I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with pre made Phyllo Cups; but they are AMAZING! I started using them for parties and entertaining about a year ago. You can find them in most grocery stores in the freezer section next to the pie crusts. These little guys are so versaltile! I have filled them with cheesecake filling, lemon curd, chocolate cream – the list goes on and on!

Recently I was making some carmelized onion jam to top some grilled burgers and thought this would make a great appetizer in those little phyllo cups! And…if you added some brie cheese as the base = YUM!

If you’ve never tried Brie cheese, it is so creamy and yummy! The first time I tried it…embarassed to say; but I was trying to cut off the rind…I guess you are supposed to leave it on! However for this recipe, I suggest cutting it off because we want all the creamy brie and carmelzed onions to meld together! For this recipe, I used an 8 ounce wedge of garlic and herb brie! It was the bomb!
The most time consuming part of this recipe is making the CARMELIZED ONION JAM. I make 2 batches of this jam at a time, it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks and it is great on sandwiches, grilled burgers or just scooped up with chips!
Here is the recipe for the CARMELIZED ONION JAM:
1- T. Butter
1 – T. vegetable oil
2#’s onions, halved and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup red wine
Melt butter and oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat. Add onions, sugar and
1/2 tsp. salt and cook until onions begin to soften and release some of the moisture, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook stirring often, until onions are deeply browned and slightly sticky; about 40 minutes. (reduce heat if onions begin to sizzle or scortch) Increase heat if onions are not browning after 15 – 20 minutes.
Stir in the thyme and cook until fragrent, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until it reduces to a glaze – about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Now just take however many of the Phyllo cups and place them on a parchment papered lined sheet pan. Place a 1/2 inch or so piece of Brie in each cup and top with a generous amount of the onion jam. Bake on the middle rack at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until cheese has melted and cups are golden brown. Give them a small sprinkle of parsley and serve warm with the rest of the red wine you didn’t use for the jam
Cheers!

I was so happy to see that one of the local grocery stores in Tucson has Beef Tenderloin on sale this week.  We went to the store and bought 2 – one to cook for Christmas and one to freeze! 

Beef Tenderloin or when you cut it into steak portions it is know as fillet mignon is the best cut of meat – when cooked right, it can be fork tender.  When serving a crowd; figure a 1/2# per person.  At our house, we figure a 1# as we don’t eat this wonderful cut of meat very often   And if you are going to spluge on the tenderloin…you might as well make some Bearnasie sauce to drizzle over the top!

Usually beef tenderloin is sold whole in the bag.  When you go the meat department always ask the butcher to remove the silverskin and the tail.  The tail is the tougher part; but good if ground into ground beef or sliced into thin strips for beef stroganoff.   Most butchers will do this free of charge for you!  Also ask the butcher to “tie” the roast for you.  Then all you have to do is season and roast it!

Lets get started…

BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH BEARNAISE SAUCE: (recipe adapted from Tyler Florence)

1 large beef tenderloin (about 3 pounds)

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Assorted fresh herbs such as; thyme, sage and rosemary

3 cloves of garlic – minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle the tenderloin with olive oil.  Season well with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Rub on the garlic and sprinkle with assorted fresh herbs.  Allow the tenderloin to come to room temperature before cooking.  Place the tenderloin in a large skillet over medium high heat and sear tenderloin on all sides (you may need to add some additional olive oil)  Place the tenderloin on a roasting rack and place in oven.  Roast for 15-17 minutes.  At this point, a meat thermometer should read 135 degrees (thickest part of tenderloin) for medium rare, for medium roast an additional 3 minutes – Keep in mind that when you remove the tenderloin from oven and “tent” a piece of aluminum foil over it – the temperature will rise 5 degrees.  Let set for 10 minutes then slice into 1/2 inch pieces with the bearnaise sauce overtop.

BEARNAISE SAUCE:   (Bearnaise sauce is a classic french accompiant to grilled meat or fish.)

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 shallots minced

3 T. fresh tarragon leaves

3 egg yolks

1 stick unsalted real butter, melted

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

To make the reduction for the bearnaise sauce, combine the vinegar, wine shallot and half of the tarragon in a small saucepan and place over medium high heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Blend egg yolks and bearnaise reduction together in a blender on low speed until combined.  With the blender running on medium speed, add one third of the butter in a slow steady stream.  Once the mixture emulsifies (it will become thick and satiny), turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter.  Add the remaining rarragon and season with salt and pepper.  Pulse in the blender, transfer to a dish and hold in a warm spot until ready to serve.

I love cinnamon rolls; but they are so time consuming to make.  I found this recipe in the Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook and thought I would share!

