Category Archives: Fruit

Curried Cashew, Grape and Pear Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

January 10, 2010

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I’m catching up on what was supposed to be yesterday’s post. You see, the day got away from me because I was cooking a feast. Around Thanksgiving, I bought a turkey that I never got to cook (we spent the holiday with my family). By the time January rolled around I was ready for another turkey dinner. (Truthfully, I could eat oven-roasted turkey every week. It’s one of my favorite meals ever!) So I spent all of Sunday afternoon hopping around my tiny kitchen, basting a bird, concocting the stuffing, peeling potatoes, rolling out pastry, and steaming vegetables. It was an excuse to try out a bunch of Thanksgiving recipes I’ve been drooling over for months. And afterwards I was exhausted… but I was happy. Because it was so good!

All of those recipes, well, they’re coming soon! (Sorry, I’m such a tease!) I’m quite excited about today’s yesterday’s post, though, because this salad is spectacular! And different than any other I’ve made. The curried cashews make it unique- a careful balance of spicy and sweet. It’s difficult not to eat them all before they make it to the salad bowl! The vinaigrette is something new too. Dustin and I are not usually honey mustard fans. But this dressing is different. Instead of mayonnaise, it is vinegar-based, and I loved it! Put it all together- the lettuce, pears, grapes, curried cashews, and tangy honey mustard vinaigrette- and you have a beautiful salad with an intriguing combination of flavors!

Curried Cashew, Pear, and Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

6 oz. mixed greens (I used both romaine and classic mixed greens)
1 Bartlett of Bosc pear, thinly sliced
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved

Curried Cashews:
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashew halves
1 tsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. white wine/white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Toast cashews in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until browned. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, rosemary, curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and red pepper. Add cashews and shake to coat. Cool.

2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk to combine vinegar, Dijon, and honey in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Toss greens with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with pears, grapes, and curried cashews. Drizzle with extra vinaigrette if desired.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Turkey Cranberry Panini

December 2, 2009

In case you’ve still got some turkey lurking in your fridge, here’s another way to put it to use! From what I’ve gathered researching recipes, this turkey + cranberry + brie  (or havarti) combination is quite common. I tried it for the first time last year with a jar of jellied cranberries I bought. It was good, but with this homemade sauce it’s even better! It’s the perfect solution for Thanksgiving leftovers! I’ve got a few more turkey-licious recipes coming your way. I’ve managed to make 4 different meals with the meat I confiscated from our turkey dinner!

Turkey Cranberry Panini

INGREDIENTS

2 slices crusty white or wheat bread
roasted turkey breast, thinly sliced (think Thanksgiving leftovers)
salt and pepper, to taste
oranged cranberry sauce (or a store-bought version)
brie, thinly sliced (Havarti and gouda are also delicious here)
mayonnaise (optional)
baby arugula or spinach (optional)
thinly sliced red onion (optional)
cooking spray or butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat panini press to medium-high heat.

2. Spread cranberry sauce on the first slice of bread. Top with with turkey. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the turkey. Place a layer of brie over the turkey. Spread mayo on the second slice of bread (optional) and top with arugula or spinach and red onion (also both optional). Top with the second slice of bread.

3. Butter the outside of the sandwich OR spray the grill with cooking spray. Grill panini until the outside is golden and crisp and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 panini.

Oranged Cranberry Sauce

December 1, 2009

I have decided that my absolute #1 definitive pet peeve is a picky eater! Even more annoying is a picky eater who has no reason behind their pickiness. They stubbornly refuse to try certain foods just because they can. Or they have formed a bias against the idea of a food item. I’m married to a partly picky dessert eater (as detailed in this post) and I used to be one (before my food and cooking transformation). And I dislike that former self. I’ve realized how silly and unfounded my notions were. Look at me now- I enjoy, even love, just about every food I once claimed to hate!

What sparked this outburst? Well, on the way home from the gym this morning I was listening to a morning radio show where callers were sharing their food aversions. Several callers had never eaten an egg. One lady flat out refused to touch a tomato or onion. Eggs, tomatoes, onions? I was astounded. My first reaction was anger: “How can you dislike something you’ve never tried?!” And then I felt bad for them- these people are missing out on so much deliciousness in life!

I’m not meaning to offend anyone out there, but chances are if you are reading my blog (especially if you are cooking off of it) you don’t fall into this category. Or perhaps you do, and in that case, please remember-I still love you! But you really should open your mind (and your mouth) and consider that you might be wrong. I once thought beans and barbecue and seafood were all gross. Truth was, I had never really given them a chance. Now beans of every variety are a staple in my diet, I slather barbecue sauce on everything I touch, and I can’t afford to support my seafood loving self. And trying something once doesn’t count. Not everyone knows how to prepare something well, so don’t let one bad experience turn you off for life. I’ve even grown some small affection for blue cheese. It’ll never be my first choice, but I can acknowledge that it’s kinda good!

If there’s a place for pickiness in your diet it’s in what quality of food you choose to consume. By all means, shun fast food and other seriously unhealthy options. That doesn’t make you picky, it makes you wise. Eat real, substantial food and each a large variety of it. Don’t ever say no to something you haven’t tried (at least twice). Chances are there are very few tastes in this world you’ll adamantly dislike. I acknowledge that a broadening of palate comes with age. But once you’re an adult, grow up! You’ll be a lot more fun to share meals with and a lot more interesting to be around when you aren’t turning up your nose all the time. It might seem shallow, but people will genuinely like you more if you share in their likes.

