The Traveling Epicurean



CT Style Making Watermelon Gazpacho with Teresa Dufour and Scott McDonnell!

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CT Style Making Watermelon Gazpacho with Teresa Dufour and Scott McDonnell!

This Watermelon Gazpacho is perfect for these hot summer days! This past Thursday, on “CT Style”, Teresa Dufour, Scott McDonnell and I had some fun showing you how to make watermelon gazpacho! What a refreshing, healthy and delicious cold soup recipe this is. It’s made with tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, Vidalia onions, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice and fresh herbs like basil and dill. I like to top this watermelon gazpacho with some watermelon cubes, Valbreso Sheep’s Milk feta, fresh dill sprigs, basil and crushed garlic croutons for texture and flavor.

Nothing better then a refreshing cold soup on a hot sultry night then Watermelon Gazpacho. I really love planning ahead for this cold soup and getting all the chopping done at your convenience a day or two before makes all the difference in the world. You can even buy chopped veggies at the market and then give them a finer chop when you get home to save some time. This soup will last for a few days in the frig so leftovers are perfect for those surprise guests. For this reason I would suggest only topping each serving of cold watermelon gazpacho soup with feta, dill, and crushed croutons instead of all of the soup as one.

Other refreshing summer dishes you should try are Panzanella, Salsa 101, Mango salsa, Cold Cucumber Soup with Seared Scallops and some Berry Granita for dessert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS Watermelon Gazpacho (for approx 6 people)

  • 3 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, 2 c. coarse cut, 1/2 c. fine dice to go back into finished purée, 1 c. small cubes for garnish
  • 8 medium ripe stem tomatoes, 7 seeded and coarse cut, 1 seeded & fine dice to go back into finished purée
  • 1  lg cucumber peeled and seeded & coarse cut
  • 1/2 European cucumber, with skins on, all fine dice to go back into finished purée
  • 1 1/2 red pepper, 1 pepper seeded & coarse cut, 1/2 fine dice to go back into finished purée
  • 1/2 orange pepper, all fine dice to go into finished purée
  • 1 lg jalapeño, without seeds, 1/2 coarse cut, 1/2 fine dice to go back into finished purée
  • 1 1/2 med. Vidalia onions, 1 onion coarse cut, 1/2 fine dice to go back into finished purée
  • 1 lg garlic clove put thru garlic press
  • 2 basil leaves goes into blender
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, 2 tbsp goes into blender, the rest for garnish
  • 1/2 cup Greek Feta, good creamy feta crumbled for garnish (I use Valbreso Sheep’s Milk French Feta)
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, plus 1 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 /4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup crushed Garlic Croutons for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Prepare the coarse cut veggies for the blender:
  2. Slice tomatoes in half, then into 6ths making it easier to remove all seeds with a spoon or your hands
  3. Place seeded tomatoes into blender or food processor and purée with olive oil
  4. Poor into a large bowl and set a side
  5. Place 2 tbsp dill, 2 fresh basil leaves plus 2 c. cut up watermelon, cut up Vadalia onion, cucumber and red pepper into blender, and purée with red vinegar, and rice wine vinegar
  6. Add this purée to the lg bowl with the tomato puree and mix together
  7. Taste for seasoning, add salt, pepper and honey and all the “fine diced” tomatoes, English cucumber, orange, red peppers and jalapeño
  8. If possible, let sit in refrigerator for 2 hours to allow spices and veggies to marry
  9. Ladle watermelon gazpacho into bowls, top with drizzle of evoo, diced watermelon, crumbled feta, fresh dill sprigs and 1 tsp crushed garlic croutons

 

 

Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie will undoubtedly become one of your favorite cookie recipes after first bite! This scrumptious cookie has 3 kinds of chocolate, stands tall and is slightly chewy in the middle. The recipe makes 30 plus cookies and believe me, you’ll be lucky to have any left over if you’re making these for a party.

My kids and I have been devouring Eileen’s cookies for years and getting you this recipe was on my bucket list! Eileen herself, receives cookie requests throughout the year for parties, benefits, fundraisers and backyard BBQ’s. This is an easy and uncomplicated recipe as you saw in the “how to” video above where Eileen’s daughter, Molly, has mastered the recipe!

If you are making Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies for a summer BBQ or party you may want try your hand at the most delicious and easy Homemade BBQ Sauce Ever, Pulled Pork While You Sleep, Homemade Guacamole, 101 Salsa, or my incredible Green Goddess Sauce that goes with grilled steaks, swordfish, chicken, and pork…you name it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 heaping cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks softened butter (not melted)
  • 2 jumbo eggs
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups m&m’s – what ever color you want
  • 1 bag Hershey Chocolate Kisses

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375º (this is not on convection)
  2. In a small mixing bowl add salt and baking soda to the flour, whisk to combine and set aside
  3. Cream softened butter with light brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment
  4. Add in 2 eggs and mix until a fluffy consistency like marshmallow
  5. Then begin to slowly add this flour mixture to the creamed butter, mix to combine only
  6. Stir in the chocolate chips and m&m’s
  7. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet, rounded tbsp., about 2″ apart
  8. Bake 9 minutes until golden brown
  9. Remove from the oven and gently place a chocolate kiss onto the tops of each cookie, DO NOT PRESS
  10. NOTE: if you press the chocolate kisses into the hot cookie it will melt all over the cookie
  11. After placing all the kisses on top remove to a cooling rack

 

WARNING: Addictive Candied Bacon Recipe on CT STYLE with Teresa & Sarah!

