I plan on keeping things as cold as possible and avoid handling things with my hands. Keeping the work implements cold will allow the butter, cheese and final dough to develop steam in the baking process and rise. I can’t imagine they will rise much. Having never seen a picture of these cheesy buscuits I’ll have no idea if I’m doing this right or wrong.

Cheese Cakes, makes about 12

Hardware

• Chilled rolling pin
• Chilled medium bowl
• Biscuit cutter
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Software

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 3 oz grated Cheddar cheese
• dash of salt and cayenne pepper
• beaten egg
• paprika

Preparation

Whisk together cheese, flour, salt and pepper. Cut butter into tablespoon sized chunks and work into flour mixture with fingers or dough cutter. Put dough into bowl and chill well. Roll dough very thin on a cool surface with a chilled rolling pin and cut with biscuit cutter. Place cut biscuits on prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with paprika. Chill again for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 5 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 375 and bake 15-20 minutes until golden. Serve warm or cold. Be careful not to overcook the biscuits or they will become dry.

I wanted a “southwest” flavor to compliment the grilled shrimp and my head was screaming ”limes and tequila”. Not finding anything directly like that I’m going to modify an existing salsa recipe from Get Saucy to get what I’m after.

Grilled Southwest Shrimp

Hardware

• 4-5 metal skewers
• gas or charcoal grill
• large bowl for brining and tossing shrimp
• medium bowl for mixing salsa sauce
• small heavy skillet

Software

Shrimp

• 1 lb (16-20 per) raw frozen shell on shrimp – shells split and de-veined if you can find them
• 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 cup table salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp fresh minced cilantro leaves (optional)

Southwest Cocktail Sauce

• 1-2 Arbol chile, seeded
• 1 navel orange
• 1/2 sweet onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp tequila
• 1.5 tsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp fresh chives
• salt & pepper

Preparation

Once shrimp are thawed, pour 1 quart cold water in a large bowl, add salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add shrimp and let stand in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While shrimp brine, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add garlic, chili powder, and ground cumin. Saute until garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Remove mixture to heat-proof bowl and let cool. Mix in lime juice and cilantro, if using.

Drain shrimp. If shrimp shells are not split and de-veined, cut open backs with scissors and de-vein as necessary. Toss shrimp with garlic-chili mixture to coat.

Start the grill. Charcoal grill should be medium hot with lid on for 5 minutes and gas grill should have all burners on high for 15 minutes. Make sure grill grate is clean.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers first about 1/3 of the way up the tail and then the body, about 1/3 of the way from the head. Should form a “C” shape on the skewer. 4-5 shrimp per skewer.

Grill shrimp for 4-6 minutes total turning once. Shimp should be bright pink and just charing. Charcoal grilling should be done uncovered while the lid should be down for gas grilling. Can be served right off the grill or cooled to room temperature.

For the cocktail sauce, heat a small heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Remove seeds from the chilis and place in hot pan. Press down with metal spatula until pliable, about 5-10 seconds per side. Remove from pan and when cool cut into small pieces using scissors.

Peal orange to remove skin and all the white pith. Working over a strainer set in a bowl, segment the orange between the membranes and drop segments into strainer. Squeeze remaining membranes over bowl to extract juice. Cut segments into 1/4-1/2″ pieces and add them to the bowl along with the chilis and the reminder of the ingredients. Salt & pepper to taste.

The southwest cocktail sauce can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas, makes 2

Hardware

• 10″ non-stick skillet
• medium sized bowl

Software

• 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 tsp vegetable oil plus more for brushing tortillas
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/3 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp lime juice
• kosher salt
• 2 plain flour tortillas, eight inch
• 2/3 cups Mexican blend cheese
• 1 tbsp minced pickled jalapenos

Preparation

Heat skillet over medium high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add corn and cook stirring occasionally until kernels begin to brown and pop, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Heat oil in the empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add red onion and cook stirring occasionally until softened about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans, and cook until heated through about 1 minute. Return corn to skillet and toss to combine. Press mixture down with spatula to lightly crush the beans. Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in lime juice. Salt to taste.

