CheeseBurger in Paradise

There it is. The All American Classic that inspired another: Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise.

The story goes that after savoring one of these tasty sandwiches at the Cabbage Key Inn, on a small island off the west coast of Florida, Jimmy was inspired to sing about it.  At the Inn the only hint that something inspirational happened here is the signature song blaring from the sound system of a departing tour boat. Otherwise, there is no mention of Jimmy -- on the menu, on the souvenir t-shirts, or on the dollar bill papered walls of the restaurant and bar. But, burger lovers on boats of all shapes and sizes slip into the  dock and walk up the hill for a chance to sample  that American creation on which they feed.

Let me tell you they will not be disappointed: The Cabbage Key Cheeseburger is a hand formed pattie of high quality beef served with perfect burger to bun ration. I told the Cap'n and our friends Andy and Christine that I was going to place my order just like Jimmy sings it in concert: Hands raised above his head, clapping along in time to:

I like mine with lettuce and tomato 
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes 
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer 
Well good god almighty which way do I steer

But then we found out that fries are not served ( no fire department on the island, so no deep fryer), the beer was only served in cans and bottles, and I saw nary a bottle of Heinz 57. So I opted for a more subdued "Medium with potato salad, please". Heaven on Earth with an Onion Slice.

Sadly, we can't spend every day eating burgers in Paradise. There are healthier options for those days you just want a burger but need something a bit lighter. Here is one of my favorites, inspired by the flavors of another paradise:

Grilled Mediterranean Turkey Burger

Burgers:

1 lb ground turkey (mixture of light and dark meat)

1 C feta cheese, crumbled*

1/2 C chopped Kalamata olives

1/2  roasted red pepper, diced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 T chopped fresh oregano, or 1 t dried

1 t chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 t dried

salt and pepper to taste

* sometimes you can find crumbled feta with seasonings. If so, you do not need to add the oregano and rosemary.

Rolls or Pita,  sliced tomatoes, sliced red onion

Combine turkey, feta, olives, garlic, herbs & seasonings. Shape into four patties. Let rest for a least 10 minutes.

Grill over a medium flame for about 5 minutes per side.

Serve on warmed rolls, or Pita, with sliced tomatoes and red onion. A leafy green salad is nice on the side.

Enjoy!

 

Carrots, Chickpeas and Fried Almonds -- Oh My!

Did someone say Fried Almonds? I'll admit that was the first ingredient that popped off the screen when I first read the Serious Eats version of this recipe.  Then I looked more closely: chickpeas, carrots, cumin and  I was intrigued. A crunchy, savory, side salad with a promising flavor profile. I had just picked up some fresh carrots and parsley at the St. Petersburg, FL Saturday Farmers market, and I always have a can or two of chickpeas in the pantry, so I was good to go

Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Fried Almonds (adapted from Serious Eats)

serves 4

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds ( or whole almonds, chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
• 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
• 2 cups packed fresh cilantro or parsley leaves and tender stems, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin - divided
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 1/4 teaspoons turmeric - divided
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper - 1/4 t will give you a good kick
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• One (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound carrots about 5-6 large, peeled and coarsely shredded

1. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the almonds and 1/4 t each of cumin and tumeric. Cook, stirring, until just beginning to turn golden. Remove from heat, drain on a paper towel

   In a food processor, combine the lemon juice, garlic, 1 and 3/4 cups of the cilantro or parsley , remaining cumin & tumeric, smoked paprika,  cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and half of the almonds. Pulse until chopped. Add the olive oil and process to a chunky paste. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the carrots and chickpeas. Season to taste with more salt and pepper as desired. Chop the remaining cilantro or parsley and sprinkle over salad, along with the remaining almonds.

   
   

   Sweet, savory and crunchy -- perfect!

