Creamy Corn Pudding
Growing up in Nebraska I ate the best corn ever. Corn was a late summer staple that went with every night of barbequing. This summer I’m getting ready to put up corn to enjoy the rest of the year. Try using fresh corn for this savory pudding that goes exceptionally well with baked ham. Perfect for a late summer feast.
INGREDIENTS
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Medium Chopped Onion
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Warmed Half & Half
1 Cup Warmed Milk
2 Cups Fresh Cooked Corn (About 4 Ears Cut From the Cob)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
4 Large Eggs
Boiling Water
Preheat your oven to 325° F. In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the flour and cook for one minute while continuing to stir. With a wire whisk, gradually whisk in the warm half & half and warm milk. Bring to a boil making sure to whisk constantly. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. You will want the sauce to be thick. Remove from the heat; stir in the corn, kosher salt and pepper. In a medium-size casserole (2-quart), with a wire whisk, beat the eggs lightly. Slowly add the corn mixture, beating constantly. Set the casserole in a 13”x9” baking pan. Put the pan on the middle oven rack and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the casserole. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove from the oven and remove from the baking pan. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 as a side dish.
Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut & Anise Cookies
Thank goodness it’s not so hot out. I’ve been missing turning my oven on to bake delicious cookies. I just don’t feel right without a cookie jar full of cookies.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Anise Extract
2 Large Room Temperature Eggs
2 Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
2 Cups Chopped Roasted Hazelnuts
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. In a separate large size bowl add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla & anise extracts. Beat on a medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Stir in the dark chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto a parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remember that all ovens heat differently so make sure to check at 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 4 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Blackberry Cheesecake
Today is National Cheesecake Day!
I love cheesecake. Growing up I would go blackberry picking in my neighborhood. There was always some area with overgrown blackberry bushes. Picking up my childhood sandbox bucket I would set myself to the task of bringing home a bucketful of blackberries. Not many would make it home and the evidence would be all over my face.
INGREDIENTS
40 Crushed Vanilla Wafers
6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
16 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Creamed Cottage Cheese
1/4 Cup Cherry Brandy
3 Eggs
4 Cups Fresh Blackberries
Preheat your oven to 375° F. In a medium size bowl stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch spring form pan and set aside. In a large bowl stir together cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, flour and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low until smooth and set aside. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. Incorporate into the cream cheese mixture. Next, stir in the 1/4 cup cherry brandy. Beat in the eggs on low speed until combined. Don’t over mix as you don’t want to incorporate too much air into the batter. Pour half of the cheese cake mixture into the crust lined pan. Spread 1 cup of the blackberries on top. Top with the remaining cheese cake mixture and 1/2 cup of the blackberries. Place in a shallow baking pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until center appears almost set. Remove from the oven. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen the sides and cool completely. Cover and chill for 2 hours. To serve cut the cheesecake into wedges and top each with the blackberries. Serve with additional blackberry sauce if you like. Serves 10
Peach & Blueberry Crisp
Peaches and blueberries? What could be better? You could serve this dessert with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or English clotted cream.
INGREDIENTS
8 Ripe Peaches (Sliced)
2 Cups Fresh Blueberries
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Chopped Almonds
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size baking pan place the sliced peaches. Add the blueberries to the top of the peaches. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over a low heat. When the butter has melted turn off the heat. Stir in the oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the oat mixture over the top of the blueberries. Place into the oven for 35 minutes. Remember that each oven heats differently so check at 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm or cold. I served mine warm with English clotted cream, but you could serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or plain. Serves 4 to 6
Blueberry Cookies
If you’re tired of the same old chocolate chip cookie then give my scrumptious Blueberry Cookies a test run. I wouldn’t quite put them in the “healthy” category, but close enough.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Dried Blueberries
Preheat your oven to 375º F. In a small size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. In a large size bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the blueberries. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper line baking sheets. Place into the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Remember every oven heats differently and if you like your cookies soft then you may want to take them out just a bit early as they will continue to cook for a bit after leaving the oven. Remove from the oven and let cool for 4 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove from the baking sheet and transfer them to wire racks and let cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Kentucky Benedictine
I love this Southern spread made popular by Louisville’s Benedict’s restaurateur, Jennie Carter Benedict, who opened her restaurant in 1893. It can be used as a dip or for a sandwich and is perfect for either an afternoon tea or a light meal.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Cucumber
8 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grated Onion or 2 Minced Green Onions
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
Remove the cucumber skin and then grate it into a medium size bowl. Drain the cucumber and onion juice (unless using minced green onions). Add the cream cheese, grated onion, kosher salt and mayonnaise. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until all of the ingredients are combined. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and put into the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. If you are using for a vegetable dip then thin it out with a bit of sour cream. Makes about 1 1/2 Cups
Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
Over the weekend I was in the mood for oatmeal cookies. I looked all over my pantry for the box of raisins that I could have sworn was in there, but couldn’t locate them. BUT I did see a container filled with dried cherries. The jury is in and I must admit that I like oatmeal cookies better with cherries. Just sayin’.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Dried Cherries
Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a large size bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar on a medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well. In a separate medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and kosher salt. Mix well Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix well. Add the oats and dried cherries and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat until you have baked all of the cookies. Makes about 4 dozen.
