St. Francis Inn Pear Custard Pie

We may be thinking of fall and Halloween but Inn and B and B owners are lining up their treats for Christmas.

St. Francis Inn, St. Augustine, FL.

In St. Augustine, Florida, the nation's oldest city, the historic  St. Francis Inn (circa 1791) is gearing up for its 12 Days of Christmas tradition, a dessert for every verse of the popular carol.

Janice Leary.

Chef Janice Leary, who prepares the daily Southern breakfasts, catered events and sweet treats, has her dishes in a row, from the partridge in a pear tree to all of those drummers drumming.

With pears lusciously in season, we're sticking to tradition and starting with Pear Custard Pie.

I think it works as well for fall.

St. Francis Inn Pear Custard Pie

Streusel
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 TBS. butter or margarine, softened

Pie
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 TBS. butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
3 medium fresh pears, peeled, sliced (about 3 cups)


Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup Bisquick mix, the oats, brown sugar and nutmeg. Cut in 1 TBS. butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Set aside.

In small bowl, stir 1/2 cup Bisquick mix, the oats, brown sugar and nutmeg. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter, using pastry blender (or puling 2 table knives though ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly. Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir all pie ingredients except pears with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plate. Arrange pears evenly over top.

Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle streusel over pie. Bake 12 to 15 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator.

St. Francis Inn's German Chocolate Cake

St. Francis Inn

'Tis the season to indulge and this recipe for German Chocolate Cake fits the trend. It comes from Margaret and Joe Finnegan, innkeepers of St. Francis Inn in St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city.

St. Francis Inn's German Chocolate Cake

Cake
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 TBS. plus 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease and flour 2 9-inch round pans.

Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.

Pour batter into prepared pans, bake for 20-35 minutes, until set.  Let cool on wire racks.


Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup of white sugar
3 egg yolks (mixed with one tsp of water)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine milk, sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla in a sauce pan, bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Boil for about 5 minutes, remove from heat them mix in the coconut and pecans.

Spread on top of cake.

Dennis Chan's Hip Asian Comfort Food, part 2

Chef Dennis Chan watches over foodies more accustomed to eating, photographing and reporting than cooking.

Last week, I shared the first part of Chef Dennis Chan's do-some-of-it-yourself dinner for food writers. Now it's on to the main dish and dessert.

Dennis, owner of Blue Bamboo Restaurant in Jacksonville, FL, and author of Hip Asian Comfort Food, showed everyone how much fun cooking his way could be.

Sophie stirs while her mother, Belinda Hulin Crissman, holds.

Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry was so easy even a child could do it; Sophie, daughter of food writer ( Roux Memories, A Cajun-Creole Love Story with Recipes) Belinda Hulin, did.

Here's the recipe.

Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

 Makes three generous servings, four or five if one of a multi-course Asian-style dinner).

2 TBS. oil
8 (that is not a typo!) cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 lb. chicken breast, sliced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onions, sliced
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1 Thai chili pepper, sliced (the seeds are where the hot is so add accordingly)
1 TBS. dark soy sauce
2 TBS fish sauce
2 TBS. rice vinegar
2 TBS. sugar
1/3 cup slivered fresh ginger
Thai basil for garnish

Complete measuring, slicing, slivering and crushing.

Heat wok. Add oil, swirl to coat pan. Saute garlic. Add chicken and saute for about one minute. Add mushrooms and saute for another minute.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir until all are completely cooked.

Serve over steamed rice and garnish with basil.

We had two desserts; this was the most popular and featured the most unique serving style.

Kaya Creme Toasts (Egg or Coconut Jam)

Serves six

3 cups heavy cream
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
9 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBS. vanilla
toast rounds or crackers for serving

Pour heavy cream and coconut milk into a saucepan. Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar onto cream and bring to a boil.

Combine remaining sugar with egg and yolks. Slowly drizzle in hot cream mixture. Add vanilla, mix gently and pour into small ramekins.

