You say Manhattan. . .I say Minorcan

March 10th, 2009

There has been a long standing debate over Manhattan and New England clam chowders. Some love the creaminess of New England chowder and others are convinced that the tomato based chowder is the only way to go. There is another kind of chowder known only to a small segment of the population – known only to St. Augustine Florida in fact. The key to this version of chowder is the datil pepper which is grown exclusively in St. Augustine.

A group of Minorcans were brought to Florida in 1768 from their native Island of Minorca, off the coast of Spain to work the indigo plantation in New Smyrna Beach. They suffered great hardship for nine long years under the cruelty of the plantation owner and finally escaped to St. Augustine in 1777. They had brought their own spices, seeds, and cooking traditions with them and when they were free to plant their own gardens with the datil peppers, and fish the ocean waters, Minorcan clam chowder was born.
The datil pepper is a little bigger than a jalapeno pepper and is hotter, but not as hot as a habenero pepper. You can substitute any pepper you want in the recipe but you can also order datil products here . The jar of pickled datil peppers that I used was from a local market that is not set up for delivery out of state.

I served my Minorcan Chowder with the most remarkable rosemary flatbread I have ever eaten. It was easy to put together and bake and tasted like a homemade cracker – crisp and herby. If you make nothing else from this post you have to try this recipe. It came originally from Gourmet, but I saw it on the Smitten Kitchen website. Thank you, Deb. It was easy to handle, which was a surprise to me because the directions have you rolling it thinly on parchment paper and then transferring it to a hot baking pan. Yeah, sure. Well it worked!
Added note here. I just re-read the recipe on Deb’s blog and you are supposed to leave the dough on the parchment paper when you put it on the baking sheet. I didn’t do that because parchment paper is good only to 400 degrees, or so I thought, and this bakes at 450. It lifts easily from the parchment paper if you want to place it directly on the baking sheet.

There are many recipes for Minorcan Clam Chowder and I combined ideas from several of them. Hope you agree that Minorcan Clam Chowder is a contender in the ongoing debate over the best chowder in the world. What is your favorite chowder?
MINORCAN CLAM CHOWDER

1 Qt. chopped clams with juice (or 3 cans chopped clams with juice)
4 slices bacon, diced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 potatoes, chopped
3 datil peppers, seeded and chopped ( This was enough for a medium heat)
1 28 0z can of diced tomatoes
1 14 0z can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 pound shrimp, cut in halves

Fry bacon until crisp in dutch oven. Remove to drain. Saute vegetables in bacon drippings until tender. Add datil peppers, both cans of tomatoes, chicken broth and clams with juices to pot and simmer until potatoes are tender. You may have to add a little water to thin chowder. Stir in shrimp near end of cooking time. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a sprinkling of bacon.

Printable recipe – Crispy Rosemary Flatbreads
Printable recipe – Minorcan Clam Chowder

Tea Sandwiches

March 7th, 2009

There was a time in my life when I became a caterer. It was not as a “professional” caterer by any means. It was just something that I enjoyed doing and had me flirting with the idea of going to culinary school. Before committing to that career move, I thought I would see what it was like to cook for a crowd. I made lunches for all of my friends and former co-workers at a large retail firm. With 200 employees it was not hard to get takers for boxed lunches. It was a very successful enterprise and I had more orders than I could sometimes handle. BUT – I was shut down. By management. Because I was taking business away from their in-house dining facilities. Oh well – what could I do? . . . I wasn’t licensed. . . BUT – my food was way, way better.
After that fiasco, I continued to do the occasional small wedding reception, church luncheons, and private home parties. I learned much from this experience and enjoyed it greatly, but came away from it knowing that, as much as I liked to cook, catering was not for me.
One of the most popular recipes that I made for wedding receptions and luncheons was Chicken Almond Tea Sandwiches. These sandwiches would also be good for bridal or baby showers. When my Daughter-In-Law had her baby shower, I brought them and everyone loved them – even the guys who were helping us set up.
The recipe originates with James Beard. I got it out of a Nantucket Cookbook, which included it because, for a time, James Beard cooked at the Straight Wharf Restaurant on the island. James Beard was famous for his hors d’oeuvres. Capitalizing on the cocktail party craze of the late 1930’s, he opened a catering business called Hors D’Oeuvre, Inc. and later wrote a cookbook called Hors D’Oeuvres and Canapes. That started his long career in cooking.
What makes these sandwiches so special is, of course, the way they look, but also because the chicken is flavored with tarragon (chicken and tarragon have a natural affinity), and the ground almonds add a nice crunch. Be patient when you make these, they take awhile but are well worth it. Another aside, try as I might I could not get 4 rounds out of each sandwich -3 was the best I could do. The scraps can be saved and eaten over the kitchen sink at odd times if you so desire.

