RECIPES

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Spicy Shrimp Cups

Crab Cocktail

SPICY SHRIMP CUPS

This is a really yummy, simple appetizer that looks great and tastes even better.  The combination of spicy and sweet and crunchy is wonderful.

INGREDIENTS
¾ lb. of rock or white shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1-2 Tbs. vegetable oil (for cooking the shrimp)
4 Tbs. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (fairly easily found in most markets)
¾ tsp. garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano (or 1½  Tbs. fresh chopped)
½ c. corn kernels (uncooked, preferably fresh so it’s nice and crunchy, but frozen can be used)
½ c. peppers, diced (red and/or green)
salt and pepper
48 tortilla cups (made from 6 flour tortillas, 8” dia., trimmed and cut into 9 squares, approx. 2” sq.)
Cilantro leaves for garnish

PREPARATION
Press tortilla squares into mini muffin pans. Spray tortillas with a no-stick cooking spray and season with a bit of salt.  Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes until firm.  Let cool on a wire rack.
Saute shrimp in vegetable oil over med-high heat for 2-3 minutes each side until done.  Transfer to cutting board and chop into small pieces.

In a med bowl, mix together cream cheese and next seven ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Scoop a spoonful of filling into tortilla cups, garnish with a cilantro leaf per cup.

CRAB COCKTAIL

This is a really great, easy appetizer to pull together when you’re in a hurry. It’s a simple combination of flavors that compliment the fresh crab, the star attraction.

INGREDIENTS
½ lb. of fresh, cleaned crabmeat
¼ c. English cucumber, sliced very thinly
¼ c. rice wine vinegar
1½ lemons
salt and pepper
1 avocado, sliced thinly
cocktail sauce
chives, chopped

PREPARATION                                                                                     
Mix crabmeat with the juice from one lemon in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
In another bowl, marinate cucumber slices in the rice wine vinegar for about 10-15 minutes. Drain cucumber slices.
Arrange cucumber slices on a plate in a circle, about 6" in diameter. Layer avocado slices on top of cucumber. Squeeze juice from ½ a lemon over the avocado and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mound the crab on top of the avocado, leaving a small indentation on the top. Put about 3 tablespoons of cocktail sauce in the center of the crabmeat and sprinkle with the chopped chives.
Serve with water crackers and additional cocktail sauce.

Citrus Rubbed Salmon with Fruit Salsa

Asian Spiced Pork Chops

Lamb Chops with Caramelized Onions

CITRUS RUBBED SALMON WITH FRUIT SALSA

I just had to get this recipe from my friend Kristen.  It’s an unbelievably yummy salmon dish that’s easy to make and easy on clean up when it’s cooked on the grill.  It’s delicious served with a fruit salsa, grilled asparagus and a great bread; or layer it with the fruit salsa over a mixed green salad dressed with a light olive oil and lemon vinegarette.

INGREDIENTS
Salmon & Rub:
2 Tbs. sugar
1½ tsp. orange peel
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 lbs. salmon filets

Salsa:
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, pit removed, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. red onion, finely chopped
½ to 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (amount to taste)

PREPARATION
Mix the rub ingredients together, sprinkle evenly over rinsed and dried fish and rub in with fingers.  Cover and let fish marinate in the refrigerator for 8-24 hrs.
Mix salsa ingredients together.  Cover and chill up to 24 hrs.
Grill fish over medium heat for 20-25 minutes on an oiled grill until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve with salsa.  If you can’t grill, you can always roast the fish in a 375 oven for approximately the same amount of time.  You can also roast asparagus that’s been tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper in the same oven for 15 minutes; remove and top with a squeeze of lemon or lime and additional salt and pepper. 

ASIAN SPICED PORK CHOPS

These pork chops are delicious; a nice balance of sweet and spicy.  I’d suggest serving them with jasmine rice and roasted broccoli or with an asian slaw.

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless pork sirloin chops, approx ¾” thick
¼ c. hoisin sauce
¼ c. water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. crushed garlic
¼ tsp. onion powder
hot pepper sauce to taste

PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients except pork chops in bowl and set aside.  Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to hold all four chops.  Saute chops for approximately 4 minutes per side until nicely browned.  Remove pan from heat, reduce heat to medium-low and add sauce to pan.  Cover tightly and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

LAMB CHOPS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

A wonderful dish to serve any time of year. It can go light for summer, grilled instead and served with simple mixed green salad and toasted bread, or it can be a bit heartier, served with roasted green beans and mashed potatoes. You can also mix up the herbs and use rosemary or oregano instead of the thyme if you’d prefer.

