The Menu
Egg and Cheese Puff with Greens
Giglio's Fruit Salad (no, not gigolo's)
Buttery Crescents
LEMON MERINGUE PARFAIT
The Recipes
Egg and Cheese Puff with Greens
Makes 4 servings.
A great brunch dish, or quick lunch or supper, this recipe is easily assembled and can be prepared a few hours ahead of time and refrigerated; simply remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
12 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced ( about 3/4 cup )
3 to 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stemmed and cut intopieces
( you may also use oyster, button, or cremini mushrooms )
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chickweed
( you may also use spinach, baby chard, dandelion leaves, arugula, watercress, nettles, etc. )
1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup sorrel
2 tablespoons sweet marjoram or basil
3 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into crumbs
1 cup grated sharp white or regular Cheddar cheese
( you may also use Swiss or Gruyere )
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart oven proof dish.
Break eggs into a bowl and beat until well combined. Add milk and season well with salt and pepper; add paprika and combine. Set aside.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add oil and butter. When butter is almost melted, add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir; cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking. Add garlic, greens and marjoram, tossing well, and cover. Cook 2 minutes or until greens are just wilted; stir and remove from heat. Season greens with salt and pepper, as desired. Add breadcrumbs and toss well.
Add Cheddar, Parmesan and sauteed greens mixture to milk and eggs and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until eggs are just set in the center and a knife inserted comes out clean, and the top is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes; serve hot.
Giglio's Fruit Salad (no, not gigolo's)
from Cooking From an Italian Garden, by Paola Scaravelli (Holt, Rinehart, & Winston: 1984) a vegetarian but very high fat cookbook - ADAPTED
8 plums, pitted and sliced
6 peaches, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 c grapes, seedless or seeded
1/2 c champagne or dry sparkling wine (or Riesling)
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and cut in two pieces
1 head Boston lettuce, torn into small pieces
1/2 c Rice Dream
Put fruit in a bowl, drain and reserve juice.
Put champagne and the hot pepper in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Discard hot pepper and let champagne sit for 10 minutes.
Combine fruit and lettuce in a salad bowl or individual salad bowls. Add Rice Dream to cooled champagne and mix well. Pour over salad and serve immediately.
The original recipe called for heavy cream, and I have tested it with Rice Dream. It tastes great, but Rice Dream does have fat. I have not tried low fat soy milk (can't find it, for one thing), but the vanilla flavor would probably be perfect. It is also good, though not as good, without a cream substitute at all. A sweeter wine such as Riesling is better without Rice Dream.
NOTE: boil the wine longer if you want all of the alcohol out. I don't serve this to children or alcoholic friends. Most of it seems to be gone, however.
Buttery Crescents
Yield: 2 dozen
Taste Of Home - recipe by Kevin Weeks
1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 F)
1/2 cup warm milk (110-115 F)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
additional butter, melted
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a flour surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12 inch circle. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up the wedges from the wide end and place pointed end down 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 F. for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Remove from the pans to wire racks to cool.
LEMON MERINGUE PARFAIT
MAKES 8 SERVINGS.
10 oz jar lemon curd
1 cup fat free sour cream
Yellow liquid food color
4 oz container raspberries
4 tsp powdered egg whites or 1 cup whipped cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
Small Butane Torch or Whipped Cream
Eight 4 oz glasses
Whisk lemon curd in large bowl until smooth. Stir in small amount of sour cream to lighten, fold in remaining sour cream and a few drops of food color. Place 7 raspberries in bottom of each glass. Spoon 1/4 cup lemon mixture on top. Refrigerate 2 hours.
TO SERVE
---Stir powdered egg whites and 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl until dissolved. Beat until frothy. Add vanilla, turn mixer speed to high, adding sugar until soft shiny peaks form. Put meringue in large ziptop bag, snip 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe so that meringue mounds above glass rim.
Holding small torch about 5 inches above meringue, lightly brown meringue for just a few seconds. Do not allow flame to get near the rim of the glass. If torch is not available, top with whipped cream instead. Serve immediately.
