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Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Jackie Dodd-Mallory

Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

Have I told you yet that I finished my book this week?

Well, mostly finished. There are still  a few more stages, a back and forth that is still yet to be had, but I sent the manuscript with 65 photos to my publisher. I’m still dealing with momentary panics, the nightmares of ingredients left out of instructions and egregious spellings errors (I do that, a lot), but I am happily back to cooking more "normal" food.

I also made this pasta again. I love the ritual of homemade pasta and even though I own Kitchen Aid pasta rollers, I still like the no-roller method.  I like getting my hands covered in raw dough, my shoulders aching with the repetition of dragging my bench knife across the counter, turning a dime size slice of dough into a little canoe shaped sauce vessel. I even like that it takes me all day, working in fifteen minute spurts, to get enough for dinner.

The pesto, in complete contrast, takes about 15 minutes. You can keep it just pesto, store it in the fridge, it keeps pretty well, or you can cook it up with some cream and smother your pasta with it. I’m not sure how long it lasts, because in my kitchen it didn’t even make it through the day.

There is a good chance I’ll make it again really soon. And this pasta, too.

Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta4

Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

  • 2 cups roughly chopped black Kale, packed
  • 1 large cloves garlic, chopped or smashed
  • ¼ cup parmesan, shaved or shredded
  • ¼ cup hazelnuts
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 servings of pasta, cooked (recommended: cavatelli, orecchiette, fusilli)
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 large heirloom tomato, chopped
  • salt & pepper

Yield: 4 servings

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Add the kale to boiling water, cook for about 3 minutes. Remove kale from boiling water and immediately plunge the kale into the ice water (This is called blanching, it stops the cooking process and blanching will make kale less bitter).
  2. Lay the kale on a stack of papper towels to dry. It does not have to be completely dry.
  3. Add kale, garlic, parmesan, hazelnuts, and black pepper, to a food processor, process until well combined.
  4. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil and the lemon juice. Process until well combined.
  5. In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the pesto and cream. Cook until warmed, and just starting to bubble. Toss with pasta and tomatoes just prior to serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta2

Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

 Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

I promise you that this is the last St. Patricks day post. Until next year when I will further assault you with recipes for celebrating my love 'o the Irish, and forcing you to read more stories of my visit to Dublin.

Until then, here is a Green Beer cheese soup that contains not a drop of food dye, relying on the natural pigment of broccoli to get the job done. Although I don’t know who’s to blame for fouling up beer with green dye, I can’t imagine the Irish, with their deliciously dark stouts, are to blame. I’d wager the fault goes to America. No matter how you choose to celebrate, green beer-food just feels festive. I just wish I had some shamrock shaped soup bowls for the occasion.

Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

To up the Irish in this dish, I used Kerrygold Dubliner cheese. I’ve been using Kerrygold for years, and not just because I have a soft spot for Ireland. Kerrygold uses natural, sustainable methods, uses co-op farmers, grass-fed cows, and zero artificial colors or flavors (not sponsored post, I swear!). While at a pub in Dublin, I met the son of a sheep farmer.

 Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

We talked for hours about farming (I also grew up on a farm) and even when he wanted to change the subject to his love of Eddie Murphy, I kept steering the conversation back to farming in Ireland. Irish farmers are unlike any farmers I’ve ever met. Because the herds are always small, due to land limitations, the relationships between farmers and animals is unusually devoted and affectionate. Although Kerrygold is readily available at most grocery stores, it has a small farm feel to it.

Even if you do end up throwing in some green food dye to up the color, I hope you love this soup as much as I do, and raise your pint to Ireland.


Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons (no food dye)

Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

Ingredients
  

For The Soup

  • 3 cups broccoli florets chopped
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ large sweet onion finely diced
  • 1 large carrot peeled and diced
  • 2 ribs celery chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cups wheat beer or pale ale
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 7 ounces Dubliner cheese grated (or sharp white cheddar)
  • 8 ounces gouda grated
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Croutons:

  • 1 French baguette cut into cubes
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons pesto

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot of lightly salted water, cook the broccoli until very soft, drain and set aside.
  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 4 tbs butter. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the carrots are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, remove from heat.
  • In a large food processor or blender, add 1 cup beer, cornstarch, both kids of cheese and as well as the carrot and celery mixture, process until very smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes. Return mixture to the pot along with the remaining beer.
  • In the same food processor (no need to clean between jobs) add the broccoli and the broth, process until very smooth. Add pureed broccoli, as well as the cream, to the soup.
  • Bring the soup to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until warmed and slightly thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs butter. Add the bread cubes and toss until browned. Remove from heat and immediately add in the pesto, toss to coat.
  • Serve the soup topped with croutons.

