Star Spangled Desserts

blog 4th table

Article first published as Star-Spangled Desserts on Technorati.

I love holidays! The 4th of July is no exception. I enjoy creating wonderful memories with my friends and family gathered together by the bay for a special celebration! We gather in early evening , sitting out of doors sharing a meal focused on food made on the grill. When dusk arrives, we have dessert and watch fireworks from the deck over the bay, as each town adds some spectacular colors to the sky. The desserts need to be as special as the firework displays in the sky. Here are a few of my favorite star spangled desserts to try for your own celebration.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest 4th of July food memories!
Maryann



blog berry crisp


Red and Blue Berry Firework Crisp
Serves 4 to 6
Topping
1/2 cup  unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup crushed store bought oatmeal cookies
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
4 cups mixed berries – raspberries and blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon raspberry liquor

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all ingredients for topping in a bowl and mix well. In a a shallow baking dish add the berries , cornstarch, sugar and liquor. Mix well. Cover the berries with topping. Place dish on a baking
sheet in to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Serve at room temperature as is or serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

blog red velevet cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafers
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
20 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take a 9 inch spring form pan and line with aluminum foil wrapping the outside twice. It’s important to keep water out when cooking with bain marie. To make crust use food processor to finely grind the wafers, then add  sugar and melted butter and process until moist. Take out and place in bottom of spring form pan. Press down with fingertips to cover the bottom of pan. Bake the crust until set about 12 minutes. Cool crust.

To make the filling : Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar. Make sure to scrape down the mixture with a spatula from the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat. Next add the vanilla until all is well blended. Take a bow and add 1/3 of the batter. To the batter add the melted chocolate and food coloring.

Pour the chocolate cheese mixture onto the cooled crust in the spring form pan. Next pour on top the remaining batter.  Place the pan into a roasting pan add hot water to the roasting pan until it’s half the height of the spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes. In themeantime, make sour cream topping by combining the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. After the cheesecake has baked for 50 minutes remove from oven and spread the sour cream topping evenly across the top. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes,. At this point the cheesecake should be set. Take out of the oven. Remove carefully from the bath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night to set.

Guacamole Days

It’s been a long winter here in the northeast which has moved into a pretty cold spring, but never the less summer is heading our way. Each year I select a weekend in May, usually two weeks before memorial day, which is designated the kickoff of the summer season, regardless of temperature. The deck furniture and accessories are out, the pool is just open and it’s time to dine out of doors. As I invite my guests the first question after accepting the invitation is : what are you making ? The second question is : are you making guacamole? I don’t know what it is about summer and guacamole but it’s the perfect starter for sitting on the deck watching the boats go by and sipping a lovely cocktail.
From by the bay wishing you great food memories!
Maryann
blog guacamole1

 

Here are a few quick tips for making the perfect guacamole:
1. Make it Ripe! Always use ripe avocados, I prefer  Haas. When selecting your avocado it is important that they are ripe, so that you can mash them easily. When you select your avocado test it for ripeness by squeezing the bulbous end of the avocado to make sure it yields to the touch. When you cut the avocado, do so length wise. The pit will be on one side, Take the point of the knife and place into the pit carefully. The pit should pull out of a ripe avocado easily. Once you discard the pit, scoop out the flesh with with a spoon into a bowl.
2. Make it Green! As soon as you put the avocado into the bowl, squeeze lime juice onto the avocado flesh, it will prevent the avocado from turning brown.
3. Make it Chunky! I prefer guacamole with some texture so when mashing your avocado along with your ingredients don’t over do it. I like to use a fork for mashing.
4. Make it Last Minute! Make you’re guacamole close to when you are planning to serve. I am a big fan of making things in advance so that I can enjoy my guests but in this case you’ll forfeit the freshness and great color by preparing before guests arrive. Many times to make it quick and efficient , I have a bowl of all the ingredients prepared in advance except the avocado. When it’s time to eat , I just cut the avocado, scoop into the bowl, mix and serve.
A word about the ingredients:
I have a quick rule of thumb , 1 avocado per every 2 people and 1 lime per avocado
I start with a basic recipe. This recipe is cool and refreshing and works well for children and adults who don’t like the heat of the jalapeno pepper. I use this recipe also as a base to create different variations. My basic recipe is for 6 and makes about 3 cups :
3 Haas avocados, ripe
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a medium bowl add the lime juice and sea salt , let the salt dissolve. Cut and remove flesh from avocado and place into bowl with lime juice /salt along with scallions and mash with fork. Add ingredients listed below depending on the version you are making and mix well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Make it Classic:
To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped.
Make it Red:
To the base recipe add 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped and 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomato
Make it Greek:
Make the base recipe but replace the cilantro with chopped mint and add 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.
Make it Blue:
Make the base recipe but instead of cilantro add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese.
Hope you enjoy your guacamole days!

