Southwest Tortilla Soup

Southwest Tortilla Soup is simmering with savory flavor. This dish can be made in under 20 minutes.

1 (32 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup canned green chilis
1/2 cup canned enchilada sauce
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each
1 teaspoon cumin

Garnish:

1 cooked, rotisserie chicken, shredded, divide between bowls
1 cup Monteray jack cheese, shredded
tortilla chips

1. Put in medium pan and bring to a simmer.
2. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. In small batches pulse soup through blender until pureed.
4. Ladle over shredded chicken and top with cheese and chips.

Serves 6

Wassail

This is one of my favorite drinks during the holidays. I love it with hot doughnuts. It is fun to serve wassail in pint jars with a lid and ribbon.

1 gallon apple juice

1 frozen lemonade concentrate

2 frozen orange juice concentrates

3 cups water

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1. Combine all ingredients in stock pot. 

2. Heat to simmering. 

2. Serve warm.

Serves 12

Ruth's Chris Steak House Banana Cream Pie

This is a picture of Ruth's Chris Banana Cream Pie, but this recipe is my own version:

Vanilla Custard:

1/2 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. salt

4 eggs yolks

3 c. milk

2 T. butter

2 t. vanilla

Bring sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and milk to boil in a heavy saucepan. 

Whisking constantly, boil for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla

Chill two hours, covered in refrigerator.

For pie:

Use baked pie crust (see peach pie recipe). Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. If you want the shape you see in the picture, shape unbaked crust in Corning ware, oven ready, bowl. Once crust has cooled, lined with 3 sliced bananas, fill with custard, then top with two sliced bananas, overlapping. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and put under 475 degree boiler to caramelize or buy a food torch and use that to caramelize the sugar on the bananas and plate.

This rich custard makes a great dessert alone. Just add fresh berries to garnish!

Here is the actual recipe for Ruth's Chris Banana Cream Pie shared by the restaurant chef on Good Things Utah.

INGREDIENTS

1 Banana Cream Pie Crust
1 Banana, Slice ¼" Thick
1 Tbsp. Sugar in the Raw
1 Sugar Plate

TO PLATE
1. Remove banana cream pie from reach-in and place on counter.
2. Slice a half of banana into ¼" slice and shingle on top of pie, completely cover the top of
the pie and crust.
3. Sprinkle the sugar over the banana slice.
4. Light a blowtorch, turn on medium flame and hold the point of the flame about 3 inches
from the bananas. Move back and forth until the surface is evenly caramelized a light
brown color.
5. Place in the center of a sugar plate.


WHITE CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM
INGREDIENTS

1 x 2 x
1 Gallons Milk, whole
3 Each Vanilla Bean, split
12 Ounce (w) White Chocolate, ½ pieces
5 Ounce (w) Butter, unsalted
½ Tablespoon Gelatin (powder or granulated)
2 Cups Egg Yolk's, pasteurized
3 Cups + Sugar, granulated
3 Cups Cornstarch

PROCESS

Measure out milk and add to sauce pot, slice vanilla bean in half and add to milk. Scald the milk.
Measure and weigh out chocolate and butter and add to a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water, to melt. When butter and chocolate is just beginning to melt, mix with a whip to incorporate. Do not let the chocolate melt too much or the chocolate will break. Set aside.
Measure out gelatin and place into a mixing bowl. When the milk scalds, add three 8-oz vol. ladles to the mixing bowl and mix well to dissolve gelatin. Add to milk and mix well. Remove vanilla beans and scrap out the seeds with a paring knife and add to milk.  

Measure and weigh out egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Add to a mixing bowl and mix with a spatula then using gloved hands thoroughly incorporate. Slowly add a small amount of the hot milk to the mix to temper the eggs. Mix well and then slowly add the egg mixture to the sauce pan with the milk and cook over low heat until the pastry cream is very stiff and the starch flavor is cooked out, approximately 25 minutes.
When pastry cream is thick, remove from heat and slowly add the melted white chocolate and butter and mix well to incorporate.

BANANA CREAM PIE FILLING

2 Cup White Chocolate Pastry Cream
¼ Cup Bols Crème de Banana
1Cup Cool Whip Whipped Cream

PROCESS
Combine whipped cream, liqueur and pastry cream. Whipped cream should be firm, not runny. Mix well. 

Family

Family--One of the best words in any language!

Plum Strussle

2 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

15 to 20 purple plums

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Cream well. Mix flour and baking powder. Combine butter and flour mixture. Line cake roll pan (1/2 inch tall) by pressing dough with fork to cover entire bottom of pan. Wash, cut, pit, and cut plums into quarters. Place plums skin side down covering entire surface of dough. Make topping and sprinkle over plums. Bake in 325 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until plums begin to juice and topping is golden brown. Cut into squares.

Topping:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

 In bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla. The mixture will be crumbly.

This must be ode to Grandma week, because--again--this is my Grandma's original recipe. This fabulous dessert is very German and one of my favorites to be sure.

Zucchini Bread

 

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup canola oil

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups zucchini, washed and grated with skin

3 cups flour

1 cup walnut pieces

1 cup canned pineapple, crushed

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In large bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in flour, zucchini, pineapple, and nuts. Bake in two greased loaf pans at 325 degrees fro 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and drizzle with lemon icing. 

Lemon Icing:

Blend: 

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup powdered sugar

This is an original family recipe as many of my posts are. This is my Grandma Schmidt's creation. She immigrated from Saxony, East Germany before world war II. Her Atlantic Ocean passage was sponsored by Apostle Henry D. Moyle. She was what you might call an "indentured servant." She went to work for the Moyle family as cook, housekeeper, child care assistant to work off the money lent to her for the journey to America! 

I can not help but think of her and her stories about bear encounters in Island Park as a newlywed living in a tent on the Snake River or Monster the cat when I make her incredibly delectable recipes.