The Best Superbowl Menu

I've had several emails over the past few days from readers trying to finalize their superbowl menus for the big game tromorrow. I've put together some suggestions that I think would be good for game day entertaining. Here's a few:

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple BBQ Sauce and Apple Fennel Coleslaw


http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-apple-bbq.html

Oven Fried Chicken


http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-apple-bbq.html

Bourbon BBQ Ribs

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/08/bourbon-barbeque-ribs.html

Olivia's Killer Karamel Korn

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/olivias-killer-karamel-korn.html

Three Cheese Burgers on Sourdough Buns

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/01/three-cheese-burgers-on-sourdough-buns.html

Braised BBQ Beef Sandwiches

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/05/blackstrap-barbeque-braised-beef.html?showComment=1211417040000

Beef and Beer Chilli

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/beef-and-beer-chilli.html

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Sliders


http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/barbeque-bacon-and-cheddar-sliders.html

Bacon and Cheddar Mini Quiches



http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/01/bacon-and-cheddar-mini-quiches.html


Fried Chicken Wings with Blackstrap Barbeque Sauce

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/05/fried-chicken-wings-with-blackstrap-bbq.html?showComment=1210258860000

Cheese, Garlic and Herb Scone Club Sandwiches

http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/cheese-garlic-and-herb-scone-club.html

Italian Sausage Rolls

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/italian-sausage-rolls.html

Newfoundland Fish Cakes

Today's dish and photo come courtesy of 13 year old guest chef Laura Taylor from Conception Bay South who was looking for tips on making Newfoundland Fish Cakes. She chose fish cakes as a traditional Newfoundland meal to complete an assignment for her Grade 8 Social Studies class at Vila Nova School where she is a French Immersion student, hence the photo label Gateau de Poisson.

This very simple dish was a staple on many Newfoundland kitchen tables for who knows how long; probably hundreds of years, given that the simple ingredients were readily available from the land and the sea. I remember my grandmothers cooking them in large cast iron skillets in the rendered fat from making scrunchions. For our non-native readers, scrunchions are a very traditional accompaniment to several traditional Newfoundland meals and are simply cured fat back pork which is diced in small cubes and then fried until crispy to render out most of the fat.

It does my heart good to know that our food culture is still being kept alive in the classroom. You did a great job on these, Laura; I think they look delicious. If your Social Studies teacher doesn't give you an A on this one, tell him to take it up with me! ;)


1 ½ pounds salt cod

Soak the salt cod in cold water overnight. Simmer the salt cod in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water off the fish and allow the fish to cool to almost room temperature.
When the fish is cool, flake it apart with a fork into small pieces.

In a sauté pan, melt over medium heat
¼ cup butter
Add
1 small chopped onion
Cook until the onions are softened.

Add the fish, cooked onions and butter to

6 cups mashed potato
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp dried savoury (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix together until well combined, then form into small cakes and roll in flour.

Fry the fish cakes in canola oil over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with scrunchions if desired.

Raspberry Chocolate Vanilla Custard Tart

This one was the result of cleaning out the fridge. The pastry was already in the freezer and so was the raspberry sauce which was leftover from a birthday cake I made earlier this week. I just made the custard and threw it all together for dessert last night...once agian indulging my love for anything raspberry.

For the pastry:
½ cup butter, cut in small pieces
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives, leaving small peas sized pieces of butter throughout the mixture. Add egg and vanilla and mix together only enough to make a dough form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a half hour before rolling out.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 9 inch tarte pan or pie plate. You will need to blind bake this crust for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F before removing the baking weights and baking for an additional 5 minutes. Cool the crust completely. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy. Let the dough hang a half inch past the rim of the pan to allow for shrinkage as the pastry shell bakes. Any excess can be trimmed off when the shell is still hot out of the oven.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.)


Raspberry Topping

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

1 ½ tsp corn starch dissolved in ¼ cup water

Slowly simmer raspberries, sugar and water for about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn starch mixture stirring constantly and cook for an additional minute. Cool completely.

Vanilla Custard

In a microwave safe bowl combine and scald almost to boiling

1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine

1/4 cup flour1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Over medium flame slowly add the scalded milk whisking constantly.Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture begins to slightly thicken. At this point remove from heat and pour about a half cup of this mixture onto

2 slightly beaten extra large egg yolks

whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the pot, continuing to constantly stir. Cook for an additional minute or two until pudding consistency and remove from the flame.

Stir in

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour the custard into the cooled pastry shell and cool completely before adding the raspberry topping. Garnish with raspberries, and shaved or melted chocolate when serving.

