Palate Pleasers

Moo's Cream of Zucchini Soup

2008-01-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

1 lb. zucchini, coarsely diced
2 T shallots or scallios, minced
1 clove garlic
2 T olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Wash zucchini but do not peel. Dice coarsely. Mince shallots (or scallions). Heat olive oil in large sauce pan and add zucchini, shallots and garlic. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Do not let vegetables brown. Put cooked vegetables into blender or food processor. Process then add the remaining ingredients and blend again. You can serve this soup hot or cold.

Moo's Cheese-Mushroom Crepe Filling

2008-01-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

1 cup cottage cheese (or 8 oz. cream cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, minced
1 T scallions or shallots, minced
1 T butter
1/2 T olive oil

Mash cheese in a bowl with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a little chili powder for an extra zip. Beat in the egg. Saute mushrooms and scallions in butter and olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir sauted vegetables into the cheese mixture. Put some of the mixture down the center of each crepe, roll. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Serve with a white cheese sauce topping.

Moo's Basic Crepe Recipe

2008-01-12T18:25:00.000-05:00

3 eggs
1 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 cup milk
3 T melted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon rind

Beat eggs slightly and stir in flour, salt and lemon rind. Mix in the milk and butter. Batter should be as thin as cream.

Heat a little non-stick skillet (6" or 8" dia.) and spray with Pam. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into a hot skillet. Tip skillet back and forth until there is a thin, even layer of batter covering the bottom of the pan. Cover over a brisk heat until crepe is golden brown. Flip and lightly brown the second side. Makes about 20-24 crepes

Moo's Salmon Aspic Mousse

2008-01-12T18:12:00.000-05:00

2 env. unflavored gelatin
2 cans jellied madrilene
2 cans salmon (you could substitute 2 pounds of fresh poached salmon)
1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup sour cream

Soften gelatin in 1 can of madrilene in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the second can of madrilene. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside for the moment. Stir wine into the remaining madrilene mix in the sauce pan. Drain salmon, bone and flake (or flake your freshly poached salmon). Put salmon in a large bowl. Beat in the 1/2 cup of gelatin mixture and the Miracle Whip. Fold sour cream into the salmon mixture.

Pour gelatin wine mixture into a fish-shaped mold and chill until almost set. Then pour in salmon mixture and chill mold overnight.

When ready to serve, unmold salad and garnish with greens. You may want a little extra Miracle Whip on the side in a bowl. We like to tint it a light green.

Kendra's Choco-Mocha Punch

2008-01-12T18:01:00.000-05:00

Okay this may not be your ordinary punch, but it IS a delicious palate pleaser. It's like a frosty frappuchino.

1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream, softened
8 cups strong coffee, chilled
1 pint half and half
1 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp salt
Very dark chocolate, grated on top
Ground cinnamon on top

You don't want to make this very far in advance as it will melt. However, if you have room in your freezer, chill the punch bowl. So about 15 minutes before you are ready to serve put softened ice cream in a large mixing bowl. Add about 3 cups of the cold coffee and mix until smooth.

When it's time to serve, put the ice cream mix in the punch bowl. Add half and half, extract, salt and the rest of the cold coffee. Stir then sprinkle the top with grated chocolate an cinnamon.

Niki's Lacy Tempura

2008-01-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

Moo, Niki and I worked hard to create a tempura recipe that would enable us to create a light and lacy tempura. We experimented with many ingredients, temperatures and combinations. This is one of our better creations. Great with shrimp and vegetables.

1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and flattened
2 eggs
1 cup very cold water
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
10 ice cubes
4 T very cold water
Olive oil

Tempura Dipping Sauce #1
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
Sprinkle a little minced ginger on each individual bowl of dipping sauce

Dipping Sauce #2 (not traditional but very good)
1 T dry mustard
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T water

Once you have cleaned and prepared the shrimp, store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook. To make the batter, beat eggs with very cold water. Sift together flour, cornstarch and salt. Beat this mix into the liquid (this is not a lumpy batter). Because you want the batter to be very cold when you drip shrimp and/or vegetables into the hot oil, add 10 ice cubes to the batter and set the batter bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice.

Pour enough olive oil into a sauce pan to deep fry shrimp. Heat oil to 375 degrees. And it will be important for you to maintain a steady heat.

