Garlic Chardonnay Grapeseed Oil

I have used Grapeseed Oil to finish a dish and have used it to marinade sliced onions that topped thick slices of grilled beefsteak tomatoes.

Last night I was quickly sauteing Green Beans and decided to us my Garlic Chardonnay Grapeseed Oil.  I trimmed the ends of the beans and heated the pan over medium high.  I added about 1 Tbl of my Garlic Grapeseed Oil and about 1/2 Tbl of Olive Oil.  I quickly sauteed the beans, tossing the pan often.  I only added Kosher Salt at the end.  Wow!  What tender beans that combination made.  They were so flavorful but not over powering.  Of course whipping up a vegetable at mach speed is always to my liking.

I bought 100 mls of Flavored Chardonnay Grapeseed Oil at OIL & Vinegar near Highway 21, Pinnacle Shopping area.  Awesome stuff!  Don't limit yourself to just one, they sell oils and vinegars from all over the world by the 100 mls.

Corn on the Cob

It's sometimes the simplest foods that give us the most trouble. Many years ago, I lived in SF, CA and one day on the way out of Napa Valley, I bought fresh corn at a roadside stand.  It has to go down as some of the most memorable corn I have eaten.

I have since replicated the tenderness and the crispness I associate with good corn.  I have also come to recognize, it's not corn that is tough but the way in which it's cooked makes it tough.  Not knowing what went well that time, years later, I began to time the cooking of my corn.  Feeling I was doing something wrong, I increased the time each time with each cooking though it was tough each time.  After going from 8 to 12, then 15, and even up to 20 minutes to no avail, finally I had the good sense to do an about face and cook it for about 3-4 minutes and voila!  That was it!!  It doesn't take long to cook corn.  The smaller the kernels (not the ear) the more quickly it will take.  If you stand and watch it cook, you can actually see it take on a slightly different color and appearance and soon will recognize when it's done.  I highly recommend that when the barbequed meat is resting, that you then begin cooking the corn without getting distracted, meticulously tend to cooking the corn and at 50 cents an ear, you don't want to mess it up.

Not that I recall a corn shortage in my life until last year's drought, but I admit, I even bought corn with slightly dry husks for my summer barbeque.  So long as it's not moldy, fresh corn will always cook to a perfection. 

When looking for corn, I don't open each one.  I go by the weight of it in my hand and I select the heavier ears.

Once home, I like to peel it in advance and allow it to warm to room temperature before cooking.  I boil water in the largest pot I need to allow for the corn to float. Once the water boils, add about 1 Tsp of Salt.  Add the ears, 1 at a time.  When cooking more than five ears, I rotate the ears, pushing them down one by one and allowing a new ear to the top.   Even for four ears, I still spin them to ensure all side are exposed to the rolling boil.  I cook the ears until they take on the characteristics that they are done - which is only about 3 minutes.  For serving, I place them on a towel lined plate or platter and fold it over leaving the ends exposed.

For me I simply add butter and salt and have little reason nor incentive to do something otherwise.  Hopefully with the help of my trials, you will have perfect corn, too!!  Let me know!

Apple Danish and Cream Cheese Apple Braid

Recently my son came home from school and told me he tried a danish for the first time and loved it.  I thought I would buy a few apples and try my hand at danish using puff pastry.  These are both my own creations.  They turned out quite well but in actuality the danish should have a yeast dough.  But for a short cut method, perfect to make for a ski or beach vacation, this would be an option for breakfast.

Thaw 2 Sheets of Puff Pastry.  Dice 2 Medium sized Apples (I used Pink Lady).  Melt 2 Tbl Butter and 1 Tbl Light Brown Sugar until bubbly.  Add the diced apples and cook for about 5-7 minutes until they will become soft. Continue cooking until the moisture to begins to evaporate.  Remove from heat. 

• FOR THE DANISH (This will make 16):

Preheat oven to 400.  Fit Parchment Paper to a sheet pan.  Sprinkle the Puff Pastry with Sugar and roll it out.  Flip over the pastry and do the same on the other side keeping its rectangular shape.  Roll up the Pastry along the long end.  Cut in half, cut halves in half, and lastly, cut quarters in half resulting in 8 pinwheels.  Using a rolling pin gently roll the pastry to flatten.   Place the pinwheels in the parchment paper.  Score a circle on each pinwheel about 1/2" from the edge.  Add 1 Tbl of cooked diced apple to the center.

Dust with sugar and place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until dark golden brown.  Cool slightly before handling.

