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Andrea's Cooktales - Series 2, Episode 21 - Caribbean Seared Tuna w/ Mojito Sauce
Andrea's Cooktales - Series 2, Episode 17 - Nenne's Pecan Pie
Andrea's Cooktales - Series 2, Episode 4 - Fried Chicken 'N Corncakes w/ Pepper Jelly Syrup
Seafood Pasta with Smoked Oysters
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?! Where I use unique but commonly found ingredients and teach you how to cook with them! This week's ingredient is honeycomb!
Continuing my "What Do You Do with That?" post on Smoked Oysters, I wrote this recipe a long time ago, but this time I added smoked oysters. We had this for dinner last night and all I have to say is... Oh. My. Gosh.!!!!! This recipe is to die for!!! The smoked flavor from the oysters is soaked up by the pasta and comes out in every bite! Adding smoked oysters is a thrifty ($2 a can) way to add more seafood to your pasta without breaking the bank, and it makes it taste even better!
Grocery list:
1 pound fettuccine
Kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large shallots - sliced
Pepper
3 large garlic cloves - mined
1 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 tsp thyme - minced
1 cup white wine
1 pound shrimp - peeled, deveined, tails off
1 pound clams
3 oz can smoked oysters - drained and rinsed
1 lemon - juiced
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup parsley - chopped
Directions:
1. Boil fettuccine in a pot of salted water, using the package directions as a guide, until the pasta is al dente. Drain and reserve at least one cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
2. In a large sauté pan heat olive oil over medium low. Add the shallots with a dash of salt and pepper and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper flake, and thyme and cook for one more minute.
3. Pour in the wine and add the shrimp and clams. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until clams open and shrimp is pink. Add the smoked oysters, lemon juice, butter, parsley, fettuccine, and about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water (add more pasta water as needed). Stir together, let cook for about one more minute, and serve.
CHEERS TO HAPPY COOKING!!!
Smoked Oyster Cracker Bites
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?! Where I use unique but commonly found ingredients and teach you how to cook with them! This week's ingredient is honeycomb!
As weird (and maybe unappetizing) as these may sound, I'm gonna go down memory lane on this one and share a story with you. When I hated seafood and wouldn't touch it, my father-in-law had this appetizer at a holiday gathering. He is a crazy good cook - like one of the best - and Tres was able to talk me into trying these smoked oyster crackers. And guess what?! Little Miss Picky loved them! I've graduated from my picky stage (thank the good Lord above), and now I'll eat just about anything. But when I didn't think I'd ever like seafood, I liked these. And you will too!
Grocery list:
20-25 fancy, round crackers
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese - room temperature
1 (3 oz) package smoked oysters - drained and rinsed
Hot pepper jelly
Fresh dill
Fleur de sel or Sea Salt
Directions:
Spread a generous amount of cream cheese on each cracker and top with a single smoked oyster. If you don't have enough oysters for each cracker, cut larger ones in half to make extra. Spoon a large dollop of hot pepper jelly over each oyster. Top each with a sprig of dill and sprinkle of fleur de sel. Serve on a white platter for beautiful presentation.
CHERRS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
What Do You Do with That: Canned Smoked Oysters
Drop by my blog every week to see an unusual, out of the ordinary, yet easy to find ingredient. I'll teach you about it, give you a quick flavor profile, and of course several recipes and new ideas on how to cook with it!
This week, it's an ingredient that may scare you a little bit but it shouldn't because it's delicious! If it helps at all, the first time I had these I was the most picky eater on earth and refused to eat seafood. My father-in-law made the Smoked Oyster Cracker Bites appetizer, and Tres talked me into trying them. I'm not gonna lie: I loved it and it inspired my very first "What Do You Do with That?" post!
Recipes
Seafood Pasta with Smoked Oysters
Fun Facts
They're at their freshest when packaged! Canned Smoked Oysters are usually steamed when they're fresh, smoked for extra flavor, and finally packaged in oil.
They're easy to find! You can get them at just about any grocery store in the same section as canned tuna and crab.
They're affordable! They are anywhere from $2 to $3 for a small can that will have anywhere from 20 to 30 small oysters in them.
