Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Thyme

Serves 6-8

• 4 ounces dried wild mushrooms*
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 13- to 14-ounce Brie (about 5 inches in diameter; preferably in wooden box)*
• 1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  

Rinse dried mushrooms to remove any grit. Place mushrooms and wine in small saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat; remove from heat. Let soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface and coarsely chop. Line strainer with damp paper towel; strain wine into small bowl and reserve.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir until soft, about 1 minute. Add chopped mushrooms and strained wine. Boil until almost dry, about 1 minute. Stir in thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool.

Remove Brie from box, discarding lid and paper. Using sharp knife, cut top rind from Brie; discard. Return Brie to box. (Alternatively, stack two 12-inch rounds of foil and fold up around bottom and sides of Brie, crimping foil at edges, leaving top exposed.) Mound mushroom mixture atop Brie.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place Brie with mushrooms on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until cheese begins to melt and mushrooms are warmed through, about 15 minutes. Transfer Brie in box to plate. Serve hot with baguette slices.

Kitchen Tip: To cut the top off the round of Brie more easily, first place the cheese in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up slightly.

*RESOURCES:

Dried Wild Mushrooms – FoodieAffair.com

Brie in Box – FoodieAffair.com

Coming Soon – A website where you can find products normally only available to restaurant chefs – FoodieAffair.com

Shrimp and Andouille Pot Pie

Recipe Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

Photo Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

Shrimp and andouille sausage give these pot pies a Cajun flair. To keep the pastry crisp, the dough is baked separately from the filling.

Serves 4

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 16-ounce packag e all-butter puff pastry or half of 17.3-ounce package regular puff pastry), thawed
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 1/2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; from 3 large)
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into scant 1/2-inch cubes*
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 1.5-ounces concentrated classic seafood stock *
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 8-ounce red-skinned potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds deveined, peeled shrimp
  

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out pastry on floured surface to 12-inch square. Cut out four 5 1/2-inch rounds. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet; bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheet.

DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap airtight and store at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk cream and flour in small bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add andouille and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add vermouth; simmer until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add seafood stock mixture and thyme. Bring to simmer. Add potato and cook uncovered until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add cream mixture to skillet; stir. Simmer until sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat. Add shrimp; simmer until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide hot filling among four 1 1/4-cup baking dishes. Top each with pastry round. Bake until filling bubbles, about 5 minutes.

*RESOURCES:

Andouille Sausage – FoodieAffair.com

Seafood Stock – FoodieAffair.com

Coming Soon – A website where you can find products normally only available to restaurant chefs – FoodieAffair.com

Moroccan Chicken Pie

Recipe Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

Photo Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

B’stilla, a traditional Moroccan recipe, was the inspiration for this savory pie. The dish consists of a spiced chicken filling sandwiched between layers of crisp phyllo pastry.

4-6 servings

FILLING:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric *
  
• 1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads *
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup chopped golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  

PHYLLO:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10 sheets (about 17×12 inches) fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed
• 1/2 cup (about) unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
  

FILLING:

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Mix in cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and saffron; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to simmer. Sprinkle chicken with salt; add to broth mixture. Gently simmer chicken uncovered until cooked through, reducing heat if necessary to prevent boiling, about 20 minutes. Stir in raisins. Set skillet aside until chicken is cool enough to handle.

Transfer chicken to plate. Shred chicken coarsely and return to skillet. If sauce is thin, simmer over medium heat until sauce coats chicken thickly. Stir in cilantro and parsley. Season filling with salt and pepper. Cool filling completely.

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.

PHYLLO:

Finely grind almonds, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and cinnamon in mini processor.

Stack 10 phyllo sheets on work surface. Invert 9-inch glass pie dish onto stack. Cut around dish through phyllo, making ten 10-inch rounds. Remove dish. Cover rounds with plastic wrap and damp kitchen towel.

Brush same pie dish with melted butter. Place 1 phyllo round on work surface; brush with butter and sprinkle with scant 1 tablespoon almonds. Top with another phyllo round, brush with butter and sprinkle with scant 1 tablespoon almonds. Repeat stacking with 3 more phyllo rounds, butter, and almonds. Fit phyllo stack into prepared pie dish. Brush with butter. Spoon filling evenly over. Place 1 phyllo round on work surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle with scant 1 tablespoon almonds. Top with another phyllo round, brush with butter and sprinkle with scant 1 tablespoon almonds. Repeat with 2 phyllo rounds, butter, and almonds. Place stack atop filling; top with remaining phyllo round. Tuck in edges. Drizzle more butter over top. Cut 4 slits through top phyllo stack to allow steam to escape.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered until phyllo is golden and filling is heated through, about 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into wedges.

*RESOURCES:

Saffron Threads – FoodieAffair.com

Turmeric – FoodieAffair.com

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Coming Soon – A website where you can find products normally only available to restaurant chefs – FoodieAffair.com

Sheperd’s Pie with Lamb and Eggplant

Recipe Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

Photo Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

This Greek-inspired shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, eggplant, and oregano. The mashed potato topping gets its Greek flavor from kasseri cheese, a hard, salty cheese. If you can’t find kasseri cheese, use Pecorino Romano instead. Finish the dish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh oregano, if desired

Serves 8-10

Here is a great recipe from Bon Appetit’s contributing editor Jeanne Thiel Kelley of Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes. It is rich and wonderful and will make any Englishman pull up a chair!

Filling:

• 1 1 1/2-pound eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-to 1-inch cubes
• Coarse kosher salt
• 7 tablespoons (or more) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds well-trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• All purpose flour
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 3 cups beef broth (preferably organic)
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  

Topping:

• 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely grated kasseri cheese* (5 to 6 ounces)
  

For filling:

Scatter eggplant on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; let stand 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Rinse eggplant and pat very dry.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl.

Sprinkle lamb generously with coarse salt and pepper, then dust with flour to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add half of lamb. Sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to large bowl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons oil and remaining lamb.

Add 1 additional tablespoon oil to same pot, if needed. Add onions. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until very tender, about 10 minutes (bottom of pot will be very dark). Add wine to pot. Increase heat and boil until wine evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, garlic, and oregano and bring to boil. Add lamb with any accumulated juices. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and continue to simmer until lamb is very tender and gravy thickens slightly, about 45 minutes. Stir in eggplant. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill.

For topping:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter with oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add milk and bring to simmer.

Drain potatoes. Return to pot. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates. Add milk mixture and mash potatoes until just smooth. Stir in cheese. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Drop potatoes over filling by heaping tablespoonfuls, covering completely.

Bake pie until filling is heated through and topping is golden, about 45 minutes.

*RESOURCES:

Kasseri Cheese – FoodieAffair.com

Coming Soon – A website where you can find products normally only available to restaurant chefs – FoodieAffair.com

Peanut Butter Brownie Cups

Photo Source: Bon Appetit March 2009

BROWNIE MIX
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cups Vegetable Oil
4 Lg Eggs
6 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder *
1 Tablespoons Vanilla
1 3/4 Cups All-purpose Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

FILLING MIX
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Whipped Cream
20 Maraschino Cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

BROWNIE MIXTURE
Blend sugar, oil eggs, cocoa, and vanilla.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture and combine well..
Spoon batter into 20 paer-lined muffin cups.

FILLING
Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, peanut butter and vanilla with mixer until blended.
Spoon 1 rounded Tablespoon into center of batter in each cup, pressing lightly into batter.
Bake 30 minutes or until centers are set.
Cool on rack .
When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and a Maraschino cherry.
*RESOURCES:
Cocoa Powder – FoodieAffair.com

Coming Soon – A website where you can find products normally only available to restaurant chefs – FoodieAffair.com