Hot Sauce (Very Hot Hot Sauce)

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Camille

If you’re a fan of hot sauces then you will love this one. I used several different types of hot peppers but only 1 Carolina Reaper. The Reaper is rated as the hottest pepper on the planet. The other peppers I used were jalapeño, cayenne and habanero. I am so happy I used only 1 Reaper. I had 4 but decided to not go too crazy. It’s a good thing I used only the 1. This sauce is really hot. If you like it milder use more mild peppers. If you like it hotter use more hot peppers. You decide. The recipe is a guide and you can change it up whatever way you like. Just be sure to wear rubber gloves and make the sauce in a well ventilated area.

Hot Sauce (Very Hot Hot Sauce)

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.

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Chili Peppers, Condiments, Food For Thought, Hot Peppers, Hot Sauce, Peppers | Tagged Caroline Reaper Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Hot Sauce, Jalapeno Peppers | Comments Off

Summer Fruit Cobbler Topped With Cornmeal Biscuits

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Camille

Summertime fruit is ripe for the picking and this Sumer Fruit Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit Topping is the perfect warm weather dessert. What I like the most about preparing a cobbler is it can be done quickly, a lot quicker than making a pie. No pastry crust to prepare and putting the fruit together can be done in no time. The cobbler top is a cornmeal biscuit and super easy to make. This Summer Fruit Cobbler is so very southern and so very delicious. Serve it warm or chilled and top it with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Creme Fraiche or good old fashion Whipped Cream.

Summer Fruit Cobbler Topped With Cornmeal Biscuits

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.

Happy Summer Fruit Eating!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Berries, Biscuits, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cobbler, Cornmeal, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Food For Thought, Nectarines, Peaches, Raspberries | Tagged Cornmeal Biscuits, Summer Fruit Cobbler | Comments Off

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Peas and Basil

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Camille

It’s Tomato Season and there is no better way, at least for me, to enjoy locally grown tomatoes than with pasta. When it is incredibly hot outside, as it is right now, I like a chilled pasta dish. This is my favorite hot weather pasta recipe since the only thing cooked is the pasta. By tossing the hot pasta into the marinated uncooked tomatoes and basil you bring out the fresh flavors of everything. It’s a pasta dish you can serve immediately as a main course or make it ahead and refrigerate it and serve the pasta as a side with grilled chicken, grilled seafood or a sandwich.

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.

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Food For Thought | Comments Off

Cool Refreshing Gazpacho

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Camille

This is the best recipe to beat the summer heat. Gazpacho is good and good for you plus it is cool and refreshing. I like to make my Gazpacho a day or two ahead to let the flavors meld together. It is a lot of chopping but if you want you can use your food processor to speed up the prep. Just don’t process to much because you will end up with mush. Personally, I prefer to do it all be hand so all of the vegetables are evenly chopped.

Gazpacho

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Chilled Soup, Gazpacho, Soup, Vegetables | Tagged Chilled Soup, Creme Fraiche, Gazpacho, Tomato, Vegetable | Comments Off

Savory Four Cheese Tart

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Camille

This Savory Four Cheese Tart with Asparagus and Pancetta is a wonderful dish to serve for a brunch, luncheon, dinner first course or as a snack mid-afternoon. I love the bread crumb crust as it is light and doesn’t interfere with the complexity of the cheesy tart. Using the bread crumb crust makes this a very easy to make tart since there is no pastry to prepare.

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.

Savory Four Cheese Tart with Asparagus and Pancetta

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Asparagus, Cheese, Cream Cheese, Dinner, Egg Dishes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Food For Thought, Goat Cheese, Hints and Tips, Luncheon Salads, Menus, Orange Marmalade, Oranges, Pancetta, Vinaigrette, Vinaigrettes and Dressings, Vinegar, White Balsamic Vinegar | Tagged Brie Cheese, Cream Cheese, Creme Fraiche, Four Cheese Tart, Mozzarella Cheese, Talagio Cheese | Comments Off

Key Lime Tart with Graham Cracker-Macadamia Nut-Coconut Crust Topped with Italian Meringue

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Camille

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.

Key Lime Tart with Graham Cracker-Macadamia Nut-Coconut Crust Topped with Italian Meringue

Enjoy!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Coconut, Dessert, Dessert/Pastry, Desserts, Graham Cracker Crust, Italian Meringue, Macadamia Nuts, Tarts | Tagged Italian Meringue, Key Lime tart | Comments Off

Easter Leg of Lamb 2 Ways

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Camille

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).

Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

Roasted Leg of Lamb Stuffed and Roasted Leg of Lamb

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.

Happy Easter!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Asparagus, Couscous, Food For Thought, Lamb, Lamb Sauce, Lamb Stock | Tagged Asparagus Mimosa, Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb, Stuffed Leg of Lamb, Vegetable Couscous | Comments Off

Happy St. Paddy’s Day

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Camille

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.

Oven Braised Corned Beef with Irish Beer and Irish Whiskey

Irish Soda Bread

Roasted Cabbage

Sautéed Green Cabbage

Apple Bread Pudding

Baileys Irish Cream Coffee

Slainte! and Erin go Bragh!

camille@camillecooksforyou.com

Posted in Accompaniments, Ahh Haa Moments, Apples, Beef, Beer, Bread, Bread Pudding, Cabbage, Carrots, Coffee, Corned Beef, Food For Thought, Irish Soda Bread, Whiskey | Tagged Apple Bread Pudding, Baileys Irish Cream Coffee, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Beer, Irish Coffee, Irish Whiskey, Oven Braised Corned Beef with Irish Beer and Irish Whiskey | Comments Off

French Onion Soup Au Gratin

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Camille

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.