Camacho Watcho

You can probably guess by the post title what the theme of our last cooking club was…yup, you got it – Emeril inspired recipes. Brian and Jill hosted and chose a menu that was diverse, including Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders, Cheddar and Beer Soup with Tempura Broccoli Florets, Wert’s Creole Caesar Salad, baked vegetables, and Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie.

All the food was tasty, as you can imagine, given Emeril’s tendency to spice things up, but the stand out of the meal was the main entree: Matambre, or rolled stuffed flank steak.

The Matambre starts with flank steak, seasoned with Emeril’s Essence, a blend of paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme. If you’re not familiar with Emeril’s cooking, this is his staple seasoning in the kitchen; most recipes start with it. Once the flank steak is seasoned, then layer on top: garlic, spinach leaves, carrots, hard boiled egg, and cayenne. This this rolled up and tied before it’s browned and then braised in red wine and beef stock until tender.


The presentation was perfect and we were all excited to dig in. As was expected, it was a bit of a salty dish but very flavorful and rich in texture. I was surprised by how much I liked the texture of the hard boiled egg rolled inside. It was certainly a fun main course and made for a pretty platter to present for a party. I’ll definitely keep this in mind when cool weather sets in again and I’m cooking for a crowd.

Morocco was the theme of our December cooking club. Kyle and I hosted the dinner and were really excited about the menu, hoping that the flavors would work as well together as we imagined they would. Kyle took care of decorations, bringing almost every candle in our house out and lighting them throughout our kitchen, dining and living room area. He put on some Moroccan club music (courtesy of Pandora) and we were set.

The food turned out even better than I could have hoped. Everyone actually commented that the recipes were very easy and, in fact, were easily prepared in advance so it gave minimal trouble to get ready for the evening. As for serving sizes, I actually told most people not to double their recipes. My plan was for each plate to be small portions that would add up to one large plate of food.

The flavors were fantastic – each dish complemented the others yet was robust on its own. My favorite was the squash and carrot stew, but the lamb tagine was so tender that it’s hard not to mention it as well. As I can’t decide which recipe I liked best to share, I decided to go ahead and share them all.

Moroccan Cooking Club Menu
Dolomint Cocktail
Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot Stew
Lamb Tagine with Figs and Walnuts
Moroccan Chicken Brochette
Moroccan Stone Fruit Soup

Dolomint Cocktail
Cocktails of the World
30 ml Gin
30 ml Galliano®
30 ml Lime Juice
Soda Water
Mint Leaf
Ice Cubes

Pour gin, Galliano and lime juice over ice into a highball glass. Complete with soda water and rub mint on the edge of the glass. Garnish with a mint spring and serve.
*Amazing cocktail that will definitely be made again in the summer!

Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot Stew
Bon Appetit, January 2006

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of saffron
1 cup water
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups 1-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (from 1 1/2-pound squash)
2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled carrots
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Rewarm stew. Stir in half of cilantro and half of mint. Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle remaining herbs over.

Quinoa
Bon Appetit, January 2006

1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water

Rinse quinoa; drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

Lamb Tagine with Figs and Walnuts
Gourmet, Adventures with Ruth (Morocco)

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
2 1/2 lb boneless lamb shoulder cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium red onions, sliced lengthwise
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
12 oz dried figs (about 1 1/2 cups, preferably Calimyrna), hard ends discarded
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Lightly toast saffron in a dry small heavy skillet over moderately low heat, shaking skillet, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer saffron to a small dish, let cool, then crumble with fingers.

In a 12-inch tagine, or 3-qt shallow covered casserole, combine lamb, with oil, onions, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 tsp pepper, and reserved saffron, tossing to combine. Add 2 cups water to tagine and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Add figs and honey to tagine and simmer, covered, 30 minutes longer, checking occasionally toward end of cooking time to be sure tagine is not dry, adding more water if necessary to keep meat from burning and sticking to pot. Simmer tagine until lamb is very tender and most of liquid has evaporated.

While tagine is simmering, toast walnuts in butter in a small skillet, over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until a shade darker, then set aside.

To serve, arrange tomato slices over lamb and top each with a fig. Sprinkle with walnuts and chopped cilantro.

Moroccan Chicken Brochette
adapted from About.com: Moroccan Food

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 3/4″ cubes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken, and mix well to fully coat the meat. Cover with plastic, and leave the chicken to marinate for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer the chicken to skewers and grill or broil about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is done. Serve immediately.

Moroccan Stone Fruit Soup
adapted from cuisine.com.au

2 peaches or nectarines
4 apricots
4 red plums
100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp orange flower water or rosewater
1 tbsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp sultanas (golden raisins will substitute for this)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 tbsp flaked almonds
1 tbsp small mint leaves

Original Recipe: Slice the fruits in half, remove the stones and cut into segments. Place in a bowl. Combine the orange juice, orange flower water, Cointreau, honey, sultanas and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the honey.

Pour the syrup over the fruit and leave for 10 mins for the fruit to absorb the flavours. Pile the fruits in four shallow bowls and spoon on the syrup. Add half a cinnamon stick to each bowl. Toast the almond flakes in a dry frypan until golden and scatter on top, with a few mint leaves.

