Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Civil War of PIE

Some one at work asked me yesterday, "Do people in the South make pie?  I mean, well?"  You can imagine my horror and he amount of scoffing that ensued.  Of course people in the South make excellent pies!  People in New England think that everything they do well, they do the best.  Just because Ye Olde Great Great Great x10 Grandmother made the first pie in the New World does not mean it is the best.  That is not to say that people in New England don't make great pies.  They make pies just as well as people in the Midwest, out in California and almost as well as in the South.
Of course these GOONS started asking me, "What pies can you make in the South?"  So I started naming my favorites, Lemon Icebox Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Chocolate Meringue Pie, Blueberry Delight, the list goes on.  These guys laughed and said, "Those aren't pies!  We're talking fruit pies!  Like Apple Pie!"  Well, pardon me for not being incredibly boring and thinking apple pie or fruit pie with lattice on top is the only pie worth eating.  What total goobers.  I will agree that a great, flaky-crusted hot apple pie is wonderful, but it's not the be-all, end-all.  I was raised on "cooler" pies, or pies that are room temperature or served cold.  It's hot down South, we need something refreshing.
I'm no baker (yet), but there are some pies that require almost no work at all and I've seen them vanish from a table quicker than anything.  One such pie is a Southern classic and incredible in summer: Key Lime Pie.  The recipe I make is one my Mom has made for many years now and it is a perpetual crowd-pleaser.  My best friend's step-dad has been known to devour a whole pie in less than 24 hours.
This is the easiest Key Lime Pie in the world and you can make it full or low-fat, whichever you prefer.

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (if you can find it get the ones with 2 extra servings)
1 Can Minute Maid Key Lime Juice Concentrate- buy the small can! (find it in the freezer section)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (I use low-fat)
1 Tub Cool Whip, thawed (low-fat also)
*This is an ideal recipe.  If, like me, you are stuck in a world where the grocery stores don't stock key lime juice concentrate, do this:
2 Regular Sized Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
1 Can Minute Maid LIMEADE Concentrate- full/regular size
2 Tubs Cool Whip
2 Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
Split the wet mixture between the two pie crusts and freeze.  Remove and transfer to the fridge an hour or so before serving.

It's easy, but it doesn't mean it can't hit the spot.  It's a perfect summer desert!

Mix all your wet ingredients, pour into pie filling

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Easiest Fire Roasted Salsa, Ever

If you have a broiler or an open flame, you can make this salsa.  Believe it or not, I eat other things other than hummus, like lots of salsa.  I guess I'm just a "dip" kind of girl.  Anyways, this is perfect for dipping, on tacos, and especially on eggs.  All you need to do is.....

Take 2 large of 3 small-ish Tomatoes
1 Medium White Onion, halved
3 Cloves Garlic, do not peel!
3 Jalapenos

Fire up that broiler and put the rack as close to the flame as possible.  Place all your ingredients on a rimmed baking sheet.  Let them roast for 8-10 minutes, checking on them every few minutes, turning them to get an even char.  You may need to take out the garlic if it's getting too brown.  Once they get good and black, and I mean charred (it is fire roasted after all), plop it all in the food processor!  Add about 3 Tablespoons lime juice and pulse a little more.  After removing from the FP, stir in a handful of chopped cilantro.  That's it!

Summer Veggie Salad

I love shopping the small neighborhood markets in my neighborhood: East Rock, New Haven.  They always have great produce, fresh cheese and meats and lots of specialty products.  This salad doesn't require anything special, just fresh veggies!  I got this recipe out of Everyday Food, my birthday gift from my Nana last year, but this kind of salad can be made with any vegetable laying around.

Crispy Green Bean Salad with Chick Peas and Tomatoes

1 lb. Skinny green beans/ haricots vert
1 Stem Cherry tomatoes or 1/2 lb, halved
1 can Chick Peas, rinsed
A couple very thin slices of red onion
Juice of half a Lemon plus a couple of strips of lemon zest (you can straight up zest it, or peel in strips and very thinly slice the strips to get little sticks of zest)
A handful of chopped Kalamata Olives (optional)
3 T. Olive Oil

After cleaning the beans (make sure the little woody nubs are snapped of the end) throw them in salted boiling water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, just so long as they are still pretty crisp.  Take them out of the hot water and douse them in cold water to stop the cooking process.  In a large bowl, toss together Chick Peas, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Olives, if you like.  Toss in lemon juice, zest and olive oil.  In your serving dish, lay out your crisp green beans, then pour the veggies in vinaigrette over the top.  Viola!  You have a colorful, crunchy veggie salad that is perfect as a main or a side dish!

