Honey Fruit Truffles

by Anne Papina on January 5, 2007

Contributed with permission by the National Honey Board.

Honey Fruit Truffles
 
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http://www.webicurean.com/guests/honey_holidays.shtml
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • ½ cup honey
  • 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ½ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
  1. Combine chocolate, honey, butter and cream in top of double boiler.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth.( Microwave Method: In medium microwave-safe container, combine chocolate, honey, butter and cream. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.)
  3. Stir in apricots.
  4. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until mixture is firm.
  5. To form truffles, roll rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Roll each ball in cocoa powder.
  6. Store in airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve.
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Sugar ‘n Spice Snack

by Anne Papina on January 5, 2007

Image: holiday chex mix(ARA) – This holiday season, while your kids may have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, you most likely have other things whirling around in your mind. Things like getting all the gifts purchased, wrapped and mailed. Or planning the big family gathering. Or baking 12 dozen cookies for your neighborhood cookie exchange.

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Pumpkin Honey Bread

by Anne Papina on January 5, 2007

Pumpkin Honey Bread
 
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Contributed with permission by the National Honey Board and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
  • 1 cup pure honey
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 can (16 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. In large bowl, cream honey with butter until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated.
  2. Sift together remaining ingredients. Stir into pumpkin mixture.
  3. Divide batter equally between two well-greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  4. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes; invert pans to remove loaves and allow to finish cooling on racks.
Notes
Makes 2 loaves.
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Cara Cara Orange Salad

by Anne Papina on January 5, 2007

Image: cara cara oranges(ARA) – Have you ever worried about your family getting tired of the same old varieties in your fruit bowl? Why not try something different, delicious Cara Cara oranges.

Very juicy and best when eaten fresh out of hand, Cara Caras aren’t just for breakfast or snacks. This fruit is also popular with chefs for use in cooked sauces and other dishes. The Cara Cara orange is sometimes called a red navel orange. It originated at the Hacienda de Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela, hence the name.

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Honey Gingerbread

by Anne Papina on January 5, 2007

Image: honey(ARA) – Nothing compares to the warm, sweet aroma of freshly baked treats on a cold winter day. From gingerbread cookies to pumpkin spice bread, desserts are one of the hallmarks of this festive time of year. This holiday season, be sure to spoil your family and friends with extra moist and flavorful cookies, cakes and breads made with pure honey.

Pure honey is often used by professional bakers throughout the year and is a natural sweetener that imparts a delicious and distinctive flavor, creating decadent desserts and sweet treats.

Adding all-natural, pure honey to all your baked goods ensures a soft, moist texture and also acts as a natural preservative. Honey is known to absorb moisture from the air and lock it into any baked good, helping prolong the fresh taste. Remember to read the label to make sure you purchase 100 percent, pure honey.

Most people aren’t aware that honey only has 21 calories per teaspoon. And, because honey has a 33 percent higher sweetening power than other sweeteners, less honey is needed. So, go ahead and indulge this holiday season!

Substituting honey for granulated sweeteners in baking is easy. Substitute pure honey for up to half the granulated sweetener in a recipe. For each 1 cup of honey used in your recipe simply:

  • Reduce each liquid by 1/4 cup
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F to prevent over-browning

Remember to coat your measuring cup with a non-stick cooking spray for easy honey measuring. To keep these tips top-of-mind, the National Honey Board is offering a free “Sweet Honey Exchange” refrigerator magnet with easy-to-follow instructions. To request a free magnet, write your name and mailing address on a 3×5 card and send to P.O. Box 14638, Madison, WI 53708-0638 or e-mail the information to honeyexchange@stephanbrady.com.

For delicious recipes and helpful tips for baking and cooking with honey, visit www.honey.com, or to find a locally produced or special honey variety, visit www.honeylocator.com.

Honey Gingerbread
 
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Contributed with permission by the National Honey Board and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups pure honey, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 2-1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup boiling water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pans.
  2. In a bowl, cream together butter and ½ cup honey. Mix in egg.
  3. In a medium bowl, blend together flour, ginger, baking soda and cinnamon. In a small bowl, blend remaining 1 cup honey with boiling water.
  4. With mixer running, add ⅓ dry mixture to creamed butter mixture. When dry mixture is incorporated completely, add ⅓ liquid mixture. Continue adding ingredients in batches, alternating the dry and liquid.
  5. Turn batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
Notes
Makes 2 loaves.
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Striped Bass with Pistachio Brittle and Wild Mushrooms

by Anne Papina on December 18, 2006

Image: striped bass with pistachios(ARA) – Stroll through the produce section of any grocery store in America during the winter months and you will find a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables to easily incorporate into your next meal. Varieties of mushrooms, brightly hued squash, leafy greens, tart apples and crunchy California pistachios are just some of the colorful ingredients in ample supply.

