Caramel Apple Tart

When I was a kid I loved the carmel apples you could get around Halloween; with that in mind I came up with this Caramel Apple Tart.

The crust is a classic short pastry crust rolled thin.  It's topped with Granny-Smith apples that were cooked in butter and brown sugar until soft.  The pastry and apples are baked until the crust is golden and the apples are warm.

Once cooled the tart is topped with homemade caramel sauce.

No Knead Bread

No Knead Bread baked in a Dutch Oven.

Simple bread dough of flour, water, yeast and salt.  The dough is flavored with thyme and rosemary.  Once the dough does it's 18 hours process of rising and re-rising it's put into the pre-heated dutch oven to bake.

Fire Roasted Vegetable Bruschetta

Fire Roasted Vegetable Bruschetta:

Oven Roasted Tomato combined with Roasted Corn,  Roasted Pablono Pepper, Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Paprika.  Just combine, chill and then place spoonfuls atop toasted baguette slices.

Tomato Soup

Quick and easy tomato soup.

Saute 1 onion with a bay leaf.  Add 2 cans of whole tomatoes (good quality).  Cook for a minute and then remove from heat and mash-up.

Next add three slices of white bread (crust removed); cook for 5 minutes and then blend mixture.  Add olive oil, chicken broth and sherry (amounts to your taste).  Garnish with fresh basil.

This recipe was adapted from Jacques Pepin and takes less than 10 minutes to make.  Resist the urge to buy the Campbell's stuff and give this a try, it's worth the few minutes.

Vegetables Provencal

The parade of French dishes continue, summer vegetables provencal, a traditional baked vegetable dish.

The key is to make sure the vegetables are very, very dry.  To do this, take the sliced & salted squash, zucchini and tomato and place on paper towels and press them dry.

Next, layer the squash then tomatoes into the gratin dish.  Cover with caramelized onions, garlic,  olive oil, fresh thyme and pepper.  Bake for 40 mins.

To make the topping, add diced shallots and parmesan to bread crumbs.  Cover the vegetables with the topping and bake until browned.

Mussels

I've been making a lot more French Mediterranean dishes lately; today was steamed mussels.

Once the mussels are thoroughly cleaned, just saute shallot & garlic then add the mussels to the pot.  Next add vermouth (or white wine) and cover and let them steam for a few minutes.  Once they're all open just transfer to a bowl and garnish with parsley and green onion.

I serve with a good baguette (to soak up the broth) and lemon slices.

Chicken and Wild Rice

Chicken and Wild Rice,  a Robert St. John dish slightly modified.  The basic ingredients are wild rice, grilled chicken, pepper, mushroom, shallot, grilled pineapple and my sauce (soy, sesame, white wine, sherry, garlic, ginger, worcestershire & chicken stock)

Manicotti w/ Primavera Sauce

Manicotti filled with Spinach & Ricotta topped with white wine/butter primavera sauce.

Manicotti:

8-10 Manicotti Shells

ricotta cheese (1 container)

parmesan (3-4 tbs)

spinach (2/3 bag)

mushrooms (6-8 diced)

salt 

pepper

Saute the spinach and mushrooms for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan and chop coarsely.  Pat the spinach mushroom mixture with a towel to remove excess moisture.  Stir spinach/mushroom mixture into ricotta cheese; stir in parmesan and season with salt and pepper.  Put filling into manicotti.  Bake Manicotti at 350 for 10-15 mins or until manicotti is warmed through.  During baking top manicotti with 4-5 tbs of parmesan cheese 5 minutes before removing from oven.

Primavera Sauce:

1 yellow squash (med. dice)

10-12 cherry tomatoes (halved)

6-8 mushrooms (sliced) 

spinach (other 1/3 of bag)

garlic (2 cloves chopped)

1 shallot (fine dice)

1 cup white wine

2 tbs butter

Saute the squash, mushrooms, garlic and shallot in butter for 2-3 mins.  Deglaze with white wine and reduce until only a small amount of liquid is left.  Add spinach and tomatoes and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Top baked manicotti with the sauce 

Swiss Chard & Cannellini Beans

Roasted Pork Loin with Swiss Chard & Cannellini Beans.

The Swiss chard is first cooked for about 2-3 minutes in a hot pan to wilt.  During the cooking I add just a little liquid to help it steam.

Next the cannellini beans are sauteed with shallot for 3-4 mins.  A little tomato paste is added; then diced tomatoes and the chard are added in, just cook to warm through.

Pork Loin was rubbed with herb salt, then sauteed and finished by roasting in the oven.

