50 Chefs for 50 Years, Dom DeLuise and Orange Cookies

Eat these...you'll feel better!

So the chefs continue, with the TV circuit.  A friend asked me how my 50 Chefs blogs were going and who was coming up?  When I said Dom DeLuise, he sort of snickered.  And I got to thinking.  I obviously made my list from the dog eared cookbooks I own, from favorite restaurants and cooking shows, but what really draws me to these people?  Crazy ingredients? Expensive meals? Celebrity endorsements?  No.  These are cooks and books and recipes that draw people and families together.  Meals that take time to cook and enjoy.  Meals that encourage wine, laughter and conversation.  Dom, like Dinah Shore, and Ina, and Richard Sax, and Chuck Williams, had long lists of friends that I am certain were thrilled that their friends were so talented and gracious in the kitchen.  That, is what I strive for.  That, is what I look for in a chef, cook, restaurant.  I am not a fan of egos, competition winners, and who gets press.  I want to make memorable food.  So Dom...

A funny man, a good cook!

His cookbook is called Eat This...It'll Make You Feel Better.  How hilarious is that?  And if you have any Italian relatives, you know this is quite true.  I bought this book about 23 years ago.  The title sold me, and I am a child of the 70's and Dom was everywhere.  Always smiling, always cooking.  The book is full of family photos and stories and recipes that make you want to be a DeLuise.  I have so little family history on my Italian side that is documented with photos and recipes that I sort of fell into his book.  I have read it many times, like a novel, and made many soups and entrees in the book.  When I needed to find a recipe to make for the butter substitute I was trying out, I knew that post-it sticking out of his book would lead me to the perfect cookie for Super Bowl Sunday and the threat of snow.

The ingredients are ready to go!

With zest in the glaze

I made them as written, but next time, I will make much, much smaller cookies as they are fluffy!  I also used some orange zest on the glaze.  Next time I will put it in the glaze and in the cookies.  These are not sweet cookies.  They get their sweetness from the glaze.  And if you believe everything you read, orange is a natural antidepressant, so indeed, Eat These....You'll Feel Better!

Bright flavors, dreary day.

Orange Cookies with Orange Glaze

1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz Melt (1 1/2 sticks of the other stuff)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put all the above ingredients in a blender and mix well.  Put into a mixing bowl, and add:

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix well, dough should not be sticky, but you should be able to roll in your hands.  You can make pretzels, flattened balls, long sticks.  Whatever you like.  They should sit about 10 minutes before baking at 350º.  They should bake about 15-18 minutes until golden brown.  They really don't spread, but do get quite puffy, so resist making big cookies.

While the cookies are baking, make the glaze.

1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 pound confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well.  You want the glaze thick enough to dunk a hot cookie in, but not too runny that it's thin.  When the cookies come out, dunk into the glaze and allow to dry.  You can sprinkle them with confetti, nuts or zest.  I prefer the orange zest.  A perfect pick me up on a dreary day!  So what are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!

If you missed any of my previous 50 Chefs for 50 Years posts, here's an easy way to catch up!

#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#7 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#8 & 9, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

#10 Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogues Stuffed With Andouille and Shrimp

#11 Giada's Pumpkin Spice Cookies
#12 Richard Sax and Farmer's Market Veggie Soup
#13 John Currence and Oven Fried Chicken
#14 Gilligan's Island Coconut Cream Pie

50 Chefs for 50 Years and Gilligan's Island

I could survive on this if I was ship wrecked!

I need a food styling class....delicious, but not pretty! 

The Professor, Gilligan and Mary Ann...1994

 What?  Didn't you say this was 50 Chefs (or cooks)?  What the heck is Gilligan doing here?  For you young readers, check out the Gilligan's Island Wikipedia, and let me explain.  When I grew up, way back in the 70's, we had 3 channels.  Every day after school, we would watch Gilligan's Island (best theme song ever!) and the Brady Bunch.  Then, we would head to the big woods in my yard and we would play on the fallen trees, building forts and making our own little Gilligan's Island.  We always fought over who got to be Mary Ann.  Neither me, nor my friends, were Gingers.

Mary Ann and Christina who is just 7 months old!

