Quick Shrimp & Penne With Bleu Cheese Vermouth Sauce

If you've heard the old saw that forbids the combination of fish or seafood with cheese, this is one recipe that dispels that misguided advice. Lets be real, there are loads of dishes that ignore that rule including Sole Romano or Flounder with Parmesan Crumbs; Lobster Mac n Cheese; Shrimp, Crab & Scallop Alfredo; or even good old fashioned tuna casserole. So go ahead, it's perfectly delicious to cheese up your fish with abandon!

Quick Shrimp & Penne

With Bleu Cheese Vermouth Sauce

Serves 2

• 12 jumbo shrimp, tails removed, deveined
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 T dry white vermouth
• 4 T half and half
• 4 T bleu cheese, crumbled
• 2 small green onions, sliced across - reserve 1 T of the green bits for garnish
• lots of fresh ground black pepper
• freshly shaved parmesan cheese for finishing
• 2 C cooked penne

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes - stir, but do not brown. Once the garlic has softened, add the shrimp. Cook until just pink on both sides. Remove just the shrimp to a plate and set aside.

Add green onions to the oil, garlic and red pepper in the skillet, then add vermouth. Stir up all the good stuff from the bottom of the pan. Add the half & half and stir again; add bleu cheese and stir until smooth. Season with pepper.

Plate the penne in two shallow bowls (to hold all that creamy, cheesy sauce), then divide the shrimp and sauce between them. Garnish with green onion and shaved parm. Add a green salad and dinner is ready in minutes!

NOTE: This really is a quickie recipe...as long as you have cooked pasta on hand, and I did. 

Pro Tip: Cook that whole box of pasta even if you only need part of it, and freeze what's left for fast future dinners (just be sure to cook it only to the al dente stage before freezing in 2 C portions). 

Bacon Wrapped and Stilton-Stuffed Fresh Black Mission Figs

Rich. Lush. Decadent. Those are my three words to describe the season's bounty of fresh figs. I've been picking them up at Whole Foods in the last few weeks to make syrups or to eat simply with good cheese and warm slices of  a crisp crusted (gluten free) baguette. 

Fresh figs - as opposed to the dried variety - are a real treat to me. The crunchy seeds and voluptuous soft flesh make me wonder why it was the apple and not figs that brought the downfall of Adam and Eve from Eden. Really, fig leaves became their modest clothing, not apple leaves!

During a delightful evening at the Allegheny Wine Mixer in Lawrenceville with friends a little while back, we were tickled to see on the menu fresh figs stuffed with ricotta, wrapped in bacon and roasted to perfection. (Nice little riff on the typical bacon-wrapped dates on menus all over town, yes?) They were devoured before a single picture could be taken. Sorry about that. And I've been thinking about them ever since. 

Finally, instead of just thinking about them, I got busy in the kitchen and sort of duplicated them...sort of did my own thing...and made my own riff of AWM's riff at home with a precious box of Black Mission figs straight from the store. 

Since figs are so full flavored, I decided to change out the ricotta and stuff them with a cheese that could stand up to them - a nice sharp, almost cheddar-y and tangy Blue Stilton. The bacon part was a keeper, of course, because nobody puts bacon in the corner! (Errrrr...sorry Dirty Dancing.)

To finish off the little lumps of goodness, I glazed them with balsamic vinegar that had been reduced to a syrup - just the right acid to balance out the combo of sweet figs, tangy cheese and smoky bacon. 

The result? Just what I was looking for in an appetizer to accompany a fine Manhattan. Oh, I didn't mention the whole point of this dish was to complement one damned good cocktail? Not to worry, both appetizer and cocktail hit the "rich, lush and decadent" mark perfectly.  

Bacon Wrapped and Stilton-Stuffed 

Fresh Black Mission Figs

• 1 dozen fresh Black Mission figs, little stems snipped off and a slit sliced into the side of each
• 12 pieces of Blue Stilton cheese - each the size of the tip of your pinkie finger
• 6 slices of thin-sliced bacon, cut in half crosswise (12 pieces of bacon for 12 figs, right?)
• 3 T balsamic vinegar syrup (6 T of balsamic vinegar simmered in a pot on the stovetop until reduced by half)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In each slit in each fig, stuff a piece of Stilton - don't worry about it fitting, the figs give a lot. Wrap a half slice of bacon around each stuffed fig - starting by covering the slit and ending the same way. Place the figs slit side up in a baking dish.

Roast for 15 minutes, spoon a little glaze over each fig - using it all - and return to the oven. Roast another 20 minutes and baste again with the juices and glaze in the dish. Continue baking until the bacon is cooked and "melded" to the figs. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Serves 2...and don't forget the Manhattans!

