Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Ever have one of those days....


Okay, so I believed I'd thought of everything. Considered every possible disaster scenario and worked out a plausable solution. Boy was I ever wrong. Because nothing could have prepared me for meeting Tyler Bennedict.
It happened the night I was catering my first major event for a woman who’d fired some of the biggest names in the business. This was my chance to prove myself. For me it seemed the world literally brimmed with possibility.

I’d certainly spent enough years preparing. I’d attended all the best culinary schools in Paris, New York and Texas, put in endless hours, worked multiple jobs in preparation for the time when my small pride and joy, my baby, Carrie’s Creative Catering would finally become a success.

For someone on the brink of thirty-five, single, and living in Austin, one of the most exciting cities in Texas, success was all around me. But so far, it remained just out of my reach until tonight.

And then it happened.

Disaster struck.

Martina Hilbert, the woman hosting this little get-together for a few hundred of her closest friends informed me I lacked any redeemable talent whatsoever as far as crab puffs were concerned. My skills in any other area were still questionable.

Once Martina finished my thorough dressing-down in front of most of her guests, not to mention all three of my staff members, she proceeded to simply walk away and politely smile, as if she were merely commenting on the weather, not my condemning my best hors d’oeuvres as garbage. I wanted to disappear right there into her spotless Italian marble floor.

This party was supposed to be my big moment. A client like Martina held parties like this all the time, according my best friend Stephanie Monroe-Jennings, whom I’m embarrassed to say got me this gig in the first place.

In Steph’s opinion, if I got in good with Martina and all of her well-to-do friends, it could really put Carrie’s Creative Catering on the map.

Now utterly humiliated, I know if I didn’t escape to some quiet place soon, then everyone here would be witness to my childish reaction to Martina’s less than flattering insult. That’s when I all but ran into Tyler Bennedict’s arms. And for me, well, it was lust at first sight.
Oh and Martina's crab puff snark? Well you be the judge.
Check out my crab puff recipe and let me know what you think.
CRAB PUFFS

Puffs (miniature cream puffs)
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. flour, sifted
3 or 4 eggs, unbeaten

Add butter and salt to boiling water and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Lower heat, add flour all at once and beat vigorously until mixture leaves side of pan. Add one egg at a time beating thoroughly after each addition. Shape on greased cookie sheet using one teaspoon pastry for 1 puff, depending upon size desired.
Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees, for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake about 30 minutes longer, or until well browned. Remove from oven and place on wine rack to cool. When cool, make slits on side. If there is any soft or spongy dough inside of puff, scoop out. This makes about 4 dozen small puffs. If you have extra puffs after filling with crab or shrimp filling, you can freeze them. Can use pastry bag to insert filling.


CRAB FILLING:

1 (7-8 oz.) can crab meat, drained & flaked
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/2 sm. onion, minced
1/4 - 1/2 c. mayonnaise (enough to make it creamy)
Salt & pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste (1 tsp. - 1 tbsp.)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce or to taste

Mix all ingredients together and fill cream puffs with filling and refrigerate.

SHRIMP FILLING:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. salad dressing
2 tbsp. shrimp juice
1 (4 oz.) can broken shrimp
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. onion, grated

Cream thoroughly. Stir, put in refrigerator until cooled then insert into cream puffs.
...Carrie

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Southern Green Beans with a kick...




Southern Green Beans


1 country ham hock

1 small onion, quartered

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 dried red pepper (whole)2 pounds green beans (cut 1" pieces, ends removed)

Wash beans and put in deep Dutch oven. Add rest of ingredients and cover with water. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook at simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove red pepper before serving.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Starting Easter Morning Off Right...Here Are Some of My Favorite Easter Memories


As a child growing up on my Aunt Mabel's ranch outside of the small Texas town of Early, Easter was a special time of the year for us.
Me, Aunt Mabel and her best friend Trudy had our own Easter morning tradition. And we celebrated it faithfully.

We'd get up well before dawn, and made country hand and redeye gravy together. You see, I'd been cooking for just about as long as I'd lived with my aunt. But once I saw the old movie classic called Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn, where Audrey's character went away to culinary school abroad and created those lovely dishes with strange sounding names, well, I was hooked on cooking from that time forward.


