Enjoy the rest of your summer and all that Corn and Tomatoes have to offer.
Makes About 3 Cups
20 Hot Peppers, Rinsed, Stems Off And Cut Into Pieces (I used 1 Carolina Reaper, 3 Red Jalapeños, 6 Red Habaneros, 10 Red Cayenne Peppers)
1 Large Spanish Onion, Cut into Chunks
4 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
In a saucepan combine all the ingredients, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from the heat and bring the room temperature. Keep the lid on until cooled.
Drain the pepper mixture and set the liquid aside. Place the pepper mixture in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add ½ cup of the liquid and puree the mixture until it is completely smooth. With the motor running add half of the remaining liquid in a slow and steady stream through the feed tube and process until incorporated.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strained. Store in bottles and refrigerate. It is best to let it sit in the refrigerator for a week or more before using to give the Hot Sauce time to infuse its flavor. The Hot Sauce will last for months in the refrigerator. Shake it well before each use.
Hints and Tips: I like my Hot Sauce just a little thicker than Tabasco Sauce. If you like yours thicker add the amount of liquid you like.
ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when making this Hot Sauce. No exceptions.
Make the sauce in a well-ventilated area. Keeping the lid on will help to hold the fumes down.
My recipe is super hot and if you want it milder don’t use the Caroline Reaper. It is the hottest pepper on the planet.
No need to peel the peaches or nectarines. The skin will dissolve during baking. Between the skin and the blueberries the juice will have a rich red color.
Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Peas and Basil
Serves 4 As an Entrée
3 Large Ripe Red Tomatoes, Seeds Removed And Diced into ¼” Pieces (You Can Use Both Red and Yellow Tomatoes)
1 Cup Fresh Peas If In Season
1 Bunch Scallions, White Part and 1” of the Green, Sliced Thinly On An Angle (About 6 Scallions)
4 Roasted Garlic Cloves, Smashed and Chopped
1 Cup XVOO
3 Tablespoons Good Quality Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
½ Cup Fresh Basil, Julienned or Torn into Pieces
1 Pound Dried Angel Hair Pasta
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except the pasta and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente according to the package directions. Angel hair takes only 2 or 3 minutes to cook once the water comes back to a boil.
Drain the pasta and toss into the tomato basil mixture while still hot. Combine the pasta and tomato basil mixture well. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve immediately as an entrée or refrigerate and serve as a side dish to a sandwich or a grilled and chilled fish such as salmon.
Hints and Tips: Never, Ever, EVER rinse the pasta or add oil to the water. Rinsing or adding oil to the water prohibits the sauce from sticking to the pasta and we know we don’t want that to happen.
Enjoy!
The four cheeses I used are all cow’s milk but you can easily substitute goat cheese for any of the cheeses. Or you can use just goat cheese and cream cheese. Be sure to adjust the amounts you use. Always use a total 16 ounces of cheese combos and always use cream cheese in the combo.
I like this best served with salad greens tossed in Orange Marmalade Infused White Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Enjoy!
Company’s coming and what better dessert to serve than Key Lime Tart. It’s a great spring and summertime dessert and a perfect way to end a meal. The tartness of the key lime custard is offset with the sweetness of the meringue making it luscious and delectable. The crust is complex and has a lot going on with the graham crackers, macadamia nuts and coconut. This is one of the oldest recipes on the books and always a favorite when I was catering.
Click on the photos or the recipe title to go directly to the recipe.
Enjoy!
Here are two different ways to make your Easter Leg of Lamb. One is stuffed and the other is not. Both are boneless and both are marinated. Both are served with Lamb Sauce. No need to brine the lamb as the marinade will break down the tough muscle.
I am a proponent of marinating meat without acids such as wine, vinegar, soy or lemon juice. Using an acidy liquid to marinate will eventually begin to “cook” the meat making it tough and leathery. By using olive oil, herbs and black pepper you give the meat great flavor and the oil helps break down the tough muscle making it more appealing in texture and flavor. Don’t use salt in marinating because this will draw out the juices of the meat causing it to be dry and tasteless.
Ask your butcher to remove the aitchbone and gland and to leave the end of the bone intact. Doing this makes it much easier to carve: The end bone acts as a handle when carving. Discard the gland (the butcher will do this for you).
I love to serve these beautiful Legs of Lamb with Vegetable Couscous or Roasted Potatoes along side Asparagus Mimosa.
If you try either of these I would love to know your results.
I know we all have heard the phrase “Erin go Bragh” when St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. I also know that many us that are Irish on that one day only have no idea what it means. Erin go Bragh is the anglicisation of an Irish language phrase, Éirinn go Brách, and is used to express allegiance to Ireland.
So Erin go Bragh to all of my true Irish friends and all of us wannabes.
I will be cooking my traditional Oven Braised Corned Beef with Irish Beer and Irish Whiskey on St. Paddy’s Day along with Mrs. Hogan’s The Best Ever Irish Soda Bread,. Click on the links or photos you will go directly to the recipes. This year I am going to cook my cabbage a couple of different ways just to shake it up a bit and keep things interesting. I am going to prepare roasted cabbage and sautéed cabbage besides the cabbage I cook with the Corned Beef. After making cabbage three ways I have decided that I like cabbage cooked all ways.
To finish the meal I thought my Apple Bread Pudding would be approbate to complete this Irish Feast along with a cup of Baileys Irish Cream Coffee. I’m sure you all know how to make this delicious coffee – coffee, a shot of Baileys, whipped cream and optional chocolate shavings. I don’t know if I can wait until St. Paddy’s Day for this meal.
Slainte! and Erin go Bragh!
It’s been a while since I made this delicious retro soup. The last time I had it out in a restaurant was in Paris last year. It made think about the days of catering out of my store Camille’s Gourmet To Go And Catering. Whenever I made this wonderfully “onion sweet” soup I would sell out of it almost immediately. I’ve been dreaming about it since Paris and decided to make some this week. I did it totally from scratch by first making a rich beef stock. You can use a store bought stock but make sure it’s a low or no sodium stock. Don’t use broth as it is not rich enough. Making your own stock is inexpensive to make and the only real cost is in time. Twelve hours of simmering is the best way to get a stock rich enough for French Onion Soup Au Gratin
Serves 4
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 Large Sweet Onions, Sliced Lengthwise
2 Large Red Onions, Sliced Lengthwise
4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Bay Leaf
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 Teaspoons Coarse Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Cup Madeira
6 Cups Hot Homemade Beef Stock or Canned Low Sodium Beef Stock
6 Slices Toasted Baguette
½ Pound Gruyere Cheese or Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
In a large, heavy bottomed pan melt the butter over medium heat. When butter is hot and stops sizzling add the sliced onions, minced garlic, bay leaf and thyme springs. Sauté the onions until softened and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir to incorporate the flour. Cook for several minutes to lose the flour flavor, stirring the whole time. Add the Madeira and cook until well incorporated into the onions. Add the hot beef stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme.
Preheat broiler.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls, float a toasted slice of baguette (Crouton) on each bowl and top with shredded cheese. Place bowls on a sheet pan and place under the broiler to melt the cheese. Keep an eye on the bowls to be sure the cheese does not burn. Serve immediately.
Hints and Tips: Gruyere Cheese is the traditional cheese to serve with French Onion Soup but Mozzarella is a good substitute if you prefer.
Adding flour thickens the soup just a bit but if you would rather not use flour it will not make a difference in the flavor. It will just be thinner.