So fast forward to January, 1994.  I was visiting my parents with my little children, (they were 4 and 1) and The Hurricane, a restaurant on Passe-A-Grille, was having a shipwreck party.  I was so excited!  I met Gilligan, Mary Ann and the Professor.  Sadly Gilligan passed away about 9 years ago, and the professor, Russell Johnson passed away last week.  They were the nicest people and they so understand what an important part of many childhoods they were.  Gilligan even wore the hat!  But it is crazy when you think that the show aired prime time in 1964-1967 (I was born in 64),  but was a daily standard throughout most of the early 70's.  All reruns.

A fun keepsake of my 70's childhood.

Gilligan

Mary Ann

The Professor

Since my childhood friends would be turning 30 in 1994,  I bought the Gilligan's Island Cookbook for a few of them, and had them signed.  Of course I bought one for me too!  The book is a funny read.  It has lots of photos and quips from the TV series.  There are little bios on the characters (not on the actors who played them) and then lots of recipes.  The book is compiled by Mary Ann, aka Dawn Wells.  And the recipes aren't terrible, but they all have these goofy names to them that incorporate many of the characters who visited the castaways, and never seemed to help them get off!  What I love about the book is that there is 11 recipes for coconut cream pie.  Ha!  Guess what we are making?  The show may not have been an influence in my cooking, but I don't care.  It is signed and part of my collection.  So yea, Thomas Keller is coming, but today is all about MaryAnn.   It is my childhood, and I have never made a coconut cream pie until now!  The big dilemma was which recipe?  Mary Ann's?  Skipper's?  Mrs. Howell's?  Well of course Gilligan's.  So, just sit right back....

Gilligan's Favorite Coconut Cream Pie

1 1/3 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups shredded coconut
1 9" baked pie shell
3 T sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pre bake the pie shell according to directions on the package.  I used a roll out shell from a nice organic market.  I baked it with pie weights, and then finished it off without to brown the crust.  Cool.

Delicious custard!

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, scald the half and half.  Add sugar, salt and flour and whisk until smooth.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.  I found my custard quite thick after 5 minutes.  Keep an eye on it.  Separate the eggs and beat the yolks.  Remove the pan from the boiler, and slowly whisk in the egg yolks.  Return pan to the water and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and coconut.  3 cups of coconut is a lot, and my filling turned into dough very quickly.  I added more half and half to try and loosen it up a little, but still I had to press it into the pie shell when it was cooled.  It was not custardy at all.  It was like the inside of a Mounds Bar, although my coconut was unsweetened, I felt the sweetness balance was perfect.  I think a sweetened coconut would have been too sweet.  I also think a graham cracker crust would be pretty tasty!

Beat the egg whites with remaining sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Spread over the pie and toast in the oven (or with a torch) until browned.  Makes 6 servings. (Huge servings!)

No sugar coating on here.

Super fine shreds of coconut.

If you missed any of my previous 50 Chefs for 50 Years posts, here's an easy way to catch up!

#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#7 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#8 & 9, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

#10 Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogues Stuffed With Andouille and Shrimp

#11 Giada's Pumpkin Spice Cookies
#12 Richard Sax and Farmer's Market Veggie Soup
#13 John Currence and Oven Fried Chicken

50 Chefs For 50 Years and John Currence's Southern Supper

Oven fried chicken, collard green gratin and biscuits!

So, I need to get going on these 50 chefs!  I doubt I will be done by my 50th birthday, but I will finish!  My last post was a Southern blondie which I made to test the recipe before I sent it out to our Supper Club.  As I rounded out our Southern Supper menu, I used John Currence's recipe for the main.  The entire dinner was delicious, and I was emailed by a dozen folks saying thanks for a delicious dinner.  I wrote the menu, and 20 couples in the neighborhood cooked and ate it.  We are a very well organized club, and usually I get huge anxiety writing the menu.

Let's start with John Currence.  He is a chef based in Oxford, Mississippi, one of the most charming Southern towns ever.  He operates 4 restaurants there, and we have been to three of them.  City Grocery, Snack Bar and Big Bad Breakfast.  City Grocery is right on the Square in Oxford, and is a charming place, famous for Shrimp and Grits.  Delicious stuff. Snack Bar is a little off the beaten path and a customer told me it was her favorite Oxford restaurant.  It's small and quaint, and the menu when we went was delicious.  Great cocktails too!  Bubba Brasserie is how the website describes it, quite accurately!  And the last of his restaurants I have been to is Big Bad Breakfast.  Located next door to Snack Bar, pick up a Bloody Mary and wait on the porch for a table.  You will wait.  In the summer on Saturdays, the farmers market is set up and you can wander around the booths while you wait.  But trust me, breakfast is worth the wait.  Tabasco cured bacon, home made biscuits....everything is so tasty!  CNN also named it one of the Top 10 Breakfasts....IN THE WORLD!  He has one more restaurant Boule which I have yet to visit, but the menu looks great, and it is on the square.  Looks like a Saturday trip is in order.  Food, books, strolling.  I love Oxford, and Chef Currence has made me fall in love with the essence of Southern food.

