Spring Yum-Yums
Spring 2010
Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Mushroom and Leek Bisque
Shrimp Mazatlan
Bayou Sam's Spring Salad Sensation©
Scaloppini di Pollo
Steakbits Naked - Sam's Chop House
Calypso Chicken ©
Sam's Seafood Grill Citrus Prawns ©
Pescado un Salsa de Vino
Maquechoux Bayou Sam's Style
Bahamian Mac-N-Cheese
Pigeon Peas 'n Rice
Sammy Limes' Bikini Cheesecake
Tortuga Rum Pinapple Praline Cake
Sazarac
Pomegranate Martini
Velvet Rope Cocktail
Infused Tequila
Artichoke and Spinach Dip
Servings: 12
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
to taste salt and pepper
1 14 ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup Oaxcao cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a small pyrex dish.
Place chopped artichokes and spinach in foor processor and
pulse 3 or 4 times to mix well.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream,
Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, thyme, basil,
garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichokes and
spinach mixture.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with
Oaxcao cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.
Mushroom and Leek Bisque
Servings: 4
6 cups chicken stock
1 clove garlic, roasted and chopped
2 cups Crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
1 cup leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup Texas 1015 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Tortuga Rum Liqueur
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch paprika
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
Sauté mushrooms in half the butter, deglaze with half the
white wine, add 1 t of Tortuga. Reduce to liquids are about
gone, remove and let stand on paper towel.
In a separate sauté pan, sauté the chopped leeks, celery,
onion, and garlic in the butter until tender.
Add the chicken stock, Tortuga Rum, white wine and
simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from stove and purée in your food processor.
Add the sour cream, cream cheese and heavy cream and
blend thoroughly.
Strain through a fine sieve and return to pot.
Bring back to a simmer stir in a pinch of Cayenne and
Paprika.
Add mushrooms. Simmer 5 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Shrimp Mazatlan
Servings: 4
16 colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 strips bacon, Black Label, halved
16 pieces picked watermelon rind, 1x1/8" strips
16 pieces smoked gouda cheese, 1x1/8" strips
1 tablespoon syrup from watermelon rind
1/3 cup Cointreau
16 fancy toothpicks, water-soaked
1 tablespoon Chipotle pepper, dried, finely ground
Heat grill to medium heat or oven to 450 (bake). Second
rack from top
With shrimp tail off, make small slice down center of shrimp
at curve.
Place rind and cheese in small slit at top of shrimp, wrap
snuggly with bacon and skewer with toothpick.
Mix syrup and Cointreau and heat low to boil and thicken
slightly and remove.
Spray small rack and pyrex dish. Place shrimp on rack.
Lightly baste with syrup mix. Top - to taste - with Chipotle
pepper.
Oven Cooking:
Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.
Turn over and baste with syrup.
Set to broil and broil until crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn, baste
again and broil until crisp on second side.
Grill Cooking:
Baste and grill until bacon is cooked on both sides.
Bayou Sam's Spring Salad Sensation©
Servings: 2
4 medium chicken tenders, boneless, skinless
1 large portabella mushroom cap, sliced 1/3" thick
1/2 large Texas 1015 onion, sliced lengthwise
1 handful mushrooms, sliced
1 handful Sugar Snap Peas, blanched
1 bunch Spring greens
1 medium carrot, sliced, diagonally
10 medium sun-dried tomatoes
4 large Mezzeta Roasted Bell Peppers, chunked
10 small grape tomatoes
6 large spanish queen olives
1 handful mandarin orange slices, from jar
1/2 handful pecan pieces
1/3 cup gouda cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy
1/2 teaspoon Alessi Dipping Spices
1 teaspoon Garlic pepper
2 tablespoons Consorzio Garlic Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Extra lite Olive Oil
4 tablespoons Citrus Creations by Braswell
What a wonderful and easy salad to start Spring with. First,
blanch snap peas and start to chill. Season onion, mushroom,
portabella and chicken tenders with Mrs. Dash, dipping
spices and garlic pepper. Drizzle garlic olive oil and turn to
coat well. Preheat grill and flat griddle to medium high heat.
place tenders and portabellas on grill, mound 1015 and
mushrooms on griddle, turning when needed. Chicken
should just be done, onions soft, moist and sweet and
portabellos grilled marked.
