Skip to content

Archive for

Jun 28

67 Comments

Yogurt And Fruit Popsicles With A Hint Of Elderflower And A Supermarket Find

Popsicles

Popsicles

A few years ago I went to a friends house for brunch, she served the most delicious fruit salad, it was on my mind the other day, the salad was comprised of primarily dark fruits, blackberries, red grapes and blueberries, the fruit macerated in brown sugar and when the sugar is dissolved and the fruit has given off some of its juices you add creme fraiche or sour cream. This is a delicious fruit salad and has always been one of my favorites. I thought it would be wonderful frozen. No real recipe is needed for this, you can make according to taste adding the amount of sugar and optional elderflower you like.

Belvoir beverages

Belvoir beverages

I went to the supermarket the other day to pick up a few items and I’m always on the lookout for something that catches my eye, might be a tad bit unusual and has to potential to be delicious. I was immediately drawn to these little bottles, the flavors are unusual and I of course had to buy each flavor available. I used the elderflower water in the popsicles and will soon try the others. I am particularly intrigued by the elderflower rose, I love that these are really pushing the limits of the average tastebuds and catering to people who might like something different. The good people at Belvoir have no idea I am blogging about their product and I am simply passing on what I think is a great product worth trying if you happen to see it.

The Popsicle

1 cup blackberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup red seedless grapes

1 blood plum peeled and diced

2 tbs organic sugar

2 tbs demerara or brown sugar

3 tbs elderflower water ( I found this in the store but you can make your own) OPTIONAL

1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla full fat yogurt, gently sweetened.

Mix fruit and sugars in a bowl and allow to macerate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, spoon fruit in popsicle mold, mix yogurt with fruit juices and pour over fruit into mold. Freeze overnight.

Jun 27

73 Comments

Orecchiette With Pancetta And Broccoli Rabe For Fiesta Friday #22

Pasta Heaven

Pasta Heaven

A simple rustic dish, no recipe required for FF#22. I love pasta, and orecchiette is one of my favorites. broccoli rabe is wonderful with it’s slightly bitter taste and when sauteed in garlic and pancetta it’s absolutely delicious. This weeks Fiesta Friday brings us an encore performance co hosting from Elaine@foodbod and also Prudy@butter,basil and breadcrumbs and as always Angie@The Novice Gardener is keeping a watchful eye out for all of us. This dish still tastes great at room temperature so it’s perfect for a buffet.

All you need is:

1 bunch fresh broccoli rabe, cleaned and thick stems cut off

2 thick slices pancetta chopped into bite size pieces

garlic 2 cloves sliced thinly

crushed red pepper flakes a generous pinch

orecchiette

Olive oil

salt and pepper

parmigiano and/or romano for grating

Steam the cleaned broccoli rabe until tender, set aside. Put large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. In large skillet add some olive oil, when hot add the pancetta, when it starts to lightly brown add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Now add the broccoli rabe and cook until tender and each piece is coated with the garlic and oil. Set heat to low and cook the pasta, when al dente, turn heat up to high and add the drained pasta to the broccoli and pancetta, saute turning until each is coated with the oil, add a little pasta water and let cook until water is gone. Place in serving bowl and grate some cheese on top.

 

 

YUM

YUM

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

Jun 26

66 Comments

Coco Lime Slushy – I’m A Whole Foods Finalist!!

Cubes

Cubes

Sorry I am doing this twice, wordpress totally messed up this post back dating it and when I tried to correct it, I kept getting error  messages so I am doing it again, sorry for the redundancy!!

This is one of my favorite summer drinks, I posted it a few years ago and it’s such a great drink I decided to resurrect it.  It’s cold and refreshing, creamy and delicious. I make it with more lime than pineapple and use unsweetened coconut milk and lime simple syrup so that I can control the sweetness. I also do not use crushed ice I find it waters it down so instead I freeze the coconut lime mixture in an ice cube tray. The cubes are solid but easy to break up in the blender.  You can add as much rum as you like or make it virgin, it’s equally as delicious. One other cool thing about this drink is that because the drink base is frozen in ice cube trays you can make 1 or more and leave the rest in the freezer for use later on. Remove the cubes place in freezer bag and store in the freezer. I love making multiple batches so I always have some of the cubes on hand.

