Summer Corn Salad

We have a big debate with our Long Island family (hubs), whether LI corn or Jersey corn is the best. I brought home a bag of Harb's corn on the cob (Northfork). We soaked it in a bucket of water for an hour and threw it on the grill, silk removed of course. Was good the first night. As usual though when I grill there is a need to use up the heat as so not to waste the coals, so we grilled quite a lot of corn.

A few nights later I took three ears corn and sliced it off, and added- 1/2 cup cherry heirloom tomato mix, sliced into quarters if large enough; 1 avocado cubed, 1/2 cup slow roasted tomatoes with herbs and white balsamic vinegar, 3 grilled artichoke (steamed and cooled), and 1/2 red onion small chop.

Heat up a non-stick pan and add a drizzle of olive oil, onion, and saute.  Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed and chopped garlic, salt and pepper; then add corn, blacken a bit, and remove from heat. Add rest of ingredients and stir gently. It is alright if the avocado spreads around.

Serve room temp or chilled. We like ours slightly room temp. Some heat adds a nice tone, so dash some of your favorite hot sauce, or even salsa to this. We grilled pork chops and I made an additional pan of summer squash casserole...another post!

Oh, and is my household going to sway the Long Island corn over Jersey corn debate? Not sure, we just like eating fresh summer corn.

Quail Eggs & A New Salmon Tartare

Hubby and I love salmon tartare. So much I made many many pounds of it for our wedding reception years ago, along with a rather large bowl of avocado dip placed in the center for a nice presentation. Since the two of us arrived late to the reception, and we were told the crowd went through the platter in a matter of minutes. The compliments on our buffet went just as well. To make up for not getting his share that night, I make it at least once every couple of months. Sometimes I alternate it with various ceviche, another dish we love!

The recipe I use is always the same, but I wanted to try something different. This time I made a Caperberry Salmon Tartare with ripe avocado dip, and threw in some Quail Eggs for a surprise. Telling hubby we were having seafood, and only handing him a bottle of Neyers Chardonnay made for a perfect date night!

We've enjoyed past vintages of the Carneros regions of this wine. This wine scored 93 Points by the Wine Spectator, and called, among other things, "delicious". We'll settle for that -- anytime, any wine. Neyers Winery makes this wine in the traditional French Oak winemaking practice used for over a century.

While quail eggs are so small (10-12 g,1 3/8 inches in height), they are packed with many biologically active substances, as they are an abundant source of useful trace elements and vitamins. Their nutritional value is 3-4 times higher than that of chicken eggs. They contain 13% proteins while chicken eggs provide a bit more than 11%. Quail eggs contain 140 μg vitamin B1 compared to 50 μg in chicken eggs, and they contain twice as much vitamins A and B2. They provide five times as much iron and potassium as chicken eggs, and are richer in phosphorus and calcium.

Due to their amazing content, quail eggs are considered as a dietary food. The thing is quail eggs do not have “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and are very rich in “good” (HDL) cholesterol, so even seniors can eat them. Unlike chicken eggs, they do not cause allergy and diathesis. What’s more, they can help fight allergy symptoms due to the ovomucoid protein that is even used in the production of some anti-allergic drugs. Regular consumption of quail eggs may help against many diseases. -Information taken from Genius Cook

I have read that Quail Eggs have been around, and used in Asian medicinal remedies for thousands of years, and many who came into my health food store cafe said it helped with Asthma. There was a period of time when body builders swore by the protein of raw eggs in their diets during the eighties, but not being a medical professional, I can only say that the flavor is richer than regular eggs, and eating a few rather than chicken eggs (many have allergies to chicken eggs) would not hurt. Many people raise Quails to sell and consume the eggs, because they are rather expensive in the market place.

Cooking Quail Eggs-

Shooters- raw Quail eggs came on the Japanese Sushi restaurant scene

We found fried Quail eggs very tasty, but it took me three before I got the nice one in the photo above.

Taking a small serrated knife and 2/3 of the way up the egg begin to gently tap around as evenly as you can to break away the shell, then at the beginning of the break lightly slice into the egg, and pull away the top shell. This will leave you room to pour out the egg for a shooter, or for placing in medium hot oil and fry for about three minutes. Gently lift from oil and drain on paper towel, and then place on top of your favorite ingredients!

Soft boiled Quail Eggs- Soak your eggs in warm water for a few minutes and clean. Place eggs in a pan, cover with cold water (at least 1" above the eggs). Bring water to a rolling boil before removing from heat. Allow eggs to stand in hot water for 10 minutes. Gently stir them occasionally to prevent the yolk from settling to one side. After they cool again gently tap with knife to remove shell. Serve.

Due to their smaller size, it was pointed out to me they are the perfect portion size! Thanks Doc!

Caperberry Salmon Tartare

1/2 lb fresh salmon fillet- sushi grade, remove skin)
fruity, high-quality olive oil
1 small jar pickled Caperberries
1/2 lime
Kala Namek fine sea salt (myspicesage.com)
Chinese fine white pepper

Rinse salmon fillet and pat dry. Cut salmon fillet into small pieces, and place in non-metallic bowl. Drizzle enough olive oil on salmon till pieces become shiny. One squeeze of half lime juice (1 teaspoonful), 1 tablespoon caperberry juice from jar, about 12 smaller caperberries (I smashed a few before adding), sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of Kala Namek fine sea salt, as well as a pinch of Chinese white fine pepper, and toss. Let sit for about 1/2 hour before serving.

Kala Namek fine sea salt is normally used in Indian dishes, and has a slight eggy smell, but the flavor does not intrude on the flavor of the salmon; it is complimented by the Quail Egg addition.

I read that each Quail have their own unique pattern that appears on the eggs they lay. Can this be true?

Smack & Cheese- Heavy Cream Revision

[My friend Carol and husband Henry got crazy into taking the photos, and adding mustard to my plate]

After visiting Chris @ Nibble Me This in his hometown in Tennessee and tasting his wife's macaroni and cheese dish (I dubbed 'Smack & Cheese'), my friend, Lisa and I vowed to duplicate it for our friends in Texas. Why? Because it was the creamiest and best either of us had ever had! I am normally not a big fan of mac and cheese since my two children burnt me out on wanting the box version for fourteen years, and my mom's oven dried out version as a child; I just never wanted to eat it again, but Alexis and Chris have made a believer out of me.

Have you taken a trip somewhere across the pond, like Ireland, and had cream with your coffee or tea; milk on your cereal or fresh fruit; spread a thick and rich butter on your toast, and thought it was like none you have ever had in the states. Have you eaten at high end restaurants like Maggiano’s, and had pasta dishes like their Veal and Mushroom Ravioli Alforno (meaning ‘oven baked’, or pasta that is "al forno" is also often al dente; which means "at/to the tooth") with its thick and rich cream sauce, and thought it was to die for? Well, it is because they do not have regulations, or food standards in place on things like milk, cream, and butter. Anything you purchase in our stores here in the states is regulated.

I did replicate Chris @ Nibble Me This, wife’s ‘Smack & Cheese’ recipe using a restaurant grade heavy cream (38-40%) given to me by a chef friend here in Texas to replace the regular store bought cream and milk recipe below.


















When I introduce high milk fat cream sauces such as this to my friends outside of the restaurant, well, they ‘ew’ and ‘ah’ over the taste and texture, but then conversation goes straight to how they all feel guilty about the consequences of eating dishes like this. Not me, since I do not consume much cheese or regular milk at all. His wife Alexis and I discovered after talking that we both have a love affair with heavy cream, and I often substitute it for milk in recipes. Heavy Cream is a regular staple in all my kitchen(s). I knew once I saw the recipe I had to make it my own.




I looked for a unique cheddar cheese topping, as well as my favorite prosciutto from the San Danielle region of Italy to add as an extra touch.














The only thing we did not find in Central Market (Lisa had never been, and I love seeing their jaws drop on the first visit) was the large macaroni noodles needed, so we agreed on shell pasta. With so much shopping that day we wanted a one stop market visit. The cheese and cream factor IS the star in this production. As long as the pasta has spaces to hold the mixture, and squishes out when your eating; its all good!



















