by TheLastWonton | Jun 16, 2017 | Appetizers & Snacks, Holiday & Seasonal, Sides, Vegetarian, Veggies
Crusty outtards, fluffy innards, baked potatoes topped with tangy, buttery, soft delicious muddles of feta.
One potato, two potato, three potato, more…..please.
What is it about baked potatoes? They're nothing special, but they're always so good, or they just hit the spot, perfectly, and they carry our cravings off to classy steakhouses or old-time childhood meals.
Quite amazing the power within this humble, everyday veggie, so easily prepared.
Another thing is, it seems impossible to go wrong with a baked potato, whether we eagerly add a big dollop of butter and just salt and pepper, or go for the gusto with butter, sour cream, bacon bits and chives. Not to forget those that are twice baked or garlic smashed.
But today, just to mix things up a bit, I am going to urge you to give your potatoes an olive oil and sea salt spa rub before baking, creating a crusty skin that adds that certain je ne c'est quoi to complement the soft, creamy whipped feta, cream cheese, butter topping.
The word 'plush' pops into my thought bubble when I have these potatoes.
"Dear Potato, you glorious, buxom tuber of the Earth, how we do love thee. Thanks for being you. See you again soon. Love, Judi"
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Adapted from Ina Garten, Make It Ahead cookbook
for The Last Wonton. Thanks oodles and oodles, once again, lovely Ina!
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BAKED POTATOES WITH WHIPPED FETA – Serves 4
4 good-size Idaho or russet baking potatoes
2-3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
Whipped Feta
Chopped fresh chives or green onions
Whipped Feta:
6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) creamy Greek or Bulgarian feta, crumbled
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash or two of sea salt
Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub the potatoes, dry them well, and pierce them all over with the tines of a fork. Mix together olive oil and salt and rub all over each potato. Bake for 50-65 minutes, until tender. Slit the top of each potato, squeeze ends together to open potato, and top with a generous scoop of whipped feta. Sprinkle with chives or green onions and serve hot with extra whipped feta on the side. Plush!
Whipped Feta: Place the feta, butter, cream cheese salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until creamy, dreamy, smooth. Refrigerate if not using right away, but be sure to let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving.
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by TheLastWonton | Jun 15, 2017 | Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits
Melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. Check! Juicy, sweet, fresh blueberry filling. Check! Golden, crunchy, buttery, crown. Check!
An oft quoted line from Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem, Hamatreya states the "Earth laughs in flowers."
I've always, always, liked the feeling of this thought. No matter when, or how often, I come across these four little words, a smile rises up in me.
Every once in awhile I have been known to borrow from Mr. Emerson's poetic musings, and happily, playfully, declare, "the Earth laughs in berries."
Yup, those are my very own thoughtful words. You can quote me if you want. It'll make you smile when you do, because, I think we can all agree, that berries are indeed like laughter. Little edible odes to mirth.
Mother Earth laughs, and boop, boop, boop, boop.…….strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, magically appear begging to be picked and munched, creating juicy smiles all over the planet. Too fun a notion, isn't it?
Twas this very notion that sidled into mind the other day when I came across a few baskets of particularly enticing, plump blueberries.
Before I knew it, I was home with blueberries in tow, pouring over my cookbooks and scooting about online, looking for that certain recipe that would hit just the right spot this sunshiney, summery day.
Ah ha! As soon as I came across my old fave Blueberry Shortbread Crumble recipe (hand printed on yellowed foolscap), it was a done deal. No more looky-looing required.
Over the years I have made this recipe many times and it's always so good. The flavours and textures get all in cahoots with each other, creating this lovely, craveable, blueberry drenched pie-ish, torte-ish dessert. Yum!
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BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD CRUMBLE – Makes one 10-inch crumble
Crust:
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 cup butter, softened
Filling:
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 generous cups plump fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Topping:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup flaked almonds
Crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour and sugar together. Cut in butter and mix, with hands, until butter is evenly and completely incorporated. Mixture will be crumbly. Press into a 10-inch pie plate or 10-inch springform pan. Press dough onto bottom and up sides approximately 1 inch. Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes. When you take the crust out of the oven, if it has 'bubbled' up during pre-baking, just gently press back down with a large spoon.
