Sunday Dinner

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Brie, Apricot, and Pistachio Mini-Phyllo Cups

Roast Chicken

Rice Soubise

Buttered Peas

Cloverleaf Rolls

Meyer Lemon Molten Cakes with Raspberries and Cream

These little darlings were just made for brunch and mid-day dinner spreads.  They are just the right size to be picked up and popped all at once or in two bites.  The flavors mingle well.  The texture of the phyllo cups offers a pleasing crunch to go with the sweet and savory one-two punch of the apricot preserves and the brie.  The chopped roasted pistachios lend a nutty note to the affair.  

While there is a lot going on with the flavors here, these cups retain crowd pleasing characteristics sure to make them a hit with a wide range of palates.  The ease of preparation with just four ingredients really seals the deal in making this recipe a go-to appetizer favorite.

Sunday Dinner one year ago

Lamingtons

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Finally, another magazine tear-out that I can dispose of.  The page that is, not the recipe.  In fact, this is a recipe that I will visit more often (with variations) in the future. With Easter and Spring celebrations around the corner, I thought this would be a lovely recipe to share.  A batch of these cakes set out on a dessert buffet would certainly be well received.

Lamingtons are popular items at Australian bake sales and church events.  They deliver a combination of flavors sure to intrigue the taste buds of the lucky grabber. They are made from a basic sponge batter with a layer of jam or cream that is sandwiched between two cake halves.  Once chilled and cut, they are dipped in a thin chocolate icing and rolled in coconut.  A more traditional version would be to use unsweetened, dessicated coconut, but I happen to love the taste and texture of shredded, sweetened coconut. Due to the light crumb of the sponge cake, the jam layer and chocolate icing are absorbed into the cake keeping the cake moist for several days.

Speaking of days, the cakes should be baked, cooled, and filled with the jam at least a day in advance so they can be frozen before icing.  I like to freeze the entire cake slab before cutting.  This allows for a clean cut and keeps the jam layer from oozing.  The original recipe called for strawberry jam, but I am particularly fond of a chocolate/raspberry combo.  You can use any jam of your preference.  Come to think of it, apricot would be quite nice.

Whether you enjoy them on a plate with a fork paired with a cup of tea, in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream (not traditional, but preferred), or eaten casually out of hand with your fingers and a napkin, these tasty cakes should be enjoyed everywhere and not just down under.

Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese, Pistachios, and Beet Vinaigrette

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I have been waiting almost an entire year to share this recipe.  I first created and served it last year as part of our Easter dinner menu and have made it several times since.  It is wonderful side salad to a meal, but it can certainly turn into a meal itself with the addition of sliced chicken or pork.  Other than the delicious flavor, what I love most about this salad is that it sneaks a somewhat underappreciated vegetable into my son's diet.  My girls adore beets, but my son-- not so much (o.k. not at all).  However, when I serve him beets in this form along with mixed greens, creamy goat cheese, tart apple, and salty pistachios, he happily cleans his plate.

The base of the vinaigrette comes from roasted beets.  So, when I roast beets for a Sunday dinner, I usually roast a few more to have on hand for this salad for weekday lunches or a weeknight dinner option.

The vinaigrette is the star of the overall recipe, but like many composed salads, the recipe itself is more of a guideline.  Use as much or as little of the ingredients as you like and feel free to change to ingredients to suit your own taste or your seasonal mood.  This combination of cheese, fruit, and nuts paired with the vinaigrette is a favorite just about any time of year, but in the Fall, gorgonzola, pears, and walnuts is also a tasty composition of flavors.  As I have said many times before, make it for you, make it your own.