Pistachio Orange Muffins
Makes 10

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup orange preserves
3 Tablespoons orange zest
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped pistachios, toasted

Instructions:

1. Preheat to 400°F. Line 10 muffin cups with muffin papers.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, preserves, zest, egg, and vanilla.

4. Add sour cream mixture and pistachios to dry ingredients and stir just until combined; do not over mix.

5. Divide batter among muffin cups. Fill muffins cups almost to the top.

6. Bake approximately 20 minutes until tester comes out of center clean.

7. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Pesto Pizza

created by Stefanie Paganini of
The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking

Pizza is the standard on meatless Fridays. Instead of ordering out, why not make your own? I have a great pesto pizza topped with shrimp, but you can top it off with whatever you like. Pizza can be as healthy or as decadent as you like just by altering your choice of toppings. - Stef

Click here for Printer Friendly version, available thru next Wednesday

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough
Coarse Salt
Olive oil for brushing dough
Pizza Topping:
1 recipe pesto, recipe to follow
24 shrimp, shelled, de-veined

Cooking Instructions
Slice each shrimp in half length wise. Reserve. Separate dough into 8 even pieces and roll out. Roll into small pizzas and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roll dough thin and dock dough with a fork to help prevent rising. Spread pesto over each pizza and add 6 halves of a shrimp to each pizza. Sprinkle edge of dough with coarse salt and bake until dough crisp and shrimp is cooked, approx. 20 minutes. Brush crust with olive oil and serve.

Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions
Place basil, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor. Pulse till ingredients are chopped. With processor running, slowly add the olive oil. One fourth cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, can be added to the pesto after it is removed from the processor.

Basic Pizza Dough
Ingredients
1 1/3 cup warm water (105-115?F)
1 pkg. dry yeast ( 1 scant Tbsp.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. table sugar

Cooking Instructions
To 1 1/3 cups warm water, add 1 tsp. table sugar and 1 package of active dry yeast. Mix to combine and keep warm. Wait 10-15 minutes until the yeast starts to foam. In a large bowl, combine flour, water and yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, add dough, turning several times to oil the dough. Cover with either plastic wrap or a wet dish towel and set bowl in a warm place for 30 minutes. Punch down dough once and rest another 30 minutes. Dough is ready to be shaped and baked for pizza of choice.

Mushroom Salmon Burgers
With Roasted Vegetable French Fries
Serves 6

1 lb. chilled, skinless salmon fillets, cut into 1” pieces, bones removed
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup white button mushrooms
1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. extra virgin oil

Preheat the oven at 350°.

Coarsely grind salmon fillets, mushrooms, and tarragon in a food processor. In a bowl combine all ingredients except oil.

Form salmon mixture into 8 patties, dividing equally.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté salmon cakes in pan to crisp outsides, approximately 4-5 minutes on each side.

Transfer cakes to a parchment lined baking sheet place in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable “French fries”

2 sweet potatoes
1 lb. bag baby cut carrots
2 parsnip, cut into French fry sized strips
1 Tbsp. Herbs de Provence
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt

Preheat to 400° F.

Chop vegetables to desired size and shape. Mix vegetables in a bowl with herbs, oil, and salt. Transfer vegetables to a baking sheet and place in oven to roast until vegetables are caramelized, approximately 35 minutes.

Sauce for Burger and Fries

1 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, minced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined thoroughly.
Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Serve burger on a whole wheat bun or pita pocket with tomato and lettuce and Dijon mustard or dipping sauce.

Orange Blueberry Muffin

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3 large eggs
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 Navel orange
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Dice 1 cup of blueberries by hand or with a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, butter, milk, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and diced blueberries. Set aside.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Fold in remaining 1 cup of whole blueberries. Add flour mixture into egg mixture until fully incorporated but do not over mix.

Scoop muffins into paper cup lined muffin tins. Fill almost to top of liners. Bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Allow to cool in pan.

Chocolate Crème Brulee
Serves 8

Ingredients

4 cups whipping cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 large egg yolks
1/3 cup & 8 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Place chocolate in a heat resistant bowl.

3. In a saucepan heat cream just until boiling.

4. Pour warmed cream over chocolate and stir until completely chocolate is melted and blended together with cream.

5. In a separate bowl, cream together egg yolks and 1/3 cup of sugar until blended.

6. Slowly incorporate egg mixture into chocolate mixture whisking constantly. Pour mixture into 8 custard cups, about ¾ full. Place filled cups in an empty large baking pan with sides. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Being careful not to get water into the cups. This will allow the cups to bake in a water bath.

7. Bake at 300 degrees until custard sets, approximately 45 minutes. Remove cups from water and chill in refrigerator overnight.

8. Sprinkle additional sugar (8 Tbsps.) on top of custard and torch until sugar caramelizes. Serve immediately. Can decorate with strawberries and powdered sugar if desired.