They're a lovely way to eat "rich" on a budget! They're just so darn fancy looking, and they have that slight fishy taste that makes you think of caviar. Now, let me get this straight, they are NOT the flavor of caviar, they just can be served similar and have that slight "ocean" taste.
Flavor Profile
Meaty
Smoky
Slightly salty
Slightly fishy
What else to do with them:
You can do almost anything with smoked oysters that you do with any seafood. Try them in your seafood stew or soup the next time you make it. Replace your crab or tuna dip with a smoked oyster dip. Try them on a crostini or as a replacement for any basic oyster recipe. Or maybe do your next Oysters Rockefeller or Oysters Bienville dish using them!
Local Memphis Live: Cooking Segment 2/22/16
This week, I'm launching a video series on my blog: "What Do You Do With That?!" The series will feature common grocery store items that may be so odd you thought, "what in the world do I do with that?!" These may be items you have seen before but passed right over because you weren't sure how to use them in your cooking. I'm going to help you break that cycle and try new, unique recipes. Each week I will feature a new ingredient with a flavor profile, 2 to 3 recipes to go with each, and other ideas on what to do with them. This is gonna be lots of fun!
5 Tips for Perfect Healthy Soup
Five Pepper Lemon Chicken Soup
I think we can all agree that winter may sometimes feel like it will never end, but it gets to a point where you know the seasons of spring, summer, and swimsuits are just right around the corner. I hate compromising or even considering giving up comfort food when my bones are still chilled, yet I know I need to pull it together in the body department. Tres and I are headed to Miami next week for the SOBE Wine and Food Festival and I'd hate to feel not-so-fabulous when I get in my 'kini. In the cases of quick diets and fasting, I always turn to soup! Watch my 5 Tips on how to make the most perfect healthy soup!
Grocery list:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion - diced
3 large celery sticks - diced
2 carrots - diced
Kosher salt
3 garlic cloves - minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp rainbow peppercorns - roughly grinded using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 tsp Rosemary - minced
1 bay leaf
8 cups chicken stock
Zest 2 lemons
Juice 4 lemons
1 large Parmesan rind
4 cups spinach or kale
1/4 oz whole wheat spaghetti - torn into pieces (optional)
Meat from the breast of a rotisserie chicken - shredded
Parsley (optional), for serving
Tomatoes (optional), for serving
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional), for serving
Extra Virgin Olive oil (optional), for serving
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add the onions, celery, carrots, and about 1 tsp of kosher salt. Cook until veggies are translucent. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, grinded peppercorns, rosemary, and bay leaf. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until toasty and fragrant.
2. Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan rind, spinach, and spaghetti (if using) and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Simmer and add the shredded chicken. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes but up to several hours. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor.
3. Serve in bowls and top with parsley, tomatoes, fresh Parmesan, and olive oil.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Rose Shortbread Cookies
Photo by: Nicole Cole
I wrote this cookie recipe two Valentine years ago and it's taken me all that time to perfect it and feel like it was good enough to share! It's been delicious since the first time I made it but now it's absolutely amazing! I can't think of anything more romantic for Valentine's Day than the subtle flavor of rose in a dessert. You will LOVE these cookies!
Grocery List:
For the cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp rose water
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp rose water
Sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, and rose water together with a hand or stand mixture until completely combined and fluffy. In a medium bowl, sift the flour and salt together and slowly add to the sugar-butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
2. Dump onto a clean, lightly floured surface and shape into a smooth, flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out. Using heart-shaped or circle cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes until they start to brown on the sides. Let cool.
3. Make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners sugar, heavy cream, and rose water in a medium bowl. If it's too clumpy and thick, add more cream. If it's too thin, add more confectioners sugar. Dip cookies in the glaze and sprinkle with red or pink sprinkles. Let the glaze harden before serving.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Cherry Almond White Hot Chocolate
RECIPE:
Grocery list (4-6 servings):
2 cups fresh or frozen cherries
4 tsp sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups milk
1 tsp almond extract
Whipped cream, for garnish
Toasted sliced almonds, for garnish
Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Directions:
1. Put the cherries and sugar in a food processor and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Blend together and pour into a strainer over a bowl. Using a spoon, press down on the cherry blend to get as much liquid into the bowl as possible. You should have close to one cup of liquid.
2. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth then slowly pour in the milk, cherry juice, and almond extract. Whisk together and serve in mugs when warm. Garnish with whipped cream, almonds, and a cherry if desired.
CHEERS TO HAPPY DRINKING!!
Local Memphis Live: Cooking Segment 2/8/16
Video: Rosy Pisco Sour
The first time I had anything rose flavored, I was in Vegas and had a drink called Walk in the Garden. It tasted like absolute roses! I told myself I had to go home and start cooking with rose water, and since then, I break the rose water out to cook with every Valentine's Day. This cocktail is romantic and heavenly.
Grocery list:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 3/4 cup ice
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 3/4 cup Pisco
- 1/4 cup grenadine
- 4 egg whites
- 2 dashes bitters
- Rose petals (optional)
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, rose water, and 1/2 cup water to a boil over high heat. Take off the heat and let cool.
2. Add the rose simple syrup to a blender with ice, lemon juice, Pisco, grenadine, egg whites, and bitters. Blend at the highest speed for about 20 second or until foamy.
3. Pour into 4 lowball glasses and garnish with rose petals.
CHEERS TO HAPPY DRINKING!!!
Mini King Cake Bread Puddings w/ Salted Whisky Sauce
When I think of Mardi Gras, I think of the first time Tres took me to New Orleans. It was a trip of fun, food, drinks and parades, but it was also the first time he introduced me to his grandmother. Tres mom and dad both grew up in New Orleans, and at the time, his dad's mom still lived there. When I met Mawmaw she was in her late 80s and had lots of stories to tell of Mardi Gras and the "wicked city" (as she put it), of New Orleans. A couple of years later, Tres and I got married in New Orleans and a few months after that we attended MawMaw's 90th birthday party. She is no longer with us, but many times when I think of Mardi Gras, I think of her. Because King Cake is the "king" of Mardi Gras, I thought why not make another NOLA favorite from it: bread pudding!
Grocery list:
6 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp almond extract
4 cups leftover King Cake - cubed
Cooking spray
1/2 cup pecans - chopped
Green, purple or yellow sprinkles (optional)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp whisky
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond extract together in a large bowl. Add the cubed King Cake and let sit for at least one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by spraying the inside of each cup with cooking spray. Spoon the mixture into each cup, 3/4 of the way up, being careful to not fill completely to the top. Sprinkle with the pecans and sprinkles. Bake for 15-20 minutes until custard is golden and set, being careful to not overcook.
3. Make sauce by whisking together the butter, brown sugar, whisky, corn starch, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let come to a slight boil and simmer until thick. Pace the mini bread puddings on a platter and spoon the sauce over the top.
CHEERS TO A HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!
Super Bowl Snacks for the Perfect Party Host
Since I can remember, I've always loved the Super Bowl... But it was never for the actual game. I love any good excuse for a party, and the only thing I ever REALLY love about the Super Bowl is the food that comes with it. I have picked my favorite dips and snacks for those folks who care more about the food than the game!
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RECIPES WITH BEER PAIRINGS PAIRED BY MEMPHIS CRAFT BEER
See Video for these recipes and their beer pairings!
Visit Memphis Craft Beer for more beer info and perfect game day beers!
Beer Pairing: Lucid Kolsch from Memphis Made or any light, easy drinking ale
Beer pairing: Ananda from Wiseccre Brewing or any crisp IPA
Beer pairing: ESB from High Cotton Brewing or any malty, creamy ale
Video: Pork Rind BBQ Nachos
King Cake Blizzard
Grocery list (2 large or 4 small blizzards):
4 cups vanilla ice cream
2 cups leftover King Cake - cubed
1/2 cup whole milk
Splash heavy cream
Dash cinnamon
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on low until combined and thick. Add more ice cream if too thin, add more milk if too thick. Garnish with something gold, purple, or green!
CHEERS TO A FUN MARDI GRAS!
Snow Day Recipes
The snow is definitely coming this weekend! I'm tellin yall, winter is my second favorite month behind fall, and I'm pretty sure my love for cozy comfort food has everything to do with that. I'm always hoping and praying for a good snow, and when it happens, I always have a list of fantastic recipes ready to go. Here are my top Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner recipes for a cold, snowy day! BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
