Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart

Ingredients:
1 Savory Tart Shell, below, or recipe of your choice, in a 9-inch tart pan and ready to fill
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoons finely chopped herb or herbs of your choice, such as a mixture of thyme and rosemary
Fine sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, cover potato slices with water by two inches. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. If the potatoes don’t seem very dry, pat them dry with towels.
Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles around the tart pan. Sprinkle blue cheese over potatoes. Whisk cream and egg yolk together and pour into tart shell, then sprinkle tart with herbs of your choice and salt.
Bake tart on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack and serve warm or cold. With a big green salad, for balance.

Savory Tart Shell

Ingredients:

1 1/4 (5 1/2 ounces) cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, diced
1 large egg

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely.
This dough can also be made a food processor, or in a stand mixer, though I’ve only tried it in a food processor.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Level the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.

From: Smitten Kitchen

Toll House Pie (AKA Chocolate chip cookie pie)

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

• Directions

  PREHEAT oven to 325° F.
  
  BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.
  
  BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
  Enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:
1 9-inch frozen unbaked pie shell, baked and cooled
1 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter (do not use chunky)
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup cold whipping cream
2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter with half-and-half and 2/3 cup of the powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Spoon into pie crust.
3. Beat 1/3 cup granulated white sugar with butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the melted chocolate.
4. Spread mixture over peanut butter filling. Refrigerate 1 hour.
5. Beat whipping cream with remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until peaks form. Spread on top of pie, garnish with chopped peanuts.

Baked Brie Bites

Rose and Eric made up this recipe based on our favorite baked brie!

Ingredients

- brie

- Pillsbury pastry sheet

- jam or topping of your choice (we used a fig-walnut jam and cranberries sprinkled with brown sugar)

Directions

- Cut brie into bite sized pieces

- Place brie on a laid out pastry sheet and cut squares of dough around each piece

- Top brie with a 1/4 tsp or less of jam

- fold up and press corners of the pastry sheet squares together to form a little closed pocket

- Place on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 375 F.

- Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Moussaka

 Directions:

• Fry 2-3 large eggplant in 1/4 inch slices 
• Saute 1 chopped onion and lots of garlic
• Add 1 lb lean ground beef and cook 
• Add 3 tbsp tomato paste (one tin)
• Add 1 can broth  (15 oz)
• Add dried oregano 
• Add salt
• Add pepper
• Add 1/8 tsp cinnamon(opt)
• Bring above to boil, cook 5 min until thick and set aside
• At the same time:Combine 1 1/4 milk, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp nutmeg with wisk
• Boil, reduce heat and add 1 egg - stir in with wisk
• Arrange 1/3 eggplant on pan, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp parmesan cheese, top with 1/3 meat... Repeat twice.
• Pour milk mix over layers
• Sprinkle with cheese
• Bake @ 350* for 25 min  until sauce is set 
• Broil 5 min if you like or not.

 Serves 4-6 

Mediterranean Penne with Sausage

Ingredients

·         2 red bell peppers, chopped

·         1 small bulb fennel, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

·         1 large onion, chopped

·         1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into small chunks

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         3/4lb Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed

·         1 jar (25.5 oz)pasta sauce (any flavor)

·         2 cups water

·         2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

·         ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes 

      8oz penne pasta

 Directions

1. Coat large skillet with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, fennel bulb (made without bulb and added more seeds which worked fine), onion, eggplant, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat 5 minutes, or until fennel starts to soften. Add sausage. Cook, breaking up sausage with back of spoon, 3 minutes, or until no longer pink.

2. Add pasta sauce, water, fennel seeds, and red-pepper flakes. Stir to mix. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Place pasta in serving bowl. Top with sauce. Add up to 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water, if needed, for sauce to coat pasta.

Serves approx 6

Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup butter

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.
2. To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
3. Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
6. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. 

