Caramelized Onion Tart with Gorgonzola and Brie Recipe A little while ago, on a visit to Annisquam, Massachusetts, my friends Ann and Nick hosted an “Impress the Food Blogger” dinner at their home. Guests were encouraged to bring a favorite dish, and we all got to vote on what we thought would be a hit on the site. The evening was a blast, the votes were tallied, and the winning dish? This caramelized onion tart, or pizza as it was called, brought by Ann’s friends Jeff and Marilyn. I’ve made this tart several times since I first had it, and it’s one of those dishes you want to limit to special occasions, because it’s really hard to stop eating, it’s that good. The original caramelized onion pizza recipe is from Marilyn and Jeff’s friend Bonnie Stern, Canadian author of several cookbooks. Tarragon is a summer herb, if you can't find any, you may crush a few fennel seeds (maybe half a teaspoon) and sprinkle over the tart. Ingredients Method 1 Heat oil in a large deep pan on medium-high heat. Hello!
Crispy dogs with bacon-jalapeño dipping sauce “How you feel about crispy dogs?” asked a friend from San Antonio. We were discussing regional variations of hot dogs, with my favorite being the bacon-wrapped Mexican hot dogs I enjoy at the Fiesta market by my mom’s house in Houston. His, however, was the aforementioned crispy dog, which is a cheese-stuffed hot dog wrapped in a corn tortilla and then fried. “That sounds like a flauta,” I said. Though here’s the thing—if you want to order a crispy dog at a restaurant in Texas, you should go to San Antonio, as they seldom appear on menus anywhere else. For more history, I called the Malt House and spoke to the manager, Ivan Gonzalez. Crispy dogs are often served with the usual hot dog condiments such as yellow mustard and ketchup. But no matter how you serve them, if you love hot dogs and you love flautas, you'll definitely love the crispy dog. Crispy dogs with bacon-jalapeño dipping sauce Serve warm with bacon-jalapeño dipping sauce and salsa. Yield: 2-4 servings
Rose Petal Flan Recipe Ingredients Topping: 1/2 cup granulated sugar2 Tbsp water Custard 2 cups whole milk1/2 cup sugar2 eggs2 egg yolks1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon rose water* Special items needed 4 6-ounce ramekins *Rose water can be found in Mediterranean markets and also Whole Foods in the baking department. Method 1 Have your ramekins ready, near the stove. 2 Preheat oven to 350°F. 3 Pour custard mixture into the ramekins, up to about 1/4-inch from the top edge of the ramekins. 4 Bake on the middle rack until centers of flans are gently set, about 45 minutes. 5 To serve, run small sharp knife around flan to loosen.
chile con queso If I share a secret with you, do you promise not to laugh? I like Velveeta. I know, I know—that stuff isn’t even a proper dairy product. Instead it’s a cheese food that can sit on the shelf (no refrigeration necessary) for years on end. Chile con queso, which translates to peppers with cheese, is pronounced “kay-so.” I decided to start my queso quest by doing a bit of research on the history of chile con queso. So if Mexicans can make their chile con queso with real cheese, there’s no reason Texans can’t make it with real cheese either. I read other recipes where people would throw their shredded cheese in with some milk and peppers and microwave the mixture. Enter my Tex-Mex hero Stephen Pyles. After making batch after batch of queso with real honest-to-God Longhorn cheddar and Monterrey Jack, I am overjoyed to report that yes, it tastes just as good, if not better than our classic Velveeta with Rotel. This is good stuff, and you can customize it any way you wish. Method:1.
Crab Fondue Recipe We also peeled and chopped up bosc pears to use for dipping in this recipe. If you are avoiding wine, just use water to get to desired consistency. Method 1 Slowly heat the cream cheese, mayo, powdered sugar, garlic powder, Old Bay, lemon zest, and mustard in a double boiler until the cheese is completely melted. 2 Slowly stir in the wine and lemon juice (adjust quantities to taste and desired consistency). To serve, transfer to a heated chafing dish or fondue pot to keep warm.
Armadillo eggs recipe Once a year, a reader shoots me an email asking when I’ll be writing about armadillo eggs. At first I said, “Uh, armadillos are mammals—they don’t lay eggs!” But soon I realized that he was talking about a certain jalapeño appetizer. My reader’s interpretation of the dish is that it’s a baked jalapeño that’s been stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon. Then there are the cheese-stuffed jalapeños that have been breaded and fried, which are also known as armadillo eggs. So what’s my idea of an armadillo egg? I’ve read in some places that this version was invented in Lubbock at Texas Tech. That said, the first mention of armadillo eggs I was able to find was from 1972 in a Victoria, Texas Advocate article about an armadillo festival the town was holding. When I make my armadillo eggs, I adapt a recipe created by the Southfork Ranch. What do you know as armadillo eggs? Method:Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease a baking sheet. Serve with buttermilk dressing, queso or salsa.
How to Prepare a Cheese Board Please welcome guest author and cheese fiend Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic as he walks us through how to put together a fabulous cheese plate. ~Elise Whether served as an elegant appetizer, a palate cleansing course between courses, an impressive tray at a holiday party, or as a sophisticated dessert the cheese plate is always a welcome sight at the table. While there is no rule book on how to put together a cheese plate this post should help give you a bit of guidance on how to best prepare an interesting and flavorful selection of cheeses for your next social event. Selecting Any cheese plate should have some nice diversity to it in style, selection, appearance, and flavor. The rules that categorize cheeses by hard or soft and so on are arbitrary; the hardness or softness of the cheese is determined by the amount of moisture present. My favorite plates are ones where I can show the diversity of the types of milk used. Generally, you want to purchase about 2oz. per person. Storing
Bacon-jalapeño cheese ball While I was home for Thanksgiving, I found in my grandma’s cabinet a North Texas community cookbook from the 1970s. It was a fairly typical cookbook, with chapters on appetizers, soups, main courses and desserts in the traditional order that you’d eat them. But attached to the end was a final chapter that focused on only one thing: cheese. The placement struck me as strange. Why was it the last chapter of the book? Now, I’ve written before about my love of this decadent and delicious appetizer fashioned from cheese, nuts and herbs. Then, cheese balls went out of style. Of course, good looks and flavor aside, the best thing about a cheese ball is its infinite variety. As for me, I’ve been enjoying a healthy handful of jalapeño and bacon in my cheese balls of late, which makes for a smoky, savory cheese ball punched up with just a bit of tang and heat. I’m still not sure why the cheese ball chapter was at the end of that community cookbook, but I’m not going to ponder it too much.
Chilaquiles Recipe It will help with the frying if your tortillas are a little dry. If they are fresh, cut them first, put them in a warm oven for a few minutes first to dry them out a bit, then proceed. Ingredients 1 dozen corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedgesCorn oilSalt1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde*A few sprigs of epazote (optional) Garnishes Cotija cheese or queso frescoCrema Mexicana or creme fraicheCilantro, choppedChopped red onionAvocado, sliced or roughly chopped *Red chili sauce Take 4 dried ancho chiles, remove seeds, stems, and veins. *Salsa verde Put 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, into a saucepan, cover with water by an inch. Method 1 In a large sauté pan, coat pan generously with corn oil, (1/8 inch), heat on medium high to high. 2 Add 2 Tbsp oil to pan, bring to high heat again. Remove from heat.