Clafouti avec des Prunes

Clafouti avec des Prunes. Translation: Clafouti with plums. Clafouti is a traditional French dessert consisting of a layer of fruit topped with batter and baked. Cherries are the customary fruit of choice, but any other may be used. In this case I have used diced plums. I usually do not do anything very exciting with plums. In fact, I like to just eat them as they are; and this is exactly what I intended to do when I purchased them a few days ago at the grocery store. However, plans change and I was in the mood to experiment. Without any milk in the refrigerator, my options for baked goods was limited. (Yes I know it sounds strange but we rarely keep milk in the house--we just do not drink it.) Clafouti almost always calls for milk, cream or even sweetened condensed milk. Was my quest for a quick and easy plum dessert doomed? Of course not...I told you earlier...I was in the mood to experiment. While I do not have milk, I do have a lot of cream cheese on hand. Essentially they both come from a cow right? Luckily the clafouti was a success. Read on to find out how cream cheese went from experimental ingredient to secret ingredient!

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plums, diced
• 2 medium eggs
• .33 cup sugar
• 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• .33 c flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• .24 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• non-stick cooking spray or butter (used to grease pie pan)

Cookware/Utensils:

• small bowl
• medium bowl
• large spoon
• measuring cups
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife
• electric mixer
• glass pie pan
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the pie pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter. (I prefer butter). Dice plums and place them in a small bowl; set aside. Add eggs and sugar to medium bowl and mix on low for about one minute. Add the cream cheese and mix again until smooth. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt to the bowl and mix again until lumps are no longer visible. Place fruit in pie pan. Slowly pour the batter over the plums. Be sure to evenly spread mixture in the prepared pie pan. Drizzle with the butter. Place in the oven =for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Serve clafouti warm or room temperature. It is pictured below with vanilla bean ice cream. I have to confess...this was so yummy that I had two pieces!

***While I have referred to this as a dessert it also makes a great breakfast. This will serve breakfast or brunch for 2 people, twice. For this reason I like to call it a weekender. A weekender is a breakfast or brunch item that can be eaten on Saturday and Sunday morning.

White Wine Chicken Salad

We purchased a rotisserie chicken for dinner one Friday night and ended up not eating as much of it as we expected. Come lunch time Saturday it was not something that we wanted to re-heat (I'm not a fan of leftovers at all) but we also did not want to waste it. My idea was to make chicken salad. While I have made my fair share of tuna salad, I had never at this time attempted chicken salad. So, I used some staples common in a good tuna salad recipe like mayonnaise and hard boiled eggs. Then I looked at what was in our refrigerator and found a bell pepper and an onion and I decided to create a chicken salad recipe of my own. My all-time favorite chicken salad is from a locally owned restaurant called Norma's. She makes a uniquely delicious champagne chicken salad. Inspired by this incredible dish I decided to add a little Riesling to my recipe. Voila, chicken salad!

SERVES 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken, shredded
• .5 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs, boiled and diced
• .25 red bell pepper, chopped
• .25 cup onion, chopped
• handful dried cranberries
• .5 cup mayonnaise or miracle whip
• .25 cup white wine (a sweet Riesling is preferred)
• .25 teaspoon salt
• .25 teaspoon black pepper
• .25 teaspoon garlic powder
• .25 teaspoon dill
• .5 teaspoon brown sugar
• .25 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cookware/Utensils:

• small glass bowl
• medium glass bowl
• large spoon
• measuring cups
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife

Place salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. In large bowl add chicken, sour cream, eggs, bell pepper, onion and cranberries. Stir until mixed. Add mayonnaise and stir again until all ingredients are mixed together. Pour wine over the mixture. Add all dry ingredients from the small bowl. Stir thoroughly. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

***Remove from refrigerator and serve in a pita, on your favorite bread as a sandwich or place on a bed of spinach as seen above.

