by Kathy Douglas | Sep 16, 2019 | Desserts
Sweet fall apples, all wrapped up in crispy baked puff pastry. Filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, these baked fall delights are drizzled with caramel sauce right before serving. Perfect for celebrating National #appledumplings Day.
INGREDIENTS
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 small honeycrisp apples, peeled and cored, seeds removed
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons small 3/8” butter cubes, divided
1 egg, whisked
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
To serve:
8 tablespoons room-temperature caramel sauce, homemade or high-quality store purchased
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 14”x14” square. Cut into four 7” squares.
Place an apple on each square. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Spoon the sugar mixture into center of each apple and fill to the top. (You may not use all of the cinnamon sugar mixture.) Top each apple with one butter cube. Brush a 1”border with egg wash around the edges of each puff pastry. Gently bring up corners of pastry to center; over lapping to seal around the apple. Gently press over the apple. Place on a baking dish and brush all over with the egg. Sprinkle each one evenly with the turbinado sugar. Place in the refrigerator for one hour to rechill the dough.
Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes. Carefully move each apple dumpling to a shallow bowl and drizzle 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over each dumpling. Serve warm.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 9, 2019 | Soups
Made with corn stock, this chowder has a clean, fresh picked corn flavor. Spiced with thinly sliced chorizo pieces, it’s the perfect dish to say good-bye to summer and hello to fall.
INGREDIENTS
Corn Stock
Pale Green Inner Leaves of Corn Cobs
6 corn cobs, kernels removed and reserved for the soup
2 peppercorns
5 stems fresh parsley
5 stems fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
INSTRUCTIONS
Shuck the corn, saving the inner light green leaves. Discard the silks and outer leaves. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs and set aside to save for the chowder. Break the cobs in half and add the cobs, 1/2 the inner corn leaves, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and 10 cups water to a large pot. Add the remaining corn leaves on top and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Strain, discard solids, and measure the remaining stock. If you have more than 4 cups, return to a clean stock pot and reduce to 4 cups. Use immediately or refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
INGREDIENTS
Fresh Corn Chowder
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces chorizo, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups diced onions
4 cups corn stock
6 cups corn kernels
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Pinch cayenne
2 cups half and half
fresh thyme for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot. Add chorizo and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to small bowl leaving the remaining oil in the pan. Cool the chorizo slightly. Saving a few whole pieces of chorizo for garnish, slice the rest of the chorizo slices in half and set aside.
Over medium-high heat, add onion to chorizo pan with 1/4 cup of corn stock. Using a flat sided wooden spoon, remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the brown bits have dissolved into the stock and add the corn, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir in. Sauté over medium-high heat until onion and corn starts to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potatoes and stir about 2 minutes longer. Add the remaining stock, thyme, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender about 15 minutes. Add the half and half and the chorizo. Simmer uncovered until heated through, for about 2 minutes longer. Season chowder with salt and pepper to taste and simmer until thick.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 2, 2019 | Appetizers, Entrees
Nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich except this skewered, deconstructed sandwich, cooked on a bbq grill. Tossed in olive oil and Za’atar spices, it’s a grilled baguette, halloumi cheese, and cherry tomato delight finished with a sprinkle of olive oil, more Za’atar, and fresh basil leaves. Great as an appetizer for six or dinner for three.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon Za’atar spice plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
18 cherry tomatoes
12 two-inch cubes of baguette
8 ounces of Halloumi Cheese, cut into 12 cubes
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, small leaves or larger torn into smaller pieces
Equipment
6 metal skewers
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Add the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Za’atar spice, garlic powder and the salt to a large bowl. Whisk the spices and oil together. Add the cherry tomatoes and baguette cubes to the bowl; toss to coat. Make each skewer by alternating two pieces of baguette, three cherry tomatoes, and two pieces of Halloumi per skewer. Brush the remaining oil mixture left in the bowl over the cheese pieces on the skewers.
Grill, turning frequently, until the cherry tomatoes skins just start to break, the bread is toasted and the cheese is slightly browned.
Remove from the grill on to a platter. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over a little more Za’atar spice and top with the fresh basil leaves. Makes 6 skewers.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 28, 2019 | News & Events
Chef Kathy will be at Williams Sonoma Lexington, Summit at Fritz Farm
Saturday, September 21 at 2:00
Enjoy our Cooking Demo Menu: Fall Dinner Party Food
Maple & Cider Glazed Chicken with Apple, Potato, Petit Poivrons, and Chicken Sausage Hash
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 26, 2019 | Desserts, Frozen Desserts
Celebrate a 4th of July dinner, picnic, or party with these fun, boozy homemade chocolate bourbon popsicles. Made with a melted chocolate creamy mixture and Kentucky bourbon, we topped the frozen treats with a drizzle of melted chocolate and some patriotic sprinkles.
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces high quality dark chocolate
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup cream plus 2 tablespoons, divided
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
2 teaspoons corn syrup
Decorative sprinkles, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Break up 6 ounces of the chocolate and put into a high-speed blender. Whisk together the milk, ½ cup cream, sugar, and cocoa. Bring to a light simmer, remove from heat and immediately pour over chocolate in the blender. Add the vanilla, salt, and bourbon and allow to sit for a 3-5 minutes to soften chocolate. Turn the blender on and blend until chocolate mixture is smooth. Let the blender sit for a few minutes so any foam on the surface can dissipate.
Pour into eight 3-ounce ice pop molds or paper cups. Reserve any extra liquid, store in the refrigerator to make more pops. Freeze the pops for about 1 hour before inserting wooden sticks. Freeze for 24 hours.
Line a sheet tray with parchment and place in the freezer. Remove the pops from the molds and place on the parchment lined sheet tray in the freezer. Freeze for 1 hour.
Add the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate with 2 teaspoons corn syrup and 2 tablespoons cream in a microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on low in 30 second intervals until just starting to melt. Whisk until the chocolate mixture is fluid and all the chocolate is melted. Remove the pops from the freezer and drizzle with the chocolate. Immediately sprinkle with decorative sprinkles (if using) and freeze the pops again for 30 minutes. Do this step quickly since the chocolate sets when it contacts the cold pops.
Serve or bag the pops in small individual bags and return to the freezer to save for later. Follow the directions again to make any more pops with the left-over liquid. Makes 8-12 pops.
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