Recipes for February 2013 Valentines Gourmet Club {the Elizabeths}

Appetizers:

Double-Quick Shrimp Cocktail:

Ingredients:

1 8oz carton sour cream

¼ cup prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or thing sliced green onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 12 oz. jar cocktail sauce or chilli sauce

1 ½ lb. peeled, cooked, and deveined shrimp, cold.

1.       In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, horseradish, chives, and lemon juice.

2.       Spoon cocktail sauce in ½ of a small bowl. Spoon sour cream mixture into the other size sprinkle with chives/onions.

3.       Place well chilled shrimp on platter garnish with lemon wedges and chive stems.

Romaine Sweet Hearts

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

• 1/2 cup chopped hearts of palm

• 1/2 avocado, chopped

• Salt

• 1/2 pomegranate

• 4 leaves romaine lettuce from the heart

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mint and lemon juice. Add the artichoke hearts, hearts of palm and avocado and toss to combine. Season with salt.
2. In a bowl of water, peel the pomegranate to release the seeds; drain. Spoon the tossed salad onto the lettuce leaves and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top.

Source: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/salad-recipes/romaine-sweet-hearts

Salad:

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/green_salad_with_strawberries_goat_cheese.html

Green Salad with Strawberries & Goat Cheese

From EatingWell:  May/June 2009
Servings (4), about 1 1/2 cups each
Active Time: 20 minutes    Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup , or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper , to taste
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups watercress, tough stems removed
• 2 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries , (about 12 ounces)
• 1/3 cup fresh chives, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans , (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. Whisk maple syrup (or brown sugar), vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add spinach, watercress, strawberries and chives; toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with pecans and goat cheese.

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To toast chopped or sliced nuts, stir constantly in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. 

Entrée

Grilled Beef Filet Topped with Mushrooms

Grilled Beef recipe from: Fresh Everyday: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market, by Sara Foster.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 2 inches thick (about 8 oz each)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.       Preheat oven to 400 F

2.       Rub the filets on all sides with the vinegar and oil. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt, and pepper and press the rosemary into both sides of the filets. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

3.       Heat a grill pan or ovenproof cast-iron skillet over medium-heat until it is hot, about 3 minutes. A pink of salt will sizzle when dropped into the pan. Lay the filets in the pan, reserving the marinade. Reduce the heat to medium and sear the steaks for about 3 minutes, until the undersides are a rich brown color. Turn the steaks and pour the remaining marinade over them. Sear the other sides until they are a rich brown color, 2 to 3 minutes.

4.       Transfer the grill pan to the over and cook the steaks for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 110F for rare, 120F for medium rare, 130 for medium. Remove the steaks from the oven and let them rest, loosely covered with foil, for about 5 minutes before serving.

5.       Place each steak on a plate and top with mushrooms.

Onion and Mushroom Saute

Ingredients:

1 med. Onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

4 Tablespoonsbutton mushrooms

4 tablespoons salted butter

4 tablespoons garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauté pan, melt butter. Add garlic and sauté for 1 min. or until tender. Add the onions and mushrooms to mixture and sauté til the mushrooms are soft. Serve over meat or as a side dish.

Source: Cook class

One Hour Rolls (with tips from Mallory Moon)

Here is the link .  I've add my tips in the red. Rolls are easy if you can get the yeast to rise, that is really the trickiest part, so don't be disappointed if they don't turn out just right. I've been working on it for a few years. If anything you can always dump the yeast, water, and sugar mixture and restart. Good luck!

1 tablespoon yeast, rounded
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk, scalded
4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading and surface

2 tablespoons melted butter, optional

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water (I have found that as soon as I turn on the hot water I keep my finger in the water and as soon as it starts getting a little too hot that's the water I use).
Melt the butter in the scalded milk.(I've found that as soon as little bubbles start to form around the edge I take it off the burner) Stir to cool.
Mix eggs, 3 remaining tablespoons sugar, salt and dissolved yeast mixture to a bowl.

When milk mixture is cooled a bit (not hot), add to egg mixture.
Mix in flour (one cup at a time, it's always better to under flour at first). Knead dough on a floured surface, or in a mixer, adding flour until rolls are no longer sticky to touch (the tip I learned from my Grandma is to butter your hands and knead it, I just scoop some butter from our butter tray and rub my hands together)

This is where usually, rolls are left alone to raise for about an hour. No need with this recipe.
Roll out in desired shapes and place on lightly greased baking pan.
Place rolls in draft free place*, brush lightly with melted butter and let raise while oven is preheating. I left my rolls to raise until the rest of dinner was about 15 minutes away from being done.
Turn oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. When oven is preheated, bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Honey Rosemary Carrots
serves 4

4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup honey

1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped

Bring carrots, water, and butter to a boil in a small saucepan; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add honey and rosemary; continue simmering until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes more. 

 

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-rosemary-carrots/ 

Dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

Source: Cuisinart Recipe Booklet

Makes about 10 ½ cup servings

Ingredients:

8 ounces very red, ripe strawberries—fresh summer berries or frozen berries thawed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole milk

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

Place strawberries, granulated sugar, vanilla and whole milk in a blender jar or food processor fitted with the metal “s” blade, and blend on high speed until completely smooth and homogenous, about 40-50 seconds. Pour into a bowl and stir in heavy cream. If not making ice cream immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Turn on ice cream maker and pour in ingredients. Allow to mix and freeze until desired serving consistency is reached. Begin checking consistency about 12 to 15 minutes of freezing. If ice cream is not thick enough, pour back into the freezer bowl and continue mixing/freezing until desired consistency is reached, checking every few minutes.

Serve in cups or cones, adding mix-ins while dispensing ice cream.

 Coconut Cake

Betty Crocker white cake mix

1 box instant coconut pudding

1 cup coconut milk (instead of water)

1/2 cup butter (instead of oil)

1 tsp coconut extract

4 eggs (instead of 3 eggs)

Bake as directed, replacing the added ingredients with these listed. 

Coconut Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened 

4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 to 6 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon coconut extract

Cream ingredients together to desired consistency.