Double Blueberry Muffins

After you taste this blueberry muffin recipe from Gale Gand's Butter Sugar Flour Eggs, you may not want another. I'm making them just as soon as it cools down here (we're so spoiled... the mercury rarely goes above the mid-80s, even in August).

Double Blueberry Muffins

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place paper liners in a muffin tin.

Cream the butter until smooth with an electric or stand mixer. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt.

In a shallow bowl, mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries with a fork. Add to the batter and mix.

With the mixer running on low, add half of the flour, then half of the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups whole blueberries by hand. Scoop into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the muffins. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool in pan 30 minutes before turning out.

Frozen Lemon Cheesecake

What could be more refreshing on a hot summer night than a slice of frozen lemon cheesecake? I found this recipe in one of those little neighborhood papers a year or so ago. For the crust, you could use a graham cracker crust (see below) or the shortbread crust specified. Don't you wonder what this would taste like with orange instead of lemon and an Oreo crust, though?

Frozen Lemon Cheesecake

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
zest of 2 small lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups whipping cream
shortbread crust

Crust

21 shortbread cookies (1 1/2 inches square), finely ground
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth with an electric or stand mixer, about 4 to five minutes, scraping bowl often. Add 1 cup of sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, continuing to beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Beat whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour cheesecake into prepared pan. Freeze at least 8 hours before serving. Garnish slices with fresh blueberries or a dollop of lemon curd, if desired.

Remembrances of My Father

Rick Bragg, writing in The Prince of Frogtown, says the author Willie Morris once told him about his father, "There is no place you can go he will not be." That's certainly true for me today... my father's birthday. Reminders of my father, Jim, are everywhere, especially in my kitchen.

My father was a gentleman and scholar, as they say, more than a cook, but I will never forget the little things he did to show he cared.

Because I didn't share his love of soft boiled eggs, he would scramble mine. Once in a while, I can come close to replicating his, cooked in butter with a touch of milk, salt and black pepper, which he always served with perfectly crispy bacon and freshly made Minute Maid orange juice. Since his long illness and passing, I have yet to taste a glass of sweet tea with lemon that even comes close to his, though.

Sometimes, it's a a couple of chocolate-covered graham crackers or bowl of hot cereal... my sisters tell me that before I was born, he would make different kinds so each of my five siblings could have their favorite. Like his mother, he had a sweet tooth... donuts, Hershey bars and ice cream were a must in our house. I still can't have a bowl of Neapolitan, Spumoni, French Vanilla or Cherry Bordeaux without thinking of him. And, I doubt I will ever meet anyone that appreciates a good peanut butter sandwich more than my father.

Years ago, when my mother made something that didn't appeal to either of us (tongue comes to mind), he took me out for a burger and fries at Jon's Drive-In (hopefully still standing in Mount Pleasant, Michigan).

Of course, my father is the reason why I've never made my daughter eat even a single thing she didn't want to. If that's spoiling, then so be it.

Thanks, Dad... you were the gem of the ocean.

Orange Bars

It's hard to decide which is better... the lemon squares below, or these divine orange ones, adapted from the winter 2008 issue of Taste of the South. These might be just a touch more flavorful, with the addition of orange extract. I've taken the liberty of omitting the 1/2 cup ground almonds in the shortbread crust. Feel free to include them if you prefer the texture they lend.

Orange Bars

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 powdered sugar
1 cup butter, cut into small cubes
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or your hands, add in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into the bottom of a buttered 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

While the crust bakes, whisk together the sugar, eggs, orange juice, orange zest and extract. Whisk in the baking powder and remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Pour over crust and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cut into small squares, garnishing with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, if desired.

Pork Milanese

A few breadcrumbs and a little oil take pork or chicken to another level. If you're pressed for time, simply buy the chops or breasts in cutlet form. The following recipe is adapted from a recent issue of Food & Wine Magazine. I opt to pan fry in canola, rather than olive oil, because of its higher smoking point. Before you begin assembling your Milanese, be sure to taste the breadcrumb mixture so you know it will be flavorful. This dish goes especially well with either buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Pork Milanese

4 to 6 cutlets 1/4-inch each
1 cup panko
1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
grating of fresh nutmeg
1/2 all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Combine panko, Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. First, dredge the pork in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip the pork in the egg. Finally, dredge the pork in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly so that the cutlets will have a nice crust.

Heat 1/4 to 1/3 cup canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 2 or 3 cutlets at a time until nicely golden and crisp on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Remove and pat with paper towels. Place cutlets in the oven until pork reaches 160 degrees, about another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Brunch Anyone?

Our family gets together for brunch at least several times a year. Among are favorites are quiche, roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus. Just add brown sugar bacon or ham and a coffee cake and you're all set.

This recipe for quiche comes from my sister, Sue. She swears by cubed, rather than grated Swiss, after a particularly memorable dinner mishap years ago. I've never made it any other way. Occasionally, though, I might add a little saute of red pepper and broccoli to one of the quiches for my mother, who can never have too many veggies... despite my warnings that more than few tablespoons of rabbit food will surely make the crust soggy.

For the asparagus, snap off the woody ends and rinse thoroughly. Submerge asparagus completely in cold water (preferable tips down) for at least 15 minutes to remove any remaining grit. Remove and dry. Toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a liberal amount of kosher salt and pepper. Roast on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Grate a few tablespoons of Grana Padano over the asparagus before serving.

Quiche

2 unbaked pie shells
8 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
8 oz. Swiss cheese, cubed and divided
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced and divided
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the eggs and evaporated milk, beating with a mixer or wire whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add half of the cubed cheese and green onions to the unbaked pie shells; cover equally with egg mixture.

Bake until eggs have set, approximately 40 minutes.

Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or more to taste)
handful of garlic cloves, cracked
kosher salt and black pepper
sprig of rosemary (or thyme)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, brushing with a thin coat of olive oil to prevent the potatoes from sticking.

Slice the potatoes into uniform halves (or quarters, if larger). Remove the rosemary from the stem and chop. Remove skins from garlic. Toss potatoes with olive oil, whole garlic cloves (minced would become acrid), rosemary, salt and pepper.

Spread potatoes across the cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until potatoes are golden and tender.

Spaghetti with a Delicate Tomato Sauce

Don't be put off by the simplicity of the ingredients. You and your children will love this comforting dish, adapted from On Top of Spaghetti by Johanne Killeen and George Germon. I prefer to use more tomato juice than chicken broth, and have cut the amount of butter by half... 4 tablespoons is plenty. I also reduce everything more, which results in a more velvety sauce. If you're using homemade stock, you may need to add a bit of salt, as the authors do.

Spaghetti with a Delicate Tomato Sauce

1 lb. spaghetti or linguine
1 11.5 oz. can tomato juice
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
freshly grated Grana Padano
black pepper to taste

Cook pasta until just slightly underdone in ample, salted boiling water.

In the meantime, combine the tomato juice, chicken broth and 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet large enough to accommodate the pasta. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and reduce by approximately one-half, or until the sauce takes on an almost creamy texture.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring in the last 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with black pepper. Raise the heat, tossing the pasta and sauce until they're "married," but before the pasta has a change to overcook. Serve with freshly grated Grana Padano.