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WARNING: Addictive Candied Bacon Recipe on CT STYLE with Teresa & Sarah!

Love, love, love cooking live on “CT Style”! Truly an exceptional group of people that work here at WTNH, Channel 8. I feel very fortunate to be able to come here and share creative and delicious recipes with all of you on a regular basis! “CT Style” is such an informative platform while entertaining us all at the same time. This time around I had double the fun with both Teresa Dufour and Sarah Cody. Ryan Kristafer, was away handling the Travelers Championship coverage at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT.

Who doesn’t go crazy for bacon and making it candied pushes it right over the top! After sampling my batches of candied bacon for CT Style my kids asked, “can you make this every day”! I think you’ll love the simplicity of my recipe. Some recipes for candied bacon have you fussing with the strips every 5 minutes during the baking process while others have you melting a concoction to brush on. Both these steps are unnecessary. The whole idea behind my recipe testing over the years is to eliminate all the extra fuss yet still arriving at an exceptional finish.

One of my pet peeves with salad dressing is being served bottled blue cheese when I’m out at a restaurant when it’s a really easy thing to whip up! Making blue cheese dressing is one of my favorite things to make and my recipe couldn’t be any easier. It’s luscious and mild all at the same, it will rock your world! Roasting the creamy blue cheese makes it more flavorful and that much easier to whisk by hand.

As for my garlic croutons, these are a no brainer! Crispy & garlicky little morsels that will keep you wishing for more. Your guests will be reaching for the bowl of these to snack on, so it’s wise to tuck some away in the freezer in a ZipLoc as soon as they cooled when making them. You should always have these in your freezer ready to go! You don’t even need to thaw, go directly from the freezer to your plate.

While these Roasted Blue Cheese, Candied Bacon & Garlicky Crouton recipes will be perfect for your next pool party you might want some delicious summer appetizers to go along with them like Best Guacamole Ever, Crab Cakes, Cold Cucumber soup, Seared Scallops or my New England Clam Chowder! And I have to give a shout out to Davis Pools in Clinton, CT for doing such a great job getting our pool open and ready for summer fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CANDIED BACON INGREDIENTS:

  • 10 Slices of good bacon (Oscar Meyer or Boar’s Head)
  • ¼ cup real maple syrup
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • Cookie rack
  • Cookie tray
  • Parchment paper

 CANDIED BACON DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350º
  2. Place a full piece of parchment paper covering entire cookie tray
  3. Lay cookie rack over tray
  4. Lay 10 full bacon strips onto cookie rack and bake for 12 minutes
  5. Put out tray, flip bacon over, brush bacon strips with maple syrup & sprinkle 3/4 tsp brown sugar on each one
  6. Put bacon back in oven for 12 minutes
  7. Pull bacon out of oven and repeat step #4, then bake 12 more minutes more (if you are using THICK bacon you’ll need to cook for longer …13 min., 13 min., 13 min.)
  8. Remove hot bacon strips to a plate covered with parchment and let cool at least 30 minutes
  9. NOTE: If you let bacon cool on rack they will harden & stick and you won’t be able to take them off

 

ROASTED BLUE CHEESE DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup Creamy Italian Blue cheese (If using the food processor you can make with Danish or Maytag)
  • PLUS 1/3 cup blue cheese extra for sprinkling on top of dressing when you plate the salads
  • 2/3 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise (I ONLY use Hellman’s)
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. “seasoned” rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Siracha (Asian hot sauce you can find at local Stop & Shop with all “hot Sauces”)
  • 1/2 tsp Coleman’s Dry Mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt each and finely ground pepper
  • 3 tbsp. buttermilk or ½ & ½
  • 2 heads Iceberg lettuce cut into 3”-4” wedges
  • 1 basket Cherry tomatoes sliced in ½
  • 1 recipe Candied Bacon
  • 1 recipe Homemade Garlic Crouton
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped chives

ROASTED BLUE CHEESE DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400
  2. Place Blue Cheese in a small baking dish and bake for 8 minutes, then cool slightly
  3. Put warm roasted blue cheese and above ingredients into a large glass bowl and whisk until you get the desired smoothness
  4. Arrange Iceberg & tomatoes on a platter then pour dressing over the Iceberg wedges and top with fresh chopped chives, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, candied bacon and garlic croutons

 

