Death Of Notes : Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog

Figgy Friday! Burrata Bruschetta with Grilled Figs

My friends at Goodbite featured this lovely grilled figs and burrata cheese video today, and since I've been seeing lots of fresh figs at the market I thought I'd re-post it. If you haven't seen it before, I hope you enjoy. If you've seen it, but didn't get around to trying it, then consider this a friendly reminder that you really, really should!

The original post from last August follows:

If you watch as much food television as I do, you hear the adjective "sexy" thrown around quite a bit, and more often than not, it just doesn't fit. No matter how nice a bowl of chili looks, or how beautifully a game hen glistens, they're not really "sexy."

This burrata bruschetta with grilled figs on the other hand? Totally "sexy!" If there were such a thing as word association flash cards of food, the most common result for this one would be "sexy." Okay, I'm going to stop using those quotation marks now.

Above and beyond how awesome this recipe tastes, it's so nice to be able to post such an aesthetically pleasing dish after the recent string of homely food. I appreciate all the nice comments about the sausage and zucchini stew, but if that thing was a blind date, it would have been described as, "having a nice personality."

Depending on the location, I can't guarantee you'll be able to find burrata and fresh black mission figs, but if you can, you really need to give this a try. I know someone will ask, so I'll tell you right now, there really isn't a great substitute for this heavenly cheese.

A very fresh mozzarella would be the closest, but it would still be like substituting for Beyonce with Wanda Sykes. That's no insult to Wanda Sykes (she has a great personality), but in the sexy department, Mrs. Jay-Z is in a whole other league, and so is this burrata and grilled fig bruschetta. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
burrata cheese
fresh figs
Italian bread
balsamic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar to 1 part extra virgin olive oil - shaken vigorously)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Figgy Friday! Burrata Bruschetta with Grilled Figs

Ingredients:
burrata cheese
fresh figs
Italian bread
balsamic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar to 1 part extra virgin olive oil - shaken vigorously)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Please Nominate Chef John for a 2012 Tasty Award!

Yes, it's that time again! The Tasty Awards are an annual awards show celebrating the best in food and fashion programs on TV, in film, and online. Last year, we won the award for "Best Home Chef in a Series," and would love to defend the title this year.

If you'd like to help with the nomination, please follow this link and cast your vote. The two categories we qualify in are "Best Food Program - Web" and "Home Chef in a Series." Thank you for the support!

Please Nominate Chef John for a 2012 Tasty Award!

Sandy Beans! Getting Our Grit On with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumb Coated Beans

We all know our food has to look and taste good, but one of the more overlooked aspects in cooking is texture. This sandy beans recipe is a great example. Sure, a nice bowl of white beans warmed in garlic oil and topped with parsley is a fine thing, but texturally…kind of a snoozer.

Here we're coating the beans with a crispy, cheesy, pleasantly gritty breadcrumb mixture. That's right; less yawn, more fawn. This was inspired by a similar trick I like to use for finishing pastas, and if there's one thing I know about people (maybe the only thing), it's they like crispy and crunchy toppings.

At the beginning of the recipe you'll hear me mention a garlic-infused oil. I will demo this in a future video, but in case you're wondering, here's what I did. Take a 1/4 cup of olive oil and place it on low heat. Add a sliced garlic clove. As soon as the garlic starts to bubble slightly, turn off the heat and let the oil cool to room temp. Do not brown the garlic. Strain this oil and voilà, you have garlic oil.

One quest that never ends for a cook is the search for ways to make common side dishes seem a little more special, and this is one trick I hope you try soon. Enjoy!

Food Safety Note: One of our concerned viewers reminded me to point out that there is a botulism concern when dealing with garlic stored in oil. So you don't worry needlessly, out of 300,000 Americans, there are only about 25 cases of botulism per year with very few cases resulting from stored garlic. But better safe than sorry, so it's recommended that you store any leftover garlic oil in the fridge and use within 10 days.

Ingredients:

For the crumbs:

1/4 cup garlic olive oil

3/4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs (depends how "dry" you want your "sand")

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

For the beans:

1 can white beans, drained, rinsed

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

salt to taste

cayenne to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Sandy Beans! Getting Our Grit On with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumb Coated Beans

One quest that never ends for a cook is the search for ways to make common side dishes seem a little more special, and this is one trick I hope you try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the crumbs:

1/4 cup garlic olive oil

3/4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs (depends how "dry" you want your "sand")

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

For the beans:

1 can white beans, drained, rinsed

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

salt to taste

cayenne to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce - Hey, My Eyes are Up Here!

You know I love lamb, as evidenced by the various chops, shanks, legs, and shoulders I've featured in the past. These are among the most popular meat recipes on the blog, so it seems many share my love. Here we have a brand new cut to celebrate, the lamb breast.

