for yucks and aesthetics

many years ago, the exact number of which i refuse to reveal,

my favorite song was a little beatles ditty called I'm Only Sleeping.

i was hoping to embed the song here, but alas, Beatles music is

not only not available to steal on line (sorry mom), it can't even be bought!

the refrain goes something like this:

please don't wake me,

no don't shake me,

leave me where i am,

i'm only sleeping.

ahh. sweet memories.

at any rate, i still love to sleep,

but what i love almost as much is what comes after.

breakfast.

in the dinosaur days, breakfast was a cup of hot tea with honey and a Marlboro, brought to me, in bed, by my friend paddington,

with the song playing in the background.

i’ve long since ditched the cigs.

the song, until this morning, was a distant memory.

there's been no breakfast in bed since my boys served me cheerio’s

for mother’s day, 1995, hours after they had poured the milk.

sweet things.

but, a cup of tea (earl grey now) is still the way I love to start my day.

and on occasion, these things replace the nicotine.

French Omelet

Makes one for one or one for one to share, if they like.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 eggs

some butter

Sea salt

stuff to stuff your omelet

Note: Ideally, you want to use a non stick pan. It just helps, a lot.

For the Omelet: Crack eggs in a small bowl. Whisk with a fork until blended. Add a small splash of water and some salt to the eggs. (I don't like pepper in or on my eggs...sorry mom...but feel free to ruin them with a grind or two now, if you must)

Melt some butter in the pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to just barely sizzle, add the eggs. Let the eggs set a moment...they will start to cook along the edges. At this point, using a rubber spatula, start to push the cooked edges toward the center of the pan, tilting the pan slightly at the same time to allow the runny uncooked eggs to replace the cooked egg edges. Continue this pushing/tilting technique until most of the egg mixture is cooked. Now, add your prepared filling. To finish, roll the omelet out of pan and onto a warm plate by holding the pan atilt over the plate, folding the top third of the omelet over the middle third using your spatula, and continuing by rolling the folded two thirds over the last bit of omelet while simultaneously sliding it onto the plate. Once omelet is safely on the plate, give it a final rub on it's ridge with a stick of butter and perhaps, a dusting of leftover shredded cheese for yucks and aesthetics. It sounds tricky, and actually, it is tricky to roll an omelet. It takes a lot of practice, but the thing to remember is the rolling/folding process should ultimately become one fluid motion. And remember this, too...all in, a perfect omelet takes just a few minutes. If you have slaved over the omelet over the stove for over 5 minutes, throw it out and start again.

Note: As with so many recipes, there are countless filling variations. A classic french omelet is filled simply with shredded gruyere and a mixture of fresh herbs, but you should feel free to be as adventurous as your fridge and pantry allow.

One more note: "French" omelets are ALWAYS slightly runny on the inside (the residual heat of the omelet will continue to cook the eggs without OVERcooking them), rolled/tri-folded and NEVER BROWN!!!!

Sweet and Savory Breakfast Bread Puddings

Makes a large ceramic dish full, enough for at least 10.

Ingredients:

2 loaves of dense, chewy "real" bread (for savory or sweet) or challah (for sweet only), cubed

1 qt heavy cream

1/2 qt half and half

12 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

(1-2 cups sugar plus 2 T vanilla if sweet or dessert bread pudding)

S.P.

Make the bread pudding: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush ovenproof ceramic dish with some of the melted butter. Whisk together the custard ingredients in large bowl. Toss with the bread cubes, butter and garnish. Mix well. Press into ceramic dish, wrap first with saran (keeps in the moisture), then cover with tin foil. Bake for about an hour, removing saran and tin foil for the last 10 or 15 minutes of cook time. Serve hot.

Some Tried and True Savory Garnish Options:

One.

1 lb rosemary ham, julienned

2 cups gruyere, grated

1 cup gorg, crumbled

a couple of sprigs worth of fresh rosemary, chopped.

Two.

8 oz goat cheese

2 cups provolone, grated

2 cups artichoke hearts, diced

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienne

1 cup bacon, prosciutto or pancetta, diced

a couple of twigs of fresh thyme.

(blanched broccoli rabe would be nice in here, too or instead of something)

Three.

