Wild Game Dinners!

Every year, these lovely people throw a charitable wild game dinner, and this year they chose me to head up the event. Incredible wine, great crowd, and amazing food! Already looking forward to next year!

Kids are cooks too!

I had an old friend reach out to gift her niece some cooking classes.

Why not? I can teach kids! And they’re SOOOOO excited about everything.

 

So, we did 3 weekly classes, and they were great. We’ll likely be continuing them, too, as she’s looking into going to a culinary magnet school!

 

So, what did we study? I had to figure out a good starting point.

  • Lesson 1 – Flavor profiles: Sauces and Dressings
    • This was a longer class than I’d like when teaching a young teen, but it gave the girls a great start, and homework for expanding on their knowledge.
    • We talked about what a “salad” is (or could be), and worked on a couple dressings as well as a great formula for the perfect show-stopping balsamic salad (available now if you book this class!)
    • We also taught two of the Mother Sauces, which we used to make Spaghetti and Meatballs and a Mac and Cheese. There was much rejoicing.
  • Lesson 2 – Baking
    • We had to start her on the pastry train, too. It’s a good way for people to figure out if they want to be a pastry person or not. Spoiler: she likes the pastry.
    • For this one, my lovely sous chef, Kate, was on-hand to help teach some of her favorites. We had her make a self-saucing pudding, as well as scratch-made chocolate chip cookies. BUT to throw in a twist, we offered her three different ways to use the cookie dough, and she did super well at all three. Great job!
  • Lesson 3 – Grilling
    • This class was all about a lot of prep followed by a lesson of how to use a grill. Being summer, it was a heck of a bit of heat out there, but the girls powered through!
    • They made a whole menu for their family all on the grill! Grilled Panzanella, Grilled Carrots, Pork Tender, and (of course) the perfect burger. A fabulous ending for 3-class package!

If you’d like to have your kids start learning their way around the kitchen, get in touch! Here are some of our favorite photos of our adventure.

Cool Summer Flavors

Summer time is here! Well, it’s almost gone, but next week it’ll probably be back, as is the nature of Texas. Ah, summer. With its sweltering heat, its bikini-clad sunbathers, and the knowledge that your New Year’s Resolution to lose 20 pounds didn’t quite go so well. What to do? I say ignore the food truck with the duck fat fries and truffle aioli that hangs around your favorite swimming hole, taunting your love for all things fried and emulsified.

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Swim, my little pretties…

 

So, what to do? Distract your mouth with some foods that are crispy, healthy, and flavorful. Having something that’s on the cool side is a great idea as well, just help you beat the heat. And since the Mediterranean Diet is all the rage nowadays, give this little paleo twist on a traditional treat will hit all the tight spots, and help to keep the pounds off!

Turkey Kafta Lettuce Wraps with Cucumber Salad and Roasted Garlic Tahini Sauce

IMG_0964Let’s start with the salad, since the onions need to marinate.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar IMG_0962
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Agave Nectar
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 pint Grape Tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1/2 Red Onion, quartered and sliced

  • Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste
  • Toss the onions in the dressing and let it sit for about an hour.
  • Add in the cucumbers and let marinate for about 1/2 an hour more.
  • Finally, toss in the tomatoes.

Turkey Kafta Meatballs

IMG_09611.5 lbs Ground Turkey Thigh
1 cup Bread Crumbs or Almond Flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
8 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 an Onion, finely chopped
2T Cumin
2T Coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste

 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350IMG_0963
  • Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and mix well.
  • Form into meatballs. You should get between 12 and 16, depending on size.
  • Place on a greased baking sheet lined with foil or parchment
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes

 

 

 

Roasted Garlic Tahini Sauce

1/3 cup Roasted Garlic clovesIMG_0959 IMG_0958
4 T Tahini
Juice of one lemon
2 T Sriracha Sauce
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Combine above ingredients in a food processor
  • Adjust seasonings
  • If the sauce “breaks”, add a bit of water and re-blend until smooth

In order to assemble this properly, so that you can wrap this all without too much spillage, cut the meatballs in half before placing in a leaf of romaine. Top that off with a bit of salad and a fair amount of the sauce and enjoy this flavorful treat!

