New Orleans Decadence

Last month we went to New Orleans for four days while also seeing the UK Wildcats play LSU in Baton Rouge.... We won't talk about that painful game, but I will delight you with some recipes from The Big Easy. A girlfriend and I went to a cooking school for the morning, got a front row seat, and can't wait for the perfect occasion to re-create all the dishes.We have to take photos of our food and send it in so we can get our "diploma" from the school!  We were at The New Orleans School of Cooking, and they have a great selection in their store as well as online at The Louisiana General Store.  I have my eye on a couple of items to give out to my foodie friends and family this holiday season. Big Kev was our chef, and he has a number of seasoning blends I might need to have around the kitchen.

Big Kev adds the cream.

Our menu on that beautiful October morning was Artichoke and Shrimp Bisque, Crayfish Etouffee, Pralines and Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.  Delicious!  Since I have made most of the other dishes before, I am going to share the soup, which was new to me.  Wow, I have never really cooked a lot with artichokes, but if this is any indication of deliciousness, I am going to do more of it in the future. I suggest you boil up a pot of it soon now that the weather has turned colder and we need to warm our insides a little bit.  Like the old PBS Cajun Cookin' star Justin Wilson used to say, you will love it, "I gar-rahn-teeeee!"

Artichoke and Shrimp Bisque
24 oz. quartered artichoke hearts
1 quart strong chicken stock
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley(for garnish)
1 Tbsp. thyme leaves, crushed
Salt to taste
1/4 cup flour plus 1 Tbsp.
1 quart heavy cream
2 cups chopped green onions
1/2 to 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, medium sized
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine artichoke, chicken stock, green onions, salt, thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 12 minutes.

Combine butter and flour to make a light roux and add to simmering pot.  Stir in heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add shrimp and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with freshly chopped green onions and parsley for garnish.

Note: 1 cup of the green onion goes in the soup and 1 cup is for garnish.

Makes 6-8 servings

Stanley J Has Competition Red Skin Potato Salad

The sudden closing of Stanley J's New York Deli last Friday caused great concern in my family because it seems that at just about every gathering in the past 10 or 15 years, Stanley's Red Skin Potato Salad has been on the table. When my daughter and sister visit from out of town, they make a special requests that the sinfully rich concoction be chilling in the fridge upon arrival and on ice when they make the journey home with a fresh supply. The directions to the deli are even in a family cookbook as the "recipe" for my Mom's potato salad! So you can see why I left an urgent 9a.m. message to Mom to go stock up on closing day. I didn't need to worry however, because she was already in line, waiting more than a half-hour outside to purchase pounds of the the creamy goodness!!! With my final stash hidden on site as "the gold standard" I proceeded to experiment for over a week in my quest to duplicate the recipe. After 6+ trial run batches, I am proud to say that it is very difficult to tell the which spoonful is "original" and which is the "impostor", in fact, Hubby chose MINE as Stanley's during the last go around. I probably won't want to eat any potato salad for months now, but on the next holiday, reunion, or picnic, one of our traditional foods will still be on the menu!

INGREDIENTS
2 to 2 1/4 pounds red skin potatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onions (green tops only)
1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
1/4 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 and 1/8 teaspoons white pepper
1/8 and 1/8 teaspoons black pepper
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Hellman's regular mayonnaise
1/4 cup regular sour cream

Chop green peppers and green onion tops. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/8 tsp. white pepper, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Add the green onion and green peppers and mix.  Set in refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend while the potatoes are cooking.

 Bring 1/2 large dutch oven pot full of water to boil and add a few dashes of salt.  I weighed the potatoes using my kitchen scale to get the proper amount. Quarter the potatoes (do not peel) and place in the boiling water, cooking until very soft and skin is beginning to slightly separate from edge of potatoes. Drain and cool slightly in cold water.  Drain again. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces and place into a large bowl. If pieces of the skin come off, place them in the bowl as well.  Add the remaining spices (1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. white pepper, 1/8 tsp. black pepper) evenly to the warm potatoes and toss lightly. Stir potatoes with a large spoon "smashing" them to a consistency that is like very lumpy mashed potatoes with small pieces of potatoes in it. Do not use a mixer to do this. Next, add the mayonnaise mixture to the still warm potatoes. Stir lightly to coat all potatoes, then squish it all together with your hands until you reach desired consistency. The actual Stanley J's salad is very creamy with a few very small pieces of potatoes in each spoonful, but some people like larger pieces of potato to hold all the dressing.

