Guacamole

So to give you an idea how good this guacamole is, let me tell you about Hail and farewell.

The Navy has a lovely tradition of throwing a party at the beginning and end of people's duty station assignments.  It's a time to welcome the new, and thank the old, which in the Navy has quite a bit of overlap, since everyone moves so much- hardly a hail and farewell happens without an old friend arriving and a new one leaving.  Military are pretty much salt of the earth people.   It was pretty funny, I remember thinking one of the captains was sexist for asking if I'd go part time once we had kids- now, I realize he was not sexist, but wise.  Or perhaps, wisely sexist.   It's hard for (this) woman.

Anyway, I made this guacamole for the last one we would ever attend.  Someone else made guacamole too, not that anyone noticed.  This sat 18 inches from the other, lonely guacamole, and this one got demolished while the other just sat there.  Barely touched.   It was the first time I saw guacamole look embarrassed.

I've made it a million times since then, as does my husband (he takes particular pride).  Don't be scared by the tabasco- it's essential.  So is the lemon, unless you like brown guacamole.

This is always made as a double batch- too much is never enough.

Guacamole
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium plum tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Directions
Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl with a spoon.  Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced, or use a potato masher. Add the tomatoes. Mix well.

Strawberry Syrup for Pancakes and Waffles- Brian

So this was my mother's day breakfast.  Brian made the light and fluffy pancakes also on the blog, and also whipped up this strawberry sauce to go with it.  It was sweet and very well done!  Brian and I have different philosophies of cooking.  He like to just kind of wing it and season to taste- I like to measure everything so I can recreate it exactly.  

So I kind of had to pull out of him exactly how he did it- but it would seem this is the way it was done.   The lemon juice is the only thing that's in question, so I used Rachael Ray's recipe to guide me.  

Strawberry Compote:
Adapted from Rachael Ray

1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 cups of strawberries

Combine sugar, lemon and water in a small sauce pot. Over moderate heat, dissolve sugar into water. Stir in fruit, coating it in sugar water and bring the fruit and water to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 7 or 8 minutes.  The strawberries will break down, but may need and extra five minutes.  Serve with French toast, pancakes or waffles.

Grilled chicken fajitas

These are the best fajitas.  As in, good-enough-for-company-fajitas.  We often eat them without tortilla, as a sort of "stir-grill," I guess.  We just don't get tired of them, ever.  I would easily prefer these to any fajita I've ever gotten at a restaurant.  The marinade is not spicy, despite what you make think with a jalapeno being in there!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Adapted form Annie's Eats, who adapted from Cook's Illustrated September 2005

Ingredients:
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (LEMON DOES NOT WORK)
8 tbsp. vegetable oil plus more for brushing
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp. brown sugar
2 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and diced
3 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, about 1 lb.
1 large red onion (about 14 oz.), sliced into ½-inch thick slices, rings not separated
3 large bell peppers, stemmed, quartered and seeded, a mix of red and green
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper.  Reserve 3/4 cup of the marinade; set aside.  Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with vegetable oil.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Place tortillas wrapped in aluminum foil in a 200 degree oven to warm.

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade and transfer to a warmed gas grill; discard the left over marinade.  Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill.  Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes.  Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside. Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until somewhat charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed.  When the chicken and vegetables are done, slice them and transfer them to a large bowl and pour reserved marinade over them (NOT THE NASTY RAW CHICKEN MARINADE- this is obvious, I know) and toss to combine.

 Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve.

"Benchiladas"- Brian's first foray as blog chef

These enchiladas are really good. I made them for my brother and sister in law, as well as my parents in law, and they were a big hit!!!  They have nothing exotic for ingredients, and errrrrrrr....almost nothing remotely mexican, for that matter!  Except the salsa, but come on, these days that's like saying ketchup is chinese.

Of course, I usually make these with homemade salsa and homemade ranch dressing, but you could certainly use the jarred stuff.  These were a Friday night post cinco de mayo dinner.  I had planned to make vegetarian enchiladas, but they were relatively complicated to ask B to sub in for with 2 kids at his heels.  I asked Brian to make these on my way home and I came home to these puppies ready and waiting.  Happy Mother's Day to me!  (you can also tell these are made by Brian from the startling lack of cheese.  Healthy man, my husband.  Feel free to be more liberal in your incarnation.)  They got the name "benchiladas" from Annie's husband's love for them...they'll be named after you soon enough.


Cheesy Chicken “Benchiladas”
Adapted from Annie's Eats and her dad's local newpaper!

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
8 oz. sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15)
about 1 cup of salsa
shredded mexican cheese, 2 cups and more to taste

Directions:
Cook chicken breasts  until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.

While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan. Take one tortilla and top with a scant 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa, 1-2 tbsp per your preference. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Feel free to add additional salsa to the top.  Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Breakfast Pancake

So we had this all the time growing up!!!  Or rather, every time we had it, it was very memorable.  This is ridiculously simple, but absolutely delicious.  Little puddles of butter get on top of the "pancake" (translate- scrambled eggs and flour's love child) and then absorb the powdered sugar to become a little bit of yum on this otherwise savory eggy creation.  Make no mistake- this is a sweet and not healthy.   It's best served sliced like a pie in wedges as an accent to some fresh fruit or something else to purge yourself of the decadence.  My mom always used to marvel at the variability- sometime it would puff up dramatically, and other times would be virtually flat- it's never the same shape twice.

I was thrilled to see this was in a cookbook other than the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' cookbook- it's too good to be secret!

david eyre's pancake-- Known in my house as BREAKFAST PANCAKE

Originally adapted by my mom from the Fine Arts Cookbook, 1967 edition

adapted from Amanda Hesser's Essential New York Times Cookbook as seen in Daily Salt

serves 2 to 4

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons salted butter (I like the salted butter especially well)
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon (optional, I never used that, but I like the thought)

Heat the oven to 425F. Combine flour, milk, and eggs in bowl.  Beat lightly.  Batter will be lumpy - do not overmix.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet with a heat-proof handle. When it is very hot, pour in the batter.  Bake for 15-20 min, until pancake is golden brown.

Sprinkle with sugar. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.

Panko Crusted Salmon

Well, you'll just have to forgive me for not getting a good picture of these cooked.  I didn't, and they were eaten without any leftovers before I could possibly manage to fix it!  This has the absolute potential to become a regular.  I made an emeril recipe back before we were married that we used all the time that also featured mustard, but this one is 100% better.  I love the lemon zest with the bread crumbs- it gives a nice lemon flavor throughout.    It's very easy and fast, with no special ingredients, which makes it perfect for nights after work.   The mustard is very subtle- don't be scared off!

I have had not desire to get Ina's new cookbook, but with this recipe, I may have to reconsider!!

Panko-Crusted Salmon
Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from How Easy is That?

Ingredients:
2/3 cup panko (I food processored a homemade roll and toasted it in a saucepan)
2 tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 oz.) salmon fillets, skin on (wild sockeye if you can get it)
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down.  Brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper.  Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet.  When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin. You remove the skin, so don't worry about this step- this is oil you won't eat!!

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned.  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Sweet and Salty Brownies

Ok, so perhaps 2 brownie recipes when I only 30 recipes total is a little excessive.  So be it.  These brownies were made for date-night-at-home.  We're watching the king's speech and having some red wine.  Chocolate and red wine go great together!

These brownies are impossibly fudgy, with a thin layer of caramel in the middle.  The topping is salt and fleur de sel, and does brush off easily if the salt is too much for you.   I love that the coarse salt and sugar are indistinguishable by sight- it keeps things unexpected.  If you've never used black cocoa, I love it (comparison photo to hershey's dark).  It adds a big depth of chocolate flavor.  These brownies were  very rich- the caramel is not distinct, but adds complexity to the brownie.

I also like their caramel recipe a lot- the corn syrup helps prevent the caramel from seizing.  Seized caramel is messy and nasty, so anything we can do to avoid it, I'm a fan.


Sweet & Salty Brownie
adapted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented

Caramel:
1 c. sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 c. sour cream

Brownie:
1 and 1/4 c. flour (6 3/4 oz)
1 tsp. salt
2 TBSP dark cocoa powder (I used 1 tbsp Hershey's dark and 1 tbsp black cocoa)
11 oz. quality dark chocolate (60-72%), coarsely chopped (chips are fine)
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla (vanilla bean crush)

Topping:
1 and 1/2 tsp fleur de sel
1 tsp coarse sugar


Make the Caramel:
In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 c. water, stirring together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan.  Cook over high heat, until a thermometer reads 350 degrees and is dark amber in color.

Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream (it will bubble up).  Then add the fleur de sel.  Whisk in the sour cream.  Set aside to cool.

Make the Brownie:
Preheat oven to 350.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13" pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Spray parchment with baker's joy.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder.

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a makeshift or real double boiler.

Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water.  Whisk in both sugars until completely combined.  Remove bowl from pan.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.  Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined.  Add the vanilla and stir until incorporated.  Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Add the flour mixture.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until there is just a trace of the flour mixture remaining.

Assemble:
Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.  Drizzle and 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce over the batter, trying to stay away from the edges. Gently spread the caramel sauce evenly with an offseet spatula, if you have it.  In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the remaining batter over the caramel layer. Smooth the brownie batter gently over the caramel.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the fleur de sel and the coarse sugar.

Cool completely before serving, and store well wrapped in the fridge (preference, not safety).