   
   

   But then I got thinking.  Instead of a side salad - why not make it a main course?  So the next day I added some shredded chicken to the leftovers, and served it atop a bed of lettuce. A lovely lunch. Then I wondered:  how would these flavors taste in a warming stew? With Kale added for  vegetarian entree, or with a bit of chicken and kale  for the meat eaters among us.  I set to work -- and here are the results:

   
   

   

   
   

   Chicken, Carrots, Chickpea & Kale Stew, with Fried Almonds

   serves 4

   
   

   Additional ingredients and other adaptations:

   additions:

   Handful of kale, or 1/2 bunch, chopped into bite size pieces.

   2 C shredded cooked chicken ( good use for leftover chicken)

   3 C Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth 

   adaptations:

   1 lb Carrots, cut chunky julienne style

   2 T olive oil for almond/seasoning paste

   
   

   Fry almonds as directed above.  Remove from pan, but leave oil in pan.

   
   

   Saute carrots in retained oil until a bit brown -- they do not have to be soft.

   Add chickpeas and seasoning/almond paste, stir until coated and the steam is aromatic

   Add broth and chicken. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes.

   Add Kale and continue cooking for 10-20 minutes.

   Ladle into bowls. garnish with additional cilantro/parsley and almonds.

   
   

   Serve with Crusty Bread.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

Testing, testing: Cream of Pumpkin Soup

In the mid-1990's, new in town and looking for ways to connect with my community and other women, I joined The Saturday Club of Wayne, PA.  A women's philanthropic and social organization. I was an active member for several years, taking on several leadership positions, increasing my awareness of, and donating my time to, several local charities, and making lasting friendships.  To learn more about the club, check out the website: www.saturdayclub.org/

One of the enduring endeavors of the club has been their incredibly popular series of cookbooks. In 1982 Main Line Classics was published -- despite its age, and the radical way food and eating have changed since then, I still reach for this book time and again.  In 1996, Main Line Classics II: Cooking Up a Little History was published. Member recipes were mixed in with line drawings and a history of Main Line Philadelphia. As a club member at the time, I contributed recipes and tested recipes (dishwasher fish, anyone?), and after publication delivered cases of books all over town, and sat at many a gift show spreading the good word.  Main Line Entertains was published in 2005, offering an array of recipes perfect for entertaining and for the first time, photographs.

Income from these cookbooks, as well as other fundraising efforts, have allowed the Saturday Club to maintain its historic building in Wayne as well as donate almost $1 million dollars to local charities over the past two decades. That's a lot of good work and a lot of good cookin'!

The current board of directors have decided to do it all again. So, now it is time to contribute and test a few recipes that might eventually make it into the Saturday Club's fourth cookbook: Eat Love Philadelphia.

The club Book Group hosted a recipe tasting at this month's meeting. I am a dedicated book group member, so even though I could not be there I asked for a recipe to test in my On the Water Galley.

Like a good tester, I made the recipe to a "T". This was hard for me -- I like to tweak as I go -- but I resisted.  I did take notes and for my second round I put a few of my own touches on the recipe - reducing the fat content and bumping up the flavor with an optional garnish.

Without further ado, just in time for soup weather, and Thanksgiving:

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

1 C finely chopped onion
1 T butter
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
2 14.5 oz cans of low sodium chicken broth (or one 32 oz box)
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 C heavy cream

Optional Garnish:
Crumbled Goat Cheese, or
Spiced Pepitas (recipe below)

Oops, when I took this picture I thought I needed two cans of Pumpkin. Nope, just one.

Melt butter on medium/high heat in large sauce pan. 

Add onions, cook until tender. Add salt, cinnamon, ginger and pepper, fully coating the onions and cook about 30-60 seconds until the aromas open up. 

Add 1/2 the chicken broth, stirring up all the bits of spice that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Puree onions and stock with an immersion blender*, or in a blender or food processor. Note: let the mixture cool a bit before placing in blender or processor.

*Using an immersion blender makes this a one pot soup and clean up a snap.

If necessary , return broth to pan. 