I know you will not be able to restrain yourself, so go ahead and taste it....but it will taste even better after sitting in the refrigerator for several hours to the flavors can continue to meld.

A "Sip and See" Shower

A "Sip and See" is a Southern tradition of the old school.  It is sometimes used to allow friends and families to see new babies and the accompanying gifts on display.  Other times, wedding gifts will be displayed in a formal room in a bride-to-be's home while snacks and tea or cocktails are served. When I learned about the cocktails being included, I couldn't wait to have my own Sip and See.  Luckily my cousin Nic is marrying the lovely Evaline in October, so my daughter Amanda and I quickly got into party planning mode and held a lovely afternoon get together at my mother's home. It is always good to see my wonderful family and Evaline got to know everyone in a casual atmosphere.

We had a Champagne and Sparkling Cider Bar with juices, fruit, bubbly, and other flavorings so everyone could make a mimosa, Bellini, or their own creation. 

For food, Country Ham biscuits from Moore's are a must, as well as Derby Chicken Salad from our local grocery deli.... my theory is don't mess with perfection and try to make my own!  We got creative with our desserts: Bellini Cupcakes, and Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake.  Plenty of sipping and eating and ooooohing and ahhhhhing ensued, so a good time was had by all.

Bellini Cupcakes

We wanted to make something different....so this recipe from Paula Deen filled the requirements.  I didn't realize Champagne cake was so easy to make. The only other extra step was cooking the peaches and making the puree.  The peach taste countered the usual icing sweetness and gave an kick to the light cupcake taste.  I will definitely make these again and the only change I would make is to use a less dry champagne for a touch more sweetness in the light cake batter. Read the directions for cake carefully... on the first batch,  I missed the part that said mix the sugar in with the flour before putting it in the butter, since that is not a step I am familiar with doing.

Cake :
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup champagne
1 ½ cups cake flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix egg whites and champagne and set aside.  Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter , then add the dry ingredients until crumbly.  Mix champagne and eggs into the butter/flour mixture until blended.  Divide into 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes until it bounces back when touched.  Since there are no egg yolks, the cake will be pale, so do not overbake.

Icing and Peach Filling:
15 oz can sliced peaches
½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
White sanding sugar or sprinkles for topping
Drain the peaches and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Melt the two T of butter in a skillet and place peach slices until browned....3-5 minutes, watching closely.  Turn over and cook other side.  Cool and puree in a food processor or immersion blender. Use a small knife to make a hole in the top of each cupcake, removing 1/2 inch circle of cake.  Fill the holes with two teaspoons of the peaches.
For the icing, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, then add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract until smooth.  Blend in 1/4 cup of the peach puree until blended.  Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and decorate with sanding sugar or sprinkles.


Strawberry Semifreddo Shortcake
Wow. This is easy, tasty and makes a beautiful presentation.  What more can you ask for?  I saw this in the July 2011 Southern Living Magazine and immediately wanted to try it.  When we decided to have the shower which had a red and purple color scheme like the wedding, I knew I had to give this a whirl.  I could not find fresh lady fingers in the deli/bakery, nor did I have the time or knowledge to make them, so I substituted an orange flavored, sugar free brand called TastyKake. Twinkies would also work, but I preferred the less sweet options to balance out the flavors.  Plan ahead when making this though, as you need plenty of time to let the layers freeze before adding the next one. Oh, and I learned something... in case you were wondering, semifreddo means semi-frozen in Italian.

Ingredients

2 (3-oz.) packages soft ladyfingers

2 pt. strawberry ice cream, softened

1 pt. strawberry sorbet, softened

1 pt. fresh strawberries, hulled

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow crème

1 cup heavy cream

Line the bottom and sides of a springform pan with the ladyfingers or substitutions.  If needed, trim bottom layer to fit - you can also cut them in half lengthwise to make a thinner base.  Soften ice cream at room temperature and layer on top of shortcakes. Freeze.  Soften sorbet and spread layer on top of ice cream. Return to freezer.  Process or blend strawberries together with powdered sugar, making a puree. Reserve 1/4 cup of the strawberry mixture.   Whisk the remaining puree into the marshmellow creme until well blended.(This will take some time).  Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixture until stiff peaks form. Fold strawberry mixture into whipped cream. Pour over the frozen sorbet.  Take the reserved strawberry puree and drizzle over top of marshmallow cream creating swirl designs with a toothpick or small knife.  Return to freezer until the top layer is firm. Allow cake to stand at room temperature  a few minutes before serving.(The top will be harder than the ice cream underneath, so go ahead and slice with a sharp knife to see if it is ready to serve) Garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.

