Blueberry Compote

This is a warm blueberry filling or topping for pancakes, waffles, etc. The same principle should work for a strawberry or raspberry compote, though you may want to add a little strawberry or raspberry jam with those kinds of fruit.

About 3 c. fresh blueberries or 1 lb. package frozen blueberries.
1/4 c. sugar
Pinch salt
2-3 t. lemon juice (I like to add a little lemon rind too)

1. Mix the blueberries, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan; cook until the fruit is cooked and the sauce thickens a little from the natural starches in the berries.
2. Just before taking off the heat, add the lemon.
   

Tips:

• I freeze my own blueberries; it's cheaper and the quality of the fruit is often better. I get a carton or two when they're on sale, wash and sort them, and set them uncovered on a metal sheet pan in the freezer. Once they're frozen (a couple of hours), I bag them in freezer-safe plastic bags and put them back in the freezer and they're ready to put in blueberry muffins, blueberry compote, etc.
• You can always use Ultra-Gel to thicken a compote or sauce if it's a little thin.
  
• If you're going to use another kind of fruit and jam with it, add the jam just at the end with the lemon juice.
  

Buttermilk Waffles

Another recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Yield: 6-8 waffles, depending on the size of the waffle iron

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. fine-ground cornmeal (Optional, but gives a little crunch. I keep cornmeal just for this.)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites (Make sure NO yolk gets in the whites!)
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
Pinch of cream of tartar

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, and buttermilk.
3. In another, separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about two minutes.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into it. Whisk very gently (no more than absolutely necessary) until the buttermilk mixture is incorporated in the dry ingredients mixture. A few lumps should remain.
5. Towards the end of mixing, fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
   
6. When the waffle iron is heated to an appropriate temperature, brush it with butter or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. (I find that the non-stick cooking spray is much more difficult to get off.)
7. Put waffle batter in waffle iron. Remove the waffle when fully cooked and golden brown and repeat for more waffles.
   

Tips:

• I regularly substitute regular milk with about 1 T./cup of vinegar or lemon juice added. Stir in the acid and set this mixture aside for five minutes before adding to the recipe.
• Do not overmix the batter.
• Serve the waffles immediately or hold them in a 200-degree oven until all are cooked. Place the waffles on wire rack set on a baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel; place in the oven. When all waffles are ready, remove from the oven and remove the towel for a few minutes to allow the waffles to crisp up.
  
• Top with syrups (maple or fruit), fruit fillings, ice cream, fresh fruit, etc.
  

Crepes

I've seen and used a number of different recipes for crepes, but this one is pretty satisfactory and, best of all, easy. Just use a hand-mixer or blender. Adapted from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which has been worth every cent I paid for it.

Yield: about 20 7-inch crepes (typical crepe pans make closer to 10-inch crepes)

1 c. whole milk
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
6 T. water
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 t. salt
Additional butter or margarine for greasing the pan.

For dessert crepes add:
2-3 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla

1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth, about 4 seconds. Transfer to a covered contained and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours. (Up to 2 days.)
2. Gently stir the batter to combine if it appears to have separated. Heat a non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Brush the pan bottom and sides lightly with butter; the butter should sizzle when it touches the pan.
3. Scoop crepe batter into the pan. (Around 2 1/2 T. for a 7" crepe, closer to a full 1/4 c. for a 10" crepe.) Quickly swirl the pan around with your wrist so that the batter thinly and evenly coats the pan; the batter should begin to set and cook nearly instantly.
4. Set the pan back on the heat and cook for 30-60 seconds, until the side is a spotty golden brown. The edges of the crepe should get a little crispy; scrape down the edges just a little and slide a spatula or rubber scraper under them until an edge comes loose enough to slide something under it.
   
5. Flip the crepe and continue to cook for about 30 seconds, until the second side is a spotty golden brown.
6. Transfer the crepe to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool.
7. Repeat with the remaining crepe batter. You can set cooked crepes on top of each other.
   

Tips:

• I've used skim milk instead of whole and margarine instead of unsalted butter. As I recall, it worked fine. But following the recipe when you can might offer best results.
  
• If you're using salted butter or margarine, you can reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. I don't recall finding the recipe too salty if I didn't adjust the amount of salt, though. You may want to reduce the amount of salt slightly for dessert crepes and keep it at this level for savory crepes.
• My preference, when possible, is to use a real crepe pan, which is flat and has only very shallow, gently sloping sides. It also helps to have an appropriate implement for sliding under the crepe and flipping it. (Street crepe venders use something shaped like a very thin T for this purpose, but with a small pan I like to use what looks like a thin wooden paddle with a pointed end and nearly sharp edges.) You can also use a heat-resistant spatula or rubber scraper to slide around and just under the edges of the crepe to loosen the edges and check to see how done the crepe is on the underside.
• Count on ruining the first crepe or two and probably the last while you adjust the heat, the amount of butter in the pan, and the amount of batter you add for each crepe.
  
