Spicy Southern Kitchen: Smoked Ham Salad

I'm not sure how I got on this kick of wanting ham salad.  I know my dad would make deviled ham occasionally when I was a child, but that came out of a can.  I decided to taste test that option first, and oh boy, was that terrible.  It tasted the way I imagine dog food tastes.  I decided to go with a fresher option and use a smoked ham slice from the refrigerated deli section of the grocery.  While probably not everyone's memory of ham salad, this make a pretty fantastic filling for a summer sandwich.

Smoked Ham Salad
Adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen blog

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
1 pound smoked ham, cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 handful flat-leaf Italian parsley
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ to 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Place cream cheese and mayonnaise in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times, or until well-combined.  Add remaining ingredients, except for pickle relish, and pulse until ham is finely chopped.  Fold in relish.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Skillet: Ultimate Cheese Omelet

How lucky am I?  Instead of going to a restaurant and waiting for a table, I decided I would much rather have my lovely SO make me some dinner.  While his repertoire is not extensive, he makes a pretty mean omelet, so that's what I requested.  He took it to another level entirely by finding this recipe, which uses three different types of cheese.  The Cheddar crust on the outside of the omelet takes this thing over the top.  I don't think I could have gotten anything better at the fanciest restaurant in town.  Plus, the cook is super cute.

Note: You can definitely use a little more Cheddar than is called for.  Just make sure the bottom of the pan has good coverage.

Ultimate Cheese Omelet

From Skillet

2 large eggs
Pinch kosher salt
1½ ounces brie cheese
1 ounce shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 ounce Gruyere, thinly sliced
Chopped chives, for garnish

Add the eggs, brie, and salt to a large cup and combine with an immersion blender to create a homogeneous, fluffy mixture. (If you leave the rind on your brie, you may see tiny little flecks of rind in your eggs. This is fine; you will not notice them in the final product.)

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, and sprinkle the Cheddar on the pan in an even layer. Once you see the oil start to separate from the cheese, and it begins to look lacy, slowly pour your egg mixture on top of the Cheddar, and let it cook undisturbed until the omelette looks dry on the sides and somewhat firm in the middle, then add the Gruyere in an even layer.

Give the edge of your omelette a little test nudge with a silicone spatula, to see if it’s foldable. Once it is completely set, gently fold it into a half-moon shape. Let cook for another 30 seconds or so to let the cheese melt, slide the whole thing onto a plate, and garnish with chopped chives if you so desire.

Food to Love: Mock Mounds Bars with Almonds (Paleo)

After my somewhat unimpressive attempt last year at making a Paleo version of Almond Joy, I decided to try again this year with a different recipe.  My main gripe was that the ones last year were missing that sticky chewiness that I've come to associate with the recipe, but that particular trait is normally the result of some sort of syrup.  Enter rice malt syrup, a Paleo alternative sweetener that gives just the right stickiness.  Surprisingly, it's not very sweet, so I also added a touch of honey.  These were absolute winners, and I didn't miss the sugar one bit.

Mock Mounds Bars with Almonds (Paleo)
Adapted from Food to Love - Sugar Free bookazine, December 2018

6½ ounces shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
½ cup coconut cream
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup rice malt syrup
1 tablespoon honey
16 roasted unsalted almonds
10 ounces 72% dark chocolate

Stir together shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut cream, salt, rice malt syrup, and honey until just combined.  Firmly press into 16 small "mini" candy bars, approximately 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.  Lightly press an almond into the top of each bar.  Place bars on a waxed paper-lined tray and freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove coconut bars from the freezer.  Using two forks, dip coconut bars into melted chocolate until coated.  Place on wax paper-lined tray.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.  Trim off any excess chocolate.

Makes 16 mini candy bars

Eat Bake Love: Schneewittchentorte (Snow White Cake)

If you remember your fairy tales from your childhood, you'll remember that Snow White had skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, hair black as coal.  This cake follows that color scheme in a delicious way.  And while lovely in its coloration, the cake is actually delicious and rather light, all considered.  This makes a pretty big cake, so be prepared with hungry people.  And the cookies on top are totally optional, but they soften nicely after a brief period in the refrigerator.

Note: The original recipe used raspberry drink powder to flavor the raspberry layer.  Since I couldn't find any raspberry-flavored Fraix online (and raspberry Kool Aid only comes in blue), I improvised with some freeze-dried raspberries and extra sugar.  Feel free to use 1 (100-gram) envelope of raspberry Fraix if you can find it, but you will need to reduce the sugar in the filling to 2 tablespoons.

Schneewittchentorte (Snow White Cake)
Adapted from Eat Bake Love blog

Sponge cake:
4 large eggs
160 grams granulated sugar
75 grams all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
65 grams cornstarch
1 pinch baking powder

Raspberry layer:
1 (1.3-ounce) package freeze-dried raspberries, ground into powder and seeds sifted out (about 2 tablespoons powdered raspberries)
2 cups water
½ cup granulated sugar
2 (1½-ounce) envelopes Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding powder
18 ounces fresh raspberries

Whipped cream layer:
3 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoon powdered sugar
3 (0.35-ounce) envelopes Dr. Oetker Whip It! whipped cream stabilizer
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 (7-ounce) package butter biscuit cookies (such as Leibniz)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter a deep jelly roll pan (about 10x15 inches).

For the sponge cake, separate the egg whites and yolks and beat the egg whites until stiff. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar, then stir in the egg yolks. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and baking powder together, then fold into the egg mixture. Pour in prepared pan and bake for about 12 minutes.

For the raspberry layer, mix the raspberry powder in a saucepan with the water. First add the sugar, then whisk in the pudding powder. Let boil until the mixture thickens. Stir in the raspberries, let the mixture cool, and then spread on the cooled sponge cake base.

For the cream layer, whip the cream with powdered sugar stabilizer, and vanilla bean paste until stiff, spoon on top of the raspberry filling, and chill the cake. Wait several hours before serving with butter biscuits and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if necessary.