Pumpkin Ice Cream Torte with Ginger Crust

myrecipes.com

As I frequently mention, I am not a dessert person. With my salt and starch addictions, I’d rather use those calories for another bowl of pasta most of the time. This dessert, however, reminded me why sometimes sweet is the way to go.

Judy made this for Brantley Thanksgiving 2K11, and it was so good that everyone insisted on having their own slice. And this was on top of the four course meal we’d already had (and the FatFest The Chef and I had already been a part of that morning with the Akins), so that speaks to the crazy-goodness of this.

The pumpkin and spices make this great and seasonal, but the tangy ice cream and nutty crunch keep it fresh and lively. And let’s be honest: it’s just downright gorgeous to look at.

8 oz ginger snap cookies
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 can pumpkin, chilled
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 qt vanilla ice cream
1 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 cup fudge sauce or chocolate ice cream topping
candied walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Crush cookies and mix with sugar and melted butter.
3. Press mixture in bottom and sides of a springform pan.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then chill or freeze.
5. Mix pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and 1/4 cup caramel topping. Blend til smooth,then add ice cream.
6. Working quickly, layer ice cream mixture with caramel and fudge toppings and walnuts, and then drizzle more caramel and fudge on top. (I used more than a quart of ice cream and more toppings, so it depends somewhat on the size of your pan.)
7. Chill until firm, pop out of pan and slice.

Joe’s Cream Cheese Puffs

girlmeetswhisk.com

If there is one thing happened at my office this week, it’s happyfatness.

Be honest – you have 1 or 2 days left before a 5-day break, and you couldn’t care less. As if that weren’t enough, all those clients who need your business next year are trying to buy your affection with sugar-coated, fat-filled yummies. And if I’ve learned one thing this week, it’s that I can be bought.

This recipe is actually an in-house offering from Joe, one of our writers, so this is honestly a gesture of good cheer rather than self preservation. Scary cheerful.

Anyway, these gutbombs were spectacular and are – he assures me – easy to make. And when he told me the main ingredients were crescent rolls and cream cheese, no further encouragement was necessary.

Get fat and happy:

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (don’t go with store brand)
2 pkg (square) cream cheese (here you can go store brand)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter, melted
cinnamon

1. Soften cream cheese to room temp and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter casserole dish.
3. Spread one package crescent rolls across bottom; pinch perforations closed so it’s a single sheet.
4. Blend sugar and cream cheese to frosting consistency; add vanilla while doing so.
5. Spread cheese mix over dough and then spread second can of rolls over top, pinching perforations shut.
6. Smooth melted butter evenly over top; sprinkle with cinnamon.
7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Happy Birthday RipleyPickles!!

I thought bacon birthday cake would be appropriate for RipleyPickles’ day of birth.  You may want to consider drizzling one of the Chef’s sauces over it as well for extra nummy-ness…. 
Here is a recipe for Bacon Cream Cheese Frosting, feel free to use your own chocolate cake or cupcake recipe with it.   Happy Birthday!! -ts

2 strips bacon, cooked crispy
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
about 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon honey

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese for the frosting
2. Add the honey, and gradually add in the confectioner’s sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Crumble one of the bacon strips and beat it into the frosting
3. Spread frosting on cake or cupcakes. Crumble the remaining bacon strip, and sprinkle on top

Sweet Chili Sauce

Earlier in the year I posted a great Thai Shrimp recipe that uses sweet chili sauce.  I noted that I should start making my own but never got around to doing so.  Ripley also posted a fried green tomato recipe that uses sweet chili sauce and noted that the Chef’s fav is Mae Ploy.  With good premade ones already out there, it is hard to get motivated to make your own.  However, it is simple with few ingredients and keeps well in the fridge.  Making it at home means no preservatives and additives.  – ts

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar, adjust according to your desired sweetness
6-8 small red chili peppers, chopped finely
1/2 tsp red chili paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 (2 inch each) orange peel, julienned finely

