Read Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (12 page)
T
his recipe yields plenty of creamy sauce. Toss leftover sauce with noodles and cucumber strips for a quick weeknight dinner. Add hot pepper flakes if your family likes it spicy.
Makes about 25 skewers and about 1¾ cup sauce
CHICKEN
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, trimmed and cut into ½-inch strips
PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
¾ cup peanut butter
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk, plus extra if needed
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
Dash hot sauce
1.
For chicken: In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add chicken strips to bowl; marinate at least 30 minutes, turning chicken occasionally to coat.
2.
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Thread each chicken piece lengthwise onto a skewer, keeping strip as flat as possible. Discard marinade.
3.
Grill skewers about 5 minutes, turning often.
4.
For sauce: In blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until combined. Pour in additional coconut milk until sauce is the consistency of heavy cream. Serve skewers with sauce on the side for dipping.
TIP
Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading the chicken strips. This will guard against burning.
A
lmost any fresh herb will work with this savory blend of roasted peppers and creamy cheese.
Makes about 20
1 red bell pepper
4 medium flour tortillas
½ cup spreadable goat cheese (like Chavrie)
½ cup chopped fresh tarragon, basil or mint
Salt
1.
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Halve peppers, then core and seed. Press peppers flat, skin side-up, on prepared pan. Broil 10 minutes, until skins are blackened. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil (use the same foil that lined the pan). Let stand 20 minutes. Peel peppers and discard blackened skin; thinly slice the roasted peppers.
2.
Warm a dry heavy skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in pan. Cook until warm and lightly speckled brown, about 10 seconds. Remove from pan; cover with a dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
3.
Spread a warm tortilla with 2 tablespoons goat cheese. Top with about ¼ of the pepper strips. Sprinkle with some tarragon and salt. Roll up tortilla gently but firmly. Wrap securely in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (but no longer than 4 hours).
4.
Unwrap tortillas; slice off ragged ends. Cut each wrap diagonally into 5 slices. Arrange on platter; serve chilled or at room temperature.
TIP
Warming the tortillas before filling them prevents them from becoming gummy.
E
ither assemble these mini-bites for your guests, or set out the garnishes and let them top their own burgers.
Makes 20 hamburgers
¾ pound ground chuck
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper
5 hamburger buns or rolls, split and lightly toasted
Garnishes: Ketchup, sliced cornichons, lettuce leaves
1.
In a large bowl, combine beef, Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Divide mixture into 20 walnut-sized-pieces. Using wet hands, roll pieces into balls; flatten into patties.
2.
Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 3 minutes per side, until cooked through.
3.
Meanwhile, cut each bun into 4 rounds with a 1 ½-inch biscuit cutter, creating 20 bottoms and 20 tops. Place burgers on bottom buns; top with garnishes as desired. Gently press on top bun.
TIP
These are best served warm, but you can form the patties and cut the buns in advance.
Y
ou can find pizza dough in the supermarket’s refrigerated or freezer aisle, or you can buy it from your local pizza parlor—most will sell you an unbaked ball of dough. No matter where you buy it, pizza dough varies in composition, which affects baking time. Keep an eye on your tart so that it doesn’t burn.
Serves 16
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for pan
Cornmeal or flour, for pan
1 ball prepared pizza dough (about 1 pound)
3 large onions (about 1 ½ pounds), very thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
10 black olives, such as Nicoise, pitted and coarsely chopped
1.
Brush a large baking sheet with oil; sprinkle with flour or cornmeal. Roll out dough on a lightly floured counter to a 10-by-14 rectangle. Transfer to prepared sheet; let dough rest 30 minutes while you cook the onions.
2.
Warm 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions, salt and pepper. Cook 30 minutes, stirring often, until onions turn light golden but not brown. Remove from heat; stir in thyme.
3.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread onions evenly over dough; dot with olives. Bake 13 minutes, until crisp and hot. Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP
To pit olives, hit them with the flat side of a knife to break the flesh, remove the pit and set the olive pieces aside to garnish the tart.
I
f you’re not using cocktail bread, use a 2-inch fluted round or other pastry cutter to cut slices of normal-sized bread into party-ready decorative shapes.
Makes about 20
4 ounces smoked salmon slices
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, or to taste
21 pieces pumpernickel “cocktail bread,” or 7 very thin slices pumpernickel or whole-grain bread
Garnishes: Freshly ground pepper, fresh dill sprigs, drained capers, lemon zest strips
1.
Cut smoked salmon into 20 one-inch strips.
2.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream and horseradish until blended. Spread cream evenly on bread rounds. Curl salmon slices on top of cream like a ribbon; garnish with a grind of pepper, a dill sprig and a few capers. Serve cool or at room temperature.
TIP
It’s easier to separate the salmon slices when cold.
A
dinner fork is the best tool for blending the crumbly blue cheese with the cream cheese.
Makes about 20
6 slices bacon
3 ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Salt and pepper
4 stalks celery
Fresh chives, snipped, for garnish
1.
Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate. Chop or break into triangular pieces.
2.
In a medium bowl, beat blue and cream cheese until combined and mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3.
Cut each celery stalk on the diagonal into five pieces to make twenty 2-inch-by-2-inch pieces. Using a small spoon, smooth about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture along each celery cup. Set a few shards of bacon into the cheese mixture in each cup. Sprinkle with chives.
TIP
Be sure to use block cream cheese, not the whipped kind.