What We're Cooking Now!

Kelley's Pot Roast

2011-12-15T10:07:00.001-08:00

My recipe is similar to cooks illustrated. I think it is important to brown the pot roast prior to putting in the oven as caramelizing the meat helps gives it great flavor! It is a large piece of meat, so I salt and pepper it generously...which I think helps as well. Don’t be afraid to turn the heat up when you’re browning the roast! Be fearless! :)

Ingredients

1-2 TBS canola oil (vegetable or olive oil are fine too)
1 (3-4 pounds) boneless chuck roast, trimmed (you can use any type of roast, really)
1-2 coarsely chopped onions
1 coarsely chopped carrot
1 coarsely chopped celery stalk
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup red wine
2 cups organic chicken broth (or homemade chicken or beef stock)
1 1/2 cups water
2 sprigs thyme or 1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 pounds Yukon gold (or Russet) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pounds carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks (peeled if you desire a more “pretty” presentation)
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325º.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Trim and dry the chuck roast (drying keeps the roast from spitting at you while it’s browning). Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Add roast to pan, turning to brown on all sides; about 10 minutes.

Add onion, carrots, and celery to pan; sauté 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sugar, and cook a minute longer.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, broth, water, until the liquid reaches halfway up the side fo the roast. Add the thyme or rosemary, and bay leaf and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the pot and bake at 300° for 2 hours or until the roast is almost tender, turning the roast half way through.

Add additional carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour plus (or until vegetables are tender).

Remove thyme or rosemary sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Gently pull apart meat with 2 forks. Serve roast and vegetables with cooking liquid (as gravy). Garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Madeleines From Dax

2011-12-14T10:30:00.001-08:00

Madeleines From Dax

Makes about 18 3-inch cakes or 24 2-inch cakes

Begin 1 day in advance!

2 “large” eggs
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 ½ teaspoons orange flower water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ½ tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
5 ½ tablespoons cake flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons clarified butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter

1. 1 DAY IN ADVANCE, in a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, salt, and sugar. Beat with a whisk until thick and light. Add the orange flour water and the vanilla extract; whisk to combine.

2. Sift the fours with the baking powder. Gradually stir into the egg-sugar mixture. Do not overbeat. Add the butter and the cream; stir gently until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in the refrigerator overnight.

3. THE FOLLOWING DAY, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

4. Coat the ridged hollows of the Madeleine pan with softened butter using a pastry brush (it is not necessary to dust with flour). Use a teaspoon and a small spatula to barely fill each hollow with batter – about two thirds full. Tap the mold on the table to allow batter to settle (it is not necessary to smooth the surface or fill the bottom of each hollow).

5. Bake on upper middle oven rack for 5 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake 7-10 minutes longer.

6. When the madeleines are golden and just turning brown around the edges, remove from oven. Use the tip of a knife at the base of each to turn out onto wire racks to cool. Serve warm and freshly baked with fruit compotes, sorbets, and granitas. Leftover madeleines may be stored in an airtight tin and reheated gently before serving.

California Cioppino

2011-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

California Cioppino
From San Francisco a la Carte
The Junior League of San Francisco

Serves 8

2 freshly cooked whole Dungeness crabs, approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds each
24 clams, well scrubbed
3 cups white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or ½ teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon fresh basil (or ½ teaspoon dried)
2 pounds fresh white fish such as sea bass, rock cod, halibut, ling cod, cut into large pieces
¾ pound scallops
¾ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Remove the legs and claws from the crab and break the body in half, reserving as much of the soft, mustard colored center (“crab butter”) as possible. Set crab pieces aside and force the crab butter through a sieve into a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the clams in a pan, add 1 cup of wine and steam, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes (or until the clams open). Remove clams, discarding any that do not open. Strain the stock through cheesecloth and reserve.

In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 3 minutes (or until the vegetables start to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining 2 cups of wine, pepper, herbs, and clam stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fish, scallops, shrimp, crab, and crab butter. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until the seafood is cooked. Do not stir! Add the clams and heat for a scant 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately from the cooking pot.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

2011-11-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

Serves 4

Small shells can be substituted for the elbows. Pre-shredded cheese works just fine here.

3 ½ cups water, plus more as needed.
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
12 ounces elbow macaroni (3 cups)
salt and ground black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp Franks Red Hot
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 TBS unsalted butter

1. Simmer Macaroni: Bring water, 1 cup evaporated milk, macaroni, and ½ tsp salt to simmer in a 12 inch non-stick skillet (over high heat), stirring often until macaroni is tender; 8-10 minutes.

2. Thicken and Flavor Sauce: Whisk Remaining ½ cup evaporated milk, cornstarch, mustard, and Franks Red Hot together, then stir into skillet. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

3. Add Cheese: Off heat, stir in cheeses, one handful at a time, adding additional water as needed to adjust sauce consistency. Stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve!

Add ins – with the cornstarch, you can also add:
• diced ham and peas
• Rotel, drained
• frozen broccoli florets
• browned and thinly sliced kielbasa and 1 TBS whole-grain brown mustard

Sam's Sandwich

2011-11-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

I adore these sandwiches - a thing of the past for me now as I live far far away from Burlingame. If you want to attempt one at home, here's what's in it!

Mortadella, Ham, Chopped Ham, White American Cheese, Cooked Salami & Dry Salami topped with Mayo, Mustard, Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato & Italian Dressing.

This sandwich must be built, of course, on crusty, good-quality french bread!

Wish I could have one right now!

Peach Fuzz - Frozen Concoction

2011-10-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
3 large, ripe peaches
3/4 Cup sugar (more/less to taste)
2 Cans of frozen lemonade concentrate
1 3/4 Can (use lemonade can) of your favorite vodka or rum

Instructions:
1. Peel peaches. Remove and discard pits.
2. Cut into large chunks.
3. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and pulverize.
4. You can create the mix ahead of time, so when you are ready, combine half of the peach mixture and fill the blender up halfway with ice. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Peach Bellini (Maggiano's Style)

2011-10-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS
¾ oz. Absolut Raspberri
1 oz. Champagne
1 oz. Peach Puree

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Fill Martini glass with ice and pour ice into blender.
2. Add ¾ oz. of Absolut Raspberri, 1 oz. Champagne and 1 oz. Peach Puree.
3. Blend.
5. Pour blended mix carefully into glass and enjoy!

Easy Pina Coladas

2011-10-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

2-3 ounces light rum
4 ounces Master of Mixes Piña Colada Mix

Blend with crushed ice until smooth!

The Master of Mixes brand is the best mix...even better than a scratch recipe...and what's even better is it's lower in fat and calories than making them with actual cream of coconut, which is messy to work with! This mix available at Wal-Mart...it's easy to find.

Easy Margaritas!

2011-10-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

1/2 can (3 oz) frozen limeade concentrate
3 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec

Blend with crushed ice until smooth!

If you add a half oz of OJ to the original recipe, it's even better. Plus, it never hurts to add the juice of a lemon or lime as it's blending. You can even do a half oz of Chambord or Grand Marnier "float" after you've poured them (Chambord is delish!!). Or, add some fresh or frozen fruit to the original recipe and make fruit margaritas. If you don't have fruit but have some flavored liquors, throw some in (sour apple pucker is very popular right now). Easy recipe to work with...the variations are endless!

Italian Dressing and Salad (Olive Garden Style)

2011-10-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

My husband loves the salad at Olive Garden! Be sure to chill the salad and serving bowls and forks thoroughly before serving.

FOR THE DRESSING:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing (Wishbone)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (Kraft)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, raw (you can also use Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup oil

Preparation:
Blend dressing, cheese, sugar and egg in blender on high speed 1/2 minute or until smooth. Pour this mixture into the top of a double boiler and add oil. Stir gently with a whisk over gently boiling water until it begins to thicken and egg is completely cooked. Chill several hours or overnight before using. If the dressing is too thick, add more Italian dressing as needed.

FOR THE SALAD:

Ingredients:
10-ounce bag American salad blend
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 small pepperoncini, lightly dried
1 small vine-ripened tomato, quartered
2-3 whole black olives
1/2 cup large croutons
2-4 tablespoons grated Romano cheese, to taste

Preparation:
Toss salad, onion, pepperoncini, tomato and olives in a chilled salad bowl. Right before serving, add croutons and toss with Italian dressing (to taste). Sprinkle cheese over top and serve immediately!

Zuppa Toscano (Olive Garden Style)

2011-10-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

My husband loves this soup from the Olive Garden. Here is a similar version you can make at home!

Makes: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 lbs ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 large white onion, diced
4 Tbsp bacon, chopped
2 tsp garlic, smashed
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes (clean potatoes thoroughly and leave the skin on)
¼ of a bunch of kale, torn into medium size pieces

Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, and refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions, and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it comes to a boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

Stir in the sausage, kale and cream, and heat until gently simmering and hot (do not let soup boil after you add the cream). Serve immediately!

Kelley's Favorite Pie Crust

2011-09-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Pie Dough - makes enough for 2 crusts...

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour , plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
11 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch cubes
7 tablespoons vegetable shortening , chilled
1/3 cup water , chilled with ice, increasing up to 3/8 cup, if needed

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue to cut it in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon of remaining ice water if dough does not come together. Divide dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten each into 4-inch-wide disk. Dust lightly with flour, wrap separately in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.

4. Roll dough disks on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer and fit dough into 9-inch Pyrex pie pan, leaving dough that overhangs the lip in place.

This pie crust bakes best in a 400 degree oven for 25 min; if longer cooking time is needed, reduce oven to 350 after 25 min and bake until done!

Cowboy Burgers

2011-09-18T13:07:00.001-07:00

1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup diced jalapeno (you can use banana peppers if you want less spice)
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I use the mexican blend)
2 -3 pieces bacon (can use real bacon pieces in a pinch)
1 tablespoon andouille seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns

1 Cook bacon and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
2 Mix all ingredients, except buns of course, in a large bowl.
3 Form into four 1/4 lb patties.
4 Grill until cooked to your preferred doneness.
5 Place on buns and enjoy!

Tanya's Broccoli Salad

2011-09-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites!

Baked Corn Tortilla Cups

2011-09-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Lightly spray or oil 6-inch corn tortillas. Press each into an oversized muffin pan. Bake at 450 degrees until slightly crisp and starting to color.

Fresh Grape Tomato Sauce

2011-09-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

4-5 cups grape tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup white vermouth
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat oil in medium sized sauté pan. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for a few minutes until they start to color. Add grape tomatoes and vermouth, and salt. Cover and simmer for about twenty minutes. Remove lid and smash down with a potato mashed. Cook uncovered until desired thickness is reached.

Crock-navy beans

2011-09-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

1 pound small white Navy beans, rinsed
1 large sweet onion, medium dice
8 cloves garlic, peeled

Put beans, onion, and garlic in a 4 quart crock pot. Fill to about two-thirds with cold water. Put lid on and cook on high for about 6 to 8 hours. If beans seem too dry, add a little water. If beans seem to wet, cook with lid of for a while until desired consistency is reached.