More Southern Fare

Nashville weekend means a visit with super-host cousins Becky and Mike, with good food always. Lots of summer goodness comes straight from the garden, like sliced tomatoes,  but these two recipes were decadent standouts. Can't write too much of a review..... Time to get back in the pool and have some white sangria delivered by Poolboy(aka Hubby). But suffice it to say these recipes were perfect for a lazy, sunny, calorie laden, relaxing weekend. Sure, we'll be eating salad for the next week, but it was SO. WORTH.IT.


APPLE DUMPLINGS
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled , cored and sliced into 8 pieces( can also use peaches)
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1 12 oz. Mountain Dew soft drink

Wrap each apple slice with crescent roll. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish. Melt butter and add sugar and cinnamon. Pour butter mixture over dumplings. Just before baking,pour can of soda over dumplings. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 16. Wonderful served with ice cream.

SUPER WHITE SANGRIA
1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine such as chardonnay
1 6 oz. can frozen lemonade
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup triple sec or orange flavored liquor
1 15.25 oz pineapple tidbits in natural juices
1 large apple
1 16 oz. bottle or two cups lemon lime soda
Strawberries, orange slices for garnish

In a one gallon pitcher, put in wine,lemonade, rum, triple sec, and pineapple with juices.
Core and dice apple, and put in pitcher. Stir well and refrigerate , chilling two hours. Just before serving, add soda and garnishes.

Bourbon Chocolate Cake

I'm not sure if I have ever made a cake totally 'from scratch' , but it turns out it is not too hard, just a little more time consuming.   This was part of the bourbon themed Bunko dinner for my girlfriends.  It was Dana's birthday and close to someone else's, so I wanted to do something special for dessert.  This cake was decadently awesome. Most folks again said they weren't really bourbon drinkers, but loved this combo of bourbon and chocolate. The next day, hubby and I kept taking "just a sliver" of the leftover cake until it was almost all gone. I will definitely make this again! (Adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

DECADENT BOURBON CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16 ounce) package light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon ( I used Woodford Reserve)
Bourbon Buttercream Icing (recipe below)
2 3/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1 (4 ounce) semisweet chocolate bar, shaved or chopped (I used Ghiradelli's)

Melt chocolate chips in microwave on high, 30 seconds at a time, until melted.  Stir in between each 30 seconds of heating. When melted, stir until smooth.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed wth an electric mixer, about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended. 

In another bowl, sift together flour, soda,salt. Gradually add to chocolate batter, alternating with spoonfuls of the sour cream. Beat at slow speed just until blended.  Gradually, add hot water in a slow steady stream, still at slow speed.  Stir in vanilla and bourbon. 

Put into 3 greased and floured 9 inch cakepans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cook in pans on wire rack 10 minutes then remove cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

Apply bourbon buttercream frosting between layers and on outside.  Top with  half of the toasted pecans and chocolate shavings. Press rest of pecans onto sides of cake.  Keep in refrigerator until just ready to serve.

Bourbon Buttercream Icing
1 cup butter softened
2 ( 16 ounce) packages of powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup bourbon(I used Woodford Reserve)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Use a low speed to add powdered sugar a small amount at a time alternating wth milk and bourbon. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 5 cups.

The Recipes!

Here are the recipes for the Bunko girls night out. I was bragging about this dinner so much when I got together with my college Pi Phi girlfriends, they asked me for the recipes, so I figured I had to "put up or shut up". My friend Cindy is a caterer, so maybe this will turn up on an event menu sometime!  Enjoy..... and tell me what you think in the comment section if you end up cooking any of the items.

