Lemon Rosé Bellini

Summer is creeping up on all of us and there is nothing better than a thirst quenching cocktail on a warm summer day.  Here is one that is light, refreshing, and delicious! Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 spoonful lemon sorbet, softened

1/2 ounce citrus vodka (optional, for a stronger drink)

4 ounces rosé champagne

2 to 3 raspberries, for garnish

Combine the sorbet with the vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Add the champagne and stir. Strain into a chilled champagne flute and garnish with floating raspberries.

Epicurious  | November 2010

Warm Goat Cheese Toasts with Rosemary, Walnuts, and Honey

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce French-bread baguette
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cut eighteen 1/4-inch diagonal slices from baguette.  Spread goat cheese on each slice.  Arrange in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until edges are slightly golden and cheese softens, about 10 minutes.  Set aside on sheet. Heat honey in small saucepan over medium high heat until warm, about 2 minutes.  Sprinkle toasts with walnuts, then rosemary.  Drizzle honey and serve.

Yield: Makes 18
Bon Appetit, November 2003

Trip to Mississippi

Hello fellow foodies! I am heading home to Pass Christian, Mississippi today to see my family! I can't wait to post some of the great recipes I come across and am looking forward to sharing them with all of you! Keep an eye out!

Strawberry-Vanilla Swirl Popsicles

In honor of summer sneaking up on us I am posting my favorite popsicle recipe! I have a Zoku Popsicle maker and I highly recommend them! They can be purchased online or at Williams Sonoma.  This recipe is from a popsicle cookbook called Ice Pops and it is by Shelly Kaldunski.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (10 oz) strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) vanilla whole-milk yogurt ( I use Oikos Greek Yogurt, Vanilla)
makes 12-14 ice pops

1.) In a blender or food processor, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.  Process until completely smooth.

2.) If using conventional ice pop molds, place 2 tsp of the yogurt in each ice pop mold.  Top each with 2 tablespoons of the strawberry mixture.  Continue to layer the yogurt and strawberry mixture in the molds until the molds are full.  Dip a paring knife into each mold and make a few figure-eight motions to swirl the flavors together.  Cover and freeze until sold, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.  If using sticks, insert them in the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then continue to freeze until solid, at least 3 more hours.

3.) If using an instant ice pop maker, Zoku Pop Maker), follow the manufacturer's instructions to fill the molds, layering the mixtures as above, and freeze the pops.

I highly recommend the Zoku Pop Maker, it is absolutely amazing.  They can be purchased online or through Williams-Sonoma! They look like this.

Arlene's Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken

This recipe is from Molly O'Neill's amazing cookbook called One Big Table. If you do not have this cookbook I highly recommend it.  It really is an amazing cookbook with 600 recipes!

For the compound butter:
4 tablespoons, 1/2 stick, unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken:
One 3 1/2-to 4-pound whole chicken, trimmed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.) Place an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Set a rack in a roasting pan.

2.) To make the butter: Process all of the ingredients in a food until smooth.  Transfer the butter to a small bowl.

3.) To make the chicken: Starting at the neck, use your fingers to loosen the skin from the breast, thighs, and drumsticks.  (Do not completely detach the skin.) When the skin is loose, spread all but 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter between the skin and the flesh of the bird.  Stuff the cavity with the garlic cloves and the lemon halves and truss the chicken.   

Here is a link on how to truss a chicken if you don't know how- http://www.ehow.com/how_2098435_truss-chicken.html

4.)Pat the chicken dry.  Rub the reserved 1 tablespoon butter over the skin and season with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken on the rack and roast for 20 minutes.

5.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, baste the chicken with the fat from the bottom of the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until an instant-read thermometer registers at 175 degrees in the thigh and 165 degrees in the breast.

6.) When the chicken is done, remove from the oven and let rest, still covered, for 15 minutes.  Carve and serve with pan juices.

Serves 4

Serve with potato dish such as roasted or mashed potatoes and a good green veggie.  Enjoy!

From the cookbook One Big Table by Molly O'Neill

Crawfish Pizza

Last night was homemade pizza night.  On the menu: crawfish pizza!!

Ingredients:

1 lb crawfish or shrimp (The seafood market I go to was closed yesterday so instead I purchased 1 package frozen cooked crawfish tails.  I never buy frozen seafood but I had no choice.)
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
Old Bay Seasoning
Fresh shredded pepper jack cheese
1 package crescent roll pizza crust
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 425. Cook crawfish on moderately high heat in skillet or saucepan with Old Bay seasoning and 1 tablespoon butter.  I used about 2 tablespoons of Old Bay because I LOVE spicy food.  Heat crawfish thoroughly, drain and set aside.

Place crescent roll pizza crust on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Microwave cream cheese for 30 seconds or until it looks like a creamy frosting.  Spread cream cheese on pizza dough leaving about 1 inch for crust.  Next, place spinach, crawfish and then pepper jack cheese.  I had a few extra crawfish tails left so I placed a few on top.

This is not your normal pizza but I can guarantee that you will LOVE it.  It is absolutely amazing and reminds me of being home on the coast of Mississippi.  Enjoy!