GARLIC CROUTONS INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large loaf Ciabatta approx.14-15 cups
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3/4 stick butter (salted) melted (For 10 cup of bread cubes….1/4 stick, 2 tbsp olive oil per tray)
  • 4 large garlic cloves put thru garlic press
  • 4 tsp garlic granules (not powder) – Sprinkle 2 tsp per cookie tray
  • 1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp for each tray)
  • A couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce Siracha -you can find this with the other hot sauces at the super market
  • 2 cookie trays, you want all croutons in a single layer

 GARLIC CROUTON DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400º
  2. Slice bread into 3/4″ slices length wise
  3. Then slice into 1/2″ squares
  4. Melt 3/4 stick of butter
  5. In a large mixing bowl whisk 1/4 c. olive oil, 3/4 stick melted butter, 4 garlic cloves thru garlic press, 1/2 Tsp salt
  6. Divide this mixture into 2 cookie trays spreading them evenly all over the tray
  7. Divide up bread cubes onto the 2 cookie trays
  8. Mix bread cubes to evenly coat using a pastry scraper or spatula
  9. Push coated bread cubes out into even layer on cookie trays and sprinkle 2 Tsp of garlic granules
  10. Put into the oven for 12-15 minutes
  11. IMPORTANT – they go quickly at the end so you really need to watch them so they don’t burn
  12. If not using all the croutons put cooled garlic croutons into a Freezer Ziploc baggie
  13. I usually keep them on the counter in a ZipLoc for a few days then throw them into the freezer to store and keep fresh

CT Style with Ryan & Teresa Making Fresh Shrimp and Chive Rolls!

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CT Style with Ryan & Teresa Making Fresh Shrimp and Chive Rolls!

Making fresh shrimp and chive rolls with Ryan and Teresa was a blast yesterday on CT Style! When Teresa walked into the studio at WTNH, Channel 8 with a pink and blue dress on I couldn’t believe my eyes. Teresa, Ryan and I were color coordinated in our pink dresses and Ryan in his blue and pink tie and we hadn’t planned any of it!

These delicious little shrimp bundles are so fun to be creative with and a total make ahead dish, you can make them the night before! You literally roll up these moistened rice papers with what ever you favorite ingredients are. I was craving Chinese dumplings from a restaurant called Dol Ho that I used to frequent in San Francisco, CA years ago and that’s how I came up with this particular recipe with the sautéed veggies giving the rolls a creamy, flavorful texture.

It may take a few trys to get used to handling the moistened rice paper, but you get many of them in a package so you’re are able to get in some practice rounds! The ginger-soy dressing in a no brainer, it’s so easy to make you could do it blind folded. The flavors of the fresh ginger, slightly salty soy, a bit of sweet with the seasoned rice wine vinegar and a hint of nutty with the toasted sesame oil is a go to Asian dressing/dipping sauce you will want to keep in your cooking repertoire. This dressing makes a wonderful cold asparagus side dish!

I will be posting the recipe for those Game of Thrones, Sansa’s Lemon Cakes, or should I say my version of lemon cakes that I featured on CT Style next week. My version of lemon cakes are mini pound cakes with lemon curd filling, and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting that melt in your mouth…mmm!

Here are some other deserts you can check out until I get you my mini pound cake recipe like Pavlova, Lemon Mousse Cups with Ginger Cookie Crumble, Berries in a Dreamy Cream, Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie or Blondie Bars with a Bourbon Caramel Sauce!

 

 

 

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INGREDIENTS – For The Ginger-Soy Dressing- Put all the following in a mixing bowl and whisk:

  • 1/4 cup soy
  • 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup green onion finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Squeeze from 1/2 fresh lime
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

INGREDIENTS – For The Shrimp & Chive Spring Rolls:

  • 20 lg Shrimp (15/16 per lb.)
  • 20 round or fan shaped rice papers
  • 1/2 c. each carrots, celery, onion finely chopped
  • 1 whole daikon radish -(Japanese radish) and 1 whole peeled carrot -BOTH ZESTED and set aside
  • 1 bunch of fresh chive cut into 3/4″ pieces
  • 1 c.  thinly slices green onion
  • 1 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 c. fresh mint leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp white wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)

DIRECTIONS – For The Shrimp & Chive Spring Rolls:

  1. Clean and devein shrimp
  2. Fill a small pot with water and 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a boil
  3. Add all of the shrimp to the pan & bring back to a simmer no longer than 2 minutes until opaque, REMOVE SHRIMP from heat IMMEDIATELY
  4. Drain shrimp and put into an ice bath
  5. Take shrimp out and pat dry with paper towels
  6. Slice shrimp in half, set aside
  7. Sauté finely chopped carrots, onions and celery til soft on medium heat, 10 minutes
  8. De-glaze veggies with 2 tbsp white wine
  9. Remove from heat and Comletely cool sautéed vegetables, set aside
  10. Put 1 1/2″ deep, luke warm water into a pie plate
  11. Immerse 2 rice paper wrappers at a time into water filled pie plate to soften, about 10 seconds
  12. Take out, place on cutting board and pat semi-dry just the tops to remove too much excess water
  13. Arrange all of you stuffing items around board
  14. Place 1 shrimp down on rice paper up 1″ from the bottom
  15. Add spoonful each of cooled veggies, chives, green onion, cilantro/mint leaves
  16. Fold in sides of wrap and then roll up from the bottom to form enclosed roll
  17. Repeat until all rolled up
  18. Arrange on a platter as you go, lay down zested carrots and or daikon radish on the side
  19. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top of rolls & serve with ginger-soy dipping sauce

CT Style Making Braciole with Ryan Kristafer & Teresa Dufour!

