I have made a few things since then which were actually quite tasty:
Frontera's Famous Strawberry Shortcakes by Rick Bayless (rickbayless.com)
Okay, I admit it does seem a bit odd to be posting a strawberry shortcake recipe, but it's the shortcakes in this that we are focusing on here. Can we say delicious? It sounds like the Mmm, mmmmm, mmm....
I will say right away that you need a food processor for these. I suppose you can with patience work the butter in by hand, but the food processor really does the task quickly and efficiently.
I also used white chocolate instead of semi-sweet because I had some on hand I wanted to use up. Seems odd, chocolate in your biscuits, but you'll be amazed!
Frontera's Famous Strawberry Shortcakes
INGREDIENTS
For the shortcakes:
1 ¾ cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (divided use)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (divided use)
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican
¼ cup grated semi-sweet or Mexican chocolate
For finishing the dessert:
1 quart strawberries, hulled
¼ cup sugar + 2 tablespoons (divided use)
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
Powdered sugar, for garnish
________________________________________
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the biscuits dough. Turn on the oven to 400º. Measure the flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, the baking powder and the salt into a food processor. Scatter the chilled butter evenly over dry ingredients. Pulse the processor 10 to 12 times (1-second pulses) until the butter is in tiny bits. Add the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and grated chocolate. Pulse the processor 7 to 8 times until the soft dough just comes together.
2. Bake the biscuits. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured board and press together to form a disk that is 3/4 – inch thick. The dough will be very moist. With a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 4 biscuits. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Gently bring the scraps back together and pat out the dough again. Cut two more disks and transfer to the baking sheet. Brush tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned. Cool.
3. Filling and serving. Thinly slice the strawberries and scoop into a medium bowl. Gently mix in ¼ cup of the sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar (using the whisk attachment if available) until the cream holds soft peaks. Just before serving split each biscuit as you would a bagel. Top the bottom layer with a generous dollop of whipped cream, spoon on a portion of the strawberries (and any of their juices), then set the top in place (or off slightly off to the side, to show off the strawberries more). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and you’re ready to serve.
Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wrap (Eating Well, July/Aug 09, pg 18)
(photo from EatingWell.com)I've linked to the recipe otherwise this post will get rather long. These were pretty good. I made my own beans because I had dried beans to use up from last fall, but canned will certain work just fine and are much quicker in assembly. Definitely a combination of tangy and sweet, and I think this recipe is infinitely versatile.
And while red cabbage is cheaper by the pound, a whole head can be a lot. I think buying a bag of shredded cabbage would also be a bit of a time saver. Some chips and fresh veggies along side and these made a very refreshing lunch. One recommendation - assemble day of or before eating; wrap has potential to get soggy if made too far in advance.
Chopped Greek Salad w/Chicken (Eating Well, July/Aug 09, pg 22)
(photo from EatingWell.com)Salad; quick, simple, tasty, filling. And this one was all the above. I did deviate from the recipe a bit depending on what I had on hand - for example, I used swiss chard and lettuce from my garden instead of buying a bunch of romaine. I dropped the cucumbers because I'm really not fond of 'em, and I probably used grape tomatoes instead of regular.
I did note, however, that the dressing turned out rather strong for my tastes. I did just buy a new brand of red wine vinegar and it may be that it is more potent than my last brand. Luckily, I mixed it in a separate jar rather than dumping over the whole salad as recommended.
Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw (from Dee at Tangled up in Pots and Pans)
I invited my folks out and served them this uber simple and tasty dish. I did have a few modifications: I used regular Stoneyfield Farm yogurt, a pre-chopped bagged cabbage mix with red cabbage and carrots, and I grilled the shrimp with Penzey's BBQ 3000. We had a simple green salad for the side.
Good? Oh, definitely! Thanks Dee!
Shrimp Tacos with Citrus Cabbage Slaw
*recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine/August 2009
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Greek-style plain yogurt
Kosher Salt and black pepper
1/4 small cabbage, shredded
1 cup corn kernels
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pre-cooked shrimp
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Pirate's Bite pepper (or more coarsely ground fresh black pepper)
8 small flour tortillas
Note: I did not have fresh orange juice. I used frozen juice mixed 1 can of juice to 2 cans of water (not 3 cans of water as you would do for drinking juice).
In a large bowl with a tight lid, whisk the orange and lime juice, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt and coarsely ground pepper. Add the cabbage, corn, and jalapeño. Place lid on tightly and shake to coat the vegetables. Let sit, shaking occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile -- place 1 tablespoon olive oil in frying pan and heat until hot. Place shrimp in pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder and Pirate's Bite Pepper. Saute until heated through.
Serve shrimp with cabbage slaw mixture in flour tortillas.
No comments:
Post a Comment