September—AnnMarie & Lindsay

Strawberries with Basil Granita

Strawberry Lime Ricky

Tomato Tarts with Goat Cheese and Basil

Black Bean Hummus

White Bean and Pesto Dip

Basil Pesto

Restaurant-Style Hummus

Crunchy Cole Slaw

Tri-Tip

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

Strawberries with Basil Granita

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 sparkling wine or Martinelli's

1 cup basil leaves

16 large strawberries

Make a simple syrup. Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Bring 1 cup of the simple syrup, the juice and the wine to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Carefully transfer to a blender, add the basil and pulse until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into an 8-inch square metal pan. Freeze 3 to 4 hours, scraping the mixture with a fork every 20 minutes to make it slushy; freeze until ready to serve.

Cut off the tops of the strawberries and trim the bottoms so that they sit upright. Using a small melon baller, scoop out the inside of each strawberry to make a cup. Fill with the granita and serve immediately.

Strawberry Lime Ricky

1 lb frozen strawberries, defrosted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

6 cups club soda

Mash strawberries and sugar together in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Strain into a pitcher, discarding the solids. Stir in the lime juice and then the club soda. Serve over ice.

Tomato Tarts with Goat Cheese and Basil

Cuisine at Home, August 2010

2 Sheets frozen puff pastry

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

2 oz herb-flavored goat cheese, softened

2 Tbsp milk

8 each red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halves, salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp minced fresh basil

1.  Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.  Cut one pastry sheet into four even squares.  Place squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cut reaming sheet into 8 strips, each 3/4-inch wide.  (You will have approximately 1/3 of the sheet remaining after strips are cut. Use it to make a smaller tart or refreeze for another use.) Cut the 8 strips in half crosswise to make 16 strips, 4 to 5 inches each.

3.  Place four strips around the edge of each pastry square, overlapping corners.  Lightly brush pastry edges and corners with egg wash; bake until puffed and brown 22-24 minutes.

4.  Wisk together goat cheese and milk.  Divide cheese mixture among centers of baked tarts, spreading it with a spatula and pressing lightly to gently deflate centers.  Top cheese mixture with red and yellow tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.

5.  Bake tarts 5 minutes more.  Remove from oven and garnish with basil; serve warm or a t room temperature.

Black Bean Hummus

thepioneerwoman.com

Ingredients:

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained

3/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, packed

1 cup onion, rough chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation:

In a food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Makes about 4 cups

White Bean and Pesta Dip

Bon Appetit, February 1995

Makes about 2 cups

2 15-oz cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

1/2 cup purchased pesto

2 to 3 tsp fresh lemon juice

Process beans in processor until smooth. Stir in pesto. Add lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Stir dip before serving.

Basil Pesta

Cuisine at Home

Makes 1/3 cup

Process:

1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tbsp pine nuts

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 clove garlic

Pinch of sugar and red

Pepper flakes

Drizzle in:

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Process basil, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, garlic, sugar, and pepper flakes in a food processor until minced. Scrape down sides of work bowl.

Drizzle in oil with machine running. Use immediately or cover and chill.

Restaurant-style Hummus

3 Tbsp juice from 1 to 2 lemons

1/4 cup water

6 tablespoons tahini, stirred well

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Pinch cayenne

1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

Instructions:

Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.

Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

The hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days. If you do not plan on serving it immediately, refrigerate the hummus and garnishes separately. When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon of warm water if the texture is too thick.

Makes about 2 cups

Cook's Illustrated, May 1, 2008

Crunchy Coleslaw

1 head of cabbage-shredded

6-8 green onions chopped

Dressing:

Mix and let sugar dissolve

1/3 cup canola oil

6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp black pepper

Just before serving add:

2 pkgs Dry Top Ramen noodles, crushed

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 can mandarin oranges-drained

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Tri-Tip

Ingredients:

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup soybean oil

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup black pepper

1/2 cup garlic salt (recommended: Lawry's)

1/2 cup chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped dried onions

2 (4-pound) tri-tips, trimmed

Directions:

To make the marinade, mix all of the ingredients except for the beef in a large mixing bowl. Place the trimmed tri-tips in a plastic container and pour the marinade over. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Heat grill to medium temperature.

Place tri-tips on grill at a 45 degree angle to establish grill marks and cook about 35 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness. Remove the tri-tips from the grill and let rest about 2 to 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

Start with your favorite chocolate cupcake.

For the Topping:

1 lb confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup vegetable shortening or cocoa butter, softened

2 tsp peppermint extract

For the Glaze:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Make the cupcakes.

Make the topping:

Beat the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, shortening and peppermint extract with a mixer until a tight paste forms. Gather into a ball, place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/4-inch thick (microwave 15 seconds to soften, if necessary). Use a 2-1/2-inch round cutter or juice glass to cut into disks; reroll the scraps. Place a peppermint disk on top of each cupcake.

Make the glaze:

Put the chocolate, corn syrup, butter and 1/4 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power until the chocolate melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk to combine, and then cool slightly. Spread the glaze over the peppermint topping, leaving some peppermint exposed. Refrigerate until set, at least 20 minutes. Serve cold.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg whites, pinch table salt

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1 Tbsp pieces

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer. Place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisk gently but constantly until it registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Place bowl in stand mixer fitted with whisk. Beat on medium speed until it is the consistency of shaving cream and slightly cooled. Add butter one piece at a time until smooth and creamy. Once all butter is added, add cooled melted chocolate and vanilla; mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.