*This is not a sponsored post. I actually feel this way. 

Rum Soaked Pineapple Pops

Rum Soaked Pineapple Pops

Pineapple season is here! Although it’s still a tad colder here in the US than in the tropics, it’s still completely acceptable to soak your vacation-related produce in booze. My hard liquor consumption is fairly infrequent, but lately booze has worked it’s way into my kitchen. I’m much more of a beer and wine kind of girl, but rum has some beautiful flavors that pair nicely with pineapples.

Although this would make an excellent blended drink, there is something that feels special about eating liquor right off a stick.

Just soak

Pinneapple Rum Pops

 

Skewer

Pinneapple Rum Pops2

 

and freeze

Rum Soaked Pineapple Pops2

Rum Soaked Pineapple Pops

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup rum
  • 1 large pineapple, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

Instructions

  1. In a pot over medium high heat, add the water and sugar. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature, stir in the rum.
  2. Add the pineapple pieces to a 9×13 inch baking dish, pour rum syrup over the pineapple and allow to soak at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
  3. Remove pineapples from soak, skewer with toothpicks or small skewers.
  4. Place on a baking dish that has been covered with aluminum foil.
  5. Freese pineapple for 1 to 2 hours, serve immediately.

Rum Soaked Pineapple Pops3

Beer Brined Corned Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

 Beer Brined Corned Beer Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw 

Conred Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw3

I just turned my completed book into my publisher.

One hundred recipes, along with sixty-five photos, are now out of my hands. You’d think I’d be relieved, so did I, but I’m worried. I just let go of the summation of 90 percent of my waking hours from the past 4 months. It’s in someone else’s care, and that scares the crap out of me.

I have these momentary panics:

Did I make the pavlovas enough, do the directions make sense?

I say jackass in the book, will people hate that?! 

Was I clear about how grateful I am for this, or will I come off as smug?!

I even worry about whether or not you’ll like it, as if I’m just an insecure school girl. I thought I would be relieved and elated, but I’m more anxious than I’ve been during this entire process. I want people to love it, to leave me glowing reviews on Amazon and tell their friends about how much they love it. I hope that happens, but for now, I’m still losing sleep.

For the time being, I have a St. Patricks Day recipe for you. I posted my veggie lovers St Patricks Day offering last week, but this one is about that corned beef we all associate with that Irish Holiday.

So if you will, drink a pint and say an Irish prayer for me and my forthcoming book.

Conred Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

Beer Brined Corned Beef Sliders with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients
  

Corned Beef

  • 3.5 lb beef brisket
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons curing salt this will make the meat pink
  • 3 tbs whole allspice berries
  • 1 tbs whole cloves
  • 1 tbs ground ginger
  • 2 tbs mustard seeds
  • 2 tbs whole peppercorns
  • 1 yellow onion quartered
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 12 ounces bottles of stout
  • 8 cups ice

Pickled slaw:

  • 2 cup red cabbage shredded
  • 2 cup savoy cabbage shredded
  • ½ red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp groung ginger
  • 2 tbs whole dried allspice berries
  • 2 tsp whole cloves
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns
  • _
  • 12 soft potato dinner rolls split to resemble hamburger buns

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, add brown sugar, 3 tbs curing salt, 1 cup kosher salt, 3 tbs allspice berries, 1 tbs cloves, ginger, mustard seeds, 2 tbs peppercorns, along with 2 cups of water.
  • Cook on high just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Add 2 bottles of stout (reserve the last bottle for cooking) and 8 cups of ice, stir until ice has melted and brine is cool.
  • Add the brisket, cover with lid and refrigerate for 3 days and up to 10.
  • Remove from brine and rinse well. Discard the brine and clean the Dutch oven well.
  • Place the brisket back in the cleaned pot, along with the onion, pour the remaining bottle of stout and then cover with cold water until the brisket is fully cover with one to two inches of water above the beef.
  • Bring to a low boil, cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 3 hours or until the meat if fork tender. Move to a carving board, thinly slice against the grain.
  • While the brisket cooks, make the pickled slaw. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, ginger, allspice, cloves and peppercorns in a pot. Bring to simmer just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, add the cabbage and onion. Pour the cooled pickling liquid over the cabbage and onion, refrigerate for one hour.
  • Slightly warm the buns, fill with corned beef and slaw before serving.

Mushroom, Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

A bunch of years ago I was in Dublin, Ireland for the St. Patricks day celebrations. I had flown over from LA, with only two nights booked at the Brewery Hostel at the base of the Guinness brewery.  The night of the festival I was without a room, all at once ecstatic to be in Dublin for the Merriment and panicked to be without a place to stay.

Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie4

I had three options.

1. Through a friend of a friend twice removed, I was connected with an Irish man willing to take me in for the night.

2. I had met some lovely Australians who were working on renovating a flat in town, but it was completely empty of any furniture and the electricity and water were both shut off, but it was walls and a roof.

3. Wander the streets for the evening, falling in and out of pubs, until I pass out on the street with some of the more rowdy locals.

Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie5

I hesitantly opted for option one. If you have ever been a young girl with a backpack and a guidebook in a foreign city, I don’t need to underscore the concerns I had with this set up. Lucky for me, this man was Irish to the core: friendly, hospitable and a perfect gentleman.

I spent most of the evening running around Dublin, from pub to pub, drinking the local beer (Guinness), probably offending the bartenders by tipping them (not a custom in Ireland, "Would you tip your doctor?!") and watching the locals swell with patriotic pride as fireworks burst over the River Liffey in the heart of Dublin.

All of this, the people who welcomed me in, the beer that warmed my soul, and the celebration that swirled around me, will always give me a deep love for Ireland and Her people.

Kiss the Irish, they deserve it.

Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

Mushroom, Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil plus additional as needed
  • 4 large carrots chopped
  • 2 large leek chopped (white and very light green potion only)
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 ½ lb assorted mushrooms i.e. portobello, crimini, shiitake
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 cup broth vegetable or beef
  • 12 ounces stout
  • ¼ cup AP flour
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
  • 2 tbs melted butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, leeks and celery, sauté until the carrots start to soften.
  • Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and darkened, about 5 minutes (add additional olive oil if the pan starts to dry).
  • Add the peas, broth and stout. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with flour, stir to combine. Stir in the oregano, pepper and salt. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, remove from heat.
  • Divide evenly between 6 oven safe (12 to 14 ounce) serving bowls, sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
  • Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal squares.
  • Top each bowl with one square, press into shape.
  • Brush with melted butter, slice 3 to 4 small slits in the top of each bowl.
  • Bake at 375 until puff pastry is golden brown.

 

Mushroom Stout and Goat Cheese Pot Pie2

 

Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Parmesan

 

Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Caramelized Onions Parmesan and rosemary_

I fell in love with side dishes during the three years I spent as a vegetarian. When you don’t eat meat, you tend to go into any holiday celebration or dinner party knowing that your meal will be made up of side dishes and you just hope to end up with more than a garden salad and a dinner roll.

Even though I now eat meat, I want hearty side dishes that can be meals all on their own. I still eat vegetarian food regularly (of the 13 recipes I’ve posted this year 11 have been vegetarian and 7 of those have been vegan) and I want the side dishes I serve to be as important and well crafted as the main dish. Vegetables tend to be the star of the side dish, and being a veggie devotee for three years gave me profound respect for what produce can bring to the table. If you’ve never been a vegetarian, and want to challenge yourself in the kitchen, try to go a month without meat. Even if it’s temporary, it’ll grown you as a cook.

This is a recipe that I already have plans to make again. It has an elegant comfort food vibe to it. The edges get a bit crispy, but the middle has a creamy mashed potato feel. Meat eater or not, this can be a meal or a side dish. I really hope you love it as much as I do.

 

Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Caramelized Onions Parmesan and rosemary 2

Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Parmesan

Ingredients

For the onions:

  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1 tbs olive oil

For the Potatoes:

  • 1 lb red potatoes
  • 1 tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ tsp rosemary, minced
  • ¼ cup parmesan

For the Mushrooms:

  • 8 ounces mushrooms
  • 1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil. Add the onions and cook over low to medium heat until caramelized and a deep amber color, about 30 minutes. Do not turn the heat too high or the onions will burn.
  3. Slice the potatoes into thin 1/8 inch slices. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Swirl the pan to distribute evenly, and pour off into a small bowl.
  4. Cover the skillet with a layer of the potato slices, overlapping them. Brush the potatoes with half of the remaining butter mixture, sprinkle with half of the rosemary, and then with salt and pepper. Layer the remaining potatoes in a second even layer, brush with remaining butter sprinkle with remaining rosemary, then with salt and pepper.
  5. Heat the skillet over moderately high heat until it begins to sizzle, transfer the skillet to the middle of a 450° oven, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and the potatoes are tender.
  6. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat. Roast mushrooms at 450 until dark and soft, about 10 minutes.
  7. Top potatoes with caramelized onions, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Caramelized Onions Parmesan and rosemary TS

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings2

I have to admit, I did think about adding blood orange juice to this. I have a thing for blood oranges. But, I refrained, I was afraid I’d lose all of you who aren’t as into those guys as I am.

