Cooking in Heels

Lime Tart

2010-02-28T12:41:00.002-06:00

30-35 Finely ground Ginger Snaps

2 TBS sugar
3 TBS melted unsalted butter
4 oz. cream cheese (room temp)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 TBS. flour
1/4 tsp table salt
3 large egg yolks (room temp)
1 TBS. grated lime zest (use a microplane)
2 TBS. lime juice
Heavy whipped cream for topping

CRUST:
Put oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 350.

Mix the ginger snaps and sugar with a fork until well blended. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and mix with the fork or your fingers until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Put the crumbs in the ungreased 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and use your hands to spread the crumbs so that they coat the bottom of the pan and start to climb the sides. Pinch and press some of the crumbs around the inside edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and create a wall about 1/4 inch thick. Redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and press firmly to make a compact layer.

Bake the crust until it smells nutty and fragrant about 10 min. Set the baked crust on a rack and let cool completely.

TART:
Keep the oven heated at 350.

Using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, flour, and salt and continue beating until well blended, about 1 min. Add the egg yolks, lime zest, and lime juice. Beat until just incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the filling into the crust and spread the filling evenly.

Bake at 350 the tart until the filling just barely jiggles when the pan is nudged, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Refrigerate the tart in the pan until chilled and firm, 2 to 3 hours.

Serve garnished with un-sweetened whipped cream and strips of lime zest, if you like.

.:Neglected…

2010-02-28T12:16:00.000-06:00

...I am so sorry that I have neglected this blog...I started out strong, but life happened…Work, family, friends…but here I go again…I promise to be more diligent in my postings:.

Chicken with SDT Cream Sauce:.

2009-12-31T12:39:00.002-06:00

3 TBS unsalted butter

1 TBS olive oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breast flour
3 shallots, minced (about 1/3 cup)
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup (generous) chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust chicken with flour; shake off excess. Heat a skillet over med-high heat for one minute- add the butter and oil. Allow the butter to melt and add chicken to skillet and sauté until light brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate.

Add minced shallots to skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add cream, white wine, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Bring to boil; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Return chicken to pan; cook until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fire Roasted Tomatoes:.

2009-12-31T12:27:00.001-06:00

8-10 tomatoes

3-5 cloves of chopped or crushed garlic

1 TBS Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning)

½ tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

½ - 1 Crushed Red Pepper (depends on how spice you want them)

½ cup Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the garlic, the Herbs de Provence, sea salt , peppers & Olive Oil in a small bowl.

Slice the tomatoes into halves and put them on a parchment or wax paper lined jellyroll pan. Spoon the garlic mixture over the tomatoes. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil.

Bake the tomatoes in the oven until they are starting to brown and become a bit crispy on top, about an hour (sometimes a little more or less- it really depends on the size of the tomatoes). I check them every 20 minutes.

When the tomatoes are ready, you can serve them as a side dish, or mash them up and mix them in with your favorite pasta.

Some other options:

• When I add them to pasta, I sometimes just serve the tomatoes with a stuffed tortellini or ravioli.

• I also like to caramelize a sliced onion (slice the onion and cook on the stove with a bit of OO or butter), mix the onions with a jar of tomatoes sauce and then mix in the lightly crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes- to spice up your spaghetti.

• Brown some ground turkey and mix in with the tomatoes- for a more hearty version.

Spinach Artichoke Dip:.

2009-12-31T11:59:00.000-06:00

This is seriously the EASIEST and BEST Spinach Artichoke Dip, ever. Seriously.

l bag (2 cups) mozzarella cheesesmall sour cream
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
3-5 garlic cloves, crushed (judge based on your taste- I like lots of garlic)
black pepper (to taste)
1-2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (I like lots of artichokes
2 blocks cream cheese, softened
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

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2009-12-28T20:43:00.001-06:00

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