Appetizers/Small Plates · Condiments/Sauces · Vegetables/Vegetarian

Falafels with Tahini Sauce

The Culinary Chronicles5 Comments

 

Quite often, a friend of ours hosts an elaborate “themed” gathering. Last year was an authentic Polynesian affair that even included an imu (an underground oven heated with coals and lava rocks) where he cooked kalua pig. Not to be outdone, this year’s festivities was chosen to feature a Middle Eastern theme. And yes, he also made his own grill/cooking device this year, too.

My first inclination was to create some type of dessert to add to the party but I quickly decided against it, as many of the guests are quite accomplished bakers themselves. I then turned my attention to trying to make Falafels. Mmmm….Falafels.

Found throughout Egypt and the Middle East, Falafels are small patties/balls of ground chickpeas and spices that are deep fried. I absolutely LOVE them and if you’re in the San Jose, California area, you MUST stop by the famed Falafel Drive In to get some.

For our gathering, I did some research and settled upon a recipe from The Noshery, with some minor edits. I also decided to serve the Falafels as an appetizer/side dish with a Tahini dipping sauce. I usually like them in a pita bread but since we were going to have TONS of other dishes, this option seemed more fitting.

I am happy to report that the end results were pretty tasty. Using our friend’s electric deep fryer made the whole cooking process a breeze! However next time, I think I will up the ante on some of the seasonings. Definitely more garlic and perhaps coriander? Also, I’d like to keep the chickpeas mixture a little more coarse next time for added texture. I should also mention that since the Falafels are fried, they may not be so great as leftovers. It’s best to make only what will be consumed in a short time span.

Overall, the Falafels were quite fitting for our fun themed gathering. I can only imagine what’s in store for our next party. Brazilian? Argentinian? Mongolian? Ahhh…the Options are Endless. 🙂

 

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Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Adapted from The Noshery

Ingredients:

Falafel:
1 Cup Dried Chickpeas
½ Large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2-1 Teaspoon Dried Hot Red Pepper
4 Garlic Cloves
1 ½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
4-6 Tablespoons flour

Tahini Sauce:
3 Garlic Cloves
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Cup Tahini
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Teaspoon Lemon Zest
¼ Cup Water
¼  Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain.

Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

While the Falafel mixture is chilling, prepare Tahini Sauce. Using a fine grater, grate garlic into a bowl. Whisk in Tahini, Lemon Juice, Water, and Olive Oil. Add salt, zest, cumin, parsley and cilantro. Combine until well. Refrigerate until serving time.

Pull Falafel mixture from refrigerator and form into small balls about the size of walnuts (approximately 2 tablespoons). Heat oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot (or deep fryer) and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Tahini Sauce.

Desserts/Pastries · Ice Cream

Mint Chip Gelato….Homage to National Ice Cream Month

The Culinary Chronicles7 Comments

July was National Ice Cream Month! And what better way to compliment the summer heat than with a big old bowl of your favorite ice cream flavor. My favorite flavor? Easy. Mint Chocolate Chip—-but not just any variety. This gal requires that her Mint Chocolate Chip not only taste good but have that bright green hue that only food coloring can bring 🙂 It just tastes better….True Story.

And although I realize traditional Gelato is different than Ice Cream, I thought that its Italian counterpart would be a great “lighter” alternative to celebrate this fun food month. I was inspired to try out the Mint Chip Gelato from Ravenous Couple as I liked their interpretation from David Lebovitz and Mark Bittman.

The recipe was straight and to the point—-and with my lovely Cuisinart Ice Cream/Sorbet Maker, it was a breeze! Because I added 1.5 bunches of fresh mint to my base, my gelato was MINT-A-LICIOUS—which was perfect for me. I think the only change I would make next time would be to reduce the cornstarch to 1 Tablespoon as 2 was just a little too much for my liking. And because of the high volume of fresh mint that I used, I was able to achieve a very pretty light green hue. Quite lovely with no food coloring needed.

And not only was my end product delicious but I knew exactly EVERYTHING that was in it and could control amounts, etc. No added preservatives or filler ingredients here.

There’s nearly two official months left until Summer ends and I intend to fully give my ice cream maker a work out 🙂

Until next time friends, stay COOL (pun intended).

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Mint Chip Gelato
From Ravenous Couple

Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole Milk
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Pinch salt
1-2 Bunches Fresh Mint, washed, dried, and destemmed
5 oz. Dark Chocolate

Make a slurry with about 3-4 tbs of milk and corn starch in a bowl and set aside.  Add the remainder of the milk to a sauce pan, mint, salt, and sugar under medium low heat.  When mixture starts to bubble, turn off heat and allow mint to steep for about 1 hour.  Then pour mixture over a sieve and squeeze out the fluid from  mint and discard.

Reheat his mixture under medium low heat. When it begins to bubble, add your mixed slurry and stir making sure there are no clumps. Continue to heat until it thickens..when you can run a line on a back of a spoon without the mixture coming together it should be done.  Cool completely (preferably over night) and then add to your ice cream maker, follow it’s directions.

Place the container that you plan on storing the ice cream in the freezer.

In the mean time, coarsely chop the chocolate into small pieces and heat over a water bath.  When the ice cream maker is done, scribble the melted chocolate onto your cold container–it should freeze almost instantly. Scoop in a layer of ice cream and break up the chocolate. Scribble more chocolate and layer on more ice cream.  Continue until done and freeze until firm.  Before serving allow to thaw just slightly before scooping.

Reviews

Dosa….Revisiting Southern India’s Flavors

The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to have spent some time in Southern India—Chennai to be exact. And in my days there, I took every opportunity to indulge in the colorful flavors of the cuisine. From street vendors, to food courts, to banquets and most importantly–the dishes prepared by our host family….I sampled everything I could get my hands on. More acquainted with Northern Indian and Punjabi cuisine, I was delighted in the discovery of what the Southern states of India had to offer.

Since I have been back, I had been hard pressed to find a restaurant that featured Southern Indian cuisine—that is, until my sister took us out to Dosa in the Pac Heights district in San Francisco. A somewhat “upscaled-urban” version of their other location in the Mission district, Dosa on Fillmore fuses modern chic décor with ornate Indian influenced pieces. The beautiful dark woods mixed with warm golden hues around the two-story restaurant are absolutely striking. And of course, let’s not forget to mention their long and swanky bar featuring specialty cocktails from mixologist, Jonny Raglin, of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Nopa.

Restaurant View from 2nd Floor

Statue of Shiva as Nataraja

Once seated and greeted, we were given delicious Papadam (lentil chips), which I happily munched on while my sister ordered for us. For our party of four, we settled on a family style selection of the Channa Bhatura, Spicy Mung Masala Dosa, Chicken & Eggplant ‘Baingan Bharta’, and the Kerala Fish Moilee.

I will try to describe the wonderful flavors as they danced around on my palette but how about I do it some justice first by showing a few pictures?

Papadam: Thin, crispy chips

Channa Bhatura: Chickpea masala with large, soft, puffy wheat bread

Spicy Mung Masala Dosa: Mung lentil dosa with green chiles, chopped onions, cilantro and spiced potatoes

Kerala Fish Moilee: Sustainably-caught halibut, coconut sauce, coriander, cumin, mustard seed & chiles

Chicken & Eggplant ‘Baingan Bharta: Organic boneless chicken with roasted & pureed eggplant, peas

First, let’s talk about how amazingly delicious and fun the Channa Bhatura was. Perfectly seasoned and tender chickpeas that are scooped up with pieces of lightly fried and puffy wheat bread (bhatura). And the most fun thing? The Bhatura comes served like a balloon ready to be punctured and used as a utensil. DEE-LISH and ENTERTAINING? that’s a Nguyen-Win Situation to me 🙂

The Spicy Mung Masala Dosa brought back many memories for me as I constantly ordered Dosas in Chennai. This particular dosa was not only stuffed with mung beans but also with potatoes and cilantro–quite possibly two of my favorite things. All Dosas here are served with three types of “dipping sauces”: coconut chutney, tomato chutney and sambar. As a Condiment Monster, this was also a Nguyen-Win Situation for me 🙂

Our two main entrees were also scrumptious–though I did prefer the aforementioned two items. The Kerala Halibut Moilee was extremely tender, moist and paired so well with the velvety coconut sauce. The Baingan Bharta was indeed succulent and earthy.