I entered this recipe in a whole foods contest for Best Drink for a Crowd and I was lucky enough to be picked as a finalist. If you don’t mind voting for my recipe I would be very grateful!! Thank you everyone. http://boulder.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/contests

Lime Simple Syrup:

1 Lime peel removed (Use the peeled lime for the drink base)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water
In saucepan add sugar and water, bring to a boil let boil for approximately 2 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved take off heat, add lime peel. Cover and let sit until cool. Remove the lime peel. Store in jar in refrigerator. You can easily double this to make more simple syrup.

Remove all the pith

Remove all the pith

Pour into ice cube tray, makes exactly 16 cubes

Pour into ice cube tray, makes exactly 16 cubes

The Drink Base:

1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 Lime peeled and all of the pith removed and quartered (Use the lime you used for the simple syrup)

4-6 tablespoons lime simple syrup (Make it as sweet as you like)

2 -3 ounces Pineapple juice (unsweetened) Start with two and if you need a little more liquid to break up cubes in blender add another ounce.

1 ounce Rum (Add more if you like it stronger)

To your food processor add the quartered lime and coconut milk. Process until lime is pulverized. Strain into measuring cup. Add 4-6 tbs of the lime simple syrup. (Adjust the sweetness to suite your taste. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze.
When coconut lime is frozen remove from ice cube tray, place in blender (depending on the proficiency of your blender you may want to break up the cubes) add pineapple juice and rum and blend until the cubes are broken up and it’s a slushy consistency. Pour and serve. Garnish with lime and pineapple.

Coco-Lime Slushy

Coco-Lime Slushy

 

Jun 24

90 Comments

Caramel Fudge Swirl Ice Cream

Caramel fudge swirl

Caramel fudge swirl

I make ice cream every week and have fun dreaming up great flavors, I really hope you are not thinking oh no, not another ice cream post. I am a big fan of caramel and chocolate so combining them into a creamy, dreamy buttery  ice cream was exactly what I wanted. I started out by making caramel,  http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/01/how-to-make-the/, it’s easy and really good. I made caramel sauce not the candy, adding butter and cream. The chocolate swirl recipe is also David Lebovitz and it’s perfect, I had doubts, shouldn’t have, but I did. It’s quite thin and I thought how will this work so that it looks like chocolate swirls in the ice cream. I didn’t use as much chocolate as I should have and now I wish I had added more. It really does work, don’t worry if the chocolate is a little thin. As the recipe states use very cold, it does thicken up and when layered with the ice cream it’s perfection.

 

Chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate Swirl or Ripple

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
6 tablespoons (50 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.
Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.
Mixing It InThe Fudge Ripple should be thoroughly chilled, as it’s easiest to use when very cold. Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some of the Fudge Ripple onto the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of ice cream. Avoid stirring the Fudge Ripple, as it will make the ice cream muddy looking.

Caramel Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk or half and half

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup caramel (see recipe link)

pinch sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat cream and milk, sugar and salt in sauce pan until scalding and sugar is melted. Whisk egg yolks and caramel sauce together until combined. Slowly pour hot cream/milk into egg yolk /caramel mixture whisking constantly. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over med heat until it thickens and coats the back of wooden spoon. You know it’s done when you swipe your finger on the back of the spoon and it leaves a line intact. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour into heat proof bowl, cover with plastic wrap that sits directly on top of the custard and refrigerate over night or at least 6 hours. It should be very cold.

