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.

How to Publish Your Own Cookbook

 

If you've always dreamed of publishing a cookbook let the pros at a two-day workshop stir your creative juices and give you the how-to's to write that cookbook and get it published, whether commercially or as a family keepsake. 

From Pantry to Published: The 2-Day Legacy Workshop March 13 and 14 brings together successful cookbook authors, a professional food photographer and an expert in publishing and marketing who will set you on the way.

The setting is the historic oceanfront Casa Marina Hotel in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, where Chef Aaron Webb will introduce you to his award-winning New Beach Cuisine.

Sessions include

• Writing for Success with Patricia Mack, cookbook author and award-winning journalist - Honing your writing skills, developing a "voice" and unique style, organizing materials, recipe testing protocols and recipe writing techniques.

• Collecting Memories with Belinda Hulin, author of six cookbooks including the much-praised Roux Memories, A Cajun-Creole Love Story with Recipes - How to gather the elements, interview and collect stories to spice up your recipes and recreate recipes you thought were lost.

• Food Photography - Planning and Producing with Cheryl Balara - Developing the "look" of your cookbook, strategies for a photo shoot, post-production skills, reviewing and delivering final images professionally.

• Publishing - Putting it all Together with Sherrie Wilkolaski - How to publish from start to finish, marketing your cookbook, how to get your book on Amazon, in bookstores and specialty sales channels.

Pricing
Accommodations, the full 2-day workshop, 2 breakfasts, lunch, wine tasting and Chef's Dinner are priced accordingly:

Accommodations in a Deluxe Room - $425.

Accommodations in a Parlor Suite - $465.

Workshop, 2 breakfasts, lunch, wine tasting and Chef's Dinner only - $290.

For information and workshop reservations, contact Leigh Cort, leighcort@bellsouth.net or 904-806-3613.

Red Snapper Mojito - Low Cal, High Taste

Pacific Princess Executive Chef Antonio Cortese won top honors in the "Heart Healthy" category of the Sixth Annual Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition for his Red Snapper Mojito. The Princess Cruises chef graciously shared his recipe and here it is, just in time for our New Year's resolutions.

Red Snapper Mojito

Serves 4
Marinade
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 TBS. lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

8 oz. red snapper filet, skinless and boneless, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

In a medium bowl whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, olive oil, mint leaves and salt. Add red snapper pieces and toss lightly to coat evenly with the marinade. Set aside in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Garnish
1 mango, not overly ripe, peeled and cut in small, thin strips.
1 avocado, quartered, peeled with stone removed.
Whole mint leaves
Place mango strips in the bottom of 4 serving glasses. Thinly slice avocados lengthwise. Place three slices along the inside of each glass, overlapping slightly to form a fan shape.

Mojito
1 TBSP. whole mint leaves
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 lime, thinly sliced crosswise in half moon shapes.
3 TBS. Bacardi Superior Puerto Rican rum
1 cup crushed ice
In a small bowl, place whole mint leaves, brown sugar and lime slices. Muddle the mixture with the back of a spoon. Add rum and ice. Mix quickly to combine. Pour, straining out ice, over marinated red snapper. Divide mixture evenly between prepared serving glasses. Garn ish with whole mint leaves and serve immediately.

Prize-winning Shrimp Recipe

Pam Gordon

Pam Gordon of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, whipped up the winning dish in the 2011 Wild Caught Georgia Shrimp Contest.

Eagle Island Lodge

Sponsored by Private Islands of Georgia owner/developer Capt. Andy Hill, the dish is full of flavor and easy to prepare. Just what you want whether vacationing on a private island or looking for dinnertime inspiration at home.

Tangy Honeyed Shrimp

1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp
2 TBS. peanut oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. peeled, minced ginger root
1 10 oz. can chicken broth
1 TBS. cornstarch
2 TBS. honey
2 TBS. catsup
1 TBS. white vinegar
1 TBS. rice wine or dry sherry
1 TBS. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 TBS. sesame oil
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tsp. cilantro, chopped

Remove shell and de-vein shrimp; drain on paper towels. Pour peanut oil into preheated wok, coating sides, and heat on high form 1 minute. Add shrimp, garlic and ginger root. Cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp turn pink, about 8 minutes.

Combine broth and next 7 ingredients, stirring until smooth. Add to shrimp mixture and stir constantly. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil, green onions and cilantro, cooking until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

Christmas Cookies German Style

Cookies are as much a part of Christmas fare as candy canes, fruit cake and eggnog and no one seems to do it quite like the Germans. Thanks to the German Tourist Office and fellow traveler Kristi Casey Sanders, here are some traditional German cookie recipes.

Nürnberger Lebkuchen
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups unpeeled almonds, coarsely grated
1/3 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped
1 lemon, grated for peel, juice reserved
1/4 whole nutmeg, grated
Confectioner's sugar
rose water if you can find it
edible baking paper

Beat eggs and sugar until they have the consistency of thick cream. To this gradually add almonds, candied orange peel, lemon peel and nutmeg. Place wafers on baking sheet and spoon dough onto paper. Dough should be about 1/2" high. Smooth dough with a knife dipped into rose water. Bake in a pre-heated 325-350° oven for 10-15 minutes or until bread-like. Remove cookies and let cool. Meanwhile, mix Confectioner's sugar with lemon juice to form a paste. Frost cookies.

