easter dessert chocolate banana bundles

CHOCOLATE BANANA BUNDLES (TOM'S 2012 "TASTE OF HOME" WINNER)
Makes 4 Servings

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 medium ripe bananas, halved lengthwise
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Vanilla ice cream, optional

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar until blended. Add bananas, stir to coat . Remove from heat, set aside. unfold puff pastry. Cut into 4 rectangles. Place a halved banana in the center of each pastry sheet. Overlap two opposite corners of pastry over bananas, pinching tightly to seal. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with the chocolate. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
enjoy

shrimp and chorizo salad

Tom's Award Winning Shrimp and Chorizo Salad Makes 4 Servings

Turn an ordinary salad into something special by adding cooked garlicky shrimp and cooked chorizo, a spicy Mexican sausage.

1 pound uncooked extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce 1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings 8 ounce torn mixed salad greens 8 ounce cooked chorizo sausage, thinly sliced 4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Optional: For a bigger citrus zing, you can also add orange slices or grapefruit sections.

In a medium nonstick skillet cook the shrimp in the oil with the garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the green onions and hot sauce; stir and remove from heat. Arrange the mixed greens on 4 individual plates. Add the shrimp mixture, onion rings and sliced chorizo to each plate. Sprinkle each with lemon juice. enjoy```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

easter brunch

TOM'S AWARD WINNING MEDITERRANEAN BREAKFAST PIE
Makes 6 Servings Use a prepared pie shell for this or refrigerator pie crust for a super easy breakfast.

1 9 inch prepared pie shell or refrigerator pie crust
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced black olives
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare the pie shell. Whisk together eggs, cream olive oil until well blended. Fold in rest of ingredients and pour into prepared pie shell. Bake for 35 minutes until puffed and golden.

happy easter`

peanut butter chocolate easter eggs

HERE IS ANN EASTER TREAT THAT WILL SURPRISE EVERYONE.
6 hard boiled eggs
1 /2 cup chunky peanut butter
4 ounces  dark chocolate
sea salt
colored sprinkles

peel eggs slice in half length wise. remove yolk and reserve for another purpose( add to soup , salad)
fill center of egg with peanut butter. melt chocolate and brush over peanut butter. top with salt and colored sprinkles. chill
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here is a good one for easter

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH APPLE-ONION CHUTNEY (Tom's first place win in the Better Homes & Gardens 2006 Easter Recipe contest)
Serves 4

Lamb rib chops are brushed with oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and grilled. They're served with a cooked mixture of tart apple and sweet onion, seasoned with brown sugar, lemon juice, garlic and mint.

1 cup peeled & diced Granny Smith apple
1 cup diced Vidalia onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh minced mint
8, 4-ounce lamb rib chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine apples, onions, butter, lemon juice, brown sugar, garlic and mint. Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until thick and syrupy; remove from heat and set aside. Brush lamb chops with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Using a grill or grill pan, grill chops over medium-hot heat about 5-7 minutes per side. Set 2 lamb chops on each plate and spoon the apple-onion mixture over. Serve with roasted red potatoes and roasted asparagus.
enjoy
Tom

angels breath-
this is the first recipe I entered into a contest 25 years ago.
the contest was a tapas recipe contest run by a local hotel in new brunswick.nj,
ingredients
12 ounces angel hair pasta
8 ounces escargot
1 stick butter
3 cloves garlic mashed
4 rock lobster tails
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice zest of 1 lemon,1 lime, 1 orange
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
directions
cook pasta in large pot boiling salted water 6 minutes. drain and place on 4 plates. in medium sauce pan cook escargot in butter and garlic 5 minutes over medium heat. using slotted spoon remove escargot and spoon over pasta. add olive oil,citrus juice zest, hot pepper flakes and salt to sauce pan.add lobster tails and simmer 5 minutes. remove lobster meat from tails and cut into bite size pieces.. add to pasta. pour sauce in pan over pasta and garnish with dill
serves 4
enjoy
tom
" if it can't be cured by butter or whiskey  it can't be cured"!

TOM'S AWARD WINNING IRISH CRAB DIP
1/4 pound butter
8 ounces. cream cheese
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 ounces cooked crab meat
1 small red onion finely minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic crushed/minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Jameson Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon minced dill- plus extra for garnish

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, chill for two hours. Serve over thin slices of cucumber or water crackers. Garnish with chopped dill.
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oyster royale soup

 here-s the 2012  winner in maryland oyster cookoff
This is really great when you get a bit of the bread bowl with every spoonful of the soup.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red pepper
I cup chopped shallots (about 6)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups low-salt, no fat chicken broth
48 shucked oysters and their liquor (cut into pieces if large)
1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, e.g, Emeril's Seasoning
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 9- to l0-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup Sambuca or other anise flavored liquor (optional--but adds great hint of licorice flavor)
4 small round loaves sour dough bread

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add celery, red pepper, shallots, and garlic. Sautee until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream, broth, and oyster juices. Add Creole seasoning and pepper sauce. Simmer until thick and smooth, whisking often, about 3 minutes. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Return to simmer before continuing. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach. Toss until wilted but still bright green, about 2 minutes; remove from heat. Add oysters to soup. Simmer until edges curl, about 3 minutes. Add Sambuca and spinach.

Cut 1/2 inch off top of bread loaves .. scoop out insides of bread. Ladle soup into bread bowls.
enjoy

rom

today is the first day of nj cooks cookncork.blogspot.com.
i'll be adding recipes and other food related good stuff.
hope you enjoy.
tom