So on to the menu.

Shrimp Toasts
This is a basic cream cheese based appetizer that you spread on a crostini and broil until bubbly.  There are a jillion versions of the recipe, and they key is to keep them small, so the cheese gets bubbly.   I chose this specifically for Mr. Preppy.  It was right up his alley.

Crisp Winter Greens With Sweet and Sharp Dressing 
The salad was a big hit.  The dressing was really delicious, and everyone cleaned their plates.  In the future I would use a heartier choice of lettuce, and maybe even put a little kale in there.  The dressing wilted the artisanal lettuces, and I really wanted some crunch.

The rose from Spain was perfect with dinner!

Collard Green Gratin
This was beyond delicious.  My friend who made this for our group, has made this recipe before, and she did a little tweaking.  Most noticeably was the assortment of greens she used.  Collards, spinach and kale.  It was my favorite dish of the evening, and I only ate half of my piece of chicken.  This was all I needed!

Dinner is served.

Oven Fried Chicken Breasts
This recipe is from John Currence, and it is mighty delicious.

The brine is the secret!

The breasts are brined in sweet tea, Tabasco and Worcestershire.  They were tender and juicy after a dredging in seasoned flour and a pan fry in butter and oil.  I made these for a party of 12, and I did have to clean out the pan a few times as the butter will burn.  Next time, clarified butter may help with that. They finished in the oven in about 15 minutes, which however, was not long enough for the gravy to really come together.  The gravy was fine, but mine never really thickened up.

Biscuits and Cornbread with Honey Butter
In the Food and Wine article where the chicken recipe is found, Chef Currence has a recipe for Salt and Pepper Biscuits.  I knew this would not go well over for the hostesses, so I suggested any kind of biscuits.  My friend Nancy brought frozen biscuits which were fantastic slathered with honey butter.  I never tried her cornbread muffins, but they were popular at dinner too.

Caramel Brownies with Brown Sugar Frosting
I blogged these last time, and they were such an unexpected treat.  Sweet, yes, but as my neighbor said, nothing a little ice cream can't cut.  Indeed, who would think that vanilla ice cream would cut the sweetness  of anything!  These will make another appearance around here for sure!

If you missed any of the previous chefs, here they are.  And stay tuned, we have a long way to go!  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#6 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#7 & 8, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

#9 Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogues Stuffed With Andouille and Shrimp

#10 Giada's Pumpkin Spice Cookies
#11 Richard Sax and Farmer's Market Veggie Soup

50 Chefs For 50 Years, #11 Richard Sax Part One, Farmer's Market Veggie Soup

I admit the color isn't appealing, but this soup is amazing on a cold day!

Back at the 50 chefs, and I have just about 7 months to finish.  Yikes!   This one is pretty relevant to me.  Back in 1994, I was given one of my all time favorite books.  Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax.  305 recipes, all desserts, all so thoroughly researched.  Historic recipes, friend's recipes, some of his own personal favorites.  So why, you are wondering, am I making soup?  His last book which was published after his death, is where the soup recipe comes from.  The book is called Get In There And Cook.  So, if you read my blog, ever, you know this chef made an imprint on me.  He was a prolific writer, so respected in his field, and went to culinary school after he had been an high school English teacher.  The courage to pursue your dream.  Powerful stuff.

I am also the owner of The Cookie Lover's Cookie Book, which is okay.  I love Rose (she is coming up).  Richard's is a small book, and I really dislike cookbooks in the miniature.  But it is a 20 degree December day, and we needed soup.  So I started at Richard's last book.  But I will be back to bake a dessert, you can count on that. So lets get to the soup.

Generally speaking, I am not a big recipe follower for soup, but to honor this man, I decided to try my very best.  I wanted no meat, and this fit the bill perfectly.  I have also made his Pasta e Fagioli from this same book. My notes make it very clear I veered off the path on that one!  But I apparently liked it, and it is a popular blog post.  This soup is packed with flavor, and blending part of it makes it creamy and satisfying.

