Recipe – Kitchen of Dazz

Blueberry Lattice Pie

There’s nothing like the smell of a fresh baked blueberry pie. My honey loves this pie with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

9 cups or blueberries (equivalent of 4 1/2 pints)

3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 Ready-made pie crusts (Can be found in the dairy case. Made by Pillsbury or your local grocer brand)

2 Tablespoons of whipping cream for the glaze

Preheat over to 400 degrees . Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, crush a few of the berries with the back of your mixing spoon to release the blueberry juice. Toss to blend all of the ingredients.

Roll out both of the pie disks onto a floured board into 12 inch round circles. Put first disk into a glass pie dish. Spoon all of the filling into the pie dish. Using a sharp knife, cut the remaining dough into 1/2 inch wide strips. Arrange the dough strips across the top of the filling. Form lattice by arranging more dough strips at right angle to first strips, weaving strips under and over to create the lattice look. Trim ends of dough strips and overhang under, press to seal and crimp the edges decoratively. Brush edges and lattice lightly with whipping cream.

Place pie on baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Continue to bake until filling bubbles thickly in center, about 50 minutes. Cool pie for 2 hours and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It’s best served the day you bake it but can be made a day ahead and then reheated before serving.

Makes 8 servings,

Butternut Squash Soup

It just isn’t fall until you have butternut squash soup. I am going to serve this at Thanksgiving this year since our group will be very small. This recipe is quick and easy, especially if you can find the butternut squash already peeled and cubed in your produce department. Trader Joe’s usually always has it in stock. If you want to save money, a large 2 pound butternut squash will do just fine. They are difficult to peel so be careful when peeling it.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 pounds of butternut squash peeled and cubed into one inch pieces

6 cups of chicken stock (48 ounces)

1 medium onion, or 2 large shallots

1 large Granny Smith green apple, peeled, cored and diced

2 Tablespoons of butter

Pinch of nutmeg (if desired)

Fresh Chives for garnish, or just for fun, I sometimes use fresh popped popcorn. You can use whatever you like for garnish. The chives add flavor but feel free to use creme fraiche, sautéed prosciutto or bacon, etc.

Melt butter in pan and add onions or shallots and green apple. Sauté until the mixture is soft, about ten minutes. Add butternut squash and chicken broth and cook until the squash is soft, about 25 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender or regular blender until puréed. Taste and add salt, if desired, pepper and nutmeg. Add fresh cut minced chives and serve. Serves 4-6.

Lettuce Wraps

These ground turkey lettuce wraps are so delicious, easy and perfect for a summer dinner. I recently made them for a friend’s quarantine birthday dinner after an evening bike ride. She wanted something light and healthy that we could eat outside while socially distancing. You can add as much hot sauce and spice to these as you would like or put a bottle of hot sauce out when you serve them. They aren’t just for the girls either, my husband and son liked them as well and they have been a favorite for many quarantine dinners during this crazy pandemic!

Lettuce Wraps

2 pounds of ground turkey meat

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 Tablespoons oyster sauce

1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce

2-3 Tablespoons of sriracha hot sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 can of diced water chestnuts

1 head of Boston or Butterhead lettuce

For toppings: (Optional)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

2 green onions

1 cup of dry roasted peanuts

1 cup of chow mein noodles

Saute onion for 8-10 minutes on medium heat in medium pan until translucent, add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Add hoisin, oyster and soy sauce along with the rice wine vinegar, sriracha, red chili flakes and water chestnuts. Let simmer for 5 minutes so all the flavors come together. Separate the lettuce leaves and put them on a plate. Put toppings in bowls, serve with the lettuce or jicama wraps. Serves 6.

Why Be Afraid of an Instant Pot?

With all that’s happening with the coronavirus, cooking has become a chore to most. The instant pot has an answer for the mundane task of getting food onto the table quickly and seamlessly. On Saturday, we decided to experiment cooking a brisket for Passover. We cooked one piece in the instant pot and the other on the stove top for 5 hours. The one in the instant pot was absolutely delicious and way cleaner. It was tender and easy to cut, as was the one on the stove; however, given the ease of prep, the instant pot is my clear preference for future briskets. Here are a few easy instant pot recipes to try out—let me know how your cooking comes out!

Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 ½ cups of steel cut oats
2 cups of milk
1 ½ cups of water
1 cup of diced or frozen fruit such as mangoes, peaches, strawberries or blueberries
¼ cup of light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Optional:
¼ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to put on as a topping after cooking

Mix together oats, milk, water, honey, fruit brown sugar, honey cinnamon and salt.

