February 2006—Malinda & Suzy

Coconut Shrimp with Sweet & Spicy Mango Lime Dipping Sauce

Tail on Black Tiger Shrimp, any size
Tempura batter mix (mix as directed)
Flour
Flaked Coconut

Heat oil 270 to 300 degrees (Max.) Cut shrimp down middle and pound to flatten. ust shrimp in flour. Dredge shrimp in tempura batter. Press in flaked coconut. Drag back and forth in oil and then drop. (If you don’t drag back and forth, the shrimp curls up!!) Cook shrimp until the coconut turns golden brown. Prepare and cook about five shrimp at a time.

Mango Sauce:
2 c. diced mango
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 to 3/4 c. water
Crushed red pepper
Lime

Boil until mango is soft. Puree in blender or Cuisinart. Squeeze 1 lime (to taste) into mix. Add 1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper. Chill.

Sauce is best when cold.


Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Roasted Hazelnuts

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 jar (32 oz.) butternut squash puree
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1 large bay leaf
2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped until just thickened (optional)
1/2 c hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped.

Directions:
In a small stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butternut squash puree, 2 1/2 cups of the stock, the bay leaf and the 2 tsp. salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. (I just put mine in a food processor). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean stockpot. Stir in the cream and add more stock to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup gently to serving temperature.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with a swirl of whipped cream and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Be sure to toast and skin the hazelnuts before adding them to the soup. Toasting brings out the rich flavor of the nuts and loosens the skins, which can taste bitter. Place the nuts in a dry fry pan over medium heat and toast, shaking the pan or stirring occasionally, until the nuts are fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Or spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a 325°F oven, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. While the nuts are still warm, wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins. It’s OK if a few bits of skin still cling to the nuts


Sun-dried TomatoCrusted Chicken

Makes 4 Chicken Breasts
Total Time: 30 minutes

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t kosher salt
2 cups bread crumbs (4 cups cubed French bread. You don’t want the crumbs too fine—coarse is good.)
1/2 c oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, sliced
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 T. water
2 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare breasts by trimming fat. Pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Pulse bread crumbs, tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor. Transfer to a shallow dish.

Place flour in a second shallow dish. Blend eggs and water with a fork in a third shallow dish.

Dredge both sides of chicken in flour, then dip into egg mixture to coat. Transfer chicken to crumb mixture and pat onto both sides; place on a baking sheet or plate.

Heat oil in an ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken 3 minutes, or until golden brown (Tomatoes will be dark). Carefully flip chicken, then place pan in oven. Roast 8-10 minutes, or until cooled through. Rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Sunny Butter Sauce.

Sunny Butter Sauce

Makes about 1 cup. Total Time: 10 minutes

1 c dry white wine
2 T capers, crushed
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
1/4 c oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, sliced
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped

Boil wine in a skillet until reduced by half. Add capers and lemon juice, boil 1 min. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in butter one piece at a time, stirring constantly. As each melts, add another. Stir in tomatoes and parsley. Serve over Sun-dried Tomato Crusted Chicken.


Feta Couscous
Makes 2 cups
Total Time: 10 minutes

Prepare according to package directions;
3/4 c dry plain couscous (to make 2 c cooked)

Combine with:
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
2 T finely snipped fresh chives


Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

Combine 1 pound trimmed asparagus spears, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Seal bag, shake well to coat. Place asparagus on a grill rack or in a grilling basket coated with cooking spray, grill 3 minutes or until lightly browned, turning frequently. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. (I love the asparagus with the lemon actually squeezed on top). Serve immediately.


Fudge-Strawberry Cream Torte

Brownie Layers
1 box (19.5 oz) brownie mix
oil
water
eggs

Strawberry Cream
3 T granulated sugar
1 package (8 oz ) cream cheese, softened
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait Thick & Creamy strawberry yogurt
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Chocolate Fudge
1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (9 oz)

Garnish
1 t powdered sugar
6 small to medium fresh whole strawberries, halved

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottoms of 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. (For easy pan removal, line bottoms of pans with waxed paper before spraying with cooking spray.) Make brownie mix as directed on box for cake-like brownies using oil, water, and eggs. (Usually means just adding 1 more egg). Spread half of batter evenly in each pan. Bake 18 to 23 minutes. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Run knife around brownie layers to loosen Place wire racks upside down over pans; turn racks and pans over. Remove pans. Cool completely, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat granulated sugar and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in strawberry yogurt until smooth and creamy. Fold in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate while brownie layers cool.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until cream begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips; press into cream. Cover; let stand 3 minutes, vigorously beat with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

To assemble torte, place 1 brownie layer on serving plate. Spread half of strawberry cream evenly over brownie to within 1 inch of edge. Carefully spoon and spread half of chocolate fudge almost to edge of strawberry cream. Repeat layers, ending with chocolate fudge. Arrange halved strawberries in spoke fashion on top or torte. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

To serve, sprinkle powdered sugar over top of torte and around plate. Carefully cut torte with hot knife in wedges to avoid cracking of chocolate fudge on top. Store loosely covered in refrigerator. (If torte has been stored for more than 3 hours before serving, let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before cutting.)