Pimento Cheese (Please): A Simple Sandwich

The first homemade pimento cheese I ever tasted was made by Mrs. Moore (the mother of my good friend Elizabeth).  At my house we always had some yummy pimento cheese in the fridge for cracker/celery snacks and sammies.  So it wasn’t unfamiliar to me but the concept of making it from scratch was-completely and totally.  Needless to say, I’ve been thinking about Mrs. Moore’s pimento cheese ever since; and it’s been just a few years (please let’s not go there).  Anywho, this simple and quick recipe is my ode to a fond memory and some rockin’ pimento cheese!!!

Ingredients

4C sharp cheddar shredded cheese
3Tbls minced pimento, drained
1Tbls fresh dill fronds, rough chop
2 ½ Tbls chive, minced
½ C mayonnaise 
1tsp-scant, cayenne powder
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Process

Place cheese, pimento, dill and chive in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  In another bowl, mix thoroughly 1/2C mayonnaise, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Add mayonnaise mixture to bowl with other ingredients.  Mix all ingredients until incorporated.  Place in a tightly sealed container and store in refrigerator.  Refrigerate for up to one week.

Yields:  up to 5 cups

For the sandwich

2 pieces of your favorite bread
1tsp of mayonnaise
½ C of pimento cheese

Process

Place 2 pieces of bread next to each other on a cutting board.  Spread half of the mayo on one slice and the rest on the other slice.  On one slice of bread dole out all pimento cheese and spread edge to edge evenly.  Place second piece of bread on top of other piece with spread pimento cheese.  Align both pieces of bread.  Evenly slice off each side of crust.  Set crusts aside. Slice crust-less sandwich in half then each half into triangles.  Place on a long platter and serve immediately.  
*note: crusts can be eaten as a snack & “tasters” (they will have some pimento cheese on them)

Yields:  1 whole sandwich, 2 halves or 4 quarters

Tips
* pimento cheese can be served on crackers, celery and anything else you love
* take pc out at least 10minutes before spreading or serving so that the cheese can warm for easier action

A Salad of Lettuces, Fennel, Radish with a Watermelon Juice Vinaigrette

Who knew I’d be testing a watermelon recipe in May!  I’m attending a writer’s retreat this weekend, http://www.eatwriteretreat.com, and was placed into a group of 4 women bloggers for a cooking competition.  Our task was to come up with recipes using sponsor ingredients; one of which is watermelon.  OMG! Watermelon in May you ask?  Well, we all went back and forth on the best way to utilize the watermelon especially since it is out-of-season. 
After some brainstorming, vigorous debate and the fact that I was the only one who could purchase watermelon at the market (living in Texas) I assumed the task of coming up with a recipe.  It’s a 3-stepper:  making watermelon juice,  a vinaigrette out of it & bringing the lettuces and vegetables together.  Here’s to a fabulous collaboration, winning the competition and having a super delicious summer salad to share in May.  Rockin’ it with watermelon!

Salad Ingredients

6C of baby lettuces 
2C of fresh fennel, shaved (whole bulb with fronds)
1C of fresh radishes, shaved
1C of fresh watermelon, minced-1/8"to 1/4” pieces
1/4 to 1/2C of Watermelon Vinaigrette
1/2C Insalate ricotta (optional)
1/4C of basil, julienne 
Fennel Flowers or yellow edible organic flowers

Process

Place lettuces in a medium size mixing bowl. Drizzle ¼ of the watermelon vinaigrette over lettuces and gently toss so that vinaigrette surrounds the leaves.  Place sliced fennel & radishes in a small bowl.  Drizzle 1/8C of the watermelon vinaigrette over the vegetables.  Toss lightly so that all the vegetables are covered with vinaigrette.  Add a drizzle more if necessary.  Place dressed lettuce leaves onto a serving platter.  Gently place dressed fennel/radishes on top of the lettuces.  Fluff so that the fennel/radish mixture does not press down on the lettuces too much.  Sprinkle insalate ricotta & basil across the top of salad.  Garnish with fennel flowers or organic flowers.  Serve immediately.

Watermelon Juice & Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

1/4C watermelon juice
1tsp honey balsamic
1/2C mild extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt & fresh ground Pepper
Place all ingredients into a 1-2C size container with lid.  Cap tightly and shake vigorously until liquids are incorporated.  Serve with lettuces of your choice.