Add remaining broth and pumpkin, stir to fully incorporate pumpkin. Return to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Do not taste the soup just after adding the pumpkin -- it will be aggressively squash-y and not very tasty. It needs time to mellow, and it needs the next step:

Add heavy cream, and heat through but do not boil.

Ladle into bowls, add optional garnish, or simply enjoy as is!

Spiced Pepitas (aka raw pumpkin seeds)

1 C raw pepitas

1 T coconut or olive oil

1/2 t chile powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t cumin

1/4 garlic powder

1/4 t ground pepper

1/4 t salt

Melt oil in saute pan, add pepitas, then spices. Stir to coat.

Cook over low heat until the seeds just begin to brown.

Also delicious in salads or by the handful.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Make Your Own Boursin Cheese

When I first went to college I was NOT a cheese eater. Okay, maybe a slice of American Cheese (yellow only -- at that point I had never even seen white American cheese), but that was it. Ah, but the mid-70's were rife with Wine and Cheese parties, even among the college crowd striving for sophistication. What was a girl to do? Enter Boursin Cheese (pronounced boor-SAHN)

 According to Food.com: Boursin is a modern, creamy, rind-less fresh cow's milk cheese of cylindrical shape with added garlic and herbs or black pepper. The cheese was created by Francois Boursin in 1957. It has a rich, sweet flavor with a hint of acidity. This cheese is sold in an corrugated-foil wrapper and is used as a table cheese for spreading and baking. 

Boursin became a staple in my dorm room fridge. Served with Triscuits or Wheat Thins, it was my gateway drug. I lost track of it over the years as my taste in cheese grew from Boursin to Brie to Blue. The stinkier the better is my cheese preference now, and yet at times there is still a place for a creamy, herb-y addition to the cheese plate.

Here is an easy, adaptable recipe for homemade Boursin cheese. It's a great way to use up the herbs in your garden, but dried herbs from the pantry work well too. Use what you like, or what you have on hand. Its fun to experiment with different herb combinations. Enjoy it with crackers, spread on a wrap in place of mayo, or stuffed between the skin and meat of a chicken breast before roasting.  Here's to the 70's!!

Homemade Boursin Cheese (herbs and amounts are merely suggestions)

2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz butter (1 stick), at room temperature
16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 t  fresh basil, chopped; or 1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t chives, chopped
1 t fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 t dried
1/2 t chopped sage, or 1/4 t dried sage
1/2 t chopped rosemary leaves, or 1/4 t dried rosemary
2 T minced fresh parsley

Combine cream cheese and butter with a fork, Add garlic and thoroughly combine.

Add herbs with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Taste. Add more herbs to taste.

Store in fridge for 1-2 weeks, or freeze.

I put mine in small containers, perfect for moving from fridge to table.

Bring on the Wheat Thins!

How to: Separate An Egg

Just got this video from a friend.  A unique way to separate an egg, and a chance to recycle a plastic bottle!! A win-win....

Shoo Flies

Unfortunately this post is not about Shoo Fly Pies, that delicious Amish treat. No, it is about the current bane of my existence: Fruit Flies. Both my onboard and onshore galleys have had fruit fly infestations this year. We've all dealt with fruit flies before -- typically I just clear the counters of all fresh produce (it pains me to put tomatoes and bananas in the fridge, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do) and, a few days later, no fruit flies.

This year though, the flies seem to have become more tenacious. My first infestation while we were onboard, sent me to the Google where I found a number of helpful suggestions, most employing vinegar, dish soap, a small dish and patience. The first three are easy, the fourth, not so much. But. if you follow these instructions and give it a few days you can wave those flies goodbye:

Shoo Fly Trap

1) Fill a small saucer or cup with red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2) Add a drop of dish washing soap
3) If desired, add a small piece of ripe fruit (strawberries and banana peels work well)
4) Set dish on kitchen counter and let it be. The flies will hover around the edge, and eventually take the plunge.  The dish soap gives the solution some weight and speeds the drowning process. Be patient, this could take 3-4 days to get rid of all the flies.

