It’s April Fool’s Day. Even if you’re not into pulling little pranks on this day, it can be a good time to fool family and friends with food.

With this Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip, your friends and family will never know they are eating lots of vitamins A and K from fresh dark green spinach leaves and fresh, fragrant basil leaves. They won’t know they’re adding fiber to their diet. They won’t even know they’re getting vitamins and nutrients from artichoke hearts.

What they will know for sure is that they love the creamy, garlicky dip that they pick up with crispy chips.  And only you will know that those chips have been made with whole wheat pita bread.

This dip is so easy to put together, especially if you have a food processor. Just put all the ingredients into a food processor, except the pine nuts. A few pulses and the dip is ready to transfer to a baking dish. Usually less than 20 minutes in the oven is all it takes to become a hot, creamy dip.

Poke some crispy pita chips around the outside edge and it will look like you’re placing a pretty spring flower on the table.

If you happen to have dip leftover, just store it in the refrigerator. It can be used later for the makings of a delicious tortilla roll-up that’s good for a meal or snack anytime of the day. Warm up a bit of the dip, spread it on a whole wheat tortilla, place two scrambled eggs on one end of the tortilla, sprinkle with your favorite cheese, add a dash of pepper and roll up.

It’s also good spread on a hot toasted English muffin, and then topped with a poached egg.

Next, I’m going to try tossing it with cooked pasta.

Try it today and you’ll fool them all. 

Pita Chips

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin                          
• ½ teaspoon paprika                                    
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 or 6 small whole wheat pita breads      

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika and salt. Stir or whisk in the oil.

Cut each pita bread in half. Separate top from bottom of each pita half. Brush oil mixture over rough side of each pita half. Cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Place the wedges on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silpat for easy cleanup.

Bake the pita chips until the tops start to turn golden and crispy. Cool the chips and store in an airtight container if not using right away.

• Experiment with seasonings. I like the flavors of cumin and paprika with this dip.

Hot Artichoke, Spinach and Basil Dip

• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• ¾ cup chopped fresh spinach
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• ½ cup light mayonnaise
• ½ cup light sour cream
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Pine nuts for sprinkling over the top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor with metal blade, combine all ingredients. Pulse until well mixed. Place in a 3-cup ovenproof dish. An 8- or 9-inch glass pie plate works well. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

• If you don’t have a food processor, just chop by hand and mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

It’s been a week of dark, dreary, damp days. I need some sunshine.

At least for today, I’ll have to create my own sunshine.

A couple of weeks ago I spotted my favorite little organic mangoes at the local food co-op. Although mangoes are available in grocery stores throughout the year, it seems these little yellow Ataulfo mangoes are available for just a short time in the spring. I first came across these sweet, juicy mangoes at an Asian market in Fargo a few years ago. They were the most delicious mangoes I’d ever tasted. Creamy and sweet with a little tartness. I remember making lots of frozen mango daiquiris that spring. I became obsessed with these little mangoes. I tossed mangoes into spinach salad, barbecue sauce, quesadillas, quick breads and yes, even butter. Mango butter melting over a hot bran muffin—yum.  I’d travel to Fargo and bring home cases of mangoes.

And now they’re right here in Bemidji. Yesterday I adapted my favorite blueberry muffin recipe and baked up some chewy muffins that were the closest thing to sunshine I would see this week.

Chopped mangoes replace the blueberries. A little cinnamon and allspice add a hint of flavor. I added some shredded coconut to create a blend of ingredients that produce a glimpse of tropical sun. Before baking the muffins, I topped some of them with dabs of a brown sugar, flour and butter mixture. The rest I sprinkled with sugar, just as I do my blueberry muffins. I liked them both ways.

If I had some macadamia nuts handy, I would have chopped some up and added them to the batter. Next time. Which will be soon. I’m heading into town today to pick up a case of ataulfo mangoes—my sunshine.

Sunshine Mango Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1½ cups chopped mango, or 1 large mango

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  Line muffin tins with paper cups.

  Mix Topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

  Sift flour, salt, baking powder and allspice and set aside.

  Using a spoon, mix butter and sugars. Add eggs and milk and blend well. Stir in dry ingredients and coconut. Gently fold in chopped mango.

  Fill muffin cups to top of paper liner. Place dabs of topping on each muffin.

  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes one dozen muffins, maybe more depending on the size of your muffin tins.

  • Any mangoes will work in these muffins. When you shop for mangoes, find the ones that have a little give when pressed, without being too soft or too hard. The color of the mango will not determine ripeness.

  • The batter is very thick. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

  • Cutting a mango can be a little daunting the first time. There is a large, flat fibrous pit in the middle of the mango. Cut the bottom end off the mango. Stand the mango on this flat end. Use a sharp knife to cut off the two “cheeks” of the mango, being careful to avoid the pit in the middle. Place one cheek skin side down on your work surface. Cut vertical slices through the fruit without going through the skin. Turn the mango 90 degrees and slice through the flesh, but not the skin, forming cubes. With both hands, take both ends of the mango “cheek” and turn inside out. It will look like a hedgehog. Use your knife to slice the cubes off the skin into a bowl. Get as close to the skin as possible. Repeat this procedure with the other “cheek.”

  • If you eat a lot of mangoes, you may want to purchase an OXO mango splitter. I got mine at Chef & Company, a store in Baxter, Minn. They really do work. Just stand the unpeeled mango on end, press the splitter straight down, and you will have two pit-less, perfect mango halves ready for slicing. It’s a must-have tool for mango lovers.

  

I’ve always loved apricots and anything sweet that has an apricot filling. My aunt used to make the best kolaches for Easter. Several of the fluffy yeast dough pillows would cradle sweet-tart cooked and mashed apricots.

Last month when I attended the Minneapolis Food and Wine Experience, people from Kramarczuk’s, a European-style sausage shop, were there with samples of a Polish bismarck. The rich chewy yeast dough was plump as it held a generous helping of apricot filling. I was told the baker only makes these during Lent. So, if you’re lucky enough to live in the Twin Cities or will be visiting there soon, you must try one.

On Saturday when I taught a basic bread-baking class, I made some of my aunt’s kolaches and filled some with my homemade apricot filling before the students arrived. And today, there was some of that apricot filling in a jar in my refrigerator still waiting to be used. I also had a round disk of buttery tart dough that was left from a cooking demonstration I did last week. And in another jar, a bit of almond cream filling.

I decided to put them all together and make some little mini-tarts filled with apricot and almond cream…all for the love of apricot.

The mini-tart dough melts in your mouth like a rich butter cookie. The dough is not hard to make and it keeps well in the refrigerator for a week. If you want to bake them ahead they can be stored in the freezer until you’re ready to fill them and eat them.

I normally fill these mini crusts with homemade lemon curd and serve them topped with a little sweetened whipped cream and a fresh raspberry.

No matter what you decide to fill these dainty treats with, they are perfect with a cup of tea. Or set them out for a brunch. They’ll be gone before you can even kiss them good-bye.

Apricot-Almond Cream Mini-Tarts

For Mini-Tart Shells:

• 2¼ sticks (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup powdered sugar                                                       
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons ice water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut butter into bits. In the bowl of a food processor, blend or pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt until well combined. Add butter, pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together yolks, ice water, and vanilla until combined well. Add to flour mixture, pulsing until incorporated.  Form dough into a ball. Divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten to form disks. Chill disks, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Form 1 dough disk into 24 one-inch balls, keeping remaining disk wrapped and chilled.  Press dough balls into bottoms and up sides of twenty-four mini-muffin cups (about 1¾-inch across top and 1 inch deep. Prick bottoms of shells with a wooden pick.  Chill shells 15 minutes, or until firm.  Bake shells in middle of oven 12 minutes, or until golden.  Cool in cups on racks. Repeat procedure with remaining disk of dough. 