1 lb chorizo, casing removed, crumbled

1 cup poblano peppers, roasted and diced

1 cup red onion, roasted

1/4 c roasted garlic, mashed

3 cups manchego, grated

Sweet Garnish Options:

Four.

Zest of 2 lemons

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T vanilla

2 pints of fresh raspberries

challah

Add the zest, brown sugar and vanilla to the egg cream mixture. Let the custard sit for a while...even overnight...to allow the flavors to develop. Toss with challah cubes. Gently fold in raspberries last thing. Bake in buttered dish, covered with saran and tin foil, for about an hour. Dust sweet bread pudding with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

Five.

3 cups fresh peaches, large diced

1 pt fresh blueberries

some peach nectar

a dash of cinnamon

Please feel free to caramelize the peaches before tossing with bread and custard by sauteing them in some butter and brown sugar in the name of oxidation prevention.

Six.

Lots of Chocolate stuff: chips, chunks of brownies, godiva liquer, etc.

Seven.

Caramelized Bananas (see peaches above)

Pecans

Note: These variations may be too sweet for breakfast/brunch. You might be better off saving them for dessert. If you do, you must serve them with this:

Ridiculously Easy Caramel Sauce

Makes about a cup

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the sauce: Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and cream until well blended. Done. Use warm.

Refrigerate whatever is left...yeah, right.

Note: You may add some booze (think rum, kaluah, bourbon, etc) or reduced nectars (peach, mango) to make the sauce even more ridiculous.

Note: The savory custard base and fillings can easily be used for quiche as well.

Store bought (sorry mom) pie shells make the whole quiche thing remarkably easy.

But just in case you are a pie shell purist:

Pie Doe

Makes 2 Nine inch

3 1/3 cups flour

3T sugar

1/4 lb butter

4 1/2 oz shortening

1/2 cup water.

Make crust: Mix flour and sugar in mixing bowl. Cut in butter and shortening: you can do this in an electric mixer, cuisinart or by hand with your fingers, a pastry cutter, two knives (least favorite of all). Add all of the water all at once. Bring dough together, kneading (if by hand) slightly. Do not overwork! Divide the dough. Roll to about a 1/4 inch thick. (I like to roll my pie dough between two pieces of saran. Works like a dream...don't need to use as much flour and easy as pie to transfer to the pie plate.)

Crimp the edges as you like.

Note: For quiche and other pies requiring a bake period, no need to prebake.

Scones

Makes about a dozen, depending on your scoop size.

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 T baking powder

1/2 t salt (may be eliminated, if using salted butter)

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

Garnish: i sound like a broken record, but anything goes.

i like: candied ginger peach, dried cranberry pecan, apricot almond.

dried fruits work best, fresh fruits alter the moisture of the dough and can be tricky.

add as much as you like...less if you like more biscuit to your scone, more if you like more treats.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixer, combine the dry stuff. Next, cut in butter pieces. You may need to pulse your mixer on and off to prevent a flour shower. When butter is nicely cut in...mixture should be soft and there should be no palpable chunks of butter in the mix...add the garnish. THEN, fold the buttermilk in by hand until dough just comes together, gathering loose crumbs and tucking them in. Scoop scones onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden. Scones will sound slightly hollow when bottom is tapped. It's subtle, so move the scone towards your ear...which leaves them conveniently close to your mouth to finish the job, but blow first. For those not so inclined, you'll just have to wait.

Eat.

small shrimp is not an oxymoron

it's just how we feel sometimes.

i am feeling small this morning,
so thought i would write about shrimp.

i just returned from a week in south carolina.
there is something about the shrimp down there.
it's swept from local waters and is always sweet and crisp,
seemingly no matter how it is prepared, how long it is cooked or
how long it sits under a heat lamp.

(whoops...sorry very famous restaurant on bay street
in Charleston.)

i use local shrimp here, too.
it comes from costco.

here is what i do with it, often or on occasion.


Baked Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce
Makes enough for 4 to pick on before dinner.
Can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, quintupled, etc.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs U15 shrimp, deveined, shell on (or off)
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 or 2 chipotles, minced plus 3 T of adobo sauce from can
a couple of dashes of worchestershire
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, picked
1 T or so brown sugar
S.P.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the Sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sweat for a minute...do not brown. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a few minutes to allow flavors to meld. Sauce should thicken just a bit.