And although we were way too stuffed for any dessert (shocking, I know), we did indulge in a few cocktails. 🙂

Specialty Cocktails (Top Left to right): Batsman, Bollywood Hills, and Emerald Sound

Our dining experience was extremely enjoyable and I would HIGHLY recommend Dosa on Fillmore to anyone interested in Indian cuisine. True, although many dishes have been slightly modified from their original state to compliment San Francisco, you will be hard pressed to find a spot that serves such high quality, South Indian inspired cuisine. *Big Kudos to proprietors Emily and Anjan Mitra for being “the only Indian restaurant in the Bay Area that has a holistic commitment to primarily organic, bio-dynamic and sustainable ingredients and products.“

Dosa on Fillmore
1700 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 441-3672

Desserts/Pastries

Big, Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

The Culinary Chronicles5 Comments

Growing up in Minnesota, I spent a lot of time with my paternal grandparents. Not only would they would watch over me while my folks were at work but they were my playmates since my elder siblings were way too cool to hang out with their baby sister 🙂

Sure, I admit it now; I was somewhat the quintessential baby sister feigning hurt feelings and tears when I was left out from my older siblings’ adventures. And what were the results? Comfort in the form of kind words from my grandparents followed by secret consolation treats like Fig Newtons and Andes Mint Candies—which I happily accepted. In fact, many foods have childhood memories directly associated to them.

One, for example, are Peanut Butter Cookies. They were my grandpa’s (who we called “Ôn”) favorite sweet treat that my sisters often baked for him. Sometimes they even let me make the traditional tracked prints on the top with a fork—a HUGE honor and joy for a 6 year old. To this day, I can’t eat a Peanut Butter Cookie without thinking about Ôn. And this particular recipe from Cooks Illustrated would have pleased him greatly. First discovered by my sister, this recipe has made its way as one of my favorite cookies to make. A tad laborious (like all Cooks Illustrated recipes!) but the end results are second to none and pack HUGE peanut butter flavors. Super buttery, great texture from the chopped nuts and crunchy peanut butter, slightly crisp on the outside, chewy on inside….yummy.

Delicious on its own and also as a vessel for ice cream sandwiches, I know any Peanut Butter fanatic will just L-O-V-E these.

This one’s dedicated to my gentle hearted, WWF wrestling-watching grandpa. We miss and love you, Ôn!

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Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies
From Cooks Illustrated
Makes approximately 30 Large Cookies

Ingredients:

2½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ lb. Butter, salted
1 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 Cup Ganulated Sugar
1 Cup Extra-Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Roasted Salted Peanuts (ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs)

Adjust oven rack to low center position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated.

Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into large balls, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not top, 10 to 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 7 days.

Poultry

Thai Basil Turkey…..Light, Full Flavored, Fast.

The Culinary Chronicles6 Comments

No matter what your cooking level is, I believe that everyone has 1 or 2 dishes in your arsenal that can be whipped out at any time and WOW any crowd. Lucky for me, one of my go-to dishes is light and flavorful…..and can be made in 20 minutes. Yup, I said it. 20 minutes.

Introducing my coveted Thai Basil Turkey.

Many everyday South East Asian dishes can be prepared very quickly. The combination of having your mis en place ready with the use of high heat truly expedites the process—resulting in flavorful and quick meals.

At most Thai restaurants you will probably find some variation of Thai Basil Chicken—in either ground or sliced form. Before incorporating it into my own repertoire, I used to order it all the time. I loved the herbaceous spicy flavors from the Thai Basil and how it pairs so well with the heat of the chilies. However, once I started making it, I began using lean ground turkey for an even lighter alternative. I’m happy to report, it does not compromise the end result at all. (Note: Thai Basil has a very distinct flavor from the commonly found Sweet Basil or Lemon Basil)

This dish can be enjoyed with rice or if you’re looking for an even lighter (or low carb) alternative, use it in lettuce wraps. Serve them in endive leaves and they will be a great appetizer, too!  In the photo shown, I used a large romaine lettuce since I had it on hand but I’d suggest using a Butter Lettuce as those leaves have a more natural “cup-like” curvature.

Hope you give this delicious and quick dish a try!

Until next time friends…..Cheers!

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Thai Basil Turkey
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1½ Cups Loosely Packed Thai Basil, chopped
½ Cup Chopped Green Onions
2 Tablespoons Fresh Garlic, finely minced
4-6 Red Thai Bird Chilies, finely minced
2-3 Tablespoon Nước mắm (fish sauce)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Ground Black Pepper

In a wok or large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add Chilies and cook for 1 minute. Add Green Onions and cook for an additional minute. Add Ground Turkey. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spoonula, stir the turkey around the pan while breaking it apart to a crumbled consistency. Cook turkey until it is no long pink, approximately 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add pepper, Nước mắm, and Thai Basil. Check seasonings and adjust to desired flavor.

Serve with rice or with large lettuce leaves to wrap.

NOTE: I like A LOT of spice in my dishes and tend to use even more than 6 chilies. However, if you are unsure about the spice level, just try 1-2 to start off with.

Have your mis en place before starting and this will be a breeze

Desserts/Pastries

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

The Culinary Chronicles9 Comments

Cookies = Good!

Brownies = Good!

