Wild Bill's Beignets

This was an amazing find while I was in Nashville. My wife happened to be walking by and first saw them...she got me one and I had to go back and buy a few more.

Beignets are apparently French Donuts. I've heard they're popular in New Orleans. Funny thing is we found them in some kind of Harley store called Wild Bill's.

I'm not sure what the connection is between Harleys and Beignets, but I really don't care. They were good.

If you're in Nashville, stop by Broadway and 5th and look for Wild Bill's- Beignets and Harley parts. It's a show stopper.

Crisped Chicken on Moroccan-Style Lemon and Onion

I've said it before- I love Moroccan food. I love the intersection of sweet and savory, and Moroccan cuisine excels at it. If you're scared to experiment, this is an entry level dish. The chicken is pretty basic and mildly flavored. It's the Lemon and Onion that gives it the kick.

Crisped Chicken:

4 chicken tenders, lightly salted and peppered
Ample corn starch, turn the chicken in it to coat

Fry the morsels until browned and cooked throughout- maybe 4 minutes. Set aside under tented foil, or cook these at the same time you make your Lemon and Onions.

Moroccan-Style Lemon and Onions:

Cut off large and lengthy chunks of 1 lemon peel
slice 1 onion

Add 2 glugs olive oil to pan and heat. Add onions and fry for 2 minutes. Add lemon peel and fry additional 2 minutes. Add 1/2 white wine. Boil, then lower heat to moderate. Add a few whole coriander seeds. Add 3-4 Tbsp of honey. Lower heat and cook until syrupy.

Add this to chicken and enjoy it!

~ Brock

Morocan Chick Pea and Shallot Soup

I'm a sucker for Moroccan food. It's brilliant, flavorful and downright interesting. Of course, this is an experiment in taste and texture, and I'm not sure that this soup really exists in Morocco. Nevertheless, it should. It's earthy and natural.

Moroccan Chick Pea & Shallot Soup:

1 large shallot, course chopped
1 Can chick peas (garbanzo beans); drained and washed
1 organic tomato, chopped
Handful of baby carrots, chopped large
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground toasted cumin (toast your own)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 whole cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
Chicken Broth
Olive Oil

Heat a glug or two of olive oil in a pot. Add shallots and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomato and stir for 1 minute. Add chick peas and carrots. Add chicken broth to cover (about 4-6 cups). Add spices, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.

Nice with some meat.

~ Brock

Herb Salmon Cakes With Horseradish Tartar Sauce

These bad boys are tasty! I got the idea after seeing a picture of crab cakes on the cover of some magazine. You'll love the moist interior balanced against the crispy exterior.

Herb Salmon Cakes:

Prepare Herb Mixture; set aside.

In a processor, turn about 3-4 slices of thick country/french bread into crumbs. Save 1 cup, and pour the rest into a baking dish or other rimmed dish.

Chop 2 salmon filets (no skin) into large chunks about 2x2. Drop those into a processor and pulse a couple of times. Need to have small chunks- NOT paste!!

Drop the fish and 1 cup bread crumbs into a mixing bowl. Add 1-2 Tbsp Herb Mixture. Scramble 1 egg and pour it into your mixing bowl. Wash your hands, then mix it all by hand. Form a few cakes of about 2-3" in diameter. Set those into the crumbs in your baking dish and coat all sides. Set aside.

Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil to medium heat. Fry each salmon cake about 4-6 minutes, caring not to burn and turning frequently. Top with lemon and parsley. Eat with Horseradish Tartar Sauce (below).

Horseradish Tartar Sauce:

1/2 Cup Miracle Whip
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1-2 Tbsp horseradish
1/2 finely chopped pickle. Mix well and chill.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Herb Seasoning

This worked with my Salmon Cakes, but would also go well on corn, in mashed potatoes or a bunch of other things.

Herb Seasoning:

3 part dried Oregano
2 part thyme
2 part Tarragon
1 part ginger
1 part garlic
1 part black pepper
pinch of sea salt

Now I used everything dried, but you can just as easily use fresh on the herbs, ginger and garlic. Experiment with proportion, but you'll love it.

