SANDRA'S TRI-CITRUS COCONUT CREAM CHEESE TART

The most delicious and decadent dessert, as is...
or with or without any type of topping...

Yield: (One 11" Tart) - Serves: 8-10

Prep: 20 Mins.

Bake: 20 Mins.

--Cool:  2 Hrs. at room temperature

--Refrigerate: Overnight

INGREDIENTS:

Nilla Wafer Crust:

2 cups finely crushed nilla wafers (about 50 wafers)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

Pinch of salt

Filling:

1 (14-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk, chilled overnight
----(you'll use only the solid coconut cream on top of can,
-----NOT liquid coconut milk underneath it, which I save for using in my cereal vs regular milk)

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. whipped cream cheese

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup orange juice

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Crust - In the bowl of a food processor, add the wafers and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. Drizzle in the melted butter, while pulsing, into the feeding tube; do the same with the confectioners' sugar and salt.  Pour into a dark round nonstick 11x1" tart pan with a removable bottom. Press into a even layer in the bottom and up the sides. Set aside.

Filling - Add all filling ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bulb-whisk. Whip until all ingredients are incorporated and a creamy filling forms, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake tart, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove tart from oven and place on a baking rack to cool for 2 hours at room temperature.

Remove outer ring of pan, leave center portion under tart, then place atop a large, flat serving plate.  

Place cooled tart into the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, and let chill to allow flavors to meld overnight. ~ Enjoy!

Served, as is...

Served with a dollop of my
homemade
Strawberry-Rosemary Jam...

SANDRA’S COMFORTING NEW ENGLAND STYLE TRI-SEAFOOD CHOWDER

A deep-flavored, luxurious-textured chowder

with generous chunks of white king salmon,

lobster tail chunks, and shrimp adorned with a few simple ingredients

so the seafood takes center stage...

Servings: (6 to 8)

Prep: 10 Mins.

Cook/Stand: 40 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

4 ozs. thick, center-cut hickory smoked bacon, cut into 1” slices

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 white onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4” thick slices

2 carrots, cut into 1/4” thick slices
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1 dried bay leaf

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1.5 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed (unpeeled) and sliced into 3/4” cubes

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup quality white wine

¾ lb. boneless, skinless white king salmon cut into 1” chunks (or halibut)

¾ lb. cooked shrimp

¾ lb. cooked lobster tail chunks, thawed (from Costco)

2 cups heavy cream

Freshly ground sea salt

Ground gray pepper

Garnish

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

--Warm, crusty French bread

METHOD

Fry bacon in dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown and crispy.  

Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon, 

and set aside.

Retain 2 tablespoons of drippings in pot and add the butter, onions, celery, carrots, old bay seasoning, and bay leaves; sauté until onions are translucent.  

Add flour, and garlic, then sauté for 1 minute.

 Add the potatoes, broth, and white wine to cover vegetables 

(add water if more liquid is needed to do so). 

Bring to a boil, scrape bits off of bottom of pot, 

then cover and boil for 10 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to low, 

then gently fold in white king salmon chunks, 

and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.  

Gently fold in lobster tail chunks, shrimp, 

and reserved bacon, 

(being careful not to break up white king salmon chunks), 

then cook on low for 3 minutes.

Remove pot from heat, add heavy cream and allow chowder to sit, 

covered, for 5 minutes to ensure 

that the fish continues to cook 

(without overcooking the fish or other seafood).

 Taste for seasonings; adding salt and pepper to your desired level.  

Toss bay leaf. 

Serve chowder in individual bowls, topped with fresh parsley, 

along with warm, crusty French bread 

for sopping up the delicious broth. ~ Enjoy!

SANDRA’S WORLD-CLASS TRI-SEAFOOD POT PIES

These hearty Alaskan halibut, shrimp and scallop
pot pies provide for a complete meal...

Yields: 

--(4 Individual 6” Bowl Servings)

Prep: 15 Mins.

Bake: 40 Mins.

Rest: 15 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

½ medium red onion, chopped

1 cup celery, sliced into ½” pieces

1 cup scrubbed and sliced into ½” pieces

½ cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons old bay seasoning

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup all-purpose flour

4 cups milk

1 tablespoon quality white wine

½ lb. skinless and boneless halibut fillets, cut into 1" pieces

½ lb. prawns (large shrimp, I used Skagway 'Coon'), peeled, deveined, and cut crosswise into 1” pieces

½ lb. bay scallops, cut into 1” pieces with the grain

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 prepared recipe of Sandra’s Pie Crust pastry (for 2 crusts), or 2 store-bought

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and set aside.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Sauté potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery for 12 minutes. 

Add peas, basil, old bay seasoning, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. 

Whisk in milk, and white wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 2 to 3 minute, until filling has thickened. 

Add all the seafood, pepper, and parsley, and then bring filling back up to a simmer. 

Remove from heat. 

Ladle filling into 4 individual ovenproof vessels (I used 6” ceramic bowls) within 1/2" of top edge of bowls, and let cool.

Meanwhile, roll out both pie crusts together on a lightly floured surface to 1/8” thick. Cut pastry into circles, ensuring to cut them 1” larger than the mouth of the soup bowls. Whisk together egg and 1 tablespoon water; brush underside of pastry edges with egg wash and place over bowls, pressing edges to seal, and trim edges so they are somewhat uniform around outside of bowls. Brush tops and outside edges with egg wash, and cut four small slits on top of crust to allow steam to release while baking. Place the bowls on prepared baking sheet to catch any drips.  

Bake for 40 minutes (turning half way through baking for even cooking of crusts), and bake until the pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. 

Allow seafood pot pies to rest for 15 minutes before serving. ~ Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip: If you have leftovers and would like to reheat the seafood pot pies directly from the refrigerator, simply place them on a foil-lined baking sheet in a non-preheated oven set to 350 degrees and re-bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

SANDRA’S TRI-COLOR ROTINI with a BROCCOLI PESTO SAUCE

A meal you can prepare within
15 minutes, and still have pesto
sauce leftover to further enjoy (see *Tip below)...

Servings: (4)

Prep: 5 Mins.

Cook: 10 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

Pasta:

12 oz. Tri-Color Rotini (I prefer Barilla brand)

Pesto Sauce:

4 cups organic broccoli florets

½ cup crumbled walnuts

2 organic garlic cloves

½ cup grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese

1 teaspoon fine-grained sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ cup fresh organic lemon juice

1/3 cup organic olive oil

1/3 cup organic canola oil

Garnish:

--1 roma tomato, chopped

--4 sprigs of parsley

METHOD

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain, while reserving ½ cup pasta water.

Sandra's Broccoli Pesto Sauce

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse broccoli, walnuts, cloves, cheese, sea salt, and pepper until finely minced.  Mix the oils and lemon juice in a 2-cup glass-measuring cup, and slowly drizzle through spout of food processor while pulsing until smooth.

Return hot, drained pasta back to pot, and toss with desired amount of pesto (I used 1 cup), adding ½ cup of hot pasta water to provide for a creamier sauce.  Garnish with freshly chopped roma tomatoes and sprigs of parsley, and serve. ~ Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Tip:  A great pesto sauce to serve as a spread on bagels or crusty slices of bread, over omelets, or for spreading on hot fillets of salmon or halibut, or as a base sauce for pizzas, and so on.

SANDRA'S TRI-SEAFOOD CREPES with HERB MORNAY SAUCE (Shrimp/Prawns, Scallops, Crab)

Crepes to most seem intimidating to prepare
if you have not done so -- but believe me
they are not.  I'll walk you through the process,
with a notation that you will find
that it is best to set up a
preparation 'assembly line' by
reading through the recipe
before actually preparing crepes...

Yields: (8 crepes, i.e., 2 each for 4 total servings)
Prep: 10 mins. |
Crepe Batter standing time: 30 mins. |
Cook: 20 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Herbed Crepes:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Pinch of kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

***Mornay Sauce - and Seafood Filling:
3 tablespoons butter
2 crimini mushrooms, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon grated shallots
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk, mixed with
--2 tablespoons heavy cream
Zest of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon old bay seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch ground pepper
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons grated gruyere cheese, divided
1 lb. cooked seafood: 1/3 lb. each of shrimp/prawns, scallops, and lump crabmeat (cut into small pieces)

--Freshly steamed pencil asparagus (see “Tip” below)

METHOD

***Making the Crepes: In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add eggs and milk and whisk until smooth. Stir in butter and herbs. Batter should be consistency of very thin pancake batter. Let stand 30 minutes, and then stir before using (may thicken upon standing, so add more milk to thin, if needed). Make crepes in a small nonstick skillet lightly brushed with butter over medium heat by ladling in 3 tbs. of batter, and lifting skillet while swirling batter evenly around to form crepe. Cook for about 1 minute per side, until lightly browned. Stack crepes between parchment paper squares to prevent them from sticking together, and let stand covered with a damp paper towel.

***Making the Sauce and Seafood Filling: In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the finely-sliced crimini mushrooms, grated garlic and shallots, and saute for 2 minutes, whisk in flour and cook while whisking for 2 more minutes. Slowly add milk and continue whisking until smooth and sauce will start to thicken. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the cream and lemon zest. Ladle a little of the hot sauce into the egg yolk and whisk to temper, then stir tempered mixture into the sauce. Season with old bay seasoning, fresh basil, chives, and kosher salt and ground pepper, then stir in 2 tablespoons each of Parmesan and Gruyere, (remove ¼ cup of sauce to small bowl, and set aside). Stir in cooked seafood into remaining sauce in saucepan and continue cooking, just until seafood is heated through], and set aside.

Preheat oven broiler.

***To Plate for Serving: Roll up two crepes with seafood mixture, and repeat three more times, then place two filled-crepes on heatproof serving dishes (as in photo). Just before serving, spoon 1 TB of reserved sauce down the middle of crepes in each dish, and sprinkle them evenly with remaining cheeses. Place all baking dishes on a baking sheet under broiler, just until crepes are golden, about 2 to 4 minutes. Serve hot. - Enjoy!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


*Tip: I usually begin making steamed pencil asparagus to serve as a garnish, and side dish when crepes shells are completed, but prior to making the sauce.