These beans will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days. I sprinkle on a little kosher salt when eating them. They taste a lot like baked beans.

Veggie Patch Mediterranean Spinach & Chickpea Patties

2011-08-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Dirty Martinis

2011-08-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

2 ounces frozen vodka

1 ounce dry vermouth (Noilly Prat brand, please)

Splash of Mezzetta Bleu Cheese stuffed olives juice

Shake over ice and serve neat with an olive.

Strict limit: 4 per person

Golden Corn Cakes with Critus Greens

2011-08-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 1/4 cups corn kernels, cut from 1-2 ears of corn
1 large shallot, diced fine (about 3 tablespoons)
1 jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly smashed
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for frying
3 eggs, separated
4 cups arugula
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup sour cream

1. In a large bowl mix polenta with corn, shallots, jalapeño, cumin, salt and pepper. Add yogurt, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 egg yolk (discard the other 2 yolks). Mix well with a fork.

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully fold whites into corn batter in two stages. Let rest 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make dressing. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Set a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1 teaspoon olive oil. Once hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of batter per cake into pan. Repeat until pan is full. Cook cakes 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook 1 minute longer, or until golden. Transfer to paper-lined tray. Yield about 16 cakes.

5. Toss arugula with cilantro. Add dressing and toss again. Season to taste. Serve corn cakes with a spoonful of sour cream alongside greens. If serving as an hors d'oeuvre, scatter cilantro over cakes before serving.

Dirty Martinis with Mezzetta Bleu Cheese olives made a great accompaniment. Yum!

Hard Eight Cornbread Salad

2011-07-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

One of my fav. BBQ placed in DFW serves this dish and its great. Well last time I was in talked to the manager and he gave me the recipe so figured I would share. Its really good stuff.

Hard 8 BBQ cornbread Salad.

2 pkgs sweet cornbread mix, prepared, and crumbled
1 lg. tomato, seeded and diced
4 - 6 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 c minced red onion
1/4 c sliced green onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Approximately 2T Miracle Whip (I like a little more, but just do it to taste)

Combine first 6 ingredients. Add mayo sparingly. Cornbread should be crumbly, not stuck together! Add salt a d pepper to taste. Refrigerate before serving.

Thai Noodle Salad

2011-07-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

Recipe By :The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:10
Categories : McDougall

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 10 oz pkg Chinese noodles
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon ground fresh chile paste
1 dash sesame oil -- (optional)
3/4 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles. Cook until tender,
about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to separate the noodles. Pour into a
colander and rinse with cold water.

Combine the remaining ingredients, except the carrot and cilantro, in a large
bowl. Stir to mix and dissolve the sugar. Add the noodles, carrot, and
cilantro. Toss to mix. Serve immediately or chill up to 4 hours.

Cucumber Salad with Olives, Oregano, and Almonds

2011-06-06T06:22:00.001-07:00

Serves 4 to 6 .

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We started our Cucumber Salad recipe by selecting American cucumbers, which are crunchier than their English cousins. Draining the thinly sliced cucumbers on paper towels helped to wick away some of their moisture...

This salad is best served within one hour of being dressed.

INGREDIENTS
4 cucumbers , peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced very thin
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives , chopped coarse
1 shallot , sliced very thin
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
3 tablespoons sliced almonds , toasted and chopped coarse

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Evenly spread cucumber slices on paper towel–lined baking sheet. Refrigerate while preparing dressing.
2. Bring vinegar to simmer in saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer vinegar to bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. When ready to serve, add cucumbers, olives, shallot, parsley, and oregano to dressing and toss to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes; retoss, sprinkle with almonds, and serve.

Fernanda Gerhardt's Martini Prawns

2011-02-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
24 medium-large prawns, peeled and deveined
1 egg white
1/4 cup cornstarch
julienned carrots (about 2 bags)

Sauce:
3 T sugar
1 T orange juice
1 T water
1 T white vinegar
7 T mayonnaise
1 t Japanese 7 flavor chili powder
2 T Vietnamese garlic chili paste
1 T tobiko

Preparation:
Defrost the shrimp, if necessary, and pat dry.
Beat the whites of the egg, and add a little salt and pepper.
Blanch carrots in boiling water for a few minutes and drain.
Put the blanched carrots in the bottom of a martini glass, adding a spoonful of sauce to each glass.
Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and deep fry in oil (canola or peanut) in small batches until done (1 to 2 minutes in a deep fryer).
Once the prawns are cooked, coat them with the sauce (if you are making several batches, keep them warm in the oven).
Top the carrots and sauce with the cooked, sauced pawns.

You can also serve them family style on a large platter of blanched carrots.

Mushroom En Croute

2011-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine using a food processor
1 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2cup)
1 TBS fresh thyme

Directions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat 1 egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

Mix the mushrooms. stuffing, remaining egg, onion and thyme in a large bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut slits 1-inch apart from the outer edge to the fold mark on each side of the pastry sheet. Spoon the mushroom mixture down the center of the pastry. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the mushroom mixture, alternating sides, to cover the mushroom mixture. Place the pastry onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the mushroom mixture is cooked through. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Tip: Serves 8 as an appetizer.

Sausage En Croute

2011-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (reduced fat works well)
1 cup Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup chopped mushroom (about 3 ounces)

Directions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat 1 egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

Mix the sausage, stuffing, remaining egg, onion and mushrooms in a large bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut slits 1-inch apart from the outer edge to the fold mark on each side of the pastry sheet. Spoon the sausage mixture down the center of the pastry. Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the sausage mixture, alternating sides, to cover the sausage mixture. Place the pastry onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Tip: Serves 8 as an appetizer.

Caramel Corn

2010-12-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

7 quarts plain popped popcorn
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup salted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.

Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Blini with Caviar

2010-11-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Makes 4 dozen

To make the blini:
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (or one ¼ oz envelope)
½ cup warm water
1 cup all-purpose flour
coarse salt
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tbs unsalted butter, melted (plus more for the pan)
½ tsp sugar
2 large eggs, separated

Garnish:
Serve with a dab of crème fraiche and a spoonful of caviar! These can also be served with melted butter, sour cream, smoked fish, and if you wish, strawberry jam.

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together flour and ½ tsp plus a pinch of salt.

In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk, butter, sugar, and egg yolks; whisk in yeast mixture, then flour mixture. Let stand, covered in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with a thin layer of butter. Add a scant tablespoon batter for each blin (about 6-7 per skillet) and cook, flipping after bubbles appear at the edges and the color turns golden, 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray, and let cool for 30 minutes.

Garnish with crème fraiche and caviar.

Make ahead: Blini can be refrigerated for up to 2 days . Warm in a low-temperature oven before serving.

Croustillants (Cheese Crackers)

2010-11-22T06:54:00.001-08:00

Serves 6

2 cups (250 g) shredded Comte or Gruyere cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup (155 g) all-purpose flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
2-3 tbs chopped chives
coarse sea salt

In a food processor, combine cheeses, butter, flour, and cayenne pepper. Process until well combined and crumbly (40-60 seconds).

Transfer mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 2 inches in diameter and 6-7 inches long. Roll the log in the plastic wrap , patting it while you work, so that it forms a smooth, even shape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or for up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the dough and slice into rounds about ¼ inch thick. Arrange on 2 ungreased baking sheets, preferably nonstick, spacing the rounds about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle evenly with chives and then with a little salt.

Bake the crackers, 1 sheet at a time, until they are a light golden brown – 10-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. For crispier crackers, bake for up to 3 minutes longer, but do not let the edges brown or the crackers will taste bitter.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately with a light, spicy red wine or with a kir (crème de cassis with dry white wine in a champagne glass; you can also make a kir royal by replacing the white wine with champagne).

Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese Appetizer

2010-11-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing figs with the goat cheese and walnuts appetizer last night (at Eno's in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas); I’m feeling inspired! This recipe is from one of my favorite chefs...David Lebovitz. You could do this as an amazing appetizer for Thanksgiving; just cut the tops off and leave the figs whole while baking (which will increase the oven time a little). When finished baking, let the figs cool a little. Then, simply use a melon-baller or a small spoon to scoop out a small bit of the fig on top (reserve for another use, or eat right away). Tuck a little goat cheese into the top of each fig, and finish by pressing a whole or some chopped walnuts on top! Serve warm!

Roasted Figs

serves 6-8

Use a baking dish or pan that will allow you to bake the figs in a single layer. One that is 2 quarts (2l) should do it. Depending on where you live, fresh fig season is near the end of summer and mid-autumn and the best place to find fresh figs is at a farmers market.

1 pound (450g) fresh figs
4-6 branches fresh thyme
2 tablespoons liquor, such as Chartreuse, Pernod, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
three 1-inch (3cm) strips of fresh lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

2. Slice the touch stem end off the figs and slice each in half lengthwise.

3. Toss the figs in a large baking dish with the thyme, liquor, brown sugar, honey, and lemon zest. Turn the figs so that they are all cut side down in the baking dish, in a single layer.

4. For figs that are softer and juicier, cover the baking dish snugly with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the figs are softened and cooked through.

For figs that are firmer, with less liquid, roast them in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

5. When done, remove the baking dish from oven, lift off the foil, and let the figs cool completely.

Variation: For more savory figs, replace the liquor with one or two tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar.

Storage: Roasted figs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Shirley Schmidt's Shrimp Cocktail

2010-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Cooked and peeled large shrimp, cut into bite sized pieces celery, minced to a medium dice

Mix with a cocktail sauce composed of:

Heinz Chili Sauce

Heinz Cocktail Sauce

Fresh, prepared horseradish

Lea and Perins Worcesterhire sauce

Ruth Schmidt's Hash

2010-11-20T09:41:00.000-08:00

2 cups yellow onions, ground (or chopped very fine in a food processor)

4 cups raw Russet potatoes, peeled and ground (or chopped very fine in a food processor)

4 cups cooked leftover pot roast, ground (or chopped very fine in a food processor)

2 plus cups gravy (you can use a McCormick package or a can of beef gravy if you don't have enough.

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a large rectangular casserole at 400º for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

2010-11-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

1 ½ cups whole milk
225 grams sugar
pinch of salt
15 sticks cinnamon, broken up
3 cups heavy cream
8 egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 ½ cups cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, remove from heat and cover; let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Re-warm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard.

Pour remaining 1 ½ cups cream into a large bowl and set a strainer on top. Also, prepare an ice bath that you can set the bowl with cream into.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then, pour back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour the custard through a chinoise or strainer lined with cheesecloth into the cream. Place the bowl into the ice bath and stir until cool.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator; then, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes 10-12 medium servings or about 1 ½ quarts.

Apple Crostata

2010-11-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

This dessert is so easy! And, it looks impressive! It was an absolute hit at my last dinner party, and I will be making this from now on instead of apple pie!

Ingredients

For the pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions
For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper; transfer to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve warm with homemade cinnamon ice cream!

