Goin' Coastal: Thai Coconut Curry Mussels Coconut Curry Sauce Ingredients (This recipe yields about 8 cups.) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 Vidalia onion, diced 6 Thai chili peppers, minced 2 tablespoons mirin 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 cans coconut milk 1 quart heavy cream 1 jar yellow curry paste 2 limes, zested and juiced Coconut Curry Sauce Procedure Sweat the onion and chili peppers in oil. Deglaze the onions and peppers with mirin and fish sauce. Add the coconut milk, heavy cream, curry paste, zest, and juice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool. Thai Coconut Curry Mussels Ingredients Desired quantity of mussels for your family/guests, cooked or uncooked (uncooked preferred) 1 bunch cilantro 2-3 Thai chili peppers, minced Thai Coconut Curry Mussels Procedure Coat a medium saute pan with cooking spray or oil and heat on high. Add 2 or 3 Thai chili peppers (these are very hot be careful) and mussels, and saute for about 2 minutes. Pour the desired amount of coconut curry sauce into the pan (1 pound of mussels needs at least 1 cup of curry sauce). Bring the mussels and curry sauce to a boil. Once mussels have opened, they are ready to serve. Garnish with cilantro.
Queenies: Pork Rinds Ingredients -1-2 pounds of fresh pork skins (Ask your butcher if they carry or can order them for you. Asian and Mexican markets with a butcher shop will be more likely to carry them.)-Seasoning of your choice to taste Procedure -Cut pork skins into 1-inch wide by 12-inch long strips (approximately the size of a ruler). -With a sharp knife, scrape off excess fat from the back side of the skins.-Bring a large pot of water to boil. For 1-2 pounds of skins, you will need at least 8-12 quarts of water. Add cleaned skins to the water, and return to boil. Reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes-1hour. The skins should turn slightly opaque and have the texture of a large rubber band but should be tender enough to pinch through with your fingers. -Drain the cooked skins, and while they are still warm, placethem in a dehydrator on 180-200 degrees to dry for 6-8 hours (until the skins resemble hard plastic and will snap in half). -Allow the dried skins to cool in an open container. When dry, the skins will need 5-7 days to equalize before they will cook properly. Leave the dried skins out in an unsealed container, and cover them with a towel for a week before frying. -Set a deep fryer to 400 degrees. Once heated, break the driedpork skins into 1-inch pieces and place 3-4 at a time into the fryer. The dried skins will triple or quadruple in size once fried, so do not crowd the fryer.-Keep the skins submerged with the basket and cook 90 seconds to 2 minutes until fully puffed. -Remove the skins from the fryer, drain the excess oil, and season with salt and pepper, BBQ seasoning, or your favorite spice mix.
Queenies: Crispy Brussels Salad with Blue Cheese and Apple Glaze Ingredients- 1-2 pounds Brussels sprouts cut in half, outside leaves removed- 2 Granny Smith or Fuji apples peeled, cored, and cut into chunks- 2 cups unfiltered apple cider- 2 cups rice wine vinegar- Preferred hot sauce to taste- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese- 1 apple sliced thin for garnish- Salt and pepper to tasteProcedure- Combine peeled/cored apples, apple cider, and rice wine vinegar in blender, and blend until smooth.- Put the glaze in a sauce pot, and reduce by 2/3 until it is the consistency of runny apple sauce. Add the preferred amount of hot sauce to achieve desired spice level, and set aside.- Deep fry the Brussels sprouts in 350-degree oil for 2-4 minutes until lightly golden brown on the outside. - Drain well, and toss with salt and pepper to taste.- Glaze the sprouts with reserved apple glaze. - Plate the sprouts, and sprinkle with blue cheese, sliced apples, and drizzle with additional apple glaze.
