Culinary Thoughts

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Clarified Butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the eggs:
2 teaspoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
4 large egg whites

For assembly:
6 cups trimmed fresh
8 English muffins, split and toasted
8 slices Canadian bacon, each cut in half
fresh ground black pepper

Procedure:

To make the sauce: Add cornstarch into the top portion of a double boiler. In a small bowl, whisk together water, buttermilk and 2 eggs. Whisk egg mixture into the cornstarch. Cook over simmering water until thick and the mixture reads at least 160 degrees – about 7-9 minutes; be sure to stir constantly. Add in clarified butter and salt – stir to combine. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

To make the eggs: In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant – about 1 minute. In a medium bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, eggs and egg whites. Pour the egg mixture into pan and cook just until set – about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

For the assembly: Add spinach to a large skillet and heat over medium-high – cook until slightly wilted, about 4 minutes. Set 2 toasted muffin halves on each plate. Place a halved Canadian bacon slice on each muffin half. Scoop a rough 1/4 cup cooked egg mixture on each serving. Top each serving with about 1/4 cup wilted spinach. Pour about 2 tablespoons worth of the sauce over each serving. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
4 teaspoons canola oil
4 teaspoons fresh grated Key lime zest
6 tablespoons fresh squeezed Key lime juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, a little softened and cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons light-green coarse sugar

For the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed Key lime juice
2 drops yellow liquid food color
2 drops green liquid food color

Procedure:

To prepare the cookies: In a small bowl, stir together oil and lime zest. Cover and let sit for at least one hour – you can let this sit for a few hours as well if desired. Place juice in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power until the lime juice is reduced to 2 1/2 tablespoons – this will take about 4 minutes or so, but stop and check after 2 minutes to see how it is going. This will turn the juice a darker color. Let cool to room temperature before using. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oil/zest mixture and granulated sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and cream the mixture together until light and fluffy. Mix in the lime juice, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat in the flour mixture just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half. In between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out each piece of dough until it is about 1/4″ thick. Place them on a baking sheet and set in the refrigerator until firm – at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Working with one rolled out dough at a time, carefully remove the top piece of parchment paper to release – loosely place back on top and invert the dough. Gently peel off the other layer. Cut out as many cookies as you can using a 2 1/4″ round cookie cutter – cut each circle in half to form wedges with a knife. If the dough it too soft to move, place in the refrigerator to firm up. Move the cookies to parchment lined baking sheets and continue to re-roll and cut out the cookies until all the dough is used. Scatter the top of the cookies with the green colored sugar. Bake each sheet until the cookies begin to turn a light golden on the edges – about 8-10 minutes. You may want to rotate them halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove and immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lime juice until smooth. Mix in food coloring to create a lime-y colored icing. You want the consistency to be fairly stiff, but still soft enough to pipe out. Add more sugar or juice as needed to get it there. Scoop the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a thin line around the outer rounded edge of the cookie. Create the segments, like a slice of lime, by piping a dot in the center and then make 7 thin lines radiating out from the dot to the edge you just piped out. The icing should firm up enough in about 30 minutes to move them without messing up the top. Makes about 66 cookies.

Ingredients:

For the dipping sauce:
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

For the slaw:
8 ounces broccoli slaw
4 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

For the pot stickers:
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
16 ounce package frozen vegetable pot stickers
3 tablespoons water, divided
8 ounces trimmed sugar snap peas

Procedure:

To make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, sesame oil and ginger.

To make the slaw: In a medium bowl, toss together broccoli slaw, cilantro, green onion and 3 tablespoons of the dipping sauce.

To make the pot stickers: In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high. Add pot stickers and cook until browned – about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in 2 tablespoons water, cover and cook until pot stickers are thoroughly heated through – about 3 minutes. Remove and add pot stickers to the slaw. Add peas and remaining 1 tablespoon water to the skillet, cover and cook until the peas are crisp-tender – about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and add to the slaw mixture. Serve remaining sauce in small bowls on the side for dipping. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16 ounces large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 ounces fresh linguine

Procedure:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and add to pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, until light pink and done. Remove shrimp to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan and add onion, garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and tomatoes – bring to a boil. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Return shrimp and warm them in the pan until thoroughly heated. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain. Serve mixture over pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup golden raisins
18 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted

Procedure:

In a small bowl, add boiling water and raisins – let sit for 15 minutes, drain. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add spinach and 2 tablespoons water. Cook until spinach wilts, making sure to stir often. Remove spinach mixture and wipe any remaining water in the pan out with a paper towel. Place pan back on stove and heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Mix in spinach, raisins, salt, and pepper. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 1 minute. Serve with pine nuts sprinkled on top.

Ingredients:

3 ounces white cheddar cheese
2 ounces fresh grated Parmesan
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dry macaroni
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
2 1/2 cups plain soymilk
3/4 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Procedure:

Place white cheddar, Parmesan, ricotta and salt in a food processor. Process until thick and creamy – about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and process another 30 seconds. Scoop into a small bowl. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt – 2-3 teaspoons. Add pasta and cook about 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Preheat broiler. In the same pot you cooked the pasta, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Whisk in flour and mustard until smooth. Slowly pour in the milk, Frank’s Red Hot and nutmeg while whisking constantly. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it starts to thicken – about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir this mixture often. Remove pan from heat and drop in dollops of the cheese mixture. Whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in pasta and place back over medium-low heat. While stirring constantly, warm the mixture for 3-4 minutes. Scoop mixture into an 8×8″ baking dish coated with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add in panko and stir until moistened. Sprinkle panko mixture over macaroni and cheese. Place in the oven and broil until golden – 1-3 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup dry brown and wild rice blend
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
14 ounces chicken broth
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 center-cut bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Procedure:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until it starts to smell nutty and turns a touch brown. Add rice and cook 1 minute. Add salt and broth – bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes – until the rice is tender. Drain any remaining liquid. In a large bowl, whisk egg and egg white together. Whisk in flour and baking powder. Stir in cooked rice, green onions, almonds, thyme, lemon juice and bacon. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium to medium-high heat. Portion out about 3 (or as many as you can fit) 1/4 cup mounds of the rice mixture into the pan. Using a flat spatula, genlty flatten each mound into a circle. Cook until crisp on each side, 2-4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining rice mixture.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup cream cheese
4 center-cut pork chops (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Procedure:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add garlic – cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Scoop the mixture into a medium bowl and add goat cheese and cream cheese. Stir to combine, divide into 4 equal portions and set aside. With a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1 portion of the spinach mixture. Season the outside of the pork with additional salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together broth, zest, lemon juice, and mustard. Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add pork – cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm. Pour the broth mixture into the skillet and bring to a simmer, scraping up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the broth reduces by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving. Makes 4 servings.