Stuffed Clams Casino

I made these for "dinner" the day after Christmas for Mr. Foodie and myself. After the past few weeks of dinners out, cocktail parties, work dinners, and the topper of Christmas Eve and Christmas day meals, we really just wanted a bottle of wine, some nibbles and a movie.

I very highly recommend having the prosciutto freshly sliced at an Italian deli or Whole Foods. I had a bit of sticker shock at Whole Foods ($29.99 a pound, EEK!) but you only need three thin slices, so it's not so bad and totally worth it.

Stuffed Clams - makes a plate of 24, perfect for a party app or "dinner"

Steaming the clams:
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. white wine
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
When hot, add the onion and garlic and cook about 2 minutes.
Add the clams and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the wine, lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes or until the clams open.

Set the clams aside to cool a bit. When cool, remove the clam meat and set aside.

Make the filling:
3 slices good quality prosciutto, chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 c. celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I used about 1 tsp.)
1 c. panko bread crumbs
1 small can clams, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 bottle clam juice
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet.
Add the proscuitto, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft.
Mix in panko, canned clams and the fresh clam meat. Mix well.
Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper.
Add just enough clam juice to moisten the mixture (you won't need the whole bottle). I used maybe 1/2 cup.
Stir in most of the parmesan cheese, reserving a bit to sprinkle over the tops.

Fill the clams:
Gently break the clam shells apart at the hinges and rinse well to get rid of any sand.
Fill each shell with a spoonful of the filling.
Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

S'mores Cookie Bars

S'mores in the form of a cookie bar. Is there a discussion that needs to take place? Didn't think so.

S'mores Cookie Bars
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 and 1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 King size Hershey's bars
1.5 c. marshmallow creme or fluff (a 7 oz. jar was plenty)

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Cream butter and sugars in an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add egg and vanille and beat well.
Add dry ingredients and beat well.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Press one ball into the bottom of an 8x8 square pan. Place chocolate bars in single layer over the dough.
Spread marshmallow over the top of the chocolate.
Press 2nd ball of dough over the top.
I recommend flattening the dough in your hand first and then placing it over the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool thoroughly before cutting into squares.

Cuban Roast Pork

This was *almost* there. The flavors were really reminiscent of my favorite dish (roast pork with sour orange mojo) at our favorite Cuban spot, Cafe 28. However, cooking a pork roast all day in a slow cooker rendered the meat pretty dry. Ok, very dry.

If I were making this again, I would either use a pork shoulder or I would use the pork roast, but make it in a Dutch oven on the stove top and cook for far less time. This recipe has great potential, so I will definitely be trying again.

I will post the ingredients and what I did this time. If anyone tries this will modifications that work, let me know!

Cuban Roast Pork
1 pork roast or pork shoulder
1 c. lime juice
1 c. orange juice
2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet until hot. Season pork with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).

Add to slow cooker, pour juices over the top, top with garlic and onions and add the bay leaf.

Let cook on low for about 5 hours (not the 10 hours that it ended up cooking for by the time I got home from work).

Slice pork and spoon onions and juices over the top. Serve with black beans and rice.

Menu for the Week

After our four day eating and drinking binge, this will be a light week, cooking-wise, particularly in light of the fact that on Saturday I have two Christmas parties - one at Wildfire in the afternoon and one at Buca di Beppo that evening. Goo.

Monday: Mushroom-brie soup and green salads with Dijon vinaigrette
Tuesday: Some sort of chicken something - either in the slow cooker or stir fry
Wednesday: Cuban roast pork with black beans and rice
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: dinner with friends

Angie's Crock Pot Country Ribs

Angie is a good friend of mine - we met under somewhat unusual circumstances, but bonded over our mutual love of cooking and distaste for newbie wedding planners. Angie's blog can be found at right - Adventures in Home Cooking. I took her country ribs recipe and adapted it based on her comments and our penchant for all things spicy.

Crock Pot Country Ribs

3-4 lbs. of country style ribs
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. BBQ sauce (we LOVE Robinson's hot recipe)
1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. Penzey's black and red pepper blend (or 1/2 tbsp. each black and cayenne peppers)

Whisk all ingredients together (except ribs) in the bottom of a crock pot. Add ribs and immerse so that they are covered with the liquid. Cook on high for 4 hours or so, or on low for 6 hours. You can definitely cook them for longer, but they do start to fall apart.