Make the Shrimp: Fold prepped shrimp in with sauce and pour into an ovenproof dish. Bake for approximately 11 to 14 minutes, stirring shrimp once to ensure they cook evenly. Roll up your sleeves and dig in.

Have at the ready a crusty sour doe for sauce sopping, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, preferably from New Zealand and a large roll of paper towels to keep the mess manageable.



Dirty Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce
Makes 2 lbs of shrimp

Ingredients:

2 lbs U15 shrimp, deveined, shell on (or off)

The Rub:
1 stick butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t cinnamon
1 t dry thyme
1/4 cup paprika
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
S.P.

The Sauce:
1/2 cup each mayo and sour cream
1/2 cup pickles, small dice
2 T capers, chopped
zest of 1 and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 T dijon
1 shallot, very small dice
dash or two of tabasco
S.P.

For the Sauce: Combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let mellow.

For the Shrimp: Cook the shrimp in boiling salted water until just cooked and pink, approximately 2 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Drain again. Set aside.

For the Rub: Sweat the onion and garlic in butter in a small saute pan. Add the spices and cook on low heat to release their fragrances. Finally, whisk in the balsamic vinegar. Let cool.

To Finish: Here's the thing. These shrimp can be eaten warm or cold. If you decide to eat them warm, toss the just cooked, uncooled but drained shrimp with the just cooked rub and serve. If you prefer to eat them cold/room temp, toss the cooled shrimp with the cooled rub. You can serve then, or refrigerate until some other time to allow the flavors to develop...but please note: the rub, made with butter, can congeal a bit if refrigerated so you may want to allow some time for refrigerated shrimp to come back to room temp before serving.

Another Note: Don't forget the sauce and the PAPER TOWELS!

Shell On Rationale: You may have noticed that I recommend leaving the shell on the shrimp for the two recipes above. The reason is simple. The sauce oozes underneath the shell and in the fins of the tail and bathes the shrimp in absolute deliciousness. These shrimp are succulent which means, in this case, you must suck them to achieve the utmost pleasure. The shell off option is for those uncomfortable with sucking. Fair enough. It's not for everyone.




Lemon Fennel Shrimp Curls with Tarragon Cream
Makes about 60 curls

Ingredients:

Shrimp Mixture:
2 lbs U15 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested first, then thinly sliced, removing all seeds
4 sprigs fresh tarragon, chopped
1 T fennel seed, lightly crushed
1/4 t red pepper flakes
S.P.

Sauce Mixture:
1/2 c each sour cream and mayo
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh tarragon, chopped
S.P.


For the shrimp: Slice the shrimp as if you were butterflying them open, but cut all the way through. (Your knife blade will be parallel to the cutting board!) Poach the shrimp in boiling, salted, lemon water. Total cook time is barely a minute. The shrimp will curl and turn pink. Drain and cool under cold running water. Drain again. Towel dry to remove as much moisture as possible. Meantime, sweat the garlic for just a minute in a couple of tablespoons of the EVOO to take the bite out of the raw garlic. Let cool. Add all ingredients together in a bowl and allow shrimp to marinate for many hours, preferably overnight. As always, taste and adjust seasoning.

Make the sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Can (should?!) be done the day before for optimal flavor meldage.

Serve shrimp in a mound on a pretty platter garnished simply with a tulip, chive flowers, some nasturtium or any other beautiful flower on hand. Have the sauce on the side for dipping. For those with a fear of touching food with their fingers, offer toothpicks or small cocktail plates and forks, but only as a last resort. Watch them sweat first. It's fun.

Note: We serve this regularly on our catering gigs. If we have any shrimp leftover, which is usually quite rare, it becomes shrimp salad. Pulse the shrimp curls in the cuisinart until chunky and add leftover tarragon sauce. Eat by heaping spoons full or on a sammy. Whichever way...yum.

Eat.

Final notes on the shrimp thing:

First: I am sure these recipes would be equally successful with the shrimp from the southern waters. I just don't have the experience myself. When I visit the south, my sister in law Mimi does all of the cooking. She's whiz bang at it too. Maybe if I ask nicely, she will share her Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Gravy recipe. But be warned...if she does, it means 1000 extra miles on the treadmill. Guaranteed.

