February | 2009 | Kitchenbelle

Parmesan, Pine Nut, Panko and Parsley Baked White Fish

Posted on February 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

Let me first start by saying that it sends me bonkers when my photos of food turn out crumby! Here is one of those instances where we were so hungry! I made a quick attempt to make this pretty but then everything started to get cold. And did I mention we were so hungry! I actually almost didn’t post this just because the photo is so blah. (And it is a photo of green fish so it wasn’t going to work for itself to begin with!) Anyway, enough with the disclaimers! I ultimately decided to share this recipe (despite the blah photo) because it is not only delicious, but also healthful. And I have received several requests for easy weeknight suppers—I just couldn’t withhold this one from you on account of my bad photography! It is so flavorful!

My sweetheart (along with just about everyone else) is fighting a cold so I wanted to make him a nutrient-rich dinner. I love simple baked white fish, but I wanted to pack a little more punch! This recipe does just that. The coating for the fish is a combination of parmesan cheese, pine nuts, panko bread crumbs, garlic, and fresh parsley (which is why it is so green–don’t let that scare you). The filets are dipped in egg white (pack a little protein!) then coated and then baked. Simple. I served this with baked sweet potato and sauteed spinach with garlic. Our plates were so colorful!

Parmesan, Pine Nut, Panko and Parsley Baked White Fish:

4 white fish filets
1 cup panko bread crumbs + 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
2 egg whites
1/2 lemon (optional)
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray glass 9 x 13 dish with cooking spray.

Using your Magic Bullet or food processor, combine the bread crumbs, pine nuts, cheese, parsley, and garlic. Pulse a few times until finely chopped. Pour into a wide shallow bowl/dish. Set aside.

Pour the egg whites into another wide shallow bowl/dish.

One by one, dip each filet in egg white and then dip in the parsley mixture. Press to coat on all sides. Place filet into prepared glass baking dish. Sprinkle each filet with plain panko breadcrumbs. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over each. Quickly and lightly spray each filet with one short pump of olive oil cooking spray.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until fish is flaky and opaque. (You can crisp up the tops by placing the dish under the broiler for a few minutes. This will deepen the color of the bread crumbs and give the fish a crispier texture.)

Adapted from The Dallas Morning News.

Filed under: fish, lemon, Main Dish, pine nuts | Leave a comment »

Raspberry Chocolate Tart with Biscotti Crust

Posted on February 4, 2009 by kitchenbelle

This tart is rich, creamy, and delicious! The biscotti is a nice surprise and it adds some dimension to the dessert. The filling is so creamy! And making it is shockingly straightforward. The only thing I would do differently is I would be more careful when covering with plastic wrap. As you can see from the photo, the plastic wrap did not go on smooth so little dips in the surface of the filling developed. However, this subtlety did NOT affect the taste or the presentation. It is really a lovely dessert—A perfect ending to a dinner party.

Also, there is something very Valentine’s Day about this dessert. The berries, the chocolate, the richness. Spoil your honey–better yet–spoil yourself!

Raspberry Chocolate Tart with Biscotti Crust:

Biscotti Crust:

8 ounces biscotti cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1/3 cup raspberry sauce (recipe follows)
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Raspberry Sauce:

1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Garnish:

Fresh raspberries

Make the biscotti crust

Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease a 9 inch fluted tart pan.

Using your food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet* puree the biscotti until they are finely ground. Transfer crumbs to a bowl and add the melted butter. Stir to combine. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake in preheated oven for 12-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the tart pan on a wire rack.

Make the filling

First make the raspberry sauce by pureeing the raspberries in your food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet until smooth. Pour into a strainer set over a bowl and use a rubber spatula to push the puree through the strainer into the bowl. The seeds will remain in the strainer. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

Place chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and let sit for five minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup of the raspberry sauce.

Pour the filling into the cooled tart crust. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, top with fresh raspberries!

Adapted from Joy of Baking.com.

*Do you own a Magic Bullet? It is a perfect tool for recipes like this tart! In the time it takes to pull your food processor out, you can have small chopping or pureeing tasks done with the Magic Bullet ! It took literally minutes to puree the biscotti and then the the raspberries. When working with small quantities, this little gadget is extremely efficient.

Filed under: chocolate, cookies, Dessert, raspberry, tart | 1 Comment »

Greek Layer Dip with Pita Chips

Posted on February 2, 2009 by kitchenbelle

Super bowl XLIII was a difficult one for fans of the beloved Patriots. (Are you sure they didn’t make the playoffs!?!) Most of us were apathetic only caring about the score of the game in relation to the squares we chose in the football pool. But moping wouldn’t bring Cassel (or Brady) to Tampa Bay, so rather than ignore the American pastime all together most Pats fans rallied and celebrated the day in the usual Super bowl Sunday ways: chili, nachos, beer, chips, and dip. (If you’re going to sulk, you may as well sulk in cheese whiz!)

I have made this Greek dip more times than I can count and every time, people have commented on how wonderful it is. It is both refreshing and delicious and it doesn’t give you that feeling of a block in your stomach like taco dip sometimes does. And the homemade pita chips are my favorite part. They are crisp, fresh and flavored to your liking! The best part—this dip can be whipped up in no time.

Greek Layer Dip:

1 container chive & onion cream cheese
1 small container of classic hummus (or make your own)
1 container of crumbled feta cheese
1 Roma tomato, roughly chopped and seeds removed
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
a handful of pitted kalamata olives, sliced*
2 green onions, roughly chopped (optional)

Pita Chips:

1 package of large round pita bread
cooking spray
coarse salt, to taste
onion salt
garlic salt

Make the dip

In a pie plate, using a rubber spatula, spread the chive and onion cream cheese in an even layer. Drop spoonfuls of hummus on top and then spread to make an even layer. Sprinkle half of the feta cheese crumbles, then half the cucumber, then half the tomato then repeat. Finish with sprinkles of sliced olives. Top with green onions. (Optional)

Make the pita chips

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using kitchen sheers cut the pita rounds into triangles. Pull the triangles apart so that they are single layers. Spread them evenly across a sheet pan and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salts. Bake for about 20 minutes total. Check them after 10 minutes and move them around using a wooden spatula to make sure all surfaces are getting crisp.

*Sometimes I use canned, sliced black olives. However, I think the kalamata offer a more authentic Greek flavor.