Grilled Cheese? ummm...yeah, but no :)

I really started feeling a bit guilty with my forays into culinary weirdness - all those recipes with soda in it -ick.  So, I decided to take a short break (Culinary weirdness will be back next week - but the over 21 version) and offer you an utterly decadent twist on the american staple - grilled cheese.

The staple of the American household - a myriad of combinations, possibilities, from the plain old white-bread-American-Cheese to fancy combos like sourdough-chopped olives-fresh-mozzarella-roasted-peppers, or anywhere else your imagination takes you.

My daughter and I went to this new place that opened up in Catonsville - it's called Grilled Cheese & Company and they serve...grilled cheese.  We got the "Veggie Delight", but we also got a "dessert" grilled cheese bet you never thought of grilled cheese as a "dessert" food, did you? Well, they did, and it was awesome.  I decided to replicate the recipe for your gustatory pleasure.

Before I give you the ingredients, please throw out ANY notions you have of "eww...but I don't like Brie" because you will *not* taste it.  It melts at a very low temperature, makes everything nice and gooey along with the other stuff in there.  Ben doesn't like Brie, yet he liked this sandwich of course I didn't TELL him it had Brie in it, because I wanted him to try it.  He thought it was "ok", and "not bad",  but Meg and I loved it.  It's almost like a decadent bread pudding but not as custardy - The bread gives a chewy finish to the raspberry/chocolate combo that is held together by the brie and mascarpone.  All I can do is say try it.   I really doubt anyone will say "EWwww..." I think most people will say "Yummmmmmm!"  Unless of course, you don't like grilled cheese...then I think you're outta luck.

Dessert Grilled Cheese - serves 2-4 (printable recipe is HERE)

4 slices of good quality bread Please do NOT use any kind of Wonder bread crap - splurge on a loaf from the bakery - the kind that has a "bite" to it, i.e. is a bit chewy and dense.
Mascarpone cheese just buy the smallest tub you can find.  It's Italian Cream Cheese, but it has a different, milder flavor than our cream cheese, and it's a bit softer.
6 slices of brie cut thin slices (about 1/4" thick) from a wedge, and trim off the end.  See photos.  You can keep the rind on the top and bottom.
2 TBS of Raspberry jam or any other preserves/jam you'd like to use.  Just no jelly. I used Breezy Willow Farms "Chocolate Razzamatazz" and omg is it heaven.  Pick some up if you're local - if you're not, msg me :-)
3 TBS of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Butter.

1.  Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cheese onto one slice of bread.  Top this with the jam, then sprinkle about 10-12 chocolate chips over this (you don't need a lot - they will melt and spread)

2.  Place 3 wedges of brie on the other slice.  Slap those puppies together, and heat your frying pan to medium.  Notice where I trimmed the rind off the brie? at the fat end...

3.  Now...melt a bit of butter in the pan, enough to cover a slice of bread, and put the sandwich in the pan, moving it around, so it sops up the butter.  Cook til' golden brown.  Put sandwich on the spatula, melt some more butter in the pan, spreading it around so it's breadslicesize, then flip sandwich over onto the melted butter, and again, swirl it around to get it coated.  Cook til' golden brown.

4.  Plate, cut in half, and serve.  Serves 4 if you each have a half, 2 if you eat a whole one by yourself.

*To make it look pretty, you can garnish the plate with fresh berries and a mint sprig, and dust the sandwich with some confectioner's sugar...if you can wait that long to eat it.*

Forays into culinary weirdness - part 3 cos "things go better with Coke"

Continuing my forays into culinary weirdness, I decided to try another recipe with soda.  This intrigued me.  I googled "soda recipes" and was amazed at how many there were, from steaks to cakes, and everything in between.  Some sounded gross, like spaghetti sauce made with Dr. Pepper.  I'm adventurous, but not that adventurous.  There is a recipe for 7-up chicken  Tina, you'll love this.  6 boneless chix breast halves, 1 tsp each seasoning salt and parsley, 2 tbs butter and a can of 7-up.  Throw it all into a crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours.  I did NOT try this recipe btw...I'm sorry I'm "chicken", but I can't imagine how it would taste after stewing in 7-up for 7 hours.  I may get the courage to try it later on, but after that "Goober burger" I'm sort of burnt out and need some recovery time.  Care to experiment Tina? You're the crockpot queen - you can let me know the results :-D

7 up Chicken

I did find a picture of the recipe (thanks Google!) but with a couple added veggies.  To be honest, it looks a bit pale to me, and if the only seasoning is salt, parsley, and 7up, it's going to be rather tasteless as well.  But I leave it up to you guys if you are brave enough to "foray into culinary weirdness" and try it.

I found a very simple recipe for "Coke Brownies"... no, you don't dust high grade cocaine over the top of the brownies instead of confectioner's sugar - get your minds out of the gutter.  You make the brownies with a can of Coca Cola, because everyone knows...

"things go better with Coke". 

I decided that seemed benign enough, and my local supermarket was having a sale on brownie mix, $1/box, so I'd only be out a buck if the recipe sucked.

