COOKING WITH TODAY SHOW FEATURE CORRESPONDENT MIKE LEONARD
Mike's Ham & Cheese Wraps
Ingredients
- 4 10-inch flour tortillas
- 4 1-ounce slices Black Forest ham
- 8 ¨ö-ounce slices cheddar or Swiss cheese
Ingredients: Optional Fillings
- cooked asparagus spears
- bottled onion marmalade
- salsa
- olive oil
Warm the tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave to soften them. Place 1 slice of ham and 2 slices of cheese on each tortilla and roll up tightly, tucking in the ends.
Optional Fillings: Top ham and cheese wraps with 2 or 3 cooked asparagus spears or 1 tablespoon of onion marmalade or salsa. Roll up as directed.
The wraps may be eaten cold, or heated in the microwave for a few seconds. For a crispy wrap and warm filling, brush each wrap lightly with olive oil. Place the wraps seam-side down in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Turn every minute or so, until they are lightly browned on all sides and heated throughout. Serves 4.
Recipe by Today Show Feature Correspondent Mike Leonard.
Warm Spinach Salad with Parsley Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 ounces baby spinach leaves
Ingredients: Parsley Dressing
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 2 cups fresh parsley, lightly packed
- 3 or 4 green onions, chopped (green tops included)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 to 8 ounces oyster or button mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed and sliced
- 1/2 small lemon
- salt & black pepper
- 4 bacon strips, fried and crumbled
- croutons
Rinse and stem the spinach leaves and drain well. Place the spinach in a large salad bowl.
Parsley Dressing: Pour the sherry vinegar into a blender. Add the parsley, green onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Blend briefly; stop and scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula. Add the water and blend until smooth. While the blender is running, gradually add ¨ö cup of olive oil through the feed tube. Pour the dressing into a small saucepan and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and saut until lightly browned. Squeeze the lemon over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
When ready to serve the salad, heat the Parsley Dressing over medium heat, just until it begins to simmer. Whisk the dressing and pour as much as desired over the spinach leaves. Toss to coat. Add the warm mushrooms and toss again. Divide the salad among 4 to 6 salad plates. Garnish each salad with crumbled bacon and croutons. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Grilled Steaks with Blue Cheese Crust
Ingredients
- 4 beef tenderloin or strip steaks, about 6 to 7 ounces each
- salt & black pepper
- Blue Cheese Topping:
- 2 ounces (about ¨ö cup) Stilton blue cheese, crumbled
- ¨ù cup Panko breadcrumbs*
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill, cover and grill over high heat on a gas grill, or over hot charcoals, until they are nicely browned on the bottoms, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over and place them over indirect heat. Cover and grill for 4 to 6 minutes more, or until an inserted thermometer reaches 130 to 135 degrees for rare to medium rare, or until desired doneness is achieved. Transfer the steaks to a foil-lined baking sheet.
Blue Cheese Topping: In a small bowl toss the crumbled blue cheese and Panko breadcrumbs together to coat the cheese with the crumbs.
Gently press 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cheese topping on the top of each steak. Place the steaks about 6 inches under a pre-heated oven-broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each steak with a pinch of chopped parsley to garnish. Let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
*Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese-style dried breadcrumbs and are available at Asian Markets.
Recipe by Today Show Feature Correspondent Mike Leonard and Jayni Carey.
Orange Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Topping
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 8 to 10 slices premium quality white bread
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 orange, sliced or cut into segments for garnish
Strain the fresh-squeezed orange juice to remove the seeds and pulp and pour it into a small saucepan. Simmer the juice over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the orange juice to room temperature.
Cut the bread slices into 1-inch cubes and measure about 5 cups of bread cubes. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg and 3/4 cup of sugar together until the mixture becomes light yellow in color and ribbons when the whisk is lifted. Whisk in the half & half, reduced orange juice, orange zest, orange-flavored liqueur, vanilla extract and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and stir gently to combine. Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes.
Generously butter an 8 ¨ö x 4 ¨ö x 2 ¨ö -inch loaf pan. Pour the bread mixture in the loaf pan. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with ¨ö teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Place the bread pudding in a 325 degree oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and an inserted wooden skewer or toothpick produces moist crumbs.
Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and ¨ö teaspoon of vanilla extract just until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. When the bread pudding is cool, run a knife around the edges of the loaf pan and, using a large metal spatula, carefully lift the loaf from the pan to a dessert plate or tray. Slice the bread pudding and serve with dollops of whipped cream and garnish with orange slices. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Serves 6.
Recipes for Warm Spinach Salad with Parsley Dressing and Orange Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Topping by Jayni Carey © Copyright, 2006.
