French Onion Soup

10 lb of onions sautéed slowly in 8 tablespoons of butter until all liquid is gone. Stir almost constantly when liquid is mostly absorbed. Add 2 cups stock and stir frequently until liquid is gone again. It took 2 hours for this pot. Add remaining part of 5 boxes of chicken stock. And 2 tbsp of Demi glacé.   Salt and pepper and 1 tsp of italics an seasoning. Bring to simmer.

Ladle into ramekins and Top with homemade croutons and grated Gruyere. Place for n 400 degree oven until cheese is browned.  Serve w crusty sourdough.

Homemade Sriracha

Thanks to Jaden Hair at Steamy Kitchen for this recipe.  She has a fantastic blog. Check it out.

The pepper plants in the back flower bed have been extremely productive. I have lots of green peppers, but not enough red ones to make sriracha using only red jalepenos.....so I gathered up a variety of cayenne, serrano, cubanelle, jalepeno, and habanero, then bought 4 lbs of red bell peppers, and  made my first batch of homemade sriracha.

 

 

Chop the Peppers

 

 

 

I used two heads of garlic

 

 

And a cup of distilled vinegar

 

 

Processed with 1.5 tablespoons of salt in food processor for 2 minutes

Placed in glass jars, covered w paper towel so it can breathe

I will ferment these for one week in a dark place.

 

 

This will be strained and more vinegar added

The solid part after straining is the sriracha

The liquid will be similar to tabasco.

I will post after its aged and let you know....

 

 

 

Homemade Sriracha

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Potatoes au Gratin

Rub the bottom of each dish with crushed garlic. Let dry. Rub again with butter.
Reduce 1cup of cream by a third
Peel and slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick
Arrange potato slices in one layer, overlapping about half of each slice
Salt and pepper
Cover potatoes with grated Gruyere and Reggiano Parmesan
Pour cream in
Bake uncovered at 350 until done....50 to 60 minutes

Cream style corn......with a twist

The lime and cayenne kick this up a notch.


From Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

6 ears super-sweet white or yellow corn, shucked and kernels removed with a large knife
1 large lime
3 tablespoons  unsalted butter
Kosher salt
3/4 to 1  cups  heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Cut each end off the ear and shuck the corn.

Use a sharp knife to cut vertically down each ear of corn, slicing off the kernels.

Then scrape any remaining corn and corn 'milk' from each cob using a sturdy knife, or an ice cream scoop,  pressing down while scraping from top to bottom of each cob.

Zest the lime, using a micro plane grater,  being careful not to include any pith. Then, cut the lime in half.

Melt the butter in a very large skillet (more than 12 inches across) or saute pan over medium heat. Add the corn and its juice. Squeeze 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice over the corn and season with salt to taste.

 Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, concentrating the flavor, and the corn is beginning to sizzle, 15 to 17 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup of the cream, the cayenne, the lime zest. Continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cream is absorbed by the corn. Add up to 1/4 cup more cream if desired for a creamier texture. Add salt to taste and stir in the chives.

I added a dusting of Cayenne pepper to my plate, along w the green beans and crab cakes.

Figs

My good friend Susan provided us with ripe figs......YUM. Thank you Susan.

I stuffed them with goat cheese, wrapped them in prosciutto, and sprayed them with oil.....you know, like pam

I fired up the Big Green Egg with lump charcoal and oak wood. Got it to about 600 then closed the vent and the damper all the way. I then put the figs, in the pan you see here, onto the griill.  They cooked but the proscutto did not stick to the grill this way.  When temp fell to 400, I cracked the vent and damper about a quarter inch.  The figs cooked all the way thru and the prosciutto was crispy in about 25 minutes.

 Kim added these to an arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Nice smoky taste but not overwhelming.
Twas good......








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Scallops

I know its been a year since I posted on this blog.....let's just say I lost my focus about blogging.....
After a recent trip to NYC where I ate wonderful scallops several times, I have tried them a couple times at home, with good results. What I've learned is that one must find good scallops. The frozen ones at SAM'S don't work well....they have water added to them and that makes the searing process very difficult if not impossible. I found "dry" scallops at Whole Foods in Dallas, and at FRESH in Tyler.  They were both wonderful, as good as NYC.

Salt and pepper each side.
I seared them in a cast iron skillet that was smoking when I added the oil and butter to it. Don't crowd them. I cooked them in two batches in a 10 inch skillet.

I made rissotto and added some lump crabmeat at the end of cooking it. Heirloom cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas do dress the plate.  The chives were from my garden.

Bon Appetit





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Queso

The old standby of Velveeta and a can of Rotel tomatoes is hard to beat, but I wanted a something with a little more flavor. American cheese has developed a following on the net as the primary ingredient for queso. Here is one version.

1 1/2 lbs of white american cheese

2 cups of cream

2 tbsp ground chile

Molcajete salsa (optional)

Slowly heat cheese and cream, stirring frequently. When cheese is completely melted, stir in chile powder.

This has good flavor, but no heat. Add desired  amount of Molcajete to get the heat you want.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My Dad brought me some green tomatoes out of his garden yesterday.....you know what I did with them....

This is how my Mother told me to cook these.....Thanks Mom.

Slice.
Lightly salt.
Dip in buttermilk.
Dredge in cornmeal
Fry in 350 degree oil

The tart nature of the green tomatoes played well with the sweet and savory Pork Medallions with Blackberry Glaze.

