Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

As part of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend we were happy to have Dave, My Year on the Grill and Inspired by eRecipe cards, and his wife Jackie spend some time with us at Lake Lure.  They had driven all the way from Kansas to attend the Blogger Luau at Larry’s (Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings) so it only seemed fitting that they should drive a little further South and spend a couple of days with us.

I think Dave just wanted an excuse to grill pizzas in my fireplace.  And grill pizzas he did.  He made four different pizzas, all from ingredients I had on hand.  The first was a Margherita pizza shown above.  The second pizza was made with Parmesan, Scallops, olive oil and herbs from the garden.  The third pizza utilized ingredients from a salad that I had made the night before.

I had made Ina Garten’s Guacamole Salad to go with the Benton’s bacon BLT’s (More about that later).  The above picture was taken before I added the avocado, which should be done just before serving.

Viola!  A salad turned into a pizza.  Dave is very creative with his pizzas.  The fourth pizza was supposed to be a traditional sausage pizza using leftover sausage from breakfast, but we were too full for that.  Instead Dave turned the fourth pizza dough into a simple flatbread flavored with red onion and a special Raspberry Chipotle Sea Salt that he brought me as a hostess gift.

We served it that night before dinner cut into pieces with a homemade hummus that I had made from a recipe from Dorie Greenspan.

There was something very special about this flatbread.  It was the combination of the wood smoke and the Raspberry Chipotle Sea Salt.  The hummus was easy to make.  I will include the recipe at the end of this post.

Now on to the Benton Bacon.  Because Dave and Jackie had traveled so far to attend the Blogging Luau, Larry sent them home with two packages of  the popular Tennessee Benton Bacon.  This bacon is dry-cured, salty and full of intense flavor.  It is favored by chef’s all over the country.  It makes a killer BLT sandwich.  It is amazing the things you can find on the internet.  If you have a moment please read this obituary of Harry Stamps, a lover of Benton Bacon among other things.  This has got to be a contender for the best obituary ever written.  But I digress.  I fried up the bacon.  Dave made a spicy mayonnaise and we served it with heirloom tomatoes, sourdough bread and crispy lettuce.  It was a taste sensation.

Here we are at Bouchon Creperie in Asheville for lunch.  There were more meals and lots of laughter.  I enjoyed cooking with Dave.  Now I know one of the reasons that he does such a great job with his wonderful food.  Jackie is the best pot washer and clean-up-artist around.  We intense cooks need help.  David and I enjoyed your visit Dave and Jackie.

HUMMUS  (Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan)

1 can (about 16 ounces) chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid), rinsed, and patted dry
2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and chopped
1/3 cup well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
About 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor and whir until smooth.  With the machine running, add some of the reserved chickpea liquid a little at a time until the hummus is a nice thick, scoopable texture-you’ll probably need about 4 tablespoons of liquid.  Add the cumin, if you’d like, tasting to get the amount you want, then season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if you think it need it.

Scoop the hummus into a bowl or refregerator container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, and chill until serving time.  (The hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

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Our annual blogger Memorial Day party got off to a great start.  This year’s theme was a Hawaiian Luau and the planning group kept it very authentic.  Here is the line-up of some of our capable chefs.  Chris of Nibble me This is working on his Huli huli chicken.  Dave of Inspired by eRecipe cards and My Year on the Grill is putting the finishing touches on his shrimp and pineapple appetizer.  Jackie, Dave’s wife, is upholding the muu muu tradition, and my hubby Dave is just happy to be there.  But he was the breakfast chef the next morning.

Our host, Larry of Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings, made a great pork ribs appetizer along with several smoked pork butts wrapped in banana leaves.  You can go to his site for the recipes.

And what could be more appropriate for a Luau than a Blue Hawaiian.  We had some serious island libations.

It is obvious that I am ready to dig in.  Here are a few pictures of the amazing food.

Dave, eRecipe cards, made a great appetizer of grilled shrimp and pineapple.  Hopefully he will share the recipe on his blog.

Larry’s rib appetizers were awesome.  You can find the recipe on his blog.

Here is Chris’s huli huli chicken sliders with ponzu slaw next to Larry’s pulled pork.  Both entrees were outstanding.

The sides were rice, my macaroni salad and a vibrant mango salad brought by Sam of My Carolina Kitchen.  Her salad brought a bright kick to the plate.

Here is Sam’s BIL Stuart with the desserts and a beverage.  His wife Sandy made incredible pineapple upside down cakes.

Everyone had a wonderful time but we missed Katherine ( Smoky Mountain Cafe ) and A.J.  They were involved in the planning and have always been a big part of this yearly event.  Other commitments kept them away.  There is more to come in another post.

I have made so many variations of chicken strips.  The first one was the one that my Mother loved.  I blogged about it here.  That was a few years ago.   Oven baked chicken strips are great, but sometimes I just want to fry them in a little oil.  Deep fat you are calling me!  Can’t help it.  I know, I know, . . . .  It is better to get along with less fat, but sometimes a nice crispy chicken piece cooked in oil is worth it.  This idea works for me.  The original recipe that gave me the idea appeared on Road Trip with G. Garvin on the Food Network.  While visiting Austin, Texas he ate at a diner that served flattened pork tenderloin pieces breaded in crackers, corn meal and flour.  They were deep fried and served as a sandwich on a bun.  I happened to have a pork tenderloin in the freezer, so the next night I duplicated the recipe without the bun.  It was not deep-fried, but cooked in a puddle of hot oil.  The pork was awesome.  It had implications for other dishes.

