Savory Palmiers by Mat!

July 15, 2012Carroll Leave a comment

I have some extremely creative and talented “foodie” friends, some of them are chefs, some are not, and recently I was able to talk one of them into sharing a unique recipe here at Vanilla Lemonade. So without further ado, I give you …Mat!

I’m no chef, I just like to play with my food! When I find something that I enjoy, I wonder wildly what variation of ingredients I can combine to make it my own! After my partner encouraged me to make him some quick Apple tarts he had seen made by a popular TV Chef, I decided to use the extra sheet of Puff Pastry dough to make palmiers for the first time. They came out wonderfully and my mind went to work on what else I could do to a palmier. Enter the Sweetly Savory and Blazin’ Bleu palmiers! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.. And now I have a whole new option instead of crackers to pair with a cheese board, soups and salads!

Sweetly Savory Palmiers

Ingredients:

½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cup Sundried Tomates (the variety packed in oil)
½ cup fresh Basil leaves
1 tbsp Anchovy Paste
7 cloves of fresh Garlic
2 tbsp Clover Honey
1 tsp fresh cracked Pepper
¼ cup Olive Oil (for added flavor use the oil from the tomatoes)

1 sheet pre-packaged Puff Pastry dough ( recommend Pepperidge Farms)

Thaw your puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator overnight to ensure proper thawing. Puff Pastry dough should always be kept very cold. Work with it in short order to ensure the butter throughout the pastry does not melt; this will prevent the gorgeous “puff” that results when baked.

Place all ingredients (except puff pastry dough) in a food processor and process on high to finely chopped all ingredients. The resulting product should be a fine somewhat dry paste. Be sure to process long enough to gain a fine texture.

Take one sheet of Puff Pastry dough and place on a floured surface. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll to approximately 11.5” x 9.5”. Evenly spread the prepared filling over the puff pastry. Once spread, roll the pastry (using your fingers) from the top and bottom; meeting in the middle with evenly rolled ends. Compress the rolls together creating a cylindrical shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once sufficiently chilled the pastry roll with be very firm to the touch, slice the roll in ¼” slices and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat.

Bake palmiers for 11 minutes and flip to ensure caramelization on both sides. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Remove the palmiers from the lined baking sheet and cool on rack.

Store in a sealed container to retain the fresh baked-ness! Enjoy the palmiers on their own or pair with a cheese course or salad.

Yields: 1 dozen

Blazin’ Bleu Palmiers

Ingredients:

¼ cup Sun-dried Tomatoes (variety packed in olive oil)
1 tbsp fresh Thyme leaves
¼ cup Olive Oil (for added flavor use the oil from the tomatoes)
1 tbsp Tomato paste
2 Green Onions
5 cloves of fresh Garlic
1 ½ tbsp of Sambal Oelek
2 oz. Blue Cheese (use a wedge to facilitate grating)

1 sheet pre-packaged Puff Pastry dough ( recommend Pepperidge Farms)

Place the 2 ounces of bleu cheese wedge into the freezer. This step is crucial to ensuring a smooth grate.

Place all ingredients, except puff pastry dough and bleu cheese, in a food processor and process on high to finely chopped all ingredients. The resulting product should be a fine somewhat moist paste. Be sure to process long enough to gain a fine texture.

Take one sheet of Puff Pastry dough and place on a floured surface. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll to approximately 11.5” x 9.5”. Evenly spread the prepared filling over the puff pastry. Once spread grate the frozen bleu cheese evenly over the spread paste. Roll the pastry (using your fingers) from the top and bottom; meeting in the middle with evenly rolled ends. Compress the rolls together creating a cylindrical shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once sufficiently chilled the pastry roll with be very firm to the touch, slice the roll in ¼” slices and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat.

Bake palmiers for 11 minutes and flip to ensure caramelization on both sides. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes. Remove the palmiers from the lined baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Store in a sealed container to retain the fresh baked-ness! Enjoy the palmiers on their own or pair with a cheese course or salad.

Yields: 1 dozen

Don’t these sound fantasmo- I loved that he was bending rules!! Thanks Mat, for these most creative and scrumptious treat!!

Smores- Golden Graham Style!

July 7, 2012Carroll 1 Comment

I am not sure there is a better combination of sweets than chocolate, marshmallow and graham. The joy isn’t just in the taste of the ooey gooey smores, but in the trip back to your childhood nights you take when you eat them. Same can be said for Rice Krispie Treats- I feel like I am in the small desk at Woodland Elementary whenever I eat the kids treat.

