February Gourmet Dinner

I called Epic restaurant in SLC and asked for the ingredients in my favorite salad there. I bought the dressing from them which is to die for and makes the salad.

Ken's Salad

Epic Restaurant

baby mixed greens

granny smith apples cut up in thin slices (which I forgot and they are still in my fridge)

candied pecans (put pecans and a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in skillet over med/high temp and stir till sugar melts onto the pecans)

oven baked Roma tomatoes (slice tomatoes in half the long way and place them face down on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 185 degrees for 10-12 hours. Then place in fridge until ready to serve.)

Fontine cheese, finely grated

Mix greens with Epic's dressing and place on individual plates. Use a spatula and place half a tomato on each, sprinkle with apples, tomatoes, nuts and cheese.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Stephanie Clark (I doubled this recipe to serve 9)

3-4 Large onions, sliced into rings

2-3 T. butter

3 (14 oz.) can beef broth

2 T. Worchestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

dash of garlic powder

dash of salt

dash of pepper

Crusty French baguette, cut into slices

Guryre or Emmental Swiss Cheese, grated or slices

Melt butter in a skillet over medium/high heat. Add sliced onions and saute until tender. I cooked them until they had carmelized (about 30-40 min.) In a slow cooker, combine broth, water, worchestershire sauce, bay leaves, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir in onions and butter. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours. If you desire a richer flavor add beef boullion or another tablespoon of worchestershire sauce.

Baked Virginia Ham

Barefoot Contessa

1 fully cooked spiral-cut smoked ham (14-16 lbs.)

6 garlic cloves, peeled

3/4 cup good mango chutney (8 1/2 0z)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the ham on a heavy roasting pan. Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the chutney, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour, or until the ham is fully heated and the glaze is well browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Baguette

Desserts and Less Important Things Cookbook

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoon)

1 1/4 cup warm water

3 cup flour, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornmeal

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup. Add 2 3/4 cups flour to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, sprinkle evenly with salt. Knead until the salt is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent dough from sticking to hands. (Dough will feel slightly sticky). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in warm place, 40 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two finger into dough. If an indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half. Working with 1 portion at a time, cover remaining dough to prevent drying out. Roll each portion on a floured surface into 12 inch rope, slightly tapered at ends. Place ropes on large baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray, and cover. Let rise 20 minutes, until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Uncover the dough. Cut diagonal slits 1/4-inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped.

Raspberry Butter

Amy Olsen

1 lb. butter

8 oz. creamed honey

8 oz. raspberry jam (I prefer seedless)

Microwave butter till very soft and mix with other ingredients. Can divide up and freeze for later. This is delicious on all breads. We also love it on bran muffins for breakfast.

Lemon Rice with Pinenuts

Adapted from Ivory Family Favorites

3 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (I like sticky rice)

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted (I don't toast)

1/4 fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried dill

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

I put all the ingredients in a rice cooker and start it. If you do not have a rice cooker--In large saucepan, heat chicken broth and rice to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add reserved cooked rice, pinenuts, lemon juice, and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately.

Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

Adapted from Ivory Family Favorites (I doubled this recipe to serve 9)

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen

3 teaspoons almond extract

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Stir in milk; blend. Pour melted butter over dough. Toss blackberries with almond extract. Spoon over top of dough. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until dough rises to top and is brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.