Savory Sunday: Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks

The hubby and I both love scalloped potatoes, and when asked to bring a side dish to a recent party, I jumped on this recipe.  It's one of my tried and true, and I make it for most of our large lunch or dinner get-togethers.  There wasn't a bite left in the dish by the time the party was over - a sign of success in my book!

This recipe is easy to transport to a party because once it's out of the oven, it needs to rest for 15-30 minutes.  Just enough time to wrap it up in some foil and drive over to the event.  Because of all of the baked, cheesy goodness, it stays warm for quite a bit afterwards too.

Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks
Recipe from Martha Stewart
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Ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced and well rinsed (about 1 cup)
6 russet potatoes (2 1/2 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
fresh ground pepper, to taste
8 oz gruyere cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 12 cup baking dish (I used a standard 9x13 dish).

2.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks and cook until translucent, about 3 o 4 minutes.

3.  Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in dish, slightly overlapping slices.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the salt, 1/2 of the nutmeg, paper, and cover with 1/2 of the leeks and 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat.  Top with remaining potatoes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4  Combine cream and stock.  Pour over cheese and potatoes.  Cover with parchment and foil.  Mixture can be refrigerated overnight.

5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Increase temperature to 425 degrees F, uncover, and cook until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.  Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Mix It Up Monday * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Whatcha Baking Wednesday * Anything Goes * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots * Spread the Love * Tatertots & Jello 

Savory Sunday: Blackberry Goat Cheese Tart

Day two of the weekend of tarts! This time we're going savory with a hint of sweet.  It's a goat cheese tart topped with blackberries and a bit of honey.  This would be perfect for a brunch or tea.  Not sure about goat cheese? The tart basically tastes like a mild cheesecake with a perfect sweetness added from the berries and honey.

Again, still working with my mini-prep food processor, so I used my stand mixer.  I think you could also use a hand mixer to get the same results, but make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.

One tool you will need is a tart pan with a removable bottom.  I picked up a 9" round tart pan that fit the ingredients perfectly.  There was a little leftover dough that could be used for a mini tart or two, but you will need additional filling if you decide to use it.

Blackberry Goat Cheese Tart
Recipe from Blondies Cakes
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Ingredients for the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
7 tbsp butter, room temperature
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

Ingredients for the filling:
6 oz goat cheese
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Ingredients for the topping:
approx. 12 oz blackberries
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp thyme leaves

Directions for the crust:
1. Combine all crust ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until the dough is well blended.  Turn out onto saran wrap and form into a flat disk.  Wrap up and refrigerate for a couple of hours so that the dough firms up enough to roll out properly.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place dough disk onto a floured surface.  Roll out using short strokes from the center outward until the dough is a couple of inches larger than your tart pan (about a 12" circle for 9.5" tart pan).  You should not need to grease your tart pan.  Gently place the dough into the tart pan.  The easiest way that I found to transfer the dough was to roll it onto my rolling pin and then unroll it over the pan. Gentle ease the dough into the pan filling out the edges and lightly pressing into the ridges.  Remove the extra trim from the sides of the pan - you can use them for additional tarts or toss it. I rolled the pin over the top of the sides to make it easy to peel the top right off.  Place the dough into the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Directions for the filling:
1. Combine the filling ingredients into bowl and beat until the mixture is smooth and blended.  Pour into the pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.  Once the top is puffy and golden, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

2.  Refrigerate the tart to cool completely, then top with the berries.  Drizzle honey over the top and sprinkle with thyme leaves.

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Mix It Up Monday * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Whatcha Baking Wednesday * Anything Goes * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots * Spread the Love * Tatertots & Jello 

Savory Sunday: Almond Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches

I've had this recipe in my arsenal for a while though I usually bust it out for baby and bridal showers.  From time to time I also like to make the filling for my sandwiches at work - I'll bring it on traditional bread or to fill a pita.  The only reason I don't make it more often is because I forget it's an option.  The hubby and I recently had a potluck lunchtime event and I was tasked to bring a main course (usually I sign up for desserts... in case you couldn't guess ;) ), so I thought this recipe would be the perfect fit.  I used croissants instead of plain old sandwich bread, but you could modify to whatever your preference is.