Queenie's: Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients 1 large butternut squash (3-5 lbs., or 2 quarts cut) 2 medium Vidalia/sweet onions, diced small (2 cups) 1 stick butter 2 cups heavy cream 2 quarts water (or enough to cover ingredients) Kosher salt to taste Procedure Peel/seed butternut squash, and cut into inch cubes. In a medium stock pot, cook butter over medium heat until it becomes foamy and butter solids slightly brown and begin to smell nutty. Add onions and 2 pinches of Kosher salt to the pot, and sweat until soft and translucent. Do not allow the onions to brown. Add the diced butternut squash and 2 more pinches of Kosher salt to the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 quarts of water to the butter, squash, and onion mixture, and cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the butternut squash becomes tender, and 90% of the added water has cooked out. Be careful not to brown/burn during this step. Add the heavy cream and additional water to just cover the squash and onions again. Stir and bring back to a boil for 2 minutes. In batches, blend the soup in a blender until very smooth, and add salt to taste. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Serve the soup immediately, or cool until needed, and reheat.*Optional - garnish with olive oil, maple syrup, and sea salt as desired.
Goin' Coastal: Andouille Sausage Stuffed Oysters with Choron Sauce Andouille Sausage Stuffing Ingredients(Note - This recipe yields about 6 cups, so reduce quantities based on your needs.)1 Vidalia onion, diced1 red bell pepper, diced3 celery stalks, diced1 tablespoon Creole seasoning1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning1 teaspoon salt1.5 pounds andouille sausage3 cups bread crumbs1 lemon, zested12 oysters per personAndouille Sausage Stuffing ProcedureIn a pan sweat the onion, red bell pepper, celery, and all the seasonings. In a food processor, pulse the sausage until its ground. Add the onion and pepper mixture, bread crumbs, and lemon zest to the food processor, and mix well. Choron Sauce Ingredients3 egg yolks3 tablespoons tomato paste1 tablespoon paprika1 teaspoon cayenne pepper3 tablespoons lemon juice1 teaspoon salt2 pounds butter 1 cup hot waterChoron Sauce ProcedureHeat butter to 115-145 degrees. In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Slowly add the hot butter into egg yolk mixture, making sure not to go too fast. (If the butter is too cold, it wont cook the eggs. If it is too hot, it will break.) Add lemon juice, and adjust viscosity with hot water.Oysters ProcedureShuck the oysters. Top each oyster with about a tablespoon of stuffing.Bake for about 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees. After removing from the oven, top the oysters with the desired amount Choron sauce. Garnish with chives or green onions (optional).
Queenies: Apple Pie Ingredients - 6-7 apples (try to use a variety of 3-4 different types)- 2/3 cup sugar, plus more to sprinkle on the pie before baking- 1/4 cup unsalted butter- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice- 1 egg, beaten well- 2 pie crusts (your favorite store brand or homemade recipe) Procedure - Peel, core, and cut the apples in quarters, and slice into -inch pieces.- In a large skillet, melt the butter, and add the apples, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved (about 4-5 minutes).- Strain the apples well, and return the juice back to the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until the mixture has started to thicken and slightly caramelize (about 7-8 minutes).- In a large bowl, toss the apples, the reduced juices, and the cinnamon/nutmeg. Mix well, and set aside until completely cool, or set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.- Pour the apples into your pie crust. Add a top crust, and crimp the edges closed. You can also run a strip of tin foil around the edges to protect them from getting too brown during baking.- Brush the top crust with the beaten egg, and sprinkle heavily with sugar. - Pierce the top of the crust to let steam escape.- Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
Goin Coastal: Pan-Seared Grouper with Golden Beet Puree Ingredients 2-3 golden beets4 cups milk1 cup butter2 tablespoons salt2 tablespoons canola oilSalt & pepper to taste2, 10 oz. grouper filets Procedure -Peel the beets, and chop off the ends.-Chop the beets into about 1-inch chunks.-Boil the beets in milk, butter, and salt for about 20-30 minutes or until they are tender.-When beets are done, strain them out, making sure to save some milk for blending. -In a blender or food processor, blend beets on high, adding milk (about 1 cup) until you achieve your preferred consistency.-Set aside, and keep warm while you cook the grouper.-On high heat, heat a medium saut pan with the canola oil.-Salt and pepper the grouper filet.-Place the grouper in the saut pan, and reduce the heat to medium. Let the grouper sit on each side for about 90 seconds.-Finish the grouper in a 400-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes. Plating -On two plates, divide the golden beet puree, and place the grouper filet on top of the puree.-Serve with a tossed salad and your favorite vinaigrette dressing.
