Brie and Gorgonzola Quesadilla with Pear Compote.

We took a class from Chef Craig Steinmetz of Artisan Grille. We thought this recipe would be even better on some crostinis or in a panini.

FORMULA:

3-4 pears, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes

1 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch, mix together with 2 tsp. water

1 T (or more) water

1 small wedge of brie cheese (4 oz)

1 small wedge of gorgonzola cheese (4 oz), crumbled

1 bag flour tortillas

butter or olive oil

PROCESS:

In saute pan, add approximately 1 tbsp butter and the brown sugar. Watch it and add another tbsp or two of water and another tbsp or so of butter. Dissolve over medium heat. Toss in the diced pears and saute a few minutes until tender. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer to make a glaze. Set aside.

Layout a tortilla and place slices of brie over entire surface. Sprinkle with gorgonzola. Place into skillet with some butter or oil. Top with another tortilla and gently brown for approximately 1-2 minutes. Turnover and brown the other side. Remove from pan and cut into pizza style wedges. Serve with pear compote.

Stuffed French Toast

This recipe could bring world peace, seriously. We borrowed this from the red America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and we would like to thank them greatly for this little diddy. Oliver tasted this after a stressful day at work and told me that it saved his life. He is still talking about it 3 months later. It is that good.

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FORMULA:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

8 slices high-quality white sandwich bread

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

PROCESS:

1. Microwave the cream cheese in a large bowl on high power until just softened, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.

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2. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes.

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3. Spread the seasoned cream cheese evenly over 4 pieces of the bread, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Lightly press the remaining slices of bread over the top to make 4 sturdy sandwiches.

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4. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk it together with the milk, egg, vanilla, salt, and bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour the batter into a large shallow dish.

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5. Slide 2 sandwiches into the batter and soak both sides, about 1 minute per side. Meanwhile, melt 1 more tablespoon of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown, swirling to coat the pan. Remove the bread from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the dish, and lay in the hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the French toast to the wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat step 5 with the remaining butter, sandwiches, and batter.

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Serve with maple syrup or with just a pat of butter and a dusting of confectioners' sugar.

Individual Fresh Berry Gratins with Lemon Zabaglione

We both agreed, this would be a fantastic dish to serve at a shower or party in mini portions.

Words of Wisdom from Cook's Illustrated:

When making the zabaglione, make sure to cook the egg mixture in a glass bowl over water that is barely simmering. Glass conducts heat more evenly and gently than metal. If the heat is too high, the yolks around the edges of the bowl will start to scramble. Constant whisking is required. Although we prefer to make this recipe with a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, you can use 3 cups of just one type of berry. Do not use frozen berries. A broilerproof pie plate or gratin dish can be used in place of the individual gratin dishes. To prevent scorching, pay close attention to the gratins when broiling.

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FORMULA:

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Berry Mixture
3 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries; strawberries stemmed and halved lengthwise if small, quartered if large), room temperature (see note)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pinch table salt
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Zabaglione Topping
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest , finely grated
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream , chilled

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PROCESS:

FOR THE BERRY MIXTURE: Toss berries, sugar, and salt together in medium nonreactive bowl. Divide berry mixture evenly among 4 shallow 6-ounce gratin dishes set on rimmed baking sheet. Set berries aside to release juices while preparing zabaglione.

FOR THE ZABAGLIONE: Whisk egg yolks, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, wine, lemon juice, and zest in medium glass bowl until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (water should not touch bottom of bowl) and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is frothy. Following photos below, continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened, creamy, and glossy, 5 to 10 minutes (mixture will resemble hollandaise and form loose mounds when dripped from whisk). Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk constantly for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill until egg mixture is completely cool, about 10 minutes.

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Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 to 7 inches from heating element and heat broiler. Combine light brown sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar in small bowl.
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In large bowl, whisk heavy cream until it holds soft peaks, 30 to 90 seconds. Using rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into cooled egg mixture. Spoon zabaglione over berries and sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over zabaglione; let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, until sugar dissolves into zabaglione.

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Broil until sugar is bubbly and caramelized, 1 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Maple Frosting Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman {hence all of the butter}.

FORMULA:

DOUGH

1 quart whole milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages active dry yeast

8 + 1 cups of all-purpose flour

1 heaping tsp baking powder

1 "scant" tsp baking soda

1 heaping tablespoon of salt

1 1/2 - 2 cups melted butter

1 cup of sugar

generous sprinkling of cinnamon

MAPLE SYRUP FROSTING

1 bag of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons of maple flavoring

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup of brewed coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

PROCESS:

Mix the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat to just before boiling). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it-overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to spluge out of the pan, just punch it down.)

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Sprinkle surface generously with flour. Take half of the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

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For the frosting mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Don't skimp on the frosting.