Where the magic happens...

Farmer's Market Vegetable Soup
adapted from Richard Sax

2 T olive oil
2 medium onions peeled and diced
3 leeks, trimmed and cleaned well, then sliced
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
36 oz. vegetable or chicken stock (I used both)
3/4 cup half and half
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (my idea, I really wanted a little color and acid)
Fresh spinach...however much you like!


Sweat the onions, carrots, leeks, garlic, salt, thyme, pepper flakes and tarragon over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir often.  Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
Using an immersion blender or a blender, puree up to one half of the soup and put back into the pot.  Add the cream, nutmeg and tomatoes.  Do not boil again, heat gently until ready to serve.  Add spinach just before serving to wilt.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.


So, I did change up the quantities a little.  Three onions is a lot of onions, and leeks here come in 3's so what to do with that last one?  The carrots were scrawny and I like them, so I doubled it. And the spices are sort of an eyeball guess.  Soup is not a science....it is an art.  So I am creating my own version from his work.  Simmering, the aroma is fantastic and the soup is perfect following an ice storm!  So, as it appears the cold has settled in early and will likely stick around, it's going to be soup season for awhile.  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!  (Thanks Mr. Sax!)

Have you missed the previous chefs?  50 Chefs for 50 Years:
#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#6 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#7 & 8, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

#9 Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogues Stuffed With Andouille and Shrimp

#10 Giada's Pumpkin Spice Cookies

50 Chefs for 50 Years and Giada's Pumpkin Spice Cookies

 The House Smells Like Fall!

Giada.  What can I say.  She is one of the smallest Italian women, ever.  I have seen her appearances on the various morning shows, and her cookbooks have been a staple at the store since she started writing them.  I own a few myself.  I like her approach to food, family and her books are pretty straight forward, even a little basic.  She seems like an instinctive cook (which I am; open the vegetable drawer and invent dinner), and her books are written in a way you can change ingredients and understand how things go together.

Another in my vast collection!

This week was my last cooking class of the year, as Thanksgiving looms!  It was a cookbook club class featuring Giada's newest book: Giada's Feel Good Food.  A cookbook, yes, but also a lifestyle book to answer the question she is most often asked: How does a chef (she went to the Cordon Bleu) stay so darn thin!?  It isn't a diet book, no fear, but rather a book full of healthy recipes (nothing artificial), gorgeous pictures and plenty of great information.  It was really one of my favorite classes, likely because it was topped off by Pumpkin Spice Cookies.  I loved them!  I decided to make them at home with a few changes, but lets break them down first.

The original recipe calls for all purpose flour which we used in class and was fine.  I made my home version with Spelt Flour and it was seamless.

The recipe also calls for Raw Sugar.  We used a Demerara Sugar when we made them in class, and I opted for Light Brown Sugar at home, both produced fine results.

The recipe also calls for Raisins, and well, I opted for chocolate chips.  Yes, really.  I love pumpkin and chocolate, and I decided this was going to be my one pumpkin baked good this season, so I went for it.  And the results were just delicious!

At the store we used our famous Pumpkin Butter instead of canned pumpkin.  I was out of pumpkin butter at home, so had to go canned pumpkin.  I bumped up the spices to try and make up for the depth of flavor found in our pumpkin butter, but I would use pumpkin butter it if at all possible.  The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin, and this really bugs me.  That amount is less than half a can, and what are you going to do with the rest?

And here's where my "aha" moment came.  Prior to class, one of the managers does the grocery shopping for class.  He goes through the scullery for ingredients and lays them all out for me, and there on my cart was a bag of whole allspice.  The recipe of course, calls for ground.  So as I was prepping, I got out the mortar and pestle and ground it up.  Wow!  The aroma was intoxicating, almost overwhelming.  And that came through in the baked cookie in the most delicious, fall-flavored way!  I have been a big fan of fresh nutmeg, fresh ginger, even fresh ground cinnamon, but this was a first.  I immediately went out and bought whole allspice and will never have it anyway but fresh ground again!

Smellavision would be good right about now!

Here's the recipe as written, and my substitutions.