Barbeque Bacon and Cheddar Sliders

Everbody loves it when I serve these little hamburgers at get-togethers and they are a great thing to make when serving a large crowd at parties. The fact that the burgers are slowly simmered in hot barbeque sauce makes them very easy to stay warm in a 200 degree oven at a party and then simply put together as you need them. I have made batches of several dozen this way in the past. You can even set up a slider bar and let your guests put together their own.

I have included a barbeque sauce recipe here as well and it is a good idea to bring the sauce up to boiling before pouring it over the patties as this will speed up the oven time and not cool down the burgers.

2 pounds extra lean ground beef
2 cloves minced garlic
½ small red onion finely chopped
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed

Sauté the garlic and onions in 2 tbsp olive oil until softened. Add to the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Form the mixture into 16 small patties and fry in a little oil until completely cooked. Place in a roasting pan and cover the patties with the heated barbeque sauce. Place on a 300 degree oven for half an hour before serving on toasted dinner rolls with melted cheddar and crisp cooked smoked bacon.

Blackstrap Barbeque Sauce

One 14 ounce can plain tomato sauce
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses (substitute fancy molasses if necessary)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
1 tbsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground dry oregano
½ tsp kosher salt

Simmer all ingredients together for about a half hour.

Chorizo and Garlic Mini Quiches with Smoked Cheddar Sauce

Here's a delicious weekend brunch idea that uses frozen puff pastry as a time saver. Some herbed hashbrowns served beside one or two of these scrumptious mini quiches will make a great satisfying brunch for family or guests. Line the muffin tins with the pastry the night before, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge to save even more time in the morning. You can have these on the table in a half hour if you use this tip.

Lightly grease 12 muffin tins.

One pound package frozen puff pastry, thawed

Cut the pastry into 12 squares and fit the squares into the greased muffin tins. Place in the refrigerator while making the filling.

Filling

6 large eggs
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup sour cream
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
½ cup grated aged cheddar cheese
¼ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to season
½ cup chopped chorizo sausage

Share the sausage, minced garlic and the cheese by placing equal amounts in each of the 12 pastry lined muffin cups.

Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, whipping cream, paprika, salt and pepper and pour into the muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the centers are set.
While the quiches are baking, make the smoked cheddar sauce.

Smoked Cheddar Sauce
In a small saucepan combine and cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat

2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp black pepper

Whisking constantly pour in

1 cup hot milk

Remove from heat and season with salt to taste, then add

1 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese

Let stand for one minute to allow the cheese to melt, then whisk until smooth. Serve over the mini quiches.

Beef Bean and Bacon Stew

Another winter warm-up recipe to take the chill out of your bones. This one is a smoky flavored close cousin to chilli but with out the heat if you so choose. I like it just as it is but we sometimes serve it on a bed of brown or basmati rice; very tasty and very healthy too.

2 to 3 pounds of inside or outside round roast, cut in 1 inch cubes
6 slices good smoked bacon

In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Drain off the bacon fat and add

3 tbsp olive oil

Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, brown all of the beef pieces in small batches being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Add the browned beef to a covered roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup orange juice and add the liquid to the roasting pan along with the beef. Also add

1 small red onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic

Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and then the cover to provide a good seal. Roast in a 300 degree F oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours before adding:

32 ounce can diced tomatoes (or use 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes and 1 cup tomato juice)
16 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp ground thyme
1tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
4 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsp molasses

Increase the temperature to 350 degrees F and return the roasting pan to the oven without the aluminum foil and continue to cook for an additional 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the beef pieces are tender and the sauce is thickened. In the last half hour of cooking time add

1 1/2 cups sweet corn

Serve on its own or over rice or pasta.

Orange Tempura Beef

This meal really hit the spot a couple of nights ago when we had it for dinner at our house. I make it with good cut of steak and sometimes even use it as a "leftover rescue recipe" when leftovers are availabe from a steak dinner, especially if that steak is still on the rare side. The kids love this one too. We mostly serve it on a bed of plain brown rice but I like it with linguine pasta as well.

1 ½ pounds steak, cut in thin slices ( Striploin, rib eye or even tenderloin are good choices.)

Tempura Batter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Whisk together until just combined. Lumps are okay; even preferable. Set aside for 10 minutes

Orange Sauce

In a medium saucepan, heat

2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

Cook for one minute to soften the garlic then add

1 ½ cups orange juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
Zest of one orange
½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chili flakes (optional if you don’t like spicy heat)

Simmer to reduce the volume by about 1/3 then thicken the sauce with
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in an ounce or two of orange juice.
Finish the sauce at the end by adding and stirring in

2 tablespoon of butter

Preheat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Dip the slices of steak into the tempura batter and drop them into the hot oil. Fry for only a few minutes until crispy golden brown. Drain on a metal rack over a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven between batches.