Henry smoked some German sausage with pecan on his seasoned grill, and Lisa cut up some avocado to compliment the 'Smack & Cheese' for our dinner. I must say that with all the flavor combination's going on in our mouths that night...the avocado was the most brilliant addition for the pecan smoke and cheese on the palate.











[Photo by Henry]







Henry walking into the house with the sausage, and opening up the oven was like the heavens opening up after leaving Central Market in my photo. The smell was almost too much to bear!












Cream (including light whipping cream) is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators". In many countries, cream is sold in several grades depending on the total butterfat content. Cream can be dried to a powder for shipment to distant markets.

Cream produced by cows (particularly Jersey cattle) grazing on natural pasture often contains some natural carotenoid pigments derived from the plants they eat; this gives the cream a slight yellow tone, hence the name of the yellowish-white color, cream. Cream from cows fed indoors, on grain or grain-based pellets, is white.

Half and half (10.5 – 18%)
Light, coffee, or table cream (18–30% fat)
Medium cream (25% fat)
Whipping or light whipping cream (30–36% fat)
Heavy whipping cream (36% or more)
Extra-heavy, double, or manufacturer's cream (38–40% or more) - generally not available at retail

For cooking purposes, both single and double cream can be used in cooking, although the former can separate when heated, usually if there is a high acid content (like sour cream).

Other countries cheese products, creams, and butters might taste better than ours, but food standards are not always regulated in European countries, and therefore labels and packaging can say anything they like. To keep consumers from being deceived and defrauded by such schemes, standards have been established for a large number of common food products in our country. The standards--some set by the Food and Drug Administration, others by the U.S. Department of Agriculture--define the products so that a shopper knows that a food really is what its label says it is, and not a cheapened substitute.

Most UK chefs always use double cream- Double cream is the British term for heavy or whipping cream in the United States, but it is a little thicker than our whipping cream. It contains about 48% butterfat. Double cream is so rich, in fact, that it is easy to over whip it and get it too thick.

Full-fat crème fraiche when cream is added to a hot sauce, to prevent any problem with it separating or "splitting". In sweet and savory custards such as those found in flan fillings, crème brûlées and crème caramels, both types of cream are called for in different recipes depending on how rich a result is called for. It is useful to note that double cream can also be thinned down with water to make an approximation of single cream if necessary.

Note: Unlike heavy cream, lower-fat substitutes like half-and-half and evaporated milk tend to "break" or curdle when added to sauces. To prevent this from happening, heat the sauce over low or medium heat, or reduce the cream substitute before adding it to the sauce. Don't let the sauce boil. Cream sauces made with lower-fat cream substitutes also tend to have less body; to correct for that, consider adding 1 tablespoon flour or 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the sauce for every cup of evaporated milk substituted. Stir the thickener into a paste first to prevent lumps. Ultra-pasteurized whipping cream is harder to whip and has some unpleasant flavor notes.









[Photo by Carol; hand by me]








I was waiting for Chris to email me the recipe, and not rely on memory, as the copy I had disappeared during our get together...hmmm)

Alexis 'Smack & Cheese' Original, and alterations made by Chef E
(The original recipe was double this amount. Original recipe was reported by Chris to be popular by over 166 BBQ'ers, and off of BigOven 3+, GBolten and an unknown Kelli)

In sauce pan heat together-

1 cup milk (I used heavy cream, so 2 cups altogether)
1 cup heavy cream
16 oz velveeta, cubed (I used 16 oz Tillamook creamy cheddar, grated)

after cheese melts, add-

1/2 stick butter (I used salted)

Cook 1 medium package macaroni or shell pasta just to an al dente state; drain well; place in roasting, or baking dish; pour cheese mixture over pasta and stir; sprinkle on top-

1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I added a few ounces of chopped prosciutto)
1 teaspoon paprika powder

Bake, 350 degrees, and until bubbly; serve 1/2 cup portions.

Alexis, Yours was to die for, but I would suggest you and Chris befriend a local chef who cooks with restaurant grade heavy cream, or find a local dairy farm for a good ole low pasteurized, or raw cream, and 'milk' them for a few quarts of the good stuff for her addiction!


















