Blue Cheese and Other Composed Butters

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I never doubted that the "something blue" of the old, new, borrowed, blue theme that I've been featuring this week would be a blue cheese butter. At the time I posted the recipe for my French dip sandwich, I had to send you off the reservation for the blue cheese butter I recommend you use to enhance its flavor. Pride demanded I remedy that situation as soon as I could. So, today I'm featuring a trio of compound butters that are wonderful additions to your kitchen quiver. A compound butter is nothing more than butter to which other ingredients have been added. They add great flavor to meals and the only requirement for making a successful spread is that all the ingredients be at room temperature. The butter should be beaten or stirred to perfect smoothness before other ingredients are added. The butter, which some cooks like to shape into a log, is then placed back into the refrigerator to chill until it is firm. The butters will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator and can be kept for several months in the freezer. They can be used as a spread for bread or tossed with vegetables or pasta to boost their flavor. Some cooks also serve them with meat or fish. They are really simple to make and they can be as simple or complex as your imagination allows. Here are three of my favorites.

Blue Cheese Butter

Ingredients:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 pound crumbled blue cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons port wine

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add wine and blue cheese and beat until smooth. Chill. Yield: 1 cup.


Maître d'Hôtel Butter


Courtesy of Photobucket: Creative Commons License


Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add lemon juice and parsley and mix until ingredients are well blended. Place a piece of plastic wrap on counter. Spoon butter onto plastic wrap and roll into a tight cylinder. Tie off or twist ends. Chill until firm. Yield: 16 tablespoons.


Mixed Herb Butter


Courtesy of Photobucket: Creative Commons License

Ingredients:
1/4 pound room temperature butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Cream butter until perfectly smooth. Add oil and herbs to bowl of a food processor and pulse until oil is colored by herbs. Add to butter and, using whisk attachment, beat until butter is light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Spoon onto plastic wrap and roll into a tight log. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Yield: 8 tablespoons.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Spicy Holiday Compound Butter - The Hungry Mouse
Horseradish and Parsley Compound Butter - Cooking with K
5 Star Makeover: Compound Butter - 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures
Drunken Cranberry Orange Compound Butter - The Hungry Mouse
Lemony Picatta Compound Butter - Kahakai Kitchen
Fresh Herb Compound Butter - Black Girl Chef's Whites

Classic Twisted Pastry Straws

As promised, i have made these Classic Twisted Pastry Straws and they are the best Straws i have ever made.  They were all gone as soon as they came out of the oven and cool enough to eat.

Continue for recipe HERE

Minced Chicken with Oyster Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I am really thrilled to be using the recipe of a friend for the "something borrowed" portion of my old, new, borrowed, blue extravaganza. Many of you already know Kristy and follow her blog My Little Space. Those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, should know that while the space in which Kristy cooks may be small, her Malaysian kitchen produces enormous flavors, many of which can be reproduced in Western kitchen and enjoyed by Western palates. That's the case with one of the dishes she recently featured. Kristy had developed a recipe for seaweed tofu that sounded delicious, but what caught my eye was the sauce she made to accompany it. As I read through the ingredients, I could see that it would also work well in lettuce cups or served over rice. It was a great recipe on several levels. It used readily available ingredients, it was affordable, it was easy to make and, best of all, it could be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Not having any ground chicken in the house, I pulled out a pound of ground turkey and got right to work to see if I could add delicious to the list of adjectives used to describe the dish. I definitely could, and I'm delighted to share my version of the recipe with you. It's perfect for busy nights. I know that those of you who try this will not be disappointed. Here's the recipe.

Minced Chicken with Oyster Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Kristy at My Little Space

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup minced shallots or red onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (white, black or red)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 small red bell pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 small green bell pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
Cooked rice

Directions:
1) Heat a wok or large frying pan. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Stir in shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2) Lower heat to medium. Stir in chicken and saute for about 2 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
3) Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce and whatever pepper you have chosen. Bring contents of wok to a simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in water or stock. Add to wok and cook until thickened. Stir in diced pepper. Remove from heat. Serve hot over rice or at room temperature in lettuce cups. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chicken Pasta with Garlic Toast - Courtney's Sweets
Thai Crystal Noodle Salad - My Gourmet Connection
Baked Chicken Meatballs - In the Kitchen with Kath
Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup - A Self-Confessed Foodie
Kickin' Chicken Stroganoff - Ma, What's for Dinner?
Turkey and Chicken Meatloaf - Our Kitchen Island
Chicken Chili - Beautiful Life
Ground Chicken Teriyaki with Zucchini and Onions - Life's Ambrosia

Maple, Walnut and Fig Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Continuing with the theme of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, I've selected a quick bread to represent the "new" portion of my quartet today. The bread, which comes from a newly revised edition of the cookbook, Amy's Bread, is made with maple syrup, walnuts and figs. The book and the bread are both new to me and thus met the criteria I'd established for classifying a recipe as new. For better or worse, I've developed the habit of perusing cookbooks at the library before buying them. If a book has at least 10 recipes that I find interesting, I'll bring it home and test 2 or 3 of the selections I've made. If they work to my satisfaction, I'll buy the book. Otherwise, I return the book and move on to greener pastures. The approach has saved me a fortune in cookbook costs, and I highly recommend the practice to those who share my love of cooking and the books that expand our horizons. As it happens, while I really liked this bread, I didn't buy the book. It is much like other books already available in a saturated market and it didn't open new doors for me. I'm also beginning to sense that the bread craze, like the cupcake craze before it, may be coming to an end. There is only so much variation possible with flour, yeast and water and there are a lot of angels dancing on the head of the proverbial pin right now. Save for lining the pan with parchment paper to prevent the loaves from sticking, there are no tricks to making this quick bread. It is easy to make and delicious, though the cost of its ingredients quickly mount up and that expense may be off-putting to some. Those of you who like nut breads will love this one. Here's the recipe.

