Author: bhills61

Chipotle Shrimp Skewers with Pineapple Serrano Salsa

For shrimp:

Use 16/20 shrimp. (numbers indicate the approximate shrimp per pound) Peel and devein one pound of shrimp leaving the tails on. Rinse and pat dry. Lightly coat both sides of shrimp with chipotle marinade. Sprinkle each shrimp with salt. Into a preheated sauté pan, add 2 T of olive oil. Place shrimp into pan and adjust heat. Careful not to cook to fast. Chipotle marinade can burn over high heat. A little color is nice, however. Flip skewers over and cook until shrimp are just firm to the touch. Remove to a plate and serve with pineapple/serrano salsa. Summer yum! Grilling is an option too.

For chipotle marinade:

Drop 3-4 cloves of garlic through the feed tube of a food processor while machine is running. Stop machine and scrape down sides making sure the garlic has been well chopped. Add one can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see Shrimp Quesadiva recipe for picture of can) and zest of one small orange. Process until smooth. This marinade will hold in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Use it to flavor mayo, as a marinade for pork or beef, or to add zip to your soups. Smokey, fragrant heat!!!

For pineapple/serrano salsa:

1 C fresh pineapple, diced small

Half of a red bell pepper, diced small

Half of a small red onion, diced small and rinsed

2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced small

Half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 t salt

1 T olive oil

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Salsa can hold for 2-3 days. Also great on grilled pork.

Ensalada Melones

(easily makes 2 dozen “boats”)

2 C seedless watermelon, small dice

2 C cantaloupe, small dice

2 C honey dew melon, small dice

1/3 C pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped

4 slices prosciutto, crispy and broken into small pieces

Place prosciutto slices on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Place into a 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. Remove and cool. Break into small pieces.

Fresh mint

1/4 C toasted pine nuts

Kosher salt

Cracked pepper

1 C feta cheese, finely crumbled

EVOO

Lime wedges

Artisan Romaine leaves (sold at…cue the chorus…Costco for sure…perfect for these salad “boats”)

Spoon melon mix into Romaine leaves. Add crispy prosciutto, pine nuts, feta, sprinkle of salt, cracked pepper, mint leaves, a drizzle of EVOO and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Chilled Avocado Soup with Mango Jicama Relish

(Serves 6-8)

3 large avocados, remove pits and scrape meat out

1/2 C sour cream

1 C buttermilk

1 C vegetable stock

1 C filtered water

1/3 C fresh lemon juice

2 t salt

¼ t cayenne pepper ( or more if you like the heat)

1 English cucumber cut into 1/2 inch pieces, leave skin on

1 bunch of green onions, chopped into inch long pieces

Half a bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

Organize ingredients first. You will need to blend in two batches.

Creamy goodness. Cool and addictive.

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Place into a container and chill in the refrigerator. Best made in the morning for evening eating. Can be prepared a day ahead. Color can suffer a bit, however.

For relish:

1 small jicama, peeled and diced small

1 small mango, peeled and diced small

Half a small red onion, diced small and rinsed

1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small

Half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

Zest of half an orange

1 T olive oil

1/2 t salt

Mango relish is also good on a shrimp taco, fish taco, grilled salmon or dip a chip in it.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Relish can hold for a couple of days.

Time to refuel

In case you are following the blog closely, let me remind you that the entire High’s gang will be on vacation from July 30 through August 13. We will reopen August 14. Your blog maestro will take a break too. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for cooking. If you do have some comments or questions, please submit. I will check in from time to time and I will respond.

Take care. See you soon. Many more recipes to share.