• FOR THE BRAID (This will make 2):

Preheat oven to 400.  Fit Parchment Paper to a sheet pan.  Sprinkle the Puff Pastry with Sugar and roll it out.  Flip over the pastry and do the same on the other side keeping its rectangular shape.  Using a 3oz Package of Cream Cheese, add about (18-20) 1/2 tsp dollops of Cream Cheese randomly.  Add 1/2 of the cooked Apples here and there, covering the pastry.

Roll up the Pastry along the long end. Carefully, and with a very sharp knife, Starting about 1/2" from the top, cut away a 1/3 width of the pastry on the right.  Cut the remaining 2/3 in half.  The result should be 3 similarly sized pieces.



Braid, right over the center, left over the center and so forth until you get to the bottom.  Wrap around the ends to create a ring.  Place the ring on the parchment paper.




Sprinkle with sugar and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until dark golden brown.  Cut into slices and serve warm.

Chobani Yogurt

I am not sure which is better, Chobani Yogurt (might I add, non-fat) or the Chobani success story.

Unless you have your head in the sand you must have heard of Chobani Yogurt.  They supplied the Olympic athletes and their ads ran during the 2012 Summer Games.  They caught my attention but I didn't buy any.  Shame on me.  A few months ago, I saw the founder of the company in a 60-Minutes interview that was both endearing and intriguing.  The interviewer tried it for the first time on the air.  OK, his reaction moved me to buy it.

Soon after, I was at Sam's and noticed they sold a 12 pack with 3 flavors, so I bought one.  I tried it out when I walked in the door and it was nothing less than outstanding.  I am a yogurt eater and now I am yogurt hooked.  Not just any yogurt but Chobani Yogurt.  I made my homemade granola and ate the entire box within a few weeks.  Then I bought another one!

You surely have noticed that now all yogurt makers are coming out with their new (and similar) packaging and their claim to be Greek Yogurt.  I bought Yoplait after scanning the Chobani flavors and seeing Key Lime thought I would get one.  I didn't even notice it wasn't Chobani.  But when I opened it just now, I thought, ok Chobani, you didn't fill this one up.

When I folded over the yogurt, (the proper mixing method), looking for the Key Lime, there wasn't any.  I thought, hmmm, then I tasted it and it was just like, well Yoplait, the one I have eaten for years.  A bit runny, not creamy or thick.  That made me check the outside of the package to find, it wasn't Chobani.

The portion Chobani gives is generous.  I wonder if they give you 6 oz of yogurt and add the filling after as a sort of lagniappe.  It is the creamiest and has the most delicious flavor.  When I noticed that the Yoplait portion was scant, it prompted me to check the portion size.  The Chobani states 6 oz and lo and behold, the Yo-Plait 5.3 oz.  But just to fake out the consumer, if but only once, it's in the same size cup as the Chobani. 

So all you yogurt eaters, if you haven't tried Chobani, you must!  Check out my fresh Granola Recipe, add crainsins and/or fresh fruit and you will have a huge non-fat breakfast that will keep you full until lunchtime!

Just for good measure, Chobani has a live culture to promote good digestive health, too!  Wow, addicting stuff.

Bread and Butter

I own many years of many food magazines.  I set out to find a French Bread recipe and began scanning the indexes.  I lucked out and found one in the 4th or 5th magazine I opened, Gourmet may 1985.  I made the recipe which has (2) 30 minute dough rises plus one more 30 minute rise after the dough is shaped. 

I think for next time, I will allow for longer rises at each step.  The dough didn't quite have the texture I was seeking though it was quite good.  What homemade bread has never been good?  Well, none that I have made.  If you get a dry and cold day this spring, I highly recommend having yeast on hand so you can make some bread from scratch.  It is very rewarding.

For the butter, I beat 1 Pint of Heavy Cream with A Pinch of Sugar and A Few Pinches of Salt.  At first, as pictured, it was light and fluffy and spread easily.  We ate it with the bread the first night.  In thinking back, I recall from making butter as a kid that at some point it separated and liquid was poured off. 

Today, I decided to continue whipping it until it got to that state.  In all, it took about 20 minutes of total whipping.  Today, just as I recall, a milky white thin liquid became evident in the bottom of the bowl.  I lined a strainer with cheese cloth and strained off the liquid.  I squeezed the remaining solid until what remained was very firm, pale yellow and looked like butter. 


Except for wanting to get better at french bread, all in all, both were very good!!

Raspberry Turnovers with Toasted Almonds & White Chocolate

This is a simple and delicious recipe.  I made these to bring to a New Year's Eve party.  I love to mix fresh fruit, nuts, and chocolate in my desserts.  An added bonus, kids can make these!!  This recipe will make 18 miniature turnovers. 
First, thaw 1 Package of Frozen Puff Party Sheets for at least an hour.  Using a pizza wheel, cut the sheets into 9 squares.  You can either roll the dough and cut -or- cut and roll.  The idea is you need squares.  I like to use a traditional French Rolling pin and after years of practice, I can use the tapered design to add pressure when needed to manipulate the shape I need.

While the dough is thawing get your work station ready.  Toast about 1/2 Cup of Sliced Almonds in a 1/2 Tl Butter until browned and fragrant.  Rough Cut 2oz White Chocolate.  Count out Fresh Raspberries, 1 large or 2 small per turnover, and lightly press down with the tines of a fork to flatten the berries.  Pour 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream in a dish and have a clean pastry brush ready.  Place 1/4 Cup Oatmeal in a small dish.  Preheat oven to 400.  Cut parchment to line 2 sheet pans. 

Once dough is rolled to a square, brush the outer edge with cream.  Stack a berry, a piece of chocolate, and a few nuts in 1 corner, inside the cream.  Fold the dough on the diagonal (without poking a hole in the dough.)  Using the tines of a floured fork, press the edges so they are firmly closed.  Set turnover on the parchment lined pan leaving at least an inch between all sides.  Brush the top with cream and add Sanding Sugar or in my case, Oatmeal...or even both!

Bake in the center of the a hot oven for approximately 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let them cool before trying to store them.  If you are going to eat one right away remember the fruit is very hot but they are delicious right out of the oven.  Again, the bonus, making these with children will teach them counting and geometry skills!

Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin with a Honey Mustard Glaze

I brought this to a New Years Eve party a few nights ago.  It was cooked here and carved there.  Here's my recipe for Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Port Loin. 



I bought an entire Pork Loin.  It was about 10 lbs and cost about $20.  You can clearly see it can serve a lot of people.  I cut it into 3 pieces, a 2 lb roast for later use and I cut the remaining piece in two so they would fit into one of my roasting pans, side by side, without touching. 

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together, 1/4 Cup Honey, 3 Tbl Stone Ground Mustard, a Splash of Red Wine Vinegar and White and Black Pepper to taste.  I purposely didn't add salt to the mixture.

I scored the fat side of the loin to give it "some teeth" because I wanted the glaze to permeate the meat and for the bacon to stay put when I carved it.  I think the idea was successful. 

Lightly coat the meat with some of the glaze. 







Next, count out the number of strips of bacon needed, about 4 per loin as pictured, and cut it in half.  I used good quality Thick Sliced Applewood Smoked Bacon.  Drape the bacon over the honey glazed side.  Using kitchen string, tie the meat to hold the bacon in place.  If you look at the picture you can see how to do it.  First, you loop once around and tie it off.  Next as you go along, twist the string away from you, before looping around so it self loops.  Continue on until you get to the end and tie it off.  Butchers used to tie in this manner, but now they use stretchy elastic string that destroys your handy work when you remove it, so I always opt to tie my own.  If all else fails, loop it around and feed the string through to self loop.  The result should be that you use one continuous string.

Place the loins in a roasting pan and Glaze again.  Season with Pepper and a small amount of Kosher Salt to taste.   If you want to make a pan sauce, add a quartered onion for flavor.  I served mine with the au jus as to not compete or over power the honey glaze.  Place in the oven for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.  After 45 minutes, I glazed for a final time.  NOTE: For the last 15 minutes of cooking time, turn the oven up to 400 to crisp up the bacon.  Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.  Remove the string once it is ready to carve keeping the bacon in tact.  Using a very sharp knife, carve as thinly as possible, still getting full slices of meat.  This ways it's tender and easy to eat.

You can serve as an entree or with small rolls for sandwiches.  It's very versatile and goes with many side dishes.  What's best is that you can serve this dish at all times of the year.   And like your favorite jeans, you can dress it up with holiday fare or dress it down with barbeque style sides.  Happy New Year and may 2013 bring you joy!

The Toasted Ham and Cheese Sandwich

When I was in High School in NY State, I worked at a place called Carroll's Hamburgers. It was probably the best job I ever had.  I have friends, whom I worked with who will attest to that, and they are very accomplished in their current careers.  There was just something about the managers and the crew, the sales goals and inventory, the nightly clean up of a well oil machine where I don't think there was a single ruffle of personalities.  It was a harmonious place that thrived on doing a job well, to the letter of a T.  It closed one year on a Christmas Eve after an incredibly busy day.  That was a sad day for us all but those memories stayed with anyone who worked there.  There was the day shift for the kids who finished school early and the night shift for those who played sports.  We picked each other up and drove each other home when work was done.  We raced in like fools and clocked in, in the nick of time, and we worked diligently to get done on time.

This was in the days when the uniforms were washed and dried for you at work.  Though we had names on them, I would pull Vicki's uniform out of the dryer and wear it because her waist was small and I had to pin all of the others to keep them up.  These were also in the days where you had to go outside to enter the rest room and it was unheated.

This chain came after the original McDonald's but at the time, we didn't have McDonald's, that came later.  The fries were different and they served Club Burgers which you know better as the Big Mac, but again different.  The Club Sauce was a different recipe.  We used to make our own inventions during break time.  We took their ingredients and made new products with them.  One of my favorites was a "dreamsicle."  At that time we mixed the milk shakes and if you added orange syrup to the vanilla milk shake you, got a Dreamsicle and it was tasty.  We also had Randy or Dan, who by the was were the fastest guys around on the grill, grill onions or put Club Sauce on Double Hamburgers making a new sandwich.

One unadvertised menu item but wasn't fairly well known was the "Toasted Cheese."  It was where  the bun was grilled, cut side out, with cheese in the center.  We charged less than a hamburger so it was economical.  There was a girl in my HS class that couldn't have been more than 5' tall.  She dated a Basketball player who couldn't have been less than 6"6" tall.  They knew of the Toasted Cheese, in fact I daresay, they had fast food ordering to a science.  When they came in, it was ALWAYS 5 minutes before closing.  They always ordered a bundle of toasted cheese sandwiches and fries cooked hot, no arguing, they wanted to see them go down into the fryer, and milk shakes.

I haven't made one of these, ever.  Last week I cooked hamburgers at home.  I had really good buns that were incredibly fresh.  I had some leftover ham from a previous meal.  I was in a nostalgic mood and decided to make a Toasted Ham and Cheese, with good old fashioned American Cheese, 2 slices in fact.  It tasted as good as it looks. What a great trip down memory lane.

Here is the post I promised you, Dan!

The Shallot

I have loved cooking with Shallots since I was first introduced to them but I don't know when that was.  If you go to the "search section" of my blog, it's on the right side, you can type in Shallots and every recipe that includes them in will come up.  I sneak them in here and there for depth and to create subtle complexities in simple to make recipes.

They are incredibly versatile and can be minced, cut in quarters or cut into slices. They can be sauteed and caramelized, roasted, or served crispy as a garnish. They are found in the produce section of the grocery store, normally sold loose near and around the garlic.  At some stores they are packaged and you have to buy 3 or 4.  They aren't cheap, about $4 a pound, but a little goes a long way.  I particularly like when I can buy them loose because I buy exactly the size and quantity I need.

What I find interesting is that in SE Louisiana they love to refer to Scallions as Shallots.  I think it was Emeril, not really being from here and also a Chef by formal education, who set the record straight for viewers.  When he said Shallots, he meant it.

Recently, I had a discussion with someone who said, Shallots Scallions, they are all the same.  They absolutely are not.  Photographed is a Shallot, cut open.  It is a bulb, has a paper exterior like an onion, has layers like an onion and is best cooked.  It tastes only like a Shallot.  If you haven't tried them in the past, I use them in my Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe.  They can be caramelized and added to the top of a pizza, sliced sirloin steak or a spinach salad.  The uses are endless.  I would have to say that after Salt and Pepper, it is the most important ingredient in my kitchen when it comes to flavor.  This New Year, go buy shallots and you will engage in a love affair that never ends!!

Chateau Rollan de By, 2009

I went to a Bordeaux tasting about two months before Christmas.  I really kept going back to this wine which is 70% Merlot and 20% Cab.  It was full enough to hold up against a Standing Rib Roast but also what I like to consider "drinkable."  Not heavy on the tannins but not wimpy either.

My husband kept referring to this wine as a Pinot Noir, though I didn't agree based on the bottle shape alone, but if you like the lighter dry pinots, this may be a wine for you...if you can find it.


 At the time of the tasting, I was going to wait to buy it and was told it had done well and that less than 1 case remained of the 6 they got in.  At least locally, I'm not sure I can get more.  This wine was around $30 and during dinner, seven of us killed three bottles in no time.

You can research the winery in France, it truly looks lovely as was the wine!!