by Kathy Douglas | Aug 20, 2018 | Entrees
Loaded with farm fresh vegetables, spicy honey chicken thighs, and a delicious creamy lemon sauce, you can’t beat this tasty late summer dinner recipe. If you missed us at the Kentucky State Fair on the Gourmet Garden Food Stage this past Sunday, check out our farm fresh recipe!
Cold-smoked Potatoes and Corn
INGREDIENTS
1 pound small potatoes
2 ears of corn, shucked and silks removed, broken in half
1-pint small cherry tomatoes
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the potatoes to a saucepan and cover with water. Turn the burner on medium-high and bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the potatoes in gently simmering water until tender, about 15 minutes or until a small knife passes easily through one of the larger potatoes. Drain and dry completely.
Fill a large saucepan about ¾ full of water and bring to a boil. Add the ears of corn to the boiling water, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the corn cook in hot water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and let the corn dry completely.
Add a rack in a deep roasting pan. Place the potatoes, corn, and tomatoes on the rack. Cover tightly with foil. Smoke twice with a smoking gun filled with mesquite chips. Cover tightly and keep covered until the smoke dissipates into the vegetables. Slice the corn off the cob and serve with the potatoes and tomatoes.
Lemon Cream Sauce
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup chicken broth
2 large cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
¼ cup fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.
Grilled Spicy Chicken Thighs with Peppers and Onions
Prepare the Chicken Thighs
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
6 chicken thighs
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the olive oil, coriander, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and smoked paprika to make a paste. Rub the chicken thighs all over with the paste and place in a dish. Cover and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.
The next day in a small bowl, whisk together the honey, cider vinegar, and ancho chili powder. Set aside.
Heat a grill to high. Place the chicken thighs on the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side. Brush with the honey mixture. Cook for another minute, brush again and remove from the grill.
Prepare the Peppers and Onions
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 orange pepper, cut into ½ “ pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut into ½ “ pieces
1 anaheim pepper, cut into ½ “ pieces
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thinly
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a grill to high. Toss the peppers and onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the salt. Place vegetables on the grill, and cook until lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Remove and toss in the remaining olive oil. Top with fresh cilantro.
Serves 6
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 13, 2018 | Appetizers
An original 1970’s throwback staple, the dried-onion-soup-package-with-sour-cream dip was a special treat served at sleepovers and parties. Oven-roasting the onions, and stirring in fresh green onions, gives this updated dish a deliciously deep onion flavor. While we dig the ‘70’s vibe eating this dip with potato chips, the platter can also be updated and shared with some seasonal fresh raw vegetables such as cucumber, celery, carrots, radishes, baby peppers, cauliflower and more.
In this recipe, you let the oven do all the work; roasting the onions to caramelized sweetness before combining them with the remaining ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
6 medium Vidalia onions, Papery parts peeled, cut into ⅛“ rings
¼ cup olive oil
kosher salt
2 cups sour cream, divided
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
potato chips
seasonal fresh veggies: cucumber, celery, carrots, radishes, baby peppers, cauliflower
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl toss the raw onion slices with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, then pour on to a baking sheet. Roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until soft, darkened, and caramelized, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Strain off any excess oil and cool.
Add the cooled roasted onions to the work bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth. Add 1 cup of sour cream, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and purée again until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, very thinly slice the green onions. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the dark green parts, then stir the rest into the remaining 1 cup of sour cream with a ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt. Transfer the onion dip to a serving bowl, top with the sour cream/green onion mixture and gently swirl into the onion dip. Try not to over mix; you want the mixture to be swirled together. Add the remaining green onions on top and serve with fresh vegetables, potato chips, or both. Serves 8-10.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 6, 2018 | Appetizers, Entrees
Create these tasty nachos using up any shredded leftover BBQ meat – chicken, pork, or beef. Just toss the meat with your favorite sweet BBQ sauce and top over tortilla chips. Add lots of cheese, green onions, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, and fresh grilled or roasted corn off the cob.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup grilled chicken, pork or beef
½ cup sweet BBQ sauce (we like Williams Sonoma Sweet Onion Applewood)
½ cup green onions, thinly sliced white and green parts
1 jalapeno, very thinly sliced
½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes
½ cup roasted corn on the cob, removed from cob
4 cups tortilla chips, we like the homemade version at Lucky’s
1 8-ounce package of Mexican Mix shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
Juice of ½ lime
Zest of one lime
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
Shred the meat with two forks, add the BBQ sauce and mix thoroughly. Thinly slice the green onions and jalapeno, cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, and removed the grilled corn from the cob; set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In an oven-proof pan or cast iron comal pan add a layer of tortilla chips. Top the chips with 1/3 of the cheese, chicken, green onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, and corn. Repeat with two more layers of chips, cheese, and toppings. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
While the nachos bake, whisk together the sour cream with the lime juice. Place in a serving bowl then top with the lime zest. Remove the nachos from the oven and top with the fresh chopped cilantro. Serve the sour cream with the warm nachos.
