INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup deiced Vidalia onion
4 cups diced tomatoes
4 cups white corn kernels
4-5 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 small bay leaves
1 pound Maryland jumbo lump crab meat
2 tablespoon chopped marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat, and sweat onions in butter until translucent.

2. Add tomatoes and corn, and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add Old Bay seasoning, tomato paste, chopped garlic, and bay leaves. Increase to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Add crabmeat, marjoram, and salt and pepper.

6. Cook until heated through and serve.

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Adapted from Jim’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup walnuts
4 pounds firm-ripe pears (preferably Bosc, about 8)
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pastry dough

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coarsely chop walnuts, and in a shallow baking pan, toast in the middle of the oven until it is shade darker, about 4 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Peel, quarter, and core pears.

2. In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet, caramelize the sugar, stirring occasionally until it turns to a medium brown. Add butter and stir. Add pears and cook over medium heat.

3. Turning the pears occasionally (be careful not to break them), gently stir in the syrup until pears are glazed and syrup begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in rum and lemon juice and simmer, turning the pears and gently stirring frequently, until most of the syrup is evaporated and pears are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat.

6. On a lightly floured surfaced with a floured rolling pin; roll out dough into a 12-inch round (a scant ¼ inch thick) and drape over pears in the skillet. Tuck edge between pears and rim of pan. With a knife, cut several steam vents in the pastry.

7. Bake tart in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

8. Have a rimmed serving plate that’s slightly larger than the tart ready. Once the tart is removed from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes.

9. Invert serving plate over pie and, wearing oven mitts and keeping plates firmly pressed together, invert tart onto serving plate.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

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Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large egg yoke
1 large egg
2 cups vegetable oil
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons minced red onions
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh, chopped tarragon
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ freshly ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the mustard, egg yoke, and whole egg in the bowl of a food processor, and process on high speed. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream, until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a bowl. Using a spoon, force the egg through a coarse sieve into the bowl. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Adapted from Jim’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

½ ounce dried shitake mushrooms, or any type of dried mushrooms
4 white fish fillets, about 6 ounces each
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grind the dried mushroom in a food processor, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until the mushrooms are the consistency of powder.

2. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and coat it with the ground mushrooms.

3. In a skillet large enough to accommodate all of the fish in a single layer, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-heat. Cook the fish until it is just cooked though, about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness.

4. Serve the fish on a bed of ravigote sauce

Serves 4

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Adapted from Jim’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup butter, unsalted
3 cups half and half
6 large eggs
1 quart turnip, peeled, cooked and pureed
¼ cup roasted garlic
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups leek, sliced (white part only)
Parmesan cheese, grated for lining cups
Butter
Fresh chopped parsley (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 custard cups and dust with finely grated parmesan.

2. Melt butter in heavy bottom skillet. Sauté leeks until very tender and just beginning to color, about 10 minutes.

3. Peel and dice turnips. Boil in water until tender. Drain.

4. Transfer leeks, garlic and turnips to food processor. Process until smooth paste is formed. Add half and half and blend well. Mixture does not have to be perfectly smooth.

5. Add eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and blend until combined.

6. Divide equally between prepared cups, place cups in a baking pan and pour enough hot water into pan to come up halfway on the sides of the cups.

8. Bake until custards are set in center, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from water and let cool for 15 minutes. Turn out onto plate to serve. Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley.

Serves 12

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Adapted from Bon Appetite

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup ricotta cheese, part skim
½ cup whole milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup polenta, fine ground
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup green onions, chopped
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
½ bunch Swiss chard, deveined, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; oil an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish.

2. Wisk ricotta and milk in a large bowl. Mix in parmesan, polenta, salt and pepper.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in heavy skillet or pot over medium-heat. Add onion and fennel seeds. Cover and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the chard, cover and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

4. Stir chard mixture into the polenta. Transfer to prepared dish. Brush top lightly with olive oil. Bake until brown around the edges and firm in the center, about 35 minutes.

5. Cut into squares and serves.

Serves 4

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INGREDIENTS:

Coarse salt
1 pound of elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large leeks, trimmed of roots and dark green tops
Coarse black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock or broth
3 ½ cups grated Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
¾ cup plain bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. When the water reaches a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook until al dente.

2. While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chopped bacon and cook until crisp. While bacon is cooking, split the trimmed leeks in half lengthwise, lay the leeks cut side down and thinly slice into half-moons. Fill a large bowl with water and mix the leeks into the water. Allow the water to settle and the dirt and the grit to settle to the bottle of the bowl. Using your hands, draw the leeks from the water, taking care not to unsettle the dirt. Drain the cleaned leeks on a kitchen towel, pat dry and, and then add to the pan with the bacon. Season the leeks with salt and pepper. Cook until leeks are tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. To start the cheese sauce, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt, then add the flour, cayenne, and paprika and whisk together over the heat until the roux bubbles; cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a little. Bring the sauce to a quick boil and simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in 3 cups of the grated cheese and the mustard. Set aside.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes to the leeks and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.

