Pear Port Tart

One of my fellow water aerobic pals told me about this dessert she discovered which could be made in one pan, and once cooked it tasted wonderful. Hubby loves pears, so I decided to try it. However I marinated the pears in port and a squeeze of lemon the night before. Reducing the port over heat and drizzling it on the tart before serving.

PEAR TART

from Parade Magazine

Melt 4 1/2 T butter in pie dish at 350 (5-8 min)

Whisk together
3/4 C flour (I use half whole wheat pastry and half unbleached white)
3/4 C sugar (I use 1/3 C)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
(I also add 1 tsp cinnamon)

Add 3/4 C milk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

Whisk until smooth.
Pour batter over hot butter.
Top with 1 1/2 C diced pears

Bake 45 min. until browned.

My little sister is in town for a month, graduation party, beach combing and a Long Island winery tour, so this is a quick one!

Stuff It!...with Chorizo!

I know the photo kind of bites right...well the meal from Memorial day was just plain good. But the Chorizo Stuffed Chicken recipe from Chris @ Nibble Me This was not plain anything...it was brilliant and it will be an honored tradition at all my BBQ's from now on.

Knowing my guest were not real spicy eaters as we are I found some mild chorizo at a local market known for carrying south American ingredients (great array of cheeses) off Route 27 in South Brunswick. I wrapped thighs around the sausage, and slit open the breasts, then closed them up with toothpicks once I felt the amount of chorizo was sufficient. I mixed together well chopped cilantro, lime juice, corn syrup, brown sugar, salt/lemon pepper, and olive oil for the outside marinade. Leave in mixture for at least hours. I did feel I should have added more brown sugar for a better blackened coating, but it all tasted wonderful.

Once on the grill I continued to baste the mixture on the chicken. It was wonderfully moist in spite of how the picture  above may appear. I could see doing this marinade on many other things. I could see chorizo stuffed inside hamburgers!

I have to remember to post this macaroni salad recipe, a simple one, since it was a big hit at my Memorial Day BBQ. By the way, I turned 50 last week, and wanted to thank many of you for your Birthday Wishes you passed my way...I am in the club now!

My comments will remain off since I found it very freeing. I do miss hearing from the readers, but see many of you on facebook and twitter each week. Summer is a busy time for me with writing and friends, as well as my sister coming for a few months. We will be running around, and I barely have time for my work in the professional kitchens which employ me. If you are thinking of turning off your comments, do it. We can still visit each other, I still read many of your posts each week, or when you add new posts, commenting when I can.

Sam's Tomato Poppers

Sure Sam gave credit for this Tomato Popper recipe to a friend, but I am giving her credit for recognizing it as an easy and delicious treat to pass along to us!

Seeing this great recipe, it became part of my Memorial Day Birthday Celebration table. Let's just say they will be on many of my tables to come.

I took cherry tomatoes, tossed them with dill, lemon pepper and sea salt. They worked on the appetizer tray, in the salad, and even as an after dessert snack while sitting outside sipping wine. In spite of how much food you serve throughout a party, they will always appreciate something to pop in their mouths in those last minutes before the party breaks up.

Memorial Day Birthday Celebration

In my family tradition we celebrate our birthday for a whole month, or at least it always ended up that way. Many friends and family cannot get together as easily in summer months, so we string out the gatherings over a few weeks time. I began the tradition with my children, and found many others do as well...

I am turning 50 in June, but would be traveling to Texas, so I wanted to do some celebrating with my New Jersey friends. However the trip is postponed, but celebration plans go on. Where I am in the photo? In their smiles, as well as their tummies...no they did not eat me, but ate my good BBQ meal!

Planning my memorial day feast, I had seen two blog post that struck me as great food sources for good eats. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen, and Chris @ Nibble Me This are two of my favorite follows, on Blogger and facebook. They always have some good eats posted!

I will be posting their recipes in the next two weeks, so stay tuned, and enjoy the heat!

#@!Fiddleheads!#%

Well, I was upset because I thought of these unique nibbles after the fact this past week, or when the season was almost over. I often make them three or four times in the season for Hubby, he loves them! Luckily I got some to prepare in spite their time is really almost over. Hubby working long hours and traveling I have been cooking light for myself and simply had not been looking for Fiddlehead Ferns. We prefer to get them early on, but you can find them dragging into the end of May, maybe the beginning of June, but be careful. Ask the market where they came from.

The weather has been oddly cooler this month in my North Eastern area, so I was not surprised to see them in the vegetable department of Whole Foods. I have made Fiddlehead Ferns many different ways, but this is my favorite so far- Mustard Creamed Fiddlehead Ferns. I have made them with Gnocchi, and just as a side by boiling them, sauteing them, and with bacon.

I boiled them for 15 minutes, rinsed them, and began sauteing chopped onion, chopped pork fat, mustard seeds; then added 1 tablespoon of mustard, chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper, and about a 1/4 cup beef stock. After that boils about 7 minutes or so, I added 1/4 cup heavy cream and reduce for 5 more minutes. The crunch mustard seeds, cream and onion are wonderful with the flavor of Fiddlehead Ferns!

Once again I marinated some Lamb 'Blade' Chops for three hours in a house made barbeque sauce of lime, garlic, cilantro, tomato puree, vinegar, brown sugar, and grilled them medium rare to compliment these tender greens.

Slow Roasted Lamb 'Blade' Chops

In the past I have raved about 'Blade' cut lamb chops. We love lamb in any shape or form. Chops, primarily 'rib' or 'loin' are among the most popular fresh lamb cuts. Less expensive lamb chops are cut from the leg and shoulder. The blade chop is cut from the rib or back side of the blade section of the shoulder.

It is economical and flavorful and is a bit more tender than the arm chop. It is usually grilled, broiled, or pan-fried for the best results- buuuuut! and there is usually a but...if you ask for them to be cut at 1 inch or more, you can slow cook them, and they come out very tender and flavorful. Marinading them helps tenderize them by breaking down the meat, and the recipe has lime which will help with this.

I used my Chai marinade in the past on lamb, chicken and in chili- let them sit for an hour or so, then set the oven for 300 degrees and cook for 2 and half hours covered.

If you find blade chops packaged in your local market, they are usually much thinner and sold in family packs- great for the grill! Whole Foods will cut this style 'blade' lamb chop (1 inch thick or more) for you upon request, and at $6.99 a pound versus $19.99 a pound for a rack or rib chops.

Want the recipe for the Vidalia Onions and Haricot Verts? Go here

Vidalia Onion Bulbs and a Birthday Shout Out!

Did you know onions lower Cholesterol and heart disease? Did you know they grow almost anywhere you plant them? My yard in Dallas had wild garlic and onions. They came back every year. You could smell them on the breeze, and thank goodness they were way out front, or I might have had to put clothes pins on mine and the kids noses every spring.

Whole foods had these beautiful bunch of Vidalia bulbs. I love onions. I know lots of people do not like onions or garlic. Why? You either hate or love them right?

To me, they add a layer of flavor to a dish that surpasses nothing else.

Vidalia onions come from short day, Granex type onion seeds. There are long and short day onions, something I just learned about. These onion bulbs, or 'sets' as they are sold. They start off about the size of a quarter, and are torpedo shaped. They grow into round onions, but will not last as long as the long day onions grown from seeds. So you must use them almost as soon as you purchase them.

Slice these onions all the way up their stalks, like leeks or scallions. Slice and saute two of them in olive oil, and with a dab of butter. Add a dash salt. Then add some slow roasted grape tomatoes and the haricot verts. The onion flavor came through wonderfully!

This onion dish was prepared as a side to a friends sweet potato Kugal and my slow roasted 'Blade' chop- Chai marinated Lamb. Post coming...

Today is also my son's 24 birthday, and he is in Korea- as a full time student and tutor, living with his girlfriend who is a teacher. Something he has always wanted, to travel the world and work. I get to see him grow and learn about this new culture every week- from his point of view.

I am always reminded around or on Mother's Day how lucky I am to have a wonderful son. They grow up so fast... Happy Birthday Aaron!