"Kitchen Gadgets" @ Brennan's

Kitchen Gadgets

Drink

Jamie – Spa Water – Mandoline

Appetizers

Jen Payne - Cheese Fondue – Electric Fondue Pot

Allison - Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla – Quesadilla Maker

Salad

Megan – Arugula Salad with Orange Vinaigrette – Manual Juicer

Entrée

Brennan – Rosemary Turkey Tenderloin – Oven Thermometer

Desserts

Kelly – Cheesecake Pan – Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust

Marci – Trifle Bowl – Peanut Butter Cup Trifle

Spa Water – Jamie - Mandoline

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber with peel
1/2 lemon with rind
8 cups of water

Directions:

Pour 8 cups of water into a pitcher
Thinly slice cucumber with peel still on
Slice lemon
Add cucumber and lemon to the water
Chill for about an hour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheese Fondue – Jen – Electric Fondue Pot

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound imported Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cherry brandy, such as kirsch
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Pinch nutmeg
• Assorted dippers

Directions

In a small bowl, coat the cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub the inside of the ceramic fondue pot with the garlic, then discard.
Over medium heat, add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese into the simmering liquid. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in cherry brandy, mustard and nutmeg.
Arrange an assortment of bite-sized dipping foods on a lazy Susan around fondue pot. Serve with chunks of French and pumpernickel breads. Some other suggestions are Granny Smith apples and blanched vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas – Allison – Quesadilla Maker

·                     Serves: 4

·                     Prep Time: 10 min.

·                     Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients

·                     1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach

·                     2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

·                     2 tablespoons butter

·                     2 cloves garlic sliced

·                     2 portobello mushroom caps sliced

·                     4 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

Prepare spinach according to package directions. Drain and pat dry.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes.

Place a tortilla in your quesadilla maker, top with half the mushroom mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Top with the remaining tortilla and follow your maker's directions to cook the quesadilla.

Rosemary Turkey – Brennan – Oven Thermometer

Rated: Submitted By: Christine L. Photo By: mominml Servings: 4 "A simple yet festive main dish. If you're not up to the task of roasting a turkey this dish is for you. Serve with Cranberry Chutney. Originally submitted to ThanksgivingRecipe.com. " Ingredients: 1 pound turkey tenderloins 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed Directions: 1. Place the turkey tenderloins in a sealable plastic bag and set aside. 2. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, mustard and rosemary. Pour over turkey, seal bag and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours shaking once or twice. 3. Preheat oven on the broiler setting. Remove the turkey from the marinade and place on the rack in the broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from the heat, turning once, for 20 to 22 minutes or until meat is cooked through and when pierced with a fork the juices run clear. Slice and serve with Cranberry Chutney.

Arugula Salad w/ Orange Vinaigrette – Megan – Manual Juicer
(serves 2) – may need to double

5 cups arugula, roughly chopped
4-6 radishes, sliced
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (or some shaved Parmesan)

For the dressing:

1/3 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice (I strain the pulp, but you don’t have to)
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
2 T. maple syrup
salt to taste

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake like the dickens to emulsify. Pour the amount you like over the salad (the recipe makes much more than most of us would want, but dressing is a personal thing).

 

Mascarpone Cheesecake w/ Almond Crust – Kelly

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:  25 min

Inactive Prep Time:  10 hr 0 min

Cook Time:  1 hr 20 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 12 to 16 servings

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping:

• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

Directions

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
For the topping: Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stirring every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute.
Cut the cake into wedges. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the wedges and serve.

Peanut Butter Cup Trifle Dessert – Marcie – Trifle Bowl

9×13 pan of brownies, cut into 1 inch pieces
5.1 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz container thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip), divided
20 peanut butter cups, crumbled (buy in a 10-pack. Not the bite-sized)
6-8 peanut butter cups to garnish.

Combine pudding and milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gently fold in 2 cups cool whip.
Layer in trifle dish ½ the brownies, ½ the crumbled peanut butter cups, ½ the pudding mixture. Repeat. Top with cool whip and peanut butter cups. (Or shaved chocolate curls, as I did.) Chill until serving.