But I did fall back on my love of chipotle. We all have these "go to" flavors, don’t we? Even though we want to broaden our culinary horizons, we seem to be drawn back to that same section of the pantry. That’s ok, isn’t it?

I’m a chipotle, smoked paprika, roasted garlic, fresh basil,  sriracha, kinda girl. I also love with burrata cheese, masa harina and almost bitterly dark chocolate.

Just once I’d like to walk into the kitchen and have Ted Allen hand me a "basket of mystery ingredients" just so that I can figure out how to use them in a delightful way without any of my usual culinary crutches.

But for now, here are some chicken wings, beautifully balances with sweet and heat.

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 chipotle peppers plus tsp adobo
  • 2 lbs chicken wings
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp brown sugar
  • pinch cayenne
  • Olive oil spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450.
  2. Add maple, balsamic and chipotle to a food processor, process until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
  3. Rinse the wings in cold water and pat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.
  4. In a large bowl add the flour, brown sugar, pinch cayenne. Toss the chicken wings in the flour until completely coated.
  5. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray.
  6. Add chicken to the baking sheet in an evenly spaced layer. Lightly spray with olive oil.
  7. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with glaze, return to oven for 10 more minutes, turn over, brush with glaze. Repeat. After 30 minutes (3 rounds) turn the oven to 500 and cook chicken until cooked through, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining glaze.

 

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce5

In my world, this is dessert.

But that being said, I ate it at 3 in the afternoon (mostly because I wanted to make it for you, and I refuse to photograph using artificial light, necessitating a mid-day desert for picture taking purposes).

Breakfast in my land, is savory. Although I occasionally indulge in sugar loaded calorie bomb in the morning hours only because for some reason it’s socially acceptable, but if we step back and look at it objectively, this is dessert.

Since I put beer in your breakfast on multiple occasions (Like this, and this and don’t forget about this), I would never judge you for eating this pre-noon. BUT, it’s dessert. And it needs to be served with a stout that’s almost warm. Maybe a sipin' stout that’s been aged in a bourbon barrel, or a smokey porter.

But it’s definitely dessert. Even if you eat it in the middle of the day.

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce2

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce

Ingredients
  

For The Sauce

  • 3 tbs butter
  • ½ cup stout
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

For the Waffles

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup stout
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Ice Cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter, 1/2 cup stout and corn syrup to a sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until butter has melted and the mixture has just started to boil.
  • Turn off heat and stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until completely melted. Allow to cool slightly before using.
  • Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications.
  • In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt, stir.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and milk. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Stir in the beer, vegetable oil, vanilla and only the yolks of the two eggs.
  • Add the whites to separate bowl, along with the sugar. Whip with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
  • Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the chocolate milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold into the egg whites until just incorporated.
  • Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications, using butter flavored cooking spray if indicated.
  • Plate waffles, top with desired amount of ice cream, drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve with a malty stout.

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce3

Mini Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

 


Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd2

Here we are again.

You & I and some blood oranges.

The season is so short, and it’s nearly impossible to get these out of season, I need to enjoy them now. It’s almost embarrassing how I’ve started to hoard them. Whole Foods had a sale this week and I left with three bags. I even bought a new fruit bowl to accommodate my citrus bounty. And if you came over to my house and commented on my large bowl of blood oranges, I may or may not gush over how gorgeous they are and offer to cut one open for you. In which you would probably respond with a slight look of shock and decline my offer and very quickly change the subject.

I made pavlovas as an edible fruit container of sorts. Don’t be intimidated by pavlovas, although they look difficult and impressive, they are actually very simple. As long as you make sure that not a single drop of fat (yolks or residual butter left over in a bowl) come in contact with the egg whites, they really don’t require much skill.

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd3

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For The Pavlovas

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature (reserve the yolks for the lemon curd)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

For The Curd:

  • 2 tsp blood orange zest
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 whole eggs plus three yolks
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • Sliced fresh strawberries & whipped cream for serving, if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cornstarch.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
  4. Turn mixer to high and slowly add the sugar mixture, continue to beat until peaks start to firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the vinegar and vanilla, beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is glossy.
  5. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat). Spoon meringue onto to parchment in 4 equal sized “nests” making an indentation in each round with a spatula. Each nest should be about 2 inches across, 1 ½ inches high and have a well in the center to hold the curd.
  6. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until the miniature pavlovas are dry and “crisp” on the outside, about 40 to 50 minutes (it’s OK to open the oven during cooking to peek at the pavlovas to make sure they aren’t cooking too quickly). Turn off the oven, open the oven door half way and allow the pavlovas to cool in the oven until room temperature before removing.
  7. Add the zest, blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs and yolks to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the blood orange mixture to a pan over medium/low heat along with the butter. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to 3 days in advance, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use).
  8. Top each pavlova with curd (as well as berries and whipped cream, if desired) just before serving.