With your left hand dip into the lace batter and shake it into the hot oil. With right hand, dip a cold shrimp into the main batter and roll it onto the lace. Cook until golden

For lace, place 1 cup of batter into a smaller bowl. Stir in 4 T of very cold water.

Moo's Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

2008-01-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

Batter
1/4 lb. butter, room temperature
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Pecan Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a spring-form pan. Mix up the topping in a small bowl. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese then gradually add the sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Stir in cold milk and chocolate chips. Mixture will be very thick. Pour into prepared pan, sprinkle pecan mixture on top. Bake 50-55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pan's outside ring.

Fettucine Alfredo a la Moo

2008-01-10T07:34:00.000-05:00

Moo wrote to me, "Fettucine Alfred is so classic but even so there are many great variations. This one is mine."

1/2 lb. noodles, Moo recommended a slightly wider noodle, she also preferred fresh, undried noodles
1/4 lb. unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook noodles al dente, drain and put in a hot serving dish. Add remaining ingredients and toss quickly and thoroughly. Cheese and butter should melt into a creamy sauce that coats the noodles. Use a large fork and spoon as if you are tossing a salad.

Moo's fresh noodle recipe: 5 eggs beaten with 2 tsp salt. Beat in flour until you can no longer use the beater (about 2 cups). Leave dough in the bowl and dust with a little more flour and start kneading with your hands until it really holds its shape. Transfer to a plastic bag and rest for 30 minutes. Knead and add extra flour as needed. Start making noodles.

Moo's Shredded Beef with Hot Sauce

2008-01-10T07:15:00.000-05:00

1 lb. flank steak
6-8 fresh water chestnuts
2 T tree ears fungi
2 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp. garlic clove, chopped
6 T olive oil

Marinade
2 T dark soy sauce
1 T sherry
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 T cornstarch

Seasoning Sauce
2 T dark soy sauce
1 T sherry
1 T sugar
1 T wine vinegar
2 T hot bean sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 T sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 T scallions, shredded

In a bowl, mix marinade ingredients: soy sauce, sherry, sugar and cornstarch. Cut flank steak against the grain in 2" long thin strips and marinate for about 20 minutes. Set aside. Soak tree ears in hot water for about 20 minutes. Then cut into small pieces. Peel water chestnuts and slice. Mix all seasoning sauce ingredients: soy sauce, sherry, sugar, vinegar, hot bean sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, pepper and scallions.

Heat 4 T olive oil in wok. Stir fry shredded beef for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Heat another 2 T oil in the same wok. Stir fry chopped ginger and garlic then add tree ears and water chestnuts. Stir a few times, mix in the beef, stirring constantly. Finally pour in the seasoning sauce (give it a stir before pour because the cornstarch will settle to the bottom). Mix well and serve hot.

Moo's Chicken Mousse

2008-01-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

1 env. unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup chicken, cooked and finely ground
1 cup whipping cream

Soften gelatin in 3/4 cup broth. In sauce pan, combine egg yolks, remaining broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens slightly. Do not let it boil. Add softened gelatin and cool slightly. Add celery seed and mayonnaise. Chill slightly. Fold in chicken and whipping cream. Pour into a jello mold.

Moo's Stuffed Lettuce

2008-01-10T06:45:00.000-05:00

This is a little recipe Moo created. It's simple and not very precise...on purpose. It's all about the combining of flavors. Experiment, enjoy. This is delicious palate pleaser.

Chicken thighs, boneless
Chicken broth
Curry powder
Sour cream (or yogurt)
mayonnaise
Flake coconut
Boston lettuce leaves, select the largest without tears
Chutney
Macadamia nuts

Cook boneless chicken thighs in chicken broth and curry powder. When done, allow to cool. Then chop up chicken and mix with sour cream (or yogurt) and mayonnaise and flake coconut. Roll this mixture in Boston lettuce leaves. I hold the rolls closed using toothpicks. In a small bowl, combine sour cream (or yogurt) and chopped chutney and coconut cream. In another bowl, combine chopped Macadamia nuts and toasted flake coconut. Pipe top of lettuce bundles with sour cream mix then dip into the chopped nuts/coconut mix.

Moo's Cream of Broccoli Soup

2008-01-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

When Moo sent this recipe to me years ago, she wrote: "This is my Cream of Broccoli soup we had for Easter, and it is delicious. You could easily substitute zucchini or another vegetable." She didn't call it a palate pleaser, but I will. You can serve this soup hot or cold.