Here’s a cranberry sauce recipe that will have the so-called cranberry haters asking for more. It is nothing like the canned concoction (although I profess to like that stuff as well). Serve it with a turkey dinner or as a sweet spread for rolls. It combines fresh juicy cranberries with bright citrus flavor and sultry cinnamon. Simmered for several hours on the stove, it becomes a thick delicious side dish.

Oranged Cranberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 orange, zested and juiced (about 1 cup juice)
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup brown sugar (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon, orange juice, and brown sugar. Add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Taste for sweetness, and adjust with additional sugar if necessary. You can not overcook, so continue cooking until you have a good thick consistency. Let mixture cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Apple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cake

November 14, 2009



Yay for apples! I still have an entire refrigerator shelf full of apples, so the recipes are gonna keep on coming! I whipped up this delightful cake last Sunday and am still smiling when I think about how it was dusted with cinnamon and sugar, studded with apples, and soft with cream cheese. The cream cheese is what it’s all about. It had the consistency of a slightly dense coffee cake. According to the recipe’s source, this is a traditional Jewish Hanukkah recipe. Well, it’s not the Holidays yet but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my cake, and love it!

The original recipe called for 6 ounces of cream cheese. Six? Well I was being my usual flighty self and threw in the whole block without thinking twice. After the batter was mixed and in the pan I realized my mistake. Oops-too late! But I liked the result so much that I decided to change the recipe- it seems silly to waste 1/4 block of cream cheese anyway! The cake could probably handle more apples as well. Two (large) apples was almost underwhelming- you could easily up it to three!

Apple-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup stick butter, softened
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups apple, peeled and chopped (I used a Granny Smith and a Fuji)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a springform pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

3. Combine 3 Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into springform pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

4. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife. Yummy served with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 round cake.

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Deep Dish Apple Pie with Sweet All-Butter Pie Crust

October 26, 2009


When we came home with 25 lbs. of Virginia grown apples, I knew apple pie was in our future. This dessert is extra special because Dustin helped out. He drove us to Charlottesville on our apple-picking adventure, braved gravity and climbed to the top branches to find the finest and ripest, and even helped make the pie! He’s usually not very involved in the cooking around here. Partly it’s my fault for being so territorial in the kitchen. That, and he lacks the desire. (Unless he’s having a sugar craving and wants cookies- NOW!)

But this dessert bears Dustin’s magic touch. He peeled and cored and sliced all the stunning Granny Smiths that filled the dish. In my time of need, he came to the rescue and he was indispensable! I was busy rolling out pastry and boiling caramel and fretting over what I wanted to be the perfect pie. And my cute husband rolled up his sleeves and chopped through those apples in no time! (Or just in time, rather, to smother them in cinnamon, butter, and sugar, pour them into a deep dish, cover them with a blanket of pastry, and send them off to bake).

It’s no wonder that I thought this pie was a sweet success. I made it with my honey. (Awww!) So my opinion might be a little jaded. Together, curled up on the couch under laptops, lecture slides, and books, we finished off half a pie. Including several scoops of vanilla ice cream. Dustin has never loved apple pie, but he agreed that this was a good one. My favorite part? The most amazing, buttery, flaky, spectacular crust I’ve ever had! I swear- I’ll never, ever buy one again. Reserve a little of the filling “juice” to brush on top and it will turn golden, sweet, and crunchy.

I was surprised that with all the butter and sugar, the filling was not super sweet. I liked that the tart-ness of the Granny Smiths snuck through. You could always mix in a few apples of a sweeter variety for a sweeter pie. I sure have a crush on that crust, though! Crust + thick caramel-apple filling + frozen vanilla ice cream = Ahhh.

Deep Dish Apple Pie with Sweet All-Butter Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe sweet all-butter double pie crust (below)
7-8 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg white

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the pastry dough according to directions (below). Chill until ready to use. Roll out each pastry on a floured surface until large enough to cover pie dish. Place one sheet of rolled out pastry in the bottom of the dish. Brush with egg whites.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, sugars, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

4. Toss apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour caramel mixture over apples (reserving several Tbsp. to brush the crust) and stir to coat. Pour apples into pie dish.

5. Cover with the second sheet of rolled out pastry. Trim the edges, pressing them together. Make several slits in the top. Brush the top with the reserved caramel mixture.

6. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the apples are soft. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving warm topped with vanilla ice cream. (If you serve it immediately the filling will ooze out- it needs some time to set up.)

Makes 1 9-inch deep dish apple pie.

Sweet All-Butter Double Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) COLD unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6-7 Tbsp. ice water

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor (or by hand with a whisk). Add butter and pulse until coarse mill forms (or cut in butter by hand with a pastry blender until only pea-size crumbs remain). Gradually blend in enough ice water until dough clumps (or mix in a Tbsp. at a time by hand). Form dough into a large ball. Divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Makes a double 9-inch pie crust.

(Crust from Epicurious, Filling adapted from All Recipes)