Bake at about 350 degrees (F) in a water bath for approximately one hour. Creme will jiggle slightly when ready.

Spread on toast/crackers to eat.

(It's perfectly good bruleed or just eaten as a creme but the crackers will give you and your guests a new taste treat.)

Dennis Chan's Hip Asian Comfort Food

Chef Dennis Chan, the culinary creator of Blue Bamboo restaurant in Jacksonville, FL., and the book, Hip Asian Comfort Food, rarely does the expected.

Chef Dennis Chan whisks up some cotton candy for cocktails.

So when he invited a group of food writers and bloggers by for a tasting, Chef Dennis began with a new drink, his classic Cucumber-Lime Saktail with a twist, vodka instead of sake and cotton candy (!) instead of simple syrup. This Kicked-Up martini was surprising and surprisingly good.

We soak, fill and fold.

Little did we know we'd be preparing some of our meal, beginning with Fresh Unfried Spring Rolls with Vietnamese Peanut-Hoisin Dipping Sauce that could make shoe leather edible. Fill and fold was simple enough and the next course, Seoulful Edamame, was already put together. Good thing because we were soon too busy eating to even think about cooking.

Here are the recipes for the Kicked-Up Martini and Seoulful Edamame.

Kicked-Up Martini

1 serving

1 lime wedge
1 cucumber wedge
1/4 oz. simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar by volume boiled until syrup forms)
2 oz. vodka or sake
Begin by filling a glass with cotton candy.
Muddle lime and cucumber in bottom of a shaker. Add ice, vodka and syrup and shake well. Pour over cotton candy in a chilled glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Stir. Cotton candy will dissolve.

Seoulful Edamame

Water for boiling
1 lb. frozen edamame, shell on.
Salt for seasoning
Seasame seeeds for garnishing

Korean Seoul BBQ Sauce
2TBS. Korean fermented hot pepper paste
 3 TBS. sugar
2 TBS. soy sauce
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. sesame oil

Whisk all ingredients for BBQ sauce. It comes out spicy so you might want to add the hot pepper paste a tablespoon at a time. Can be made a few days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.

Boil edamame until tender. Toss in salt then sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve while warm.

The Shores Resort: BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich

If you think a grilled cheese sandwich is as mundane as they come, sink your teeth into the one served around the pool at The Shores Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, FL.

In an effort to keep calories down to a roar, I split one with a friend. I could feel the arteries clogging and waist expanding with each bite but oh, the pleasure of it.

Health and calories be damned. Next time no sharing. I'm eating the whole thing.

The Shores Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slices             Panini Bread

1 ounce            Parmesan/Bread Crumb Crust

1 ounce            Whole Butter, Soft

2 slices             American cheese

2 ounces           Blend of Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese

2 slices             Smoked Gouda

Preparation

1.)            Butter one side of each bread slice, and then press into the bread crumbs. Mix

2.)            Place in Buttered Flattop with the breadcrumb side down

3.)            Place 2 slices of American on one side, 2 sliced of Gouda on the other and then divided the Cheddar/Montery blend on both.

4.)            Cook until crust is golden brown

5.)            Remove, sliced in half and serve

Prize-winning Datil Pepper Feisty Fiesta Cheesecake

Stella Brown

When Hot Shot Bakery in St. Augustine, FL, announced a Spicy Holiday Heat recipe contest, Stella Brown had the perfect entry. Everyone else thought so too and she won.

Stella Brown’s Datil Pepper Feisty Fiesta Cheesecake

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream (divided)
1 package taco seasoning mix
3 eggs, room temperature
1 TBS. Datil Pepper 2nd Degree Burn Sauce
2/3 cups salsa
1 package blue corn chips with flax seeds

 Heat oven to 350.

Combine cream cheese and shredded cheese in large bowl. Beat until fluffy.
Stir in 1 cup sour cream and taco seasoning mix.

Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Fold in datil pepper sauce and pour into a 9” spring form pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until center is firm. Remove from oven and cool for ten minutes.