Cover and lock the lid into place. Cook on risotto/steam for 10 minutes.
Using oven mitts and the plastic spatula that comes with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve to let all of the the steam escape and then carefully remove the lid. Top with any additional fruit you would like and pecans if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: I put the cooked oatmeal in 6-ounce Mason jars and store it in the refrigerator for a quick and easy breakfast during the week. I pour milk on top, add fruit and/or nuts and microwave it on high for a minute.

Ropa Vieja

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 pound flank steak of London broil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5-ounce can of beef broth
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup red wine

Season the meat generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pressure cooker and press the sauté button. Place the meat into the instant pot making sure the flat part of the meat is in contact with the bottom of the pot. Brown the meat well on both sides for about 20 minutes total and then transfer it to a plate to rest.

Add the onions, garlic and green peppers to the pot and continue to cook over the sauté setting, stirring often until the onions start to soften. Add the broth to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits of the vegetables. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, cumin and bay leaf. Put the meat back into the pot on top of the stew.

Cover the pressure cooker with the lid ensuring the valve is in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. If using the instant pot, press cancel to stop the sauté mode before closing the lid, then manually add 40 minutes using the “+” sign.

After 40 minutes, when the cooking time is up, allow at least 10 minutes for the pressure to release itself naturally. Using the plastic spatula that came with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve with your oven mitts on and carefully open the lid.

Using two forks, shred the beef by pulling it apart into thin long strips. Serve with white rice, plantains, and black beans. ¡Que rico!

Brisket

1 three-pound brisket
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds yellow onions, cut into quarters
Kosher salt, paprika and garlic powder

Trim fat from the bottom of the brisket and season the entire brisket generously with the kosher salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Add oil to the instant pot and put on sauté mode, searing beef on both sides until brown. Remove the brisket and sauté onions until they are translucent. Put beef back into the pot and put on high pressure mode for 70 minutes. After 70 minutes, let the pressure naturally release. Open the pressure cooker carefully, transfer the brisket to a cutting board, and slice across the grain into ¼” slices. Serve with the onions and gravy.

Brisket

Super Bowl Snacks

It’s so exciting to have the Super Bowl in our backyard this year. Miami is a great city to visit, especially in February when the weather is wonderful. Although I didn’t score tickets to the game, I will still be watching from my friends Lisa and Tom’s house. They host it every year and it has grown larger and larger. Tom has now set up the television projection screen in the middle of the pool and everyone sits around his huge chickee hut and watches the game. It’s always a fun night. When I asked Lisa what she wanted me to bring she suggested anything that doesn’t require a lot of dish washing, her house is a “no dish zone” Here are two easy recipes that are yummy and always a crowd pleaser.

Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip

One Block of Cream Cheese (8 ounces)

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise

5 Ounces of Shredded Swiss Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Green Onion, chopped

8 slices of bacon,

Cook bacon until crisp to crumble. After it cools chop into small pieces. Mix all other ingredients into a pie dish. Microwave for 5 minutes. Sprinkle bacon on top. Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, carrots or crackers.

Note: If you are bringing it to a party, mix the cream cheese, swiss cheese, mayo and onions and put into pie dish. Bring the cooked bacon in a baggie. When you arrive at the party, microwave the dish and then sprinkle the bacon on top.

Baked Caramel Popcorn

12 cups of popped popcorn

1 stick of butter

1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup of dark or light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a large Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray. Place popped popcorn in the pot. In a small heavy pan, melt the butter, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Raise heat to medium high and heat to a boil stirring constantly. Continue to boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Slowly pout over popped popcorn, mixing well. Put into oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring the pot every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely. Break apart and store in tightly covered container.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

This banana bread is so easy a monkey could make it, if that monkey could read of course! You only need one bowl to make this and no sifting is involved. The best bananas for this recipe are the ones that are over-ripe. The yellow peel should be turning brown and the inside of the banana should be slightly mushy. You can get creative with it and add walnuts, pecans, craisins, raisins or just leave it plain. I always seem to buy too many bananas and don’t want to see them go to waste so I use them to make this easy bread. If you cannot use your bananas right away, ripe bananas freeze well so you could make it another time. Just let the bananas thaw out before making it so you can mash them up well.

You will need:

2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups mashed)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ cup of sugar
1 large egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
Optional:
½ cup of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, craisins or raisins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9” x 3” loaf pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Pour in the melted butter, mix in the baking soda and salt, and stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract and flour. At this time you can add in ½ cup of whatever you choose, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, etc.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Can be eaten warm or cool.

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Mixed Greens Salad with Figs, Prosciutto, Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese

This salad is addicting. I have made it numerous times over the past couple of weeks and everyone has loved it. The saltiness of the parmesan and prosciutto and the sweetness of the figs and the raspberry jam in the dressing are what makes this salad so delicious. The toasted walnuts give it an earthy crunch. You can also make this a vegetarian dish by leaving out the prosciutto. Microwaving the jam, figs, vinegar and minced shallot allows the flavors to meld before whisking in the olive oil. I promise that even non-salad lovers will eat this.