Almond Cream Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened                         
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon pure almond extract

Mix all filling ingredients until smooth and spoon into cooled tartlet cups.  Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Apricot Filling:

• 2 cups finely chopped dried apricots
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and cook slowly, over low heat, stirring until thickened. Allow to cool.

To Assemble:

Fill half of mini-tart shells with almond cream and the other half with apricot filling. Place a dollop of apricot filling on each of the almond cream-filled tarts and a dollop of almond cream on those that are filled with apricot. Makes 48 mini-tarts.

• If you don’t have a food processor to mix the dough, use a mixing bowl and a pastry blender.

• If you want a smoother texture to your apricot filling, pulse the cooked mixture in a food processor until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

It’s the recipe that didn’t make the food page, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious. It’s one of my favorite pasta dishes.

I don’t mind referring to angel hair pasta as noodles, but technically I can’t call this a noodle dish. According to the National Pasta Association, by federal law a noodle must contain at least 5.5 percent egg solids to be called a noodle. Angel hair pasta does not meet that qualification. That’s one of the reasons this recipe didn’t make the food page.

The bright lively colors of fresh sweet bell peppers and creamy Parmesan sauce create a magnificent combination of flavors. Chunks of bell peppers roast in the oven while the noodles are cooking and the sauce is simmering. They all come together just before serving.

 I like to warm the serving plates for a few minutes in the oven after I’ve removed the roasted peppers. The plates will stay warm up until the time you eat the last noodle.

This pasta dish is especially wonderful during the summer when fresh-from-the-garden vibrant-colored peppers are readily available. Serve it with grilled steak or chicken.

Creamy Pasta with Roasted Peppers

• 1 large red bell pepper, halved and halves cut into sixteenths
• 1 large yellow pepper, halved and halves cut into sixteenths
• 1 large orange pepper, halved and halves cut into sixteenths
• 1 large green pepper, halved and halves cut into sixteenths

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss peppers with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour onto large baking sheet and roast about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. 

• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked al dente and well drained

In a heavy saucepan, combine cream, butter, salt, nutmeg and cayenne. Heat to simmering over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add Parmesan. Whisk to blend and simmer 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Pour over pasta, add peppers and toss. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

I ‘d always look forward to this time of year when I worked at North Dakota State University. One of my colleagues would bring a big slow-cooker full of her delicious Beer Cheese Soup. Up to that point in my life, the only Beer Cheese soup I had tasted was served at a Fargo restaurant. It was very thick, very cheesy and very goopy. In my opinion, too thick, too cheesy and too goopy.

Nancy’s Beer Cheese Soup would send a sweet, yeasty beer aroma wafting through the NDSU hallway. Lunch that day would be a big mug of soup ladled from the hot slow-cooker topped with freshly popped corn right out of the microwave oven.

Now, I don’t normally do much cooking with Cheez Whiz, but I just can’t make this soup any other way. You’ll see why when you taste it.

The soup is light and creamy with just the right amount of beer and cheese flavors. I use unsalted butter in this recipe. The soup gets plenty of salt from the Cheez Whiz and chicken broth.

You just can’t eat this soup without a big heaping pile of popcorn on the top of each serving. I happened to be shopping in St. Paul yesterday along Grand Avenue. I stopped in to Golden Fig, a cozy little shop offering fine food products from smaller producers in Minnesota and the surrounding region. I purchased a bag of Clem’s Homegrown Popcorn. Clem has been growing popcorn in Castle Rock Township in Minnesota for around 20 years. Clem’s isn’t just any popcorn, though. He grows a small crop, about 2,000 pounds, which is all handpicked in November of each year, then air-dried to the perfect moisture level. All this special attention results in big pieces of perfectly popped corn with very few unpopped kernels left in the pot. It’s the perfect complement to a steaming hot cup of Break-Room Beer Cheese Soup.

