Today, I found myself with an abundance of Jalapenos at the end of the fall season. I called my Friend Alan, owner of Luxejohnscreek.com and blogger at georgiainteriordesign.com, who always gives great advice. Chipotles! Wow, that was a quick and easy answer.
So here is what I plan to do. Smoke them on the Kamado this weekend. 180 degrees for about 24rs, or until dry. Then spend the rest of 2011 fulfilling recipes that require chipotles. Should be a smoking hot year!
Caterpillars-1 Michael-0
Not a good day for DIY gardening and his jalapeno and red bell pepper plants today. In a mere 24 hours, 2 very alien-like caterpillars demolished my plants. Hope they get heartburn. Apparently, it turns into a somewhat majestic moth. Hmmm… Give me a Fly Swatter!!!!
7 Days of bliss. All the Fun, Food, Drinks and Fellowship. Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta was an outstanding accommodation for our family.
WordPress Tags: Food,Bucerias,beach,restaurant,Coconut,Bacon,fiesta,prawn
As a child, Christmas was never a ideal event. We always opened our gifts late morning or early afternoon. My siblings and I refer to this as our family’s Spanish inquisition phase. But we were always fed the best by our parents. The kitchen was always hot, crowded and full of aroma’s from the get go. So this year… after an early start and six hours of opening presents, reading directions, assembling parts and playing RockBand 2 with the kids, I’d say the parents deserve some food. Decadent food! Just like the good old days.
Good lamb should not be prepared over the top. A simple quick marinade of soy, garlic and lemon. Coat in herbs de Provence and some Kosher Salt. Fire them at high heat (550 or so) on the Kamado with the ribs foiled. Serve them crusty on the outside and red on the inside.
Our friends, Nic and Sandy from South Africa, always serve root vegetables with their meals. Roasted in the oven and their natural sugars are amped up! Almost like candy! This is a tip of the cap for them since they have moved away and did not see them this Christmas.
We have never made risotto in the house. Takes a lot of TLC! We used this recipe from Tyler Florence of the Food Network. Wow! Serious efforts should always be rewarded like this. Smooth, creamy and just the right mushroom infusion.
Apples, Cranberries, pineapple, sugar, crushed walnuts and a secret ingredient. Well it’s the Caruso’s recipe and I can’t give up the secret. Not your typical Jell-O like substance shaken from a tin can. This is sophisticated! YUM!
Well you gotta take a short cut when you can… Frozen from the store… nuked for 3 minutes. Still good!
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Just after Thanksgiving, my company gave me 5 weeks notice that I would have to endure 2 unpaid furlough weeks? What do you do. Complain. Become indignant. Revolt. Complain? No… Be thankful. Really… embrace it, don’t fight it. You don’t … Continue reading
It is unseasonal to have a cold hard rain during the month of April in the Sonoran Desert. Today, was one of those days; lazy, cold and drizzly… and the MASTERS on TV. Sweet! What to do. BEER CHEESE SOUP, I say!
Sweat down your mise en place in the butter. Combine flour and slightly brown mixture for a nutty rue. Add all your liquids and bring to a simmer, or just shy of a simmer. whisk in your mustard and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Then whisk in 1 handful of cheese at a time. Keep heat low to medium low… you need to combine the cheese but not get it gritty by boiling it. Server with crusty French bread and a good beer.
The obvious choices are… Deep Six it, feed it to the dogs, create a 4H science project by forgetting about it for months in the back of your fridge and then, of course, you can store it in your freezer next to last year’s turkey according to your preferred accounting principle for inventory(FIFO or LIFO?).
However, I have a good friend, Alan, who always has the answer. The wisdom lies within the question “Have you ever had a Hot Brown”. I respond with the question if this is in reference to Beyonce… and then after many gut wrenching laughs and a couple of tangents later, he says…” no, I’m serious”… more laughter ensues.
A link to the historical significance of this culinary delight is here. Suffice it to say, my friend was spot on. He listed a couple of key ingredients… Cheese, Bacon and Wine. Well, there is no wine in the recipe, but there is always an excuse to drink wine when you cook.
