Lady Aurora Hellstormm's blog: "Food Recipes"

High Tea Lemon Cookies 2 cups butter, room temperature* 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups cornstarch (yes, this is correct!) Lemon Frosting * Very important that you use room temperature butter (not softened or melted). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract; beat well. Add flour and cornstarch into butter mixture and beat well until well mixed. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from oven, carefully remove from baking sheet, and cool on wire racks (when warm the cookies are delicate). When cool, spread Lemon Frosting onto top of cookies. Yields 6 dozen cookies.

LEMON SORBET: 1/3 cup lemon zest - you'll need 3 to 5 additional lemons 1 cup strained fresh lemon juice - from lemons used for cups 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups water In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Add lemon zest. Stir until mixture comes to a boil; boil 2 minute. Remove from heat, cool, and strain. Pour cooled mixture into a shallow container, cover, and freeze overnight. Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions. Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time. NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen. Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Sorbet in Lemon Shells LEMON CUPS: 8 lemons - You'll need one lemon per person. Make sure the end (not the stem end) has a nice shaped "bump" and try to purchase uniform lemons.) Cut off the top 1/3 of the lemon (not the stem end) and reserve for the "cap." Hollow out each lemon by using a grapefruit knife (the angled blade keeps you from puncturing the bottom and you can also cut underneath the center of the fruit) just inside the rind and circling the flesh (being careful not to puncture the lemon). Remove juice and flesh and put it in your juicer. Make a slight shallow cut on the bottom of each lemon shells (being careful not to cut through to the inside of the lemon). This will make them sit straight and not fall over when placed on a plate. Freeze the shells at least one hour or overnight. Then fill with sorbet and freeze again. this sorbet can be made ahead and will keep several days in the freezer. The frozen shell will prevent the sorbet from melting too quickly when you serve it.

Asparagus Parmigiana This is my favorite way to prepare and serve fresh asparagus. It is so simple and so good! You may substitute broccoli as well !! 2 pounds asparagus stalks, washed and trimmed Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese chunk Extra-virgin olive oil Coarse kosher or sea salt Coarsely ground black pepper Use a vegetable peeler, shave curls off the chunk of Parmesan-Reggiano cheese; set aside. Blanch the asparagus in lightly salted boiliing water for about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; do not overcook. Remove from heat and refresh under cold water; drain well. Toss asparagus with enough olive oil to lightly coat. Arrange asparagus on serving platter or individual serving plates. Sprinkle coarse salt, pepper, and cheese curls over the top of the asparagus. Makes 4 servings.

SAVORY MUSTARD SAUCE: 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons ground mustard 1 teaspoon cornstarch 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 tablespoon cider vinegar In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, ground mustard, and cornstarch. Stir in corn syrup and cider vinegar; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Salt-Crusted Mini Potatoes 20 small red-skinned potatoes (if too large, cut in halves or quarters) Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons coarse salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and dry potatoes with a towel. If using whole potatoes, prick potatoes with a fork. Rub potato skins with olive oil. Place coarse salt onto a small plate. Roll potatoes lightly in the salt. Place potatoes on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake approximately 35 to 45 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Petite Pork Roast 1 (2-pound) pork tenderloin roast 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 2 tablespoons caraway seeds Savory Mustard Sauce Trim fat from pork roast. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and ground mustard. Using your fingers, rub the soy mixture onto the roast. On a piece of wax paper, combine fennel seeds and caraway seeds; roll roast in seeds to coat evenly. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap roast. Place fat side up onto a rack in a shallow baking pan. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of the roast. Bake, uncovered, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and transfer onto a cutting board; let roast stand 15 minutes before carving. Transfer onto a serving platter and serve with Savory Mustard Sauce. Makes 4 servings.

GOAT CHEESE CROUTONS: 1 pound medium-soft goat cheese logs 3 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil Cut the goat cheese into eight 1/2-inch slices. (Tip: Use dental floss to slice the cheese logs cleanly.) Cut the thawed phyllo into long, thin strips (chiffonade). NOTE: A pasta machine cutter works well and makes uniform sizes. Wrap each goat cheese round in a nest of phyllo strips (they should look a lot like shredded wheat). Place them on lightly oiled baking sheet; set aside. (NOTE: the croutons may be refrigerated, covered, at this point for 1 hour). When ready to use, preheat broiler. Brush the phyllo/goat cheese rounds with olive oil. Place under broiler in oven until lightly browned; turn them over and brown the other side. Remove from oven and transfer to the individual salads with a spatula.

Mixed Greens with Caramelized Pears and Walnuts A fantastic, refreshing salad! 1/2 cup walnuts (pecans, hazelnuts, etc. may be substituted) 2 firm pears 2 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons white wine 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/2 cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste 6 to 8 cups mixed baby salad greens, washed and spun dry Goat Cheese Croutons Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, lightly toast nuts; remove from oven and let cool. Peel and core the pears, then cut into 1/2" dice. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced pears and sugar; saute, stirring frequently, until the pears start to caramelize a bit, then add the white wine and continue cooking until the pears are just glazed. Remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the rice vinegar, wine vinegar, walnut or olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper; set aside. Toss the greens with the dressing and distribute among eight individual serving plates. Spoon the caramelized pears and walnuts around the outside of the greens. Place the warm Goat Cheese Croutons on the center of the greens and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Shrimp Cheese Ball This is also excellent as a sandwich spread. 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature 1 (6-ounce) can shrimp, drained and rinsed 1 (6-ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped Seasoning salt to taste Lemon juice to taste 3 small green onions, finely chopped Chopped nuts Chopped fresh parsley Assorted crackers In a large bowl, mash cream cheese with a fork. Add shrimp, black olives, seasoning salt, lemon juice, and green onions; stir until well blended. With your hands, form cheese mixture into a large ball. In a small bowl, combine nuts and parsley; roll cheese ball in nut mixture to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with assorted crackers. Yields 1 ball.

Baked Cheese Olives 1/2 cup butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (your favorite) 40 large green olives, with pimento In a medium-size bowl, cream butter. Mix in flour, cheese, paprika, cumin, and hot sauce. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least an hour (can be made ahead a day ahead). Dry olives on paper towels. With a ball of cheese mixture that is close in size to the olive, flatten the cheese mixture in your palm, plop the olive in the center, work the mixture up around the olive, and then very gently roll it around between your palms. Make sure the cheese mixture completely seals in the olive. Repeat with remaining olives. Place the cheese-wrapped olives on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen. Once frozen, you can store in resealable plastic bags in the freezer until you are read to bake them. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If you are planning to bake immediately, place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Prior to baking, remove olive from the freezer and allow to stand at room temperature for approximately 15 minute (while the oven is heating). Place olives on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to slightly warm. Serve at room temperature to slightly warm. Makes 40 olive balls.