Mediterranean Grilled Clams with Spaghetti

New York City and it’s outer boroughs are a wonderful place to grow up. This is especially true as a young child discovering New York City.  I often think of NY as a collection of neighborhoods strung together, each one unique to discover. It’s amazing how there are all these wonderful locations tucked away ,often, only discovered when someone who inhabits one of these special places, invites you to share in their special world. Rockaway Beach in Queens is such a place. It stretches on a peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean and is the largest urban beach in the United States. The streets are lined with small bungalow houses. Fun fact these bungalow’s are currently being used to film the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire – recreating the rows of bungalows that once existed behind the Atlantic City Boardwalk – another favorite location from my childhood…but that’s another blog entry. This one is about how , as a child , my family would visit one of those cute bungalow’s in Rockaway Beach. The days were filled with sun, sand and clams. We would dig for clams along the beach and then the clams would be cleaned and cooked. It seemed to me that there were endless buckets of clams to eat, the adults would sit drink and laugh and the kids would be running along the beach. It’s here that I ate my first of many clams right out of the shell. This along with memories of wet bathing suits, sand in the bottom of my two piece bathing suit along with great food, laughter and good company lead me to create my clam recipe that I share today with you.

Wishing you the happiest and clammiest of food memories!   Maryann

blog med clam

This is also know as clams in sand as the breadcrumbs in this dish resembles sand when thrown in around the clams , however you would like to refer to this dish it’s a wonderful dish that evokes the seaside. 


Mediterranean Grilled Clams with Spaghetti

Serves 4


To make clams and bread crumb topping:

1 cup toasted bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

¼ cup toasted walnuts, ground

¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

36 littleneck clams, cleaned 


Directions 


Rinse clams with water removing all sand. Fill sink with cool water, add clams and 2 tablespoons salt Let stand for at least a ½ hour. When ready to grill, rinse with cool water again. 


In the meantime in a large bowl, combine all ingredients except clams and mix well. Remove ½ of the mixture and set aside. Heat grill, place clams on grill until they open. Discard any unopened clams. Toss together with the breadcrumb mixture to serve. 


To make spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti cooked 

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

½ bread crumb mixture


Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Remove from heat and drain. Place spaghetti into a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place onto a platter. Add the clams and bread crumb mixture on to of the platter of spaghetti and serve. 


Note: You can serve this as a clam appetizer by eliminating the pasta and serving the clams with just the bread crumbs. Serves 6.

Blueberry Merlot Sauce with Vanilla Gelato

blog merlot blueberry sauce

Blueberry Merlot Sauce with Vanilla Gelato


2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup Merlot 

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon vanilla


Directions


Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Cool and place in a container. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use. 

Serve as a topping to vanilla  gelato. 

Pan Fried Veal with Spinach, Blueberries and Hazelnuts

blog blueberry veal



Pan Fried Veal with Spinach, Blueberries and Hazelnuts

Serves 4


1 1/2 pounds veal scallopini

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons  whole hazelnuts

2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 tablespoons fresh blueberries

1 pound steamed fresh spinach


Directions

Toast hazelnuts and breadcrumbs on a baking sheet in a 400F oven for 2-3 minutes. Take toasted nuts and bread crumbs along with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and red chili  flakes and process into coarse crumbs. Place in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, mix and place to the side.  Flatten each scallopini between plastic wrap with a rolling pin until even. Coat veal with oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a medium frying pan and saute veal 2 minutes per side until browned. Place on a platter and cover with foil. In the same frying pan add the stock , balsamic vinegar and bring to boil and reduce for 2 minutes. Whisk butter in pieces into the sauce. Remove from heat and add blueberries. Divide spinach  between four plates with veal on top. Spoon sauce on top of veal. Sprinkle top of veal with the hazelnut mixture and serve immediately,

