Puff Pastry Mini Pizzas

It’s “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” So the song goes. And so can any entertaining you do. These puff pastry pizzas are an excellent example. I prepped them in less than 10 minutes, then set them aside and baked them just before my company came over. I usually make larger squares but wanted little bites, so I cut the puff pastry into hors d’oeuvres size and used sliced cherry tomatoes instead of regular ones. Here’s the basic recipe (cut smaller if desired):

FRESH TOMATO PUFF PASTRY PIZZA

3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick (use cherry tomatoes for hors d size); salt
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped basil
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Let rest 5 minutes and wipe the surface. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner on a floured surface. Cut lengthwise once and widthwise twice to make 8 smaller pieces (OR leave in one piece for a whole tart OR make smaller hors d’oeuvres size pieces). Place the pieces on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each with some mozzarella cheese. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 8 servings

Lemonade Cupcakes

I don’t know if lemonade is the official July 4th beverage, but it should be. Here’s my recipe for a homemade version that starts with syrup - you can store it and use it for drinks and also these wonderful cupcakes and frosting!

LEMONADE SYRUP
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups lemon juice (6-7 lemons)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Refrigerate at least one hour. Strain. Makes about 3 cups (to make lemonade, mix some cold water or seltzer with some syrup, add ice cubes).

LEMONADE CUPCAKES
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup lemonade syrup
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemonade syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 10 muffin cups. Beat the butter at medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Beat in the yogurt and 1/3 cup lemonade syrup. The mixture will look curdled. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat to blend ingredients thoroughly to a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Brush the remaining 3 tablespoons lemonade syrup over the cupcakes. Let cool. Frost and serve. Makes 10

LEMONADE FROSTING

1/2 cup butter
3-4 tablespoons lemonade syrup
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Beat the butter, 3 tablespoons lemonade syrup and the zest at medium speed until well mixed. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth and well blended. Add more lemonade syrup if needed for spreading consistency.

Nicoise Salad

I usually make Niçoise salad with canned tuna but it’s warm out and my grill is ready and there was this gorgeous hunk of fresh tuna at the market. So, Niçoise salad. It’s such a flexible recipe. Mine has fresh beans (sometimes I use canned cannellini or garbanzo beans), hard cooked eggs, tomatoes and potatoes over greens (plus the tuna of course). Before adding the greens, beans, potatoes and tomatoes to the platter I mixed them with some of this dressing: 2/3 cup olive oil mixed with 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of chopped basil (use just enough to moisten each. You may have some left over depending on how much of each salad ingredient you make). I sprinkled some of the dressing on top of the fish. Before serving I added some olives. What a terrific warm weather dinner! Btw, if you’re not a fish eater, you can make this same salad using tofu.

#saladenicoise #saladeniçoise #nicoise #nicoisesalad #grilledtuna #saladbowl #salad #tuna #tunasalad

Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp II

My grand daughter and her friend decided to make my Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp recipe this weekend, but had to change it somewhat to make it gluten free. I told her what to substitute and how to change quantities. They said it was amazingly delicious, the top came out nicely browned and the fruit and sauce perfect! I say bravo! Here is the gluten free version:

NECTARINE AND BLUEBERRY CRISP

1 cup gluten free flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter (or use margarine, solid coconut oil, vegetable shortening or a combination of these)
3 large ripe nectarines or peaches
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the 1 cup GF flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into chunks and work into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside. Cut the nectarines into chunks and place them in a bowl. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch and toss ingredients. Spoon into a baking dish. Top with the crumb mixture. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Makes 8 servings

#glutenfree #glutenfreecrisps #glutenfreeblueberrycrisp #blueberrycrisp #blueberrycrumble #glutenfreeblueberrycrumble #blueberrynectarinecrisp #fruitcrisp #fruitcrisps

Fresh Ginger Cake

It’s my birthday and most people have cake on their birthdays, right? I also discovered that today is National Gingerbread Day. So my birthday cake is what you see in the photo: a ginger CAKE made with fresh ginger, which gives a real spicy, peppery warmth to this version. Especially when you add a piece of crystallized ginger on top (which I do!). Here’s the recipe:

FRESH GINGER CAKE
3/4 cup butter
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour·
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x9” cake pan. Place the butter, molasses and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the butter has melted. Stir to blend ingredients thoroughly. Set aside to cool. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and beat the ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Add the ginger and eggs and beat them in. Pour in the milk and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8-10 servings

#gingercake #gingerbread #nationalgingerbreadday #ginger #birthdaycake #birthdaycakes #birthdaycakeideas

Applesauce Streusel Cake

Every day brings a new culinary joy. Yesterday was Gingerbread Day. Today: National Applesauce Cake Day. So, how about this recipe to celebrate?

