Gourmet Banana Panettone Dessert

4 (1/3^rd) inch) tick slices of Panettone Bread or pound cake

Butter

2 bananas cut into slices

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup Bacardi 151 Rum

Ice cream – your favorite; vanilla – caramel, French vanilla.

Mint or other green for garnish

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Butter each side panettone/pound cake

Sauté on each side until golden brown (about 2 minutes)

Remove slices and set aside

Return pan to burner and increase temperature to medium high

Add 4 tbs butter and melt

Add banana slices and sauté about 1 minute

Add Brown sugar, Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract

Add rum, ignite, and let burn out, stirring occasionally.

Although you may want to add more rum, Caution ¾ cup of 151 may scorch your ceiling!

Swirl 2 tbls. Butter into mixture and remove from heat.

Place 1 scoop of Ice cream on each slice of bread/cake and top with equal portions of banana mixture

Garnish with mint or green

Serve immediately.

Chicken Curry Soup

 

This soup makes a great meal with a lot of possibilities for additions to cater to your tastes.

 2 cups uncooked white or basmatic rice

2-3 tablespoons of curry paste

3-4 chicken breasts (can also use turkey)

64 oz Chicken broth

4-5 sliced carrots

4-5  celery stalks, chopped

1 can lite coconut milk

1 teaspoon cumin

1 cup shredded coconut

1-2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon curry powder

 Steam 2 cups of uncooked rice in water. Add 1 tsp. curry powder to water before adding rice)

 Add above ingredients except rice and celery in a pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add cooked rice and celery.

Simmer and additional 15 + minutes.

Serve.

 

 

Spinach Soup

 spinach-soup.jpg

4 tabls. Butter or Fat Free Margarine

1 large carrots – diced

6 stalks of celery – diced

1medium onion – diced

1 bunch fresh spinach (de-stemmed, washed)

1 package of frozen spinach – thawed

49-50oz can chicken broth

2-4 tbs. garlic powder

Lowry’s seasoned salt

pepper

 

Melt butter in a wide soup pot over medium heat.

Add 1 cup of water or broth and the carrot, celery and onion.  Increase heat, then

Simmer 20 minutes.

Add 4-5 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add spinach, until well wilted.

Do not cover pot.

 Puree the entire mixture (with blender) then return puree to the pot.

Do not strain soup.

Season with Garlic powder, Pepper,  Seasoned salt to taste.

 Serve with grated Parmesan cheese or croutons if desired.

Crab Stuffed Chicken Breast

 

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Chopped spinach (fresh or thawed)

2 – 4 ox. Log goat cheese, cut into 8 rounds

2 king Crab legs

Sun dried tomatoes

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375

Coat baking pan with light olive oil 

Carefully cut chicken Breast almost in half (horizontally) leaving about ½ inch of meat uncut. Peel back the top half clam shell style

Remove crab meat from crab legs. 

Place thawed spinach in paper towel and squeeze out excess water 

Spread spinach, 1 cheese round, crab, tomato, and a second cheese round in the breast.

Flip the top half of the breast over the fillings.

Secure with toothpicks if needed.

Back 30 minutes. 

While baking, prepare the White Sauce;

 White Sauce

 2 cubes butter

Fat Free Sour Cream

Grated parmesan Cheese

1 log (4 oz) Goat cheese

White flour

White or blush wine

 In a sauce pan, melt the butter and cheese on low heat

Increase heat to medium

Add 1 -2 cups of wine

Add sour cream

1 cup parmesan cheese

Stir constantly to thicken

 Add additional parmesan cheese and small amounts of flour  to thicken to desired consistency.

 Serve on the side or over chicken breast

Cooking at the Homeless Family Shelter on Dec. 21st

Once a month, a group of Rotarian friends and epicurians take half a day out of our busy lives to share some of our passions and talents to those in need at Share Family shelters. A little gourmet cooking, lots of fun, and this month some special treats of baking cooking with the kids. 

Salmon Balls

8oz Fat free cream cheese (softened in Microwave for 30-60 sec)

16 oz. Salmon cooked or canned.

(For a special flavor, marinate salmon overnight in teriyaki)

1 tbs. lemon juice

1-2 cloves minced garlic

2 tbs. grated onion

Dash of liquid smoke

 

Mix together in a bowl

Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

 

 

In a separate bowl, mix:

 

½ cup finely chopped nuts

3 tb parsley

Seasoned croutons – crushed with a roller pin.

