Banana Pepper Mustard

   A while back I went to a local brewery with a couple of colleagues where they served locally baked soft pretzels with banana pepper mustard for dipping.  Let me tell you, I couldn't get enough of the mustard.  It was tangy, sweet, a teeny bit hot and completely addictive.  As I was stuffing my face with bites of pretzels dripping with mustard, I asked my friend if they sold it and he told me I should be able to make it.

A few days later, a recipe for hot pepper mustard landed in my inbox and it was the base for this recipe.  This was so easy.  Basically just boil your ingredients, let the mixture cool and then mix in a slurry of flour and water to thicken the whole thing up.  I would recommend adding the flour mixture while the mustard is still hot to avoid lumps.  I didn't do this and had some lumps but I was able to whisk them out pretty easily.

This golden yellow treat is perfect to serve alongside a big bowl of pretzels for the Super Bowl, or any other TV watching that requires snacks.  I placed it in cute little jars and gave some away for Christmas gifts.  I can't wait until summer to smear it on grilled hot dogs and I imagine it would be equally fabulous on any sandwich from turkey to brats, to even burgers.

Totally one of my favorite recipes recently!

Banana Pepper Mustard
adapted from allrecipes.com

10 banana peppers, stems removed
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Remove seeds from the banana peppers and give them a rough chop.  Place in a food processer and process until smooth.  Pour into a large pot and stir in the mustard, sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, and salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil and boil until it is boiling so hard you can't stir it down.

Turn off the heat and allow the mustard to cool.  Stir together the flour and water until smooth.  Add the flour/water mixture to the mustard and whisk to combine.  Turn the heat back and bring to a boil to thicken the mixture.  Remove from heat, cool, and then place in sterilized jars if you are not going to use right away.  If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Moroccan Meatballs

Like just about every other woman in America, I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug.  I actually started using it over a year ago and knew it would be a big 'ol hit.  It's the crack of the Internet.

I consider myself a moderate pinner, not pinning any and everything and I also regularly complete projects and recipes that I've pinned.  But I often forget to go there when I'm looking for inspiration.  And, the food pins were piling up so I'm trying to make at least one pinned recipe a week.

Moroccan Meatballs were deemed pin-worthy because they contain lamb, a meat I find myself liking more and more all the time.  A paste of onion, garlic, ginger, and if you want more heat, a spicy pepper flavor both the meatballs and the sauce.  The tender lamb is braised in a lovely tomato sauce rich with spiciness from the ginger.  This is a great twist on an old favorite!

Moroccan Meatballs
adapted from Dinner du Jour

Serves 4
1 medium onion, chopped
3 gloves of garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14.5 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
fresh cilantro, chopped

Place onion, garlic, and ginger in food processor and pulse to create a thick paste.  


Place ground lamb in large bowl.  Season with cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and half of onion-garlic-ginger mixture and mix until combined.  Roll into 1 inch meatballs.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add meatballs, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook until they are brown on all sides.  Once all of the meatballs are browned, move them to the edge of the pan and add the remaining onion-ginger-garlic paste.  Stir, and cook for about a minute.  Add the canned tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock.  Stir and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.  Cook until the mixture has thickened, adding more stock if needed, and the meatballs are cooked through.  It will take about 25 - 30 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve over couscous, rice, or noodles.

Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce

I decided to pull out a few cookbooks from my modest library recently that I hadn't cracked open in far too long.  I quickly tabbed a bunch of recipes to make including several in At Blanchard's Table:  A Trip to the Beach Cookbook.  The Blanchards uprooted their successful life in Vermont, moved to the island of Anguilla, and opened a restaurant.  I love their story and their cookbooks.  Pick up their memoir and I promise you will be yearning to start your own adventure.

Their recipe for Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce is easy, elegant, and delicious. We love shrimp around here but find it is often lacking in flavor.  I was surprised that these shrimp had such a fabulous flavor with so few ingredients.  Breadcrumbs soak up olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley.  The breadcrumbs are then piled on the shrimp before they are quickly grilled or broiled.  A three-ingredient soy sesame sauce is drizzled over the completed skewers.  Prep your shrimp in advance and this recipe goes from prep to plate in less than fifteen minutes.

