Crostata with Raspberry Jam

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons ice water

Flour for dusting, as needed

1 jar (3/4 cup) raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted

Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Directions

Mix the flour, sugar, and lemon peel, in a food processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add salt. Pulse in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough onto a heavy baking sheet that has been lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Stir the lemon juice into the preserve and spread the preserves on top of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.

Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool. Sprinkle with the almonds and dust with the powdered sugar, if you wish. Slide a metal spatula under the crust to free the crostata from the baking sheet and serve.

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breakfast cheese danish recipe

Ingredients:

2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls

2 (8-ounce each) packages cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg white

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350* degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

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Chocolate Filled Cookies Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Twelve 1.45 ounce Hershey Kisses

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment or silpat liner.

2. Place butter and sugars in stand or electric mixer beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

3. Place flour, salt and soda into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours.

4. Wrap dough around giant Hershey Kisses leaving tall, do not press dough down. Bake for 15-18 minutes until baked through. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting open.

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Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

¾ lb fettuccine or penne pasta

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbsp oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1 garlic clove

⅓ cup white wine

2 cups heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup parmesan cheese

S&P to taste

Sprinkle of paprika

Parsley or basil for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Cook ¾ lb fettuccini noodles in salted water according to package instructions and drain. Don't rinse (this helps the sauce stick to the noodles better).

2. Lightly season shrimp with salt, pepper and paprika. Preheat a large skillet to med/high and add 1 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1-2 min per side or just until fully cooked and no longer translucent. They should be golden/pink on the outside and opaque white on the inside. Don't over-do it or they will be rubbery. Remove shrimp to a separate bowl.

3. In same pan, over medium/high heat, add 2 Tbsp butter and onion and sauté onion till golden. Stir in garlic and sauté another minute. Stir in ⅓ cup white wine and reduce to 25% scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan.

4. Stir in Cream and simmer for 2 min. Next, sprinkle the top with ⅓ cup parmesan (or add to taste) and stir until creamy and smooth.

5. Add about ¼ tsp paprika and season with S&P to taste.

6. Turn off heat and stir back in the cooked shrimp and drained (un-rinsed pasta). Garnish with parsley, basil, extra parmesan or freshly cracked pepper if desired.

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