EatingAndLiving.com

Fresh-Fig Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Serves 4

1 loaf ciabatta bread, ends trimmed, sliced in half horizontally 1/4 cup store-bought fig jam 3/4 pound Fontina cheese, sliced 1/3 pound thinly sliced Black Forest ham 8 to 10 fresh figs, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 tablespoon Rosemary Oil 1.  Heat a griddle over medium heat. 2.  Spread cut sides of bread with fig jam. On the bottom half of the bread, layer 1/2 the cheese, then the ham, the figs and the remaining cheese. Enclose with the top half of the bread. Brush with rosemary oil. Place on griddle or in a nonstick skillet, and weight top of sandwich with a heavy skillet or a foil-lined brick. Cook until bottom is golden, about 4 minutes. Flip sandwich over, and repeat with opposite side. Cut crosswise into 6 to 8 pieces; serve immediately. Note: Recipe courtesy of chef Michelle Bernstein

NO CLUTTER - CLEAR MIND

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Shrimp Bruschetta With Guacamole

Prep: 35 min., Bake: 6 min., Cook: 10 min., Broil: 2 min.

24

unpeeled, uncooked, fresh or frozen large WILD AMERICAN Shrimp

1

(16-oz.) French bread baguette
PAM Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray

2

large avocados

2

teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon MCCORMICK Gourmet Collection Ground Cumin

1

garlic clove, finely chopped

1

tablespoon diced shallot

1/4

cup medium salsa

1/2

cup chopped fresh cilantro

2

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4

cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4

cup freshly grated Manchego cheese
Garnish: 12 fresh cilantro sprigs

1. If frozen, thaw shrimp according to package directions. Peel shrimp, and, if desired, devein. Set aside.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

Olga Esquivel-Holman, Wichita, Kansas
Southern Living, OCTOBER 2006

2. Cut bread diagonally into 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices, discarding ends. Coat both sides with cooking spray, and place on a baking sheet.

3. Bake at 375° for 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are crisp. Reserve bread on pan.

4. Peel and coarsely chop avocados, and place in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and next 6 ingredients, and gently combine, being careful to retain small avocado chunks. (Do not mash.) Chill until ready to serve.

5. Sauté garlic in hot oil in a medium skillet over medium heat 1 minute. Add shrimp, in batches, and cook 2 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. (Shrimp should be slightly undercooked.) Remove from pan, and place 2 shrimp on top of each baguette slice on baking sheet. Top each with 1 Tbsp. Manchego cheese.

6. Broil 5 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven, and top each with 1 to 2 Tbsp. avocado mixture. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.

SITE OF THE DAY - Culinary Notes

Culinary Notes

Mango Curry Chicken

Serves 6

1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground cloves
6 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thirds
1/2 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice.
1/2 cup store-bought mango chutney

Putting The Dinner Together

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients and stir well to combine. If you are preparing a triple batch, use one-third tonight and divide the reminder between two resealable freezer bags.

For Dinner Tonight

Spoon the chicken mixture into a crockpot. Cook in the crockpot on the low setting for 4 hours. Alternatively, heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the mixture for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice and sprinkle with ½ cup chopped cashew nuts and ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro, if desired.

To Freeze

Label, date, and freeze the bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking and serve as directed above.

PRETZEL CRUSTED CRAB CAKE

COURTESY OF EXECUTIVE CHEF DAVID BURKE of David Burke & Donatella, a New American Restaurant located on the Upper East Side of NYC

PRETZEL CRUSTED CRAB CAKE with Ripe Mango and Orange Sauce Ingredients: 1/2 lb crab meat 2 oz chives, minced Zest from one half of a lemon 2.5 oz mayonnaise 2.5 oz butter softened 1/2 tsp of old bay salt and pepper to taste 2 oz fine diced yellow onions 1 oz fine diced red bell pepper 1 oz fine diced yellow bell pepper 1 oz fine diced celery 16 pieces per crab cake of Japanese pretzels 1/4 oz Japanese rice puff 1/4 oz egg whites 2 pieces per crab cake of blanched chives To prepare: sweat the vegetables in 3 oz of butter, allow to cool emulsify the 2.5 oz of butter and mayonnaise, add lemon zest, old bay and chives fold in diced vegetables and crab meat To assemble: lay down 2 blanched chives, 4 inches apart lay 8 pretzels down close together over chives spread 3 oz of crab mixture over pretzel "wrapped" and top with 8 more pretzels bring chives around to tie crab cake like gift, dip sides in egg whites, dredge in rice puffs and deep fry for 4 minutes Mango-Orange Sauce 2 oz. mango 1 oz. orange juice 3/4 extra virgin olive oil 1/4 rice wine vinegar Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Baked Ravioli