As evidenced in the picture above, I didn't soak the wood skewers and spent a little bit of time at the grill literally putting out fires.  Didn't negatively impact the flavor one bit though.  After taste-testing the soy sesame sauce I wasn't sure that the strong flavors wouldn't detract from the shrimp, but I drizzled some on in the spirit of completing the recipe as written.  And it worked, complementing the shrimp perfectly.

Not only will this cookbook be a regular on my kitchen counter, but I am planning on making this recipe again this week!

Crusty Grilled Shrimp with Soy-Sesame Sauce
At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook, Melinda Blanchard and Robert Blanchard

1 pound large shrimp
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup dry, unflavored bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Soy - Sesame Sauce (recipe follows)
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler.

Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on.  Using a small knife, butterfly the shrimp by slicing down the length of the inside of each.  Be careful not cut cut all the way through.  Spread and flatten the butterflied shrimp.

Weave the shrimp onto the skewers, making sure the skewer is pierced through each in three places to keep the shrimp from curling around.  In a medium bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Put the breadcrumb mixture in a pile on a cutting board.  Coat both sides of the shrimp with the breadcrumbs.  Grill or broil on both sides until just done, about 4 minutes.  Drizzle with the Soy-Sesame Sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Soy-Sesame Sauce
makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.

Lyonnaise Garlic & Herb Cheese

I wasn't planning on making this one and hadn't really paid much attention to it when reading Around My French Table.  My curiosity got the better of me and after reading the recipe I couldn't pass it up.

A spinoff on boursin cheese, Lyonnaise Garlic & Herb Cheese starts with fromage blanc or ricotta.  Attempting to turn something as ordinary as ricotta cheese into something else proved too tempting, and too easy, to pass up.  Ricotta is strained for as little as a couple of hours or overnight to remove the excess liquid.  Garlic, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, and herbs are then gently folded into the mixture to create a delicious little surprise.

I made a few substitutions, red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar (which I can never find), thyme instead of tarragon but I think part of the fun of this recipe was the freedom to use whatever you have on hand to jazz it up.  Except for garlic, I think it is a non-negotiable ingredient here.  

I was super surprised at how good this was.  I couldn't walk by the bowl without scooping up the garlicky, herb-y flavored cheese with a cracker.  I'm sure it would be equally delicious with any variety of crudities.  I also found it to delicious when smeared on a toasted baguette and topped with thin slices of grilled steak.  Oooh, I just had an idea.  This would be a fantastic addition to any lasagna!

The recipe can be found here.  Please visit French Fridays with Dorie to see what my fellow Doristas thought of this one!

Fast & Easy Puff Pastry

I was pretty sure I would never have the desire, much less attempt, to make puff pastry from scratch.  Why make something that is notoriously labor intensive when you can just pull out a box from the freezer?

But then I came across this recipe for Fast and Easy Puff Pastry from King Arthur Flour.  King Arthur Flour is always talking me to into doing, and buying, things I normally wouldn't.  Their catalogs and web site are full of too-good-to-be-true recipes and items all wrapped up in an aw-shucks, folksy demeanor.  I am a sucker and can't resist the temptation of their easy recipes and best sellers.

I don't think I have every been dissatisfied with anything I've tried from them.  And I ain't always easy to please.  So I decided to make their puff pastry.  

As promised, this recipe was fast and easy.  And delicious.  And comes together in about 20 minutes.  It takes longer than that to thaw the packaged stuff.  A bonus, making it yourself is significantly less expensive.  What's not to love here?

So what did I make with my made-with-my-own-two-hands puff pastry?  You'll have to stay tuned...

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add the butter.

Work the butter it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture.  (It looks like I have a lobster claw instead of a hand here.)

Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.

Stir in the sour cream.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Bring the mixture together with a few quick kneads.  It may feel like you have a pile of crumbs that will never come together.

But it does.

Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  Pretend this is a perfect rectangle.  Geometry was not my best subject.

Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.

Flip the dough over, give it a 90 degree turn on your work surface, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.

 Fold it in three again.  Voila!  Puff Pastry!

Fast and Easy Puff Pastry

King Arthur Flour

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pats

1/2 cup sour cream

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture.  Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces.

Stir in the sour cream; the dough won't be cohesive.  Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.

Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  

Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter.

Flip the dough over, give it a 90 degree turn on your work surface, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  Fold it in three again.

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before using.  To make pastry, roll into desired size.

Freeze dough for prolonged storage, up to 2 months.  To use, thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Warm Pimento Cheese Dip

Pimento cheese is ubiquitous here in the South but I have only warmed up to it recently.  For years it was the idea of pimentos that turned me off.  I hate olives and the little burst of red inserted into them didn't make either ingredient more appealing.  I can't remember when I finally bite the bullet and gave it a try, but now I'm hooked.  

Pimento cheese is a simple spread of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and some seasoning.  A million recipes offer variations on the basic but I prefer mine classic without too many frou-frou ingredients.  I love it on crackers or smothering a juicy burger but when I saw this recipe for Warm Pimento Cheese Dip, I knew I had to give it a try.

I love the Tupelo Honey Cafe:  Spirited Recipes cookbook.  So much so, that I just ordered it so I can have it in my permanent collection. Warm Pimento Cheese Dip is a perfect example of  how they put their own spin on traditional Southern dishes.  Three types of mustard are added and then the mixture is heated up.  Talk about addictive!  I loved this.  My only change would be to cut back on the mustard.  Not a lot, just a teeny bit.  I also think it would be great served with bread cubes, slices of baguette, or various veggies.

To all my Southern friends, try this riff on the traditional pimento cheese.  I think you will be glad you did.  To all of my Yankee friends, this is the perfect way to try this Southern classic!

Warm Pimento Cheese Dip
Tupelo Honey Cafe:  Spirited Recipes 

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely diced roasted red bell pepper
Tortilla chips for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine the cheese, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, stone-ground mustard, mustard powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and red bell pepper in a large bowl.  Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.   Serve with tortilla chips

Parisian Puffs

Another appetizer recipe for this party hearty time of year!


A local restaurant features several unique pizzas on their menu including one they call the Parisian.  A thin crust is topped with bits of Granny Smith apple, cubed ham, slices of Brie cheese, and drizzled with honey.  It is trés magnifique.


I knew I wanted to recreate it at home and when I came across these individual Brie and Apple Tarts, I knew I had the makings of a fantastic new appetizer.

Apologies for:  1) The messy presentation and random shapes.  It took a few tries for me to get a technique and shape down.  Then I didn't take the time to seal everything with egg wash.   2)  The messy photo.  I took these to a party and baked them there so that we could enjoy them warm and in their full glory.


These are a nice combination of flavors and textures; sweet from the honey, tart from the apple, savory from the ham, creamy from the Brie, and buttery and crispy from the puff pastry.  Bite into one and you get a slight crunch and flakiness followed by more crunch from the apple, melting from the cheese, and finally sticky sweetness as you lick the honey from your fingertips.  A huge hit at the party I attended!


Parisian Puffs


1/4 cup flour, for rolling
2 sheets (1 box) puff pastry, thawed
1 small Granny Smith Apple
2 slices thinly sliced deli ham
1 small to medium round of Brie cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons honey


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silpat.


Lightly flour work surface.  Unroll one sheet of puff pastry onto work surface and roll until it's about a 10 by 10 inch square.  Cut the sheet into thirds and then thirds again so that you have 9 pieces of dough that somewhat resemble a square.


Thinly slice the apple.  Slice or tear the ham into pieces.  Please one or two thin slices of apple in the middle of each square.  Top with a slice of ham and then a slice of Brie.  Fold each corner of the pastry to the center and seal with the beaten egg to seal.  You can also brush the top of each puff with the egg wash, if desired.


Place the puffs on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.


Bake for about 20 minutes.  Drizzle each puff with honey and serve warm.

Cheez-It-Ish Crackers

Cheez-Its are one of my favorite snacks but they don't have anything on these sophisticated little nibbles from Dorie Greenspan.

Anyone can make these Cheez-It-Ish Crackers.  Anyone.  Well, anyone with a food processor.  And everyone will be impressed.  These are the perfect, absolutely the perfect, appetizer to serve at a party.  A glass of wine in one hand and the other hand discreetly going back for another cracker, and another one, and, well you get the idea.  Once you eat one, you can't stop.
This is just a savory shortbread cookie.  Creamy and buttery, you get to decide what other flavors you want to add with cheeses, herbs, and/or seasonings.  I like these with a sharp cheddar and a Paul Bunyon sized pinch of cayenne. 

I make a similar recipe from Ina Garten for Parmesan Thyme Crackers where she uses a stand mixer to blend the butter and flour, but I prefer Dorie's method of using the food processor.  The dough from the food processor is so much smoother and moist.  The ones from the mixer are always a bit dry and crumbly.  Delicious, but a bit more frustrating to work with.

Please try these.  As I said before, these are so simple and your guests will be lavishing you with compliments as they brush tiny orange crumbs from their lips.

Cheez-It-Ish Crackers
Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup cheese shredded (I used a sharp cheddar, but any hard cheese will work here)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (Dorie calls for white, but I used black)
1 pinch cayenne pepper (I used a bit more)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Place the butter, cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and pulse until the butter is broken up into uneven bits and the mixture forms small curds.  Add the flour and pulse until the dough forms moist curds again - these will be larger.  There are times when you pulse and never get curds.  If this happens, just process for a minute so that everything is as moist as possible.

Please the dough onto a work surface and knead gently until it comes together.  Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a disk, and wrap the disks in plastic wrap.  Chill for at least an hour and up to three days.  Alternately, you can roll into logs (I like smaller crackers and roll into logs that are about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter), wrap and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  (I needed 2 baking sheets.)

If cutting the crackers out, working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap to barely 1/4 inch thick.  Using a small cookie cutter, cut the dough into crackers.  Gather the scraps together so you can combine them with the scraps from the second disk, chill and roll out again.  Place the cut out dough on a baking sheet, leaving an inch between each piece. If using logs, cut into 1/4 inch rounds and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 14 to 17 minutes or until the crackers are lightly golden and firm to the touch.  Transfer to a rack and cool.  Serve them while warm, or at room temperature. 

These will keep for up to four days in an airtight container.

Yield:  about 50 small crackers

Caramelized Onion Dip

Warning. This Caramelized Onion Dip is seriously addictive. Seriously.

While it may seem like a million times easier to buy pre-made chip dip at the grocery store, it doesn't even come close to being as delicious as this is. I'm not kidding. Make this, and you will never be satisfied with the store stuff again.

I recently decided that caramelized onions are my favorite food. I love them. Honestly, once the onions have hit that point in the pan where they have succumbed to the heat and become soft and are just starting to caramelize around the edges, my mouth begins to water and my heart beats ever so slightly faster. It's a feeling akin to lust.

This delicious pile of caramelized onions are added to some cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise creating a dip that is slightly sweet, slightly tangy, slightly spicy,and over the top good. The perfect addition to your upcoming holiday parties, New Year's Eve, or even super bowl get-togethers!

Caramelized Onion Dip
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten

2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, pepper, and sugar and saute for 10 minutes until the onions have begun to soften. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve cold or at room temperatures with potato chips, pretzels, rounds of baguette or fresh vegetables.

Honey Glazed Almonds

I didn't plan it, but looks like I am posting back to back Cooking Light recipes! I love that magazine. It doesn't feel like a healthy cooking magazine. The recipes are always approachable, doable, and look delicious.
Honey Glazed Almonds are not only delicious, but ridiculously fast and easy. I've made several different types of glazed, candied, or spiced nuts in the past, but these were by far the easiest and one of the best. Each nut is coated with sweet, spicy, and smoky flavor. Honey, hands down one of my favorite ingredients, provides the sweet. Chipotle chile powder adds a touch of spiciness, and cumin adds subtle smokiness. You could certainly play around with different spices, but this combination is pretty darn good. A great, healthy option for on the go snacking, these would also make fantastic holiday gifts. You can make a ton of almonds (or nuts of your choosing) for very little money. Package in a cute jar or tin, and voila, a great hostess or co-worker gift!
Honey Glazed Almonds Cooking Light, November 2011 1 1/2 cups raw, unblanched almonds 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Place the almonds in a medium nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat for 6 minutes or until lightly toasted, shaking pan frequently. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds. Add honey mixture to pan, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Arrange almond mixture on prepared baking sheet in a single layer; let stand 10 minutes. Break apart any clusters.

No Fuss Focaccia

One of my most indelible food memories involved a slice of focaccia while in Italy a couple of years back. The Cinque Terre along the Ligurian coast of Italy is not only postcard-picturesque, but also full of focaccerias, tiny little bakeries that sell nothing but different varieties of focaccia. Seriously. While touring one of the village,s I snuck off from our group and popped into a focacceria and for a measly little Euro I was rewarded with a piece of heaven.

Airy and spongy on the interior, the exterior was crisp and well seasoned with salt. Rich olive oil was generously drizzled over the warm bread leaving lickable trails of its goodness down my fingers. My family found me before I had a chance to finish the focaccia on my own and began stealing fingerfuls. We almost broke into a brawl over a piece of bread there in that sleepy little Italian village before we had to run back to our group. They purchased their own pieces of bread at other focaccerias but nothing compared to that first bite.

Trying to recreate this experience at home would be an exercise in futility because as good as the focaccia was, it was the sum of the experience that holds such a special place in my memory. But I have tried to make focaccia before with ho hum results, until now.

I came across this recipe for No Fuss Focaccia on King Arthur Flour and am in love. With the technique and the results. Truly, no fuss. Truly, delicious. The exterior cracks as you bit into it and then your teeth sink into the airy interior. My husband didn't share my enthusiasm as I held a piece of the bread up to him squealing about how holey the interior was. I know my fellow bakers understand those little joys in the kitchen.

I kept it simple this time and spread good olive oil, from Italy of course, across the top and then sprinkled flaked salt on half and dried herbs on the other half. I can't wait to make this again with some pesto, and then with some sun-dried tomatoes, maybe a little bit of cheese, the possibilities are endless... What food memories have you tried to recreate?

No Fuss Focaccia
King Arthur Flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil (and more for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast

1)  Lightly grease 9" x 13" pan, drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3)  Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, or until it becomes puffy.

4)  While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 375°.

5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

6)  Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with desired seasonings.

7) Bake the bread until its golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

8) Remove from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

BBQ Shrimp

This is another recipe out of my pre-blogging recipe binder that is easy and delicious.

The BBQ in the name is a bit of a misnomer because it does not contain barbecue sauce nor is the shrimp barbecued. The shrimp is quickly broiled in a slightly spicy, slightly sweet sauce. I use frozen shrimp here because it is cheaper and easier but would like to try it with Kentucky raised shrimp in the future. A handful of readily available ingredients: Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, butter, and lemon juice, create a sauce for cooking and dipping. The sauce is the star here as it hits the flavor trifecta of salty, sweet, and sour.

This is ready in a flash and is great for feeding a crowd. Whether you serve this as an appetizer or an entree over rice or noodles just make sure to include plenty of sauce and bread to mop up ever drop of fabulous flavor!

Cooking Notes: Make sure the shrimp is dried very well before cooking to prevent the sauce from becoming too watery and diluting the flavor.

BBQ Shrimp

Bon Appetit, July 2006

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, deveined but with tails and shells intact

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning or other seafood seasoning

Lemon Wedges

Crusty baguette slices

Preheat broiler. Cover rimmed baking sheet with foil and spread shrimp on sheet. Mix melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and Old Bay seasoning in medium bowl for sauce. Pour half of the sauce over shrimp and stir to coat. Broil until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter, serve with lemon wedges, baguette slices, and remaining sauce.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Oh how I loved this.

I thought about this Roasted Vegetable Pizza for weeks before I actually made it. I loosely based it on a Stouffer's French Bread Pizza that I love but have always had trouble finding. This was so much better.

Basically I diced up a pile of veggies (zucchini, carrots, onions, red and yellow peppers), simply roasted them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme. Once tender and slightly caramelized, they became the topping for my pizza. An awesome use for those baggies of leftover vegetables sitting in your refrigerator!

My success to failure ratio with homemade pizza crust is about fifty-fifty. To keep things simple and stress-free, I picked up a ball of fresh pizza dough at the market. For some reason I thought I could channel a Neapolitan pizza maker and stretch and toss my dough into a perfectly round, paper-thin crust. Not so much. I ended up with an abstract art project reject in shape, but achieved the level of thinness I was going for. I heat my pizza stone in the oven to get it blazing hot before putting the dough on it. This allows the crust to start cooking right away and get a nice crunch.

Half a ball of fresh mozzarella was sitting in the cheese drawer (yes, I have an entire drawer to store cheese in my fridge). The thin slices I laid across the top melded perfectly with the veggies. I loved how some of the vegetables hid under the cheese while other patches stood out. I rubbed the high-quality Tuscan olive oil that I reserve for special dishes such as this onto the crust to create the 'sauce'. Lastly, I added a few chopped up sun-dried tomatoes to punch up the flavor even more.

