search bar
small Title
small Title
 |
 |
|
| Memo No. 2006 May 21, 2007 |
FROM THE COOKBOOK SHELF
I envy those of you planning graduation open houses (I really do). Mine were many years ago but I cannot pass up an opportunity each year to share some party recipes with those of you fortunate enough to have a 2007 graduate in your life. This week's recipes are taken from a new cookbook, Good Food for Good Times by Chef Jamie Gwen with her mother, Lana Sills. Brimming with culinary talent and wisdom, Gwen whips up delicious recipes and culinary delights for television and radio audiences around the world. Her two-hour live radio show on Talk Radio 790-KABC, can be heard Saturdays from 11am to 1pm in Southern California. The Chef Jamie Gwen Food Show incorporates great conversation, call-in cooking questions, culinary advice, restaurant news, reviews and more, all spun into a fascinating show any food lover will appreciate. You can also catch Chef Jamie stirring up something scrumptious on various national television shows across the country. Jamie graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Lana Sills is the mother of Chef Jamie. She is a phenomenal cook herself and the producer of her daughter's program on WABC in Los Angeles.
Isn't it convenient that Good Foods for Good Times: Simple Recipes for Sensational Celebrations includes a chapter, A Grand Graduation Party. With my love of onions and anything Reuben it didn't take me long to choose two dips that will be excellent additions to graduation menus: Caramelized Onion and Reuben.
CARAMELIZED ONION DIP
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions - peeled, cut in half and sliced thinly
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
Heat oil and butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring often over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Season the onions with salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes more or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Increase the heat to medium and add the wine to deglaze. Scrape up and bits from the bottom of the pan then remove the pan from the heat and let the onions cool to room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, whip the sour cream, mayonnaise and cream cheese until smooth. Add the cooled caramelized onions and mix to blend well. Adjust the seasoning and serve at room temperature. Recipe makes about 2 cups dip.
REUBEN DIP
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
|
- 1 cup corned beef, chopped
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together the cram cheese and 1 cup of Swiss cheese in a mixing bowl. Spread mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle with half of the salad dressing. Top with the corned beef, then top with sauerkraut. Drizzle with the remaining salad dressing. Top with remaining Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until dip begins to bubble and cheese is melted.
Source: Good Food for Good Times: Simple Recipes for Sensational Celebrations by Chef Jamie Gwen with Lana Sills (Powerline Publishing Group; April 2007; $24.95/Hardcover).
OOPS!
It was called to my attention by a Mary's Memo reader that the amount of water was missing from the Easy Rhubarb Dessert recipe on the 4/30 Memo. The missing amount of water has generated enough questions that I'm repeating the recipe in its entirety.
EASY RHUBARB DESSERT
- 4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
- 1 (3 oz.) package raspberry gelatin
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow or white cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
Place rhubarb in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the gelatin, sugar and cake mix in that order. Pour water evenly over the dry ingredients. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake in 350F oven for I hour or until rhubarb is tender.
Source: Mrs. Jeanne Gee, Waldron, MI.
RESTAURANT AND TAKE-OUT SAFETY
Personally, I am not big on doggie bags in restaurants. I have never had anything come close to tasting as good reheated as it did fi rst time around in the restaurant. However, I do see a lot of diners with doggie bags leaving restaurants. If you're one of these people you need to read Restaurant and Take-Out Safety, a free fact sheet from the FDA's Offi ce of Women's Health. It gives you important food safety tips to follow when eating leftovers, including reheating instructions for hot and cold meals. To get your copy, call 1-888-878-3256 and ask for Item 615P.
NEXT WEEK:
Memorial Day is the beginning of the summer season for a lot of us. It's also time to fi re up the grill if you haven't done it already. With that in mind, look for barbecue recipes on next week's Memo. |
| |
view archive |
|
| |
|
|
