Potted Chicken and Ham

7 oz butter
7 oz Cooked skinless chicken or turkey cut into pieces
3 1/2 oz Cooked ham, cut into pieces
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 fresh bay leaves

To clarify the butter, place it in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat for 3-4 minutes, taking care not to let it brown. Line a sieve with a damp muslin, place over a bowl and pour the butter into the sieve, discarding the milky deposit left in the pan. Leave the strained liquid (clarified butter) to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the chicken or turkey and the ham until fairly smooth in a food processor. Add the pepper, nutmeg, allspice and cayenne to taste and blend until combined. Gradually pour in just under three-quarters of the clarified butter, blending all the time until mixed well.

Spoon the mixture into small dishes or ramekins and tip each with a bay leaf. Pour over the remaining butter to seal, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or overnight...

My very favorite Lemon Meringue Pie recipe

For the crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tblsp shortening or 1/3 cup lard
2 1/2 - 3 tblsp very cold water
In medium bowl, combine flour and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, using a short cutting motion cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Quickly sprinkle ice water, 1 tblsp at a time, over pastry mixture, tossing lightly with fork after each addition and pushing dampened portion to side of bowl; sprinkle only dry portion remaining (pastry should be just moist enough to hold together, not sticky)
Shape pastry into a ball; flatten to 1 inch thickness; refrigerate at least 30 minutes or several hours.
On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 11-inch circle. Fold rolled pastry in half; carefully transfer to 9 inch pie plate, making sure fold is in center. Unfold pastry and fit carefully into pie plate. Do not stretch pastry.

for the pie...
Lemon filling
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tblsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups water
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tblsp grated lemon peel
1 tblsp butter

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Prepare and bake pastry above and cool completely before filling.
Make Lemon Filling: In medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, flour, sugar and salt, mixing will. Gradually add 2 cups water, stirring until smooth.
Over medium heat, bring to boiling, stirring occasionally; boil 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Quickly stir some of the hot mixture into the egg yolks then return mixture to hot mixture; stir to blend. Return to heat; cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel and butter. Pour into pie shell.

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Make Meringue: In medium bowl, with portable electric mixer at medium speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tblsp at a time, beating after each addition. Then beat at high speed until stiff peaks form when beaters are slowly raised. Spread over Lemon ?Filling, carefully sealing to the edge of the crust and swirling top decoratively.
Bake 7-9 Minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Let pie cool completely on wire rack 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Refrigerate left overs. serves 8

Glamorgan Sausages

3 1/2 oz Potato
Salt and pepper to taste
3 1/2 oz white bread crumbs
5 oz Lancashire or Caerphilly Cheese, grated
1 small leek, finely chopped
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 medium egg, plus 3 egg yolks
3 tblsp plain flour
Oil for frying
Cook the potato in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes, until tender.  Drain well, mash, then leave to cool for 15 minutes.  Mix the cold mash with half the breadcrumbs, the cheese, leek, sage and parsley.  Season with salt, pepper and cayenne and the yolks.  Using your hands, shape into 12 sausages.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Season the flour.  Beat the whole egg.  Dip the sausages into the seasoned flour, then into the beaten egg, then coat in the remaining bread crumbs.  Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large frying pan and fry half the sausages, turning, for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Drain on kitchen towels and keep warm while you cook the rest.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Mix the water and sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a medium brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Watch it carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Stand back to avoid splattering, and gradually add the cream and the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean (or vanilla extract). Simmer until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Serve warm, or add another 1/4 cup of heavy cream and serve room temperature.
There were complaints about this recipe....I made it following the instructions exactly except I added a pinch of salt. I am not sure if it gets thicker as it cools but I was wanting a thick caramel sauce for the mini pumpkin cheese cakes. If it stays thin more like something for ice cream then I would decrease the heavy cream to one cup.
Update: The sauce was thick enough so no alterations need to be made to this recipe other than the pinch of salt.

Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor

1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

3 Caramel Sauce recipe on this blog

12 Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined.  Spoon into12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat.  Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

2.  In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese,  sugar and pumpkin until smooth.  Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined.  Pour evenly into the 12 cups filling about 3/4 way full.  Spoon about a teaspoon of caramel into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently.  Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through.  Let cool completely.

3.  Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of remaining caramel and a Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

12 mini cheesecakes

Found recipe here:

http://picky-palate.com/2009/09/17/black-bottomed-mini-caramel-pumpkin-cheesecake-bites/