Childhood Ooey Gooey Goodness

Inspired from childhood, my friend Alex and Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients

6 cups mini marshmallows, 1- 10 ounce bag
1 12 ounce package semi sweet chocolate chips
5 tablespoon butter
6 cups Golden Graham Cereal
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla
All the flavor and no need to build the fire!

Directions
Place package of chocolate chips and 1 cup of marshmallows in the freezer to chill. Coat a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.

In medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add in 5 cups of marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Drop in the salt and vanilla and stir. Once combined remove from heat and pour into your largest mixing bowl (I used my large tossed salad bowl). Add the cereal into the mixing bowl and stir until well coated before throwing in the frozen chips and marshmallows. When all is mixed well spread into the baking pan, pressing to evenly fill the pan. Allow to set, storing in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 dozen squares.

Perfect Camping Treat

Added bonus – Pretty sure you can get the kiddos to do the dirty work to get these smores!

Peach and Tarragon Peach Mason Jar Pie

July 4, 2012Carroll 3 Comments

Happy Independence Day to all! Sir Wes LOVES the 4th of July, I secretly think he has the goal to participate in Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest, which just thinking about makes me a little sick. Most years we stick with a batch of Sangria, a cookout and a trip down to Celebration to see the fireworks instead. Yesterday I made a dessert that would be perfect to pack on any picnic, park, beach, or backyard.

Peach and Tarragon Mason Jar Pies

I can’t resist the scent that comes from the piles of peaches at the market, the smell is so strong you can taste it. I love this quote of a Farmer describing his peaches on NPR, “Drips off your elbows, drips off your chin, drips off your face, drips onto your shirt, onto your pants, onto your shoes … We just want the consumer to know out there, that this is an awesome fruit and it’s a great time of year.”

Easy Travel Peach Pie!

Fresh peaches and a leftover pie dough sheet in the fridge, perfect for this all American holiday! I had a bit of fresh tarragon staring at me from the refrigerator shelf , so I added that into the filling. I love adding herbs to fruit, they just add a different, refreshing twist.

4 peaches, pitted and diced
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoon chopped tarragon (basil or cilantro will work here too)
1 tablespoon water
1 pie dough sheet, use your favorite recipe, or purchase one
4 ½ pint mason jars

To prepare the filling:

Place all the peaches, sugar, tarragon and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Allow to gently simmer, pulling out the juices of the peach, with the sugars thickening the juice. After 15 minutes remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.

To assemble Mason Jars:

Roll out dough to a standard pie thickness, cut out 8 circles of dough by using the top of the mason jar. In each jar place a cutout on the bottom and scoop the peach filling into the jars. Top with the remaining dough.

Place mason jars on baking sheet and cook in oven for 30 minutes at 425°.

The smell of peachs makes my mouth water!

Happy Independence Day, may we all appreciate the freedom we have, thanks to the service men and women who have provided it so courageously!

Curry Raisin Tuna Salad with Easy Chapati Bread

June 24, 2012Carroll 1 Comment

Summer nights are here and quick dinners are the on the menu! I made a tuna salad last weekend and we had it over the week with a quick bread.

Perfect Summer Dinner

I love tuna salad, but like many dishes I tire of the same traditional recipe. My Mom, Queenie, convinced me on this recipe years ago. The curry is a surprising twist and completely unique from its more traditional counterpart.

Curry and Raisin Tuna Salad

2 4.5 oz cans of light tuna, drained
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped celery
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise (fat-free works great, as the curry enhances the flavor)
2 tablespoons ranch dressing (again, fat-free works great)
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons raisins
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Mix drained tuna, onion, celery together with mayonnaise and ranch dressing. Sprinkle the curry evenly over the salad and mix well. Add raisins and the season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 4

Curry Raisin Tuna Salad

Add a fresh-baked Chapati, and I am now in heaven. Chapati is a simple flatbread, no yeast, no proofing, and hardly any prep-simple, simple, simple. It originates from in South Asia, and is basically the same thing as Roti, also an unleavened flatbread, which is made with all purpose flour rather than whole wheat, as Chapati is. The best part, is how user-friendly and quickly it can be thrown together, I am sure you can agree, fresh-baked bread is quite impressive, and so tasty.

Chapati

1 cup whole wheat flour (substituting all-purpose flour is no problem)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup warm water
1 & ½ tablespoon vegetable oil

Place flour and salt in large bowl and mix well. Slowly add ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil and warm water to make smooth dough, elastic, but not sticky. Knead dough on floured surface until well-rounded and smooth. Divide the ball into 6-8 smaller balls. Let the balls sit a few minutes before rolling them into a circle with the thickness of a thin tortilla. Heat a skillet over medium heat, greasing with the remaining vegetable oil. Place rolled Chapati in hot pan and allow it to cook for a minute or two, and then flip. Cook for another minute, there will be brown spots and air pockets in the bread.

Serve immediately.

Fresh Cooked Chapati Bread

I love this bread because it is so quick, but provides a fresh made bread- and that is always a good thing!

Love it!

Cheers to quick summer dinners!

My Father’s Specialty- Doughboys!

June 17, 2012Carroll 4 Comments

Growing up my Mom was the one in the kitchen most days making dinner for the family, but my Father did have a few specialties. Some good, and some just fun to remember! He made great burritos, I still make them the same exact way at home for my family. He also made great pancakes and held his own as the grillmaster. He did make spaghetti one time, and I’ll just say it was only once, and Sir Ryan and I are still talking about it. There are a few other traditional things my Dad makes during the holiday season, Nut Bread and Mincemeat Pie. Now- the nut bread always disappeared within the same afternoon, but the mincemeat pie lasted a bit longer, it wasn’t our favorite.

But with the mincemeat pie came something we loved…Doughboys, made out of the pie shell scraps. A little cinnamon and sugar sprinkled and then baked, brought us to the kitchen like little dogs, begging for scraps. Gone in minutes.

My Dad was the only one that made them right!

With all the pies being baked in the kitchen over holidays, I think the Doughboys were the saving grace, from having one of us sneak a slice before dessert was served.

Dough Boys

1 pie dough
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
flour
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped fine ( These are optional, and any nut could be used)

Roll the pie dough on floured surface a little bit thinner then you would a regular pie shell. Combine the sugar and the cinnamon, mixing well. Sprinkle the mixture over the pie dough and spread the nuts evenly. Cut the dough into thin triangles and roll into small croissants. I took half of the dough and rolled in a tube, threw it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then sliced it to make wheels. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in an oven, set at 425 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool and hide one for yourself before they are all gone.

Scooby Snacks

Of all the meals and treats my Dad ever made, this was my favorite, this was something that only came around once or twice a year but they were heavenly.

My Dad’s Famous Doughboys!

He has many talents, a couple of them in the kitchen, a few on the golf course, a lot in the business world but what he is best at, is being a Dad!

Filled with Good Memories!

Thanks Dad for being a loving Father and a trusted compass!

All From Florida Dinner Event Menu

June 15, 2012June 15, 2012Carroll 1 Comment

This is a great time of year to live in Florida, with the summer heat and steady rains comes wonderful produce. Our farmers are plentiful and talented, bringing us the chance to create phenomenal dishes, all from within the state. As Chefs, we strive to use local sourcing and organic when we can, we want to educate our guests as well as feeding them.

We had a young, hip group in a few weeks ago, and were asked to produce a menu to WOW this well-traveled group. When it comes down to it, the beautiful produce and meats we can get, really stand on their own, simple speaks loudly here. That was the focus we drove toward, keep an organic, local and sustainable menu, featuring creative presentation and simplified, screamingly good flavors.

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It is a pleasure to feed people interested in food, in what we do- like any profession, when you come across someone interested in what you do, it is very reaffirming.

The group loved it all, the food, the lighting, the lounge feel, and the entertainment was amazing. If you ever get a chance to see, meet or hear Anita Goodstory- you will not regret, I had belly cramps from holding in my giggles. What a personality!

Cheers to eating local, supporting small farmers and having the tastiest, freshest ingrediants available!

Black Velvet Apricots meets Ginger Simple Syrup

June 10, 2012Carroll 6 Comments

Summer fever has officially taken over in this house, school is out, humidity is high, plants are blooming, and pool days are here. My favorite weekend outing is going to the water parks and taking a spin on the Lazy River. We can spend hours just floating in an inner tube getting lost in day dreams. Nothing like it. And as afternoons slip away it leads us to evening meals on the fly.

Gingered Black Velvet Apricots over Angel Food Cake

This weekend after a quick, big salad for dinner, it left us wanting dessert. I picked up some stone fruit at the market earlier, including a few plump, juicy Black Velvet Apricots, which would go perfectly with the Angel Food Cake we had earlier this week. And to spice it up I used the ginger that Sir Wes had pulled up last week from our ginger plant to make a simple syrup. When we hijacked the plant from his mom’s yard last summer, I knew that we would make good use out of it.

This à la minute dessert was so easy, and would work well with any fresh fruit you have in the fridge. Just toss about 3 tablespoons per cup of fruit and pour over you favorite cake, sponge, angel food cake, or even by itself.

Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 inches of ginger root, rough chopped

In a small saute pan add sugar, water and ginger. Bring to a slow simmer over a moderate heat, allowing the ginger to cook into the syrup. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Allow to steep for 15 minutes before straining the ginger out. Refrigerate until cool.

Makes about 1 /4 up and can be kept in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Sweet Apricots with a Kick of Ginger

And as a bonus…this simple syrup works great in summer cocktails.

Cheers!

Howard’s Vanilla Lemonade

June 3, 2012Carroll 7 Comments

I received an email last week for the yearly renewal of my domain name, WOW; Vanilla Lemonade is a year old. And what a year its been!

Happy Birthday Vanilla Lemonade

Over the last 12 months the question I’ve been asked most is, why did I pick the name Vanilla Lemonade? Well, isn’t it being super cute name enough of a reason?? Ahh- but there is actually a story…

I started at Walt Disney World in February 1998, on the opening team of DAK, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which was an amazing experience. By the beginning of 1999 I joined DAK CAT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Catering. I spent about 3 years on this talented team, which not only taught me how to cook pasta for 1000 people, or how to pack and load a truck, but they built the foundation and gave me the passion of the career I still love today.

DAK

We were a small team, a total of 5-7 cooks, a couple of chefs, 5 or 6 servers and a few front of house managers. A perfect number of people for a family to generate. Because we were such a small team that sometimes had huge events, surpassing even 10,000 guests, we did rely on a lot of extra help. Extra culinary, servers from other locations, stewards, chefs would work with us frequently to execute our large events in the park.

We did have a few “outside” people come to work on a regular basis, which became extended family. Howard was a Steward that was with us for over a year, 5-6 days a week. He was a big guy, a really big guy, perfect for loading grills on trucks, throwing 80 quart mixing bowls in the dish sink and lucky for us, he had spent a lot of time in kitchens, so was also able to assist us out with prep!

Howard was a daily temp worker that had a hard life, battled with temptations, health issues, and the other challenges that a day-to-day life style can offer. Like I said he was a big guy, rough and tough too, but after a while, we broke him down to a plush; Howard became somewhat of a fan favorite.

It’s down right sweaty hot here in Florida and don’t forget we are outside doing events, setting up tables, pushing trams thru the parks, standing in front of a hot grill for a few hours- you’re certain to be “glowing”. On any hot day you would find Howard over by the truck handing out glasses of his lemonade to anyone that needed something to cool them down. Howard’s lemonade was a crowd favorite, all the extra help knew to look for the giant orange thermos. The lemonade was on our checklist before our truck ever pulled off the dock, and if Howard happened to have the day off, and us without the lemonade someone always had something to say about it.

And then one day Howard didn’t make it for an event. “No” he didn’t forget, or run out of time, he told us angrily. Howard explained, that the Chef told him “no more!” And then we got a lashing from the chef…

Howard’s Recipe
1 Half Gallon Lemonade concentrate
6 Half Gallon Water
15 Vanilla Beans

…..The chef was not happy with his food cost floating Howard’s Lemonade Stand.

Ooh- but that Vanilla Lemonade was delicious …. DEE-licious.

Vanilla Lemonade, is not only a refreshing twist on lemonade, but to me it represents a time when I figured out what my future looked like. I graduated from college with 2 B.A. Degrees in Art, took the first job I was offered, and spent 10 months filling drinks, scooping mashed potatoes and wondering what I was going to do with myself. I was then welcomed into a family that would nurture, teach and allow me to grow. My love of cooking, food and catering came from that team, and equally important came the lesson of being able to learn from anybody, no matter who they are or where they came from. Thank you Howard, the Rough and Tumble Temp Working Teddy Bear for showing me that everyone has a lesson to teach if you are willing to learn.

Since then I’ve worked on a few different vanilla lemonade recipes.

Howard’s Vanilla Lemonade

Frozen Lemonade Concentrate, or Favorite Powder Mix
Vanilla Bean/Vanilla Extract

The quick and easy method- and sometimes that is just what we need! Make the lemonade as the container directs, add a vanilla bean split open down the middle for every 2 quarts made, or add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Refridergate and serve over ice. Perfect for a day at the beach!

Howard’s Vanilla Lemonade

Fresh Vanilla Lemonade

4 cups water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups fresh lemon juice (about 15 lemons)

In a heavy saucepan, make your simple syrup by combining 2 cups water, sugar, and the split vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool. Stir in lemon juice and remaining 2 cups water; refrigerate until serving.

Garnish with citrus, fresh herbs or cherries.

Makes about 2 quarts

Fresh Vanilla Lemonade

Vacation Vanilla Lemonade

2 oz coconut rum
3 oz vanilla lemonade

…Over ice..Sip and enjoy.

Vacation Vanilla Lemonade

Cheers to learning and loving what you do with your life!

Bloodymary Gazpacho

May 13, 2012Carroll 3 Comments

Happy Mother’s day to all the Momma’s, the Grandmothers, the Doggie Momma’s, the Single Dad Moms, the Stepmoms and the Soon to be Mommies out there! I live about 7 hours away from my Mom, so we wont be spending the day together, but she knows I am thinking about her. The last time we were together on Mother’s Day was about 8 years ago and we celebrated by going to a fabulous brunch. I think the meal of brunch belongs to Mother’s Day, and I love it because it is where absolutely anything goes!

Happy Mother’s Day Queenie!

I’ve mentioned my mother, Queenie, not being the most skillful in the kitchen, but I haven’t given her credit to the Bloodmary’s that flow from her pitchers (my Dad may argue that he makes them, but I know she drinks them…). In fact, she likes them well enough to have taken Bloodymary’s as her Fantasy Football team name as well as her email address.

Thinking about my mom, and what I thought she might like, and what she could actually make I landed on Bloodymary Gazpachos. The vegetables in the gardens are hitting their stride, the cucumbers are fully grown, the tomatoes are ready, we have peppers we don’t know what to do with, and corn is hitting the bins….spells out gazpacho to me.

Mise en place, mostly from the garden!

When you have a Mother’s Day brunch to bring something to why not make it Bloodymary Gazpacho. Serve it in a rocks glass over ice, or if drinking at brunch doesn’t fit the crowd, just put it in a soup cup and watch the guests relax!

Bloodymary Gazpacho

3/4 cup diced green tomatoes
1/2 cup, peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
2 Tbsp diced red onion
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 Tbsp diced jalapeno
4 Tbsp corn kernels, raw
1/2 lime, zest and juice
10 oz bloodymary mix
8 oz vodka
Kosher Salt
Granulated Sugar

Method

In a food processor or blender add the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, corn and lime zest and juice. Give only a few pulses, keeping a “gazpacho consistency”. Add in your favorite bloodymary mix and preferred vodka and quickly mix. Adjust flavor with salt and sugar; all bloodymary mixes are different so only add a pinch at a time. Refridgerate until ready to serve, overnight will allow the flavors to meld. Pour over ice in a rocks glass or as a soup shooter. Garnish with your favorite pickled vegetable, a stalk of celery, a stuffed olive, or a spicy pepper. This recipe also makes a fantastic shrimp cocktail dip!

Makes 4 cocktails

Summer Garden Vegetables

Cheers to all the Momma’s- may your day be filled with love, memories and celebration!

Happy Mother’s Day Queenie! Love you!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Jalapenos- Ole!

May 5, 2012Carroll 6 Comments

Jalapenos and peanut butter….jalapenos and peanut butter. Something I could not get out of my head since about 2 years ago when a friend requested I bring some to a meeting we would both be attending. The friend claims to be from Mexico, and claims that jalepenos and peanut butter are a delicacy when you hit the roads south of the border. Jalapenos and peanut butter…. 2 years later, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo…I had to try them.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Jalapenos

Sir Wes has a nice little jalapeno pepper plant growing in the backyard, which I helped myself to. After washing them I carefully split them length wise, not cutting the top part. I swirled my paring knife around a bit and then I gently tapped out the seeds.

Dessert from the backyard!

Ingredients

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup confectioner sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 small jalapenos, seed and inner flesh removed
White and dark chocolate coins

Method

Blend the peanut butter, sugar and salt together until smooth. Carefully fill each jalapeno and wipe any excess peanut butter. Melt chocolate in a double boiler as directed by the package instructions. Gently dip the filled jalapeno into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper until the chocolate coating is set. Refrigerate up to a week.