~ Brock

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The Rumble LA - April 2

Fresh off the SxSW heat, Future Sounds brings you The Rumble in LA on April 2. It's going to be a good one, so if you haven't come out before, let this be your first.

Shrimp & Turnip Rounds with Hoisin-Sake Sauce

Percentage-wise, few people use variety in the kitchen. Most people, I think, believe variety somehow takes longer- costs more- is too much work. For me, I think variety often comes from what you already have on hand. The cupboards, the freezer, the shelves. For this one, I wanted to use turnips as my base ingredient. Sweet, yet bitter- they're interesting. But I didn't want them alone, so...

Peel and cube (1/4") 2 small turnips, pan fry for about 5-7 minutes, until nicely browned and soft
pan fry 4 or 5 shrimp with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and butter- cool and dice (1/4")
Cook a handful of edamame according to instructions, cool, separate beans, discard shells
[here's what I did - 2 dates, chopped- the result was horrible. The tasted blended well, but not the texture. Maybe if I let the dates rest in warm water for 20 minutes, or something, but that's up to you.]
[here's what I should have done - 2 strips of bacon, cooked crisp, then chopped. The salt would add a nice variety, and the texture would have been amazing in this simple dish.]

Stack it all. Layers are attractive, but you could also put everything in a bowl, and mix. I used a biscuit cutter to mold this one.

Then I figured I needed a sauce. Since I added edamame, I figured something Asian-influenced would pair well.

1/4 Cup sake, add to small pot, bring to quick boil, then lowest heat setting.
Add 1-2 TSP hoisin sauce, stir quickly- don't let it burn or settle on the bottom of the pot.

Heat this, stirring constantly, for maybe 2 minutes, then drizzle over your vegetables.

In this picture, you also see a blood orange vinaigrette over pan fired crispy chicken. I'll let you know about that one in a different post.

Enjoy!

~ Brock

Blood Orange Vinaigrette (over pan fired crispy chicken)

In my earliest post for Shrimp & Turnip Rounds with Hoisin-Sake Sauce, you saw a picture of a red vinaigrette over chicken. That's this one here...

Juice of 1/2 a blood orange
2-3 TSP white wine vinegar
1 TSP deli mustard
1/4 Cup olive oil

Mix well, and drizzle over whatever.

Pan Fired Crispy Chicken:

4 boneless chicken strips- salt and pepper them well.
Dump some cornstarch over the chicken, and press it into both sides to cover. Shake off the excess.
Heat 2 TSP vegetable oil in a pan, then fry the chicken a few minutes on each side.

~ Brock

Sweet Profiteroles (dessert puffs)

This is based on the Choux (pronounced "shoe") from France.

These are a fairly quick and fun dessert. I had my 4 year old son in the kitchen with me, helping me pour and mix ingredients. The best part is making them with your favorite toppings or filings. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Here's what you need:

1 Cup water
1 Cup flour
3 Tsp butter - cubed
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

Put the water, salt, and butter in a saucepan and warm to a simmer- no boiling. Then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon quickly and constantly until a ball forms. By this point, it shouldn't stick and should look sort of translucent. Maybe takes 1 - 2 minutes doing this part.

Remove from heat.

Drop the ball into a mixer (or into a mixing bowl so you can use a hand mixer). Cool it for about 4 minutes, then one-by-one add the eggs, mixing constantly. At first, it will look lumpy and eggy. After a few minutes, it will turn into a thicker paste. Make sure you keep mixing until you passed the lumpy stage.

Use parchment paper on cookies sheets. Dollop heaping tablespoons of paste onto it about a few inches apart. If the paste starts to run or deflate, it's not mixed enough.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove and cool. Slice open and add your favorite inserts- pudding, cool whip, ice cream, etc. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar, melted chocolate, strawberries, or other things over the top.

Enjoy!

~ Brock