Picnics

Corn & Black Bean Salad

April 16, 2012

Corn & Black Bean Salad

 

This simple and colorful salad is packed full of flavor.  With the combination of sweet corn, tender black beans, cherry tomatoes and zesty cilantro in a vinaigrette dressing what could be better.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Corn

1/2 Cup Chopped Red Onion

2 Tablespoons Malt Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

4 Cups Black Beans

1 Cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes

1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro

 

In a medium size pot add water and bring to a boil.  Add the fresh corn and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and drain well.  Rinse in cold water and drain again.  If you are using frozen corn skip the cooking process.  Just thaw the corn out.  In a large size bowl whisk together the malt vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper to make the dressing.  Add the beans, corn, chopped onions and cherry tomato halves.  Toss just until all of the ingredients are incorporated.  Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.  Add the cilantro and toss again before serving.  Serves 4

 

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

April 15, 2012

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This cake is moist, tender, golden brown and very velvety.  It has all the richness and pure buttery flavor of classic pound cake, but with a delicate tang. 

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups Cake Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

4 Large Room Temperature Eggs

2 Room Temperature Egg Yolks

1/4 Cup Milk

3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Sugar

24 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (3 Sticks)

6 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese

 

Before you turn on the oven adjust the oven rack to the middle position.  Preheat your oven to 300° F.  Grease and flour 12 cup nonstick Bundt pan.  In a medium size bowl, combine the flour and salt.  In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup whisk the eggs, 2 yolks, milk and vanilla.  In a separate large size bowl, beat together (by hand or with an electric mixer) the sugar, butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes until fluffy.  Reduce the speed to low and very slowly add the egg mixture until incorporated.  The batter may look slightly curdled.  Add the flour mixture in 3 additions.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Give the batter a final stir by hand.  Scrap the batter into a prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles.  Bake for 80 to 90 minutes.  Rotate the pan halfway through baking.  Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely, for about 2 hours.  Serve plain or topped with frosting or fruit.  Serves 12

Grilled Pork Medallions

April 13, 2012

Grilled Pork Medallions

 

When I picked these pork medallions up from the butcher I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with them.  Because pork tends to end up dry I decided to place them in a marinade overnight.  These Pork Medallions came out superb!  If you don’t have a grill you can put them under the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes per side. 

 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2  Pounds Pork Medallions

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

4 Chopped Garlic Cloves

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Teaspoon Oregano

1 Teaspoon Yellow Curry

1 Teaspoon Dried Mustard

1 Sliced Onion

 

In a flat baking dish put the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Stir to blend.  Add the oregano, yellow curry and dried mustard and stir to mix well.  Add the pork medallions and sliced onion to the marinade mix.  Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.  When you are ready to cook preheat your grill.  Cook for 4 to 6 minutes on each side depending on how thick the medallions are.  Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve hot.  Serves 4

 

Chocolate Chip Shorties

April 10, 2012

Chocolate Chip Shorties

This is my go to recipe when I want to make quick cookies, but I don’t want to sacrifice taste.

INGREDIENTS

1 Pound Softened Butter

1 Cup Sugar

5 Cups Unbleached Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

12 Ounces Chocolate Chips

Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a large size mixing bowl cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually add the flour and combine with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. As the mixture becomes thick knead it lightly with your fingers until it is firm. Pack the dough into a lightly buttered baking dish. Prick the center with a fork. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. While in the pan cut into squares. Cool completely and remove from the pan. Transfer to a serving plate. Makes approximately 24 cookies depending on how big you cut them.

Ham Cooked In Beer

April 8, 2012

Ham Cooked In Beer

INGREDIENTS

20 Pound Bone-In Ham

2 Cans Beer

Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 18 quart roasting pan with olive oil. Place the ham, with the fattier side up, in the roaster. Pour the beer over the ham. Place lid on roasting pan. Bake 6 to 8 hours or until cooked through. Let sit 15 minutes before slicing.