This is not common in your regular supermarkets. There's an inverse relationship between the size of the parking lot, and the chances you'll find breast of lamb in the meat case. However, a visit to a real butcher (look for lots of tats and facial hair) should be rewarded with some slabs of this bony, fatty, but richly flavored meat.

Since I hadn't cooked this in ages, I decided to play it safe, and use a time-tested Mediterranean-inspired spice rub, and it could not have worked more perfectly. The exotic spices made the rich meat seem even more decadent, all of which was nicely balanced by the vinegar sauce's astringency.

A bright green chimichurri sauce on a well-marbled piece of meat is one of the best things ever, and this dish definitely borrows from that playbook. It's not like you'd want to eat a spoon of the condiment right out of the bowl, but slathered over the glistening meat, it's a thing of beauty.

I hope that if you are a fan of lamb, and you haven't tried lamb breast yet, that you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pieces lamb breast, about 3 1/2 pounds

For the spice rub:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs seasoning (dried rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano blend)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

For the sauce: (note - this is all "to taste")

1/2 cup packed chopped Italian parsley

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup white wine vinegar, more as needed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 or 2 teaspoon honey

juice from 1 lemon

pinch of salt

View the complete recipe

Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce - Hey, My Eyes are Up Here!

I hope that if you are a fan of lamb, and you haven't tried lamb breast yet, that you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pieces lamb breast, about 3 1/2 pounds

For the spice rub:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs seasoning (dried rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano blend)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

For the sauce: (note - this is all "to taste")

1/2 cup packed chopped Italian parsley

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup white wine vinegar, more as needed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 or 2 teaspoon honey

juice from 1 lemon

pinch of salt

Coming Soon: Beautiful Breast of Lamb

North South East West Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce

The only thing I know for sure about Carolina-style barbecue sauce is that there isn't one. The base is usually always vinegar and pepper, but then depending on which part of the state(s) you're dealing with, there are countless additions and variations.

This one features fresh apple to add a little extra something, but otherwise it's a fairly straightforward, totally in-your-face with tang and heat barbecue sauce recipe. It was fantastic on a molasses-brined pork chop that you'll see in an upcoming video.

One note for those of you that pay particularly close attention to these videos; you may wonder why I mash the cooked apples in the saucepan, when I'm going to put the sauce in the blender anyway. Extreme sauce ugliness, that's why.

I was originally going to leave the sauce unblended, with the hopes the apple would basically disintegrate into the sauce, but when I stirred in the mustard the sauce suddenly looked like the opposite of something you'd want to eat.

Happily a quick trip to the blender made everything okay again, and I was blessed with a superb summer grilling sauce. It's beautiful for basting, or as a can't-miss condiment. It was really nice on these chops, but I think it shines brightest with pulled pork. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 apple, peeled, cubed

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

View the complete recipe

North South East West Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 apple, peeled, cubed

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Relaxation Through Deflation

Maybe it's just me, but I find time-lapse video of cooling, deflating blueberry clafouti quite calming. If you're feeling a little stressed, watch this video and see if it doesn't relax you. Enjoy!

Relaxation Through Deflation

Maybe it's just me, but I find time-lapse video of cooling, deflating blueberry clafouti quite calming. If you're feeling a little stressed, watch this video and see if it doesn't relax you. Enjoy!

Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Pinchy Pies – One Chef's White Trash is Another's White Treasure

I was doing some research on shrimp toast for an upcoming video, and I became obsessed with the thought of frying things on white bread, which led to being obsessed with the thought of frying things in white bread. These fried peanut butter and jelly pinchy pies are the result.

The technique was ridiculously easy, but naming these delicious discs was another thing altogether. They aren't cakes, donuts, or fritters; so I was sort of stumped on what to call them. I decided to make up something completely new (or at least Google says so), and the pinchy pie was born.

As I mention in the video, the possibilities are endless as far as stuffings go, so I can see this really catching on. I think I'm actually going to trademark the name, and maybe hit the state fair tour. These would totally fly out of any Ferris wheel-adjacent food stand.

Regarding the title: While frying stuffed Wonder Bread is about as stereotypically "white trash" as it gets, I don't like or condone the use of that term. I only used it here because I couldn't think of anything as clever. Enjoy!

View the complete recipe

Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Pinchy Pies – One Chef's White Trash is Another's White Treasure

Spreading the Homemade Mayonnaise Love

A beautiful homemade mayonaisse from
In Jennie's Kitchen! Photo (c) Jennifer Perillo

My friend and future partner in crime (if this food blogging thing doesn't work out, we're going to rob a bank together), Jennifer Perillo, just posted a homemade mayonnaise recipe on her blog, In Jennie's Kitchen, and was kind enough to credit me with the stick blender technique described therein.

