A Castle in the Country Classic. Our cream-filled French toast is made with our own sourdough bread to add a little sweet/sour balance. Diet: Vegetarian
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Amaretto-Cherry Focaccia
Focaccia, normally a savory flatbread steeped in herbed olive oil, becomes a sweet pastry by using light oil, dried fruit, and a topping of sugar. We make it in a smaller pan, which results in taller, softer bread. Stopping the rise (by placing it in the refrigerator overnight) allows for better bread flavor development. Time…
Baked Egg Custard with Cheese and Herbs
This quiche-like baked egg custard with cheese and herbs is delicious! Bake in batches; it holds well but long baking time. Variations of cheese/herbs have potential. Tried the smoked gouda, and everyone thought it was outstanding. Might also try cheddar with basil/parsley. Source: Gourmet Dec. 2008, pg 178 Diet: Gluten-free, Vegetarian
Grilled Bruschetta
Most of us say Broo-shetta, but an Italian corrected me to say Broos-ketta. However you say it, simple and delicious! This recipe is easy to do on the grill, which adds a smokey flavor that can’t be replicated any other way. As with most simple recipes, the quality of ingredients really makes a difference.…
Baked Pears in Honey-Mint Sauce
To make these baked pears in honey-mint sauce, be sure to adjust the baking time according to how ripe the pears are. This recipe actually works better with hard, less ripe pears. Diet: Gluten-free, Vegetarian
Caramelized Onions
It may seem unnecessary to go through all this for just onions, but the end result is truly worth the time. The vinegar adds an acidic punch, the sugar makes these sweeter than they naturally would become, and the vermouth adds complexity. I use this recipe to prepare a large batch that I then use…
Grilled Shrimp
This simple and quick recipe is part of our Friday Evening Appetizer gathering almost every week. I like it because it is so easy, but our guests like it because it tastes really good. The excessive amount of oil creates a lot of smoke, which becomes the dominant flavor. In fact, we often call this…
Brownies with Bacon
There seems to be an increasing use of bacon in sweet dessert items like chocolate brownies. The combination of smokey, salty bacon with sweet, rich chocolate is better than it may sound at first. Pretty easy to make, loosely following a recipe I found on a Bacon Today posting by Micheal Kirsch. I used a…