INGREDIENTS
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
salt & pepper
8 lamb loin chops

PREPARATION
Mix garlic, thyme, 1 Tbs. olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Rub the lamb chops with the marinade and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté chops, turning over once, about 6 minutes total for medium rare, or 8 minutes total for medium. If needed, cook in two batches. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered with foil, until ready to serve.
Serve with caramelized onions (recipe below).

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

INGREDIENTS
1 large sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia), sliced thinly
1 large red onion, sliced thinly
6 large shallots, sliced thinly
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. red wine
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
salt & pepper

PREPARATION
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until they begin to caramelize, turning a light golden color, about 15 minutes. Be sure not to cook too fast, turning down the heat if needed. Add red wine and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon caramelized onions over lamb chops and serve.

Flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon Mousse with Blueberries

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE WITH BERRIES AND WHIPPED CREAM

This fantastic dessert that is always a hit.  I love it with berries, powdered sugar and whipped cream, but it would be great with any variation of fruit, cream or a caramel sauce.  The cake itself is not overly sweet and it is complimented nicely with the sweetness of the berries and whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
½ lb. butter, unsalted
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
5 lg. eggs, separated
3 lg. eggs, yolks only
1 c. sugar
2½ c. total of berries - raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and/or blueberries
Powdered sugar

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pint raspberries
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. orange liqueur (optional)

Whipped Cream:
½ pint heavy/whipping cream
½ tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. powdered sugar

PREPARATION
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325.  Generously butter an 8” springform pan and set it on a baking sheet.

In a bowl set over a saucepan with 1” of simmering water or in a double boiler, combine the butter with the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove and let cool.  In a medium bowl, beat the (5) egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside.  In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar with the (8) egg yolks until thick and pale yellow, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir the chocolate into the yolks until combined, then stir in ½ the egg whites.  Fold in the remaining egg whites.

Bake for 50 minutes.  Cake will rise and be cracked in a few places.  Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, run a thin knife between the side of the pan and the cake, then remove the side and let the cake cool completely.  Don’t worry if it falls a bit and cracks a bit more after cooling; it will be covered with berries.  Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.  Cover cake with selection of berries, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sauce:
Puree raspberries, sugar and liqueur (if using) in food processor.  Strain to remove seeds and set aside.  Can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

Whipped Cream:
Using a chilled metal bowl and beaters, (I put them in the freezer for 5 minutes or so), whip cream with vanilla and sugar for several minutes until thick.  Cream can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.

Serve cake with extra berries, sauce and whipped cream.

CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I get more requests for this cake than any other.  If you like carrot cake, this is a winner.  I personally prefer carrot cake without any of the extra stuff found in other versions…no nuts or chopped up fruit here.  You can make this as a double layer cake or as cupcakes, both work well.
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 c. finely shredded carrots
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

PREPARATION
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325.  Grease and flour pans. 

Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Add carrots and toss.  Add eggs and oil and beat with electric mixer until well mixed and consistency of cake batter, about 2 minutes.  Pour into pans and bake 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool thoroughly.  Frost and decorate as desired.

Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar until smooth.

LEMON MOUSSE WITH BLUEBERRIES

Love this light, fresh dessert.  The flavors of lemon and blueberry go so well together.  You can also substitute the blueberries for raspberries or blackberries if you’d like.  It’s all good.  The recipe serves 2, but it’s easy to double if needed.

INGREDIENTS
2 egg yolks
¼ c. sugar
2½ Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 egg white, stiffly beaten
½ c. heavy cream, whipped
½ c. fresh blueberries
Extra blueberries and mint for garnish

PREPARATION
In a bowl, beat egg yolks until they are thick and pale, about 3 minutes.  Beat in sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind.   Cook mixture in the top of a double boiler over hot water, stirring constantly until it is thick.  Take off heat and let mixture cool.

Beat egg white until stiff peaks form.  Fold egg whites into yolk mixture.  Beat heavy cream until thick. Fold half of whipped cream into lemon mixture, then blueberries.  Pour the mixture into two stemmed glasses, top with additional whipped cream and garnish with a few extra berries and mint.