Two options -
1) A small cup:

A saucer:

You can see more action in the saucer photo, where I was using apple cider vinegar, but I have found that the cup with red wine vinegar is more efficient. Look very closely at that photo and you will see the flies on the bottom. Gross, I know. But flies on your food is worse.

Full disclosure:

I empty and refill the dish every day or two.
The flies also seem to be drawn to wine -- red in particular. Personally, I don't want to use perfectly good wine on the fruit flies, but the last drop in the bottle can always be added to the vinegar.
Be sure to remove all baskets and paper products from the area -- the flies seem to be drawn to fibers.
Empty your trash and recycling often while doing this.
Keep your garbage disposal and drain clean. Make a volcano in your drain with baking soda and vinegar, then rinse thoroughly.

Bacon Jam

Pop Quiz:

Q:When carnivores go vegetarian, what do they miss most?

A: Bacon.

Seriously, who can resist that aroma??  Not me. And although I don't eat it as much as I might like, and when I do it is usually made of Turkey, I LOVE BACON!

Sooooo, when I saw a link to Bacon Jam, I swooned.

Typically when you think of Bacon and/or Jam you think of breakfast. At least I did!

I mixed up a batch of Bacon Jam last night and went to sleep dreaming of toast and bacon jam and  maybe a dab on my eggs. And yes, it was delicious (I did have one inner debate: Do you butter the toast before smearing on the jam or is that gilding the lily? I tried it both ways and the jury is still out.)

The sliced tomatoes and avocado on the side brought a little color to the plate and were perfect with the jam.  The smooth avocado was the perfect foil to the smoky-sweet, textured, chewy jam. All in all, though, I am thinking Bacon Jam might be better suited to lunch, dinner or the cocktail hour.

Ohhh, the possibilities: Slathered on chicken breasts or salmon fillets, just before you take them off the grill. Dolloped on crackers topped with Brie or Smoked Gouda. A BJLT  sandwich anyone? Smeared on corn on the cob. Maybe with a roast beef and provolone on rye sandwich. Yum , Diddy, Yum Yum!

Make some of your own, and let me know how you serve it....

Here's the recipe:

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

1 lb thick bacon
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
3/4 C strong coffee
1/4 C light brown sugar
1/4 C maple syrup
1/4 C bourbon (see note below)
2 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
1/2 t cumin
pepper, to taste

Cook the bacon in a sauce pan over medium heat until bacon just starts to get crispy. Remove bacon and drain on towels.
Once cooled, chopped bacon into 1" pieces.
Remove all but 1 T of bacon fat from pan.
Saute onions in pan until tender, then add garlic and saute until fragrant (do not allow to brown)
Deglaze the pan with vinegar, being sure to scrape up all the flavorful bacon bits on the bottom!
Add remaining ingredients, including the reserved bacon,  reduce the heat to low and cook for 1-2 hours until the liquid is syrupy, stirring from time to time.
Let jam cool a bit, then place in food processor. Pulse until ingredients are chopped but not pureed.
You can store it in your fridge for up to a month. But, seriously, it will never last that long
Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 C.

Full disclosure/Recipe Alterations

I used regular sliced bacon -- no problem.
I measured the vinegar and bourbon together ( always read the recipe twice before proceeding!), so I deglazed the pan with both -- no problem.
I did not have a large onion, so I used 2 small ones.
You can chop the bacon before you cook it, but I don't like how the pieces all stick together when I do that, so I prefer to cook them whole -- or depending on the size of your pan, cut in half.

The Jam has a bit of a kick. If you don't like spicy, either eliminate the chilis or use just one. OR: if you don't want to open a whole can of chilis, just add a shake of red pepper flakes.
No bourbon? It's worth buying the smallest bottle you can find (or borrowing a 1/4 C from your neighbor)because it does add to the flavor profile of the Jam.
Not a drinker? No problem - substitute with apple juice. (I know, "they" say the alcohol will burn off in the cooking process, but I don't agree. Even if it does, the flavor remains and that can be a problem.)