Tag: Inspired Cooking

Cooking Native Shrimp Recipes with Steve Parkes

Posted on by laurielufkin

The native shrimp are here, and boy are they delicious!

So, last Wednesday Steve Parkes came to the studio (aka my kitchen) to cook some recipes that used native shrimp.  The shrimp are  sweet, like candy almost–and then I used them in two recipes, Cape Ann Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo and my Festive Shrimp and Spinach Braid.  Steve is from the Cape Ann Catch Share/Gloucester Fisherman’s Wives and is an expert in matters of seafood and was so much fun to cook with that I hope he joins me on Inspired Cooking again soon. Thank You Steve!

Here are the recipes for this week’s show which airs tonight at 8:30, Friday at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 on Cape Ann TV, Channel 12.

This week, I also had the good sense to take some photos while I was trying out the recipes getting ready to tape the show the night before so there are some step by step pictures of what everything is supposed to look like while it is being prepared.  I will try to do this more often as I think it will be helpful.

Festive Native Shrimp and Spinach Braid:

  • 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet or Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
  • 1 box (9 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
  • 1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes in oil, well drained
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat (chèvre) cheese
  • 3/4 cup shelled native shrimp
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, rolll out doug to a 12×9-inch rectangle and if using the crescents, pinch together perforations.

With scissors or sharp knife, make diagonal cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough rectangle.

Spread spinach in a 3-inch wide strip lengthwise down the center of dough leaving 1-inch edge on both ends. Season with garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Layer tomatoes over the spinach and crumbled cheese over the tomatoes.  Top with the shrimp and season with more salt and pepper.

Alternately cross strips diagonally over filling. Turn ends of braid up and press to seal. In small bowl, beat egg with water. Brush over top of braid

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into slices

This is so excellent and the shrimp add such a nice sweet element to this appetier.  Make this and take it to a party this weekend–they will think you are a genius!

And for the next recipe I am taking a little help from Emeril Lagasse (I followed parts of his recipe) because I don’t think he will mind as he and my Lily are big friends, as you can see by this photo:

Cape Ann Native Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

¾ cup light brown roux, see how to make a roux, recipe follows
1 ½ cup diced onions
3/4 cup diced celery
¾ cup diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
6 cups shrimp or chicken stock
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into ¼ rounds and quartered (no andouille to found on Cape Ann last week so I used linguica)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups cleaned native shrimp
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
3 tablespoons cup green onion tops, chopped
1 tablespoons dried parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/3 cup green onion tops, chopped
Steamed White Rice for serving

Brown the sausage in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium high heat.  With a slotted spoon, remove sausage and set aside.  Add the roux to the pan.  When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, hot sauce, cayenne (optional), salt, and pepper.
Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes.


Season the shrimp with the Creole seasoning in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice and top with chopped green onions.

How to Roux:
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.

For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter.

For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready.

For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready.
.
Yield: about 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1-2 hours

NOTE: The timings for various shades of roux will vary depending on the cooktop as well as the amount of roux made. (A smaller amount will cook in much less time.) If this is your first time making a roux, the slower you cook it, the less likely you will be to burn it. The important thing is to cook the roux to the desired color, as specified above.

As always,  feel free to respond to this post if you have any questions.   Thanks!

Pumpkin Desserts! Not just for the holidays………great any day!

Posted on by laurielufkin

Sorry for the late post to any of you that tuned in last night to Cape Ann TV at 8:30 and wanted to print out the recipes for the show–I got all involved (or “drove up” as my Father would say) with making GUMBO with native shrimp and it is not a quick process!  More on that in another show/post–trust me–it came out YUMMY!

Here are the recipes for the show–one really good for you and so delicious at the same time that no one will ever know they are practically eating “health food” and the other decadent spicy and delicious and perfect for gift giving!  Enjoy and as always, if you have any questions, ask away by replying to this post.

My show, Inspired Cooking, airs on Cape Ann TV (and now in Danvers and Peabody so tell your friends to look for it on their local station) Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 in the morning.

Toasted Oatmeal Cinnamon Pumpkin Bars

For the bars:

2 cups white whole wheat flour (this is a King Arthur product-use ½ white and ½ whole wheat if you can’t find it but they do sell it at all grocery stores locally)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup softened butter
1/3 cup Splenda Brown Sugar (use 2/3 cup brown sugar if you do not want to use Splenda)
2 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup canola oil
1/3 cup cinnamon or butterscotch baking chips

For the toasted oatmeal topping:

1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick foil or spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl with mixer on high speed, cream ½ cup butter and Splenda brown sugar until light and fluffy Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Beat in pumpkin puree, vanilla and canola oil until combined.  Reduce mixer speed to low and incorporate flour and cinnamon chips until just combined.

Spread batter in to prepared pan and smooth with a knife.

In a large bowl, whisk together oats, melted butter, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over batter and bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until tester inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.

Allow to cool before cutting into 28 bars.  If you are Weight Watcher, these bars, using the Splenda and the white whole wheat flour, have 2.5 points each.  My WW leader friend Jill provided this info for you–thanks Jill!

