recipes – Page 12 – COCO COOKS

I came up with this recipe a few years ago for a Ocean Spray Competition. Nothing came of it, but I feel they are quite good and an excellent way to use leftovers if you have lingering holiday guests, open houses, or what have you. You can make these for any event using cooked turkey breast or leftovers. I like that the prep can be done in advance. The puffs are essentially Gougeres, that can be baked ahead and stored in airtight containers for 1 day or frozen until use.The Chicken or Turkey Salad can also be made ahead until assembly.

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Cheesy Craisins Chicken or Turkey Puffs

makes 40 appetizers

Puff Ingredients

1 cup milk

8 tbsp butter ( 1 stick)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

1/2 cup Craisins chopped fine or dried cranberries

1/2 cup Swiss or Gruyere Cheese grated

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

* a large Piping bag or Ziploc bag

Craisins Chicken Salad

3 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken breast or turkey breast

1/2 cup Craisins chopped fine

1/4 cup finely chopped peeled apple

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon mustard or extra strong mustard

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

Puff Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add milk,butter, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat.Stir while the mixture is coming to a boil.Turn down heat or remove . Add the flour and mix until combined with a wooden spoon. Turn up heat to medium and mix the dough until it forms a ball and none is sticking to the sides of the pan. This will take a few minutes.

In a large bowl with a electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the dough. Carefully add the eggs, one at a time until all is incorporated . Add the cheese , Craisins, and spices. Mix well.

Fill either a large Piping Bag or a Ziploc bag with the dough mixture. Cut the tip opening to no more than 1/2 inch in diameter( this will allow the dough to be piped, without the Craisins bits blocking the opening).

Preheat oven to 350 F.

On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet , pipe small bite size rounds of dough. Smooth any pointed tips with an oiled/buttered spoon.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on rack. When cool enough to handle, take a small serrated knife and slit the puffs to prevent sogginess. Store in an airtight container, freeze, or set aside until ready to fill.

Craisins Chicken Salad Preparation:

In a large bowl combine chicken, Craisins, apple, mayonnaise, mustard, and spices. Mix well. Allow to set for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Assembly

Take a slit puff and fill with a generous mound of Craisins Chicken Salad.Assemble on a platter and serve at room temperature.

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Salt and Pepper Shrimp with the Heads and A Story

November 15, 2010March 21, 20163 Comments

The past week I have been taking a online writing workshop called Romancing The Palate. Some of you know I am working on a foodie based romance . The whole genre is new to me and I’m learning a lot from a great group of writers. The teacher of the workshop is “Becca” , who I really got to know this fall as we entered a Mills and Boon competition. She’s a wealth of info with some great blogs.

I decided to post one of my assignments , a piece about eating one of my favorite dishes ,Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the process of eating it. Debate is rampant on the best way eat this dish. I’m old school and like it the traditional Chinese way with the head on. Because any good chef knows the flavor is in the shells, bones, and other nasty bits. Look at this beautiful oil after I fried the shrimp. That’s all that inner roe and shell in the head infusing the oil with flavor. If you want to be a wimp , take off the head, but keep that shell ON! First the story and then the recipe.

Amuse Bouche

It’s Better With The Head On

“Come on” Alexandre pulled Sidra up from the bed. It was Sunday and they were lazing around after a particularly brutal Saturday evening service at Le Boite. Normally either Alexandre or Sidra would make some breakfast and French pressed coffee, to be in bed. Classic traditional continental breakfast with the best pastry and breads from the best restaurant in London.

“We need to do some research in Soho, Chinatown for a new concept I’m working on.” Alexandre said playfully with a hint a promise.

“New concept?” Sidra pulled the sheets up over head, reluctant to leave the confines of the billowy goose down bedding. She could still smell the sandalwood scent of him on the sheets as she squinted against the sun beaming onto the room. They had been serious about each other for some months now, and she loved their normal laid back ritualistic Sundays. As their romance was not yet public, Sidra had reservations about being seen with the hottest playboy chef in London, traipsing around So Ho. Anyone could spot them as Alexandre was a household name. She could just envision the Daily Mail.

