EAT-AMERICAN.COM

Apalachicola Gigged Flounder with Little Shrimp, Asparagus, Sweet Peas and Bulb Onions

 (Courtesy of Chef Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar and Grill)

www.highlandsbarandgrill.com

4 filets of absolutely fresh fish such as flounder, scaled and trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ pound small shrimp, smaller than 30 count per pound, quickly boiled and peeled

4 bulb onions cut into quarters, lengthwise

12 small new potatoes halved or quartered and blanched in boiling salted water until tender – about 15 minutes

1 pound small asparagus, blanched until tender, about 3-4 minutes

½ cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen blanched until tender

½ cup reserved shrimp broth from boiling the shrimp

2 tablespoons butter

Several sprigs of fresh mint, tarragon or dill, chopped at the last moment

½ lemon

In a medium sauce pan heat ½ tablespoon of butter, add the bulb onions and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, add a splash of water and cook until glazed and tender, about another 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper.  Add the potatoes, asparagus, sweet peas and shrimp broth and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile heat a large heavy skillet over high heat and add the olive oil.  Season the fish with salt and fresh ground pepper, add to the pan and cook until the edges whiten, about 4-5 minutes.  Turn and cook over medium heat until just done, about 4-5 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the filets.  Remove to a cooling rack, set aside and keep warm.

Bring the vegetables to a simmer, add the shrimp, swirl in the butter, chop and add the herbs, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon and place in the center of 4 deep serving bowls or plates, top with the fish and serve.

Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

(Courtesy of Turtle Bay Taqueria)

www.fishwife.com/turtlebay.htm

Makes about three cups.

1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed , and quartered.                                                      

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 serrano chile, minced

2 teaspoons salt

2 large ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted

1 cup cold water

Place the quartered tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro and salt into a blender

or food processor. Blend well for 2 minutes. Add the avocados, blend for

30 seconds more. Add the water and blend until salsa has a smooth,

sauce-like consistency (about 30 seconds). Keep refrigerated in an airtight,

nonreactive container. Serve chilled.

Baked Oysters with Slab Bacon, Wilted Greens and Breadcrumbs

(Courtesy of Chef Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar and Grill)

www.highlandsbarandgrill.com

Serves 6

30 oysters, freshly shucked (Apalachicola, Bluepoint, Pemaquid, or Malpeque)

2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, quartered, and cut into thin slices

1 shallot, quartered and sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 ounces slab bacon, cut into small dice

2 pounds fresh spinach (crinkly organic if possible) or substitute watercress, or a mixture of green herbs, and lettuces

1 small bunch chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon, finely chopped

1 day-old baguette, crust trimmed and coarsley ground in food processor

¼ pound unsalted butter, melted

2 lemons, one zested and juiced, one cut into wedges

Sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

1 scrape of nutmeg

1 lemon

Method

Shuck oysters and place on a baking rack. Preheat oven to 500°.  In a medium-large sauce pan, fill ¾ full with water.  Add a handful of kosher salt and bring to a boil.  Drop greens mixture in and blanch 30 seconds.  Remove and shock in a bowl of ice water.  Remove when cool and squeeze dry.  Finely chop and set aside.

In a large sauté pan, add olive oil and sauté bacon until cooked only half way.  Remove bacon from pan.  In the same pan, add leeks, shallot and garlic and gently soften over low heat.  In a large mixing bowl, add leeks, shallot, garlic, blanched spinach, reserved bacon, lemon juice and zest, breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt and pepper to taste, and the nutmeg.  Stir well.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Place the mixture on the oysters, trying not to compress, but leave loosely covering them. 

Place oysters on platters with rock salt and put on the top shelf of oven and bake until golden - about six minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

(Courtesy Chef Stephen Woodard)

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
½ pound sweet butter diced ½ cubes
1 french baggette diced 1 inch cubes
2 cups whole milk
5 whole eggs beaten
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ stick butter whole for pan
½ cup sugar for pan

METHOD

BEAT EGGS, VANILLA, AND MILK TOGETHER.  ADD TO BREAD.  ADD CUBED CHILLED BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS TO BREAD MIXTURE.  FOLD WITH ONE HAND AND LET SIT FOR 2 MINUTES. 

WHILE BREAD MIXTURE RESTS, BUTTER A ROUND 12” PYREX OR METAL PAN WITH ¼ STICK OF BUTTER.  MAKE SURE THE ENTIRE INTERIOR OF PAN IS WELL COATED.  POUR ½ CUP OF SUGAR INTO PAN.  GENTLY SHAKE SUGAR AROUND PAN AT A FORTY FIVE DEGREE ANGLE UNTIL THE ENTIRE INTERIOR HAS A
COAT OF SUGAR.  MAKE SURE TO GET THE SIDES AS WELL.  COATING  HELPS TO KEEP THE BREAD PUDDING FROM STICKING TO THE DISH AND
ALLOWS IT TO RISE . 

GENTLY FOLD THE BREAD MIXTURE FOR THIRTY SECONDS AND CAREFULLY POUR INTO ROUND PAN.  BAKE IN A 375 DEGREE PREHEATED OVEN FOR 45 MINUTES TO 1 HOUR.

THIS DISH IS MUCH BETTER WHEN THE BREAD IS 2 TO 4 DAYS OLD.

Carolina Gold Rice Pudding with Black Walnuts and Cherries

(Courtesy of Chef Mike Lata, FIG Restaurant)

www.eatatfig.com

1-quart water
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup Carolina Gold rice
3/4-cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Bring water and powdered sugar to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Pour rice into boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain. Combine rice, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and milk in saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low/medium. Stirring often, cook until mixture becomes soupy, slightly thick, and the rice is tender, approximately 35-40 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the egg yolks with a wooden spoon. Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl or baking dish, cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or until cold.  Top with chopped black walnuts and cherries, if desired.  (FIG gets its Carolina Gold rice from Anson Mills— www.ansonmills.com)

Carne Adovada

(Courtesy of Rancho de Chimayó restaurant)

www.ranchodechimayo.com

Serves 6 to 8

FOR THE CHILE SAUCE

8 ounces (about 25) whole dried red chile pods (preferable Chimayó)

4 cups water

1 tablespoon minced white onion

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

FOR THE MEAT

3 pounds boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat and cut into 1- to 2- inch cubes

FOR GARNISH

Lettuce and tomato, optional

TO PREPARE THE SAUCE

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Break the stems off the chile pods and discard the seeds.  It isn’t necessary to get rid of every seed, but most should be removed.  Place the chiles in a sink or large bowl, rinse them carefully, and drain them. 

Place the damp pods in one layer on a cookie sheet and roast them in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Watch the pods carefully so as not to burn them.  The chiles can have a little remaining moisture.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool.  Break each chile into 2 or 3 pieces.

In a blender, purée half the pods with 2 cups of water.  You will still be able to see tiny pieces of chile pulp, but they should be bound in a smooth, thick liquid.  Pour the liquid into a large, heavy saucepan.  Repeat with the remaining pods and water. 

Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the chile purée and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The mixture will thicken, but should remain a little soupy.  Remove from heat.

TO PREPARE THE MEAT

While the chile sauce is simmering, oil a large, covered baking dish.  When the sauce has completed cooking, layer enough to cover fully the bottom of the baking dish.  Top with the pork cubes.  Pour the remaining sauce over the pork.  There will be more sauce than meat.

Cover the dish and put back at 300 degrees until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce has cooked down, about 3 ½ hours.  Check the meat, however, after 3 hours.  The carne adovada can be left uncovered for the last few minutes of baking, if the sauce seems watery. 

Serve garnished with lettuce and tomato on the side, if desired.  Rancho de Chimayó accompanies the dish with posole. 

The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated for a day.  The completed dish can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Add a couple of tablespoons of water before reheating in the oven or on a stove. 