Serves 4 to 6; Prep time: 25 minutes; Total time: 50 minutes

********Note - You can assemble the dish ahead and refrigerate it, then bake it right before dinner.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or oregano 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 2 pounds store-bought ravioli 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1.  Preheat oven to 425°. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. 2.  Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot. 3.  Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. Note: Try this recipe with 1 pound of spaghetti (cook a few minutes less than the package instructions direct). Don't worry if it seems like theres too much sauce; it will be absorbed as the pasta bakes.

Glazed Ham

Serves 16 to 50

A ham this size can serve sixteen people for dinner and up to fifty for hors d'oeuvres. For step-by-step photos and other useful cooking information, see our Ham 101 feature.

1 fourteen-to-eighteen-pound whole smoked ham, bone in and rind on 1 cup apple cider 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds 2 tablespoons whole cardamom pods 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground ginger 3/4 cup prepared mustard 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar 3/4 cup dark-brown sugar 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses 2 to 3 tablespoons whole cloves 4 fresh bay leaves(optional) 1.  Rinse ham with cool water, and dry with paper towels. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature. Place rack on lowest level in oven; heat oven to 250°. Line a roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place a roasting rack in the pan. Transfer ham, with the thicker rind on top, to rack. Pour 1/2 cup apple cider over ham. Cook for 2 hours or until an instant-read thermometer registers 140°. 2.  Meanwhile, combine mustard seeds, cardamom, and fennel in a small heavy skillet; place over medium-low heat, and toast seeds, shaking pan, for 3 to 4 minutes, until aromatic. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle, and grind just until cardamom is broken up. Transfer spice mixture to a medium bowl. Add cinnamon, ginger, mustard, 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar, 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and remaining 1/2 cup apple cider. Combine well; set aside. 3.  Remove ham from oven, and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim away the hard rind from the ham. Use a sharp knife to trim fat to a layer of about 1/4 inch all over the ham; it does not need to be perfectly even. The bottom side of the ham will have less fat and more skin. Place ham—bottom side down—in pan. Score the remaining fat on top of the ham into a pattern of 1- to 2-inch diamonds, cutting about 1/4 to 1/2 inch through the fat and into the meat. 4.  Insert a whole clove into the intersection of each diamond. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, rub the spice glaze all over the ham and deep into the cut diamonds. In a medium bowl combine remaining cup light-brown sugar and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar. Using your fingers, gently pack sugar mixture all over scored fat. If using bay leaves, secure them with toothpick halves around the shank bone. Cover the toothpicks by inserting cloves on top of them. Return ham to oven and cook for 20 minutes. Sugar will begin to crystallize but there will be some hard spots of sugar; gently baste these areas with remaining glaze. Cook 40 minutes more, basting with remaining glaze after 20 minutes; do not baste with any pan juices. The ham should be dark brown and crusty; cook 15 minutes more if necessary. Remove and let cool slightly. Transfer to a serving platter, and let stand 30 minutes before carving. Photograph by: Reed Davis

Individual Dark-Chocolate Pudding Cakes

For the Batter: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup) For the Topping: 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 5 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups boiling water Vanilla ice cream, for serving 1.  Prepare the batter; Preheat oven to 350° with rack in center. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. 2.  Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in another medium bowl. Stir in flour mixture and milk, then the chocolate. 3.  Prepare the topping; Stir sugars in a small bowl, smoothing any lumps. Sift in cocoa powder; stir to combine. 4.  Place 6 ramekins (each 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep) on a baking sheet. Pour in batter. Sprinkle with topping. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water into each. Bake until set, 25 to 28 minutes. Top with ice cream; serve immediately. Note: Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2006.

Tracie's Couscous Salad

Recipe courtesy Tracie Farmer

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Yield: 6 servings

1 box flavored couscous (garlic or Parmesan), cooked 1 can chick peas 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 1 tomato, chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 2 to 3 limes, juiced In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients with the olive oil and lime juice, to taste.