Southwestern Cheese Panini

This recipe is from the August Eating Well and is SO good!!!

Ingredients:
4 ounces shredded Sharp Cheddar
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup prepared salsa
1 TBSP chopped pickled jalapeno pepper (optional)
8 slices whole wheat bread

**NOTE: I did NOT use the jalapeno or wheat bread and instead got a loaf of jalapeno cheddar bread from Klingers that was PERFECT for this!**

Directions:
1. Combine Cheddar, zucchini, carrot, onion, salsa (and jalapeno if using) in a medium bowl. Divide among 4 slices of bread and top with the remaining bread.
2. Cook the panini in either a George Foreman, panini machine or as follows:
- heat butter or canola oil in large non-stick skiller over medium heat. place sandwich on skillet. place medium skillet on top of panini and weigh it down w/soup cans or similar. cook panini until golden brown on one side. reduce heat slightly, flip panini and repeat on opposite side w/weight on top. repeat w/other paninis.

Makes 4 paninis.

Nutrition (per panini): 310 calories, 11G fat, 30mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrate, 16g protein, 5g fiber, 523mg sodium, 163mg potassium. BONUS: 50%DV Vitamin A, 30%DV calcium, 20%DV Vitamin C, 15%DV iron.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Last week I made a double chocolate layer cake for a 4th of July party. LZ asked me to post the recipe, so here it is. I used this fantastic chocolate cake recipe from Gourmet. If you can find it, definitely use the Callebaut chocolate as the recipe suggests (for all you Burlington cooks, you can find it in the baking section at City Market, this chocolate is great for truffles too).

I enhanced the cake by adding fresh sliced strawberries and pastry cream in the layer and on top. The berries and cream helped soften the rich chocolate flavor of the cake. Here's a good recipe for pastry cream. But the pastry cream is a lot of work--I'm not sure it's worth the effort since the cake really is the star of the show. You might as well just whip some nice heavy cream and use that instead.

Mille Feuilles, A Thousand Leaves

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Mille Feuilles, sometimes also called Napoleon--a name attributed to both its Naples, Italy origin and the French emperor. But that name isn't quite as beautiful as its literal translation, which means "a thousand leaves." I first tasted this rich and creamy layered pastry while living in southern France a few years ago. After coming home, I wanted to recreate the wonderful sweet thing and share it with my friends and family. So, I convinced my friend Madeleine of Cuisine et Tradition cooking school in Arles, Provence to part with her beloved recipe. Each time I make it, the result is quite different and unique. It's the nature of the process and the soul that goes into it.

Ingredients:
3 sheets of puff pastry dough (two boxes of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry)
1 quart of fresh berries

For the cream:
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups whole milk
plus 1 pint whipping cream to be whipped separately and folded in to the pastry cream.
Powdered sugar for decoration

To make:
Defrost the pastry dough in the refrigerator overnight. When thaw, unfold and place on baking sheets with parchment baking paper below. Poke all over with a fork to prevent puffing and bake at 400C/200C for 10-15 minutes or till nicely browned and cooked through (check box for cooking instructions). Remove and let cool.

Meantime, start the pastry cream. Put the milk on to scald. In a mixer, place your egg yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla and beat well until lightened in color. Transfer the mixture to a double boiler, pour into it gently, whisking all the while, the hot milk. Put on the flame under the double boiler and continue whisking till the mixture has thickened well. Keep mixing for a minute or two after it thickens. The addition of flour will prevent it from curdling too quickly. Take the cream off the double boiler, place in a bowl with ice and water and continue whisking till cool. Place in the refrigerator till needed.

An hour or 2 before serving, whip the cream and fold into the chilled pastry cream. Take out your serving platter and place one sheet of the puff pastry on it. Spread half the cream on the pastry, sprinkle with berries and lay another layer of the pastry on top. Repeat. Top off with the last layer of pastry, sprinkle some berries on top and some powdered sugar. Chill briefly in the freezer to make slicing easier. Slice with a warmed knife in rectangles. Serve with extra berries on the side.

My favorite alternatives:
Instead of using berries, you can make a glaze for the top by combining Powdered Sugar and Grand Marnier (or other tasty liquor like Baronjager) on low heat. Once the sugar is dissolved in the liquid, spread the glaze on the top pastry layer. Then melt a bar of 70% Dark Chocolate (Lindt makes a nice one) and drizzle that on top of the glaze in a pretty pattern.

For more complex flavor, try infusing the milk with lavender flowers before you begin making the pastry cream. My local co-op carries lavender flowers (they must be food grade, not perfumed) in the bulk section next to the teas and spices. Before starting the pastry cream, heat the milk and about 1/4 c. fine lavender flowers over medium-low heat until warm. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10-20 minutes or until the milk has a lavender flavor, then strain and discard the flowers. Proceed with the recipe above.

Other flavors you might try: mint, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla, etc.

originally posted on Penelope Post

Lychee Teeny Weeni Martini

Here's the recipe for the cocktail I entered in the Bitesize competition a few weeks ago:

In a shaker with ice, combine the syrup from one 15 ounce can of Lychee nuts with equal part Stoli Blueberry vodka. Squeeze in the juice of one lime. Add some mint leaves (squeeze them in your hand first to release the aroma). Shake!

To serve, tear a mint leaf into 3 or 4 pieces. Stuff one of the pieces into a Lychee and place in the bottom of a port glass (or shot glass). Fill the glass with your drink. It's so delicious, you can sip or shoot. The Lychee makes for a very happy ending. Now that's a winning recipe!