Makes 4 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Jul 30, 2018 | Desserts
We can’t imagine summer without banana pudding. So, we took this favorite southern dessert and turned it into a cheesecake topped with banana meringue cookies and crushed vanilla wafers. Creamy, delicious, and loaded with banana flavor, it mimics that perfect southern treat.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pan
3 cups vanilla wafers
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups ripe bananas
24 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch salt
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons banana extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Garnishes:
½ cup crushed vanilla wafers
banana meringue cookies (recipe below)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 375˚F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan on the bottom and sides. Add a parchment circle to the bottom of the pan; butter the parchment.
Melt the stick of butter and set aside. Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and sugar; pulse until incorporated. Using a flat-sided measuring cup, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan on a sheet tray then into the oven and bake for 9-12 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Place the spring-form pan in the center of 3 large pieces of aluminum foil and wrap the foil up the sides of the pan to make a water-tight seal. The cake will be baked in a water bath, so the idea is to use the foil to keep the water out of the cheesecake. Reduce the oven to 300˚F.
In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the bananas to a smooth purée. Measure out 1 ¼ cups of the banana.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, flour, salt, and banana purée together for 5 minutes. Make sure the mixture is very smooth and fluffy with no lumps. Add the sugar and continue beating until very smooth. Add the extracts and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stop when the final egg is just incorporated. Be careful not to overbeat the eggs into the mixture.
Place the springform pan inside a large roasting pan. Transfer the banana mixture to the springform pan and tap on the counter gently to release any excess air. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan and place in the oven. Bake for 75 minutes. The cheesecake should be only slightly jiggly in the center when done. Turn off oven, open the door for a few minutes to release some heat then allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour in the oven. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled, cover tightly, and transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator. Chill for at least an hour or until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, remove the springform, top with banana meringue cookies and more crushed vanilla wafers. Makes 16 servings.
Banana Meringue Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 egg whites
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ½ teaspoons banana extract
¾ cup white sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 315˚F. Add pieces of parchment paper to cover two cookie sheets. Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and banana extract until very firm. Gradually add sugar and beat into the egg white mixture.
Drop or pipe by teaspoonfuls onto the parchment lined sheet trays. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Turn the oven off and leave the cookies in the oven overnight to cool and dry. Makes 20 cookies.
by Kathy Douglas | Jul 23, 2018 | Entrees
The perfect combination for a special summer dinner – pan-seared scallops served atop a bed of creamy cheese grits with seared fresh corn and prosciutto. To complement the scallop’s sweet, succulent flavor, we added a lemon butter cream sauce right under the scallops to make this pure meal luxury.
Basil Lemon Cream Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup cream
Juice of one lemon
6-8 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic clove, cut in half
INSTRUCTIONS
In a saucepan, heat butter over medium temperature until melted. Slowly whisk in the cream and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the lemon juice, basil, and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan to remove the basil and garlic. Cover and keep warm.
Cheese Grits With Fresh Corn Prosciutto
INGREDIENTS
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
4 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup chopped prosciutto
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup Charleston Favorites grits
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cream
¼ cup soda water
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and prosciutto and sauté over medium-high heat until the prosciutto is lightly browned, and the corn is cooked through; set aside and keep warm. Rinse the grits, drain and remove any floating chaff and hulls. Bring 3 cups water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the rinsed grits and cook frequently stirring for 15-20 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add the cream and soda water, often stirring, until the grits are very thick, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese, remaining butter and pepper; stir to combine. Cover and keep warm while you make the scallops.
Seared Scallops
INGREDIENTS
1 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 12
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Set uncover on a paper towel lined plate in the refrigerator for 2 hours to dry the surface.
Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan placed over high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, carefully add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Depending on their thickness, sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes per each side. The finished scallops should have a golden crust on each side and be translucent in the middle.
To Assemble:
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons fresh chives
2 tablespoons lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
Ladle some cheese grits in a bowl. Top with the corn and prosciutto sauté and then sprinkle with chives. Add a little cream sauce; rest the scallops in the cream sauce. Top the scallops with lemon zest.
Makes 4 servings.
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