Saturday, August 31, 2013

Orange Rum Glazed - fish

Orange Rum Glazed Snapper ( subistiute any other fish filet, tilapia, cod, halibut)1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, chopped (1 clove)
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (this is usually found in the Asian
section at the grocery store)
1/4 cup rum (Regular or Dark)
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 large fennel bulb, white part only, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
4 Snapper fillets, skinless
Salt and pepper to taste
4 orange slices
Aluminum foil

Preheat an indoor grill or conventional oven (If the indoor grill
has a temperature control, preheat to 350 degrees, for the oven,
preheat to 400 degrees).

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the olive oil and
garlic for 3-5 minutes.

Mix in the sweet chili sauce, rum, and orange marmalade and stir
often until a syrup is formed and all the marmalade is melted,
remove from heat.

Meanwhile, tear off a piece of foil about 3 feet long. Mix the
fennel and red pepper slices and lay out on the foil, covering
about half of the foil & drizzle with 1/4 cup of Orange Rum glaze.

Place the Snapper on top of glaze and season the fish with salt &
pepper. Pour the remaining glaze over the Snapper, coating the fish
well.

Place an orange slice on top of each piece of Snapper. Fold over
the rest of the foil and crimp the edges to seal the pouch.

Place on the indoor grill or in the oven and cook until fish is
white and flaky. This took about 10-12 minutes on a hinged top
indoor grill and about 20 minutes in a conventional oven

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 chicken breasts; boneless, skinless
3 quart chicken broth
1 red onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 boiling potato, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 bay leaf
    3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile en adobo, pureed
1 teaspoon pickled jalapeno chile seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/8 teaspoon cumin
salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoon sweet Sherry
    1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
4 corn tortillas--cut into thin strips
Oil
1/2 pound Jack cheese, shredded
12 slices avocado
cilantro sprigs

Poach chicken breast in simmering chicken broth until done through, about 10 minutes.
Set aside until cool enough to handle and shred. Combine chicken broth, chicken, red onion,
carrots, potato, tomato paste, bay leaf, garlic, chipotle and jalapeno chilies, oregano, cumin
and salt and pepper in large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Correct seasoning, if necessary. Add zucchini, squash, pepper, lime juice and Sherry.
Bring again to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add cilantro and mint. Stir,
then remove from heat. To assemble, fry tortilla strips in hot oil until crisp. Drain on
paper towels and set aside. Ladle soup into each bowl. Sprinkle with shredded cheese
and tortilla strips. Garnish each bowl with avocado slice and sprig cilantro.
Serve

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Creamy Pecan Pralines

Creamy Pecan Pralines


Serves:
about 10 pralines
 

Ingredients


  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup pecan halves

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, butter, and water. Place over a medium-high heat and stir constantly until the pralines reach the softball stage, 238 to 240 degrees F. Add the pecans to the candy, and pull the pan off of the stove. Continue to stir the candy vigorously with a wooden spoon until the candy cools, and the pecans remain suspended in the candy, about 2 minutes. Spoon the pralines out onto a parchment or aluminum foil lined sheet pan and cool completely before serving.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Black Cherry Guava Mojito


1.5 oz Cruzan Black Cherry Rum
0.5 oz Cruzan Guava Rum
1 Lime Wedge
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Soda Water
5 Mint Leaves
Mint Sprig Flower (Garnish)

Place 5 mint leaves in glass.

Squeeze lime wedge in glass and drop in glass.

Add simple syrup.

Muddle well to release mint flavor in mixture.

Add ice.

Add Cruzan Black Cherry Rum & Cruzan Guava Rum.

Mix all contents. Don't forget your soda water.

Garnish with a crisp, mint sprig flower.

Serves 1

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark


2 sticks of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
... 1 reg. bag of pretzels (you'll use about 3/4 of the bag)
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt - ( I use our coarse sea salt with our grinder)

Preheat the oven to 400.

Line a large bar pan with parchment paper, cover with pretzels
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When it begins to bubble add the brown sugar. Stirring occasionally let the butter/sugar mixture meld together and brown. This should take about 3 minutes. Do NOT let it boil, you will have sticky goo that is no good. When you have a nice, brown caramel pour it over the pretzels, slowly and evenly. You can then use a spatula to spread it out, you have to work quickly and gently. It hardens fast so even pouring is the best method.

Bake the sheet for 5 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the whole bag of chocolate chips evenly over the mixture.

Place back in the oven for about 45 seconds. If you let it sit there too long the chocolate will burn.

Remove from the oven and use a silicone spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the top.

Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Breakfast Cookies...

Breakfast Cookie Recipe....

Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
... 1 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts - I use a mix of almonds, pecans, pepitas
1 and 1/2 cups rmixed dried fruits - I use cranberries, blueberries, and apricots or raisins

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, blend the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until fluffy, about 1-1/2 minutes. Blend in the vanilla extract.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the dry mixture into the butter mixture one half at a time. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts and fruit. Refrigerate the dough for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large, preferably light-colored baking sheet with aluminum foil, then grease the foil. ( or use parchment)

Using a scant 1/4 cup per cookie, shape the dough into balls and place them on the sheet about 2 inches apart.

Use your fingertips to flatten each ball to 1/3 inch thick. Bake the cookies on the center oven rack for 13 to 14 minutes, turning the sheet about halfway through. When they're done, the cookies should be very lightly browned and still look moist. Don't over bake them.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Glazed yeast doughnuts

Yeast Doughnuts

 Ingredients:
3 ...tbsp milk
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dry active yeast
8 oz all purpose flour (a little under 2 cups - I recommend you measure and weigh. See my note above)
1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 oz butter, cold to room temperature (just don't melt it, okay?)
dash of salt

Enough oil to cover the bottom few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer.

Directions:
In a large measuring jug, combine the milk and boiling water. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and the yeast. Stir it gently, then leave it in a warm place for the yeast to activate (aka foam).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the rest of the sugar, and the salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender, until it resembles crumbs.
Add the egg (give it a quick beat) and yeast mixture to the flour mix, and mix into a smooth dough. This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured counter and knead for about 5 to 10 minutes—it should feel springy and little bubbles should form under the surface. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour until double in size.
Once risen, place the dough onto the counter and cut it into 4 pieces. One piece at a time, stretch it into a long rope about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Cut strips about an inch long, ball em up with your hands, and place them on a baking tray or wire rack to wait.
Cover the doughnuts holes with a cloth to rise while you heat the oil to 375F.
Place the doughnuts into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes. Be sure to fry only a few at a time so they don’t overcrowd and stick together.
Drain on a paper towel or wire rack over a cloth, before glazing them. Be sure to glaze them warm, or else they won’t get that delicious coverage!

Glaze:
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed