Posts categorized 'Recipes'

Make It: Orange Cornbread

I don’t know what it is about cornbread, but it makes me think of family and warmth and home. So when I found this recipe not only for cornbread, but for orange cornbread, I knew it would be a perfect addition to our upcoming Citrus Festival starting this weekend. With the weather still a little on the cold side, the warm glow of the oven will sure warm your heart.

Gifts You Make: Peppermint Drinking Chocolate

This was a huge favorite last year! By popular demand, we're reposting. We've refreshed the drinking chocolate recommendation because we've got a new one this year that's ready to go that we truly love.

Make your own Peppermint Hot Drinking Chocolate

Some candy canes, a favorite hot cocoa or drinking chocolate mix, and a little mallet beating (bonus: pound out some holiday stress while creating this mix!)  are all it takes to create this holiday-flavored goodie.

Ingredients: To make your own version of Peppermint Drinking Chocolate, you'll need:

1 container of your favorite drinking chocolate.   Recommendation: Valor's Taza Dark Drinking Chocolate, located in the Grocery aisles or with the holiday chocolates.

4 peppermint sticks

Directions: 

Place peppermint sticks in an airtight zip-top bag. Using a mallet, gently pound the sticks until they become a fine powder.

Open the container of drinking chocolate and transfer contents to a bowl.  Slowly sift in the peppermint, stirring it in for good measure. Transfer the drinking chocolate to either a bag or tin and label it.  Create a recipe tag with the following instructions and attach it to the tin or, if presenting with a mug, tie it  to the mug's handle:  "Heat 3/4 cup of water or milk and stir in 1/4 cup of mix. Stir and enjoy!"

Be sure to sign the instruction card so the lucky recipient can remember who made them such a cool gift.

Besotted by Risotto - Autumn Recipes

Risotto has got to be one of the best things that's ever happened. Ever. Am I right?

North Lamar Hatch Recipe Winner!

Mesilla Valley Stuffed French Toast

My wife grew up in Mesilla New Mexico and thought she had tried every green chile dish to be had.  I've been making french toast since I was tall enough to reach the stove top, so this time I tried something she never considered.

A spin on traditional french toast, or 'pain perdu', where the pain in this case is supplied the gentle burn of hatch chiles.  The slices are stuffed with cream cheese and chiles.  Topped off with syrup or fruit, it is a little sweet and a little spicy.  About as complete a breakfast as you can have.

1 Large Challah Bread, slightly stale, cut into approximately ½” slices

Eggs

Milk (whole) or half and half, 1/4 cup of milk per egg

Salt, dash per egg

Cream Cheese, 1 oz per large slice

Roasted chopped green chilees, about 2 or 3 per 4 ounces of cream cheese according to desired flavor

Butter as needed for cooking

fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, jam, or other topping as desired
(4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, and 4 oz of cream cheese should produce 4 large slices.)

1. Mix green chile in with cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
2. Beat eggs and milk with a salt. For some extra chile flavor, optionally beat in finely chopped green chile. Put in wide bowl or pie dish or something large enough to fit bread slices.
3. Take bread slice and cut a pouch, starting through the crust on one edge (the edge from the bottom of the loaf works best), being careful not to puncture the side or cut through the other edges.
4. Using butter knife or spreader, fill bread with cream cheese filling.
5. Heat skillet or sauté pan on medium heat and melt some butter.
6. Place bread in egg mixture for 15 to 20 second a side, let rest briefly, then place in skillet 3 minutes a side.
7. To keep warm, place on a rack in oven at 350.

Serve with fruit and topping of choice.
Note: If you do not have challah bread, brioche and French bread work well. Other breads may be fine, too, but the more preservatives, the worse the result will be.

Howard Thompson

Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream

I hang on Ruth Reichl's every word.

I am now hanging on every word of this recipe for Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream that just came out in Ruth's weekly Gourmet email. (Which is almost as good as the eFoodie.)

Oh, ice cream maker shoved under my old crock pot and about 30 pieces of mismatched tupperware, get ready!

Native Texan launches BBQ sauces - get inspired!

From the first bite, we knew Native Texan salsas were a pretty incredible creation, but even then we were surprised at their popularity. (It’s a toss up between Habanero and Tex-Mex flavors for most popular.) Now, hot on the heels of its newfound salsa following, Native Texan crafted newBar-B-Que Sauces, just hitting our shelves. With the bold statements “Born in Texas, Never Leavin’ Texas” and “The Real Deal” on the label, they’re All-Natural, gluten free and made with fresh vegetables.  In addition to a fast flavor booster, brushing on a good quality BBQ sauce gives food an extra-appealing color and sheen. Just be sure to sauce closer to the end of the cooking time since the sugars will burn if left on a fire for too long. The new sauces debut in Spicy Habanero & Lime, Smoky Mesquite and the 1836 Original.

There are countless ways to zing up your fave recipes, but here are just a few ideas made with some of this week's specials:

Split and ready to grill,  our Grill-Cut (8/12 ct) Shrimp, brush on the Native Texan Spicy Habanero & Lime BBQ sauce to sear it onto the shrimp. Brush again after cooking and serve over Spanish-style rice.

You want some baby back ribs? Grill them with Native Texan's new Smoky Mesquite. Remember, get ribs to room temp before putting them on the grill and don't put them directly over high heat. Mop on the sauce in the last 30 minutes of cooking!

Not grillin'? These slow-cooker pulled pork sandwiches are great with the new all-natural 1836 Original. Add a scoop of cool cole slaw to the sandwiches just before serving!

Chef Dean Fearing's Red Jalapeno Mexican Baked Fish

Mexican Baked Fish with Salsa and Red Jalapeno Dressing

1 1/2 pounds cod, snapper, sea bass or other white fish
1 cup Cantina or Five Roasted Pepper Salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup coarsely crushed corn chips
1 avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced
¼ cup Chef Fearing’s Red Jalapeno Dressing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease one 8x12 inch baking dish.
Rinse fish fillets under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.
Lay fillets side by side in the prepared baking dish.
Heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until outside is lightly cooked and no longer appears raw.
Remove from oven and pour the salsa over the top, and sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese. Top with the crushed corn chips.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes with a fork. Serve topped with sliced avocado and Red Jalapeno Dressing.

Ice Cream Cookie+Sandwich Combos

We've got Brent and Sam's Pure Natural Cookies on sale - crazy sale, really - this week. Two boxes are just $4.  These are a Central Market favorite- you can taste the wholesome goodness in these cookies. The White Chocolate Key Lime Pie ones are hard to put down, that's for sure. 

I KNOW it's not summer yet, but I can't help thinking of one of my favorite ways to limit myself to eating just two cookies: I make those two cookies into an Ice Cream Sandwich. Then I roll it in some kind of crunchy crushed nut or candy just to be sure to I don't cheat and grab a third...

For any of these combinations - and I ask you to comment and share your own, too - you basically just follow these steps:

Steps-

• Pick two cookies
• Crush pecans, pistachios, chocolate chips, raisins, Jelly Bellys, or just about anything that you think will taste incredible with your ice cream cookie - place on a flat plate
• Soften 1/4 cup of chosen flavor of Creamy Creations ice cream
• Lay cookie #1 on waxed paper, cover with ice cream, spreading it carefully from the center but not quite to the edge
• Top with cookie #2 and press down gently
• Roll ice cream edge in a full 360 across the crushed goodies on the plate
• Wrap wax paper tightly around cookie sandwich
• Place in freezer for at least 5-10 minutes to firm up
• Enjoy!

Combinations I Dig-

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie Cookies (Brent and Sam's) and Orange Sherbet

Oatmeal Pecan Cookies and Strawberry Cheesecake or Cinnamon - rolled in crushed Graham cracker

Chocolate Chip with Rocky Road - rolled in Marshmallows or crushed Walnuts

Raspberry Chocolate (Brent and Sam's) with Creamy Creations Raspberry Truffle

Gingersnaps (homemade for this one) loaded with Lemon Sorbet  - try rolling in finely crushed lemon candie. If you roll in sparkling colored sugars, these look very cool on a dessert plate.

Chewy Double Fudge Cookies (Central Market Bakery) with Mint Chocolate Chip, rolled in pistachios or chocolate-covered cocoa nibs (very grown up ice cream sandwich!)

Any other ideas? Leave a comment!

Chef Peter Davis' Lobster Chowder

Chef Peter Davis is coming to the Central Market Cooking School (see your store's calendar for details). Chef Davis was honored by The James Beard Foundation as one of “The Best Hotel Chefs in America,” and has created a popular culinary destination and a cult following. Try this Lobster Chowder from his new cookbook, "Fresh & Honest: Food From the Farms of New England and the Kitchen of Henrietta's Table."

Ingredients:
8 small lobsters or culls
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon tarragon, chopped
2 cup white wine
2 cup butter
2 cups onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 cup sherry
1 quart heavy cream
2 quarts milk
4 teaspoon thyme, chopped
2 medium-sized white potatoes, peeled and diced small
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions: In a large pot, cover the lobsters with boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain, reserving and setting aside the liquid. Chill the lobsters. De-shell the lobsters and reserve the meat. Crush the lobster bodies and shells and simmer with the reserved lobster stock, bay leaf, tarragon, and white wine for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside liquid. Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the onion and celery until transparent. Add the sherry and reduce by half. Add the cream, milk, lobster, thyme, potatoes, and reserved liquid and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just soft. Season with salt and pepper and parsley and serve.

Goat Cheese Meets Cream Cheese. Hooray!

Finally, something for those who love the creamy spreadability of cream cheese and the zingy richness of fresh goat cheese...and don't want to have to choose between the two.

New in our Dairy cases from Meyenberg - Goat Cream Cheese in an easy to open–and-close tub.

It comes in a Traditional flavor, which tastes a bit like a milder version of your typical goat cheese.  Or, try the Garlic and Chive. It effortlessly adds a dreamy herbed flavor to bagels, sauces, or crackers and flatbreads. 

I created this breakfast sandwich using a smear of the new goat cream cheese. It's been the best part of my mornings this week!

Ingredients:

one Central Market English Muffin (in the Bakery), plain or multi-grain

one egg or one 1/2 cup All Whites Egg substitute, scrambled and cooked

one Morningstar Farms Maple-Flavored Veggie Sausage

Meyenberg's Goat Cream Cheese, Traditional or Garlic and Chive (your choice)

Directions:

Toast the English muffin. While it's toasting, scramble egg, keeping the eggs small and rounded to fit easily on the English muffin.

Spread goat cream cheese on both sides of the muffin. Prepare the veggie sausage patty as instructed on the box and layer inside the muffin with the eggs.  Close the muffins around the insides. Note: the goat cream cheese seems to get quite melty, so allow the muffin and the egg to cool a bit before assembling.

Wrap it in a paper towel to eat on the way to work. (Optional.)