Strawberry Strudel

Number 3 in the 4-part meal. Using pastry puff again. This recipe will make about two strudel squares.



Strawberry Strudel

2 puff pillows - halved

For a refresher on puff pillows: click here


Cream Cheese and Strawberry Filling
2 oz. Cream Cheese (roughly 4 Tbsp)
4 Tbsp Powdered Sugar (plus extra for dusting)
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp strawberry jam (plus 4 Tbsp extra - optional)
Fresh Sliced Strawberries (optional)

Mix cream cheese, confectioner sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Heat strawberry jam in microwave to 15 to soften and combine with cream cheese mix.

With the puff pillows already halved, take the bottom slice of the pillow and spread a nice helping of the strawberry filling. Optional: You may add some of the additional strawberry jam on top of the cream cheese in place of the fresh sliced strawberries or add both.

Then place the top half of the puff pillow and dust with a light or heavy coating of powdered sugar.


Yum!

Puff Egg Sammies

Dish #2 of a 4-part meal.

I had finally found some puff pastry in my local grocery. Whenever I went, there didn't seem to be any in the freezer section. That and ladyfingers. But on one trip there was. Woo...

Anyway...puff pastry usually comes tri-folded, so it will be easy in dividing these. One sheet will make about 9 sammies. Cut along the folds making 3 strips. Then divide each strip into 3 squares.

The recipe below will make about 4 sammies.


Puff Pillows

4 3"puff pastry squares
1/2 tsp butter or margarine (melted)

Preheat oven 325˚F

Place the 4 squares of pastry puff on a baking sheet with either a silpat or parchment paper. Lightly butter each square evenly on the top and bake for about 10 min. This will make the puff up into pillows.

When done, remove from oven and let cool. Slice the pillows in half. Don't put too much force when slicing them as they will flatten easily. They'll look like beignets in shape and the inside should look almost hollow.



Scrambled Egg

4 eggs (scrambled)
1/2 c mild shredded cheddar (I use Sargento)
1/8 tsp salt (literally a tiny pinch)

Heat a pan with a little drizzle of oil. Place the cheddar cheese and salt in the eggs and mix. Once the pan is well heated pour in the egg mixture. It will cook pretty quick, so stir and scrap constantly until egg is fully cooked and cheese is nicely blended in. (You may mix in herbs, spices or other ingredients to your liking)


Putting it all together: Take the bottom of the puff pillow and spread some mayo or your choice of sandwich spread. I use my own special spread made from a yellow mustard base. Then place a nice helping of scrambled egg on each. Top it off with the other half of the puff pillow.


These are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. No need for egg mcmuffins. Not that I liked those anyway. Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Made a nice filling dinner the other night. 4 dishes, 4 recipes and this is the first.


Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes (cut into sticks)
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbps Paprika
1 Tbps Dry Basil
1 Tbps Dry Oregano
1 Tbps Dry Parsley


(I used a few other herbs into the mix, but this should suffice. I gotta keep some secrets. :-P)


Preheat oven 400˚F

Combine basil, oregano, parsley, Rosemary in a small bowl and mix.

Place sweet potato sticks in a large zip-lock bag or in a large bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and herb mix in the bag and mix coating the sticks evenly. If using a bowl toss the sticks with your hand or some tongs.

Place the sticks on a baking sheet and bake for 30 min. About half way through flip the fries over to give them even cooking.

Then serve. I used a brown sandwich bag. I cut down along the 4 corners about inch after where that little bump on the front it. Fold the flaps inward creating a barrier for the bag to keep the outer layer from getting any oil residue.

Enjoy!

E.S.P. Chef makes Blueberry Coffee Cake

Here's a little something that a friend of mine had recently done. It's pretty cool and creative. This isn't your average cooking show.

The description: The E.S.P. Chef, the cooking show you can only see in your head. (or on MySpace).

Oh...He makes a blueberry coffee cake, btw. Enjoy.

ESP Chef

Egg Drop Soup

I didn't want to make anything too complicated or something that took too much effort to make. I decided that soup was the way to go. It was a chilly night here in LA the other night, so it was a perfect fit. A classic dish found in many Chinese restaurants. This has always been on my favorite soups list. It's simple and easy to make. A nice substitute for the good ol' fashion chicken noodle or tomato.


Egg Drop Soup

4 c chicken or vegetable stock (fresh or canned)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp of water or stock
1 egg beaten lightly

optional:
1 scallion (finely chopped)
1 c corn (frozen or from cob)
1 c shredded chicken


Over medium to high heat, bring stock to a boil. Then add cornstarch mixtures. Make sure to stir often. This should thicken the stock. Add salt. Keep stirring until cornstarch fully dissolves.

Slowly pour in the egg, continuously stirring. It'll make the egg into that shredded look. Add the corn or chicken.

Let is simmer for two minutes, stir occasionally to keep the cornstarch from settling. Turn off the heat, give it a taste and add more salt, if needed.

Ladle a nice helping into a bowl and sprinkle over some scallions to garnish. Voila!

Cooking Tip of the Day

A little something on grilling the perfect burger.

People have the tendency to press down on the meat when grilling. Maybe it's to help cook it faster? It definitely is not. I've seen people (using an outdoor grill) press down on the meat with such force that it could literally fall through grill and onto the coals under it. Even with indoor grills and pans.

Don't press down on it. By doing that, you're squeezing out the luscious juices and moisture of the meat. That'll leave you with a bland and dry burger. You do want a tender and juicy, right?

After the patties have been cooked, let then rest for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute. The same goes for roasts. Cutting into them too soon will let them dry out. This will give you time to prepare the bun and condiments.

When you bite into the finished product, you'll have a moist, tender and flavorful burger.

Recipe Search Box

I added a little "search box" beneath the Bread + Butter header. This will make it easier for anyone who would like to look for a previously posted recipe. I was trying the drop down menu approach the other day, but then I realized that it would be a hassle just to keep updating that every time.

So, if ever you feel the need to look up a past posting without having to click through the archive section, all you have to do is type in a key word of the post you'd like to see and it'll give you the results.

Happy searching!

:-P