Maple Walnut and Fig Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Amy Scherber, Toy Kim Dupree and Aimee Herring

Ingredients:
2 cups dried figs, diced
1/2 cup warm water (85º to 90ºF)
2-2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-2/3 cups cake flour
1-3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2/3 cups maple syrup, divided use
1-1/3 cups whole milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups toasted walnut pieces

Directions:
1) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9x 5-inch loaf pans. Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Place diced figs in a medium bowl. Add warm water and let soak until softened.
3) Whisk all-purpose flour, cake flour, oats, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
4) Combine maple syrup, milk, eggs, egg yolks, and oil in a medium bowl, stirring until combined.
5) Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, stirring with a spoon just until all of the flour is moistened. This should be a wet batter. Oats will absorb a lot of moisture during baking.
6) Fold walnuts and figs into the batter (figs need not be drained). Divide the batter evenly between two prepared pans. Bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center of loaves comes out clean. (If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time.)
7) Remove the pans from oven and use a pastry brush to glaze tops of the loaves generously with reservered 1/3 cup maple syrup. Set pans on a rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the loaves out of the pans and set them on the rack to cool completely before serving.
8) Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. They may also be frozen, wrapped first in aluminum foil and then in plastic wrap or a heavy-duty freezer bag. Yield: 2 loaves.

You might also like these recipes:
Vanilla Bean Banana Bread - Baking Bites
Cardamom Crumb Cake - A Whisk and A Spoon
Best Apple Bread - You Made That?
Apple Cinnamon Bread - Two Peas and Their Pod
Black Walnut Pumpkin Bread - Never Enough Thyme
Quick Bread Round-Up - One Perfect Bite
5 Quick Breads for Holiday Food Gifts - What's Cookin Chicago?

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Quickest Puff Pastry Nick Malgieri

Let it snow, let it snow and it was snowing hard up in the mountains. The calling to ski at the slopes was there and up the mountains we went. The family hit the slopes before we checked in to the condo. As soon as I checked in, i started to cook lunch which was an easy one, just sprinkle the chicken legs with seasoned salt and basil,(i found these seasonings in the cabinet of the condo), and put them to broil. There was nothing to do but to wait for them to cook, so, in the meantime i had to watch tv. There was no cable and the only channel that excited me was Hallmark - Martha Stewart was making cookies. The show was interesting and i was so engrossed, especially the cookie which was made of meringue, then added roasted hazelnuts and poured the mixture into a large saucepan. The commercials came on at the same time with the smoke alarm. I was ALARMED!!!!! Lily, you are in trouble, quick, locate the smoke alarm. Good, found it, grapped a chair and stood on it, luckily i was able to reach and turn off the alarm. I came down from the chair and turned to look at the tv, Martha Stewart was eating the crunchy meringue cookie. Oh no, I missed the part of what was done with the meringue in the saucepan. Trying to find the recipe, of which i am still trying to, instead, while i was looking, i found this clip The teacher show and Nick Malgieri was teaching how to make this quickest puff pastry. After watching and seeing how easy it was, i had to make it.

The How to is HERE

Risotto with Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Peas

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a light and lovely entrée that's packed with flavor. It is perfect for Meatless Monday or any day you are looking for something that can be quickly made and is easy on the palate. I normally serve risotto as a side dish, but the addition of smoked salmon and loads of vegetables gives this dish enough heft to serve as a delicious one-dish meal. The intense flavor of the the salmon permeates the rice and produces a wonderfully flavorful meal in about 30 minutes. I wanted to begin the new year with a series of recipes that included something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. This is my offering for the "something old" in that equation. The recipe I've adapted was developed about 20 years ago by Marian Burrows, a cookbook author and journalist who is a senior staff write at the New York Times. I make this recipe at least once a year for my family who really enjoy it. I think you might like it, too. The ingredients, as listed below, will produce three meal-size servings. Here's the recipe.

Risotto with Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Peas...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Marian Burrows

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
4 to 5 ounces baby spinach washed, stemmed and torn or cut into smaller pieces
3 ounces smoked salmon, diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Heat oil in 2-quart pot. Saute garlic and onion in hot oil until they begin to take on color.
2) Meanwhile, pour chicken broth into a separate pot and bring to a simmer.
3) Add rice to garlic and onion mixture, stirring until well coated. Add wine and cook until liquid has almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4) Add 1 cup of hot broth to rice and cook over high heat, stirring very often until liquid has been absorbed. Repeat procedure two to three times, or until rice is almost cooked.
5) Add final cup of broth to pot along with spinach, salmon and peas. When rice is tender and some liquid remains, add rice and lemon juice. Stir well. Serve immediately. Yield: 3 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Easy Vegetable Risotto - Lite Bite
Asparagus Risotto - Las Vegas Food Adventures
Tomato Risotto Recipe - Pham Fatale
Beetroot Risotto - Angie's Recipes
Wild Mushroom Risotto - Bunky Cooks
Butternut Squash Risotto - So Tasty, So Yummy
Baked Crab Risotto with Cream Cheese and Chilli - Simply Delicious