Sweet Potato Fries and Dip

I LOVE sweet potato fries and never pass up an opportunity to try them out if we are out at a restaurant because surprisingly, they always taste different. My favorite part is the dipping sauce(s) that accompany these fries. The best dipping sauces I have tried are served at Bar Cento in Ohio City in Cleveland, Ohio. Sadly, I don't think I will make it back there any time soon. For a few years now I have been trying to find the perfect dip recipe to make at home to accompany the sweet potato fries that we grill or roast in the oven. Finally, last night I hit the jackpot. This sauce was amazing!


Avocado Dip:

* 1 avocado
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 1/3 cup cream cheese
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
* 2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
* 1 lime, juiced
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2007

Greek Pasta Salad

We are moving! In anticipation of the big packing and moving day I am trying to prepare foods using the ingredients we already have stocked in our cupboard or refrigerator.... Luckily I have been craving this staple of the 1980's for the last few months and we had most of the ingredients available. The only substitution I made was to prepare the salad with prosciutto instead of pepperoni!


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
* 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
* 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
* 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives
* 3/4 cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper, and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, green onions, olives, and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover, and chill 2 hours or overnight.

Edamame with cranberries, feta & basil

We had this salad at a friends' house a few months back and I have been craving it for the last few days since I found a bag of edamame way in the back of my freezer. It is simple, healthy and oh so delicious!

Ingredients

1 16-oz bag frozen, shelled edamame
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (sliced into thin strips)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat feta crumbles
Salt to taste

Directions
Bring small pan of water to boil and remove from heat. Put cranberries in water and let sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate. Drain well, removing as much water as possible (I squeeze lightly in paper towels) and set aside.

Cook edamame in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry.

Toss edamame, cranberries, basil, olive oil and pepper together. Add salt, if desired. Gently stir in feta cheese. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 4.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Flank Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash with Aleppo Pepper Aioli

With only a week to go until our induction Mr. E. decided to go all out with a steak dinner--this meal was delicious and definitely one we will be making again... The aioli would be the perfect accompaniment for sweet potato fries and I have been on the hunt for a good sweet potato fry aioli for awhile!

Ingredients
AIOLI

* 2 garlic cloves, pressed
* 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (see note at the bottom)
* 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon Sherry wine vinegar

steak

* 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
* 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
* 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 1 1/2- to 2-pound flank steak
* 1/2 lemon
* 8 baby artichokes, stems trimmed (we used one can of baby artichokes since we did not have access to fresh nor the time!)
* 1 1/4 pounds unpeeled small yellow potatoes (such as baby Dutch or Russian Banana)
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation
aioli

* Mash garlic, Aleppo pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt to paste in mortar with pestle or in small bowl with back of spoon. Whisk in remaining ingredients. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

STEAK

* Mix thyme, Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture into steak; set aside. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

* Squeeze juice from lemon half into medium bowl of water. Cut 1/2 inch from tops of artichokes. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, break off dark outer leaves until only pale yellow leaves remain. Cut artichokes lengthwise in half; cut each half into 1/2-inch wedges. Place in lemon water to prevent browning.

* Place potatoes in heavy large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover; sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-high and boil until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Halve or quarter potatoes.

* Drain artichokes; pat to dry well, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichokes and sauté until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Cover skillet and simmer over medium heat until artichokes are tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and boil until no liquid remains, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and potatoes; stir to coat. Add cream and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are heated through and browned in spots, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Season hash to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

*Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat peanut oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add steak and cook until bottom is brown, about 2 minutes. Turn steak over; transfer to oven and roast until cooked to desired doneness, about 7 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface; tent with foil to keep warm. Let rest 10 minutes.

*Meanwhile, rewarm artichoke-potato hash gently over medium heat. Stir in chopped chives. Thinly slice steak crosswise. Divide steak and hash among plates. Drizzle some aioli over steak. Serve, passing remaining aioli alongside.

**We did not have aleppo pepper seasoning so Mr. E. found this website to be helpful http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/280141*

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

For Christina's birthday we went to a local Hibachi restaurant not only for the food, but also for the show! We had a great time and Brett took home the longest Saki shot award with 42 seconds! We concluded the evening with these yummy cupcakes--very Hibachi right?

Ingredients
cupcakes

* 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg yolk

frosting

* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
* Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

Preparation
CUPCAKES

* Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.
* Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).
* Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING

*Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

www.bonappetit.com

White Chocolate Banana Tart with Caramel Sauce

During my parents visit this weekend (last visit before Baby E's arrival!) I had two dishes that I would put on my "top ten" lists and I actually have one of the recipes! Unfortunately, the other one was the "Porky" sandwich at Bar Symon in Avon Lake with homemade chips... I don't have that recipe which is just another excuse to head over to Bar Symon again the future!
However, the dessert I made for my parents was a recreation of a dessert that my friends in Oberlin and I made at our Viking Cooking School class back in February. It was delicious back then but even more delicious eating it at home because I had produced this result all by myself. This recipe was time-consuming but believe me, it was well worth the effort (I know, I know... the picture does not do this tart justice!). Yum!

Crust
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground macadamia nuts
pinch of fine salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Custard
2 T all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch fine salt
3 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk (I used 2% instead and it was just as tasty)
1/2 T vanilla extract
1 T cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
3 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

Bananas
3-4 medium bananas, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonla
3-4 T sugar for glazing bananas

Rum Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
2 T rum
4 T unsalted butter cut into 4-6 pieces

Meringue
6 large egg whites brought to room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups sugar

Preparation

1. For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cracker crumbs, macadamia nuts and salt in a medium mixing bowl; stir the crumb mixture to incorporate. Press into a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan, then bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. For the custard: whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks (save the whites from these eggs to be used in the meringue) and whisk to combine.

3. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper, whisking constantly to combine.

4. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan then place over medium-high heat; bring the mixture to the boil, whisking constantly and vigorously until thickened and pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Whisk the vanilla, butter, and white chocolate into the custard until completely smooth. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and cool quickly in an ice water bath (I made things easier by placing the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes). Fill the cooled pie shell with the cooled filling.

6. For the bananas: if you have a torch you can sprinkle them with sugar and torch them until amber but if you are like most people (aka without a kitchen torch) you can place the slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and place under the oven broiler for about 2 minutes until golden. Watch closely so they don't burn!

7. For the caramel sauce (can be made a day ahead of time): Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly bring to a simmer, swirling to dissolve the sugar, about 6 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high, cover and cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, uncover and swirl the pan from time to time to distribute the heat evenly. DO NOT STIR. Cook until the sugar is medium dark amber in color. Carefully whisk in the cream and run. Do not panic if the sauce begins to clump; just continue whisking constantly and vigorously until completely smooth, then whisk in the butter. Cool to room temperature.

8. For the meringue: beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks just begin to form. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the sugar dissolves and the medium shiny peaks form. Do not overmix or it will be dry and lumpy.

9. Spread the meringue evenly over the top of the custard with a spatula; seal the meringue to the crust all the way around to prevent meringue shrinkage. Create soft peaks with a spoon, then use a torch to lightly brown the meringue (or place under a broiler for a few minutes until brown but watch closely). Serve immediately.

*one additional alteration I made to the recipe was to double the filling. I had the extra milk and white chocolate and 2 cups of custard in the center of the tart seemed like it was worth the extra effort. *
www.vikinggrangecorporation.com

Fish and Chips with Tarragon-Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise

Mr. E. made a meal this evening in honor of my friend on the other side of the pond! I was a bit doubtful about how this would actually turn out because how, honestly, how realistic is it to imagine he could make fish and chips that taste just like they would at a stand in England? He proved me wrong and this dinner was amazing!

Ingredients
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
* 1 tablespoon malt vinegar or cider vinegar
* 1 cup self-rising flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
* 1 1/4 cups lager beer
* Vegetable oil (for frying)
* 1 1/2 pounds halibut fillets, cut crosswise into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices
* 3 (8- to 10-ounce) red-skinned potatoes or russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Preparation

Whisk mayonnaise, tarragon, and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk flour and Old Bay seasoning in medium bowl to blend. Add beer and whisk just until blended. Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch; heat oil to 350°F. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Working in batches, dip fish into beer batter to coat lightly, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl. Add fish to hot oil and fry until deep golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to paper towels to drain. Working in batches, add potato slices to oil and cook until golden and tender, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle generously with salt.

Divide fish and chips among 4 plates. Spoon tarragon-malt vinegar mayonnaise alongside and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fish-and-Chips-with-Tarragon-Malt-Vinegar-Mayonnaise-238551#ixzz0ilXLkFW0