¼ cup of olive oil, total
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into one inch pieces
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of raspberry jam
1 small shallot, minced
½ cup of dried figs, stemmed and chopped (they can usually be found in the produce department of your local grocery store
8 cups of mixed greens lettuce, or you can use any type you like such as spring mix or arugula
½ cup of walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 ounces of parmesan cheese, shaved

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in frying pan over medium heat and add prosciutto and cook, stirring often until crisp, about minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper-toweled line plate and set aside.
2. Whisk vinegar, jam, shallot ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper together in a microwave safe bowl. Add chopped figs, cover and microwave for one minute. Remove from microwave and whisk in 3 tablespoons of oil. Let stand for 15 minutes until it has cooled completely. Whisk before adding to salad.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the mixed greens and the vinaigrette tossing gently until the salad leaves are coated. Add the prosciutto, walnuts and shaved parmesan and serve immediately.
Serves 6.

Porterhouse Steak, Peter Luger’s Style

This delicious porterhouse steak is similar to Peter Luger’s from his famous steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY is legendary. This one is cooked in butter in a cast iron skillet and will melt in your mouth. It’s the perfect steak to cook for a celebration or special event. The restaurant has been around over a hundred years and its definitely worth taking a trip to next time you visit the Big Apple.

1 Good Quality Porterhouse Steak, approximately 2 pounds
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 Teaspoon of ground pepper
4 Tablespoons of melted butter
Salt

Combine the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and garlic in a glass container. Mix well and add steak coating both sides with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate in the for 2-6 hours.

Remove steak from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat broiler and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove steak from marinade and season very generously with salt. Put into skillet and cook until a deep brown crust forms on one side approximately 4 minutes. Do not turn. Remove steak from pan and put onto a cutting board, browned side up.

Cut meat from the bone in 2 pieces, (strip steak and filet mignon). Slice both pieces straight down perpendicular to the bone, approximately 1” thick. Replace steak around the bone as neatly as possible and return it to the cast iron skillet browned side up. (It should look like a whole sliced steak, see picture.) Top with melted butter and broil for 5-6 minutes until the steak is medium rare. Serve it with buttery juices poured over.

New England Clam Chowder

This New England clam chowder is so silky and rich that you might wish the New England Patriots were always in the Super Bowl so you could serve it or bring it to your next Super Bowl party. It is not for those who are counting calories since it has whole milk and heavy cream but hey, that’s what make this “chowda” so good. I like to add a lot of clams to my chowder. There’s nothing like eating a hot bowl of this and being able to eat the clams the whole way through.

2 dozen little neck clams, well scrubbed
2 cups of water
6 slices of bacon, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large white onions, peeled and cut into ¼” diced pieces – about 4 cups
¼ cup unbleached white flour
6 small red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½’ diced pieces
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
2 10-ounce cans of whole baby clams
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Place the clams in a large soup pot with the 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium heat until the clams open. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Discard any that do not open.
2. Strain the broth into a colander lined with a paper towel into a bowl. Save the broth.
3. Cook the bacon for about 5 minutes in the soup pot over low heat until the bacon is wilted and slightly brown.
4. Add the butter and onions and cook for about 10 minutes . Add the flour and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the reserved clam broth, potatoes, Old Bay seasoning, thyme and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes longer until the potatoes are cooked through, add the whole baby clams and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the milk and cream and stir over low heat until hot. Do not boil or the soup will curdle. Adjust the seasoning, stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 10-12 regular sized portions. Serves about 20 as a first course or appetizer in smaller bowls or cups.

Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce and Stuffing

Thanksgiving usually brings leftover cranberry sauce, stuffing and turkey which makes for a great sandwich. This turkey sandwich is delicious and easy to make even if you don’t have leftovers. I recently made it for a party and used boxed stuffing, cranberry sauce from Trader Joe’s, white bread and turkey meat from the deli. I cut the sandwich into quarters for easy handling and it was a hit. My girlfriends and I first tasted it in Nantucket at a place called Provisions. It’s a quaint sandwich place that is conveniently located near the ferry so you can pick up your sandwich and board the ferry back to the mainland.

To make it you need two slices of soft white bread, stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey meat and mayonnaise. Spread the cranberry sauce on one side of the bread and the mayonnaise on the other piece of bread. Put turkey meat and stuffing on and there you have it. You will be pleasantly surprised when you bite into it and taste how delicious your leftovers can be.

Category: Recipe