Catfish Classique!

When you are married to a Southern man, catfish is one of those things that are inevitable in life. Personally I was a little afraid of catfish. I had this visual image in my head of a giant fish with whiskers, and for all I know, that is actually what catfish DO look like before they make it to the seafood counter at the supermarket. Or maybe they look like this.

Only with fins. One way or the other, I procrastinated as long as possible. And then one day I ran across this recipe, which involved both shrimp and vermouth cream sauce, along with some deep-frying, and I figured it was now or never. So off I went to Fairway, where catfish was on sale (yes!!) and picked some up. It looked like, well, fish. This recipe calls for coating the catfish in a milk/egg/flour batter and frying it until it is golden and beautiful. Then you quickly saute some nice big shrimp in garlic and butter, and finish up by whisking some vermouth, lemon juice and cream into the shrimp drippings until you have a gorgeous thick sauce. A little red pepper for some zing, and then you are ready to assemble. Catfish, topped with shrimp, topped with sauce, topped with some chopped scallions. I put some roasted string beans on the side, invited the grandparents for dinner and it was catfish time.

Guess what?

Here is how I felt after taking just one bite.

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Or an old cat. Or something. Or maybe the moral of the story is, cream sauce and deep-frying making everything right with the world. One way or the other, I'll be making this one again...give it a try. In the meantime, Happy New Year to all of you, and I'll be back next year. See you then!

CATFISH CLASSIQUE, from Southern Living Homestyle Cooking

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 4 6 ounce catfish filets
• Vegetable oil
• 12 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup vermouth
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Lemon wedges

1. Combine egg and milk in shallow dish until blended.

2. Combine flour, one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon red pepper in another shallow dish.

3. Dredge catfish in flour, then milk mixture, then flour again.

4. Pour two inches of oil into dutch oven or deep frying pan and heat to 375. Fry filets, two at a time, for six minutes or until golden. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

5. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and garlic and cook for 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp and keep warm.

6. Add vermouth to skillet, bring to a boil and cook one minute. Add cream, half of scallions, lemon juice, remaining salt and pepper and cook sauce 15 minutes or until thickened a little, stirring often.

7. Place catfish on plates, drizzle with sauce. Top with shrimp and sprinkle with remaining scallions. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve. Meow.

Click here for printable recipe.

Scrambled Eggs with Salmon and Herbs

There they are. My adorable little La Crueset individual crocks. Get used to them because I have about one million upcoming ideas of things to make in them. Portion control and loveliness, all in one serving piece -- I can hardly stand it.

Tonight our little red crocks are featuring eggs that are scrambled with milk, cream cheese, some chopped herbs and ribbons of smoked salmon, with toasted brioche circles. (I feel like the maitre d at a posh Upper West Side of Manhattan brunch place!). You'd never know that this swanky comfort food came together in about 15 minutes, but oh yes it did. Here's my favorite trick to this recipe -- put the little crocks in the oven while you are making the eggs, and they will be all nice and toasty warm when the eggs are ready to be popped into them. And okay, if you haven't yet gotten your own set, you can use any oven-safe plate or bowl. I'm pretty sure they will taste ALMOST as good.

Last but not least, I know the picture looks like this can not possibly be enough to keep the Southern husband from getting hungry an hour after he eats, but this recipe is rich enough that a crock-full is actually the perfect amount. Yum, yum. Give it a try and see what you think.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SALMON AND HERBS, from La Crueset

• 8 large eggs
• 8 slices challah or brioche bread
• 4 pieces smoked salmon, cut into ribbons
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat 4 serving dishes in 300 degree oven while preparing eggs

2. Cut circles out of bread slices with cookie cutter or top of glass. Toast until golden.

3. Whisk eggs with milk and half of the herbs.

4. Melt butter in frying pan over low flame. Add eggs and cream cheese and cook for 4 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add salmon and cook without stirring for one more minute. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Put one toast circle on each plate or in each bowl. Divide eggs among plates. Scatter remaining herbs on eggs and top with remaining toast circle. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Best Beef Stew

So for me, beef stew is like macaroni and cheese -- I never met a recipe I wasn't a little bit tempted to try, JUST in case it might be better than the other million recipes I already have. So when the practically perfect folks at Cooks Illustrated promised that this particular one was the Best Beef Stew...well, all I needed was a snowy Sunday with nothing else on the horizon and I was ready to roll.