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CT Style Making Braciole with Ryan Kristafer & Teresa Dufour!

Spring is in the air and family gatherings for graduations are right around the corner so I wanted to share my recipe for Italian Braciole on CT Style this week. It’s a great make ahead recipe allowing you more time with your guests and less time in the kitchen. As always, it was an amazing time with Ryan and Teresa. Not only are they true professionals making all their hard work appear easy but they are wonderful people too. I am fortunate to be able to continually work with such a great duo!

My Italian Braciole is made with thinly sliced flank steak stuffed with fresh and dried herbs, Reggiano Parmesan & Asiago cheeses, rolled up and sautéed, then simmered in tomato sauce for 2 hours. There are many different versions of braciole depending on your Italian family traditions. Some families put raisins in their braciole, others put sliced hard boiled eggs. That’s what makes this dish so fun, you can be creative and add what ever your heart desires. I do love the German version as well where the beef rouladens are stuffed with mustard, onion, pickles and bacon! Who wouldn’t love that?

Italian Braciole is traditionally made with flank steak but you can also use top round or bottom sliced thinly and pounded out a little. Simmering these beef bundles in Tomato-Basil Sauce for a couple of hours makes for a very tender and flavorful braciole. I like to serve them with rigatoni pasta and a dollop of ricotta. I’m certain that Italian Braciole will become one of your favorite dishes too!

Thank you to A’s Unique Boutique for their endless selection of gorgeous dresses to wear on CT Style! If you haven’t been to the boutique yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. They have an enormous selection of stunning designer dresses and help you through through the whole process.

If you are going for the Italian theme you might as well treat yourself to some of my appetizer’s like baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, or crab cakes with a homemade remoulade sauce. Then you can really go for it with my SECRET manicotti recipe or homemade spaghetti that’s totally fun for the whole family and easy to make! Then end it all with some chocolate eclairs with the BEST vanilla custard you have ever had …enjoy! 🙂

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lb flank steak cut in 1/2 then each piece sliced horizontally into 3 layers totaling 6 pieces
  • 1 cup grated Reggiano Parmigiano
  • 1 cup grated Asiago
  • 1 tbsp dried ground Italian seasonings
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 recipe tomato-basil sauce but simmered for 1 1/2 – 2 hours
  • 1 cup ricotta
  • 1 cup red wine or white (I actually prefer to deglaze here with red)
  • 1 lb rigatoni

Directions:

  • Start sautéing the veggies for the tomato-basil sauce and use the same pan for sautéing the braciole bundles
  • Slice your 2lb. steak in half
  • Then have your butcher slice each side into 3 horizontal layers
  • Now have 6 semi-equal pieces
  • Sprinkle 1/2 tsp dried-ground Italian seasoning on each piece of flank
  • Sprinkle 1 tbsp each of Reggiano and Asiago on each piece
  • Lay whole basil leaves or chop basil and parsley and sprinkle onto flank slices
  • Roll up starting at the small end so that you are rolling up with the grain of the meat
  • Cut approx 30″ of cotton string and tie a knot at one of the ends
  • Then keep wrapping string all around the length of the rolled up flank til you are at the other end
  • Now come back tucking under each row of string going across like shown in the video til you get to the end and tie off a knot with the original piece of string you started with
  • Add 2 tbsp of olive oil a large pan and a few large cloves of garlic kept whole for extra flavor and sauté 3 rolled up pieces of braciole at a time
  • Brown on all sides on medium/high heat about 3-4  minutes each side (remove the garlic coves when golden and smear on a baguette and dip into the tomato-basil sauce when you start to simmer with braciole…YUM!)
  • After browning the second batch of (3) braciole add back in the first 3 and de-glaze with red wine (I used white in the show but prefer to use red here)
  • Add in puréed tomatoes and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours
  • Take braciole rolls out, REMOVE the string with a kitchen scissors and slice 3/8″-1/2″ thick
  • Serve with pasta (rigatoni) and a dollop of ricotta on top with a few slices of braciole and grated Reggiano…mangia, mangia.
  • PS- It’s even better re-heated the 2nd day! 🙂

Guinness Beef Short Ribs on CT Style!

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Guinness Beef Short Ribs on CT Style!