Pork Medallions with Blackberry Glaze

Ingredients

Pork Tenderloins
Thin cut bacon
Cream cheese
Jalapenos
Toothpicks
Matt's Marinade

Trim the pork tenderloins. Slice about 3/4 inch thick, then slice almost all the way through each of these slices, basically bivalving each piece of pork, but leaving enough uncut so that you can stuff each piece of meat.
Spread a small amt of cream cheese into each "pocket".

 Trim the jalapenos, removing membranes and seed. Stuff one piece of pepper into each pocket.

Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick.

Grill until bacon is cooked and you have good color. On Big Green Egg at about 400, it was 30 minutes.

You can let them rest. Preperation to this point may be done ahead of time.

Prior to serving, brush with Blackberry Jelly and reheat for 20  min. in 400 degree oven.

Squash Gratin

Summer squash are available now.  A simple au gratin is easy and  hard to beat.

Saute 2-3 lbs of squash and one sliced onion in butter or oil.

Mix in 4 oz grated Gruyere 

4 oz grated Cheddar

2 oz grated Parmesan

Place in gratin dish and drizzle 1/4 cup of cream over the top

Bake at 400 until brown on top.

I added some Panko near the end of cooking. I dont think it added anything to the dish.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Marinade

Saute one chopped onion in one stick of butter.

Add:
1 cup lemon juice (Realemon works fine)
1 cup Zesty Italian dressing (Kraft)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tsp salt

Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes.
Allow to cool.
It is strong, so no overnight marinade with this. It will have a substantial effect after only 15 minutes on chicken, beef and pork.

Rib Rub

Rub Update
I really like the taste of this one. Its for long slow cooking.....ribs, brisket and pork shoulders.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup course ground black pepper
1 cup paprika
3/4 cup of kosher salt
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons ground celery powder

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Pork Loin Roast

I asked the butcher  to cut me a bone in pork loin roast. He did.

5.80 lbs@ 1.98 per pound.....hard to beat.

I rubbed it with mustard

and coated it with Jeff's Rub ( with a little extra pepper). 

Cooked it over a placesetter in the Egg @225 for 6 hours, sprayed with apple juice a few times.

The bark looks burnt, but doesn't taste that way.

As you can see, its still very moist. 

 We had it with black eyed peas, cornbread and hominy for New Years day lunch.

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Pork Parmesan

My wife, Kim, came up with this recipe. She is a really good cook. Everyone knows about veal parmesan.....I never make it. Veal is somewhat hard to get, and honestly, despite my redneck roots, it just doesn't seem quite right to do that to a calf......It may be nonsensical, but I had no such reservations about eating this pig! Anyway, the little boneless pork chops are cheap and easy to find here, and the meat is more flavorful than veal too.

OK, first, you make a red sauce....Pomodoro sauce works fine for me.
   1 large can of good tomatoes....IMHO....San Marzano are the best
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    1/2 an onion, chopped
     3 tbsp olive oil
     4 or five basil leaves, chiffonade.

Saute the onions in a stainless steel pan (not cast iron) until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes.

Then add the tomatoes and basil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Process with an immersion blender or food processor

(I think this is the only thing I use an immersion blender for....)

Correct with salt and pepper and its done.

Now, for the piggy.

Boneless, Thin Cut, Pork Loin Chops

Trim the rim of fat from them.

Salt and pepper.

Whip three eggs with a whisk.

Finely grate Reggiano Parmesan cheese.

Mix grated cheese with Panko bread crumbs.

Dip meat into egg wash, then coat each side with the Panko Parmesan mix

Heat oil in cast iron skillet until 375 degrees. Use enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet well.

Saute the meat over medium high heat. It will only take a few minutes per side.

Put the meat on a cookie sheet

Spoon a couple tablespoons of the Pomodoro Sauce onto the meat, then add a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, and then broil for one minute to finish the cheese.

I served this with whole wheat pasta, more Pomodoro Sauce, and a simple salad with vinaigrette dressing.

And a little slice of Goat cheese.

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P. F. Chang's  Chicken Lettuce Wraps
We love eating at PF Chang's. Too bad there is not one here in The View. I found this recipe online, and have modified it a bit. It hit the spot last night for supper.

3 tablespoons oil 
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 cup water chestnuts 
2/3 cup mushrooms 
3 tablespoons chopped onions 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce 


Stir Fry Sauce 
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 


 
 
Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until they are done, in a skillet or wok.
Remove chicken from the pan and cool. 

As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas. 
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. 
When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are. 
With the pan still on high heat, add another 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. 
Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. 
Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups". Sirachi and "special sauce" on the side, as you desire.

If you want it, here is the recipe for the "Special Sauce"  The chicken really didn't need it though. 
1/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup water 
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 
2 tablespoons ketchup 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil 





Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl. 
Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. 
Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
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Clafoutis and Flaugnarde

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I didn't know about these until I discovered a recipe on ThePioneerWoman.com . I have made a few and they are really tasty. It's fruit covered with thick flan like custard, and baked. The clafoutis is made with cherries. When other fruits are used, it is a flaugnarde.......I like saying both words....my wife is tired of hearing them.
I have made apple, pear and cherry.  Pear was best so far. We will see how a blackberry one goes over on Thanksgiving at Mom's house.

Pear Flaugnarde

 Peel, core and slice two pears. Arrange in a pinwheel fashion in a buttered pie dish.

Break up 3 eggs with a fork or whip, then add 2 cups of half and half (or milk), 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 2 tsp vanilla extract, pinch of salt. Pour over the fruit. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes.  Done.

 Here are a couple of pics of the cherry clafoutis.