Cranberry Cream Cheese Stuffed Steak Recipe

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m sure many of you have turkey on the brain. For those of you who don’t really much care for turkey meat, here’s a steak recipe that still manages to capture some of the flavors of the season. Specifically, I made a cranberry-flavored cream cheese that I stuffed into the steaks. I was inspired by a chicken recipe I recently made with a filling of Granny Smith apples. The only difference is beef doesn't need to marinate overnight. Allow beef to marinate for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. I used my usual meat tenderizer (green papaya paste).

After stuffing the steaks with cranberry cheese filling, I sealed them with twine. I gave them a quick searing and then transferred the steaks to the oven to bring them to a perfect medium-rare. The cranberries bring a hint of tartness to the beef in addition to fitting perfectly on your (non-traditional) Thanksgiving table.

Mushroom Mozzarella Cheese Tart Recipe

My husband Lulu is addicted to anything with puff pastry dough. Because of the horrible windy weather, I decided to prepare my version of (vegetarian) chicken soup for the soul in the form of individual mushroom and mozzarella tartlets accompanied by a bowl of warm corn chowder. It’s the perfect prescription for this cold, gray day.

This savory tartlet consists of 4 layers. First, I baked the puff pastry shells separately in the oven. I cooked the first layer of soy chorizo along with tomato paste and tomato sauce (you could also add ground beef for extra flavor if you don’t need it to be vegetarian). The second is sautéed large button mushrooms in butter and the last one is thick mozzarella slices. The result is spectacular and is really enhanced pairing it with corn soup and garlic cheese bread. You won't be disappointed!

Baby Bella Mushroom Tart Recipe

Making savory tarts doesn't require a specific recipe. The basic dish consists of a puff pastry shell filled with your favorite mixture and topped with vegetables. I had Baby Bella mushrooms on hand, so I made a version using them along with an artichoke pesto.

The pesto is a combination of artichoke hearts, lemon, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. To soften the pesto, I added mascarpone cheese. I topped the tart with the Baby Bella mushrooms and roasted red bell peppers. Cheddar cheese was the finishing touch so the filling formed one piece.

Gorgonzola Pear Pizza Recipe

It's almost the end of grilling season. If you’re looking to make the most of the little sunshine and few warm days we have left, I would suggest making a pizza on your grill. To start the pizza, I grilled flat bread until it almost turned into a cracker. I decided to go with blue cheese and pear flavors, because the two pair incredibly well. I would have used Gorgonzola as a topping but my local market only carried Fourme d'Ambert, which is a raw French blue cheese (equally delicious). I broke the traditional rules for pizza and spread béchamel sauce along with caramelized onions in place of the standard tomato sauce.

This is an easy, light meal and it's a perfect recipe for a warm, summer day. Enjoy!

Apricot Brie Appetizer Recipe

I love French cheeses. This week, I gave myself a treat and bought a wheel of triple cream Brie cheese. This particular cheese has an exquisite flavor and luscious, creamy texture because it is made with heavy cream as the base instead of only milk. I spread the soft, buttery, cheese onto sesame Persian bread and garnished the top with dried apricots and hazelnuts.

Even though the cheese appetizers contain exceptionally high fat content, I enjoyed every single bit. Serving them in small portions also helped me feel a lot less guilty! I just thought to myself, dried fruits are good for you; they're full of fiber, plus they taste delicious with a juicy flavor.  Hopefully they'll counteract the calories of the Brie cheese!