Laurie Crowell, who owns the store, believes Golden Fig may be the only place in St. Paul that carries Clem’s Homegrown Popcorn. But that’s just one reason to stop at her store to browse. I was just like a little kid in a candy store as I carefully studied the shelves of fine food products.

Of course, Laurie has all of her Golden Fig Epicurean Delights in the store. She’s been blending small batches of spices, vinegars and infused sugars for 10 years. My bag was full of goodies when I left—all food from small producers in Minnesota. Stop by Laurie’s store at 790 Grand Avenue. The store has winter hours. You can visit Wednesday through Saturday when Golden Fig is open from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Sunday during the winter the store opens at 11:00 AM.

I’m not Irish, but I like to celebrate the day with this Break-Room Beer Cheese Soup. Thanks to Nancy.

Break-Room Beer Cheese Soup

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth, or 3½ cups
• 1¾ cups hot water
• 1 (15-ounce) jar Cheez Whiz
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer
• Popped corn

In heavy 4-quart pot, melt butter. Gradually add flour, mixing until smooth. The mixture will be crumbly when all the flour has been mixed in. Continue to heat the flour mixture for 2 more minutes to eliminate a raw flour flavor.

Remove the pot from the heat and gradually mix in the chicken broth. When mixture is smooth, return pot to heat and add hot water. Blend well. Stir in Cheez Whiz, whipping cream and beer. Heat and stir occasionally until cheese is melted and soup is hot. Transfer to slow-cooker if you want to keep it hot for a group of friends to enjoy.

Have a big bowl of popped corn prepared so that each guest can use it to top their soup.

• When cooking with beer, be sure to use a kind that you would enjoy drinking. You’ll taste it in this soup.
• I used the chicken broth I had in my pantry, but next time I may try the garlic-flavored chicken broth with roasted garlic that is available in grocery stores.
• While I’m preparing the soup, I like to preheat my slow-cooker by filling the crock with hot water and turning the cooker on the highest temperature. When I’m ready to transfer the soup to the slow-cooker, I just dump out the water and pour the soup into a nice hot crock. I switch the cooker to the lowest temperature to keep the soup warm.

• For more beer recipes, see my food page in the March 11^th edition of the Bemidji Pioneer.

I’m a chocoholic. I admit it.

If I can get through a week without chocolate, I’m okay. But, all it takes is one little lick of chocolate frosting that’s slipped off the spatula and I’m out of control. That’s just what happened last week when I was preparing the Chocolate Beer cake for the Bemidji Pioneer food page. One taste of the frosting sent me into a chocolate spin. The next day I was digging through my pantry in search of the bag of chocolate-covered almonds I bought during the holidays. After that I cleaned out my refrigerator as I dug out the jar of homemade chocolate sauce hidden on the back of a shelf.

With chocolate on my breath, I decided to make the Chocolate-Hazelnut Truffle Torte that I promised I’d share with you. This Chocolate Truffle Filling is the same filling I used with the Meringue Puffs that I posted on this blog on March 2^nd.

Two layers of tender, melt-in-your-mouth cake are sandwiched together with silky smooth chocolate. The cake batter goes together quickly and bakes for only 20 minutes. Divide the egg yolks from the whites when the eggs are cold, right from the refrigerator. Allow the whites a little time to warm up before beating them. They’ll produce more volume. Use fine quality chocolate. Butter is a must—don’t even think about using margarine.

I toasted the hazelnuts before chopping them up to add to the torte. I like the method Mary Risley suggests using in her Tante Marie’s Cooking School Cookbook. Place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Rub the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. It’s okay if you don’t get all the brown skins off. Return the nuts to the oven until they are golden brown, 5 or 6 more minutes.

I usually make two batches of the filling. I use all of one batch and some of the second batch to fill and spread over the top and sides of the torte. The rest goes into a jar. It’s the perfect anecdote to a chocolate fit. Just pull the jar out of the refrigerator and scoop up a spoonful, then pop it into your mouth and let it melt.