Lastly: I have other shrimp recipes I'd like to share, but life is calling (actually, a Ganache Coated Donut at Dottie's Diner is calling) so I've got to jump. Maybe a midweek blog is in our future. NO promises. Still have to deal with Taco Boy.

dear taco boy

pickles, pepperoni and olives

today is my nephew charlie's 5th birthday.
unfortunately, i missed his birthday party.
ach. mother nature and her wintry charm.

i've been thinking a lot about charlie
on this momentous day and decided today's
recipe should include three of his favorite foods,
aside from candy, of course.

pickles, pepperoni and olives.

one recipe instantly comes to mind which includes all three, sort of.
the muffuletta sammy.
here it is, with a few twists and alterations, to honor my favorite 5 year old.

coincidentally, the super bowl will be played today.
the muffuletta sammy is a quintessential football party eat.

Muffuletta
Feeds 4 pot bellied creatures or 40 who only care for a sliver

Ingredients:

The Olive Salad Part:
1 1/2 cups Pitted Green OLIVES, chopped
1/2 cup Pitted Kalamata OLIVES, chopped
1 cup Cauliflower Florets, blanched
1 cup Half Sour PICKLES, small diced
1/2 cup Home Roasted Red Peppers, small diced
1 small Sweet Onion, like a Vidalia, small diced
1/4 cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 T Capers
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
A Healthy Handful Each of Fresh Parsley, Oregano, Basil, chopped
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper to taste
1+ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine all of the ingredients except olive oil. Place in large glass bowl and cover with the olive oil. Let marinate for a few days at least, a week at best. This stuff lasts forever if you keep it covered.

Note: Home roasted peppers are really easy to do and make you feel like a culinary know it all.
Place whole peppers on burner over an open flame (do i need to qualify that you must use a gas fired stove to roast at home? electric won't cut it). Roast, rotating frequently using long handled tongs, until charred but not burned to a crisp. Place in a bowl, cover with saran (this will allow the skins to steam away from the meat of the pepper) and refrigerate until cool. Remove all of the charred skin, stem and seeds using a little running water, but only if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The Sammy Itself Part:
Muffuletta purists agree that the bread has to be just right. Classically, it should be a 10 inch round Italian loaf topped with sesame seeds, not too chewy, not too crusty, but i like crusty and chewy so go figure. I say any great crusty loaf would work. Dare I say further, it needn't even be round?!!! I do dare say such. I've made muffs with a really good ciabatta and while there wasn't a lot of bread meat inside to soak up the olive salad juices, it was quite tasty.

Then there are the meats. The sandwich needs at least a pound of great, thinly sliced Italian meats: Rosemary Ham, Salami, Mortadella, Capicola, PEPPERONI and cheeses: Provolone and Mozzarella are standards. I say find your favorite combo and run with it.

To Compose the Sammy:
Cut the bread in half horizontally. Douse both the bottom and top layers of bread with some of the olive salad juice. Layer, alternately, the meats and cheeses. Top with a heaping heap of olive salad. Press bread top onto sammy. Cut into desired number of slices.

Eat.
Afterwards, eat some candy, tic tacs preferably, another of Charlie's favorites.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLIE.
I LOVE YOU.
auntie lola

hibernation and full bellies

this is the time of year i like to hibernate.
if i can, i find a warm, sunny spot in a window
and curl up, sometimes with a book, sometimes
with a movie, often with a blanket for a little nap.
it's always good to have a full belly before settling
into a winter's hibernation of any duration.
here's what works for me...

Split Pea Soup with Chorizo
Makes enough for 6

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter/olive oil mix
1 onion, vidalia would be great, diced
a few cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 lb chorizo sausage
1 lb split peas
some white wine
6 cups chicken stock
fresh thyme sprigs
S.P.

Make the Soup: Sweat the mirepoix of onions and garlic in the butter/oil mixture. Meanwhile, peel the chorizo of it's skin and pulse it in a cuisinart until crumbly. Add to sweated mirepoix. Saute for a couple of minutes until some of the chorizo fat starts to render. Add the peas, wine, stock and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for about an hour, stirring occassionally, until peas are soft. You may need to add water or stock during the cooking process as the peas soak up the broth. I personally prefer a slightly looser consistancy to my split pea soup, but the choice is yours. Season with S.P. at the finish.

