30 July 2011

Fresh Cookin' Class #2 - Recipes

Here are the recipes from the 2nd Fresh Cookin' Class......I can't wait to see what we learn in the next class in August!

Strawberry Bruschetta

20 slices French bread, cut 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 lemon
1 container (8 ounces) cream cheese spread
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
2 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
Additional powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice bread using Serrated Bread
Knife; place bread slices on Rectangle Stone. Place butter in
Small Micro-Cooker®; microwave on HIGH 30-45 seconds
or until melted. Brush butter over bread slices using Pastry
Brush. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in Flour
Sugar/Shaker; sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake 12-
14 minutes or until golden brown; remove baking stone from
oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.

2. Meanwhile, zest lemon using Lemon Zester/Scorer to
measure 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lemon using Juicer to
measure 2 teaspoons juice. In Small Batter Bowl, whisk
cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice until
smooth using Stainless Steel Whisk. Hull strawberries using
Cook's Corer®; coarsely chop using Food Chopper.

3. Using Small Scoop, scoop cream cheese mixture over bread
slices; spread evenly using Small Spreader. Place bread
slices on Simple Additions® Large Square Platter; top
with strawberries using Medium Scoop. Sprinkle bruschetta
with almonds and powdered sugar, if desired. Serve
immediately.

Yield: 20 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 180, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat
4.5 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium
250 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tips: To toast almonds in the microwave oven, place
almonds in Small Oval Baker; microwave on HIGH 5-7 minutes
or until golden brown, stirring after each 30-second interval. Cool
completely.




Hot Corn Dip

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse


2 tablespoons butter

3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow
corn, or frozen fresh corn)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers – I used roasted red
bell peppers from a jar.

1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise – 1/2 C was plenty for mine

4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded- I used
monterey jack

4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Tortilla chips, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the corn, salt, and black pepper. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until the kernels turn deep golden brown,
about 5 minutes. Note that if you’re using frozen corn it probably
won’t get golden brown. Just cook for about 5 minutes as the
recipe states. Transfer to a bowl.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the
onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until the onions
are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, jalapeno, and
garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are
softened. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.

Add 1/2 C mayo, cayenne pepper, half of the monterey jack and
half of the cheddar and mix well. If you need more mayo to hold
the mixture together then add it, but I found that 1/2 C was plenty,
and I even added a little extra cheese.

Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish, or something equivalent
and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and
golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or
Fritos.

Sweet-Fruit-Salsa-with-Cinnamon-Chips

  1. Choose Your Fruit
I choose fruit based on it’s color. I love having something in
just about every color of the rainbow! Red: Strawberries are
my standard because they hold up really well, they’re usually
inexpensive, and everyone loves strawberries. But watermelon,
raspberries or pomegranate seeds would be fun too.
Orange: Mango is my top choice because you all know how much
I love mangoes! I usually put in a higher ratio of mangoes to other
fruit, but that’s just me. Peaches, nectarines, or orange segments
would work.

Yellow: Pineapple! Fresh is best, but in a pinch (uh..like my
pictures here) open up a can. I guess nectarines and peaches can
also be yellow.

Green: LOVE the bright color and great texture of Kiwi in fruit
salsa. There’s always honeydew too.

Blue/Purple: I go with price on this one. Blueberries or
blackberries, whichever is cheaper! See my note about blackberries
below.

  1. Choose Your Sweetener
Honey: I love the flavor of honey with fruit. I usually add a little
no matter what.

Powdered Sugar: It dissolves fast and gives a light sweetness.


Brown Sugar: Takes longer to dissolve but adds an interesting
flavor. Much deeper flavor than white sugar.

Granulated Sugar: What I use the most. It tastes good and makes
a nice syrup with the fruit juices. Remember my life lesson about
adding sugar?

Agave Nectar: If you want to use an alternative sweetener, you
could try Agave Nectar (very low on the glycemic index if that
concerns you) or a natural herbal sweetener like Stevia.

  1. Choose Your Extras
You don’t want to do all of these together- pick and choose!
Lime Juice: I always add lime juice. Just a few big squeezes. The
fruit will give off a lot of juice so you don’t want to add too much
additional liquid, but a few squeezes of tangy lime juice adds a
great flavor and makes it nice and tropical tasting.
Cinnamon: A few dashes of cinnamon goes great with the
cinnamon chips.

Mint: I love a little chopped fresh mint in my fruit salsa. It
reminds me of cilantro in regular salsa and makes everything so
fresh tasting. But beware, a little goes a long way and if you add
too much it will really overpower the taste of your yummy fruit.

My husband hates it when I put mint in- he thinks it ruins the salsa
and tastes disgusting, so you may want to go sparingly on that one!

Coconut: shredded coconut is especially yummy when you have
tropical fruits like pineapple and mango in your salsa. Sprinkle
some on top or stir it in, but either way do it just before serving or
it will get all soggy.

Toasted Coconut: If you’re taking this to a party, then add some
toasted coconut on top for great presentation. People will go wild
over it!

Ginger: I’m adding this from Kate’s suggestion in the comment
section. Great thinking! A little fresh ginger would be great. A
little will go a long way. P.S. ginger + coconut = yum.

  1. Eat it!
You’ll want to chill the salsa first for maximum yumminess.

Then serve with Baked Cinnamon Chips for dipping. Also fantastic over ice cream!

Cinnamon Tostada Chips

4 (7-inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray tortillas with water
using Kitchen Spritzer. Combine sugar and cinnamon in
Flour/Sugar Shaker; sprinkle over tortillas.

2. Using Pizza Cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; place
in single layer on Large Round Stone. Bake 8-10 minutes
or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to Stackable
Cooling Rack; cool completely.
Yield: 32 chips

Nutrients per serving: (4 chips): Calories 45, Total Fat 1.5 g,
Sodium 135 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

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