ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO PHYLLO ROLLS

Posted in Appetizers, Small Dishes, Veggies by sallybr

This is easy but so elegant and tasty, hard to come up with a better idea to impress guests or just enjoy a beautiful side dish on a warm Spring evening. I caught the recipe during a recent episode of TheKitchen, courtesy of Alex Guarnaschelli.

ASPARAGUS AND PROSCIUTTO PHYLLO ROLLS
(very slightly modified from FoodTV Network)

Kosher salt
18 medium stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
24 to 28 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
olive oil spray
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
12 thin slices prosciutto

Prepare an ice bath with a medium bowl half filled with water and ice cubes.
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. Layer a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until slightly tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to remove the asparagus from the water, transferring them immediately to the ice bath so that they cool down and don’t continue cooking. Let chill 5 minutes, then drain the asparagus and spread them on the baking sheet with the towel.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat surface with the short end closest to you. Spray the phyllo with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little of the Parmesan. Place another sheet of phyllo directly on top. Brush with additional butter and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Arrange 2 slices prosciutto in a single layer closest to you on the phyllo. Place 2 to 3 stalks of asparagus in bunches along the short side of the phyllo on top of the prosciutto and tightly roll the asparagus up in the prosciutto and phyllo to form a log. Trim the ends of the phyllo to fit the asparagus perfectly. As you make the asparagus rolls, arrange them on a baking sheet with distance between each so that they brown when baking. Spray their tops with olive oil right before baking.

Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until golden brown on the outside, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I wrote the recipe as published, except for the use of olive oil instead of melted butter. Amounts are really going to be flexible, I only made four rolls for us, we had three at dinner and one was my lunch next day, still delicious. I never go through the trouble of making the ice bath, I just rinse the blanched asparagus in running very cold water in a colander, and call it a day. But do as it pleases you, your kitchen, your rules. I have stopped brushing phyllo with butter a long time ago – the olive oil spray is amazingly easy, never hurts the sheets and gives enough flakiness without the extra saturated fat. We love the taste also, so it is a win-win situation for us.

I hope you give this super easy recipe a try, it is wonderful! And if you want to go the vegetarian route, maybe a little black olive tapenade or red bell pepper pesto could be nice instead of the prosciutto.

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24Apr2025

PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BARS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

And now for something completely different! I don’t normally make this type of stuff, but my dear stepdaughter-in-law urged me to give them a try. First, no oven is needed, they require no baking. Second, you can customize them in many different ways. She adds dried fruits, uses maple syrup instead of honey, they always work. I made the recipe exactly as published in my first time but the husband already requested that I add seeds and nuts to future batches. I don’t eat energy bars but must say that after trying a bite of these, I was hooked. Sweet, but not too sweet. Delicious! And a little bit goes a long way indeed, as energy bars are supposed to do.

PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BARS
(from Erin Lives Whole)

1 1/4 cup oat flour (store bought is best for ultra fine texture)
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1– 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together oat flour, protein powder, and salt.

Add in peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Mix. It will be very thick, I suggest using your hands to really mix well. It should eventually come together like playdough, but if it’s still too dry add more coconut oil. You want them to be FIRM not soft and too much coconut oil will make them soft. Mix in chocolate chips.

Press into a bread pan (~8×4) and add more chocolate chips on top if desired. Press them into the top.

Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into. Store in fridge.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Check the original post to see all the variations Erin has tried. Apparently these are copycat versions of a popular brand called Perfect Bars. I had never heard of them, but as I mentioned, it’s not something I consume. The husband is more into cereal bars and things of that sort. I will be making them again for sure, they lasted a little less than a week for us, and stayed unchanged in flavor and texture sitting in the fridge. Courtnie, my daughter-in-law says they also freeze well. She likes them with maple syrup instead of honey and with tiny bits of dried blueberries…

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21Mar2025

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

The date came and went (March 11th), but only now I have a chance to share a few things I made for the occasion. As you may know, most of the sweets I bake we don’t get to eat, but this series of bakes is the exception that confirms the rule. We got to savor all the sweetness! But let’s start with the bread components.

FOCACCIA ART

Maybe you remember the Quilted Focaccia Buns of a recent past? I got this idea from the book Beautiful Bread, which I highly recommend, as Theresa Culletto shares amazing designs and all the tips to make them happen. It is all a matter of making a big enough dough to cover a large baking sheet, and then planning decorations with veggies cut in shapes.

It is quite amazing how much flavor and smell little pieces of leeks impart to the dough. You can also use chives for the stems if you prefer, they will likely be easier to work with, no real prep needed.

Moving on, I had to bake a sourdough, and chose a Springtime design for it…

And now, to the sweets… From Molly Yeh’s new book Sweet Farm, one of the most delicious cookies ever, a Cherry Mahlab Linzer! I cannot share the recipe for copyright issues, but I’m tempted to tell you that the book is worth it JUST for that one. Mahlab is a Middle Eastern spice that resembles cinnamon and imparts great flavor to the dough. I will be using it often.

The dough rolls like a dream, browns beautifully in the oven, and crumbles in your mouth with that texture that only almond flour will provide. Absolutely a must-make!

From the past, I re-visited the German Chocolate Macarons, which I did not have a change to taste the first time I made, but the feedback was so great, I was intrigued and could not wait to make again FOR US. Wonderful they were, all modesty aside… Recipe available here.

TWO VERSIONS OF BRIGADEIROS

Red Velvet and Lemon. They were both made with the same basic method: 1 can condensed milk + 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. To the Red Velvet I added one full tablespoon of cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp Red Velvet Emulsion from LorAnn and a pinch of salt.

To the Lemon version, I added 2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought), and a pinch of salt. On a later version I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest, I liked that better. Both versions cooked the way described in this old post of mine.

And now, for the Piece of Resistance, THE CAKE! Choice of the husband, who found the recipe online and twisted my 65 year old arm to make it. Recipe published here, and also in his cookbook SWEET.

This is one amazing cake! Luscious, moist, tender, almost feels like flourless. The ganache on top takes it exactly there: over the top. And of course, I had to add a Brazilian flair to it and topped with Red Velvet Brigadeiros. And some luster powder. Because if I cannot bling on my own Birthday, there would be something wrong with me.

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5Mar2025

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This is very rich with heavy cream, but if you don’t mind splurging a bit for a special meal, totally worth it. Boneless chicken breasts can dry up easily but in this method they stay moist and tender.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE
(adapted from epicurious)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
1 + ½ tsp. ground turmeric, divided
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
Herbes de Provence, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 375°. Mix 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp. ground turmeric in a small bowl to combine. Sprinkle 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts all over with flour mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium; heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same skillet. Cook the shallots sprinkled with Herbes de Provence until soft and fragrant. Add the heavy cream, turmeric, mustard, honey, black pepper and the remaining salt. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes.Remove skillet from oven (HANDLE WILL BE HOT!) and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice against the grain ¼” thick. Return chicken to sauce, place back on the stove for a couple of minutes just to warm up the slices in the sauce. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Normally I do not make recipes with so much cream and saturated fat, so this was a departure from the way we eat. It was delicious indeed! I was afraid the heavy cream would dry out too much during baking, uncovered, but it was not the case. Keep an eye on it, add a little water if it is getting burned. I love turmeric… And PLEASE be sure to remember the handle will be hot. I did not, and paid a painful price. Enough said.