Epi’s Flan

(Courtesy of Chef Alberto Bereziartua, Epi’s Basque Restaurant)

2 ½ liters of whole milk

1 quart of half and half

8 egg yolks

16 whole eggs

5 ½ cups of white sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

3 tsp of Vanilla extract

water

On stove (medium temperature) in a heavy bottom pan, warm but do not boil the whole milk, half and half, and cinnamon sticks. 

Whip in bowl: whole eggs, yolks, and 2 ½ c. of sugar.  Pour warm milk over egg mixture, then add vanilla.  Mix gently.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Put 3 c. of sugar in heavy pan on low heat on the stove and melt sugar until light brown.  Pour into the bottom of 24 individual dishes.

Pour flan mixture over sugar coating.  Place in pan with ½ inch water.  Bake until the tops are lightly browned.  Chill for approximately 60-75 minutes.  Flip into flat plate and serve chilled.

(Makes approximately 24 servings)

Herb Roasted Buckeye Chicken

(Courtesy of Don and Miki Schrider, America Livestock Breeds Conservancy)

www.albc-usa.org

This recipe has been adapted and altered from a recipe created by Joe Simone of the restaurant "Tosca.”  He also suggests grilling.

For Brine:

3 tablespoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons turbinado sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1.5 tablespoon whole fennel seeds

1.5 tablespoon ground coriander

18-24 black peppercorns

5 sprigs fresh thyme

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 sprig of fresh tarragon

3 cups boiling water

4 cups ice water

Bring the water to a slight boil in a large non-reactive container and add the salt, the sugars, fennel seeds, coriander, and peppercorns. Whisk until the sugars and salt are dissolved. Add the sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and tarragon and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Whisk in the ice water and let the brine cool.

Add the chicken to the brine, making sure all pieces are submerged. Add more cool water if needed. Cover the container with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

Roasting:

1 Buckeye chicken (about 3.5 lb)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 fresh lemon, cut into quarters

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry. Place chicken in a roasting pan with a tight lid (we used a cast iron pan and lid). Rub the chicken with the olive oil and shower with lemon juice. Season with several pinches of salt and pepper, and roast with the lemon quarter remains.

Roast for 50-80 minutes at 325 F, or until chicken is just cooked (165-180 degrees F internal temp). Let sit for /- 10 minutes in roasting pan out of the oven. Serves 6.

Note: We use a cast iron pan; pans that heat up faster may take less time to cook, but lose heat more quickly after being removed from the oven. So be prepared to make adjustments. Very important to have a tight fitting lid to retain moisture during cooking.

Kentucky Blackberry Pie with Hard Sauce 

(Courtesy of Stephen Woodard, Stephen's Fine Foods)

Store bought pie shell to keep it easy.
3 pints of wild blackberries(washed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 lemon juiced
1/4 stick of butter cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons of flour
 
 
Combine all these ingredients and mix gently.  Spoon into a pie shell.  Top with one additional pie shell or dough.  Brush with butter.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.
 
Hard Sauce as follows:
 
1 stick of softened sweet cream butter
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of good Kentucky Bourbon

Combine ingredients in a bowl till mixed well, then spoon over warm slice of pie.

Lisette’s Homemade Biscuits

(Courtesy of Lisette Robles Villadoniga)

(Makes 8-10 depending on the size desired)

3 cups of self-rising flour

Regular flour as needed

¼ c of sugar

1 stick of butter (preferably European-style with a higher fat content)

1 ½ c of buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar together.  Add chilled butter previously cut into ¼ inch pieces.  Use your hands to melt and combine butter with flour until the mixture consists of small clumps of dough.  Add buttermilk with a rubber spatula and stir until the dough is saturated.  (Tip: wet and flour your hands to make it easier to clean them later.)  On a heavily floured surface, place the dough mixture and knead gently, at least 8 to 10 times.  Flatten the big ball of dough until it is about ¾-inch thick.  Use a 1-inch floured biscuit cutter (or even an old tin can like it was done years ago!) to cut and separate dough into individualized biscuits.  Collect the left over scraps and re-roll them to make more biscuits.  Place the biscuits onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Serve hot or toasted with honey for a great breakfast or snack.