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Showing posts with label pastry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pastry. Show all posts

Saturday, February 14, 2015

A Simple and Elegant Thanksgiving Appetizer Creamy Chicken and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites


I’m still shaking my head in disbelief that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! It seems like it was just Labor Day, and now the holidays are nearly upon us again. This year, we’re headed to Houston for a quickie overnight trip to celebrate and watch the Texans-Lions game with family. That means I’m not cooking the big meal this year…but I plan to take an easy appetizer to share with everyone. It needs to be simple to make but pack a lot of Wow Factor. I found just the thing in a cookbook from Philadelphia Cream Cheese: Creamy Chicken and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites. Using frozen puff pastry and other convenience products saved me a ton of time, but I promise the end results will have everybody talking.

One of my favorite holiday secrets is puff pastry…I always have a package in my freezer. It saves a ton of time in the kitchen, and the results are always perfect: golden brown and crispy! These little bites take about 15 minutes to assemble and bake for 15 minutes, so you can have them plated and ready to feed a hungry crowd in about 30 minutes! These are simple, but elegant appetizers…and the cranberry sets the mood for the upcoming meal! I made two minor additions to the original recipe: I sprinkled the puff pastry squares with dried chives and parsley, and I sprinkled some chopped California walnuts on top for extra crunch and flavor. Let me show you just how simple they are to whip up.

Creamy Chicken and Cranberry Puff Pastry Bites
adapted from Spread a Little Joy

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400. Spread half a package of puff pastry dough on a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a Silpat. Cut the puff pastry into 12 squares. Sprinkle each square with dried chives and parsley.


Step 2: Add a dollop of whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese to each square -- about 1.5 tsp. Top with shredded rotisserie chicken breast and whole-berry cranberry sauce. Finally, sprinkle some chopped California walnuts on top of each pastry.


Step 3: As you can see above, some of the juice from the cranberry sauce leaked onto the puff pastry. Drain it as well as possible, but dont worry if it drains like some of mine did...itll still bake up nice and golden. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden. Turn the pan around halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. The cream cheese is lava-hot when the pan comes out of the oven, so make sure to let the bites cool for a few minutes before serving.


This is my kind of appetizer: simple to make, great presentation, and lots of flavor. A few simple ingredients combine to make a perfect little bite: warm cream cheese sweet-tart cranberries, and toasted walnuts combine really nicely with the roasted chicken. The puff pastry cooks up golden and crispy, making a great base. I loved this flavor combo, and the squares look so pretty on the plate. If you like brie en croute, this will be right up your alley! I hope that appetizer makes an appearance on your Thanksgiving menu next week...let me know if you try it!

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Puff Pastry Breakfast Chimichanga Rolls for EBeggs yourbestrecipe Contest a Prize Pack Giveaway

May is National Egg Month, celebrating eggs...one of the most versatile foods that I know of! Do you have a fabulous original recipe in your repertoire that features eggs? If so, then Ive got great news to share with you today! You can now go visit the Eggland’s Best website to enter their 2014 Eggland’s Best Recipe Contest. Theyll accept original recipes containing at least TWO Egglands Best eggs via their website between now and July 31st. One lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize and a years supply of EB eggs. In addition, category winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and a six-month supply of EB eggs. This year, Eggland’s Best is adding two new cash prize awards to their contest: the Kid Friendly Award and the Fan Favorite Award! Not all eggs are created the same! Eggland’s Best eggs are superior in nutrition, taste, and freshness. May is National Egg Month, celebrating one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen -- eggs! By choosing Eggland’s Best eggs over ordinary eggs, youre getting an egg that is fresher, tastes better, and contains more vitamins and nutrients. Did you know the majority of vitamins and nutrients of an egg are found in the yolk? Compared to ordinary eggs, EB eggs have:

o   Four times more vitamin D
o   More than double the omega-3s
o   Ten times more vitamin E
o   25% less saturated fat

Egglands Best eggs are the brand that I use most often in my recipes, so I can vouch that they cook up great and have a fantastic taste! For my original contest entry, Im sharing a fabulous dish that works equally well as a weeknight breakfast-for-dinner entree or a leisurely weekend brunch. My Puff Pastry Breakfast Chimichanga Rolls feature all my favorite Tex-Mex flavors in a savory handheld pocket. Theyre a snap to make, and they cook up flaky and golden brown. 


Puff Pastry Breakfast Chimichanga Rolls
a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients:
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 4 Eggland’s Best large eggs
• 1 tbs. butter
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 ounces cooked, crumbled Mexican chorizo
• 3/4 cup canned refried black beans
• 3/4 cup prepared pico de gallo
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 large avocado, diced small
• 3/4 cup shredded four-cheese Mexican blend
• Garlic salt and chili powder

Instructions:
Step 1: Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Beat the eggs and season with salt & pepper. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Cook the chorizo in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, breaking into crumbles as it cooks. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Combine the pico de gallo, corn, and diced avocado in a small bowl to make a chunky corn-avocado salsa. Preheat oven to 425. Top a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Cut the thawed puff pastry into four squares and arrange on top of the parchment.
Step 3: Spread each puff pastry square with one-fourth of the refried black beans. Then top with one-fourth of the scrambled eggs, chorizo, and cheese along the right side of each square. Top with one spoonful of the corn-avocado salsa. 
Step 4: Carefully roll the puff pastry squares into a tight log, making sure the filling stays inside. Sprinkle the tops with salt and chili powder.Bake until golden-brown, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut in half with a serrated knife to show off the gorgeous filling inside!
Additional Notes:
(1) To make this dish veg-friendly, substitute soy chorizo.
(2) This dish is easily doubled if you have a crowd on hand.
(3) I served the sliced Puff Pastry Breakfast Chimichanga Rolls on a serving platter with the remaining corn-avocado salsa and ranch dressing on the side. I loved drizzling them
with a bit of the ranch and sprinkling more salsa on top like pretty confetti!

I totally loved these portable breakfast rolls! Stuffed inside flaky puff pastry is layers of fluffy scramble eggs, spicy chorizo and salsa, gooey melted cheese, and smoky refried beans. Add it all up, and youve got a winner of a dish...at least, Im hoping that this dish will be a contest winner! Speaking of winner...Egglands Best is offering a prize pack to help one lucky reader purchase ingredients to create their original recipe entry. The winner will receive TWO coupons for a free carton of Egglands Best eggs and a $25 Visa gift card! Follow the instructions below to enter. Ill accept entries until Friday, May 9th, and the winner will be notified via e-mail this weekend. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The Eggland’s Best coupons, information, and two gift cards have been provided by Eggland’s Best.


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Sunday, January 25, 2015

How to Make Custard A Pastry Cream for Scandinavian Dessert Recipes Creme budding opskrift

We hope you enjoy our Custard recipe! Let us know what you think! Perfect to use for various Scandinavian Desserts such as cookies and cakes.




Custard Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 2/3 cups of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4  cup of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • pinch of salt
 Kitchen Utensils
  • kitchen pot
  • large bowl
  • measuring cup
  • wooden spoon
  • plastic wrap

Custard Preparation 

  1. Heat milk over the stove at medium heat.  Do not boil the milk. 
  2. Combine sugar, flour, salt and the two eggs in a bowl  Mix the mixture in the bowl.  
  3. Add a little of the egg-sugar-flour mixture to the warm pot of milk that is on the stove.  Pour a little more of the mixture into the warm milk, stirring constantly.  Stir constantly to avoid the custard becoming lumpy and to prevent it from burning.  
  4. When the custard has thickened pour it into a bowl.  
  5. Next add the butter and stir it into the warn mixture.  
  6. Then add vanilla into the milk mixture. You dont want the vanilla to boil. So the vanilla should be added last.  
  7. Cover over the bowl of custard with plastic wrap.  Place the bowl in the fridge at least two hours. You can sprinkle sugar over the custard while cooling so that a skin will not form too. Cool custard completely in the refrigerator - a minimum of 2 hours. 
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