CHICKEN ALMOND TEA SANDWICHES

4 chicken breast halves without skin

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried tarragon ( less if you like)
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
24 slices of Pepperige Farm white bread
1 1/2 cups chopped roasted almonds ( the kind that come in a can)
extra mayonnaise for spreading on edges

Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet with water to cover. Bring to a boil with the cover askew. Lower the heat a notch and simmer gently until the chicken is opaque throughout. Remove chicken from the liquid and let cool.

Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and add the celery, onion, tarragon, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Break the chicken into large pieces. Working in 2 batches, use a food processor to chop the breasts until they resemble oatmeal. Add the ground chicken to the celery mixture and combine.
Line up 4 slices of bread and spread each slice with some of the chicken mixture, forming a layer 1/4 inch thick. Cover each slice with a second slice. Repeat until you have 12 sandwiches. Using a 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out 4 rounds from each sandwich.

Chop roasted almonds in a food processor to the consistency of fine gravel. Pour the chopped almonds into a baking dish or onto a dinner plate. Spread a film of mayonnaise around the cut edges of each sandwich round and roll the sandwich edges in the almonds to coat. Store covered with saran wrap in refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 48 one (or two) bite sandwiches.


By the way, the cute tiered server came from an antique shop in St. Augustine called A Step Back in Time. It is not an antique, but I liked it, and they have more of them if you are interested.

Printable recipe

Sauteed Tangerine Shrimp

March 4th, 2009

“Sara Foster has remained true to her beliefs and convictions that good, honest food can be deliciously simple.” – Martha Stewart

North Carolina is fortunate to have many fine cooks and chefs. And we are fortunate that Sara Foster chose to move here in 1990. Her career in cooking took her from her roots in rural Tennessee to New York City where she attended culinary school, worked in restaurants, and became a part of Martha Stewart’s catering team. She eventually branched out on her own and opened her own catering business in Greenwich, Connecticut. One of her dreams had always been to open a gourmet food market and cafe and she found the perfect location for it in Durham, North Carolina. Foster’s Market became so successful that she opened a second store in Chapel Hill in 1998.

I have visited the Durham Foster’s Market on several occasions and was impressed with the array of food available for take-out and wished that I lived close enough to pop in after work to pick up chicken and dumplings or slow roasted pork shoulder with Foster’s applesauce. As it was I had to settle (by no means a hardship) for lunch ordered at the counter and eaten in the funky, but charming dining room.

Sara Foster has written three cookbooks and I own two of them, one signed by Sara herself. Her first cookbook is The Foster’s Market Cookbook which features recipes from the kitchen of Foster’s Market. I especially like the variety of sandwiches and salads that are included. The second cookbook is Fresh Every Day which is geared more to the home cook and includes food that Sara cooks in her own kitchen. She believes in “simple honest food prepared with fresh local and seasonal ingredients”.

To illustrate this philosophy she offers four sauteed shrimp recipes. For Winter, the recipe is the one I cooked today – Sauteed Tangerine Shrimp. For Spring, the recipe is Garlic Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach. For Summer, the recipe is Sauteed Shrimp with Corn and Tomatoes and for Fall, the recipe is Curry Coconut Shrimp.
I can honestly say that the sauteed tangerine shrimp were simple and flavorful and I am looking forward to the other seasonal shrimp recipes. I served the shrimp with jasmine rice and peas.
SAUTEED TANGERINE SHRIMP

The warmed sections of tangerine in this dish are a sweet surprise with the shrimp. If you can find them, use clementines, a Mandarin orange variety that comes from Spain. Not only do they have extra flavorful tangy-sweet flesh, clementines are a breeze to peel – and they have no seeds!

Serves 4 to 6

Juice of 4 tangerines or clementines
2 tangerines peeled, sectioned, and seeds removed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (1-inch piece)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1. Combine the tangerine juice and sections, ginger, garlic and shrimp in a bowl and toss to coat the shrimp. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Heat half of the oil and half of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Remove half the shrimp from the marinade, reserving the marinade, season with salt and pepper, and place in the skillet to saute for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, until they turn pink. Place the shrimp on a platter covered loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining butter and oil and cook the remaining shrimp.

