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.

Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook: Cauliflower with Classic Hollandaise

I know the picture probably looks freaky, but this is one of my favorite things.  Whenever my mom would make a whole head of cauliflower with dinner, I was always hoping and praying there was a little packet of hollandaise mix in the pantry.  When I got older, and realized that hollandaise didn't have to come out of an envelope, it was like a revelation.  I'm not sure what it is about cauliflower and hollandaise, but it just works.

Cauliflower with Classic Hollandaise
From the 1974 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1 head cauliflower
4 large egg yolks
½ cup unsalted butter, cut in thirds
3 teaspoons lemon juice
Sea salt and ground white pepper
Paprika

Remove leaves and stem from cauliflower head and steam until tender, approximately 15 minutes.

While cauliflower cooks, place egg yolks and ⅓ of the butter in top of double boiler.  Cook over hot, not boiling, water until butter melts, stirring rapidly.  Add ⅓ more butter and continue stirring.  As mixture thickens and butter melts, add remaining butter, stirring constantly. (Water in bottom of double boiler should not touch top pan.)

When butter is melted, remove pan from hot water; stir rapidly 2 minutes longer.  Stir in lemon juice a teaspoon at a time; season with a dash salt and dash white pepper.  Heat again over hot water, stirring constantly until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat at once.  If sauce curdles, immediately beat in 1 or 2 tablespoons boiling water.

Place cooked cauliflower in a large bowl and pour hollandaise over the top of the cauliflower.  Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

D'Artagnan: Mini Wild Boar Roast

About two years ago, I noticed that my local grocery was offering something new and interesting: a mini boar roast.  Now, I love pork products in all their forms, but I hadn't had a lot of exposure to wild boar.  So I didn't grab the roast for a while.  Finally I gave in and picked one up, but I wasn't sure if boar cooked the same way as pork.  I shouldn't have worried.  The recipe below turns out a flavorful roast, and if you get the D'Artagnan version, the meat is mild and tender.

Mini Wild Boar Roast
Adapted from a comment at D'Artagnan

1 (1½-pound) boneless wild boar roast
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons lard or bacon fat, divided use
½ teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Take the meat out of the netting and put an extra cut or two in some of the bigger muscles. Gently sauté the chopped garlic and rosemary in melted lard over medium heat to mellow the garlic (it should be barely starting to turn golden when you take it off the heat), and then spoon all the garlic and rosemary out of the lard and into a dish to let cool.

Generously season the center of the unrolled roast with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, sprinkle with dried savory, and then smear with the sautéed garlic and rosemary. Roll and re-tie the roast, put it in the lardy pan from cooking the garlic and rosemary, rolling it around to fully coat in grease, and season the outside of the roast all over with the remaining salt and pepper.

Roast the boar until a meat thermometer registers 145°F, about 1 hour. Take the roast out of the pan and transfer it to a dish, and then heat the remaining lard in the same roasting pan. Sear the roast on all sides until browned. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Emeril Lagasse: Red Beans and Rice

I've been meaning to make a red beans and rice recipe for a while, but where do you start in selecting one?  Every resident of Louisiana seems to have their take.  I finally settled on Emeril's version because he hasn't let me down yet.  And he certainly doesn't here either.  The final product was perfectly flavorful and spicy, and still filling and meaty, especially with all of the pork products involved.  Don't be fooled - this is definitely a full dinner.

Red Beans and Rice
From Emeril Lagasse

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
3 tablespoons bacon grease
¼ cup chopped tasso, or chopped ham
1½ cups chopped yellow onions
¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped green bell peppers
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Emeril's Essence
Pinch cayenne
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
½ pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock, or water
4 cups cooked white rice
¼ cup chopped green onions, garnish

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the tasso and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the grease in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, Essence, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about ¼ cup at a time.)

Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about ¼ of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Makes 8 servings

The Dutch Table: Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake)

At a restaurant here in my area, they serve this amazing buttery cake called, of course, BUTTER CAKE.  This cake is so good, despite it's rather plain profile, that I have seriously considered calling the restaurant just to order cake for dinner.  I finally decided enough with the silliness, I needed to find a recipe.  Since this restaurant didn't seem to want to give its secrets away, I managed to find the closest thing, a Dutch version.  I have to tell you - this version is just as buttery and fantastic as the original, with the added delight of a ribbon of almond paste that bakes right in.

Note: Since this cake relies on the butter for most of its flavor, use the best butter you can buy.

Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake)
Adapted from The Dutch Table blog

1 (7- or 8-ounce) package almond paste

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 large eggs, divided use
1 vanilla bean, or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using a 9-inch round or an 8-inch square cake pan, press some plastic wrap into the pan, and then press the almond paste down into the bottom of the pan, forming a flat layer.  Lift the plastic wrap out of the pan, and wrap the edges around the top of the almond paste; set aside.  Butter the pan.

Mix the flour with the sugar, salt, one egg, and the seeds of the vanilla bean (or paste) in a food processor by pulsing several times. Add the cold butter, then pulse until the dough comes together. If the dough gets too sticky, wrap it in plastic film and refrigerate it briefly.

Divide the dough in half, and press one half in the pan.  Peel the plastic wrap off of the almond paste and lay the paste layer on top of the dough.  Cover with the second half of the dough, and make sure the top is even. Make a design by pressing with the tines of a fork.  Beat the second egg and brush the top of the cake with it, then bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and as soon as the sides begin to pull away and brown, it’s ready.

Let the cake totally cool before cutting it into narrow slices or squares.

Makes 16 servings

Danielle Walker: Salted Caramel-Chocolate Panna Cotta

Every once in a while I give in and give up my sweet sugary delights for something a little easier on the ol' insulin.  And when I'm in these moods, I tend to gravitate towards Danielle Walker's cookbooks, as I have yet to taste anything of hers that is not pretty darn spectacular, despite the lack of flour and sugar.  This recipe is not any different.  If I didn't tell you that this was a Paleo dessert, I'm not sure you would guess.

Note:  Since I'm not averse to dairy, I substituted heavy cream for the coconut milk in the ganache and caramel.  I used whole milk instead of the almond milk and coconut milk in the panna cotta.  I also used 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste instead of scraping a vanilla bean.  When I made the spiced candied pecans the first time, they burned.  I recommend backing off to about 10 minutes cooking time and watching them closely.  I'm also not sure why you need 16-ounce serving glasses.  I used 12-ounce mini trifle bowls, and it fit just fine.

Salted Caramel-Chocolate Panna Cotta
From Danielle Walker's Celebrations

Chocolate ganache
2½ ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Salted caramel
½ cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk

Panna cotta
1 cup almond milk
2¼ teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
½ vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Spiced candied pecans
¼ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch fine sea salt

To make the ganache, combine the chocolate, coconut milk, and maple syrup in a glass bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches of water in it, creating a double boiler.  Bring the water to a boil and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Divide the chocolate mixture evenly among 4 (16-ounce) glasses and place them in the refrigerator to set while you make the caramel and panna cotta.

To make the salted caramel, in a small saucepan, whisk together the coconut sugar, water, and salt and place over medium-high heat.  Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture turns a dark amber color and a candy thermometer reads 240°F.  Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the coconut milk.  Set aside to cool.

To make the panna cotta, pour ½ cup of the almond milk into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top.  Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining ½ cup almond milk, coconut milk, and vanilla bean seeds and pod in a saucepan over medium-high heat until barely simmering.  Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until fully dissolved.  Whisk in the salted caramel mixture until fully incorporated.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

To make the spiced pecans, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine the pecans, maple syrup, cayenne, and salt.  Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Remove the glasses from the refrigerator and divide the salted caramel panna cotta mixture evenly over the cooled chocolate.  Cover the glasses with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the panna cotta and refrigerate for 6 hours to set.  Serve with the spiced candied pecans sprinkled on top.

Makes 4 servings

Table for Two: Leek and Mushroom Boursin Orzo

I don't know why I keep forgetting how delicious Boursin cheese is.  And it's all ready to go, at a moment's notice.  And it makes everything so nice and creamy and yummy.  So when I remembered all of these things, I procured a package of Boursin and started looking for the most delicious application I could find.  And it didn't hurt that most of the recipes I came across also involved mushrooms, which are high on my list of delicious foods.  This orzo recipe provides a perfect blank template to make the Boursin the starring role.

Leek and Mushroom Boursin Orzo
Adapted from Table for Two blog

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green part only
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup orzo
2½ cups chicken broth

½ package garlic and fine herbs Boursin cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add leeks to the skillet; cook until softened and a bit translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute (do not let garlic brown).

Stir in the orzo and toast, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and stir. Bring mixture to a boil then lower heat to medium-low and let it gently simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until orzo is completely cooked through. You will want to stir the mixture occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of your skillet.

Once orzo is done, remove from heat, then stir in the Boursin cheese and season dish with salt and pepper, to taste.

Makes 4 servings