Oh, I burnt my fair share of meals, but before I knew it, I was cooking most of our family dinners.


So on Easter Sunday, we'd have ham and redeye gravy and then we'd go out to the field behind my aunt's house and have our own sunrise service. It was the perfect setting for it.


Then, we'd go to God's house to pay our respects and make it official.


I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.




Country Ham with Redeye Gravy

Here's a great way to start the day. Couple this with eggs for a substantial way to start the day. Ham and eggs - what more can anyone ask for?

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large country ham slice, about 1/2" thick
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee




METHOD

Heat skillet until very hot. Pour in oil, then ham. (Oil is necessary for making gravy, as cured ham produces little fat.) Lower heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan; keep warm. Raise heat and add coffee to hot drippings. Boil for about 2 minutes. Pour over ham. Serve with biscuits.

*Note: because it is cured, ham will overcook quickly and become too dry. Therefore, no more than two minutes per side is recommended for country ham. Truth is, you could eat it without cooking and probably not have any side effects because the curing process chemically cooks the ham. Cooking is recommended though to insure that heat will kill any trichinosis that may be present.

If redeye gravy is too scary for you, try this old southern favorite: old fashioned sawmill gravy, a milk gravy.

Serves: 2

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Southern Recipes for a Great Easter Meal Served Up All This Week




This week, I'm dishing out some truths about myself along with some tried and true recipes to make your Easter Dinner a huge success.

I hope you enjoy them both.

All the best...


Carrie Sinclair

Although my boyfried Tyler tried to be the man I needed him to be, we were worlds apart in what we wanted from each other. Tyler’s father, and the family real estate business, came first for him. It soon became apparent I was not the woman Richard Bennedict pictured for his son either. Oh, there were moments of hope that kept me hanging on. Like the Christmas, we spent together in Colorado.

But mostly there were doubts, long nights alone, and more questions than answers. It became painfully clear I would never be more than a tiny part of Tyler’s world. This all came into focus after Aunt Mable passed away. Tyler was there for a while, playing the supportive boyfriend role, but when I sent him home and sat down to think about our future, I knew it was over. I stayed with Tyler until I could no longer accept our relationship on his terms. Over and over, I kept replaying the last conversation I’d had with my aunt. I’d told her about all my concerns with Tyler. She’d told me not to settle. I knew if I stayed with Tyler I would be settling.


Enjoy a special Easter dinner at home. Our recipes for Ham Baked with Herbs and Scalloped Potatoes will help you create a spectacular feast for your entire family.
If you're still undecided about what to make for Easter dinner this year, why not try our recipes for Ham Baked with Herbs and Scalloped Potatoes. You can reward everyone who helped decorate eggs and prepare Easter baskets with a special dinner to celebrate the beginning of spring and the Easter holiday.

RECIPES
Ham Baked with Herbs
Serves 16

1 18-pound fresh ham
12 garlic cloves
1 bunch rosemary
1 bunch basil
1 bunch thyme
5 fresh bay leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch chives
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch oregano
1 orange, cut into thick slices
1 lemon, cut into thick slices
1 bottle of dry white wine
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. With a boning knife, trim off all but 1/4 inch of fat from the ham, leaving about 4 inches of rind around the shank. Using a paring knife, make small incisions in the meat, about 1/2 inch deep and about 1/4 inch apart.

3. Peel 6 of the garlic cloves and slice them lengthwise. Insert the garlic cloves with alternating sprigs of rosemary, basil, thyme and bay leaves. The herbs and garlic should almost cover the meat. Lightly sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Crush the remaining cloves of garlic, leaving them in their peels, and set aside.

4. Line a large roasting pan measuring at least 6 inches high and 16 inches in diameter with aluminum foil. Layer the chives, parsley and oregano on the bottom and sides of the pan. Reserve some of the herbs for garnishing the finished ham. Place the orange and lemon slices on top of the herbs. Place the ham in the roasting pan with the crushed cloves of garlic and gently pour the entire bottle of wine around the meat. Bake for 30 minutes and then cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Continue to cook for another 5 hours, basting the meat with the pan juices if necessary. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking to lightly brown the ham.