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd4

 

Caprese Soup

 

Caprese-Soup

 

Did I ever tell you about the time I though I’d invented Caprese salad? I threw myself into cooking in college, and although I wasn’t really all that great at it, I was the only one who was doing it, so people ate it.

I made an apple pie that I forgot to put sugar in that came out a bit savory, but the guy across the hall still polished it off. And then there was the cheesecake that I massively overcooked because I thought "a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean" turns out, that isn’t the case with cheesecakes. But I wanted to learn to cook, and without growing up in a cooking environment, I just had to get in the kitchen and work it out.

When I discovered the "cheese balls in water in those tubs" it was quite a culinary revelation for me. I’d never seen anything like it, and although it cost about an hours wage at time, it was completely worth it. I cut it up, added tomatoes, basil and some balsamic and though I was a genius. A few months later, after 3 part time jobs along with a full load of college classes, I’d save enough money for a plane ticket to Europe. I ended up in Italy, and realized that the Italians had discovered those same magical mix of ingredients centuries before I did.

Even though I had to concede the recipes origin to Italy, it’s still one of my favorite flavor combinations. I just can’t believe that someone who loves soup and caprese as much as I do took this long to mix the two together.

Caprese Soup 3

Caprese Soup

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs tomatoes, quartered (4 to 6 large heirloom or beefsteak)
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • ½ tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable broth) plus additional as desired
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup balsamic glaze
  • 10 ounces burrata cheese or soft whole milk mozzarella
  • 8 leaves basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes, cut side down, on a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil.
  2. Roast at 400 for 20 minutes or until the skin starts to shrivel. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly. The skins should easily peel away. Pull skins off tomatoes, discard skins.
  3. While the tomatoes cook, start the soup. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine.
  5. Add the rosemary, stock, tomato paste, and skinned tomatoes. Allow to simmer until reduced, slightly thickened, and the tomatoes have broken down, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
    Using an immersion blender, puree until very smooth. Soup will be thick, add additional stock to thin as desired.
  6. Stir in cream over low heat for about 2 minutes.
  7. Pour into bowls, top with cheese, drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with basil.
    Notes

You can either make balsamic glaze by reducing 2 cups balsamic and 2 tbs of white sugar or honey until thick and syrupy, or you can purchase it in most grocery stores near the balsamic vinegar.

Caprese Soup 7

 

 

Stout French Dip

Stout French Dip

When you write, reading isn’t important, it’s essential. Unfortunately, my days are packed too full and reading has become a rare luxury. All due in no small part to the fact that I’m not only writing a cookbook (due to my publisher at the beginning of next month) I’ve also started writing for a print magazine as well as two other websites. Once I can, at least, check "cookbook" off my to-do list, I can get back to being a normal human and indulging in reading, and sleep, and all those sorts of activities that I’m currently ignoring.

I’m making a list, I thought I’d share. About a month ago, I posted on The Beeroness Facebook page asking for suggestions for beer books. Since you all are so amazing, the list has been growing.

Beer & Food:

  1. The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, Garrett Oliver
  2. Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer, Schuyler Schultz
  3. The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance, Randy Clemens & Steve Wagner & Greg Koch
  4. The Oxford Companion to Beer, Garrett Oliver

Beer Non-fiction:

  1. America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies, Christine Sismondo
  2. Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, Judith M. Bennett
  3. Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits, Jason Wilson (beer & liquor)
  4. The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World, Stephen Mansfield
  5. Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s Kings of Beer,  William Knoedelseder

For The Homebrewer:

  1. The Naked Brewer: Fearless Homebrewing Tips, Tricks & Rule-breaking Recipes, Christina Perozzi & Hallie Beaune
  2. For The Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops, Stan Hieronymus
  3. Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales, Stan Hieronymus
  4. IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale, Mitch Steele

Stout French Dip3

Stout French Dip

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cayenne
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 lb chuck roast
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 12 ounces porter or stout
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 4 French sandwich rolls

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325.
  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, black pepper, salt, cayenne, and smoked paprika.
  • Pat the roast dry. Rub with spice mixture.
  • Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven, or other large oven safe pot, until hot but not smoking. Add the roast, sear on all sides. Pour beer and broth over the meat. Cover and roast in oven at 325 for 3 hours or until very tender. Move meat to a cutting board.
  • Place Dutch oven back on the stove. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
  • Shred meat using two forks. Split rolls, fill with meat. Spoon a bit of sauce over the meat. Serve remaining broth in bowls with sandwiches for dipping.