Peanut Butter Pie

I have only ever made this recipe twice. The first time I made it was three years ago and while it received rave reviews I have not made it recently because my partner in everything food is not a peanut butter fan (except on celery). I recently needed to make a dish for a carry-in luncheon at work and I did not feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. After a lot of stress and contemplation about what to make it came to me...peanut butter pie! This dessert was a hit. Do not let the fact that I have only made this pie twice deter you from making it yourself. I can promise that it is delicious. I am also not afraid to say that this is a perfect summer dessert. Yes, I know, when you think of a summer dessert your thoughts probably go right to a dish containing some sort of berry. Peanut butter seems thick, heavy and unappealing during the summer months right? This pie will prove you wrong. In fact, I would describe it as a light, refreshing dessert. That's right. I said it. Refreshing. C'mon, you know you want to give it a try!

YIELDS 8-10 slices

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• .5 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
• 16 oz cool whip
• 1 graham cracker pie crust (store bought or homemade)
• 1 REESE'S peanut butter cup

Cookware/Utensils:

• 9 inch pie pan
• medium bowl
• electric mixer
• spatula
• grater or zester

In medium bowl add cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter and cool whip. Mix on medium speed until creamy. Using a spatula place the creamy mixture into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Grate peanut butter cup over top of pie before serving.

***While this is a blog dedicated to cooking for two, I feel that it is sometimes important to share recipes that can accommodate a larger crowd. We all find ourselves in situations where we need to entertain or feed a larger group of people. I will confess, this pie is so yummy that it would be easy for two people to grab a couple of forks and enjoy it all by themselves!

Orange Blossom Cream Ale

This is the third component of the previously discussed, Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio. Orange Blossom Cream Ale is a seasonal brew from Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, California. "Created and crafted in the San Francisco Bay area, Orange Blossom Cream Ale is an extremely drinkable craft beer that is especially appealing to better beer drinkers who want something delicious and flavorful yet out of the ordinary," said Scott Barnum, CEO, Pyramid Breweries Inc. Buffalo Bills Orange Blossom Cream Ale is brewed and distributed under license by Pyramid Breweries.

This cream ale pours a light amber color, as you can see from the photo above. Orange blossom is the dominant aroma (shocking). Every time I placed the glass to my face my mind thought that I was about to take a sip of Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, but I think this is because I drink my Blue Moon with a thick orange slice. In short, it smelled like a freshly sliced orange. The taste is distinctly and uniquely orange--not to be confused with orange peel which is commonly used as an ingredient in Belgian beer. If you do not like my review of this beer and you choose to do some research about what other beer enthusiasts are saying you will discover that it is being compared to: orange push-up pops, Sunkist orange soda, orangeade, and orange cream soda. You will also find that beer advocates are giving this an average grade of C+ but I would have to disagree. In fact, if I were to rate this beer I would rate it an A- and I think that my partner in everything food would agree. We both enjoy fruit beer and the taste of this one did not disappoint. "Buffalo Bills was one of the first brew pubs in the United States and is known for its stand-out seasonal beers," said Geoff Harries, owner and head brewer, Buffalo Bills Brewery. "Orange Blossom fans love the beer so much they could not get the cap off fast enough! We think they will love the new twist top and great food pairing ideas." Mr. Harries is correct. We absolutely adored this beer with our citrus dinner. As we expected, it paired perfectly with seafood. Using a citrus flavor throughout the meal was an added bonus that raised this beer from simple to standout.

***We purchased this beer from World Market where we built our own six pack. To find the nearest World Market near you click here

***The other components of the Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio include Pan Broiled Amberjack with an Orange Apricot Butter Sauce and Summer Shrimp n' Spinach Salad (blog posts listed separately). The salad, fish and beer all centered around the idea of the orange. The salad and fish shared almond as a common ingredient. This trio is Floridan for its use of the orange, as the official state flower is the orange blossom and the official state beverage is orange juice. The seafood used are also both Floridian in nature. Amberjack is found in great numbers swimming in the water surrounding Florida enjoying the reefs, rock outcrops and wrecks. Gulf shrimp is caught off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Since we live on the Gulf Coast and know that our shrimp came from the local fishermen who docked their boats in our community this morning, we know that our shrimp shared our home state.

