Cheddar and Garlic Scape Tartlets

Homemade puff pastry tartlet
Garlic scape pesto
Locally made cheddar cheese
Roasted sweet cherry tomato
Balsamic drizzle
Fresh basil

Slice the tart in half horizontally. Spread the inside with garlic scape pesto.
Top with the cheese, Toast in the oven.
Top with another dollop of pesto.
To roast the tomatoes, toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast just until skin is blistered.
Top the tart with a cherry tomato, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with a basil leaf.

People's Choice Award: Cheesy Pasta with Bacon

This is the dish from yesterday's blackbox competition I promised I would share. In the limited time, space, and pantry I had, I tried to create a dish that the spectators would love, but also one that was refined enough that the judges would enjoy too. It seemed to be successful, I god a gold in the People's Choice Award and silver with the judges. Here is a general recipe as to how I remember making my dish.

1. Grab A LOT of bacon and quickly chop it up. Throw it in a hot pan.
2. Meanwhile, peel and dice five small red onions. Toss it in with your bacon.
3. While that sweats down, mince up some fresh tarragon.
4. Strain the bacon and red onion, reserving the bacon fat. Return the fat to the pan and add a cup of salted butter. Melt it.
5. Add about a cup or two of all-purpose flour and whisk until you have a thick roux.
6. Gradually whisk in one to two liters of whole milk and keep the heat on high, stirring often, to thicken the sauce.
7. While sauce is on the go, cook your pasta noodle sin boiling salted water.
8. Season your sauce with salt, black pepper, dijon mustard, tabasco sauce, garlic seasoning mix. Through some worchestershire and more tabasco sauce into your bacon and red onion.
9. Cube up some cheddar cheese and throw into the sauce, reserving some cheese for the end. Melt it down a bit, then throw in some parmesan flakes as well.
10. Melt the cheese into the sauce, and season it again.
11. Strain your pasta and stir in the sauce and bacon and red onion. Stir in the extra cheddar and tarragon, reserving a little of each for garnish.
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, consistency, and cheesiness and enjoy!!!

Merry Christmas To Me

The other week, I received some great news that I have not shared on here yet. Back in November I had entered a recipe development contest for a local potato product company. I just recently received the news that my entry for 'Potato Mushroom Cheese Bake' placed first out of all the entries. This gold place winning also came with a nice cheque. I was then asked to prepare my recipe in front of a videographers and photographer in a special kitchen along with the other two finalists. I was absolutely delighted with the news, as after so long I had not been expecting to win, I figured the finalists had already been decided. But it was a nice little surprise close to Christmastime. As soon as the recipe is officially released, I will be sure to share it! :)
Now, I must get to bed before Santa Claus comes...

Chicken Breast with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Chicken Breast with Cheddar Cheese Sauce
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cubed
salt, pepper, and dry mustard powder, to taste
cooked chicken breast (1-2)

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined. Stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt. Season to taste. If desired, this sauce can be thinned out with a little milk or cream, which I would recommend adding before the cheese if possible. Spoon over chicken breast before reheating to retain moisture, or add halfway through the cooking time. 

This is a super fast cheddar cheese sauce - sort of like one that would be used to create a macaroni and cheese casserole, only thicker. The butter provides a lot of moisture for the chicken so it does not dry out, and the cheese creates a flavorful topping. Multiply the sauce as needed for more chicken breasts.

Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche

Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche
4 large eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag (3 cups) frozen mixed vegetables, lightly steamed according to package directions
2 cups shredded cheese 

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line one 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan or two 9-inch round deep-dish pie plates. 
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cornstarch, baking powder, parsley, and spices. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

The vegetables, cheese, and seasonings can be varied to match your tastes. Leftover, fresh, or canned vegetables can all be used, as long as they are lightly cooked beforehand.  Choose vegetables that are fairly small - I used a mixture of carrots, beans, peas, and corn. Not typical in a quiche, but it worked really well! This is a really easy recipe that requires no crust to fuss with. It is also vegetarian and gluten-free! It cooks very well, and can even be kept warm for a while without sacrificing quality. This dish really isn't anything special, but was the first to disappear and got raving reviews, so I guess it went over well.

Cheesy Mushroom Rotini Bake

Mushroom Cheese Rotini Bake
hot, cooked rotini pasta, enough for 6 or so servings
1 cup diced fresh mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10 ounces/294mL) cream of mushroom soup 
3/4 cup mayonnaise or mayonnaise-style dressing

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Return the pasta to cooking pot, and stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer into greased casserole dish(es) and bake, covered, for at least 30 minutes. This keeps warm in the oven well for a while longer, as long as it is covered so it doesn't dry out. 

There isn't a whole lot to say about this dish except that it is very quick and easy to make, and forgiving as well. It can be made ahead, parts of it prepared in advance, kept hot for a while, and reheated. It makes a quick, meatless weeknight meal, with maybe a salad and some bread on the side. It can be varied to no end- different types of cheese, vegetables, pasta shapes, add meat, spices, sauces, bread crumbs, etc, etc. This was very, very good though, and one example of a recipe my mother made for company without testing it beforehand (*gasp*), but is simple, and easy so ended up being a hit!

Cheese-Crusted Meatball Pie

This delicious recipe came from one of my many cookbooks, Betty Crocker's "Baking For Today". This book includes recipes for everything from breads, to cookies, to main courses, to cakes, to appetizers, to perfect pies. I have made several recipes from this book before, and they all turned out nicely. So for supper, I decided to try Cheese-Crusted Meatball Pie. This dish consists of meatballs, sauce, and a flaky crust made with cheddar cheese on top. It was very good, and fairly easy to make. The secret to the flaky crust is to heat the sauce first, which also allows the pie to heat through on the inside before the crust overbrowns. The crust is a little crumbly and hard to roll out perfectly, so my pie has a very rustic look to it. But that's okay, it still tasted very good. I also had a little bit of crust leftover, so I just slid it on a baking sheet and baked it along side the pie.

Cheese-Crusted Meatball Pie
MEATBALLS
1 pound lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 jar (1 pound 10 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) 
CHEESE PASTRY
1 cup white all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter or shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Heat oven to 425◦F. In medium bowl, mix beef, bread crumbs, onion, salt and milk. Shape mixture into 18 meatballs (I made smaller meatballs and got a lot more). Place meatballs in 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of meatballs reads at least 160◦F and meatballs are no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile: In one quart saucepan, heat pasta sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; keep warm.
Make cheese pastry: In medium bowl, mix flour, salt and cheese. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). On lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball; shape into flattened round. Roll into 10-inch square.

Place meatballs in 8-inch square glass baking dish. Top with hot pasta sauce. Cut slits in pastry; place over meatball mixture and tuck under edges. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Crocker, Betty. "Cheese-Crusted Meatball Pie." Recipe. Baking For Today, Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, 2005. 122.