To plate, place a bunch of spring greens on a dinner plate,
circle the edges with the snap peas, sun dried tomatoes. Drop
on top of greens and very lightly mix in carrots, olives,
grape tomatoes, mandarin slices, roasted bell peppers and
pecan pieces. Grate cheese over the top. Place 2 tenders on
each salad and top with portabella slices. Next distribute
1015's and mushrooms around the tenders. Drizzle citrus
dressing as desired or on the side to dip.
Scaloppini di Pollo
Servings: 4
Lemon Butter Sauce
2 ounces lemon juice
2 ounces white wine
3 ounces heavy cream
2 sticks butter
Pasta and Chicken
6 3 ounce chicken breast, pounded thin
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 ounces pancetta, cooked, diced
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
3 ounces artichoke hearts, sliced
3 ounces artichoke bottoms
8 medium asparagus tips, blanched
1/2 tablespoon capers
12 ounces capellini pasta, cooked
For Garnish italian parsley, chopped
The sauce: Heat the lemon juice and white wine in a
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce by
1/3. Add cream and simmer until mixture thickens (3 to 4
minutes). Slowly add butter until completely incorporated.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and keep
warm.
Chicken and pasta: Cook pasta and drain. Heat a small
amount of oil and 2 T of butter in a large skillet. Dredge
chicken in flour and saute in pan, turning once, until brown
and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and add to
pan remaining ingredients. Heat until mushrooms soften and
are cooked; add chicken back to pan.
To plate: Place cooked pasta on each plate. Add half of
butter sauce to chicken mixture and toss. Taste and adjust,
adding more sauce if needed. Place chicken mixture over
pasta. Garnish with parsley. Alternately, mix pasta and
chicken mixture together. Toss with butter sauce.
Steakbits Naked - Sam's Chop House
2 Pounds Top Sirloin Steak, 3/4" thick, trimmed and
cubed
1/4 Cup Sweet Vermouth, spray bottle
2 Tablespoons Great American Land and Cattle
Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Bayou Sam's Triple Blast
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/4 Cup Peanut Oil, divided
Place cubed sirloin in non-reactive vacuum marinate dish or
bowl. Spray vermouth to coat well then season just to coat.
(Do not use all season), Seal and let marinate overnight.
Loosely season bits just before placing on grill and respray
with Vermouth.
On a 450* flat griddle, wok or plow disc, heat a tablespoon
of oil. When hot, place a handful of sirloin on grill, turn to
coat and cook to med-rare. About a minute each side if that.
Spray with Vermouth occasionally.
I like a light crust on mine, so I may leave it on one side a
little longer.
Remove and finish in batches.
Calypso Chicken ©
Servings: 4
4 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/4 cup Lime & Chili Vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, Extra Lite
1 tablespoon Garlic Olive Oil, Roasted
2 tablespoons Frank's Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Sam's Triple Blast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Lemon pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper Blend, McCormick
1 teaspoon Citrus Pepper Blend, McCormick
Combine all spices and liquids, whisk well. Coat chicken
breasts, rubbing marinade deep into meat. Cover and
marinate 2 hours. Heat grill to medium high heat (500),
place inside side down. First cook until time to turn (edges
and up the sides slightly begin to turn white). Turn and
drizzle marinade over breasts, closing the lid quickly to
steam. This time turn in half the time, but not over, rotate
each breast 90 degrees to cross hatch. Remove when done.
Center of breast should be moist, if it isn't, you cooked it too
long or too cool.
Sam's Seafood Grill Citrus Prawns
©
Servings: 4
20 colossal prawns, peeled to tail, deveined
1 part Sam's Seafood Grill "Triple Blast"
1/2 part McCormick Citrus Pepper Blend
1/4 part garlic salt
1 part olive oil
1/4 part sweet vermouth
2 pinches Lemon, Lime, Orange and Tangerine Zest,
Each
Mix dry ingredients. Coat shrimp or any type of seafood in
lite olive oil, sprinkle zest then season to coat. Grill high to
very high heat. Spray often with sweet vermouth. Do not
overcook.