Pan Broiled Amberjack with Orange Apricot Butter Sauce

This is the entree for the previously discussed, Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio. This recipe was born from our love of the flavor combination heat and sweet. Fish is a delicate canvas on which to paint an experimental sauce, glaze, rub or breading. When we create a fish recipe we take in consideration the type of fish and its natural flavor and we try to cook it in a way in which the flavors will be enhanced. Our approach can be compared to a woman applying makeup. She will apply a combination of products to her face in specific shades and amounts with the goal of enhancing her natural beauty. If she applies so much makeup to her face that she no longer looks like herself, then she has failed. In the same fashion, if we create a sauce, glaze, rub or breading to a fish in a way that the natural taste of the fish is lost, then we have failed. This is a sauce that was amazing on amberjack but I would also suggest using it on mahi mahi.

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 1 lb amberjack, 2 fillets
• 1 stick butter, cut in half
• 1.5 teaspoons Marie Sharp's orange pulp habanero sauce (here)
• .5 cup orange juice
• 1.5 teaspoons ginger, ground
• .25 cup white wine (we prefer Riesling)
• 6 dried apricots, chopped
• handful sliced almonds
  

Cookware/Utensils:

• paper plate
• paper towel
• large skillet or saute pan
• small skillet or sauce pan
• wooden spoon
• fish turner

Place amberjack on paper plate and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Apply ginger to both sides of fish. Over medium heat place half the butter in each pan. Add orange juice, hot sauce, wine and apricots to small pan stir continuously. Once the butter melts in the large pan, add fish. Cook for 6 or 7 minutes on each side. Remove fish from pan and plate. Pour sauce over the grilled amberjack and sprinkle almonds over fish. Serve with confidence--this is delicious!

***The other components of the Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio include Pan Broiled Amberjack with an Orange Apricot Butter Sauce and Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale (blog posts listed separately). The salad, fish and beer all centered around the idea of the orange. The salad and fish shared almond as a common ingredient. This trio is Floridan for its use of the orange, as the official state flower is the orange blossom and the official state beverage is orange juice. The seafood used are also both Floridian in nature. Amberjack is found in great numbers swimming in the water surrounding Florida enjoying the reefs, rock outcrops and wrecks. Gulf shrimp is caught off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Since we live on the Gulf Coast and know that our shrimp came from the local fishermen who docked their boats in our community this morning, we know that our shrimp shared our home state.

Summer Shrimp n' Spinach Salad

Tonight we created a meal that will go down in food history as the Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio. While we ate this impeccable meal we conversed not only about the flavors of each component, but also about how it should be represented in blog form. The conclusion--to feature each integrant in its own post.
The Summer Shrimp n' Spinach Salad was my contribution to the meal. It was a hot, humid day in Florida (shocking, I know) so I wasn't in the mood to come home from work and "cook". I wanted to create something that would accent the main course with maximum flavor and minimum heat. My answer...salad.
What I created was a side salad, but because I opted for something full of flavor it could easily be converted into a meal. I love a spinach salad with fruit and a sweet vinaigrette. The affinity for that type of salad is the heart of this recipe.

SERVES 2:

Ingredients:

• 2-3 ounces baby spinach
• 10 gulf shrimp, steamed and peeled
• .25 cucumber, sliced very thin
• handful almonds, slivered
• 11 ounces mandarin oranges, drained
• .5 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
• dash salt
• dash ground black pepper
• .5 cup raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Cookware/Utensils:

• can opener
• measuring cups
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife

Once the prep work of peeling the shrimp, slicing the cucumber and draining the oranges is complete then the salad is ready for assembly. I prepare individual bowls of salad. I find it easier and less dishes to clean if I do it this way as opposed to fixing a salad in a salad bowl and then transferring the salad to individual bowls. This means that you will need to take each ingredient and divide it in half between each bowl. First, place spinach in each bowl. Next add cucumbers, cheese, shrimp, oranges, salt, pepper and almonds. Finally, top each bowl with vinaigrette. This is the order in which I layer my salad. I suggest assembling the salad moments before consumption. This will prevent the spinach from becoming soggy as a result of the wet ingredients--oranges and vinaigrette. Voila!

