Savory Fennel, Onion, & Orange Zest Upside-Down Shortcake

Last night John and I had dinner at Coconut, a Caribbean restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. After the meal, we walked down a couple of blocks to Bell's, an independent bookstore (you don't find many around these days). It is a two story historic building with over 300,000 volumes of used and rare books. This place is definately for a voracious reader. We joked that this will be a perfect place for anyone in exile or retired.
I picked up a wonderful recipe book on savory baking by Mary Cech. It has quite a few of warm and inspiring recipes that I like to bake. This one is my favorite with caramelized onions baked upside-down--great for brunch or as a side dish. The recipe asked for fennel seeds, but I opted for fresh fennel, and I've added some plum dried tomatoes to enhanced the flavor of the balsamic vinegar. The onion fillings are wonderful paired with roasted lamb chops!

Apple and Raisins Scones

Autumn is apple season! A friend who knows that I love apples shared this recipe with me. It is great  served plain or with jam or crème fraîche. I am making this for a tea party and it isn't complete without a serving of scones. Enjoy with a freshly brewed cup of tea---how delightful!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced finely
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup sugar
¼ cup of raisins
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon granulated brown sugar
Crème fraîche, optional
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking tray.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl. Place the butter into the middle, cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the diced apples, nutmeg, sugar and raisins. Mix in the beaten egg until it forms into a dough. If mixture appears too soft, stir in another ¼ cup of flour (approximately) until dough reaches desired consistency.
4. Dust some flour on a wooden surface and gently roll dough into a round shaped disk. Cut into equal sized triangles (like a pizza). Lay each slice onto the baking sheet, sprinkle brown sugar on top of scones.
5. Bake in oven for about 20-30 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve plain or with crème fraîche.
Tips: You can cut the dough into rounds using a cookie cutter.
Printable Recipe

Apple and Cheese Open Face Sandwich

Hello everyone, and a big welcome to fall--a season for apples! This recipe is simple and easy to prepare. I used plain Boursin cheese for the spread. Boursin is an authentic brand of Gournay cheese. It is a soft creamy cheese available in a variety of flavors in your local supermarkets. Use any soft cream cheese if you are unable to find this particular brand.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices
Juice of one small lemon
4 slices of walnut or raisin bread
¼ cup plain Boursin cheese, room temperature
Method:
1. Soak apple slices with lemon juice for 1 minute. Remove and lay between paper towels.
2. Remove crusts of from bread and cut into 3 bite-sized pieces. Spread a layer of cheese on top of bread slices. Lay apple slices on top of cheese.
Printable Recipe

Walnut Chicken Tea Sandwich

Another delicious tea sandwich recipe that I would like to share with you. You can use any leftover roasted chicken instead of canned ones. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
Filling:
1 piece of organic chicken breast (or 1 can chicken breast, drained well)
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup walnuts, chopped finely
2 Tbsp. chopped raisins
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices quality whole wheat or nut bread
Herbed butter:
1 stick soft unsalted butter
2 tsp. minced fresh herbs of your choice (parsley, dill, chives, or chervil)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Herbed Butter: Place butter, and the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Mix and blend well with a wooden spoon until smooth. (I used a hand held electric mixer). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Walnut Chicken: Season chicken breast with some salt and pepper. Heat some oil in frying pan, cooked until brown on both sides. Drain and chopped finely. In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise and chopped chicken meat. Next, stir in walnuts and raisins to the mixture.
How to assemble:
1. Spread each 8 slices of bread with a layer of the herbed butter. Top each slice of bread with the chicken mixture. Cover with the remaining 4 slices of buttered bread.
2. Using a sharp knife cut off the crusts and into 4 equal bite-sized pieces.

Printable Recipe

Cucumber Tea Sandwich

Last week I bought a 22-piece English china tea set for $20. Even though a number of the pieces were missing it was quite a bargain. This will be perfect for a small afternoon tea party that I've been planning for awhile. Afternoon tea, is a light meal served between lunch and dinner, usually between 2pm and 5pm. A variety of teas are served with delicate sandwiches, baked cakes, scones, with jam and spread. I am planning to serve three kinds of sandwiches: chicken walnut; apple open faced, baked scones, and Panna Cotta with fruits. For starters, I shall start off with this popular recipe.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
1 Tbsp. soft unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
½ loaf of quality white or whole wheat bread
a handful of dried dill (McCormick, It's a Dilly is best)
salt to taste
Method:
1. Using a fork, scored lines along the cucumber before slicing. Place cucumber slices between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. In a small bowl, combine butter and cream cheese to a smooth mixture. Spread on one slice of the bread. Lay slices cucumber onto the buttered bread. Lightly sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and dill. Next cover the top with the other buttered side down. Do the same with the rest of the bread.
3. With a sharp knife cut off the crusts from each sandwich. Cut in half diagonally and then cut again in halves. You can cut into decorative shapes with cookie cutters.
4. Serve immediately.
Tips: I find that freezing the bread ahead of time makes it easier for handling.
Printable Recipe

Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

This is a traditional and simple Italian custard that is light and easy to prepare. You can make it ahead of time and serve it with fresh berries. I served mine with homemade mixed berries sauce flavored with a dash of raspberry wine. Yummy!

Ingredients: (Adapted from Secrets From My Tuscan Kitchen by Judy Witts)
1 quart half (4 cups) half and half (or heavy cream)
1/3 cup sugar (½ for sweeter)
1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
6 Tbsp. iced cold water
2 envelopes gelatin (4 ½ tsp)
8 custard or ramekins (lightly oiled with vegetable oil)
Method:
1. Add sugar and cream in a saucepan and cook over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract (paste).\
2. Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Pour the warm milk mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Spoon and divide the into ramekins. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until firm.
4. To serve: run a small knife around the edge of custard and unmold onto serving plate and garnish as desired.
Tips: Another alternative idea is to pour Panna Cotta mixture into dainty teacups or fluted wine glasses. This allows you to serve them in glasses without unmolding. You can add color to the mixture before pouring it into molds. Decorate with fruits.
Printable Recipe

Root Cellar Soup with Smoked Ham

Fall is nearly here and this reminds me of Halloween, the spooky month of October. The neighbors had already started with the Halloween decorations of scary ghouls, spiders, and carved pumpkins. It also means that it's time to put away the summer clothing’s and think about warm hearty soups. This brings to mind a soup that is my family’s favorite. It is made with root vegetables: turnips, carrots, leeks, onions, and rutabagas. I've added another root vegetable, rutabaga. If you like turnips you'll love rutabagas is it has a mild bitterness that is balanced with a sweet earthiness. Hope this coming fall brings you much warm and a season of joy.
Ingredients: (adapted from Bon Appetit, Dec-94 issue)

¼ lb smoked ham, cut into small cubes

½ stick butter (¼ cup)

3 chopped leeks (use white and pale green parts only)

½ white onion, chopped

3 medium sized turnips (peeled and chopped)

1 rutabaga (peeled and chopped)

5-6 cups low-salt chicken broth

3 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp. dried)

Method:

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped ham and saute until it beginning to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drained off any excess fat into a bowl.

2. Add carrots, leek, onion, thyme and bay leaf and stir until onion and leeks are translucent. Add in broth, turnips and rutabaga and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender about 30-35 minutes.

3. Remove bay leaves, and thyme if using fresh ones. Puree soup in small batches in a blender when it is cool enough to handle. Stir in the ham. (Soup can be made a day ahead and chill in the refrigerator)

4. Bring soup to a simmer, thinning with more broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into warmed tureen or bowls and serve with toast or freshly made bread.
Printable Recipe