1 bunch broccoli
1 stalk celery, finely sliced
1 small onion, finely sliced
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegans)
Dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream (or a non-dairy substitute)
Sour cream and fresh chives, finely chopped for garnish

Combine in a sauce pan broccoli, washed and trimmed, celery, and onion. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Pour into blender, add a pinch of dry mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and blend until smooth (or a little less if you like more texture). Stir in sour cream (or substitute). If soup is to be served cold, add a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with fresh chives. If you want to serve the soup hot, mix 3 T of olive oil with 3 T flour over low heat to make a roux. Add to the soup...it really adds to the flavor.

Moo's Cream of Ginger-Lemongrass Soup

2008-01-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

I love this soup. It is light and flavorful. It's also got a little zip to it. Thank the chili bean paste for giving this soup that little something extra. Moo loved lemongrass and she liked to mix delicate flavors with a little spice. Dare it say it...chili bean paste was her "Bam!"

2 T olive oil
1 T fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 T lemongrass, finely chopped
2 T shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
2 cups fresh corn
4 cups chicken stock (for vegan/vegetarian version use vegetable broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup half and half (vegan replace with a soy creamer)
2 tsp. chili bean paste
Coriander leaves for garnish

Heat olive oil in pot, add ginger, lemongrass, shallots and onions. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Add corn and cook for another minute. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, add salt and pepper, then sugar and half and half. Remove pot from heat and cool to room temperature. When ready to serve, stir to blend ingredients and return pot to heat. Ladle into soup bowls add a dot of chili bean paste to top and swirl it with a knife to create a pleasing pattern. Garnish with coriander.

Moo's Winter Melon and Chicken Soup

2008-01-09T08:51:00.000-05:00

This is a very light, savory Chinese soup. Moo made this often during the winter (after all it's made with winter melon). If you don't know, a winter melon looks a little like a watermelon from the outside. The flesh is a light green and cannot be eaten raw. I like to call this Chinese penicillin. It's light like chicken noodle with the winter melon providing an interesting texture. This is a palate pleaser.

6 cups chicken stock
1 lb. winter melon, cut into bite-size chunks
6 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium size knob of fresh ginger, minced
1 chicken breast, raw
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. sherry
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce, low sodium is best
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. olive oil

Cut flesh away from rind of winter melon. Cut flesh into chunks. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice caps. Bone raw chicken breast and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix chicken, garlic, sherry, sugar and 1/2 tsp. of the soy sauce. Let stand for 15 minutes. Mix salt, 1 1/2 tsp. of soy sauce, olive oil. Set aside. Heat stock to boiling, add melon, mushrooms and ginger and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken marinade mixture. Stir well. Add salt/soy/oil mixture. Cook until the chicken is tender.

Moo's Vinaigrette Dressing

2008-01-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

1 cup vinegar (you can cut this with some lemon juice if you prefer)
1 T sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 cups olive oil
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix vinegar (or vinegar/lemon juice), salt, sugar, mustard, garlic and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Refrigerate in a tightly covered jar.

Moo's Garlic Cream Salad Dressing

2008-01-08T20:09:00.001-05:00

Here's a simple salad dressing that goes great with sliced cucumbers and onions. It's one of Moo's original palate pleasers.

Mix frozen lemonade concentrate with sour cream or plain yogurt. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and crushed garlic cloves.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Salad

2008-01-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is a very good salad that's easy to make and hard to resist. Moo wrote up this recipe to enable you to make as large a salad as you need to feed your family and guests.

Cooked chicken, diced
Celery, sliced
Water chestnuts, sliced
Seedless grapes, sliced in half
Slivered almonds
Mayonnaise
Curry powder
Soy sauce

Combine 2 parts diced, cooked chicken with 1 part sliced celery, 1 part sliced water chestnuts, 1 part seedless grapes (sliced in half) and 1 part slivered almonds. Mix in mayonnaise to create the consistency you prefer. Season with curry powder and soy sauce to taste. Mix well, mound on lettuce and surround with lichee fruit.

Niki Dragon Raspberry Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

2008-01-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Niki put this one together, and I've replaced the canola oil with olive oil. It's a great palate pleaser.