Stout French Dip5

Apple Streusel Pancakes

Apple StreuselPancakes

Pancakes are my first food memory.

I’m one of 8 children (all girls, wrap your head around that) and one of  about 27 cousins (I don’t even know the actual number) which made alone time with my grandparents really special.

The spring after I turned 4, I spent a Saturday night in a My Little Pony sleeping bag on the floor of my Grandparents bedroom, falling asleep to a wall mounted TV playing Wheel of Fortune. When I woke up, my Grandpa (Papa) was already gone. He was an artist that had done quite a bit of the original artwork for the Madonna Inn, looked a lot like Desi Arnaz and had a heart of pure gold.

Apple StreuselPancakes2

My Grandma packed me into her 1980’s Cadillac with overstuffed seats that felt a lot like recliners and headed for the San Luis Obispo community center’s Pancake Sunday. My Papa was the "featured chef" and the hall was packed. My Grandma shuffled me past tables of seniors, wide eyed and waving at the tiny blond 4 year old. I was like a celebrity, I was Harry Tregarthen’s granddaughter and I was a "baby" to these ladies who just wanted to pick me up and squeeze my cheeks.

My Grandma and I join a round table with four other older ladies. "Your Papa makes the best pancakes, you know," one of the ladies was actually talking to me, instead of about me, that was new for me as a 4 year old, "That’s why this place is so busy. Last weekend, when Sal was cooking, only half full. Today, standing room only!" I didn’t know what "standing room only" meant, but I knew it was good.

Apple StreuselPancakes4

 

"They must be good pancakes!" It’s all I could think to say, but the thing about being 4 is that as long as you form a coherent sentence and say it with enthusiasm, people laugh. And they did, these ladies were my crowd and I was on fire.

"Do you know the secret ingredient is?" She asked, clearly as excited with the banter as I was. "Sugar?!" I said, because I’m 4, and that’s pretty much my life.

I hit again, they were rolling. I could have mic dropped. Once she caught her breath the older lady let me in on the secret, "7-up! Can you believe it? Instead of milk!" I didn’t know how to make pancakes, or even that milk was a part of the process but I did like 7-UP. He was brilliant, I couldn’t believe it. He had put soda in pancakes?! At 4 years old, before I had even seen a recipe, let alone followed one, my Papa taught me that you should experiment. Break the rules, do your own thing.

Pancakes are a great recipe to experiment with. So basic, and with so many places to go. I don’t drink soda anymore, so I never have it on hand, but when I did I always used it in pancakes. It makes them fluffy and light. But now, even though I’m back to using milk, I like to experiment. Pancakes are like a canvas, nearly ever ingredient from sweet to savory somehow work in a pancakes.

And to this day, I always think of Papa when I make pancakes.

Apple StreuselPancakes5

Apple Streusel Pancakes

Ingredients

For the Streusel topping:

  • 1 flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the Pancakes:

  • 1 ¼ cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

Instructions

  1. Add all streusel ingredients to a food processor, process until crumbly. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl add the flour, salt, brown sugar, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix until well combined.
  3. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the milk, egg and vanilla, stir until just combined. Add the apples and stir.
  4. Heat an electric griddle at 350 or skillet over medium heat, coat with cooking spray.
  5. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the hot griddle, top with 1 to 2 tbs of streusel.
  6. Cook until the edges start to look dry, and the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip andcook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 additional minutes. Plate, top pancakes with remaining streusel.

Apple StreuselPancakes6

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowls

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowls

Maybe this isn’t Valentinesy in that "Heart Shaped Red Velvet Conversations Heart Aphrodisiac Cheesecake " sort of way,  but it is a fun way to eat ice cream.

And really, who doesn’t need that in their lives? I’m at the very end of writing this book, that’s due to my publisher in just three weeks. I vacillate between sheer panic, absolute gratitude for this opportunity, and utter exhaustion. I’m not sure which I am most looking forward to: sleeping again, being a normal human, or the ability to refer to myself as a publisher author (!!!).

In other news, my husband deserves an award. And a lot of that Valentinesy type wifeish attention that I’ll have more mental capacity for once I’m a normal human again.

We are both looking forward to that.

In the meantime, here is a not-as-bad-for-you ice cream dish. Because when your bowl is half full of fruit, it’s pretty much like health food.

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl

 

3 granny smith apples (granny smith hold their shape the best, other apples will likely get soggy, but still taste great).

Cinnamon & Brown sugar

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 tbs butter, melted

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

 

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the apples in half the wrong way (as in, the way that seems to be counter to all of your apple cutting instincts).