Egg and Cheese Puff with Greens
Giglio's Fruit Salad (no, not gigolo's)
Buttery Crescents
LEMON MERINGUE PARFAIT
The Recipes
Egg and Cheese Puff with Greens
Makes 4 servings.
A great brunch dish, or quick lunch or supper, this recipe is easily assembled and can be prepared a few hours ahead of time and refrigerated; simply remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.
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12 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, minced ( about 3/4 cup )
3 to 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stemmed and cut intopieces
( you may also use oyster, button, or cremini mushrooms )
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chickweed
( you may also use spinach, baby chard, dandelion leaves, arugula, watercress, nettles, etc. )
1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup sorrel
2 tablespoons sweet marjoram or basil
3 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into crumbs
1 cup grated sharp white or regular Cheddar cheese
( you may also use Swiss or Gruyere )
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart oven proof dish.
Break eggs into a bowl and beat until well combined. Add milk and season well with salt and pepper; add paprika and combine. Set aside.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add oil and butter. When butter is almost melted, add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir; cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking. Add garlic, greens and marjoram, tossing well, and cover. Cook 2 minutes or until greens are just wilted; stir and remove from heat. Season greens with salt and pepper, as desired. Add breadcrumbs and toss well.
Add Cheddar, Parmesan and sauteed greens mixture to milk and eggs and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until eggs are just set in the center and a knife inserted comes out clean, and the top is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes; serve hot.
Giglio's Fruit Salad (no, not gigolo's)
from Cooking From an Italian Garden, by Paola Scaravelli (Holt, Rinehart, & Winston: 1984) a vegetarian but very high fat cookbook - ADAPTED
8 plums, pitted and sliced
6 peaches, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 c grapes, seedless or seeded
1/2 c champagne or dry sparkling wine (or Riesling)
1/2 hot pepper, seeded and cut in two pieces
1 head Boston lettuce, torn into small pieces
1/2 c Rice Dream
Put fruit in a bowl, drain and reserve juice.
Put champagne and the hot pepper in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Discard hot pepper and let champagne sit for 10 minutes.
Combine fruit and lettuce in a salad bowl or individual salad bowls. Add Rice Dream to cooled champagne and mix well. Pour over salad and serve immediately.
The original recipe called for heavy cream, and I have tested it with Rice Dream. It tastes great, but Rice Dream does have fat. I have not tried low fat soy milk (can't find it, for one thing), but the vanilla flavor would probably be perfect. It is also good, though not as good, without a cream substitute at all. A sweeter wine such as Riesling is better without Rice Dream.
NOTE: boil the wine longer if you want all of the alcohol out. I don't serve this to children or alcoholic friends. Most of it seems to be gone, however.
Buttery Crescents
Yield: 2 dozen
Taste Of Home - recipe by Kevin Weeks
1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 F)
1/2 cup warm milk (110-115 F)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
additional butter, melted
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, egg, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a flour surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12 inch circle. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up the wedges from the wide end and place pointed end down 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 F. for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Remove from the pans to wire racks to cool.
LEMON MERINGUE PARFAIT
MAKES 8 SERVINGS.
10 oz jar lemon curd
1 cup fat free sour cream
Yellow liquid food color
4 oz container raspberries
4 tsp powdered egg whites or 1 cup whipped cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
Small Butane Torch or Whipped Cream
Eight 4 oz glasses
Whisk lemon curd in large bowl until smooth. Stir in small amount of sour cream to lighten, fold in remaining sour cream and a few drops of food color. Place 7 raspberries in bottom of each glass. Spoon 1/4 cup lemon mixture on top. Refrigerate 2 hours.
TO SERVE
---Stir powdered egg whites and 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl until dissolved. Beat until frothy. Add vanilla, turn mixer speed to high, adding sugar until soft shiny peaks form. Put meringue in large ziptop bag, snip 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe so that meringue mounds above glass rim.
Holding small torch about 5 inches above meringue, lightly brown meringue for just a few seconds. Do not allow flame to get near the rim of the glass. If torch is not available, top with whipped cream instead. Serve immediately.