Recipes from the Heart XII

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”  – Julia Child

You’ll enjoy these three delightful dishes that go a long way in stimulating the spirit by satisfying the appetite. Bonus: a Rosé for those hot days.

Silk Road Skirt Steak Sate

Steak Satay is near-perfect for al fresco dining.

Ingredients:
2 pounds top sirloin or flank steak
bamboo skewers

soak skewers in water.  slice beef thinly on bias.  cut in appropriate lengths according to skewer size.

marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable or peanut oil
¼ cup honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper,chopped with seeds
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon pepper

combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk to combine.  in a zip top bag, combine meat and marinade.  marinate refrigerated 30 minutes to several hours.  drain marinade.

glaze:
1 cup frozen peaches, pureed
1 jar peach jam
1” piece fresh ginger, peeled & minced
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 small shallot, minced
¼ cup vegetable or peanut oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

heat oil in small pot, add shallots and scallion.  cook on low heat until tender.  add remaining ingredients, cooking until slightly thickened and flavors develop.  adjust according to taste.

 

Beating The Heat: Crabcakes and Rosé

Mr. B’s Crabcakes have global fans.

A venerable recipe from Mr. B’s Bistro in the French Quarter: Jumbo Lump Crabcakes with ravigote sauce pairs beautifully with a delightful wine from France. The 2017 Bellenos Rosé of Gamay Noir is fresh, light and fruity. This very expressive rosé is pure Gamay from Beaujolais, with beautifully clean, ripe red raspberry fruit. The crabcakes can be served any time: Brunch under poached eggs with Hollandaise or with a salad for summer dinner.

Few wines refresh better than a light, chilled Rosé from France.

Ingredients:
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced fine
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Panko
3 scallions, sliced thin
juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 teaspoon Crystal hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
ravigote sauce as accompaniment

In a large bowl combine crabmeat, bell peppers, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, scallions, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Creole seasoning, being careful not to break up crabmeat lumps. Using a round cookie cutter (2 1/2 inches by 1 inch), fill cutter with mixture and form into cakes. Place on a baking sheet. Chill cakes, uncovered, 1 hour to help set.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate and lightly dust cakes in flour.

In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add half of cakes and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes each side. Cook the remaining cakes in the same manner. Serve cakes with the spectaular ravigote sauce.

Raviote Sauce:

This sauce is New Orleans through and through. It can be served with all sorts of seafood-boiled shrimp and crab, crawfish, fried oysters, and crabcakes.

2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine
1/2 large Anaheim chile pepper or green bell pepper,
1 hard-boiled egg, diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 3/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
kosher salt and white pepper to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together lemon juice and dry mustard. Whisk in mayonnaise, bell pepper, chile, egg, parsley, horseradish, mustard, tarragon, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.

Serve with Rosé, chilled.

 

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Lemon Glaze and Crushed Blueberries

Delicious Lemon Cornbread with Blueberries.

Chef Marian Minugh, Locust Grove, Georgia

For glaze:
1 1/2 cups (packed) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (or more) Lemon Juice

Combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Stir with spoon until smooth and paste-like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside.

For Cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 2 Tsp  Olive oil
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line bottom with parchment. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture and pour oil into flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir). Fold blueberries into cake batter gently Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.
Immediately run knife around sides of cake. Place rack atop cake in pan. Using oven mitts, hold pan and rack firmly together and invert cake onto rack. Remove pan from cake. Place another rack on bottom of cake; invert 1 more time so that cake is top side up. Stir glaze until blended. While cake is still very hot, drop glaze by tablespoonfuls onto cake; spread to within 1/2 inch of edge (some glaze may drip down sides of cake). Cool completely.

 

 

 

Old school journalism describes the style and stories produced by Doc Lawrence. “In everything I do,” he says, “there is a beginning, middle and an end.” One of the top travel writers in the country, Doc is steeped in the heritage of the deep south. Traveling the back roads from Texas to Virginia and on down to Key West inspires stories about local food and wine preferences, community theater, folk art and music often leading to clues for a good story. Heroes include Faulkner, Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ralph Ellison, Dorothy Parker and Willie Morris. An Atlanta native, Doc keeps a well-stocked wine cellar and bar and two outdoor grills. He enjoys entertaining and believes that the greatest challenge for a writer is to keep searching for a higher life. www.thegourmethighway.com | doclawrence@mindspring.com
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