Wednesday, August 15, 2012

BLT Pasta Salad

I am not a huge pasta salad fan but sometimes you stumble on a recipe that changes everything.  The BLT sandwich is simply delicious, so why not pair the concept with pasta, genius.  This salad is great because you have a full bodied dressing by using the bacon drippings and lots of texture with your components in the salad.  BLT pasta salad pairs with just about everything, so enjoy this the rest of the summer at your picnics and barbecues.

Close Up Shot of BLT Pasta Salad

BLT Pasta Salad               

1 lb pasta of your choice
1 lb thick sliced bacon, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 tbsp minced fresh basil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups halved grape tomatoes

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions.  Transfer pasta to a bowl of ice water; drain well.  Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.  Reserve 3 tbsp of drippings; set aside to cool. 

Whisk together mayonnaise, reserved drippings, shallots, basil, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta, romaine, tomatoes, and bacon; toss to coat.  Season salad with salt and pepper.

This recipe is courtesy of Cuisine at Home; Issue 94, August 2012.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Pea Pesto Crostini

Crostini topped with tomatoes, parmesan & pea pesto
Summer is really a great time to showcase the beautiful colors and flavors of its bounty. Since it is hot outside we are always looking for light options that don't weigh us down. On a particularly hot day my husband and I decided that we would just eat a tapas style meal with some chilled chardonnay.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Black and Blue Burger

I love a Black and Blue Burger and I am always inclined to order one when I am at a restaurant, but I am usually bitterly disappointed.  I find that they are often dry, overcooked and just have crumbles of blue cheese on top.  If you are craving a juicy, flavorful, and distinct burger with significant spice, a cheese sauce, and a sweet counter balance - my burger may be for you!

Black and Blue Burger

The first thing is to pick a good quality ground beef; I typically use an organic 90/10 Angus beef because your food is only as good as the ingredients you cook with in your kitchen.  I make my own blackened seasoning, but you can always buy pre-made at the store.

Blackened Seasoning
1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp of cracked black pepper
2 tbsp of paprika
2 tbsp of salt
1 1/2 tbsp of cayenne pepper

Start your onions about an hour before you want to serve your burgers. They take time to caramelize and cannot be rushed.  Add a bit of olive oil to your saute pan and thinly slice about 4 onions to add to the pan over medium low heat.  It will seem like a lot of onions, but once they brown and sweat they shrink down to a manageable portion. 

Make your burger patties with a small imprint in the top of the burger and add your rub to the top and bottom of the burger.  I sincerely believe the best way to make a burger is in a cast iron skillet or on a griddle.  The grill is good for a cookout and gives good flavor but you lose a lot of the tasty juiciness on the grill and just can't get a good sear. However, cooking these spicy burgers inside with a microwave serving as your range hood is almost dangerous!  The first time I cooked these spicy burgers, I smoked up my house something awful and everyone was coughing like crazy from the spice rub.  However, I did get the most perfect crust on those burgers, and they were perfectly juicy and delicious.  Now my solution for the smoke (unless you have a gourmet kitchen with a proper ventilation) is to take the skillet outside and put it on the grill.  This way you can enjoy these well-crusted juicy burgers without having to air out your entire house first! 

The blue cheese sauce is finger licking good. It gives you the wonderful taste of blue cheese without drying out the burger.  The sauce is simple: in a small saucepan reduce 1/2 cup of your favorite white wine (also goes great with dinner) in half on medium heat; next, add a 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the white wine and again reduce in half.  This takes a bit of time, but be patient as it is worth it and makes the sauce thick so it doesn't run right off your burger.  Once your sauce is reduced add about 6 oz. of the blue cheese of your choice and whisk until smooth.

Now it is time to dress your burger. I prefer a kaiser bun and begin with putting the caramelized onions down first.  Next comes the burger, then blue cheese sauce, bacon, lettuce and tomato.  This burger always gets rave reviews, and I must say that (patting myself on the back a little bit here) they are by far the best burgers I have ever eaten. And for all of you low-carbers, these burgers are equally amazing without the bun!!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes

Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes
I have a hard time spending $4 on a single gourmet cupcake because there are a million different cupcakes that you can make right in your own kitchen (and for a fraction of the price!).  Mini Peanut Butter Cupcakes are inspired by a Reese's peanut butter cup.  I made a regular size cupcake rather than the mini's in the recipe because I was out of mini cupcake liners.  The baking time remained the same for me, but every oven varies so make sure that you test your cupcake with a tooth pick.  The cupcake is done as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.  Don't overcook the cake! 

Making the icing involves a lot of steps, but it is worth the process.  The peanut butter icing is very thick and dense; just like the center of a peanut butter cup.  But don't worry, it is still very easy to pipe onto the cupcake.  I found the glaze was a cinch but wait a bit after it comes out of the microwave to allow it to set up a bit and thicken before you dip the cupcake.

I only had one cupcake to photograph because as soon as they were made I rushed them up to a picnic at the pool.  The feedback from my guests were that they were rich, but we agreed that was a good thing!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Bloody Mary Gratin

My wonderful mother came down from Pennsylvania last month for a visit with the kids and brought with her a slew of tomatoes.  I was so excited to enjoy them on sandwiches and also just sliced with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  There was such an abundance that I also wanted to try some new recipes where tomatoes were the star. 

I subscribe to a wonderful magazine called Cuisine at Home, another thing my mom has got me hooked on.  Cuisine is great because it has pictures of every recipe. The calorie count and nutritional information are another added bonus and included in every recipe, even if the recipe is not healthy.  The only drawback is that Cuisine's recipes are not online.

In the August 2012 issue they had a recipe for Bloody Mary Gratin, sounds delicious right?!  It was great!  I paired it with Maple Bourbon Glazed Salmon because I love the yin and yang of sweet, salty and acidic flavors.  The gratin would also be great with grilled chicken.  This side must be eaten day of because it is very watery leftover.


Bloody Mary Gratin
Makes 4 servings

3 tomatoes sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced green olives
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Celery salt and black pepper to taste
Dash or 2 of Tabasco sauce
3/4 cup crushed saltine crackers
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp prepared horseradish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in center position.  Place tomatoes in a shallow 7 x 11 ovenproof baking dish.  (I used individual gratin dishes either one works)  Combine celery, olives, onion, Tabasco, and Worcestershire, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle over tomatoes.  Mix crackers with butter and sprinkle over tomatoes.  Bake gratin 10 minutes, then heat broiler to low.  Broil gratin until cracker crumbs are golden, about 2 minutes.  Remove gratin from oven and let cool 10 minutes or to room temperature.  Stir together sour cream and horseradish for sauce or simply spoon horseradish over gratin.

Per serving with 2 tbsp of sour cream sauce: 205 calories; 12 g total fat (7g sat); 35 mg chol; 372 msg sodium; 20 g carb; 3 g fiber; 4 g protein