5. When the ham has finished cooking, remove it from the roasting pan to a carving board and allow it to rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for about 30 minutes before slicing.

6. While the ham is resting, strain the cooking juices from the roasting pan through a sieve into a saucepan, reserving the orange and lemon slices. Add them to the juices. Over medium heat, allow the juice to boil gently and reduce by half. Skim off the fat and strain the liquid again to remove the orange and lemon slices. Serve hot with the ham on a large platter, garnished with the reserved herbs.

Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 14 to 20

3 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 clove garlic
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 ounces freshly grated Cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the sliced potatoes and milk, and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the potatoes just begin to become tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Place a colander over a large bowl and drain the potatoes, reserving the milk. (You should have 2 cups of thick, starchy milk. If the potatoes have absorbed more than 1 cup of milk, you must add enough milk to bring the reserved milk mixture volume to 2 cups.)

4. Butter a 3 1/2 quart oval casserole dish with the butter. Rub with the clove of garlic. Arrange the sliced potatoes in the casserole in 2 layers and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot with the remaining butter and pour in the reserved cooking milk and cream. Scatter the grated cheese over the top.

5. Place the casserole in the lower third of the oven and bake until the cheese has turned a deep golden brown and the milk has reduced and thickened, approximately 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Related Links
For more Easter recipes, see Michael Vyskocil's article "Eggs for Easter" in the April 2007 issue of Home Cooking magazine.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Grilled Maple Chipotle Pork Chops on Smoked Gouda Grits And A Side Of Regret

Have you ever wanted something so bad, you are willing to give up pieces of yourself to get it? Well that's exactly the way I felt the first time I met Tyler Bennedict.

I forgot everything that my aunt had taught me about men. Aunt Mable always said, when it comes to men there are good ones, there are bad ones, and then there are the worst possible kinds. The kind that steal your heart and leave you wondering what happened.

And she certainly should know. She’d buried one husband, divorced a second and third, (same man by the way), by the time I’d arrived on her doorstep at the tender age of ten.

At that point, men become a sidebar for Aunt Mable. Bringing me up right and spending time with her best friend Trudy Wilcox were what made Aunt Mable happy. Together they taught me to be a strong, independent woman.

I didn’t listen to any of my aunt’s warning, I even ignored my best friend, Stephanie Monroe-Jennings feeling, and Steph’s feelings were never wrong! Steph warned me not to go out with Tyler even once. I thought I was strong enough to handle Tyler but I was wrong.

Oh and by the way, you can check me out at:
http://samhainpublishing.com/books/the-things-you-think-you-want

So, come on by. Misery loves company.

And now to the good part. Another of my favorite recipes. I hope you like it.

Grilled Maple Chipotle Pork Chops on Smoked Gouda Grits

Ingredients
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can
6 (1 1/4-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Smoked Gouda Grits
(see receipt below)

Preparation
Whisk together first 4 ingredients, and set aside.
Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and pepper.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155°, turning once. Baste with half of barbecue sauce mixture the last 5 minutes of cooking or when meat thermometer registers 145°.

Spoon Smoked Gouda Grits evenly onto 6 serving plates; top each with a pork chop, and drizzle evenly with remaining barbecue sauce mixture.

Yield
Makes 6 servings


Smoked Gouda Grits
Buy a 7-ounce wheel of smoked Gouda cheese to get the right amount.

This recipe goes with Grilled Maple Chipotle Pork Chops on Smoked Gouda Grits

Ingredients
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 2/3 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter


Preparation
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and butter, stirring until melted.

Yield
Makes 6 to 8 servings



WINE SUGGESTION
Concha y Toro, Xplorador, Merlot, Chile

Eborae Vitis e Vinus, Alentejo Chaminé,

Portugal (exceptional value at around $7)

Pepperwood Grove, Merlot, California

Biltmore Estate, Reserve Claret

Rancho Zabaco, Dancing Bull, Zinfandel, California


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