Alexander and Sidra quickly got dressed. Their style was a pared down elegance that the French mastered for eons. Sidra, a quick study, followed suit. She needed no makeup as she glowed. She was in love and just where she wanted to be. Work, love, all conjoining into the perfect flow. It showed on Alexandre too. He felt alive, inspired, and for the first time, really in touch what and who he wanted. No room for games or ego here. Could it be Sidra tamed the fiery chef?

They entered a small nondescript restaurant called Madame Changs. The sounds of various dialects of Chinese filled the air, and the menus written on the wall were not in English. The clanks, whooshes of steam, and sizzling hisses from the kitchen, could be heard at their table. An elderly lady, who was perhaps Madame Chang herself, greeted Alexandre warmly. They seemed to be old friends.

“You let me choose what you will eat today Alexandre?”, said Madame Chang.

“My taste buds are in your hands”, said Alexandre with relish.

The first dish was presented with flourish. To start, large fried shrimps with heads on were seductively arranged on bed of chilies and peppers. Each shrimp is fried and coated in a crispy batter, with the shells and head left intact, with a sprinkle of some spicy Schezwan salt and cracked black pepper.

“I have had salt and pepper squid, but the shrimp always wins as my favorite.” Alexandre said excitedly as he waved his hand in a flourish to take in the garlicky aroma of the sizzling shrimp that just left the wok.

Sidra’s mouth started to water. She could just taste the tiny bits of fried garlic and hot chilies of the red and green varieties are tossed with shrimp and finished with a boost of briny soy sauce. With her bare fingers, she took a shrimp straight from the dish, ignoring the white rice just being served. Alexandre looked at her as she licked the entire shell and suck off the crispy fried batter and pieces of the peppers sticking to it.

“I see you are no stranger to Salt and Pepper Shrimp? “, he grinned at her sexy yet youthful appreciation of the food. “Finally a woman who is not afraid to eat and enjoy”, he said as he dug in.

Sidra took the head off gingerly with her fingers and sucked at it. The taste of salty garlic with a tinge of spice overwhelms her mouth. She then ripped a solid lump of mild sweet white flesh of the shrimp from the shell. Each piece of fried morsel is a gem to her mouth. Before she could repeat the process, she licks her fingers clean, not wanting to waste a bit of it all. Oil, salt and spice cling to them. Forget the chopsticks.

All Alexandre could do was beam with pride. Someone not afraid to tackle salt and pepper shrimp with the heads on.

Madame Chang came over to check on her favored guests. She looked down at the discarded heads of shrimp with respect.

“I like her Alexandre. The flavor is in the head”, she purred.

“She eats it like a true Chinese person.” she said with a wink as she brought the rest of the Dim Sum .

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Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Serves 2 as main course or 4 as a starter

1 lb fresh shrimp with the head on. ( If you choose to leave the head off, leave the shell intact but cut down back to de-vein)
1 1/2 cups rice flour
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying
2 jalapenos peppers or chili peppers sliced and chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet red peppers sliced and chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
Kosher salt and Black Pepper or Sichuan peppercorns

Prep your space with all the ingredients ready to go and chopped.
Toast peppercorns in a dry skillet to release flavor. Crush with fingers or use a food grinder to blend with your Kosher salt.
Cut the long ‘whiskers’ off the shrimp. Wash shrimp.
In a Ziploc bag add the rice flour and shrimp. Shake to coat.
Heat your oil until high in your wok.
At the frying point add the shrimp and few at a time. Fry until pink and remove with slotted spoon to a platter.
The oil will start to turn pink as the inner shrimp and shell infuses the oil with flavor and color.
Once all shrimp are fried, remove all but a few tablespoons of the oil.
In the hot wok with the reserved bit of oil , toss in the chopped garlic, onions, peppers/chilies. Stir Fry for a bit.
Add some peppercorn and salt mixture to taste.
Add shrimp back into skillet and adjust with more peppercorn and salt. Toss until the shrimps are coated with the garlic, onions, peppers/chilies, salt, etc
Serve with rice or on a bed of shredded lettuce.

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Chili Infused Honey Othererwise Known as Kiss Me Spank Me Honey

November 14, 2010November 14, 201010 Comments

This is a cheater post for me. It’s so simple and I can’t take the credit for it, but want to share it with you! Some back story… I have a friend, who we are going to call The Alchemist. She has invited me to make Mead with her. It’s long process, that we initiated on October 31. Stay tuned for the post ,when the Mead is complete. So far its going very well. We racked it last week.