Brent

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

(serves 8-10)

½ stick butter

¼ C olive oil

6 stalks of celery, medium dice

2 small yellow onions, medium dice

6 garlic cloves, minced

S & P

2 heads cauliflower, trimmed and cut into pieces, use only florets

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into medium-sized pieces

2 large turnips, peeled and cut into medium-sized pieces

1 t red pepper flakes

1 T plus 1 t herbs de Provence

5 whole cloves

8 C chicken or vegetable stock

In a preheated soup pot, add butter and olive oil. Once butter has melted, add celery, onions, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat until onions are translucent and celery begins to soften. Add cauliflower, parsnips, turnips, red pepper flakes, herbs de Provence, cloves and stock. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over medium heat until all vegetables are fork tender. Remove soup from heat and allow cooling. Once cooled, puree the soup in batches using a blender. Be very careful. Once soup is smooth, place it back in your soup pot and add 2 C of heavy cream. Warm soup over medium heat. Adjust seasoning with salt and cracked pepper. Stir to prevent sticking. Ladle into bowls and garnish with pumpernickel croutons, parmesan cheese, and chives.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and Curried Cashews

For dressing:

5 strips of slab bacon, cooked crisp and diced

Nothing like a picture of bacon to get the appetite stirred up.

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

3 T whole grain mustard

3 T maple syrup

¾ t salt

¾ t black pepper

1 ½ C olive oil

In a pitcher, combine apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Using a stick blender, combine the ingredients until well incorporated. With blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until a smooth emulsification forms. Pour dressing into a small sauce pan and warm over medium low heat. Once dressing is warm, add reserved bacon pieces and pour over prepared spinach salads.

For cashews:

1/2 t smoked paprika

1/2 t curry powder

2 T fresh rosemary, finely copped

2 T olive oil

1 C whole cashews, roasted and salted

In a mixing bowl, place paprika, curry, rosemary and olive oil. Mix well. Add cashews and stir to combine. Spread cashews on a cookie sheet and place it into a preheated 325 oven degree and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

For the salad:

Assemble the following ingredients:

Pink Lady Apple sliced into sticks.

Cremini mushrooms sliced very thinly. When buying mushrooms, make sure caps have not separated from the stem.

Red onion thinly sliced and rinsed.

Hard-boiled eggs cut into chunks.

Curried Cashews

AND, baby spinach.

Compose the salad, individually or one large, and spoon the warm dressing over the top. Don’t be stingy. This dressing is yum.

Italian Cream Cake

(makes 10 personal-sized cakes)

Place coconut in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Place into a preheated 325 degree oven and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove and mix well for even cooking. Outside edges cook faster. Place back into oven for an additional 8 minutes or until golden.

Place walnuts on a cookie sheet and put into a 325 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes or so. Bake until fragrant and toasted.

1 ½ C flour

½ t salt

¾ t baking soda

½ t nutmeg

¾ C coconut, toasted plus extra for garnish

½ C dried apricots, diced small

2/3 C walnuts, toasted

1 ½ sticks butter, soft

1 ½ C sugar

Zest of half an orange

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

¾ C sour cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar and orange zest. Beat with the paddle attachment until light texture and well combined. Place flour, salt, soda and nutmeg in a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Add apricots, walnuts and coconut to the flour mix making sure that the apricots are not clumping together.

Combine eggs and vanilla in a pourable container. Pour eggs, one at a time, into the butter mix with the paddle attachment on medium high-speed. Make sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next. Turn mixer on lowest speed and spoon flour mix and sour cream alternately into the butter mix beginning and ending with the flour mix. Finish incorporating by hand. Let batter rest for 15 minutes or so before portioning into cooking molds.

At this point, it’s up to you whether you make personal-sized cakes or one large. For personal-sized cakes, portion dough, using an ice cream scoop, into Pyrex ramekins that have been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Place ramekins on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put into a 325 degree preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate cookie sheet and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. The cakes will just be set to the touch. Place your finger tips on the top of each cake and slightly move it back and forth. The entire cake top should move as one. No soft spots. Remove from oven and place ramekins on a cooling rack. Once thoroughly cooled, slice each cake in half. Place a scoop of orange cream cheese icing on the base portion of the cake. Place the top portion on and press down slightly so that the icing is revealed on the sides. Place a scoop of icing on top and garnish cake with toasted coconut, an apricot slice and powdered sugar.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

(makes enough icing for 10 personal-sized cakes)

¾ stick butter, soft

8 ounces cream cheese, soft

1 t orange zest

1 t vanilla

4 C powdered sugar, sifted

Make sure butter and cream cheese are soft before beginning. I prefer allowing it to come to room temperature rather than microwaving.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, cream cheese and orange zest using the paddle attachment. Beat on high-speed until well combined. Add powdered sugar to butter mix and begin on slow speed. Increase speed as sugar becomes incorporated into the butter mix. Remove paddle and scrape down sides and bottom to insure a very smooth mix. Once sugar is incorporated, add vanilla and continue to beat until the icing has a very spreadable, smooth texture. The batter can hold in the refrigerator for several days. Allow icing to come to room temperature for smooth spreading.