Serves 6-8

Note: If doubling the recipe, two tarts will fit side-by-side on one large baking sheet! Keep an eye on the top of the tart as it bakes; it may brown too quickly and need to be loosely covered with foil before it’s done.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock (using a whole chicken)

2010-11-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

The pressure cooker produces a full-bodied stock in one-third the usual time because it quickly draws the gelatin out of the bones!

1 whole chicken
4 cups water
1 large onion, quartered (no need to peel)
a few leek greens (optional)
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 rib celery, cut into chunks
2 large bay leaves
¼ tsp whole black peppercorns
1 small handful fresh parsley

Set a whole chicken in the pressure cooker, breast side up with 2 cups water and remaining ingredients, with the exception of the parsley. Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure. Allow pressure to come down naturally. Remove chicken, carve off meat, and reserve for another use. Return bones to the cooker, add parsley and 2 additional cups of water. Cook for an additional 20 minutes on high pressure.

Allow broth to cool. Strain into a storage container, pressing the solids to release all the liquid into the container. Chill; then remove congealed fat. Refrigerate and use within 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

Makes 4 cups cooked chicken and 1 quart of stock.

Ruth Schmidt's Sweet Relish

2010-09-16T07:27:00.002-07:00

Grind:

4 cups cabbage

4 cups onions

4 cups green tomatoes

Cover with 1/2 cup salt and water.

Let stand overnight.

Drain and add:

Grind: 12 green peppers and 6 red peppers.

Make syrup:

4 cups vinegar

2 cups water

6 cups sugar

2 tablespoon mustard seed

1 tablespoon celery seed

1/2 tablespoon tumeric

Add vegetables and bring to a boil.

Put in jars and seal.

Ruth Schmidt's Fourteen Day Pickles

2010-09-16T07:27:00.001-07:00

2 gallons cukes split lengthwise no matter how small.

Pour over them 1 gallon salt water--1 pint salt to gallon of water.

Let stand 7 days then drain and cover with boiling water 24 hours.

Drain and cover with 1 gallon water to which you add 1 tablespoon alum--let stand 24 hours. Drain.

Take 2 1/2 gallons vinegar--8 cups sugar00and a handful of mixed spices and boil 5 minutes and pour this over boiling hot.

Let stand 24 hours each day for 4 days--reheat and pour over each day--on last day bring to boil and pour over picks and seal in jars.

Ruth Schmidt's Dill Pickles

2010-09-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

For six or seven quarts

1 quart vinegar

3 quarts water

1/2 cup salt

Heat to boiling and pour over cukes in jars. Add dill and seal.

Ruth Schmidt Blue Cheese Dressing

2010-09-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

1 pint mayonnaise
1 pint sour cream
1/4 cup chives
2 teaspoon worchester sauce
2 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon tabasco
1/2 pount blue cheese crumbles

Ruth Schmidt's Fried Potatoes

2010-08-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

Ruth loves this dish, especially when there made with freshly dug Hutterite new potatoes.

Boil small new potatoes until done. Peel and slice into thirds. Fried over medium heat in a little butter until golden on each side.

Ruth Schmidt's Macaroni and Tomatoes

2010-08-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of Ruth's favorites. It makes a simple but tasty meal or side dish.

Cook 1/2 pound of macaroni and drain. Place in a bowl and stir in two 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and mix well.

Vodka Penne

2010-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

from Veganomicon

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Preheat a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the saucepan and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add the crushed red tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cover, and turn the heat up a bit to bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.

Once the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the almonds. Use an immersion blender to blend the almonds into the sauce until creamy and only slightly grainy. The pasta should be done by now, so drain and set aside. Add the basil to the sauce, and mix the sauce and pasta together in the pot. Serve, garnished with a little extra chopped basil.

Number of Servings: 4

Ruth Schmidt's Stewed Chicken and Dumplings (Pressure Cooker)

2010-08-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ruth really enjoys these dumplings. If If you own a modern pressure cooker, cook the chicken at full pressure but leave the lid unlocked for the dumplings (the dumplings are just steamed not pressure cooked). This recipe comes from an old Presto Pressure Cooker booklet. I found the exact same recipe for the steamed dumplings here.

4 lbs. chicken

2 cups water

1 can chicken broth

Salt and pepper

1 stalk celery

1 tbsp. parsley, minced

Method: cut chicken into serving pieces. Place in cooker with water, broth, salt, pepper and celery stalk. Place cover on coker. Allow steam to flow from vent pipe to release all air from cooker. Put indicator weight on vent pipe and cook 20 minutes with stem at coom position. Let stem return to down position. Remove celery stalk. Garnish with parsley.

Steamed Dumplings

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup milk

2 tbsp. melted fat or salad oil

Method: Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Combine egg, milk and oil and add to dry

ingredients to make soft dough. Drop from teaspoon into stew. Stew should have 3 cups of liquid (add boiling water if necessary). Place cover on cooker without indicator weight and steam 15 minutes. Serve at once.

Ruth Schmidt's Ice Cream

2010-08-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

3 cups milk

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp. flour

3 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups cream

Mix flour and milk to paste. Combine with 2 cups milk, sugar, and bring to boil. Boil 3 minutes.

Add light beaten egg yolks slowly. Put through a strainer. Stir in egg whites, remaining milk, and cream.

Freeze in an ice cream maker.

Ruth Schmidt's Fudge, Penuche, and Divinity

2010-08-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Fudge

2 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

2/3 cup milk, scaled

2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons white Karo syrup

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup nuts

Melt chocolate in milk. Add sugar, salt, Karo, and cook to soft ball. Add butter, vanilla, and cool. Beat and add nuts.

Penuche

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

pinch salt

1 tablespoon light Karo syrup

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cups nuts

Divinity

5 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup corn syrup

1 1/4 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 egg whites

1/2 cup or more chopped nuts

Combine sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt in saucepan. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boiling. Cook to hard-ball stage (250 degrees) without stirring. Wipe crystals from sides of pan now and then with fork wrapped in damp cloth. Remove from heat.

Immediately beat egg whites stiff. Pour hot syrup slowly over beaten whites, beating constantly at high speed on mixer (about 5 minutes). Add 1 vanilla and beat until mixture forms soft peaks and begins to lose its gloss. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if you wish. Drop divinity from a teaspoon, pushing off with a second spoon, onto a cooky sheet covered with waxed paper. Twirl top! If divinity becomes too stiff for twirling, add a few drops of hot water.

Ruth Schmidt's Pot Roast

2010-08-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Preheat oven to 400º. Salt and pepper a chuck roast (2 1/2 to 4 pounds), place it in a roaster and put it in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn it over and continue to cook it for an additional 30 minutes. After it has been cooking for an hour it should look brown on both sides. Put a little water in the pan along with a couple of halved onions, small new potatoes (whole), and medium-sized peeled carrots. Turn the heat down to 350º and cover the roaster tightly. Continue to cook until done, about an additional 1 1/2 hours checking every once and a while to make sure there is enough liquid. If the roast looks dry, add a little more water. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with defatted juices or make gravy.

Cranberry Margaritas

2009-12-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup Grand Marnier
½ cup silver (agave) tequila
½ cup cranberry juice
ice
Frozen cranberries & wedges of fresh lime for garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake like hell! Pour into ice-filled jelly (jar) glasses mixed with a few frozen cranberries. Serve with a lime on the rim!

Cowboy Sushi

2009-12-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

1 Bar Cream Cheese
Handful of chopped scallions
Handful of chopped walnuts (optional)
1 small package of Oscar Meyer baked ham (the square kind)
8-10 spears dill pickles (garlic dill works best)

Take the bar of cream cheese and warm it a little in the microwave (for easy stirring); mix with some chopped scallions and chopped walnuts (to taste). Spread healthy dollops of the mixture over several pieces of “square” Oscar Meyer baked ham. Lay a spear of dill pickle (garlic dill is the best) along one edge (if the pickle is large, you may want to trim the spear to a smaller size), and roll up into a cigar. Chill for at least an hour in the fridge. To plate, slice into thick “sushi size pieces.” Real cowboys can’t resist, and they’re ridiculously easy!

Thanks to my friend Jessica Craig from Enid, OK (and her mom) for this recipe!

Zoe's brussel sprouts + black pig bacon

2009-12-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

From ZaZu's Restaurant and Farm

4 ounces black pig bacon, cut into lardons
4 cups brussel sprouts, quartered
1 shallot, minced 1/4 cup banyuls (or sherry vinegar)
1 head frisee cleaned

1 apple, diced
3 tablespoons roasted, peeled, and roughly chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon quality extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons gorgonzola
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saute pan on medium high heat, render the bacon until slightly browned, a few minutes.

Add the brussel sprouts until browned on at least one side, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots and open up their fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and toss. Add the frisee, apples,
hazelnuts, and extra virgin olive oil and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Plate and
garnish with gorgonzola.

serves 4

ZaZu Dungeness crab dip

2009-12-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

From ZaZu's Restaurant and Farm

serves 20

At the restaurant, we serve this with salty root chips. It makes a great party appetizer, perfect

with a glass of chardonnay!

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup half and half

1/3 cup sour cream

3 pounds picked dungeness crab meat

2/3 cup mayonnaise (we make our own)

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 bunch chopped green onions

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon tabasco

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, melt the cream cheese in the half and half. remove from the

heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese sauce with the sour cream. Add the rest of

the ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Serve with chips.

Dr. Pepper & Bing Cherry baby back ribs

2009-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

From ZaZu's Restaurant and Farm

2 racks baby back ribs (1 1/2 – 2 pounds each)
for the spice rub: 2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons fennel seed
ground 1 tablespoon coriander seed
ground 1 tablespoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom

for the braise:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 cups chicken stock
3 cans dr.pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 ancho chilis

to finish the sauce:
brown sugar
balsamic vinegar
a pinch of red pepper flakes
kosher salt
1# cherries, pitted and cut in half

Fire up your grill and preheat your oven to 350°F. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. In a small bowl, combine the rub ingredients. Rub the spice rub all over the ribs. Grill the ribs until both sides are nicely browned. In a roasting pan on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the onions. Once aromatic, within about 5 minutes, add the ribs with all the remaining braising ingredients. Cover with foil and place in the oven until the meat begins to pull away from the bone, about 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the braise and strain the braising liquid, discard the solids. In a saucepan on medium high heat, adjust the braising liquid to taste with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes and salt. Add the cherries. Cut the ribs and reheat in the sauce in a pan on the stove or in the oven.

Serves 4

Good Eats Roast Turkey

2009-11-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Skillet Cornbread (No Sugar)

2009-11-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir together. Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together with a fork. Add the baking soda and stir. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until just combined. Do not over stir. In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup of the shortening in the microwave. Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring constantly until just combined.

In an iron skillet over high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface. Cook on the stovetop for 1 minute, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. The edges should be crispy.

Slice into squares and serve. Cowboys will smile.