Tuck strips of waxed paper around the bottom edge of the torte as you spread the filling on the top and sides. The paper will catch any drips of chocolate, leaving your cake platter clean. Gently pull away the paper strips.

This rich and luscious torte is perfect for a special occasion. But why wait? Just be prepared. If you’re a chocoholic, you won’t be able to eat just one bite.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Truffle Torte

• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, separated
• ½ cup sugar
• 2½ ounces hazelnuts, toasted, chopped and divided (about ½ cup)
• Chocolate Truffle Filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Butter and lightly flour the parchment paper.

Melt chocolate morsels and butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, stirring just until blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves, about 2 to 4 minutes. Gently fold 1 cup of egg whites into chocolate mixture. This will lighten the batter. Add the remaining egg whites and ¼ cup hazelnuts to the batter and fold in, using a gentle touch. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out of pans onto wire racks and cool completely.

Spread Chocolate Truffle Filling between layers and on top and sides of torte. Press remaining hazelnuts into frosting around top edge of torte.

Chocolate Truffle Filling

• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate morsels and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in whipping cream. Chill for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until filling is thick enough to mound and hold its shape. See picture below. Makes about 3 cups.

 Chilled Chocolate Truffle Filling mounds and holds its shape.

 I’ll bet you can’t eat just one slice!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve had Hungarian Goulash only a few times in my life. My mom was 100% Hungarian. She never made goulash. I don’t remember my grandma ever making it.

I guess that’s why I’ve been intrigued with it. I’ve tried a few recipes over the years. I’ve finally developed a Goulash recipe that perfectly blends lots of sweet Hungarian paprika, a little bit of hot paprika and some caraway and beer.

Fresh Hungarian paprika is a must for this goulash. My neighbors brought back some hot paprika for me when they visited Hungary. It is available at spice shops, food co-ops and some grocery stores. If you can’t find hot Hungarian paprika, you can toss a pinch of hot red pepper flakes into the goulash.

I like to toast caraway seeds and then grind them in an extra coffee grinder I keep just for spices. I toast the seeds in a small skillet over low heat just until they become fragrant. Toasting brings depth of flavor to the seeds.

The beef simmers in beer, so be sure to use a beer that you would enjoy drinking. It’s just like cooking with wine—don’t use a beer that you don’t care for. I used a dark beer for this goulash and it was just right.

This goulash is delicious served with a potato dumpling log. I share this dumpling recipe on the Bemidji Pioneer food page of Sunday, March 11, 2007. The goulash is also good served with cooked egg noodles. 

Hungarian Goulash

• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups chopped onions, about 2 large
• 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted and ground
• 3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• ½ to 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
• 4 cups beer
• 1 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Sour cream, at room temperature

Cook bacon in large, heavy soup pot until crispy. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl and set aside.

 Add 2 tablespoons butter to bacon drippings in pot. Add onions and sauté over medium heat until tender and brown, about 15 to20 minutes. Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside.

Put 2 more tablespoons butter into pot. Increase heat to medium-high. Sauté meat in two batches, stirring occasionally until meat is brown on all sides. Add garlic to last batch and cook for 2 minutes. Put all meat back into pot. Stir sweet and hot paprika, ground caraway seeds and black pepper into meat mixture. Add beer, broth and water, stirring up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Add reserved onions and bacon to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours.

Add the tomatoes and green pepper and simmer, uncovered, until the green peppers are tender and the sauce is a little thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and more pepper.

To serve, ladle the goulash into bowls with a potato dumpling and garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Makes 8 servings.

• Toast caraway seeds in a small skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when seeds become fragrant.
• Make this goulash a day or two ahead of time if you can so that the flavors have time to meld.

When you make the Fist-Full-of-Meat turnovers, (recipe can be found on the March 11, 2007 food page in the Bemidji Pioneer) offer some horseradish on the side for dipping. It is so good with the beef and beer filling.