IMG_0965

 

Exploring our Roots

Recently, I was introduced to the wonders of a video series called 18th Century Cooking. And since February is a time many reserve for exploring and appreciating African-American culture, I was enamored of their series called “Food of the Enslaved” after a friend recommended it.

The first one that intrigued me was their episode on Kush, which was an African predecessor to what we know of as cornbread stuffing (or dressing in the South). It’s also where the cajun pudding-like side of the same name originated, and likely the progenitor of the word couscous.

Michael Twitty is superb and I look forward to reading his book that follows African-American culinary history throughout the South. He also sent me down a rabbit hole in the episode where they explored Okra Soup, when he mentioned an ingredient called “kitchen pepper.” It seems that before there was Old Bay or Mrs. Dash, there was a staple spice blend called kitchen pepper, which consisted of a mix of black, white, and red pepper along with seasonings that seem far from traditional white Southern fare. Much more likely they came from African influence.

But where to try out some of these wonderful flavors?

Thankfully, I had the opportunity at the annual Dinner with the Bishop, benefitting Camp Allen. They wanted bacon-wrapped quail as one of their meats, so I paired that with a pork tender with mustard marmalade glaze, and was searching for viable sides.

 

Kush to the rescue! This stuff came out fabulously. I crumbled up some buttermilk cornbread, sliced some onions and chopped some herbs, and we were off! Since Twitty recommends cooking the hash in animal fat, I used a fair bit of duck fat for this one. The flavor was perfect. One thing I’d recommend if doing this at home is not using red onions if setting it to keep warm for a while if you’re preparing the rest of your meal. They tend to break down and lose their lovely color.

 

I also wanted to try my hand at utilizing kitchen pepper. I found a couple old recipes online and made my own, using it to flavor my collard greens along with some smoked turkey necks. Using the necks, spice mix, and onion, I made a nice broth to add while cooking the greens and onions in batches. Pulling apart turkey necks isn’t easy, but getting that meat back in with the greens really makes them shine.

 

For the record, here’s what my spice mix ended up being:

  • 1 T black pepper
  • 1T white pepper
  • 1T ground chipotle pepper
  • 1T cinnamon
  • 1.5 T ground ginger
  • .5 T Nutmeg
  • .5 T Clove
  • .5 T Mace
  • .5 T Allspice

Here’s the finished plate, which was a huge hit!

The best part was going around to the well-to-do folks enjoying the meal and educating them on the origins of not only what they’d been eating, but where some of their favorite recipes originated. Many thanks to the ingenuity of people who, though suffering under horrible conditions, managed to provide so many future generations with an amazing array of flavors that have influenced so many.

the fabulous fig

 

Figs are one of the oldest fruits cultivated by mankind. It’s even been theorized by religious scholars that the fig, rather than the apple, was the famed “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden. After all, they did cover themselves in fig leaves. Apple leaves just aren’t as cool looking (and don’t cover as much).

 

(Pictured: biblical clothing)

Although it’s one of the sweetest of fruits (with over 50% sugar concentration), it’s also a great source of Calcium and fiber, as well as other minerals and antioxidants.

When I moved in to my house, one of the biggest reasons I chose the place was that there was a lovely fig tree in the back yard. Every year, I get 1-2 small harvests from my fig tree. Sadly, last year’s drought took its toll and knocked about 1/3 of the tree out for the count. This year? No figs for me.

 

(Pictured: Sadness)

Some of my favorite recipes combine this great fruit with interesting-flavored cheeses and nuts. This one is a party favorite and is no exception.

 

Baked Figs with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

 

15 fresh figs, sliced in half lengthwise
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Heat the Balsamic in a small pan until reduced by half. Keep an eye on it, as it can get too thick and syrupy. If this happens, you can rehydrate with a splash more vinegar.