If you’d rather make your own pie crust:

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cups butter
• 1 tsp salt
•  4 Tbsp ice water (1 at a time, up to 8 depending on weather, temp, etc)

 Directions

Add first 4 ingredients in food processor, or cut with pastry knife. Add water until dough is mendable. Put in fridge for at least 20 minutes before adding filling.
For top and bottom crust, cut in half if just making bottom

(We cut the recipe in half because we only made the bottom crust - the top is the oatmeal streusel!)

Lamb Kabobs with Yogurt Marinade

Lamb
1. Trim the white membrane off of a large piece of lamb (this is not totally necessary but apparently reduces the toughness and gamey flavor), and cut the trimmed meat into approx. 1.5 in cubes.
2. Set meat aside.

Yogurt marinade
There are lots of different options here.  This is the general recipe, but you can use almost any herb, spice, or flavoring that you want.  The yogurt penetrates the meat to tenderize it and leaves a tart and slightly creamy flavor when cooked.  Additional spices add interest.  Measurements are very rough.

Combine:
1 c. plain yogurt
2 tbs fresh rosemary, minced
2-3 tbs fresh mint, minced
2 tbs pomegranate syrup (the potluck kabobs were actually made with cherry syrup--the kind made from real fruit, not grenadine, but pomegranate syrup is significantly easier to find.)
juice of one lemon
1 tbs cinnamon
1.5 tsp coriander
1.5 tsp black pepper

Cut one red onion into 1/8 wedges, then half each of these.  Briefly microwave or steam the onions in order to partially cook them. 

Put lamb, onions and marinade in ziplock bag.  Mix to make sure that all meat is well-coated. Refrigerate for several hours.

Soak bamboo kabob sticks in water for 5-10 minutes.  Dry skewers with paper towels, then fill each with alternating pieces of lamb and onion.  I usually put about four pieces of meat on each skewer. 

Cook on a grill, or broil in an oven.  Flip kabobs after 6-8 minutes.  Continue to cook until desired doneness is reached.

Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups shelled pistachio nuts
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cup whole milk
Pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¾ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Grind the 1 cups of pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, but not to a paste. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the ground nuts. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep for at least 30 minutes.

3. Strain the warm nut mixture, pressing on the nuts to extract as much liquid as possible, and discard the solids. Return the milk and cream mixture to the saucepan. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and add the cream once cooled. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract and stir until combined.

5. Refrigerate until cold. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Once finished churning, fold in the ¾ cup pistachios with a rubber spatula.

Banana Crepes & Cinnamon Coconut Sauce

Crepe Ingredients:

• ½ c milk, 3 eggs, ½ c flour, 2 T oil

Note: I always triple this recipe, because you can never have too many crepes.

Crepe Directions:

Beat eggs, add flour - beat. Add milk & oil last. Beat batter until smooth. Pour 3 tablespoons into a non greased pan, swirl pan until batter is thinly distributed, cook until golden brown.

Cinnamon Coconut Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk

• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste (I used a lot more)

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in 3 tablespoons coconut milk

Cinnamon Coconut Sauce Directions:

Bring the coconut cream and coconut milk to a boil. Stir in the cinnamon and sugar. Give the cornstarch and coconut milk mixture a quick re-stir. Add to the saucepan, stirring quickly to thicken.

Roll sliced bananas inside crepes. Warm in the oven for 10 minutes before serving. Pour sauce over and serve.

Chocolate Creme Pie

Ingredients (for two pies):

- 3 small packages of chocolate pudding (non-instant)

- 6 cups of whole milk

- 1 pt of heavy whipping cream

- 2 pie shells (shortbread or graham cracker)

- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Total cook time - 30 minutes. Cooling time - 3-4 hrs

Directions-
First prepare the chocolate pudding. Follow the recipe on the box for pie filling (~25 minutes) - use the 6 cups of milk. After 5 minutes of cooling, pour into the pie shells. Fill until about 1/4 inch of shell remains. Let stand until cool to the touch (about 45 minutes). Cover with saran wrap by placing it right on top of the pudding to avoid condensation and an unappetizing skin forming on the pie. Replace plastic pie shell top and put in fridge for 3 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, pour the pint of heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar (if unsure, start with 2 and taste when almost done). Add the vanilla extract and mix on high with a hand mixer until the cream is almost whipped completely. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. If not, whip until the correct consistency. Divide the cream over the two pies, serve, and enjoy!