Filling: Mix together flour and sugar in small bowl. In a large bowl, toss berries with melted butter, then flour sugar mixture. As soon as crust is out of the oven, fill crust with blueberry mixture, and cover with topping.
Topping: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix to combine. Sprinkle large and small crumbles of topping over blueberries. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.
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by TheLastWonton | Jun 11, 2017 | Appetizers & Snacks, Recipes, Salads & Bowls, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian, Veggies
A versatile dressing that buzzes up all cool and creamy, spice-ay and tangy!
TOP TEN REASONS TO MAKE SPICY AVOCADO DRESSING
10. It's the same colour as the forest in springtime.
9. Provides yet another reason to give a shout-out of gratitude to avocado farmers everywhere.
8. Avocado and lime are best friends.
7. Some little part of you will whisper, "Muchas gracias!" with every bite you take.
6. It's delicious tossed with fresh greens.
5. It's yummy served as a dip with fresh spring veggies.
4. It's damn good served as a dunk for shrimp cocktail.
3. It's terrific brushed on chicken breasts as they grill on the BBQ.
2. The Fire Goddess Pele will smile upon you for the fiery kick, that lies within.
1. You will be in the running to win the coveted BUZZ GREEN Award.
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Adapted from Closet Cooking for
The Last Wonton. Thanks oodles Kevin!
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SPICY AVOCADO DRESSING – About 2 cups
1 medium avocado
1 small jalapeno (for less 'heat', remove seeds and membrane)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 good sized green onion
1 plump garlic clove
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Generous 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Puree everything in a blender until smooth. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving, so flavours mingle and get all happy, happy. Store in fridge and finish within a few days.
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by TheLastWonton | Jun 9, 2017 | Baking & Desserts, Breads & Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Fruits, Recipes, Treats
Lightly crusted, golden, moist cake, overwhelmed by fresh strawberries that transform into plush pockets of sassy berryness, as they bake.
How could this dessert not taste like summer?
An easy peasy, tasty-as-heck, little cake touting a full pound of fresh strawberries.
I scoop and smooth the batter into the prepared pan and start to top with berries. As I keep on keeping on, topping with more berries, I cannot help but smile at
a l l t h o s e strawberries.
Each time, I swear I can hear the batter let out a long, soft, sigh of lovey, dovey, pleasure. I just love when batter does that!
As the cake bakes, the batter buckles around those berries turning them into jammy puddles. Mmm…
♪♫♥ Strawberry puddles forever…..
I like to serve this cake, slightly warmed with whipped cream or Dairy Queen soft serve. Sometimes I plop the whipped cream right on top of the warm cake and then drizzle Kahlua or Grand Marnier over the whip cream so it's boozy goodness trickles down a bit. Almost irresistible.
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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen for The Last Wonton.
Thanks oodles Deb for all the delicious inspiration!
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STRAWBERRY SUMMER CAKE – 8 to 10 servings
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (scant) sugar, plus 2 tablespoons extra
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 pound plump, ripe strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered if large)
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk or buttermilk and vanilla, until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
Pour or plop into prepared pie plate and smooth out evenly. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. I had to overlap a few to get them all in. Smile, then sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream. Happy sweet summer munching!
Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered, but good luck with that.
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by TheLastWonton | Jun 5, 2017 | Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dishes, Mexican, Recipes, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Vegetarian
A luscious, silky, saucy cheese touting beguiling amounts of poblano, jalapeno, green chilies, black pepper and fresh tomato, swooped over warm-from-the-oven tortilla chips. Gutsy, spicy, brazen!
We eat a lot of nachos at our house. Always have. Nachos kind of sum up all those Mexican flavours and textures and spiciness, that we so crave.