Arrange fig halves on a baking sheet and top with the cheese crumbles and walnut pieces.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.

Place on serving dish and drizzle with the Balsamic reduction.

 

Variation:

If you’d like a great salad with the same flavors, just toss the fresh figs, nuts and cheese over field greens with your favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette.

A Smokin Good Time!

Last year, I finally caved and bought my first electric smoker. It just made sense for catering gigs that want things like brisket. I can set and forget for a couple hours while I get other things accomplished. Masterbuilt makes a fine smoker, so I bought their 40″ smoker from Academy, which had some of the better prices I saw for smokers.

A couple notes on buying:

  • You might notice there are only descriptions of actual size on some of those smokers, and not all. I had to go to the store and visually inspect each model to make sure what I was getting. For the record, the 140B and the 140S models are exactly the same with just a couple differences.
  • The 140S costs about $50 more, has stainless around the front and sides, a window, a light, and a meat probe.
  • I don’t care about the window, as it gets smoked out easily, as does the light. I do like the stainless look, however the biggest reason I opted for the 140S is the meat probe. THIS WAS A MISTAKE. That probe is only reliable in its untrustworthiness. Don’t trust that temp reading, as it’s way off from where a proper meat thermometer will read.
  • That all being said, the 140S is a great smoker overall. Just make sure you know what you’re paying that extra $50 for.

Now, the other day, I was invited over for a proper BBQ, where everything’s actually smoked. “Hooray!” I thought, “It’s a great excuse to get out my smoker and play with some ideas!”

After falling down the rabbit hole of smoked vegetable recipes, I settled on a few things. I used other peoples’ recipes just to get started. Let’s see how they turned out!

Bourbon Smoked Salmon

I got the idea from this site, because it sounded tasty. I opted for using a salt/sugar 1:1 ratio and some bourbon, rather than doing the soy sauce thing. I also didn’t follow much of their instructions. Instead, I relied on this site, which I think has a better overall grasp on making a quality smoked fish.

I ended up with a shorter/hotter cook than he recommends 170/1.5 hrs + 190/1 hr, because I was running low on time and other smoked items needed a good 100 degree higher temp.

(plan out your smokes, folks!)

My basting liquid was more bourbon mixed in with some blackstrap molasses, and it worked out great!

 

Smoked Cabbage

This one was by far the hit of the evening, and was so very easy. I used this recipe, more or less. I had some extra Salt Lick rub in the pantry, and used cider vinegar instead of balsamic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still, super easy and super tasty. The only thing is that the rub doesn’t really have anywhere to go, so it’s pretty much congregated in the center area. But the mix of spice and butter is amazingly good!

 

Smoked Mushrooms and Tomatoes

These both went over really well, though the tomatoes didn’t turn out like I expected. I used the larger tomatoes and sliced them into 3 large pieces. A little EVO, Salt and Pepper was all they needed. They melted in your mouth fabulously, but were a bit on the mushy side, so not easy to transport and serve. Plus, they were SUPER shiny. Kinda strange but definitely tasty!

The mushrooms I just tossed in some leftover balsamic vin overnight to marinate, then threw them on the rack with the tomatoes.

 

Bacon-stuffed Smoked Onions

This is one I remember from back when we used to watch Barbecue U on PBS. Steve Raichlen did these like 20 years ago, and I swore one day I’d make them. I used Black Forest bacon from Trader’s, and seeded my jalapenos. Next time, I might add more of those, or leave some seeds in, because the stuffing got almost lost. However, it was really tasty when you got a bite where the flavors all connected.

For serving these, I recommend cutting them in quarters, and kind of reassembling some stuffing on each. This worked out best. The bbq sauce got a bit lost as well, but I’m not sure it was entirely needed.

Either way, I highly recommend you try out these and other recipes  to keep your smoker in regular use!

Happy Cooking!