Cooking Class: Crab Cakes, Grits and Yummies Oh My!

I LOVE COOKING CLASS! Whew, sorry to shout but every time I get the opportunity to attend one of these classes, I enjoy the food, tips and company so much! I have made fish tacos and tasted the Mediterranean and this time it was all about Edward's Award Winning Crab Cakes, creamy grits, delicious watermelon salad and a dessert a non-baker like myself can manage: Pavlova.

Chef Edward was unable to make our class due to an emergency but Chef Sherman from Byrd and Baldwin Brothers Steakhouse filled in and just like our past times with Chef Edward, we picked up some great nuggets of knowledge and had a lot of fun.

We started with dessert as we needed to give our creations time to cool. I say creations because it wasn't until I read the recipe closely that I realized what pavlova was: basically a nest of meringue filled with fruit and whipped cream. I may be dessert challenged but I can make meringue! Tip from Chef Sherman: Use powdered sugar when you make meringue to avoid that graininess I often get when I make it with granulated sugar!

Pavlova

Ingredients

• 4egg whites
  
• 1 cup powdered sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  
• 1 cup fresh heavy cream
  
• 1/4 cup pineapple chopped
  
• 1/4 cup strawberries, sliced
  
• 1 kiwi sliced
  

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Whip the egg whites until stiff. 
3. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until mixture is very stiff. 
4. Whip in the cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar until stiff peaks form. 
5. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper and generously spraying the paper with cooking spray. Using a large spoon or by filling a pastry bag, carefully place individual nests of meringue on the baking sheet. If you make large ones it will make 8-10 nests. 
6. Bake these in the oven for 45 minutes but watching them carefully to ensure they don't brown. Cool them completely. Whip the heavy cream until it forms peaks. Fill nests with fruit and whipped cream. Chill until served.

Next we prepared the watermelon salad with Balsamic reduction. How easy to cube watermelon and dress each piece with a mint leaf and feta cheese and then drizzle over it with the Balsamic reduction? Chef Sherman passed along two tips: 1) Use 2 parts Balsamic to 1 part sugar and 2) A slurry of cornstarch and water will create a reduction in a fraction of the time! The slurry is just 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per one tablespoon of water.

The creamy grits with sweet corn were next. While I love grits, I have never made them myself. After this, I will be making them for sure! We prepared Quaker Old Fashioned Grits, following the package directions but using 7 cups of chicken stock and 1 and 1/3 cups of the grits. Once finished, to the grits we added grated Parmesan and white cheddar cheese, pepper. a little butter, garlic powder and 1 cup of fresh corn kernels and sliced green onions. We actually shaved the corn form the cob and pan roasted the kernels in super hot pan until slightly browned: really brought out the flavor!

Finally, the crab cakes! Readers know I love a good crab cake but I am always excited to try a new recipe. Edward's crab cake recipe is relatively simple but had one incredible feature: the Boursin Ginger Drizzle. I cannot explain how ginger, Boursin cheese and....wait for it....Sprite make a sauce that makes you want to invent any excuse to use it...but it was delicious! Another note on crab cakes...brown one side of each one in oil, flip over and finish in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes! So incredible!

Another successful night at class and another beautiful plate of food!

Thanks again to Chef Edward from Bardo (for his recipes), Chef Sherman from Byrd and Baldwin and to Sarah Horne from Young Chef’s Academy Ghent. Next class is August 22nd.

Young Chef’s Academy of Ghent is located at 350 W 22nd St. Ste 103 Norfolk, VA 

Bardo Edibles + Elixirs is located at 430 West 21st Street Norfolk, VA

Byrd and Baldwin Steakhouse is located at 116 Brooke Avenue Norfolk, VA

What I Did Last Saturday: Wine and Cheese and Appetizers

I am a sucker for a theme party. I am somewhat incapable of having people even over to my house without some overarching premise: it's a fiesta, it's Italian, it's the Super Bowl, it's the let's watch me on TV cook  and say crazy things night...you get the idea. Last Saturday I hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party and true to form I sent out the invites with a theme: wine and cheese party. Remember, the purpose of this party was to have my friend Anne show off the jewelry collection. Most people have a couple snacks or something...here is what I had:

I may have a problem.