My favorite part of the live cooking segment on the “CT Style” show might very well be the fun gathering we have afterwards, eating and catching up. It’s just like if I were home having family and friends over except we are in The Bender Kitchen at the WTNH Channel 8 Studio! This is a special group of people that work here. It was also exciting to meet a recent addition to Storm Team 8 yesterday, Ashley Baylor. She is warm, funny and genuine. Ashley came over to have a bite of the Guinness braised beef short ribs with the rest of us and said “It smells so good in here, I was worried I would say it’s raining beef!”

Ferraro’s Meat King contributed to my cooking segment on CT Style with their gorgeous beef short ribs. They offer first class customer service with amazing butchers who will help you to figure out anything you need. You can even call up or order online to be delivered to their Madison location for pick up!

One of the reasons I love making Guinness braised beef short ribs is you can totally get this done the day before. This dish gets even better when you reheat it and now you have more time with your party guests.

The very fun dress I wore for this cooking segment came from A’s Unique Boutique in Guilford, CT. Their selection of gorgeous dresses is huge and they help you from the moment you walk in to find that perfect dress.

You may want to have some delicious salads to go with you Guinness Braised Beef Short Ribs like my Home Caesar Salad & Croutons,  Fennel & Citrus Salad, Roasted Beet & Feta Salad, Thai Quinoa Salad, or the amazing Panzanella Salad!

    

Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs. Beef short ribs English & Flanken Cut – Half of each cut in 2” pieces
  • 2 bottles STOUT
  • 1 cup red wine, cabernet and more to add to reduced sauce at the end
  • 2 cup beef stock, and more to add to reduced sauce at the end
  • ½ cup whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 lg onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks coarsely chopped
  • 1 lg carrot coarsely chopped
  • 4 lg garlic cloves coarsely chopped
  • 1 leek coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 recipe Yukon Mashed Potatoes, plus 1 sm. head steamed broccoli pureed added to mashed potatoes for St.Pat’s, place the cooked broccoli into the food processor with the cream you would add to the potatoes to help puree smooth, then add to mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS for Beef Short Ribs:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350º
  2. Rub spice mixture all over ribs and marinate for 30 min.-2 hours
  3. Pat dry ribs without removing all the spices
  4. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pan
  5. Begin to sear beef short ribs in pan with olive oil, do this in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan
  6. Sear the ribs 3-4 minutes on each side until browned
  7. Remove 1st batch of ribs, set aside in a lg bowl and brown 2nd batch of beef short ribs
  8. Remove 2nd batch of ribs to bowl
  9. Then add in mirepoix with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to Dutch oven
  10. Add all of the beef short ribs back into the Dutch oven
  11. Add in 2 bottles stout, 1 cup cabernet, 2 cups beef stock, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 cup whole peeled tomatoes and 1 bay leaf to Dutch oven- it may seem like a lot but I will reduce considerably while braising
  12. Bring to a simmer on the stove for 15 minutes and skim off any foam
  13. Cover Dutch oven and place into a pre-heated (325 convection) 350º oven for 2 ½ -3 hours
  14. Every 60 minutes check on the ribs to flip over and make sure you don’t need to add more liquid – it shouldn’t be dry (if it is you can add a splash of water, red wine, or more beef broth…all will work great)
  15. Remove beef and set aside, then begin to remove oil lay from the pan
  16. Tilt Dutch oven pan to the side to skim oil off the top of braised veggies
  17. Push all the braised veggies thru a strainer set over a bowl to catch all the juices
  18. Make sure to scrape juices on bottom of the strainer into the bowl too
  19. Add the strained gravy juices to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer on low for 5 minutes
  20. If it gets too thick you can add in a ¼ c. of red wine or beef broth
  21. Place the Flanken Cut pieces and English Cut short ribs on top of pile of mashed potatoes with a drizzle of gravy and a sprinkle of chives
  22. NOTE: If you are not eating ribs right away, and want to re-heat add to a heat proof dish, add 1/4-1/2 cup of red wine and beef stock and re-heat on a 350º oven for 30-40 minutes

Spice Rub Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic granuales
  • 1 tsp onion granuales
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp five spice
  • 2  tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp blk pepper

Mini Beef Wellington’s for the Oscars on CT Style!

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Mini Beef Wellington’s for the Oscars on CT Style!

Making Mini Beef Wellington’s for the Oscar’s on CT Style yesterday was a blast! What’s more fun then cooking in the kitchen with friends and family? Well, that’s how it is with Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour! I feel like I’m with my siblings, me being the elder of the trio, as we joke and banter back and forth. I can’t describe to good feeling I get when I leave the WTNH studio at Channel 8. Every single one of them are such great people.

This Mini Beef Wellington recipe is very easy to make and tastes like a bite of heaven! A piece of filet mignon topped with a mushroom reduction, called Duxelles, Truffle Mousse Paté, pastry dough, brushed with egg yolk and baked until golden…mmm! I make Beef Wellington, a bit more work, but the mini’s are like taking a short-cut to the same perfection! I have had these mini’s served at gala events years ago in San Francisco and forgot how amazing they are until my friend Chef Marco made them for New Years Eve. When he and his wife, Sheryl, served these Mini Beef Wellington’s at their New Years Eve party I new right away that I needed to show everyone how to make them on CT Style!