Cornbread Stuffing with Poblano Peppers

2009-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 bunches green onions, sliced
2 (1-pound) packages frozen corn, thawed, divided
3 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds prepared cornbread, coarsely crumbled

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish; set aside.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add poblano and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden and tender. Add onions and 1 bag of corn and continue cooking until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside to let cool then drain some of the liquid if too wet. Meanwhile, pulse remaining bag of corn in a food processor with eggs, salt and pepper until well combined and almost smooth.

In a large bowl, combine cooled pepper mixture with corn mixture then gradually fold in cornbread. Do not over mix; stuffing should have a coarse texture.

Transfer to prepared dish, cover with parchment paper, then snugly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes more.

Spiced Pumpkin Bars

2009-11-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Bars
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan. In large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Spread in pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over bars. For bars, cut into 7 rows by 7 rows. Store in refrigerator.

Grain Salad

2009-11-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

From Heidi

I took this really interesting course on Sustainable Living on a Budget that encouraged buying whole grains in bulk and rethinking our meal planning. One of my favorite recipes so far has been for the grain salad which I haven't made the same way twice (and like most of my favorite recipes, isn't meant to be followed exactly). Use it as inspiration, I've suggested a few substitutions in parenthesis. You could also make any kind of dressing really-- something with sesame oil and rice vinegar, tamari and ginger, etc. I had some today with a little maple yogurt-- yum!

*You'll need to soak the grains in advance! Look for a whole grain that is a berry or groat, not cracked, rolled, or quick cooking grains, you don't want them mushy.

Grain Salad

3 cups water
1 cup uncooked rye berries, wheat berries, or a mix of whole grains
1 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons currants (raisins)
1 1/2 cups apples (celery, something crunchy)
1/4 cup basil (parsley, fresh herb)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot (green onion, chive)
1 Tablespoon grated orange or lemon rind
1 Tablespoon grated orange or lemon juice
2 teaspoons champagne or white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Soak 1 cup uncooked grains overnight with a little lemon juice.

Combine 3 cups water with grains and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to a simmer for 1 hour. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine hot water and currants in a small bowl for at least 30 minutes-- drain.

Combine grains, currants, apples, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, shallots, rind, juice, and vinegar in a small bowl-- whisk in oil. Add dressing to grains-- toss to coat. Serve immediately or refridgerate-- keeps well for a day or two.

Grilled Duck with Dried Cherry Sauce

2009-10-22T19:44:00.001-07:00

The method, which is called Kingman Duck, goes as follows:
1. With game shears, cut the backbone from a plucked duck.
2. “Butterfly” the bird by spreading the body cavity and pressing it firmly against the countertop (breaking the breastbone).
3. Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt (preferably sea salt).
4. Slap the duck on a hot grill for—get this!—just ten minutes on one side, then five on the other.

Note: if your grill has two burners, before heating it, put a pan underneath one burner to catch any drippings. Then, heat the grill until hot. Right before you slap the duck on the grill, turn one burner off, and place the bird over the pan!

Two other ideas - grind the meat and make duck burgers! Or, place duck pieces (this works well with legs and thighs) into a crockpot, add enough orange juice to soak (but not cover) the duck. Throw in a bit of chopped onion and some rosemary, and let cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Dried Cherry Sauce

2 medium shallots, minced
3/4 cup red wine
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tbs unsalted butter, cold
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a skillet, heat a little of the duck fat over medium high heat. Add shallots and cook until softened (2-4 minutes). Add wine and dried cherries and cook until liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency (about 4 minutes). Add chicken broth and cook 5-10 minutes more (the liquid should reduce to about 1 cup total). Just before removing the pan from the heat, whisk in butter. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Slick duck and serve, passing sauce separately.

Secret Salsa Recipe

2009-10-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

1 can pickled jalapenos (San Marcos brand)
4 big cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 red onion
1-2 tbs granulated garlic (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Pour juice from tomatoes in a large pot. In a food processor, pulse tomatoes until desired consistency (I like mine fine). Add to pot. Next, pulse peppers (drained) until desired to consistency (again, I like mine fine), and add to pot. Do the same with the onion. Add garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat and refrigerate.

Makes a lot! Recipe can be halved or quartered.

NOTE: Depending on the "heat" of the jalapenos, the amount should be adjusted to your desired spiciness!

Oriental Chicken Salad - Kelley's Version

2009-08-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Diana Marten's recipe...
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 warm, freshly roasted chicken (I buy mine at Costco)
1 bag fresh coleslaw, tri-colored, no dressing (or you can thinly slice 1 head green cabbage)
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup toasted almonds, sliced (plain or honey flavored work well, I use the Almond Accents brand).
1 cup chow mein noodles (optional)
1/3 cup sesame seeds (optional)
1/3 cup dried pineapple, small dice (optional)
1 cup canola oil
1 tbs sesame oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce

Directions:
In a large bowl, shred 1/2 the chicken (reserve the other half for another use) including a breast, wing, thigh and drumstick and skin. Add the coleslaw, onions, almonds, chow mein noodles, sesame seeds, and pineapple, and gently toss to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the canola oil, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk to combine, and pour over the salad.

Immediately toss and serve!

Overnight Sour Cream Coffeecake

2009-08-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

From Cooks Illustrated. Makes two 9 inch cakes (each serves 8-10 people).

Streusel
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped (you can substitute almonds or walnuts if you like)

Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sour cream
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs (large)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Streusel:
Using your fingers, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the nuts and set aside.

For the Cake:
Spray two 9 inch cake pans with vegetable oil. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and melted butter together until smooth. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour, until the batter looks smooth (do not overmix).

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of both cakes.

If making in advance, wrap the pans tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. You can also freeze the cake batter in the pans for up to one month!

To bake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. The bake time varies as follows:

25-30 minutes if NOT refrigerated or frozen
30-35 minutes if refrigerated
40-45 minutes if frozen

Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Banana Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

2009-08-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe! Makes 24

Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt

To make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper bakery cups. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the eggs and oil and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened; do not beat! Stir in the bananas and vanilla. Fill the muffin pans about 3/4 of the way full, and bake for 23 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and salt. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. Note: you may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Use and store the frosting at room temperature; frosting will set if chilled.

Note: This recipe can also be made as a 3 layer cake; instead of a muffin pan, simply butter and flour three 9" round cake pans and divide the batter evenly between them. Bake as directed above.

Hash Brown Casserole

2009-08-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Great recipe for a brunch! Serves 12

Casserole:
1 (1 pound 14 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Topping:
2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onion, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Place mixture in prepared 3 quart casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, saute cornflakes in 1/4 cup melted butter over medium heat, and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.

Bake covered in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Potatoes Boulangère and Courgettes Provençal

2009-08-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Had this dinner at a friends house last night - it was really delicious! It is a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

Serves: 4

Ingredients :

2 large racks of Lamb cut in half with 3 bones each portion

1 liter chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
3 crushed cloves of garlic
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
4 large Desiree potatoes peeled and finely sliced, on a mandolin if possible

Herb crust:

4 slices of stale bread made into crumbs.
100g grated parmesan.
Sprig parsley
Sprig thyme
Sprig coriander
Sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons English mustard

6 large courgettes* cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 sprig basil
1 sprig coriander

Olive oil
Salt and pepper

* Courgette is the British term for Zucchini also commonly called Italian squash.

Method: Preheat the oven to 200c (392 degrees Fahrenheit).

For the potatoes bring the chicken stock to a boil and infuse with thyme, rosemary and crushed garlic cloves. Strain before use.

Gently sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until softened and lightly colored.

Rub an oven proof dish with olive oil and layer the onions followed by the potatoes, repeating until the dish is full finishing with a final layer of potato. Make sure to season each layer as you go.

Pour over the stock until it comes 2/3rds of the way up the dish. Press down on the mixture to help the liquid absorb and finally drizzle a little olive oil on top.

Bake in the oven at 200c for approximately 20 - 25 minutes or until soft and golden on top.

Next, season the lamb and seal in hot olive oil. Bake in the oven at 200c for 7 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, thoroughly mix all the herb crust ingredients together, season and set aside.

Remove the lamb from the oven and brush with the mustard before dipping into the herb crust mix covering the fat thoroughly.

Allow to rest and before serving simply return the lamb to the oven for a further 2-3 minutes.

For the vegetables, sauté the courgettes and rosemary in olive oil, season and add a dash of vinegar. Add the tomatoes, basil and coriander and cook for approximately 5 minutes further seasoning with a little more oil and vinegar. Allow to cook until the vegetables have just begun to soften.

Slice the lamb into 3 chops per person, serve with the courgettes and a generous helping of the potatoes before spooning over a little of the vinaigrette from the vegetables.

Mendiants

2009-07-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

From Jennifer Yee at Aureole

Mendiants are a French chocolate candy. These are featured on a petit four tray that is served to guests at the restaurant.

1. Temper some 70% dark chocolate.

2. Fill your chocolate mold (a mold with medium size rectangles is perfect) with chocolate. Make sure any excess chocolate falls back into the bowl. When the mold is full, tap it with a palette or metal scraper to release any air bubbles, and scrap off any excess chocolate on top and sides of the mold back into the bowl.

3. Immediately top the chocolate with whatever fruits and nuts you wish. A few granules of salt, green California pistachios, candied ginger (use only one or two pieces because it’s strong), pieces of dried apricot, and a couple of dried cherries each work nicely.

4. When you’ve filled the mold, settle the nuts and fruit by tapping the mold on the table a few times.

5. When the chocolate has hardened, unmold the chocolates and enjoy!

Tempering Chocolate
When melted chocolate returns to solid form the cocoa butter in the chocolate forms a crystal structure. The cool thing about cocoa butter is that the crystal structure they take on depends on the temperature at which they are formed.

If the chocolate is allowed to cool on its own, the crystals of fat will be loose, resulting in a chocolate that is dull in appearance, soft & malleable, and greasy to the touch. This loose crystalline structure has a slightly lower melting point than tempered chocolate crystals.

If instead, while cooling, the chocolate is kept at 88°F (31°C), the loose crystal structure will not form (88°F is above the formation point of the loose crystals). At this temperature the cocoa butter actually forms a dense crystalline structure. Holding the chocolate at this temperature and stirring will allow a whole bunch of these stable crystal structures to form providing a lot of seed crystals to form in the chocolate. When the chocolate is finally allowed to fully cool, if there are enough stable seed crystals, then the chocolate will harden into a very stable hard chocolate with a slight sheen, snap when broken, and will keep for months at cool room temperature.

Tempering using the Seed Method (as described in The Professional Chef) is easiest. Since almost all the chocolate that is sold is already tempered, you can use a piece of already tempered chocolate as a plentiful source of seed crystals.

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler while stirring to ensure uniform temperature.

2. Once the chocolate has fully melted and reached a temperature of over 105°F (41°C), remove it from the heat. At this temperature, all the crystals, loose or stable, should be melted.

3. Add a piece of un-melted chocolate to provide the seed crystals. This piece can be as big as 2 ounces (if you're melting a sizeable amount of chocolate) or can be chopped up into a few smaller pieces.

4. Stir until the chocolate's temperature enters the tempering range, 88-90°F (31-32°C). The chocolate should be kept at this temperature until used.

