Parmesan-Herb Biscuits

 

Parmesan-Herb Biscuits

Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe

 

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 Tbs. baking Powder

1 1/4 tsp. kosher Salt

2 tsp. Sugar

8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. Buttermilk

2 Tbs. unsalted Butter, melted (for brushing)

 

Directions:

To make the biscuits: In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until pea-size crumbs form, then use your fingers to smear the butter into flat disks. Stir in the cheese, chives and parsley. Stir in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together.

 

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll out into a 9 1/2-by-11-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, rotate 90 degrees and roll out into the same-size rectangle. Fold again into thirds, rotate 90 degrees and roll out into a 7-by-9 1/2-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits. Gather up the scraps, reroll the dough and cut out more biscuits. You should have 13 biscuits.

 

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.

 

Arrange the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Transfer to the oven and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

 

Chicken and Goat Cheese Quiche

This quiche was one of the recipes I made for Christmas Dinner (lunch). I have a couple of varieties I make of this style quiche, but this was the first in which I used goat cheese. I loved the creaminess it added to the recipe, and I will be using it again in the future. It worked very well. This also reheats well in a toaster oven, & we had it again this morning for brunch. Enjoy.

Goat Cheese and Chicken Quiche

2 frozen deep dish Pie Crusts (or homemade pie crust)

1 diced yellow Onion

2  boneless Chicken breasts-chopped finely

2 tablespoons Olive oil

½ cup Sour cream

2 teaspoons Butter

1/2 tsp. Nature's Seasoning

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup Mozzarella

1/8 cup Goat cheese   

1/8 cup fresh flat leaf Parsley-chopped

½ cup fresh Basil-minced

8 eggs

1 cup heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, basil, parsley, and onions till golden brown. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and Nature’s Seasoning. Cook until well done & chicken is cooked through (about 7 minutes total). Remove from heat & set aside.

Whisk together eggs, crumble goat cheese & add the remaining ingredients. Whisk together. , & add chicken.  Split the mixture between 2 pie crusts. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Cover edges of pie crust with egg wash, to prevent burning.

Roasted Herbed Rack of Lamb

We had a rack of Lamb I've been saving for a special occasion, & Christmas dinner felt like a perfect time. This was my very first time, & I can say I would have opted to cook it a little longer (its a little too pink for me). Which I ended up doing for an extra 5 minutes. It ended up being done with a little pink spot in the middle. The crust was Ahh-maZING! Try it. You will LOVE it!

Roasted Herbed Rack of Lamb

Ingredient:

2-3 large Garlic cloves

½ cup chopped fresh Basil

½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons herbs de Provence*

1 & ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 & ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Salt

1 /2 teaspoon pepper

1 &1/2-pound rack of lamb, trimmed

Directions:

Mince garlic in processor. Add basil, olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs de Provence, Dijon, and Romano. Pulse in food processor until all ingredients are smooth & come together in a paste. The paste can be made ahead of time. Chill until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Arrange, bone side down, on small rimmed baking sheet. Press breadcrumb mixture onto lamb, coating completely. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center of lamb registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 30 minutes. Let lamb rest 15 minutes. Transfer lamb to cutting board. Cut between bones into individual or double chops.

Cranberry-Apple Herbed Stuffing

Cranberry-Apple Herbed Stuffing

1 large loaf French or other white bread
1 yellow Onion-diced
1 cup fresh flat leaf Parsley-Minced
2 ½ cups Celery-Chopped
2 large Garlic cloves-peeled (for stock)
2 fresh Garlic cloves-minced (for stuffing)
3-4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
1/8 cup fresh Sage-chopped
2-3 large sprigs Thyme
3 tablespoons Butter for sautéing veggies
3 tablespoons Butter for topping stuffing
1 quart Chicken or Vegetable stock
½ cup golden Raisins
1 red Apple-peeled & chopped into small pieces
1 cup dried Cranberries
¼ cup Olive Oil
1/8 cup green Peppercorns
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

**Make ahead of time:
Cut French bread loaf (large) into large bite sized pieces. Toast at 275 degrees in oven after drizzling with olive oil. Remove once golden brown & crispy. Cool & store in large zip lock bags.

Chop all herbs. Place peppercorns, herbs, whole peeled garlic, cranberries and raisins into chicken stock over stop top & simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes. Season. Set aside.

Over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter& 1/4 cup olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until golden brown. Add parsley, celery, and apples. Cook until tender, season.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a large, deep baking dish. In a large bowl, combine bread and veggies. Gradually add chicken stock, mixing well, until all ingredients and well combined, and bread is damp, but not soggy. Place into baking dish. Pour remaining stock over stuffing, and drizzle remaining melted butter over stuffing. Cover & bake for about 45 minutes.

Basil Forever

I know all of us that live in cold climates have all gone to the grocery store sometime during the winter and wished they had fresh Basil to cook with...at least I know I have more times than I can count. I found a good solution to get me through at least the first couple of months. Basil infused Olive oil...Hello!

I start with a big bunch of basil, washed & patted dry. I then julienne the basil & place it about half way up in a large glass jar. Then I fill it up about 3/4 full, and then add the remaining chopped basil, then fill the jar the rest of the way. Shake it up.....close it tightly, store in the fridge till your ready to use it & your good to GO!!

Olive oil is a natural suspension, which allows the basil to stay fresh and not to spoil. As the basil infuses into the olive oil, the olive oil will naturally take on a greener hue, and become cloudy because because its being stored at a lower temperature. When your ready to use it, just scoop out what you need and use as your normally would. As the oil reaches room or a higher temperature, it regains its clarity. ENJOY!

Chicken Venetian

*Adapted from a Chef Dennis recipe

Ingredients:

·         4-6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts (depending upon size) **the ones I had were enormous, so I only used 3, and cut them in half prior to serving.

·         2 cups Ricotta cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

·         1 large egg (for Ricotta mixture)

·         6 ounces baby spinach cooked and drained

·         1 small clove fresh garlic-minced

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh Basil in Olive oil

·         1 tablespoon Natures Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning)

·         2 cups bread crumbs

·         2 eggs (for milk)

·         1/2 cup milk (to mix with egg)

·         1 cup flour seasoned with black pepper and salt to taste

·         1/4 cup olive oil (for pan frying chicken breasts)

Instructions:

1.       Place pieces of chicken individually in a large zip lock bag to keep it from coming apart. Pound chicken breasts with meat hammer until almost double in size.

2.       Mix ricotta, Romano cheese, spices, basil, egg and drained spinach together to make stuffing for chicken.

3.       Place about 1/2 cup of the stuffing mix in the center of the chicken breast and form a small oval shape while closing in around the stuffing. Continue until all the breasts are stuffed. Wrap each chicken breast with plastic wrap tightly to help them set. Place stuffed chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes to help them set up.

4.       Prepare a breading station of flour seasoned with salt and pepper, egg wash (milk & egg), and seasoned bread crumbs. After 30 minutes dredge stuffed chicken in flour, using this time to make sure its sealed well, then the egg wash and finally the bread crumbs, making sure the entire breast is coated.

5.       In a hot saute pan add a little olive oil, and with the seam side down first, and saute each stuffed breast on both sides until they are golden brown. Place onto greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I served my chicken over fresh Penne pasta with a light Basil-cream sauce I mixed up. These are very versatile and could be paired with virtually any type of pasta.