Sunday, October 17, 2010

lemon mustard vinaigrette, baked mac and cheese, blackened tilaipia, southern fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, corn soup, cole slaw, potato sald

Lemon -Mustard Vinaigrette

. The pleasing pungency of Dijon mustard makes it a good match for slightly bitter greens, such as escarole, chicory, radicchio or Belgian endive. It also makes an irresistible dipping sauce for crunchy vegetables (especially fennel) and crusty whole-wheat bread.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (coarse or smooth)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
Directions

Whisk garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil.

































Grilled Corn Soup
In this recipe, kernel-less cobs are cooked with milk—it's a great way to get every last bit of flavor from the corn.



Ingredients
Soup
3 cups whole milk
3 ears of fresh corn, grilled to char - then kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half and reserved
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cups water
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
Ground white pepper
Garnish
1/3 cup fresh corn kernels cut from about 1/2 ear of corn
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Crème fraîche*, stirred to loosen
Preparation
Bring milk and corncob halves (not kernels) just to boil in heavy medium pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautéing vegetables.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes (do not let onion brown). Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups water, herb sprigs, bay leaf, and milk with corncobs. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cover partially, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.
Discard corncobs, herb sprigs, and bay leaf. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Strain into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Season soup to taste with salt and white pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Rewarm soup over medium heat. Divide among bowls. Sprinkle garnish over, drizzle with crème fraîche, and serve.

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

2 servings cooked grits
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced Cajun ham or smoky bacon
2 tablespoons diced tomato
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons diced green peppers
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, with tails on
1 to 2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup cream
Shredded white cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Green onion tops, chopped
*Cook's Note: Tasso is a Cajun ham and is often hard to find outside of Louisiana, but you can find it at some specialty gourmet shops or by mail order. If not, you can substitute bacon but bulk up your seasonings, as tasso is very flavorful.
Directions

Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and sauté until crisp. Add diced vegetables and sauté until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and sauté for 30 to 45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide grits among 2 serving plates. Line plate edges with shrimp (10 shrimp per serving). Pour sauce over grits. Garnish with green onion tops.

use martini glasses to serve shrimp and grits, with the grits on the bottom and shrimp and sauce on top.



















Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
1/4 stone-ground cornmeal
¾ c panko
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
1 egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, ends removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal,panko,, garlic powder, and cayenne together. Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dip the egg, then flour. then dip tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.

Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.

























Southern-Fried Chicken



Ingredients

Buttermilk Marinade:

· 2 cup(s) buttermilk

· 1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard

· 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

· 1 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper

· 1 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper

Fried Chicken:

· 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

· 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon(s) baking powder

· 1 tablespoon(s) garlic powder

· 5 cup(s) vegetable shortening


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Directions

1. Make the buttermilk marinade: Combine the buttermilk, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag or a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. Coat the chicken: Preheat oven to 150 degrees F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and remaining salt in a 13-inch by 9-inch by 2-inch pan. Add chicken pieces, turn to coat, and let them sit for 10 minutes, turning occasionally to recoat with flour.

3. Fry the chicken: Heat the vegetable shortening in a 10-inch by 12-inch heavy-gauge skillet. Attach a deep-fry thermometer and, over medium-high heat, bring the shortening to 375 degrees F. Shake excess flour from the chicken and, in batches of four, fry the pieces until they begin to brown -- about 2 minutes on each side.

4. Reduce heat, lower oil temperature to about 325 degrees F, and continue to fry until chicken is cooked through and golden brown -- about 10 minutes on each side.

5. Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack set on a baking sheet and keep warm. Repeat, frying remaining chicken pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.













































Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup cheese-its turned into crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the cheese it crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.











This blackened tilapia recipe is one of my favorite blackened fish recipes.

What I like most about Tilapia is that its ready available all year round, so I never have to go without the tasty flavorful fish.

For best results, I recommend that you use a cast iron skillet. If you don't have cast iron, any heavy bottom skillet will work.

Here is my recipe for Blackened Tilapia.

Recipe Ingredients
4 boneless Tilapia Fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each, 1/2 thick
1 stick melted butter
Blackened seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground dried thyme
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparing the blackened seasoning is easy as pie, just combine and mix evenly all the ingredients including paprika, garlic powder, thyme, onion powder, cayenne pepper, basil, oregano and black pepper.

This is enough seasoning for a couple pieces of meat, so store your extra in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until ready for reuse.

1. Prepare your blackened seasoning and set aside. Heat your cast iron skillet over high heat for about 10 minutes until very hot. When ready the bottom of skillet will be ashy white.

2. Rinse tilapia fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Dip fillets one at a time in the melted butter ensuring both sides of fish are covered with butter. Remove from butter, and without sitting fish down sprinkle fish on both sides generously with seasoning, patting by hand. Repeat for the second piece of tilapia.

3. Place two pieces of tilapia into a cast iron skillet and cook for 4 to 6 minutes turning over once, halfway through cooking. Pour 1 teaspoon of melted butter over the top of the fillets initially and another on top of the fillets when you turn it over at the halfway point.

Special Notes: Be sure to wipe your cast iron skillet (caution its very hot) clean before cooking you second two pieces of Tilapia. Also, be sure your stove ventilation fan is working and in proper order, since blackening tends to create plenty of smoke.



Classic COLESLAW

* 8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
* 1/4 cup diced carrot
* 2 tablespoons minced onions
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup buttermilk
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Finely dice cabbage and carrots.
Place cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and add minced onions.

Using regular blade on food processor, process remaining ingredients until smooth.

Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.





















Potato Salad
Ingredients
3 pounds potatoes
Kosher salt
1 cup good mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk, milk, or white wine
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
Directions
Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, herbsl, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.) Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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