In the meantime, I did dream up a yummy way to use a pound of baby portabello mushrooms and a can of crescent rolls:

Caramelized Onion and Portabello Mushroom Tart

Ingredients

• 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 pound baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons white cooking wine
  
• 1 can crescent rolls
  
• 1 egg beaten
  
• 1 cup skim ricotta cheese
  
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out crescent rolls onto an un-greased cookie sheet and flatten into a rectangle, pressing the seams together. Slightly roll up the edges to form a small crust-like edge. Brush top of pastry with small amount of egg and reserve remainder. Place crescent rolls in oven and cook for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a skillet melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute them in the butter. Add the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Continue cooking the onions for about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt. Cook for another 10 minutes or until onions are brown. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl mix the leftover egg and the ricotta cheese. Evenly spread the mixture over the surface of the cooked crescent rolls being careful to leave an edge of about 1-inch. Add the onion and mushroom mixture and even spread over the cheese. 

Top with the mozzarella and sprinkle evenly with the parsley. Put back into oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to cool slightly and using a pizza cutter, cut into squares.

This was super delicious and I think I could modify to use various ingredients...nothing like always having a can of crescent rolls handy!

Guest Blog: Salt-Crusted Fish

Sometimes the universe tries to balance things out. I have been ill for the past few days so haven't done much cooking. What a perfect time to have a good friend guest blog for me! My friend and fellow foodie Kandice is my connection to all things highly technical in the kitchen and her creation of Fine Cooking's salt-crusted fish with lemon dill beurre-blanc sauce is certainly an inspiration. Thanks Kandice!

Hello.  My name is Kandice and my weakness in the kitchen is seafood.

The Cook Crook knows I love Fine Cooking magazine.  I recommend it to everyone I know.  It is the epitome of food porn with page after page of amazing photography of food.  The pictures are what first attracted me.  When I delved deeper and read the articles, I found them instructive and educational.  That is exactly what this home cook with no professional training needs!

The April/May 2011 issue of Fine Cooking magazine featured Salt-Crusted Fish in the “Learn A New Technique” section.  Hooray!  I am forever trying to add different techniques into my repertoire and preparing seafood is my Achilles heel.  Obviously, I had to give this a try. 

Three things.  One, this technique does not impart any saltiness to the fish (unless you drop the meat into the salt when serving--oops).   Do not be alarmed by the many cups of salt in the recipe.  It is for the outside only.  Two, this is a presentation dish.  Be sure your family and friends can see you crack it open and serve.  It is impressive and they will be in awe of your culinary prowess.  Three, beware of bones!  Please, please, please be careful when eating fish with bones.  Children should always be supervised whenever they eat fish with bones.

This technique creates the most moist fish I have EVER had.  My standing offer to family and friends is to make this whenever they ask  They just have to bring me a whole fish.

I also made the Lemon-Dill Beurre Blanc sauce.  Be sure to REALLY reduce the wine!  The first time, I did not reduce the wine enough.  The sauce tasted good and the butter emulsified into the wine.  It just was not as thick as a sauce should be.  The second time, I reduced the wine much, much further and the consistency was perfect.  The sauce adds a rich brightness to the fish.

So readers? Beautiful AND delicious, right? I am still waiting for my chance to get in person instruction, guess I need to go shop for a whole fish!

Cook Crook Creation: Roasted Tomato and Basil Spread

I was so happy with the batch of roasted tomatoes I made and couldn't wait to use them for my upcoming wine and cheese party. It obviously my first batch didn't make a lot so I didn't feel right just putting them out as a topping for a charcuterie plate. I turned my attention to making something I could incorporate the tomatoes into and not lose the wonderful flavor.

A quick scan of my fridge revealed an 8 ounce block of neufchatel and some more of that wonderful fresh basil paste...and in my mind I thought "spread!" And having a food processor made this super easy!

1 cup of roasted tomatoes
8 oz of neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons of basil paste OR 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

Add roasted tomatoes to food processor and finely chop. Add basil and blend again. Add cheese to food processor in 1-inch cubes, pulsing after each addition. Once last of cheese is added, blend quickly and  this should be your result:

Scrape the ingredients into a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

I served it with crostini and various crackers but one of my friends who really enjoyed it suggested using it on a wrap or sandwich. So the next day, I spread it on a low-fat tortilla, topped it with deli turkey and romaine lettuce and wrapped it up into a delicious lunch! This spread will certainly become a staple to have around for entertaining and to enjoy!

Validation!

Today I have actually been under the weather all day but my energy level picked up when I opened my e-mail and read the following:

Congrats, Carrie!

You’ve been chosen as a contender for TODAY’s Home Chef Challenge! Check our Food Facebook page on Tuesday to see your dish on display, and get your friends to vote for your creation. Happy cooking!

Thanks – and let me know if you have any questions.

==

Steve Veres

Editor, TODAY.com

My Cook Crook Chicken Enchiladas were chosen to compete in a 3-way competition based on fan voting on the Today Food Facebook page. Fans have the opportunity to vote on their favorite dish so I believe I have told every single person I know in social media! However, no matter what happens, it is validation for me. Yes, I have been competing in my hometown's Home Chef Competition which is being televised on our local cable station but anytime something you have created and prepared gets recognized, it's a cause to celebrate!

Now all I need is some votes! Visit the Food Facebook page for the Today Show!

Steal of the Week: Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

I mentioned that I would be working with an incredible 18-year aged balsamic vinegar this weekend so I went on a hunt for a recipe that heavily features the ingredient. Then I remembered that back when my husband and I were dating, I had made him a beautiful and tasty balsamic pork chop dish for a night I wanted to impress him by cooking for him (Guess it worked!). Therefore, I was delighted to find the recipe again (originally from Gourmet 2006) on Epicurious.com. Their recipe for balsamic-glazed pork chops was exactly how I remembered it!
Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) center-cut pork chops (about 2 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 oz small shallots (about 8), quartered and peeled, leaving root ends intact
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Balsamic-Glazed-Pork-Chops-233982#ixzz1SMdQdAED

Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pork (in 2 batches if necessary) along with shallots, turning pork over once and stirring shallots occasionally, until pork is browned and shallots are golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes total. Transfer pork with tongs to a plate (here's what mine looked like:)

and add vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to shallots in skillet. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to moderate, then return pork along with any juices accumulated on plate to skillet and turn 2 or 3 times to coat with sauce. Cook, turning over once, until pork is just cooked through, about 3 minutes total. Transfer pork to a platter and boil sauce until thickened and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork.

Times like these make me wish there was a scratch and sniff for food pictures! The flavor is so incredible for such simple ingredients. My only slight misstep was I may have cooked the pork a little longer than I should have, not getting the true pink center I would usually want but they were still moist and delicious. I decided to continue to keep it simple and just served them with brown rice and edamame:

Definitely a dish that will impress!

Quick Meal: Chicken Sausage Fajitas

I have mentioned Al Fresco chicken sausages before in this blog and I continue to be impressed by their quality and taste. I also enjoy the different flavor options and the other day I picked up a package of their jalapenos and roasted peppers variety. Originally, I was going to make a play on an Italian sausage sub using Mexican flavors, but conveniently on the sausage package was a recipe for quick fajitas (and sadly I had used all of my red bell peppers for snacks for my kids. Not sad that they eat them, mind you, just sad I had used them all and not replaced them!)

I did have some leftover jarred roasted red peppers and decided to go ahead and incorporate them, along with the Vidalia onions I had on hand. I also had some limes and planned to add some lime juice while everything was cooking. Here is my prep:

This was also an excellent opportunity to use some more of the chipotle infused EVOO from Savor the Olive! (Seriously, their oils are AMAZING and I can’t wait to get more!) into the pan went all of the ingredients and after a few minutes I squeezed half a lime over the top:

Very, very simple. Scooped onto a flour tortilla and garnished with Mexican blend cheese, lettuce and sour cream:

The flavor was fantastic and had just the right amount of heat. Thanks al fresco for again helping make an easy and tasty meal!

Foodie Find: Savor the Olive

Apparently Lorraine Eaton and I are of similar mind! Check out the article she wrote on Savor the Olive which I just visited for the first time Saturday and am in love with! I have already used their chipotle oil for my roasted tomatoes and a quick chicken sausage fajita. I will be working with their beautiful and delicious 18-year aged balsamic this weekend!

Simple Steps: Oven Roasting Tomatoes

While I have planted herbs, I have yet to attempt a garden. Luckily, a very good friend of mine has one every year as do my parents so I very often reap the benefits of their hard work and excess crop! So when my friend Mary asked if I wanted any Roma tomatoes, I said "you betcha!" Then in keeping with my plan to try new things and use fresh ingredients all inspired by Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, I decided to attempt something I never have with tomatoes: oven roasting them.

First let me say that Chef Keller's book is not only informative, but beautiful:

Per his detailed instructions, I put a large pot of water to boil with the insert inside (which I continue to find useful for blanching) and while the water came up to a boil, cored my tomatoes and using the paring knife, made X's in the bottom, following Chef Keller's tip to take the X into the sides of the tomato. 