If you’ve never tried working with Puff Pastry, it is really great – here is a link to a page that I frequent.  It is loaded with lots of great recipes using frozen puff pastry.

I wondered a long time ago what exactly is puff pastry? This is what I found out in a nut shell…However, you don’t have to go through all of this work to make your own puff pastry – they sell it in the freezer section at the grocery store.

Puff pastry is like a pie crust that rises high with no leavening.  There are only 4 ingredients that make up puff pastry…butter, flour, salt and water.  It is how the ingredients work together when heated makes the pastry puff.

The dough begins like pie crust with cold butter mixed into the flour to a cornmeal consistency. Once it comes together is when the true labor begins. The dough is rolled around a thick slab of butter. Through a process of folding, turning, and rolling, the butter is dispersed throughout the dough creating hundreds of very thin layers of dough separated by a film of butter.

The butter layer is what causes the rise. When the pastry is heated, the butter melts and boils, creating steam which lifts the successive layers higher and higher. At the same time, the heat is cooking the flour, hardening it around those minute air pockets, creating the puff.

This would be a perfect addition to any Christmas morning menu!

EASY STICKY BUNS

12 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 package (17.3 oz./2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

FOR THE FILLING:

2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place a 12 cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Combine the 12 T. of butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar.  Place 1 rounded T. of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups.  Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour your working surface.  Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter.  Leaving a 1 inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with the 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. of  the cinnamon and the 1/2 cup of the raisins.  Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the sean side down.  Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard.  Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide.  Place each piece, spiral side up in 6 of the muffin cups.  Repeat with the second sheet to make a total of 12 buns.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the sticky bus are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Invert the buns onto the parchment paper and ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon and serve warm.

I just had to post this.  My good friend Krista, back in Minnesota, brought this to the office we both worked for a holiday potluck.  I have never tasted anything so good!  I love it more than the original chex mix!  When I asked her what it was called and she said “junk in a bag” I just cracked up laughing.  When she gave me the recipe; I realize why she calls it that!  This makes a HUGE batch; but it is fun to make and keeps really good in an airtight container in the freezer.

I went out and about yesterday to try and find the ingredients; I’ve come to the conclusion that you can only get certain items in certain parts of the country.  My final stop was at WalMart and they had the ranch flavored wheat thins and the combos.  When I asked the gentleman at the local grocery store where I could find the combos…he just looked at me confused.  I proceeded to explain to him what a combo was…  He said they didn’t have them at the store; but he was going to be sure to check them out, as he thought they sounded so good!  Krista says you can add anything you really want to this bag.  I did add some things, as I was walking down the snack isle, more and more items ended up in my cart!

Here is the recipe:

JUNK IN A BAG:

Take a large kitchen garbage bag (I double lined it with another one, just in case we got a hole) and dump the following in it:

1- large box cheese flavored crackers (cheez-its)

1- large box oyster crackers

1 – box rice chex

2 – boxes ranch flavored wheat thins

1- large can mixed nuts

1 – large bag pretzels (I used the sourdough nibblers)

2 – large bags of combos

1 – box roasted garlic melba toasts

1 – bag Gardettos special request rye crisps

In a bowl combine the following then dump in the garbage bag

1- bottle Orville Redenbacher’s butter flavored oil (found next to the popcorn)

1 – Tablespoon onion powder

1 – Tablespoon garlic powder

Shake the garbage bag until all coated.  Keep shaking occasionally for the next 24 hours.  Then divide into airtight containters!

I can’t wait until 4:00 today to dig into mine!!

Thanks Krista 

I’ve started to associate the “rain” in Arizona to the “snow” in Minnesota in December.  What would I do on a snow day in Minnesota, the middle of December?

I would bake Christmas cookies and make a few Christmas goodies

I spoke with my Grandma back in Minnesota this morning; we were talking about holiday baking and what I had done and what she had done.  She shared with me some recipes that her mother and mother-in-law had made back in the day.  I copied them down; because those are the recipes that really mean something to me.  I thought about just how many years these recipes have been in circulation.  Really amazing! I am going to forgo all of the recipes that I’ve found that are gourmet and new and make these today!  Grandma, wish you were here to help me!

Here are a few of the recipes that she shared with me, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do 

APRICOT BUTTONS:

Cream together 1 cup of real butter (Grandma said “NO SUBSTITUTES”) and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar.  Add 2 egg yolks, (reserving the whites in a separate bowl) and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Mix together.  Then add:  2 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt.

Shape into small balls (size of a quarter)

In a separate bowl, mix egg whites until foamy.

Dip the balls in the egg white then roll in coconut or finely ground nutmeats.