To celebrate the bounty of the season, the California Pistachio Commission recently invited some of the most respected names in the culinary world to share their favorite pistachio-inspired recipes.

Chef Michael Cimarusti brings his passion for pure unembellished flavors and knowledge of seafood to offer a favorite recipe from Providence in Los Angeles, which recently was named one of the top 50 restaurants in the country by “Gourmet” Magazine. New York-based and widely celebrated Chef Andrew Carmellini, of the critically acclaimed new restaurant A Voce, shares a simple – yet delicious – winter salad. World-renowned Chef Norman Van Aken – owner of award-winning Norman’s in Orlando, Miami and Los Angeles – offers a unique noodle dish that highlights his passion for new world cuisine. James Beard award-winning Chef Shawn McClain – owner of Spring, Green Zebra and Custom House in Chicago created a decadent and delicious soup.

The culinary community and consumers alike have always known California pistachios are a delicious snack, but many don’t realize that the heart-healthy nuts can also be incorporated into their favorite recipes.

“Over the years, we have received such wonderful support from the culinary community who regularly cook with California pistachios,” said Karen Reinecke, President of the California Pistachio Commission. “No matter what restaurant you visit throughout the country, it’s easy to find delicious and unique dishes featuring pistachios. We’re encouraging consumers to celebrate the season and add crunch and flavor to any dish.”

Earlier this year, the California Pistachio Commission introduced a 40-page consumer recipe brochure, titled “America’s Top Chefs Go Nuts for California Pistachios” and featuring favorite recipes from 19 other well-known chefs, including the Food Network’s Tyler Florence and Gale Gand, Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef Art Smith, and acclaimed chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir.

Interested consumers can download these four new recipes created in time for the holiday season or request a free copy of the “America’s Top Chefs Go Nuts for California Pistachios” brochure by visiting www.pistachios.org. (Please allow four weeks for brochure delivery).

Here is Chef Michael Cimarusti’s recipe of a great holiday meal that incorporates pistachios, Striped Bass with California Pistachio Brittle and Wild Mushrooms:

Striped Bass with California Pistachio Brittle and Wild Mushrooms
 
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Contributed with permission by California Pistachios and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
California Pistachio Brittle
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup corn syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup butter (no substitutes)
  • 1½ cups California pistachio kernels
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch fine sea salt
Wild Mushroom Medley
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 pound mixed wild mushrooms
  • (chanterelles, shiitake and oyster)
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
Bass
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • four 4-ounce striped bass fillets, skin on
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Instructions
California Pistachio Brittle
  1. In a saucepan, cook sugar, corn syrup and water until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Add butter and cook until mixture reaches 280 F on a candy thermometer. Stir in pistachios and cook until 300 F.
  2. Remove mixture from the heat and stir in baking soda and salt. Immediately spread onto a greased 15 by 10 inch baking pan.
  3. When cool, break into small pieces. Reserve four pieces (or 8 tablespoons) of brittle for garnish and store excess in a clean, dry plastic container.
Wild Mushroom Medley
  1. Clean mushrooms.
  2. Melt butter in a medium sauté pan. Add chopped shallot, and sauté until translucent.
  3. Add mushrooms, sprig of thyme and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking mushrooms until most of the juice has evaporated. Remove mushrooms from heat and add chopped parsley. Set aside, keeping mushrooms warm.
Bass
  1. Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season and cook the filets of bass in sauté pan skin side down until the skin begins to crisp.
  2. When the skin becomes crispy, remove the fish from the pan and place it on a baking sheet which has been drizzled with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  3. Preheat oven to 250 F. Place baking sheet in oven. It will take about three minutes per inch of thickness for fish to finish cooking. When fish is fully cooked, remove from oven and dust each filet with 1 tablespoon of finely chopped pistachio brittle.
To Serve:
  1. Divide mushrooms equally over four warmed plates. Place a filet of bass skin side up on each plate. Drizzle plates with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar and pistachio brittle. Serve immediately.
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Mini Sweet Potato Frittatas

by Anne Papina on November 27, 2006

This is one of my favorites to serve at parties.

Mini Sweet Potato Frittatas
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • 2 lb beauregard yams
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 oz butter
  • 4 leeks, white part only, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  • 8 eggs
  • ½ cup cream
  • dash Nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or brush non-stick mini-muffin tin with oil or melted butter.
  2. Cut the sweet potato into small cubes and boil, steam or microwave until tender. Drain well and set aside.
  3. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and cook the leek for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until very soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute. Cool, then stir in the feta, dash of nutmeg and sweet potato. Divide among the muffin holes (3/4 full).
  4. Whisk eggs and cream together and season with salt, cracked black pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Pour the egg mixture into each hole until three-quarters filled, then press the vegetables down gently.
  5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden and set. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes to cool, then ease out with a knife. Serve either hot or at room temperature.
  6. Makes approx. 3-4 dozen.
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Fruity Peanut Butter Dip

by Anne Papina on November 18, 2006

Image: peanut dip(ARA) – There are many good reasons why Americans eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts and more than 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year. Not only are they great for ballpark snacks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they’re key ingredients in some of today’s most innovative dishes — from soups and sauces to tarts and cookies.

That’s because U.S.A-grown peanuts and peanut butter are versatile, widely available and offer an easy way to add crunch, flavor and protein to any dish. They provide an array of texture and flavor possibilities — whether cooked, used as a crunchy topping or turned into a flavorful sauce.

Peanuts and peanut butter are good sources of vitamin E and several B vitamins (including niacin) and they contain no trans-fat. Like all plant-based foods, peanuts and peanut butter are cholesterol free. Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, including peanuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Give your favorite produce a healthful and flavorful boost this summer with peanut butter straight from the jar. Or try this Fruity Peanut Butter Dip recipe. It goes great with apples, celery, bananas and other fresh fruits and vegetables.

For more recipes and other information about peanuts and peanut butter, check out the National Peanut Board Web site at www.nationalpeanutboard.org. For more recipes and information on how to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet, visit www.5aday.org.

Fruity Peanut Butter Dip
 
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Contributed with permission by the National Peanut Board and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Cuisine: American
Serves: 14
Ingredients
  • 1 medium apple, cored and quartered but not peeled
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup all natural peanut butter
  • ⅓ cup orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 cups of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apple slices, celery sticks and baby carrots
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, chop one apple and cranberries.
  2. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, orange juice and cinnamon.
  3. Stir apple/cranberry mixture into peanut butter mixture until combined.
  4. Cover and refrigerate.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 159 Fat: 9.2 g Saturated fat: 1.2 g Carbohydrates: 15 g Sodium: 99 mg Fiber: 3 g Protein: 5 g Cholesterol: 0
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White Chocolate & Kabocha Pumpkin Cheesecake

by Anne Papina on October 10, 2006

Courtesy of Chef Michelle Suh
The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles

(ARA) – One of the most famous images of Thanksgiving is the iconic Norman Rockwell painting depicting a big family of several generations gathered around a huge table in hungry anticipation of a big turkey dinner and all the fixings.

But for many, Thanksgiving is a much smaller affair. Still a time to celebrate all there is to be thankful for, but around the table there are no more than four to six guests. What to cook for a small crowd when a gigantic turkey is the most famous guest?

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Holiday Ranch Salad

by Anne Papina on October 10, 2006

Image: holiday ranch salad(ARA) – For most of us, winter holiday memories are intertwined with the smells and tastes of favorite family dishes such as the aroma of roasting turkey, the warm spicy taste of pumpkin pie, or the cold tartness of a special cranberry salad. Certainly, family and friends can look forward to holiday gatherings this season that feature the cook’s tried and true recipes. The only trouble is that most of these recipes are time-intensive.

While there are certain recipes on which you won’t want to cut corners, there are many ways to save time this holiday season. Here are some time-saving tips on using convenient products to help you make the most of your cooking time:

  • Take advantage of pre-packaged veggies – when a recipe calls for fresh shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers or broccoli, snag them from your produce section – the ingredients are already cleaned and ready to go into your dish.
  • Add an easy and colorful complement to holiday favorites – sliced almonds and dried cranberries are a festive addition to many holiday dishes – and can be used right out of the bag.
  • Refrigerated salad dressings are another example of easy ways to save time without sacrificing flavor. Refrigerated dressings found in the produce aisle of your local retailer, like Marie’s Dressing, offer homemade quality and fresh taste without the fuss of making your dressing from scratch, creating impressive salads or side-dishes to accompany your holiday meal.
  • Plan ahead – If you have ample freezer space, you can make sauces, desserts and appetizers now, freeze them and have half of your buffet ready to go – simply add a festive garnish and serve.

Here’s a great example of taking advantage of quality prepared ingredients – a delicious recipe that is a great addition to any party table:

Holiday Ranch Salad
 
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Contributed with permission by Marie's and ARA Content.
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 12 ounce jar of Marie's Ranch Dressing
  • 2 medium granny smith apples, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
  • 1⅓ cups dried cranberries or cherries (about 6 ounces)
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 2 cups crumbled or diced cheese
  • 1½ cups glazed walnuts (about 7 ounces)
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients. Chill in refrigerator one hour before serving.
  2. Tip: For a sweet and crunchy green salad, toss above with 6 cups of fresh mixed greens.
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For more tasty salad recipes, you can log on to www.maries.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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