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  • Lamb Chops with Cherry Sauce

    The combination of cherry juice and fresh cherries gives the sauce its depth.

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
    • 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 8 3/4- to 1-inch-thick lamb rib chops
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium red onion, halved, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
    • 1 cup unsweetened black cherry juice
    • 1 cup halved pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 7 ounces whole unpitted cherries)
    • 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
    • Ingredient Tip: Look for unsweetened black cherry juice at the supermarket and natural foods stores.

    Preparation

    Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix flour, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper on large plate. Lightly coat lamb chops with flour mixture; shake off excess. Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer chops to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while preparing sauce (do not clean skillet).

    Add onion to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add cherry juice and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until liquid is slightly reduced and onion is slightly softened, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Stir in cherries and half of basil and cook 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

    Place 2 lamb chops on each of 4 plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle remaining basil over and serve.

  • Yaki Mandu – Pot Stickers

    I tried two versions made by a friend’s Korean wife. One spicy with lots of garlic and the other for the non-Korean people at the party – she laughed.
    Fried. These are killer good.
    Made with pork, but I think shrimp and chives, or spicy beef, and even tofu could be great.

    1 tablespoon sesame oil
    2 cups finely shredded cabbage(drained to get water out)
    1/4 cup chopped onion
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    1/4 cup chopped carrot
    1/2 pound ground pork
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)
    Chop everything in Food processor to make it easier.
    1 (10 ounce) package wonton wrappers

    Dipping Sauce
    1/4 cup water
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    grated ginger
    touch of sesame oil
    Chopped Chives

    Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Mix in cabbage, onion, garlic and carrot. Cook and stir until cabbage is limp. Mix in ground pork and egg. Cook until pork is evenly brown and egg is no longer runny.
    Preheat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
    Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the cabbage and pork mixture in the center of each wrapper. Fold wrappers in half over filling, and seal edges with moistened fingers.
    In the preheated vegetable oil, cook gyoza approximately 1 minute per side, until lightly browned. Place water into skillet and reduce heat. Cover and allow gyoza/dumpling to steam until the water is gone.
    In a small bowl, mix soy sauce and rice vinegar. Use the mixture as a dipping sauce for the finished wrappers.

  • Cantelope and Watermelon Skewers

    Cantelope cubes

    Watermelon cubes

    Stick on a skewer and serve as appetizer.

  • KFC Coleslaw

    One of my friends, Brandee, used to make this crowd pleaser.  Always great at a pot luck dinner or picnic.
    8 Cups Finely chopped cabbage
    1/4 Cup carrots, shredded
    1/3 Cup sugar
    1/2 Teaspoon salt
    1/8 Teaspoon pepper
    1/4 Cup of milk
    1/2 Cup mayonnaise
    1/4 Cup buttermilk
    1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
    2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Preparation

    No preparation instructions, just mix it all together

  • Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad

    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 8 ounces day-old Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
    • 6 dead-ripe meaty tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into quarters
    • 1/4 cup minced red onion
    • 1/3 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 7 or 8 grindings black pepper

     

    Preparation

    1. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. When it’s about half melted, throw in the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, allowing the garlic to take on a little bit of color. Remove from the heat and brush this mixture on both sides of each slice of bread.

    2. Oil the grill racks. Preheat your grill using all burners set on high and with the lid closed for 10 to 12 minutes.

    3. Place the bread on the grill, close the lid, and cook, turning once, until well marked. Careful here; depending on the moisture content of the bread, this could happen as quickly as 2 minutes (or about 1 minute on each side), but it usually takes about 4 minutes. Place the tomatoes on the grill, close the lid, and cook for a few minutes per side.

    4. Remove the bread to a cutting board, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss gently with your hands to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings if you desire. Serve at room temperature.

  • Grilled Striped Bass

    • three 2- to 3-pound cleaned whole striped bass

    Preparation

    Prepare grill. Pat fish dry and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Grill fish on a well-oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through in thickest part.

    Serve fish with chimichurri sauce.

  • Grilled Tricolor Peppers

    yield: Makes 4 servings

    One serving packs more than two times your requirement of vitamin C.

    Ingredients

    • Vegetable oil cooking spray
    • 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
    • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
    • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
    • 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced into strips
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Preparation

    Coat grill with cooking spray and heat on high. Toss bell peppers, onion, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Grill, turning occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

  • Green Salad with Glazed Nuts

    Chopped greens – mixed baby or arugula

    Croutons

    Diced red onions

    Blue Cheese Crumbles

    Glazed pecans or walnuts

    Dress with original vinegar and oil, or blue cheese vinegarette, creamy blue cheese, or balsamic

  • Creamy Chicken Soup with Saffron – Pot Pie

    The Driskill Hotel in Austin is where I first tasted this great pot pie.

    Ingredients

    1 1/2 whole chicken breasts, poached, skinned, boned, cut into julienne
    1/2 c. marsala
    3 egg yolks
    Salt, to taste
    6 c. chicken stock
    1/4 c. pine nuts, coarsely chopped
    1 tsp. saffron threads
    3/4 c. whipping cream

    Top Crust – Puff Pastry

    Preparation

    Combine chicken stock and pine nuts in medium saucepan. Heat to boiling, reduce, simmer 5 minutes. Add marsala and saffron. Simmer 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and cream into hot soup, whisking constantly.

    Fill individual baking dishes and cover with Puff Pastry.
    Bake for 45 minutes until brown. Serve immediately.

  • Broiled Duck Breast Appetizer

    Served with Hollandaise sauce and white raisins. Perfect combination. I worked up my own version after trying this in Austin Texas at the Driskill Hotel,Chef Bull.

    Ingredients

    Duck Breast seasoned and cooked medium rare.
    Hollendaise Sauce
    White raisins

    Preparation

    Cut the duck breast into medallions and top with hollandaise sauce with a raisin.
    Combination is extraordinary.

    I am going to do a derivation for Thanksgiving appetizers, adding mincemeat as a stuffing, pounding the duck breast flat and than rolling it then broil until the fat is crispy.Â