Halibut with Peach Salsa

I've just finished reading Eric Ripert's latest book and in it, I ran across this secret he uses when pan sauteing fish.  He uses Wondra; this stuff is normally reserved for thickening sauces or gravies but in this case it replaces the flour that the fish is dredged in.

The fish is just lightly dredged in Wondra, then sauteed in Olive Oil.  The Wondra gives it a little extra crunch.

It's topped with a fresh peach salsa; I'm partial to the fresh Georgia peaches but use whatever you can get ahold of:

2 peaches (skinned and diced)

1 shallot (finely diced)

1/2 poblano pepper (finely diced)

few sprigs of cilantro (chopped)

olive oil (1-2 tbs)

pinch of kosher salt

Garbanzo Salad

Garbanzo Beans are one of my most favorite things but outside of hummus there just isn't a lot of uses for them.  Here is a Garbanzo salad I put together with other fresh summer veg.

2 cans garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1/3 Bell Pepper (thin slices)

Zuchinni (halfed and thin sliced)

Cherry tomatoes (halved)

Fresh lemon juice (2-3 tbs)

good Olive Oil (6-8 tbs)

shaved Parmesan (not grated; shaved and chopped a bit)

sprinkle of Parsley

Served with a NY strip covered in Port Wine sauce.

Grilled Chicken w/ chunky Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Grilled Chicken with Tzatziki sauce and Couscous.

Chunky Tzatziki sauce:

Plain yogurt

Cucumber (small cubes)

Lemon juice (1 tsp)

Lemon zest

Sesame oil (1 tbs)

Sesame seeds

Pollo al Chilindron

Pollo al Chilindron is a Spanish stewed chicken dish.  It's vital to use dark meat chicken because of the long stewing process. Normally I don't eat dark meat but it turned out well even though I removed the skin and trimmed a lot of the fat.  Obviously if the added fat doesn't bother you it can be left on.

The chicken is browned in a generous amount of olive oil then removed from the pan.  Diced onion and bell pepper are added and cooked until soft.  Next add garlic and diced ham (the ham should be smokey and cut into small pieces).  Next the key ingredient is added, smoked paprika.  I special order paprika about once a year because the stuff they sell at the grocery bears no resemblance to the real thing.

After the paprika is added, remove from the heat and stir in white wine and 2 grated tomatoes.  The chicken is added back to the mixture and simmered for 30-40 minutes.

Quick Bread

I found this recipe for a Quick Bread; it's very interesting and can be cooked quickly (as the name suggest) without any rise or prep time.  It's somewhat like a Moroccan flat bread or other middle eastern style flat breads; it's easy to make and useful in a pinch.

1.5 cup Flour

1 cup Water

1 tsp. Baking Powder

pinch of salt

You stir the mixture to a paste and then heat a small non-stick pan with a bit of olive oil.  Put the mixture straight into the pan- add a couple of drops of water to the outside of the mixture (that will help it steam) and cover.

Cook it for about 10 minute, flip and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  It should come out golden brown (a little less brown than mine came out)

The recipe could definitely be augmented by adding shallots, garlic or herbs to the mixture.  

Chicken Scallopini

Chicken Scallopini - The Chicken is dredged in flour and pan sautéed.  The sauce is made by sautéing mushrooms and shallots; deglazed with white wine and finished with a bit of cream and topped with parmesan.

Steak & Grits

So after a bit of a hiatus I'm finally getting around to posting.  Hopefully I can get back to updating about once a week.

Steak and grits seems very basic and it is; the important thing is getting the grits right.  Grits are what you make them: I use just milk in mine and good amount of sharp cheddar.

The steak is covered with a port wine reduction with sauteed mushrooms.

The side item was grilled

asparagus that was tossed

with a romesco sauce.

Romesco sauce is a spanish

sauce made of tomato, ground

nuts, oil and spices.

SW Pizza

Yes, another pizza post.  This one one is tex-mex style with the sauce made like a enchilada sauce.  It is topped with monterey jack, black beans, red onions, grilled chicken, green onions & sour cream.

Roast Pork

So I came up with this roast pork concoction.  It's not the prettiest dish I've ever made but it turned out great.

I started by searing the pork loin.  I then sauteed carrots and onions and deglazed with some vermouth and added a bit of chicken stock.  The pork was placed back on top of the veg and I roasted the pork for about an hour at a really low temp.

Once the pork was done I sliced it thin and added it back with some diced tomatoes and canellini beans.  Again, not the prettiest of dishes but it was very good; definitely something to work on and refine.

Roast Chicken Crepes with Creole Cream Sauce

I filled crepes with Roasted chicken and caramelized shallots that were mixed a creole cream sauce. 

Creole cream sauce is made by reducing cream down and adding worcestershire, hot sauce, smoked paprika and garlic.  Once it is reduced some parmesan was added.

Peanut Chicken Pizza

I tried combining two of my favorite dishes, Peanut Chicken Pasta and Pizza.  I used my usual pizza dough and topped with some grilled chicken, green pepper, mushrooms and peanut sauce.

It turned out good except that the dough rolled out a little funny (kinda shaped like a European country - Austria, no?).  I'm thinking next time I might take it a bit further and add some edamame and possible bean sprouts ( a little of this wouldn't hurt either).

Braised Short Ribs

I braised some short ribs and reduced the wine they simmered in to make a Cabernet Sauce.  Short ribs are the perfect braising meat as they have a good amount of fat and they have the bone (rib) still in.  As the ribs cook the marrow inside comes out and flavors the sauce.

I just used the typical braising method: sear the meat, then simmer in the oven at a low temp for a couple of hours.

Cauliflower & Parmasan Soup

I really dislike cauliflower; however this cauliflower and parmesan soup I made was really good.  Proof that adding cream and butter makes anything better.

I created my own recipe but I used this one by local Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun as a guide. 

Chicken Creole

So I've been on a Creole kick lately.  I love doing Shrimp Creole but due to my fish guy closing last year it's almost impossible to get good Gulf shrimp in this part of the world.  So, I tinkered with the recipe a bit and did it with chicken instead.  It turned out really good; the trick was coating the chicken chunks with a light dusting of flour and corn starch, this keeps the chicken moist while allowing it to adhere to the sauce.

Basin Street Chicken

Basin Street Chicken - A Robert St. John Recipe.

Grilled chicken is topped with a sauce made of caramelized onions, diced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, butter and white wine.  This mixture is then topped with Havarti and Sharp Cheddar slices and put in the oven to melt.

The side is some braised Chinese Choy.

Coconut Soup

Coconut soup is easy to prepare and keeps well for days.  I like to make a large pot up and have it for lunches during the week.  My recipe doesn't have meat but chicken breast or thigh meat could easily be added and just cooked in the broth.

2 cups of Chicken Stock (I prefer the no-salt added)

14 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (1 can)

1/2 cup lemongrass (3-4 stalks)

2 tbl. lime juice

mushrooms

cilantro or garlic chives

To prepare the lemon grass you take off the outer skin of the stalk then using the back of the knife pound the entire stalk to release the oils.  Next, chop the bulb in into thin slices and the rest of the stalk into 2 inch chunks.  Then bring the stock, coconut milk & lemongrass to a boil.

Let the mixture cook for 10-15 minutes; the liquid will reduce.  Let the mixture cool then strain to remove the lemongrass and put the liquid back into saucepan.  Before serving add sliced mushrooms and lime juice.  Garnish with either cilantro or garlic chives.

*Note the recipe is for about 2-3 servings but it can easily be multiplied to make a larger amount

Breaded Pork Chops

I made pork chops that were breaded with flour, dijon mustard, and homemade breadcrumbs.  The side was a baked sweet potato; I like my sweet potato with a little butter, chipotle chili powder and cinnamon , but that's me.

The breadcrumbs were just some day old french bread that went for a spin in the processor.  These are toasted with shallot and a little oil until browned.  Some shredded parmesan and parsley is tossed in once the crumbs are cool.

Broccoli Soup

After having a side of sautéed broccoli florets I was left with the stalks.  So I decided to make a quick broccoli soup by simmering broccoli stalks and shallots in chicken broth; then pureeing the mixture with a hand blender and finishing it with a little butter and cream.

I'm constantly trying to become a better cook and to do that I really think you need to learn to utilize and appreciate all parts of an ingredient.  With our modern supermarkets; it's far to easy for people to get pre-packaged this or pre-cut that and put together a mediocre meal.  To really cook; is to take a great ingredient and turn it to something extraordinary.

Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a classic French dessert made with cherries .  It's a basic recipe where a batter is poured over cherries and baked in a French Oven until golden brown.  

I like the idea of sticking with how things are traditionally prepared but I would recommend removing the cherry pits (I tend like my desserts without the choking hazards).

Carnitas

Slow cooked Pork Butt or Carnitas might be the best thing in the world.  Really, you might be able to turn a vegetarian with this dish.

I marinated the pork overnight in a mixture of pineapple juice, soy sauce, orange juice and Coke.  The next day the pork gets seared and put in the pot with onions, green peppers, orange peels and a halved lime.  I let it cook for about 2.5 - 3 hours at 250.

Once the pork is done it's shredded and loaded into tortillas with a black bean & rice mixture.