3. When all the shrimp are cooked, pour the marinade and tangerine sections into the skillet, increase the heat to high, and boil the marinade until it has reduced by half, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and serve the shrimp warm with the tangerine sauce and sections spooned over them.


Printable recipe

Meringues Chantilly

February 26th, 2009

Once again it is time for the Barefoot Bloggers to reproduce an Ina Garten recipe. Today’s recipe was chosen by MBK at Reservations not Required. Be sure to visit her amazing blog for lots of creative ideas. Meringues Chantilly remind me of a time in my life when we held formal dinner parties. We were young, we had just discovered Julia Child, and we were out to impress the boss or the department chair. Fancy food was de rigueur and the fancier the better. Oh how I struggled and exhausted myself trying to make the dining room table set for 8 with the fancy china and cut crystal look fabulous. The food was another story. I had many successes but also a few failures. I remember the time that I tackled individual Beef Wellingtons with homemade puff pastry crusts. After the first course was served, I checked on the beef to see if it was ready and the crusts had melted droopily over the beef. Thank goodness the house we lived in at the time had a formal dining room, separate from the kitchen, so no one could see this disaster. I scraped off the offending crust and quickly browned the beef in my new 14″ copper saute pan. I think I was the only one that knew what had really happened, even though I was sweating and not the most composed hostess. Another time I made Bananas Foster for dessert and when I poured in the brandy and put a match to it to flame it, one of our guests leapt from his chair, knocking it over, and ran into the kitchen to my rescue, not knowing that the conflagration was intentional.

Upon first glance Meringues Chantilly appear to be one of those pretentious desserts. Thank goodness we live in a more relaxed time. I no longer feel the need to impress. Dinner is all about being with people you enjoy. Meringues Chantilly is still a somewhat complicated dessert, but the steps can be performed over a period of time. My meringues did not come out as tall as I would have liked. Next time I will put more pressure on the pastry bag. But it was no problem leaving them in the oven overnight. The sauce was easy to make and the whipped cream was a snap. Serving was just a matter of assembly. We had good friends visiting and Ina’s dessert was fabulous. And I didn’t sweat the small stuff. Thanks MBK for suggesting this dessert. For the recipe go here.

Dreaming of Summer and Indian Lake

February 24th, 2009

Indian Lake is a scene
You should make with your little one
Keep it in mind if you’re looking to find
a place in the summer sun — The Cowsill’s Lyrics
Growing up in Southwestern Michigan was magical in so many ways. This part of the state has beautiful lakes, apple orchards, and tree-lined back roads, where as teenagers we got into all kinds of mischief. As children, one of the things my brother and I enjoyed was going to Indian Lake with our parents. We would pack our towels and blankets and a change of clothes and head out in Dad’s jeep for a day of fun. Indian Lake was probably only 15 miles from our home, but it seemed to take forever to get there. The entrance was marked by a large totem pole and we wound down a hill to the lake. The shore of the lake had a large expanse of lawn and we would claim our spot with the blanket and spend the day swimming and playing on the swings. But the highlight of the day was dinner in the lodge. After changing into dry clothes, we would enter the dining room and find a table overlooking the lake and study the menu. There really wasn’t any need to do that because we always got the same thing – Chicken in a Basket – a simple meal of fried chicken and french fries served in a red plastic basket. It was our favorite food and the perfect end to a warm summer day.
My Mother and Grandmother made delicious fried chicken, but over the years Mom got tired of dealing with the mess it made in the kitchen. One of her specialties then became oven fried chicken strips. This recipe is loved to this day by the grandchildren and great-grandchildren alike. It is a simple recipe and I have seen it on other blogs and in magazines, but it reminds me of Mom and Dad and the special days of youthful innocence on Indian Lake.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN STRIPS

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
6 to 8 Tbls Butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups dried beadcrumbs ( I used Panko crumbs )
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each chicken breast into approximately 6 strips. Dip each strip into melted butter in one bowl and then the dried breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese mixture in another bowl. Place the strips, well spaced on a baking sheet. To set the crumbs, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least one half hour. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, turning once until the strips are golden brown. Serve with dipping sauce of your choice.

© Penny Klett, Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen. All rights reserved.