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

blog blueberries
One of my favorite times of year is July! This was especially true when I was a kid. July was when my family would go on vacation. My absolute favorite vacation was visiting with my Aunt Julia and Uncle Tom in South Jersey so we could spend time with my cousins. We would have the best times playing, rough housing with the boys and taking day trips – which always included a trip to the Boardwalk and the Steel Pier. My Aunt’s house was surrounded by farms,  which was especially fun for us city kids from Queens. In July , blueberries would grow plentiful.  We would help the boys pick berries to bring back to my aunt and mom to use for cooking, that is if we hadn’t eaten them all , or worse yet had a food fight with them! I’m sharing here a few blueberry recipes to get you through a long summer day from morning until night.
Wishing you sweetest blueberry food memories!
Maryann
blog blueberry muffin

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 muffins


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon lemon zest

4 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3/4 cup fresh blueberries


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Take a 12 muffin pan and line with paper baking cups. Put  tin to the side. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest. Add melted butter and stir. Add the egg to the buttermilk , mix and pour into the flour mixture and combine.Add blueberries and then fill each muffin liner about 3/4 filled. Place tin on baking sheet and bake  on the center rack for 20 to 25 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes then remove muffins to wire rack to cool. Serve warm or room temperature.

Chuck Wagon Chili

blog chuck chili
Chuck Wagon Chili
Serves Eight
3 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
4 medium white onions chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 ounces canned whole tomatoes with juice
2 cups coffee
2 bay leaves
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Brown the beef cubes in batches in the dutch oven and remove and place in bowl to the side. Add onions and garlic to the remaining oil in the dutch oven and saute under softened , about 8-10 minutes. Once the onions are softened add cumin, brown sugar, cayenne, cloves, cinnamon, red pepper flakes and cocoa powder and stir well. Cook for 1 -2 minutes until fragrant. Put the browned meat back into the pot and then add the tomato paste, tomatoes , coffee and bay leaves stir again and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer , covered for 2 hours, until meat is fork tender. Serve warm in big bowls.

jalapeno fun!

I love spicy food – therefore , I have a burning love for jalapeno peppers. I like to figure out new ways to use these peppers and I am sharing three today! First up, I mixed my Greek background along with my love for jalapeno peppers to create jalapeno hummus. It has subtle heat and is delicious. You can add dish to start any menu. I serve this hummus with either corn chips or pita chips. Next up are my southern biscuits kicked up with cheddar and jalapeno. This is a perfect basic biscuit recipe that is easy to make and very easy to get creative with. Last up or jalapeno rounds dredged in corn meal and fried. I always keep a jar of jalapeno rings in my pantry. These rings fried up make a perfect appetizer for any one with a burning love. They are also great used to kick up the taste of your favorite burger or sandwich. I suggest you work on trying all three of these recipes soon.

From by the bay wishing you the hottest food memories!
Maryann
blog jalapeno hummus better
Jalapeno Hummus
15.5 ounces Chick Peas / Garbanzos , drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Serve cold or room temperature with corn chips or pita chips.
blog jalapeno biscuits
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper, seeded
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Next mix into the bowl the grated cheese and jalapeno. Slowly stir in the milk until you have a dough that can be kneaded in your hands. If you need more milk add a tablespoon at a time until the dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Roll dough out to a half-inch thickness and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. I use a 2 inch round. Place biscuits on a ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Jalapeno Rounds
6 ounces jalapeno rings from a jar
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup canola oil
Heat oil in a medium size frying pan. Place cornmeal on a plate and dip each ring all over in the cornmeal. Place rings into the hot oil and fry quickly and turn while frying, no more than a minute is needed to brown the rings. Place onto paper towel to drain. Serve immediately.

Scallion Cheddar Corn Bread with Lime Butter

blog cornbread

Scallion Cheddar Corn Bread with Lime Butter

Serves 8

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 egg beaten

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup scallions, chopped

¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

½ pound unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 teaspoon lime zest

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter  2 – 5.75  by 3 inch mini loaf pans. In a large bowl combine well these dry ingredients: flour, salt, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. In a separate medium bowl combine and beat milk, eggs and butter. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well. Fold in the cheese and scallions using a spoon. Pour the batter into the mini loaf pan. Place pans onto baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes until the tester comes out clean. Cool on metal rack for 10 minutes. When cool remove bread from pan. To make butter, place softened butter , salt , lime zest and cayenne pepper . Combine well. Serve with sliced cornbread.

Coffee Marinated Skirt Steak

blog coffee marinate steak

Coffee Marinated Skirt Steak

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ lbs skirt steak
  • 2 cups cold coffee
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a sealed plastic bag. Marinate overnight. Preheat charcoal grill or stovetop grill pan. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until cooked to desired degree of doneness. Transfer the steak to a cutting surface and allow to stand for 5 to 8 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin 1/2-inch slices.