Horseradish Sauce

Inspired by John Schumacher’s recipe in his New Prague Hotel Cookbook

• 1 (8-ounce) jar prepared horseradish, well drained         
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce                                    
• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 drops Tabasco sauce

Place horseradish in a fine strainer and press out liquid until almost dry.  Mix horseradish with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Keep in a glass container and refrigerate.  This sauce is great with sausage, beef or fowl.

You’d think I’d be tired of seafood recipes. After working with recipes for a seafood-themed food page and with Lakeland Cooks! Fish and Seafood behind me, I still had a taste for one more dish that I hadn’t had time to experiment with.

And that’s where the students in my Chinese New Year Celebration cooking class came in. We had a very ambitious menu to work on, but I decided I didn’t want them to be hungry as the class progressed. After all, who can concentrate on anything if the tummy is growling?

It would be at least a couple of hours before we could begin tasting the fruits of our labor—Pork-Filled Dumplings with Chili-Garlic Dipping Sauce, Hot and Sour Soup, Long Life Noodles, Mou Shu Pork with Mandarin Pancakes, Steamed Ginger Salmon with Stir-Fried Bok Choy, Roasted Five-Spice Chicken and Almond Cake with Roasted Pineapple.

That’s a lot of food to eat, but a little taste of shrimp right at the beginning of class couldn’t hurt. I decided it would be a bonus dish. I’d demo the preparation and all the students would be my tasters.

And they were. And the stir-fry was full of color and loaded with great flavor.

The Clementine, an endearing little fruit that’s a cross between a Mandarin orange and a Seville orange, shines in this recipe. They’re easy to peel, usually seedless with intense sweet juiciness and a delicate texture.

Almonds, peanuts or cashews are often added to Asian stir-fry recipes. I decided to use pine nuts. They toast quickly to a golden brown in the hot stir-fry oil and add a deep, browned-butter flavor to the dish.

As with any stir-fry, have all the ingredients prepared before any cooking begins.

We enjoyed our Clementine Shrimp with basmati rice and some sips of crisp and refreshingly aromatic Jewel Viognier.

Then it was time to get to work in the kitchen.

And the results? Satisfied tummies. Happy cooks. Yummy Chinese delights.

Happy Cook Clementine Shrimp

• 2 Clementines
• 1 Anaheim chile, seeded and minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon peeled, minced gingerroot
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon ground star anise
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound peeled, deveined medium-size shrimp
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper, cubed
• 1 sweet yellow pepper, cubed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• Hot cooked basmati rice

Grate the zest of one Clementine. Set the zest aside. Peel both Clementines, divide segments and cut each one in half crosswise. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix Anaheim chile, garlic, grated zest, and gingerroot. Set aside.

Combine soy sauce, dry sherry, hoisin sauce, dark sesame oil, red wine vinegar, ground star anise, salt, sugar and pepper. Set aside.

Pour 2 tablespoons peanut oil around top of preheated wok, or large, deep skillet, coating sides. Heat at about 375 degrees for 2 minutes. Add pine nuts and stir-fry 2 minutes or until lightly growned. Remove pine nuts and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Pour remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil into wok. Add shrimp and stir-fry 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp and set aside.

Pour remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil into wok. Add reserved chile mixture and stir fry 15 seconds. Add onion, red pepper and yellow pepper and stir-fry 5 minutes or until tender.

Combine cornstarch and water. Stir well to dissolve cornstarch. Pour reserved soy sauce mixture into wok. Heat for 1 minutes. Gradually add cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Add reserved pine nuts, shrimp and clementines and stir fry 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over basmati rice. Serves 4 to 6.

• Anaheim chiles are quite mild. They are elongated and light green in color. The canned green chiles are often Anaheim chile peppers.
• The zest is the colored part of citrus peel. Leave the white pith behind. It can be very bitter.
• It’s usually more economical to purchase pine nuts in bulk rather than in the small jars often found in grocery stores. Food Co-ops often sell pine nuts in bulk or in large packages. Store them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. They can quickly become rancid at room temperature.
• I like to grind my own star anise in the extra coffee grinder I use for spices only.

