RASPBERRY-STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Serves 4 - 350 degree oven

1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp diced onion

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

4   1 1/2" thick loin pork chops

1/2 onion, sliced 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine jam, apricots, honey, diced onion, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in medium bowl.  Make slits in sides of pork chops, forming pockets.  Generously stuff some of the jam mixture into each chop and secure with toothpicks.  Set aside remaining jam mixture.  Arrange chops in 9" x 13" baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

Top each chop with some additional jam mixture and onion rings.  Cover and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes.

Review:  Not terrible, but perhaps a bit too sweet and fruity for my taste

"NEW" JELL-O PUDDING DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

This recipe is from 1982 when General Foods first introduced Jell-o cooked pudding in packages.

2 pkg (4-serving size) Jell-o Cooked chocolate pudding and pie filling

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 baked 9" pie shell, cooled

Combine pie filling mix, milk, butter and chips in saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full bubbling boil  Remove from heat.

Cool 5 minutes, stirring twice.  Pour into shell and refrigerate for 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Review:  Quick and easy to make, but not really anything great ... unfortunately, photo looks like a nasty piece of pie.

POT ROASTED CHICKEN 

From The Boston Globe, January 23, 1980 ...

Serves 4 - oven 350 degrees

1 chicken; halved

2 tbsp oil or butter

1 clove garlic, minced

4 medium onions; quartered

4 medium potatoes; quartered

6 carrots; cut into 2" pieces

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp rosemary; crumbled

salt and pepper

Heat the oil or butter in a skillet or dutch oven and add the garlic.  Place chicken, skin side down and brown on both sides.

Remove chicken and add vegetables; saute briefly.  Return chicken to pan, add broth, rosemary and salt and pepper.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, basting a couple of times.  Serve.

Review:  I only made this since it was a cool summer day, and it was next up in my list.  It was just okay ... I think the leftover vegetables will end up being the best part.

PORTEFEUILLE DE VEAU AUX HERBES

6 servings

12 1-oz veal scallops

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

4 tsp cream cheese

3/4 oz basil leaves

3/4 ox chervil leaves

3/4 oz chives

2 sage leaves

salt and pepper

flour

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup white wine

2 tbsp creme fraiche

Pound veal scallops to thickness of 1/8".  Mix 2 tbsp butter, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, herbs, salt and pepper to a paste in processor.  Spread mixture evenly over 6 veal scallops.  Top with remaining veal scallops, pressing edges to seal.

Season veal with salt and pepper.  Flour lightly, shaking off excess.  Melt remaining 4 tbsp butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add veal and saute, turning once, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove veal using slotted spatula; keep warm.  Pour off fat in skillet.  Add wine to skillet, scraping up any brown bits.  Blend in creme fraiche and bring to boil.

Arrange veal on platter.  Top with sauce, sprinkle with some chervil and serve.

REVIEW:  The recipe sounds better than it tastes.  Nothing wrong with it, but nothing really special.

SPUMANTE CREAM

Serves 8

1 tbsp unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup Asti Spumante, room temperature

6 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

16 fresh strawberries or raspberries

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl and set aside until softened; about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring water in bottom of double boiler to simmer over medium heat.  Combine wine, yolks and sugar in top of large double boiler,  Place over water and whisk until mixture doubles in volume, is pale yellow, and a thick, heavy, very slowly dissolving ribbon forms when whisk is lifted; about 20 minutes.  Add gelatin and whisk until completely dissolved; about 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and set on rack to cool; whisking occasionally.

Beat cream to soft peaks in large bowl.  Gently but thoroughly fold cream into wine mixture.  Drop 1 berry into each of 8 sherbet or wine glasses. Divide Spumante Cream evenly among the glasses.  Refrigerate at least 2 1/2 hours or overnight.  Top each with a berry.

REVIEW:  This was supposed to be a variation of zabaglione, but it came out so thick.  It wasn't really very good.

PORK CHOPS HONGROISE

No photo as my camera is having difficulties.

This recipe is quite old, as it is handwritten the way I used to write in my late teens.

Serves 6

6 large pork chops

salt and pepper

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of thyme

bay leaf

3/4 cup chicken broth or white wine

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp paprika

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper, and saute in butter in a skillet.  Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, and saute over medium-high heat until chops are well browned.

Lower heat and add chicken stock or wine. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove chops and keep warm.   Reduce liquid in pan by half by boiling rapidly.  Discard bay leaf.

Add sour cream and paprika to skillet and heat thoroughly (do not boil). Pour sauce over meat and serve.

REVIEW:  Perhaps it was my mainstream paprika, but the sauce had a rough taste.  Probably wouldn't make this again, even with good paprika.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CAKE

 

 

 

Serves 12 - 350 degree oven

 

3 squares unsweetened chocolate

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

1 cup boiling water

whipped cocoa cream (recipe follows)

 

Melt chocolate in a small bowl over hot (not boiling) water.  Cool.

 

Grease and flour tow 9" x 1 1/2" pans; tap out excess flour.

 

Sift flour, baking soda and salt onto waxed paper.

 

Beat butter, sugar and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate.

 

Stir in dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream, beating well with a spoon, until smooth.  Stir in water (batter will be thin).  Pour into pans.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed with fingertip.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out on wire racks and cool completely.  Split each layer in half crosswise to make four thin layers.  (I didn't do this part.)

 

Fill and frost with whipped cocoa cream.  Refrigerate.

 

Whipped Cocoa Cream:  Whip 1 pint heavy cream, 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp vanilla in a medium bowl until stiff.

 

REVIEW:  Tasty, but not outstanding.