Kitchen Kapers

The last thing I want to do in the summer is cook, but when you’re making a low country boil it is well worth turning on the stove. For those of you that may not know what this southern delicacy is then you are missing out. With zero prep time and basically one-step required, it is no surprise that our laid back friends of the south have made this one of their most popular recipes.

For a while, I believed that the term low country boil came from the fact that the only step in this recipe is to do just that-boil. But after doing a little research I came to find out that the interpretation of this term is ‘social gathering’. So that is exactly what I did. Since Father’s Day was approaching I thought this would be a great opportunity to try out my southern cooking skills.

What I like best with making this dish is that there are no set rules as to what you can put in it. Louisianians prefer crawfish in theirs while Chesapeake Bay folks opt for blue crabs, oysters and clams. Since I spent quite some time in Georgia I decided to make it just the way I remembered. My ingredients included Crab legs, shrimp, corn, onions, potatoes and a ton of Old Bay. Of course, I had to put my northern flare on it and so I added Kielbasa.

Once you have all of your ingredients the next steps are fairly painless.

• Heat a large pot of water on the stove or on an outdoor cooker
• Add the Old Bay seasonings to taste (if you don’t put enough in the pot you can always add more once your done).
• Add the potatoes, sausage and onion for 10 minutes
• Add the corn and crab for 5 minutes
• Add the shrimp for 2-4 minutes (you know they are done when they turn pink)

Once, the shrimp are pink then proceed to drain the pot and pour the contents over a newspaper-covered table. Another great thing about this meal is that there is practically no clean-up! Everything can be consumed by hand, so there are never utensils or dishes to clean once you are done. Just roll up the wastes in the newspaper and toss!

For other summer inspired recipes checkout The Beach House Cookbook

Stay hungry my friends!

-Jenny

Cherries are ephemeral. Their peak season is extremely short. I take advantage of this limited time frame every year to purchase, eat and bake with as many fresh cherries as possible. Eating these gorgeous scarlet hued fruits straight from the bowl is one of the best ways to enjoy them.

Even though they are perfect little packages as is, there are many other ways to enjoy cherries. They are wonderful in any number of desserts. From cherry cobblers to cherry ice cream, there is an endless variety of ways to utilize this beautiful fruit. One drawback to cooking or baking with cherries is the daunting task of pitting them. There are many homemade solutions to this problem, from using nails and even paper clips. However, with so many great tools out there, avoiding those messy DIY methods is easier than ever. Cherry pitters abound and they range from the practical Oxo Cherry Pitter, to the absolutely adorable Cherry Chomper
Armed with one of these fantastic gadgets, I decided to bake these Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes I found in the amazing cookbook The Farmer’s Markets Desserts Cookbook. The cookbook features seasonal ingredients that are whipped up into a dizzying array of delicious treats. This recipe looked too good (and easy!) to pass up.

Easy Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

• 36 Firm-ripe cherries, at least 12 with stems
• 1 TA kirsch

• 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 TA cold water
• 5 TA canola oil
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream or creme fraiche, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp kirsch

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack near the center. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper, aluminum, or silicone liners
2. To make the cupcakes, set aside the 12 nicest cherries with stems. Stem and pit the remaining cherries and cut into halves if small, quarters if large. Toss with the kirsch. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until combined. Fold in the cherries, including any juices in the bowl.
4. Scoop into the prepared liners, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of a cupcake tests clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then transfer the cupcakes diretly to the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, combine the chocolate chips and the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over (but not touching) gently simmering water and melt, stirring as needed, until compeletely melted and perfectly smooth. (Or melt in a microwave oven.) Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and stir in the sour cream and kirsch until well combined. Set aside to firm up until spreadable, about 20 minutes.
6. Using an icing spatula, or pastry bag fitted with a no. 16 star tip or your preferred tip for frosting, frost the cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a reserved cherry while the frosting is still soft. Serve immediately, or let stand for up to 2 hours before serving.
7. Refrigerate leftover cupcakes, tightly covered, for up to 2 days.

I chose to embellish my cupcakes a little differently.

Cherry season always ends much too soon. The best thing to do is to take advantage of this all too short season in as many ways possible. These delicious cupcakes are just one perfect way to enjoy them.

I love pickles. They just satisfy that salty and crunchy craving so well. I really enjoy them in the summer, when the days are hot and the cold pickles are at the ready, no cooking necessary. They are perfect for having on hand for picnics and backyard barbecues. With the dog days quickly approaching, this is the perfect time to play around with creating interesting pickles. While canning and fermenting are a great way to preserve summer’s bounty, sometimes a quick recipe is the way to go. These pickles are fast to make, require no canning methods, and still last for a couple of weeks to a couple of months in the refrigerator.

