Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks

Recently, we hosted a dinner party and served a lovely (IMHO) variety of spring foods, including spring lamb stew with baby artichokes, Bibb lettuce and parsley salad with anchovy dressing, both after a white bean and sautéed greens crostini appetizer. For dessert, I served a tray of local cheeses including a very ripe Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery and my favorite goat cheese, Humboldt Fog.

Bibb and Parsley Salad with Anchovy Dressing
from Everyday Food

In a small bowl, with your immersion blender, mash two anchovy fillets together with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, pinch of sugar, and salt & pepper to taste. Add to bowl with 1 head of Bibb or Boston lettuce, roughly torn, and 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves.

Lamb Stew with Leeks and Artichokes

Both the lamb stew and the salad took advantage of the copious amounts of fresh parsley in my garden, so I submit this post as part of the Grow Your Own Roundup #40, hosted by House of Annie.

Last week I was invited to attend a cooking demonstration with Chef Tal Ronnen at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Chef Tal was on a book tour, promoting the conscious cook, a full color vegan cookbook published in October 2009. Chef Tal prepared vegan meals for Oprah’s 21-day vegan cleanse in the spring of 2008, and then catered Ellen deGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s vegan wedding (aside: have you seen Portia de Rossi in Better of Ted? Very funny!).

My initial reaction when receiving the invitation was to decline – I am not interested in vegan cooking, I like meat, and really consider myself an omnivore. However, I also like cooking with more vegetables and grains, and I was curious to learn more about incorporating those items into my recipes. Plus, I have always wanted to take a class at the California Culinary Academy. So, what the heck, let’s give it a try…

The class was held in one of the school’s classrooms, and included chefs-in-training as well as head chefs from the school. It was exciting to sit in the classroom with the presentation kitchen, including cameras. After a brief slide presentation, Chef Tal launched into his demonstration.

A few key elements of vegan cooking that he demonstrated included Cashew Cream, Nutritional Yeast Flakes, and meat analogs (fake-o meat for those carnivores among us). Chef Tal also used Earth Balance, a vegetable oil-based spread, a vegan butter substitute. We also had the opportunity to taste Gardein, a protein made from whole grains including quinoa and amaranth, and we watched as Chef Tal used a massive VitaMix to blend everything from Cashew Cream to soup.

“Chicken” scaloppini with shiitake sake sauce

My favorite recipe of the day was a Celery Root soup with Granny Smith apples, and one that I would probably make again. Check out the tip for adding salt to a pan as it heats, to create a non stick environment.

Celery root soup with granny smith apples

Sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium celery roots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 quarts faux chicken or vegetable stock (try Better Than Bouillon brand)
1 bay leaf
1 cup thick Cashew Cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, very finely diced
Chive Oil (recipe follows)

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.

Add the celery root, celery, and onion and sauté for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft but not brown. Add the stock and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the Cashew Cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, cover the lid with a towel (the hot liquid tends to erupt), and blend on high. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls. Place a spoonful of the diced apple in the center of each serving, drizzle the Chive Oil around the apple, and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Chive oil

1 small bunch chives
½ cup canola oil
Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the chives for 30 seconds in boiling water, then drain and chill in an ice bath. Drain, wrap the chives in a towel, and squeeze the moisture out. Place in a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend for 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Put the chive oil in a plastic squeeze bottle with a small opening or use a spoon for drizzling it on the soup.

Makes 1/2 cup

Cashew Cream

If you’ve thumbed through the recipes in The Conscious Cook, you’ve seen the ingredient “cashew cream” a few times. It’s a vegan-chef staple that stands in for dairy in a variety of ways. In the raw-food world, where it originated, it’s used in lots of desserts. When you cook with it, though, it can be so much more—from cheese filling in ravioli to heavy cream in soups. It can be stored 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 6 months (although after it’s defrosted it can be a bit lumpy, so it’s good to give it a spin in the blender to smooth it out before using it).

The trick when making cashew cream is to use raw cashews. They have no flavor of their own; they’re just a vessel for fat and creaminess. (It’s the roasting that brings out the familiar sweetness in cashews.) Because it has a nice fat content, cashew cream reduces in a pan even faster than heavy cream. (Soy milk, which some people use in vegan cooking, has no fat, so it doesn’t reduce into a thick sauce—it’s really not an alternative.)

For different applications, there are different consistencies—thick and regular. (I’ve also included a recipe for Whipped Cashew Cream, which is a great accompaniment to desserts.) Both are easy to make but not quick, because the cashews need to soak overnight. A shortcut is to put the cashews in a pot with water, bring them to a boil, then shut off the heat and let them soak for an hour. But this starts to leach out the sweetness, so you’re better off with the overnight method. Also, there’s at least one decent brand of store-bought nut cream, called Mimic Cream, which combines cashews and almonds; you can usually find it on the shelves or in the refrigerated section near the soy milk. Of course, nothing compares to homemade, and once you get used to it, there may be no turning back.