This was one of my favorite pizzas to date. It was bright in appearance and in flavor. The fact that I was getting a serving of veggies was a bonus! Perfect on a hot summer day!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

about 2 cups diced vegetables (zucchini, onions, squash, tomatoes, carrots, peppers)

2 Tbsp olive oil

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

pizza dough

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil

5-6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (optional)

3-4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place diced vegetables on cookie sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss mixture to coat vegetables. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until vegetables are soft and just starting to caramelize.

While vegetables are roasting, place pizza pan in oven.

Remove pizza pan and drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil. This will help prevent the crust from sticking as well as adding flavor. Stretch or roll out dough to desired shape and thickness. Place on pizza stone, being careful as the stone will be very hot.

Brush, or rub in with your fingers, the remaining high quality extra-virgin olive oil. Spread vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes evenly across the crust. Add cheese and basil. Bake pizza for about 10 - 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown on the bottom and edges, and cheese is melted.

Slice and serve!

FFWD - Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Wow! This was delicious!

I skimped a bit on the spinach, okay, a lot but it didn't matter. This is a perfect flavor combination and the custard portion is perfect.

This will be a regular around here!

PS - A couple of weeks ago, I made three dishes that used a rolled crust. I used this handy-dandy item I picked up from King Arthur Flour and found it great for rolling out crusts. I used less flour and had less cleanup!

FFWD - Tourteau de Chevre

I love goat cheese. So it was no surprise when I ended up with three packages of goat cheese in my refrigerator. Not three of the same brand of cheese. Not even three of the same type of cheese. One was a small log of standard grocery store goat cheese. The second was one I picked up from the clearance bin at the cheese counter, and the third was a local goat cheese that I regularly buy at the farmer's market.

Dorie's Tourteau de Chevre couldn't have come at a bettter time. I gathered up my various packages of goat cheese and started baking. I chose to make the sweet tart crust because I wanted this to be more dessert than appetizer. This comes together rather easily and after baking in the oven for a while (I had to bake it longer than Dorie suggested before it set) I was anxious to give this unique tart/torte/cake a try.

It was good, not really sweet yet not really savory. After a couple of bites I decided to drizzle some honey across my slice and could definately see this as a dessert with some fruit. I could also see this as an elegant appetizer alongside some nuts and maybe some chutney.

While I enjoyed it, this is not something I think I would make again. A bit too complicated for an appetizer and not sweet enough for dessert maybe?

FFWD - Mustard Batons

Another quick and easy French Fridays with Dorie recipe.

Mustard batons are simply dijon mustard on puff pastry that is finished with a dusting of seeds. Dorie's recipe called for poppy seeds but I decided to use some black sesame seeds. I went easy on the mustard but would have been happy with more.

These were delicious and would be perfect for a fancy cocktail party or a casual get together. I loved this technique and immediately started thinking of other combinations; honey and mustard, mango chutney, pimento cheese... The options are endless.

Around My French Table is full of easy recipes like this that make cooking accessible, and more importantly, joyful. Check out the rest of the French Fridays with Dories group, here.

FFWD - Savory Cheese & Chive Bread

I was excited to make this week's French Fridays with Dorie selection of Savory Cheese & Chive Bread because it was quick and easy. I also find quick breads to be forgiving and therefore satisfying to bake, and to eat.

I followed the recipe as written using Emmenthal cheese, chives, and walnuts. I considered using a different herb but I haven't cooked with chives much and wanted to try something different.


It baked up beautifully with a golden crust and I couldn't wait to slice into it. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. Not bad, but kind of bland and boring. I went easy on the salt and that was a mistake but even if I had used more salt, it was still a bit lacking in flavor and was dry. More salt and more oil or milk may help with the overall flavor and texture and a stronger cheese would help as well. Speaking of cheese, I was anticipating, and looking forward to, oozy little pockets of cheese but the small dice of cheese completely melted into the batter.

Again, not a bad recipe just a bit disappointing. I prefered these muffins with a similar flavor profile that I baked a while back with the Sweet Melissa Sundays group.

