what is on the menu today ?
Chayote (often mistaken for a squash) is a fruit with a cucumber-like taste and texture. The sweet-spicy balance of this appetizer goes well with Sauvignon Blanc or beer.
Makes 6 servings.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce potatoes all over with fork. Place on baking sheet. Toss garlic with 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl. Enclose garlic in foil; place on baking sheet with potatoes. Bake until potatoes and garlic are tender, about 30 minutes for garlic and 1 hour 15 minutes for potatoes. Cool garlic and potatoes slightly. Remove peel from garlic. Remove skins from potatoes. Combine potatoes and garlic in bowl. Mash until smooth.
Add shrimp, cilantro, panko, chili, onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons Latin Spice Mix. Stir to blend well. Season with salt. Form mixture into six 3-inch-diameter patties.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat cakes in flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cakes in batches until brown, adding more oil if necessary, about 2 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Spoon Chayote Slaw in center of plates. Place 1 cake on each plate. Spoon Chipotle Tartar Sauce atop cakes; serve.
*Available in Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets.
**A fresh green chili, often called a pasilla, available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets.
Start making this dip one day before you plan to serve it, since the yogurt has to drain and thicken overnight. A piece of cheesecloth is needed for the first step of the recipe.
Makes 6 servings.
Line strainer with double-thick layer of cheesecloth, extending over sides; set over deep bowl. Add yogurt to strainer. Chill overnight (liquid will drain from yogurt and yogurt will thicken). Transfer yogurt to small bowl; discard liquid.
Stir oil and garlic in small nonstick skillet over medium heat 30 seconds. Stir in curry powder. Whisk curry mixture into yogurt. Season with salt. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
Steam broccoli until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water. Chill until cold. Serve with dip.
A decadent, impressive dessert that appeals to everyone’s inner Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Begin preparing this a day ahead.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers, toasted almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar in processor. Add 1/2 cup melted butter; process mixture until moist crumbs form. Press graham cracker mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Cool graham cracker crust completely.
Spread 2 cups softened ice cream in crust. Spoon 3/4 cup cooled Fudge Sauce over. Freeze until sauce is just set, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze remaining ice cream as necessary to prevent ice cream from melting. Repeat layering with 2 cups ice cream, then 3/4 cup sauce. Freeze until sauce is just set. Spread remaining 2 cups ice cream over. Cover and freeze cake overnight. Refrigerate remaining Fudge Sauce.
Preheat broiler. Warm remaining Fudge Sauce in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Place cake in pan on baking sheet. Spread marshmallow creme over top of cake. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over in single layer. Broil just until marshmallows are deep brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 1 minute. Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cut cake into wedges. Serve cake immediately with warm Fudge Sauce.
If you choose to make this hash with eggs, you’ve got breakfast. Take away the eggs, pair it with a green salad, and dinner is served.
Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min
Makes 4 servings.
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover until just tender, about 3 minutes, then drain. Pulse corned beef in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add cream and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
If desired, make 4 holes in hash and break 1 egg into each. Cook over moderately low heat, covered, 5 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to desired doneness, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle hash with parsley.
Serina Kaker
“When a good friend went out of town, I volunteered to water the plants in her apartment, and my reward was helping myself to the Christmas cookies, all nicely stored in a tin,” says Jane A. Van Pelt of Alexandria, Virginia. “Well, they were delicious and had completely disappeared by the time my friend returned. She told me that the recipe had come to her through her Norwegian roots and was a favorite in her family. Now these cookies are a holiday favorite in our family, and I hope they will be shared with many others.”
Makes about 12 dozen
Beat together 1 egg and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Sift in flour and baking powder and add butter. Beat on low speed until mixture forms a dough. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly beat remaining egg. Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press thumb into center of each ball to flatten, leaving a depression, and brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle crushed sugar in centers and bake in batches in middle of oven until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.