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl2

Use a mellon baller to remove most of the center, leaving about 1/2 inch of the walls in tact.

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl3

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, rub in. (really, there isn’t a need to measure the amounts but if you are a "I MUST MEASURE!" person, count on about 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 2 tsp brown sugar per apple half. But really, just sprinkle, you’ll do fine.)

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl4

Place apples, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into six equal sized squares.

Cover each apples with puff pastry and roll the excess pastry around the apples to resemble a pie crust.

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl5

 

Brush with melted butter and cut two or three small slits with a sharp knife.

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl6

 

Bake at 375 until puff pastry has turned golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Fill with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Now, if you are a civilized human, you can go at this with a knife and fork. But if you’re me, you’ll pick it up and eat it like the ice cream filled Apple Pie Taco is was born to be. (*The second option is way better, but you’ll need napkins)

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowl7

 

 

 

Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

Lets Get romantic, shall we?

Last year, my Valentines day post earned my quite a bit of hate mail. But, I suppose when you label your post "How Blow Jobs and Shoe Shopping Are Alike," That’s bound to happen.

But the post wasn’t about blow jobs, or shoe shopping, and the hate mail was largely from single women who had never been in a successful long term relationships, and exclusively from people who didn’t read the entire thing.

The post is about figuring out what your partner needs to feel important and giving it to them gladly and frequently. Because although the "Golden Rule" is Treat Others How You Would Like To Be Treated, I think that might be what’s wrong with most relationships.

Because, really, treating someone how YOU would like to be treated is pretty self-involved and arrogant. How about Treat Others How THEY Would Like To Be Treated and maybe we would have a higher marriage success rate as a nation. Because although you might think you’ve done everything you can for your partner, maybe the problem is that you’re asking, "What else can I do?" rather than, "What do they need?"

Can you tell I have a Masters in Psychology? I would have made a terrible therapist, but I make a killer risotto.

So here it is, with some beer and butter poached lobster.

Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

For this recipe I used Saison Rue from The Bruery.

Beer and Butter Poached Lobster with Saison Risotto

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Risotto

  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbs chopped shallots
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • ¾ cups arborio rice
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ cup Saison Beer plus 2 tbs, divided
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbs chopped chives

For The Lobster:

  • 2 ½ cups unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces 1 1/2 cups Saison beer
  • 2 fresh lobster tails

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
  • In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell them, about 20 seconds
  • Stir in the rice, (if pan is dry, add the oil) cooking until the rice is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
  • Add ½ cup of the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
  • Add about ½ cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the rice is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
  • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream, remaining 2 tbs beer and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
  • While the risotto is cooking, start working on the lobster. Using a sharp pair of kitchen sheers, cut a straight line down the tail shell, carefully remove the tail meat in one piece.
  • In a small sauce pan (if the pan is too big, the lobster will not be covered by the butter and beer), melt the butter. Don’t allow to brown or simmer.
  • Add the beer and clip a cooking thermometer on the side of pan, making sure to maintain a temperature between 160 and 180 degrees. Do not boil or even simmer the poaching liquid.
  • Once the poaching liquid has reached the proper temperature, add the tails. Cook until the tails have turned red and the meat is just opaque, about 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t overcook or tails will be rubbery.
  • Divide the risotto between two plates, sprinkle with chives.
  • Top with lobster tails, serve immediately.

Red Rover Blood Orange and Bourbon Cocktail

 

Red Rover Bourbon Blood Orange Cocktail_

I’ve never liked ginger, it always just served as a bit of color on my sushi plate, or the stuff I would pick out of a salad.And then this cocktail happened, and I decided to fall in love with ginger when it’s mixed with bourbon.

My husband invented this beautiful drink, and it’s amazing in that get-this-away-from-me-or-I-will-drink-an-entire-pitcher kind of way. The bourbon, blood orange and ginger just meld in a perfect way that makes you wonder where this drink has been your whole life. To be honest, I cringed a bit when my husband started to grate the fresh ginger into the glass. But paired with the bourbon, it has more of a ginger ale taste that is really lovely, completely compliments and brings together all the other flavors.

Red Rover Bourbon Blood Orange Cocktail 2

Red Rover

Makes one cocktail, but you’ll want to make more

Ingredients

  • 2 oz burbon
  • 1 ½ oz blood orange juice
  • ½ lemon juice
  • 1 ¼ simple syrup
  • 4 oz ginger ale
  • Garnish with fresh ginger, grated with a microplane or zester

Instructions

  1. Add bourbon, blood orange juice, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker, shake gently.
  2. Add ginger ale and stir to combine.
  3. Pour into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh ginger (don’t be shy, it’s really good)

Red Rover Bourbon Blood Orange Cocktail 4

Blood and Glory: Blood Orange Cocktail

Here it is:

Blood and Glory Blood Orange Cocktail 3

 

The first Blood Orange Cocktail dreamed up by my incredibly talented (and incredibly sexy) husband.

