Danish Frikadeller

August 17, 2009 By
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground pork (on the lean side)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon each, salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • Water 1-2 cups
  • 4 ounces butter or margarine

Combine the veal and pork in a large bowl.  Add the chopped onions.  Make a well in the meat, break in the egg and mix to blend.  Add the flour, salt and pepper.  Start combining the mixture then slowly add the water, making certain that it is well incorporated before adding more water.  Form the mixture into golf ball-sized oblong meatballs.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.  Add butter or margarine.  Once the butter begins to brown, add enough meatballs to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding.  Rotate meatballs until all sides are browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, adding butter as needed and working in batches if needed.

10 Servings (appetizer size)

Filed Under: Danish, Pork, Starters, Veal Tagged With: ,

Bearnaise Sauce – Famous Steakhouse Version

August 17, 2009 By
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 tbps tarragon vinegar
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. fine-chopped shallots
  • 1 tsp. dried tarragon
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep warm.

In another small nonreactive pan, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, dried tarragon, and a pinch of black pepper.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is almost evaporated.  Cool slightly.

In top of double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and water.  Place over bottom of double boiler with simmering water.  Whisk in the vinegar reduction.  Continue whisking constantly until the egg mixture thickens and temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Remove top of double boiler and continue whisking to cool slightly.  Whisk in the warm melted butter in a thin, steady stream.  Stir in the fresh tarragon.

4, ¼-cup servings.

Filed Under: Eggs, French, Sides Tagged With: ,
17 August 2009 Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip

Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip

August 17, 2009 By

Who doesn’t love spinach and artichoke dip? Every time I serve this dish or see it served at parties, there are never any leftovers.

This version is cooked on the stove top without any baking time (unless you want a crusty top), so it’s not only delicious, it’s simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • 1-10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
  • 4 canned artichoke hearts, well drained
  • 5 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ cup minced onions
  • 2 tsp. minced shallots
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded Mozzarella
  • 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Drain, then squeeze as much moisture out of the spinach as possible. Break up the clumped spinach and place in a large bowl.
  2. Chop the artichoke coarsely and combine with spinach. Set aside.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, salt, pepper and continue cooking 2 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sautéed mixture. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, then let simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Add mozzarella, a little at a time, stirring until thoroughly melted. Add the Parmesan the same way. Simmer gently another 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Remove from heat and let cool, 10 minutes.
  6. Stir the sauce into spinach mixture, mixing well.  Pour into ovenproof dish. Serve.

6 Servings.

Filed Under: American, Appetizers, Cheese, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
17 August 2009 Zesty Guacamole

Zesty Guacamole

August 17, 2009 By

Avocados are one of my favorite foods and use them in many different dishes, even desserts!

One of my all time favorite dishes to fix with avocados is definitely the mighty guacamole. I use guacamole as a dip with tortilla chips or vegetables and I also use it as a topping for fish, chicken and even burgers.

I like my guacamole chunky but if you prefer a smooth version, just mash some more – it’s a simple thing to do!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbs. diced red onion
  • 1 Tbs. chopped jalapenos
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Slice avocados in half and remove the pit and the skin.  Mash avocados with a fork until there are medium/small lumps left. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well. Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill for up to 4 hours. Serve with tortillas.

6 Servings

Filed Under: Mexican, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
17 August 2009 Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

August 17, 2009 By

Crawfish BisqueCreolina’s was a wonderful Cajun restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale near my former place of employment. All its food was wonderful, but the crawfish bisque was outstanding.

I was able to get the recipe after it closed and sharing it so you can get addicted to it also.

Note that you could use gulf shrimp if crawfish is unavailable.

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds crawfish
  • 2 ounces olive oil
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomato
  • 4 Tbsp. brandy

Directions:

  1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain and cool until crawfish can be handled easily. Remove tail and save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika and cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
  3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid and add that liquid. Discard shells.
  4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream and tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Filed Under: American, Seafood, Soups Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Chunky Tomato-Basil Bisque

July 24, 2009 By

I recreated this comforting Tomato Basil Bisque from the awesome version I used to love at the now-shuttered Dan Marino’s Town Tavern, a popular downtown Fort Lauderdale restaurant.

While it uses canned tomatoes, the vibrant punch of flavor from the fresh basil makes this soup taste like it’s made from farm-fresh tomatoes.

Fun fact: It was published in Taste of Home Magazine!

Tomato Bisque

Tomato Bisque

Ingredients:

  • 6 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the celery, onion and red pepper in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper; cool slightly.
  3. Transfer half of the soup mixture to a blender. While processing, gradually add cream; process until pureed, about 2 minutes. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). If you want a completely smooth bisque, simply puree all the soup in two batches.

Yield: 5 servings.

Filed Under: American, Meal Type, Soups, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
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