So what can be better? Easy—-Cookies that have the rich decadent flavor and chewiness of a Brownie. Which is why this Chocolate Toffee Cookie was destined for greatness.

When I came across the original recipe in Bon Appetit, I knew that the low amount of flour and high amount of melted chocolate would yield a great brownie-like flavor. And it did! The toffee chips also intrigued me though next time, I would leave the toffee bits even more coarse as I think it got somewhat lost in the cookie. No worries because there will definitely be a next time 🙂

So for all you Chocoholics—what are you waiting for? This Cookies is just what the Dr. Cacao ordered!

Until next time friends…..Cheers!

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Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes 20 Large Cookies

Ingredients:

½ Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
16 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1¾ Cups Light Brown Sugar
4 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
8 Ounces Coarsely Chopped Toffee Bars

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave using 20-second intervals, stirring in between each period. Continue until the mixture is melted and smooth—about 100 seconds, depending on the oven. Do this slowly and carefully as to not scorch the chocolate. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

With a stand mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and then toffee. Chill batter until firm but not hard, about 30 minutes.

Using a #10 ice cream scooper (or spoon approximately ¼ cup), place dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2½ inches apart. With the bottom of a flat drinking glass, press slightly down on each cookie to lightly flatten the tops. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes.

Cool on sheets. ENJOY!

Desserts/Pastries

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd & Guava Buttercream Frosting

The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

Confession: Sometimes when I’m testing out a new component to a recipe, I’ll use shortcuts in other areas. For example, when I thought of creating Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd & Guava Buttercream Frosting, I wanted to focus my time on getting the right flavor profile down for the Guava Buttercream and defaulted to using a packaged Lemon Curd from Trader Joe’s (which, incidentally, is delicious!). And although I love Lemon Curd and would have been able to find many uses for it, I didn’t want to whip up an entire batch for such a small amount. Trader Joe’s to the rescue!

The Guava Buttercream was inspired through one of my other ongoing projects—attempting to make the elusive Hawaiian Guava Chiffon Cake. And although I have been quite unsuccessful with that particular Island pastry, it has left my pantries well stocked with guava products such as jams, syrups and nectar. If you can’t find Guava concentrated Nectar (I used the Hawaiian Sun brand), you can use regular Guava juice—though I suspect the flavor won’t pack as much punch.

As for the cuppies, I turned to one of my standard vanilla cupcakes to offer a subtle but tasty canvas for the Guava Buttercream. It also paired nicely with the lemon curd though I think the buttecream had such a nice tropical flavor that it could stand on its own. Perhaps a Mango Cupcake with Guava Buttercream sprinkled with Li Hing powder? Mmmmm!!!

And with that, here’s my question to you all….

What type of cuppie do you think will pair well with a Guava Buttercream?

CHEERS! 🙂

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Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd & Guava Buttercream Frosting
Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cupcakes
1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
1 Cup Vanilla Sugar* (or plain granulated sugar)
½ Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 Tablespoon Good Quality Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Milk
¾ Cup Lemon Curd

*Vanilla Sugar
Take the scraped Vanilla Bean Pod and bury into one cup of granulated sugar. Cover for a minimum of 5 days, stirring every other day.

Guava Buttercream Frosting
3 to 4 Cups Confectioners Sugar (sifted)
½ Cup Unsalted butter (room temperature)
½ Cup Guava Jam
2-3 Tablespoons Guava Concentrated Nectar

Preheat oven to 350°degrees and place paper liners in pans. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a standing mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and creamy for about 2 minutes. Add the butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.  Add milk and mix until smooth. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients until well blended.

Fill each lined cup 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway between baking time. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Cool completely in pans on top of a wire rack.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare Guava Buttercream. In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the confectioners sugar until the butter becomes thicker and stiff. Add Guava Jam and Nectar and whip until combined. If needed, add a few more spoons of confectioners sugar until desired consistency is reached.

When cupcakes are thoroughly cooled, fill a piping bag with a small tip and the Lemon Curd. Carefully insert the tip into the cupcake and slowly fill each cake with desired amount. You can also cut a small hole in the cupcake using a pairing knife and fill in with the lemon curd.

Fill another piping bag with the prepared Guava Buttercream. Frost and decorate the cupcakes.

ENJOY!

Pastas/Noodles · Sponsored

Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program: Buitoni Frozen Meals for Two

The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

I love food and I love deals. So when I received a voucher to try out Buitoni’s Frozen Meals for Two as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was VERY excited!

For years, Buitoni has had a line of premade pastas and meals that can be found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. However, this new line that is found in the freezer section, could be considered a “high end” or premium frozen dinner. Oooh-la-la.

Once I received my voucher I went to several stores before I could locate them. And where did I finally find it? Target, of all places! (But since then, I’ve seen it at several other grocery stores).

We decided to try the Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli with Garlic Butter Sauce since the box boasted that the lobster was from Maine—and well, the photo looked delicious!

Preparation was extremely easy and our meal was done within 20 minutes. After filling a large pot of water, you drop in the entire plastic pouch of sauce to heat it through. When the water reaches a nice low boil, the frozen ravioli go in. Before tossing the sauce and ravioli together, I took a quick taste to check for seasonings. I found the butter sauce was a little too rich by itself and added a pinch of dried thyme and crushed red pepper to balance the flavors.

Overall, the entrée was pretty tasty! The pasta dough had a good bite to it and I was happy to see that the raviolis were filled quite nicely with fairly large chunks of shrimp and lobster. We paired the raviolis with an easy mixed green salad that offered a brightness to the rich butter sauce. Although a little bit on the pricier side for a frozen meal (at $9.99 for one box that serves 2), I found it to be enjoyable and wouldn’t mind having it again.

Thanks FoodBuzz and Buitoni!

Yeah…it looks like we didn’t like it at all 🙂

Breads · Side Dish

Red Lobster’s Cheddar Biscuits….(Kind Of)

The Culinary Chronicles5 Comments

Carbohydrates, bread in particular, are easily one of my greatest vices. I’m totally a CARBOHOLIC! I’m typically one of those people at restaurants that fill themselves silly with complimentary bread that by the time my entrée arrives, I’m already full! And one American chain restaurant has the tastiest complimentary bread….Red Lobster’s Cheddar Cheese Biscuits ®. SOOOO GOOD!

So when I came across their “top secret” recipe on ABC News’ website, I HAD to give them a try! By using Bisquick baking mix ®, it was SUPER easy and can be made in any home within a few minutes.

After pulling these golden beauties from the oven, I quickly pulled one apart and popped it into my mouth. Was it good? Sure! Dense…crumbly….cheesey. Did it taste like Red Lobster’s Cheddar Biscuits ®? Eh….not really. Yes, it was a nice biscuit but something was missing that I couldn’t put my finger on it. I did add chopped scallions to the batter for a nice onion flavor but I think if I try this again, I’ll substitute the regular whole milk for buttermilk. The extra creaminess and tang that buttermilk has may be the trick.

Still—we enjoyed them, especially with our BBQ! And although they weren’t like Red Lobster’s ®, it was still tasty!

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Red Lobster’s Cheddar Biscuits ®
Makes 12 Biscuits
From ABC News

Ingredients:

2½ Cups Bisquick Baking Mix
¾ Cup Cold Whole Milk
4 Tablespoons Cold Butter
¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Scallions, chopped
1 Heaping Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

Brush on Top:
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
¼ Teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Pinch salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don’t want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, scallions and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.

Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Seafood

Spicy Mussels in White Wine

The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

Spicy Mussels in White Wine


You often hear that you should eat “light” during the warmer months. And in truth, I totally agree with that. But I don’t necessarily define “light” as in portion size—I equate it to eating by the season. For example, you won’t catch you me whipping out my lovely dutch oven in the middle of July to make stews. Instead, you’ll find me preparing weekday meals that are easy and will not leave you with the feeling of needing to find the nearest cave to hibernate for the next 4 months.

The following Mussels dish is the perfect example of such an ideal summer dinner. Quick, not heavy on the tummy, and most importantly—NOT light on flavor. It’s also quite fabulous since we were able to use the Early Girl Tomatoes and Flat Leaf Parsley that we grew–SCORE! Pair it with a nice loaf of warm, crunchy sourdough bread to sop up the great broth and you’re in for a treat. And heck, a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio won’t hurt either!

So with that Friends—Here’s to Eating “Light” on the TUMMY but not on the YUMMY! 🙂

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Spicy Mussels in White Wine
From Bon Appetit

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
4 Large Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds
1 Teaspoon Dried Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Dry White Wine (can substitute with Clam Juice or Vegetable Stock)
2 1/4-inch-thick Lemon Slices
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley or Sweet Basil
2 1/2 Pounds Fresh Mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1/2 Cup Chopped Seeded Tomatoes

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt; sauté until onion is light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine, lemon slices and 1/4 cup parsley; bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Using slotted spoon, transfer mussels to large shallow bowl. Boil broth in pot until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes; season to taste with pepper. Pour broth over mussels. Sprinkle tomatoes and remaining parsley over.