Ginger Crusted Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Spiced Walnut Topping:

First–let’s candy the nuts.  Like I said on the show “gift alert!  gift alert!”  You can make these in large batches by doubling the recipe and putting them in decorative jars or bags for gift giving.

3 cups walnuts (use whatever nuts you like)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (add some ginger, nutmeg, whatever you like)

3 tablespoons granulated or brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

In a large bowl, toss nuts with egg whites to coat.  Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and salt over coated nuts and stir to coat.

Pour nuts on to prepared baking sheet and spread in to a single later.  Bake for 20 minutes, tossing once at 10 minutes.  Cool completely before using. Set aside.  Roughly chop about 1 1/2 cups to top the pumpkin bars. You will have plenty for the topping for the bars and to snack on.

For the crust:

5 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (just beat the heck out of them with a rolling pin in a plastic bag if you don’t have a food processor)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

7 tablespoons salted butter, melted

For the filling:

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of cloves (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (I use glass) with nonstick foil or parchment paper, using enough foil or paper on the long edges to create an overhand that will help you lift the bars of out the pan when it is time to cut them.   Set aside.

In the food processor or by hand combine crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press mixture into prepared pan to form a crust.  Bake 10 -12 minutes until firm and fragrant.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare the filling.  In the food processor or in a large bowl with a hand mixer combine cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.  Pulse or beat to combine.

Pour pumpkin cream cheese mixture over par-baked crust, sprinkle 1 1/2 cup nuts over the top and bake for 40-50 minutes  until center is set but jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken.

Allow to cool completely before cutting, at least two hours.  Lift out bars and cut with a knife dipped in water (as you would a cheesecake) into 32 bars.  Enjoy!

Bonus Recipe! Holiday Fresh Fig and Spiced Apple Pie

Posted on by laurielufkin

Yummm…..pie….

I wanted to share this one with you to offer a bit of an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving pies.  Fresh figs are in the grocery stores right now and this combo of apples, figs and dried cranberries is terrific!

There will be a new episode of Inspired Cooking airing on Cape Ann TV tonight at 8:30–thought it was airing last week but it didn’t so I hope you will tune in.  The recipes for tonight’s show were posted last week and can be found here.  Make sure to check out my adorable prep cook!:

https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/what-to-do-with-your-thanksgiving-leftovers/

Holiday Fresh Fig & Spiced Apple Pie

CRUST:
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

FILLING
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
16-18 fresh figs, stems removed and sliced horizontally into 1/8″ circles
5 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest, finely chopped
3 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 egg yolk (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make crust using your favorite method and place one crust into a glass pie pan. Trim any overhanging crust to re-roll later, if desired, to decorate the top of the pie. Sprinkle tapioca on to bottom of crust and spread some of the sliced figs in a single layer covering the bottom of the crust.

In a large bowl, combine apples, flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, vanilla extract, orange zest and 2 tablespoons heavy cream and stir gently until apples are coated.

Over the figs, layer ½ of the apples into the pan. Cover apple layer with the dried cranberries. Layer the remaining apples over the figs and top apples with remaining figs. Scatter butter on top of fig layer and top with remaining pie crust. Trim, seal and flute edge.  Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust. If desired roll out reserved crust and cut decorative shapes to enhance the pies appearance. Use egg yolk as “glue” to adhere decorations to top crust. Brush top crust with remaining heavy cream, sprinkle with granulated sugar and place pie in preheated oven.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. After 40 minutes of baking time, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least ½ hour before slicing. Enjoy with ice cream, whipped cream or just by itself. Enjoy!

Open Door Food Pantry–It’s A Good Thing!

Posted on by laurielufkin

So yesterday, Lily and I went to the Open Door Food Pantry to shoot an episode of Inspired Cooking which will air next week and probably for a couple of weeks.  The show was about fun and easy ideas to use your holiday leftovers in a cost effective manner because I feel that throwing away food is like flushing money down the drain–and I don’t want to do it!

Anyway, Julie LaFontaine, the Executive Director of the Open Door, Lily and I had a great time doing the show, the food came out delicious and a good time was had by all.  The point of this is that there are lots of families on Cape Ann that need our help.  Families have been hit hard in this economy and donating a holiday dinner to a needy family is the right thing to do if you can afford to help out.

This is what your $30.00 will buy for a family in need:

Holiday Meal Basket Donation Form

Each basket contains all the fixings a family of four will need to prepare a festive holiday meal.  Just click on the link and everything you need to know is right there.

Baskets include:

  • Turkey (14-16 pounds)
  • Stuffing Mix
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots*
  • Butternut squash
  • Apples
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Dinner Rolls*
  • Gravy

Please help out our neighbors who might be struggling right now.  According to Julie, those who are using the pantry are mostly working families who just can’t make ends meet.  People are suffering everywhere and if you can help, please do.  Here is the information below.

And if I can nominate a good egg, that would be Julie LaFontaine!