FFWD - Basque Potato Tortilla

First - my apologizes for the crappy picture! This was part of dinner and I was rushing around trying to feed people and didn't have much time to 'style' a pic and the lighting wasn't cooperating.

This week's French Fridays with Dorie selection was Basque Potato Tortilla. I have had the good fortune to visit the lovely city of Barcelona twice. Both times, the hotels I stayed in had a similiar tortilla to this on the breakfast buffet. Preparing and tasting this dish immediately took me back to those visits. I can't wait to return someday!

While not exactly quick, this is easy to prepare. I particularly enjoyed the subtle flavor the garlic and rosemary added to the potatoes. I did cook this a bit long on the stovetop and the bottom was overcooked, but still delicious. My husband wasn't expecting to like it but ended up eating an entire slice and commented on how good it would be with ham. I agree and plan on making this again!

Skillet Pizza

I finally have found a homemade pizza recipe that I love! I have made many 'homemade' pizzas in the past using store bought crusts and have made pizza dough a couple of times too. Making pizza dough presents two problems for me: 1) our family prefers a thin crust and most of the pizza dough recipes make a thicker crust, and 2) it generally requires the use of yeast which is an ingredient I have not mastered.

This recipe includes making the dough from scratch but does not involve yeast. Yay! The yeasty flavor comes from beer. No rising, no punching down, just a quick whirl in the food processor and a rolling out and you have delicious dough. I could not believe how the beer really added a hit of yeasty aroma and flavor. The crust is the perfect thinness and is crusty and delicious.

I followed the recipe below for the toppings and added a bit of fried pancetta (kind of a BBT pizza Bacon Basil Tomato) and it was a great light supper. I am anxious to make this again using different toppings. You could definately add your favorite sauce to the pizza, but I really enjoyed it as is.

I suspect we will be having a lot more homemade pizza in our house with this gem of a recipe!

Skillet Pizza

Cook's Country, August/September 2008

Toppings

4 medium plum tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Dough

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup beer

7 tablespoons olive oil

For the toppings:

Toss tomatoes and salt in large bowl, then transfer to paper towel-lined plate; let drain 15 minutes. Combine cheeses and basil in medium bowl, refrigerate while preparing dough. To save time, combine the cheeses and prepare the dough while the salted tomatoes are draining.

For the dough:

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in food processor. With processor running, slowly add beer and 1 tablespoon oil, and process until dough pulls away from the sides and froms a shaggy ball, about 1 minutes. Using floured hands, form dough into tight ball and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rest 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 1 week.)

Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half into very thin 9-inch round. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Transfer one dough round to skillet and cook, poking any bubbles that form with a fork, until bottom is deep golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip dough with tongs, and sprinkle half of the drained tomatoes and half of the cheese mixture. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until second side is crisp and cheeses have melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Wipe out pan and repeat with remaining dough, oil, and toppings. Sliceinto wedges. When popping the bubbles in the dough, do so gently to avoid scratching the nonstick pan.

FFWD - Sweet & Spicy Nuts & Speculoos

It's a French Fridays with Dorie two-fer! I was on vacation last week and didn't have a chance to write a post about the Speculoos I made before I left.



I had some issues with the Speculoos. The dough was too sandy and wouldn't come together even after chilling. I kept thinking that the recipe should have called for an egg. More on that on a minute. I rolled out the dough, cut out a few small cookies and tossed the remaining mess. Fully expecting these to be a disaster, I was extremely pleased to find the cookies were delicious! Crunchy and full of warm cinnamony/gingery flavor! My daughter commented they tasted like Biscoff cookies, those yummy treats Delta often hands out on their flights. I kicked myself for not being more patient and throwing out half the cookie dough.



Fast foward a couple of weeks and while reading through other blog posts about Speculoos, I remembered the ERRATUM! My baking instincts were correct - the batter should have had an egg. So, I can't wait to try these again with the corrected recipe because they were pretty dang good even with my goof up!



The Sweet & Spicy Nuts were just okay. I like to make David Lebovitz's Candied Peanuts (or almonds or pecans) around the holidays and was excited to try a spicier version of a candied nut. While they tasted fine, I thought they were kind of generic and lacking a bit in spice and heat. I followed the recipe to a tee, and even hand picked each of the pecans out of the batter. I thought this step was a bit tedious especially since I still had to seperate the nuts after baking. Not a bad recipe by any means, just not what I was hoping for.