Mead is a honey based wine made from fermenting honey with yeast. It’s history can be traced back to many cultures ( Europe, Asia, and Africa) and is considered the first traceable fermented drink. I have heard it refereed to as the drink of the Gods.

Anyway, as The Alchemist acquired quite a bit of honey from her mentors apiary, she decided to to make a tiny stash of a Chili infused honey. The tip was was the brain child of beeboy on this wonderful site devoted to Mead. Bee Boy was making Mead with heat spiced honey. I bet that was incredible! The Alchemist infused her honey for only two days and the heat was intense and blended perfectly with the sweetness. A tip The Alchemist gave me was to turn the jar upside down so when you take a spoonful, it’s without the hot pepper slices floating. I wanted to figure out a clever play on words with this concoction.Honey Chile came to mind, but The Alchemist calls it Kiss Me Spank Me Honey. The title alone is going to bring a lot of weird traffic to my site as I already Googled the term (Laughing out Loud).

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Kiss Me Spank Me Honey (Chili Infused Honey)

Needed:

1 clean mason jar with lid
Runny Honey
A few of our choice variety of hot chili peppers (Piri Piri, Serrano, etc>). I suggest 2 peppers per pound of honey.

Process:

Slice peppers with seeds.
Add to honey in jar.
Seal.
Let sit and infuse for at least two days.

Applications:

Makes cool gifts for the Holidays in your own special bottles.
As a glaze for beef , pork, or chicken.
On fried chicken.
In salad dressings for some sweet heat
In your hot cold remedy with lemon.
Someone suggested Biscuits

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Salt Pork (Sidfläsk) and Onion Sauce…Classically Scandinavian Cuisine

November 7, 2010March 21, 20167 Comments

Some dishes are so simple and basic, they really don’t elicit the need for a recipe or a enthusiastic response from most. Yet that very simplicity, which some might disdain, is comfort for others. A simple man’s dish can be regal and revered for it’s pure minimalism. While in Stockholm, having lunch with friends in a swanky cafe off of Stureplan, I ordered the lunch special. It was a basic hearty dish of fried salt pork served with boiled potatoes and a white creamy onion sauce.My friend rubbed her hands in glee in anticipation of this childhood favorite, and Certain Someone naturally leaned over to fork up a few of the tasty morsels. I knew this was a dish I had to replicate back home.

Growing up black, with a mother who cooked southern style, salt pork was normally reserved for greens or beans. I don’t think she ever fried it up for us to eat, although I know many do. As salt pork is cured and packed in salt , its essential to soak it overnight and even blanch it to lessen the saltiness. It’s poor mans food that cheap but adds a punch of flavor to any dish.Salt pork can be entirely fatty or lean with some meat. Its made from the pork belly, like bacon, yet cured in salt. Originally it was created as shipboard ration, much like the European cured cod in salt.

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Salt Pork with Onion Sauce

serves 2-3

1 lb slab of salt pork( streaky with meat and fat)
oil or leaf lard for frying
small red skinned potatoes ( enough for 2-3) peeled
1 stick butter
1 1/2 white onions minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup of milk
white pepper
sea salt
*pinch of nutmeg optional

Soak the salt pork overnight in water. Refrigerate, changing water periodically.
Boil peeled potatoes in water with a pinch of salt until tender.
Heat a pot with boiling water. Black salt pork for 1 minute to leech extra salt after soaking.
Remove from water and cool.
Slice salt pork .
In a frying pan with oil or leaf lard, fry salt pork until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Check potatoes, drain , and toss lightly in butter when done. Cover until ready to use.
In a frying pan melt 1 stick of butter.
Add minced onion.
Saute on med heat until onions are translucent .
Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Add flour to butter and softened onions. Mix until you form a roux.
Continue to cook for one minute to slightly brown the roux.
Add milk and* nutmeg.
Mix briskly to incorporate onions, roux and milk.
Sauce will start to thicken.
If sauce is too thick add more milk, adjust.
Plate potatoes with sauce ladled over them. Top with a few slices of salt pork per person.
Serve hot.

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