Risotto Herb Fritters

Risotto Herb Fritters and Pan Seared Shrimp

These Risotto Herb Fritters turn yesterday’s dinner into an upscale appetizer or delicious lunch out.  It’s the perfect way to transform the cold clumpy mess that was last light’s risotto into hot crispy fritters that definitely don’t look like leftovers.   And since these fried rice patties make a perfect brunch item, they’re great for weekend guests.  You can make a batch of risotto for an evening dinner and use the leftovers to make  an impressive plate the next day.

Risotto Herb Fritters

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 4-6 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups cold leftover risotto (see note)
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp Old bay seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions:

1. Place the cold risotto into a bowl that’s large enough to stir the ingredients.  Use a large serving fork to stir the risotto to loosen it up so it will be easier to stir in the other ingredients.  
2. Stir in the chopped parsley and scallions.
3. Lightly beat the eggs together with all the spices then stir it into the rice mixture and mix until the ingredients are well combined. 
4. Add a little butter, to a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a nonstick pan, over a medium heat then add 1/4 cup measures of the mixture, then flatten to form patties.
5. Let them fry for 3-5 minutes or until they’re golden on the first side then flip and let them go an addition 1-2 minutes or so on the second side and serve.

Notes: 

1. See the video above for serving suggestions.  The mini fritters shown at the end of the video are topped with a spicy mayo made by stirring together (2Tbsp mayo, 1 Tsp. sambal sauce, and salt to taste)  and pan seared shrimp that was marinated in (crushed garlic, old bay, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil)
2. Use your own leftover risotto recipes or click on my recipes here:

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Risotto
• Chicken Cauliflower Risotto
• Sweet Potato Risotto

Gluten Free Seriously Sharp Cheddar Rolls

Gluten Free Cheddar Rolls

Beyond these gluten free cheddar rolls being seriously sharp, they’re also seriously simple.  This recipe was actually uploaded by a YouTube channel  called Hatched By Two Chicks that I’ve been subscribed to for a while now.  When I first saw the video I wondered if the bread could work without usinf either xanthan or guar gum to replace the gluten found in regular bread recipes.  After realizing that I had all of the ingredients in the house I decided to give the recipe a try and, boy I’m glad that I did.  These rolls are very cheesy but also very chewy, a quality so often lacking in gluten free breads.  I’m sure that I’ll be making these frequently.  The dough is so easy to work with that I imagine it being able to evolve into new applications only hindered by the imagination.  In the original video the amounts are double what I’ve done in my video because in the original, the bread was being served at a party.  And after testing this recipe, I’d make these for a party any day of the week.

Seriously Sharp Cheddar Rolls

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 23- 25 min (for 50 gram rolls)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. of tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 4 tbsp. butter  
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 8 oz of grated Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar, or whatever other cheese you like  
• 8 tbsp. milk (or enough to form a play-dough-like consistency)

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (or 190 °C)
2. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix the cheese, the tapioca flour, baking powder, butter and eggs to get the mixture somewhat combined.
3. Add enough milk to form a dough that won’t form a ball but will develop a play-dough like consistency and be easy to roll into balls. The original recipe video used almond milk but I used regular milk with good results.  
4. Roll the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  I placed (20) 50 gram balls onto a baking sheet which actually was too many for the pan causing some of them to stick together. 
5. Bake them for 25 minutes if the dough balls are (50 grams) bake then for 15-20 minutes for smaller rolls. 

Notes:  Here’s a link for the original video “GlutenTapioca Cheese Bread” and a link to the HatchedByTwoChicks Youtube channel.

Dirty Irish Potatoes

Dirty Irish Potatoes - Oh Ryan's Irish Potato Copycat with a Twist.

Oh Ryan’s Irish Potatoes have been a tradition here in Philadelphia for over 100 years. Contrary to the name Irish Potatoes are not Irish and contain no potatoes. They are little coconut cream candy centers that’s been rolled in cinnamon so they look like little potatoes. They come out every year just in time for St. Patty's Day, hence the name “Irish Potatoes.”Although I’ve lived in Philadelphia all my life, I grew up in an Italian neighborhood so it wasn’t until high school that I was first introduced to Oh Ryan’s Irish potatoes.

But beyond my classmates packing Oh Ryan’s potatoes in their lunch bags, they all seemed to have a copycat version that they claimed was better than the original. And most of those homemade versions were indeed very tasty but the candy itself is very sweet.