I didn't invent this great trick, but since I don't remember who did, I really have no choice but to continue taking full credit. This video is so old, there's a good chance you've not seen it before, and if that's the case, and you have a stick blender, you'll want to give this a try so you can cross "homemade mayo" off your culinary bucket list. Enjoy!

Click here for the original post with ingredients amounts.

Spreading the Homemade Mayonnaise Love

A beautiful homemade mayonaisse from
In Jennie's Kitchen! Photo (c) Jennifer Perillo

Click here for the original post with ingredients amounts.

Fennel-Smoked Salmon – Over the Top Was Not Over the Top

As I was eating this fennel-smoked salmon recipe, I was also enjoying a baseball game on the radio. During a critical point in the game, one of the players was thrown out trying to take an extra base; a major blunder, which the announcer blamed on, "trying to do too much." I had to chuckle, since I had just done the same thing with the salmon.

We've done a hot-smoked salmon video before, using a simple foil tray to hold and protect the fish, but his time I wanted something more aromatic and edible. It worked like a charm. This was one perfectly cooked piece of salmon.

As I say in the video, had I just served the fish over the simple, yet wonderful tomato salad, I would have had a winner, but I tried to do too much. I thought adding the smoky, caramelized remnants of the fennel would elevate the dish to even more epic levels, but that did not happen.

The fennel was tough and stringy, and after a couple bites it was pushed aside so I could concentrate on how great the rest of the plate was. Not only did the heat seem to toughen the vegetable, but also the fact I'd sliced it with the grain made things even worse. In hindsight, the grilled fennel should have been discarded and some fresh, raw fennel should have been shaved into the salad.

I hope you give this a try, especially if you have problems with salmon sticking to your grill grates. Since the fish never touches the grill here, it's easy on, easy off. Just this feature alone makes the technique worthwhile. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 salmon filets

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 fennel bulb (aka root, although I don't believe it's actually a root)

cold water plus a teaspoon of vinegar

For the salad:

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

pinch of sugar

juice from 1 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

fennel tops for garnish

View the complete recipe

Fennel-Smoked Salmon – Over the Top Was Not Over the Top

Ingredients:

2 salmon filets

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 fennel bulb (aka root, although I don't believe it's actually a root)

cold water plus a teaspoon of vinegar

For the salad:

1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

pinch of sugar

juice from 1 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

fennel tops for garnish

Barbecued Peaches Because You Have Ten Minutes

You've just finished grilling extra-thick pork chops, and like any good cook you're letting them rest. Not wanting to waste a nice smoky bed of still-hot coals, you take some ripe, juicy peaches, slather them in barbecue sauce, and grill them until just heated through. You serve them next to the pork, and while you eat, your guests shower you with praise, warming you like the mid-July sun.

I used Michele's SFQ barbecue sauce for this, but your favorite brand or recipe should work, especially ones that have a little spicy kick to them. Enjoy!

View the complete recipe

Barbecued Peaches Because You Have Ten Minutes

I'm Hot to Tot

Photo (c) Average Betty

How good is my potato tot recipe? It was just chosen by Sara, from Average Betty, as her favorite in a "Tot-O-Rama" taste test, alongside versions from Chefs Michael Symon and Mark Zeitouni. But that's not the impressive part…this all happened despite the fact I don't actually have a 'tater tot recipe. Take that, chefs that cook things first!

Apparently AB was so taken by my crispy onion ring recipe (posted below in case you missed what may be my best recipe of all time), that she virtually included me in her Tot-O-Rama using a coating inspired by our ultra-crispy rings. She was right about one thing; I will be giving this tasty-looking tot a try in a future post!

Thanks to Sara for sharing her great "Tot-O-Rama" video, and be sure to follow this link to read the entire post. Enjoy!

Our Crispy Onion Rings Recipe (click here for recipe)

I'm Hot to Tot

Photo (c) Average Betty

Thanks to Sara for sharing her great "Tot-O-Rama" video, and be sure to follow this link to read the entire post. Enjoy!

Our Crispy Onion Rings Recipe (click here for recipe)

Cold Romano Bean Salad – There are Different Kinds of Vibrant

When I was a young boy, many summer lunches were spent at my grandparent's table, and that's where I first learned to enjoy fresh vegetables. Like every Italian family in town, they had a backyard garden, which meant an abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, and beans. This cold Romano bean salad was a staple during those hot summer months, and is still one of my favorite summer side dishes.

So, there are two ways you can do this recipe. You can boil your beans, dress them and serve immediately. This technique provides you with a nice vibrant salad, but the beans are simply coated with the dressing, as opposed to being marinated in it.