2 cups whole raw cashews (not pieces, which are often dry), rinsed very well under cold water

Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place them in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. Strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.

To make thick cashew cream, which some of the recipes in this book call for, simply reduce the amount of water when they are placed in the blender, so that the water just slightly covers the cashews.

Makes about 2 1/4 cups thick cream or 3 1/2 cups regular cream
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus soaking overnight.

Recipes provided by Gardein and Chef Tal Ronnen.

Last month, we learned to cook pasta the Italian way, at a cooking party to benefit our school. Our hostesses, Lucia and Susanna, from La Bottega in Menlo Park, created a thoughtful menu highlighting three pasta dishes from the north, center and south of Italy – Linguine al Pesto, Bucatini Casio e Pepe, and Caserecce alla Puttanesca. Served with wine, it was a lovely party.

Linguine al Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt
• 1 pound linguine pasta

Place garlic cloves and pine nuts in food processor and blend while slowly adding the olive oil and basil leaves. Process basil pesto until it forms a thick, smooth paste.

In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, wait until it boils again, and then cook linguine until pasta is just done. Remove 1 cup of cooking water, set aside. Drain pasta and transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon salt and grated Parmigiano to basil pesto, and toss with hot pasta. If pasta is dry, add a little of the reserved liquid. Serve.

Bucatini cacio e pepe

• 1 pound bucatini pasta (to be truly Roman you need bucatini, but feel free to use spaghetti if that is what is available)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (packed) freshly grated Pecorino cheese
• Heaps of fresh ground black pepper

In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, wait until it boils again, and then cook bucatini until pasta is just done.

While the pasta cooks, put Pecorino cheese along with a few tablespoons hot water from the boiling pasta into a blender, and blend until cheese is creamy. This is best done slowly and by spoonfuls to ensure you get the right consistency. When creamy, add the pepper. Yes, lots of pepper – un vero Romano would use a tablespoon.

Drain the pasta, and transfer to a bowl. Quickly pour the olive oil over the top, then mix, mix, mix to blend the cheese, pepper and oil. Serve.

Casereccie alla puttanesca

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 28 ounce can Italian tomatoes with juice
• Italian parsley
• Salt
• 1 pound Casarecce pasta
• 2 tablespoons capers in salt
• 10 to 15 Gaeta olives, pitted and halved (Kalamata are ok too)

Rinse capers well to remove salt. In a skillet, heat olive oil with garlic and a few sprigs parsley – cook until garlic is golden brown. Remove garlic and parsley and discard. Add olives, capers, tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook uncovered until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, wait until it boils again, and then cook Casarecce until pasta is just done.

Drain pasta and pour into serving bowl. Pour sauce over the pasta and toss gently. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley. Serve.

Today’s mother-daughter Valentine’s Day party called for a little adult beverage. Something light. Something fruity. Something like Sangria.

Thanks to suggestions from Lisa and Peggy, I thought I would look up a recipe and see what I could pull together. I had a load of citrus from our Frog Hollow Farms CSA box this week, including very outstanding blood oranges. Together with lemons from my garden, I mixed this up in a jiffy and served over ice.

Sangria
inspired by recipe from All Recipes

• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 8 maraschino cherries
• carbonated water (optional)

Mix all ingredients, except carbonated water, in large pitcher. Chill until ready to serve (ideally overnight, although I chilled mine for 20 minutes and it was fine!). Serve over ice with carbonated water, if desired.

Note: This recipe is easily doubled. Like you needed me to tell you that.

This post submitted as part of Grow Your Own #39, hosted this month by House of Annie.

My neighbor Amy and I love to chat about baking and cooking. We both share an interest in having fun in the kitchen, and recently she shared these photos of a cake she baked for her friend’s Bat Mitzvah. I was so excited by the beauty of the cake that I wanted to post the details on Kitchen Gadget Girl.

Amy also provided the two recipes she used, which are great basic cakes to have in your repertoire. The cake she made above used 2 batches of chocolate cake and 2 batches of yellow cake – two batches for the “big pan” and two batches split into the small and medium pans.

Brown-bottom Cupcakes
Makes excellent chocolate cake without the filling ingredients

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
12 oz chocolate chips

Cupcake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup oil
1 egg
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Make the filling in a medium bowl by mixing together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until creamy. Add chocolate chips, and set aside.

Make the cupcakes: Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add 2 cups water, oil, egg, vanilla and vinegar.

Fill cupcake papers about ½ full with batter. Drop 1 teaspoon filling on top.

Bake 15 minutes.

Great also as mini cupcakes (but use less filling per cupcake).

