roasted mushrooms with goat cheese and spinach on toasts

roasted mushrooms with goat cheese and spinach toasties

8 large - largish mushrooms (like portabellos or large cremini)
7 oz goat cheese
olive oil
7 oz baby spinach
1 T lemon juice
salt & pepper

basil dressing:
1 C basil leaves
1 clove garlic
2/3 C olive oil
1/2 T white vinegar
salt & pepper

toast

1. using a food processor, combine basil & garlic. gradually add in the oil, lemon juice and vinegar and process until just combined. set aside.

2. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

3. place mushrooms on baking tray, crumble over with goat cheese, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with pepper. bake for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese is golden.

4. heat oil in a frying pan and sautee spinach until just wilted. add lemon juice and salt and pepper.

5. place toaste on plates, top with the spinach and mushrooms and spoon over with the basil dressing.

serves 4

lemony lemon tart

lemony lemon, lemon tart

wonderfully lemony citrusy tartness on satisfyingly flakey buttery crust. better than rubbing diamonds all over your body.

tart shell:
1 1/4 C + 2 T flour
1 T + 1 t sugar
1/8 t salt
8 T cold unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 T milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten, reserved for baking


filling:
4 eggs
1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon, grated
zest of 1 orange, grated
1/4 C heavy cream

1. mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. pour in the egg yolk mixture and combine until the dough can be gathered into a ball. flatten into a 6" disk, wrap in plastic, and chill several hours or overnight. let the dough soften slightly at room temp before rolling.

2. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. on a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 13" round. fit dough into a 10 1/2" tart pan with a removable bottom. trim the dough flush with the rim and poke bottom of crust several times with a fork. bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden. remove from oven and immediately brush the hot pastry with the egg white.

3. whisk together the eggs, sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, and cream until smooth. Transfer tart shell to the oven. Pour filling into shell as high as possible without overfilling. There might be a bit of filling left over.

4. bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the filling is barely set. check the tart after 20 minutes and keep hecking it every few minutes after that. do not overbake! cool to room temp. serve with berries or cream or both or neither.

onion bread

onion bread

crunchy, oniony, savory and sweet. very nice with a bowl of soup. yummm

dough:
2 T active dry yeast
1 t sugar
1 C lukewarm milk
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 T olive oil

topping:
2 red onions, sliced
2 T olive oil
1 T brown sugar
2 t balsamic vinegar


preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1. place yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl and mix to combine. set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles begin to form on surface.
2. place together the flour, salt, oil and yeast mixture in a bowl and mix until a smooth dough forms. knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding a little extra flour to the dough if it becomes too sticky.
3. roll out dough into a rectangle and place in a greased baking sheet and top with the onions. cover with a clean towel and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes or until dough doubles in size.



4. combine the oil, sugar and vinegar. spoon half over the onions and bake for 25 minutes. remove the bread from the oven, spoon over and brush edges with the remaining oil mixture, then return it to the oven to bake for a further 5 minutes or until the onions carmelize.

serves 6

apple scones

apple scones

slightly crisp outside, soft and steamy inside, subtle apple & cinnamon flavor. don't fear the sticky dough. i like it with a little butter & a cup of earl grey.

2 C all purpose flour
1/4 C white sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 C butter, chilled
2 apples - peeled, cored and shredded
1/2 C milk

---

topping:
2 T milk
cinnamon sugar (2 T white sugar + 1/2 t cinnamon)

1. combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. cut in butter until crumbly. Add shredded apple and milk. Stir to form dough.
2. pat into two 6" circles on greased baking sheet. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. score each into 6 pie shaped wedges.
3. bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes or until browned and risen. serve warm.

makes 12 scones

baked french toast

make ahead baked french toast

this is a super simple recipe that does not take much work at all. i only refrigerated for a couple of hours and it still turned out great. soft french toast goodness with crispy sugary nutty topping. enjoy.

5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 C milk
1 C half & half cream
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 (1 pound) loaf french bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices

---

1/2 C butter, melted
1 C light brown sugar
2 T maple syrup
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts

1. in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and vanilla. Dip bread slives into egg mixture and place in light greased baking pan. Refrigerate overnight.
2. the next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. in a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, maple syrup and nuts. spoon mixture over bread.
4. bake in preheated oven until golden, about 40 mimutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.

serves 8

carrot cake cupcakes

in honor of CAKES the bunny, i present to you the very first recipe on BUNNY PIE:

carrot cake cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese frosting

2 oz white chocolate
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t orange extract
4 C confectioner's sugar
2 T heavy cream

---

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 C white sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 C shredded carrots
1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground ginger
1 C chopped walnuts

---

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

frosting:
1. In a small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temp.
2. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 t vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.

cakes:
1. Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple.
2.In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 C walnuts. Transfer to prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick instered inthe center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.

makes 12 muffins

salut

hello, this is the food journal of debbie carlos.