Sunday, February 18, 2024

Mussels in Beer & Cream

 


My family and I love mussels.  Problem I run into here is that the Gulf doesn't produce them in the quantity and frequency that I was accustomed to in the SoCal.  Fortunately the local H*E?*B stocks fresh frozen 1 pound bags of this delectable treat so we can enjoy them year round.

I've got a really good Seafood Stew recipe I know by heart and toss in mussels instead of clams from time to time. All is good but every now and them I just want a mussel dish that celebrates just them.  I've searched around and adapted a couple to suit my family.  They like it and I hope you do too.

Ingredients
  • 1 lb frozen mussel meat - thawed
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 minced red onion
  • 2 T minced garlic
  • 1 12 oz can of beer (light lager is fine, no IPA)
  • 1 14.5 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 C half and half
  • 1/2 c chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 c chopped cilantro
Method:
Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add minced onion and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Pour in beer and can tomatoes with liquid.  Bring to boil and simmer 7-9 minutes until reduced slightly.

Add thawed mussels and half & half.  Simmer 2-3 minutes until mussels are warmed through and sauce is slightly thickened.  Stir in parsley and cilantro.

Serve with sauce in a large bowl, crusty bread for sopping up the sauce and a nice chilled unoaked chardonnay like Pear Valley Chardonnay.



Friday, February 16, 2024

Double Chocolate Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

 

Not everyone is a fan of cookies, twisted I know, but I've got one such person in my household.  When she declares, "keep this recipe", I listen.  Perfect for those days you're jonesing for chocolate.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C butter - room temperature
  • 3/4 C sugar (white or turbinado)
  • 1 C packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 t vanilla
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 1/4 c flour
  • 1 1/4 c rolled oats
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 1/2 t baking soda
  • 3 T Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 8oz bag toffee chips
Method
Preheat oven to 350F.
In mixer add sugars, salt, and butter.  Cream well.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well between additions.
Sift together dry ingredients.  With mixer on low add them spoonful at a time and mix only until just blended.  
Fold in oatmeal.  Fold in chocolate chips and toffee chips.
On a parchment lined baking sheet drop by spoonful* onto  baking sheet.  Bake 9-10 minutes for small cookies, 15-16 for large cookies.  Cool on wire rack.

*I use a large #25, 1 3/4 ounce ice cream scoop as we like a large cookie.  If using a smaller 1 ounce scoop use the shorter baking time.


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Ham and Cheese Tart


 Ooey gooey with melted swiss and black forest ham wrapped in a flakey crust of puff pasty...perfect addition to a cheese board for wine and cheese night.

I do have one ingredient that is hard to find.  Sel Gris Aux Herbes.  Gray sea salt with herbs.  This coarse herbed sea salt adds a nice savory salty crunch to your flakey pastry that is hard to duplicate with any replacement.  Try ordering online M. Gilles Sel Gris Aux Herbes.  Its a great finishing salt on steaks, fish and poultry too, you'll thank me later if you do buy it.  

Ingredients

  • 1 box (2 sheets) Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets, thawed
  • 8 0z black forest ham - deli sliced
  • 1 T Dijon mustard
  • 5 slices swiss cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T sesame seeds
  • 1 t Sel Gris Aux Herbes
Assembly
Preheat oven to 425F

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Carefully unfold 1 sheet of pastry onto the lined baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush lightly spread the Dijon mustard on the pastry sheet leaving a 1/2 inch margin on the edges.  Layer the ham on the mustard maintaining the 1/2" margin.  Place the cheese on top of the ham using the one piece to trim to fit any gaps you have on top of the ham.  

In a small bowl add the egg and a tablespoon of water and beat to make an egg wash.  Using a new pastry brush, brush on a thin layer of the egg wash along the edges in the 1/2" margin. Place the remaining sheet of pastry on top of the layered ham and cheese.  Crimp edges with a fork.

Brush the entire top of the pastry with the egg wash.  Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and Sel Gris Aux Herbes.