Yellow cake
These make great cupcakes

Recent realization/recommendation: Cream butter and sugar together. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the water. Add the water SLOWLY (or it splashes and makes an incredible mess!) This is a fun recipe for playing with food coloring too.

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cups butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour 3 9-inch baking pans, or a 9×13 pan.

Into large bowl, measure all ingredients, and 1 ¼ cup water. With mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat at high speed 4 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.

Pour batter into pans and bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

Last year, I promised to share more persimmon recipes, following my post about Persimmon Cookies. I have also written about Steamed Persimmon Pudding and making Hoshigaki at home. With persimmons in season again, it was time to pull out the recipes.

I generally use Hachiya for breads and cookies, and enjoy Fuyu in salads. The trick with Hachiyas is to make sure you let them ripen completely, until very soft and gelatin-like, otherwise, they are too astringent. And the Fuyus are meant to be eaten crisp – I like to peel mine, and slice into thin pieces.

Here are many more of my family’s favorite persimmon recipes:

Fuyu Persimmons

Persimmons in Salad

Originally from Joe Carcione’s The Greengrocer

Peel a Fuyu (the squat, crisp persimmon) and slice in small sections. Add to a bowl of salad greens and thin sliced red onions. Add a light vinegrette of lemon juice and olive oil for a refreshing seasonal salad.

Persimmon Cake

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 cups chopped dates
• 2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, soda, powder and salt. Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, and persimmon pulp, and add in flour mixture. Mix in bread crumbs, dates and nuts.

Pour into two (2) greased loaf pans and bake 65 minutes. Cool.

Hachiya Persimmons

Persimmon Oatmeal Drop Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup persimmon pulp
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup quick rolled oats
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs.

Stir soda into persimmon pulp and add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and sifted dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in rolled oats, coconut, and nuts.

Using your cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 12 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

Persimmon Cookies

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (dissolved in persimmon pulp)
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups raisins
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour boiling water over raisins and let stand while mixing other ingredients.

Cream sugars and butter well. Add eggs and beat well. Add persimmon pulp and mix well. Sift dry ingredients and add. Mix in vanilla, nuts and raisins.

Using your cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes, until light brown. Do not overbake.

Hachiya (pointy and tall) and Fuyu (short and squat)

Persimmon Refrigerator Roll

• 1 cup persimmon pulp
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 10 dates, chopped fine
• 10 marshmallows, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients together, then turn onto waxed paper spread with more graham cracker crumbs. Form into a roll about 2″ diameter, coating well with crumbs.

Wrap in waxed paper and chill for at least 2 hours. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Frozen Persimmon Mousse

• 1 1/2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1/4 cup diced orange
• 1/2 cup diced canned pineapple
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 pint whipped evaporated milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Combine pulp, orange, pineapple, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Blend gently, and fold in whipped milk. Pour into freezer unit of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Indiana Persimmon Bread
originally from Recipe Source

• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Soak raisins in brandy, set aside.

Combine sugars, persimmon pulp and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients into medium bowl. Add to egg mixture and stir in brandied raisins and nuts.

Pour into greased 9×5″ loaf pans (two) or 8×4″ loaf pans (three) and bake 1 hour. The larger pans make take a little longer. Use cake tester to ensure bread is done.

I have been dying to post this recipe for a while, but every time I mention it to my friends, they look at me in disbelief. They are too polite to say anything nasty, but I think they cannot believe this combination. Honestly, it works!

Aunt Janet turned me onto this breakfast, after vacationing together in Park Rapids, Minnesota. There is lots of wild rice grown in Minnesota and North Dakota, and Janet tells me she often makes this dish to bring to a brunch. She recommends whole milk yogurt with berries, which works great in the summer at a party, but in my house, since I am the only one who enjoys this breakfast, I use Strauss Organic Nonfat Plain Yogurt, along with whatever fresh fruit I have around. Lately, that has been bananas and pears.

In Minnesota and North Dakota, you can find hand harvested wild rice, which is quite a treat. Wild Rice is low in fat and sodium, and high in some essential minerals, including folic acid, niacin, potassium and zinc. In addition, wild rice is higher in protein than most white rice and whole grains. All in all, a worthy addition to your diet.

I make a batch at a time in my pressure cooker, which allows me to use some for a dinner recipe, and then have leftovers. The rice keeps pretty well in the fridge, so I can have it all week long for breakfast.

Wild Rice and Yogurt with Fruit

• 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (I like mine chilled)
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat or whole milk yogurt
• Fruit to taste
• Honey, optional

Pour all into a bowl and enjoy!

With an over abundance of squash from our Two Small Farms CSA, I was looking for new recipes to try for last week’s menu plan. The recipe for Gingered Butternut Squash and Wild Rice in Lorna Sass’s book Whole Grain Everyday Every Way caught my eye.