Matt could not let me walk out of the restaurant with the quart due to silly restaurant rules, so he gave me two containers full of the heavy cream. I saved one for my next post...Deep Fried Oreos...something I had not had, or made before...

Texas "de brisket" Tacos

The “brisket taco” was popularized in the 1980s in many Texas Tex-Mex restaurants such as Mia's and Micocina of Dallas; Matt's El Rancho and Serrano's of Austin. They can either be coated in a dry rub mixture as I have done, or slow smoked over pecan as Matt's El Rancho in Austin, Texas does. This dish is still popular in my house, as was in my childhood home.


Brisket can be cooked many ways. Popular methods in the Southern United States include rubbing with a spice rub or marinating the meat, then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood. This is a form of smoking the meat. Additional basting of the meat is often done during the cooking process. However, most of the tenderness from this normally tougher cut of meat comes from the fat cap often left attached to the brisket. The brisket is almost always placed with the fat on top so that it slowly dissolves down into the meat as it cooks, resulting in a more juicy and tender meat.

Once I moved to New Jersey I found this meat did not come as cheaply as it did in Texas. Also, learning that the Jewish community cooks this cut of meat like one would tougher cuts such as roast, but in an almost flavorless manner; I decided to introduce my tasty homegrown version of making BBQ and tacos to my clients and friends in the area, and today still fill many orders for them.

The “taco” is a Mexican sandwich that dates in English to around 1900, and is comprised of a rolled or folded, pliable maize tortilla filled with an edible substance. According to the Real Academia Española, the word taco originally meant (and still means) a plug (as in rolled paper used plug a hole) or paper or cloth patch for musket balls. Care should be taken when using the word taco outside of Mexico, as the RAE lists 27 possible meanings for the word. A taco is normally served flat on a tortilla that has been warmed up on a comal; since the tortilla is still soft, it can be folded over or pinched together into a U-shape for convenient consumption.

First, there was maize; then, there were tortillas- The tortilla origins began in the Central American region as early as 3600 B.C., and spread to other areas like Mexico; were they are still made and eaten with almost all meals today, but originally they were considered an appetizer by the Spanish name of antojito. This also referred to in many Tex-Mex books and sites as 'The Mexican Sandwich'. Many other uses for the tortilla came about through fusion of Spanish/Mexican, and Anglo cuisines as history tells us.

















I grew up with this cut of meat being slow braised. My mom would wake up as early as four in the morning, season it with liquid smoke, cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper; you would go nuts smelling it when you rose from bed as you anticipated how it would be served. Brisket was an inexpensive cut of meat, and could be found in many stores year round in Texas, and still is. Summer months you might see it as cheap as eighty nine cents a pound. Often my father would slather it in sauce and finish it off on the grill for his favorite BBQ sandwich, but now and then my mom would place this fall apart juicy meat in homemade masa tortillas for an easy taco weekend meal. She would make coleslaw, red beans, pico di gallo, and throw it all on the tortilla together. I am not a picky eater, so if it all ran together, the better! Many people I meet that tries my dish tells me stories about how they or someone they know had it in Texas once and considers it a tasty dish.

I remember a neighbor taught my mom about cumin, masa, and other seasonings for making ground beef tacos when I was a young girl in the 1960's, she began rubbing the same seasonings on brisket as an alternative to just liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. I have continued the tradition for both dishes since. My guess is that the neighbor was of Anglo Mexican and New Mexico Indian heritage, as I learned later on that traditional residents of Mexico I befriended did not like cumin, or its association with Mexican cuisine.

Cumin unlike chili powder was introduced around the time when slaves, and colonist were recruited by Spain to come to the San Antonio area in the 1800's. The Canary Islanders of Africa were responsible for its use in dishes such as tagine cuisine. Infusion of these different seasonings, ingredients, and techniques resulted in the Tex-Mex cuisine; therefore creating one of the southern regions oldest cuisines. Old and new dishes are continuously being recreated in Texas kitchens.

Reference Information:

Texas: The Lone Star State- Taco
Food Timeline- Taco
The Tex-Mex Cookbook, A History In Recipes and Photos, Rob Walsh
www.wikipedia.com