Blueberry Topping

Blueberry Toppingblueberries

This quick sauce is just the thing for ice cream or Cheesecake.  You can substitute frozen berries if fresh are unavailable.

2 tablespoons butter
2 pints blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lemon, juiced

Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring up to a slow boil and stir gently until the berries breakdown and release their natural juice. The consistency should remain a bit chunky. Cool to room temperature and serve on top of cheesecake or any other sweet desert. Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Cheesecake

Cheesecakeblueberry-cheesecake

This desert takes a little bit of work but it’s worth it.  It’s VERY rich so you can feed a large crowd with just one.  Top this desert with caramel or a fresh Blueberry Topping to make it even more delicious!

Crust:
2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 pint sour cream

To prepare crumb crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients together with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Continue reading “Cheesecake”

Grabbing a Bite Between Flights…

airplaneThe New York Times travel section had an interesting article today about the quality of food in today’s airports.  DFW has to be my all time favorite place to have a layover.  If you can’t find a good place to eat here you’re not looking hard enough!

Along those lines AirlineMeals.net has a fun blog dedicated to the humble in-flight meal of today and meals of the past.  Pretty cool stuff!

Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese Saucebolognese-sauce

I had my doubts when making this sauce for the first time.  The milk really seamed out of place but it turned out great & has become one of our cold weather favorites.  This is a hearty sauce that begs for a loaf of crusty bread and a nice glass of wine.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced carrot
2 tablespoons minced celery
3/4 pound meatloaf mix or 1/4 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork Continue reading “Bolognese Sauce”

Mashed Potato Martini Bar?

potato-martiniOur annual company X-Mas party was held last night at the Mariot hotel in Downtown Indy.  We always have a great time because this company knows how to through a party!  The grand prize this year was an all expense paid trip for two to Porta Vallarta.  They also gave out about 100 gifts for this party of 500 people.

This year, along with the normal selection of food and drink, the hotel setup a mashed potato martini bar. I kept seeing people walking by with martini glasses filled with what I thought at the time was some kind of desert.  After a few beers I decided it was time to grab a bite to eat.  I loaded my plate with meatballs, mushrooms and prime rib and then I saw it…

The Mashed Potato Martini Bar…

Three kinds of mashed potatoes with about a half-dozen sauces as well as the required bacon, butter, sour cream, and chives.  Seriously?  I did some quick searching when I got home today & found this is a pretty popular buffet item these days.

Well, the jury is still out on this “side item raised to another level”, but I’ll have to admin, it felt pretty ritzy to eat my spuds out of a cocktail glass!  Maybe it was the alcohol…