Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Apricots and Goat Cheese

From Cooking the CostCo Way

1 Tbls butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
2 Tbls chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese
Kosher salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts
4 thick bacon slices
2 Tbls olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly browned, 5-6 min. Set aside to cool.
3. Put apricots in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add parsley, thyme and onions. Pulse briefly to combine.
4. Transfer to a small bowl and gently fold in the goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Set chicken breasts on a cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to slice a pocket in the fattest part of the chicken breast. Stuff the breasts, spreading the stuffing evenly.
6. Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each breast. Tie with kitchen string in several places, being sure to secure the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Heat oil in a large skillet. Put chicken in and sear until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet.
8. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 12-15 min. Turn breasts over halfway through the baking time.
9. Remove chicken from oven and cut of f the string. Serve immediately.

Asparagus Flan

16 asparagus stalks
4 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 sprigs of fresh chervil, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Peel the asparagus. Boil in salted water for 5 min. Drain and let cool. Chop each stalk into 2 or 3 in pieces.

Saute the bacon in a nonstick frying pan till crisp. Drain on a paper towel.

Combine the eggs, milk, cream and half of the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the eff mixture in a 9 in pie plate, 2 inches deep. Sprinkle in the asparagus and bacon. Bake for 15 -20 min, till the custard is set but not dried out. Serve immediately with the rest of the chervil.

Blueberry Smoothie

From Why French Women Don't Get Fat

12 ounces frozen blueberries
2 Tbls lemon juice
2 Tbls honey
2 1/4 cups milk
Pinch of ground cardamom

Remove the blueberries from the freezer about 30 min before using.
Mix the blueberries in a blender with the lemon juice, honey, and milk. Add a sprinkle of cardamom before serving.

Plum Clafoutis without the Dough

From Why French Women Don't Get Fat

12 plums
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter

Wash the plum and quarter them. Pour the lemon juice over and marinate for 10 min. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon. Warm the butter in a nonstick frying pan and add the plums. Sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Cook over low flame until just tender but not mushy. Serve at room temp with or without ice cream.

Grilled Peaches wth Lemon Thyme

From Why French Women Don't Get Fat

4 peaches
2 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 sprigs lemon thyme, coarsely chopped

Rinse the peaches, pat dry, cut in half and remove the pits. Place the peach halves in a baking dish. Mix together the oil, honey, and vanilla and pour over the peaches. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme. Marinate for 20 min, turning over once and basting.

Broil or grill the marinated peaches on the bbq for 2-3 min on each side, or until the peaches are tender but not soft. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream if you wish.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomato Salad

1 6.5 oz jar of artichoke hearts, draiend and chopped
2 Tbls grated Parmesan
2 Tbls fresh thyme leaves
4 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbls plus 1 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
2 beeksteak tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
8 baguette slices, toasted

(*Another option is to stuff the chicken with olive tapenade, feta, pine nuts, or roasted red peppers and Parmesan)

Mix the artichokes, Parmesan, and 1 Tbls of the thyme in a small bowl.
Cut a 2-inch pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast and stuff with the artichokes. Rub the chicken breasts with 1 tsp of the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Cook in a broiler (or on the grill)
Mix the tomatoes, shallot, vinegar, some salt, pepper, thyme, and remaining oil in a large bowl.
Slice the chicken, and if desired, serve with the tomato salad and baguette slices.

Crepes with wild mushrooms, sherry and cream

1 ounce (can be dried-if dried soak) porcini mushrooms
2/3 cupboiling water
Basic crepes
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup medium sherry
2/3 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
spinach or other greens to serve with crepes

Make the crepes and set aside while doing the filling.

Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes. Add liquids, herbs, cream and sherry. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently for a few minutes.

Fold the crepes into quarters. Open them out like cones and fill with some of the mushroom mix. Arrange in a lightly greased shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve on a bed of lightly wilted spinach or other greens.

Spinach crepes with asparagus

24 thick asparagus spears, trimmed
8 spinach Crepes
vegetable oil for greasing baking dish

For sauce
1 1/2 cups milk
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mild white Cheddar cheese, grated

First make the sauce. Put the milk, onion and bay leaf into a saucepan and heat until just boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside for 20 minutes to infuse. Strain the milk and reserve. Meanwhile, make the crepes and set them aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook over a low heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and beat in the infused milk, a little at a time, until blended. Return to a low heat and stir constantly until thickened. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring, then simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Blanch the asparagus spears in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Place 3 asparagus spears on each crepe and roll them up. Place the crepes seam-side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Pour the sauce over the crepes and then sprinkle with cheese.

Place the dish under a preheated broiler and cook for 8-10 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately.