Heirloom Tomato Soup

An easy to make delicious summer soup packed full of tomato goodness.

Ingredients

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes peeled and seeded¹

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 medium sweet onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1 t sugar

1 T salt

1/4 C packed rough chopped basil

1 jalapeno diced

1 t tomato paste

2 C chicken or vegetable broth

3/4 C cream or half and half

Directions

Heat butter and olive oil into a 2 3/4 quart or size 20 Le Creuset® until melted. Add onions and saute until tender or about 10-15 minutes.

Add garlic and jalapeño and saute until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, salt, broth and stir. Bring ingredients to boil than simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree using immersion blender.

Serve with cream on the side.

Notes

1 I blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute or two. Pull them out using slotted spoon and immerse in iced water. Peel and then cut tomatoes in half to deseed. I used heirloom tomatoes but any fresh tomatoes will yield similar results.

Firecracker Ovenbaked Salmon(Sockeye)

Alaskan Sockeye or red salmon in an Asian marinade that greets the tastebuds with spice and heat.

Ingredients

Salmon filet 12 ounces

Serves 4

4 T soy sauce

3 T crusher red pepper flakes¹

1 t ground ginger

3 garlic cloves minced

3 green onions chopped

1 T brown sugar

1 t hot sauce²

2 T balsamic vinegar

3 T sesame oil

1/3 C peaniut oil

Directions

Heat oven to 410° F Cover medium size baking pan in aluminum foil.

Placed salmon in gallon Ziploc™ bag.

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl.

Pour over the fish and marinate 4 hours skin side up in refrigerator.

Remove salmon from bag and place in prepared foil covered pan including the marinade.³

Bake 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

Serve with rice and a green salad.

Foot notes:

1. Reduce pepper flakes to 2T if less heat is desired

2. Delete hot sauce if less heat is desired.

3. Maybe baked without the marinade.

Kentucky Jam Cake

A favorite from youth and living in a small town. This recipe is decadent with blackberry jam, caramel sauce, cream cheese frosting and pecans.

18590f44be778bb1879ff1aeafa0fdae

Ingredients

1 C butter

2 C sugar

5 eggs

1 C blackberry jam

3 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t allspice

1 C buttermilk

1C pecans coarse chop

Optional 1 C raisins

Frosting*

12 ounces of cream cheese softened

8 T butter softened

1/2 C good caramel sauce

1 t vanilla

3-4 C confectioners sugar

1/2 C whole pecans

Directions

Oven temperature 325º 3 – 8″ circular baking pans sprayed with Pam Baking®*

In medium bowl combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in stand mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time until well mixed. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately until all are combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer and stir in jam and pecans.

Divide dough between three prepared cake pans and bake for about 35 minutes or until inserted cake tester comes out dough free. Rest the cakes 5-10 minutes before removing them from baking pans to rack. Cool and frost

In large bowl using hand mixer whip butter and cream cheese until fluffy then add Carmel and vanilla. Beat in confectioners sugar until frosting is creamy and spreadable. Fost cake and decorate top with pecans.

Note:

* Pam baking spray is convenient in place of it grease and flour the cake pans.

I like the tanginess of cream cheese frosting. A traditional Carmel frosting is usually used in frosting this cake.

Easy Tasty Roasted Chicken Patty Recipe

A fun twist on leftover rotisserie chicken breast is a tasty chicken patty. We made this recipe as an alternative to chicken soup, pasta, or pizza dishes. Since we love salad, we served the chicken patties on a mache salad with champaign vinaigrette.

Ingredients

1-1/2 C rotisserie chicken breast, finely chopped

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/4 t hot sauce

2 t Old Bay seasoning

1 t thyme minced

1 egg

2/3 C Panko or bread crumbs

Directions

Serves 4.

Whisk mayonnaise, egg, and Old Bay Seasoning in medium bowl. Add chopped chicken, Panko, and thyme then stir until combined. Divide into 4-6 patties.

Heat skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Add patties and cook until brown on both sides or about 3-4 minutes per side.

Remove and serve on pretzel buns with a blue cheese mayonnaise or on a romaine salad. We also love this champaign vinaigrette on salad.

Sweet Dumplings for Sweet Tooths

My Grandmother made these dumplings every spring while she and my Grandfather made maple syrup. She also made us maple syrup candy.

Ingredients

Dumplings

1 1/2 C flour

3/4 t salt

2 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

3/4 C milk

3 T butter frozen cubed

2 C maple syrup

1 C water

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Blend in butter until pea shaped with pastry knife. Stir in milk.

Add maple syrup and water to large sauce pan or medium sized Dutch oven and bring to boil. Drop in tablespoons of dough in boiling syrup. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note:

Very decadent dessert. We always enjoyed this at my Grandmothe’s house when they tapped their maple trees and boiled down the sap. At same time she would make us maple syrup candy. 😊😊

Chicken Spatchcock

I watched Jacque Pepin and Julia Child spatchcock a turkey and he did a chicken with great results. I tried it on chicken. Family loved the presentation and the dish.Spatchcock chicken has a crispy skin and moist meat. This method cooks the legs and breast more evenly in less time than a tradition method of roasting.

Ingredients

Brine

1 gallon of water

3/4 C kosher salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C soy sauce

6 garlic cloves smashed

2 rosemary stems bruised

2 oregano stems bruised

1 lemon quartered

1 oven/ fryer chicken

Rub

3 T Dijon

3 garlic cloves minced

2 t soy sauce

2 t hot sauce

1 T rosemary chopped

1 T thyme chopped

2 T lemon juice

3 T olive oil

1/2 t lavender salt

Directions

Ove temperature 425º

Mix brine ingredients in large bowl then pour into 2 gallon Ziploc® Freezer (2 gallon size)bag. I place the freezer bag in a bowl. Then add the chicken and seal the bag. Place in refrigerator for 4 hours to over night.

Add the rub ingredients to a small bowl mix and set aside

After brining completed remove chicken to cutting board and dry. Place chicken on it’s breast. Using a good pair of kitchen shears remove the backbone. Flip the chicken over and press down hard on the breast to flatten it. Using a sharp knife cut half way through the thigh leg joints and the breast wing joints.

Rub 1/3 of rub mixture on inside of chicken. Take 1/3 of rub then lift skin and rub breast and thighs. Then after searing use remains third on skin.

Two ways to bake:*

I heat large oven ready skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil on high. Place the chicken breast side down and sear for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and and turn chicken over and spread remaining rub on chicken.

Place in oven and roast to 165º or 45 – 50 minutes then remove and rest for 5 minutes.

Second method is to place chicken skin side up and rub remaining third of rub on skin on foil lined baking sheet and roast. Roast to 165º for 50-55 minutes.

Serve

Notes:

*Personal preference I like the crispyness of method one.

Serve with roasted new potatoes,roasted Brussels sprouts, and a grilled radicchio mozzarella appetizer.

Raspberry Feta Green Salad with Walnut Vinegarette Dressing

Ingredients

Salad

6 C of salad greens

8 ounces raspberries

1/2 C walnuts crumbled

1/2 C Feta crumbled

Dressing

Walnut Vinegarette

Directions

Serves 6

Rinse and dry salad greens. Place in large salad bowl.

Toss with Walnut vinaigrette.

Top with raspberries, walnuts, and feta.

Drizzle a light amount of dressing on top to finish–the lettuce is all reeady coated. Toss lightly and serve.

Another option is to place dressed lettuce in bowls and place raspberries, walnuts, and feta on top.

Pear Melon Gorgonzola Salad*

Ingredients

3 pears ripe

1 lemon juiced

1 C rose wine

1 t brown sugar

1/2 t cumin

1/3 C Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 C pistachios

1 cantaloupe seeded

2 limes zested and juiced

2 T honey

1 t Dijon mustard

1/4 C olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Serves 3-6

Cut pears in half and remove cores. Place in skillet add lemon juice, wine, brown sugar, and cumin. Simmer until tender but firm. Chill in wine sauce.

Lime Vinegarette

Whisk lime juice, zest, honey, Dijon, olive oil and salt and pepper in small bowl. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Cut cantaloupe in half and remove seeds then using melon baller cut 12 balls. Place a smear of wine sauce on serving dish. Place pears on wine sauce and add melon balls to cored out center of pears. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and pistachios. Dress with lightly with lime vinagarette. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Note:

*Can also be served on a bed of arugula

Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 T jalapeño pepper diced

1 T green onion thinly sliced

2 T mayonnaise

1 egg

1 t Old Bay Seasoning

1 1/2 t Dijon

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t hot sauce

1 1/2 t lemon juice*

1 pound Phillips™crab meat

1/2 C Panko Italian style bread crumbs.

Directions

Foil cover a baking sheet Serves 3

In medium mixing bowl add mayonnaise,egg, Dijon, Old Bay, Worcestershire, hot sauce, lemon juice, jalapeño, and shallot. Mix until combined

Drain crab and pick through for shell fragments without breaking up the crab. Add to it the bowl and gently mix. Add Panko and gently combine. Form into 6 crab cakes* and place on bake sheet. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Remove crab cakes from refrigerator. Add canola oil to non stick fry pan on high heat. Place crab cakes in pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side. I cover pan with a grease shield as sometimes hot oil is splattered. Gently flip them over.

Remove and serve with Tartar sauce or a cilantro lime mayonnaise. Cole slaw and potato salad with crab cakes are a great warm weather meal.

Notes:

*Lime juice can be used in place of lemon juice

*Don’t form them into tightly packed cakes

Can also be made into appetizer sizes. Use an ice scoop and make 10-12 appetizers.

	chefkreso on Cauliflower Cheddar Cheese Cho…
	chefkreso on Turkey Dumpling Stew
	chefkreso on Fennel Cabbage Slaw
	Fennel Cabbage Slaw on Lemon Garlic Dressing
	Greek Salad on Lavas… on Tzatziki Sauce
	chefkreso on Frisée, Radish and Endive Sala…
	maryscreek on Frisée, Radish and Endive Sala…

A favorite from youth and living in a small town. This recipe is decadent with blackberry jam, caramel sauce, cream cheese frosting and pecans.

This was an old family recipe reserved for special occasions. I remember eating these cookies at Christmas as a child. You can use dates or apricots for filling. My favorite was the apricot.