Red, Gold & Bleu Beets Ala Root 174

From haute cuisine to comfort food and even to country fair food, if you seek out the best of the best wherever it is, you just may be a foodie. For good or bad, the term denotes (to me at least) one who appreciates well-prepared, well thought out and presented, deliciously interesting foods. 
 
Which leads me to Root174. THIS is foodie paradise. The best part (well, except for the food!) is there are no pretensions whatsoever, just damned fine food prepared by damned fine people in a casual, comfortable and intimate space. If you haven't had the opportunity to get there yet, MAKE the time. Go. You will be dazzled.

Lured back for the crispy Brussels sprouts (that Chef and owner, Keith Fuller, cannot take off the menu for fear of a customer uprising), Mark and I grazed our way through a delightful meal. The menu tempted in so many directions, that I finally settled on a meal comprised of appetizers alone.  Well...and dessert.

We shared the heaping bowl of Brussels sprouts - the kitchen accommodated my gluten issues by using corn flour instead of wheat flour - with bacon. I don't know what else is in there, but the crispy leaves are simultaneously sweet and salty, crispy and soft and simply wonderful.

When Mark's hangar steak came, my other appetizers came, too. First was the chilled, smooth asparagus soup with a scoop of savory creme fraiche ice cream in the middle and garnished with crushed pink peppercorns. The color was gorgeous! The taste divine. Sweet and creamy fresh asparagus with the tang of creme fraiche and crunch and heat of the peppercorns was a beautiful start. Remember what I said about presentation and taste? No worries here.

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream and Pink Peppercorns

 

Talk about presentation! The golden and red beet salad with honey cumin vinaigrette, bleu cheese crumbles and tiny watercress leaves was picture perfect and perfectly scrumptious. Although I'm not a vegetarian (bacon and I are BFF's), I could eat this as my main course any night of the week.

Beet Salad with Honey Cumin Dressing and Amish Bleu Cheese

 

Dessert? Yes, please. Although I looked at the flourless chocolate cake with beet ice cream longingly, I just couldn't tear myself away from the thought of an exotic sounding dessert with curry ice cream, coconut tapioca, roasted pineapple and crunchy cashews. That's exactly what I ordered because I knew I'd never have an opportunity to experience anything like it anywhere else. Am I ever glad I did! 

Curry Ice Cream, Coconut Tapioca, Roasted Pineapple and Cashews

 

Despite whatever you may be thinking, yes, curry most certainly DOES belong in ice cream! My tastebuds sang (and danced a bit, too, I'm sure) with the excitement of subtle, sweet spices and caramel-y sweet and tangy pineapple, smoothed by luscious coconut and made crunchy with cashews. If you see it on the menu, do not hesitate to order it...sublime.

I wish I could duplicate my dessert, but my skills are no match for the geniuses in the kitchen who came up with that one! However foolish, I did attempt to duplicate the beautiful beet salad. Here's the recipe for my version, but do yourself a foodie favor and get yourself over to Root 174 for the real thing. Oh! And don't miss one of Austin's awesome cocktails while you're at it!

 Red, Gold & Bleu Beets ala Root 174

•  4 beets, 2 red, 2 golden - greens removed (saved for beet greens!), lightly oiled, wrapped in foil & baked at 400 degrees until a knife inserted slides in smoothly. Cool, remove skins, cut into medium dice
• watercress, a few sprigs - tiny leaves removed for dish, larger pieces reserved for a salad
• 2 tablespoons bleu cheese, my fave is buttermilk bleu cheese - use what you like, crumbled (if you're highly gluten-sensitive, you may want to use a different cheese)

• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/3 cup honey, I used organic orange blossom honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Arrange the beets decoratively on a plate. Sprinkle with watercress leaves and bleu cheese. Set aside.
 
Mix honey, cumin, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, orange juice, salt and pepper with a whisk until well blended. Drizzle over salad. Serve.
 
NOTE: If you wish, feel free to just toss the ingredients together and forget the presentation.  It will taste just as wonderful!


NOTE 2: My apologies to Root 174 for the inferior photos of their beautiful food. The cellphone just didn't cut it. The first photo is of my version, caught with a real camera in good lighting.

Buffalo Bleu Coleslaw

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks! There's hardly been time to cook, let alone blog about it. 

Tonight it was time to take a little break, sit back and chill, throw a couple of steaks on the grill and make the side dishes simple. So I did.

Every once in a while I post what I call a "quickie," and yes, this is one of them. It might have taken all of 2 minutes to put together a slaw that both Mark and I think is the best slaw I've ever made. 

Packaged slaw mix, mayo, the sweet/tart balance of vinegar and sugar, Tabasco's new Buffalo Style Hot Sauce and bleu (or blue, if you prefer!) cheese tossed together in a hurry and ready to pile on plates. Yep, it's essentially Buffalo wing coleslaw. A little sweet, a little heat and a whole lot delicious!