BOURBON SLUSH COCKTAIL - These were a fun way to kick off the festivities and even non-bourbon drinkers enjoyed the cool, citrus-y drink. Having the tea along with the bourbon seems to make this a quintessential Southern drink.  You might want to make these the day before or early enough to allow them 6 hours in the freezer. They were not "slushy" enough after the two hours recommended in the recipe. They shouldn't freeze solid because of the alcohol in the mixture. (Adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

4 regular size tea bags
2 cups boiling water
2 cups sugar
7 cups water
1 12-ounce can Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
1 12-ounce can Frozen Limeade Concentrate
1 12-ounce can Frozen Orange Concentrate
2 to 2 1/2 cups bourbon , to taste (it's OK if it is a little strong because of the added soda when serving)
Ginger Ale or Lemon Lime soft drink

Put tea bags into the boiling water and steep 10 minutes, discarding tea bags when done.
Combine tea, sugar, 7 cups water, and juice concentrates in a large pot and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat, stir in bourbon and cool.   Freeze in zip-top freezer bags or shallow plastic containers.  If frozen solid, allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes and scrape with a fork. 

To serve,  place 1/2 cup slush into cocktail glass and top with splash of ginger ale or lemon lime soda.

STEAK BITES APPETIZER - takes a while to prep and assemble, but worth it. The sweet of the caramelized onions were a good contrast to the blue cheese mixture. And with the tomato on top, they are attractive too. Although it kind of hurt my soul to pour out a cup of Kentucky bourbon after using it as marinade, it did give the meat an awesome flavor.( Adapted from The Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour)

1 cup bourbon ( I used Woodford Reserve)
2 pounds fillet Mignon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large white onion, sliced
1 baguette French bread, cut in to 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, trimmed
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters

Pour the bourbon over the fillets in a shallow dish, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Drain, discarding the marinade, then season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof saute pan. Add the fillet to the hot oil and sear for 1 minute per side.  Roast for 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees for medium rare.  Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the fillet lengthwise into halves, and then cut each half into 18 thin slices. 

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 30 minutes or until the onions are light brown and tender, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the broiler. Brush baguette slices lightly with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil until brown on both sides. 

Mix cheese and sour cream in a bowl ( you can do this step earlier and refrigerate so the flavors can blend. 
Assemble just before serving.  Put one fillet on each toasted bread slice. Add a layer of onion and add a spoonful of the cheese mixture. Add a tomato half, and garnish with parsley.

WOODFORD STEAK SALAD - This dish was PERFECT for a supper on a hot summer night!  It was such a pretty presentation, my girlfriends even took pictures! Serves 6, but you can easily add more meat and vegetables to serve more. I used fresh basil from my garden and the smell in the kitchen was awesome. To save time you can also use prepared balsamic vinaigrette and add the mustard and spices (Adapted from The Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour)

THE STEAK
2 Tablespoons Woodford Reserve Bourbon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds flat-iron steak, flank steak, or top sirloin

Mix the bourbon, oil and other ingredients to create the marinade.  Put the steak in a shallow dish and cover with marinade. Marinate in refrigerator at least 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Cook steak on grill or in broiler until medium-rare.  Allow to cool before slicing, then cut into bite-size strips.

THE VEGETABLES
6-8 new potatoes or Redskin Potatoes
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 small zucchini, julienned
1/3 cup chopped scallions or green onions
1/3 cup thin red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup broccoli florets

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain, cool, and cut into quarters. Combine with tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, scallions, zucchini, carrots and any other vegetable you would like to add. Keep vegetables cold, then combine with the slightly warm potatoes just before adding the vinaigrette. You can cut the vegetables up ahead of time to speed preparation/assembly.

BASIL VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
1/8 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Whisk the ingredients together. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes and vegetables and toss to coat.  Serve on large platter and arrange steak slices on top. 


The fabulous dessert, Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Bourbon Buttercream Icing,  will be saved for the next post.

Bunko Girls Celebrate

I am fortunate to have a group of friends who have for years gathered monthly to socialize, eat, and drink. We quit playing the actual game of bunko years ago and donate the money that would have gone to prizes.  The hostess picks the charity.  This way we can gossip but also help humanity. Cool, huh?  I always try out new recipes on "the girls". For this year's dinner theme, I saluted our state's signature spirit, bourbon.  I used the "Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour"  as inspiration.  This cookbook is a beautifully photographed celebration of chefs and craftsman produced ingredients!  I chose recipes that could be easily doubled and were suitable for a warm June evening. Each recipe uses bourbon in some way. The nearby Woodford Reserve distillery is one of the most beautiful stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail if you would like to learn more. MENU: Cocktail- Bourbon Slushie Appetizer - Steak Bites Main Dish - Woodford Steak Salad Dessert- Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Boubon Buttercream Icing Everything was delicious but the biggest hit was the rich and decadent cake. Even those who are not bourbon lovers swooned!  I'll share the recipe in my next posting.

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