Place in preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes until rich golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes then cut into 9 squares.  (A long bladed serrated bread knife works best).  Place on cheese board and serve.

Monday, January 15, 2024

Langoustine Pot Pies

 

 I love me the little Langoustine.  Lobsters smaller cousin and just as tasty.  I get the two pound bags of them at Costco which are available seasonally at a fraction of the cost of lobster.

This recipe is an adaptation of several "seafood pot pie" recipes.  The filling is super flavorful thanks to the deglazing with dry sherry that is allowed to cook down.  Sherry is a white wine fortified with brandy and adds a terrific layer of flavor to your basic cookery.  Whatever you do don't get cooking sherry as it can be a salt bomb, like all cooking with wine use one you would drink.

Langoustine Pot Pie

Ingredients

  • 3 T Butter
  • 1 small sweet onion or shallot - fine dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 c dry sherry
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 3/4 C heavy cream - room temperature
  • 1 lb. langoustines, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2C frozen peas
  • 1/8 t fresh grated nutmeg
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 14 oz package frozen puff pastry
  • 1 egg beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 425*F

In a large sauce pan melt butter.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until just translucent.  Add Sherry and cook down until it resembles a thick syrup.  Add flour and cook 1 minute until completely dissolved and cooked through.

Add heavy cream 1/2 c at at time and whisk in to ensure no lumps.  Bring to low boil.  Add langoustines and return to low boil.  Add peas.  Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Add nutmeg.

Brush rims of 4, 8 ounce ramekins.  Divide hot langoustine mixture between the ramekins.  On a lightly floured board roll out the puff pastry sheet until approximately a 12 inch square.  Make 4 circles of pastry 1 inch wider than ramekin. Place pastry on top of ramekin and lightly press along outer rim of the ramekin.  Brush tops with egg wash.

Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until puffed and bubbly and pastry is a rich golden brown.
 
Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pot Pie...the money shot, breaking the crust

A few tips.  Make your life easier with the minced garlic.  Use a micro plane to finely mince the garlic.  Much easier and cleaner than you get with the old chefs knife.  There will be some boil over so line your baking sheet with foil...makes clean up a breeze.





Sunday, December 17, 2023

Mississippi Pot Roast

 

I'm new to the Gulf Coast, the Third coast as it were.  I'm still catching on to local food culture and bringing it into my repertoire for weekly menu planning.

I kept hearing "Mississippi Pot Roast" is so (insert superlative here).  Then Food Network mentioned it a few times and I thought what am I missing?  I googled and found out its stupid easy, crock pot friendly, super tasty pot roast.  In fact since I discovered it its the only Pot Roast the family lets me make any more.  Now if I could find out why its called Mississippi Pot Roast with a definitive answer...but I digress.

Ingredients

  • 2 -3 lb Chuck Roast
  • 1 package au jus mix
  • 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing dry mix
  • 4-5 Pepperoncini peppers
  • 2T pepperoncini pickling juice
  • 1 can low sodium beef broth
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 carrots peeled and cut to 3" pieces
  • 1 package brown gravy or onion gravy mix*

Method


Lightly salt and pepper both sides of Chuck Roast.  Heat a non-stick searing skillet over medium heat.  Sear each side 8-10 minutes until rich deep crusty brown.

Place seared chuck roast in a large crock pot.  Sprinkle Au jus mix and Ranch Dressing mix over the top of seared beef.  Pour beef broth over seared beef.  Place pepperoncini on top of roast and sprinkle the pickling liquid over the seared beef.  Place carrots along side the beef submerged in the broth.

Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low.  At end of cooking time remove pot roast and place on platter.  Remove carrots to small serving bowl.  In the hot liquid whisk in gravy mix until lump free and thickened.

Serve with  Anne Burrell's Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

*If you haven't tried Ah Bisto! brand gravy granules yet, I highly recommend you do so.  Its a British product I got hooked on for easy lump free perfect gravy every time.  You can pick up at your local British Market (even my local H*E*B stockes the basic beef in their international aisle) or by mail order.  Add it to pan juices and add enough liquid to make a cup for awesome gravy.