 

 

After refrigerating,

Form balls

Roll balls in the crouton/nut mixture

Place on a serving platter and serve

 

 

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

 

This is a great way to make Mahi Mahi. This will work with any dense fish like salmon or mahi mahi or even tuna.

A great wine to pair with this is a pinot noir or Mary Hill Pinot Gris

| Edit…

My Notes

35 min 15 min prep

Top of Form

Change to: servings US Metric

Bottom of Form

2	mahi mahi fillets
3	tablespoons honey
3	tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3	tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1	tablespoon gingerroot, finely grated
1	garlic clove, minced
	2 teaspoons olive oil
	salt and pepper
1	tablespoon olive oil (reserved)

• < 60 mins Main Dish
• Mahi Mahi Main Dish
• Asian Main Dish

1. Mix all ingredients in a ziploc bag and add fish. Leave in fridge to marinate for up to 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. In an oven safe skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium high heat.
4. Place fish in skillet, but be careful–it will splatter a bit.
5. Leave the fish to sizzle away for 5 minutes.
6. Flip the fish over and place entire pan in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Enjoy.

Stuffed Mushrooms – excellent appetizer

 

Mushrooms  16-24

1 pound thick sliced bacon

½ onion

1 red bell pepper

Fresh cilantro leaves

3-4 cloves fresh garlic

16 oz. Low fat or fat free cream cheese              Pre-heat oven to 350

 

Brush mushrooms off

Carefully remove stems

With a spoon or melon ball spoon, hollow out the mushroom caps

Finely Chop left over stems and pieces and add to sauté’ below

 

Trim fat from bacon

Cut bacon into small pieces

and sauté until almost done

Mince onion and add to sauté for 3-5 min.

Cut or press 3 cloves of garlic, add to sauté

Add chopped mushroom pieces

 

Drain grease from pan and lay out on a cutting board

Chop sauté into a finely chopped mixture

Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and microwave until soft (1 min.)

Add sauté mixture to cream cheese and mix well

 

Using a spoon, add a dollop of mixture to each mushroom cap and place on a backing sheet.

 

Optional to add a festive color: 

Remove cilantro leaves from stems

Slice  ¼ of a red pepper

Dice both

Sprinkle tops of mushrooms with the cilantro/pepper mix

 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Serve warm

-Gary Perman

 

Mushrooms

1 pound thick sliced bacon

½ onion

1 red bell pepper

Fresh cilantro leaves

3-4 cloves fresh garlic

16 oz. Low fat or fat free cream cheese              Pre-heat oven to 350

 

Brush mushrooms off

Carefully remove stems

With a spoon or melon ball spoon, hollow out the mushroom caps

Finely Chop left over stems and pieces and add to sauté’ below

 

Trim fat from bacon

Cut bacon into small pieces

and sauté until almost done

Mince onion and add to sauté for 3-5 min.

Cut or press 3 cloves of garlic, add to sauté

Add chopped mushroom pieces

 

Drain grease from pan and lay out on a cutting board

Chop sauté into a finely chopped mixture

Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and microwave until soft (1 min.)

Add sauté mixture to cream cheese and mix well

 

Using a spoon, add a dollop of mixture to each mushroom cap and place on a backing sheet.

 

Optional to add a festive color: 

Remove cilantro leaves from stems

Slice  ¼ of a red pepper

Dice both

Sprinkle tops of mushrooms with the cilantro/pepper mix

 Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Serve warm

-Gary Perman

Wine Making in the Columbia River Gorge

October is a great time of the year to visit the small wineries and see first hand how wine is harvested, crushed and bottled.

Breast of Chicken in Crab Sauce

 

6-8 boned, skinless chicken breasts (thawed)

If thick, slice horizontally in thinner halves

 4 green onions

White Sauce ( 1 stick butter, ¼ c. four, 2-3 c. milk)

1 c. Grated cheese – cheddar or white

½ c. parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. parsley flakes

1 tbsp. dry mustard

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 c. dry white wine

1 lb. Crab meat. (fresh king crab is best)

 
Pre-heat oven to 375

Sauté green onions.

 Make white sauce and add cheeses until melted.

Add Parsley, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and mix well.

Add onions and wine.

Sir in crab meat.

Pour over chicken breasts.

Bake 30 – 40 minutes.