WHITE-BEAN SOUP SHOOTERS WITH BACON

I would like to share with all of you this recipe that I make it last year for my Neighborhood Christmas Party. This soup is so yummy and rich with the white beans and perfect for cold weather. I poured the soup into individual party size shot glass and decorated it with some goat cheese, toasted croutons and some freshly grounded black pepper.....and VOILA!!! I wanna take this opportunity to share this recipe, so all of you could try it on this coming Thanksgiving Party or Christmas Party. Believe me.....everyone will WOW on this soup.....ENJOY!!!!

Recipe Courtesy : Ted Allen for Food Network Magazine

Preparation Time : 26 minutes
Cook Time : 24 minutes
Level : Easy



INGREDIENTS :

1/2 strip bacon, diced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
6 leaves fresh sage, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
3 slices crusty bread, toasted
2 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper


METHODS :

1. Fry the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until halfway done, about 3 minutes. Add the olive oil, butter and shallots and saute until soft, about 6 minutes. Add beans, sage, garlic and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor in three batches and puree until smooth. (Be careful-hot liquids are prone to explode when whipped) Return the pureed soup to the pan and add the cream, cayenne, and salt to taste. Keep warm.

3. Cut the toasted bread into 3/4-inch croutons.

4. To serve, ladle the soup into shot glasses, top with goat cheese, croutons and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

BAKED APRICOT - PECAN FRENCH TOAST

Last Saturday I baked this easy breakfast dish for my kids and they were very satisfied with it. I made this dish the night before and baked it the next morning in the room temperature.

 Remember, that each time you layer the bread in the dish it should be a single layer only. I got this idea of breakfast from the Whole Foods Market website and here's the recipe I would like to share.

 INGREDIENTS :

1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inches thick (about 15 slices)

4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
8 large eggs
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
some coarse brown sugar for sprinkle


METHODS :

1.  Line the bottom of a greased 8-inch baking dish with a single layer of bread slices, making sure they fit snugly and cutting them to fit , if necessary. Brush bread layer with some of the butter, then sprinkle with half of the apricots and pecans. Top with a second layer of bread and brush with butter. Sprinkle over remaining apricots and pecans then top with a third layer of bread; brush with remaining butter.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Pour egg mixture over the bread, making sure to soak the top layer completely. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.

3. When ready to bake, let dish come to room temperature and sprinkle some coarse brown sugar on top of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 F. Uncover and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes then serve.

NEST EGG WITH BACONS

Yesterday was Memorial Day and this is the breakfast I served to my family and all of them love it all the time. I adapted this method of cooking the egg in the bread from the Food Network Magazine issue on April 2010.

This is a very easy breakfast and all u need are eggs, breads, bacons, butter and some fruits spread. First spread some butter on the bread and then using a cookie cutter, make a hole in the middle of the bread. Place the spreable surface on the skillet and turn it once it turns golden brown.

Then add a little butter in the middle of the bread hole and crack an egg into it. Cook as desired and place it on the platter with some bacons. Spread some jam on the cut-off bread and served.

SOFT HONEY BUNS

After I had tried almost 3 kinds of recipe, this recipe really comes out really soft and fluffy without any bread improver or bread softener. The most important things are you need to knead it very well and the liquid temperature has to just 65C / 150F. This recipe is making this buns with bread machine but I don't have one. So I used my electric mixer with the dough attachment. This recipe is actually from Happy Homebaker.


This is the dough that been double size and I rolled it to small buns. Let it sit for at 60 minutes or more (depends to the house temperature) to final prove in double size.


This is what it look like after the final proving double in size and it's ready to go in the oven to bake.



After tasting the bun, I decided to make some serikaya for it.


You can see how soft and fluffy it looks. It even stayed soft after the next day.

INGREDIENTS :

300 g bread flour
2/3 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 egg lightly beaten plus enough fresh milk to make 200g***
50 g honey
30 g unsalted butter, melted


METHOD :

1. ***For this one weight the beaten egg first and minus with 200g. Add the remaining grams for the fresh milk.

2. In a mixing bowl, add the bread flour, egg, salt, instant yeast and honey. Beat in medium with a flat beater attachment till well mix.

3. Meanwhile, heat the milk until the thermometer stated 65C / 150F.

4. Then add the heated milk to the flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes.

5. Change the mixer attachment to dough hook and add melted butter to the mixture. In a medium speed beat the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

6. On the table, take the dough out and knead for at least 10 minutes and let it rest in the bowl for at least 60 minutes or more until it become double in size.

7. Once it already double in size, divide into 9 equal portions. Then flatten each dough into a round disc and press out the trapped air. Shape and roll into a smooth round balls.

8. Place doughs seams side down on a 20cm by 20cm square baking tray (lightly greased with oil or butter or line it with parchment paper). Loosely cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let doughs proof for 45 ~ 60 mins or until double in size.

9. When ready to bake, brush the surface of the dough with milk.

10. Bake at preheated oven at 390F / 200C for about 15 ~ 20 mins until the bread is golden brown all over. Cover the surface with a sheet of aluminum foil if the surface browns too quickly.

10. Remove from oven, unmold immediately from the pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

11. Then put the buns on a platter and wrap it with a plastic wrap.