I prefer it dressed and left to marinate in the fridge overnight, which gives you something closer to a pickled bean. This style creates a sharper, colder, more herbaceous salad that is ideal for the rich, fatty, smoky meats of summer. The tradeoff is in appearance, with the beans giving up the green color for a more vibrant flavor.

If you grow beans, or have a neighbor who does, you should have the ways and means to give this dish a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pound green beans

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 or 3 fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

fresh sliced mint to top

View the complete recipe

Cold Romano Bean Salad – There are Different Kinds of Vibrant

If you grow beans, or have a neighbor who does, you should have the ways and means to give this dish a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pound green beans

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 or 3 fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

fresh sliced mint to top

Fresh Peach Chutney – A Sunny Sauce for Summer

I can't think of many cold sauces that are as versatile as this fresh peach chutney. Whether it's used to top a ham and cheese snack cracker, as seen in the video, or brushed on grilled pork chops, or used as a topping for vanilla ice cream (true story), this easy fresh peach sauce will help make your summer entertaining a little sunnier.

This recipe is part of a series of eight snack videos I did for Kellogg's Snackpicks.com. When you click on the video player below, you'll be taken to their website to view the videos and get the written instructions. If you have questions or comments, please come on back and post them here. Thanks, and enjoy!

Fresh Peach Chutney – A Sunny Sauce for Summer

Coconut Milk Red Curry Beef Short Ribs and Cauliflower - A Classic American Curry

If I had to (like at gun point) "invent" a new fusion cuisine, I'd go with "American Curry." It would combine the best of our country's classic stews with the exotic spices we associate with the cuisines of Asia. This simple, braised beef short ribs recipe is a good example of what that style of cooking could produce.

I really love to eat this kind of food. Who doesn’t love a nice batch of slow-cooked short ribs, but we can get in a rut with how they're presented. That's not an issue here, as the spicy-sweet, aromatic sauce makes them anything but ordinary. We should take a lesson from the lands of curry, and realize that comfort foods don't have to be bland to work their soul-warming magic.

I'm already getting excited thinking up American curry variations for things like chicken and biscuits, Texas chili, and Irish stew. This could be fun. Of course, I'd love to hear which iconic American stews you like to see given this treatment. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef short ribs

salt and pepper as needed

1 tsp garam masala

cayenne to taste

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp red curry paste, or to taste

2 tbsp tomato paste

4-6 cloves garlic

1 cup coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste

1 head cauliflower

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup chopped basil leaves

View the complete recipe

Coconut Milk Red Curry Beef Short Ribs and Cauliflower - A Classic American Curry

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef short ribs

salt and pepper as needed

1 tsp garam masala

cayenne to taste

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp red curry paste, or to taste

2 tbsp tomato paste

4-6 cloves garlic

1 cup coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

1 tsp fish sauce, or to taste

1 head cauliflower

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup chopped basil leaves

Figgy Friday! Burrata Bruschetta with Grilled Figs

Figgy Friday! Burrata Bruschetta with Grilled Figs

Please Nominate Chef John for a 2012 Tasty Award!

Please Nominate Chef John for a 2012 Tasty Award!

Sandy Beans! Getting Our Grit On with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumb Coated Beans

Sandy Beans! Getting Our Grit On with Crispy Parmesan Breadcrumb Coated Beans

Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce - Hey, My Eyes are Up Here!

Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce - Hey, My Eyes are Up Here!

Coming Soon: Beautiful Breast of Lamb

Coming Soon: Beautiful Breast of Lamb

North South East West Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce

North South East West Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce

Relaxation Through Deflation

Relaxation Through Deflation

Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Pinchy Pies – One Chef's White Trash is Another's White Treasure

Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly Pinchy Pies – One Chef's White Trash is Another's White Treasure

Spreading the Homemade Mayonnaise Love

Spreading the Homemade Mayonnaise Love

Fennel-Smoked Salmon – Over the Top Was Not Over the Top

Fennel-Smoked Salmon – Over the Top Was Not Over the Top

Barbecued Peaches Because You Have Ten Minutes

Barbecued Peaches Because You Have Ten Minutes

I'm Hot to Tot

I'm Hot to Tot

Cold Romano Bean Salad – There are Different Kinds of Vibrant

Cold Romano Bean Salad – There are Different Kinds of Vibrant

Fresh Peach Chutney – A Sunny Sauce for Summer

Fresh Peach Chutney – A Sunny Sauce for Summer

Coconut Milk Red Curry Beef Short Ribs and Cauliflower - A Classic American Curry

Coconut Milk Red Curry Beef Short Ribs and Cauliflower - A Classic American Curry

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