TheVineyardMom

  Pear and Cranberry Tart 3 tbsp dried cranberries 1 tbsp butter 3-4 firm, ripe Anjou  pears that are unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced 2 tbsp granulated white sugar 1 piece of frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped Optional: Roasted sliced almonds Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover cranberries with hot water and let stand for 10 minutes.  Drain. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add pears and 1 tbsp sugar.  Cook for 2-4 minutes until softened, but not falling apart. On a floured surface, roll puff pastry out and using a rolling pin, roll to approximately 10X10 inch square. Move to the lined baking sheet. Prick all over the pastry with a fork. Place pears in the center of the pastry and flatten them out to one layer making sure they are not overlapping each other.  Leave a 1 inch border around four sides. Sprinkle cranberries on top of the pears. Fold the pastry ...

  Baked Mussels 1 lb. mussels ¼ cup water ¼ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced ½ tsp. oregano ¼ tsp each salt and pepper Optional: A pinch of red pepper flakes 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 400 degrees  F Prepare a baking dish with slightly scrunched foil in the dish to keep the mussels from moving and level when baking. Scrub the mussels to remove any dirt with cold water. Discard any mussels that are broken. Put the mussels into a saucepan with the water. Cook covered over medium high heat for a few minutes until they open. Take pan off the heat  In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and extra virgin olive oil. Mix until combined. When the mussels are steamed, remove the one side of the shell and use it to loosen the meat from the other side. Discard any mussels that don’t open...

  2 8-10 oz. lobster tails 1  4.25 oz. can of lump crab meat, drained ¼ cup mayonnaise ½ tsp old bay seasoning 1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 tbsp roasted red bell peppers, finely chopped 1 egg, beaten ½ cup panko bread crumbs ¼ tsp each salt and pepper 4 oz of melted butter Lemon wedges for garnish Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together mayonnaise, old bay seasoning, parsley, roasted red bell pepper, egg and panko bread crumbs. Gently stir in lump crab meat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to an hour. Split lobster tail down the middle with scissors or a knife being careful not to completely split the lobster. Leave the meat closest to the tail intact. Flip the tail over and crack the center of the tail upwards.  Turm tail back over to the top where you cut with the scissors or knife. Pull the tail meat out of the shell and place it on top  of the shell.  Leave meat at the end flat intact. Using a spoon or baking brush, baste the top of each tail with melt...

  Pintxos of Roasted Red Bell Peppers and Sardines on Focaccia 1 16 oz. jar of roasted red bell peppers, drained 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 small tin of sardines in oil 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 1 16 oz loaf of focaccia  Optional: Small skewers  Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the roasted red bell peppers into small strips.  Place them in a mixing bowl and add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary and half the oil from the sardine tin. Mix well and allow the peppers to marinate on your countertop for 10-15 minutes. Place focaccia bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake the bread until golden brown and crispy.  This will take 8-10 minutes. Assemble: Cut bread into small bite sized pieces. Top with a slice of the marinated bell pepper.  Place a piece of sardine over the pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Use a small skewer to keep the pintxo tog...

  1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp butter  ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced ½  lb mushrooms, baby bella,crimini or white button 1 lb of sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips ½ tsp salt and pepper ¼ cup brandy ½ cup beef broth 1 tsp whole grain mustard 1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 12 oz package of egg noodles Cook egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain well. Heat extra virgin olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium low heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook for 7-10  minutes.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside.  Add steak to the skillet and turn the heat to high. Add remaining salt and pepper.  Cook steak for 4-5 minutes.   Turn heat off and add brandy to the pan with the steak.  Turn heat back to high and cook until the alcohol burns off.  Add beef broth and mustard.  Scrape the bottom of the ...

Makes 30 mini cheesecakes 16 ounces of cream cheese, softened 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk ⅓ cup fresh orange juice Zest of one orange 2 packages of Mini fillo shells (in the freezer section of the grocery store) Cranberry sauce   NOTE: Homemade cranberry sauce recipe below Add softened cream cheese, condensed milk, orange juice and orange zest to a mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer, beat on high until smooth.  This will take 3-4 minutes. Using a spoon or piping bag, fill each shell with the mixture.  Top with a dollop of cranberry sauce.  Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve chilled. NOTE: Cranberry Sauce Recipe 1 1/2 lbs. fresh cranberries.   1 Cup of water 1 Cup sugar The zest from 1 orange The juice of 1 orange Rinse cranberries and discard any damaged ones.   Zest the orange with a micro plane or small side of a cheese grater.  Grate just the orange part, not the white pith.  Juice the orange.   Put rinsed...

  Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini 1 baguette, cut into ¼ inch slices 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces goat cheese 1 pint of fresh figs, thinly sliced 2 tbsp of honey Salt and pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 400 F. Brush slices of baguette with extra virgin olive and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake until slices are brown and crispy.  This will take 5-7 minutes. Spread goat cheese on toasts.  Top each with a few slices of figs.  Drizzle with honey and lightly season with salt and pepper. Put the sheet pan back into the oven under the broiler for 2 minutes or until the honey starts to bubble. Serve immediately.

  ½ cup of mayonnaise 1-2 tbsp of your favorite hot sauce 1 lb. shelled and deveined shrimp, chopped ¾ cup panko bread crumbs 2 large eggs 3 green onions, chopped 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest ½ tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp each salt and pepper ¼ cup vegetable oil Lemons wedges for serving In a small mixing bowl, mix together mayonnaise and hot sauce. Place in the refrigerator. In a large mixing bowl, mix chopped shrimp, panko bread crumbs, eggs, green onions, lemon zest, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper.   Form eight  ¾ inch thick cakes. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp cakes in batches and cook for 4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.  Repeat until all the cakes are cooked. Once all the shrimp cakes are cooked, transfer to a serving plate with lemon wedges.  Serve immediately with mayonnaise dipping sauce.

  Serves 4 people (2 Eggs Benedict's per person). 11 Large or extra large eggs 1 Tbsp. vinegar 1 1/2 sticks of butter  3 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. cayenne or paprika 4 English style muffins 2 beefsteak tomato, sliced into ¼ inch slices 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced 6 ounces lump crab meat Bring a large saucepan with water to a boil. Add vinegar. Once the water is at a boil, drop in 8 whole eggs and cook for 4 minutes for soft and 6 minutes for hard. Toast split English muffins in either a toaster, toaster oven or broil in an oven.  While the eggs are poaching in the water, put 3 egg yolk ( no whites) into a blender.   Add 3 Tbsp. of lemon juice, cayenne or paprika and blend for 3 seconds.   Melt in the microwave or stove top 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Slowly drizzle the hot butter into the top of the blender while it is on. Once all of the butter is in the blender, turn off the blender.   Place split toasted muffins on a plate.  Top...