Sometimes we go all fresh chopped veggies, with oodles of frijoles and handfuls of Monterey jack, Cheddar or Havarti, then serve with spice-ridden guac. Sometimes we have 'wet' nachos, rather chilaquile-ish by nature, with Mom's old enchilada sauce and BBQ steak strips, finished with one cheese or another and cool dollops of sour cream……sometimes we scatter chili-spiced pinto beans over roasted chicken chunks and fresh sliced Walla Walla onions, atop crispy corn tortilla chips, with a crown of oodles of 'old' cheddar melted all over the place.
But lately, there's a new kid in town that we just can't get enough of. Saucy nachos, baby!!
Before settling back to this particular four-peppered chile con queso being our house favorite, I did my fair share of experimenting with various cheeses, bound together like a classic cheese sauce. with a roux. I did this in an effort to not use Velveeta. Not because Velveeta is taboo in our house, but because I wanted what I thought to be a more 'pure' queso.
Well, you know what? Now that I've played and tried and experimented this way and that, I've come to the conclusion that Velveeta does make a 'pure' queso. Purely good…..for texture, for the way it gets all in cahoots with the rest of the ingredients and for the way it finishes on our plates and palates. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Our house really likes the pow of spicy foods, so I used a big jalapeno, seeds and all, and this batch of queso definitely packed a fine, fiery wallop. If you like just a little heat, then I would suggest still using a jalapeno, but tame things down by removing all seeds and membrane, before chopping. That's what I'll do too, when we serve this to company. 
This time, instead of our usual store-bought, good-quality corn tortilla chips, I bought a package of big tortillas that were a flour-corn cross, cut them up and deep-fried them, quickly, in my wok. I was after a chip a little more tender to the bite. These are that, and they made Forest Grump do a happy dance.
I put a generous, single layer of these chips on a big sheet pan, sprinkled with canned pinto beans and some little chunks of just-barbecued chorizo sausages, baked at 350F for about 10 minutes, to warm everything through. Once out of the oven, warmed queso was spooned over the chips and garnished with chopped green onions and a few thin, fresh jalapeno slices.
Oh Mama! Mucho bueno! Mucho!
It doesn't matter if you scatter beans, chorizo, chicken, steak, barbecued ribs and corn, or whatever your pleasure on those chips, once you scoop queso on top, those babies all come together to create some damn yummy, saucy nachos.
Oh yeah, and don't forget that P-P-P-Peppered Queso is great just as it is, as a dip, served warm, with tortilla chips on the side.
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Adapted from Junebug on Food.com and a tiny bit from Macheesmo
for The Last Wonton
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SAUCY NACHOS WITH P-P-P-PEPPERED QUESO
– Enough queso for 6 dinner-ish size, or 10-12 appy size, nacho servings.
QUESO:
1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium fresh poblano pepper, chopped quite fine
1 pound Velveeta, cut into chunks
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup half-and-half or whole milk
1 large jalapeno, finely chopped (remove seeds for a mild heat)
1, 4-ounce tin diced green chilies
2 firm, ripe tomatoes, chopped
Good little schwack freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
NACHOS:
Tortilla chips
Pinto beans
Chorizo sausage, steak slices, roasted chicken pieces
Sliced or chopped onions or green onions
Fresh jalapenos, very thinly sliced
For queso: Heat butter and olive oil, over medium heat, in medium saucepan. Add chopped poblano peppers and saute 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat if browning or cooking too fast.
Reduce heat to medium low, add Velveeta, cream cheese, half-and-half, or milk and chopped jalapeno. Stir occasionally, until cheeses are melted and mixture is smooth and combined. Add green chilies, chopped tomato and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine.
Remove from heat, if making ahead, or reduce heat to lowest setting while putting together nachos.
For nachos: preheat oven to 350F. Spread tortilla chips, in a generous single layer on large, rimmed, baking sheet. Top with pinto beans and chorizo sausage chunks, or your choice of toppings. Bake for 8-10 minutes until everything is heated through. Remove from oven, and spoon warm P-P-P-Peppered Queso, on top. Garnish with sliced green onions and thin jalapeno slices, or whatever tickles your fancy. Scoop onto serving plates with pancake spatula and indulge. Muchas gracias!
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sau-cy – /ˈsôsē/
bold and lively, cheeky, impudent, jaunty, brazen