While you fry the steak, sauté in olive oil

1 julienned red pepper
1 small julienned red onion

Finally toss the peppers, onions, tempura steak and the sauce all together lightly and garnish with some toasted almonds and orange sections.

Stuffed Toutons!!

This was Sunday Brunch at our house this morning so I thought I'd add this photo to continue with yesterday's touton theme.

This idea stuffs cooked sausage, scrambled eggs and a blend of aged and smoked cheddar cheeses inside a touton which is then very slowly fried in canola oil. A very hearty brunch indeed! I may not eat until lunchtime tomorrow!

Triple Chocolate Fudge Sundae Cake

Sometimes it's just a matter of combining a few recipes to come up something new so this one is really just a revisit of other recipes combined in this cake. My daughter's 11th birthday was last week and she gave pretty explicit instructions for her birthday cake that she dreamed up herself. She is always partial to an ice cream cake and this year was no different than last.

This cake combines our standard chocolate cake recipe which follows with a chocolate ice cream recipe and our recently featured Hot Fudge Sauce recipe which can be found here:

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/01/flakey-fudge-sundae-homemade-fudge.html

Chocolate Ice Cream

In a medium saucepan, whisk together well, until pale and thickened

3/4 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup cocoa (add another couple of tablespoons if you like a darker chocolate flavour)

Slowly whisk in

2 cups scalded whole milk

Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes. Do not boil or mixture may curdle.Chill the custard until cold.Whip to soft peaks

1 cup whipping cream

Fold into the custard and process in an ice cream maker for about 25 minutes. Turn ice cream into a large bowl. Divide in 3 portions to spread between the cake layers.

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup soured milk

1 cup black coffee

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes.Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 or 10 inch cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees For until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Split into 4 layers.

Using a collar of a couple of layers of heavy-duty aluminium foil place the first cake layer on the cake plate and wrap and tape the aluminum foil collar in place around the cake to provide a form to construct the cake which can be removed later. Add 1/3 of the ice cream and then another layer of cake. Repeat until all the cake and ice cream are used, ending with a cake layer.

Freeze for several hours or overnight before removing the aluminum foil form. I like to let the frozen cake warm up slightly for a half hour or so to soften the ice cream to make it easier to cut. I have also held it in the refrigerator (not freezer) for a longer period of time. As long as the outside does not begin to melt, it will be okay.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Whip to soft peaks:

2 cups whipping cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frost the cake with the whipped cream and serve the slices with the hot fudge sauce.

Blue Cheese Roasted Garlic and Tempura Red Onion Burgers

Roasted garlic? Onions? Blue cheese?

I know...pass the mouth wash, right? Maybe so, but all these pungent flavours combined are so delicious that it might just be worth it! Make one for your significant other too and there won't be any complaints! ;)

Makes 4 burgers

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 beaten egg
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp hot sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled into large pieces
4 Kaiser rolls

Mix together all ingredients except the blue cheese. Gently mix in the blue cheese being careful not to break up the crumbled pieces too much; you want them to be as whole as possible. Form the meat mixture into 4 large patties and grill until well done. Serve on fresh toasted Kaiser rolls with your favourite condiments and top with Tempura Red Onions

Tempura Red Onions
Heat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F

Mix together

1 egg + enough whole milk to make 1 cup

Whisk in

1 cup flour

Some lumps in this simple batter is just fine. Let batter stand for 10 minutes before dipping

¼ inch rings of red onion

into the tempura batter and then dropping them into the deep fryer. Cook for only a few minutes until light golden brown.

Grilled Pineapple and Chicken Salad

This may be one of the most flavorful salads I've ever eaten. It was a big hit for dinner a few nights ago, especially with the kids who thoroughly cleaned their plates. You can't complain when getting kids to eat healthy is this easy. This one is going to make repeat appearances, I'm sure.

Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil


Toss all the above ingredients together in a Ziploc bag and marinate for about a half hour before cooking completely on the grill. At the same time you can grill

4 slices of fresh golden pineapple

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving along with the grilled pineapple on a salad made from

Baby spinach
Cherry tomatoes
Strawberries
Kalamata olives
Red onion
Red pepper

Balsamic Dijon Dressing
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Shake all ingredients together well in a mason jar and serve.

