Hummus, a la The Silver Palate Cookbook
4C chick peas (about 2.5 cans), drained
1/2C tahini (sesame paste)
1/3C warm water
1/3C best-quality olive oil
juice of 2 or 3 lemons (I used just short of 2)
4 or more cloves of garlic (I used 5)
1 1/2t salt
2t ground cumin
freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Combine chick peas, tahini, water, olive oil & juice of 1 lemon in food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until smooth & creamy, pausing once or twice to scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula.
• Add garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper, and process to blend. Taste & correct seasoning if neccessary. Add more lemon juice to taste. Scrape into storage container, cover and refridgerate until ready to use.
• Makes about 1 quart
• Be proud of how yummy the hummus came out and how easy it was to make.

Mediteranean Night - lots and lots of computer shop talk, required reading, all parts are sexy except nostrils, genitals on your face

Orgasmic Crostinis

French baguette

1/3 c olive oil

2 t garlic, minced

2 ripe avocados

4 oz mild goat cheese (chevre)

1/4 t salt

1.5 c roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 T olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/4 c basil, chopped

small basil leaves for garnish

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Slice bread into 1/4-inch diagonal slices.
• Combine garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush bread slices lightly with garlic oil.
• Arrange slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Combine avocados, cheese, and salt in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.
• Combine tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil in a separate bowl.
• Spread each baked bread slice with ~1 T of avocado mixture and top with tomato-basil mixture. Garnish with small basil leaves.

here ya go Dayna!

Gorgonzola, Fig and Pecan Cheese Terrine
Recipe courtesy of Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh of the Food Network

1/2 cup dried Mission figs, cut into pieces (about 6 pieces per fig)
1 cup dry red wine
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
8 oz crumbled gorgonzola (I got a small block and cut it into small pieces in a food processor)
2 tbsp brandy
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
2-3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Put the cut figs in a small saucepan and simmer on low with the red wind and thyme for 15 minutes. Drain the figs and discard the thyme and red wine. Cool figs.

Put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix on medium until well blended; about 1 minute. Add the gorgonzola, brandy and salt and beat 1 more minute. Take care not to overbeat or it won't set properly.

Spray a 1 quart loaf pan with cooking spray and line the inside with plastic wrap. Spoon half the cheese mixture into the pan and spread evenly, making sure to get into the corners. Scatter the figs, pecans and chopped parsley on top evenly and cover with the remaining cheese. Give the pan a few sharp raps on the counter to settle the terrine, cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

To remove the terrine, turn upside down on a flat surface and pull 1 end of the plastic wrap down. The terrine will slip out of the pan and onto the top piece of plastic wrap. Slice and fan out on platter. Serve with crackers. Optional: garnish with whole figs, thyme sprigs and pecans.

APHRODISIAC Night: Arugula Salad with Manchego, Apples and Caramelized Walnuts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup walnut oil
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
8 cups arugula
2 Red Delicious or Fuji apples (I used Pink Lady), unpeeled, cored, thinly sliced
6 ounces Spanish Manchego cheese or sharp white cheddar cheese, shaved (I used Campo de Montalban)
1 1/2 cups pitted dates, sliced
1 cup Caramelized Walnuts
4 large shallots, minced

Boil balsamic vinegar in small saucepan over medium-high heat until syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes.

Whisk oil and Champagne vinegar in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature. Rewarm balsamic syrup before using. Rewhisk vinaigrette before using.)

Toss arugula, apples, half of cheese, dates, walnuts, and shallots in large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Mound salad in center of each plate. Drizzle balsamic syrup around salads. Sprinkle remaining cheese atop salads.

Caramelized Walnuts

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups walnuts

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray. Combine sugar and vinegar in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add nuts; toss to coat. Transfer mixture to baking sheet.

Bake until nuts are deep brown and syrup thickens and coats nuts, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet. Break nuts apart. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Cooking Night goes Anime!

Gruyere Potato Gratin with Herbes de Provence (taken from Whole Foods' site. I altered it a bit.)

Serves 8

* 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
* 3/4 lb cave-aged Gruyere, shredded
* 1 large onion (I used a Peruvian sweet onion), thinly sliced
* 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 TB butter
* 1 cup heavy cream
* sea salt, to taste
* ground pepper, to taste
* herbes de provence (with lavender), to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Boil whole potatoes for 10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. In the meantime, sauté onions and garlic in butter until they are soft and translucent. Layer potato slices and onions in a 9 x 9 baking dish. You can put seasoning to taste between each layer. Pour cream over the potatoes. Sprinkle Gruyere over the whole shebang. Bake 40–50 minutes or until golden.

Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

Crust:
1 packet graham crackers finely crushed (one plastic-wrapped block)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp melted butter

Filling:
Three 8-oz packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
16-oz sour cream
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Crust: Mold a long piece of foil around the bottom edges of the springform pan where the sides meet the bottom, otherwise some batter can possibly leak out and cause a huge mess in the oven. Mix crust ingredients together in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and sides (about an inch up) of a 9-inch springform pan.

Filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If cream cheese is not at room temperature, you can warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, but don't let it get too warm. Beat cream cheese at high speed until light. Add sugar gradually, then add eggs one at a time. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla, pour in pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until middle is softly set.

Topping: Remove cake from oven and increase heat to 475 degrees. Beat sour cream at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute. Spread over cake and bake for 5 minutes at 475. Let cool completely on a rack and then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Remove sides of springform pan.

Fresh Raspberry Sauce

1/2 pint raspberries
1 pint strawberries
a squeeze of lemon
fruit preserves to taste (I used strawberry)
some sugar to taste

In food processor or blender, puree berries until all pulp is removed from seeds. Press through a mesh sieve with spatula to remove seeds if desired. Put back in blender and add rest of ingredients. Taste and adjust. (I messed up the removing the seeds part last night, but maybe my mesh was just too small)

Click on the picture for more of Mardi Gras night.


Classic New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Sauce Recipe from Mr. B's Bistro (Brennan's) in New Orleans, LA

Yield: about 10 servings

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups half-and-half
8 slices day-old French bread (I used challah), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups or 3/4 lb loaf)
1 cup raisins

Whiskey Sauce

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
7 large egg yolks
1/4 cup Irish whiskey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 6-cup (9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pan with butter. Whisk the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl until very smooth. Add the half-and-half and mix well. Add the bread and raisins, and let the mixture sit for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the pudding is set in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. To serve, cut the pudding into 1-inch thick slices. Lay each slice in the center of each serving plate. Spoon some of the Whiskey Sauce over the pudding.

to make whiskey sauce: In a medium saucepan bring cream and milk to a boil. In a medium bowl whisk together sugar and yolks until combined well and gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Transfer mixture to a double boiler and cook over just simmering water, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until thick, about 12 minutes. Pour sauce through a fine sieve and stir in whiskey...and stand back this isn't for the faint hearted. Serve sauce warm or cold.