3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 - 2 tsp. honey
1/2 - 1 tsp. curry powder
Fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
1 1/2 T poppy seeds

Mix ingredients. Put aside to allow flavors to mingle and merge. Store in refrigerator.

Moo's Lemon Spice Dressing

2008-01-02T13:21:00.000-05:00

This is an excellent salad dressing.

1/3 cup soft tofu
1/2 lemon, unpeeled and cut into pieces
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup white wine

Combine all ingredients, except the wine, in a blender until smooth. Add wine to desired consistency. Allow flavors to mingle and merge for several hours before using.

Moo's Honey Dressing

2008-01-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

Try making your own rather than buying a bottle of something at the store. Replace Miracle Whip with a vegan version of mayo for a vegan dressing.

3/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup honey
1 T lemon rind, finely grated
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

Mix all ingredients in blender. Make ahead to allow flavors to mingle and merge. Keep in the refrigerator.

Moo's French Dressing

2008-01-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

Again, try making your own salad dressing for a palate pleasing treat. Moo's recommendation: "Always try to get a good vinegar."

1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 can tomato soup
1 can olive oil
1 cup vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in blender. Make ahead to allow flavors to mingle and merge. Keep in the refrigerator.

Moo's Own Russian Dressing

2008-01-02T13:06:00.000-05:00

Believe me homemade Russian Dressing beats most anything you'll buy in a jar. And if you replace the Miracle Whip with a vegan mayo and leave out the hard-boiled eggs, this is a true vegan Russian Dressing.

1 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients together. Keep in the refrigerator.

Moo's Cold Shrimp-Stuffed Avocado

2008-01-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

There are about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground here in Maine, and I guess I'm sorta dreaming of the summer sun. Also my brother reports that it's 70 degrees in Southern California. So here's a little summer treat for him. In fact, you can enjoy this summer palate pleaser anytime.

3 large avocados
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped (But put 6 whole shrimp aside)
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 dozen pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
Mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T coriander, minced

Carefully cut avocado in half. Remove pit and scoop out the avocado flesh. Keep the shell halves intact because you'll be refilling them and using them like little bowls. Put avocado in in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice (this will help keep avocado from turning brown). Mash avocado, then add chopped shrimp, jalapeno, egg, and olives. Mix. Add mayonnaise to the consistency and taste of your choice. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the 6 avocado shells equally. Sprinkle top with coriander and top each with a whole shrimp.

Moo's Noodles Baked Like a Cake

2008-01-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

Noodles, while delicious any time, are real comfort food in winter. When it was cold outside, Moo loved to cook noodles, which we usually made from scratch. This is a great palate pleaser and quite unusual.

Pasta
1 pound rigatoni, cooked and drained
3 heaping T parmesan cheese
3 T sweet butter

Crust
2 T sweet butter, softened
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
1/4 pound Italian ham (prosciutto), sliced thin

Cook rigatoni, drain and return to the pot. Add butter and parmesan cheese. Toss to coat the pasta. Set aside. Grease a round 1-quart baking dish (about cake height). In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Add about 1/4 cup of the crumb/cheese mix to the greased dish and shake dish to spread a thin coating of the mix across the bottom of the dish. Shake out the excess mixture that is not adhering to the bottom of the baking dish (reserve it). In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and pour this in the baking dish. Tilt and move dish around until egg evenly coats the bottom. Again add about 1/4 cup crumb/cheese mix and shake around to coat bottom of dish again. Pour off excess (reserve it).

Layer 1/3 of the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella and 1/2 of the ham strips and 1/3 of the remaining crumb/cheese mix. Repeat these layers twice over and top with crumb/cheese mix. You can refrigerate now until you are ready to cook and serve.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-30 minutes (if room temperature) or 45 minutes if coming directly from the oven. Cool about 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges and turn out like a cake onto a serving platter.

Moo's Sweet Noodle Kugel

2008-01-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

As I've said elsewhere, our family enjoyed kugel. This recipe is a variation on Moo's original recipe. It too is a palate pleaser.

5 eggs, separated
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 eight-oz. can crushed pineapple
3 T honey
8 oz. medium-width noodles, cooked and drained
3 T butter
Cinnamon sugar for garnish

Beat egg yolks, add grated apple, preserves, pineapple and honey. Add noodles and toss gently. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into noodle mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1-quart baking dish and pour in the noodle mixture. Dot top with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.