Note: Croutons are an essential piece to this soup. Seriously. And, they are super easy to make.
Take a nice loaf of something yummy...think pumpernickel or a great chewy sour dough...
cut some perfect medium sized dice, gently toss with melted butter, S.P. and bake at 350 or so until golden and croutony. Sprinkle liberally on your soup.

Another Note: Any kind of sausage works in a split pea soup. I chose chorizo because I am deeply involved in a love affair with the stuff (a year and counting) and many other things Spanish including the mother country herself.


Some people might say that lightly dressed (I'm thinking white balsamic and evoo) salad greens would round out this simple meal. Who am I to quibble? It's just that salads are so NOT rugged hibernation foods.

But Brownies certainly are...

Serendiptious Brownies
Makes a half sheet pan which sounds like a whole lot, but they freeze REALLY well, if they last that long.

A little story before recipe revelation.
I co-teach culinary arts at our local high school with my friend Brian.
The kids are great but sometimes a little dopey.
A few years ago, we asked a couple of them to find a recipe for brownies and bake some, which they did.
But in typical fashion, they didn't read the recipe through. They prepared the batter properly, but used the wrong sized pan...a half sheet pan rather than an 8 inch square...a huge difference!
But, they were surprisingly good. Chewy and flavorful, but a bit too thin. So, we played with the recipe a bit and serendipitously, created a really amazing brownie, which we now sell everyday from our class kitchen. The brownies have continued to evolve. More on that below.


Ingredients:

3 sticks of butter
12 oz semi sweet chocolate, by weight
1 7/8 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 T real vanilla

Make the Brownie Batter: Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium sized bowl over a double boiler. Meanwhile, Measure out the dry ingredients into a smallish bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in separate but large-ish bowl. Add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture. Add flour mixture last. Spread into prepped half sheet pan (spray the sides lightly! with Pam and place a half sheet of parchment in the bottom of the pan). Bake for approximately 17 minutes in a 350 oven or until edges pull away from side. Center should feel firm to the touch.

More on the brownie evolution revolution. This recipe is really tweakable. You can tweak the batter by adding cinnamon, instant espresso, ginger, etc. OR you can play with toppings. For example, a little more than midway through the baking process, you can press chopped candy bars...at school, we've used kit kats, twix, butterfingers, peanut M&M's...onto the top of the partially baked brownies. We have plans to use reese's peanut butter cups, baby ruth's, marshmallow and graham crackers for a s'more variation, cheesecake batter for a marbled effect. Follow your gut (which won't be hard to do if you eat as many of these as you will be tempted to!).

Crazy Quilts and Tweakability Factor

i had been meaning to sew a crazy quilt for alex,
the daughter i don't have,
as a graduation gift,
since june.

i finished it yesterday.
i wish i had remembered to photograph it to post here.
it was one of my better ones.

crazy quilts are
seemingly random pieces of fabrics,
purposely and thoughtfully sewn together to create
a story of sorts, if done well...

...not unlike the dishes we create out of
seemingly random ingredients,
purposely and thoughtfully thrown together to create
a story of sorts, this one for our taste buds to tease out,
if done well.

and as no two crazy quilts are ever exactly alike,
the same is true of the dishes we create,
even when we start with the same basic recipes.

i like to tweak basic recipes to see how many really good
variations i can come up with.

here is one very tweakable recipe to play with.
feel free to take it and create your own story.
more to come.


Amazing Mac and Cheese
Makes Enough for Many

Ingredients:

Pasta Mixture:
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 qt heavy cream
1 cup white wine or stock
2 lbs of pasta
1 1/2+ c sharp white cheddar, grated
1 c gorgonzola, crumbled
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup romano, grated
1/2 lb cream cheese, Philadelphia Brand, please!
S,P

Bread Crumb Topping:
6 slices white bread
3/4 stick butter, melted
S,P

Make topping: Pulse bread in cuisinart until crumbly. Add butter, S,P.

Make the pasta mixture: Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, make the béchamel, the french term for cream sauce. Melt butter over medium lowish heat.. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and wine or stock. Let simmer for a minute or two. Set aside. Drain the pasta…leave it a little on the wet side, and put back into pot. Add cheeses and warm sauce. Stir until cheese is nicely mixed in. Season with S and P. Taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Transfer to buttered baking dish (13 x 9). Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden.