We loved the pork tenderloin cutlets so much that I decided to try the same method with chicken strips.  The secret to the breading on this dish is to put the dredged chicken strips in the freezer for 15 minutes before you fry them.  The breading adheres perfectly and after frying in 2-inches of hot oil,  the chicken strips come out perfectly cooked and crisp

What is not to love about this chicken?  My Mother would have approved.  She loved fried chicken.  But I have to say that, in spite of the brief saute in oil, these chicken strips are probably less caloric than most fried chicken.  Dipped into a sweet and sour sauce there is nothing better.

CRACKER CRUMB CHICKEN STRIPS

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (About 3)

24 Ritz crackers (Crushed in a baggie with a rolling pin)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/8 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk

Cut each chicken breast into 6 strips.  Combine crackers, cornmeal, flour and seasonings in a large bowl.  Beat egg and milk is separate bowl.  Dip each breast strip into egg mixture and then into crumbs.  Coat well on all sides.  Place each breaded strip on small baking sheet.  Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Pour canola oil to a depth of about 1 to 2 inches in a large frying pan.  Heat oil.  Cook the chicken strips in batches until golden brown on all sides.  Drain and paper towels.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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This is one of my favorite ways to do baked potatoes for a crowd.  I have always done a version of these, but was able to update my procedure from a recipe that appeared on Pinterest.  It came from the blog Family Favorite Recipes.  I had always cut baking potatoes in half, added salt, pepper and spices or herbs, then put a pat of butter  on each cut side and cooked them cut side down on a cookie sheet in the oven.  This recipe had a few additions and tweaks  and that made all of the difference.  Crusty parmesan went a long way to take these potatoes over the top.

These potatoes are baked in a 9×13-inch pan which has been coated with melted butter, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and any herbs or spices that you prefer.  The recipe can be adjusted to the number of people that you are serving.  Since I am a lone diner this week, I made 3 potatoes and plan to make several meals from them.  If you have a crowd you can double the recipe and do two pans.  Serve with sour cream and chives or do like I do and add a splash of vinegar.

PARMESAN BAKED POTATO HALVES

Ingredients

• 6 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 1/4 cup butter
• grated Parmesan cheese to taste,
• garlic powder
• other seasonings (to personal preference)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9×13 inch pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle other seasonings all over the butter. Place potato halves face down on the butter and seasonings. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve on a plate with a side of sour cream for dipping.

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The first time I had shrimp and grits was in the early 80′s at a small restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina called Crooks Corner.  As it turns out this was not just any restaurant and not just any dish.  Crook’s Corner was the birthplace of shrimp and grits. The dish has been copied all over the south and has made its way onto menus from New York City to Sante Fe, New Mexico.  The original chef, the late Bill Neal, caught the attention of Craig Claiborne who wrote about Shrimp and Grits and the Southern menu in The New York Times. Crook’s Corner is “sacred ground for Southern foodies”.

Today under the leadership of Chef Bill Smith, many of the original recipes of Chef Neal are still served.  Chef Smith has added many of his own signature southern classics, but the shrimp and grits recipe has remained the same.  We love it.  But over the years David, my in-house shrimp and grits guru, has combined recipes from several sources including Tyler Florence, Martha Nesbit of Savannah, GA, and Slightly North Of Broad restaurant in Charleston, SC.  I’m going to let him take over from here.

Penny asked me stop at the grocery store and pick up some milk and orange juice.  I put the milk and juice in the cart and then took a stroll past the seafood case to see what Ingles had to offer that day, and there they were, some of the most gorgeous 10-15 per pound shrimp I had ever seen. Visions of shrimp and grits immediately flashed through my mind.  By the time I checked out, I had in my cart a package of the shrimp, packages of bacon and andouille sausage, a package of stone ground grits, a hunk of sharp cheddar, and some scallions.  The check-out girl looked at the shrimp and said, “Boy, those are some nice looking shrimp.”  I nodded and said, “Yeah, I know…I just came in here for some milk and orange juice until I saw those shrimp.”

This recipe uses both bacon and andouille sausage for the fat component, and the grits are cooked in milk instead of water, a la Tyler Florence, and  include cheddar cheese, a la Martha Nesbit.  Tyler actually cooks his grits in a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream, but in an effort to lighten things up a bit, I used Smart Balance skim milk which almost tastes like 2%.  Stirring in grated cheddar cheese at the end makes a deliciously rich bowl of grits.

We are traveling right now.  We have been visiting friends on Nantucket Island for the daffodil festival.  I hope to have some awesome pictures to share with you soon.  In the meantime, here is David’s recipe for Shrimp and Grits.

SHRIMP AND GRITS

For the grits:
4 cups milk (We use Smart Balance Skim Milk)
1 cup stone-ground grits
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

For the shrimp:
3 strips of bacon cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound andouille or spicy Italian sausage, cut in chunks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Pinch cayenne pepper, adjust to personal preference
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 green onions, sliced

For the grits:
Place a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat.  Add the milk.  Slowly whisk in the grits.  When the grits begin to bubble, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese, thin it out with a little extra milk if necessary.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the shrimp:
Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with a little olive oil.  Add the bacon and cook until done.  Remove bacon to a paper towel.  Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften.  Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux.  Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps.  Toss in the bay leaves.  When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the cooked bacon and the shrimp.  Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick.  Add the cayenne pepper and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion.  Spoon the grits into individual bowls and add the shrimp mixture on top.  Serve immediately.

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