Hearty Chicken and Olive Stew with Bacon Fennel Cornbread

Posted on by laurielufkin

So here are the recipes to go with this weeks “Inspired Cooking.”  My show airs tonight on Cape Ann TV, channel 12 at 8:30.  The same episode aires again Friday afternoon at 4:30 and again Sunday morning at 11:30.  Hope you will tune in!

This week, with Fall upon us, I decided to make something good and hearty to keep us warm.  I wanted to use similar ingredients in two of the dishes, onions and fennel, and come up with totally different results.  I thought it might be fun if I took some pictures of what my kitchen looks like when I am getting ready to shoot  the show–you will see how tiny it is but strangely enough, works great for TV!

This is a pic of the corner of my kitchen, next to the stove.  The bacon is frying up for the cornbread.   I measure out the ingredients twice, once to make right away for the test batch and then one set in matching bowls on trays so that I have everything ready for the show.

I always make everything at least once beforehand so that if it doesn’t work or needs some adjustments, I can do that before we start taping.  The only exception to this rule is if I have made something hundreds of times, like my lemon squares, for instance.

This is what the kitchen looks like from where Rob, my fantastic camera man stands (he is great–takes care of everything but the shopping, cooking and cleaning and I “pay” him in food from the show!)  Sometimes he stands on a milk crate to get overhead shots of whats in the pan.  The only thing that would make this set up better is if the stove where on the other side of the kitchen.  Luckily, I have my nice little induction burner and it all works out pretty well.

And this is what it looks like after we are done taping–food all plated, kitchen clean (wonder if those Food Network celebs have to do their own shopping/prep/dishes/cleanup–NOT) and then we take the still shots of the final dishes.

I have to tell you, it is a ton of work but I LOVE every second of it!

And finally,  here are the recipes from the show:

 

Fontina Cornbread with Fennel and Bacon

4 strips bacon, chopped
2 cups diced fennel
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
12 oz shredded fontina cheese
1-15 oz can creamed corn

In a large saucepan, render bacon over medium low heat until meat is browned and crispy.  Remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered dish, and fennel, onion, butter and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook over medium low heat until vegetables are soft and caramelized.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, re-seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the sour cream, vegetable oil, creamed corn and all but ½ cup of the fontina and stir until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and stir again until just blended.  Fold in vegetable mixture and reserved bacon and pour in to prepared pan.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Hearty Chicken, White Bean and Olive Stew

3 bone in chicken breasts with skin, trimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fennel, diced
1 cup sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 ½ teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1-15.5 oz can diced tomatoes in sauce
2 bay leaves
5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup pitted olives of your choice (not brined) drained and cut in half
1-1lb 13 oz can navy or small white beans, rinsed and drained
8 tablespoons prepared basil pesto

Heat the oil in a heavy 7 quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and place them skin side down in hot oil to brown, turning frequently to prevent scorching.  Brown the skin and remove breast to a plate.

To the pot, add the fennel, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary and saute until vegetables are translucent, about 5-minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir until flour turns slightly brown, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and bay leaves and the browned chicken to the pot.

Bring the mixture to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low.  Allow the chicken to cook, uncovered but submerged, until cooked through, about 25 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool to a workable temperature.  Remove skin and bones from breast and cut or pull chicken into bite sized pieces.

Remove bay leaves from pot, add beans and olives and allow broth to thicken and reduce slightly.   When broth is thickened, return chicken to the pot, stir and re-season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring soup back to a simmer. Ladle soup into serving bowls and drizzle with one tablespoon prepared basil pesto.  Serve immediately.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies The Way I Like Them

Posted on by laurielufkin

I wanted to share with you my chocolate chip cookie recipe.  This recipe makes these traditional cookies just the way I like them, soft in the middle, crispy on the edge and not terribly sweet.  You can use this recipe, minus the chips, as a great base cookie recipe and add in your own favorites–nuts, dried fruit, chips or whatever you like –and perhaps the best idea for the day after Halloween–chopped up leftover Halloween Candy!  Make these today-they are simple, delicious and if you take them to work with you tomorrow your coworkers who might NOT eat more candy will probably eat some cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies The Way I Like Them

4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt*
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening (butter flavored or traditional)
½ cup salted butter
2 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover 4 large baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone baking mats or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, kosher salt* and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together shortening, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.   This is what “light and fluffy” looks like:

On high speed, add eggs, one at a time and vanilla until well incorporated.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture.  When incorporated, add chocolate chips and beat until combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop, dish out cookie dough on to prepared pan, 12 to a sheet.

Place sheets in oven, two at a time, and bake for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, turn cookie sheets around, front to back and move top sheet to bottom and vice versa.  Bake for another 5 minutes until brown around the edges and puffed in the center.  Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes and remove to a rack to cool.

*I use kosher for baking because I like that hit of salt in my cookies.  Use table salt if desired.
**I used semisweet in this recipe but try out different mix ins.  You could use 1 cup white chocolate chips, one cup dried cranberries and one cup chopped pecans.  This is a great base recipe so use your imagination to make it your own.

This recipe makes 9 dozen cookies.  It can easily be halved.

Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

Posted on by laurielufkin

This recipe is a take off on my Mom’s Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake–a Sue Lufkin classic recipe!

You can add nuts if you want to the filling and sprinkle some on top but I have too many nut allergy people in my life to do this.    If you don’t feel like making the candied orange zest, then don’t.  Replace the orange zest with toasted walnuts, change the name and presto–new cake!

I baked the cake in the photo in a Nordic Ware Fleur De Lis bundt cake pan but any 8″ tube pan will work.  I also only did one layer of the cranberry/orange mixture as you will see in the photo at the end of the recipe.   Enjoy!

Yummy—Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoons fresh orange zest
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, stirred
1/3 cup candied orange peel  (directions to follow)
¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries

For the glaze:

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,  Grease and flour an 8” tube pan or a 9-12 cup bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the sour cream.

Stir together  all but 1 tablespoon orange zest with the cranberry sauce and set aside.

Place 1/3  of the batter in the prepared pan.  Spread half of the cranberry and orange mixture over the batter and swirl with knife.  Reepeat with remaining batter and  cranberry mixture, ending with the batter.  Smooth top of the cake and bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes and turn out on to serving plate t cool completely.  When cake is cool, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and orange juice.  Drizzle over cake and sprinkle cake with remaining chopped candied orange zest and dried cranberries.

For the zest:

*you can make less of this if you want to but you might as well make a bunch of it all at once.  Keeps for months in the sugar and is great on and in baked goods .  Also fun on the edge of a martini glass.

4 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 ½ cups water
3 oranges, peeled, and as much pith removed from the peel as possible, cut into ¼” strips

In a small sauce pan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat.

In another pan, place zest and cover with additional water.  Bring to a boil, strain and repeat two more times.  Dry the pan, pour the sugar syrup over the blanched zest and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the zest is tender and translucent.  Allow to cool slightly and remove to a cooling rack. When cool, toss in additional sugar.  Put some of the sugar in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place till ready to use.

*Keep the drained syrup and store in the refrigerator–it is orange spiked at this point and excellent to sweeten cocktails or brush on layers of cake to keep them moist before frosting.

As always, feel free to ask my any questions you might have about this or any of my recipes.

Overloaded with Apples but don’t feel like making a pie? Try this!

Posted on by laurielufkin

This recipe is the my original creation from the 2008 Hood Holiday Recipe contest–it was the Grand Prize winner so I thought I would share it with you.   This recipe goes together fairly quickly, is delicious and can feed 10-12 people easily.  The dessert separates in to two layers,  moist cakey top and a pudding like custardy bottom in the oven–Use up your apples in a different way.

Have not made this one on the show yet but I probably should!

The store bought eggnog should be on store shelves shortly but if you want to make it right away, sweeten some heavy cream with sugar and nutmeg and it should work out just fine.   Or what the heck, make a batch of eggnog to practice for the holidays!

FESTIVE EGGNOG APPLE PUDDING CAKE

4 cups apples, cored, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, divided
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 cups store bought eggnog, divided
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Vanilla bean ice cream, if desired
whipped cream, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch round casserole dish. In a small bowl, toss apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon until coated and put into bottom of casserole dish. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg, and brown sugar. Stir in by hand 1 cup eggnog, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter until combined. Spread batter over apples. In another bowl, combine granulated sugar and cornstarch. Pour this mixture over the batter and spread out to cover.

In a saucepan, heat remaining 1 1/2 cup eggnog and water to a boil. Slowly pour hot liquid over sugar mixture in small amounts allowing liquid to soak in a little each time. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg over eggnog mixture and place casserole in the oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until top is crisp and brown.

Serve warm with ice cream and whipped cream and enjoy!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes and the Cape Ann Farmer’s Market

Posted on by laurielufkin

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes and the Cape Ann Farmer’s Market

In my never ending quest to use fresh local food in my recipes, I had no choice but to focus on the amazing tomatoes that the local vendors had to offer–they were everywhere at the Cape Ann Farmers Market a few weeks ago.

I wish I had brought my camera along with my camera man while taping segments for my show, Inspired Cooking, as the displays of fresh tomatoes along with the rest of the in season produce made the market especially gorgeous that week.

I have two recipes for you this week, one my own and one not.  I was looking for a new way to use the tomatoes and I thought–what about a tomato pie?  So I looked online and all I found was more or less quiche-y recipes (which I didn’t want) or a mayo and cheese based pie, which I didn’t want to make either.  So that got me thinking.  How do I like my tomatoes?  I like mine sundried, roasted and fresh so why not make a pie that includes all of these preparations?  So, this is what I came up with–and after sharing it with friends–the reviews are multiple thumbs up.  In fact, my friend Annie said it might be been the best thing I ever made!  So, here you go.

Parmesan Crusted Summer Tomato Pie

For the crust:

2 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup butter, frozen and cut into cubes
¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
8-10 tablespoons ice water

In the bowl of a food processor (or by hand, or with a fork, or a pastry blender) combine flour and butter until butter is incorporated and the size of small peas.  Blend in cheese.  Add water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing if you are using the processor.  Mix until dough forms a loose ball.  Divide in half, form into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least one hour or until ready to use.  This step can be done days in advance!

