put about 1 tablespoon of the puree in each glass. Add champagne to each glass. Stir gently and serve. Makes 6 servings.
Sour Cream Muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 pint (1 cup) sour cream
To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, and spoon mix into un-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, then let cool. Makes 12 large, or 24 small, muffins.
Crab Meat Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
- 1 dozen hard boiled eggs, shelled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 pound lump crab meat
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced capers
- 2 tablespoons caper juice
- salt
- ground white pepper
- caviar, optional
To Make:
Remove the yolks from the halved eggs and place them in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, break yolks into small pieces, and add in mayonnaise, crab meat, garlic, capers, and caper juice. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and spoon into the halved egg whites. If desired, garnish with caviar. Makes 2 dozen.
Parmesan Potato Pancake
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
To Make:
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook onions until translucent (about 4 minutes). Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Reserve the pan.
Meanwhile, grate potatoes in a food processor. Use a kitchen towel to wring the water out of the grated potatoes. Add potatoes to the onion mixture, and add cheese and basil. Stir together and season with additional salt and pepper.
Warm the remaining olive oil over high heat in the same pan used to cook the onions. When the pan is hot, add potato mixture and use a spatula to press the mixture down firmly and evenly. Lower heat between medium and medium-low and cook pancake until the bottom and sides are golden brown (about 12 to 15 minutes). Place a large plate on top of the pan and flip over to remove the pancake. Turn heat back up to high, and slide pancake back into the pan and cook until golden brown and cooked through (another 12 to 15 minutes). Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.
Banana-Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 1-inch thick slices of day-old challah or brioche
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- confectioners’ sugar
- maple syrup
To Make:
Cut banana into 1/4-inch thick slices and set aside. Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Create a pocket with the bread by slicing horizontally halfway through each piece (similar to slicing a bagel). Stuff each pocket with 4 to 6 slices of banana, making sure not to overstuff. In a baking dish, arrange stuffed bread as a single layer. Pour egg mix over the bread and allow slices to soak up all of the liquid, flipping once (about 15 minutes). In a non-stick skillet, melt butter over low heat and cook slices until golden brown – about 5 minutes on each side. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with maple syrup. Makes 4 servings.
Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
Crumble Topping:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Brown Sugar Glaze:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons water
To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13”x9” glass baking dish with unsalted butter, and set aside.
For the cake, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, combining fully after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Alternate adding butter mixture and sour cream and vanilla to dry mix. Fold in apples. Pour evenly into prepared baking dish, and set aside.
For the crumble topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the cake batter, and bake until golden brown and set – 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
To make glaze, mix together sugar, vanilla, and water until smooth. Drizzle over cake. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.