Man Food

Its well into the Christmas season and we've definitely broken in our kitchen! A couple of weeks ago, Seth prepared me that we would be hosting a Monday Night Football party for the guys in our new church. He was VERY excited and sent out a powerpoint email with google picture directions as well as the detailed menu for the night. Seth requested "man food" that should not include a fruit or vegetable of any sort, although the guys didn't seem to mind the mexi-corn cheese dip at all! But the favored of all foods that evening was the dish that combined sweet, smokey, and salty.... bacon caramel popcorn. Here is the recipe:

Bacon Caramel Popcorn

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

5 slices of cooked bacon, chopped (approx 6oz)

3/4 cup whole cashews

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1.) Heat popcorn and oil in a large covered pot until kernels start to pop. Hold lid and pot handle (with oven mits) and shake the pot until the kernels stop popping. Pour popcorn into a very large bowl and add bacon and cashews.

2.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.) Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a bowl and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber. Remove from heat and immediately add the cream, salt, and chipotle (the mixture will bubble up). Quickly pour over popcorn mixture, and stir.

4.) Pour caramel popcorn into the baking sheet and spread out. Bake until the caramel is shiny (approx 10-20 minutes). Let cool completely then break up popcorn into handful sized chunks.

Small Bites

Yesterday I was finally able to use up all four bags of salad greens as well as 4 of my Walla Walla onions at a squadron party. Even after eating salads everyday, I still had enough greens to make salad for 30 people! I also made a few appetizers utilizing all my onions, Seth's mother's fantastic fig preserves, and local cherries. Forgive me because I forgot to write down exact measurements, I'm writing this from memory.

Crostini Bites

Crackers or Crostini

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

zest of 1 lemon

-Whisk together cream cheese, ricotta, and lemon zest. Spread over crostini and top with one of the recipes below.

Caramelized Onion and Cherry

4 Walla Walla onions (or 2 regular onions), sliced into rings

2 cups tart cherries, pitted and cut in half

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup molasses

1 tsp salt

-Saute onions in the butter until translucent, around 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook another 15-20 minutes until thickened. Let cool. Spoon over crostini.

Fig and Basil Compote

1 cup fig or pear preserves

basil leaves, cut into strips

1 tsp truffle oil

1/4 tsp salt

-Stir ingredients together and spread over crostini.

Apple and Thyme Pate

Chicken livers.... love them or hate them? I am not a fan of chicken livers, however, throw them into a pate and its a different story! Although pate isn't much to look at, the texture is smooth and the flavor very satisfying. I made this recipe (loosely based on Jacques Pepin's version) for our Valentine's Day meat and cheese tray. The "Optional" step really gives pate the whipped texture that I love, however it isn't necessary if you're pressed for time.

Apple and Thyme Pate:

4 slices bacon

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove

12 oz chicken livers

1 Granny Smith apple,peeled and chopped into small chunks

1 Tbsp thyme

2 hard boiled eggs

2 Tbsp sherry

1 tsp salt

-Cook bacon in a skillet, and set aside for later. Cook the onion, garlic, and livers in the bacon fat and butter for 5 minutes. Add the apples and continue cooking until the livers are barely pink in the center (approx another 3-5min).

-Pour cooked mixture and remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

-Optional Step: Pour pate into a sieve and scrap through with a spatula.

-Spoon pate into 2 or 3 ramekins, and cover with plastic wrap pressing the wrap onto the pate. Refrigerate overnight and serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers.

Patio Party

It's summertime in the South and while my body is adjusting to the 90 degree heat, my sister decided to throw a patio party. As we planned the menu, Mary Ashley knew she wanted to make Parmesan Flans from Frank Stitt's restaurant Bottega (which deserves a blog entry unto itself). I suggested adding a fresh leafy green and berry salad to lighten things up. We also served champagne cocktails with a little pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine. Everything was delicious and refreshing, which is key when eating outside in the Georgia heat. One of my favorite recipes was the Wonton Crisps that went along side the salad. These crisps are SUPER easy to make and most grocery stores carry the wonton wrappers. If you'd like to change the toppings try sesame seeds or paprika, but I just love the thyme in this recipe.



Wonton Crisps
12 square wonton wrappers
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt

1.) Cut wonton squares into triangles (or use a cookie cutter to make shapes). Grate cheese and mix with herbs. I prefer finely grated Parmesan grated with a zester.
2.) Set triangles on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil and lightly season with salt. Sprinkle on cheese and herb mixture and bake for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees or until crisp and light brown. Makes 24 triangles.


Leftovers are great on an antipasto platter!

Mmmmm Ceviche

Opposites attract, so they say... But what about opposite vacation styles? Seth loves to plan out the days by tourist site, restaurant, and bus stop in a very methodical manner. I prefer the "Underwood Style Vacation" which usually consists of running ourselves (and feet) ragged trying to visit every bakery, WW II plaque, and neat little shop. There is no plan with the Underwoods, we just go! We eat when we're hungry and find wonderfully out of the way restaurants. Last weekend Seth had his first taste of an "Underwood Vacation" (although it doesn't truly count because my dad wasn't there) with my sister in San Francisco and no clashing of vacation styles!

Seth side note: While it is true that we Harbin's are far more likely to tour in a more "methodical" manner, it is due to a simple, ingrained philosophy of what a "vacation" should be: relaxation to the max! Underwoods need a vacation after they get back from their vacation. I say quality and not quantity is the way to go! Not that the other technique doesn't yield much quality. Far from it! In fact, many of the most interesting places I have been with Katy (and I'm sure many traveler's would agree) were found when we were either completely lost or simply enjoying being outside. Needless to say, our travel styles have blended perfectly while we both retain our preferences for travel styles: Katy and marathon adventures laced with innumerable discoveries and myself with a book, cool drink, and comfy lounge chair.

Now back to my blog...

I wish I could talk about all of our foodie finds, but I'll just start with this wonderful little restaurant named Fresca that specialized in "nouveau Peruvian cuisine." Although our entree was delicious, we couldn't stop raving about their ceviche. Now I've had some good ceviche (or seviche) before, but this stuff was absolutely incredible! The dish was very simple, just lump halibut and slivered purple onions in a cilantro (and I mean a LOT of cilantro) lime and rocoto aji chili sauce. Plantain chips were served on the sides as well as corn nuts, whole garlic cloves, and a sweet potato. This was not a bland fishy ceviche, but a perfect balance of sweet, tang, and herb. We gobbled that appetizer up and I scribbled the ingredients down in hopes of recreating my own version.

Ceviche is a Latin American dish composed of raw white fish that has been "cooked" in a citrus juice to become firm and opaque in color. Seth and I found some great halibut cheeks in Seattle, although fillets will work great too. Its very important to get super fresh fish for this dish. We couldn't find the rocoto aji chile, so I substituted Sriracha chili sauce instead. Serve with a watercress salad and you have an appetizer fit for a sunny spring day!

Halibut Cilantro Ceviche:

1/2 lb fresh white skinless fish fillets (halibut, red snapper, sole)

Juice and zest of 2 limes

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 garlic clove, minced

3-5 squirts of Sriracha or other chili sauce, to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (more if you dare)

1/4 purple onion, very thinly sliced

1. Slice fish into 2 inch by 1/4 inch strips. Mix rest of the ingredients and let fish marinate in fridge for at least an hour or until fish turns opaque white.

2. Serve over lettuce leaves or watercress salad. Or pair with some plantain chips or crackers. Serves 2 as light dinner or 4 as a small appetizer.

Add ins: 

You can also serve with sliced roasted sweet potatoes, or mix with fresh corn, mango, avocado, chopped peppers, grapefruit, etc. The possibilities are deliciously endless!

The picture at the top of the post was Fresca's ceviche. The shot above is my recreation.