New Start: Sliders for Homework and a Lesson in Pimento Cheese

I'm a little ashamed at my absence from el blogeriono.  Truth is, I've finally started my new job as Garde Manger Cook at Tavern, opening soon in Monroe, CT!  Woo!!! Garde Manger is basically the salads/cold apps/dessert station. For the past few weeks we've basically been playing in the kitchen, testing out recipes and perfecting standard pub food with a little flair.  It pretty neat to be able to cook all day for my job!  Of course, I haven't just been making salads for two weeks...I've learned how to make all sorts of things that I never tried making on my own, like bread pudding, lobster salad(that was traumatic), even things as simple as sloppy joes for all those joe plumbers that go to a restaurant and order a sloppy joe (wt?).  I'm learning A LOT and it's great so far!
You'd think I'm done cooking for the day when I get home from work, but that's the beauty of doing something I love- I still like to cook when I get home!  Some of the recipes I can't quite ace at work I bring home and make as homework.  Luckily, I have a personal food Hoover named Drew to give me some feedback :)  A couple of weeks ago the boss asked us to come up with some ideas for sliders, so I wanted to do something Mediterranean, because summer always puts me in the mood for that kind of food, and something from the homeland: pimento cheese!  I tried a couple of variations out on Drew and his parents.  Surprisingly, we all had a different favorite!
First, I went for the lamb sliders.  Basically, they are glorified meatballs, but whatever.  I took ground lamb, chopped up some fresh parsley, dill and oregano (about a palm full of each, use your judgement), one or two minced cloves of garlic and salt and pepper.  On a couple of sliders I threw in some crumbled feta into the meat patties, all mixed in so when they cooked all that moisture and saltiness would just melt into the meat-mmmm!  On the others, I left the feta on top, like a traditional cheeseburger.  Once they came off the grill I topped them off with some tzatziki sauce.  Store bought or homemade, Tzatziki is sooo good as a condiment, dressing, a dip, whatever!  I doused the buns in that tart, creamy tzatziki, and topped them off with sliced cucumber and red onion.  SO GOOD.  I could eat lamb burgers, sliders, meatballs  all the time!  My personal favorite was with the feta mixed in, but to each their own.  These are must try burgers!
The Pimento Cheese burgers were my other creation, mostly because I was craving pimento cheese.  Pimento cheese is so delicious, trust me.  I know, I shouldn't have to make a case for it, but honestly, it's not the most appetizing thing to look at.  It's congeal-cheesiness with little peppers tossed in.  If you can get past the look of the stuff you will fall in love with this classic southern spread.  To make the pimento cheese you need:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated Cheddar and Colby Jack cheese (basically you can use whatever creamy mild cheese to pair with the Cheddar, any kind of Jack for example)
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Mayo- add more if needed
4 oz. jar diced pimentos*
Dash of Garlic Powder
*It's up to you whether you want to drain the pimentos or not, I've done it both ways and found that it turns out just as good each way.  When using drained you may need more mayo.

Throw all those ingredients together in a bowl and mix.  If you want, you can use a food processor or just plain old elbow grease to mix it up.  If you want a spicier version (my favorite) add a few pickled jalapenos, a dash or two of Tabasco and some black pepper.  Zippy!
So back to the sliders: prepare your standard beef sliders, seasoned with salt and pepper or your personal special spice blend.  For the two different pimento cheese sliders I decided to do one stuffed, one smothered.  Traditionally, pimento cheese burgers are absolutely covered in pimento cheese.  Like, dripping off in huge globs.  That one is pretty self explanatory and believe me, it was super delicious.  For the stuffed sliders you have to make two really thin little patties that you sandwich together after placing a dollop of pimento cheese in the middle.  Just pinch the edges together to get the meat to re-meld before placing them on the grill.  The cheese starts to ooze out as it melts, so good!
End result: I got an A+.