• If you don't have a blender or mixer, this recipe becomes more difficult. Sift the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg, milk, water, and melted butter together in another bowl. Gradually whisk the liquid mixture into the flour mixture; you may want to pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps.
• Crepes can be made ahead, double-wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. To defrost, thaw the crepes in the refrigerator for a day before filling and rolling.
  
• Serve dessert crepes with fruit fillings, sugar and a little lemon juice, hazelnut spreads like Nutella, butter or margarine with a little sugar, cream cheese with a little jam or preserves, etc. Yoghurt, ice cream, custard, and pudding might also work nicely as sweet fillings.
  
• Savory crepes can be topped with, for example, thin slices of ham or other deli meats, egg, sliced vegetables or mushrooms with herbs, different kinds of cheeses, etc. Yum!
  

Jalepeno Poppers

Adapted from a recipe courtesy of my sister, Rebecca Teets.

Yield: About 40 poppers.

20 jalapeno peppers, halved. (Remove the seeds and internal ribs unless you want them very hot.)
1 lb. sausage (I use pork)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened.
1 8-oz. package Parmesan cheese, grated
Juice from most of 1 small lime
1/2(?) t. cumin
I added a generous dollop of sour cream, but it isn't necessary.

Brown the sausage with a little minced onion and salt and pepper. Cut or mash it into small pieces. Mix cream cheese, lemon juice, cumin, pork, sour cream, and Parmesan cheese together. Stuff the pepper halves with the mix. Bake the stuffed peppers on a cookie sheet or such at about 325 degrees F for 10-20 minutes, depending on how cooked you want the pepper and stuffing to be. (My sister likes the peppers practically still crunchy, while I like them all hot and the top nicely browned.)

Carbonara Pasta

Recipe courtesy of Brooke Bates.

Yield: 6 servings

2 T. olive oil
4 oz. Pancetta or bacon, cut into strips or pieces
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
3 T. fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, minced
Salt to taste

Pasta:
6 quarts boiling water
1 T. salt
1 lb. pasta
Ground pepper to taste

In a small frying pan, over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and saute, stirring frequently, until golden and nearly crisp (about 9-10 minutes). Set aside to cool.

In a large warmed bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, parsley, and salt to taste. Add the pancetta and any drippings and stir to mix well.

In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the 1 T. salt and the pasta and cook according to the package directions or until al dente. Drain and add to the egg mixture. Toss to mix well.

To serve, divide among individual warmed plates. Top with pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Pesto Sauce (Herbco)

Courtesy of Brooke Bates, from the label of basil for HerbCo.net.

Yield: 6 servings

1 4-oz. package fresh basil, washed and dried
1/2 c. Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
2 t. Extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 c. pine nuts

In a food processor, add cheese and basil leaves. Add olive oil, followed by garlic and pine nuts. Allow each ingredient to blend smoothly with the preceding ones. Let stand for one hour.

Refrigerate or freeze the pesto sauce. Use with pasta, salads, meat, fish, poultry, and bread.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This tasted incredible. :)

Yield: 1 Cheesecake

For 9" cheesecake:

Crust:
1 c. chocolate cookie crumbs
3 T. white sugar
1/4 c. melted butter
(I used Oreos and, instead of adding sugar, added the white filling from the Oreos to the butter.)

Mix the butter/sugar mixture and the crumbs and press it evenly into the bottom of a springform pan.

Raspberry Sauce:
1 10-12 oz. package frozen raspberries.
2-3 T. sugar
2-3 t. corn starch (3-4 1/2 t. Ultra-Gel)
1/2-2/3 c. water

Mash up the berries and add water; add raspberry jam if desired to make a little extra. Add mix of sugar and corn starch or Ultra-Gel. If using corn starch, put mixture over medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes until thick. Strain the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

Filling:
2 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. half-and-half
3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place chocolate chips and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
3. In another large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Blend in vanilla and melted chocolate mixture and stir to combine all ingredients.
5. Pour half of the batter over the crust in the springform pan. Spoon 3-5 T. of the raspberry sauce over the batter.
6. Pour in the remaining cheesecake batter. Top with 3-5 T. more of the raspberry sauce. Swirl the batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
7. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the filling puffs up and sets around the sides and the middle is still slightly wiggly.

Tips:

• Use high-quality chocolate for best results. :)
• Don't mix more than necessary.
• Put a pan full of hot water in the oven with the cheesecake while it's baking. This will help keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking.
• Don't open the oven door more than you have to.
• When you take the cheesecake out of the oven, run a sharp knife around the outside edge of the cheesecake but leave the cheesecake in the pan to cool. This will allow the cheesecake to retract properly as it cools.
• Cool the cheesecake on a rack in an area with a constant temperature. Let cool for 2-3 hours before storing in the refrigerator for at least 8-12 hours. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cheesecake again before releasing the springform pan and removing the cheesecake from the outside ring of the pan.
  

For 10" cheesecake:
Raspberry sauce would be the same.

Crust:
20-24 Oreos
1/3-1/2 c. (just enough to get crumbs to stick together)

Filling:
2 2/3 c. white chocolate chips
2/3 c. half-and-half
4 3-oz. packages cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract