Nick And Toni's Penne alla Vecchia Bettola from The BareFoot Contessa

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 28, 2010
http://frogandprincess.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/nick_02.jpgThis recipe is from Nick & Toni's, a popular restaurant in the Hamptons. It's their signature dish, obtained while traveling in Italy twenty years ago, and served in the restaurant ever since.


1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes (Cento's San Marzano)
Kosher salt
1 pound penne pasta
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over
medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes
until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano and vodka,
and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve,
crush them with your hands, and place them in a 5 quart ovenproof pot
or Dutch oven. Add the onions to the tomatoes and cover with a tight
lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the
pot from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water
to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Set
aside.

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and
puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency, and return to
the pot.

Reheat the tomato sauce and add the heavy
cream, fresh oregano and salt, to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes. Toss
the sauce with the pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, to taste.
Serve.

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa



The Pioneer Woman's Mocha Brownies

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 25, 2010
Mocha Brownies variation idea on this tasty dessert from The Pioneer Woman: "Serve in a bowl topped with coffee ice cream and drizzle with hot fudge sauce. Sinful."

-Ree Drummond

For Brownies:

Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

For Mae's Mocha Icing:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe
bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being
careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream, the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.


With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the
vanilla extract and mix.


Add the flour to the bowl and mix just until combined; do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface.
Bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center is no longer soft.
Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.


To make the icing, in a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered
sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined,
then add 1/2 cup of the coffee.

Whip until the icing is the desired consistency. If the icing is overly
thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.

Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until
the icing is firm, then slice the brownies into squares.

"Good Morning America" food dishes styled by Karen Pickus.



Sue and Gloria's Baked Beans from Paula Deen's Home Cooking

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 24, 2010
Picture of Sue and Gloria's Baked Beans Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans, drained
  • 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
  • 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple,
molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some
salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish
and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for
1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.


Cheddar, Bacon, and Fresh Chive Biscuits

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 14, 2010
Cheddar, Bacon, and Fresh Chive Biscuits

yield: Makes 12
active time:
25 minutes
total time:
55 minutes
These are great for sandwiches. Just split them in half, slather with some Dijon, pile on thinly sliced ham, and add a lettuce leaf.

  • 6 thick-cut bacon slices
  • 3 3/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus melted butter for brushing
  • 2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
  • 1 3/4 cups chilled buttermilk
  • Honey (optional)
Preparation

Position rack just above center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop coarsely.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter cubes. Blend until coarse meal forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Add cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and chopped bacon; toss to blend. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring to moisten evenly (batter will feel sticky).

Using lightly floured hands, drop generous 1/2 cup batter for each biscuit onto prepared baking sheet, spacing batter mounds about 2 inches apart.

Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Brush biscuits lightly with melted butter. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve biscuits warm or at room temperature with honey, if desired.

Source: Bon AppΓ©tit  | February 2010
by The Bon AppΓ©tit Test Kitchen

Mississippi Mud Cake

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 12, 2010

Mississippi Mud CakeThe women of Huffman United Methodist Church in
Birmingham used this recipe for the church's 125th anniversary
celebration. Of the 100 cakes made, there wasn't any left over.

Yield: Makes 15 servings

Ingredients


  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows

    Chocolate Frosting

Preparation


Whisk together melted butter and next 5 ingredients in
a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a
greased and floured 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan.

Bake at 350° for
20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out
clean. Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return
to oven, and bake 5 minutes. Drizzle Chocolate Frosting over warm cake.
Cool completely.

Note: 2 (19.5-ounce) packages brownie mix,
prepared according to package directions, may be substituted for first 7
ingredients. Stir in chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
Proceed with marshmallows and frosting as directed.

Southern Living, JUNE 2004

Copycat Red Lobster Crab Cakes

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 11, 2010

1 lb lump crab meat (make sure you check for shells before preparing)

½ teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced onions

1 tablespoon diced celery

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 egg

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

¼ cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil for sautΓ©ing


To start, in a bowl combine all ingredients except for the crab and
the bread crumbs. Mix the ingredients together and then carefully mix in
the crab meat. Spread out the bread crumbs on the counter. Role crab
mixture into a ball about 2 inches or so in diameter. Put the ball in
the bread crumbs flattening it out into a patty about 1 inch thick by 3
inches in diameter. Refrigerate the crab cakes until you are ready to
cook them.

To cook, in a skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil, brown the crab
cake on each side for about 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and
cook for an additional 8 minutes.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 11, 2010

Find this recipe at  Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Old Timey Posset, to put you to sleep

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 11, 2010

This is my friend Carlene’s version of a night time drink designed to put one to sleep...an adult baby bottle, so to speak.  This is what she had to say about this recipe.  ~ jan

It's very good...works great..and it is open to interpretations and variations..  Lots of alcohol is not good...just a tasting of it..a hint...no egg in it.  The old timey recipe , I think, called for whipping the egg into a froth..spices and wine...heated  milk...   I added the pat of butter, just because it is so tasty...sometimes, I leave it out, but I prefer it in.   Don't drink it if you are not ready to go to sleep or at least lie down and relax...you'll be out in no time...

1 C milk...or Soy or Almond or Rice
1 t sugar to taste...or a substitute like Splenda, or none at all if it's your thing
some spice...can be a dash of Allspice or pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice or Mace or Cardamom
a grind or two of nutmeg...... a bit of citrus flavoring or a small amt. of zest of lemon/orange/lime/Clementine
a splash of good vanilla extract
a pat of butter....or ...not
A T of California Sherry or any sherry or a rum or bourbon, etc....but, not much...it's not an alcoholic drink...it's just for flavor...mine taste like a light eggnog, without the egg.  It's a 'comfort' flavor...a bit like egg custard flavor...but more adult...

Heat the milk with the items that YOU would like....eliminate or add, to your taste.   I usually pour the hot mixture thru a tea strainer to get rid of the grit of the nutmeg and zest particles, etc.

NOW...go to bed... and drink this down , not HOT/HOT necessarily, but at a good warm temp....it's just fine as it is, but IF you are especially achy..or after shoveling you 'expect' to be...take 2 Advil or other anti-inflammatory with it...you will sleep like a baby......

Lemon Pie Wallpaper, a little gift for you

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 10, 2010

lemonpiesat

I have this lemon pie wallpaper on my laptop, and every time I see it, I’m just salivating.  I thought some of you might enjoy it, too.  Just click on the picture, it enlarges, then you can save it and set it as your desktop paper.  Enjoy!

~ jan

Source:  Flickr

Momofuku's Crack Pie

by πŸ‘©‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA πŸ‘©‍🍳, February 10, 2010
Momofuku's Crack Pie

The follolwing is an excerpt from the LA Food Times:
Sold at Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar in Manhattan, this pie has taken New York City by storm, partly because of the audacious name, party because of the jaw-dropping price tag -- $44 a pie, yes, $44 a pie -- and partly because anyone who has tried it, including myself, CNN bigwig Anderson Cooper and the people who are buying the 60 to 90 Crack Pies sold each day or two, can't stop raving about it.

Still not convinced? Out-of-town demand is so high that the bakery just started shipping the pie by FedEx. They've even sought trademark protection for the name.

Crack Pie is a twist on Chess Pie -- an old-school dessert found in the "Joy of Cooking," popular because it can be made with common pantry ingredients such as butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

But Milk Bar pastry chef Christina Tosi's reimagining makes Crack Pie an original. Instead of just a humdrum pie shell that serves as a container for the filling, Tosi dreamed up a shell that begins with a homemade oat cookie blended with a bit more butter, sugar and a healthy dash of salt.

The result is a crust that is divinely rustic and unrefined -- don't bother trying to get a perfect edge as you press it into the pie plate. It just won't happen.

Under Tosi's reconsidering, the interior of this pie takes a glug of heavy cream, a bit of milk powder to help give the mixture body and egg yolks instead of whole eggs.

It's baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and then 325 degrees for about 10 minutes, just until the top is golden brown. The interior will jiggle when you remove it from the oven.

You will fear that the pie is undercooked.

But you must have faith.

It's not an understatement to say that this pie defies description. But I'll try. It's ooey-gooey. Buttery and rich. Silky. Pillowy. I'll wager that it's not like any pie you've ever had before because that salty-sweet-crunchy-oaty crust is as much a part of the pie as the filling itself. In a weird way, it remind me of kettle corn, with that one-two, salty-sweet hit that keeps you coming back for more. And more. And more.

Now, Tosi says Crack Pie must be served cold. And this is where she and I disagree. Take it out of the oven and let it cool just a bit -- otherwise, it's like pouring molten lava on your tongue, and I tell you this from personal experience -- but you want it to be warm when served.

Tosi and I agree, however, on how it should be eaten.

With a spoon.

While it's still in the pie plate.

With your favorite someone.


Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling and chilling times

Servings: Makes 2 pies (6 to 8 servings each)

Note: Adapted from Momofuku. This pie calls for 2 (10-inch) pie tins. You can substitute 9-inch pie tins, but note that the pies will require additional baking time, about 5 minutes, due to the increased thickness of the filling.

Cookie for crust



2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) flour

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar

3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar

1 egg

Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

5. With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

Crust

Crumbled cookie for crust

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon (3/4 ounce) milk powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 egg yolks

2 prepared crusts

Powdered sugar, garnish

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.

4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.

5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Each of 16 servings: 432 calories; 4 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 27 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 187 mg. cholesterol; 36 grams sugar; 125 mg. sodium.

Source: LA Food Times
 
Want to see more?   Here’s a video of Martha Stewart visiting Momofuko’s Milk Bar, where they make crack pie for her.

© Jan CAN Cook · THEME BY WATDESIGNEXPRESS