January 27, 2014

Belgian Beef and Beer Stew

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

3 center cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch patties
2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
5 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 12 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
2 cups (1/2-inc thick) slices carrot (about 1/2 pound)
1 3/4 cups slices parsnip
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons country-style dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Procedure:

Cook bacon in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; set aside. Add half of beef to drippings in pan: cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.

Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; saute 4 minutes or until half of liquid evaporates. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occassionally. Stir in beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add bacon, beef, carrot, and remaining ingredients to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

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January 26, 2014

Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:
1 3/4 cups gingersnap crumbs (about 30 cookies, finely crushed)
2 tablespoons butter,melted
1 tablespoon fat-free milk
Cooking spray
2 cups (1pound) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1.3 ounces cake flour (about 1/3 cup)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Compote:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup shredded peeled ripe pear (1 medium)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400.

To prepare cheesecake, combine gingersnap crumbs, butter and milk in a medium bowl; stir with a fork. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 3 minutes, cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325.

Place cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add sugars, beating until well combined. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to cheese mixture; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, syrup and vanilla; beat well. Pour cheese mixture into crust. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until cheesecake center barely moves when pan is touched. Turn oven off. Remove cheesecake; run a knife around outside edge. Return cheesecake to oven, and partially open oven door. Cool cheesecake 1 hour in oven. Remove from oven; cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

To prepare compote, combine cranberries and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until the cranberries pop, stirring frequently. Cool to room temperature, and serve over cheesecake.

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January 25, 2014

Chocolate-Hazelnut Meringues

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated  sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup blanched whole hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 250.

Place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, beating until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugars, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until soft peaks form. Add vanilla; beat 1 minute.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon 24 (2 inch round) mounds onto prepared baking sheets. Place in oven; bake at 250 for 1 hour or until dry to touch, rotating pans halfway through cooking. (Meringues are done when surface is dry and meringues can be removed from paper without sticking to fingers).  Turn oven off. Cool meringues in oven an hour. Remove from oven; carefully remove meringues from paper.

Place chocolate in a medium glass bowl. Microwave at high 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Dip side of each meringue in melted chocolate and chopped hazelnuts.

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January 24, 2014

Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

Pork:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1 (5-pound) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup

Sauce:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder

Procedure:

To prepare pork,combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub sugar mixture evenly over pork. Let pork stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 225.

Place pork on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup water in bottom of roasting pan. Place rack in pan. Bakr at 225 for 1 hour.

Combine 1/2 cup vinegar and ketchup in a medium bowl; brush pork with ketchup mixture (do not remove from oven). Bake an additional 3 hours, basting every hour with ketchup mixture.

Pour remaining 1 cup water in bottom of roasting pan. Cover pork and pan tightly with foil.  Bake an additional 3 3/4 hours or until a thermometer registers 190. Remove from oven; let stand, covered, 45 minutes.

To prepare sauce, combine 3/4 cup vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occassionally with a whisk. Boil 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Shred pork with 2 forks. Serve with sauce. Serve shredded pork on hamburger buns with pickle chips, if desired.

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January 23, 2014

Garlic and Rosemary Slow-Roasted Turkey

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

1 (12 pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
9 garlic cloves, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
8 teaspoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
3 sprigs fresh rosemart
Cooking spray

Procedure:

Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Mince 3 garlic; combine minced garlic, chopped rosemary, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl. Rub butter mixture under loosened skin and rub over breast and drumsticks. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Place remaining 6 garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs in body cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Let turkey stand 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 500.

Place turkey, breast side up, on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack in pan. Bake at 500 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 250; bake for 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 165. Remove from oven; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 20 minutes. Discard skin.

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January 22, 2014

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
2 cups flaked sweetened coconut, toasted
2 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (2 tablespoons pkus 1 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup cold water, divided
2/3 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Procedure:

Line 13×9 inch baking pan with heavy-duty plastic wrap, allowing plastic wrap to extend 1 inch over sides of pan. Lightly coat the plastic wrap with cooking spray. Spread coconut in an even layer in bottom of pan; set aside.

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup water, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 260 (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; gradually stir in softened gelatin (mixture will appear foamy).

While sugar mixture cooks, beat the vanilla, salt and egg whites at high speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer with whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour in gelatin mixture, beating at high speed until very thick (about 5 minutes). Gently spread marshmallow mixture over coconut in prepared pan. Coat 1 side of another sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Place plastic wrap, coated side down, over marshmallow mixture. Chill 8 hours or until firm.

Sprinkle powdered sugar and cornstarch over a cutting board. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Invert marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar mixture. Using a dough scraper, cut mixture into 1-inch squares. Store between sheets of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container.

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January 21, 2014

Homemade Choco Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup nestle cream
1 tbsp butter, melted

Procedure:

Combine peanut butter, butter and salt in a microwable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until soft but not melted. Stir in confectioner’s sugar and set aside.

Melt chocolate on a double boiler. Thin out with nestle cream and butter.

Spoon melted chocolate into paper lined macaroon tins. Follow with a tablespoonful of prepared peanut butter mixture. Finish with another layer of chocolate mixture to sandwich the peanut butter mixture. Keep in an airtight container inside the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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