Even though the recipe included a few techniques I don’t use regularly, it was not difficult to follow. I made the wild rice in my pressure cooker earlier in the afternoon, so it was ready to go when I put the dish together. And besides having to peel and prepare the butternut squash, the dish was pretty easy.

This would be a great dish for Thanksgiving, bright and colorful for a harvest table. Leftovers were also very tasty, even right out of the fridge!

Gingered Butternut Squash with Wild Rice
adapted from Whole Grain Everyday Every Way

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
• Salt
• 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (use your microplaner!)
• 3 teaspoons honey
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Pour 1 cup water in a heavy pot, bring to a boil. Add in salt to taste. Stir in half of the ginger, add the chopped squash, and sprinkle the remaining ginger over the top. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the squash is cooked, 5-8 minutes. Check every few minutes and add boiling water, if needed, to maintain water level.

Transfer squash to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Stir honey into pot and boil over high heat until slightly reduced and syrupy. Stir in wild rice and butter. Simmer 1 more minute, then pour over squash and serve.

Notes: The original recipe called for coarsely chopping the ginger, but my family found the larger chunks of ginger a little too much. I also needed to add quite a bit more water to the pan while the squash cooked. Watch carefully to make sure the squash does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Roasting your own pumpkin for pie this Thanksgiving is not a difficult process. And you will be amazed at the difference in taste.

This week, in preparation for my pie baking marathon Thanksgiving week, I roasted up a Musquee de Provence pumpkin. This variety of pumpkin is huge – the small ones are over 15 pounds apiece! In two batches, I roasted pumpkin pieces, then pureed them in my food processor, strained them through a small-holed strainer, and packaged up for the freezer.

Step by Step Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Cut pumpkin in half, or quarters if very large. The pumpkin above was cut into 9 pieces
• Rub cut side of pumpkin with olive or canola oil. Place cut-side down on a cookie sheet. A Silpat lined cookie sheet makes cleanup easy
• Roast 45 – 90 minutes, until you can poke it with a fork and the rind is soft. Thick skinned pumpkins will take longer to roast
• Remove from oven and allow to cool
• Puree in a food processor
• If your pumpkin contains a good deal of liquid, strain through a small-holed sieve, or a colander lined with cheese cloth
• Freeze puree in 1-cup increments for easy pie making later in the season
• Use as you would canned pumpkin puree, satisfied in the knowledge that you are making a pumpkin pie truly from scratch!

Pumpkin Pie
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

• 1 Pie Crust, unbaked
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 2 cups half-and-half, light cream or whole milk (I use 1 cup skim milk + 1 cup heavy cream)

Prebake the pie crust, and start the filling while the crust is in the oven. When the crust is done, turn the oven to 375F.

Beat the eggs and sugar together; add spices and salt. Stir in pumpkin puree then the cream/milk. Warm this mixture in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot to the touch. Do not boil.

Put the prebaked pie crust in its pie plate on a baking sheet. Pour pumpkin mixture into still-hot crust and bake 30-40 minutes, until the pie shakes like Jell-O. Cool on a rack.

Note: When using my own pumpkin puree, I like to make sure the seasonings are correct, which sometimes means adding a little more spice than the recipe suggests. Be sure to test as you go to ensure the pie is properly flavorful.

Last weekend, I posted about the pear-almond upside down cake, which was a great recipe and well received. But I did not tell you the whole story.

We have been subscribing to Frog Hollow Farms CSA since the beginning of September. Each week, we receive a bountiful box of fresh, perfectly ripe organic fruit. What a joy!

The last few weeks, we have been into pear season, and each week our box has 7-10 Warren or Golden Russet Bosc Pears. Now, pears are not my go-to fruit for lunch boxes, since they bruise easily and turn brown. So, I have been trying to find ways to use them at home. Erin sent me email on Friday, asking for help, and I thought a list of links to recipes using Pears would be helpful to all. Using Food Blog Search, this is what I came up with, divided into Savory and Sweet.

Savory:

• Simple Recipes Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Pear
• Simply Recipes Curried Squash and Pear Soup
• Cooking with Amy Pear Pecorino Potato Soup
• Elana’s Pantry Pear Parsley Salad Dressing
• Inn Cuisine Pear, Gorgonzola and Walnut Salad

Sweet:

• Simply Recipes Pear Butter
• David Lebovitz French Pear and Almond Tart
• Gluten-Free Goddess Gluten-Free Apple Pear Crisp
• The Perfect Pantry Cranberry Pear Chutney
• Tartelette Pomegranate and Caramelized Pear Panna Cottas

Any of these recipes would be great for my family, and you will probably see them over the next few weeks on my Menu Plan Monday posts. But if you are looking for something else, check out Food Blog Search for loads more suggestions.