Stuffed Portabellos

my favorite author is Nicholas Evans, he wrote the Horse Whisperer. i didn't particularly care for the movie (tho, hello Mr. Redford) but when i read the book, oh mercy, his lyrical prose was moving. i even drove 2 hours to NoVa to meet him at a bookstore where he was promoting his book the Divide. (for reals, loverly brit-ish accent...) anyway, a few years ago he, along with a few members of his family accidentally consumed some poisonous mushrooms, they are now on a dialysis regimen and on the kidney transplant list. oh the horror!

i like mushrooms, i always have. but i've also always had a very healthy respect for not putting random things in my mouth when hiking or camping. (let's be clear, i haven't been camping in forever but if i ever go again, i'm avoiding any kind of foraging of wild vegetation blah blah blah...) for this month's challenge, i used portobellos, big & beefy, a perfect item as a side but really, capable of being a stand alone entree. which is what i had for dinner friday night.

Stuffed Portobellos

adapted from Bon Appetit Hon

once again, no exact measurements

2 big portobellos, gills scraped off

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/4 fennel, sliced thinly

1 heirloom tomato, diced

1 small apple, diced

splash of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

goat cheese

preheat oven 350F.

drizzle a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over mushrooms, both sides. bake in oven for 5 minutes, both sides. meanwhile, saute up onions in a bit of oil until softened. add in the apples and zucchini, about 5-7 minutes, until the zuchs are soft. put the cooked mixture in a bowl and cool slightly, add in the fennel and tomatoes, mix well, season with salt. throw in a bit of goat cheese, it'll a melt a bit.

take out the 'shrooms and scoop mixture on top. return to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. top with a bit more cheese and serve.

just so you know, the 'shrooms shrink a smidge.

Shrooms

I recently spent a weekend with my vegetarian sister. And this week I'm taking off for a trip to WA for DMB. Both remind me of mushrooms for different reasons. That will be our challenge.

Slice it, dice it, whatever.

Deadline: September 30

Limencello Cheesecake

I adore cheesecake. However, I have to admit that when I have a slice I prefer it be simple. The less bells and whistles the better. I chose to use the limencello because it's one of my favorite flavors. Anything citrus-y really.

Thank goodness the girls at work aren't dieting because it's going to the office tomorrow.

Crust:

1 pkg of graham craker crumbs

6 tsp butter, melted

2 tsp sugar

Pulse graham craker crumbs in a food processor to a fine consistency. Add melted butter and sugar. Pulse to mix. Press the crumbs into the bootom and sides of your springform pan. Bake 15 minutes at 325. Let cool while the filling is prepared.

Filling:

3 8oz packages of room temp cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs room temp

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup limencello

zest of lemon

Using your food processor or stand mixer blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, vanilla, limencello and lemon zest. Mix until smooth. Throw in the eggs one at a time.

Pour prepared filling into crust. Bake 1 hour at 325. Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour or so. Resist the temptation to open the door.

Let the cheesecake cool for a bit before chilling in the fridge overnight. Unless you have an impatient roommate like myself, you should not be cutting after only 1 hour of chill time. Matt was jonesing for some sugar.

We both loved it. I'm very pleased with this recipe...no cracks at all. It came out extremely creamy and was even better after proper chill time.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

do you see that cheesecake? it was delicious. i was lucky that i had an actual social event to attend to give me an excuse a valid reason to make it and not consume it myself. small blessings you know.

White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Crust:

1 1/3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

3 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup melted butter (or veg oil)

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9” springform pan.

Batter:

3 8 oz packages cream cheese

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup good quality white chocolate chips

1 cup whipping cream

Heat the 1/3 cup whipping cream till scalding, pour over the white chocolate chips and mix well. Set aside. In a mixer, cream the cream cheese and ½ cup of sugar, being sure to scrape down the sides. Throw in an egg, one by one, again scraping down the sides. Add in the vanilla extract. Slowly pour in the melted white chocolate mixture, being sure to scrape down and mix well. Finally, add in the final cup of whipping cream.

Pour over the prepared base and bake at 325F for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave it in there until it cools down completely. Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Allow to cool to room temp before putting it in the fridge over night.

White Chocolate Mousse

½ cup whipping cream

8 oz white chocolate chips

1 ½ cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup icing sugar

Heat the whipping cream to scalding but not boiling. In a bowl, pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips.

Set aside for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.

Whip the 1 ½ cup whipping cream till firm peaks. Add in the vanilla extract and icing sugar.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolate into the whipped cream. Chill for a couple of hours or until firm before piping it on top of the cheesecake. Top with raspberries.

Cheesecake Throwdown

big k and i have discussed it. we've neglected this blog for too long. we blame pat. him and his chicken/biscuit challenge...

this month's challenge is Cheesecake.

deadline: August 15th.

Winter? What's Winter?

Subject line has nothing to do with anything, ok I'm kidding. It's the middle of winter and what warms you up better than a nice piping hot bowl of soup? Well, this month's challenge is not soup, or stew or anything like that.

This month's challenge is chicken AND biscuits. Not chicken or biscuits. Chicken and biscuits. Crispy, juicy delicious chicken. Flaky, soft buttery delicious biscuits. The combination that can't be beat.

Try different breading, panko, pulverized cereal, honey, hot sauce, but make it delicious ...

Deadline Feb 28th, 2010.

Finally...Fudge!

Many moons after the deadline, here is my post. I bring to you peanut butter and chocolate swirled fudge. PB and chocolate are one of my top favorite flavor combos. I could eat it daily.

Recipe:

1/2 cup butter

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup peanut butter (i chose creamy but i'm sure crunchy would be delish)

1 tsp vanilla (i used a combo of extract and vanilla bean)

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Melt butter then add the brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Let it boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla. Pour mixture into confectioners sugar and blend. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into 8x8 pan and chill.

The result is delicious. Matt, who doesn't like fudge, liked this kind. I kept a few pieces for us, but boxed up the rest to be sent to a friend. Better on his thighs than mine.