It's a delicious recipe but when I do make it for my lunches I lighten it up by using light mayonnaise and I omit the butter spread.  But for special occasions, I recommend making it as listed below.  Enjoy!

Almond Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches
Recipe modified from Great Party Recipes
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For a tea sandwich use any sandwich bread, crusts removed (or other favorite type of bread).  Typically thin bread is preferred but I can never find it these days so regular sandwich bread works too.

Ingredients and Directions for the Butter Spread:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Combine all ingredients.

Butter mixture

Ingredients for the Almond Chicken Filling:
1 cup finely chopped, cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1/4 cup minced shallots
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients until well mixed.

Chicken mixture.

Assembly directions:
Lay out bread or croissants.  If making tea sandwiches, remove the crusts from the bread.

Spread a thin layer of the butter mixture on one side of each piece of bread.

Then top with chicken almond filling.

Top with buttered bread or croissant.  Slice to serving size - for a tea, small two-bite size triangles or rectangles are typical.  Refrigerate until read to eat.

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Mix It Up Monday * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Whatcha Baking Wednesday * Anything Goes * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots * Spread the Love * Tatertots & Jello 

Savory Sunday: Bacon and Cheese Biscuits

Call them scones, call them biscuits... regardless they're so delicious!  My hubby thinks they're reminiscent of my mom's quiche recipe that she makes for special occasions.  Minus the hassle of making quiche.

This recipe is generously modified from the book Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw.  While I originally wanted to make the original recipe, I realized I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so I made do with what I had. I think the variation was great, and this recipe could be modified and customized in so many ways.  But back to the book - I highly recommend it.  It was originally published for Williams-Sonoma stores only but has recently been released for distribution so more stores will now have it... including Amazon.com.

Bacon and Cheese Biscuits
Recipe modified from Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw
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Makes about 2 dozen biscuits


Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon, cooked until lightly crisp, then chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sharp cheddar (I used Dubliner, a white cheddar)
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick), cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg
3/4 cup half and half or milk (I used a combination of the two)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

2. In a food processor*, combine the flour, baking powder, cheese, salt and pepper and pulse briefly to mix.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
*If you do not have a food processor, use a pastry blender (the handheld gadget sold at most home accessory stores in the kitchen gadget section... a great use of a few dollars, especially if you make things like scones and biscuits often). I have a small food processor, so I went with the pastry blender method.  You might be able to use a couple of forks but it'll be pretty tedious.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Combine with the flour mixture (in food processor or a mixing bowl), until the mixture comes together.

4. Mix in the bacon until combined.

5. Using a large ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop out the dough into two inch rounds.  Space out on the baking sheet.  Press down into the center of the biscuits, just to flatten them out a bit.
Optional: If you have extra cheese (as I did), press a little onto the tops of each biscuit.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown.

Let cool on a cooling rack, and enjoy!

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Tatertots & Jello * Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Mix It Up Monday * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Whatcha Baking Wednesday * Anything Goes * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots * Spread the Love

Savory Sunday: Buttermilk Quick Bread

I've got a thing against bread machines.  I don't know what is it... maybe my lack or counter space? Or how I know I wouldn't use it enough to get my money out of it?  Therefore my lack of storage space?  Anyways.  Because of this aversion, I'm always keen to try bread recipes that are machineless.  My sister told me about this site, The Kitchn, and they recently posted a quick bread recipe.  Aside from my brown bread recipe which I make about once a month, this has become the next bread staple in my kitchen.  I don't think I'll ever need to buy a loaf of bread again! Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but I have to admit it tastes soooo good having fresh baked bread!

Aside from only taking 5 minutes from start to oven, the great part about this recipe is the endless variations.  The Kitchn gives you 10 examples, but you could do so much more!  So far I've tried the basic version, which is delicious with a hint of sweetness.  I also made the sundried tomato and cheddar recipe.  Incredible!  The perfect bread to kick up a sandwich or have with dinner instead of a roll.