Ciambellone

April 7, 2012

Ciambellone

Ciambellone or Italian Easter Bread is a ring shaped cake is lightly sweetened and flavored with lemon zest and sometimes dried fruit. Romans like to serve it for Easter breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

4 Cups Unbleached Flour

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Milk

¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

½ Cup Softened Butter

½ Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Egg

Powdered Sugar For Dusting

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the flour on your work surface creating a well in the center. Alternating, add the dry and wet ingredients to the well. After each ingredient is added mix well with your fingers or a fork. Add more flour if needed to make the dough workable. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Shape the dough into a ring. Beat the egg lightly with water. Brush the top of the ring with the egg wash. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. If you want your ring to be perfectly uniform then you can use a springform pan with the center insert. This will allow you to have a picture perfect ciambellone. Dust the ciambellone with powdered sugar or you could use colored sugar as a topping. Serves 8

Tuesday’s Chicken Salad

April 3, 2012

Tuesday’s Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad was first served by Town Meets in Wakefield, Rhode Island in 1863. The original owner, Liam Gray, mixed his leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon and grapes. This became such a popular item that the meat market was converted to a delicatessen which still stands to this day. Everyone likes their Chicken Salad different ways with the main ingredient being chopped chicken. I like to use chicken breast. Other common ingredients include mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, celery, peppers, peas and a variety of mustards. Here is my Tuesday version.

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Cooked Chicken Breast

1 Chopped Jalapeño Pepper

½ Chopped Carrot

3 Chopped Scallions

½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

¼ Cup Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley

Dice the chicken breast into bite size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the chopped jalapeño pepper, chopped carrots, chopped scallions, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, mustard and parsley. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve on bread of your choice (I like to use a crusty Italian bread) or serve over lettuce and tomato. Serves 4

Marinating Lamb Chops

March 26, 2012

Marinating Lamb Chops

These Lamb Chops are wonderful either on the grill or under the broiler. Marinating them overnight really brings out the flavor.

INGREDIENTS

4 Lamb Chops

6 Chopped Garlic Cloves

½ Cup Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

¼ Cup Torn Mint Leaves

Rosemary Sprigs

In a small bowl mix all of the ingredients except for the lamb chops. Place the lamb chops into a large ziplock plastic bag and pour the marinade in the bag. Make sure to cover the chops. Put in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to cook the chops, remove the bag from the fridge and take the chops out of the bag. Throw away the bag with the excess marinade. Place the chops on a heated grill or on a broiler pan under the broiler. How rare you want your lamb chops will determine how long you cook the chops on each side. I like to cook them between 2 to 3 minutes each side. When finished cooking, remove from the heat and transfer to a serving plate. Serves 2

Cream Biscuits

March 25, 2012

Cream Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups Unbleached Flour

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

¾ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 ¼ Cups Heavy Cream

Move your oven rack to the upper middle position and preheat your oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cream for 30 seconds until combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Knead briefly for 30 seconds until smooth. Shape the dough into a ¾ inch circle. Dip a 2 ½ biscuit cutter in flour and cut the biscuits into rounds. Recombine the scraps as needed to make 12 biscuits. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes – rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking. You want the biscuits to be golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits.

Country Ham

March 25, 2012

Country Ham

From colonial times until the advent of refrigeration, the process of packing hams in salt, smoking them, then hanging them to dry for up to two years was a way Americans preserved meat. These days, quickly brined “city” hams have all but eclipsed this older, slower country style. Or at least they have in the North. But in the South, people still produce and eat country hams, not for preservation but because they’re powerfully porky and incredibly delicious. Use hams aged six months or less for this recipe. Mold on country ham is not a sign of spoilage. It is a natural effect of the curing and aging process. Serve ham on biscuits if you like. Leftover ham is delicious in scrambled eggs, cheese grits or macaroni and cheese.

INGREDIENTS

1 Three to Six Month Old Bone-In Country Ham (13 to 15 Pounds)

½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Move your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 325° F. Using a clean, stiff bristled brush, scrub the ham under cold running water to remove any surface mold. Transfer the ham to a cutting board and trim off the dry meat, skin and all but ¼ inch of fat. Score the fat cap in ½ inch crosshatch pattern (about ¼ inch deep). Transfer the ham to a roasting pan fat side up. Add 1 quart of water and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake for 4 ½ hours until thickest part of the meat registers 140° F. Remove the ham from the oven and throw away the foil. Turn the oven temperature up to 450° F. In a medium size bowl combine the brown sugar, mustard and black pepper. Rub over the top of the ham. Return the ham to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes until glazed. Transfer the ham to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve thin slices and serve. Serves 12

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