APPLESAUCE CAKE
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milk

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into smaller pieces
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8” square cake pan. Beat the sugar and butter together with a mixer at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the applesauce, sour cream, egg and lemon zest and beat the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until well blended. Add half the milk and beat until well blended. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been used up. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Combine the streusel topping ingredients and mix them with your fingers, a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is mealy. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes then carefully invert the cake twice onto a cake rack to cool completely. Turn the cake right side up to cool completely.

Makes 8-10 servings

#nationalapplesaucecakeday #applesauce #applesaucecake #applesaucecakeday #applesaucecakeday2024 #cake #coffeecake

Grandma's Baked Blintzes

One of my grandma’s signature dishes was blintzes. But the cheese filling she made was different than the classic sweet version (with vanilla and/or cinnamon). Her blintz filling was lemony, and included cheese, egg and a small amount of sugar. Also, because there were so many of us, she had no time to fry them a couple at a time and still have everyone eat at the same time. So she placed the blintzes, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, topped each with a little dab of butter, and baked them until they were golden brown. I still love blintzes, lemony and baked. And so does my family. Grandma’s cheese filling recipe is below, but the instructions give you the option to make the more popular vanilla version (and also how to fry them). Don’t worry if the wrappers don’t fry into perfect circles — you’re going to roll them and if they’re a little off, no one will ever know.

GRANDMA’s CHEESE BLINTZ FILLING:
1 pound farmer’s cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest, optional (I always include)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Place the cheese, egg, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the lemon zest OR vanilla extract and mix in thoroughly. To fill each wrapper: use the first fried side as the inside of the blintz. Use about 2 tablespoons of filling for an 8-inch wrapper and place the filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom side up, over the filling. Fold the left side, then the right side over the filling, then roll up to enclose the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the blintzes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan, top each with a tiny piece of butter. Bake for about 10 minutes.

To fry: place the blintzes seam side down first over medium heat (using the same method as for frying the wrappers – let the butter melt and become foamy).

#blintzes #cheeseblintzes #shavuot #shavuot2024 #shavuos

Pierogies for a Delicious Dairy Dinner

After Father’s Day (heavy on the meat), I want a dairy dinner. These pierogies! One of my favorite meals. POTATO CHEESE PIEROGIS
FILLING:
3 cups mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup farmer cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a bowl. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes or until soft and golden. Add to the potatoes. Add the farmer cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside to cool. Use about one tablespoon filling for each pierogi. DOUGH: 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water, approximately
1 cup dairy sour cream Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dough until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup of water and the sour cream and mix the dough until it is soft and well blended. If it seems too dry, add more water. (Or use a food processor.) Let the dough rest at least 30 minutes. Roll portions of dough on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick and cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. To fill the pierogis: place filling in the center of each circle. Fold the circle in half, pinching the edges to seal. Heat 1 tablespoon butter plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add some of the pierogis (do not crowd the pan) and cook 3-4 minutes on the flat side, or until golden brown on the bottom, then turn them over and cook another 2-3 minutes or until golden. Repeat. Serve with sour cream. Makes about 4 dozen #pierogies #cheesepierogi #potatopierogies
#dairydinner

Blueberry Scones

Yesterday I did a cooking demo for a Tea Party at @newcanaan_ymca (for its Forever Well program). I prepared the essentials of Afternoon Tea: mini sandwiches and scones (some plain, some with blueberries). What fun we all had! And we feasted of course! Here’s the recipe for the scones: BLUEBERRY SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
Turbinado sugar, optional
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the butter in chunks and work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix the egg and buttermilk together and add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms. Add the blueberries and gently mix the dough to incorporate them, taking care not to crush the fruit. Break the dough in half and place on a floured surface. Press each half into a circle about 3/4” thick. Cut each circle into six wedges and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some turbinado sugar if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones are browned and well risen. Makes 12 #afternoontea #afternoonteatime #scones #sconesrecipe #blurberryscones #teatime

Mascarpone Dip for Strawberries

You know that Christmas carol “Joy to the world?” That’s what I started humming when I spotted these strawberries at a local market today. I bought a lot of them. The ones in the bowl are my portion! They are so perfect they don’t need anything. No sugar or sauce or whipped cream or anything. But if you insist, here’s a lovely dip for strawberries: MASCARPONE DIP
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (or use cream cheese at room temperature)
2 tablespoons dark rum, orange flavored brandy or orange juice
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Beat the ingredients together until well blended