Taste of Life: Chocolate-Topped Toffee With Almonds By Paul Bodrogi Ingredients 8 oz. sugar2 oz. water1 oz. corn syrup 4 oz. butter4 oz. chocolate chips, melted1 oz. slivered almonds teaspoon vanilla extractPinch of salt Procedure Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup, and cook on low until the sugar dissolves.Raise the heat to medium-high, and cook without stirring until the mixtures reaches 280 degrees.Add the butter and salt, and cook to 315 degrees.Stir in the almonds and vanilla, and cook to 320 degrees.Pour the mixture onto a lightly oiled pan.When hardened, spread the melted chocolate on the flat side of the toffee.Break into pieces, and enjoy.
Queenies: Seasoned Trout with Gremolata and Grilled Asparagus Serves 4 Gremolata Ingredients-1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped- cup parsley-3 cloves garlic, crushed - cup toasted pecan pieces-1 lemon, zested and juiced - cup extra virgin olive oilAsparagus Ingredients-24 large asparagus spears-Extra virgin olive oil as needed-Salt and pepper to tasteTrout Ingredients-4, 8-10 oz. trout filets -1 teaspoon chopped thyme-1 teaspoon chopped parsley-Extra virgin olive oil as needed-Salt and pepper to taste-2 lemons, cut in half and grilled (optional)Gremolata Procedure-Mix all ingredients in a bowl. -Set aside for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld. -Remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving to allow it to warm to room temperature.Asparagus Procedure-Clean the spears, and season them with a light coating of olive oil and salt and pepper.-Grill the spears for 2-4 minutes until tender, and set aside.Trout Procedure-Brush the skin side of the trout with olive oil.-Season the flesh side with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of chopped thyme and parsley.-Place the trout on a very clean, well-oiled grill over medium-low heat, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flesh becomes half opaque. -Rotate the filets 45 degrees, and cook them for an additional 2-3 minutes or until flesh is 90% cooked through. -Gently flip the filets to finish cooking flesh-side down for 1 minute.Plating-Place trout on top of the grilled asparagus, and drizzle with a spoonful of gremolata.-Serve with a grilled lemon (optional).
Taste of Life: Black Bean Soup with Jalapeno Cream By Hillary Gallagher Black Bean Soup Ingredients-1 lb. black beans-3.5 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth-1.5 lbs. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced-3 teaspoons ground cumin-3 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped- cup red, yellow, orange and/or green peppers, chopped-1 jalapeo, minced-2 teaspoons garlic, minced-2 tablespoons olive oil-1-2 tablespoons sherry vinegar-Kosher salt and black pepper to taste Jalapeo Cream Ingredients-1 cup sour cream-2 jalapeos, minced-2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, choppedBlack Bean Soup Procedure-Soak the beans overnight or for at least 4 hours. -Drain, and put the beans in a pot with chicken stock (water for vegetarians). -Simmer the beans for 1 hour, uncovered. -Stir in the tomatoes and cumin, and cook for another half hour.-Check the beans for doneness. When about cooked, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. -While the beans are cooking, saut the onions in the olive oil until translucent. -Add the bell peppers and jalapeo, and continue to saut for 5 minutes.-Add the garlic, and saut for another 2 minutes. -Add the sauted peppers and onions to the soup with the vinegar. -Check the soup for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper as needed. -The soup is done when the beans are soft.-For a thicker soup, push some of the beans against the pot with a wooden spoon. -Stir in the cilantro leaves, and top with *jalapeo sour cream.*Jalapeo Sour Cream Procedure-Combine all ingredients in a bowl.