5. Preheat the broiler.

6. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pasta pot. Combine the reserved leek mixture and the cheese sauce with the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Transfer the pasta to a baking dish. Combine the remaining ½ cup of grated cheese with the bread crumbs. Top the pasta with the mixture. Place the dish under the broiler until the cheese melts and the bread crumbs are brown.

Serves 4-6

Adapted from Rachael Ray’s 365: No Repeats

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INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs (3 eggs if you use applesauce)
½ cup butter or margarine (Oil or applesauce can be used for less calories)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices, drained
10 maraschino cherries, halved, drained
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a 10 inch heavy skillet with a heat resistant handle (I use a cast iron skillet), melt 1/2 cup butter over very low heat.

3. Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter. Arrange pineapple slices to cover bottom of skillet.

4. Place cherries in the holes of the pineapple and place pecan (optional) halves between pineapple slices. Set aside.

5. Separate the eggs into two bowls.

6. In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form.

7. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and yellow.

8. With a wire whisk or rubber scraper, using an over and under motion, gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into the whites until blended.

9. Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter and vanilla. Spread batter evenly over pineapple in the skillet (pan).

10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.

11. Loosen the edges of the cake with a table knife.

12. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Do not wait longer than 5 minutes or cake will stick to the bottom of the skillet (pan).

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INGREDIENTS:

½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup soy sauce
2 medium-sized fillets
¼ cup coarsely ground pepper
Vegetable oil or peanut oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together maple syrup and soy sauce in a deep bowl or Ziploc bag.

2. Stick salmon fillets in the maple syrup and soy sauce mixture, making sure they are completely covered in the marinade.

3. Marinate for 24 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 500°F.

5. Rub vegetable oil or peanut oil on baking sheet.

6. Place coarsely ground pepper on a plate.

7. Remove salmon from marinade and place top side down on to the pepper to coat.

8. Place salmon fillets pepper side up on oiled baking sheet.

9. Bake for about 10 minutes (depending on the size of the fillets). Avoid overcooking the salmon. The syrup will cause the fillets to smoke a little – this is ok.

10. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

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INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup quick oats
1 ¼ cup shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

3. Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix well until texture is smooth.

5. Stir in flour, and then add in oats and coconut. Mix well.

6. Drop 1 ½ -inch mounds of dough onto greased baking sheet.

7. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are slightly brown.

8. Remove and allow cookies to cool before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of medium-large shrimp, peeled with tails on
½ cup flour
½ tsp ground red pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 egg, well beaten
¾ cup shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.

3. Combine ground red pepper, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl.

4. Lightly season each shrimp with the pepper and garlic mixture.

5. Place flour, egg and coconut in three small separate bowls.

6. Dip shrimp first in the egg, then in the flour, then back in the egg, and then last in the coconut.

7. Repeat step 6 for each shrimp.

8. Arrange shrimp neatly on baking sheet.

9. Bake about 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.

10. Remove and serve with a Dijon-honey sauce or sweet chili sauce.

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This recipe for corn and potato salad is light, delicious, and different from your traditional potato salad. There’s no mayonnaise. Instead there’s just a little olive oil and fresh lime juice. The corn gives the dish some added sweetness and nice texture. Our cousins from France just arrived a few days ago for the summer. For their first dinner in the States, we served this side dish with steak frites. Mmm…

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb baby red potatoes, cut into quarters
1 pint grape tomatoes
5 ears of corn, shucked
1 medium red onion, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 handful of fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove from potatoes from pot and allow them to cool for 15 minutes.

3. Combine potatoes, grape tomatoes, corn, and red onions into a large bowl.

4. Add olive oil, lime juice, and fresh basil leaves. Mix thoroughly.

5. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4

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INGREDIENTS:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach – thawed, drained dry
1 (14 ounce) can of artichokes, drained and chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup mayonnaise
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F (190 degrees C).

2. Lightly grease a medium-sized baking dish (I used 3 small baking dishes instead).

3. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.

4. Add artichoke hearts, spinach, and Parmesan cheese to the mixture.

5. Season with garlic and fresh lemon juice.

6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes.

7. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes, until the surface is lightly browned.

8. Serve with lightly toasted baguette slices, tortilla chips, or toasted breadsticks.

Serves 10-12

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INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs pork spareribs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
1 bottle Barbeque sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a shallow baking pan, place ribs in a single layer.