Place on a greased cookie sheet, and make a “dent” in each ball.  Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven to a cooling rack.  Press down the “dent” again.  When cool, fill each cookie with apricot jam.

ANGEL COOKIES:

Cream together:

1/2 cup Butter

1/2 cup white crisco (Grandma said she used to use lard – that is how old the recipe is)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

Add in:

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Mix together well.  Roll into “walnut” size balls, dip the top 1/2 in cold water, then dip in granulated sugar.

Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

SALLY ANN COOKIES:

Cream together:

1 granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Lard…(Grandma said to use white Crisco)

Add in:

3 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 1/2 cups flour

1 cup chopped nutmeats or dates

You want these cookies to turn out dainty.  So shape the dough into rolls so when you slice them, they will be the size of a half dollar.

Wrap each roll in waxed paper and refrigerate over night.

Slice into 1/2 inch slices and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

MOLASSES CRY BABIES: (Grandma said that my great grandma Essman used to hide these in a tin under her bed so my grandpa wouldn’t eat them all when he was a kid)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup margarine

Cream together, then add:

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1 cup hot water with 2 tsp. baking soda dissolved

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 cups flour

Roll in small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Need to check often as these have a “cake” texture.

When cool, frost with a POWDERED SUGAR ICING:

Mix together until desired consistency:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 T. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Happy Baking!

As I was reading my latest December issue of bon appetit, the editor’s letter page confirmed what I have thought for a long time.  There is nothing like a ham sandwich! What an inexpensive party food!  Just place a ham, some great condiments and good homemade rolls and your guest will really appreciate you!

I’m not sure if anyone knows or cares about the difference between hams; but if you have time to read; this link will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about hams.

When I am going to make a ham, I prefer a smoked, shankless, defatted ham – the whole thing,  it will come in weighing between 12#-18#’s but it is so worth it to roast the whole thing.  You can always make scalloped potatoes, split pea and ham soup, bean soup, you get the drift.  If that is too big for your family, be sure to get the “shank” end of the ham, it has way more meat on it than the “butt” end.

I tried this recipe from the December 2011 issue of bon appetit on a client that was having a group of friends over for a little holiday cheer.  We made the ham, put out a basket of homemade rolls , a bowl of Mustard Horseradish sauce,Cranberry chipolte mayonnaise, Green olive spread, Dijon mustard and Heinz Ketchup   It was a hit!

Holiday Ham with Riesling and Mustard

Mustard Horseradish Sauce

3/4 cup Real mayonnaise

1 1/2 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. whole grain mustard

1/2 T. Prepared Horseradish

2 T. Sour Cream

Pinch of salt

Whisk together all ingredients and serve at room temperature.

Cranberry Chipolte Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Real mayonnaise

2/3 cup whole berry cran. sauce

1 to 2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, they are quite spicy so just add the amount of sauce and chile to your liking ( these are found in the Mexican section of the grocery store) – finely chopped

Combine all together, serve at room temperature.

Green Olive Spread (this is also great on grilled burgers)

1/4 cup Real mayonnaise

1/4 cup drained, chopped green olives (I put mine on paper towels to make sure they are dry so the juice doesn’t separate in the mayo)

1 T. honey

Combine all together, serve at room temperature.

For the homemade rolls I used a recipe from the Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary cookbook.  They reminded me of the soft rolls my Grandma used to make.  They are quite easy and so worth the time and effort!

No – Knead light Rolls

makes 15 -2 inch rolls

Combine in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

1/4 cup warm (105 to 115F) water*

1 package active dry yeast

Combine in a large bowl:

1/4 cup real butter

2 T. sugar

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Pour over these ingredients and stir until they are melted and dissolved:

1 cup hot water

Let cool to lukewarm, then stir in yeast.  Beat in:

1 large egg

Stir in and beat until a soft dough forms:

About 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Put the dough in a large greased bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.  Punch down the dough.  Divide the dough into 15 pieces and shape into round rolls.  Place in greased muffin cups.  Cover with a clean light weight kitchen towel and let rise until about doubled in volume – about 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake until golden 15 -18 minutes.  Remove from pan onto a rack to cool.  Brush tops with melted butter.

*Just a little tip on yeast.  I have “killed” so many batches of yeast in my day.  Finally I called my Grandma and asked her what I was doing wrong.  This is what she told me in a nut shell.  “Never warm the water you are going to add yeast to in the microwave; just let your hot water run from the faucet so it is like drinking warm tea.  If your water isn’t warm enough, just put the yeast and water  out of a drafty area and place a towel over the bowl to let it “work”.  The yeast will just take a little longer to work; but if your water is too hot, it will “kill” the yeast”  she is right; haven’t had a problem since!

HAPPY COOKING!