Tuesday Recipes

Can you believe it's already October? Where did the summer go? Where did the year go? Some time in the next week or two, I'll be posting a few pumpkin and cranberry recipes; next month, it'll be recipes for Thanksgiving. December? Gift-giving recipes, including, but not limited to cookies.

In the meantime, here are today's six recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

PEACH ICE CREAM

Is there anything better than homemade ice cream? And while many of us think of homemade ice cream as simply a summer treat, there's no reason you can't make it at other times of the year.

This is from Julia Reed in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “This easy ice cream is meant to evoke hazy memories of a summer spent luxuriating on a front porch, cold glass in hand, waiting as your ice cream maker does the churning work for a late-afternoon treat. Use the best peaches you can find — the flavor of this depends directly on the fruit. You can also use mangoes or strawberries, or other stone fruits. Use your imagination, but let the ice cream maker do most of the work.” Yield: 1 1/2 quarts, 6 to 8 servings; Time: About 1 hour, plus freezing.

This was featured in “Food; Frozen Assets” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 pounds ripe peaches

1 1/4 cups sugar (or more, as needed)

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 quart (4 cups) heavy cream

1 2-inch piece of vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

Preparation

Peel peaches over a large bowl to catch the juice. Halve and pit them and chop roughly. Place in the bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar, the salt and lemon juice and let them sit for 30 minutes.

While peaches macerate, put cream and remaining sugar in saucepan with vanilla bean or vanilla. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to keep from scorching, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Discard vanilla bean.

Pour cream over peaches and mix thoroughly. Taste to see if it needs more sugar. (This will depend on the peaches.) Refrigerate until chilled.

Pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions until set but not quite hard. (If serving immediately, freeze harder.) Pack the ice cream into a bowl or mold to completely solidify. When it has hardened, dip mold into hot water or wrap in a hot towel and invert onto a serving platter. Or, simply scoop and serve.

BUTTERSCOTCH PEACHES

This is from Celia Barbour in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Celia wrote, “I make a peach-butterscotch sauce that I dreamed up to impress my children, whose love for me, though unwavering, I am nonetheless constantly trying to cement with food. The result was delectable. We ate the sauce straight from the pot. We ate it from the serving dish. And we ate what was left for dessert that night, poured over Ronnybrook vanilla ice cream with chewy gingersnaps from Hawthorne Valley on the side. My children’s adoration of me was unaffected by the butterscotch, but their energy level definitely got a boost from all the sugar.” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “Ode to the Peach: A Cook Baffled, and Then at Peace” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

6 medium or 5 large ripe peaches

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon honey

Pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Vanilla ice cream

Almond biscotti, gingersnaps or other cookies

Preparation

Fill a large bowl with ice and water, and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place peaches in boiling water for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice water. When cool, drain and pat dry.

Working over a bowl to catch the juice, peel skins from peaches, squeezing as much juice as possible from the skins. Slice each peach into 10 to 12 slices, and set aside with juice; discard skin and pits.

In medium skillet over low heat, melt butter. Raise heat to medium-high and cook butter until it foams, subsides, foams again and begins to brown. As soon as butter is nut-brown, add the peaches with juices. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes, then place skillet over low heat to keep warm.

In medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine cream, sugar, honey and salt. Place over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely melted. Raise heat to medium and let boil without stirring until it turns a rich golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (Because of honey and cream it will appear to turn pale brown before it has caramelized; wait until it has darkened noticeably, thickened and reduced before proceeding.) Carefully pour contents of skillet into saucepan; it will boil and spatter; stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add vanilla or other flavoring. Serve warm or at room temperature over ice cream, with cookies on the side.

CHICKEN POT PIE TURNOVERS

This is from Melissa d’Arabian of The Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners. Total Time: 1 hr 25 min; Prep: 20 min; Inactive: 10 min; Cook: 55 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/chicken-pot-pie-turnovers-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery with salt and pepper, to taste, until the carrots soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently. Add the flour and cook off the raw flavor, about 1 minute more. Turn up the heat to medium-high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Whisk in the stock and Dijon mustard. Add the peas and chicken and cook on a very low simmer until the sauce thickens up into a gravy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry dough and cut into 4 even squares (cut once horizontally and once vertically). Gently roll out each square, increasing the size of the square by about 20 percent. Place the squares on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture in the center. Fold the squares diagonally to create triangles. Pinch the edges together to create turnovers (use a little water if needed to bind). Press the edges with a fork to create a decorative border. Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush the turnovers with the egg wash. Cut a small slit in the top to allow the steam to escape during baking. Bake the turnovers until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving as the insides will be very hot.

BAKED CREAM CORN WITH RED BELL PEPPERS AND JALAPENOS

This yummy recipe is from Ree Drummond, also on The Food Network. Total Time: 1 hr 5 min; Prep: 15 min; Cook: 50 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/baked-creamed-corn-with-red-bell-peppers-and-jalapenos-recipe.html?oc=linkback.

Ingredients

8 ears corn, husked

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, diced

1 cup heavy cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 stick salted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the corn kernels from the ear in a large, deep bowl with a sharp knife. Turn the knife to the dull side and scrape the cob all the way down to remove all the bits of kernel and the creamy milk.

Add the red bell peppers, jalapenos, heavy cream, 2 teaspoons salt, a generous amount of pepper and the butter and mix well. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes.

BEIGNETS

This was posted on TODAY Recipes (yes, from The TODAY Show), and is from Kix Brooks. The recipe begins, “Country legend Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn fame) has a new cookbook called ‘Cookin' It with Kix.’ Here, he shares how to make classic beignets at home, and it's way easier than you think!” Let me tell you, if you’ve never eaten a beignet, you’re in for a real treat. They’re absolutely delicious!

You can view this online here.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups purpose flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

Pour enough oil to come halfway up the sides of a large, heavy deep pot. Heat the oil over high heat for 360 degrees.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the flour, milk, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to make a smooth batter.

In batches, without crowding, drop heaping tablespoons (or use an ice cream scoop) of the batter into the pot of oil. Fry, turning the beignets occasionally, until evenly browned. This could take several minutes. The best way to know if they're done is to take one out, cut it in half, and see if it's done in the middle. Use a slotted metal spoon to transfer the beignets to paper towels to drain.

Sift the powdered sugar onto the beignets, and serve immediately for breakfast or brunch. Or serve them as a dessert with ice cream.

Kix tip: For a little something different, mix equal parts powdered sugar and cinnamon together, and sprinkle onto the freshly fried beignets. Or mix several small bowls of powdered sugar and other spices, such as cardamom, nutmeg, or even cayenne pepper, and let your guests sprinkle on the sugar of their choice.

SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS

This comes from Family Time, and begins, “Sink your teeth into these mouthwatering sliders, that are easy to make and really fun to eat.” Serves: 8 servings (3 sliders each); Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

3 pounds ground beef

ketchup or 2 cups barbecue sauce

1 cup French's® Classic Yellow® mustard

1/2 cup French's® worcestershire sauce

2 packages (15 ounces each) Pepperidge Farm® Mini Sandwich Buns (White or Wheat)

Directions

Heat the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the beef to the saucepot and cook until it's well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir the barbecue sauce, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in the saucepot. Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Divide the beef mixture among the buns.