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
by Giada, adapted by me

1 cup all purpose flour  (I used 1 cup spelt flour)
2/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 2)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I used 3/4 teaspoon of fresh ground)
3/4 cup Raw Sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (I used half a can, but you should use Williams Sonoma Pumpkin butter instead!)
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used 2 of the best vanilla...)
1/2 cup raisins (Ew. I used chocolate chips)

Mix the flour through the all spice in one bowl.  Use a whisk to make sure there are no clumps.  In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except raisins, and again whisk to make sure your sugar isn't clumping.  Finally mix the bowls into one, and stir it up well.  Add your chocolate chips or raisins (or both!).  Drop onto parchment covered baking sheets, and bake about 15-18 minutes at 350˚.  Cool thoroughly before packing into airtight containers. Makes about 30 cookies.

If you have been around awhile, you may have read a similar recipe for Pumpkin Cookies and a nostalgic little story.  Don't tell Betty, but Giada's cookies are tastier! It must be the fresh allspice!  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!

Have you missed the previous chefs?  50 Chefs for 50 Years:
#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#6 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#7 & 8, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

#9 Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogues Stuffed With Andouille and Shrimp

50 Chefs and Paul Prudhomme and Mirliton Pirogue Stuffed With Shrimp

Mirliton

Delicious!

 So here we go again.  50 Chefs for 50 Years continues.  Today, Paul Prudhomme and his book Louisiana Kitchen.  He is the godfather of Cajun cuisine, and I remember the day I got this book.  I had never been to New Orleans, but blackened fish was all the rage when we moved to Atlanta in 1991, and I really wanted to explore this cuisine.  This book was on a list of the 50 greatest cookbooks of all times, and  I guess as Louisiana cooking goes, it really is the authority.  However, I have never cooked a thing out of it.  It is rather complicated, lots of steps, and it wasn't food I had a lot of experience with.  So now that I am older and wiser, here we go.

We have a lot of families on my daughter's volleyball team from Louisiana, and I was talking to them about Mirlitons.  I wish I could give you a pronunciation, because a Louisiana native doesn't pronounce it the way it is spelled.  At all.  It's like mel-i-tone.  Not sure where that R went to.  Anyway, some friends brought me a basket of them, and here I am. They are also called chayote, but I have yet to see them in my local grocer under any name.   I followed Chef Prudhomme's recipe to prep these, by boiling them until tender.  Then I cooled, peeled and cored them, reserving the pulp for the filling.

Here's what I learned.  They look like a squash, but are not starchy at all.  They are actually in the cucumber family. Also called a vegetable pear.  The flesh is sweet and bright, and they are not easy to scoop out into perfect little Pirogues.  What's a Pirogue, you ask?  I know this only because I watch Swamp People.  A Pirogue is the boat they use in the swamp, very shallow hull, and here is a great photo of one.  My Pirogue (pronounce pee-row), will be filled with shrimp and andouille.  I left out the Tasso and Oyster Hollandaise for a couple of reasons.  First, it would make a simple dish that already has a few steps in it, much more complicated,  and second, it calls for a pound of butter, 4 egg yolks and 1/4 cup margarine.  I have seen Chef Prudhomme on Top Chef this season, and I am going to guess this gentleman isn't eating a lot of hollandaise these days.  He was a large man when this book was published and he is easily half his weight now.  So I too opted out of all that fat.  I thought without the hollandaise, I would get a better flavor of the mirlitons, the andouille and the shrimp!  I was right.

Before we get into the details of the recipe, I have to tell you, I LOVE these.  The mirliton after it was boiled and peeled was delicious.  Really.  The flavor is hard to put my finger on, but I think it could go sweet or savory.  It enhances other flavors, like the spicy andouille, and they fried, yes fried to a gorgeous crispy treat.  The meat was delicious with it.  My next adventure will be boiling them and maybe making a cajun fry baked in the oven this time.  I made extra seasoning, so there'll be plenty of flavor!  A new favorite here for sure!


Mirliton Pirogue Stuffed with Shrimp

2 large Mirlitons
1/2 cup milk
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

I doubled this because I know it will be good on sweet potato fries, brown rice, chicken... 

Seasoning Mix

1 T salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

vegetable oil for frying

One andouille would have been plenty, but there were only 2 in the case.  I felt guilty buying just one.

3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup andouille sausage (I used 2 links)
1/2 pound peeled shrimp


Boil the mirlitons in a large pot of water until they are fork tender.  Rinse and cool.  Slice down the middle and peel and deseed.  Scoop out extra pulp so you have a 1/2 inch thick shell.  If you make the mirlitons ahead, simply cover and chill them until ready to use.