***The other components of the Floridian Citrus Seafood Trio include Pan Broiled Amberjack with an Orange Apricot Butter Sauce and Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale (blog posts listed separately). The salad, fish and beer all centered around the idea of the orange. The salad and fish shared almond as a common ingredient. This trio is Floridan for its use of the orange, as the official state flower is the orange blossom and the official state beverage is orange juice. The seafood used are also both Floridian in nature. Amberjack is found in great numbers swimming in the water surrounding Florida enjoying the reefs, rock outcrops and wrecks. Gulf shrimp is caught off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Since we live on the Gulf Coast and know that our shrimp came from the local fishermen who docked their boats in our community this morning, we know that our shrimp shared our home state.

Chicken Pad Thai

Going out to dinner on a Tuesday is a treat for me, but going to the local Thai restaurant is an added bonus. Thai is a type of cuisine that was introduced to my diet a little over a year ago and it shot straight to the top of my favorites list after my first experience. I have tried a variety of entrees, but nothing compares to Pad Thai. Now when I hear the words, "Thai food" my mind immediately thinks of Pad Thai and my mouth begins to water.
Although I have only tried this dish from one restaurant, I am convinced that I am eating the crème de la crème of Thai cuisine. Naive, I know. From my understanding, Pad Thai is the ultimate street food. My fondness of this entree provokes my desire to travel to Thailand and wander the streets Anthony Bourdain style on the pursuit to find the best Pad Thai in the world.

***Since I did not cook this meal I do not have a recipe to share. However, I can tell you that traditionally Pad Thai is composed of the following ingredients: stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, fish sauce, tamarind, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, scallions, red chili pepper, coriander and lime.

Cobia with a Sweet Chili Rub

This past weekend we were in the mood for fish! Saturday night we went to one of our favorite sushi restaurants and enjoyed a couple of large plates of Saba (Mackerel), Unagi (fresh water eel), Shake (fresh Salmon) and Idtakko (baby octopus) just to name a few. My partner in all things food mentioned that I should have brought our camera to capture the beautiful work of our sushi chef, but unfortunately I left it at home. This is a mistake I will not make twice.
Sunday rolled around and we were still in the mood for fish so we visited our local fish market. It was less than a half hour before closing time so we were a little nervous about what we would find. To our surprise there was a beautiful piece of Cobia that was calling our names.
Cobia is a fish that we were introduced to just a few short months ago when we saw it on a menu at a Cajun restaurant. I found a lot of useful information about Cobia such as: Globally, there is no significant Cobia fishery, this is because adults are often solitary or travel with just a few other individuals, frequently in the company of sharks. This makes them a difficult species to target and capture is therefore often incidental. Despite this, however, cobia is a highly sought after food fish throughout its range. In Mexico, for example, it is known as "esmedregal" and is the fish of choice for weddings and celebrations. In Belize, where it is known as "cabio", a captured cobia likely won't make it to market because the fisherman will keep it as a family treat. Cobia is also highly prized as a game fish. Here is where you can find that information and more.

As I have mentioned in previous posts about fish, my partner in everything food is the chef at our house when it comes to les poissons. For the first time while preparing and cooking fish he decided to use a rub. Continue reading to discover how he did it.

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 1lb of Cobia (we cut it into 2 filets after cooking--whether you have filets prepared before or after cooking is your choice)
• .25 tablespoon salt
• .25 tablespoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• .25 tablespoon cinnamin
• .25 tablespoon nutmeg
• .25 tablespoon garlic powder
• .25 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons butter
• .5 cup sweet white wine (we prefer Riesling)

Cookware/Utensils:

• paper plate
• paper towel
• medium skillet or saute pan
• fish turner
• small glass bowl

Combine all dry ingredients in small glass bowl. This will be your rub. Place Cobia on paper plate and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Apply rub generously to fish covering both sides and all edges. The goal is that the entire fish will be covered with the rub. Over medium high heat place butter in the saute pan. Once the butter melts, add fish to pan. After about one minute, add half of the wine. Cook for 5 more minutes. Flip the fish and cook for one minute. Add the remaining wine. Cook for another 5 minutes. Plate and serve!