After an early-morning meeting yesterday, maneuvering my way home through the snow and then getting stuck in the driveway, I decided to stay inside to do some experimenting in the kitchen.

I always think Irish during March. Beer, cabbage, potatoes, corned beef and Bailey’s Irish Cream, of course. I’m not Irish, but I like to pretend I am at this time of year. I’m starting the month off with an Irish dessert followed by extra time on my NordicTrack.

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve used meringues as the foundation for a dessert. When I have, I’ve loved the sweet crunch of the baked sugar and egg white mixture. I’ve topped them with fresh fruit and with lemon curd and fresh raspberries. But this time I wanted to be a little more decadent with a touch of Irish.

Chocolate Truffle-Filled Meringue Puffs with Irish Coffee Cream are a collage of tastes and textures. Sweet, crunchy espresso meringues sandwich a thick layer of smooth, rich, luxuriant chocolate and whipped cream spiked with espresso and whiskey. The crispy meringue melts in your mouth, the chocolate slides slowly over the tongue and the whiskey whipped cream is an added dose of decadence. All I can say is that every bite will only push you towards another…and another. And that’s why I wound up back on the Track.

The meringues hold well for a few days in a tin, so make them ahead of time.

I’ve used this chocolate filling for a Chocolate Truffle Torte that I make. I’ll share that recipe another time. You probably won’t need all the filling for these meringues. Store it in a jar in the refrigerator and just dip a spoon into it when you need a chocolate fix.

And maybe you won’t need the entire amount of Irish Coffee Cream filling. Spoon mounds of it into big mugs and pour in some strong, hot coffee. That will warm you up on a snowy, winter night — or morning.

If you have Irish whiskey, great. I don’t. I used Rebel Yell, my favorite bourbon whiskey. It makes a mean whiskey sauce to top bread pudding.

I made a coffee-caramel drizzle for the dessert plate. I need to perfect that before I share the recipe with you. The dessert certainly doesn’t need it.

I still have several meringues in a tin. There’s truffle filling in my refrigerator. And as I write this entry I whisper a sigh of contentment with every sip of my Irish Coffee. There’s still plenty of the whipped cream filling in the bowl, though. Maybe my lunch will be an open-faced Chocolate Truffle-Filled Meringue Puff with Irish Coffee Cream. That will save a few calories, but I’m afraid I’ll be back on the Track.

Chocolate Truffle-Filled Meringue Puffs with Irish Coffee Cream

Meringue Puffs:

• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 3 egg whites, at room temperature

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace 8 (3-inch) circles on each sheet. Turn paper over and return to baking sheets.

Combine sugars and espresso powder. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes.

Drop meringue mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto circles on parchment paper. Spread meringue with knife to fill in traced areas. Bake at 250- degrees for 1 hour or until meringues are dry. Gently remove from parchment and cool on wire racks.

Chocolate Truffle Filling: 

• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• ½ cup whipping cream

Melt chocolate morsels and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in whipping cream. Transfer to a bowl and chill, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until filling is thick enough to spread and hold its shape.

Irish Coffee Cream Filling: 

• 1½ cups whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons whiskey
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add sugar, whiskey and espresso powder. Beat until stiff peaks form.

To serve:

Place one meringue on individual serving plates, top side up. Top each meringue with a thick layer of Chocolate Truffle Filling. Spread Irish Coffee Cream over the chocolate. Place another meringue, top side up, over the cream and gently press until filling spreads to edges. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate curls. Makes 8 desserts.

§ Eggs will separate more easily when cold. Egg whites will beat up with more volume when they are at room temperature.

§ These desserts can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead of serving time. Save the garnish of whipped cream and chocolate curls to add just before taking to the table to wow your guests.

§ To make chocolate curls, hold a chunk of chocolate in your hand to warm it up a little bit. Then slide your vegetable peeler slowly over the chocolate to form curls.