It couldn't have been more simple.  Open brownie mix, dump into bowl.  Add one can of Coca Cola, mix.  Pour into 9 x 13 pan, bake according to package directions (350 degrees for 27 minutes)

Cool and "enjoy" Please note the quotes around "Enjoy".  That's a hint.  I dusted the top with confectioner's sugar, and cut a piece.  Looks pretty, but rather flat.  It's a very dense, gooey brownie. 

I bit into it - chocolately, but "meh".  You can't taste the cola, it really adds nothing to the brownie - although it's pretty, it's also pretty bad.  I much prefer the normal brownie mix.  It's lighter with more flavor.  There was 3/4 of a pan left five days later that does NOT happen in my house, thanks to my hubby and son. which I tossed in the garbage.  I think if you wanted to try this at home, you may want to add the egg the box calls for - they're just too flat without it.

Sorry y'all, I just can't get into coca cola brownies.  My next foray into culinary weirdness has alcohol involved (all in the safety of my own home) and no displays of behavior you would /facepalm in the morning about, but it is an interesting adventure.

A foray into culinary weirdness.

OK.  I was perusing the "Cafe World" forum the other day yes, I am one of your FB friends that tries not to spam up your page with notifications from various games - I have a "nongamer" list that I always choose "hide from" when posting anything remotely spam-ish and they had a thread with "real" recipes.  I decided to take a peek.  Some looked yummy, but there was one that was so weird, it caught my eye and my curiosity.  You know the old saying "curiosity killed the cat" well, it may kill the chef as well, because I decided to take a journey down the lane of weirdness known as..."Southern cooking".

Now, before all y'all get your panties twisted in a knot, let me remind you of some of the southern culinary gems:

1.  Bananas, Bacon, and mayo sandwiches. (Elvis' favorite)
2.  Burgoo
3.  Potato Chip and mayo sandwich (I actually had a friend from the South that ate these when he was a kid)
4.  Cakes and desserts made with soda - usually Coke, Dr. Pepper, or Mt. Dew.
5.  Pickle pops
6.  Goober burgers (although it originated in Missouri, it's kinda the "south")

So...this recipe was for "Peach Enchiladas", although I think it's more like a cobbler.  It has Mountain Dew in it. 

Yup "yooHOO! Mountain DEW!"  - the stuff that looks like antifreeze.  My initial reaction was EWWWWWW - how gross is that?.  Then I started getting intrigued, and I decided to make the recipe as an experiment.  I mean really - how do people come UP with these things? 

I imagine a bunch of Southern women sitting on the veranda one hot July night drinking Rednecks (Mountain Dew + Southern Comfort) and after about the fifth one, that's when one lady prolly says "Hey y'all...Ah just LOVE this heah Mountain DEW...whatcha think we all kin mayke with it?"  And the ladies giggle, take a sip of their Rednecks, then one says "Well, Ah love me some enchiladas" and another says  "an' there isn't anything bettah than a rahpe peach right off tha tree" and a third says "OH AH GOT IT! Peach Encheelahdas with MOUNTAIN DEW WHOO HOO!!!" and all the ladies say "YEAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

So, I made it. It's very simple.  And it's not half bad.  I was amazed.  To be honest, I just made this recipe on a lark, cos I thought how could this be good? but it was surprisingly tasty.   You can easily double this recipe for a crowd, but for now it will probably feed about 4-6, depending on how piggy your guests are about sweet stuff.  If you have a spontaneous get together at your house, then this would be an acceptable dessert to make when they're all coming over inside of an hour.

You will need:

1 package of Crescent rolls
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick of butter
6 oz of Mountain Dew (that's half a can y'all)
peaches - fresh or frozen (not sure about canned, since they are already sweetened I would shy away from them).  if you are using fresh, skin them and slice them.  If you are using frozen, you don't need to thaw them prior to cooking.  It's easier to roll them up frozen.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Open the can of Crescent Rolls, and unroll them flat.  Separate the wedges.

3.  Take about 3-4 peach slices and put them on the fat end of the Crescent roll, then roll it up and place it in an 8 inch baking dish.  Do the same with the rest of the rolls.

4.  Melt the butter - add the sugar and cinnamon, and pour that mess over the top of the

 rolls.  Then pour the half a can of Mountain Dew on top of that.

5.  Bake for 40 minutes.

You get a nice crisp crust on top, and sort of a peach pie-y center with a sauce that has a hint of cinnamon.  I don't know if the Mountain Dew is even necessary - I have an extra container of Crescent Rolls, I may have to experiment once this batch is gone.  But stick a scoop of Vanilla ice cream on top, and it's plum good, and passable to feed friends in a pinch.

Maybe some day I'll get the guts to try banana, mayo and bacon...nah...I can feel my arteries clogging just at the mention of it.  Sorry Elvis, I'll pass for now.