***The cobia is shown here served over a mix of fresh vegetables cooked in a sweet balsamic glaze. I will be posting this side dish later. Check in soon!

Granola...Take One

Granola is something that I really never had any ambition to make. Sure, I will eat a granola bar every now and again, but I eat the kind from a box, secured by a wrapper and usually dipped in chocolate fudge. I have never understood the appeal of granola. Actually I think I have used the word "granola" as an adjective saying things like, "she is so granola" or "that is a granola thing to do" more times that I have eaten this food. When using the word as an adjective I don't think that anyone would ever refer to me as "granola".
However, there is a first for everything. I have been eating a lot of yogurt lately. I like vanilla yogurt. No fruit, no cookies, no fancy add-ins of any kind. Just simple, tart yogurt. Yogurt is nice for all dining occasions--breakfast, lunch, dessert and snack time. I also find myself using the word "vanilla" as an adjective saying things like, "that haircut is very vanilla" or "this article is just vanilla". When using this word as an adjective I think that others might easily refer to me as "vanilla".
As much as I enjoy it, a girl can only eat plain, vanilla yogurt for so long. It becomes, well, vanilla. Here's how I went from vanilla to granola in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• .25 cup apple butter (homemade preferred)
• .25 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• .5 cup butter
• .5 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• .5 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• dash salt
• .25 cup coconut
• .25 cup dried cranberries
• .25 cup raisins
• 3 cups rolled oats, uncooked

Cookware/Utensils:

• baking sheet
• aluminum foil
• spatula
• 1 quart saucepan or small pot
• medium glass bowl
• measuring cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add oats to bowl and set aside. Place saucepan over medium heat and add apple butter, honey, brandy, butter and brown sugar. Stir constantly until butter melts and a cohesive sauce forms. Remove from heat and add vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon and salt. Pour sauce over oats and stir until all oats are wet. Spread oats onto baking sheet forming a thin layer. Place baking sheet in the oven. After 10 minutes remove baking sheet from oven. Stir oats. Again, spread the oats on the sheet to form a thin layer. Sprinkle coconut over the oats and return the baking sheet to the oven. Allow 10 more minutes to pass and remove the baking sheet from the oven. Stir the oats again. While stirring add the cranberries and raisins. Allow the oats to cool and then store them in an airtight container.

Triggerfish with Spicy Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

My partner in everything food is the one who does all of the fish cooking in our home...and boy oh boy does he do a great job at it! I have yet to be disappointed with one of his creations. On his way home from work he stopped by the local fish market and picked up something new and exciting--Triggerfish. To be honest, I did not believe him when he told me the name of the fish and I went straight to my old friend Google to confirm his name for our dinner. He was advised by the fishmonger to try Triggerfish because it was a light, flaky, sweet fish. When I heard those adjectives I immediately thought that we needed a white wine butter sauce or a lemon caper butter sauce. My partner in food decided to combine the two ideas and add a little spice of his own.
Above you will see our Triggerfish and sauce placed over a bed of sauteed spinach arranged with three steamed shrimp.

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces butter, room temperature
• 1 lb Triggerfish, 2 fillets
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 ounces white wine
• orange habanero or other citrus hot sauce, to taste
• .5 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon capers

Cookware/Utensils:

• medium skillet or saute pan
• fish turner

Add butter to saute pan or skillet and place over medium heat. Season fish with salt and pepper. Place each fillet in skillet and saute until light golden brown add drops of hot sauce to top of fillet. Flip fish, add hot sauce and saute again until each fillet is cooked thoroughly. Remove fish from pan. Reduce heat and add wine to skillet. Add onion and stir slowly but continuously for about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers. Continue to stir until a sauce with a suitable texture develops. Drizzle sauce over the fish to taste.

***When you remove the fish from the pan and let it sit while you make the sauce, there is a chance that the fish will lose its temperature. In order to prevent this from happening I suggest placing a stockpot or crock-pot lid over the fish to retain the heat and moisture of the fish.