Spring Brunch Recipes

Ingredients: Tuscan Cheese Bake

2 lbs. red potatoes

2 cloves minced

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ cup butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded fontina cheese

note; it can be hard to find but can substitute Gruyere or Edam or Gouda

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400

2. Grease a 2 qt square baking dish

3. Scrub potatoes and cut in 1 inch cubes

4. In a large saucepan cook cook potatoes 15-20 minutes in boiling water and drain

5. In large skillet stir garlic, thyme in butter for 1 minute and add cubed potatoes. Coarsely mash potatoes stir in buttermilk, salt, pepper to taste, fold in fontina and blue cheese and ½ of the Parmesan cheese

6. In a small bowl mix rest of Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and 1 TB olive oil, panko crumbs

7. Put potatoes in baking dish and sprinkle with crumb mixture

8. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly-sprinkle with snipped parsley

Ingredients: Roasted Salmon

¼ cup orange juice

2 TB olive oil

2 tsp. thyme leaves

2 lbs. salmon fillets

1- TB. brown sugar

1-TB. smoked paprika (in spice aisle)

1 tsp. Saigon cinnamon or plain

1 tsp. grated orange peel

½ tsp. sea salt

1 bag fresh spinach leaves

1 tsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix juice, 2 TB. oil and 1 tsp thyme in a glass dish-add salmon turn once to coat

2. Refrigerate 30 minutes

3. Mix sugar and remaining spices, salt and orange peel. Remove salmon from marinade and place in a foil lined pan that has been sprayed with PAM.

4. Discard marinade and rub top of salmon evenly with spices/salt/sugar mixture

5. Cook 15-20 minutes

6. Heat 1 TB olive oil in a non-stick skillet, add spinach and cook 2 min. until wilted

serve with salmon

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Ingredients: Cashew Pear Salad

1 bunch Romaine torn or Spring lettuce mix

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup salted cashews

2 ripe pears thinly sliced

½ thinly sliced cucumbers

1 cup dried cherries (tart) or cranberries

Poppy seed dressing

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and add dressing just before serving

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Directions: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

1. Place parchment paper on a cooking sheet

2. Make sure strawberries are dry after rinsing-leave green stem on

3. 1 cup crushed nuts

4. Melt in microwave 6 oz. chocolate chips, 1 TB corn syrup, 1 TB butter

5. Sir till smooth and add 1 TB Amaretto

6. Dip half of strawberry in chocolate , roll in nuts that are spread out on wax paper and place strawberry on parchment paper

7. Refrigerate

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Ingredients: Almond Cake

1 stick of butter and 1 stick of margarine at room temperature

7 oz. almond paste (comes in a can or tube in baking aisle)

2 cups sugar

6 eggs separated

1 ½ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

½ cup buttermilk

1 TB. almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat 350

2. Cream butter and margarine and almond paste

3. Add sugar slowly and continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time

4. In a separate bowl whisk flour, salt and baking powder

5. In a cup combine milk and almond extract

6. Using a spatula add 1/3 of flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir gently adding in 1/3 of milk mixture and continue till all ingredients are mixed in

7. Beat egg whites with ½ tsp. creme of tartar until stiff and gently fold into batter

8. Spoon into well greased angel food pan or bundt pan bake about 45 minutes and use a toothpick to test. If using 2 glass loaf pans grease well and check about 40 minutes

9. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes before removing

Cherry Compote

Ingredients:

½ cup cherry juice

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

¼ cup cherry preserves

1 TB. sugar

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt

½ package of frozen dark cherries, partially thawed

Directions:

1. Simmer cherry juice, dried cherries, preserves, sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan until liquid is reduced. Stir in dark cherries and cook for 2 minutes

2. Combine 1 ½ TB. cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and whisk into cherry mixture simmer till thick about 3 minutes

3. Cool a bit before whisking in 2 tsp. Kirsch (cherry brandy)

4. Refrigerate till serving over cake

My apologies for the variety of font sizes -I had technology problems copying from word document to blogger site and I was unable to fix