Then into the pot they went:

It literally took a minute for the skins to wrinkle and pull back and once plunged into the ice water, they were already starting to peel themselves. I let them cool a few minutes and then halved them. At this point I discovered two things: 1) I need to sharpen my pairing knife 2) I need some practice coring! It wasn't the end of the world as I just removed any remaining core when I halved them. Then onto a foil lined baking sheet they went:

The next step per Chef Keller is to drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and he added sprigs of thyme. I was going for a particular flavor after getting inspiration from a new Foodie Find: Savor the Olive in Virginia Beach. I am going to feature some information on their products in a future post so just know that I purchased a bottle of their chipotle infused extra virgin olive oil and it was so delicious, I decided to use it on these tomatoes! Therefore, I only salted and peppered them as the seasoning and popped them into the 200 degree oven for 5 hours. The result:

I couldn't help but put one into my mouth (and then another) and the flavor was AMAZING! Chef Keller advises to pour the oil left in the pan onto the tomatoes in whatever storage container you choose to use and that they keep in the fridge up to a week. I am looking forward to using them for this Saturday's wine and cheese party. But next time, I want to be able to fill the jar...anyone have any tomatoes to spare?

5 Minute Breakfast

In keeping with the theme of simplicity...what is simpler than a breakfast for one in less than 5 minutes?

I would say that breakfast is my favorite meal but I really think it’s simpler than that…I happen to love eggs and breakfast many times equals eggs. However, the practicality of a full breakfast every day doesn’t exist for most people. Even if you don’t work a 40 hour or 40 plus hour work-week outside your home, making breakfast still can be time consuming. I would wager a lot of parents out there will also admit to feeding their kids breakfast but skipping it themselves.

I am no dietician but I know breakfast is in fact the most important meal of the day not just because every article I have ever read about it says so, but also because if I don’t have a protein packed breakfast, I feel the difference come the afternoon. I have blogged about making egg casserole ahead of time and freezing it in individual containers to ensure breakfast happens…but what happens when there is no casserole or none got made because of a busy weekend? Does it mean I need to just try and make it on one of my kid’s granola bars?

Surprisingly I was inspired yet again by Top Chef (in this case Top Chef Masters) and in the most surprising way: breakfast in the microwave. Blasphemy say you but I say what a quick, painless and seemingly delicious way to get breakfast made and eaten in no time flat. So, I developed this omelet in a cup recipe based on what I saw in that episode and a few experiments of my own. My favorite part of this preparation is that you are only washing one dish when it’s all done!

I started with a simple ceramic soup mug. I sprayed it with Pam and then cracked in two large eggs. To the eggs I added about two tablespoons of chopped green onion (I use kitchen shears WAYYY easier than knife work), a handful of Mexican blend cheese, salt, pepper and one slice of deli ham torn into bite size pieces. Mixed it all together and put in microwave on high for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remember: EVERY microwave is different so you are looking for the eggs to be fluffy and set and no liquid on the top or on the underside when gently lifted with a fork.

Quick, easy, low-carb, delicious. Since this I have experimented with different meats on hand, spinach, cheeses etc....so far I haven't put together anything that hasn't worked. Breakfast for one is served!

Back to basics....

I hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July holiday and I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed my time off and on vacation! However, even on vacation I did some cooking, and some thinking and some planning in regards to cooking. Partly I was inspired by my recent library find: Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller which I have begun reading, analyzing, note taking and basically devouring! The other part of inspiration came from a  family trip to Old Sturbridge Village, which is in Massachusetts and is an "experience early New England life from 1790-1840" to quote their website. There I took this picture:

This village uses the techniques and "equipment" of the time period to make the meals they eat and showcase to visitors. Can you imagine making this in a "stove" that is basically a fireplace? As we toured their herb gardens and vegetable gardens and saw the fresh milk and cheese making...I thought how simple food really is and how often we make cooking so complicated.
       So, I am embarking on two culinary journeys over the next few months until school starts back up for me and the kids again. The first is a "back to basics" approach in which I plan to use Thomas Keller's book and other resources to hone some dormant skills and try to rediscover the simplicity of ingredients and food. The second approach came from an interest in history reignited by our trip...and in this case family history. My great-grandmother was Chinese and I regret that I didn't have the desire to learn more about her cooking or her culture and while I do prepare some Chinese dishes...I have a lot to learn. My plan is to experiment more with Asian, do some research and more cooking to gain the experience I really want to have in that cuisine.
      I look forward to sharing the journey, the recipes and as always all my other cooking adventures (and misadventures) along the way...right after I enjoy my last night off and some sushi from a very good local place!!!