by Kathy Douglas | Sep 2, 2019 | Appetizers, Entrees
Nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich except this skewered, deconstructed sandwich, cooked on a bbq grill. Tossed in olive oil and Za’atar spices, it’s a grilled baguette, halloumi cheese, and cherry tomato delight finished with a sprinkle of olive oil, more Za’atar, and fresh basil leaves. Great as an appetizer for six or dinner for three.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon Za’atar spice plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
18 cherry tomatoes
12 two-inch cubes of baguette
8 ounces of Halloumi Cheese, cut into 12 cubes
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, small leaves or larger torn into smaller pieces
Equipment
6 metal skewers
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Add the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Za’atar spice, garlic powder and the salt to a large bowl. Whisk the spices and oil together. Add the cherry tomatoes and baguette cubes to the bowl; toss to coat. Make each skewer by alternating two pieces of baguette, three cherry tomatoes, and two pieces of Halloumi per skewer. Brush the remaining oil mixture left in the bowl over the cheese pieces on the skewers.
Grill, turning frequently, until the cherry tomatoes skins just start to break, the bread is toasted and the cheese is slightly browned.
Remove from the grill on to a platter. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over a little more Za’atar spice and top with the fresh basil leaves. Makes 6 skewers.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 26, 2019 | Desserts, Frozen Desserts
Celebrate a 4th of July dinner, picnic, or party with these fun, boozy homemade chocolate bourbon popsicles. Made with a melted chocolate creamy mixture and Kentucky bourbon, we topped the frozen treats with a drizzle of melted chocolate and some patriotic sprinkles.
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces high quality dark chocolate
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup cream plus 2 tablespoons, divided
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
2 teaspoons corn syrup
Decorative sprinkles, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Break up 6 ounces of the chocolate and put into a high-speed blender. Whisk together the milk, ½ cup cream, sugar, and cocoa. Bring to a light simmer, remove from heat and immediately pour over chocolate in the blender. Add the vanilla, salt, and bourbon and allow to sit for a 3-5 minutes to soften chocolate. Turn the blender on and blend until chocolate mixture is smooth. Let the blender sit for a few minutes so any foam on the surface can dissipate.
Pour into eight 3-ounce ice pop molds or paper cups. Reserve any extra liquid, store in the refrigerator to make more pops. Freeze the pops for about 1 hour before inserting wooden sticks. Freeze for 24 hours.
Line a sheet tray with parchment and place in the freezer. Remove the pops from the molds and place on the parchment lined sheet tray in the freezer. Freeze for 1 hour.
Add the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate with 2 teaspoons corn syrup and 2 tablespoons cream in a microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on low in 30 second intervals until just starting to melt. Whisk until the chocolate mixture is fluid and all the chocolate is melted. Remove the pops from the freezer and drizzle with the chocolate. Immediately sprinkle with decorative sprinkles (if using) and freeze the pops again for 30 minutes. Do this step quickly since the chocolate sets when it contacts the cold pops.
Serve or bag the pops in small individual bags and return to the freezer to save for later. Follow the directions again to make any more pops with the left-over liquid. Makes 8-12 pops.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 19, 2019 | Entrees
Our Kentucky State Fair menu was a real winner and loaded with farm freshness – corn and zucchini cakes topped with hickory smoked avocado sour cream crema, and buttermilk marinated chicken that was grilled and glazed with a peach barbecue sauce. All served over fresh arugula.
Peach BBQ Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup tomato sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup peach preserves
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Add to a blender and process until smooth.
Serve warm or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
INGREDIENTS
2 cups buttermilk
1 lime, zest and juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
kosher salt
black pepper
8 boneless chicken breasts
Grape seed oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the buttermilk, lime zest and juice, garlic, chili powder, coriander with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag, add the chicken, seal the bag and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken up to 4 hours.
Preheat the grill pan to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Brush with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and charred on both sides and cooked to 165 degrees in the thickest part. Brush with Peach BBQ sauce and serve.
Smoked Avocado Crema
INGREDIENTS
1 medium avocado, pit removed, cut in chunks
¼ cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon toasted cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the avocado in a bowl. Wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Use a Smoking Gun and trap enough smoke to form a dense cloud under the plastic. Let stand, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
Release smoke, remove plastic wrap. Taste a small piece. If a stronger smoke flavor is desired, repeat the smoking.
Add the avocado and the remaining ingredients to the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Serve over the corn cakes.
Corn & Zucchini Cakes
INSTRUCTIONS
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
½ cup stone ground corn, we prefer 8-row flint corn
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
¾ stick unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups fresh corn kernels with scraped corn milk
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed to remove excess moisture
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
4 tablespoons Ghee or clarified butter
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the sheet pans in the oven.
In a large bowl, stir together both cornmeals, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in the corn, zucchini, and chives. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened and all the dry is absorbed. Rest 10 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter on a flat griddle over medium heat until it sizzles. Drop ¼ cups of batter into the griddle leaving space between them to spread. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn, and cook for 2 minutes more or until both sides are browned and the center of the pancake is firm. Keep the cakes warm in the oven on the parchment lined sheet trays. Continue cooking the rest of the batter by adding more clarified butter as needed. Serve topped with Smoked Avocado Crema.
Assembly
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh arugula
Olive oil
Kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss the arugula in a small amount of olive oil to just coat. Add a pinch of salt and toss. Place on each plate a small amount of arugula. Top with a corn & zucchini cake, topped with avocado crema. Then top with a chicken breast and more Peach BBQ sauce.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 12, 2019 | Appetizers, Entrees
Fresh off the grill, this delicious dish is spicy and cheesy. Seasonal Anaheim peppers are stuffed full of corn, chorizo, and cream cheese, then topped with crispy panko bread crumbs and Mexican cheese before grilling.
INGREDIENTS
6 large Anaheim Green Chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
6 ounces Mexican cheese mix, finely shredded
½ pound fresh chorizo
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup fresh corn
1 tablespoons lime juice
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare an outdoor grill or stove top grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
Slice the top ⅓ off the Anaheim green chiles, remove the seeds and white membrane inside the chilies; set aside. Chop the chili tops into small pieces and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat; add the garlic and breadcrumbs, cook 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and add to a small bowl; add ½ the cheese mixture and toss; set aside.
Put the sauté pan back on the heat and add the remaining olive oil then the chopped pepper pieces and chorizo, cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Stir in cilantro, green onion, cream cheese, the remaining cheddar, corn, and lime juice; add black pepper and salt to taste. Fill pepper halves with chorizo cheese mixture; sprinkle with the bread crumb cheese mixture.
Place peppers, skin side down, on hot grill rack; cover and cook 5 minutes or until grill marks appear and cheese melts. Make six servings.
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