Cream Cheese Grilled Corn and Pepper Salad

Brooke's Recipe

I decided to grill out on Saturday because it was so warm outside, and I have Spring fever.  I marinated a whole chicken in a spicy buttermilk marinade all day. The chicken came out great, but this side dish made the meal.  It really added something unexpected to an otherwise conventional cook out.

Ingredients

4 ears of white corn
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 jalapeno
4 oz of cream cheese
2 oz of milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon onion powder


Preheat your outdoor grill to high heat.

Remove husks and silks from corn. Sprinkle with salt and wrap the corn individually in aluminum foil. Set aside. 

Dice the yellow bell pepper into corn kernel size pieces. Dice half of the red pepper and seed and dice the jalapeno. You want all of the veggies to be about the same size. These are not going to be grilled. Reserve and set aside.

Cut up the rest of the peppers into large chunks.  Tightly wrap them together with a sprinkle of salt in aluminum foil. 

Place the foil wrapped corn and peppers on the grill.  Cook for approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender.

Cut the corn kernels off the cob using a knife.  Then dice the grilled peppers. Mix all of the ingredients together in a grill-proof saucepan. Return to the grill and heat until the cream cheese and cheddar cheese are melted and bubbling.

The raw veggies add crunch on top of the soft grilled veggies.  The corn is sweet and the jalapeno's are hot.  All around the perfect mix.

Poutine (cheese fries with gravy)

Brooke's recipe

Chuck's Day Off on the Cooking Channel is my favorite cooking show.  I couldn't believe my eyes when he took home made french fries and smothered them with cheese and gravy.  Turns out this is a classic dish served in Canada called Poutine.  It is traditionally served with cheese curd but I couldn't find any here so I used mozzarella.  My husband said this is one of the best things he has ever eaten. Here is my version of  Canada's favorite comfort food. 

Ingredients:

For Fries:
3 large Russet Potatoes
2 quarts of your favorite frying oil (I used canola)

For Gravy:

2 cups of chicken stock
2 oz of flour
2 oz of butter
1 shallot

2 8 oz balls of fresh mozzarella. Don't use the pre-shredded mozzarella in the package. I used Bel Gioioso for this recipe.

Wash and scrub your potatoes with cold water.  Cut them in half longways, then in half longways again. Then cut into 1 inch fries.  Place the cut fries into a bowl of cold water.  This removes a lot of the starch from the potatoes which is the first step to crispy fries.  While the potatoes are soaking, pour your oil into a deep pot.  Heat your oil to 350 degrees. 

Drain the potatoes but continue to run water over the fries until the water runs clear. Pat the fries dry.  Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes each. Do not let them brown. This is the second step to crispy fries. You have to fry them twice. Let the fries drain on a paper towel lined tray.  Once all of the potatoes are done, put them in the freezer for one hour.

After an hour reheat your oil again to 350.  Re-fry the fries until brown.  Again drain them on a paper towel lined tray. Hit them with some salt  and pepper while they are still hot.

Meanwhile make the gravy!  Mince the shallots.  Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and saute the shallots for 5 minutes.   Turn the heat down to low and slowly add the flour until you have a thick roux.  Slowly stir the roux until it is a light brown color.  Turn the burner back up to medium and add the stock. Stir until thick and glossy.  If the gravy is too thick, add more stock.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the mozzarella balls into one inch squares.  Remove the paper towels from underneath the fries and discard.  Sprinkle the mozzarella squares over top of the fries.  Put the tray under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Transfer the cheese fries to a plate and ladle the gravy over the top. Dig in..

Pastie (Cornish Meat Pie)

Brooke's Recipe

I was watching Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" on TV and he visited a cafe in Montana that served meat pies called Pasties.  My husband couldn't stop talking about how good they looked, so last night I decided to try and make him one. Basically it is a pastry shell stuffed with meat, onions, potatoes and spices, and then baked or fried and smothered in beef gravy. Tradition claims that the pastie was invented in Cornwall, England in 1749 as lunch for coal miners to eat under ground.  Here is my 21st century twist.... to eat above ground.

Ingredients:

1 can of Pillsbury Grands biscuits
1 lb of cubed stew beef
1 large yellow onion
1 package of refrigerated diced hashbrown potatoes
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

For Brown Gravy:
1 can of beef stock
1 to 2 tablespoons of corn starch


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Open the can of biscuits and combine them into one big ball of dough with your hands.  Divide into 4 equal balls.  Set Aside

Chop onions and cut steak into smaller 1 inch pieces.

In a large saucepan over medium heat add olive oil and saute onions. After 5 minutes add diced hashbrown potatoes and lower heat to medium low and cover.  When the potatoes are soft, add steak.  When steak is cooked to your liking, remove the pan and set aside.

Roll out each ball of dough into a large circle like a pizza.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the center of each dough circle.  Fold the edge of the dough over the meat mixture until you have a half moon shape.  Then press a fork down on the edges to bind the dough together. Continue making the other pasties the same way.

Carefully transfer the pasties onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown. 

Meanwhile prepare the gravy by heating 1 cup stock in a saucepan over medium heat. Combine the cornstarch with the other cup of stock until  incorporated, and then add it to the pan.  When it comes to a boil, it should thicken up. If you like it thicker, continue to add cornstarch to a small amount of water and then add to the gravy until you get your desired thickness.

Transfer the pastie to a plate and pour the gravy over top.

As a side note, the spices I used gave it a Moroccan flair.  You can use any spice you like.  Or none at all and it will still be just as good.

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Saffron Rice

So my friend Jean Marie also has a food blog (http://platedperfection.blogspot.com/) and she made some really tasty looking scallops last week. Granted she owns a catering company and I just cook for family and friends, but I decided to give it a try. Hers was also MUCH healthier than mine, but I just had to use bacon.


Ingredients:

1 package of saffron rice ( I love saffron but it is too expensive so I use packaged rice flavored with real saffron)
10 sea scallops
2 tablespoons of chives, chopped very fine
1 bunch of asparagus
5 pieces of bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon of reserved bacon grease
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoons of flour

Prepare the saffron rice according to the directions on the package. This takes about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile:

Cook the bacon in a pan.  Remove bacon from pan and allow to rest on a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve about one tablespoons of the grease.  When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon into small pieces.

Steam the asparagus for about 5 minutes. Chop it into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.

 In a large skillet, heat the  olive oil and the bacon grease in a pan over medium high heat. Pat the scallops dry and sprinkle them with the flour. This will help them get really brown. Carefully add the scallops to the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes and then turn them over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove scallops and keep warm.

Stir the chives and the asparagus into the rice. 

To plate, divide the rice between the plates.  Place the scallops on top of the rice and sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top.