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and return pan to medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tortilla to pan and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges. Flip and repeat on other side, 1-2 minutes. Evacuate tortilla to cutting board and repeat with second tortilla. While the other tortilla cooks, sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese, half the corn/bean mixture and 1/2 jalapenos over 1/2 the tortilla leaving 1/2″ border around the edge. Fold in half and flatten. Brush surface with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and repeat with second tortilla.

Put both tortillas in skillet, oiled side down and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown 1-2 minutes. Brush exposed surfaces with oil and sprinkle with salt. Flip and repeat. Transfer to cutting board and let cool about 2-3 minutes.

For finger food cut each into thirds; for a meal, cut in half or leave intact.

Serve with salsa, sour cream dips or as it. Be prepared to make more!

With that in mind, here is the recipe for Maryland Crab Cakes adapted from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s recipe:

Hardware:

• small bowl for seasoning mixture
• 10″ & 12″ skillet
• medium sized mixing bowl

Software:

Seasoning Mix

• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
• 3/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Crab Cakes

• 5 cups bread crumbs – use fresh bread
• 7 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• 1 lb crab meat
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream

Sauce

• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 cup green onion tops
• 1 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Toast 3 cups of the bread crumbs in a 12″ skillet over high heat, shaking pan occasionally,  until the crumbs are light brown – 5 to 6 minutes. Remove crumbs and set aside.

Return skillet to high heat and add butter, onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables start to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of the seasoning mix, 1/2 cup of parsley, the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and garlic and cook over high heat unti the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, scrape up the crust on the bottom of the skillet and remove from the heat.

Place the breadcrumbs in a medium mixing bowl. Add the crab meat and the remaining seasoning mix, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, the vegetable mixture from the skillet, eggs, and cream. Stir gently to combine. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside. Refrigerate the remaining mixture for 1.5 hours.

For the sauce, combine 1 cup of the cream and reserved 1/2 cup of crab mixture in a 10″ skillet over high heat. Cook, whipping constantly with a whisk for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup of cream and cook 2 minutes. Add the green onions and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally - about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To finish, remove the crab mixture from the refrigerator and heat oil in 10″ skillet over high heat. Place the remaining 2 cups of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the crab mixture and form it into a cake. Dredge it in the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining mixture to form 8 cakes.

When the oil is hot, add 4 of the cakes to the skillet, lower the heat to medium and fry until browned, about 3 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Return the heat to high and repeat with remaining cakes.

So for the Crab Rangoon dipping sauce I’ll try using some home made crème fraîche with the left over fresh coconut milk and perhaps a bit of wasabi powder, just to give it some punch.

Making It Fraîche

When I made crème fraîche last week it was a bit watery. After re-reading the recipe turns out I was using the wrong type of heavy cream. I used ultra-pasteurized heavy cream and while that can be used, it has to sit longer than the recommended 24 hours at room temperature in order to properly thicken. Since the ultra-pasteurized version is what I have on hand, I’m going to give the same recipe another try but let it sit about 36 hours after heating before sticking it in the refrigerator. Next time I’ll try heavy whipping cream instead.

The recipe I’m using for crème fraîche is:

• 1.5 cups heavy cream (use non-ultra pasturized if possible)
• 1 tbsp buttermilk

Heat cream and buttermilk in a small sauce pan over medium low heat until it reaches 85 degrees. Pour into a glass container and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let set at room temperature for 24-36 hours until the constancy of thick cream – check and stir every 6-8 hours. Refrigerate until thickened. The crème fraîche should keep for at least a week.

I don’t recall having straight goat cheese, but this pasta meal I made tonight called for it. Naturally I had to taste it before adding it to the dish. I was really surprised how much like cream cheese it was – there was more of a tang but the consistency and flavor was really close. Which got me thinking about how well it would mix with cream cheese and then I though about the Crab Rangoon and well, that’s why we’re here.

