Fried Green Tomatoes and Bacon Jam

This time of year, the tomato plants are still blooming and producing fruit, but that fruit will probably not ripen into the Summery ones we love.  But they can be turned into something almost as good-fried green tomatoes.  And one way I know to make fried green tomatoes better is with some bacon jam.

4 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/3" rounds
1 cup of buttermilk
1/4 cup hot sauce-I like Crystal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
oil for frying

Mix the hot sauce into the buttermilk and soak the tomato slices.

Mix the corn meal, flour, salt, and pepper.

Drain the tomato slices and dredge in the corn meal mixture.

Fry the tomatoes in hot oil on both sides until they are golden brown and crispy.

Drain well on toweling before serving.

Bacon Jam

1 pound of bacon, cooked until crispy, drained and chopped.
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Combine all of the ingredients and simmer until the mixture is thick and syrupy.  Mixture can be blended to make a smoother mixture or left chunky-I usually leave it pretty chunky.

Grilled Peach, Red Onion, and Goat Cheese Salad

Here is an eye-catching salad to take advantage of the brief peach season.  Most years here in St Louis and Southern Illinois we have an amazing peach crop-unless a late frost or storm takes them out during the blossom stage.

3 peaches, pitted and cut into wedges
1 pound of Arugula
4 ounces of Chevre or other creamy goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup large diced red onion-soaked in ice water for 5 minutes
Chopped parsley and chives to garnish

Grill the peach segments over a hot fire until they are charred and caramelized, but still firm.

Make a dressing with the lime juice, honey, oil, and salt and pepper.

Place the Arugula on a shallow platter, top with the grilled peach segments, dot with spoonfuls of the goat cheese, and red onion.

Drizzle the salad with the lime dressing and garnish with the chopped parsley and chives.

Trout Amondine with Amaretto

Trout and almonds are a classic.   It has been a dish that's been around for a long time.  This recipe is one from a class I teach a couple of times a year.  Traditional Trout Amandine has a fussy breading technique with flour, egg wash, and nuts.  Here I just brown the nuts and make them part of the sauce, rather than part of the breading.

 

 

 

2 boneless trout

1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons amaretto

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Minced fresh parsley

 

Pat the fish dry and dredge in the seasoned flour.

 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan.  Sauté the fish for about 2 to 3 minutes, depending the size and thickness of your fish, on both sides, starting with the flesh side.

 

Wipe the pan out and melt the remaining butter, add the nuts and brown.

 

Add the Amaretto and turn the heat off.  Add the lemon and parsley and pour the sauce over the fish.

Grilled Shellfish with Tequila Chorizo Butter

This is a beautiful appetizer for Summer.  Perfect to nibble on while enjoying a Margarita or Mojito.

18 clams, scrubbed and cleaned
18 mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
18 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 link Mexican Chorizo, casing removed
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup butter
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

In a sauté pan melt the butter and brown the sausage breaking it up into chunks.  Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno and cook for a minute or so to soften the vegetables and thoroughly cook the sausage.

Add the tequila to the pan and boil off the alcohol.  Reserve the mixture until the shellfish are grilled.

Place the shellfish on a medium hot grill and cook until the shells open and the shrimp are done.  Remove the shellfish to a large bowl, being careful to collect all the juices in the bottom of the shells.

Toss the grilled shellfish with the tequila chorizo butter, fresh lime juice, and garnish with the cilantro and lime wedges.

Banana Ice Cream with Grilled Pineapple

I got this recipe for Banana Ice Cream from Thomas Keller's French Laundry Cookbook.  That book has been one of my favorites for years.  The recipes are so challenging that some seem almost impossible, of course he has a large and talented staff to help him pull of these incredible recipes.  This Banana Ice Cream is surprisingly simple and quite delicious.

Chef Keller serves the ice cream with white chocolate-banana crepes, Chocolate Sauce with a cherry on top, and calls it Banana Split.  It is quite an impressive dish.

I serve this delicious ice cream with grilled pineapple. 

Banana Ice Cream

6 large bananas, peeled
2 to 2 1/2 cups cream
2 to 2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
10 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split
Pinch of Kosher salt

Place the bananas, 2 cups Cream, 2 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla bean in a sauce pan.  Bring the mixture to the simmer and steep for 15 minutes, do not let the mixture boil.

Strain the mixture through a Chinois and discard the solids.  Measure the liquid and add the additional milk and cream to make 4 cups.

Whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar and salt.  Whisk until the yolks and lighter in color and slightly fluffy.

Whisk 1/3 of the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper them.  Whisk the tempered eggs into the hot cream mixture and continue whisking over low heat until the mixture is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the mixture and chill overnight.

Process in your ice cream freezer.


Grilled Pineapple

1 Pineapple
3 Tablespoons of butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Melt the butter and brown sugar, add the lemon juice.

Peel and cut the pineapple into chunks, large enough to grill.

Grill the pineapple while brushing with the butter and brown sugar glaze. continue to grill and baste until the pineapple is glazed and caramelized.

To serve:
Spoon the grilled pineapple and some accumulated juices into a shallow bowl and top with a scoop of the Banana Ice Cream.

Tuna Puttnesca

Puttanesca is that wonderful Italian invention named for the "ladies of the evening", and like it's namesake-it is cheap, easy, and seductive.  Usually it is tossed with pasta, but here I used it as a sort of sauce/relish for seared tuna and grilled bread.

First marinate the tuna with some garlic, oregano, rosemary, wine, lemon juice and a bit of olive oil overnight, or at least a couple of hours.

For the Puttanesca:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 anchovie fillets, minced
1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chopped Italian plum tomatoes, seeded and drained
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup Italian or Greek olives, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons capers
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh Basil, chopped

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, and sauté the onions and anchovies until the anchovies dissolve and the onions are wilted and soft, about 5 or 6 minutes.

Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir cook for 2 minutes, stir in the remaining ingredients and heat through, adding more oil if it seems too dry.

Toss with hot pasta and serve or put it next to a seared tuna steak like I did here.

To Sear the tuna;
Get a sauté pan extremely hot, film the bottom lightly with oil and quickly sear both sides of the tuna very briefly-no more than 1 minute per side.

Thinly slice the tuna and serve with Puttanesca and grilled bread.

To grill the bread:
Thinly slice a baguette, rub the cut side of the bread with a crushed garlic clove and brush with olive oil, place on a hot grill and toast.

Pots De Creme

I happened on these little pots de crème the other day-I can't resist adding esoteric or eccentric pieces to my "Battery de Cuisine".  I'm sure I'll use them a couple of times and retire them to the china closet with my other "finds".

This chocolate pudding is so easy, so tasty and so satisfying-and now I have the correct little pot to bake them in.

1 1/4 cups half and half
3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
 1/4 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flavored liqueur-Grand Marnier, Frangelica-etc
Pinch of salt

Heat the half and half to the simmering point-don't boil.  Off heat, add the sugar and chocolate-let sit for 5 minutes-whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and other flavoring.

Whisk the half and half mixture into the yolk mixture, and strain into a small pitcher.

Pour the chocolate egg mixture into the pots de crème, bake in a Bain Marie in a preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Chill before serving and serve with whipped cream .

Grilled Red Snapper

Whole Grilled Red Snapper with Nuoc Cham

I got this Red Snapper at Whole Foods, it was about 3 pounds, and took about 20 to 25 minutes on the grill so easy and tasty.  I used a Nuoc Cham (the versatile Vietnamese dipping sauce as both a marinade and dip. 


Nuoc Cham

1/2 cup fish sauce-3 Crabs is best
1/2 cup palm sugar-brown sugar works if you can't find palm
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons water

Mix all ingredients. 



Make three slit in both sides of the fish and insert a lemon and garlic slice.

Take 1/4 cup of the nuoc cham and add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and brush the fish (including the cavity with it.  Let sit 1 hour before grilling.

Stuff the cavity with lemons and herbs.

Place the fish on the grill over medium high heat, with the cavity toward the front (this helps when you flip the fish by just rolling it over it dorsal fin).  Grill for 10 to 12 minutes on each side.

French Apple Tart

Almost everyone know Julia Child's Tart Tatin-the caramelized upside down pie, but she also published a couple of other recipes.  Here is her classic Tart Aux Pommes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".

Line a removable bottom tart pan with your favorite pastry recipe and blind bake the shell for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and weights and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Cool the shell before proceeding.


4 pounds crisp cooking apples
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup rum or cognac
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
zest of 1 lemon

Peel and core the apples.  thinly slice 3 cups of apples and toss them with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, reserve these slices to top the tart.

Cut the remaining apples into rough chunks and put them in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.