For Watermelon Juice

Place watermelon in a blender. Puree watermelon until liquid. Pour watermelon juice through a medium sieve.  Pour first run sieved watermelon juice through a smaller sieve.  Skim foam off top of watermelon juice. Chill.  Juice can be kept for up to 3 days refrigerated or 1 month frozen.

Tips
*slice fennel & radish with a mandoline so that they are translucent
*place sliced fennel & radish in an ice bath to keep color, freshness & crisp
*using a seedless watermelon is always easier
* the smaller “personal” watermelons you can purchase in the stores now are a perfect size for this recipe (you’ll have only “some” left-over)

Presto! Snap! It's Pesto!

Basil was the theme of this past weekend’s garden harvest.  Piles of basil scented my kitchen while I hand-picked deep green leaves for their next journey to the table as…pesto.  This is a simple and quick recipe to use when you have a little basil that needs to be used.  Once done it can be frozen for future use.  And can be used for any variety of food stuffs.

Ingredients

6 C of fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1 ¼ C parmesan Reggiano 
¾ C toasted pine nuts
5 medium cloves of fresh garlic
2 Tbls of fresh lemon juice
½ to 1 tsp of kosher salt
¼ - ½ tsp of pepper
Up to 1 C of extra-virgin olive oil

Process 

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor.  Add ½ tsp of salt, ¼ tsp of pepper and ½ of the olive oil.  Process the ingredients on high until mostly blended.  Stop, remove top and scrape down the processor bowl.  Replace the top and continue blending until all ingredients are incorporated and texture is smooth.  Drizzle more olive oil in while processor is running if pesto looks dry and has not come into a completely smooth texture.  Taste.  Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Process to mix in salt and pepper if necessary. Stop processor, scrape pesto out of bowl into a non-reactive container, seal tightly and store in the refrigerator.  Pesto can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.  Otherwise, use immediately with cooked pasta (1lb of cooked pasta to up to 1C of pesto).  

Yields up to 2 1/2 Cups.

Tips & Permissions

*Pesto can be made with your favorite nut (always toasted). 
*The cheese in pesto can be replaced with Grana Pandano or Manchego.  
*Pesto can be frozen for up to 3 months in tightly sealed freezer bags.
*Pesto can be blended into cream cheese for a dip.

Trending Pickles: Watermelon Rinds

Please don’t say it!  Ok, I will…I’m trending now.  I am cringing as I say it but there it is.  And here is the one of the new trending foods: pickles.  A few years back a dear friend gave me her mother’s watermelon rind pickles as a housewarming gift.  Honestly, I thought it a little weird-watermelon rinds-pickled?  I have since been educated to the Southern history of the rind and thought I’d just try it out myself.  On my quest for the most fabulous pickled watermelon rind I took a look of several recipes.  There was much said about how to process the rind and other stuff.  Then I found a House & Garden recipe from 1962.  I stopped right there.  So giving credit where credit is due, of course, I did modify the recipe to meet the weight of the rind once cut.  Also, I added some extra spices to liven it up; and didn’t follow the traditional hot-bath jar process. Yes, it is a bit unconventional but yields a delicious “trendy” result – if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

4-6 C of pickling salt
6 pounds watermelon rind, with green skin & a little pink flesh
8.5 cups sugar
5 cups white vinegar
5 cups water
3 oranges, sliced very thinly
3 lemons, sliced very thinly
4 whole pieces of star anise

Pickling Spices & Fresh Ginger Root
5 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon cardamom seed pods, crushed
1” piece of fresh ginger, julienne

Process

Cut a watermelon as you would usually. Scrape off any pink flesh from rind. Cut rind (both green & white) into ¼ to 3/4” squares. The objective is to get the pieces as close to the same size as possible.  Place cut rind into a deep non-reactive container. Cover with cold water & add the salt (salt to water ration is: 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water).  Leave the rind in the salt water overnight.  The next day drain the rind & rinse with cool water. Place in a deep, non-reactive stock pot, cover with fresh water and cook 1/2 hour, or until just tender.  At this point the green skin may still be a little tough. That’s ok.  Drain rind again.  In same stock pot, stir together sugar, vinegar, water and fruit. 
Add all pickling spices and ginger root to the sugar mixture.  Begin to stir mixture thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring semi-consistently until the sugar dissolves. Add watermelon rind and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the rind is translucent and the juices syrupy. Ladle hot mixture into sterilized preserving jars.  Cover each jar and seal.

Sterilizing Jar for Refrigeration

Run jars and tops through the dishwasher at high heat.  Take out of dishwasher with a clean cloth.  
Try not to touch the parts of the jar and tops that will be in direct contact with the pickles.
Pour hot pickles into a jar leaving a 1” gap at the top. Repeat for each jar.
Secure lids on each jar and tighten firmly.
Let cool then place into the refrigerator immediately.
This process is for refrigeration storage only.

Tips & Permissions

1. It is OK to leave a little bit of the pink or yellow flesh on the rind.  In fact, if a little of the pink is left it becomes brighter & adds a little pop of color to the pickles.
2. Rind can be cut any size you want-really.  It is contingent of how much cutting you want to do, how big your jars are & just plain preference.
3. Non-Reactive means using a tool or pan that with not react with acids-no aluminum or uncoated iron.  Can use stainless steel, Pyrex (glass), coated metal.
4. If you do not like pickling spices in your pickles then place all spices in a cheesecloth bag.  Place in stockpot with all other pickling ingredients.
5. Please feel free to experiment with spices and herbs. In this recipe I used fennel seed which is unusual but adds a phenomenal flavor dynamic.  When trying out new spices and herbs always think about what works with the ingredient you are pickling.
6. I’ve always like to make my own spice combos.  That said, I think it’s important to know what a traditional pickling spice packet contains.  This is a general ingredient list for a traditional pickling spice packet: peppercorn, allspice, ginger (pwd), bay leaf, juniper berry, cardamom seed, dill seed, mace, coriander seed, mustard seed, cinnamon stick, cloves

Peach Tart - A Texas Hill Country Summer Dessert Recipe

Oh the blessing’s of a Texas summer!! Thanks to my fab neighbors & a very wet spring, there were piles upon piles of sweet baby peaches to be had; right here in my hill country hood. These luscious tarts were made for a Chardonnay tasting I catered last week.

The recipe seems lengthy but is really quite simple just a few steps; plus you can buy your tart shells at your local gourmet market. Yip!

For the Peaches

3 medium size peaches, halved/pitted 1tsp white or brown sugar ½ tsp salt 1tsp extra virgin olive oil for the honey cream 2 8-ounces cream cheese, room temperature 6 ounces of golden honey Pinch of salt (optional) 1 package small to medium tart shells (a package of 12 works great for size) ½ jar of peach preserve peach prep.
Place prepped peaches into a medium size bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the peaches and mix so that the oil surrounds the peach halves entirely. Evenly sprinkle salt and sugar over peach halves. Heat a grill pan to high. Place peaches flesh side down, turn heat down to medium and cook until flesh becomes somewhat soft; about 2 minutes. Turn peaches over and cook until just soft. Peaches should be slightly charred and soft to touch but not falling apart. Take off heat and set aside on a sheet pan or tray. Cool completely. Once cool, slice the peach ½’s into ¼’s then 1/8’s then 1/16’s. These slices should be pliable but not falling apart. Set aside.

Honey Cream Prep

Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix on medium with a paddle implement until smooth. Add honey while continuing to mix. Stop mixing and scrape down bowl. Continue to mix until all honey has been poured. Scrape down sides and place in a container that has an airtight seal. Set aside. tart shell prep Unwrap tart shells and line them up. Place up to 2 TBSP of honey cream into each shell. Spread honey cream evenly inside the shell with an offset spatula. putting tart together Place peach slices on top of the cream beginning from the inside outer edge of the tart circle.
Continue this process working from the outer edge in – overlapping the peach slices slightly until you come to the center. Take a small piece of peach or cut a small piece and fill in the center. It will eventually look like a peach rose. Set aside. glaze prep In a non-reactive saucepan, over low-heat, heat peach marmalade until just soft. Take off heat. With a wide brush – pastry brush, dip in marmalade, brush off excess on side of pan and gently brush over the peaches on each tart. Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate tarts until needed. Take out up to an hour before serving and bring to room temperature.

Serve as is or with freshly whipped cream topping…maybe a little fresh mint from the garden. Eat with pleasure. Serves 8-12.