“Steamed” Shrimp

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Easy Steamed ShrimpI’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m so fortunate to live here on the beautiful Eastern Shore, with the abundance of fresh seafood and wonderful produce available all throughout the year. Whether it’s buying crabs right off the boats in Crisfield in the summer, buying bushels of oysters from the Chincoteague Bay in December, or getting up early to do some rockfishing with Dad in the fall – it’s the environment that I’ve been raised in, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I’m so thankful to call this place home, and have the opportunity to raise my family here.

That being said, I’m very excited to announce that tomorrow I’ll (along with Jon) be heading to Charleston, SC to compete as a finalist in the Avalon Great Foods Of America Recipe Challenge at the Charleston Food & Wine Festival. It’s such an incredible honor to represent my great state of Maryland, and I can’t thank Avalon Winery enough for sponsoring it. For this foodie who also happens to be a history buff, visiting Charleston is pretty much a dream come true. I’ve got a couple restaurants lined up that I have to visit, and the old tree on John’s Island is on my list too. Any other must-do’s in that wonderful city? It’s going to be our first time visiting, but I’m fairly certain it won’t be our last!

Ok, so enough about me. Let’s talk about these shrimp! My favorite fish monger closes for a couple months after Christmas, but thankfully – he just reopened on Valentine’s Day! Ray has been a waterman for as long as I can remember.  He’s also had his restaurant, Ray’s Shanty for about as long as I can remember too. It’s the place to go for fresh fish, THE BEST hushpuppies known to man, and gorgeous fresh shrimp. There’s a seafood market on the side of the restaurant too – gorgeous scallops, heads-on shrimp, and various filets of fish; most of which Ray has caught himself on his charter boat. Ray taught my mom his way to cook shrimp over 20 years ago, and it can’t get any easier. While technically, they aren’t steamed – they are always perfect, and you’ll never have an overcooked shrimp again. They’re great to season with lots of Old Bay and eat as is, peel and serve in a martini glass for a fancy shrimp cocktail, or chill down and make shrimp salad with.

“Steamed” Shrimp

2 quarts water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole coriander
1/4 tsp whole allspice
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp Old Bay (or any seafood seasoning)
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Combine water, vinegar, peppercorns, coriander, allspice, and bay leaf in a large saucepan*. Bring to a boil. Once water comes to a boil, add shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water comes back to a boil. Remove from heat and drain IMMEDIATELY once water returns to boil. Remove bay leaves and toss shrimp with seafood seasoning. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

* You could also use a steaming spice mix. I love this one from Blue Crab Bay Co.

Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

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Ginger Pork Stir Fry

Stir-fries are one of my favorite options for a weeknight meals. Healthy, quick, and flavorful – I usually find myself adding one to our menu weekly. They’re also great for a “clean out the fridge” kind of night. I had close to a whole pork tenderloin leftover that I used for this dish. I was worried that the pork would be overcooked after stir-frying. But, it was just as tender and juicy as it was the first night we enjoyed it.

But, if you didn’t have a cooked pork tenderloin hanging around (which, you totally should make that recipe. It’s pretty much amazing) – you could of course slice it thin, and then cook in the wok before the veggies. I added broccoli, red pepper, and water chestnuts for a crunchy kick. But mushrooms, carrots, or snow peas would be other great additions. That’s why I love stir-fries – they are pretty much good with anything you throw at it!

Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

3/4 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 red pepper, diced
1 can water chestnuts, drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 scallions, chopped

For the sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp hoison sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin (or dry sherry)

Combine soy sauce, veggie oil, garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, and scallions in a Ziploc bag. Add pork to bag and toss to coat. Let marinade 30 minutes while you prep the rest of the veggies and sauce.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of ice and 2 cups of water. Toss broccoli florets into the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove, and place in the ice bath to set the color and stop the cooking process. Drain, and place florets on a clean kitchen towel to dry.

Drain the excess marinade from the pork. Place your sauce, vegetables and pork near the stove.

Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced pork; stir slowly until almost opaque; about 1 minute. Transfer to plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Heat the pan over high heat; 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and add the vegetables, starting with the red peppers – then the broccoli and water chestnuts. Stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Add the pork and sauce and stir until the sauce is thickens, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Serve over rice and garnish with sliced scallions.

Source: adapted from Food Network Magazine, March 2010

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovelies! Yesterday at my local grocery store I happened upon some gorgeous long stemmed strawberries. I couldn’t resist picking a pound up to enrobe in chocolate and then cram into my mouth. This is a dessert that is elegant, eye-catching, and easy as pie to make! Folks are always really impressed with them too. For so many people they’re something they buy on the boardwalk, or the county fair – not something you make yourself at home. And, those people are missing out!