Pescado un salsa de vino
Servings: 4
White Wine Butter Sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tablespoon capers
2 ounces lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
3 ounces artichoke bottoms
3 ounces artichoke hearts, sliced
2 sticks butter
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
Seafood and Rice
4 6 ounce tilapia fillets, 1/2" thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon Bayou Sam's Triple Blast
2 teaspoons Cruz' BBQ Seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups parboiled rice, cooked
4 ounces pancetta, diced and cooked crisp
For Garnish italian parsley, chopped
The sauce: Melt 2 T of butter in saute pan, add white wine,
lemon juice, capers, mushrooms, cayenne, salt and pepper to
taste. Saute mushrooms until firm add artichokes and saute
until mushrooms are just soft. Bring to a boil and reduce by
1/2. Add cream and simmer until mixture thickens (3 to 4
minutes). Slowly add butter until completely incorporated
and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from
heat and keep warm.
Steam rice in mushroom or chicken stock and 2 tablespoons
of butter according to cooker's directions.
Heat flat griddle or large skillet with a couple tablespoons or
olive oil and butter.
Rub a few drops of bacon grease over fillets, season one side
with Bayou Sam's Triple Blast, season the other with Cruz'
Rub, Basil, thyme, white pepper and salt. Cook until just
done. Remove. Let stand
To plate: Lay a bed of rice top with tilipia, top with sauce.
Sprinkle Pancetta on top and parsley around the edge of the
plate.
Maquechoux Bayou Sam's Style
Servings: 8
12 ears sweet corn, shucked, stripped and milked
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sweet onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
3 medium vine ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and
chopped
2 teaspoons Bayou Sam's Triple Blast
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
Melt the butter in a large saute' pan or pot over medium-high
heat.
Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and tomatoes and saute
until the onions are transparent, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the sea salt and seasonings, then add the corn and
milk from the cobs, the sugar and evaporated milk and stir
well.
Reduce heat to medium and cook until the corn is tender,
about 10-15 more minutes.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Bahamian Mac-N-Cheese
1 box macaroni, about 8 ounces
1/2 pound butter
1/2 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 pound white cheddar cheese, grated
2/3 cup romano cheese, grated
1 can evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
to taste salt
to taste cayenne
to taste black pepper
Cook macaroni in boiling salted water & drain.
Add butter, then cheddar cheeses. Next add milk, eggs,
onion, bell pepper, dry mustard and worcestershire sauce.
Mix in salt, red and black pepper.
Top with Romano Cheese
Bake in a greased cassorole dish at 400 deg until golden
brown, about 40 minutes.
Let it set.. and serve in squares.
Pigeon Peas 'n Rice
Servings: 4
1 small smoked pork neck
1/4 cup bacon
1 small onion
1 green pepper
1 stalk celery
1 can (8 oz.) Pigeon peas, well drained
4 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup rice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Thyme
to taste salt and white pepper
Cook bacon until crisp and crumbled.
Add onion, pepper, and celery and cook until the mixture is
pulpy.
Add tomato paste and cook until most of the liquid in the
pan has evaporated.
Add the drained Pigeon peas, thyme, salt, and pepper and
cook for 2 minutes.
Pour in the rice and add stock to cover.
Cover the pot and allow mixture to simmer until all liquid
had evaporated. Around 25 minutes or so until the rice is
done.
Fluff if needed.
Sammy Limes' Bikini Cheesecake
Servings: 8
1 cup graham crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Splenda
16 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Splenda
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons Key Lime juice, freshly squeezed
Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and 2 tablespoons
Equal® Spoonful in bottom of 8-inch springform pan or
8-inch round cake pan; pat evenly on bottom and 1/2-inch up
side of pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven 8 minutes.
Beat cream cheese and 2/3 cup Equal® Spoonful in medium
bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg, egg whites, lime peel and
juice until well blended. Pour cream cheese mixture into
prepared crust.
Bake in 325 degree F oven 30 to 35 minutes or until center is
almost set. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate at least 3 hours
before serving.