This recipe really utilizes the garden’s bounty. The recipe is adapted from the book Quick Pickles: Easy recipes, for Big Flavor by Chris Schlesinger

Famous Back Eddy House Pickles

2 Lbs. pickling cucumbers
3 TA kosher or other coarse salt
3 TA vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
1 Lb. carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/4″ slices
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 med onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
4 cups cider vinegar
2 3/4 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 tsp ground cloves
2 bay leaves
1 TA yellow mustard seed
2 TA prepared Dijon mustard
2 tsp whole allspice berries, cracked
2 tsp coriander seed, toasted and cracked

Trim and discard the blossom ends of the cucumbers, then cut the cucumbers into rounds about 1/4″ to 3/8″ thick.

In a medium non-reactive bowl, combine the cucumbers and salt and toss to coat. Cover with ice cubes or crushed ice and let stand in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Drain the cucumbers, rinse them well, then drain them again. In a medium sauté pan, combine the oil, garlic, carrots, bell peppers and onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent browning, until the carrots “sweat” and soften a bit, 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and combine with the cucumbers.

In a non-reactive pan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, and all the spices. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Combine to boil for 5 minutes to flavor the syrup with the spices. Pour the boiling syrup over the vegetables, allow to cool to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate.

This pickle will keep covered and refrigerated for 1 month.

I like storing homemade pickles these in pretty glass jars.

Ball jars with screw top lids also work well. It would be cool to have an array of different pickles available when entertaining using these great new melamine trays by Le Cadeaux. These durable and pretty trays are perfect for any outdoor gathering. You can give your guests multiple options and at the same time show off your awesome new pickling skills!

For Memorial Day weekend I decided to put a different spin on the traditional BBQ spread. Instead of hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken I opted for ahi tuna, salmon burgers and grilled Caesar salad. Yes, that’s right… Caesar salad on the grill!

I found all the ingredients I needed at a local gourmet deli & market. I grabbed tuna steaks (preferably 1-2 inches thick), head of romaine, pre-made salmon burgers (or you can make your own following this recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Salmon-Rosemary-Burgers/Detail.aspx), asparagus and red potatoes for my sides.

Prepping was minimal… I whipped up a marinade for the tuna that consisted of teriyaki, soy sauce, lime and a touch of sriracha (aka rooster sauce). An ideal amount of time to marinade the tuna would be at least an hour. After rinsing off the veggies, I drizzled the asparagus and potatoes with olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. I placed the asparagus directly on the grill and wrapped the potatoes in foil with minced garlic. Then I cut the romaine head in half and placed it directly on the grill with the flat part facing down. When the ends of the leaves started to brown I took the lettuce off the grill and placed it onto foil and drizzled Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper on top. The dressing almost marinates the lettuce creating a melt-in-your-mouth experience.

I then placed the salmon burgers on the grill… I’ve noticed that 4-5 minutes on each side will cook them properly if the grill is on high (if you’re cooking on a charcoal grill it tends to be at a higher temperature and you may not need to cook them as long). While they were cooking I caramelized onions for the burgers and whipped up my favorite condiment – spicy mayonnaise. If you don’t mind a little kick to your food then you will love this easy to make concoction that simply consists of mayonnaise and sriracha. (For other ways to incorporate sriracha into everyday cooking, check out this new Sriracha Cookbook.) If you do not altready have this amazing Thai hot sauce at your disposal then any hot sauce will suffice. At this point the tuna was about ready so I took the steaks out of the fridge and placed them on a plate. I sprinkled them with garlic salt and lemon pepper and rubbed crushed peppercorns all over. Depending on how thick your tuna steak is and how well you like them done, they should only be on the grill for 1-2 minutes on each side. For the dipping sauce I mixed teriyaki, honey and lime.

To say the least, the end result was absolutely phenomenal! Besides the fact that this alternative feast is healthier and easier on the waistline, the food was unbelievably flavorful and easy to make! If you need other grilling ideas to help you think outside the box check out Fire it Up by two local authors from Philly.

Happy Grilling!

-Jenny

We’ve just added a bunch of new information about Omega Juicers on our site. We’re really excited about them right now. They’re really good at juicing wheat grass, leafy greens, and other vegetables. The Nutrition centers, such as the Omega 8006, can do other things, like make pasta and grind coffee.

We added a huge buyer’s guide, which can help you compare machines. Learn the difference between the Omega Juicer 8005 and the Omega Vert in our test kitchen last week, and we just added that to the site. The Vert is great if your goal is to juice wheatgrass, leafy greens, or other fruits and vegetables. It has a high capacity and a convenient, space saving vertical design.

We want to hear from you! If you have an Omega Juicer, please review it so that others can know what you think. Just click on your specific juicer on our Omega Juicers page.