Fry the sausage until the meat is cooked through.  Add the and extra mirliton pulp and the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are cooked through.  Turn off heat and set aside.

The Dipping Stations

Add 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix to both the flour and the panko, and mix well.  Make stations for your dipping process.

One pirogue is plenty!

Add enough vegetable oil to a deep skillet so it is about 1/4" deep.  Dip the mirliton pirogues into the seasoned flour first, then into the egg, then into the seasoned Panko.  Fry in hot oil until crispy, flip and fry on the other side.  Drain on paper towels or brown bags.  Fill with the shrimp andouille mixture and enjoy!!! An Abita Beer or root beer from New Orleans would be a great addition!!

Check out the prior chefs in my 50 Years and 50 Great Cooks/Chefs.  

Have you missed the previous chefs?  50 Chefs for 50 Years:
#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#6 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad
#7 & 8, Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate and Chicken Puttanesca

50 Chefs for 50 Years, The New Basics and Silver Palate

The sign of a good book!

Hearty...needs a salad, bread and wine!

 My 50 Chefs for 50 Years continues.  The New Basics is probably the cookbook that changed my life.  The authors are Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I find this book much more valuable than The Silver Palate, which I love, and also by the same team. Both books are full of recipes, no color pictures, but lots of tips of the trade, charts of cuts of meat, olives, apples, etc. and cooking charts with suggestions that go with the recipes.  My copy is falling apart, is full of cards, letters, pictures my kids drew, and most importantly, notes alongside the many recipes I have made from this book.  I've missed it, and pulling it out was really a joy.  The inscription inside to me is one of my favorites, from my mom.

As I read through these books, it is a bit of my history.  I write the date and event with my recipes, and remember so many of those days.

Anyone who has ever been to a party at my house knows that the Marinated Shrimp from the Silver Palate is my standard appetizer.  Delicious, beautiful and easy.  And I love soaking up the marinade with a piece of crusty bread! I have also adapted the Palmier recipe a dozen different ways.

But The New Basics is the book I love.  In November 1990, I made Apple Chicken for my neighbors in Grand Rapids, both of whom I still keep in touch.

I made the Roquefort Spread in May 1993, living in Atlanta, when I was very pregnant with Christina.  I borrowed some Port from my friend Tracy and didn't know it was rancid.  I had never had it before and tasted a little glass (it was sickly sweet).  Every pregnant woman's nightmare ensued, and I was sick for over a week. So needless to say the dip was a failure.

I can see us in our last house in TN gathered around the counter with friends and lots of napkins eating Grilled Cumin Shrimp, yum!

Waffles on Easter Sunday?  Yes, from this book in 1992, a full year before Christina was born.

And the showstoppers, Beef Wellington and Stuffed Flank Steak.  Christmas Eve 1991 and 1995, and many, many Christmas Eves to follow.

In 1996, Scott was traveling and Nic wanted Beef Stew, so I obliged, and we had dinner with candles according to my notes.  It was a special night just me and the kids.

We had a snow day in 1997 and I made Olive Rosemary Country Bread.  I have made it many times since!  This is my Better Homes and Garden equivalent.  I have never owned BH&G, but I know it was the go-to book for many home cooks.  The New Basics is the book my kids will fight over one day.    So the dilemma, really, is what to make for the tribute to these fantastic books?

That was easy.  I had friends coming for the weekend, Scott was gone, and I needed something that could be made a little ahead and kept warm.  It had to be hearty and delicious.  Chicken Puttanesca!
This is from The Silver Palate and was a winner all the way around!  I had most of the ingredients on hand, it cooked in under an hour and was perfect for dining outside with a glass or two of wine! Serve it with lots of bread to soak up the amazing sauce!

Chicken Legs Puttanesca
(adapted from The Silver Palate)

3 Tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken thighs, trimmed up

Cook the thighs in hot oil until browned on both sides.  Remove from pan and add,

1 onion, cut into slices
6 cloves garlic, sliced

Sauté until the onion begins to brown a little, do not burn the garlic!  Add

1 can plum tomatoes (around 24oz)

Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes.  Add each of the following ingredients, one at a time.

2 ounces anchovy paste
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
5 sliced, sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1 Tablespoon Italian Herbs
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Your kitchen will smell heavenly!

Add the chicken back to the pan.  Cover and turn the heat down.  Cook for about 1/2 hour or until the chicken is cooked through.  Bread, salad wine....perfection!

