Recipes

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
3 large ripe peaches pitted and peeled and pureed or mashed (¼ cup reserved for nectar)
1 cup tarragon peach nectar (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Directions

In a heavy saucepan on medium heat, heat the cream until just about to boil but do not let it boil. Whisk in egg yolks and continue to whisk while heating through and cook about 5 minutes on medium low heat, making sure the egg mixture does not boil. Remove it from the heat. Mix the nectar and peach puree in with the cream mixture until well mixed, set aside in refrigerator for about an hour. Add chopped fresh tarragon and follow ice cream maker instructions.

Tarragon Peach Nectar

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup peach puree
3 sprigs of fresh tarragon

Directions

In a saucepan, place sugar, water, peach puree and fresh tarragon sprigs and bring to a boil until the sugar is all dissolved. Let simmer for 5 more minutes to steep, take off heat, set aside for 5 more minutes, discard tarragon sprigs, stir well and set nectar aside to cool.

4-6 Servings

Ingredients

For the filling

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
3 ears sweet yellow corn, kernels removed from their cobs
1 cup jumbo lump crab meat, pickled over very well for shells
¾ cup mascarpone
Zest of 1 lemon, freshly grated
Pinch of pimento d’espelette pepper
Salt

For the pasta dough

2 large eggs plus 6 yolks
14 ounces all-purpose or Italian OO flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch salt

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 zucchini, diced (green parts only)
Pinch espelette pepper
¾ cup spicy soppressata, cut into small cubes
2 red bell peppers, charred on a grill or gas burner, skins and seeds/ribs removed, and cut into strips
Reserved cooked corn kernels
1 cup fresh Italian basil leaves, gently torn
Zucchini blossoms, cut in half, stems and pistils removed

Directions

For the filling

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add all but a few tablespoons of the corn and continue cooking until it is tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

In a food processor, purée the corn and onion mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in the mascarpone, crab, lemon zest and espelette. Adjust seasoning. Place the mixture in a pining bag and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the pasta dough

Lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Add the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Add in the flour little by little, mixing together with a fork until the dough is not too sticky to handle. The dough should still be a rough, shaggy mass.

Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead by hand, adding more of the flour, as necessary until the dough is smooth, elastic and not sticky. Wrap in plastic or store in a Ziploc bag to rest for 20 minutes.

Cut the dough from the ball into pieces and flatten into disks. Work with one disk at a time and keep the rest covered with plastic or under a kitchen towel so they do not dry out. Run the disk through the rollers of the pasta machine, starting at the widest setting. Fold the dough in half or in thirds and press down to seal. If the dough feels sticky sprinkle it with flour, but brush off the excess. Feed the open side of the pasta through the rollers and repeat a few times. Continue to dust the dough with flour and brush it off if the dough feels tacky.

Advance the pasta machine to the next thinnest setting. Without folding anymore, put the pasta sheet through the next setting. Continue advancing the rollers to the next thinnest setting, rolling the pasta sheet one time through each setting without folding, until the dough is thin enough so that you can see your hand through it.

Place the sheet of pasta on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out circles of dough from the sheet using a fluted biscuit cutter or a juice glass, approximately 3 inches in diameter. Pipe a blob for the filling in the center of each circle and then fold over the dough to form a half-moon shape. Press the dough together to seal. Bring the ends of the half moons together and press to seal them. Place the finished cappelletti on a well-floured sheet tray covered with a clean towel until ready to cook. Repeat the process with all the disks of dough.

For the sauce

In a large wide skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the diced zucchini, season with salt and espelette, and cook over medium heat until just tender. Add the reserved corn kernels, diced soppressata and red peppers and warm through.

Cook the cappellacci in abundant boiling salted water until they float to the surface. Strain from the water and add to the pan with the soppressata and peppers. Add some of the pasta cooking water and toss together to make a creamy sauce. Gently tear the basil leaves and add to the skillet along with the zucchini blossoms. Adjust the seasoning. Spoon the pasta onto warmed bowls or plates.