Poking around a bit in The Flavor Bible indicated that goat and cream cheese pair well. Garlic pairs well with the cheeses and the crab as does lemon, well at least with the goat cheese and the crab. So with all that in mind, I think we’ll give this a whirl:

Crab Rangoon (printer friendly)

Hardware

• Dutch Oven
• Spider or other frying safe extraction device
• Peanut oil for deep frying
• Candy thermometer

Software

• 4 oz crab meat, fresh chopped is best, canned should be drained and flaked
• 2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 oz goat cheese,at room temperature
• 1/2 green onion sliced thin
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 18-20 wonton wrappers

Preparation

Heat enough oil for deep frying in a dutch oven over high heat. Position the candy thermometer to take the temperature of the oil.

Combine all ingredients (except the wrappers) in a bowl and stir to combine. Moisten the edges of a wrapper with water (or beaten egg yoke if you prefer). Then place 1 large tsp of the mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Fold one side of the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle shape. It may help to spread a little of the filling toward the left and right edges so the middle doesn’t bulge. Press/pinch the edges of the wrapper together to seal. Place the finished wrappers under a damp towel so they don’t dry out before frying.

Once all the wrappers are ready and the oil is between 350 – 375, carefully add 6-8 filled wrappers to the oil and cook for 3 minutes or so until they are golden brown. Flip them once during the cooking cycle. Extract, set on a draining rig  (paper towels on a plate are OK) to cool and then serve.

In the end I used ground lamb prepared using seasonings from an Alton Brown episode on making Gyros, from which I also got the preparation for Tzatziki sauce. The wonton cups came from a Giada recipe for fish tacos.

So here goes (printer friendly):

Hardware

• Oven pre-heated to 375
• Food processor with metal blade
• 12″ non-stick skillet
• 12 count muffin pan
• basting brush

Software:

For the Tzatziki sauce:

• 1/2 medium cucumber, pealed, seeded, and chopped fine
• 8 oz of plain Greek yogurt  - you can strain regular yogurt if you prefer
• 2 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2-1 tsp dried mint leaves

For the wonton cups:

• 12 wonton wrappers
• canola oil

For the lamb:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced and squeezed of water in a tea towel
• 10 oz ground lamb
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ground black pepper

For the gyro cup filling:

• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size, salted and drained on a paper towel,
• 3-4 large leaves of iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped

Preparation:

Start the Tzatziki sauce by removing the water from the cucumbers by squeezing them in a tea towel. Combine the drained cucumbers with the reminder of the sauce ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a week.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush the insides of the muffin pan cups with canola oil. Press a wonton wrapper all the way down into each of the cups and then up against the sides.

When the oven is ready, bake on the middle rack for 6 minutes or until lightly brown in color. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove cups from pan and cool completely another 10 minutes.

While the wontons are baking, combine the lamb, drained onion, and the remainder of the lamb ingredients in a food processor.

Process for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.

Add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and set it over medium to medium high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the lamb mixture and cook stirring occasionally until lightly browned through. Drain.

While the lamb is cooking dice, salt and drain the tomatos on a paper towel and rough chop the lettuce.

To assemble the cups, place a small amount of the chopped lettuce in the bottom, followed by a few of the cut grape tomatoes (4-5 pieces). Spoon in a bit of the lamb and top with a dollop of Tzatziki sauce.

Observations

The Tzatziki sauce is quite tart. My wife, who’s not a fan of tartness, didn’t like the Tzatziki sauce at all. Even after adding another pinch or 2 of salt to help with the bitterness, it was still on the tart side. You may want to put the sauce on the side or use a less-tart sauce.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the puckering tartness combined with the sweetness of the grape tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. The lamb was nicely seasoned, smooth tasting, and nicely creamy which contrasted nicely with the extremely crunchy shell. They were good enough for me to eat all 12!

There’s easily enough lamb and Tzatziki sauce for another dozen wonton cups, but I’ll save them for something else.

I first had baked eggs when I was trying the Atkins diet a number of years ago and it became my Saturday stand by. Combined with some bacon and I was ready to face the day. However, when I went looking for my Atkins recipe book this AM, it was nowhere to be found. Guess I have to wing it.

Running on Memory

From my recollection, the final baked egg concoction would cook in a ramekin within a water bath. I started the oven pre-heating to 375 while I got out a 9 x 12 baking dish and then hit switch on the electric tea kettle to boil the water for the bath. Since this was going to be a 3 baked egg affair I used a large ramekin and buttered the inside.