I did some fancy tuxedo strawberries – although leave it to me to forget about the bow-tie, we’ll call it a “casual tux”. I also did some that were the traditional dark chocolate dip, with white chocolate drizzle. I had some leftover red melting chips too, from my Kaepcakes, that I melted down and drizzled as well for a pop of color. They came out gorgeous, and tasted as good as they looked. The strawberries were from California, and had wonderful flavor. We all enjoyed them for dessert last night, I took a few over to a girlfriend (my cupcake taste-tester, Jamie) to share, and have exactly 3 left – which I plan to enjoy for breakfast this morning!

If you need a last minute gift idea or dessert for your special someone – chocolate covered strawberries are the ticket. Can be made in under an hour, and they’re so special. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day – full of love!

Chocolate Covered “Tuxedo” Strawberries

12 medium fresh strawberries with stems
1 cup vanilla or white chips
3-1/2 teaspoons shortening, divided
1-1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Line a tray or baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Wash strawberries and pat until completely dry.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt vanilla chips and 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening at 70% power; stir until smooth. Dip each strawberry until two-thirds is coated, forming the tuxedo shirt, allowing excess to drip off. Place on prepared tray; chill for 30 minutes or until set.

Melt chocolate chips and remaining shortening. To form the tuxedo jacket, dip each side of berry into chocolate from the tip of the strawberry to the top of vanilla coating. Repeat on the other side, leaving a white V-shape in the center. Set remaining chocolate aside. Chill berries for 30 minutes or until set.

Remelt reserved chocolate if necessary. Using melted chocolate and a round pastry tip #2, pipe a bow tie at the top of the white V and three buttons down front of shirt (I actually just use a toothpick). Chill for 30 minutes or until set. Store in the refrigerator in a covered plastic container for up to 1 day.

Strawberries can also be dipped in the semi-sweet chocolate, let to set for 30 minutes, then drizzle with white chocolate (or any color melting chips) using a spoon. Let sit another 30 minutes before serving.

Source: Country Woman, July 1996

King Cake for Mardi Gras

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King Cake for Mardi GrasAs you guys are aware, I’m kind of a fan of all things Cajun. Even though I’ve never stepped foot in Cajun/Creole territory in my life – I can’t help but connect to the people, and their quirky ways. From the characters in stories that I’ve read, to the television shows I watch, to some of my favorite foods – I just can’t get enough. My mother in law lived just outside of Alexandria for a few years, and while it wasn’t technically Cajun country, she still found many of the traditions there. One of them was King Cake. She came to visit us around Mardi Gras time a couple of years ago, and brought a King Cake through airport security with her. This woman deserves a medal, no?

When we cut into it to enjoy a piece, I discovered it was very similar to a cinnamon roll. Yeasty bread, that’s been rolled with sweet filling composed of cinnamon-sugar and cream cheese. Then of course there’s the plastic baby that’s tucked inside. If you’re lucky enough to find it, that means you’re cooking the next King Cake! So, I’ve been baking one ever since. Jon actually found the baby in this cake that I baked for photos, but I’m not holding my breath for him to put on his baking mitts and apron. I found my tiny plastic babies in the cake decorating/baby shower aisle at Walmart, but really any trinket will work.

Then the cake is topped with a glaze and a festive, colorful dusting of sugar in the colors of Mardi Gras. I just went ahead and made my own too. At $4 a jar for fancy decorating sugar, granulated sugar + food coloring was sounding pretty good to me! Andrew loves to help me decorate with the sugar, and I love any opportunity that he can help me in the kitchen! This one will definitely be a tradition in our house for as long as my hands can roll up some dough. We love it, and it’s so special  to be able to bring a tradition from the bayous of Louisiana here to the marshes of coastal Maryland. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

King Cake for Mardi Gras

For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1 tsp salt
Oil or cooking spray, for coating bowl

For the cream cheese filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 rounded tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp melted butter

For the glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3-4 tsp water
Decorating sugar in yellow, purple and green

Add water and 1 Tbsp sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand for 5 minutes, until yeast bubbles and becomes active.

Add melted butter, egg, egg yolk, remaining sugar, 3 cups flour, and salt, and then turn the mixer to low. Add only enough extra flour to get the dough to clean the sides of the bowl but not come completely off the bottom – it should be only slightly sticky when you touch it.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. While dough is rising, make the filling.

Place cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times until the filling is thoroughly combined and smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times. Stretch to a rectangle about 18×12 and brush with 2 Tbsp melted butter, leaving top 1-inch dry. Using a small off-set spatula, spread the cream cheese filling over the dough evenly, leaving the top 1-inch dry.

Starting with the long side of the dough closest to you, roll jelly-roll style, pinching the last inch of the dough onto the roll and placing seam-down on a cookie-sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Pinch ends together to form a ring.

Place in oven, and bake for about 30 minutes, until nicely browned and domed. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and gradually add the water until you get a smooth and thick but scoopable glaze. Spoon glaze onto the top of the cooled cake, then decorate with colored sugar. If baking the cake in advance, wait to glaze and decorate until an hour or so before serving. Otherwise, you’ll get bleeding issues from the colored sugar.

Source: adapted from Erica’s King Cake, from Confections of a Foodie Bride