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Strawberry Basil Spread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Strawberry Basil Spread! Is it a dessert….or an appetizer?!?!  Strawberries are such a versatile fruit. They may often be added to a garden salad featured on restaurant menus or as a topping on waffles, pancakes, and ice cream. Everyone seems to find favor in their sweet and tangy flavor. After all, strawberries are candy-like, naturally juicy, and sometimes creamy…..especially when slathered onto a cracker topped with Neufchâtel cheese. You seriously cannot go wrong with this tantalizing recipe. Plus, it looks good enough to eat. Wouldn’t you agree?

STRAWBERRY BASIL SPREAD

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries 

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

8-ounce block Neufchâtel cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Fresh strawberries, for garnish

Instructions:

Place the frozen strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl. Allow the strawberries to thaw for 30 minutes. Mash the ingredients together using a fork. Leave small chunks for texture. Place the block of Neufchâtel cheese on a serving platter. Slowly spoon the strawberry sauce over the block of cheese. Chop fresh strawberries; arrange over top and around sides where the sauce has spilled over. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil leaves. Serve with sea salt pita crackers. 

Kumquat Pineapple Chutney

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Kumquat Pineapple Chutney! Nowadays there’s always a use for something as unique as chutney. Don’t believe me? Check out charcuterie boards filled with meats, cheeses, breads, nuts, and pickles. There always seems to be a nice little bowl of spreadable chunky fruit to balance out the briny flavors. I also added a dollop to roasted pork loin and grilled chicken breasts. Someone even told me they slathered it on a grilled cheese sandwich. Who knew chutney would be your new best friend?!

KUMQUAT PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY 

Ingredients:

5 ounces kumquats 

1 cup crushed pineapple 

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons orange liqueur 

Instructions:

In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch the kumquats for one minute. Drain and repeat three more times. Halve each kumquat. Squeeze the juice into a bowl. Discard the pulp and seeds before finely dicing the skin.  In the same saucepan, combine the diced kumquats, crushed pineapple, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange juice, kumquat juice, and orange liqueur. Bring to a boil. Simmer the chutney over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken in approximately eight minutes. Allow mixture to cool before transferring to a jar. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Donut Muffins

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Donut Muffins! I was tickled to pieces when my friend, Judy, gifted me with a spice jar of Vietnamese Cinnamon. I had never used it before, but being a fan of cinnamon, I thought I could do no wrong. I was right on the money. The intense flavor, baked into a luscious donut muffin and then rolled in a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, practically made my eyes roll back in sublime pleasure. Now that I have experienced the taste of imagination and exhilaration, how can I ever go back to ordinary cinnamon?

DONUT MUFFINS 

Ingredients for the Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

Ingredients for the Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon 

5 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick oil. Set aside. For the donut muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, Vietnamese cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add milk, pure vanilla extract, and melted butter. Mix well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. For the topping, in a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and Vietnamese cinnamon. In another bowl, warm the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir when melted. Carefully dip one donut muffin into the warm butter; roll the donut muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

Yearly Cranberry Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Yearly Cranberry Sauce! When you are the only one who likes cranberries, one recipe can seem like a lot to consume. Go ahead and make the sauce anyway. Here’s why. It can be a special treat for other meals, besides Thanksgiving. Plus it freezes well. For example, swirl it into your morning yogurt, then top with crunchy granola. Or add a little maple syrup and slather it onto a stack of pancakes. Turn your morning fruit smoothie into a delicious beverage-on-the-go. As an appetizer or late night snack, toast baguette slices, smear on softened goat cheese, and add a dollop of cranberry sauce sprinkled with orange zest. Are you getting the idea? When the family asks what you’re eating, just smile and say, “Oh, don’t worry….you wouldn’t like it.”

YEARLY CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, optional

Instructions:

Rinse cranberries thoroughly. Drain; set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries. Return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will soften as the skins begin to pop. Cook 10 minutes longer. Add Grand Marnier. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. Sauce will thicken. Remove cinnamon sticks; discard. Transfer cranberry sauce to a covered storage container. Refrigerate sauce until ready to serve.

Unfinished Pecan Pie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Unfinished Pecan Pie! Before you ask…No, this pie is not made with raw dough and there’s no ingredient missing from the recipe. The “unfinished” word in the title simply means you may choose to eat it as is OR top it with sweetened whipped cream, buttery streusel, or caramel sauce. The choice is yours. ‘Course if I wanted to be snarky, I could say it is unfinished because there’s still a piece or two left in the pie plate. Any takers?

UNFINISHED PECAN PIE

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust, refrigerated

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 eggs, room temperature

2 cups pecan halves and pieces

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick oil. Unfold pie crust and ease into plate, pressing firmly against the bottom and sides. Fold and roll pastry edges under, even with the rim of the plate. Flute edges or press with fork tines. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, melted butter, corn syrup, sea salt, and eggs. Beat with an electric hand mixer until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake 40-50 minutes or until center is set. Allow to cool for two hours. Slice and Serve.

Mildly Sweet Red Grouper

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Mildly Sweet Red Grouper! Trust your local source for fresh fish. I do. Since the fishermen often eat what they catch, it’s natural to ask them questions about the type of fish they sell. Oftentimes it seems to be different from what is common in the supermarkets. Does that make sense? I can relate to species that “taste like” sea bass, halibut, mahi mahi, swordfish, ahi, or tilapia. Beyond that, I really need some guidance for porgy, grouper, snapper, and hogfish. I tend to lean more toward mildly flavored and subtly sweet flavors. That way I can always default to melted butter and lemon. As they say, “There’s plenty of fish in the sea.”

MILDLY SWEET RED GROUPER

Ingredients:

4 red grouper fish fillets

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions:

In a shallow dish, arrange red grouper in a single layer. Whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, ground ginger, and brown sugar. Pour marinade over red grouper fillets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat the grill to 400°. Remove fish from marinade and place directly on the grill grates. Close lid and cook for 4 minutes until sides are slightly opaque. Discard marinade. Flip the fish and cook 4 minutes longer. Fish will appear charred with grill marks and flake easily. Transfer to a platter. Squeeze fresh lime juice over top. Serve immediately.

Quark Raspberry Swirl

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Palatable Possibilities: Quark Raspberry Swirl! Quark, quark, quark. Yep…it’s a real thing. Probably the easiest way to explain what quark is would be to say, “Think about a cross between sour cream and greek yogurt”. It has the smoothness of both when mixed with veggies or fruit. Obviously when using raspberries, a little sugar makes it super-delicious. I like the fresh pleasant zing of lime juice mixed in, too. And what can I say? The coconut flavor just makes the dessert that much better.

QUARK RASPBERRY SWIRL

Ingredients:

2 cups quark

I teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lime juice

8 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed

Lime Zest, for garnish

Instructions:

Reserve several whole raspberries for garnish. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine quark, coconut extract, powdered sugar, and lime juice. Mix well. Fold in thawed raspberries, gently swirling until they leave pink streaks. Scoop into dessert cups. Top each with a whole raspberry. Garnish with lime zest.

Unagi Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Unagi Sauce! Anyone who likes Japanese cuisine is familiar with the term “unagi”. You may have seen a squeeze bottle, among other sauces, in a condiment caddy placed on each table at a restaurant specializing in sushi. Those who use unagi regularly may choose to call it “Eel Sauce”, but I’ve found that term used for shock-value more than anything else, especially among family members. If you were ordering grilled eel, well sure by all means, call it that. More importantly, let’s talk about taste because unagi sauce is that thick, sweet, salty stuff you could literally slurp with a spoon. I’d recommend adding a mound of steamed rice to your plate so it wouldn’t be so obvious.

UNAGI SAUCE

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup mirin (or dry white wine)

3 tablespoons sake (or Chinese rice wine)

1/2 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

Place a saucepan over Medium heat. Add sugar, mirin, and sake. Mix well. Add the soy sauce; stir to blend. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. It allows the sugar to dissolve equally. Reduce heat to Simmer. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes longer. Bubbles will appear around the surface of the liquid. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, it is ready to serve. Store leftovers in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Apple Dumpling Dreams

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Apple Dumpling Dreams! There’s something special about an apple dumpling, don’t you think? Perhaps it reminds you of the changing seasons. Perhaps it conjures up childhood memories. Perhaps the earthy spices and syrupy sweetness crank up your comfort level. No matter the hypnotic effect, apple dumpling dreams can reflect the way we look at our lives. Do we deny sweets or do we nourish our bodies? “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. It’s all about perspective, moderation, and control. Thank goodness we have freedom of choice. When it comes to apple dumplings, especially now, dreams really do come true.

APPLE DUMPLING DREAMS

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

4 star anise pieces

Ingredients for Syrup:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

Ingredients for Apple Filling:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 9” square baking dish; set aside. To make the syrup, combine sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine ingredients for apple filling. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter until consistency is crumbled. Cut each pie crust in half. Form each half into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into 8-inch circles. To assemble, place an apple in the center of a dough circle. Fill the empty core with crumb filling. Fold the dough over the apple, pinching at the top to seal. Transfer apple dumplings to the baking dish. Drizzle with syrup. Place a star anise on each apple. Bake for 40-45 minutes until crust is golden brown. Tent with foil, if necessary, to prevent over browning. Serve warm.