by Kathy Douglas | Aug 19, 2019 | Entrees
Our Kentucky State Fair menu was a real winner and loaded with farm freshness – corn and zucchini cakes topped with hickory smoked avocado sour cream crema, and buttermilk marinated chicken that was grilled and glazed with a peach barbecue sauce. All served over fresh arugula.
Peach BBQ Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup tomato sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup peach preserves
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Add to a blender and process until smooth.
Serve warm or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
INGREDIENTS
2 cups buttermilk
1 lime, zest and juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
kosher salt
black pepper
8 boneless chicken breasts
Grape seed oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the buttermilk, lime zest and juice, garlic, chili powder, coriander with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag, add the chicken, seal the bag and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken up to 4 hours.
Preheat the grill pan to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Brush with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and charred on both sides and cooked to 165 degrees in the thickest part. Brush with Peach BBQ sauce and serve.
Smoked Avocado Crema
INGREDIENTS
1 medium avocado, pit removed, cut in chunks
¼ cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon toasted cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the avocado in a bowl. Wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Use a Smoking Gun and trap enough smoke to form a dense cloud under the plastic. Let stand, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
Release smoke, remove plastic wrap. Taste a small piece. If a stronger smoke flavor is desired, repeat the smoking.
Add the avocado and the remaining ingredients to the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Serve over the corn cakes.
Corn & Zucchini Cakes
INSTRUCTIONS
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
½ cup stone ground corn, we prefer 8-row flint corn
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
¾ stick unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 cups fresh corn kernels with scraped corn milk
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed to remove excess moisture
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
4 tablespoons Ghee or clarified butter
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the sheet pans in the oven.
In a large bowl, stir together both cornmeals, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in the corn, zucchini, and chives. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened and all the dry is absorbed. Rest 10 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter on a flat griddle over medium heat until it sizzles. Drop ¼ cups of batter into the griddle leaving space between them to spread. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn, and cook for 2 minutes more or until both sides are browned and the center of the pancake is firm. Keep the cakes warm in the oven on the parchment lined sheet trays. Continue cooking the rest of the batter by adding more clarified butter as needed. Serve topped with Smoked Avocado Crema.
Assembly
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh arugula
Olive oil
Kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss the arugula in a small amount of olive oil to just coat. Add a pinch of salt and toss. Place on each plate a small amount of arugula. Top with a corn & zucchini cake, topped with avocado crema. Then top with a chicken breast and more Peach BBQ sauce.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 12, 2019 | Appetizers, Entrees
Fresh off the grill, this delicious dish is spicy and cheesy. Seasonal Anaheim peppers are stuffed full of corn, chorizo, and cream cheese, then topped with crispy panko bread crumbs and Mexican cheese before grilling.
INGREDIENTS
6 large Anaheim Green Chiles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
6 ounces Mexican cheese mix, finely shredded
½ pound fresh chorizo
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup fresh corn
1 tablespoons lime juice
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare an outdoor grill or stove top grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
Slice the top ⅓ off the Anaheim green chiles, remove the seeds and white membrane inside the chilies; set aside. Chop the chili tops into small pieces and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat; add the garlic and breadcrumbs, cook 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and add to a small bowl; add ½ the cheese mixture and toss; set aside.
Put the sauté pan back on the heat and add the remaining olive oil then the chopped pepper pieces and chorizo, cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Stir in cilantro, green onion, cream cheese, the remaining cheddar, corn, and lime juice; add black pepper and salt to taste. Fill pepper halves with chorizo cheese mixture; sprinkle with the bread crumb cheese mixture.
Place peppers, skin side down, on hot grill rack; cover and cook 5 minutes or until grill marks appear and cheese melts. Make six servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 5, 2019 | Desserts, Frozen Desserts
Seasonal fresh plums make a brilliant contrast to our Ginger Gelato. Made using grated fresh ginger, the ice cream has a clean fresh taste to contrast against the sweet, tart Plums. It’s the perfect way to cool off on a hot day.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2″ piece of ginger, peeled, and grated
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
One recipe of candied plums (below)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the milk, cream, fresh ginger, and salt. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches 170 degrees. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse the ginger for one hour. Pour the milk/cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain out the ginger pieces, pressing on the ginger to extract all the liquid. Return the strained liquid to the pan and reheat to 170 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and pale yellow and the sugar had dissolved into the eggs. Temper the eggs by slowly adding the hot milk/cream while whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches 185 degrees. Do not boil.
Fill a large bowl with ice. Place a medium bowl in the center of the ice. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the clean bowl set over the ice and cool completely, stirring occasionally. When cooled, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Layer the ice cream and candied plums in an ice cream storage container. Freeze until firm; makes 6 servings.
Candied Plums
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Large pinch kosher salt
5 firm medium plums, each cut into 10 wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
In a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Swirl the pan to moisten and dissolve the sugar. Carefully add the plum wedges to the pan, spreading them out evenly. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, shaking the pan every 30 seconds or so, until the plums start to release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the plums with tongs and cook until soft (but not mushy) and golden brown along some of the cut edges, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature then refrigerate until very cold.
by Kathy Douglas | Jul 29, 2019 | Entrees
A delicious combination of blackberries, blueberries, and ginger create a sweet and tart BBQ sauce. When brushed over pork ribs, and then roasted to crispy perfection, it is an irresistible combination. We served it with farmer’s market fresh green beans and grilled baby sweet potatoes.
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce:
1 ½ cups fresh blackberries or frozen, thawed
½ cup fresh blueberries, or frozen, thawed
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of kosher salt
For the ribs:
8 country-style boneless pork ribs
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup blueberry and blackberry BBQ sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the sauce:
Add the berries and sugar to a sauce pan. Cook until the berries have completely collapsed and formed a thick sauce. Strain, through a fine mesh strainer and add the sauce to a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth, measure out ½ cup for the ribs and pour the remaining into a bowl and set aside.
Make the ribs:
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Dry the country-style ribs with paper towels, and if not cut through, cut the pork into separate rib shaped pieces. Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl then rub all over the ribs. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack into the baking sheet. Place the ribs on the rack in the pan and cover with a piece of foil. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the ribs internal temperature is 140˚F. Remove the foil and brush the ribs with half the barbecue sauce. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes longer or until the temperature has reached 145˚F. Remove from the oven, brush with the remaining sauce and serve with extra sauce for dipping. Makes 4 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Jul 21, 2019 | Salad
A perfectly light meatless dinner for a summer evening – succulent grilled eggplant and vegetable salad with croutons and freshly made ranch dressing. We added our favorites – cubed pickled yellow beets, cherry tomatoes, microgreens and watercress, but you can select your own ingredients to customize your salad to taste.
INGREDIENTS
Grilled Eggplant & Bread Croutons
2 small eggplants, slice into ¼” rings
4 slices of country bread
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Thinly sliced green onion tops
Salad Ingredients
Use these or choose your favorites!
10-12 Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ cup yellow pickled beets, cubed
3 cups watercress or your favorite salad greens
Microgreens, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Grilled Eggplant & Bread Croutons
Heat a grill to high. Brush the eggplant slices and each side of the bread with olive oil. Light salt both. Place the eggplant on the grill and cook until well marked and the eggplant is cooked through, about 2-4 minutes per side. Place the bread on the grill and cook until well-marked. Cool the bread and cube it into crouton sizes.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
In a medium bowl, whisk in mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice until a smooth dressing forms. Season with fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Add to a bowl and top with more fresh ground pepper and green onions.
Assembly
Place the dressing in a bowl on a large platter. Arrange the greens and top with the eggplant, croutons, and vegetables. Makes 4 servings
Recent Comments