Holiday Recipe Exchange

I am such a slacker! and only now discovered this thread. I will post a couple recipes tomorrow (must type them up).

MANDARIN SALAD
Serves 4-6

1/2 cup sliced almonds (can use more)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped celery (can use more)
4 green onions – chopped
1 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing

1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil (olive oil)
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp sugar (I use less)
2 Tbsp vinegar
Dash of Tabasco sauce

In a small pan, over medium heat, cook almonds and sugar. Stir constantly, until almonds are coated and sugar dissolved. Watch carefully, as they burn quickly and easily. Cool on a paper bag or glass platter and store in an airtight container.

Mix all salad dressing ingredients and chill.

Mix lettuce, celery and onions. Just before serving, add almonds and oranges. Toss with dressing an serve.

NOTE: this recipe is always a hit and can be easily doubled for larger groups. I have also used red or green leaf lettuce with the romaine.

MANGO SALSA

2 Cups diced mango
1 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup jalapeno pepper,diced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup salad oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Great accompaniment for pork, ham, turkey, fish dishes.

This recipe makes a 1 pound loaf. I usually double the recipe and freeze or gift the second loaf.

JAMAICAN BANANA BREAD

Bread

1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, but walnuts are a perfect choice)
Frozen whole cranberries (optional. I eyeball the quantity)

Glaze

2 tsps brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan.

AS soon as you mash the bananas, combine the lemon juice to prevent browning. Cream the shortening with the sugar. Then add the eggs and cream well. Mix in the mashed bananas.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix quickly into the banana mixture. Add nuts and cranberries if desired.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for approximately 1 1/4 hours, or until a tooth pick, or knife, inserted in the center comes out clean. As soon as you take the banana bread from the oven, sprinkle it with the brown sugar mixed with cinnamon. Cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, and then remove from the pan. Continue to cool on a wire rack.

TURTLE CHEESECAKE

1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 tbs. lime juice
1 tbs. vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 tbs. chocolate syrup
2 tbs. caramel syrup
1/2 cup pecans, chopped coarsely
1/4 semi-sweet mini morsels

Oven – 300 – preheat.
Grease 9 inch spring-form pan

Crust

Combine crumbs and butter in bowl and press onto bottom and
1-inch up side of pan.

Filling

Beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice, and vanilla; Beat until combined.

Microwave morsels in medium bowl on high for one minutes; stir. If needed microwave at additional 10-15 seconds just until melted. Stir 2 cups batter into melted morsels and mix well (very well, scraping bottom of bowl) Alternately spoon batters into crust beginning and ending with yellow batter.

Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, run knife around edge. Cool completely. Drizzle syrups over cheesecake. Add nuts and mini-morsels. Refrigerate overnight. Remove side of pan.

In 1996, I attended La Cucina al Focolare, a cooking school in Tuscany. I have made Chef Piero’s dessert recipe for Tiramiso numerous times It is easy, delicious, and remembered by all who taste it.

IL TIRAMISU

18 ounces (500 gr) Mascarpone cream cheese
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups (300 gr) sugar
Savoiardi or Pavesini biscuits (Lady Finger biscuits)
Espresso coffee (I buy a few cups from the local coffee shop)
Vin Santo (Sweet Vermouth)

Separate the yolks from the eggs. Beat the yolks with 1/2 of the amount of sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the Mascarpone, a little at a time. Beat the egg whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff. Gently fold in the mounted egg whites to the Mascarpone mixture.

Pour a liberal splash of Vin Santo into the coffee. Dip the biscuits in the coffee and place them side by side in a glass dish. Spread over with the Mascarpone cream. Continue to layer until reaching the top of the dish. Dust with cocoa powder and place in refrigerator for at least one hour.

NOTE: the Lady Finger biscuits will get soggy when dipping, but you will quickly learn how long they can be inthe coffee mixture.

Here is another useful metric conversion calculator
Gourmet Sleuth

Recipes please….then we’ll talk about giving up the Jenny Craig number.

Here is a great dessert recipe. Typically, whenever I see any recipe using phyllo dough, I avoid it, but this one is easy, requiring no special handling.

SUGARED PHYLLO “FETTUCINE” with WARM FRUIT COMPOTE
yield: 6 servings

Phyllo

6 sheets phyllo dough, rolled lengthwise
3 T. butter, melted
2 T. sugar

Compote

1/3 c. chopped dried apricots
¼ c. currants
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1 apple, cut into ¼” dice
¼ c. sugar
¼ t. cinnamon
¼ t. ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
½ t. lemon zest
1 t. lemon juice
¼ c. brandy
½ c. water

6 – 6″ bamboo skewers
½ c. seasonal fruit, cut into ½” pieces, if needed
Cinnamon ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut phyllo roll into ½” thick slices. Unravel each slice, separating the layers and placing the “fettuccine” into a large bowl. Drizzle with butter and toss the phyllo strips to coat them in the butter.

Place the buttered strips on a parchment lined sheet pan, making 12 nests. Sprinkle each nest with sugar (cinnamon, and or nutmeg) and place in preheated oven to bake. Bake 12 minutes until lightly golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and reserve.

Combine the apricots, currants, cranberries and apple in a medium sauce pot. Add sugar, spices, lemon zest and juice, brandy and water. Stir to combine and cook over medium low heat until fruits are soft and liquid has been absorbed, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve warm.

Thread a few pieces of fruit onto the top of each skewer.

Re-warm the phyllo and compote if needed. Place a small amount of warm compote on the plate a top with a phyllo nest. Spoon more compote over the nest and top with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. Top with another phyllo nest and place a fruit skewer through the layers to hold them together. Serve immediately.