Thickener:
1 – 2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water

1. Combine ingredients for thickener in a small bowl and mix well then set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, chili, garlic, orange peel, chili paste. Heat over medium heat . Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Simmer until all ingredients has softened.
4. Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook until it thickens. NOTE: Add cornstarch mixture slowly so as to avoid becoming too thick. If you accidentally add too much cornstarch mixture and the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding a little bit more water and cooking it a little bit longer.
5. Remove from heat and cool before serving or refrigerating.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

It is rhubarb season which means strawberry rhubarb pie time! I first had this pie back in 2005 from the lovely Chef Erin (famous for her Mac and Cheese recipe).  I have been begging her for the recipe since, and now 6 years later I have it. I was invited to a shrimp and grits dinner party and knew that was the perfect time to try out this recipe!  It was just as tasty as I remembered.  This is just the recipe for the filling, feel free to use your favorite pie crust recipe.  You can use a frozen pie crust but will need two as there is a top to this. – ts

2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Large granule sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust.Dot the top of the filling with the butter.
2. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar.
3. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling.

Let cool before serving.

Nate’s Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies

This recipe comes from good friend and fellow chef, Nathaniel.  It looks INSANE and I cannot wait to try it out!  -ts

Chef Nathaniel says: This cookie caught my eye while waiting in the checkout line at Citarella. The ingredients were simple and basic. I thought to myself I could replicate this cookie and make it better. The key to a chocolate chip cookie is CHOCOLATE.  Quality ingredients will create a quality outcome. Enjoy!

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt Sea Salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2.5 teaspoon vanilla
3.5oz very dark chocolate bar (chopped)
3.5oz dark chocolate bar with sea salt (chopped)
11 1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate

1. Preheat oven 375
2. Mixed flour, baking soda, sea salt in a bowl put aside.
3. Mix butter, sugars together. Add vanilla, eggs one at a time. Slowly mix dry flour mixture in mixer. Then add chocolate.
4. Bake at 375 for 9 minutes and sprinkle sea salt on top.

Pan Roasted Red Snapper with Chile Citrus Vinaigrette

Aside from tuna, I know very little about fish. I know that I will order it if it’s served over mashed potatoes or comes covered in butter. Other than that, I am completely unprepared to make any educated decisions.

For example, I thought I knew what red snapper was, and I was pretty sure I liked it. I realized, however, that I was very confused when The Chef brought it out and it wasn’t red. The scales are, of course, but the actual meat is white.

(For those of you who knew that, enjoy a good laugh at my expense. I watch 5 hours of the Food Network a day and am still apparently Simple Jack when it comes to seafood.)

Anyway, I like most varieties of firm, white fish, and this is my new favorite. And not just because I braved the cold, rainy morning to get it from Paradise Seafood at the Memphis Farmers Market (I had to walk all the way across the street, y’all). Pan searing is super easy, and this vinaigrette is so fresh and tangy it will make you want to eat it straight out of the bowl.

Furthermore, the dude who own Paradise is crazy nice (I’ve since learned his name is Don), and he’ll let you pick our your own fillet for a very reasonable price. Plus he named his business after Jimmy Buffett’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and that just spells good people.

Picture borrowed from Richard Swiecki Food Photography because my camera has the flu.

Fish:
2-3 red snapper fillets
flour
splash of white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Vinaigrette:
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
1 tsp of sugar
salt to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. To make the vinaigrette:
1. Combine all ingredients except oil.
2. Whisk in oil slowly until emulsified.
3. To make the fish:
1. Heat oil in saute pan on medium high heat. Salt and pepper fish and dredge in flour (flesh side up, only dredging one side).
2. Place fish flesh side down in pan and saute until golden brown.
3. Turn fish and add wine. Then place in oven for 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove and top with Chili Citrus Vinaigrette. Lots of it. Trust me, you’ll want it.

Sidenote: We also had some head-on shrimp from Paradise that were so good they tasted like little lobsters. Recipe coming soon.

Statesboro Slaw ~ BBQ Fest 2K11

Every Southerner knows that you can’t have BBQ without slaw. It’s crunchy, tangy and – because it is technically made up of cabbage and veggies – it makes you feel a little bit better about hogging out on pork for 5 days in a row.