Now truth be told, I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to "new" beef stew recipes. I've been around the beef stew block enough times that I need something pretty convincing in the latest recipe to get me on board for real, since beef stew is a major commitment. It involves chopping. It involves both searing and simmering. It involves many, many hours on the stove, and as my Cooks Illustrated friends pointed out, it can often smell better than it ultimately tastes. However, this latest recipe did come through for me in terms of the secret ingredient.

Are you ready?

Can you HANDLE it?

Okay, here goes.

ANCHOVIES.

No, I am not kidding. No, I have not finally lost my mind due to bacon overdose. Anchovies. It has an actual scientific explanation that goes with it, something to do with glutamates. All I know is that Cooks Illustrated is my Holy Grail of recipes, and if they say anchovies, I am down with the anchovies. And sure enough -- the stew tasted richer and more intense...and not a bit like fish. Promise.

So if you, like me, are always on the hunt for the next best beef stew, give this one a try and don't be afraid of the anchovies. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice!

BEST BEEF STEW, from Cooks Illustrated

2	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4	anchovy fillets , finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1	tablespoon tomato paste
1	boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	large onion , halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
4	medium carrots , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1/4	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2	cups red wine
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	bay leaves
4	sprigs fresh thyme
4	ounces salt pork , rinsed of excess salt
1	pound Yukon gold potatoes , scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2	cups frozen pearl onions , thawed
2	teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin (about 1 packet)
1/2	cup water
1	cup frozen peas , thawed
	Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

3. Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

4. Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and salt pork. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 11/2 hours.

5. Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

6. Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.

7. Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

>

Click here for printable recipe

Cinnamon Butter Muffins

I can't believe that after all the shopping/wrapping/baking/generaL racing around that Christmas is actually OVER. So in order to stretch it out just a little bit longer, let me tell you about one of our Christmas morning traditions...along with a suggestion for one of yours.

One of our longest-standing Christmas morning traditions is cinnamon rolls baked after the initial round of present-tearing-open is over. I'm not talking homemade rolls like my mom makes...I'm talking the ones that come in the tube with the little cup of white sugar frosting at the end. I'm not sure how this started, but the time or two I have tried to deviate from the tube, there has been shock and sadness on the upturned faces gathered around my Christmas tree. So for me, it's Christmas morning with the Pillsbury Dough Boy...but maybe there is still hope for YOU?

If so, you might want to consider making these delectable cinnamon butter muffins. They are quick and easy and you probably have everything you need to make them somewhere in your kitchen...no last minute trips to the supermarket. Keep those holidays going...

CINNAMON BUTTER MUFFINS, adapted from The Frog Commissary Cookbook

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12 muffin muffin tin.

2. Cream butter, shortening and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, salt and nutmeg.

3. Combine flour and baking powder. Stir in flour alternately with milk into the butter mixture until the everything is just combined.

4. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.

5. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

6. When the muffins are done, cool for one minute and then turn out onto cooling rack.

7. Immerse each muffin briefly in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon sugar. You can either do this with the whole muffin or you can just do the top.

8. Make sure you eat the first one warm. It will make everything right with the world.

Click here for printable recipe

The Locavore Winner

I'm sure lots of you are doing what I am doing today...The Big Clean-Up! I actually love the day after Christmas, when things are a little calmer and quieter and you can actually sit down with a cup of tea and revel in the goodies and the quiet and the general happiness of it all.

Contented sigh!

And here is a latebreaking holiday gift for Anu, whose favorite local food is green chilis from New Mexico! Random.org chose Anu as the lucky winner of Amy Cotler's wonderful new book, THE LOCAVORE WAY. Congrats, Anu!

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend, and I'll be back tomorrow. As soon as I finish cleaning up....

Eggnog Fudge

I haven't yet gotten around to making the eggnog french toast I have been dreaming about, but I did want to get you this eggnog fudge before the holidays had come and gone, and here it, just in the Saint Nick of time. This comes to us from Recipe Girl, who by the way has some pretty fabulous looking Christmas cookies on her site right now.

This is a quick and easy fudge that is made mainly out of white chocolate (I used Ghiradelli), marshmallow creme fluff and, of course, eggnog. Those brown flecks are fresh ground nutmeg, which always makes things smell like everything is right with the world. It comes together in a snap, and if you chill it in the fridge it will be ready super-fast.

By the way, I wanted to point out that plate the fudge is sitting on. That is one of my Twelve Days of Christmas plates, and I LOVE them. They are a Christmas Dessert Tradition in my house.I don't think they make this particular variety anymore, but I did spot some that were very merry here.    In the meantime, here's some great eggnog fudge for you. Happy Merry!

EGGNOG FUDGE, from Recipe Girl

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup dairy eggnog
10.5 ounces white chocolate bars, chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus a little more for the top of the fudge
One 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 tsp rum extract

1. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil and let it hang over the sides. Butter the foil.
2. In a heavy, 3-quart saucepan combine sugar, butter and eggnog. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat or until a candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
3. Using a wooden spoon, work quickly to stir in chopped white chocolate and nutmeg until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallow creme and rum extract. Beat until well blended and then pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle a little freshly ground nutmeg on top. Let stand at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate if you’d like to speed up the process.
4. When completely cool, cut into squares. Store in a covered container.

Yield: 30 to 40 pieces

Click here for printable recipe

Last Minute Christmas Gift: Tassimo Hot Beverage System!

Okay you last minute procrastinating Christmas shoppers, have I got an got an idea for YOU. Yesterday I came home from my maniacal last minute shopping and this was at my front door. The awesome folks at Tassimo had sent me a gift of my very own Tassimo Hot Beverage System, and there it was, just waiting on my doormat.

Now, I've seen these things before -- coffee makers where you drop in the special pod and press a button and it makes a single cup, and I gotta tell you, I have not been tempted. First of all, I am not a coffee drinker (although the Southern husband does love a good cappuccino now and then). And us dedicated tea drinkers have gotten the whole single serving thing down to a science: drop a tea bag into hot water and voila. But a gift is a gift, and I wasted no time getting the box open. And right on the box were all these tempting looking cups of not just coffee, but other stuff that the teenager and I actually love and drive to far flung places to get. Chai tea latte. Hot chocolate. And yes, cappucino. Hmm.

So we pulled it out and set it up, which took about 90 seconds. Sleek-looking, right? The water receptacle is in the back, and comes off the machine so you can fill it in the sink (as opposed to pouring the water directly into the machine and spilling some of it on the counter, if you are ME.) And if you look very closely at the metal control buttons on the right, you can see me with my tripod. Someday soon I will figure out how not to take pictures with my reflection in them.

Also in the box were three packages that looked like this:

The other two were cappuchino and chai tea. I'd show you what those looked like but in my extreme excitement I ripped open the chai tea package immediately upon reading the words "chai tea" on the package. I'm sorry, but I have no self-control when it comes to some things.

Inside these packages are these adorable little pods.

And here is the wild part. See the bar codes on them? The machine reads the bar code on whatever pod you put in there, and it KNOWS what you are making and how long to brew it for, how much water to use, etc etc etc. Better living through science, people! In action in my kitchen!

OK, time to get down to business. I popped in the chai tea pod, selected my most elegant cup and put it in place.

Okay, so I DO have more elegant cups. I really do.

But I like my cow cup, and I gotta be me. Here's the back of it, by the way. It's one of the reasons I love it so.

I pushed the button. It whirred and hummed and one minute later my cup was half full of tea. Then I popped in the milk pod. More whirring. More humming. Best of all, frothing and steaming...and there it was.

One of the best cups of chai tea I have ever had. In two minutes. And you are talking to a girl who has spent an unmentionable amount of money in Starbucks saying "tall skim extra hot chai, please?" I even made the Southern husband taste it to make sure I wasn't in some dream state brought on by my fascination with the whole bar code thing, and he agreed...and then asked for a cappuchino, stat. Then my friend D arrived on the scene, and he is a die-hard black coffee drinker. We popped in one of those Starbucks Caffe Verona pods and 1 minute later...another believer.

So if you are still looking for that last minute Christmas gift....Tassimo Home Brewing System. I know you can get them at Bed Bath And Beyond, because I already sent the Southern husband over there to get us some hot chocolate pods for the teenager. (Yes, I sent him to the mall on December 23. That's the kind of ruthless woman I am. ) You can also go to the Tassimo Direct website where they will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about how it works, where to buy them, how to never run out of chai latte pods, etc. And hey -- if you get any of those great gift certificate cards and don't know what to spend it on...

That's all I've got for you today...except wherever you are, I hope you have a warm, happy, delicious holiday!

Roasted Garlic and Brie Soup

First of all, check out the ADORABLE little crock that the soup is in. That is part of a set of La Crueset crocks from my indispensable, wonderful, beautiful assistant, who is the most upbeat and efficient person I know, and who cheerfully tries all the many and varied and sometimes strange samples I cook up and leave on her desk. Aren't these little serving dishes great? Get used to them, they are my new favorites, and today they are home to one of my new favorite soups: roasted garlic and Brie soup.

This one is super easy and super delicious, and except for the roasting-of-the-garlic part, pretty time efficient as soups go. Don't be frightened by the fact that this recipe calls for two entire heads of garlic. When you roast garlic the way we are going to do, it takes the sharp edge off of the garlic taste, and we are left with smooth, buttery, gentle garlicky goodness. Promise.

The rest of the this soup is a mixture of minced veggies, chicken broth, herbs and Brie cheese. The softer the Brie, the more it will melt into the soup. I used a medium soft Brie, which meant that I had a few soft chunks of cheese left in mine, which was a-ok with me and the Southern husband, but if you like a smoother soup just use a really soft Brie and it will melt into perfect smoothness. You can't miss either way.

So here you go, the perfect marriage of garlic and Brie, all in one easy soup. Give it a try!

ROASTED GARLIC AND BRIE SOUP, adapted from Cooking Light

• 2 large heads of garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 ounces Brie, rind removed and chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finelly chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel the outer white skin from the garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of each garlic head and place, cut side up, on a foil lined cooking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and bake for 1 hour at 350. Remove, cool 10 minutes and squeeze the pulp from each clove. (This will not take anywhere NEAR as long as it sounds, don't worry.) Set aside.

2. Cook celery, onion and carrot in remaining olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often.

4. Put garlic pulp and one cup soup mixture in food processor and process until smooth. Returm processed mixture to pot and add all of thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley. Bring to a simmer.

5. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste, and serve at once, garnished with the rest of the parsley.

Click here for printable recipe

Triple Threat Cake

Where to start, where to start? Okay, first of all, this week was the teenager's 17th birthday. Which means she can now drive. Which means the keys to our little white pick-up truck used to look like this:



and now they look like this:



So this called for not your ordinary birthday cake for herself and the horde of hungry teenagers that were coming over to help celebrate her new ability to say "Mom, can I borrow the car?" Luckily it was also MY birthday last week, and my awesome friends showered me with treats they knew I would make great use of in the kitchen. For example, that gorgeous pink glass cake stand in the first picture on top is from my friends B&B. I love love love it. My friend S gave me not one but TWO of these gorgeous aprons from one of my favorite, favorite stores, Anthrolopogie...

So that went on right away, because Triple Threat Cake is full of opportunities to spill stuff on oneself. Then I got out this gorgeous pie plate from my guest-blogging, expert pie-making friend E -- isn't it just beautiful?

And with that I was all set to tackle this dessert. Now credit where credit is due: I found this recipe on CakeSpy, which is an awesome site for anything remotely related to cake. I bookmarked it ages ago waiting for the right event, because this is not something you can make for your casual weekday dessert. You'll see why in a minute. First, line your own beautiful deep dish pie plate with pie crust.

Now full disclosure, I did not make many of the components of this recipe from scratch, because if I HAD, I would still be in the kitchen making it. So that is a Pillsbury pie crust you see there, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I DID then make a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough from scratch (follow the recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip package and you can't go wrong), and I pressed about half the cookie dough into the bottom of the pie crust, like so:

Pop the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge for use at another time. Next, mix up a batch of packaged cake mix. I went for broke and used Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix. Pour it on top of the cookie dough until your pie plate is almost full. You'll have leftover batter, which I made into little mini cupcakes. This recipe is the gift that keeps on giving.

The whole thing gets popped into a preheated 350 degree oven. Here's my oven, which I am showing you so that you can see ANOTHER of my awesome holiday gifts, this one from my friend K, who knows how much I truly do love my dog.

I mean, look at her. Look at the crossed paws. Look how patiently she is waiting by the oven, just in case it suddenly pops open and some bacon falls out on to the floor. Hey, it could happen.

So, about 50 minutes later, you will have a something that looks like this. The crust, the cookie dough and the cake mix will all have baked into this golden wonderment of sugar.

Let it cool until it is really totally cool, and then frost with the frosting of your choice. And since you have come this far, go to town with the sprinkles. When all is said and done, here's what it looks like.

Triple threat cake...just perfect for a million or so hungry teenagers! And what a great way to try out some of those great gifts from my peeps. And I haven't even GOTTEN to all of them...wait until you see my gorgeous olive oil carafe from my Italian friend, my La Crueset single serving crocks from my amazing assistant, and the adorable cookie cutters from my Friend/Photography Zen Master B....and my mom and dad actually gave me BACON. Yes they did. Don't you just love birthdays???

TRIPLE THREAT CAKE, adapted from CakeSpy

• One unbaked piecrust
• One batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough
• One batch of your favorite prepared cake mix
• One batch of your favorite prepared frosting
• Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.

2. Lay unbaked pie crust in pie plate.

3. Press enough cookie dough into bottom of pie crust to fully cover bottom but not sides. It should be about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep. You will have leftover cookie dough (hurray!)

4. Prepare cake mix according to box directions and pour over cookie dough until pie plate is almost full. You will have leftover cake mix (make cupcakes!)

5. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

6. Cool completely and frost the top. Add sprinkles, candles, sparklers and/or whatever else the occasion calls for.

Click here for printable recipe

Guest Blogger Amy Cotler: Crispy Wrap with Warm Cheese and Apple Chutney

Photograph by Amy Cotler

Okay folks, here comes another AWESOME giveaway and very special guest blog!

One of the great things about living the The Garden State is that we are surrounded by such an abundance of beautiful, fresh, local food. (I know, you thought I was going to say shopping malls and the New Jersey Turnpike, but no!) And so I was delighted to see this wonderful new book come out from chef and cookbook author and all around cool person, Amy Cotler.

I asked her if she would share with us one of her delectable recipes as a guest blog, and we are all in luck, because here it is....from the wonderful Amy Cotler!

****************

Some of the best recipes are born out of desperation. This is one,

created when I had to come up with yet another wrap for my book,

WRAP IT UP, now out of print. But here it is — a warm wrap

reborn with melty local cheese, apples, shallots and regional

cranberries. Serve as a unique cheese coarse or light meal, sliced in

half on the bias, propped up at an angle, eaten solo, or nestled in a

winter salad of shredded cabbage and carrots.

All apples work well in this wrap. And these days, local and

regionally produced mold-ripened cheeses, such as something in the

brie and camembert family, are plentiful. I found about 10 different

varieties easily at my local cheese shop, but farm stands and gourmet

markets stock them as well.

CRISPY WRAP WITH WARM CHEESE AND APPLE CHUTNEY

Makes 4, but recipe is easily doubled or halved

• l large apple, skin on, small dice
• 1-1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1-1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• Pinch hot chili pepper flakes
• 4 medium (8-9 inch) whole wheat tortillas (or mountain bread)
• 5 ounces mold-ripened local cheese, room temperature, rind on, cut or
• torn into 12 or so pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl combine the apple,
shallots, cranberries, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and hot chili
pepper flakes. Let sit for 15-30 minutes to marry the flavors,
stirring occasionally to prevent browning.


2. Heat the tortillas or mountain bread, one at a time, in a large hot
cast iron skillet or directly over a gas flame, turning frequently,
just until pliable for about 10-30 seconds each.


3. Lay out the tortillas on the counter. Scatter 3 pieces of cheese in
the center of each. Top each with 1/4 of the apple chutney. Fold in
the sides and wrap. (At this point you can make them about an hour
before cooking.)


4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes.
Carefully add the wraps, seam side down, and bake until crisp on one
side. Turn and bake until the second side is crisp, about l0 minutes
total. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Serve hot
or warm, cut in half on the bias with a serrated knife.

Click here for printable recipe

Winter goodies?
In the northeast this is the time of year we mourn the loss of
anything that springs from mother earth. But there's still plenty to
choose from. So don't forget maple syrup, eggs, milk, cheese,
sustainable raised meat of all kinds (usually frozen), sustainably
raised or caught fish, winter squashes, root veggies and more....

**************

And if that scrumptious recipe isn't enough, here is more wonderfulness: I have a copy of Amy's fabulous book, THE LOCAVORE WAY, to give away! Next Saturday I will pick one lucky random winner who will get a copy of this great book. To enter, just leave me a comment telling me what your own favorite local food is. Mine is definitely the herbs I grow right outside my back door so that I can just run outside and pick 'em when I need 'em! (A reminder to my beloved email subscribers -- click on the post title at the top of the page to get to the web page where you can comment).

Thanks Amy! Local food rocks!

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Brittle

Still looking around for that perfect holiday gift? Well, look no further, this may be it! This is a simple and dramatic recipe for a cookie "brittle" that is different and delicious and very festive looking. You can make batch of it in no time, and if you have a nice glass cookie jar and some ribbon you are ready to rock.

Now get ready to be amazed...the secret ingredient in this one? Saltines. Yep, you read that right, good old boring saltines -- they transform into this exotic concoction like Clark Kent morphing into Superman. You line your favorite jelly roll pan with foil (I like the nonstick kind myself). Open a sleeve of saltines and lay them out on the foil in a single layer, with the sides touching. If you have an 11/17 inch pan they will fit perfectly.

Next take 2 sticks of butter and melt them in a saucepan over medium high heat. Pour in a cup of brown sugar and boil that sinful mixture for three minutes. It will look alarmingly dramatic, but don't worry, it's doing its job. After three minutes give it a good final stir and pour it over those saltines, making sure they are good and covered. Pop the pan into a 400 degree oven for 7 minutes. The butter and sugar will soak and cook into the saltines, coating them in caramel goodness.

After 7 minutes you take out the tray and put it on a cooling rack. Pour a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and nuke them for about 2-3 minutes until they turn into melted chocolate when you stir them. At this point pour the melted chocolate over the caramel saltines and spread that chocolatey goodness over the whole thing with a spatula until the entire layer is covered. Oh yes. Then put the whole thing into the fridge and chill it down until the whole thing is hardened together -- usually about an hour.

Now you have a mass of caramel chocolate heaven...break it into irregular pieces and sample one. The caramel is crunchy and sugary. The chocolate is, well, chocolate. The saltine has practically disintegrated into all of it, leaving only a tiny crunch on the inside with just a hint of salt.

Now if you can bear to give this deliciousness away, drop them into your pretty glass jar and wrap the ribbon around the jar. Holiday Gift Extraordinaire. Do I look out for you or what?!

Happy Merry Ho Ho Ho!

Click here for printable recipe

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIE BRITTLE

1 sleeve saltines

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 ounces chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Line 11-17 baking pan with foil.

3. Lay out all saltines in a single layer in pan, sides touching

4. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and heat to boiling for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Pour butter/sugar mixture over saltines, making sure to cover all of them thoroughly.

6. Bake for 7 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in microwave for 2-3 minutes until they are completely melted when you stir them. Spread them on top of the saltines, covering completely

8. Refrigerate until completely cooled and hardened. Break into pieces.

Chicken Fried Steak

Now, I need to tell you a little story about this one. It is called "The Chicken Fried Steak Rule," and it dates back to the beginning of time, before the teenager was even born, and it goes like this.

Once upon a time, there was a Northern girl and a Southern guy, and the Southern guy introduced the Northern girl to the culinary delicacy that is Chicken Fried Steak. He found a great restaurant right nearby that did a scrumptious chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes, and he held her hand across the table and promised his undying love in that mesmerizing Southern accent of his.

The Northern girl girl was smitten with both the Southern guy AND the chicken fried steak, and decided to make both her own. The Southern guy proved to be a lot easier to figure out than the chicken fried steak. She tried recipe after recipe after recipe for chicken fried steak, with no luck. The breading fell off, or burned. The steak was tough. The cream gravy was lumpy, or runny, or bland. The Southern guy bravely ate his way through one disappointing chicken fried steak dinner after another.

Then one day he got down on one knee, took her hands in his, professed his undying love, and reminded her that there was a perfectly wonderful restaurant nearby that served perfectly wonderful chicken fried steak. And thus the Chicken Fried Steak Rule was born, and it goes like this. If there is someplace nearby that makes something wonderful that you like to eat, do not try to reinvent the wheel at home. For the past 20 years, this has saved me from trying to make chicken fried steak (Live Bait restaurant on 23rd street in NYC), doughnuts (Krispy Kreme!) and cinnamon rolls (Grandma). And life was good and peaceful, because whenever I got a jones to make chicken fried steak either the Southern husband or the teenager looked me in the eye and said "Chicken Fried Steak Rule," and I came back to my senses.

Then the Pioneer Woman wrote her fabulous cookbook, and there it was. On page 142. Her recipe for chicken fried steak, complete with irresistable step by step photos. I wavered. I faltered. I fell. There I was, with my cube steak and flour and eggs and milk, flagrantly breaking the Chicken Fried Steak Rule for the first time in years. And you know what? Rules are meant to be broken...this was the chicken fried steak of my dreams, right here in my own little kitchen!

Anybody out there got any Krispy Kreme doughnut recipes???

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

3 pounds sliced cube steak
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup canola oil

1. Beat the eggs with one cup of milk and place in shallow dish

2. Mix 3 cups flour with 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper, place in shallow dish

3. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Dip in flour, then eggs, then back in flour, coating thoroughly each time. Place on empty plate until ready to cook.

4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry meat 3 pieces at a time until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towel lined plate and keep warm.

5. After frying all the meat, pour out all grease except for 1/4 cup and heat up the grease. Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over the grease and whisk it together.

6. After a couple of minutes the flour mixture will turn brown. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups of milk. Let gravy come to slow boil to thicken. Add more milk as needed if it gets too thick. This should take 5-10 minutes.

7. Generously season with salt and pepper.

8. Place meat on plate and spoon gravy over. Serve with mashed potatoes and whatever other veggie you like. I serve with corn to make sure we really DO get enough carbs. Yum yum yum.

Click here for printable recipe

Cowboy Cookies

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I'm not exactly sure why these are called cowboy cookies. Maybe because they are hearty, robust cookies, with a mix of oatmeal and coconut and chocolate chips and walnuts? No nonsense, crunchy, chewy cookies with nothing fragile or delicate about them? I really have no idea. If I knew any cowboys I would ask them. The closest I ever come to a cowboy is when the Southern husband wears his cowboy boots.

I do love it when he wears those boots...

Where was I?

Oh yes, the cowboy cookies. I made these mainly because I loved the name of them, but as it turned out, I love the actual cookie just as much. These are a perfect marriage of oatmeal walnut cookies and your classic chocolate chip with some coconut thrown in, so every bite is filled with something good. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart, and hers called for pecans, but walnuts were what I had in my pantry so walnuts is what I made 'em with. Feel free to swap back to pecans if you are a pecan sort of person.

Can't you just picture them cooling on your kitchen table? Cowboy Cookies...go make them!

COWBOY COOKIES, adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup walnuts
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks
  
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until darkened and fragrant, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until just combined.
4. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray; line with parchment, and spray parchment or use a Silpat. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies begin to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
   

Click here for printable recipe

Crepes!

As those of you who read yesterday's post on Creme Brulee already know, I recently got to attend and photograph my third "Meet the Chef" event at our local library. Not only did the wonderful Chef Rosemary Smith teach us how to make creme brulee, she also made us not one but TWO kinds of crepes...the spinach one you see above, and this delectable looking chocolate banana number.

Just as a quick reminder, Rosemary is from the new and lovely La Vie En Rose Bakery and Cafe. Doesn't that name just make you want to go there and order some tea and scones?

Anyway. After she finished up the creme brulee, we were on to the crepes. Crepes are one of those intimidating sounding things that seem like they should be handled by licensed professionals, but Rosemary promised us it would be fun, and after the creme brulee we were true believers.

We started with flour. So far, so good..

Add some eggs to it....

And mix that baby up good. Hey...crepes are easy!

Then add some milk, whisk whisk whisk...

I love how this looks. Creamy and comforting, and sitting on top of Rosemary's recipe, which is usually where my OWN recipes are when I need them. Under something.

Now comes the scary part. The cooking of the paper-thin, delicate, needs to be flipped over without tearing into pieces crepe.

Rose explained that one of the tricks was to actually do the lifting and flipping with your fingers. Really? Yes, really...she did it before our very eyes. Lift and flip.

After that, the rest is easy. The spinach crepes were spread with a mixture of spinach and mushroom filling...

And folded over into adorable crepe bundles.

The banana crepes were spread with chocolate (Nutella would be ideal for this) and sprinkled with bananas. Getting HUNGRY???

And that was it -- beautiful, perfect crepes, right before our very eyes!

All that was left was to spoon on a little sauce (cream sauce for the spinach crepes, whipped cream for the banana crepes)....and to EAT them!

So there you go. Now that Rosemary has shown us the secrets of crepe-making, we can let our imaginations run wild on the filling...the sky is the limit. I'm thinking vanilla pudding on the inside and strawberry sauce on the outside. What about you? In the meantime, here's the basic crepe recipe...and thanks, Rosemary! See you at La Vie En Rose!

CREPES

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• Fillings and toppings of your choice

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, whisk to combine.

2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs

3. Start whisking in the center of the bowl, combining a little more of the flour and the eggs in each pass.

4. When a thick paste has formed, start thinning it out with the milk, adding little by little so you don't get lumps.

5. When all the milk is added, let the batter rest for about an hour.

6. When ready to use, add the melted butter.

7. Heat a small skillet over medium high heat and add enough butter to coat it. Ladle in enough crepe batter to coat the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the bottom is set and slightly golden. Flip with spatula or your fingers, cook the other side until set.

8. Place on wax paper until ready to fill.

9. Fill with any of your choice of sweet or savory fillings. Rosemary's spinach filling is prepared as follows:

"Sautee one large shallot and one cup of mushrooms, roughly chopped, in 3 tablespoons of butter. When lightly cooked, not brown, add a package of raw spinach,. Looks like a lot, but it shrinks to almost nothing. Add salt, pepper, and fresh grated nutmeg to taste (I like a lot of nutmeg). Grate some Gruyere or Parmesan cheese into the mixture....about 1/4 cup. As the spinach cooks down remove it from heat so as not to overcook it. Remember to go light on the salt when adding cheese, which can bring too much salt to your dish. You can always add some later to taste.This mixture will be fine in your refridge for 2-3 days until you are ready. Happy Crepe-ing."

Click here for printable recipe