Buttermilk Quick Bread (with 10 Variations)
Recipe from The Kitchn
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Makes one loaf


Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (4 oz) white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray a standard 9x5 loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter, if using. Whisk it in a separate bowl with the buttermilk and the egg.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently stir and fold the ingredients until all the flour has been incorporated and a shaggy, wet batter is formed. Be careful not to over-mix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and pat it into the corners. Bake for 45-50 minutes. 

When finished, the loaf should be domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and slicing.

Wrap baked loaves tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Baked loaves can also be wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

I had mine with a bit of honey, cheese, and candied pecans. Yum!

Basic Variations:

• Sugar can be reduced to a tablespoon for more savory breads.
• Up to half the flour can be substituted with an alternative flour.
• Replace the buttermilk with a mix of yogurt and milk or milk and a squeeze of lemon.
• Use up to 1 1/2 cups fruits, nuts, olives, cheese, or other ingredients, added to the dry ingredients.
• Use 1-3 teaspoons of herbs or spices, added to the dry ingredients.

10 Variations:

1. Cranberry-Walnut Loaf - 1 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, 1 tsp vanilla, zest from one orange
2. Apple-Cinnamon Loaf - 1 c. diced apples, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts
3. Cherry-Almond Loaf - 1 c. dried cherries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped almonds, 1 tsp almond extract
4. Blueberry Loaf - 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 tsp vanilla, zest from one lemon
5. Ginger-Orange Loaf - zest from two oranges, 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch of cloves, pinch of nutmeg
6. Herbed Sun-dried Tomato and Cheese Loaf - reduce sugar to 1 T, 1/2 c. grated cheese, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, 2 T minced sun-dried tomatoes
7. Onion-Dill Loaf - reduce sugar to 2 T, one minced onion cooked until soft, 1 T minced fresh dill
8. Pesto Loaf - reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, 1/4 c. pesto, 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
9. Spicy Jalapeno Loaf - reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons, 1/4 cup minced jalapeno peppers, 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tsp chili powder
10. Irish Soda Bread Look-Alike Loaf - reduce sugar to 1/4 cup, 1 T caraway seeds, 3/4 cup raisins

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Tatertots & Jello * Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Mix It Up Monday * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Whatcha Baking Wednesday * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * Thrilling Thursday * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots

Savory Sunday: Brie en Croute

I swear I don't just make dessert! I love to try new recipes for dinners, appetizers for parties, brunch items, etc.  So, in addition to the weekly Sweet Treats posts, I'm hoping to share a savory recipe about once a month.  I'll store the recipes in the Sweet Treats archive page, in case you're looking for a particular recipe.  Let me know what you think!

This recipe is soooo easy to make, but looks so impressive.  Everyone will think you put a lot off effort into this or that you bought it already made.  Regardless, it's a great party appetizer, and one that I make frequently.  There are many ingredient variations that you could try: sun-dried tomatoes, honey, etc, but first, you should try this sweet and savory version.


Brie En Croute
Recipe from Paula Deen
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Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, pre-packaged
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Crackers, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold.

3. Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface.  Slice off top of rind from brie.  Place the brie (rindless side up) in the center of the pastry.

4. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are coated well. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture. 

5. Gather up the edges of the pastry, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and tie together with a piece of kitchen twine.  If you don't have twine, you can probably just lay over the edges of the puff pastry, so that the brie and mixture is completely covered. 

6. Brush the beaten egg over top and side of pastry. Place the brie wrapped in pastry on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Serve with crackers.

This post will be participating in the following Linky parties:

Tatertots & Jello * Think Pink Sundays * Sundae Scoop * Sunday Showcase Party *Watcha Got Weekend * Family Ever After * Nifty Thrifty Sunday * Making the World Cuter * Home Savvy * Just Something I Whipped Up * Made by You Mondays *Tuesday Time Out * Sew Cute Tuesday * Talent Tuesday * We Did It Wednesday * Hoo’s Got Talent * Look What I Made * The Trendy Treehouse * Thrilling Thursday * It’s a Hodgepodge * Petals to Picots * Country Momma Cooks