pie

NOT !!! The Prettiest Dish Of The Day –

>
– but without a doubt one of the tastiest dishes of the day 🙂
>

Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

>
Today I set out to prepare a pizza for dinner, the way I love it with very little cheese and just a bit of tomato. Then I came across this jamon serrano and brie cheese in my fridge and I thought, maybe a calzone? But I am not really a fan of the texture of a calzone, so I tried something new by mixing all the garnish into the dough before rolling it out. The result was THE BEST ….. whatever it was – Pizza? Bread? Pie? or whatever name one deems most appropriate (bread, probably?) for this sexy little thing.
At first, when I started to fold the garnish into the dough, it did not look and feel as if it would come together and I thought I just screwed it up – I should really have put it between two layers of dough (calzone style).
But after a bit of a push, it worked out just fine and although the final product would not win a beauty contest (this can easily be improved), the texture and taste were absolutely first-rate. Definitely a new standard in my ever-increasing repertoire of quirky dishes 🙂
>
Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Click here for more Pizza on ChefsOpinion
>
Click here for Lahmacun and Shrimp & Sardines Pie on ChefsOpinion
>

Pizza Dough Recipe:

Ingredients :

A/P flour, 2 cups (plus more for kneading)
Water, 3/4 cup, warm
Active dry yeast, 1 envelope
Sugar, 1 teaspoon
Olive oil, 3 table spoon
Kosher salt,

Method :

Pour water into small bowl, mix into the yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil, knead until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth. Dust with flour as you work the dough. Transfer to prepared a bowl; turn dough in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a moist towel. Let dough rise until doubled in volume.Punch down dough. Pull dough until desired thickness and shape is achieved. If this is too difficult, roll the dough with a rolling-pin. However, in my opinion, the pizza will turn out superior if the dough is pulled.
>
>

Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: 1 lb pizza dough, 4 oz very finely sliced jamon serrano, fresh basil chiffonade, a handful of grape tomatoes, 10 oz diced brie cheese, 4 stalk sliced scallions, 1/2 tsp dried oregano

: mix all ingredients on a flour-dusted board until well incorporated

: roll dough into a oblong shape, as thick as you prefer, place on a hot, oiled rack

: brush generously with olive oil, bake at 430F until almost cooked through, about 12 minutes (depending on the thickness you chose), remove from oven

: brush with garlic paste, sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano and 3 stalks sliced scallions, return to 430F oven until cooked through, about 5 minutes; serve with greens in balsamic vinaigrette; serves ??? (up to you, Bella and I ate the whole thing in one sitting))

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

: Serrano-Ham And Brie-Cheese Bread

>
>
>
>

Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

>
>
Looks like the devil is trying hard to get me off my sensible eating habits again.
Since I decided (once again) not to eat anymore sweets, (or at least just the tiniest amounts), the cravings to do so are getting stronger and stronger 😦
The only way for me to fight this is to actually prepare a sweet dish, set a tiny piece aside for Bella and I and get the rest of it off to the neighbor as quick as possible.
So far this works, hopefully for some time to come.
Yesterday, I had to fight the demons again………
I had some apples, ricotta and cashews at hand and in the back of my mind I was playing with different dessert-options, until they finally crystallized into this delicious pie/cake. And, to appease my conscience, I added some “healthy” elements by serving it with a bit of tart Greek yogurt and crunchy pomegranate seeds.
>
Final Score – Myself: Happy; Bella: Happy; Neighbor: Happiest !
>
>
Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !

>
>

Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

>
>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: core, peel and finely slice 3 lbs of apples

: to the apples add 1/4 cup cashew nuts, 1 cup cottage cheese, 4 whole eggs, 3 tbls sugar, 1 tblsp grd cinnamon, 2 tblsp lemon juice, 1/2 tblsp vanilla extract

: mix all ingredients

: line a baking dish or cast iron pan with a thin sheet of pie dough

: bake at 375F for 15 minutes

: as you can see, the dough shrunk more than I anticipated, so I added a few strips of additional pie dough between the side of the pan and the crust (if you want to use less filling, you can omit this step)

: add the filling, overlap the edges with the dough

: sprinkle generously with sugar, bake at 350F until an inserted needle comes out dry and clean

: let cool to room temperature, dust with castor sugar

: to transfer to a serving dish, turn the cake/pie upside down on a plate, then turn upside down again onto a serving dish; serve with Greek yogurt and pomegranate seeds (optional)

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: Ricotta Cheese Cake With Apples And Cashews, Served With Greek Yogurt And Pomegranate Seeds

: lest you think Bella eats only steaks 🙂

>
>
>

EASY DOES IT # 22 – Quiche Lorraine

>
>
This dish will make you the hero at the next pot luck party, office party or any other gathering where the usual (tired) contribution is chicken salad, spinach dip or potato salad (nothing wrong with those – but………..)
A properly prepared Quiche is elegant, beautiful and delicious, done with a minimum of effort, cooking skills, time and $.
It will be a guaranteed success for any occasion, because it’s easy to make, has no boundaries for your creativity and can be served cold (room temperature), warm or hot. So at a fancy or basic cocktail party, in the office, at the beach or when you bring a snack to my house – go ahead, make my day 🙂
As for creativity, step up a basic Quiche lorraine (bacon, Swiss cheese and onions) by adding / replacing the standard ingredients with the following goodies:
Roasted, small diced vegetables or potatoes, seafood (no cheese in this one please), pickled onions and feta cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed ham, small diced corned beef, lots of fresh herbs, etc, etc.
The constant in any Quiche should be a great pie crust and a mixture of 3/4 whisked whole eggs / 1/4 half & half, seasoned with salt, pepper and a small amount of nutmeg, everything else is up to your fancy and willingness to experiment 🙂
As for myself, I love a warm Quiche with lots of bacon, onions and cheese when sitting in front of the TV and watching a great movie, always pairing the Quiche with a salad of simple greens and usually washing it all down with a torrent of iced peach tea.

Blind-bake the pie crust until golden.
Add dry ingredients, add egg mixture, bake until a toothpick inserted in the filling comes out clean. DONE !
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
Click here for more “Easy Does It”
>
>

>
>

Quiche Lorraine

>
>
Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
>
>
>

: soak finely sliced red onions and romaine hearts in ice water for 20 minutes, drain, pat dry, dress with lime vinaigrette

: Quiche Lorraine

: Quiche Lorraine

: Quiche Lorraine

: Quiche Lorraine

: Quiche Lorraine

>
>
>
>
>
>

Shell-Less Apple & Pear “Pie”

>
>
I had some apples and pears lying around and frozen puff pastry in the freezer.
So, how about this quick and easy dessert or snack, served with crème chantilly or vanilla ice cream (or both) 🙂
>
Hollow out the apples so that there is a shell of about 1/3rd ” thickness. Saute the peeled, diced pears in butter, add sugar and let lightly caramelize. Flambe with cognac and add a dash of vanilla. Brush outside of apples with egg wash (so that puff pastry adheres). Fill pears into hollow apples, cover with puff pastry lattice, brush with egg wash and bake at 375 F. Bake until apples are soft but not falling apart.