For the filling:

1 to 1 ½ pints cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half along the ‘equator”
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano or thyme
2 pounds large tomatoes
1 tablespoon tapioca
1/3 cup prepared basil pesto
½ pound soft cheese, such as fresh mozzarella or goat cheese, sliced
½ cup julienne sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Toss cut tomatoes with olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour until wrinkled, lightly browned and caramelized.  Set aside to cool (this step can be done well in advance as well)

When ready to bake, increase oven temperature to 375.  Move oven rack to the second to bottom setting and place a stoneware baking stone on the rack (if available)

Slice tomatoes into ¼ slices and lay flat on a kitchen towel to remove some of the moisture.  Lay another towel on top and press down lightly.  Set aside.

Roll out one crust and fit into pie plate.  Sprinkle tapioca on to the bottom of the crust and top with julienne sundried tomatoes.  Place a layer of fresh tomatoes over sundried and spread on pesto.  Top pesto with cheese and then another layer of sliced tomatoes.

Roll out remaining crust and cut into strips.  Make a lattice (woven) crust for the top or a traditional flat top crust with lots of vent holes to allow the steam to escape.   Brush top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle on freshly ground black pepper.

Bake in preheated oven on the pizza stone for 45 minutes uncovered.  Cover top lightly with aluminum foil if over browning and cook for 5-10 more minutes until bottom crust is browned.

Allow to cook on a baking rack for 10 minutes before serving. Can be served hot or cold.

Enjoy!

The second recipe is below.  My new friend Peg and her little helper were making a panzanella salad.  Panzanella is a bread and tomato based salad that is perfect for using the bounty of your garden this time of year as it really is a free form dish.  As long as you use tomatoes and bread you can dress it any way you like and add any other fresh veggies that please you and your family.  Here is a generic panzanella recipe for you to try from Epicurious.com.

Panzanella Salad

  • 3/4 pound day-old crusty peasant-style whole-grain bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
  • 2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound), trimmed and each cut into 8 wedges
  • 3/4 cup sliced unwaxed cucumber
  • 1/2 cup sliced red onion
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

Preparation

In a serving bowl stir together the bread, the tomatoes, the cucumber, the onion, the oil, the vinegar, the basil, and salt and pepper to taste until the salad is combined well.

Talking Vodka with Bob Ryan of Ryan & Wood Distillery

Posted on by laurielufkin

Hello Friends!  After a bit of a hiatus from recipe creation and show taping I am back!  And can you think of a better way to come back than to make a show about vodka?  I can’t!

Remember that stretch of really hot days in August?  I do, and you will too when you watch this show on Cape Ann TV that we filmed at Ryan & Wood Distillery during one of those days.  Heat aside, the place is incredible.  I know a little about a lot of things but I had no idea how vodka was made, just that I enjoy it on occasion.  The process is so simple yet so complicated at the same time that I felt like I was in science class all over again.  The heat inside the building is necessary to keep the products at the appropriate temperature and the near 100 degrees outside that day, and the fantastic aroma of the products being distilled made my head spin that day!

My sister Kate Lufkin and I had a tour which took us through the entire process from the raw ingredients to how they do the small batch bottling by hand.   When the tour was over Kate made some excellent cocktails and I made the recipe below–Vodka cured salmon with lemon mustard sauce.  I hope you enjoy it!

You can easily increase the amount of salmon by two or three times to feed a large crowd and if well wrapped, this cured fish keeps for weeks under refrigeration.  The sauce is excellent with all kinds of fish and shellfish and also works well with chicken or a sandwich spread so make lots!

Vodka Cured Salmon with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Beauport Vodka Cured Salmon with Mustard Lemon Sauce

¾ pound skin on salmon fillet

1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup Beauport Vodka

Rinse and pat dry salmon.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine lemon zest, one tablespoon lemon juice, salt, sugar chopped dill and vodka.  Stir to combine.

On a flat plate, layer 3 sheets of plastic wrap overlapping each other.  Place salmon, skin side down on the middle of the wrap.  Pour mixture on top of salmon flesh and tightly wrap.  Use more plastic wrap around salmon if necessary to keep liquid in.  Place on a flat plate and balance another plate on top of salmon and weight plate with something heavy, like a pound of butter for example.

Store salmon in fridge overnight or for at least 18 hours.  When ready to serve, remove wrap and rinse off dill mixture.  Pat salmon dry and thinly slice with the grain of the fish.  Serve on crostini, thinly sliced bread or with eggs (excellent!) and bagels, topping with the lemon mustard sauce  (recipe follows) as desired.

Mustard Lemon Sauce

¼ cup horseradish mustard (or any flavor you like)
¼ cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoons lemon juice (or more to taste)
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Inspired Cooking airs on Cape Ann TV on Tuesday nights at 8:30, Friday afternoons at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 AM.  I hope you will tune in!  If you have any “inspirations” for show topics please let me know by commenting on this entry or email me at laurielufkin@yahoo.com.  Thank you for watching!