Note: Can make to the point of tossing with cheeses and cream to be baked later. If the mixture seems to dry, add some chicken stock or wine.

Another Note: The gorgonzola adds just the right amount of saltiness…it’s not very gorgonzola-y.

Yet Another Note: I like to cover the baking dish first with saran wrap and then with tin foil. It helps to prevent the mac from drying out. Carefully remove the foil and saran and pop back in oven for a few minutes to brown the crumbs.

The idea is that the starch from the pasta will thicken the sauce, so the sauce can be somewhat on the thinner side. I prefer my mac and cheese to be a little saucy (like me) as opposed to really thick and pastey (not me at all).

Tweakability Factor:

This recipe lends itself very well to variations.

First, you can add all sorts of things to the pasta mixture itself as garnish: rosemary ham, bacon, peas, roasted garlic, pulled pork, buffalo chicken, caramelized onions, braised short ribs to name but a few. The sky's the limit.

Or, you can play with the cheese combinations.

Plus, you can tweak the sauce by adding various seasonings, flavorings to compliment your pasta variation.

And, you can change your crumbly topping by adding cheeses and seasonings to variable bread crumbs (rye, wheat, panko, sourdoe, triscuit, etc) that also compliment your pasta variation.

eg. For a Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese with Blue Cheese Crumbles, you would marinate the chicken in buffalo wing sauce (essentially, hot sauce mixed with melted butter), grill and shred when cool. Fold chicken into pasta mixture. Top with crumbs tossed with blue cheese.

Eat.

Forty Eight

number of years aged.
like a great cheese.

it has been said i am "older than dirt"
...Michael Bergman, aged 7
i don't know about that, but what i do know is
life is good.
how can it be otherwise when feasting on
great food and great wine with great friends.

this is what we ate to celebrate this old woman.

Warm Goat Cheese Goo with Saffron and Fennel Seed
Makes enough for 6 piggies or 4 hogs
Adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe.

Ingredients:
2T butter
2T flour
2 cups milk or half & half
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
8+ oz goat cheese, crumbled
generous pinch of saffron
generous pinch of fennel seed
S.P

Make the Goo: Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make roux. Cook for a minute or so. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and add cheeses and spices.

Bake the Goo: Pour into an ovenproof dish...I use a 4 by 8 inch ceramic dish, Bobby uses an 8 inch cast iron pan...and bake until bubbly and goldenish, about 5 minutes or so in 375 degree oven. Serve right out of the oven with yummy chips, crispy crackers or crusty bread.

Note: You can drizzle with a parsley, basil, cilantro or chive oil or even dollop with a roasted poblano puree when it comes out of the oven, if you happen to have such things hanging around in your fridge. I would even have been tempted to put chorizo in it if not for the next course...


Steamed Mussels Swimming in Chorizo Cream
Overfed 6 people

Ingredients:
4 lbs of mussels, debearded and scrubbed
2T butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cups white wine
1/2 lb of chorizo, skin free
couple of sprigs worth of fresh thyme leaves
1 quart of heavy cream
S.P
chopped parsley

Make the Sauce: Pulse the chorizo in a cuisinart until crumbly. Transfer to medium saucepan and lightly saute for a minute or two to start to render some of the fat. Add 1 cup of the wine and let reduce for a few minutes. Add the cream and the thyme and reduce by nearly a half. Taste and season. Set aside.

Steam the Mussels: In a heavy pot (think le creuset), gently saute the shallot and garlic in the butter. Add the mussels, give a gentle stir and add the remaining wine. Cover and let steam until the mussels are just open, about 5 minutes or so. Don't overcook them...you want them to be nice and plump. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Spider the mussels into a pretty serving bowl. Strain the mussel broth into the chorizo cream and pour the finished sauce over the mussels. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Overeat, with lots and lots of crusty bread.

Note: There are a million variations of great mussel recipes. Another that we absolutely love slathers the mussels in a gorgonzola cream sauce which would be made similarly, using some of the mussel steaming mirepoix (garlic and shallot) to start the sauce, adding and reducing wine, adding and reducing cream and finishing with crumbled gorgonzola. Season with S.P and any herb/spice that strikes your fancy...i love fennel seed in just about anything, but who doesn't?