VPWL

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

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Comment: cut salt in half, add 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbl chili powder
  • 2 Tbl salt
  • 1 Tbl garlic powder
  • 1 Tbl onion powder
  • 1 Tbl ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 bay leaf, crushed
  • 4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
  • 1 1/2 c beef stock

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf.
  3. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub.
  4. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
  5. Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300°, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork- tender.
  6. Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain.
  7. Top with juice from the pan.

Serves: 10

Source: Paula Deen, Paula’s Home Cooking

Villa Park Women’s League – GOURMET – May 17, 2014

Great Barbecue Sauce

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Pretty basic – but it works.  Feel free to spice it up with a little hot sauce etc.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ c oil
  • ¼ c onion, chopped
  • ¼ c ketchup
  • ¾ c water
  • 1/3 c lemon or lime juice
  • 3 Tab sugar
  • 3 Tab Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 Tab Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Sauté onions in oil.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients and add to onions.
  3. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 2 ½ cups

Source: West of the Rockies – Junior Service League of Grand Junction

Sun Valley Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

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Anything with puff pastry and smoked salmon has to be called gourmet!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 1 ¾ lbs cream cheese
  • 1/3 c half and half
  • ½ c Gruyère cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ lb smoked salmon, finely chopped
  • 1 pkg puff pastry (2 sheets)

Directions:

  1. Saute onions in butter until tender, not browned
  2. Combine cream cheese and half and half. Cream until smooth.
  3. Add onion, cheese, pepper. Mix well.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time beating slowly just until incorporated.
  5. Stir in salmon.
  6. Cut each sheet of puff pastry in half lengthwise
  7. Fold all edges up 3/8 inch to make a rim. Pinch to seal.
  8. Divide mixture between the four crusts and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or
  9. until center is set.
  10. Chill 2 hours.
  11. Cut each pastry in half lengthwise and then into 1 inch strips.

Serve on tray.

Serves: 64 pieces

Source: Bless the Cook, St Thomas Episcopal Church, Sun Valley, Idaho

Comments: The original recipe had a walnut crust, but had no quantities for walnuts, cheese or butter! It then baked the cheesecake in a spring form pan.  The puff pastry is my substitute.

Pioneer Woman’s Mini Meatball Sliders

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You can make the meatballs in the morning (or the day before) and assemble at party time.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground chuck or lean beef
  • ½ c panko or other bread crumbs
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • ½ c milk
  • 2 Tab olive oil
  • ½ medium onion, diced (½ c)
  • 1 large jar Marinara sauce (approximately 32 oz)
  • 36 small dinner or slider rolls
  • 12 slices provolone cheese cut each slice into 6 wedges

Directions:

  1. Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper and milk.
  2. Kneed together with your hands.
  3. Roll into balls about 1 tablespoon (½ oz) each. Flatten slightly.
  4. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
  5. Add onions and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for 1 minute.
  7. Pour in marinara sauce and shake pan gently to mix.
  8. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
  9. When ready to serve, cut dinner roll ¾ through and place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll.
  10. Spoon a meat ball and some sauce on each bottom.
  11. Close roll and secure with tooth pick.

Serve warm in chaffing dish.

Serves: 36 pieces

Source: Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Cheyenne Mulled Cider

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This is a good ENAB (Equally Attractive Alcoholic Beverage) for winter parties.  Not to say you could not add rum or bourbon.

Ingredients:

  • 2 qts unpasteurized apple cider
  • 1 3 inch cinnamon stick
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 1 navel orange, peeled and sliced crosswise
  • 1 2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, cut into 6 slices

Directions:

  1. Combine cider, cinnamon, cloves, orange and ginger in sauce pan.
  2. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Strain through fine sieve into a heat proof pitcher, crock pot, or metal punch bowl.
  4. Serve warm.

Serves: 15 punch cups

Source: Epicurious, Gourmet, October 1991

Winter Wassail

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“Here we go a wassailing….”

Ingredients:

  • 1 gal apple cider
  • 2 c cranberry juice
  • ½ c honey
  • ½ c sugar
  • 2 oranges sliced thick
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 1 apple, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tbs ground allspice
  • 2 Tbs ground ginger
  • 2 Tbs ground nutmeg
  • 3 cinnamon sticks (or 3 Tbs ground cinnamon)
  • 1 c brandy

Directions:

  1. Set crock pot to low setting.
  2. Add cider, cranberry juice, honey and sugar, mixing carefully.
  3. As it heats, stir so the honey and sugar dissolve.
  4. Stud the orange with the cloves and place it in the pot.
  5. Add the apple, allspice, ginger, nutmeg.
  6. Break cinnamon in half and add.
  7. Cover and simmer 2 – 4 hours.
  8. Add brandy ½ hour before serving.

Serves: 35 punch cups

Source: Patty Washington, About.com

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

Eggnog Shooters

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These turned out to be rather fun and different.  If you have shot glasses – even better.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ c water
  • 6 unflavored gelatin powder envelopes
  • 1 ½ c sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 ¼ c prepared eggnog
  • 1 ½ c brandy
  • nutmeg ground
  • ½ pt whipping cream
  • 2 Tbs powdered sugar
  • 132 plastic spoons – red or green

Directions:

  1. Pour water in saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.
  2. Allow to soak for a minute or two.
  3. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is fully dissolved – about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk.
  5. Remove from heat and add the eggnog and brandy, stirring to fully incorporate.
  6. Pour into 9×13 glass pan and refrigerate until fully set, several hours or overnight.
  7. Cut 11 x 12 into ¾” x 1” rectangles.
  8. Lightly dust rectangles with nutmeg.
  9. Place rectangle on a plastic spoon.
  10. Whip cream with powdered sugar.
  11. Place a small rosette of whip cream on eggnog rectangles with frosting tip.
  12. Refrigerate.
  13. Serve spoons of shooters on tray.

Serves: 132 spoons

Source: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

Prosciutto Wagon Wheels

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Anything with puff pastry looks fancy, add prosciutto and you have a winner!

Ingredients:

  • 1 box frozen puff pastry (17 ¼ oz, 2 sheets) thawed
  • 2/3 c Dijon mustard
  • ¾ lb prosciutto, very thinly sliced, divided (easiest to use pre-packaged)
  • 2 c provolone cheese, shredded, divided.

Directions:

  1. Work with 1 sheet of puff pastry, keeping remaining sheet wrapped and cold.
  2. Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry on floured surface to a 14 inch square.
  3. Brush with a thin layer of mustard.
  4. Cover with half the prosciutto slices, slightly overlapping and leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.  (Transfer prosciutto on paper and then remove paper.)
  5. Sprinkle with one cup on the cheese.
  6. Roll pastry tightly.
  7. Pinch seams to seal.
  8. Chill 1 hour.
  9. Repeat with remaining sheet.
  10. Preheat oven 425°.
  11. Grease large baking sheet.
  12. Cut rolls into ½ inch slices and place cut side up (discard ends) and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.
  13. Bake 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves: 50 pieces

Source: Bless the Cook – St Thomas Episcopal Church, Sun Valley, Idaho

River City Sheep Dip

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You gotta love the name!  The recipe from Georgann Jouflas, was the best selling item at the former River City Cafe. The recipe is the product of her mother’s idea, the chef’s final combination of ingredients, and Georgann’s title. The name was a joke reflecting her father’s 50 years as a sheep rancher. Try it, it’s great and you can freeze some of it for later.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz water packed artichoke hearts
  • 6 oz asiago or parmesan cheese
  • 3 oz fresh spinach, washed and patted dry (no stems)
  • 1 pt half and half
  • 20 oz sour cream
  • 24 oz cream cheese (the block kind-not whipped)
  • 8 oz whipping cream
  • pita chips

Directions:

  1. Blend together all ingredients, except pita chips, in food processor or blender until smooth (you will still have chunks of artichoke).
  2. Place in heatproof dish.
  3. Heat 350° until hot – about 20 minutes.
  4. Serve warm in chaffing dish with pita chips.

Serves: 3 quarts of dip

Source: West of the Rockies, Recipes From Campfire to Candlelight – Junior Service League of Grand Junction, Colorado

Notes:  The dip was a little soupie. Could be because we used the whipped cream cheese spread stuff.  If you are going to use that, suggest 1 c half and half, 10 oz sour cream, 12 oz cream cheese,1/2 c whipping cream.

Salt Lake City Rosemary Fillet of Beef

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Great for that cocktail/dinner party.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lbs beef tenderloin, room temperature (approximately 2-3 inches diameter)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 loaf French bread (baguette about 2-3 inches in diameter
  • herb butter
  • watercress for garnish

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Rub tenderloin with salt, pepper and rosemary.
  3. Place in shallow pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until internal temperature is 120°
  4. Let meat stand for 20 minutes and then refrigerate (Meat can be cooked severalhours early, chilled, and hors d’oeuvre assembled before serving.)
  5. Slice bread ¼ inch thick.
  6. Spread bread slices with herb butter.
  7. Brown under broiler.
  8. Slice beef very thin
  9. Pile several thin slices of beef on bread.
  10. Garnish with watercress.

Herb butter:

  • 1 c unsalted butter, softened (½ pound)
  • 2 Tab fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 Tab dill, chervil or tarragon, finely chopped

Make herb butter by chopping herbs in food processor, add butter, mix well.

Serves: 75 pieces

Source: A Pinch of Salt Lake, The Junior League of Salt Lake City, Inc.