Have you missed the previous chefs?  50 Chefs for 50 Years:
#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!
#6 Ina the Barefoot Contessa and Chopped Cape Cod Salad

Stay tuned.  We have a long way to go until I turn 50!  About 9 months......What are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

50 Great Chefs For 50 Years, Ina, And Cape Cod Chopped Salad

Delicious Dinner!

 Do I need to say more?  Here's an empire that's hard to ignore.  For my 50 Great Chefs for 50 Years, I couldn't forget about Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa.  Granted she was a TV chef, which I rarely saw, but her books are amazing compilations of simple and elegant dishes that the home cook was thrilled to make and eat.  She writes a great book.  Her original book has been thumbed through and cooked through.  I also own just about every other book of hers, but Back to Basics is special.  Care to guess why?  Ok, yes.  I met her at a cookbook signing.  She is so cute!  I wrote a blog about our signing and the Leftover Party we heard about.  And I cleaned out my freezer.  You'll have to read the old blog to understand, it's a funny one.

So on to the book. The one recipe I make over and over is her Italian Wedding Soup, which we all love.  There are others I have made with great success.  But short of having a dinner party every week, doing an entire menu from a chef is getting fattening!  So we decided we were making the ultimate Autumn salad.  A perfect light dinner, and a recipe that really embraces her philosophy.  It doesn't have to be fussy.  But it should be done well.  I made roast beef and fontina paninis with balsamic onion jam too, I mean a salad needs a little more sometimes.

Roast Beef, Fontina and Balsamic Onion Jam

The panini is my creation.  The salad is all Ina.  And it is delicious!  The recipe that follows is my version.  I left out the orange juice and orange zest, and I subbed dried cherries for the dried cranberries.  I also added some romaine lettuce as the recipe calls for just arugula.

Cape Cod Chopped Salad
adapted from Ina Garten

4 oz. thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
4 oz. baby arugula
Chopped romaine
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries
3 oz. blue cheese

This mini cast iron fry pan toasts nuts beautifully!

Dressing

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

This battery operated blender gets used every day for homemade salad dressing.

Cook the bacon as desired and cut into pieces.  In a large bowl add the arugula and romaine and top with the bacon, blue cheese, dried cherries, and toasted walnuts.  Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar and emulsify the oil at the end.  Toss with the dressing and serve.

Have you missed the previous chefs?  50 Chefs for 50 Years:
#1 Mom, and Steak In A Bag and Ambrosia Pie
#2 Chuck Williams (founder of Williams Sonoma) and Cheese Souffle and Chuck's Zucchini
#3 Dinah Shore, and Corn Crab Cakes with Jalepeño Tartar Sauce
#4 Deborah Madison, and Summer Squash Tatines
#5 & 6 Eli and Max Sussman, and The Best Fall Dinner EVER!

Stay tuned.  We have a long way to go until I turn 50!  About 9 months......What are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

50 Chefs for 50 Years, Max and Eli Sussman

This is fun cooking!

Welcome back to the 50 Chefs/Cooks for 50 Years.  My project, of sorts.  Today's chefs, Max and Eli Sussman are part of the new food revolution (this is a current book...not Dinah Shore era!).  I first came across them when their book This Is A CookBook came into the store.  I did a Saturday class on this book making a couple of recipes, and decided I had to own it.  This doesn't happen a lot.  There are dozens of cookbooks passing through my hands every year, and I buy maybe one.  But, as a mother WITH A CHILD GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, in December, I knew he was going to want a little guidance in the kitchen, and this is that book.  The food is real.  Not fussy.  For one or 8, the recipes are easy and hit the sweet spot.  Fried egg sandwich, meatball sandwich, peanut butter pie....it really is a cookbook for real life.  It is colorful, well written, maybe a little snarky (which we all know I love) and delicious.  I have to get my cooking done with it so I can hand it off to Nic, my college grad, in a few months, and I was delighted to make a few more recipes.

First off, lets talk about the intro, written by Rob Delaney, whom I follow on Twitter.  He is hilarious.  And then scattered throughout the book are little quips from the boys, ideas, thoughts, just good stuff, even menus.  Pages on making pizza, pasta and sandwiches, ideas that spark other ideas.  Perfect first cookbook for a guy.  Really.



I had a few more of my fantastic Iowa chops in the freezer, which I would only ever buy from Fareway Grocery.  I guess I better plan a road trip to grocery shop soon!  Since this is the most flavorful meat in the world, I just brine it and grill it.  But I needed a few things to go with dinner.  So I made the Apple Chutney from the Sussmans, as well as the Pear Tart.  And decided heck, why not make their grilled Romaine Salad and the Wild Mushroom and Rosemary Potatoes while I was at it.  Really, fuss free, easy to make, great results too.  All these recipes are the Sussman's with my changes.  I am terrible at following directions.  And my apologies for the photos.  I can't use a flash, and it was a late dinner, so no natural light.  Sorry.  Trust me, it was yummy!

This chutney was easy and a great fall accompanient to grilled pork chops!

Apple Chutney

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 white onions chopped

3 apples, cored and chopped (I used a Granny Smith and 2 Fujis)

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon allspice

zest and juice of 1 lemon 

salt

Saute onions in oil, and turn down heat and cook for about 30 minutes until caramelized. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the apples and water until the apples are softened.  Mush up half of them, and leave some chunky.  Add the caramelized onions, and the spices and lemon.

Serve warm or at room temp.  I loved this, however, the skin on one of the apples was a little tough.  I think it needed a little more ginger, I used all I had, but it was a little short.  I think I would like a dash of cinnamon in it as well.  I cooked it hours ahead and let it stay at room temp.

Creamy goodness.  These were seriously decadent.

Wild Mushroom And Rosemary Potatoes

1 pound white and baby portobello mushrooms (I cleaned out the fridge), stemmed and halved

2 Tablespoons butter 

salt and pepper

1# fingerling potatoes, halved and quartered if there are larger ones

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 a lemon squeezed

Saute the mushrooms in a little bit of the bacon fat from the bacon you cooked for the salad.  Why dirty another sauté pan?  Stir until they begin to brown.  Season with salt and pepper and add butter and stir to melt in.  Add wine to deglaze pan.  Empty the mushrooms into a bowl, and add a little more oil and the potatoes.  Cook, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic and tarragon (it calls for rosemary which I don't eat), and a little of the cream.  Stir well.  I then added the mushrooms back in and added enough cream to keep it moist and covered the pan. I cooked it on low until the potatoes were cooked through and then turned off the heat until ready to serve.  I reheated, added a little more cream, seasoning and the lemon.  These are the most amazing side dish ever.  I ate the leftovers for breakfast.  Next time, more mushrooms, maybe a variety, and less potatoes.  I have the only husband who doesn't like potatoes. 

We love grilled salad, everyone thought this was so tasty!

Grilled Romaine and Bacon Salad

Clean and tear from the head enough romaine lettuce for your guests.  Then add a little more, as it really shrinks.  Toss with a little olive oil and kosher salt and grill the pieces until they have a little char and are wilted.  Lay on salad plate and top with toasted pumpkin seeds, bacon and the dressing. (I skipped the apples)

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 Tablepsoon bacon fat (I know, but it really makes it good!)

salt and pepper

Mix well and drizzle on wilted lettuce.

This was a bit of a delicious failure, but we devoured it anyway!

Pear Tart

Make dough ahead

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup butter, cut into chunks and cold

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

4 pears, peeled, seeded and cored and chopped

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup diced, candied ginger

1 Tablespoon cinnamon 

dash salt

In a food processor, mix flour and sugar and salt.  Add butter and pulse until coarse and gravel like.  Mix the eggs and the ice water and add to the dough pulsing until it comes together.  Do not add all the liquid unless you need it.  My dough was way too wet and troublesome to roll.  When dough comes together, flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.  

Mix filling ingredients. 

When ready to roll, preheat oven to 375˚.  On a floured surface, roll out dough. My dough was really moist and stuck quite a bit.  I did more pressing than rolling, and then tried to freeze it for 15 minutes before baking to firm it up.  The juice still oozed all over the pan, but it was still yummy.  I didn't measure or shape it much, I worked with it as a rectangle so I could bake it on a jelly roll.  Place the filling in the center, not mounded, and fold up the edges.  Bake about 20 minutes until the crust is golden.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!  I am going to try this one again, and this easy dough will be a great vehicle for any fruit.

So we knocked out 2 more chefs on the list of 50.  These guys should be on a lot of lists.   44 to go!  So what are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

Don't miss the first chef, Mom, and Steak In A Bag

Second chef, Chuck Williams and Cheese Soufflé

Third chef, Dinah Shore and Jalepeño Crab Cakes

Fourth chef, Deborah Madison and Summer Squash Tartines