Yum, yum!
Some of our favorite recipes - enjoy!
Macaroons
Founding member Richard Sauvain is a terrific baker. We have enjoyed his macaroons for years and years. Mary Cowden is now in charge of making them.
1 1/2 cups almond paste, tightly-packed
(I use the Solo brand available in an 8 oz. package at Wegmans. You will need one and a half packages.)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
4 large egg whites
Crumble the almond paste into the 5-quart bowl of an electric mixer. The recipe instructs that you use the "paddle attachment" of the mixer when making these macaroons; my Kitchen Aid came with 3 attachments: a whisk, a dough hook, and a third, unspecified one, which is the one I use for this. If I had to describe it, though, I don't think I'd call it a "paddle." With the machine on low speed, combine the almond paste with the sugars. Add one of the egg whites to the mixture, mix until the wet and dry ingredients begin to bind, then add the remaining egg whites in a slow, steady stream. The mixture should form a soft mass that is shiny, not too wet, and slightly sticky.
At this point the recipe directs that you pipe the mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. For me, the piping process is too much bother and doesn't make much difference to the final product. I just drop the batter onto the parchment paper in approximately the size stipulated. This recipe makes 4 dozen macaroons. I use that number to help me judge the size each one needs to be.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Set one pan at a time into the oven and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until the cookies are light tan in color and well-cracked on the tops. Remove from the oven and let cool completely (on a rack) before removing from the parchment. Trying to remove them before they are cooled will cause the centers to stick to the paper. Store the macaroons well-covered to prevent them from drying out. Macaroons freeze well and keep for about a month.
Spicy Artichoke Bites
These were a big hit at the May 2016 reception. Thanks, Lisa Jadwin!
2 jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 large eggs
1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon each pepper and dried oregano
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red chiles
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1. Preheat oven to 350° .
2. Drain marinade from 1 jar of artichokes into a frying pan. Drain remaining artichokes; reserve marinade for other uses. Chop all artichokes.
3. Heat marinade in frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Whisk eggs in a bowl to blend. Stir in bread crumbs, pepper, oregano, and hot sauce. Stir in parsley, artichokes, and onion mixture.
5. Grease a 9-inch square or round pan. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, top with grated cheese, and bake about 30 minutes.
Make ahead: Up to 1 day, chilled. Reheat, uncovered, 12 minutes at 325°.
Indonesian Rice Salad
Jen Saffran introduced this to us way back when!
2 cups cooked, cooled, brown rice
1/2 cup raisins
2 chopped scallions
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1/4 cup toasted cashews
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
pea pods
cut-up mango
parsley
Dressing:
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 Tbsp. tamari
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
juice of one lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
salt and pepper to taste
Mix dressing and combine with other ingredients; serve chilled on greens.
Endive Crudités:
Thanks to Jeff Tabor for these yummy treats!
--1-3 Belgian endives, washed and dried
--1-2 tubs/pints smoked salmon cream cheese (any brand, or make it yourself with smoked salmon and plain cream cheese mixed together), softened and ready for spreading
--1 bunch chives, washed and dried
--optional garnishes: freshly ground black pepper, smoked paprika, more chives chopped finely
1. Trim the bottom end off the endives and remove the leaves one at a time, separating them into stacks by size. Continue to trim the bottoms off as you go through each endive (to help the leaves come off better). Leave the very small inner leaves intact in a bud.
2. Take each stack of leaves and one at a time, take 1-3 chives per leaf (as you prefer) and lay them flat down the middle of each leaf. Spread a heaping teaspoonful of cream cheese from the bottom of the leaf up to about the middle to fasten the chives in place.
3. Dust with paprika or black pepper and/or sprinkle chopped chives over the cream cheese. Put the leftover endive bud(s) in the middle of the serving plate on a small circular schmear of cream cheese with a few chives strewn about. Arrange the leaves around the middle in a flower-like shape and serve.
You can use other vegetables, other flavors of cream cheese or spreadable purees, other herbs as you see fit (e.g., celery sticks, parsley sprigs, tomato cream cheese). Enjoy!
Blackberry, Raspberry, and Almond Cobbler
From Mary Mowers. This disappeared in a flash at our last reception! This is vegan; substitute butter and milk as you wish for a non-vegan version.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen blackberries, defrosted (keep the juice)
1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted
(keep the juice)
1 large ripe pear, cored and diced very small
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the blackberries, raspberries, diced pear, lemon juice, and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 20-25 minutes.
In a separate large bowl, blend the flours, baking powder, salt, and almond milk. Stir in the melted butter until blended. Spread your batter evenly into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish. Gently pour your mixed berries over the batter.
Bake for 40-55 minutes, or until the dough rises and turns golden brown.
Serve warm with some vanilla soy ice cream!