Buffalo Bleu Coleslaw

• 4 cups packaged coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage if you're feeling all industrious)
• 1/4 cup bleu cheese, crumbled - extra for garnish, if you wish

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce, the Buffalo Style Hot Sauce variety (it's relatively new...look for it in the hot sauce aisle!)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Put the coleslaw mix into a large bowl. Set aside.
 
Mix the mayo, vinegar, sugar, Tabasco and salt together until smooth.
 
Pour the sauce over the slaw, sprinkle with bleu cheese. Toss gently, but thoroughly. Serve.
 
Garnish with extra bleu cheese crumbles, if desired.
 
NOTE: Use lite mayo and Splenda to lower the calories...beach time isn't far away!

Grilled Pineapple, Mango and Ham Salads with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

What gorgeous weather! Finally! Mark and I have been spending every possible moment in the yard trying to weed, plant, mulch and water while conditions are just right. 

The window of yardwork opportunity always seems to be so narrow. Soon May thunderstorms begin to put a damper on outside chores, quickly followed by the scorching heat of summer. Once the temps and humidity rise, I'd rather be chilling by the pond than sweltering with a shovel.

One recent Sunday while we were busy outside, I baked a ham for for the evening's meal. Nobody had to fuss that night and there were plenty of leftovers for quick meals during the week. We gardened while dinner cooked. 

Later in the week, leftover ham made a light (yet somehow substantial) salad for dinner. We grilled up a few mango halves, pineapple spears and slices of ham and plated those on top of Romaine leaves. Fresh blackberries, smoked bleu cheese crumbles and an easy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette put the finishing touch on our quick weeknight dinner. 

The time we saved on dinner? Yeah, we got back out into the yard for some weeknight weeding. Before the rain comes.

Grilled Pineapple, Mango and Ham Salads 

with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Serves 2

• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into thick slices
• 1 mango, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, pit removed
• 2 thick slices ham
• 1/2 pint fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup smoked bleu cheese (or regular bleu cheese)
• Romaine leaves

Vinaigrette:

•  2 T. Meyer lemon juice (or 1 T. lemon juice and 1 T. orange juice)
• 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
• 1 t. Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• pinch cayenne pepper

Grill ham, pineapple and mango until they develop some nice grill marks. Remove to plate.

On two plates, arrange Romaine and top with the fruits, sprinkle with bleu cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

Vinaigrette: While everything is on the grill, whip together the vinaigrette ingredients!

      

Apple, Bacon & Pecan Chicken Salad with Maple Pecan Vinaigette

The PLAN part of Dinner Plan-it came into play for this recipe! Grilling or BBQing in our house always means throwing on a little extra for later in the week.  Who doesn't love a quick meal that can be assembled at the last minute, doesn't look and feel like plain old leftovers and is absolutely delish?!  

That Spatchcocked Chicken that was posted recently?  Yep, part of the plan for this salad. Tuesday's dinner of fire-roasted poblano pepper burgers and corn on the cob were planned into the salad, too.  What luck!  I had an extra avocado from Poblano Burger Night, too.  The plan was coming together!

All that was needed was to saute the bacon and toast the pecans right in the same pan, arrange the salad, whisk up a quick and easy vinaigrette and dinner isn't just a plan, it's on the table quick as a wink.  Here's how to do it.

 Apple, Bacon & Pecan Chicken Salad 

with Maple Pecan Vinaigrette

Serves 2

• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups romaine lettuce leaves, mixed red & green
• 1/2 cup pecans, whole
• 3 slices bacon, thick sliced, 12" across, fried crisp
• 1 Apple, Gala or other crisp & pretty one
• fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons bleu cheese, crumbles
• 1 chicken breast, roasted, sliced across the grain
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, roasted, blackened skin removed and seeded - sliced

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, grade B - it has more flavor!
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Saute bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon & drain.  Saute the pecans in the bacon fat.  Remove.
 
On two plates, arrange 1/2 the spinach & half the Romaine on each plate.  Top with apple slices in a sunburst.  Arrange slices of avocado and roasted poblano pepper alternately; squeeze lemon juice over both.  Arrange 1/2 the chicken slices around the salad.  Sprinkle with bacon & pecans.  Mound bleu cheese in the center and drizzle with the vinaigrette.
 
Vinaigrette:  Mix olive oil, balsamic, maple syrup, granulated garlic, pepper & salt.  Whisk well.


NOTE: You don't have to do an arranged salad...make it easier and chop the chicken, apples, veggies, etc. and mix lightly together.  Top lettuce and spinach with the mixture and drizzle with dressing.  Easy!


Instead of apple, try grilled peaches, pears, mango or even orange slices!