It was also National Sticky Bun Day so I made a batch of Sticky Buns too! Here are some other delicious appetizers you can make for your Oscars party, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Baked Asparagus wrap in Prosciutto with a cream cheese-onion smear on the inside, Pesto, Mozzarella and Roasted Tomato Crostini, and or the amazing Panzanella Salad! 

 

Mini Beef Wellington INGREDIENTS Makes 16 (Each 1 1/4″ slice of filet makes 8-9 mini’s):

  • 2 Slices of Filet Mignon 1 ¼ “ thickness cut into 1” approx.. cubes
  • ¼ tsp. salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 box, pastry dough thawed, 2 sheets rolled out , then cut into 2 ½” squares
  • 1 slice Truffle Mousse Paté, ½” thick slice
  • 1/4 c of Italian Blue Cheese
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 egg yolk, whisked

Duxelles Ingredients (reduced mushroom/shallot/herb):

  • 1 lb. Bella Mushrooms cut into quarter pieces
  • 1 extra large shallot finely diced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • ½ tsp. salt for mushroom mixture
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 2 tbsp. dry sherry (Savory & James Medium Sherry)
  • 2 tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat large sauté pan on med/high and season filet with s&p
  2. Add olive oil to the pan and sear whole filet pieces on all sides for 1 minute total
  3. Remove and set aside to completely cool, then cut into 1” approx. cubes
  4. To make Duxelles add mushrooms and shallots to food processor, pulse until very fine mash
  5. Add butter, mushroom mixture, thyme & sherry to the same lg. sauté pan & sauté for 50-60 minutes on med/low to remove moisture until you get more of a crumbly texture
  6. Set aside mushroom mixture to cool completely (you can do this the day before)
  7. Simmer ¼ cup Italian Blue Cheese with 2/3 cup heavy cream in a small sauce pan
  8. Whisk to get to a smooth consistency as the cheese melt then keep on a low simmer to thicken slightly
  9. When duxelles is cooled, add ½ at a time to a small bowl, then mix in 2 tbsp. pate
  10. NOTE: you can freeze this wonderful Mushroom Duxelles mixture without the paté for future use so only mix ½ at a time
  11. Put 1 tbsp. flour down and roll out to thin pastry dough a little, then cut 2 1/2 “ squares with a knife
  12. Put 1 tsp. Duxelle/pate mixture in the middle of each square, then place a cube of filet on top
  13. Begin to pull up the sides wrapping the filet cube like a present
  14. Put seem side down on cookie tray and brush the tops with egg yolk mixture
  15. Then bake on Convection 425˚ for 10 minutes until golden
  16. Pour the warmed blue cheese sauce onto a platter and then place golden Mini Beef Wellington nuggets on top and serve…yummmm!

Gluten Free Eggplant Rollatini at Page Hardware!

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Gluten Free Eggplant Rollatini at Page Hardware!

This Eggplant rollatini recipe that I demoed at Page Hardware is the BEST recipe out there! It’s light and luscious all at the same time! Like anything in life you have to be able to evolve with the times and that’s what has happened here with my gluten-free recipe. I swap out the all-purpose wheat flour for rice flour and instead of a bread crumb coating the eggplant slices are dredged in rice flour, dipped in egg and then fried. This makes for a lighter eggplant with a soft, silky texture!

 

As always, it’s so much fun at the Page Hardware food demo’s. We had a large crowd this past weekend who were very attentive and excited to sample my eggplant rollatini. There weren’t any left overs! We had regulars at the demo and some new faces too. Page is having a huge red-tag sale with 75% off so we all went into the store before the demo began to see some of the great deals. Every 3rd Saturday of the month, from 12-2,  you can come and sample  delicious foods at Page Hardware while I demo how they’re made. There is a Traveling Epicurean calendar on the home-page side bar of this website so you won’t miss out on up and coming events. See you next on Saturday, 16th of March!

I used to watch my mother fry eggplant when I was little and have been frying eggplant now for over 30 years. Eggplant rollatini is one of those delicious Italian comfort foods and is always better the next day when re-heated.  It is a little bit of a process but if you just organize yourself like I’ve shown you in the photo’s below you’ll get it down to a science.

You should try to fry up at least 2 large eggplants. I like to cook 3 eggplants because I freeze the ones I don’t use. I layer the fried eggplant slices in between durable Bounty paper towels and place into the freezer in Ziploc baggies. This way all your base work is done and now you’re able to pull them out of the freezer and make eggplant rollatini, eggplant Parmesan, or eggplant lasagna in no time at all.