Flakey Fudge Sundae ( Homemade Fudge Sauce)

Today's recipe is really just an idea and an opportunity to showcase our favorite homemade fudge sauce at our house, the recipe for which follows. This particular version of a fudge sundae is presented on little puff pastry "boats". I cut store bought puff pastry into 4 inch squares, then place extra 1/2 inch strips of puff pastry around the edges and bake until golden brown. This creates a little shell or "boat" to serve your ice cream in, topped with the fudge sauce and in this case, some little pieces of Terry's Chocolate Orange leftover from my Christmas Stocking. I made these with the kids who enjoyed making them almost as much as eating them.

Using some of my homemade ice cream, I wouldn't hesitate to serve these even at a dinner party for adults. My recipe for Double Chocolate Ripple Rum Truffle Ice Cream would be a good choice and can be found here:

http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/12/double-chocolate-ripple-rum-truffle-ice.html

Hot Fudge Sauce

4 Tbsp Cocoa
1 square unsweetened bakers chocolate
4 tbsp butter
2/3 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, melt together the butter, chocolate and cocoa until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle boil without stirring and continue to cook until the mixture reaches about 225 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Do not go above 235 degrees F or your sauce will probably solidify. Allow the sauce to cool down for about 30 minutes before serving.

This sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks and warmed in the microwave as needed.

Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Lemon Blueberry Tart

This recipe makes two of these large tarts which I find is great for making and gifting the second tart or for bringing both to a large pot-luck gathering. For some reaon, people are a little disappointed if I don't bring dessert to those sorts of communal feasts. ;) You can always divide the recipe in half if you need just one.

Lemon and blueberry are two of my favorite flavours and I'm always looking for an excuse to combine them. I think they go particulatrly well together in this simple tart.

Recipe makes two 10 inch tarts

Graham Crust

Lightly grease two ten inch tart pans or two 9 inch pie plates.

Mix together:

4 cups graham wafer crumbs
1 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Divide the crumb mixture in half and press into the bottom and sides of the tart pans and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool thoroughly.

Lemon Filling:
1/3 cup corn starch
1/3 cup cake flour
pinch salt
1 ½ cups sugar
5 egg yolk slightly beaten
Zest of 2 large lemons, very finely chopped
Juice of 2 large lemons
2 cups water
3 tbsp butter

In a medium saucepan, combine corn starch, cake flour, sugar and salt. Pour in water and stir constantly over medium low heat until mixture comes to a slow boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and reduce the flame to low. Pour about a cup of this mixture onto the slightly beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture back into the rest of the other mixture in the pot, whisking constantly. Return to the stove and cook for an additional 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and lemon rind. Finally whisk in your butter one tbsp at a time. Allow the filling to cool to warm before pouring into the baked crusts. Cool thoroughly.

Blueberry Topping
4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 rounded tablespoons corn starch

Bring the berries and sugar to a gentle boil. Mix the corn starch with the water and add slowly to the boiling berry mixture stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 additional minutes stirring constantly. Cool and pour over the lemon layer. Chill the completed tarts for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

Chorizo Spaghetti Bolognese

This is another comfort food recipe for me and one that I really enjoy as a winter warm-up dinner. The chorizo and bacon make for a very smoky sauce which I really love. The sauce can also be made ahead of time and just warmed up as the pasta cooks. Make the sauce this weekend for a welcome Monday workday dinner.

Serves 6
1 pound dry spaghetti pasta
Cook pasta in well salted water for 8-10 minutes.

4 strips smoked bacon, chopped in small pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small minced carrot
1 stalk finely chopped celery
½ cup minced red onion
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
4 ounces chopped hard chorizo sausage
3 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tbsp dry oregano (or 3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano)
1 tsp crushed fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to season to taste
3 tbsp hot sauce (optional or to taste)
½ cup heavy cream (optional)

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, add the bacon and cook slowly over medium high heat to render the bacon to crisp. Drain off the bacon fat if you prefer, then add the butter, olive oil, carrot, celery, and red onion and cook until the onions are softened. Add the ground beef and chopped chorizo sausage and continue over medium heat until the beef is well browned.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream and simmer for about a half hour or more over gentle low heat. If adding cream, do so in the last 5 minutes of simmering the sauce.

Serve over the cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs if desired.

Parmesan Bread Crumbs

1 ½ cups coarse bread crumbs
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Toss together the bread crumbs, parmesan, olive oil and pepper. Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for about 5-10 minutes or until crunchy, tossing the crumbs occasionally as they bake.