Tomato-Basil Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe tomatoes, seeded & finely diced
• 1 tablespoon slivered basil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• One 8oz loaf French or Italian bread, cut into 8 slices
• 1 garlic clove, halved

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer; toast until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. Rub the toast slices on one side with the garlic clove and top with a generous tablespoon of the tomato mixture. Arrange on a serving tray and garnish with the basil leaves (if using). Let stand, covered, at room temperature until the mixture's juices have soaked into the bread, at least 30 minutes (but no longer than 6 hours before serving).

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 3 carrots diced
• 1 cup green split peas
• 2 onions diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a large saucepan, combine the broth, carrots, peas, onions, minced garlic, rosemary and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring as needed, until the peas have disintegrated, around 1 hour.

Serve with garlic croutons (home made or store bought) and freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.

Orzo Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta

I've made this salad frequently because, strangely enough, I have boxes and boxes of orzo in my pantry. One time, I made the mistake of complaining to my mother that I couldn't find orzo at my local grocery store. Ever since then, every care package from home contains at least one box of orzo, even though I told my mom that my grocery store actually carries orzo now. No matter- it is her mission to make sure her daughter is well-prepared in case of an emergency orzo shortage.

I didn't really use a recipe for this Fourth of July salad- every time I make it I add a little more of something I like and a little less of something else. The below is just some rough estimates, so adjust however you'd like!

Ingredients:

1 Box of orzo
1/3 Jar of Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Half of a large red onion
1 Clove of garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Handful of shredded carrots or handful of frozen peas and carrots
At least 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Half a bunch of green onions
Salt and pepper


I started out by caramelizing the red onion with chopped garlic, using some of the olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to the directions on the box. Chop the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, and add them, and the onions with garlic to the orzo. Dress with a few more tablespoons of olive oil from the packed tomatoes. Add the peas and carrots and lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the salad is cool, add the cheese and snip the green onions on top to garnish.

And that's it! I've also made it with roasted vegetables- chopped, roasted asparagus is a great addition, and so are oven-roasted bell peppers. It serves about 6-8 people as a side.

Vanilla Lime Pineapple Skewers

(From Good Eats)

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup firmly packed
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 whole pineapple
• 8 (12-inch) metal skewers

Directions

Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp, and add the pod and the pulp to a small saucepan along with the brown sugar, lime juice, and salt. Whisk together and place the mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Remove the vanilla pod. Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealable container. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill on high.
Peel and remove the core from the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into eighths, lengthwise, and remove any prickly brown eyes.
Thread the pieces of pineapple onto the skewers lengthwise. Coat the skewered pineapple on all sides with the syrup. Grill on all sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side, 12 minutes total, or until the pineapple is tender. Serve with any remaining sauce.

Vegetarian Frittata

Ingredients (serving 6):

• 6-7 medium uncooked red potatoes, skin on, chopped
• Half of 1 large yellow or orange pepper, chopped
• Half of 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 package Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage, chopped/crumbled
• 12 eggs (I usually do half real eggs and half egg substitute), beaten
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, whatever your heart desires)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/PAM a large lasagna-style glass/corningware baking dish.
• Layer potatoes, peppers, and sausage in order, seasoning as desired.
• Pour beaten eggs over the whole dish (should not completely cover everything, but fairly close).
• Bake for 45 minutes or until center appears relatively firm when you jiggle the dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until melted/browned.
• Enjoy!

Variations:

• You can make this with chicken (pre-cooked), real sausage, or tempeh.
• I've also made this in a taller casserole-style dish on the stove top instead of baking--basically cooking until the eggs are firm, then broiling for 10 minutes with the cheese on top.