I couldn’t recall if the herbage and cheese for the baked eggs went on the top or bottom so I opted to split the difference and put the herbs on the bottom and cheese on the top. Consulting The Flavor Bible I went with salt, pepper and basil for the herbs and sprinkled each in the bottom. The eggs followed, then the heavy cream, and finally a hit of Parmesan cheese.

Into the baking dish, then the boiling bath water around it just up to the level of the eggs in the ramekin and then into the oven. How long? I cheated and checked Joy of Cooking – 15 minutes or until the whites set up  - since I didn’t want to mess this up.

Meanwhile I fried up some pepper bacon, let it drain and then rough chopped it for use as a garnish. When the whites set up, out it came from the oven and then from the bath. After a hit of the chopped bacon, I was ready to dig in.

It was as good as I remembered! Here’s the recipe as it went together:

Baked Eggs (Eggs en Cocotte)

• 2-3 cups water
• 1-2 tsp butter (for ramekin lubrication)
• salt & pepper
• dried basil
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• cooked bacon, chopped for garnish, about 1-2 slices.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and start 2-3 cups of water boiling – an electric kettle works great.

Butter the inside of a medium sized ramekin and season the bottom with the salt, pepper and basil. Carefully crack the eggs (no broken yokes please) and add them to the buttered ramekin. Drizzle the heavy cream over the tops of the eggs and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the eggs and cream.

Place the ramekin in a 9 x 12 (or other appropriately sized) baking dish. Once the water is boiling gently pour the water into the baking dish until the water is at the level of the egg mixture inside the ramekin.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the whites are set and yolks are thick. Remove, sprinkle bacon on top, remove ramekin from bath and enjoy!

Printable Version

Hardware

• Preheated oven at 375

Software

• 8 oz can refrigerated crescent roll dough
• Dijon mustard
• 16 cocktail franks
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp milk

Preparation

Carefully unroll the crescent roll dough and separate into 4 equal rectangles. Be sure to gently press the perforated seams together. Cut each rectangle into 4 – 3″ long strips. Brush each strip lightly with the Dijon mustard.

Lay a single cocktail frank at one end of a stip and roll the dough around it. Push the end of the strip down to seal the dough. Place seam side down on a baking sheet about 2″ apart.

Whisk together the egg and milk and brush on the dough. Bake until puffy golden brown – about 15 minutes.

Dips

Honey Mustard – 5 tbsp honey, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp hot sauce, ground red pepper to taste. Stir it all together in a small bowl. Will keep covered in the refrigerator for 1 month. Adapted from Joy of Cooking.

Sweet Thai Chile Dipping Sauce – 5 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp water, 1 Thai bird or serrano chile thinly sliced, 1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped red bell pepper. 1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Combine sugar, vinegar and water in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add the chile and bell pepper and simmer 2 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the sauce and cook until thickened - 2 minutes or so. Let cool before serving. Will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. From Get Saucy.

Reloading

The plan was 3 fold: (1) use crimini (baby bella) mushroom instead of white button, (2) Panko bread crumbs instead of home made dry and (3) roast the caps slightly before adding the stuffing to draw out the moisture. The initial recipe is the same other than those changes.

I removed the stems from the caps as before, but then placed the caps on a baking sheet sans parchment paper. I drizzled 2 tbsp of olive oil on the caps along with salt and pepper. Rounded side down, they went into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes – basically until I could see some water pooling in the caps. Then they cooled some while I finished the stuffing.

After the stuffing was ready, including the new Panko bread crumbs, I emptied the water from the caps and then added the stuffing and hit them with the cheese. They went back in to the oven for 10 minutes or so until I could see them bubbling around the cap bottoms – again sans parchment paper since it still had olive oil in it.

After cooling slightly I moved them to a plate using tongs. There was just a tiny bit of sticking to baking sheet but nothing serious – probably could have used a tiny bit more oil.

The consistency was much better – not excessively soggy. There was  a subtle resistance as I bit into one and the Panko bread crumbs did their job – they added just a tiny amount of texture to the stuffing. You could really tell where the mushroom ended and the stuffing began.

My wife even ate a couple and declared them “acceptable” – which is high praise indeed from a non-mushroom fan!