Ice Cream

Ice Cream

Jun 20

92 Comments

Sri Lankan Curry Chicken Kebabs for Fiesta Friday #21

Chicken kebab

Chicken kebab

Almost a year ago I had a pot luck here at my house for a group of great cooks that I know from Food 52 and some from blogs I follow. One of the incredible cooks is Queen Sashy her blog is Three Little Halves, if you haven’t seen it you should take a look it’s incredible, the recipes, the photography the writing, no wonder it has been nominated and given awards, Just beautiful!!  So she brought  me a bottle of her own homemade spice blend, Sri Lankan Roasted Curry powder. It’s is fragrant and incredibly delicious. I put it in my spice cabinet and forgot about it, until today. I wanted to bring something to the party that is easy to eat, not messy, yet very tasty. so kebab is a great choice. I marinated chunks of chicken in greek yogurt, salt, pepper, the curry,garlic, ginger, lime juice and lime zest.

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

Back to the party, every Friday we all get together for a fabulous food fest the AHMAZING Angie @The Novice Gardener as always is our fearless and fierce leader. This weeks festivities are co hosted by Elaine@foodbod and Julianna@foodie on board. Both a lot of fun, accomplished cooks and I for one am very excited that they are hosting this week. If you want to join Fiesta Fridays don’t hesitate, do it, just click on the link in this paragraph for Angie the Novice Gardener.

Sri Lankan Curry Chicken Kebabs

1 1/2 lb chicken cut into bite size pieces

1 cup greek yogurt unflavored

juice of 1 lime

zest of 1/2 lime

2 heaping tsp Sri Lankan roasted curry powder or your favorite curry

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp fresh ginger grated

salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything but the chicken in a bowl, add the chicken and toss to make sure each piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, skewer pieces of chicken scraping most of the yogurt marinade off, you can grill on the stovetop or outside on your grill. I found it took approximately 10 minutes for them to cook through I turned to make sure all sides were evenly browned. Sprinkle with sumac before serving if you like and have on hand,  also a squeeze of fresh lime is delicious.

You can eat this with rice, on it’s own with salad or on flat bread with yogurt and mint.

Kebab on flatbread

Kebab on flatbread

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

 

Jun 19

72 Comments

A Guest Post, Light French Crepes

 

Crepes Suzette courtesy Elsa La Pintade Aixouse

Crepes Suzette courtesy Elsa La Pintade Aixouse

This beautiful recipe comes all the way from France from the beautiful Elsa of La Pintade Aixoise.  Now anyone who has read my blog on a fairly consistent basis knows I am a big fan of Julia child. I have used her recipe for crepes for much longer than I care to admit and it’s perfect, I love it, but I am always excited to try a new recipe especially one that is “light. Elsa’s crepes contain no butter in the batter and I was skeptical but you know what, it really produces a wonderfully light crepe. Who knew. I always trust the French when it comes to the culinary arts, they know their stuff.  This post was actually supposed to be a part of my basics series a few months ago but Elsa had a baby and was away from blogging for a while.  I am so happy she is back and posting again. I do love her blog, there are several fantastic blogs that I follow from France and they are all amazing. Look at her post for the classic Crepe Suzette or her gorgeous Macaron or her Apple Cardamom Tarts

I had to try her recipe and it was easy to make and the crepes are perfect. Be sure to let your batter sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Have melted butter and brush ready to brush onto your crepe pan and make sure the pan is hot enough before adding the batter and swirl and swirl so that you have a thin coating on the entire pan. It’s really easy and crepes are always impressive and I love that they can be breakfast or an elegant dinner or dessert. The recipe makes a lot of crepes, I like to freeze them with a sheet of parchment in between each crepe and slipped into a ziplock bag.  Remove what you need let come to room temperature and heat in the oven or quickly in a fry pan.