Specific Tempering Temperatures
Depending on the cocoa butter content of the chocolate and introduction of other ingredients, the tempering temperature of chocolate varies. Harold McGee's Book, “On Food and Cooking,” provides these values for the three broad categories of chocolate:

Type of Chocolate - Tempering Temperature
Dark (no milk content) - 88-90°F (31-32°C)
Milk - 86-88°F (30-31°C)
White - 80-82°F (27-28°C)

Note: although white chocolate does not contain any cacao solids, it is still subject to the same tempering procedures since it is made of cocoa butter.

Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers

2009-07-25T08:16:00.001-07:00

Dinner last night really turned out well. So good, in fact, that I want to make it again tonight. We've been watching the SFGiants a lot lately and one of there commercials is for this pineapple teriyaki burger from Carl Jr.'s.

The commercial is kind of on (slightly over) the edge of too much sexiness for me, but the girl is cute and the burger does look appealing. (I don't think I've eaten anything from Carl's in probably 25 years and still don't have a good impression of that chain, but then I rarely eat fast food.)

Commerical is here is you care to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB2MDYzx5OY

Anyway, I was really hungry for something like that so I looked around for a recipe and actually had some trouble finding something that looked appealing because I wasn't interested in using a store-bought teriyaki sauce. I finally found one recipe that looked good and it was good.

Original recipe is here: http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/grilled-chicken-teriyaki-burgers-with.html

My adaptation:

Sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon sushi vinegar
1 small garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (I omitted this because I was out of ginger)

Makes 1/2 cup. Reserve 1/4 cup for burger and use remaining 1/4 cup for basting burger and pineapple slices.

Burger
20 ounces ground lean turkey breast (ground chicken would also be terrific)
1/4 cup of reserved sauce
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, toasted lightly to crisp up (panko would be a great substitute, but I was out of those too)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
5 scallions, white and green, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 patties.

Pineapple
1 fresh pineapple, cut into rings

I used a Vin-Vac pineapple slicer--costs about $10 and works great.

http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-4882250-Pineapple-Slicer/dp/B0000DE4FZ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1248534279&sr=1-6

Cheese & Buns
4 slices Havarti cheese
4 hamburger buns with sesame seeds

Grill burgers and pineapple rings on BBQ, basting with remaining sauce until burgers are done and pineapple rings are nicely charred. Put cheese on burgers as soon as you flip them so the cheese gets completely melted.

Load burgers on buns and top with a grilled pineapple slice.

Gnocchi

2009-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Recipe Courtesy of Lidia Bastianich

I can't remember which recipe I used to use to make gnocchi! I've made them a gazillion times over the years but not since we moved to Santa Rosa. Do you remember the time that I made them for a party when we lived in Burlingame? I had them all laid out on that wooden table and covered up with large flour sack dish towels. When we came back home and I got ready to cook them, someone had squashed half of them. We finally figured out it was the work of our cats, Zephyr and Sterling. I used to serve them with pesto. --PKS

3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed

Boil potatoes in their skins. Drain and allow to stand until cool enough to handle. Scrape skin from potato with paring knife. Press them through a potato ricer. Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface and allow to cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. gather cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour egg mixture into the potato well. Knead the potato and egg mixture together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require, and the heavier it will become. As you knead, repeatedly rub dough from hands and scrape it from the work surface back into the dough.

On a flour-dusted surface, dust dough and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Form dough into a rope. Slice rope into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Sprinkle rounds with flour and roll them into balls. Hold the tines of a fork at a 45-degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tip of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling. Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough. At this point, gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen.

To cook gnocchi, drop into salted boiling water. Cook, stirring gently until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface of the pot.

Salad with Beets and Yogurt Dressing

2009-07-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

From Everyday Food, July 2009

3/4 pound beets (2 large or 8 small), trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2 percent)
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 head Boston lettuce
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (optional in my opinion)
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, toasted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beets in a 12-inch square piece of foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper; fold foil into a packet. Roast until beets are easily pierced with a paring knife, 30 to 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel beets and cut into wedges.

Whisk together yogurt, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons oil; season dressing with salt and pepper. Thin as desired with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Divide lettuce among plates and top with beets, tarragon, pistachios, and dressing. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Pastis Soaked Chicken

2009-07-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing "roast chicken" sandwich at Houston's this week. It was a chicken breast served on an toasted egg bun with monterey jack cheese, tomato, arugula, and red onion. There was also a thousand island style dressing on the sandwich made with chopped hard boiled egg. It was delicious, and I loved the subtle undertone of licorice in the roasted chicken. I found this recipe, and feel positively inspired to try it now. Pastis soaked chicken...how novel!

1 roasting chicken – 6 – 7 pounds
1/2 cup pastis such as Ricard or Pernod
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
Kosher or sea salt – to taste
1 cup fresh tomato – seeded and diced
8 cloves garlic – quartered
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup each fresh basil and parsley – chopped

1. Several hours or up to one day ahead of roasting, mix together olive oil and pastis and pour over chicken. Rub well into skin and inside cavity. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub well again. Cover chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook.

2. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, tomato, fennel seed, olives, parsley and basil and cook until onions are wilted and mixture begins to form a sauce.

3. Set chicken on top of onion mixture and cover with a lid or foil.

4. Roast at 350 degrees F for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until thigh meat is no longer pink.

5. Rest before carving and serve with ‘sauce’ from the pan.

*Adapted from Sarah Leah Chase’s ‘Pastis Soused Rabbit’ from ‘Pedaling Through Provence’

Crunchy Corn Guacamole

2009-07-10T10:39:00.001-07:00

From Mark Bittman

Here's a new twist on the traditional guacamole (which you can find in the form of the first variation). The fresh corn kernels add texture and flavor without taking away from that of the avocado.

Serves 4
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
--1 lime
--1 cup corn kernels, preferably just stripped from the cobs, but thawed frozen is acceptable
--1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
--1/2 cup chopped scallion
--1 serrano or jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (optional)
--2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
--1/4 cup roughly chopped toasted pumpkin seeds
--3 medium ripe avocados, preferably Hass --salt

1. Grate the lime zest (or use a zester to make long strands) and reserve; cut the lime into wedges. Put the lime zest, corn, and garlic in a food processor; squeeze in half of the lime wedges and pulse to make a chunky purée.
2. Put the corn mixture along with the scallion, chile, and a large pinch of salt into a medium bowl and mash until the mixture is well combined. Add the cilantro and pumpkin seeds and mash a few more times.
3. Cut the avocados in half and reserve the pits if you will not be serving the guacamole right away. Scoop the flesh into the bowl and mash, leaving a few chunks of avocado. Squeeze in lime juice from the reserved lime wedges to taste.
4. Season with salt to taste and serve or tuck the pits back into the mixture and cover the surface with plastic wrap (this will help keep the guacamole from turning brown), then refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Remove the pits before serving.

Salade Nicoise

2009-07-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

Tuna
2 tuna steaks (8 ounces each), about 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 or 3 lemons
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Table salt and ground black pepper

Salad
4 large eggs
10 small new red potatoes (each about 2 inches in diameter, about 1 1/4 pounds total), each potato scrubbed and quartered
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
2 medium heads Boston lettuce or Bibb lettuce, leaves washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 8 cups loosely packed)
3 small vine-ripened tomatoes (about 14 ounces), each cored and cut into eighths
1 small red onion (about 4 ounces), sliced very thin
8 ounces green beans , stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise
1/4 cup niçoise olives
10 - 12 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 tablespoons capers , rinsed (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the tuna: Combine tuna steaks with 2 tablespoons olive oil in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag; seal bag, place in refrigerator, and marinate, turning several times, for at least one hour or overnight. Remove tuna from bag, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. Build very hot fire (you can hold your hand 5 inches above cooking grate for only 2 seconds); heat cooking grate thoroughly, scrape clean with wire brush, and wipe with small wad paper towels dipped in vegetable oil (hold wad with tongs). Grill tuna uncovered, turning once with thin metal spatula, to desired doneness, about 3 minutes total for rare and 4 minutes for well-done.

2. For the vinaigrette: Whisk lemon juice, oil, shallot, thyme, basil, oregano, and mustard in medium bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. For the salad: Place eggs in small saucepan, cover by 1 inch with cold water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray ice cubes. With slotted spoon, transfer eggs to ice water; let stand 5 minutes. Peel eggs and quarter lengthwise; set aside (reserve ice water).

4. Meanwhile, bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in large Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with paring knife, 5 to 8 minutes. With slotted spoon, gently transfer potatoes to medium bowl (do not discard boiling water). Toss warm potatoes with vermouth and salt and pepper to taste; let stand 1 minute. Toss in 1/4 cup vinaigrette; set aside.

5. While potatoes cook, toss lettuce with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in large bowl until coated. Arrange bed of lettuce on very large, flat serving platter. Cut tuna into 1/2-inch thick slices and place in now-empty bowl. Add 1/2 cup vinaigrette and stir to combine; mound tuna in center of lettuce. Toss tomatoes, red onion, 3 tablespoons vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste in now-empty bowl; arrange tomato-onion mixture in mound at edge of lettuce bed. Arrange reserved potatoes in separate mound at edge of lettuce bed.

6. Return water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and green beans. Cook until tender but crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain beans, transfer to reserved ice water, and let stand until just cool, about 30 seconds; dry beans well on triple layer of paper towels. Toss beans, 3 tablespoons vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste in now-empty bowl; arrange in separate mound at edge of lettuce bed.

7. Arrange reserved eggs, olives, and anchovies (if using) in separate mounds at edge of lettuce bed. Drizzle eggs with remaining 2 tablespoons dressing, sprinkle entire salad with capers (if using), and serve immediately.

Mango with Ginger-Mint Syrup

2009-06-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
Ginger or vanilla ice cream (the best brand is Reed's)

http://www.reedsgingerbrew.com/icecream.html

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan and cook until sugar is melted, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the mint and steep for 5 minutes. Place the mango in a bowl, strain the syrup mixture over the mango, cover, and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Serve over ice cream or topped with vanilla yogurt.

Pecan Scones

2009-06-21T13:53:00.001-07:00

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup coarsely ground pecans
1/2 pound butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar and pecans. Cut in butter until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Combine sour cream and milk, add to dry mixture, and stir just until mixed.

On well-floured board, divide dough into 6 balls, flatten each to 5/8-inch thickness, and cut into wedges or circles. Bake at 375 degrees on ungreased sheet until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 24 to 28 Scones

Kelley's Breakfast Scramble Timbales

2009-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Makes 12 timbales (10 if using refrigerated biscuit dough) - this is a great egg dish for a brunch!

Biscuits
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Note: you can skip the above and use a 12 oz. can of refrigerated biscuit dough if you do not have time to make the biscuits!

Filling
¾ pound breakfast sausage
1/8 cup minced onion
1/8 cup minced red bell pepper
1/8 cup chopped jalapeños (optional)
5 eggs beaten
5 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F (or 200° C). Spray a muffin tin with vegetable oil.

Make the Biscuits: In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cream. Turn dough onto a flour surface and roll out to 3/4 in thickness. Cut with a medium size biscuit cutter. Using a rolling pin, roll each biscuit into a wide enough circle to fit in the bottom of each muffin tin...with enough overlap to come a little up the sides. If using refrigerated dough, roll each biscuit into a flatter round before placing in a muffin tin.

Make the Filling: Brown the sausage, onion, and red pepper (and jalapeños if using) in a sauté pan over medium heat. Make sure to break up the sausage into a fine consistency. Drain and set aside to cool. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, beat the eggs and milk or half-and-half. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble: Place a heaping spoonful of sausage mixture into each muffin tin. Then fill the tin with the egg mixture until each tin is 3/4 of the way full (do not overfill as the eggs will "puff up" during baking). Sprinkle tops with cheese.

Bake in preheated oven 18 to 20 minutes, until filling is set. Remove from oven and let cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Remove from tin with a fork (gently) and serve immediately with sour cream and salsa!

Note: You can do part of the prep work in advance (1-2 nights before). Simply brown and drain the sausage and veggies, and store overnight in the refrigerator. You can also beat the eggs and milk and store separately in the refrigerator.

Roasted Quail with Fig Puree and Balsamic-Chocolate Reduction

2009-06-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

4 Quail, 4 to 6 ounces each
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and ground white pepper
Marinate the quail in the parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for about 30 minutes.

STUFFING

2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup small diced toasted French bread
1 tablespoon minced herbs (equal parts thyme, chives and parsley)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and white pepper (season to taste)
Combine all ingredients and season to taste. You can stuff the quail with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the stuffing mix.

FIG PUREE

1 1/2 cups dried black figs (cut in half)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup port wine
2/3 cup water
1/2 tablespoons minced herbs (equal parts parsley, thyme and chives)

In a sauce pot on medium heat, sauté the shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add and the walnuts and figs and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the port and water. Simmer all the ingredients until the walnuts have softened and there is about ¼ of the liquid left. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly. Place the mix in a food processor and blend until uniform in color and appearance.

BALSAMIC-CHOCOLATE REDUCTION

1 quart balsamic vinegar
2 cups 64% milk chocolate

Simmer the vinegar on low heat until it reduces to about 1 cup of liquid. Melt the chocolate using a double-boiler. This provides a softer heating element than direct flame or microwave. While both ingredients are warm, slowly add the vinegar reduction to the chocolate while stirring. Combine the vinegar and chocolate flavors to suit your taste.

FINAL DISH

Pre-heat oven to 425F.

Season all the quail with salt and pepper to suit your taste. In a sauté pan on medium-high heat, sear the quail for about 2 minutes per side. (Sear the breast side first). Remove pan from heat. Using either a small spatula or spoon, evenly baste the fig puree on to the breast side of the quails. Place the pan with the quail in the oven for about 4 to 5 minutes to crisp up the fig puree. Remove the quail from the pans and place them on serving plates. Drizzle the balsamic-chocolate reduction over the quail. For an appetizer, garnish with fresh arugula and diced tomatoes marinated in olive oil and herbs.

Serves 4.

Boneless Smoked Quail

2009-06-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

6 boned quail, about 3 ounces each
2 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoning salt
2 teaspoons Ac’cent seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Mix spices together, adding water (about 7 to 8 teaspoons) until an almost thin consistency is reached. Be careful not to dilute seasonings too much.

Heat charcoal in a smoker or covered grill until white-hot. Sprinkle mesquite chips or pecan or hickory kindling on coals. Dip quail in sauce, then place on grill. Cover and smoke for about 25 minutes.

Serves 6

Wild Mushroom Venison Stew With Biscuits

2009-06-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

VENISON STEW

1 poblano chile
1/2 cup clarified butter or olive oil
1 pound venison, cut into 1-inch squares
blend of 1 cup flour, 3/4 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 cups burgundy
4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1 quart rich veal stock
2 small Idaho potatoes, chopped
1 yellow onion, julienne cut
2 ribs celery, finely diced
1 small carrot, julienne cut
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 dashes Tabasco
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Blister skin on poblano. Peel, seed, and finely dice. Heat the butter or oil in a thick-bottomed pot or pan (such as a cast-iron skillet) until it just begins to smoke, about 350 degrees. Toss venison in seasoned flour, dusting off excess. Add meat to pot and brown in small batches. When done, remove from pot and keep warm.

Add garlic and red onion to pot and sauté briefly. Add burgundy and mushrooms and reduce liquid to approximately 1 cup. Add veal stock, potatoes, the remaining vegetables, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are soft. Return venison to pot.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 /2 sticks unsalted butter, cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup grated Monterey jack and cheddar
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion tops

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter to the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Make a well in the center of the dough and quickly mix in the buttermilk (about 30 seconds). Knead on a floured board, incorporating the cheese and onions (about 30 seconds). Pat out to 11/2 inch thickness and cut into 4-inch-diameter biscuits. Recipe makes about 24.

The last step is to finish cooking the stew in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. You may bake all of the biscuits on a greased baking sheet at the same time or you may put some on top of the hot stew to bake. If you do the latter, be sure your stew pot or pan is shallow enough that the biscuits sit above the level of the rim while cooking. Otherwise, they will be raw in the middle.

Venison with Pistachio-Cranberry Sauce

2009-06-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

VENISON

24 ounces venison filet, either backstrap or loin (pork loin may be used)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove all membrane from meat and cut into 12 medallions. Rub with oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until medium-rare, being careful not to overcook.

PISTACHIO-CRANBERRY SAUCE

3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups white wine (such as Chardonnay)
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon roughly chopped garlic
1 1/8-inch slices ginger root
2 to 4 mesquite-smoked jalapeños, seeded, available from Stonewall Chili Pepper Company (800-232-2995) or in specialty stores; or canned chipotle chiles, rinsed and seeded
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup prepared demiglace, homemade or Knorr brand
2 teaspoons butter
2 dozen pistachios
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons butter to finish (optional)
Salt to taste

Reconstitute cranberries in enough hot water to cover.

In a medium saucepan, combine wine, shallots, garlic, ginger,jalapeños, and vinegar and cook over high heat until almost dry. Add demiglace and cook until hot. Strain and set aside.

Melt 2 teaspoons butter in large sauté pan over medium heat and add pistachios, sherry, and cranberries with their liquid. Reduce mixture over high heat for 5 minutes or less. Add strained sauce and cook approximately 5 more minutes to reduce volume by half. Add butter to finish sauce. Add salt to taste.

Espresso-Rubbed Venison with Shiner Bock “Beer Blanc”

2009-06-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Beer Blanc

12 ounces Shiner Bock or any bock beer
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 canned chipotle chiles, seeded if you wish and chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
juice of 1 lime
2 sticks butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature
salt and white pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat, reduce beer to 1⁄4 cup (takes 35 to 40 minutes). Add shallots, garlic, chipotles, and cream and simmer until volume is reduced by half. Add lime juice and continue heating until liquid returns to a simmer. While mixture is still very hot, pour into a blender and purée, adding butter one piece at a time. Season to taste. If not using immediately, keep hot in an insulated container such as a thermal pitcher.

Venison

1/4 cup finely ground espresso coffee beans
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds venison backstrap or pork tenderloin
lump crabmeat, cooked (optional)

Note: Venison is available from Whole Foods and Central Market (may require advance order) or by mail from Broken Arrow Ranch, in Ingram (830-367-5871; brokenarrowranch.com). You will need a stove-top smoker such as the approximately 15-inch-by-11-inch one made by Camerons, available from Central Market, cookingfearlessly.com/store.htm (the Hudson’s Web site), or amazon.com. It comes with wood chips, but feel free to use different woods such as apple or pear or throw in a sprig of fresh rosemary or other herb you would enjoy. Smokers may be used on gas or electric ranges; if you have a flattop electric stove, consult smoker’s instruction manual.

Thoroughly combine first 4 ingredients. Coat meat with mixture an hour before smoking. Pile about 2 tablespoons of wood chips in middle of smoker pan. Place smoker drip tray over chips and put the wire rack on top of it. (Hint: To aid cleanup, spray rack with vegetable oil and spray tray as well or cover it with foil.) Put venison on rack.

Slide lid closed and center smoker on a stove burner over high heat. The wood chips will slowly burn, smoking the venison as it cooks. Continue cooking until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in middle of venison reads 130 degrees, 15 to 18 minutes (140 degrees, 18 to 20 minutes for pork). Remove meat and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into 1⁄2-inch slices. Fan 3 slices across each plate and top with Beer Blanc and crabmeat. Serves 6 to 8.

Two-Tone Chili - Venison and Pork

2009-06-21T07:40:00.001-07:00

bottles dark beer (Dos Equis) or 2 cans (15 ounces each) chicken stock
Juice of 4 limes
6 tablespoons Pickapeppa steak sauce
3 pounds venison stew meat
5 slices bacon
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
2 dried ancho chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 can (6 ounces) chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (available at Mexican groceries), chopped (reserve sauce)
1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine 1 bottle beer or 1 can stock, lime juice, and 4 tablespoons Pickapeppa sauce, and pour over venison. Marinate 2 to 4 hours.

In very large skillet, fry bacon until fat is rendered. Remove bacon, and reserve. Sauté onion and garlic in bacon fat until tender. Drain marinade completely from venison, and discard. Add venison to onion and bacon fat. Brown lightly. Add chili powder and basil. Cook a few minutes longer.

In another skillet, brown sausage lightly. Add fennel, ancho and chipotle chiles, and 1 tablespoon reserved adobo sauce. Cook until sausage is done. Add pork mixture to venison. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Chop bacon coarsely. Add to meat. Simmer until venison is fully cooked, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Pickapeppa and remaining beer or stock for desired consistency.

Note: This is a spicy chili; chipotles may be reduced by half. For extra-hot chili, add ground or freshly chopped cayenne or Thai pepper, to taste.

Serves 12 - 15

Roasted Duck With Picadillo Stuffing

2009-06-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

3 cups kosher salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 inches canela sticks, or substitute 2 inches regular cinnamon sticks
12 whole allspice
6 bay leaves
40 peppercorns
4 five-pound ducks
kosher salt and pepper to taste
cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Prepare brine: Four hours to a day ahead, put first 6 ingredients and 2 gallons water in a stockpot and boil just until salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours.

Prepare birds: Trim off and discard large, visible pieces of fat. Put ducks in brine, adding water to cover if necessary. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours. Remove, rinse, and pat dry.

Cook birds: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle birds inside and out with salt and pepper and prick skin in several places. Roast on rack, breast side up, for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and roast until a cooking thermometer stuck in the thickest part of thigh or breast reads 165 degrees, for medium, or 170, for medium to well-done. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

To serve, mound picadillo in center of plates. Carve ducks, slice breast meat, and arrange pieces on top. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro or parsley. Serves 6.