Chris dodd

It’s really beautiful cocktail with a citrusy sweetness that’s perfectly balanced. It’s prefect for a Ladies Night, a Dinner Party Night, or just a Netflix Night.

Blood and Glory Blood Orange Cocktail 4

I’m already starting to grieve the end of the Blood Orange season, which usually ends in March. If you can’t get your hands on these, or when the season ends, muddle some raspberries and naval orange juice in a cocktail shaker to get close to these great flavors and the amazing color.

Blood and Glory Blood Orange Cocktail_

Blood and Glory: Blood Orange Cocktail

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blood orange juice
  • 4 oz Vodka
  • 3 oz Cointreau
  • 1 oz lime juice

Yield: two servings

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, strainer into two chilled martini glasses.

Blood and Glory Blood Orange Cocktail 5

Bleeding Mimosa: Champagne and Blood Orange Ice Cubes

I have such a huge culinary crush on blood oranges, it’s almost embarrassing. I drove all over the city looking for these things, giving Sad Eyes to all the produce guys who told me they didn’t carry them.

Blood Orange Mimossa

Then, thanks to the magic of Whole Foods, I came into ownership of about 6 pounds of these babies.

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 Last year I gave you the Hot Blooded cocktail during my fling with blood oranges, and this year I wanted to do an entire week. I got a bit of a late start this week because of a Super Secret project I was involved in that required I be sequestered without internet and phone for three days. I can’t wait to tell you all about it, but that will have to wait a few more months.

Blood Orange Mimossa3

I have some real life cocktails coming up for you that have been dreamed up by my husband, who happens to be  trained bartender (which is actually a little known fact). He is an incredible cocktail inventor and I can’t wait to show you what he came up with.

I juiced most of my 6 lbs of blood oranges for what ended up being Team Dodd’s Naptime Cocktail Hour, and froze the leftovers. The results were incredibly gorgeous cubes of ruby red orange juice that made the most amazing and beautiful pink Mimosas.

I used these square ice cubes trays, and if you love to make cocktails for guests, they are a great way to impress with very little effort.

Bleeding Mimosa: Champagne and Blood Orange Ice Cubes

Ingredients

  • 2 lb blood oranges, juiced
  • Champagne

Serves 4 to 6

Instructions

  1. Pour blood orange juice into ice cube trays.
  2. Place in freezer until frozen, at least 6 hours.
  3. Fill champagne flutes with blood orange ice cubes, fill with champagne.

Blood Orange Mimossa4

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Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice

 

Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice2

Can we still be friends if I tell you that I don’t really like slow cookers? I resisted getting one for years, and then, like the culinary lemming that I can often be, I caved and asked for one for Christmas.

As I kid, I hated them. I saw it only as that thing that ruined spare ribs that should rightfully be cooked on the grill.  And now, all I see is how much people lose their minds over how great these slow cooking machines are. So far, I’m not impressed. Of the "dump and cook" recipes I’ve tried, the flavors just end up muddy and I’m left feeling completely left out of the cooking process like I wasn’t invited to the party.

That’s why this recipe calls for two parts, slow cooking the beans and then finishing the dish with a conventional cooking to add more layers of flavor.

Slow cooking the beans is really the best way to go, wether it be on your stove top, or in one of these slow cooking machines I have yet to fall in love with. Much better final result than with canned beans, and I’ll admit, the slow cooker does a great job of babysitting during the long process so you can go about your life.

If you have a fantastic slow cooker recipe, PLEASE let me know. I’d love to be let in on the secret to this that I’m clearly missing out on. Leave it in the comment section (a link is fine, if you’ve got one), because maybe there’s hope for me and this slow cooker after all.

 

 

Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb small red beans or red kidney beans dry
  • 24 ounces stout or porter
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 hickory smoked ham hock
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lb raw chicken bratwurst sliced
  • 1 green pepper chopped
  • 4 strips bacon sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Cooked rice for serving.

Instructions
 

  • Add red beans, porter, chicken broth, ham hock, onion, garlic and sriracha to a slow cooker. Cook on low for eight hours.
  • Once the beans are finished cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook the brats, green peppers and bacon until meat has been cooked through. Stir the brats, bacon and peppers with the beans, salt and pepper to taste. serve over rice.

 Slow Cooker Stout Red Beans and Rice