Angie's recipe calls for serving the ribs with the pan juices; however, we found the resulting juice to be far too greasy for our tastes. I fished the rib meat out of the crock pot and put it into a saucepan and ladled just a bit of the pan juices over the meat to keep it moist. I served the rib meat with additional BBQ sauce at the table. Yummmmmmm.

This went fabulously with the Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin below and a green salad.

Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin

I had a whole host of stuff leftover from our two Thanksgiving celebrations that I was trying to use up tonight. I found a recipe for a two potato gratin on Epicurious and adapted it to use up the myriad bits of fresh herbs, 1/2 carton of cream, etc.

This was sooooo good. However. It is not even remotely good for you. In fact, I am pretty sure I could hear my ass growing and my arteries clogging with every bite. I have posted the recipe as I made it, and afterwards my thoughts on how I will adapt it for a healthier version that we can eat more often.

Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin
6 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter (although even if you are making the unhealthy version, I think you can leave this out all together - it made gross little oily puddles)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 c. monterey jack, shredded
1/2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice potatoes to 1/8 inch thickness using a food processor or mandoline.

Bring cream, butter (if using) and garlic to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat.

Spray a 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread half of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of the herbs. Top with half of the cheese.

Repeat for a second layer.

Pour the cream mixture over the top. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Now, my thoughts for a healthier version:
The heavy cream is what really makes this dish bad news. I would not recommend replacing the cream with lowfat milk because the dish will end up watery. Rather, I would make a simple bechamel sauce with lowfat milk (recipe to follow) and use that instead of the cream and butter. Bechamel is thickened with flour, so it still has that creamier texture.

You can also reduce the amount of cheese (though what fun is that) or use reduced fat cheese. I don't like using reduced fat cheeses in hot dishes because it just doesn't melt right. For this recipe, I would probably opt to use a stronger flavored cheese like Swiss or Gruyere and cut back on the cheese by about 1/4 cup.

Finally, you could opt to use all sweet potatoes or use a higher proportion of sweet potatoes to Yukon Golds.

Bechamel sauce:
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 1/4 c. milk, heated

Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the flour and cook for about two minutes. Slowly pour in the heated milk and whisk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.

For the potato gratin, stir in the minced garlic after the milk and use in place of the cream and butter.

Goat Cheese, Pesto, and Sundried Tomato Torta

This is a yummy, amazingly easy make-ahead appetizer that goes quickly. The red, white and green colors make it an obvious choice for a Christmas party.

Goat Cheese, Pesto and Sundried Tomato Torta

1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese
1 4 oz. log of goat cheese
1/2 c. pesto*
1 small jar of sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and finely chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

* You can make your own pesto or use store-bought stuff. This recipe requires a pesto that can hold its shape, so if your pesto is a little runny, add grated parmesan cheese until it will stick to a spoon. Recipe for homemade pesto follows.

In a bowl, blend the goat cheese and cream cheese together.

In another bowl, mix 1/4 c. of the goat-cream cheese mixture with the sundried tomatoes, tomato paste and vinegar.

Line a 2 cup ramekin (you can get this at Crate and Barrel for less than $5) with plastic wrap, leaving the ends long enough to fold back over the top. Spray the wrap lightly with cooking spray.

Press 1/2 of the goat cheese mixture into the bottom of the ramekin.
Spread 1/2 c. pesto over the top of the cheese.
Spread the sundried tomato mixture over the top of the pesto.
Spread the remaining goat cheese mixture over the top.

Fold the plastic wrap over the top to cover and chill for at least 1.5 hours.
To plate, unwrap the top, invert onto a plate and peel off the plastic wrap.
Serve with crackers or baguette slices.


Homemade pesto:
4 c. fresh basil leaves
3/4 c. pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
1 c. freshly grated parmesan
About 1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pulse first 4 ingredients together in a food processor. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until you get the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

This makes enough for the torta above and to sauce pasta for 2-4. This recipe makes a thicker pesto for the torta. If you are using to sauce pasta, reserve some of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce.