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Cooking club has mission to revive lost art of dining together
"I thought of ladies that, whenever we are together, we always end up talking recipes and cooking," Burrows said. "We're all just so busy, but it seemed like such a good idea." So she asked a few of them, and they cooked up Thyme Together, an informal group who meet in each other's kitchens once a month, testing and tasting new culinary delights. Burrows, Darlene Nolen, Kim Monroe, Elaine Malone, Debbie Coleman, Susan Stover and Carolyn Knight enjoy finding new ways to surprise each other with food themes.
The house will be the new home for Jerry Burrow's business, Advanced Financial Services, but it has a fully equipped kitchen with an island big enough for all the group to gather 'round. Part of the adventure, they explained, is to find new recipes, new styles, new techniques, new herbs, new food and wine pairings... "We've taken field trips, tried sushi, learned Cajun cooking, done a Mardi Gras theme," they said, all talking at once. Nolen said she wanted to do one on "landscaping a table" and immediately decorating ideas began to flow. The ladies have been to cooking schools and are planning a Lake Austin Spa trip for lessons in healthy food preparation- " you know, how thick to slice the cucumbers to lay on the eyelids," they joked. The group also does community service. "We made trail mix for our walkers (Walker of Hope)," Nolen said, "and of course we will be helping to decorate the Woman's Civic Club and provide refreshments for the Holiday Tour of Homes in December." The group advised that people who are interested in a cooking club should keep it small. "Keep it to the number that will fit around a dinner table," Nolen said. "Our mission is to revive the lost art of dining together. The fellowship around a dinner table is so important." All recipes p. 2 - 3 supplied by members of Thyme Together cooking club Grilled Bruschetta with Rosemary-White Bean Puree By: Pam Burrows 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 2 3-4 inch sprigs plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 2 lg. ripe heirloom tomatoes (about 1-1/4 lb. cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 3 cups) 2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed 1 15 oz can cannelloni beans, rinsed well and drained 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1-2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black peper; more as needed 1 lb. baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices Heat the oil, garlic, and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat until they start to sizzle steadily and become fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Let the oil cool to room temperature. Strain the oil into a measureing cup. (If making ahead, store in the refrigerator and use within 3 days). Put the tomatoes in a medium bowl and toss with 3 tbsp. of the garlic oil, the mint, and 1 tsp. of salt. Put the beans in a food processor and add about 6 tbsp. of the garlic oil, the Parmigiano, 1 tsp. of the lemon juice, the chopped rosemary, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and the black pepper and puree until smooth. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Heat a gas grill to medium heat or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire. Brush both sides of the bread with the remaining garlic oil. (If you run out, use olive oil to finish) Sprinkle lightly with salt. Grill the bread until crisp, with nice grill marks on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Spread the grilled bread with the bean puree, top with a generous spoonful of the tomatoes and their juices, sprinkle lightly with pepper, and set out on a large platter so your guests can help themselves. Wine pairing: Try a crisp, herbal Sauvingnon Blanc from New Zealand like the 2006 Kim Crawford Marlborough, $14. Serves: 10-12 people Tri-Colored Vegetables By: Darlene Nolen 2 carrots, cut into 1/4"strips 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. butter 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips 1 8 oz. bag fresh sugar snap peas (about 2 cups) 1/2 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper In a small pot of boiling water, blanch carrots for 2 minutes; drain. In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat, until butter is melted. Sauté carrots, pepper and peas for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Add garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Servings: 2-4 Parmesan Polenta Cakes By: Darlene Nolen 3-1/2 cups milk 3/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 1 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 2 tbsp. butter Line bottom of a 9x5x3 loaf pan with waxed paper; set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, salt and pepper, carefully bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in cornmeal until well mixed. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese until melted. Cool slightly and spread evenly into prepared pan; refrigerate 1-2 hours, or until set completly. Remove from pan and cut into four equal pieces. In a large non-stick skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat, cook polenta square 2 min. on each side until golden brown. Garnish with Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese and basil, if desired. Apricot, Cornmeal, and Sage Cookies By: Elaine Malone 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened well 3/4 cup sugar 1 lg. egg 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. allpurpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage leaves 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350º and lightly grease 2 baking sheets. In a bowl whisk together butter, sugar, and egg until smooth. Sift in flour and baking soda and add apricots, sage, cornmeal, and salt, stirring until combined. Drop tablespoons about 1" apart on sheets and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool. Garlic Herb Chicken By: Susan Stover 46 plump unpeeled garlic cloves, divided 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt About 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, thyme, oregano, and sage Freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. extravirgin olive oil 1 organic free-range fryer (3 1/2 - 4 lbs.), cut-up Thickly sliced French bread or toast, heated, for serving Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel six garlic cloves, sprinkle with salt, and mince, pressing garlic into salt with flat of knife to a rough paste. Transfer to small bowl and stir in chopped herbs, pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil. Generously spread garlic mixture over chicken pieces. Set pieces in roasting pan with breast sides up. Add 40 unpeeled cloves to bowl that contained garlic mixture and toss to lightly coat with the oil remaining on the sides of the bowl. Tuck the garlic cloves in and around the chicken pieces. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes and then drizzle the chicken with pan juices. Continue to roast until forktender and just browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until an instantread thermometer inserted in the middle of a breast reads 165 degrees. Serve chicken with pan juices and garlic cloves. Pass the French bread. Squeeze softer roasted garlic from the root end onto the bread, spread, and enjoy with the chicken. Squeeze or pop the more caramelized onto the plate and eat whole, seasoned with salt and pepper. Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Bruschetta By: Debbie Coleman 1 32 oz. can whole tomatoes, drained 1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and spun dry 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 6 cloves garlic, peeled Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 lg. French baquettes, sliced 1 inch thick 1-1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4" thick Preheat oven to 375º. In the bowl of a food processor, add tomatoes, 1 cup basil leaves, olive oil and 2 cloves garlic. Pulse until smooth, but somewhat chunky. Season with salt and pepper. On a baking sheet, line up baguette slices. Toast in oven for about 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Working quickly, rub the remaining garlic on the toasted side of each slice and then lay a piece of mozzarella cheese on top. Place back in oven and melt cheese slightly, about 45 seconds. Remove from oven and spread one tbsp. of tomato mixture on each piece. Place bruschetta on decorative platter and garnish with basil leaves. Tapenade on Crostini By: Debbie Coleman 1 lg. baguette, about 26" long, sliced on the diagonal into 1/3" thick slices 4-6 tbsp. homemade herb oil, recipe follows 1 pkg. store-bought olive tapenade Place rack inupper third of oven and turn on broiler. Spread both sides of each slicelightly with herb oil. Arrange slices on 2 baking sheets. Broil 1 sheet at a time for about 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Turn slices over and toast other side. Spread the tapenade on crostini and serve. Homemade Herb Oil: 1 cup rosemary leaves, stems removed 2 cups olive oil 1/2 cup tarragon leaves 1/4 cup thyme leaves Place rosemary and olive oil in blender and cover. Blend on high until rosemary has been ground into small pieces. Add tarragon and thyme and continue blending until all the herbs have been broken down into small pieces. Pour into an airtight contaner and store in the refrigerator. Tomato Basil Soup By: Carolyn Knight1 28 oz. crushed tomato sauce 1 14.5 oz. crushed tomato sauce 3 cups tomato juice or V-8 1 cup chicken stock 12-14 washed fresh basil leaves 1 cup heavy cream 1 stick unsalted butter Salt to taste Cracked black pepper Combine tomatoes, juice and stock in large stock pot. Simmer 40 minutes. Puree basil leaves in small batches, (I use my hand held food blender, which I love.) Continue simmering over low heat another 30 minutes. Add cream, butter, salt and pepper. Garnish with basil leaves and serve. Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing By Carolyn Knight Dressing: 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tbsp sugar 2-3 tbsp. milk 1 tbsp orange juice 1 tsp. freshly grated orange peel 1 tsp. poppy seed Salad: 1/4 cup coarsley chopped roasted pecans 2 tbsp sugar 3 cups baby spinach leaves 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries Stir together all dressing ingredients in medium bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine pecans and sugar in skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is melted and pecans are coated (lightly browned). Just before serving, toss together pecans and all remaining salad ingredients with dressing. Red Potatoes with Artichokes and Feta Cheese By: Kim Monroe 2 lbs. red potatoes, quartered 1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in halves 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper 1 tbsp. olive oil 4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled Combine potatoes, artichoke hearts, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Spoon into oiled shallow roasting pan. Bake in preheated 425º oven for 55 minutes, stirring or shaking occasionally. Spoon into serving dish. Add the Feta cheese and toss to mix well. Serves: 6-8 |
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