I used Bobby Flay’s recipe, but substituted where I lacked white cheddar cheese… who has white cheddar cheese on hand anyways. Good old Jarlsberg from Trader Joes did just fine.
The kids were not up for one of dad’s new recipes, so my son assisted with the photos and my daughter worked the magic with a pinch or 4 of nutmeg(see tiny fingers in the picture).
This is an easy meal if you have finicky kids. I simply made my first batch of toast and cut them into strips. Served them with some syrup and the kids were quiet while I brewed up the sauce. My son will try anything… the rule in the house is that we try things twice. Tonight, he just did not want any part of it. He likes turkey, bacon, cheese and the simple makings of French toast, but as he exclaimed with trepidation… not all together. I have to admit my son’s short sightedness. I offered him a tasty bite of mine and he hung his head low, knowing that he choose wrong.
This was a wonderful dinner that has an amazing taste to ease of preparation ratio. My 8 year old son has made it before… well almost.
Ingredients
Directions
Season chicken and dredge in flour. Saute in olive oil until golden brown on each side. Set aside for later. Add a little more olive oil, if necessary, and saute the onions for about a minute. Next, add the white wine off heat, then bring to a strong simmer and reduce. When wine is reduced by 1/4, add enough flour and tarragon to make a rue mixture. Brown this a little to get a nutty flavor… but not too much… your not making gumbo!!! The chicken broth can be added at this point. Whisk until smooth. The chicken can be brought back to the pan, cover over low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove chicken… add the cream… Whisk again until incorporated. Cover the chicken with your sauce and you are done. I served this last with some roasted potatoes and rosemary from the garden… superb! A bright glass(bottle) of chardonnay is all that you will need!
Last week, I got a tip that a No. 5 Kamado with red Venetian glass tile was to be had on the low. Apparently, this bad economy was going to bare fruit for me, finally. I was able pick this up for 1/3 of retail with no shipping charges at a struggling spa/jacuzzi store.
What is a Kamado…. The Goddess of outdoor cooking would be an adequate description. This is a ceramic grill/smoker that just happens to look like a piece of art acquired from the Guggenheim Museum. Why a Kamado? Other than the fact that my New Brunnels vertical smoker is very inefficient to cook for a family of four, it provides a high WAF rating (wife acceptance factor) as compared to the rusting 2 chamber smoker that is such an eyesore , April has relegated it to the side yard.
Benefits are unlimited cooking temperature control, versatility to smoke or grill and the efficiency of a small fire that will last for hours when you only need to cook small portions of PORK. You can slow smoke a few salmon flanks over 10 hours at 150 degrees for your own cured salmon or fire this up to over 750 degrees for a filet, Pittsburgh style, or your own coal fired pizza.
How do your break one of these in? What meal should be deserving to christen this? How about 3lbs of porterhouse steaks, sweet potatoes, and mixed grilled vegetables and a few Fat Tires from New Belgium Breweries! HEAVEN!!!!!!!
Got home from a long day a work. 730pm at night, and you are starving. What do you do? Well, I bummed some butter from my neighbor and went to work…. fortified with a couple glasses of wine, for strength. I apologize if his is not an accurate representation of buerre blanc sauce. I improvised what I had.
PAN SEARED SALMON WITH A TARRAGON BUERRE BLANC SAUCE
4 Salmon Filets
Kosher Salt
Coarse Pepper
1 Tablespoon of butter and olive oil
Buerre Blanc Sauce
3 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons of white wine
1 stick of butter (good for your coat)
2 shallots (I only had red onions)
Some Cream
Get your salmon seasoned with the salt and pepper. Get it sizzling on medium heat skin side down. Then render down some shallots in the vinegar and wine over medium high heat. Evaporate the liquid until almost gone. Turn your salmon over. Reconstitute wine/shallot mixture with 1 stick of cold butter a tablespoon at a time. Then whisk in some heavy cream… not a lot… maybe a couple of tablespoons and some tarragon.
DECOUFLE 