Flounder Ceviche

A while back when things were a little crazy but I had a slight reprieve, I decided to have a little get together.  I can’t help but feed people when I invite them over, so I decided the theme for the evening would be South America.  After menu planning with Bestie, I made sure to shop for the appropriate pairings for our dishes.  While I’ll be posting some of the recipes over the next few posts, my favorite one – the one that had me brushing off my own shoulders was the Ceviche!

It was actually remarkably easy but I was definitely reluctant.  I mean seriously who cooks fish in lime?

Ingredients

1lb flounder, or other white fish

1 tsp salt

8-10 limes, juiced (enough to cover fish)

½ jalapeno, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Cut fish into ½ inch strips.  Place fish in bowl and add salt.  

Pour lime juice over fish and cover with plastic wrap.  

Let fish marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until the fish appears cooked (it will be a more solid white color rather than opaque).  

Remove from fridge and stir in jalapeno, garlic, onion and cilantro.  

Serve with plantain chips.

This ceviche was a hit!  It is so incredibly easy to make, I can’t believe I was so scared.  My guests loved it and I will definitely be making it again.

Hungry yet?

Twiks Bars

To close out our fantabulous dinner spectacular, we made dessert! Earlier in the week, Bestie sent this recipe for Twiks bars. My mouth instantly began to water.  The recipe is really quite brilliant and for the most part easy to execute.  

Ingredients

For the shortbread crust:

12 ounces (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the baking dish

15 ounces all-purpose flour

3 ounces sugar

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

For the caramel layer:

10 ounces sugar

4 ounces water

3 ounces heavy cream

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For the chocolate layer:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 ounces unsalted (¾ stick) butter, diced

We started by making the shortbread crust…which we actually made before the Thai Mussels. First, preheat the oven to 350˚F. And line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and knead the ingredients until the dough comes together. (The original recipe suggests a paddle attachment mixer, but since I don’t bake often I don’t have one. Turns out my hands work just fine!)  

Transfer the dough to the baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

The most challenging part was making the caramel layer. Combine the sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil for 11 to 13 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two.  Literally, only for a second or two.  Bestie and I got a little eager so we put it in the water again which was a mistake.  The caramel was all of a sudden hard and we had to take some time to heat it up again so it would melt.

After dipping it in water for a second, slowly stir in the cream and butter and then stir in the rock salt. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and spread evenly. Let cool to room temperature. I have to say I looooved licking the extra caramel out of the pot. I could eat caramel all day!

The last step, making the chocolate layer was pretty easy. I melt chocolate all the time; I could probably do it in my sleep.  Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl and place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water.  Keep stirring until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate mixture over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Let cool for a couple of hours, or until set.  Okay I lied the caramel wasn’t the hardest part.  Waiting for it to set took forever!!

Once they were finally set, we lifted the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Cutting the bars was easy using a hot knife.

OMG the bars tasted amaaaazing! Everything from the shortbread to the caramel and the chocolate. It was the perfect combination! Actually, and this is tough to say, but I liked it more than the real Twix bars!  Hats off to Hungry Cravings for this special treat and a big thanks to my Bestie for bring so much cheer that weekend :)

Hungry yet?

Wasabi Salmon with Bok Choy, Green Cabbage, and Shiitakes

Before Bestie arrived, I had spent a lot of time combing through the various magazines for a great dinner recipe. We started with the Thai Mussels and after taking a break from eating, Bestie and I made the oh so simple Wasabi Salmon recipe that was featured in the March issue of Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. wasabi paste

1 1” piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets

Sat, pepper

1 lb. baby bok choy, halved

2 cups (packed) finely shredded green cabbage

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

This was seriously one of the easiest things to make! Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a large rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix mayo and wasabi in a small bowl. Stir in half of ginger and half of garlic.  Season the fish all over with salt and pepper.

Place bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and add remaining ginger and garlic.  Toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.  Scatter vegetables across one side of baking sheet. Arrange salmon on the other side.  Roast, stirring vegetables occasionally until salmon is cooked through about 10 – 12 minutes.

Divide vegetables among plates; top with salmon. Serve with wasabi mayonnaise.

Okay wow! The one sheet meal was definitely a good idea. Clean up was easy, the vegetables were crispy and the salmon was perfectly cooked.  I ended up making the other two pieces of salmon that we bought later in the week using the same recipe. Yes, it was just that good!

Hungry yet?

Spicy Thai Mussels

A few weeks ago, Bestie came to visit. We decided that it would be best for just to make dinner together because we have never cooked together.  I mean I heart restaurant dining as much as anyone, but it was nice to stay in and make something delicious.  We ended up having a multi course meal.  We started with a simple recipe for Spicy Thai Mussels.

Ingredients

½ stick butter

½ cup grape tomatoes, seeded, chopped

2 tbs minced garlic

2 tbs chopped peeled ginger

2 14oz cans unsweetened coconut milk

2 tbs Thai red curry paste

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, more to garnish

1 tsp salt

3 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded

Melt the butter in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, garlic and ginger; sauté about 2 minutes until the garlic is tender.

Mix in the coconut milk, curry paste and ½ of the chopped cilantro and salt.  Simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Add the mussels; cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. 

Discard any mussels that don’t open.

Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

These were incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious! Mussels have previously intimidated me because I thought it would be too hard to make them. But this recipe was straightforward and I loved it.  We soaked up a lot of the broth using bread. There was some additional broth left over so later in the week, I added potatoes and relived the fantastic meal again.  I can’t wait to try mussels with a different broth soon!

Hungry yet?

Ginger Cookies

I never realized that December was such a cookie month.  I guess I never really paid attention to the craze.  I was definitely into it last Christmas though.  In my search for an easy cookie recipe, I stumbled across this.  

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

1 ¾ tsps ground ginger

1 ¼ tsps ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

Instructions

Spoon brown sugar into a 1-quart jar and press down until you have an even layer. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; spoon into jar over brown sugar. Sprinkle ginger, cinnamon and cloves over the top. Seal the jar until ready to use.  The jar actually looked really nice, but I can't seem to find the picture I took.  My jar had to sit around for a while, because I didn't have any ginger! About a week later, I was finally able to make the cookies.  

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Empty the cookie mix into a large bowl.

Stir in butter and egg. 

Roll the dough into balls the size of large marbles and place an inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in the middle of the oven until firm and lightly browned on edges, about 14 minutes. My first batch was too small. 

I really did not like the way the cookies looked. So I made sure to flatten the second batch.

They looked a little more like what I was expecting. 

Both batches had great flavor.  The cookies were slightly crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside. I love the combination of ginger, cinnamon and cloves. I try to use it throughout the fall and as much into the winter as possible.  The cookies were a hit! I’ll definitely use this recipe again in the future.

Hungry yet? 

Top Ten 2011 Recipe Experiences

Cooking was definitely the name of the game in 2011. I tried a number of new recipes, hosted a few feasting parties and generally ate quite well.  Here’s a recap of the best recipe experiences.

10. Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Cheddar. I have no idea why I never tried this before. Thanks to Ms. O and Mr. M, I discovered the recipe and it is a new stable.

9. Homemade Ravioli Stuffed with Mushroom Spinach and Cheese. She was pretty quiet this year, but my guest blogger did bust on the scene with this pasta wonder.

8. Thai Glazed Salmon with Baby Bok Choy. Because with a dish this simple, you really don’t need to go to a restaurant.

7. Spicy Thai Cornish Hen. An impressive display when done right that will leave your guest staring in amazement.

6. Pulled BBQ Chicken. Fall off the bone good.

5. Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Another spectacular breakfast dish from the Williams & Sonoma cookbook.

4. Catfish with Spicy Spinach and Peppers. Even with no running water in my apartment, I managed to create this meal.

3. Gnocchi. I had to pat myself on the back after I pulled this one off, although I could have done a better job with the sauce.

2. Crisp Crab Cakes. It was a big hit at Friendsgiving and will now be a staple at my dinner parties.

1. Seared Duck Breast with Chili Honey and Ginger Glaze. This was one of the restaurant quality dishes that leave me wondering if I should spend more time in the kitchen and less at the dining table.

Honorable Mention: Three Bean Slow Cooker Chicken Chili.  Anything in a slow cooker is meant to be enjoyed and this chili was no exception.

I hope you enjoyed the recipes I shared this year and that you’ll stay tuned to the 2012 dishes.  Happy New Year!!

Hungry yet? 

Three Bean Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Although winter has been slow to arrive, once the temperature drops below 50 degrees I start to bundle up.  Which also means time to make some winter recipes. Last year I was thrilled that I made turkey chili, but I really wanted to use my slow cooker.  This year, I found success with a recipe I kinda just threw together.

Ingredients

3 pieces skinless boneless chicken thighs

2 jalapenos chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth

2 tsps chili powder

2 tsps cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Add them to the slow cooker with the onions and jalapenos.

Next combine all the other ingredients in the slow cooker. 

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. It will start to smell fantastic around the 2-hour mark, but don’t open it!! Trust me, it’s worth the wait!  And you thought the other chili was easy?

Hungry yet?

Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes

Another great recipe from the Thanksgiving Issue of Food & Wine is the Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes. I made less changes than with the Crab Cakes, and it turned out fabulous. Although, I only ate one!

Ingredients

Streusel

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup light brown sugar

½ tsp salt

5 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Crumb Cakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsps baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¾ cup sour cream

1 large egg, beaten

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced

Preheat the oven to 350°. In the mixing bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix at medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal; continue mixing the streusel until very small clumps form. The Food & Wine recipe recommended a standing mixer. That may have been easier, but I think the hand mixer would do the job just as well.  Transfer the streusel to a large plate and refrigerate until it is well chilled, about 10 minutes.

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Spray the liners with vegetable oil cooking spray. In the mixer bowl, combine the flour with the granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Add the butter pieces and beat at low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream and beaten egg and beat until the batter is smooth. Add the diced apple and beat just until incorporated.

Fill the muffin cups halfway with the crumb cake batter. Press the streusel into clumps and sprinkle on top. 

Bake the crumb cakes in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until risen, golden and springy to the touch; rotate the pans halfway through baking.

The crumb cakes came out great! They were a big hit for dessert and even for breakfast the next morning. I realize more and more how easy and enjoyable baking can be.  I sense a cake somewhere in the near future.

Hungry yet?