Breakfast crepes

Breakfast crepes

Light french crêpes

Unlike pancakes, the french crêpes are very thin. The light can be seen through.
For 20 items of 8 inches diameter :

Pastry flour: 8.8 ounce
Salt: 2 pinch
Eggs: 4 large
Half fat milk: 2 US cups
+
A flavor of your choice:
1tsp of rhum or triple sec (orange alcool),
1tsp of orange flower water,
1 packet of vanilla sugar,
a grated citrus peel…
+
Butter or shortening for cooking

Pour pastry flour and salt in a bowl. Dig a well and put eggs into it.
Stir with a whisk. Keep carefully stirring in the center of the bowl, flour and eggs will stir together and lumps will be avoided.

Add 1/3 milk and the flavor of your choice, keep stirring at the center. Then add little by little the rest of the milk till the batter be completely homogeneous.
Whisk firmly two or three time perfectly scrubbing the edges of the bowl.Let the batter rest during an hour before cooking.

Stir the batter.
In a hot 8 inches diameter frying pan, let melt a 1/2 tsp of butter and drop the excendent with absorbing paper. Stir on the frying pan a 1/4 cup of the batter.
Turn quickly the frying pan to spread the batter very thinly all over it.
When edges of the crêpe get golden and move away from the frying pan, flip the crêpe with a wooden spatula and get the other side golden.

Jun 18

70 Comments

Campari,Lemon,Lime Sorbet

Lemon Lime Campari sorbet

Lemon Lime Campari sorbet

It’s hot in NYC, and I felt compelled to offer another frozen confection for an adult audience. Campari and soda with lime is one of my favorite drinks, I like it ice cold. The campari is a little bitter with herbal undertones and when mixed with sparkling water and lime it’s such a refreshing and delicious drink. While enjoying one I thought that it would make a fantastic sorbet and the sorbet would make a great drink, a very adult float. I posted this recipe about 2 years ago, it’s wonderful and perfect for hot summer weather so I thought I would share it with you again.

You can make it however you like it, all limes, all lemons, mix them, sweeten to your taste. There is no real recipe here but the one thing you have to be careful of is how much Campari you add, because it’s alcohol it doesn’t freeze hard, I found that 1/2 cup will freeze but it takes longer than regular ice cream or sorbet, so be patient. Make sure you get the base really cold. I put it in the freezer about an hour before I am going to put in the ice cream maker. Hey, if you don’t have an ice cream maker make it into a granita. Anyway you have it, it’s delicious!! Unless you don’t like Campari of course.

The Base

Serves 6 or more depending on serving size

1 1/4 cup Juice from freshly sqeezed lemons and limes you can decide the ratio as long as it equals 1 1/4 cups I used 4 limes 3 lemons

1 cup water

1 1/2 cup super fine sugar

1/2 cup Campari
Combine the juice of the lemons and limes, super fine sugar, water and campari mix until the sugar is disolved. Place in the refrigerator to chill, should be very cold. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn away.When the sorbet is thick and the consitency of a slurpee pour into a freezer container. Its best to freeze over night or until it is scoopable. Note: You can also use simple syrup, for this batch I used lime simple syrup adding a little super fine sugar to taste.

If you want to make a float simply add two or three scoops to icy cold sparkling water. Refreshing!!

Campari sorbet and soda

Campari sorbet and soda

Jun 15

97 Comments

Chai Honey Pecan Ice Cream

YUMMY

YUMMY

The good people at Calmer Sutra Tea were kind enough to send me a jar of their Hiranya Chai Spiced Honey after seeing my post on granola that was made with their delicious ginger infused honey. I have become a big fan of the company and I have Mary Frances from Mary’s Secret Ingredient to thank for that. She sent the jar of honey in my box of goodies along with their tea. It was love at first bite for me and now I am hooked on their delicious products. They did not ask me to create a recipe but how could I not after tasting this amazing honey. It’s summer in the US (finally) and my thoughts turn to ice cream. I also think this would be delicious made with coconut milk also for my vegan and lactose intolerant friends.

