Buttermilk Blue Cheese Wedge

I am a huge blue cheese fan and this is my favorite salad as it combines the great taste of blue cheese with crisp iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, bacon pieces, sliced red onion, all in a homemade buttermilk blue dressing. My kids don't like blue cheese but devour this salad every time. Maybe I should tell them what those chunks are. The recipe below yields 6 servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. The dressing can be made a few days in advance. When refrigerating, cover with plastic wrap and push down onto the surface of the dressing in the bowl to prevent it from crusting.
2. The buttermilk adds a great texture and flavor to this dressing but is not required. Add it in small amounts until the desired taste and consistency is reached.
3. You can use any kind of blue cheese. The most commonly found varieties in the store are Blue cheese (French, usually used in desserts, mild), Gorgonzola (Italian, used in cooking, sandwiches or desserts, sweet), and Roquefort (used in desserts, sharp).

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese
Buttermilk, to taste
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 6 wedges, each with some core attached
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced (optional)
4 Roma tomatoes, diced

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl.
















2. Add blue cheese and stir until well blended.
3. Add buttermilk until desired consistency is reached.


















4. Arrange lettuce on plates.
5. Spoon dressing over lettuce.
6. Add crumbled bacon.
7. Garnish with tomatoes and red onion if desired.

Tomato and Asparagus Risotto

This is one of our family's favorite risotto dishes, combining the tastes of fresh asparagus and tomato with some wonderful herbs and Parmesan cheese. I think making risotto scares too many people away, but the process really is quite simple and it's so versatile in it's different applications. Last summer I planted oregano, basil and parsley in our garden and they work great in this dish. The recipe below yields 5-6 servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. Give yourself about 30 minutes to make this.
2. The process goes much better when you've prepped and measured out your ingredients before hand.
3. Don't overcook the risotto or it will become too starchy. You'll want it soft but firm enough to keep it's shape.
4. When serving it, use a metal ring as pictured for a great presentation.

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup olive oil
4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
8 oz butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped oregano
1 Tbsp chopped basil

DIRECTIONS
1. Hold the broth warm in a saucepan.

















2. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes or until soft, almost translucent.
4. Stir in rice and cook for 2 minutes.

















5. Add ½ cup of broth and stir until completely absorbed.

















6. Repeat until half of broth has been added. Stir the risotto frequently to prevent sticking.

















7. Add asparagus to the remaining broth and let it blanch for about 2 minutes.

















8. Remove asparagus from broth and add to the risotto mixture.

















9. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time until desired creaminess is reached.
10. Remove from heat and add butter, parmesan cheese and herbs.































11. Right before serving, add tomatoes.
















12. Transfer to large bowl and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Orange Peel Sorbet

This is one of the easiest yet most satisfying desserts that can also be used as a palette cleanser preceding a main course.The recipe combines a simple syrup with freshly squeezed oranges and orange peel. The recipe below yields 6 large servings or about 18 smaller servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. For an even richer sorbet, substitute the extra water with additional orange juice.
2. If you don't have time to juice fresh oranges, you can use store bought orange juice. The taste is not quite as fresh but it is still wonderful.
3. This can be made several days in advance and frozen. Just make sure you thaw it out slightly before serving or it will be too hard.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice from 5 oranges
Rind from one orange

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water until sugar is fully dissolved.
2. Bring to a boil without stirring, let boil for one minute, then remove from heat.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the juice of 5 large oranges with the orange peel from one orange.
4. Stir in the syrup mixture.

















5. Add enough water to bring total liquid to 4 1/2 cups.

















6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Pour into ice-cream maker and follow directions until sorbet reaches desired consistency.

Sponge Candy

This light and airy candy is one of my personal favorites. I grew up eating the Cadbury Crunchie (made in Britain) and the Nestle Violet Crumble (made in Australia.) Sometimes called "Honeycomb" or "Seafoam," this candy is a slighly caramelized sugar mixture lightened into a foam by the incorporation of baking soda. The taste has a distinct flavor of caramel and honey and the texture is crispy and delicate and melts in your mouth like cotton candy. I can't tell you how many different recipes I have tried and failed. With one version, I actually shattered the 9x13 pan after the candy had hardened. The recipe below is a combination of several recipes and a much needed online tutorial. It will yield you approximately 4 dozen pieces. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. Definitely make sure the gelatin and baking soda are fully mixed in or you'll have some pieces that taste more like baking soda than candy.
2. Once you've poured the sponge candy into the pan, be very careful not to disturb it as too much motion will cause it to collapse.
3. If you live in a humid climate, protect the candy while cooling by covering the top of the pan to make it airtight.
4. Covering the pieces in chocolate does more than just add a great layer of taste. It also protects the candy from humidity, thus preserving the airy texture.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 tsp Gelatin, unflavored
1 Tbs cold water
3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 Tbs baking soda, sifted
3 cups dark chocolate, melted and tempered for dipping

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix the gelatin into the cold water in a small bowl or cup, then set aside.















2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2.5 quart saucepan.





























3. Bring to a boil, insert thermometer and cook without stirring until the syrup reaches 310 F.















4. Remove from the heat and allow to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
5. Whisk the gelatin into the hot sugar, ensuring that it is incorporated completely.















6. Whisk the baking soda into the mixture, stirring vigorously to thoroughly incorporate.















7. Return the batch to the heat for 30 seconds, continuously whisking.















8. Pour immediately into a 9 inch springform pan.















9. Leave undisturbed to cool at room temperature at least 2 hours or overnight.
10. Remove the springform pan and using a sharp chef's knife or by hand, break into desired size pieces.





























11. Dip into chocolate as desired.

Chocolate Ricotta Pudding with Strawberry Coulis

This Giada DeLaurentiis inspired recipe is a classic Italian dessert combining the wonderful flavors of ricotta, chocolate, orange, almond and cinnamon in a smooth, creamy pudding, topped by a very easy to make strawberry sauce. I loved the presentation on this one as you can get very creative with the sauce as well as using a fresh strawberry for garnish. The recipe below yields 6 servings. Enjoy!

HELPFUL HINTS
1. You will really want to make sure your ricotta mixture is blended thoroughly or your final product will be grainy in texture.
2. This can be made a few days in advance and kept refrigerated making it perfect for a dinner party dessert.

INGREDIENTS
Sauce
2 cups fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Pudding
Butter, for greasing cups
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 pounds fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, dried
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS
Sauce
1. Blend the strawberries and sugar in a food processor until smooth.

















2. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Cover and refrigerate.


















Pudding
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Lightly butter 6 (6-ounce) custard cups then arrange the cups in a large roasting pan.
3. Melt the chocolate over very low heat, then set aside.

















4. Blend the ricotta, 1/4 cup of sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, almond extract, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until very smooth.

















5. Blend in the melted chocolate.

















6. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a large bowl.

















7. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites in another large bowl with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
8. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Continue beating until semi-firm peaks form.
































9. Fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

















10. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cups.

















11. Fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups.

















12. Bake until the pudding puffs slightly but the centers are still creamy, about 25 minutes.
13. Allow puddings to cool slightly before removing from water bath.

















14. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Assembly
1. Run a knife around the sides of the puddings to loosen. Invert the puddings onto plates.

















2. Drizzle the strawberry sauce around the puddings and serve.