I decided to have some fun this summer with my blog.  I know, I know...I'm a health food nut - I eschew processed foods, I always cook fresh with mostly organic or natural ingredients.  No chemical crap for me, no siree, Bob.  However, everyone needs a vacation now and then, a break from the mundane or the norm, and a trip that could turn into an adventure - Vacations are for trying new things and having fun - so over the summer I'm going to try and bring some food combinations that sound well...reaaaaalllly weird and bring them to you, my few readers :)  Some may be yummy, some may be yukky, but I promise to take you vicariously on each journey with honest and hopefully entertaining commentary - because if there's one thing I know how to do, it's speak my mind.

Just a trifle...delicious!

OK...it's the day before Easter, but I made easter dinner today.  Long story made short - logistically, it worked out better for all involved.

As I was making the menu, I was looking for a light dessert - People always tend to stuff their faces around the holidays, and I was making Ham, potatoes, carrots, asparagus, rolls.  A light dessert was definitely in order.  One from Tyler Florence caught my eye - it was for a Lemon Curd Berry Trifle.  There was only a few problems:  1) I don't have a trifle bowl, nor do I plan on buying one in the near future.  2) I was never much of a "Trifle" aficianado.  I liked the idea of lemons and berries though I didn't like the idea of making lemon curd from scratch, because I find it to be a royal PIA.  Perhaps it's because I really prefer cooking over baking, I dunno...but how to shortcut this so that it's still good, and fits in with my cooking philosophy of fresh?  Before you start saying ewwww curd??!!...sounds disgusting! it's not.  It's actually a type of custard made with eggs, sugar, and lemons, cooked...and it's very sweet, and very lemony.  The thing is, you can buy some very good lemon curd at your local supermarket in the jam/jelly aisle. *edited - or...you could pick some homemade stuff up at Breezy Willow Farm -yum!*  Beats standing over a hot stove beating eggs yolks, sugar, and lemon into oblivion. (sorry Tyler).  HAH.  There was still the problem of the trifle bowl, and my distaste for trifle. 

My experiences with trifles in the past have usually been some sort of cake soaked/sprinkled with booze, layered with vanilla pudding (yuk - I reeeeaallly don't like vanilla pudding.  at all.  bleah) and some sort of canned pie filling, usually cherry or something along those lines.  Even the ones made with chocolate I still was not crazy about - they were, as Randy Jackson says on "American Idol"  "Just a'ight dawg".   But again, lemon and berries intrigued me, AND that the filling was mousse, not pudding, AND the booze sprinkling was optional.  And the booze sprinkled was Limoncello, and I love Limoncello in my cosmos.  In fact, I make my cosmos with vodka, Limoncello, and cranberry juice with a splash of OJ.  It's my own concoction, and I've shared it with you - but that is another blog post, along with my Lolita Martini Glasses.

I decided to make these Trifles really "trifling" and put them in little dessert glasses since I didn't have a trifle bowl.  They came out really, really REALLY good.  And they are really, really REALLY easy to make.  Tyler Florence's original recipe is Here, if you really CAN cook and somehow just stumbled upon this site by accident - If cooking a custard makes you curdle, you can print out my easy-peasy version Here. 
First, gather your ingredients.

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 pint blackberries
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 pound cake - 12 oz (3/4 pound) cubed
12 oz. Lemon Curd
*honestly, any combination of fresh berries would work - this is just what I had on hand*
Whip up with heavy cream with the confectioner's sugar.  You should have stiff peaks.  Soft peaks look like they are going to stay, but they flop over, sort of like soft serve.  Stiff peaks stay where you put them, best way to describe it. 

Don't overbeat the heavy cream, or you will wind up with butter.  Not the end of the world, but you are making a trifle, not butter for your breakfast toast.

Next, fold the jar of lemon curd into the whipped cream.  Best way I've found to do this is with a spatula and a gentle touch.  Don't stir it in, you want to keep the volume you just spent the last few minutes coaxing out of the heavy cream.  Use an "over and under" motion until the curd and whipped cream are well combined. (ignore the shallot in the picture - I was making Easter dinner and there was a ton of food on the counter in various stages of preparation.  Folding courtesy of my daughter Meg :-)) Take the berries, toss them together in a bowl.  Now...put a few cubes of cake in the bottom of your dessert glass. 

Be inventive, and use what you have in the house.  I almost used my martini glasses, but I only had four, and needed five.  You could use pilsner glasses if you had parfait spoons.  You could also use a wine glass.  Follow the cake cubes with the mousse, then sprinkle some berries on top of the mousse.  You could even use juice glasses.

Repeat the layers once more, ending with berries as topping.  (You may have to repeat the layers more than twice depending on what type of glass you are using.)

Put them in the fridge for a couple hours so the mousse sets, then serve.  The mousse is very sweet, and very lemony, and offsets the tartness of the berries perfectly.  The plain butter pound cake also helps to tone down the sweetness of the lemon curd.

When your guests "oohh!" and "ahhh!!" over your dessert, just smile and say "Oh, it was nothing!" in a tone of voice that suggests it was something, then look coy when asked for the recipe.  Keep em' guessing :-)