Friday, December 1, 2023

Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake

 


Why do I call this the ultimate?  Well it is the culmination of a few different recipes and refinement to create a light, ethereally fluffy cheesecake.  Not some leaden bomb, just perfectly soft and airy.  Using brown sugar in the filling adds to the depth of flavor of the pumpkin.  It is the perfect accompaniment and grand finale to a Holiday dessert table. 

Ingredients/Equipment

10 inch spring form pan
large roaster
boiling water
aluminum foil

Crust 
  • 14 oz gingersnap cookie crumbs 
  • 1 heaping T brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 c melted butter
Filling
  • 4, 8 oz packages cream cheese
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1 c granulated sugar
  • 6 eggs - lightly beaten
  • 1 15 oz  can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 1 heaping T pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 t kosher salt
Method
Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap bottom and outside of springform pan tightly so when you do water bath water does not leak into the cheesecake mixture.

Break up cookies and put into a food processor.  Add brown sugar and pinch of salt.  Pulse until you have fine crumbs the size of sand.  Pulse and pour in melted butter until thoroughly moistened. Pour crumb mixture into springform pan and press evenly across bottom and an inch or so up the sides of the pan.

Place crumb mixture into preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes until golden and aromatic.  Remove from oven and cool.  

For the filling make sure cream cheese and eggs are room temperature. DO NOT use straight from fridge as they will not mix well.

Place cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, salt, and vanilla to stand mixer.  Start at low speed and work to medium speed.  Beat on medium 3-4 minutes until thoroughly creamed and mixture is light an fluffy. You will need to use spatula to scrape down sides a few times. 

Reduce speed to low.  Add pumpkin pie spice.  With mixer running spoon pumpkin into cream cheese mixture allowing each addition to be be incorporated.  Scrape down the sides a few times to ensure all of the pumpkin is incorporated evenly.

Increase speed to medium and beat in eggs a little at a time until incorporated. 

Place foil covered pan into a large roasting pan.  Pour filling over the crust.  The filling will come nearly to the top of the pan but it won't overflow while baking.

Drop heat to 325F.  Place roaster with the cheesecake into the oven. Add boiling water until it comes up to top of foil, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the side of the pan.  ITs important not to skip this step as it will promote even baking with the steam keeping the top for drying out an cracking.  Add boiling water as needed during baking.  This set up is called a bain marie.

Bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.  When done it will have a slight wobble in the center and a toothpick will come out clean.   



Remove from oven and let cool slowly to room temperature.  When cooled remove from pan and place on serving plate.  Wrap carefully in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 12 hours or overnight.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and maybe even a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of toffee bits for some crunch.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Sausage and Greens Soup

 

Its not often we get cool rainy days here in S.E Texas, but when we do I'm loaded with an arsenal of rib sticking soups.   This is a new(ish) one loaded up with baby greens that you need a fork to practically get through it.  Man is is hearty.

Thank goodness for supermarkets wising up and prepackaging greens along with the usual suspects of a "salad bar".  In this case I used Kroger's baby green mix...spinach and kale in their tender young form.  Just add to a soup and you'e done.  In terms of the kale, thats a labor savor using baby version as you don't neet to destem and chop them before adding.  Makes for stupid easy cookery.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs mild smoked sausage such as kielbasa
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 48 oz chicken broth
  • 1 lb  mixed baby greens (kale and spinach)
  • 2 T finely chopped basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T flour

Method

Thinly slice saudage (approx 1/4'').  Heat large stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil then sausage.
Stir occassionally.  Coarse chop the onion and add to browning sausage.   Cook 5-8 minutes until sausage is browned and the onions ar translucent.  Add flour and cook 1 minute.

Stir in stock.  Simmer 10 minutes until lightly thickened.  Slowly add greens by handfuls in batchs slowly stirring in and allowing to wilt before adding next batch. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed to taste.  Add basil.

Simmer 10 minutes to fully wilt kale.  Serve hot with additional basil and maybe a sprinkle of parmesan.