Pavlova

Meringue Ingredients:

3 egg whites
3/4-1 c sugar
1t corn starch
1/4 t vanilla
1t lemon juice

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 pt whipping cream
4 oz strawberries or raspberries
4 oz stoned cherries
4 apricots or greengages, halved
2 ripe peaches

Decorate With:
red currants
1 egg white
2T sugar

Cook 300degrees 1 1/4-1 1/2 h (can be lower).
Draw an 18 cm circle on a nonstick parchment and place on baking sheet.
Whisk whites until stiff. Add in other ingredients gradually.
Spread meringue on the circle and build into a bowl-shaped shell. Bake until firm--sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before removing from paper. Whip cream and cut fruit-don't put onto meringue until just before serving

Low Country Boil

Ingredients:

12 Cups Water
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb new red potatoes
1lb hot smoked sausage links, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used beef smoked sausage)
6 ears corn, husked, cleaned and quartered
2 lbs. large fresh shrimp unpeeled

Directions:

Bring water and Old Bay to a boil in a large stockpot.
Add potatoes and cook for 15 mins.
Add sausage and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add corn and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.
Drain immediately and serve.

East India Trading Co. Rum Punch

(From Good Eats)

Ingredients

• 16 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice, bodies reserved, about 20 limes
• 32 ounces Demerara sugar
• 64 ounces warm black tea
• 48 ounces Batavia Arrack
• Ice block
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Combine the juice, lime bodies and sugar in a 5-quart container (or split in 2 large mixing bowls). Add the tea and stir until the sugar dissolves completely, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Batavia Arrack and stir to combine. Chill to at least 40 degrees, approximately 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Strain the punch into a punch bowl over a large ice block and serve with freshly grated nutmeg.
*Approx 30 4oz servings
Note: If anyone can let me know how to transfer the punch from the mixing bowls into the pitchers without making a complete mess PLEASE let me know! Why don't mixing bowls have spouts?

Recipe: Crab Avocado dip

Featured at the May 2010 potluck-- the crab avocado dip is a fun, fresh take on guacamole perfect for the warmer months.

Ingredients:
2 lg avocados
1 c lump crabmeat
1/4c minced onion
salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley as a garnish

Steps:
1. cut avocados in half-- peel and mash them in a bowl with a fork along with the crab meat, onion, salt and pepper, lemon juice. Taste and adjust to your liking.
2. garnish and serve....if waiting to bring it to potluck what you want to do is put it in an air tight container--using a wrap and pressing down on the dip and refrigerate. (If you don't do this, and I didn't the first time, your dip turns an ugly black color--though it is still delicious and you just need to stir it up.)
3. don't forget your dipping tools...chips, veggies etc. Enjoy!

**quick tip on picking avocados which threw me for a long time...you want to pick dark, practically black skinned avocados and give them a little squeeze to make sure they are soft enough to use if you plan on making your dish immediately. I have never had luck buying bright green avocados and waiting for them to ripen, though a guacamole-loving friend did tell me if you put them in a brown paper bag it helps quicken the process.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Potluck!

I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me to get them in contact with another friend, who they met at potluck, because they MUST have the recipe of that delicious whatever-it-was. Inevitably, something that takes too long never actually gets done, which is sad because learning new ways to cook was one of the founding reasons for me to start Potluck in the first place. Several Google Docs have been started, emails sent, but nothing seems to stick. So this is my solution: a blog. Here, anyone who attends my potlucks will be welcome, and strongly encouraged, to post what they've cooked up. Or if you're feeling especially chatty and just want to share some new kitchen discoveries you can do that too! I'll even offer to have the camera out so we can snap some shots on the day of... no guarantees there won't already be some nibbles missing though.

So start cooking and enjoy the conversation!


If you are checking out this blog and have no idea who we are or what we're talking about...

For almost two years now, I've been hosting monthly potlucks where I hope to introduce new friends and, even more importantly, new dishes. We have had anywhere from four to fourteen people get together and sometimes we are even organized enough to have themes, but we always have fun!