Cinnamon Stars or Zimtsterne
2 1/4 cups whole almonds (a little over 1 lb.)
5 egg whites
2 cups Confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Kirschwasser (cherry Schnapps)
star pattern cookie cutter

Scald almonds with boiling water, remove their skins and let cool. Grind finely. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in Confectioner's sugar and set aside 1 cup of the egg and sugar mixture. Fold in ground almonds, cinnamon and the Kirschwasser, then quickly form a dough. Let the dough rest covered for one hour in the refrigerator.

Cover a work surface with sugar and roll out the chilled dough to 1/2-inch thick. Cut out stars. Cover each star evenly with the reserved egg and sugar mixture, place on an ungreased cookie sheet and let the uncooked cookies dry overnight at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 425° F and bake for 5 minutes. Check the cookies often while baking so the top stays white and the insides remain soft.

Vanilla Crescents or Vanillekipferl
3 1/2 TBS. unpeeled almonds
3-1/2 TBS. hazelnuts
1-1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup, plus 6 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
2 egg yolks
5 packets vanilla sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Pour boiling water over the almonds, remove the skins and finely chop. Finely chop the hazelnuts. Sift the flour onto a large wooden board. Make a well in the flour and add the almonds, hazelnuts, sugar, salt, butter and egg yolks. Knead dough until it is smooth and pliable, but do not over knead.

Wrap the dough in aluminum foil and let rest for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Divide the dough and form into several pencil-thick rolls. Cut the rolls into 2-inch lengths and bend into crescent shapes. Place on cookie sheets and bake on middle rack until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Stir the vanilla sugar and powdered sugar together in a shallow bowl. Carefully dip the still warm crescent cookies in the sugar.

Tip: to store the cookies so they won't break, stack them lengthwise between wax paper in a cookie tin.

You asked, Ashford Answered with Recipe

Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland

Reader Pat from visited Ashford Castle, fell in love with the chef's Connemara Smoked Salmon with Lime Jam and Cream Cheese and seeing another Ashford recipe on Food Afar asked if I could possibly get this one. I contacted Suzanne Meyers at Geoffrey Weill, Ashford's PR firm, and voila! here it is.

The first trick is to find a good substitute for organic salmon smoked in the Connemara Smoke House. Second is to prepare the jam and cream cheese. After that it's a snap.

Ashford Castle Connemara Smoked Salmon, Lime Jam and Cream Cheese

Note: Taste to fine tune flavors; measurements have been translated from metrics.

Lime Jam
20 portions

3 1/3 cups skinless lime
1 1/4 cup sugar
60 lime segments (6 limes)

Cook skinless limes with sugar - sugar may caramelize a bit at the beginning - gently for about 10 minutes.

Strain and chill. Store chilled, labelled and dated. Shelf life: 5 days for chilled jam, 3 days for segments.

Lime Jam Cream Cheese

2 cups (generous) medium fat cream cheese
4 1/2 TBS lime jam

Combine the two ingredients. Store chilled, labeled and dated. Shelf life: chilled 7 days.

To plate:
3 slices brown soda bread
2 scant TBS lime jam cream cheese
3-4 oz. organic smoked salmon
3 lime segments
 lime jam

Spread lime jam cream cheese on bread. Layer each bread slice generously with thinly sliced smoked salmon, topping with one lime segment per slice.

Serve a little lime jam in a side dish.

Try not to ooh and aah with your mouth open.

Thanks, Pat, for bringing this delicious-sounding combination to my attention. If anyone else yearns to recreate flavors from their travels, email the name of the dish and where you had it and I'll see what I can do.

Fried Sweet Dough Sweet Potato Pie, Oh My

Fried Sweet Dough Sweet Potato Pies from Anna's Pies, Lake Charles, LA.

During a visit to Lake Charles, LA, a group of food and travel writers were served fried dough sweet potato pies. While savoring these chubby little half circles of comfort in the Ranier Gardens, I discovered they came from Anna's Pies where they are the house specialty.

Alas, Anna's recipe is secret and will remain so, but Megan Hartman was able to find a recipe that is close. According to Eric Cormier, food writer for American Press, these fried pies were every kid's favorite after-school snack.

Fried Sweet Dough Sweet Potato Pies

Crust
2 eggs
1/4 pound butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour

Combine eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla in a food processor and pulse together until the ingredients are well-mixed. Sift the baking powder and flour together and add this to the processor, combining until they form a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and allow to rest, refrigerated, for an hour. Roll into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter with a thickness of 1/8th inch.

Filling
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 TBS. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Oil for deep-fat frying
Confectioners' sugar (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the seven filling ingredients; stir until smooth.

Divide the dough into 25 portions. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 5-inch circle. Spoon 2 TBS. of filling on half of each circle. Moisten edges with water, fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Prick tops with a fork 4-5 times.

In a skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil to 375 degrees. Fry pies, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired. Change oil during process as necessary. Store in the refrigerator.

Don't worry about storing; they won't last long.