3. Add a little freshly ground pepper and salt (about a ½ teaspoon of each is fine, but add more or less if you’d like).

4. Rub garlic on the ribs.

5. Bake for 2 hours, until ribs are tender.

6. Remove after a of couple hours. Pour barbeque sauce all over the ribs, being sure to cover both sides.

7. Return ribs to oven and bake for another 45 minutes to an hour at 300 degrees F.

Serves 4-6

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I love any dish made with potatoes! Potatoes au gratin, mashed potatoes, potato skins, baked potato soup, stuffed potatoes, potato ragout, potato salad, French fries… you get the picture. The recipe below is one for potato salad. I like using Dijon mustard and sweet relish in mine. I also added a little mayonnaise in this version, but the recipe tastes just fine without it.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Idaho potatoes
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sweet relish
¼ cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat.

2. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, until tender.

3. Remove from pot, and allow potatoes to cool.

4. Remove potato skins, and cut into small cubes.

5. Place cut potatoes in to a large bowl, and add mayonnaise, relish, and Dijon mustard. Mix thoroughly.

6. Mix in red bell pepper, chives, scallions, and boiled egg.

7. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Makes about 4 servings

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Grilling season is upon! The succulent scent of smoky meat and grilled vegetables will soon be filling the air. Mmm… Here’s one of my mother’s recipes for marinated chicken breasts. Since my mother doesn’t normally measure ingredients out, the measurements that I have listed are just a rough estimate. I tested the recipe out myself, and it came out just fine. However, feel free to experiment with the measurements yourself. This tastes great served with some grilled onions and zucchini.

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINADE:

½ cup fish sauce
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pineapples with juice
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-2 stalks lemongrass, minced
½ teaspoon pepper
6-8 chicken breasts, skinned and boned

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken in large, shallow dish.

2. Grind garlic and lemongrass in a mortar until the texture is almost smooth.

3. Rub the garlic and lemongrass mixture all over the chicken pieces.

4. Combine fish sauce, brown sugar, chopped pineapples (along with juice), and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly.

5. Pour over chicken.

6. Cover and marinate for at least 4 hours (preferable overnight).

7. Grill or broil chicken.

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Pan-Fried Crab Cakes with Chili-Lime Dressing, Mango-Cucumber Relish, and Mixed Greens

INGREDIENTS:

4 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
6 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 ½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 recipe Mango-Cucumber Relish
1 recipe Chili-Lime Dressing
1 cup of mesclun or assorted baby greens for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a baking sheet parchment paper and set aside.

2. Combine the butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, green onions, chives, and parsley in a bowl of a food processor and process until well blended and slightly thickened. Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne and process for 15 seconds to blend. Transfer to a medium bowl with the crabmeat and bread crumbs and fold gently to mix, being careful not to break up the lumps.

3. Form the crabmeat mixture into eight 2 ½ to 3-inch-round cakes, about 2 ½ ounces each, and pack gently but firmly. Place on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Place the flour in a small shallow dish. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk to make an egg wash. Place the panko in a third shallow dish.

5. Dredge each crab cake in flour, then in the egg wash, and then in the panko crumbs, shaking to remove any excess breading. Set aside.

6. Heat ¼ cup of the vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the crab cakes 3 or 4 at a time until golden brown, and 4 ½ minutes per side. Add more oil as needed. Drain the crab cakes on paper towels.

7. To serve, arrange 2 crab cakes on each of 4 plates and top with 2 tablespoons of the Mango-Cucumber Relish. Drizzle the Chili-Lime Dressing around the crab cakes, garnish each plate with greens, and serve immediately.

Makes 4-8 servings

Recipe from Emeril's Delmonico

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INGREDIENTS:

½ cup peeled, seeded, and diced mangoes
½ cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers
¼ cup seeded and diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Place the mangoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers in a medium bowl and toss gently with the vinegar and oil to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve. (The relish can be made up to 2 hours in advance.)

Recipe from Emeril's Delmonico

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INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
¾ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the chili garlic sauce, lime juice, sesame seeds, and sesame oil in a medium bowl and stir well to combine. Whisking, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to serve. (The chili-lime dressing will keep, covered, in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

Recipe from Emeril's Delmonico

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http://www.ahamburgertoday.com/

In honor of National Hamburger Month, my sister and I made some delicious onion and jalapeno burgers! Here’s the recipe…

Tasty Onion and Jalapeno Burgers

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1-2 jalapenos, sliced lengthwise and chopped
1 handful of white mushrooms, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
A couple dashes of soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoon garlic salt
1 ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together all ingredients together thoroughly.

2. Form in medium sized burger patties.

3. Grill burgers for about 8-12 minutes or until cooked to preference.

4. Add cheese on top of each burger for one minute before cooking is completed.

5. Remove burgers from grill.

6. Place on toasted buns, and add toppings.

Makes about 6 medium-sized burgers

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