I recommend making my slow cooked pasta sauce to go with the eggplant rollatini which can totally be made days ahead as well. I’m very picky about my ricotta cheese so Liuzzi Chesse in Hamden is the only way to go for the ricotta. There are some Shoreline stores that carry Liuzzi products like Bishop Orchard in Guilford or Saldamarco’s 

If you love eggplant as much as I do you really need to check out Eggplant Balls, Paleo Eggplant Lasagna, and Pickled Eggplant. Then you might be moving on to your satisfy a sweet tooth with “Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie” and another that shouldn’t go unnoticed is Chocolate Pecan Pie! Enjoy! 🙂

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INGREDIENTS:

  • Slow cooked pasta 101 recipe on my website
  • 2 lb. Whole milk Ricotta “Fina Style” Liuzzi Cheeses, North Haven,CT
  • 2-3 large eggplants
  • 9 extra large eggs whisked
  • ½ cup grated Reggiano cheese
  • 1 cup Rice Flour
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Mozzarella block cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 3 1/2 cups canola oil for frying
  • 1 whole roll of Bounty Paper Towels (it’s important to use quality paper towels)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Slice the ends off the eggplants
  2. Using a potato peeler peel off all the skin of the eggplants
  3. Slice up eggplants length wise into 1/4″ slices
  4. Layer the eggplant slices in a large glass bowl
  5. In between each layer sprinkle 1/4 Tsp of salt, and keep layering eggplant, salt, eggplant, salt…
  6. Cover with Saran wrap and place a small plate on top and then some heavy fry pans or large tomato can to weight down the eggplant and into the frig for 2 hours up to 1 day
  7. Drain the purple juice from the bowl
  8. Take the eggplant and pat them dry in layers between Bounty paper towels
  9. Whisk eggs and add ½ cup of grated Reggiano cheese
  10. Get your line-up of bowls in order: eggplant slices – rice flour – whisked eggs
  11. Add 3 1/2 cups canola oil to a large sauce pan and begin to heat up on medium/high heat
  12. The oil needs to be around 350º
  13. Lay out 2-3 cookie racks covered with layers of paper towels to absorb oil for frying
  14. Add slices of eggplant to the rice flour then dip into the egg bowl in batches
  15. Put 4 slices eggplant of egg dipped eggplant into the oil at a time…
  16. They will fry for about 2-3 minutes per side til golden then flip the slice over
  17. While the 1st batch is frying get the 2nd batch ready to fry dusting in the rice flour then dipping into the egg and have them sit briefly until they are ready to go into the oil
  18. Once the eggplant are golden place onto cookie racks with paper towels and dab them with fresh paper towels, flip and do the same to the other side to remove all excess oil
  19. Re-place with a new set of paper towels for the next batch and replace with each batch there after
  20. Then place the eggplant onto the wire cookie racks without paper towels to cool immediately after
  21. Finish frying the rest of the eggplant going thru the same procedures
  22. Get out your favorite baking dish and cover the bottom with sauce
  23. On a cutting board lay 1 slice of honey ham on top of a fried eggplant slice, & add a dollop ricotta (1/4 cup)
  24. Place a 1/4″ slice of mozzarella onto ricotta and roll up
  25. Place the rollatini into baking dish and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices
  26. You should allow for about 3″ room for each rollatini (they expand when they are baked)
  27. When you baking dish is full top with more pasta sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cover with foil
  28. At this point you can either put into the frig until you are ready to bake them or put them into a pre-heated oven at 350º for 55 minutes and then remove foil and 5 minutes more in the oven
  29. OPTIONAL: Remove the foil and add a sprinkle of grated mozzarella and pop the baking dish back into the oven for an additional 8 minutes
  30. Take out let sit for 15 minutes and serve!

Fat Tuesday Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya on CT Style!

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Fat Tuesday Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya on CT Style!

Planning for a Fat Tuesday celebration with this 1 pot dish of Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya was the theme of my cooking segment on CT Style recently! As usual, I love cooking for everyone at the Channel 8 studio. They are all such great foodies and enjoy eating what ever I’m cooking up not to mention all the fun I have with Ryan and Teresa, it’s never a dull moment! How lucky I am to be a part of this duo that brings CT Style to life every day! Teresa is a firecracker and Ryan with his boundless good energy…priceless!

March 5th is just around the corner and sometimes it’s a good thing to plan for your party. “Marti Gras” is actually french for “Fat Tuesday” and it’s a big celebration, the last night of indulgence before the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday.

This shrimp & sausage Jambalaya is a rice based dish made Creole style which means it’s has tomatoes. I use 2 different smoked sausages, Andouille and a smoked kielbasa. There’s extra large shrimp, chicken stock, peppers, onions, garlic, fresh herbs and Creole spices! Oh my goodness, there’s flavor bursting out from every where! My last but not least favorite part about this amazing Jambalaya recipe is using only 1 pot!

Can’t wait for you guys to try this scrumptious shrimp & sausage Jambalaya. Since this is a night of indulgence you’ll to end you night with some irresitable sweets like Pavlova, Baklava, Drunk Blondie Bars or Cinnamon Rolls-Sticky Buns!