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This is JR’s friend’s recipe and the companion piece to Lexington Pork Shoulder. I have not had the pleasure of trying this yet, but I’m always happy with anything that allows me to increase my intake of ramen noodle seasoning to levels near that of my freshman year at Tulane. More sodium please!

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1 bag of coleslaw mix

2 Ramen noodle pkgs, chicken

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

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1. Remove seasoning packets from Ramen noodle packages and crush up noodles.
2. Mix sugar, vinegar, olive oil, and ramen noodle seasoning packets.
3. Add all other ingredients (raw Ramen included) and mix well. Chill and serve.

Lexington Pork Shoulder ~ BBQ Fest 2K11

It’s that time again, Memphis. The time when the weather is warm but not yet a sweaty swamp, the work days seem a little bit shorter with a patio to look forward to at the end of the day, and the beer and BBQ flow freely from the banks of the Mississippi.

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Well actually, as most of you know, the Mississippi is giving the proverbial wet finger to all of us this year, so the beer and BBQ will have to flow from the banks of Central Avenue at good ole Tiger Lane. While the riverside breeze will undoubtedly be missed, Memphians know BBQ Fest is about the people, and you can always count on this crowd for a good time.

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In honor of BBQ Fest week, we at Nummy would like to bring you an offering from the kitchen of JR Grosshans. I have yet to taste this succulent selection, but The Chef assures that JR knows how to do a pig right. And I believe him. JR is too good a Southern boy to do pork wrong.

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Rub:

4 tsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

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Pork & ‘fixins’ (cuz that’s what we say in The South, y’all):

1 bone-in pork shoulder, 5-7 lbs

Statesboro Coleslaw

Lexington Vinegar Sauce

hamburger buns

4-6 wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained

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1. Make the rub: Mix all ingredients. Set aside 1.5 tbsp vinegar for the sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining rub all over the pork.
2. Set up grill for indirect heat and preheat to medium low.  Place a large drip pan in the center and toss 1 cup of wood chips on the coals.
3. Place the pork skin side up in the center of the hot grate over the drip pan and away from the heat and cover grill.  Add 12 fresh coals every hour and 1/2 of wood chips to each side.
4. Cook until darkly browned on the outside and very tender inside, about 4-6 hours.  The internal temperature should reach 195 degrees.
5. Pull off grill and cover with foil.  Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
6. Pull pork into large pieces, discarding any bones or lumps of fat.  Transfer pork the pulled pork to a large aluminum foil pan and stir in 1 to 1.5 cups of vinegar sauce.
7. Chow.

Eating pig is messy. If you’re not covered with sauce when you’re done, you’re not doing it right.

Cinnamon-Sugar Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

As I spent my Easter Sunday watching 12 hours of deliciously ridiculous docudrama programming about William & Kate (thanks Lifetime!), I started thinking that we needed a recipe for some dainty finger food for those of you who are planning Royal Wedding Watch Parties.

So I started discussing options with Carol, the resident guru of all things Will-and-Kate, and guess what? I hate English food. Or what I think is English food. Cucumber sandwiches, scones, crumpets, that nasty banana flan People magazine is pushing as Wills’ favorite dessert. All of it sounds like a big gray pile of Yick to me.

So we’re going rogue here. Or we’re going Big D, rather, with a recipe from the brunch mistress herself, Dot Akin. These are perfect little packets of fat-and-happy, and I can think of nothing better to snack on while you try to cope with the fact that you’re not becoming a princess and this is not the most special day of your life. Cinnamon and sugar do quite a bit to take the sting out of being a commoner. Cheerio!

1 loaf of Pepperidge Farm Very Thin Bread
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
few tbsp cinnamon
1 stick butter

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cut crust off bread and roll out with rolling pin until very thin.
3. Mix cream cheese, egg yolk and sugar.
4. Spread mixture on bread. Roll up and cut in half.
5. Mix sugar and cinnamon (however much you fancy) together.
6. Melt butter. Dip each bite in melted butter and then into cinnamon-sugar mixture.
7. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

These can be made a few days in advance or frozen. You know, in case you’re going to have some dignitaries in town to entertain. Whatevs.