We’re a few weeks past the winter solstice. The skies are still cold and gray, the trees are bare, and by late afternoon the light is already beginning to fade. But every now and then, the clouds break long enough to make us believe spring …
I first made a version of this cake for my book club, probably 10 years ago, after reading The Poisonwood Bible. I’ve modified it a bit since then and make it gluten free now. Many things I like about it: it’s not too sweet and …
Air travel in the 1970s was a far cry from what it is today. We dressed up for a flight, smoked cigarettes on the plane, drank cocktails, and a fancy chicken dinner was served! This beautiful crispy skin on the outside of a juicy boneless breast, with the first wing joint still attached ( so you could easily pick it up and enjoy it), was dubbed an airline breast, but the elegant cut is also know as a frenched breast. Sadly, it’s not a cut you’ll likely find at your local grocery store in the States, but trust me, it’s’ worth the effort to learn to fabricate them. You can butcher 2 whole chickens and have meat for 2 or 3 nights dinner that week and make a chicken stock to have readily on hand.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring chicken to room temperature. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil, sear chicken, skin side down, until golden. Turn and transfer to a baking dish and finish cooking (to 160 degrees) in the oven.
In the sauté pan, add sliced shallots and cook on medium until caramelized, then add prosciutto. Deglaze pan with white wine, reduce, add chicken stock, reduce, strain. Off the heat, whisk in butter.
Blanch, peel and slice tomatoes – set aside. Combine shallots, garlic and red wine vinegar. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over tomatoes.
Served here with crowder peas and spinach salad. Rinse fresh spinach, remove the stems and toss leaves with a few tablespoons of the tomato vinaigrette.
My husband and his friend catch a crazy amount of Florida spiny lobster, free diving, every year during the mini season in Key Largo. We’re always exploring ways to prepare it to highlight its freshness. Steeping makes it easy to remove the shells, then butter-poaching, …
How many different versions of shrimp and grits have you had? Ingredients and shrimp varieties differ all throughout the South. The winning combination for me: fresh gulf shrimp, a few vegetables, cider vinegar and Alabama Conecuh sausage. The prep takes a little while, but it’s …
No doubt the star of this recipe is the crab, so keep it the highlight!
Orange Beach, known as the “Redneck Riviera”, sits on the Gulf of Mexico in L. A. (Lower Alabama) and boasts the most beautiful wide soft white fine sand beaches you’ll ever sink your feet into. As a child, it was our summer vacation destination, and we carried the tradition on with our children. We continue to make the drive down several times a year.
The sometimes long line trails out the doors of Joe Patti’s Seafood market in Pensacola. The smell of salt water wafts through the air as you navigate your way to the center. There, you’ll find the ticket lady, clad in red, perched up on a metal bar stool. The place is buzzing, it moves fast, and you better be ready when they call your number. Gulf of Mexico wild caught jumbo crabmeat (Junior Barbour Seafood) is a must. I use Udi’s gluten fee frozen french baguettes for the bread crumbs.
Thaw out one loaf of Udi’s French bread baguette to make fresh bread crumbs. Cut the crust off and process the rest in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Next, dice fine a slice each (1/4 of the pepper) of red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper and sauté in olive oil a few minutes until soft. Combine 1 pound crab meat, 1/2 the bread crumbs (reserving the other half to bread the crab cakes for frying), a tablespoon of lemon juice and a little zest, one egg beaten, 2 tbs chopped shallots, 2 tbs chopped scallions, the sautéd peppers, a pinch on nutmeg, a dash of hot sauce, salt and pepper. Lastly, divide into individual balls (I use an ice cream scoop).
Make an egg wash (one egg whisked with a tablespoon of water) and brush the tops of the crab cakes and gently coat with bread crumbs. Repeat on other side. Cook in clarified butter until golden on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Enjoy!
If you want to take these to the next level, make this sauce beurre blanc. In a sauce pan over medium heat add 3/4 cup chardonnay, 3 Tbs sherry vinegar, 3 Tbs white wine vinegar, one sliced shallot, a couple of thyme sprigs and reduce to a syrup. Over low heat add a 1 Tbs of heavy cream and whisk in a stick of cold butter (a tbs at a time) until incorporated. Strain. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
“Bruno” checking out what’s going on in the backyard. We have a lot of deer – I love watching and photographing them, but they absolutely devour my hosta, pansies and daylilies!
I think the trick to making a good meatball is the order of operations. Start by mixing the eggs and spices together and then slowly whisking in the freshly grated parmesan cheese (no clumps), followed by gently hand blending the meats into the liquid mixture …
“Are you making the good potatoes tonight?” Meaning, this luxurious potato gratin. There’s a reason these are so delicious: heavy cream, butter, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Great for serving a crowd, or made in individual ramekins for one or two! Preheat oven to 350 …
We love anything curry at our house. This is the soup I make when the calendar says autumn but Alabama still feels like summer. Roasted cauliflower gives it warmth and depth, while coconut milk, lime, lemongrass and ginger keep it bright and fresh.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the cauliflower in half and then cut the crown away from the stem. Cut off the florets into same size pieces (I like to slice the florets so they lay flat when roasting). On a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 – 30 minutes, turning over with a spatula half way through cooking. Don’t crowd the cauliflower – Leaving some space between allows the vegetables to caramelize instead of steam. Reserve a few for garnish.
Peel the outer layer of the lemongrass, cut off the stalks, and beat the stalks with a mallet.
Crush the Kaffir lime leaves between your fingers to release their flavors.
In a dutch oven, with a little olive oil, cook onion on low heat, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to moderate, cooking until lightly brown and caramelized.
Add lemon grass, curry, chili sauce, lime leaves, ginger and sauté one minute.
Add chicken broth, a squeeze of lime juice and zest. Taste. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
Remove lemongrass stalks and lime leaves. Add a few florets of roasted cauliflower. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
Add coconut milk, remaining cauliflower, tomatoes and chicken, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Garnish with roasted cauliflower, cilantro, lime slice and diced avocado. Serve over rice if desired.
Don’t let all the garnishes land in the center. Scatter avocado and cilantro across the surface and place 2 caramelized slices of cauliflower on top along with a twisted lime wedge nestled beside them.
I typically go for the creamy, custardy, dessert over chocolate (unless it’s a dark chocolate molten lava cake with ice cream). A meal is not complete without a sweet bite to finish. Crème Caramel is one of my favorite desserts to serve. It’s sort of …
