Peach and Jalapeno Ice Pops

I love hot pepper jam and this recipe reminded me of just that.  The taste is amazing.  You taste the peachy goodness first then the bite from the jalapeno.  It's not overwhelming at all, but perfectly compliment each other. This recipe was taken from the People's Pops recipe book.

Ingredients

1-1/2 c sugar
1-1/2 c water

1-1/4 c simple syrup
1 jalapeno, sliced thin
5-6 large ripened peaches, halved
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Place the peaches cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until skins and flesh are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Now make a simple syrup.  Combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Measure 1-1/4 cups and refrigerate the remainder for another use.  Add the sliced jalapeno and simmer for 6 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the pepper steep in the simple syrup until cool. Strain the syrup into a small bowl.  Set aside.

Discard the peach pits and whir the roasted peaches in a food processor until you have a puree.  You may leave it a bit chunky but not large chunks as they will become icy.  Transfer to a bowl or pitcher with a spout. Add the simple syrup and the lemon juice and stir until incorporated.

Pour the mixture into ice pop molds, leaving a little bit of space at the top for expansion.  Insert sticks and freeze until solid, about 4-5 hours. Unmold and transfer to plastic bags and return to freezer or serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Merinques Chantilly with Roasted Berries

This is a recipe offered by Ina Garden, the Barefoot Contessa.  When baking the merinques, check them at 1-1/2 hours and if they feel crisp to the touch, turn off your oven at that point.  Mine looked great at 1-1/2 hours, but 20 minutes later they started to turn color. They still looked and tasted great.  All ovens are different.  I also left them overnight as the recipe suggests.  The crisp shells became tacky, I assume due to humidity.  I would only do 4 hours next time, then refrigerate them until ready for use.

Ingredients

4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pint fresh strawberries
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
2 half-pints fresh blackberries
¼ cup sugar
Vanilla Bean, split and seeds removed 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw four 3 1/2-inch circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed until frothy. Add 2/3 cup of the sugar and continue beating on high speed until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into the meringue. With a large star-shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight*.

For serving, place each meringue on a separate plate and top the shell with berries.
*See my note above

Roasted Berries 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries on a sheet pan and toss with the sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving. 

Quinoa, Cannellini Bean & Tomato Salad

I've been wanting to make a dish using quinoa and when I invited girlfriends over for lunch, I knew I wanted to make a salad.  I decided to make something using quinoa seeds and the results were amazing!  Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.  I rarely measure when I create my own recipe and then have to go back and figure it out.  This salad is easy to make.  The Parmesan crisps add a little crunch and a squeeze of lime heightens the taste a bit.  Here goes ...

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed well and drained

4 cups vegetable broth

1-1/2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium red onion, chopped fine

1/4 c cilantro, chopped fine

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

1/3 c capers

1/3 c pine nuts, toasted (you can substitute slivered almonds)

1/3 c olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

1 T lemon finely grated lemon zest

2 cloves minced garlic cloves

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Arugula (optional)

Parmesan Crisps

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1 T flour

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the quinoa and simmer approximately 15 minutes or until the broth is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

Toss in the tomatoes, cilantro, onion, beans, capers and nuts.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice & zest, garlic and salt & pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and mix until well combined.  Note:  If you decide to add the Feta, you would do so at this point.

Preheat oven to 425*.  On a parchment lined baking sheet, divide the parmesan mixture into 9 mounds using a tablespoon.  Flatten each mound with a spoon or your finger.  Bake on bottom rack in oven for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned and crispy.  Keep an eye on them as they go quickly toward the end.  Remove from oven and cool.

Arrange arugula on individual plates.  Using a muffin scoop, place two scoops of quinoa on each plate and add a parmesan crisp to each.  Serve with a lime wedge.  

YUM!

Roasted Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart

You can make the caramelized onions and the roasted cauliflower a day ahead if you'd like.  I served this tart with a Quinoa, Cannellini Bean and Tomato Salad.  Get recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated pie crust or homemade tart shell 
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets 
• 1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced 
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated Gruyère (or substitute Swiss OR fontina/Parmesan combo) 
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the cauliflower with a generous amount of olive oil to coat, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, making sure to flip once or twice along the way. The florets should just be getting golden. Remove the florets from the oven and set aside. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. While the florets are roasting, you’ll caramelize the onion. Cut the onion in half and thinly slice it, then add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion as well as a dash of salt and pepper to the pan.
3. Cook the onion for about seven minutes, stirring occasionally, until it gets tender and translucent -- then reduce the heat to low. (Add a pinch of sugar once you reduce the heat for a little sweetness.) Then, let the onion slices cook on low until they become a deep golden or brown color – it takes about 20 minutes for them to caramelize. Stir them often enough so they don’t burn the bottom of the pan, but make sure they have enough time to sit in the oil and caramelize. Add a little water to the pan if they start to stick too much to the bottom. 
4. Once the cauliflower is cool, thinly slice the florets so they are about 1/4-inch thick. 
5. Mix together the eggs, sour cream, cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Then, add the Gruyere (or substitute) to the mixture.
6. Press your crust into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming any excess from the edges with a knife. If the crust didn't come refrigerated, you’ll want to refrigerate it for 30 minutes after pressing into the pan and before assembling the tart.  
7. Place the pastry shell on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any drips) and coat the bottom of the pastry shell with Dijon mustard (the mustard layer should only be 1/8-inch thick). Then, spread the onions evenly over the bottom of the pastry shell, followed by the roasted cauliflower.
8. Pour the cheese and cream mixture over the onions and cauliflower, and then top the tart with the grated Parmesan cheese. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes – you’ll want the top to be golden brown and the center to be set.
9. Let the tart cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
10. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from 12 Tomatoes.com 

Chocolately Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Coconut No-Bake Cookie Mounds

These are a quick "go-to" sweet snack that doesn't take much time and I have the the ingredients on hand.  I use a muffin scoop and get 12 large cookies.  You can use a smaller scoop and even drop them by a tablespoon.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use All Natural as it makes for dry cookies)
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup non-sweetened coconut, toasted
3 cups quick-cooking oats

1.       Add the first four ingredients into a 4-quart sauce pan.

2.       Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 2 minutes.

3.       Remove from heat.  Add peanut butter into the hot mixture and stir until melted.

4.       Add in vanilla

5.       Mix in the oats and coconut.  Using a scoop, drop onto wax paper.

6.    Let cool until set.

Enjoy!