This year I thought I’d tone down some of that sweetness by adding salty chopped almonds and a little cocoa to the coating. The result was a sweet salty crunchy little bite of heaven that fits the sweet salty candy trend quite well. I love these Dirty Irish Potatoes.

 

Dirty Irish Potatoes

Prep time: 20 min

Ingredients for the Centers:

• 4 tbsp. butter softened (1/2 stick)
• 8 oz. cream cheese softened (1/2 block)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 lb. box of confectioner’s sugar
• 2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut (7 oz. by weight)
• ½ cup chopped smoked almonds

Ingredients for the coating

• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 4 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

 

Video Tutorial:

 

 

Instructions 

1. Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth.

2. Add the coconut and chopped almonds and beat until well combined then refrigerate the mixture to make it more workable.

3. For the coating stir together the cocoa, cinnamon and confectioner’s sugar.

4. Form the coconut mixture into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in your hands to smooth the surface then toss into the coating.

5. Drop the coated balls onto a clean plate to remove any excess coating and serve. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator.

Apple Blueberry Crumb Bars - Gluten Free

Gluten Free Apple Blueberry Crumb Bars

These Apple Blueberry Crumb Bars are a gluten free indulgence.  The blueberry apple filling is like winter meeting spring and the buttery sweet crust will have everybody amazed that they’re gluten free.  But crumb bars are not so much about the filling.  Now don’t get me wrong, the filling is fabulous here but I think crumb bars are the quintessential dessert for people the like pie but like the crust just a little bit more than the filling.  

 

Apple Blueberry Crumb Bars

Prep time: 25 min
Bake time: 50-55 min

Ingredients for the Filling

• 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained
• 1 apple peeled and diced
• 1½ cups apple butter
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for the Crust and Crumb Top

• 2 1/2 cups gluten free Bisquick
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold diced butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. cold water 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

 
Ingredients for the Glaze

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 2-4 tbsp. milk or heavy cream

 
Video Tutorial:

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paperNow to make the filling whisk together the apple butter, eggs, heavy cream, brown sugar cinnamon, and vanilla.  Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the blueberries and diced apples and set the bowl aside. 
2. For the crust stir together  the gluten free Bisquick and granulated sugar and once they’re combined add the cold diced butter and using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands cut the butter into the dry mixture until the texture looks like coarse crumbs. 
3. Beat together the eggs, water and vanilla and once you’ve got it pretty well mixed stir it into the crumb mixture until the dough resembles crumbly cookie dough.  Remove 1 loosely packed cup of the dough and set it aside.
4. Dump the remaining dough into the bottom of the prepared pan then using either a spatula or the palms of your hands press it into an even layer.
5. Once you have good coverage, pour over the apple- blueberry mixture and smooth it out a little trying not to disturb the bottom layer.
6. Scatter over small pieces of the reserved dough layer and once you have a pretty even distribution bake it for 50-55 minutes or until the top has a golden color.  Once the bars come out of the oven let them rest for 5 minutes then use a flat metal spatula to go around all the edges of the pan to ensure there will be no sticking later when we remove them from the pan. 
7. Cool the pan for about 2 hours until they reach room temperature before adding the glaze or it will melt into the bars.  For the glaze mix together 1 cup of confectioner’s  with enough milk or heavy cream to get a consistency that drizzles well from your spoon.   Start with 2 tablespoons and add a Tbsp at a time until it looks good.
8. Then either drizzle it onto the bars or pour the glaze into a pastry bag or Ziploc bag like I have here.  If you put the bag into a glass first it makes it easy to get the glaze in there then I twisted the bag and used a twist tie to hold it in place. 
9. Start at one corner and drizzle the glaze back and forth until you get to the opposite corner then you can.  Then you can go the other way if you want for a cross hatched pattern.  Now cover and refrigerate for  about 6 hours or until they’re very well chilled then it’s easy to remove them from the pan, slice them into whatever sizes you want and serve.     

Notes:  If you’re not following a gluten free diet you can replace the gluten free Bisquick in this recipe by stirring together (2 ½ cups of flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt).  If you cut the 9x13 inch rectangle into 30 pieces (or 5 x 6), the bars will fit nicely into standard sized paper cupcake liners for easier serving.