Delicious Delicious Lime Curd

Last year, for my cousin's wedding shower, I decided I needed to be ambitious and make Martha Stewart's Meyer Lemon Cupcakes from scratch. Making cupcakes for 50 people is exhausting, and I was so glad I cheated and bought lemon curd. Thinking on it more though, I felt I really should give the lemon curd a try, but maybe with limes, since I love limes even more! This is my Lime Curd recipe, based on Martha's Meyer Lemon Curd recipe. It's delicious in cupcakes, or on scones, or poundcake, or pancakes, or just straight from a spoon! I think I'm going to try some at the bottom of some panna cotta. I'm sure the creaminess would perfectly offset the tart limeyness. 

Lime Curd

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Sugar

Zest of 2 Limes

2 Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

1/2 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2.5 Ounces of Chilled Butter, Chopped into Small Cubes

Tools:

Instant Thermometer

Fine Mesh Strainer

Cooking:

In a mortar and pestle, grind your zest into your sugar. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can make do with a bowl and the back of a spoon. Prepare a bowl with ice water and set aside. Fill a saucepan or double boiler with water and bring to a simmer. Place a heat proof bowl on top and add your sugar, eggs and egg yolks. Whisk constantly. When the sugar has dissolved, add your juice and whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and add your butter one piece at a time. Once your butter is incorporated, put the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store the curd in a sealed container until ready for serving.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

I LOVE rhubarb! Just a few years ago, rhubarb was introduced to me via an amazing pie with strawberries and huckleberries in Montana. A convert was born! Rhubarb is not a vegetable I grew up with and I am still amazed that something so celery-like can produce such a delicious, tart flavor.

I made this dish a few weeks ago to include in a cupcake recipe, but I've since been enjoying this sweet, summer compote on all kinds of goodies. It's wonderful over ice cream, biscuits, toast and even great on pound cake!  

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Ingredients:

6 Stalks of Rhubarb, Chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 Pint of Strawberries, Roughly Chopped

1/2 Cup of Sugar

1/2 Cup of Water

Cooking:

In a saucepan, combine all your ingredients and bring to medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook the fruit down until the fibers are soft and it's a preserve-like consistency. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Cream Cheese Chicken Roulades

I was inspired by an appetizer that my mom has been making recently, marinated cream cheese. The marinade consists of roasted red peppers, onion and parsley, and it's wonderful on crackers. I started thinking it might be amazing stuffed into a chicken breast. I was right! This dish sounds fancy, but it's not that complicated and the cream cheese filling makes the chicken moist and delicious!

Roasted Red Pepper and Cream Cheese Chicken Roulades

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
8 Ounces of Cream Cheese
1/2 Onion, Diced (Vidalia might be best for the sweetness)
7 Ounces of Roasted Red Pepper, Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon of Parsley, Chopped
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt and Pepper each
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Cooking:

Place your chicken breasts in a plastic bag and pound with a heavy pan or meat pounder (flat side only) until the chicken is approximately 1/3" thick. You want to even out the meat for cooking. Next, in a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with the onions, roasted red peppers, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Once the cream cheese mixture comes together, spread an approximately 1/2" thick layer on each breast. Next, carefully roll one side of the chicken into the other, trying to keep majority of the cream cheese mixture inside. Secure the roll with either cooking twine, tooth pick or skewer. Season the outside of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof skillet, pour in your olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Place your chicken breasts in the skillet, turning occasionally to brown it on all sides. You want to sear the exterior meat to add color and seal in the juices. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once your chicken is seared on all sides, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place a thermometer into the meat. Cook until 165 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven and serve!

Home-made Pesto Butter

I saw a post recently, on designsponge.com, about homemade butter, and it set me thinking. I haven't made butter since I was a child at camp, in those small jars which they told you to shake until your arm wants to fall off. After reading the post, it made me long for the amazingly fresh tasting butter, so I thought I would give it an adult try, but with a twist. I would normally make the pesto to go into the butter, but my basil is not quite big enough to harvest yet, so jarred pesto did the trick this time. This butter is great on baked potatoes, steak, toast, and all kinds of other things you want to make extra delicious!

Home-made Pesto Butter

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Cups of Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon of Pesto
1/2 Teaspoon of Chili Flakes

Preparation:

Let the heavy cream come to room temperature. The butter will not clump properly unless the cream comes to a temperature around 72 degrees. Pour the cream into an electric mixer and mix on medium until the butter separates from the liquid. This will take somewhere around 7 minutes. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer and allow the liquid to drain away from the solids. You can use the milk as you would buttermilk! Place the solids onto a cooking board and massage out the excess liquid by folding the butter in on itself several times with a rubber spatula. Move the butter to a mixing bowl and add your pesto and chili flakes. Mix until combined. Next you can place the butter into a dish, or you can put onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a log. Refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to serve. It will keep for a week or two in the fridge, but for a long while in the freezer!

Honey Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

The other night our lovely neighbors had us over to their house for dinner. My husband and I scrambled around a bit coming up with something we could cook on the fly as a starter. I think our powers combined to make a fantastic dish! I've made it several times since and cannot get enough of the sweetness of the honey and the tartness of the tomato and goat cheese. It's definitely one for the rotation!

Honey Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1Tablespoon of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano

3 Pinches of Salt

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes

2 Cloves of Garlic

4 Tablespoons of Chevre (Creamy Goat Cheese)

2 Slices of Toast

Cooking:

Place your tomatoes on a cookie sheet with one of the cloves of garlic. Drizzle first the honey, then the olive oil over the tomatoes. Add the seasonings. Toss to coat the tomatoes evenly. Place the pan into the oven on broil. Watch the tomatoes carefully. You want a bit of char, but obviously, don't want them burned. Once they start to char a bit on the top and seem to be releasing the juices (this probably only will take a couple of minutes, depending on how hot your oven.) Give the tomatoes a stir, trying to get the non-charred side to the top and place back in the oven to finish cooking both sides. Take the tomatoes out and set aside. I don't own a toaster, so I toast my bread in the oven. After the bread is toasted, rub the top of the toast with the remaining garlic clove. This just gives the essence of garlic, without overwhelming the dish. Next spread each toast with 2 tablespoons of Chevre, then top with your tomatoes and drizzle some juice on top. Serve and enjoy!

Zesty Marinated Olives

Olives are one of my favorite foods and this has become one of my go to dishes for a quick and easy get-together. I love how fast it is to make, but also love that it looks a little fancy (at fancy, read: tongue in cheek.)

Zesty Marinated Olives

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Mixed Olives

4 Pieces of Lemon Zest

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon of Chili Flakes

1 Clove of Garlic, Very Thinly Sliced (Think Goodfellas)

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients together and let sit at room temperature for 30 min to 1 hour before serving. So easy!

Summery Grilled White Fish Packets

I love breaking this recipe out at the start of summer when the fresh heirloom tomatoes start coming off the vine. The citrusy lemon with the tangy tomatoes and flaky fish are so aromatic! It's always a crowd pleaser and it's so simple to put together! Though still a little early yet for summer heat, with sunny spring weather rolling in, it's delightful!

Tomato, Lemon and White Fish Packets for the Grill (or Oven)

Ingredients:

2 Fillets of Tilapia (or other white fish of choice! I have made this with Mahi-Mahi with equally delicious results)
1/2 Lemon, Sliced into Wedges
1 Cup of Cherry Tomatoes, Split
8 Leaves of Basil
2 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled
2 Green Onions, Chopped
Salt and Pepper

Tools:
Aluminum Foil (or Parchment Paper in the Oven)

Cooking:
Lay out a 12" square piece of aluminum foil. Place your Tilapia right below the centerline of the foil. Salt and Pepper your fillet. Lay the basil leaves on top, and add one or two wedges of lemon. Add in half of the tomatoes and green onions, and one of the cloves of garlic. Fold the foil over the fish and vegetables, and begin at the left or right side, fold over the edges continuously until you make your way to the other side and the packet is completely sealed. Ideally, you want a bit of air in your packet, to allow the steam to cook the fish. Repeat with other fillet. Place the packet on a hot grill, or an oven at 350 degrees, for approximately 10 minutes. Open the packet and serve!