Makes 6-9 popsicles

Ingredients

1 pint fresh strawberries, stems removed and chopped
¹⁄₃ cup honey
¹⁄₃ cup water
4 egg yolks
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon orange zest
¹⁄₃ cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium sauce pan place the strawberries, honey and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool, once cool, blend into a smooth puree. Whisk together egg yolks, cream, and milk and place it in a sauce pan to heat on low medium heat whisking for about 5 minutes or until a custard-like texture begins to form, remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a bowl combine the strawberry puree, the custard mix and the orange juice, zest and vanilla until well mixed. Place into popsicle molds and freeze for 6-9 hours.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch cayenne
Pinch salt

Directions

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler), the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and double in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Recipe from Tyler Florence

Makes 1 cup of sauce

Ingredients

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne, or a few dashes Tabasco sauce
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (if using salted butter, skip the added salt)

Directions

Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise sauce a bit lighter. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have on speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is incorporated. Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just slightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time. Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop. Use within an hour or so.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Makes 15-20 empanadas

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into pieces
2 egg yolks
¾ cup water (ice cold)
Guava Jam (recipe follows)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly with crumbles about the size of peas. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and water. Add the liquid a little bit at a time to the flour-butter mixture; mix it up with your hands or a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms, a few more tablespoons of ice cold water may be needed. Form the dough into a flat disc shape about the size of a small salad plate. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Divide the dough in two and on a lightly floured surface roll out each piece of dough to a rectangular shape. Cut the dough in about 8-10 three inch squares. Place a tablespoon of the jam on the center of each square. Fold over the dough around the filling, and moisten borders with wet finger tips. Roll the edges of the border from one side of the empanada to the other in a crescent, making sure just to roll the very outer edge of the border. Place each empanada on a greased baking sheet. Poke one or two holes, using the tip of a knife, in each empanada to aerate them. Bake empanadas for about 15 minutes, take out of the oven, and brush with a little butter. Bake again for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat, allow to cool a few minutes and dust with powdered sugar.

Guava Jam

Ingredients

2 cups guavas, chopped fine (skins, seeds and all) (about 10 guavas)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 pinch of salt

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan on low heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until all ingredients are cooked down. Turn up heat to medium and boil for another 10 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or flour sifter making sure the seeds are caught, push as much as you can through the mesh. Place the mixture in a metal bowl and place in the refrigerator to solidity; Guavas natural pectin will create a more dense and thick jam.

Makes 5 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh mint, chopped
10 egg yolks
1 medium red beet, cooked and peeled and cubed
½ cup orange juice
½ cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy bottomed saucepan bring the milk, half and half, sugar and mint to a boil and reduce heat immediately, and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring gently, allowing mint to steep into liquid. Discard mint. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk well. Ladle a big spoon full of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking well, to avoid the eggs from cooking. Add the remainder of the egg mixture into the milk on the stove and the heat gently whisking constantly until a thick custard forms or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon well; about 5-6 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight to get very cold. Place in the freezer 10 minutes before making the ice cream. Process the ice cream in an ice cream maker, following instructions of the machine.

Thaw the ice cream so it is just starting to get soft. Place the beet, sugar and the orange juice in a medium saucepan and heat until the sugar is melted. Blend in a blender until a smooth sauce. Drizzle the mixture into the soft ice cream using a spoon and swirling it, being careful not to mix the ice cream too much. Freeze.

Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half and half
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh mint, chopped
10 egg yolks

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy bottomed saucepan bring the milk, half and half, sugar, and mint to a boil and reduce heat immediately, and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring gently, allowing mint to steep into liquid. Discard mint. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk well. Ladle a big spoon full of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking well, to avoid the eggs from cooking. Add the remainder of the egg mixture into the milk on the stove and heat gently whisking constantly until a thick custard forms or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon well; about 5-6 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight to get very cold. Place in the freezer 10 minutes before making the ice cream. Process the ice cream in an ice cream maker, following instructions of the machine.

Makes ½ gallon of ice cream

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
10 egg yolks
1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup sugar
1/4 cup water
8 cups strawberries (chopped, with tops removed)
1 cup chopped mint
Strawberries and mint for garnish
Chocolate, melted
Fresh strawberries, stems in tact

Directions

Make simple syrup by placing ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy sauce pan with 1 cup chopped mint. Bring to boil until sugar is totally dissolved. Let steep on simmer for five minutes, then strain and set syrup aside. Combine milk and cream in a heavy saucepan. Bring to just about boil but do not let it boil. Remove from heat and set aside for about an hour. Bring milk mixture back to simmer. Whisk egg yolks and ½ cup sugar in a mixing bowl and then mix eggs into saucepan. A double boiler helps to ensure that the milk product does not boil. Stir over medium low heat until the mixture thickens into a custard. Usually about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until very cold. In the meantime, mix strawberries and mint simple syrup in a food processor until smooth. Mix pureed strawberries in with the custard mix, add chopped fresh mint if desired and use ice cream maker according to instructions.

Dip strawberries in melted chocolate and set in refrigerator to harden, serve with mint ice cream.