Fried Green Tomatoes

 

Ingredients
· 2 medium green tomatoes
· 1 cup cornmeal
· 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
· 1/2 cup buttermilk
· Oil for frying
 
Steps
1) Wash and slice the tomatoes. Do not peel them. Mix the cornmeal, flour, and seasoned salt in a gallon bag. Dip the tomato slices in the buttermilk and then place in the bag, a few at a time, to coat with the flour-cornmeal mixture.
2) Fill a large skillet with approximately 1/4 inch of oil. Place over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, add a few slices at a time. Fry until browned on one side, then turn over and brown on the other side. Drain on a towel-lined platter.
 
From: Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family
By: Christy Jordan

 

Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Puffs

 

Ingredients

· 3 tablespoons cream cheese spread

· 1 teaspoon soy sauce

· 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

· 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

· 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated butter flake crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls)

· 16 uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp, thawed if frozen, tails removed, if desired

· 3 tablespoons sesame seed

· 1/3 cup apricot preserves

 

Steps

1) Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray, or line with cooking parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, soy sauce, ginger and garlic until well blended; set aside.

2) Separate dough into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise in half to make 16 triangles. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon cream cheese mixture on each triangle. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Place 1 shrimp on shortest side of each triangle; roll up, starting at shortest side, rolling to opposite point.

3) Place sesame seed; place roll, point side down, on cookie sheet. Bake 16 to 21 minutes or until golden brown.

4) In small microwave preserves uncovered on High about 20 seconds or until melted. Gently spread 1 teaspoon melted preserves over each puff to glaze. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

 

From: Bake-Off: Prize-Winning Recipes: 100 Top Recipes from the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest

By: Pillsbury

 

Tim Burton

When it comes to quirky cookbooks, Zach Neil has just the title! This spooky season, check out Zach Neil's The Nightmare Before Dinner: Recipes to Die for: the Beetle House Cookbook for some unique recipes directly from The Beetle House, a Tim Burton-inspired restaurant. Burton is known for being an American filmmaker, specifically in the gothic fantasy and horror genre. One of Burton’s biggest fans, Neil, opened the restaurant, The Beetle House, in New York in 2016. After it became wildly successful, Neil opened another location in Los Angeles a year later. Today, both of these locations are booked far in advance, and have raving reviews not only because of the food, but because of the unique experience every “soul” who enters the restaurant experiences. In 2018, Neil released his cookbook that features over 60 recipes inspired by Tim Burton himself. Some customer favorites include Edward Burger Hands, Cheshire Mac and Cheese, The Fleet Street Martini, and Beetle Pie. This cookbook has five stars on Amazon and can be found in our collection under the call number, “641.568 Nei.” If you’re a fan of The Nightmare Before Dinner, we also recommend Neil’s other cookbook, Death for Dinner Cookbook: 60 Gorey-Good, Plant-Based Drinks, Meals, and Munchies Inspired by Your Favorite Horror Films. Let us know what your guests think of these spooktacular meals if you’re cooking for any Halloween festivities.

Sweet Carrot Soup

 

Ingredients

· 10 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped

· 2/3 cup milk

· 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· Pinch of grated nutmeg

· 2/3 cup coconut milk

· 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· Toasted shredded coconut, to serve

 

Steps

1) Put the carrots in a saucepan and add the milk, 2/3 cup water and spices

2) Simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes, or until very soft

3) Transfer to a bowl, add the coconut milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.

4) Chill for 1 hour before serving. Serve sprinkled with shredded coconut.

 

From: My Cooking Class: Vegetable Basics: 84 Recipes Illustrated Step By Step

By: Jody Vassallo

Photographs by: Clive Bozzard-Hill

 

Lamb with Fruit

 

Ingredients

· 1 3-pound tied boneless lamb shoulder roast

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

· 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

· 2 tablespoons cooking oil

· 1 1/2 cups water

· 1/4 cup dry white wine

· 1/2 cup dried apples

· 1/2 cup dried apricots

· 1/2 cup dried figs

· 1 tablespoon lemon juice

· 4 cups hot cooked spaetzli or noodles (optional)

 

Steps

1) Trim any visible fat from the meat. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl stir together salt, black pepper, and cumin; rub over meat.

2) In a 4– or 6-quart pressure cooker heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Cook meat until brown on all sides. Add more oil, if needed. Remove the meat and set aside. Drain off fat.

3) Return meat to the pressure cooker and add the water and wine.

4) Lock lid in place. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe (if you have a first-generation cooker). Over high heat, bring cooker up to pressure. Reduce heat just enough to maintain pressure and pressure regulator rocks gently; cook for 35 minutes.

5) Allow pressure to come down naturally. Carefully remove lid. Transfer meat to serving platter; keep warm.

6) Skim far from pan juices. Bring to boiling. Boil about  5 minutes or till juices are reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Add the dried apples, apricots, and figs. Simmer, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes longer or till fruit is tender and mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in the lemon juice. Slice meat and serve with the fruit sauce. If desired, serve with spaetzli or noodles. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

 

From: Pressure Cooker Cookbook

By: Better Homes and Gardens

 

Espresso Ice Cream

 

Ingredients

· 8 (to 12) large egg yolks

· 2 cups heavy cream, divided

· 1 cup minus 5 teaspoons of sugar

· 2 tablespoons glucose or reduced corn syrup

· A pinch of fine sea salt

· 1 cup of brewed espresso

· 2 teaspoons of coffee extract

· 1/4 cup Kahlua (optional)

 

Steps

1) In a medium saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the egg yolks and 232 grams/1 cup/237 ml of the cream until well blended. Stir in the sugar, glucose, and salt until the sugar has dissolved. 

2) Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly, until slightly thicker than heavy cream. When a finger is ran across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170° to 180°F.

3) Immediately pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.

4) Stir in the espresso, coffee extract, and remaining cream (232 grams/1 cup). Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43°F. (Alternatively, cool in an ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.

5) Whisk the Kahlua into the espresso custard, if desired, and churn it in a prechilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

 

 

From: Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss

By: Rose Levy Beranbaum