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 oz. Andouille Sausage OR smoked ham (Tasso if you can fin it) cut into ½” cubes
  • 8 oz. Smoked Kielbasa sliced to ¼” pieces
  • 1 lb. med/lg size peeled & deveined shrimp with TAILS REMOVED
  • 3 cups Jasmine long grain rice, RINSED
  • 6 cups chicken broth, homemade if you can
  • 1 lg. green pepper diced
  • 1 extra lg Vidalia sweet onion diced
  • 2 celery stalk diced
  • 1 jalapeno finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves grated or garlic press
  • 1 28.oz whole peeled tomatoes diced up
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 bunch sliced scallions- ½ c. (save 1/4 cup for garnish)
  • ¾ c. fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano
  • 1 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
  • 1 tbsp. pink Himalayan salt
  • ½ tsp white pepper (black pepper if you don’t have the white pepper)
  • 1-2 tsp Creole or Cajun seasonings (or ground red pepper flakes work well too)
  • ½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 5 shots of Tabasco

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven and sauté on med/high cubed up Andouille sausage or smoked ham and sliced smoked Kielbasa for 5 minutes
  2. Add in 1 tbsp. butter and the chopped peppers, onions, celery and jalapeño and sauté on med/high for 5 minutes more until veggies are soft
  3. Add in grated garlic, chopped fresh oregano & thyme, diced up whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth and bay leaves
  4. Bring to a low boil on med/high and simmer for approx. 5 minutes
  5. Add in the rinsed rice, salt, garlic & onion powder, pepper, creole spice (or ground red pepper) and smoked paprika
  6. Stir, bring back to a simmer and then turn down the heat
  7. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes on low
  8. Remove from heat and add all the shrimp, ¼ c. green onions and ½ c parsley
  9. Stir, replace cover and let sit for approx. 12-15 minutes for raw shrimp to steam thru
  10. Serve with a sprinkle of sliced green onion and fresh chopped parsley…yummm!

Best Big Game Chili Ever!

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4 batches of Turkey Chili were eaten during my Food Demo at Page Hardware in Guilford, CT last Saturday! That’s a lot of chili!  This chili has the right amount of spice so as not to be too spicy or too bland but packed with tons of flavor. I do like my chili extra hot but I kept the amount of spice to a minimum so all could enjoy it.

There is a secret ingredient in this chili, cinnamon, and it’s in such a small quantity it should not be left out! This 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon gives it a warm, underlying flavor that your guests won’t be able to figure out. I test a lot of recipes in terms of spice quantities and this recipe has the perfect combination of smokiness and heat! I think it may become your “go to recipe” once you give it a try. Food for thought, If you were to have any leftovers, highly unlikely that is, it freezes really well. 

As for my monthly food demo at Page Hardware in Guilford, CT it’s a win-win no matter how you look at it…free sampling foods and free demo on how to make the dish! I am there every 3rd Saturday of the month. If you haven’t become a regular yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. We have so much fun during these demo’s you and you get to eat all the delicious dishes while I am demonstrating how they’re made. Can’t wait to see you next month! You can call Page Hardware to confirm the dates or look on my Events Schedule on the side bar of my website. After my demo you can always shop Page for what ever gadgets your kitchen is missing, they have everything you can think of.

After this chili you may want something a little sweet for dessert like Lemon Mousse Cups with Ginger Cookie Crumble, Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie, Chocolate Crackle Cookies or even my Chocolate Chip Cookies which have over 60,000 views on my YouTube Channel where you can watch how I make them! Enjoy!

 

 
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
  • 2.5 lbs. ground turkey (I used Perdue dark turkey meat in the demo, but both light & dark meat work great)
  • 1 can small red beans
  • ½-1 can black beans
  • 1 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes chopped up
  • 1 3/4 cup red wine, 1/4 cup each time you deglaze the turkey 3x
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 lg. red/orange or green pepper diced
  • 1 lg Vidalia sweet onion diced
  • 1/4 cup finely diced celery
  • 1-2 jalapeno finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves grated or garlic press
  • 1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. pink Himalayan salt
  • ½ tsp white pepper (black pepper if you don’t have the white pepper)
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. onion powder
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • A few splashes of Tabasco
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and sliced scallions for topping
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Add olive oil to a large pan and sauté on med/high ground turkey, deglazing a few time with ¼ c. red wine each (Note: turkey meat is moist, it won’t brown as well as beef and that’s ok!)
  2. Keep mashing turkey with a fork to break up clumps as you are cooking it 
  3. Remove turkey into a bowl and set aside
  4. Add in 1 tbsp. butter and the chopped peppers, onions, celery and jalapeño and sauté on med/high for 5 minutes more until veggies are soft
  5. Add in grated garlic, diced up whole peeled tomatoes, beer, wine, cooked ground turkey and all the spices
  6. Bring to a low boil on med/high, TURN DOWN heat and simmer for approx. 25-45 minutes
  7. Stir in the rinsed beans, then simmer for 20 minutes more on low
  8. Serve with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of sliced green onion and a squeeze of Siracha…yummm!