Jambalaya

I know it's a little early to be thinking about lent and Mardi Gras, but we were in the mood for shrimp today, and this jambalaya recipe is one of our favorites.  It's delicious and easy, and I hope you'll try it!


Ingredients:
3 links chorizo, cut into bite-sized pieces (if you cannot find chorizo, kielbasa may be substituted)
1 c. cubed, fully-cooked ham
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. canola oil
2 c. chicken broth
14½ oz. can stewed tomatoes
2 T. fresh parsley, minced
½ t. salt
¼ t. dried thyme
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
1/8 t. chili powder
1/8 t. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 c. uncooked long grain white rice
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined*

 

In a large Dutch oven, add oil, ham, chorizo, onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender.

 

Stir in broth, tomatoes, parsley and bay leaf.  Add salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper and chili powder.

Bring to a boil and stir in rice.  Reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is tender.

*If using uncooked shrimp, add to pot, stir in, and simmer until the shrimp turn pink.  If using pre-cooked shrimp, add to pot, stir in, remove from heat, and allow to set for five minutes before serving.  Discard bay leaf prior to serving.

Strawberry Linguine with Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

Flavoring:
8oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality 62% cacao or higher)
½ c. heavy whipping cream
1 t. vanilla extract (or almond extract)
In this demonstration, 1-2 T. Amaretto was substituted in place of vanilla extract


Truffle coating: (choose one)
cocoa powder (used in this demonstration)
finely chopped walnuts
finely chopped almonds




Strawberry coulis:
2 16oz. packages frozen whole strawberries, unsweetened
½ c. sugar








Phyllo bundles:
16oz. box frozen phyllo dough (allow to defrost in refrigerator for two hours)
liquid butter spray
sugar


Garnish:
Kiwi
4 oz. white chocolate

In a small heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer.  This may take a while - be sure to stir and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula every few minutes.

 

With a sharp knife, cut chocolate into very fine pieces.  Place in a bowl.  Pour hot cream over the chocolate and add the vanilla extract.  Let stand for a few minutes, then stir until well-combined.  (This base is called a ganache).  Allow to cool.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for two hours.

 

Remove from refrigerator.  With a one ounce scoop (or teaspoon), roll balls of ganache in your hands quickly, as it melts from the heat of your hands.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or Silpat) and place in refrigerator overnight.  Roll in cocoa powder (or nuts) and return to refrigerator until needed.

 

Put strawberries into food processor and purée until completely smooth.  (It is not necessary to strain the seeds).  Pour into a heavy sauce pan with sugar.  Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so that it does not stick.  Reduce until thickened.  (If there is a foam on the strawberries, after it is done, remove from heat and skim foam).  Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove phyllo from refrigerator.  Each box usually contains two rolls of dough.  Each roll should yield six bundles (12 total).  Remove dough from plastic sleeve.  Unroll, then re-roll without the plastic.  Using a sharp knife, cut into approximately ¼ strips.  Using your hands, lightly toss the pieces to separate them.

 
On a cookie sheet lined with parchment (or Silpat), place phyllo strips into six bundle and pile high.  Spray each bundle with butter and sprinkle ½ t. sugar on each.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Place bundles into oven for 5 minutes.  Watch carefully until they are lightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 1-2 hours to completely dry out.  They are very fragile, so make sure to handle them carefully.

To assemble, place one phyllo bundle on each plate.  (A white plate is suggested to show the color).  Place 2-3 ounces of strawberry coulis over the bundle.  Peel kiwi, then slice and dice into small pieces.  Sprinkle over the strawberry coulis.  Using a grater or microplane, shave white chocolate over dessert to resemble Parmesan cheese.  Place two or three chocolate truffles on the side, to resemble meatballs.

Svenska Cinnamon Bun Cake

I found this recipe last week on Facebook.  Oddly enough, I was preparing a smorgasbord for my church, and I needed to make a dessert.  I adapted the ingredients so that it would be more of a Swedish dessert.  I think cardamom would work nicely in this recipe, however, did not have it.  Feel free to add ¼ teaspoon to the recipe when you make it.

Cake:

Ingredients:
3 c. all purpose flour
¼ t. salt
1 c. sugar
4 t. baking powder
1½ c. milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 t. vanilla
½ c. butter, melted

 

Place a mixing bowl in the mixer.  In the mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  Slowly combine with the mixer.

In a 2 cup measuring cup, add milk, eggs and vanilla.  Stir to combine.

In a mixer, slowly add the milk/egg/vanilla mixture with the mixer running.  Mix until incorporated.  With the mixer continuing to run, slowly add the butter.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with a non-stick coating and add the batter.



Topping:

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. all purpose flour
1 T. cinnamon

In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined.  Drop evenly with a spoon over the batter.  Swirl with a knife.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.  (I had to bake an additional ten minutes - ovens may vary).

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.


Glaze:

Ingredients:
2 c. powdered sugar
6-7 t. milk
1 t. almond extract
1 t. butter, softened

Combine ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.

 

To garnish, drain nine maraschino cherries and cut in half.  Chop ¼ c. pecans.  Place cherries onto warm glaze, as shown in the photo.  Sprinkle with pecans.

This recipe makes 18 servings and would be appropriate as a dessert or for a breakfast/brunch.