Gazpacho with Shrimp Veggie Relish and Avocado Cream

(Please read through the entire recipe before you embark. I found this a challenge to format. It’s very simple and delicious. Good luck!)

(Ingredients needed for 2 blender batches:)

5 mini cucumbers

1 each – red, orange and yellow bell peppers

4 C cherub tomatoes

2 T pickled jalapenos

16-20 Manzanilla olives

2 bunches cilantro

4 C tomato juice

1/3 of a small red onion

One blender batch:

2 mini cucumbers, cut into large pieces, skin on

1/3 of a red, yellow and orange bell pepper, cut into large pieces

2 C of cherub tomatoes

1 T sliced pickled jalapenos

8-10 Manzanilla olives

Pinch of cilantro

2 C tomato juice

Place cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, cilantro and tomato juice in a blender. The blender will be full. Start by pulsing the mixture before you go to high speed. Puree until smooth.

Repeat this step for a second batch. Place both batches in a large bowl and then add the salt, celery seed, EVOO and sherry vinegar. Use a stick blender to incorporate. Do not double the seasonings. Listed below is the correct measure for two blender batches. Cut it in half if you only make one batch of gazpacho. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Overnight is best for full flavor.

Final seasoning for 2 batches:

2 t salt

1 t celery seed

¼ C EVOO

2 T sherry vinegar

For avocado cream:

½ C sour cream

1 large avocado

Pinch of cilantro

Pinch of salt

2 T fresh lemon juice

Place ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth.

For chopped relish:

Use remaining pieces of the bell peppers and dice them small, 1/3 of a red onion diced small and one miniature cucumber, diced small-skin on. Combine in a bowl and add diced shrimp.

For diced shrimp:

Fill a sauce pan ¾ full with water. Bring water to a boil. Add 1 t salt, juice of one lemon, 1 t red pepper flakes, and 6 bay leaves. Add 1 pound of large shrimp. Cook until firm to touch. Drain off water and chill shrimp. Peel and dice each shrimp into four pieces. Combine with chopped veggies.

For serving:

Ladle gazpacho into highball glasses and top with veggie/shrimp relish and avocado cream. Garnish with pickled okra. Summer delish!

Lemon Blueberry Cakes with Lemon Glaze

(makes 9 cakes)

Purchased at Sur La Table. Fat Daddio’s is the brand. 2″ height, 3″ width.

1 ½ C cake flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ C vegetable oil

1 C sugar

Zest from 2 lemons

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 C blueberry yogurt

½ pint fresh blueberries

Syrup ingredients:

½ C fresh lemon juice

½ C sugar

An oven rack makes a great cooling rack.

Glaze ingredients:

1 C powdered sugar

1 T plus 1 t fresh lemon juice

Prepare mini cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

For lemon syrup: combine granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.

For cake: in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add oil, lemon zest and sugar. Beat until mixed well. In a pourable container, combine eggs and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat until smooth. To the egg mix, add flour mix and yogurt alternately in several batches. Begin and end with the flour. Finish incorporating by hand. Allow batter to rest before placing in prepared molds for baking. Use an ice cream scoop for precise portioning. Place blueberries on top pressing them slightly into the batter. Place molds into a preheated 325 degree oven. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the tops are set to the touch. They will be slightly golden in color. Remove to a cooling rack and spoon lemon syrup over warm cakes. Cool for another 10 minutes or so and unmold. They need to be slightly warm for unmolding. Allow to cool completely before lemon glaze is added. While the glaze is nice for dressing, it is not needed for flavor. The cakes are delicious naked 😉

For glaze: combine lemon juice and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.

For presentation: garnish with lemon slice and fresh berries.