Bastille Day Pain Française
Tuna sandwiches à la française! The best way to make this very large sandwich is to make it a day in advance. This allows the delicious juices to soak into the French bread. Make sure to use olive oil packed tuna instead of tuna packed in water.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Loaf of French Bread (Round or Long)
2 Garlic Cloves Cut in Half
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Medium Sliced Ripe Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Mint
6 Ounces Canned Tuna Packed in Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Pitted & Chopped Kalamata Olives
2 Chopped Green Onions
1 Tablespoon Capers
1 Large Hard Boiled Egg Sliced
Cut your bread in half horizontally. Take out some of the soft center from each half to make about a one inch shell. Rub the inside of the bread halves with the garlic. In a small sized measuring cup mix together the olive oil, vinegar, kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle 1/4 of the olive oil mixture onto both halves of the garlic rubbed bread. On the bottom half of the bread place 1/3 of the tomato slices. Drizzle about half of the remaining oil mixture onto the tomato slices. Next top with half of the basil and all of the mint. Set aside. Drain the tuna. In a small size bowl flake the tuna. Add the olives, green onions and capers. Spoon the tuna mixture over the tomato and herbs. Place the egg slices on top. Put the remaining tomato slices and basil on top of the egg slices. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil mixture. Place the top half of the bread on top all of this deliciousness. Wrap this large sandwich tightly with either foil or plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge when ready to serve and cut into 4 separate sandwiches. Makes 4 main dish servings.
Okra Tomato Soup
This soup is super fresh and super yummy! If you don’t want to use beef stock then use a vegetable stock.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Peeled & Chopped Ripe Tomatoes
1 Cup Water
1 Pound Trimmed Fresh Okra
4 Cups Beef Stock or Vegetable Stock
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
In a heavy pot place the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil. Add the trimmed okra. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the okra is nice and tender. Add the beef stock, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving bowl. Serves 4
Blueberry Shortcakes With Whipped Cream Cheese
These shortcakes are super easy to make and delicious as either a dessert or a brunch dish. The shortcakes are best the day they are made however.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Cold Unsalted Butter (Cut into Small Pieces)
2 Ounces Cream Cheese (2 Ounces Cold & 6 Ounces Room Temperature)
5 Ounces Blueberries
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
Extra Blueberries for Garnish
Preheat your oven to 425º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and coat the parchment paper with cooking spray. In a large size bowl combine the flour, sugar, kosher salt, baking powder and baking soda. Incorporate the butter and the cold cream cheese with a pastry cutter. You could also use your fingers or two forks. Incorporate until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove the mixture from the freezer and add the blueberries. Gradually stir in the buttermilk. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until a sticky dough forms. Make sure not to overmix. Divide the dough into 8 even mounds and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely. While your shortcakes are cooling in a large size bowl beat together the remaining cream cheese and powdered sugar. Gradually add the heavy cream beating just until for 1 minute until the mixture becomes smooth and thick. Make sure not to overbeat. Serve alongside the shortcakes and add extra berries if you wish. Makes 8 Blueberry Shortcakes.