Spoon remaining sour cream over cheese and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate several hours.

Before serving, remove sides of spring form pan and top with salsa.
Serve with taco chips or blue corn chips.

Note from Stella: This is a recipe that can be served easily. The recipe has been developed over many years; I have substituted the datil pepper sauce for a feisty taste. It looks attractive and can also be served sliced with chips. It freezes well so it can be made in advance!


Note from me: You could substitute another hot sauce, but make it a datil pepper one.

Grilled Swordfish with Blood Orange and Thai Basil Salad and Roasted Summer Vegetable Couscous

The main course of June's Wine Dinner in Azure at The Shores Resort & Spa, Daytona Beach Shores, FL, was a grilled swordfish steak that proved the finest ingredients cooked simply are always best.  Especially for a hot weather meal.

We gave kudos to Executive Chef Michael Archer and your guests will give kudos to you when you serve this simply smashing entree.

Grilled Swordfish with Blood Orange and Thai Basil Salad
 Four servings

4 7-oz swordfish steaks
2 TBS olive oil
3 blood oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 oz. Merlot
1/2 small red onion, julienned
1 oz. Thai basil (do not substitute Italian basil, the taste is very different), chiffonade
Salt and pepper to taste

Season swordfish steaks with salt and pepper and rub with 1 TBS of the olive oil. Grill to desired doneness (Remember, the fish is aleady dead!).

Pile Thai basil leaves together and slice into strips (that's chiffonade).

Combine blood orange sections, red onion and Thai basil. Toss with Merlot and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Couscous
6 qts. water
2 cups Israeli couscous (again, don't substitute another kind of couscous)
2 ears of corn, grilled, kernels removed
1 zucchini, small dice
2 carrots, peeled, small dice
1 yellow squash, small dice
2 red bell peppers, small dice
2 TBS. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Add water to large pot and bring to a boil. Add couscous and cook until al dente. Strain couscous and hold for later.

Combine zucchini, carrots, yellow squash and red bell pepper in a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread vegetables onto a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for seven minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat remaining olive oil and add corn and roasted vegetables. Saute for one minute and add couscous. Saute together until couscous is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve: Nestle swordfish steaks with couscous, top with blood orange salad and serve.

Pair with Benziger Merlot.

To read my report on The Shores Resort & Spa, go to www.travelonthelevel.blogspot.com, the July 11 post.

Hello, Dali Tortilla Espanola

The new $36 million Salvador Dali Museum opened in St. Petersburg, FL., Jan. 11 and its Spanish oriented Gala Cafe was an immediate hit.

Museum Director Dr. Hank Hine had turned to restaurateur Steve Westphal to manage the details. Steve turned to Chef Tyson Grant, who had made his Parkshore Grill, 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House and the newly opened the Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge into hot dining destinations. No surprise that Chef Grant had been awarded "Best Chef in Tampa Bay" in 2001 for his contemporary American cuisine at The Grill at Feather Sound in Clearwater.

He has put together a nifty Spanish menu for the small space and agreed to share this recipe. If you travel to Spain, you will encounter some form of this tortilla on every menu and in every tapas sampling you are likely to encounter.

Tortilla Espanola

1 large Spanish onion, sliced
2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin "coins"
1 cup  extra virgin olive oil
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Tabasco

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent in a 10-inch non-stick, oven-proof frying pan.
Add potatoes, salt and pepper and cook until almost fork tender.
Drain most of olive oil from pan.
Whisk eggs and cream until a smooth consistency and season with salt and pepper, nutmeg and Tabasco.
Add egg mixture to the frying pan and place back on low heat to set a crust.
Then place pan into a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until eggs are set in the middle.
Let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto a serving platter and cut into wedges.

Add some minced ham, artichoke heart, spinach or whatever else takes your fancy for a personalized variation.

Ole!
 

A is for Awesome Apple Pie from Euphemia Haye

Euphemia Haye on Longboat Key is memorable on all counts - " the stuff dreams are made of" according to the New York Times, one of America's 200 most romantic restaurants (Dining by Candlelight), among the top 1 percent in the nation (Zagat and, once again, a Golden Spoon Hall of Fame award from Florida Trend magazine.

Obviously, Chef/Proprietor Raymond Arpke and wife D'Arcy have cooked and cobbled together a memorable, destination-worthy restaurant, but for my money and laurels, Euphemia Haye's upstairs dessert bar is the answer to a sweet tooth's prayer. Never have I  seen such delectable desserts or had such a hard time choosing just one. Portions are huge so you can share, but it's common to see diners jealously guarding their selections from curious table mates.

The Apple Walnut Crumble Pie is Chef Ray's signature offering and star of his cookbook, You don't have to be crazy, but it helps! Recipes and Rantings of a madman.

Here's the recipe to tide you over until you can visit in person.

Apple Walnut Crumble Pie  

One 10-inch pie shell
2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup shortening or lard
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ice water
Put cake flour, butter and salt in a stainless steel bowl. Cut the shortening and butter into flour until it all has a mealy consistency. Add ice water and mix with your fingers to form a dough. Form into a ball, flatten with your hands and place on a well-floured flat surface. Flour the top of the dough well and roll out into about a 13-14-inch round. Place the dough into a floured 10-inch pie pan and flute the edges.

Crumble Topping
11/2 lb. soft butter
1/2 lb sugar
1 lb cake flour
vanilla to taste
Combine all ingredients in a mixer with the paddle in place and mix at low speed until "crumbles" form. Cool and reserve.

Apple walnut filling
12 cups (3 pounds) of 1/-inch apple slices
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dash each ground nutmeg, clove, ginger and allspice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBS flour
Place prepared apples in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle walnuts, spices and sugar over the top. Toss apple mixture and mix well. Add flour and toss well. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes. Toss well again. Mound the apple mixture in the pie shell. Top with crumble so they are completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes until baked through and browned evenly. If crumble topping is browning too fast, cover with foil until almost done.

Red Velvet Cake - as colorful as the season

Red Velvet cakes are the pride of many a Southern cook's Christmas bounty. It's  hard to imagine any other dessert that matches the Christmas decor as well.

Nancy Hamilton in Fort Myers, FL, shared this signature version from the popular and equally colorful Captiva Island restaurant, The Bubble Room. (If you doubt that, check out their website, www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com.)

The Bubble Room Restaurant Red Velvet Cake

3 3/4 cup self-rising flour
2 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cocoa
2 1/4 cup Sterling oil
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
3 oz. red food coloring

Mix all ingredients together and pour into three (3) 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Icing
16 oz. cream cheese
12 oz butter
2 boxes 4X sugar
3 cups pecans

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth then add sugar and mix. When ready, add pecans.

Anything but Ordinary Chips

Potato chips are not what come to mind when you walk into the elegant Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL, but Executive Chef Steve Schoembs prepares an appetizer of them that more than matches the facility in taste.

A look at Chef Steve's bio gives you the how and why. The Palm Coast native's resume includes the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY; cooking with French master Roger Verge in Mougins; absorbing the culture and flavors of Heidelberg, Germany; cooking in Hawaii and running his own restaurant and catering business.

His Bleu Chips are favorite appetizers at Hammock Beach.

Bleu Chips

Potato Chips
8 Russet potatoes
soybean oil

Slice potatoes thin on a slicer or mandolin, fry in soybean oil at 350 degrees until crisp and golden brown.



Buttermilk Dressing
1  11-oz log of goat cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 TBS black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup finely cut chives
bleu cheese
basil, finely cut, for garnish

Mix all ingredients except chives in food processor until pureed. Remove then add chives.
Top a generous portion of potato chips with some of the buttermilk dressing and some crumbled bleu cheese. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with finely cut basil and serve.

Watch them disappear.