PICADILLO

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely diced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup seeded, deveined, and minced jalapeños
1 1/2 pounds (about 8 cups) mild-flavored exotic mushrooms, cleaned with damp paper towels and sliced 1/4 inch thick (if cost is a consideration, substitute white button mushrooms; get presliced if possible)
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup currants or diced cranberries (or less to taste)
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground canela (or more to taste), also called Mexican cinnamon, an aromatic papery bark, available at Fiesta market; grind in a coffee grinder, or substitute 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon regular cinnamon (optional)
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon toasted ground cumin, or more to taste (optional)
kosher salt to taste

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onion for about 2 minutes; do not brown. Add garlic and jalapeños and sauté for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn garlic. Add mushrooms and sprinkle very lightly with salt, tasting as you go, until flavor is right. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release all their moisture, 15 to 20 minutes. As mushrooms begin to stick, deglaze pan with sherry vinegar. Add currants and pistachios and cook until currants are rehydrated. Add canela and cumin a little at a time, tasting, as they are quite distinctive

Pan-Roasted White-Winged Dove

2009-06-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

2 green apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cored
1/2 large onion, peeled
2 thumb-size knobs of ginger
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
juice and rinds of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons each of whole juniper berries, coriander seeds, star anise pods, and black peppercorns
24 to 36 doves (allow 4 to 6 per person)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
several tablespoons olive oil
12 or more basil leaves, for garnish (do not omit)

Note: White-winged dove are game birds not available in supermarkets. Squab may be substituted—order well ahead from Central Market or Whole Foods. Or use quail, 2 per person.

Prepare brine: Four hours to a day ahead, put apple, onion, and ginger in a food processor and lightly purée. Combine purée with vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon, spices, and 5 cups water in a nonreactive container. Cover and chill.

Prepare birds: If doves have breast bones intact, you will need to remove them. Lay each bird on a cutting board, breast side up, legs toward you. Using short strokes, cut from top to bottom of left breast, as close to the breast bone (keel bone) as possible; do not cut through to the back yet and do not remove skin. Repeat with right side. Discard keel bone. Fold breasts to each side, as if opening a book, and remove ribs from the front and back (they should come out easily); thighs and legs will still be attached. Now cut bird into halves, down center of back.

Brine birds: Place doves in brine (adding water if needed to cover), put a lid on container, and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours. Remove, rinse, and pat dry.

Cook birds: Put about 1/16 inch cooking oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan. Heat on high just until oil starts to smoke. Put pieces in pan, skin side down. Lower heat to medium. Press to flatten with a similarly sized pan and, continuing to press, cook until skin is golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip and cook other side, still pressing, until medium rare, about 1 more minute. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes, then cut each piece in half between thigh and breast.

To serve, place sweet potato disks close together on dinner plates. Arrange dove on top of disks, with legs sticking up jauntily. Drizzle with any reserved butter and a little Spiced Apple Jus, then spoon Cherry—Cocoa Nib Sauce around edge. Garnish with basil. Serves 6.

SWEET POTATOES

6 medium whole sweet potatoes, preferably garnet or Japanese satsumaimo, available at Central Market
6 garlic cloves
6 pieces ginger, same size as garlic cloves
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons sake
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prick potatoes with a knife and sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper. Place each one on a piece of aluminum foil with a garlic clove (halved), a piece of ginger (halved), and a tablespoon of butter. Drizzle with a tablespoon of sake. Seal and bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Carefully unwrap, reserving seasoned butter, if any. When ready to serve, slice into 1/2-inch disks (you may leave skins on or remove) and gently press an indentation into each disk with the back of a tablespoon.

SPICED APPLE JUS

1 cup fresh apple juice, preferably unfiltered
1 stick cinnamon
1 pod star anise
1 pinch coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Vietnamese fish sauce, preferably Squid brand, available at Asian markets (optional; do not substitute Thai or Chinese fish sauce)

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and reduce over high heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (not quite syrupy). Remove cinnamon and star anise.

CHERRY-COCOA NIB SAUCE

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
4 ounces dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons cocoa nibs, available at Whole Foods or Central Market; grind finely using a coffee or spice grinder
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
kosher salt to taste

Put all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl, lightly whisk, and let stand for 15 minutes

Persimmon Flan

2009-06-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Persimmon Puree
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 cone piloncillo (Mexican unrefined brown sugar, available in ethnic markets such as Fiesta)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄2 stick cinnamon
10 ripe persimmons, unpeeled, stem end
cut off flat
1⁄2 cup orange juice

A day ahead, put all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 3 to 4 minutes if fruit is very ripe and soft, up to 10 minutes if less ripe. Pour into a glass bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Purée in a food processor and pass through a sieve to remove solids.

Custard
1⁄2 cone piloncillo, finely chopped
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup persimmon purée (recipe above)
juice of half a lemon

Place piloncillo and evaporated milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until piloncillo dissolves; set aside. Place sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in bowl of an electric mixer and blend while adding eggs, one at a time, then persimmon purée. Blend in piloncillo mixture and lemon juice.

Caramel
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring, until mixture turns amber in color and reaches 325 to 355 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of caramel in bottom of 8 four-ounce glass baking cups. Let cool briefly, then pour custard on top. Place cups in a water bath, cover with foil, and bake until a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Chill before unmolding.

Makes 8.

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

2009-06-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

Meg's Fish Dip

2009-06-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

5 small Mahi-Mahi fish fillets or other suitable white fish

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

cayenne pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

salt and pepper

3 thyme sprigs

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large bar cream cheese

1/2 c wine wine

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

Saute fish in 1 tablespoon olive oil with a little salt and garlic powder until broken down. Pour into a bowl and add cream cheese and sour cream.

Saute onions in remaining tablespoon olive oil until soft. Add wine and garlic and simmer until wine is absorbed, then add to bowl with fish.

Add cheese and season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

2009-05-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

Serves 6.

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.
Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.
Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

Kelley's Lemon Margaritas

2009-05-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Makes 3 large or 6 small margaritas!

Equipment:
1 Margaritaville DM1000 frozen concoction maker
1 Double shot glass - preferably an "I Survived Kelley & Roroc's Wedding" shot glass
1 Metal lemon juicer/press

Ingredients:
3 Large lemons (or 6 small lemons), cut in half
2 -3 Shot glasses of simple syrup (cooled) - made of equal parts sugar and water simmered together until sugar has dissolved
3 Shot glasses of Tequila (we like Hornitos Plata 100% Agave Tequila)
1 1/2 Shot glasses of Triple Sec (we like the generic brand called De Kuyper)
ice - you might want to buy a bag!

Load the Margaritaville ice reservoir with ice and close the lid! Set the machine to "ready" and "3 drinks." Into the blending jar, juice the lemons, and add the simple syrup, tequila, and triple sec! Put the lid on the jar and place on the blending base. Flip the "Shave 'n Blend" switch to on, and watch in amazement as the Margaritaville automatically mixes the right proportion of ice with the ingredients! Serve immediately to self, spouse, and friends!

Drink and repeat the process as many times as needed until you find that lost shaker of salt!

Tortilla Pie with Chicken

2009-04-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

From Everyday Food, April 2009

12 corn tortillas (6-inch), toasted
2 cups cooked, shredded dark-meat chicken
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles
1 1/2 cups Green or Red Salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking dish, layer 4 tortillas, 1 cup chicken, cup chiles, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat once. Top with remaining tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Bake until top is browned and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes.

Serves 4.

Meat Loaf in a Breadbasket

2009-04-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

This recipe is from the early 1980's--probably from the SF Chronicle; we made it a number of times for canoe trips when we lived in Minnesota. --PKS

It's not a poor man's Wellington, it's meat loaf in a breadbasket.

Wedges of meat loaf baked in a bread round make warming fare for wnter picnics.

Wrapped in an overcoat of crusty French bread, somewhat remindful of the celebrated Beef Wellington filet-in-a-wrapper, this warm, vegetable-laced meat loaf makes a satisfying and easy-to-carry entrée for cool-weather picnics. And with the help of a food processor, you can quickly prepare a meat mixture that's lean enough to bake right inside the bread.

First chop beef round or well-trimmed beef chuck in the food processor until medium-fine in texture. Then process bread crumbs, parsley, onions, and cheese in the machine, blend them with eggs and seasonings, and shape the mixture into a loaf.

Once the savory sandwich loaf is baked and wrapped in foil, it will keep warm as long as 3 hours. Serve it in wedges accompanied with a mild cheese, relishes, and wine or other beverage.

Meat Loaf in a Breadbasket

1 large round loaf (1 1/2 lbs.) French bread, 9 to 10 inches in diameter
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds beef round or chuck
1 small onion
1/2 cup packed parsley sprigs
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon each oregano leaves and dry basil
4 ounces jack or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons soft butter

Using a long serrated knife, slice the bread in half horizontally. Pull soft bread out of both halves, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Then with the metal blade of a food processor, chop enough bread to make 1 1/4 cups crumbs, save the remaining bread for other uses. Turn crumbs into a large bowl; stir in the milk and let stand 5 minutes.

Trim excess fat from meat and cut into 1-inch cubes; you should have 3 cups. With the metal blade, chop 1 cup of the meat cubes at a time with on-off bursts until medium-fine. (Or grind cubes in a electric meat chopper.) add meat to bread crumbs.

Peel onion and cut into chunks. Place in the food processor with the parsley and process with metal blade using on-off bursts until coarsely chopped. Add eggs, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to vegetables and process 2 seconds to blend; add to meat mixture.

Using the shredding disk, shred the cheese in the processor; add to other ingredients. Mix together all ingredients until blended. Pack meat mixture into bottom half of the bread shell; press lid firmly into place. Rub butter all over loaf.

Securely wrap loaf in a single thickness of heavy foil or a double thickness of lightweight foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350º oven for 2 hours.

Loosen foil to allow steam to escape; let stand 10 minutes. To transport, rewrap in foil and pack into a picnic basket; it should keep warm 3 hours. Cut loaf in wedges.

Serves 6 to 8

Lentil Soup with Smoky Ham

2009-04-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

From Whole Foods Market

We really enjoyed this soup. Jim though the combination of herbs made it very balanced, but it was a little too herbaceous for me. Next time I make it I will omit the rosemary and sage. --PKS

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1/2 cup dried French lentils
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 cup finely chopped ham
1 ham bone (optional)
6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 tablespoon chopped, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth, divided
Black pepper to taste
Balsamic vinegar (for garnish)

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add garlic, carrots, celery and onions and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in green and French lentils, tomatoes, ham, ham bone, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, dried thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon and bay leaf. Add 1 quart of the broth then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serves 8.

Stir contents of pot then cover again and simmer, adding more broth as needed to maintain a soupy consistency, 30 to 45 minutes longer, or until lentils are soft and tomatoes are broken down. Remove and discard bay leaf and ham bone then stir in chopped fresh thyme and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with drizzles of oil and balsamic vinegar and thyme sprigs.