Tortuga Rum Pinapple Praline Cake
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
20 ounces crushed pineapple, undrained
Topping:
1 stick butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons Tortoga Rum Liquer
Mix first 7 ingredients and pour into ungreased 9X13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until firm. Do not overbake.
Mix topping ingredients; butter, milk and sugar in a small
sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add rum liquer and continue to
boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and nuts.
Cool thoroughly and spread on completely cooled cake.
The Sazarac
Servings: 1
1/2 teaspoon absinthe (Herbsaint)
1 teaspoon Complex Sugar Syrup, 2 parts sugar, 1 part
water
4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 small dash Angostura bitters, OPTIONAL
2 ounces rye whiskey
1 strip lemon peel
The traditional method: Pack a 3-1/2 ounce Old Fashioned
(rocks) glass with ice. In another Old Fashioned glass,
moisten the sugar cube with just enough water to saturate it,
then crush. Blend with the whiskey and bitters. Add a few
cubes of ice and stir to chill. Discard the ice from the first
glass and pour in the Herbsaint. Coat the inside of the entire
glass, pouring out the excess. Strain the whiskey into the
Herbsaint coated glass. Twist the lemon peel over the glass
so that the lemon oil cascades into the drink, then rub the
peel over the rim of the glass; do not put the twist in the
drink. Or, as Stanley Clisby Arthur says, "Do not commit the
sacrilege of dropping the peel into the drink."
My preferred method: Always use a nice big rocks or Old-
Fashioned glass for this drink. Wes and I have managed to
slowly and painstakingly acquire a set of eight heavybottomed
Old Fashioned glasses from the old Roosevelt
Hotel in New Orleans, emblazoned with the hotel's name
and the word "SAZERAC" in large letters. We've become
very fond of these glasses, as you can imagine!
I also recommend the use of a prepared simple syrup (1-1/2
parts sugar to 1 part water) for this and most other cocktails
involving sugar that don't involve muddling. I don't like
adding granulated or lump sugar to a drink unless I'm
muddling, because it never quite dissolves completely. In
simple syrup the sugar is already dissolved, so there's no
chance of serving a gritty drink to your guests. As Herbsaint
may be difficult to find in your area, you may substitute
another pastis for the Herbsaint; however, I find that the
flavor of Herbsaint is far superior to that of Pernod (the
usual Herbsaint substitute), so it's worth your while to seek it
out. Actually, it's worth your while to get a bottle of good
absinthe, as it's easy enough nowadays.
Add the absinthe or Herbsaint to the glass, then swirl it
around to coat the entire sides and bottom of the glass.
Discard the excess, although if you enjoy a bit more of the
flavor of the absinthe or Herbsaint you may wish to leave a
small amount of it in the bottom. Remember that the flavor
of the absinthe should be there, but in the background -- it
should not dominate. In a cocktail shaker (I use the glass
portion of my Boston shaker), add the sugar syrup, whiskey
and bitters. Add ice and tir gently for about 30 seconds (and
for God's sake don't shake it -- you don't want a frothy
Sazerac) or until the drink is cold, then strain into the
Herbsaint-coated glass. Twist lemon peel over the drink, and
try to watch carefully to make sure a cascade of tiny lemon
oil droplets actually strike the surface of the drink; this is
one of my favorite parts of the preparation ritual. Rub the
twist over the rim of the glass, then add as garnish. (No, I'm
not a slavish adherent to S. C. Arthur's admonitions; I'll do
this drink in a very acceptably traditional manner, with my
own tastes taken into account. Leave the peel out if you
wish.)
Pomegranate Martini
Servings: 1
4 ounces Tito's Handmade Vodka
3 ounces Lasko's Lime Mix
2 teaspoons grenadine
1 thin lime slice, for garnish
1 maraschino cherries
Place vodka, lime mix and grenadine on ice, shake well,
gently
Pour up in martini glass, garnish with speared lime and
cherry.
Velvet Rope Cocktail
Servings: 1
2 1/2 ounces Strawberry/Pineapple Infused Tequila
1/2 ounce Patron Citronge
1/2 ounce rock candy syrup (or simple syrup)
1/2 medium lime, juice from
Shake, strain and serve straight-up in a cocktail glass.