Author: bhills61

LET’S BE CLEAR!

T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon, C = cup
Butter references are always unsalted.
Eggs are always extra large.
Vanilla is always pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Olive oil references are always regular olive oil, not extra virgin.
EVOO refers to extra virgin olive oil.
Sugar refers to regular granulated white sugar, other types will be specifically noted.
Chicken stock is boxed stock, not broth.
Oven temperatures are for regular ovens. If you are using a convection oven, decrease the suggested temperature by 25 degrees. I actually prefer to bake in my oven using the convection cook mode.
Flour references are all-purpose unbleached, unless otherwise noted.
Salt is Kosher salt.
Brown sugar refers to light brown sugar.
The famous spoonula. (I purchased mine at Ace Mart.)
so useful
Here’s a good idea. Have you ever lost a measuring spoon because your ring is loose? Zip strip to the rescue. Two sets of spoons are useful.

High’s House Salad, Spring/Summer

Spring mix

Sliced strawberries

Toasted almonds

Feta cheese

In a bowl, combine spring mix with Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette. Be careful not to saturate or weight down the greens with too much dressing. Place dressed greens on a platter. Add sliced strawberries to the bowl and lightly dress. Sprinkle over the greens. Top with toasted almonds and a sprinkle of feta.

This pairs well with our chicken salad. A favorite combo of many.

Sherry Vinaigrette

(makes 2 C of dressing)

½ C sherry vinegar

1 t salt

½ t black pepper

1 T sugar

2 T Dijon

1 ½ C olive oil

Add all ingredients, except olive oil, into a pitcher and use a stick blender to mix well. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blender is running. Continue to blend until a smooth emulsification forms.

Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette

(makes 2 ¼ C dressing)

¾ C Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

½ C apple cider vinegar

1 ½ t salt

1 ½ C olive oil (not EVOO)

Place the first 3 ingredients in a pitcher and mix well using a stick blender. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blender is running. Continue to blend until you have a smooth emulsification.

Stores well in the refrigerator. Needs to come to room temperature before serving.

Super Food, Super Salad

1 pound lentils, cooked and chilled

1 C quinoa, cooked and chilled

4 stalks celery, finely diced

4 carrots, finely diced

3 baby cucumbers, finely diced

1 C cherub tomatoes, halved

1 C toasted walnut pieces

1/3 C chopped parsley

1 C crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients and dress with sherry vinaigrette. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Serve salad over leaf lettuce.

Healthy, crunchy, flavorful.

For the lentils:

Rinse lentils and place in a stock pot and cover with water by an inch. Add 1 T salt, 1 T dried thyme, 8-10 bay leaves, 8 peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a slow bubble. Cook just until lentils are tender. It doesn’t take long. You can have mush if you go too long. Drain off liquid and spread cooked lentils out on a cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator for chilling.

For the quinoa:

Place 2 C of water and 1 C of quinoa in a sauce pan. Add 1 t salt, 3-4 bay leaves, and 1 t dried thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the grain is translucent and water is mostly absorbed. Drain off any excess water. Spread cooked quinoa onto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator.

For toasted walnuts:

Place walnuts on a cookie sheet and place into a 350 degree preheated oven. Cook for 10 minutes. The fragrant aroma lets you know when it’s time to come out! These can store for several days.

Greek Salad

Hearts of romaine lettuce, torn “no spine” and chilled

Miniature sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced

Cherub tomatoes, halved

Baby cucumbers, sliced-skin on

Red onion, thinly sliced

Pepperoncini slices

Kalamata olives, pitted

Parsley, finely chopped

Feta cheese, crumbled

Dried oregano

Lemon wedges

To present at the table: in a bowl, lightly dress the romaine with lemon oregano vinaigrette. Place on a platter. Add sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, pepperoncini and kalamatas to the bowl and lightly dress with vinaigrette. Place veggies on top of romaine. Sprinkle salad with parsley, dried oregano and feta. Garnish platter with lemon wedges. Delicious with our highmade crab cakes.

Remoulade Sauce

1 ½ C mayo

¼ C whole grain mustard

3 scallions, finely chopped

¼ C dill pickle relish

1 ½ t paprika

½ t garlic powder

¼ t cayenne

¼ t salt

Zest of ½ a lemon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix and store in the refrigerator. Perfect for crab cakes, grilled fish, fried shrimp, Po Boys, etc… Store for up to 5 days.

Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette

(makes 2 ¼ cups)

½ C red wine vinegar

1 t lemon zest

2 t fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 ½ t salt

1 ½ t black pepper

1 T Dijon

1 T dried oregano

2 T sugar

1 ½ C olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a tall plastic pitcher. Using a stick blender, blend ingredients until well incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream while running the stick blender. Blend until a smooth emulsification is achieved. Store in the refrigerator. Perfect for our version of a Greek salad.

Chocolate Ganache

1 C heavy cream

¼ C corn syrup

Pinch of salt

1 C bittersweet chocolate chips

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 T instant espresso powder

In a microwavable bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to mix and microwave for 4 minutes on medium power. Some pieces of chocolate may not be completely melted. Residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate as you slowly stir the mix. Continue to stir until a smooth pourable consistency is achieved. Pour over buttermilk chocolate cake. Leftover ganache can be stored in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly over simmering water or on low power for short intervals in the microwave. Also great on ice cream, chocolate dipped shortbread, strawberries and drizzled over orange chocolate chip scones.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

2 C flour

2 C sugar

1 t baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter

¼ C cocoa powder

1 t instant espresso powder

1 C filtered water

2 eggs

½ C buttermilk

1 t vanilla

I call this 2 bowl baking. Super simple. Always moist and delicious. Combine flour, sugar and soda in a bowl and whisk ingredients together. In a microwavable bowl, add butter, cocoa, espresso powder and water. Microwave for 5 minutes on 50% power. Stir mix until butter is completely melted and the mix is well integrated. Add the dry mix to the butter bowl and slowly whisk to incorporate. NO over-mixing. Add the remaining ingredients, one at a time, incorporating after each addition. The batter is pretty loose. Pour mix into a prepared 10 inch by 2 inch cake pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Rotate pan and cook for another 20 minutes or until the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan and the top is just set to the touch. Allow the cake to cool about 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Once completely cooled, drizzle chocolate ganache over the cake.

For pan preparation: Trace the bottom of the pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut your circle to the inside of your tracing line. Spray the inside of the cake pan with non-stick spray. Insert the parchment circle and press down completely. Flour the sides lightly shaking off any excess flour.