Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for June, 2010

I love how each new season brings a new flavor of pie to mind.  Summer is here, which is the perfect time to make a delicious cherry pie.  Fresh or frozen cherries can be used, and tart are the best as they nicely complement the nutmeg and cinnamon spices! It's the best use of that fruit basket you just received.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup cherry juice blend
• 4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in cherry juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add the cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg and extract; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add cold water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide pastry in half so that one ball is slightly larger than the other.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger ball to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate; trim even with edge of plate. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust. Trim, seal and flute edges.
• Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°; bake 45-50 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

If you're loving this cherry recipe, you must attempt this recipe for Easy Cherry Cobbler.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

If your dad is like mine, he's going to be firing up the grill this weekend.  Instead of making a plain old boring hamburger, how about trying something new?  Here's a great recipe for a tasty Southwestern Burger, which is something you probably can't put in his Father's day gift basket this year.

Ingredients (for 2 burgers):

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2 slices cheddar cheese
• 2 hamburger buns, split
• 2 slices tomato
• 2 slices onion
• 2 lettuce leaves

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine the mayo, mustard, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• Grill green pepper, covered, over medium heat until skin blisters, about 6 minutes. With tongs, rotate pepper a quarter turn. Grill and rotate until all sides are blackened. Immediately place pepper in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shape beef into two patties. Grill uncovered over medium-hot heat for 7-9 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Peel off and discard charred skin from green pepper; remove stem and seeds. Cut pepper in half. Top each patty with green pepper and cheese; grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
• Grill buns, cut side down, for 1-2 minutes or until toasted. Spread bun bottoms with mayonnaise mixture; top with burgers, tomato, onion and lettuce. Replace bun tops.

You might think this blog is filled with gourmet desserts, but allow us to take a turn for something different. Afterall, it's grilling season!  Here's a great recipe that can be made on the grill or in the kitchen.  Chicken, onions and barbecue sauce come together in tortilla shells to create a taste sensation!

Ingredients

2 medium size purple onions, caramelized
20 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
6 oz smoked cheddar, grated
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite brand - we use Sweet & Sassy Famous Dave's)
5 - 10" flour tortillas

Directions

Caramelize the 2 medium onions in a saucepan and set aside for later use.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grill either on an outdoor grill or inside on a Foreman grill for 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside (you could also use a stove top grill pan inside). Let chicken rest 4 minutes, and then thinly slice on the bias.

Once onions are done, remove them from the saucepan. Pour the bbq sauce into the onion saucepan and cook on medium low for 3 minutes until slightly reduced and sticky. Stir in the sliced chicken to coat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F or outdoor grill on medium heat. Place 5 tortillas on a large greased baking sheet for indoor baking or directly on a greased outdoor grill. Divide and layer the cheese, chicken and onions among the 5 tortillas and season with salt and pepper, to taste (put ingredients on only 1/2 of each tortilla because they will be folded over to form half circle shaped sandwiches). Fold the tortillas in half pressing down to hold in place. Brush the top tortillas with olive oil or spray with Pam. Bake in oven or grill for 7 minutes, then carefully flip the quesadillas over baking or grilling for about 5 more minutes (or until the tortillas are slightly crisp and the cheese has melted). Cut into thirds or quarters and serve on a platter with sour cream.

If you love grilling or know someone who loves to grill, check out these great BBQ baskets.

Forget fruit baskets for a minute, it's growing season!  Soon peppers of every color will be sprouting in your garden.  Even if the green thumb gene skipped a generation, local Farmer's Markets are a great place to pick up fresh produce.

Bell peppers are perfect for stuffing!  This classic recipe is healthy and delicious and perfect as a main dish served with garlic toast and a salad.

Ingredients:

6 - 8 large red, yellow or green bell peppers
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 lbs of ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 can peeled chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

Step 1:  Prepare the Peppers: Rinse the peppers well under running water (if they have a waxy finish, you should scrub them as well). To core the pepper, use a paring knife to cut around the stem. Remove the stem and scoop out the pepper's insides including the seeds and fibers.

Boil the peppers in salted water for 5 to 8 minutes (or steam them). Drain well and set aside to cool a bit.

Step 2: Cook the Rice:  Cook the rice according to package directions.

Step 3: Prepare the Filling: In a large frying pan, brown the onion and beef together adding a little oil if necessary. Once it is cooked, drain it.

Then either in the large frying pan or in a separate bowl, add the cooked rice, tomatoes, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to the cooked onion and hamburger.

Stir well until all the ingredients are distributed evenly.

Step 4: Stuff the Peppers with Filling: In a 9 x 13 baking dish or similar sized oval dish, arrange (stand up) the bell peppers and stuff them full of the hamburger/rice mixture. If you still have any hamburger/rice mixture left after stuffing all the peppers, just pour it next to the peppers in the baking dish.

In a small glass bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, remaining salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the stuffed peppers (and any excess rice mixture that you placed outside the peppers in the baking dish).

Step 5: Bake the Stuffed Peppers: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 degF. Baste tops of peppers frequently with juices in the baking dish. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 1/2 hour more. Top should be slightly brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!

If you're a fan of peppers, you must try this recipe for Uova Con Peperoni - Eggs With Peppers!