The ice cream is made with chai honey and organic sugar using my basic recipe for custard. I thought well, chai honey ice cream would be amazing but why not add some pecans, but not just any pecans. I coated them with butter and chai honey and toasted them in the oven. The fragrance is intoxicating. Honestly, if you want a great snack make a big batch of these nuts and put them out, I guarantee you and your family or guests will love them. You can’t eat just one!! The ice cream is creamy with a hint of chai spice and honey and absolutely wonderful with the pecans. Serve on it’s own or I think it would be amazing on a warm slice of apple pie. I am a big fan of their  products, the tea is incredible and well, you know what I think of the honey. The flavor is intense, absolutely natural and the quality is excellent. I highly recommend you give their products a try. Full Disclosure: I was sent a jar of the honey from Calmer Sutra but the opinion is totally my own!!!

Chai Honey Pecans

Chai Honey Pecans

Chai honey buttered pecans

3/4 cup pecans

1 tbs salted butter

1 tbs Calmer Sutra chai honey

Pre heat oven to 300. Melt the butter (I used the microwave) place pecans, melted butter and chai honey in bowl and mix, make sure each nut is covered in the honey and butter. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and toast in oven for 15- 20 minutes. Let cool, break apart and give a rough chop and set aside. Important: I toast the nuts on low heat, first time I did it the oven was too hot and the honey burned. I found 300 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes is perfect. 

The Custard Base

5 egg yolks

1/1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk or half and half

3 tbs Calmer Sutra Chai Honey

1/4 cup organic sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pour the cream, honey, sugar and salt into a medium sauce pan and bring to scalding. Beat egg yolks until thick and creamy and lighter in color. Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding the hot milk whisking while adding. When you have added half pour back into the pot with the rest of the milk and cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon and when you swipe your finger it makes a line that stays intact. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into a bowl or large glass measuring cup, place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and let come to room temperature. Now refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight preferably. NOTE: You may notice I use a small amount of the honey both in the nuts and custard well, thats all you need, the honey is intensely spiced, it’s wonderfully assertive so a little goes a long way.

To make the Ice Cream

Follow manufacturers instructions for your ice cream maker, when the consistency of soft serve add the nuts and spoon into freezer container. Freeze for 4-6 hours or until it is scoopable.  Enjoy!!

Ready to freeze

Ready to freeze

Calmer Sutra Honey

Calmer Sutra Honey

Jun 13

103 Comments

An Ice Cream Cake For Fiesta Friday #20

Ice cream cake

Ice cream cake

This is a very special Fiesta Friday for me, not only am I making one of my favorite cakes to bring to the party but I am also co -hosting this affair. I am very excited that Angie@the novice gardener asked me to officiate Fiesta Friday #20 with the wonderful, talented and totally awesome Fae @fae’s twist and tango. I am honored to co host with Fae, one of my culinary,blogging idols. So for this auspicious occasion I say, “let them eat cake” ice cream cake that is. I made a wonderful chocolate sponge, some homemade caramelized white chocolate ice cream and I bought some toasted almond gelato. This is served with a homemade kahlua fudge sauce. I had a bit of a disaster, I tried to move the cake before it was completely cooled and it broke. Therefore you can see from the photo the Frankenstein effect, I had to piece it together in the pan I used for a mold. It doesn’t matter really because it’s delicious anyway and when covered with fudge sauce hopefully no one will notice.

I have to say again how thrilled I am to have been asked to host this party, Fiesta Friday is a blast, I am officially inviting ALL OF YOU to participate, visit The Novice Gardener (link is in the first paragraph) sign up, it’s not work its fun. Hope to see you all at the next party.

Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream:

A Recipe by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart

Note:Make sure the caramelized white chocolate is warm when you mix it with the cream. You can reheat it in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on low power, stirring until smooth.

8 ounces (240g) caramelized white chocolate

1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

2 cups (500ml) whole milk

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

5 large egg yolks

1. Mix the warm caramelized white chocolate in a large bowl with the heavy cream, and set a mesh strainer over the top.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in half of the warm milk, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof utensil, until the mixture thickens and coats the utensil.

5. Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the white chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Put the bowl in an ice bath, and stir until cool.

6. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is the best ice cream I think I have ever had, it’s so creamy and the perfect consistency, thank you Mr, Lebovitz for a wonderful recipe.

Note: In step one I deviated slightly, I heated the cream in the microwave to warm it for 30 seconds, I then added the chocolate and put it back in the microwave for another 20 seconds. It melted the chocolate and made a ganache. It was easier to combine with the custard when it was already melted.

The Cake:

1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Note: I find the amount of batter varies every time I make this, I never like to fill the pan to the rim, it’s better to leave a small space so the cake can rise. If you have leftover batter make a few cupcakes.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Place milk and butter in glass measuring cup and microwave for 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Using stand mixer with wire whisk or electric mixer whip the eggs and sugar on med/high for approximately 8 minutes or until the mixture is pale yellow, tripled in volume and thick, with the machine running slowly add the heated milk and buter. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Fold into the egg mixture, there should be no lumps. Fold in the vanilla. Grease a 1/2 sheet pan, lay parchment sheet and grease the parchment, and sprinkle with sugar. Pour batter into the pan, spread so that it is evenly distributed and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes in the pan run a knife around the edges to loosen then invert onto wire rack, remove parchment and let cool completely.

Assembling the Ice Cream Cake:

I used a 10 inch loaf pan, lined with plastic wrap. Cut the sheet cake to the size of the loaf pan, you will need 3 pieces. Lay first piece in bottom of the loaf pan, spread softened ice cream. Add another layer of cake, spread with more ice cream, finish with a layer of cake, cover completely with plastic wrap and put in freezer for at least 4-6 hours but it’s better over night. To unmold simply very gently pull the plastic wrap over hang loosening the cake, unwrap, slice and serve.

Kahlua Fudge Sauce

4 ounces dark chocolate broken into small pieces
1/4 cup +2 tbs heavy cream
1 tablespoon kahlua liquor (optional) you can just add some vanilla extract
Heat milk until scalding, add chocolate  to hot cream, let sit for approximately 5 minutes, stir until smooth and add the kahlua. Let cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. NOTE: I like to drizzle on the cake while its still warm!!

 

Jun 6

118 Comments

Chinese Spare Ribs For Fiesta Friday #19

 

Chinese Ribs

Chinese Ribs

I love ribs, and really love the ribs you get in Chinese restaurants, they are sticky and a little sweet and tender, so delicious. I found this recipe on Martha Stewarts site. They are so easy to make,the  sauce is amazing and this recipe produces some exceptional ribs. I roasted the ribs for about 4 hours on 300, rather than a couple of hours at 325 degree’s simply because I had things to do and just left in the oven while I ran around.

So my offering for Fiesta Friday #19 is Chinese Ribs, serve with some of that delicious slaw thats here at the party. Our co hosts this week are Prudy@butter basil breadcrumbs and Sue@birgerbird and overseeing all of the party animals is the lovely and talented Angie@the novice gardener. I can’t wait to dig into everything that everyone brought.

Chinese-Style Spare Ribs

http://www.marthastewart.com/349642/chinese-style-spare-ribs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Serves 6
Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oelek or other spicy chili sauce
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

I changed the recipe just a bit, I like a little sweetness. I added a tbs (not packed) of dark brown sugar and 1 tbs of the Calmer Sutra Ginger honey. I would have added 2 tbs but thats all I had left. I did not have malt vinegar so used apple cider vinegar.

1 rack pork spare ribs, cut into thirds lengthwise
Coarse salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a food processor, pulse ketchup, hoisin, sambal oelek, vinegar, scallions, and ginger until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Season ribs with salt and coat both sides with sauce. Roast, bone side down, until ribs are tender but not falling off the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cut into single ribs and serve with slaw.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday