Fresh Tomatoes over Pasta

I accidentally made this up when my sister D visited me in SF back in the 80's.  We bought fresh pasta and topped it with fresh tomatoes and herbs cooked in hot olive oil.  I made it a few years ago and haven't stopped.  My son and I eat this every time my husband is out of town, not that my husband doesn't like it but we both love it!!  It is super fast and I will never grow tired of these flavors.  I can easily eat this every week!  It's a perfect dinner when you have about 20 minutes to get it on the table.  It can be the entree or a side dish.
These quantities made 3 portions.  First, get the water on the stove.  Fill an 8 quart pot with 6 quarts of water and heat over medium heat, with the lid on.  Next, get the prep done.  When everything is laid out you actually look (and feel) like a chef.  Quarter, 10 perfectly ripe Cherry Tomatoes and place in a bowl.  Place 2 Cloves of Garlic in your garlic press.  You need a few Tbl of Fresh Herbs and you can substitute dry, but take note that dried herbs have a more intense flavor.  This time, I used 1 Tbl Fresh Parsley and 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano and 1/4 tsp Dried Basil.  Place on the counter, Bottle of good Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt and Pepper Mill.
Once water is boiling, remove lid, turn heat to high and add 1 Tbl Kosher Salt.  Measure out Angel Hair Pasta add it to the pot.  Cook uncovered.  I have a gadget that has holes and each diameter represents the portion size.  So I used the 2nd hole (1 1/4" round) and then added a bit extra.  It may be approximately 1/4 pound per person.
Heat an empty saucepan over medium heat.
When hot, add 1/2 Cup Olive Oil.  Once hot, add Tomatoes.  They should sizzle.  Stir for about 1 minute.  Press Garlic straight into the pot.  Add 1 1/2 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar and swirl for about 30 seconds.  Add Herbs, 4 or 5 pinches of Salt, 4-5 grinds of pepper, 1 shake of Red Pepper Flakes and swirl.  Turn off heat.  Add 1 Tbl Butter without doing anything.
Drain pasta and plate.  Swirl Butter into the sauce and ladle over hot pasta.  Top with Parmesan Cheese. Indulge immediately with a salad and warm bread.

Home Made Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Being a yankee, I have never been one to mess with LA favorites.  I have circled around flavors without actually making traditional dishes.  The last time I ate Jambalaya I concluded that it was sorely over spiced and even though I hydrated the rice with savory chicken broth, I couldn't cool down the heat.  It was then that I decided this dish had to be simple enough to make from scratch.  There are many combinations of protein and I choose Chicken and Sausage.

Here's how I made my own Jambalaya from scratch.
First the prep.  Dice 1/2 Large Red Bell Pepper to 1/4" dice.  Cut 1 Medium Onion, ciseler.  Wash, peel, and dice 2 Celery Stalks to 1/4" dice.  Have 4 Cloves of Garlic ready to press.  Rinse 1 1/2 lbs Chicken Drumettes and let dry on a paper towel lined plate.  Season the chicken with S&P.  Cut 1 1/2 lbs Smoked Sausage (I used D & D mild sausage) down the middle and then in 1/2" lengths. Chop 1/4 Cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley.

Heat a thick bottom pot over medium heat.  Add 2 Tbl Canola Oil.  Once hot, add the Chicken.  Sear on 1 side before turning.  Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown.  The chicken shouldn't be cooked all the way through as it will finish later.  Remove from the pan and place on a clean plate.

Add 1 Tbl Oil, if needed, and add the Peppers, Onion, and Celery.  Season with S&P and cook stirring often until they appear to be getting soft.  Press Garlic into the mixture and cook stirring a few times for a minute or 2.  (NOTE: This is optional.  I added 2 Tbl Butter at this time to add some creamy richness to the dish.)  Add 2 Cups Rice and stir to coat with oil.  Continue to toast the rice for another 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to Medium Low.  Begin adding 4 Cups of Chicken Broth, 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  While you are adding the broth season the mixture with 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme, 1 tsp Dried Sage, 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, 2 Bay Leaves, 1/4 tsp Tabasco, 1 tsp Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper.  Once you have added all of the broth, add the chicken back into the pot and stir to combine. The rice will not be done.  Continue to add 1/4 cup of Water at a time until the rice is cooked.  This may take an additional cup of water.  Taste the rice and adjust the seasoning to taste.  Add the sausage and parsley.   This dish is somewhat forgiving as long as you haven't over-cooked the rice to begin with.  You can easily re-heat and it will hold the heat fairly well.
From where ever you hail, Happy Mardi Gras!!

White Chocolate Coconut Cake

Remember the Dacquoise I posted in December? In it, I mentioned a pastry chef from the Atlanta Hilton and Towers?  Well, the cake I can still see (and taste) was done by the same guy and was sold in the coffee shop next door to the restaurant I managed.  It was a triple layer cake with a delicious white meringue icing and covered in fluffy white coconut.
Many years ago, I adapted a few recipes to create something similar using white chocolate layers.  If ever you are looking for an honest to goodness old time favorite you need to hunt down Junior League Cookbooks.  I have a few, California Fresh (Jr League of Oakland-East Bay), Connecticut a la Carte (Jr League of Hartford) , and Celebrations of the Bayou (Jr League of Monroe,LA).  Low and behold, I found a White Chocolate Layer Cake recipe that is already written for 3 layers in my Monroe book.  I made a few adjustments such as doubling the white chocolate and increasing the cake flour to make up for the extra moisture.  I omitted the pecans because I want a strictly white cake, white icing and white coconut.

For the white chocolate layers.  Using a cooking spray or Crisco, grease (3) 9" pans. Cut rounds of parchment by tracing the bottom of the pan and cutting out the circles.  Place on greased pan and re-grease the parchment so it completely sticks to the pan.   Measure 1 Cup Buttermilk into a measuring cup and add 1 tsp Baking Soda.  Place 8 oz White Chocolate in a bowl and place it in a pot of simmering water.  Once it melts, stir and remove from the pot of water.  Let cool slightly.  Measure out 2 3/4 Cups Cake Flour.  Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together 2 Sticks Butter with 2 Cup Sugar.  Separate 4 Eggs, the Yolks go in the butter mixture and the Whites go into a clean dry bowl for beating. Add 1 tsp Vanilla to the batter.  Continue to cream until it's combined.  To the batter add, 1/4 flour, 1/3 chocolate, and 1/3 buttermilk, begining and ending with flour, until it's all in the batter.

Whip Egg Whites until they are stiff.  Fold the whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time.   Divide the batter placing 1/3 in each pan.  Spread the batter until it touches the sides and is flat.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Let cool for 15 minutes then loosen the sides and remove from the pan.   Place upside down and remove the parchment paper.  Let cool entirely before you assemble the cake.

For the icing, I use a Gale Gand recipe.  It is really fun to make and even more fun to spread.  I made 1 1/2 times the recipe.  This is cooked in a double boiler.  You can make one by using a bowl that fits snuggly into a pot.  Fill pot 1/2 way with water and boil over medium high heat.  To the bowl add 3 Egg Whites, 9 Tbl Cold Water, 2 1/4 Cups Sugar, and 3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar.  Place bowl over the pot of water and reduce to either medium or medium low and using a hand mixer, whip the mixture until stiff peaks.  This will take about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and mix every few minutes.  Once the mixture begins to cool, add 1 Tsp Vanilla.  Continue to beat every few minutes until it is cool.  This will take an additional 15-20 minutes.  Using a spatula, ice the cake by first icing each layer, then the top, then the sides.  The volume of icing should allow you to generously spread the icing without getting crumbs all over it.  (NOTE: I used all the of the icing) Add Coconut to the sides and top while the icing is still sticky.  Enjoy with your family!!

Applewood Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with an Asian Glaze

We were invited to a Super Bowl party and I offered to bring an appetizer.  I went back and forth on many ideas but settled on making something new to post on my blog.  I decided, since I have been craving this and dying to make it for the first time, that I would make up a recipe for Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
To make the glaze add to a bowl, 8 oz Honey, 1/4 Cup Stone Ground Mustard, 2 Tbl Soy Sauce, 3 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Tbl Rice Vinegar, 1 tsp Freshly Grated Ginger, and S&P to taste.  While stirring with a wire whip, drizzle in 2 tsp Sesame Oil.
I am not sure how many people will be there but the host is roasting an whole pig.  I plan to buy 4-5 pounds Jumbo Shrimp head on.   Peel and clean shrimp, keeping the tail on for handling and cleaning out the top vein.  Place these on a paper towel lined sheet pan.  I bought U-10 Shrimp at the Mandeville Seafood Market and got 56 (5 lbs cost $35 which is a very good price).  You have to do the math on the bacon, too.  Each strip nets 4 pieces.  Buy the bacon by the slice not the weight so you have enough, so in this case, 15 slices.
To assemble, cut Applewood Smoked Bacon in 2 directions, in half down the middle and then in half crosswise.  This provides nice sized strips to work with and won't over power the shrimp flavor.  Pat dry the shrimp and toss it in 1/4 Cup Melted Butter.  Wrap each shrimp with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a foil lined sheet pan without stacking the shrimp.  Baste with glaze.
Preheat oven to 425.  Place in the oven and cook until the shrimp is pink and curls, about 7 minutes.  (When entertaining, you can do this an hour in advance and finish once guests arrive.)  Switch from oven to broiler.  Turn the shrimp over and baste again.  When ready, broil shrimp for 3 minutes in the broiler turning the shrimp over half way through the cooking process.  If you want, drizzle additional glaze on the shrimp before serving and top with thinly sliced Scallions.  (NOTE: This is very important!  If you plan to add the glaze at the end, set it aside once you make the glaze so it isn't contaminated with the raw shrimp and bacon in the basting process). If you want to spice up this dish, add Red Pepper Flakes to the glaze or sprinkle on the the finished dish.  Wow, the guests really enjoyed this dish!!