Inspired Cooking With Laurie Lufkin- Local Ingredients

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
clcik picture to play episode
clcik picture to play episode

Keeping it Local-and my Food Network Recipe from Ultimate Recipe Showdown

Posted on by laurielufkin

Copy of Laurie for Food Network

Hi!  Thanks so much for checking out this episode of Inspired Cooking!  Here it is…my Food Network Ultimate Recipe Showdown entry that got me on TV for a chance to win $25,000.  No, I didn’t win but hey, how many other people get that opportunity?

And here is the link to my recipe–right from the Food Network site.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/north-atlantic-pan-seared-cod-with-new-england-succotash-and-cranberry-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

Yes, I might be showing off a little, but if you had a recipe on Food Network, wouldn’t you put up the link too?

And here is a photo of the finished dish–not my best photo, but a photo nonetheless.   The original recipe had goat cheese on the salad but my brother-in-law the chef told me not to use it in the final recipe.  Doesn’t that fish look delicious?

Food Network 30 Minute Entry 003

A little behind the scenes:  When I was flouring the fish before pan cooking it, Chef Micheal Psilakis was questioning why I was doing that.  He was afraid it would be gluey.  One of the other judges responded that it’s the way they do it in New England.  Loved that!  Then, when I was standing in front of the judges, Chef Psilakis took a bit of the fish and told me that it was cooked perfectly and that I “made New England proud” with it.  That last part never made it on the air but it was one of the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me about pretty much anything.  I almost cried, right there on TV. 

I prepped and cooked this entire dish to feed 5 people in30 minutes in front of the studio audience, tons of cameras and hot lights.   And even thought I didn’t win I was so incredibly proud to be there and thankful to my friends and family for their support.

IMG_0854

“Biscookies” with local mix ins

3 cups flour

1 ½  tablespoons baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cardamom

¾ tsp nutmeg

½ cup unsalted butter, cold

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover two large baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until well combined and lighter in color.  Add eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract.  Beat until lighter in color and well mixed.  With mixer running on low, add dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.

Divide dough into 4 portions and knead in “mix ins” as desired.  Form into 4 loaves and bake two loaves to a sheet.

Suggested Mix ins:

Chocolate chips & chopped dried strawberries

White chocolate and dried blueberries

Crystalized ginger and dried peaches

Chopped salted pistachios with sweetened dried cranberries

Use a few tablespoons of each.  If additional spices are desired, sprinkle them over the dough and knead in with the mix in ingredients

Bake at 350º for approx 30 min. when loaves turn light brown.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Slice on the diagonal.  Allow to cool completely and drizzle with chocolate if desired.

For the chocolate drizzle:

½ cup chocolate, finely chopped

½ teaspoon shortening

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and shortening.  Cook on high power for 1 minute.  Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.  Spoon in to a small plastic zip top bag, seal bag, snip corner of bag and drizzle over ‘biscookies.”  Allow chocolate to harden before serving.

The video with this episode will be on GMG tomorrow at 1PM

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

Posted on by laurielufkin

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

Just about Father’s Day you see the signs popping up at every farm stand on Cape Ann.  It is native strawberry time!  This is what strawberries should taste like and we wait all year for them!  These are the recipes from episode #8.

Here are some recipes to expand your mind about how you might use them-two savory and one sweet dish–easy to make and sure to be a hit with your Dad too!

These are the recipes from episode #8 of Inspired Cooking.  The show airs on Cape Ann TV Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 am.  I hope you will watch!

Native Strawberry Salsa with Mangoes and Cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2/3  cup orange juice

Juice of one lime

1 mango, diced

3 cups native strawberries, hulled, one cup mashed, two cups chopped

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh, if desired)

Salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and juices.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with blue corn chips for a great presentation

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil

*this recipe serves 2-3 people

½ recipe Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette

1 1-1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin, cleaned

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chicken stock

Mixed salad greens

1/2 cup goat cheese

1/2 cup blueberries

pitted black olives

3 tablespoons basil, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Place pork in a large zip top bag.  Pour vinaigrette in bag and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.

About an hour before serving, toss together strawberries, vinegar and sugar in medium bowl.  Set aside.

Remove pork from the bag and pat dry.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large oven safe sauté pan, heat oil over high heat.  Sear pork tenderloin on all sides until browned.  Remove pan from heat and place in oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 for medium rare, about 5-10 minutes.   Remove pork from pan, place on a plate and cover lightly with foil to keep warm.

Return pan to stovetop.  Over medium heat add stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring the stock to a boil and add strawberry mixture and reduce heat.  Warm strawberries through.   Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Slice pork tenderloin, arrange on the plate, top with strawberry sauce and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Serve with mixed greens tossed with Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette, black olives, and blueberries and topped with crumbled goat cheese.  Enjoy!

