I love going to dinner parties for many reasons. First, I get to talk to my friends with the accompaniment of great food instead of "bump and grind" music, women in barely there sequin skirts and strobe lights. Secondly, I have the excuse to make unhealthy, labor intensive sides and desserts. Here is a recipe that is amazing and won an award on epicurious.com . This dessert is half way between a break and bake cookie and the "don't slam doors! I have a the leaning tower of Pisa in the oven" adventure. Anybody would be able to complete this recipe if they had a bit of time to do it. Thus, this is another recipe for those of us who want to fake it 'till we make it.

Brown Butter Raspberry Tart

Bon Appétit  | June 2009

by Lori Longbotham

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestpierecipes/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-Raspberry-Tart-353425#ixzz1OQnSNd4o

Crust:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
• 2 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries

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preparation

For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Using rubber spatula or fork, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl. Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Using fingertips, press dough evenly onto sides and bottom of pan.

Bake crust until golden, about 18 minutes (crust will puff slightly while baking). Transfer crust to rack and cool in pan. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:
Whisk sugar, eggs, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add flour and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Cook butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until deep nutty brown (do not burn), stirring often, about 6 minutes. Immediately pour browned butter into glass measuring cup. Gradually whisk browned butter into sugar-egg mixture; whisk until well blended.

Arrange raspberries, pointed side up and close together in concentric circles, in bottom of cooled crust. Carefully pour browned butter mixture evenly over berries. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet. Bake tart until filling is puffed and golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

Remove tart pan sides. Place tart on platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestpierecipes/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-Raspberry-Tart-353425#ixzz1OQnOsK89

Blue Cheese and Red Onion Thumb prints

Becca - you asked me for a really impressive but super duper easy appetizer recipe. Here it is! I got this a couple years ago from the Pillsbury bake off website. I remember when I was young and my mother would contribute recipes every year. The recipes from the bake off are the ultimate addition to the "fake it till you make it" collection. The dough is already prepared, but tastes fantastic when you combine it with the other ingredients! I made this successfully when I was still at the cooking stage where people were afraid to eat my food due to risk of poisoning. Thus, literally anybody can make this. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese and Red Onion Jam Crescent Thumbprints

NGREDIENTS

1

package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2

cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 oz)*

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1/3

cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans

1

teaspoon CRISCO® 100% Extra Virgin or Pure Olive Oil

1/3

cup finely chopped red onion

1

tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4

cup SMUCKER'S® Apricot Preserves

1/8

to 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS

• 1Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix cream cheese and Gorgonzola cheese with fork until blended.
• 2Unroll dough; separate or cut into 2 rectangles, each about 11 inches long. Place 1 rectangle on cutting board; if using crescent dough, press perforations together to seal. Spread half of the cheese mixture over dough to within 1/2 inch of long sides; sprinkle half of the pecans evenly over cheese. Starting at 1 long side, roll up; press seam to seal. Cut roll into 16 (about 3/4-inch) slices with serrated knife; place cut sides down on ungreased large cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cheese and pecans.
• 3Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
• 4Meanwhile, in 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly brown. Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar, preserves (breaking up large pieces of fruit if necessary) and thyme; set aside.
• 5After removing rolls from oven, immediately press back of a teaspoon into center of each roll to make small indentation. Spoon slightly less than 1/2 teaspoon onion jam into each indentation. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

Ina may have rejected the make a wish foundation request of a small boy (uy givalt), but she makes bangin chicken. Everyone should make each of the following two recipes at least once. They are extremely famous and frankly taste like home. Home to me means a baked chicken with roasted vegetables.
I recently moved in with the most lovely ladies, who giggle at my blog. Girls, let me know what types of things you would like me to post from my little black cookbook, and we can all fake it till we make it.

Chicken with forty cloves of garlic:

Ingredients

• 3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
• 2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skinside down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Ina's Roast Chicken

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons—including 1 sliced for garnish
• 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch fl at-leaf parsley)

1. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fi tted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.

3. Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)

4. Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast- side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180°F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350°F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.

6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken— this is the juice. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Read More http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken#ixzz1O2SWpaLb