recipes

CONGO BARS

Makes 24

Note: From Sandi Younkin and Kara Younkin Viswanathan of Bars Bakery in St. Paul.

For crust:

• 10 tbsp. (1 stick plus 2 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for pan
• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt

For filling:

• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 1/2 tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1 c. sweetened coconut
• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine 11/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients until a rough dough forms. Pat dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan and bake until lightly browned at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack.

To prepare filling: In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and eggs until combined. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, baking soda and 21/2 tablespoons flour, and mix until combined. Stir in pecans, coconut and chocolate chips. Pour mixture over crust, return pan to oven and bake until set and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Nutrition information per serving

Calories 256 Fat 15 g Sodium 153 mg

Carbohydrates 28 g Saturated fat 7 g Calcium 65 mg

Protein 4 g Cholesterol 42 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 1 other carb, 3 fat

LIMEY DERBY COCKTAIL

Makes 1 cocktail

Note: From Dan Oskey of Joia Soda. "I hadn't really thought much about the name," said Oskey. "But then it just occurred to me that it could be called 'The Limey Derby,' which is funny to me, because it resembles some of my Kentucky Derby-inspired drinks, but with gin instead of bourbon. Hence, 'Limey.' And it has lots of actual lime in it, so I wouldn't think any Brits would get offended." 

• 10 blueberries
• 8 mint leaves
• 1/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• Ice
• 1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire gin
• 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier orange liqueur
• 4 oz. Joia Lime Hibiscus Clove Soda
• Lime wedge, for garnish

Directions

In a 16-oz. mixing glass, muddle blueberries, mint and lime juice. Fill glass halfway with ice and add gin and Grand Marnier. Shake well and pour entire contents into a tall glass. Top with soda, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

Nutrition information per serving

Calories 205 Fat 0 g Sodium 16 mg

Carbohydrates 22 g Saturated fat 0 g Calcium 9 mg

Protein 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 0 g

CARAMELIZED ONION, FIG AND CAMEMBERT TART

Makes 12 small tarts

Note: From Josh Brown of Gather in Minneapolis.

For caramelized onions:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 c. diced onion
• 1/4 tsp. salt

For tarts:

• Butter for pans
• 12 (2-in.) square pieces of puff pastry
• 12 tsp. fig jam
• 12 tsp. caramelized onions
• 12 oz. Camembert cheese, cut in 12 small pieces
• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped rosemary

Directions

To prepare caramelized onions: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

To prepare tarts: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin pan cups. Place a puff pastry square in each muffin cup and press pastry to bottom of cup. Place 1 teaspoon of fig jam on top of each puff pastry, followed by 1 teaspoon caramelized onion and 1 piece Camembert cheese. Sprinkle each pastry with rosemary. Bake until cheese is melted and puff pastry is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool to room temperature, carefully remove from muffin cups and serve.

Nutrition information per serving

Calories 183 Fat 13 g Sodium 325 mg

Carbohydrates 11 g Saturated fat 6 g Calcium 123 mg

Protein 7 g Cholesterol 25 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 other carb, 1 high-fat meat, 1fat

SPRIGHTLY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Serves 4

Note: Mike Ryan and Matthew Bickford, co-owners of Be'wiched Deli in Minneapolis, turned to sous chef Steven Tentis to craft this recipe.

• 1 c. spinach leaves
• 2 lb. asparagus, stems trimmed
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. chopped yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 6 c. vegetable stock, divided
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 c. crème fraîche, for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add spinach and cook until leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Scoop spinach out with a strainer. Drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible nd reserve.

Fill a bowl with ice water. Place asparagus into boiling water and cook until stalks turn bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on thickness of stalks. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus from boiling water to ice water. Remove from water, remove 8 asparagus tips for garnish and reserve.

In a soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion, garlic and thyme and cook until onions sweat, being careful to not allow vegetables to brown. Slowly add 1/4 cup vegetable stock and deglaze pan. Add blanched spinach, blanched asparagus, parsley and remaining 53/4 cups vegetable stock, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, warm cream until it almost reaches a boil. Add cream to boiling soup mixture and remove soup pot from heat. Steep soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a blender on high speed (and working in batches), purée soup mixture until a creamy consistency is reached. Pass puréed soup mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl. Place bowl of soup in an ice bath to stop cooking process and retain maximum color. Serve cool (by chilling soup in refrigerator), at room temperature or hot (by carefully reheating). Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with asparagus tips and crème fraîche.

Nutrition information per serving

Calories 245 Fat 20 g Sodium 290 mg

Carbohydrates 16 g Saturated fat 12 g Calcium 99 mg

Protein 5 g Cholesterol 65 mg Dietary fiber 4 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 vegetable, 4 fat

AL'S BREAKFAST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Makes 10 to 12 pancakes

Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. This recipe first appeared in Taste on Oct. 26, 1994, after Jane and Michael Stern wrote about the Dinkytown institution in the October 1994 edition of Gourmet magazine.

• 3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 4 c. buttermilk, plus additional if necessary
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for buttering grill, divided
• 1 pt. blueberries, picked over and rinsed, optional
• 1 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes but preferably overnight (if batter sits overnight, stir it well before pouring; you may need to thin it with a little more buttermilk). Berries may be stirred into batter at this point, if desired.

Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over surface. Brush grill or skillet with additional melted butter.

Working in batches, pour batter onto griddle or skillet to form pancakes about 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle pancakes with walnuts at this point, if desired.

When most bubbles on top of pancake begin to pop, flip pancakes and cook about 1 minute more. Transfer cooked pancakes to a warm platter. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Nutrition information per each of 12 pancakes

Calories 193 Fat 5 g Sodium 455 mg

Carbohydrates 29 g Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 150 mg

Protein 7 g Cholesterol 47 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch, 1 fat.

MUSHROOM TEMPEH STROGANOFF

Serves 6 to 8

Note: "People don't really seem to know what to do with tempeh," said Brenda Langton of Spoonriver in Minneapolis. "But we're always looking for ways to have more plant-based protein in our diets." From "The Spoonriver Cookbook" by Brenda Langton and Margaret Stuart (University of Minnesota Press, $34.95), with photographs by Mette Nielsen.

For tempeh:

• • 2 tbsp. olive oil
• • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• • 2 tsp. finely minced garlic
• • 2 (8-oz.) tempeh cakes, cubed

For sauce:

• 7 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 red or yellow pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 1/2 lb. assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 3 c. vegetable stock
• 3/4 c. red wine
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fettucine pasta, for serving
• Sour cream with freshly chopped dill, for serving

Directions

To prepare tempeh: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce and garlic. Toss cubed tempeh in marinade, spread tempeh on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve.

To prepare sauce: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté onion until soft. Add garlic, carrots, celery and peppers and sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer vegetables to a bowl and reserve.

Return pot to stove over high heat. Warm 2 more tablespoons olive oil and sauté mushrooms until they brown (you might have to do this in 2 batches, so mushrooms brown rather than sweat in their own juices). Remove from heat and add mushrooms to vegetables.

Return pot to stove over medium heat. Warm remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add flour, stirring constantly, to make a roux, and continue to cook until flour smells nutty and is golden in color.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, combine stock, wine, tomato paste, thyme, cayenne and marjoram, and bring to a boil. Whisk mixture into roux, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add salt and pepper and simmer for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and vegetables.

Prepare fettucine according to directions on package. Serve tempeh and sauce over fettucine, garnish with sour cream and serve.

Nutrition information per serving

Calories 325 Fat 22 g Sodium 366 mg

Carbohydrates 18 g Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 92 mg

Protein 15 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 4 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 other carb, 2 lean meat, 3 fat