Double Duty Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh basil

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup canola/vegetable oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk everything together in a medium bowl.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Orange Kissed Strawberry Shortcake

3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled; 1 pint crushed with potato masher 2 pints quartered, reserve 6 berries for garnish

2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Cointreau)*

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Orange Shortcake:

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

½ teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 stick butter, frozen

2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

½ cup light cream plus one tablespoon for brushing

1 tablespoon half-and-half

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1-2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix crushed and quartered strawberries with sugar.  Set aside while preparing biscuits

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons sugar.

Using large holes of box grater, grate butter into dry ingredients. Toss butter with flour to coat. Add grated orange zest.  Use pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into flour.  Mix beaten egg with ½ cup light cream; pour into flour mixture. Toss with fork until large clumps form. Turn mixture onto floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.

Gently pat dough into 9- by 6-inch rectangle and cut 6 3” squares with a sharp knife. Place biscuits 1” apart prepared baking sheet, brush dough tops with one tablespoon light cream and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

When ready to serve, place heavy cream in a cold bowl and whip with vanilla extract and powdered sugar to taste.

Split biscuits in half and place ½ on serving plate.  Spoon on berries and a bit of whipped cream.  Top with remaining biscuit half, more berries and finish with additional cream.  Top with a reserved whole strawberry and enjoy!

*the very bottom line-if you don’t feel like making biscuits, dont.  Just brush the biscuits with a little of the orange juice or liqueur, make sure to “orange-ize” the strawberries and top with the whipped cream–heck–you can even buy the whipped cream at the store if you want to–I won’t tell!  Just enjoy strawberry season!

Inspired Cooking With Laurie Lufkin Episode II Cooking With Fruit

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

click this text for the recipes

click picture to view episode II
click picture to view episode II

Cooking with Fruit-Inspired Cooking Episode #2

Posted on by laurielufkin

Here are the recipes from Cooking With Fruit, episode #2.  Please tune in Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sunday mornings at 11:30 to catch the show.  Thanks!

This show will be aired on GMG Thursday at 1PM

Orange Shrimp & Asparagus

Orange & Garlic Shrimp with Olive Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

4 large navel oranges, 3 zested and juiced, 1 peeled and segmented before grilling

½ cup plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

24 large shrimp

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste

1 teaspoon teaspoon freshly ground pepper plus more to taste

½ -3/4 cup prepared olive tapenade, as desired

1 large bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed

1-box whole wheat couscous (to yield 5-6 servings)

1.  In a large zip top bag, combine orange juice, ½ cup olive oil, shrimp, garlic, one tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and shake bag to distribute marinade.

2.  When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven 12-15 minutes until softened but still bright in color.  Set aside.

3.  Prepare couscous according to package directions.  Fluff with a fork and toss with reserved orange zest and tapenade.  Set aside.

2.  Preheat sauté on medium high heat and place 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan.  Dry excess moisture from shrimp and 2-3 minutes per side until shrimp is cooked through.  Toss orange segments with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Divide couscous divided evenly among 5 or 6 plates, arrange asparagus artfully on the plates and serve with shrimp and garnish with grilled orange segments.

Spinach Salad with Warm Tomato Dressing & Goat Cheese

*from Tom Rafferty, Chef at Perwinkles Restaurant and Owner of Periwinkles Catering

1 7oz pkg Baby Spinach
2 cups diced Tomatoes
2oz Dried Cranberries
2 oz Nuts of Choice-Almonds Sliced or Pinenuts
4 oz Balsamic Dressing
1 tlsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Chopped
4 oz Crumbled Goat Cheese

Heat Saute Pan, add Oil , nuts and garlic, brown slightly add cranberries and tomatoes
Saute for 1 minute
Add Dressing, remove from heat
Pour over spinach on a platter
add crumbled goat cheese on top and SERVE

Blondies

Tropical Coconut Blonds (this picture is the same recipe, using pecans)

½ cup dried pineapple or other tropical fruit, diced

1/4 cup coconut rum

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 sticks (one cup) salted butter, softened

1 ¾ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tablespoon orange zest

½ cup toasted coconut

½ cup white chocolate chips

½  teaspoon shortening

In a small saucepan on the stove top, combine pineapple and rum.  Simmer over low heat until the most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and dark brown sugar until well blended and lighter in color.  Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix again.  Mix in the dry ingredients and beat until well blended.  Beat in pineapple, nuts and orange zest.  Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 23-27minutes or until center is set and edges are lightly browned.

When blonds are cool, combine white chocolate and shortening in a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat on high power for 1 to 1 ½ minutes until mixture is completely smooth when stirred.  Cut bars into desired size.  Fill a zip top bag with melted white chocolate mixture, snip a small corner of the bag and pipe white chocolate topping on to blonds.  Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!

Laurie Lufkin’s Springtime Brunch-Episode I (click the picture to view the show)

Posted on by laurielufkin
click the picture to play episode I
click the picture to play episode I

Here are the recipes for Springtime Brunch, episode #1

(As submitted by Laura Lufkin for Epicurious.com’s Favorite Mother’s Day Recipe Contest.)  Yes, this recipe is a contest runner up!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
5 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1 bunch asparagus spears, cut into fourths to yield 2 to 3 cups
1/2 cup raisins, dried figs or dates, chopped
3 slices bacon, cooked well, drained and crumbled

8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Sift flour into a bowl and cut in the butter with knives, fingers or pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Slowly work in water to form a soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough big enough for a 9-inch pie pan and place in pan. Prick the crust with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. Cover the dough with foil and fill the shell with baking beans or pie weights. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add shallots, asparagus and raisins and sauté gently for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly golden brown. Scatter over base of the pastry shell and top with bacon.

Beat together goat cheese, milk, eggs, herbs and salt and pepper and pour over the asparagus. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over tart. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and set in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Chive Drop Biscuits

1 cup sifted flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs beaten

¾ cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons snipped chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or cover with parchment a large baking sheet.

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Stir in eggs, cream and chives.  Dough will be soft and lumpy.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown.  Makes 12 biscuits

And here are the famous Lemon Squares:

*here’s a tip–you can substitute any zest, juice or extract for the lemon and that is what I did on the show. Use this as a base recipe and experiment away!

Laurie’s Luscious Lemon Squares

For the crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 large eggs
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-3 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon extract
2 teaspoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray pan a glass 9” x 13” baking dish. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, confectioner’s sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Pulse until thoroughly combined and butter is the size of small peas.

Press mixture into prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until edges are golden brown.

In the meantime, zest and juice the lemons. Set zest aside. In a small bowl stir together the lemon juice and cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved.

In the processor (don’t bother cleaning the bowl), combine eggs, sugar, extracts and reserved lemon zest. Pulse mixture until just combined. Set aside until crust is ready. Before pouring mixture onto the crust, pulse one more time to recombine filling as it may have separated.

When crust is lightly browned on the edges, remove from oven and pour lemon mixture directly on hot crust and return pan to oven for 15-18 minutes or until center is set. Remove pan to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Dust squares with powdered sugar and cut into desired size. Enjoy!

All of this–for $20.00! Cook a great meal on a budget

Posted on by laurielufkin

White Bean and Chicken Chili with Green Chile Sour Cream

this recipe makes a huge batch of chili—make sure to use a large pot

2 cups onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup olive oil

1 large red pepper, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

4 large chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch dice

¼ all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground oregano

4-15 oz cans cannellini beans

9 cups chicken broth, divided

2-4.25 oz cans diced green chiles

1-15 oz can navy beans

2 cups corn kernels

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

¼-1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro, to taste

Hot sauce to taste

Additional salt & pepper to taste

In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced peppers and continue to cook until peppers are soft, about 10 more minutes. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano to pot and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with flour and salt and pepper. Add to vegetables and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan until chicken is cooked.

In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, puree cannellini beans and one cup chicken broth until smooth. Add to the chicken and vegetable mixture, along with remaining chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add corn and navy beans and simmer for about an hour. Mixture will thicken.

Before serving, stir in Monterey jack cheese and chopped cilantro.

Green Chile Sour Cream

1-8oz container sour cream

1-4.25 oz can diced green chiles-do not drain

Juice of one lime

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate until ready to use

Creamy Double coconut bars

Double Coconut Shortbread Bars

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup toasted coconut, divided

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup coconut milk

1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons coconut extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor or with a fork, combine flour, confectioner’s sugar and cubed butter until a fine crumb forms. Reserve ½ of mixture and set aside. Stir in ½ cup toasted coconut and press crust into prepared pan.

In a separate small bowl, stir together reserved crust mixture and reserved coconut and set aside.

Bake crust in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until crust is set and edges are lightly browned.

In the meantime, prepared the filling. In the bowl of a food processor or with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and coconut extract until smooth until smooth. Pour mixture over hot partially cooked crust and sprinkle with reserved crust and coconut mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly caramel brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!

So excited to be part of GMG!

Posted on by laurielufkin

Copy of Laurie for Food Network

Hello Everyone!

My name is Laurie Lufkin and I like to cook. I am a Mom, a small business owner (and the business is not cooking-related), a competitive cook and I also work for my family’s business. I want to tell you how excited I am to be part of such a dynamic group. I am grateful to have a place to share the recipes from my television show, Inspired Cooking. The show airs on Cape Ann TV (Ch. 12) on Tuesday evening at 8:30, Friday afternoon at 4:30 and Sunday morning at 11:30. Each week the theme, or “inspiration” of the show changes and so far I have covered everything from easy party appetizers to organic ice cream.

I want to be clear here. I am not a chef, I have never had any formal culiary instruction but I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded since childhood with family and friends who know their way around the kitchen. I admire and respect those who are the real chefs and it is likely that the old adage rings true for me that “if I had only known then what I know now” I might have chosen that career path. In spite of my lack of training, I have won several local and national cooking contests and even appeared on Food Network.

I will post the recipes each Sunday morning for the dishes that will appear on my show that week. Please feel free to ask questions, make comments and try them out for yourselves. I am also very open to suggestions for guests, location shoots and your “inspirations” you would like to see incorporated into the show. I hope you enjoy it!