Per serving (about 13oz/366g-wt.): 160 calories (30 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 420mg sodium, 22g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 11g protein

Proper Chicken Caesar Salad

2009-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

from Jamie Oliver

With my own versions of the classics, like Caesar salad, it's not about changing things entirely; it's about respecting the original while bigging up the flavors and textures where I can. My twists for this salad are to use chicken legs (not dry old breasts!), smoky pancetta and lovely rustic croutons to suck up all the juices. It's a lovely little salad with just a hint of attitude - and it's versatile, as you can serve it hot or cold.

P.S. Use your imagination - if you have any other unusual salad leaves, flowers or herb shoots lying around, chuck some in to make it look a little less predictable.

4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on
1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices pancetta or bacon
1/4 clove peeled garlic
4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve
1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven.

After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they're cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly.

Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones - you can use 2 forks to do this, or your hands if you're tough like me - and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings.

The Most Moist Chicken Ever

2009-03-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is Paula Wolfert's method for quickly preparing very moist chicken without butter, oil or periodic basting. For the richest flavor, marinate the chicken cold in the creme fraiche for at least 6 hours.

4 chicken breasts, split or boned (you can also use a whole chicken, cut up)

salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup creme fraiche

Clean and dry the chicken. Remove the skin if you wish. Rub each piece with a touch of salt, and lots of pepper and creme fraiche. Put the pieces into a shallow pan and cover them with the remaining creme fraiche. Let the chicken marinate cold until 1/2 hour before serving. You can marinate the chicken up to 3 days if you wish, but cover it tight to keep other refrigerator tastes out of the creme fraiche.

Preheat your broiler. Toss the chicken pieces in the creme fraiche once more. Lay them on the rack of your broiler pan, bone side down if they are unboned. You must use a rack in your broiler pan so that chicken can steam on the bottom side. Pour the creme fraiche remaining in the marinating pan over the pieces. Broil the chicken at 2 1/2 inches from the heat on one side only until many crispy, brown spots dot the surface and the bottom side of the pieces is white, 6 to 10 minutes (if I'm using whole, cut-up chicken parts with skin, I position the broiler rack about 5 inches from the heat--PKS). If you broil the chicken too close to the heat its top side will brown before the underside steams white. Serve immediately.

You can broil other cuts of chicken with this method, but you have to broil them on both sides. Do the leanest of boney side first for 4 or 5 minutes. Do not cook the lean side to crispy brown spots. Turn it over and cook the second side until it has crispy brown spots.

"This is the most moist chicken ever," says Paula Wolfert, and she recommends using this technique for quickly preparing chicken for chicken salad. You can omit the marinating, but thoroughly cover the chicken with creme fraiche. It keeps the broiling chicken moist.

Chicken, Dill and Cucumber Salad

2009-03-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Creme fraiche tenderizes the chicken in this cold salad, and it thoroughly melds the cucumber and dill flavor. Creme fraiche also reduces the calories and fat in the salad because it has half the fat and calories of mayonnaise.

2 medium cucumbers

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 lemon-lime vinegar (optional)

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup creme fraiche

3 tablespoons coarsely choppped fresh dill

1 1/2 teaspoon coarse grain mustard (e.g., Moutarde de Meaux)

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken cut into strips 3/8" x 3/8" x 2"

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons white pepper (optional)

3 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions

1/4 cup whole roasted almonds for garnish

Clean peel, and seed the cucumbers. Wipe them dry with paper towels and then lay them on towels with the seed cavity down. Wrap paper towels tightly over the skinned surface of the cucumbers and set them aside for 10 minutes. Do not salt the cucumbers to extract their water.

While the cucumbers are draining, prepare your own mayonnaise using lemon-lime vinegar if you have it and add the lemon and lim juices (you can use prepared mayonnaise if you want to). Stir in the creme fraiche, chopped dill, and mustard. Mix all the ingredients to a smooth consistency.

Put the chicken strips into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle them evenly with salt. If you didn't broil the chicken with creme fraiche, add pepper. When the cucumbers are drained, wipe them dry again with paper towels, inside and out. Cut the cucumbers into 3/8 inch wide strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. They'll be as long as the tines on a dinner fork and as wide as 3 tines. The cucumbers and chicken strips should be about the same size. Cut enough cucumber strips to equal the amount of chicken strips. Put them into the large mixing bowl with the chicken, and add the thin-sliced scallions. Add the creme fraiche-mayonnaise mixture and toss the salad in the mixture. Serve the salad on a bed of fresh greens like spinach and lettuce. Garnish with a short row of whole, toasted almonds. Makes 4 servings.

Bread, Potato, and Rocket Soup

2009-03-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Pain au Levain is the best bread for making Marcella Hazan's zuppa dei poveri (poor people's soup) of stale bread, potatoes, and rocket. This great recipe was one of the best of the many unaccountably left out of the unfortunate Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, which purported to be a single-volume reissue of her first two books, The Classic Italian Cookbook and More Classic Italian Cooking.

2 cups diced peeled potatoes (can leave unpeeled if potatoes are clean)
3 cups water
1 tbsp. salt
1 bunch / 1/2 lb. rocket (arugula), preferably the sharper "wild" variety, washed and coarsely chopped
2 cups stale Acme pain au levain, crusts removed and cut in cubes
1/4 cup Trader Joe's Kalamata olive oil or other flavorful, dark green extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Put potatoes, water, and salt in a big pot, bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. Add rocket, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for another 15 minutes or until potatoes are done. Remove pot from heat, add bread, cover, and let sit for ten minutes. Add olive oil and pepper, correct salt, and serve.

Serves 2-3 as a main course.

Waffle Iron Reuben Sandwich

2009-03-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

from Emeril Lagasse

4 slices rye bread
Emeril's Russian dressing, recipe follows
8 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
8 ounces sliced baked ham
8 ounces sliced corned beef
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sauerkraut, as accompaniment

Preheat a waffle iron.

Place 2 slices of the bread on a flat work surface. Spread one side of each slice with the Emeril's Russian Dressing. On 1 slice of bread, stack half of the cheese, ham, and corned beef in layers. Top with the other slice of bread, dressing side down, and push together to form a sandwich.

Spread softened butter on both sides of the sandwich and place in the hot waffle iron. Cook until the sandwich is golden brown on the outside and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut into quarters. Serve immediately with the sauerkraut, and repeat with the remaining sandwich.

Emeril's Russian Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon minced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced celery
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Red Pepper Sauce, or other hot sauce
Pinch sugar
Salt

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk until well blended. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Creamed Kale

2009-03-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

from Bobby Flay

2 pounds kale, center stalks removed (I used a bag of kale pieces from Trader Joe's)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Blanch the kale in lightly salted water until tender (about 5 or 6 minutes), rinse in ice water (I didn't rinse because my kale was already cut up), drain and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the kale, cream and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, or until the cream has reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Squares

2009-03-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

It is important that both the filling and the crust be warm when assembling the bars in step 4; this ensures that the lemon curd will cook through evenly. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them.

CRUST
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened

FILLING
2 large eggs plus 7 large egg yolks
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup grated fresh lemon zest (from approximately 4 lemons)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from approximately 4 lemons (Note: if using Meyer lemons, which are smaller, you will need 8 lemons)
pinch salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream

confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil (use 2 pieces and lay opposite of one another to form a sling) and grease the foil.

2. FOR THE CRUST: Process the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 3 pulses. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and has the texture of coarse sand, about 8 pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the bottom of a glass. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.

3. FOR THE FILLING: While the crust bakes, whisk the eggs and egg yolks together in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in the granulated sugar until combined, then whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Strain the mixture immediately into a bowl (to remove the zest), and stir in the cream.

4. Pour the filling over the warm crust. Bake the squares until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 15 minutes (rotating the pan halfway through baking).

5. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil. Cut into 16 squares, and dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Beef Pops with Pineapple and Parsley Sauce

2009-02-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

For the Beef Pops:
1 1/2 pounds beef fillet, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 40 cubes)
1 (2-pound) pineapple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 40 pieces)
20 (8-inch) wooden or bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Parsley Sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the parsley, garlic, vinegar, chili flakes, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until incorporated. Place half of the mixture in a medium bowl. Place the remaining mixture in a small serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Beef Pops: Place the beef in the medium bowl with the parsley sauce. Toss well until the beef is coated with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Thread the skewers starting with a piece of pineapple, then a cube of beef. Repeat with another piece of pineapple and another cube of beef. Continue with the remaining skewers. Grill the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes each side (for medium rare) or until desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the Beef Pops on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining reserved Parsley Sauce or serve the sauce on the side as a condiment.

Roasted Wood Ducks or Teal

2009-02-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

Pluck and gut them. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash the bird, then cut out the backbone with a stout knife, like a chef's knife. Salt liberally, and sear skin side in an ovenproof frying pan until it gets reasonably brown and lovely. Put the ducks skin side up in the oven-proof frying pan (cast iron is perfect) into the hot oven and cook for no longer than 15 minutes. It might take as little as 8 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, you're looking for 135-140 degrees.

Take it out and let it rest 5 minutes. Grind pepper on them and enjoy!

San Diego Salmon Tacos

2009-02-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

from Bobby Flay

3 salmon fillets, 8 ounces each
Canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup best-quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
12 fried blue corn taco shells
Orange-Habanero Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat grill or grill pan over high heat.

Brush salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly and shred the meat with a fork. Place in a bowl with the cabbage and green onions.

Combine the mayonnaise, chipotle and lime juice in a small bowl and season with salt. Add the mayonnaise and the cilantro to the salmon mixture and gently fold to combine. Season with salt to taste, if needed. Divide the salmon mixture among the taco shells and drizzle each with the Orange-Habanero Sauce.

Orange-Habanero Hot Sauce:
6 cups fresh orange juice
1 habanero chile
1 tablespoon honey
Salt

Place juice and habanero in a medium nonreactive saucepan and cook over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally. Remove the habanero, whisk in the honey and season with salt. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Kelley's Easy Mock-BBQ Chicken Thighs

2009-02-07T18:25:00.001-08:00

This makes a simple weeknight dish, or double the recipe to feed a crowd with ease!

Serves 4

8 bone-on, skin-on chicken thighs
salt
pepper
1 cup barbeque sauce (Roroc's favorite is KC Masterpiece)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray rectangular baking dish (13x9 inch) with non-stick spray. Trim chicken thighs of excess fat and skin (this is an important step, as I do not enjoy too much fat or skin on my chicken). Arrange chicken, skin side up, in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a sharp knife to make two slashes in the skin of each chicken thigh. Squirt thighs generously with barbeque sauce (2-3 tablespoons per thigh), and use the back of a spoon to spread the barbeque sauce over the top of the thigh. Bake in oven, on the middle rack (uncovered), for 1 hour. Remove the dish from the oven and turn on the broiler. Raise the oven rack to the top. When the broiler is ready, return chicken to the oven for 1 minute 30 seconds (or so) to brown the skin (be sure to keep an eye on it as this part goes fast, and you don't want to burn the chicken). Remove from oven, let rest for 3-4 minutes, and serve hot!

For a really quick meal, prepare with frozen corn and a frozen biscuit or roll!