Chocolate Filled Croissants (sandra)

These are SUPER easy and so good! (From Cooking on the Side.com)

Petit Pain au Chocolat

From inside the La Boulange Puff Pastry package

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 8 pastries

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (16 oz) package puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
• 5 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips, divided
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 (5-inch) squares, making 8 in all. Place 2 tablespoons of chocolate in the center of each square (reserve about 1/4 cup of chocolate to drizzle at the end).
3. Fold each puff pastry over the chocolate and press to seal.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg together with a splash of water. Brush the pastries with the egg wash.
5. Bake the pastries until they are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let them cool a bit, then sift powdered sugar over the top.
6. In a small, microwave-safe bowl heat the remaining chocolate at 50% power in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, and continue to heat it in 30-second increments until it’s melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the pastries.

Caramelized Onion Tarts with Apples (sandra)

Another gourmet night recipe! The only thing I would do differently would be to add some cheese (brie maybe?)

 Con Poulos

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Makes 2 tarts| Hands-On Time: 20m| Total Time: 55m

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  medium onions, sliced
• 2  red apples (such as Braeburn or Gala), cut into small pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2  sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
• 1/2  cup  creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400º F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the apples, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until just tender, 2 minutes.
2. Place each sheet of pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Spread with the crème fraîche, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with the onion mixture and bake until the pastry is crisp and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into pieces before serving.

By Kate Merker and Sara Quessenberry , December, 2009

See Nutritional Information for this recipe »

Nutritional Information

• Per Serving
• Calories 320

• Fat 21g
• Sat Fat 6g
• Cholesterol 10mg
• Sodium 403mg
• Protein 5mg
• Carbohydrate 26g
• Fiber 2g

What does this mean? See Nutrition 101 .

SIMILAR RECIPES

Apple Limeade (Sandra)

This is a great summer drink..not sweet at all..nice and tart. (from Williams & Sonoma)

To vary this quick and easy drink, add 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves or 1 Tbs. peeled and finely grated fresh ginger to the juice mixture before refrigerating. Seek out unfiltered apple juice, also sold as sweet apple cider, for its intense apple flavor.

Ingredients:

• 12 limes
• 4 cups unfiltered apple juice
• Ice cubes as needed
• 1 bottle sparkling water
• 2 small Granny Smith apples, halved, cored and sliced

Directions:

Cut 10 of the limes in half and juice them. You should have about 1 cup juice. Reserve 6 squeezed lime halves and discard the rest.

In a large glass jar or pitcher, stir together the lime juice, apple juice and the reserved lime halves. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours to blend the flavors.

When ready to serve, cut the remaining 2 limes into 6 slices each. Fill a large serving pitcher half full with ice and add the sparkling water, lime slices and apple slices. Strain the apple juice mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the pitcher and stir. Pour into tall chilled glasses over ice and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons (Free Press, 2010).

Pear & Gorgonzola Soup (Sandra)

Another one from Gourmet group...definitely a keeper! (This one is from: http://www.versesfrommykitchen.com/2011/11/sunday-soup-series-pear-and-gorgonzola-soup.html


Pear & Gorgonzola Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 sweet white onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 small buttercup squash, peeled and choppped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced, green part only
• 1 celery, chopped
• 4 large pears, cored, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 cup gorgonzola
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup pumpkin ale (any ale or seasonal ale will do)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• sea salt & cracked pepper
• 4 tbsp. squash seeds, toasted (garnish)
• 2 tbsp. gorgonzola (garnish)
• 1 tsp. rosemary (garnish)

Prep:

1. Add butter and oil to a stockpot over medium heat until butter melted. Add in onion, carrot, leek, celery, squash, pears and rosemary and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add in stock and ale and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Pour into a food processor or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth. Return to the pot and stove.
4. Add in gorgonzola and heavy cream and bring back up to temperature. Do not bring up to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour into bowls and top with toasted seeds, small chunks of gorgonzola and rosemary.
6. Serves 6.

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Roasted Squash, Spinach and Caramelized Onion Lasagna (Sandra)

This recipe comes from the "Kitchy Kitchen" Blog. We had this at our last gourmet night- it is one of the best lasagna's I've had.

4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes

16 oz spinach, washed and dried

3 onions, thinly sliced

1 lb lasagna strips (enough for three layers)

12 oz ricotta

3 balls buffalo mozzarella (or about 2-3 cups regular mozzarella)

1/2 cup grated parm (or any other hard cheese, I sometimes use gouda)

chili flake

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup basil, julienned

Olive oil

Butter

for the beschamel:

1 3/4 pints milk

several sprigs of parsley

1/4 teaspon nutmeg

10 peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon chili flake

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup grated parm

Preheat oven to 425F.  Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, or under soft and browned.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute the spinach in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a pinch of chili flake.   It should be totally wilted.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.  To caramelize the onions,  melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onions with a big pinch of salt and cook down for about 30-40 minutes (just be patient, it's worth it), until a dark brown.  Halfway through add the remaining two cloves of  minced garlic. Set aside.  

Boil the lasagna noodles until just al dente (one minute before what the box says to cook it to).  Set aside in a bowl of cool water (from the tap is fine).

Slice the mozzarella into 8 slices per ball.

For the beschamel:

Bring the milk and everything else except for the butter, flour, and pram to a simmer.  In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir until doughy and smelling a bit nutty (about one minute).  Strain in the milk about a half cup at a time, whisking to incorporate with the butter and flour mix.  It should be smooth and velvety, not chunky or too thick.  If it is, just add some more milk to thin it out.  Add the parm and set aside.

Pre heat the oven to 375

In a pyrex dish, place a layer of noodles, a bit of the veg, the mozzarella, dot with a third of ricotta, add the basil, and cover with a 1/4 of the beschamel.  Repeat three times, and finish with the remaining beschamel and grated parm.  

Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling.  Turn the broiler on and bake for another 5 minutes, or until brown and crunchy on top.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes.  Enjoy