Cook them over low heat with the 1/3 cup apricot preserves, rum sugar and butter.  Stir and crush the apples into a thick apple sauce, raising the heat if necessary.

Spread the apple sauce into the tart shell.

Cover the top of the applesauce with the reserved apple slices, arranging them in a neat overlapping pattern.

Bake in the upper part of a pre-heated 375 degree oven until the apple slices are slightly browned and tender.

Glaze the top of the tart with melted apricot preserves.  Julia strained her preserves-I just left mine chunky.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Jerk Pork Loin

Josh's Jerk Marinade

Josh Huntley, Lead line cook at the restaurant, got this recipe from his father-in-law who got it from a Jamaican while visiting the island.  It is a great favorite of everyone in the kitchen and I've used it in grilling classes at Kitchen Conservatory to equally positive results.  It is also marvelous on chicken and fish.  Pretty spicy, but great tropical spice flavors.

Here is a pork loin we marinated a couple of days before roasting for a restaurant special one night.  We slow-roasted it in the oven, but it would be best over a charcoal fire.  good jerk usually a bit of char to it.  We cooked some of the residual marinade and served it as a little sauce with the roast.

Jerk Marinade

1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1 habanero, seeded and minced
2 scallions, minced
1/4 cup minced onion.

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. 

Marinate the loin or any other meat overnight, or in the case of the loin-a couple days.  The marinade can also be used for fish or shrimp, but only marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Grill or roast until the meat registers 160 degrees-about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on the size of the roast.

Boil some of the marinade to use as a sauce and thicken with a bit of cornstarch, if desired.

Blueberry Grunt

Cobblers, Grunts and Slumps, Crisps, Crumbles, Betty's, and Buckles

My latest class at Kitchen Conservatory featured these great classic American desserts.  First I started with a definition of each.  Over the years they have sorted of morphed into the same thing we all call cobbler, but there are differences and different names to go with them.

On the most basic level they all contain fruit with a topping.  Most of them are baked, with the exception of the grunt and the slump, which are the same thing with two names.  The Grunt or Slump is done on the stove top, and the biscuit topping is steamed.

Cobbler-Biscuit topping dropped onto the fruit, when baked the top resembles a cobbled street surface
Grunt or Slump-Biscuit topping that is steamed, not baked-think chicken and dumplings
Pan Dowdy-biscuit or pie dough topping that is rolled out into a single layer, placed over the fruit and baked, the
       surface  is then broken up with a spoon and pushed into the fruit (dowding it) before finishing baking
Crisp-Streusel topping
Crumble-Streusel topping with the addition of rolled oats
Betty-Bread crumb topping, but also a layer of bread crumbs on the bottom as well
Buckle-a cake batter is poured into the pan, and the fruit is spoon over the top, as it bakes, the cake batter "buckles" up over the fruit.

Blueberry Grunt

 

 

 

 

Filling:

1 quart of blueberries, cleaned

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Topping:

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of buttermilk

 

Combine the filling ingredients together in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.  Bring the mixture to the boil, lower the heat to simmer.

 

While the blueberries are heating, make the topping.   Stir the flour, sugar. baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  Cut the butter into the flour mixture until pea sized clumps form.

 

Stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture.  Drop the batter by spoonful's onto the top of the simmering blueberries, cover with a lid and continue simmering until the dumplings are done-about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

The Grunt is probably the most rustic dessert of the lot, popular before ovens were available to most folks.  The dessert is named after the gurgling and grunting sounds the dish made while cooking over the open fire.  The dumplings are so light and fluffy-it is a really satisfying munch.  I served it with a glog of heavy cream.  It is the same dessert as the slump-I have no idea where the name slump came from,

 

Corn off the cob sauteed with duck fat and duck cracklin's

During a recent Iron Chef competition at Kitchen Consevatory my team and I were presented with a couple of ducks.  After breaking down the ducks, I rendered the fat and made cracklings.  My market basket also included some fresh corn on the cob. We cut the corn from the cobb and sautéed it with some peppers in the rendered fat and topped the corn with the crispy cracklings. 

Take the excess fat and skin from breaking down the ducks and trimming the parts.  Chop them into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a sauté pan with 1/2 cup water.  Bring the water to boil over medium heat, let the water evaporate and the skin will separate from the fat and the skin will begin to brown and crisp.  Strain the fat from the cracklings.  Season the cracklings with salt.  The fat is especially delicious used to sauté potatoes.

It is also delicious to sauté corn in the fat, add pepper or two and a bit of onion, and top with the cracklings.

Filipino Grilled Adobo Chicken

This month's (September 2013) Food and Wine cover photo is a grilled Filipino chicken.  I followed the recipe pretty much as written and it turned out delicious.  The main flavors of soy, garlic, star anise are supported by smokey charred grill marks.  I loved it and will make it again, probably add some kind of spicy dipping sauce and more red pepper flakes to the marinade next time.

3 cups of water
1 cup coconut or cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
10 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 whole star anise pods
2 small (3 1/2 to 4 #) chickens cut into 8 pieces each
Oil to brush the grill
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley or basil

In a large stainless bowl or zip lock bag, combine all of the ingredients except the oil, salt and pepper.

Add the chicken pieces, making sure they are covered with the marinade.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Drains the chicken and prepare the grill.  Brush the grate liberally with the oil and grill the chicken, skin side down over medium heat, turning occasionally until they are lightly browned and charred and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Salt and pepper the chicken and top with some chopped fresh herbs.

Great Peach Season

Great Peach Season for southern Illinois and Missouri.  Especially loving Eckert's and Calhoun County peaches this year.

I've been making this fresh peach salsa every week since the peaches have been coming in.  It is terrific with chips, but also good spooned on grilled fish, shrimp or chicken.

2 large fresh peaches, skinned
1 large ripe tomato, skinned
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 hot pepper-or to taste, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
a couple sprigs of fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a process and rough chop, leave things a bit chunky for me, but if you prefer a smoother salsa, just keep processing until you get the texture you like.

Paella at Kitchen Conservaory

I had a great time at Kitchen Conservatory last night teaching a class on Tapas, Paella and Sangria.  Here is a picture of the Paella Valencia.

This is probably the most famous paella containing chorizo, chicken, and shellfish.  Paella takes its name from the pan in which it is cooked.  It is a wide shallow pan that is often cooked on a grill in Spain.  We did it on the stove top for this class.

Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients, it is a great party dish.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound Spanish Chorizo, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped
2 1/4 cups short grain rice-Calaspara or Arborio
1 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon Saffron dissolved in a combination of 1 3/4 cups chicken stock and 1 3/4 cups clam juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt add to the stock mixture
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Additional stock, as needed
15 mussels, cleaned
15 small clams, cleaned, Manila if possible
1 cup green peas
Chopped fresh parsley and cilantro

In the paella pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, and briefly sauté the shrimp 1-2 minutes, remove the shrimp from the pan and reserve.

Add the chorizo to the hot pan and briefly sauté-remove and reserve.

Add the remaining oil and sauté the chicken.  Add the onion, garlic and pepper to the pan and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the rice and continue to stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, add the shrimp and chorizo back to the pan, add the cayenne and black peppers, and stir to combine.

Add the wine and let some of it evaporate, add the stocks and saffron.  Cover the pan with foil and bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the cover and push the clams and mussels (hinged side down) into the rice mixture, scatter the peas across the top of everything.  Add additional stock if the rice seems dry or is sticking.  Cover and continue cooking until the mussels and clams are opened.  Garnish with the chopped parsley and cilantro.

Let the Paella sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Thrill of the Grill

Grilled whole Grouper at Kitchen Conservatory yesterday.

These were about 3 pounds each-they took about 1/2 hour on a low grill.

1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
1 table minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup Nuoc Cham (recipe follows)
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 4 inch lengths
8 thin slices of fresh ginger
Kosher or sea salt

Mix the lemongrass, ginger and nuoc cham.

Place the fish on a cutting board and generously salt the fish on the outside and the cavity.  Make four vertical cuts into the side of the fish.  Stuff the slits and the cavity with the lime and ginger slices, and the lemongrass.

Spoon the nuoc cham mixture over the fish and let sit for 10 or 15 minutes before grilling.

Place the fish (belly side to the front-this helps when you need to flip the fish) on the liberally oiled grill.

Let the fish cook for about 12 to 15 minutes per side for this size of fish-smaller fish take less time.  Also for smaller fish, you can use a hotter grill.

With a long fish spatula carefully roll the fish over to grill the second side.

Serve with lettuce wraps, fresh cilantro, mint, and lime wedges.

Serve Nuoc Cham and Thai Peanut Dipping Sauces on the side.

Nuoc Cham

1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup palm sugar (can substitute brown sugar)

dissolve the sugar in the hot water.

1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
Sliced Thai Bird's Eye or Serrano Chile-add as much or as little as you like depending on how spicy you like it.

Combine all the ingredients with the water and sugar, mix well and let sit for 1/2 hour before serving.  Can be refrigerated.


Thai Peanut Sauce

13 1/2 ounce can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
3/4 cup peanut butter-nothing fancy
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring the mixture to the boil.  Serve at room temperature, Can be refrigerated, but thickens a lot.

My 60th Birthday Party

Dan changed the chandelier into a balloon sculpture.

He also made some beautiful flower arrangements

We started with Crab Cobb Salad with Roasted Sweet Pepper Mayfair dressing

Pretty standard cobb salad, except I changed the usual chicken to crab, and added some diced mango to the mix.  The dressing is based on the one served at the historic Mayfair Hotel in downtown St Louis, where I worked for a couple of years about a decade ago.  I took the original recipe and added a couple of roasted red peppers to it.

2 roasted red peppers
1 small onion
1 stalk of celery
2 to 3 anchovie fillets
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Puree the vegetables with the anchovies, sugar, and mustard.

Fold the puree and the oil into the mayonaise.

Chill a couple of hours to let the flavors get to know one another.  Taste for salt and pepper.

This beautiful braided bread wreath came from Marconi Bakery on "The Hill"-St Louis' Italian neighborhood.

Next we had a GermanPotato salad-I used a recipe from "Cooks Illustrated"-and I didn't care for it.  It wasn't horrible, just not as good as my own recipe.

Everyone loved the golden beets.  I just roasted them and dressed them with rice wine vinegar, a bit of oil, candied violets, fresh mint and chile flakes.

I also grilled tenderloin fillets and topped them with a matre de hotel butter.

Judy brought her fabulous chocolate cake with 7 minute frosting and red sprinkles-which is always everyone's favorite, and I bought salted caramel ice cream from Serendipity.  I can't even begin to explain how crazy delicious Serendipity's ice creams are.


My new birthday grill

I am now looking forward to my next sixty years.

Golden Beet Salad with Orange, Sage and Buttermilk Dressing

Wash and roast your beets at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours-depending on the size of the beets.  Smaller or baby beets will take much less time.  You can roast the beets in  a coverd dish or just wrap them tightly with foil.  When the beets have cooled, peel and slice them.

Orange, Sage and Buttermilk Dressing

Zest and juice of one orange
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 cup of mayonaise
1 cup of buttermilk
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend, let sit, refrigerated, a couple of hours before using.

To serve, arrange some greens on your plate, I used some fresh spinach, place the sliced beets on the greens, add a couple of orange segments and dress with the buttermilk dressing.  Fresh chives are a nice garnish

Candied Violets

Violets are blooming out in the garden, so I candied a few to use later for salad or dessert garnishes.  It is a very easy process and works for rose petals too. 

 

 

 

 

Pick, wash and thoroughly dry your blossoms.

 

 

Whisk some egg whites until they're frothy, grab the blossom by the stem and dip into the egg white, then the sugar, covering the blossom totally.  Dry in a low oven (150 degrees) for a couple of hours.  Snip off the stems.

 

 

Store in a tin or container with a tight fitting lid.

 

Thai Steaks and Chile Sesame Potatoes

4 fourteen ounce stripe steaks

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing or sherry
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Sliced green onions and cilantro for garnishing

Combine the marinade ingredients, and marinate the steaks for at least 1 hour, but not more thatn 2.

Drain the steaks and pat dry, grill or pan sear the steaks over medium high heat for aabout 3 minutes per side for medium rare.

Let the steaks rest for 5 to 8 minutes, and carve into 1" slices.

Serve with Chile Sesame Potates and Thai Chile Sesame Vinaigrette.

Roasted Potatoes with Thai Chile Sesame Vinaigrette

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered. (I used Russet, because I had them on hand, but prefer the red)
Canola oil

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh Thai chilies
2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
Salt and papper to taste
Black sesame seeds, green onions and fresh cilantro for garnighing.

Lightly coat the potatoes with canola oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 265 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and tender.

While the potatoes are roasting, prepare the vinaigrette.

Toss the potatoes, while still hot, with the vinaigrette.

Garnish with the sesame seeds and cilantro before serving.