Adaptation: As stone fruit is not in season anywhere when we had our cooking club, we adapted with the following. We made the sauce as directed, then served with thawed, frozen peaches and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream (vanilla ice cream would be great too).

*The greens was just kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil. I don’t know how Moroccan it is, but I just felt like we needed something green on the plate.

Our Mexican themed cooking club took place a few weeks ago – just in time to catch the final days of summer. Katie and RJ hosted, choosing a delicious menu of guacamole, quesadillas, fish tacos and stuffed poblanos. Dessert was a repeat of the Toasted Coconut Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes – yum!. I honestly can’t pick my favorite dish, as they were all fantastic.

While Vickie (left) and Katie (right) finished some kitchen prep, Chad acquainted us with his friend, Mr. Patron. Classic shaken margaritas were the perfect start to this Mexican fiesta!

We had two starters – smoked gouda and caramelized onion quesadillas and charred tomatillo guacamole.

Dinner was the fried fish tacos – large chunks of fish beer battered and crispy fried served with tortillas and a fresh pico de gallo – rice, and poblanos stuffed with goat cheese and shrimp.

We were in charge of the poblanos so we had a lot of leftover roasted red pepper sauce. (I used it to make a delicious pasta sauce by mixing it with an equal portion of tomato puree and added browned Italian sausage from Seward. It was finished with some red pepper flakes and mild seasonings to taste.) The stuffed poblanos and roasted red pepper sauce comes from Bon Appetit December 2002.

Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas
Bon Appetit September 1995

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese
4 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
2 ounces sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, brown sugar and vinegar; sauté until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, dividing equally. Sprinkle prosciutto and sautéed onion over cheese. Season with pepper. Fold other half of each tortilla over cheese mixture. Brush tortilla with some of melted butter.

Brush heavy large skillet with some of melted butter. Place over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook quesadillas just until brown spots appear, brushing skillet with butter between batches, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer quesadillas to heavy large baking sheet.

Bake until tortillas are golden and cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer quesadillas to work surface. Cut each into 6 triangles. Arrange on platter and serve hot.

Fried Fish Tacos
courtesy of Katie and RJ’s friends

1 quart vegetable oil
12 to 16 corn tortillas
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup beer (not dark)
1 pound cod fillet, cut into 3- by 1-inch strips

Optional accompaniments: shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado slices, chopped or sliced radish, red or green salsa, and lime wedges

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 inch oil in a 10-inch heavy pot (2 to 3 inches deep) over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360°F.

Meanwhile, separate tortillas and make 2 stacks of 6 to 8. Wrap each stack in foil and heat in oven 12 to 15 minutes.

While tortillas warm, stir together flour and salt in a large bowl, then stir in beer (batter will be thick). Gently stir fish into batter to coat. Lift each piece of fish out of batter, wiping any excess off on side of bowl, and fry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Increase oil temperature to 375°F and refry fish in batches, turning once or twice, until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.

Assemble tacos with warm tortillas, fish, and accompaniments.

I am behind several weeks on posting, so I thought I would come back with a fun post on our last Cooking Club adventure. Chad and Vickie hosted (to begin our third year of this club) and chose a French menu for the occasion. I actually can’t believe another year has passed! It feels like only a couple months ago that I was writing about the start of our second year. Time really does fly! But it’s been really fun and everyone has really learned a lot about cooking and we’ve had fun trying out new recipes. So with that, below is the menu, some pictures and a couple recipes…cheers to the third season!

Menu
Balthazar French Martini

Mussels in White Wine
Greyere Gougeres
Stacked Crepes
Pommes Frites

French Onion Soup
Frisee Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Syrup
Classic Creme Brulee

Kyle and I were assigned to make the Gruyere Gougeres and the Stacked Crepes as appetizers. We had made gougeres in April from the Bon Appetit recipe, but I was happy to make them again because they are so light and tasty. New to us, however, was making crepes. Although the stacked crepes recipe was not my favorite (just a little bland to me) I have a new found love of making crepes. Since then we have made rhubarb crepes with candied nuts for breakfast and corn crepes with shredded pork and chipotle bbq sauce for dinner. I haven’t found the perfect crepe batter recipe yet, but I will continue my search – that’s for sure!

All the dishes at cooking club were really good. The French onion soup was rich and cheesy (perfect for a rainy day like today) and the salad was sharp with a hefty creamy serving of chevre…but my favorites were the martini, mussels and creme brulee.

I’m not usually a martini girl (except for the occasional extra dirty gin martini that always guarantees for an interesting evening) and I’m really not a vodka girl. So when this martini was mixed and placed in front of me, I had my doubts. But after one taste of the lightly sweet but crisp and cool drink, I knew this combination was dangerous. No alcohol could be tasted, just raspberry-pineapple goodness. I immediately told Kyle that he was driving home, then proceeded to polish off a couple.

Simply said, the mussels were pure heaven. I stopped eating fish and seafood awhile ago, one of those irrational things you do as a kid. Being a little stubborn (or maybe a lot), as a teenager I recall watching with bewilderment during a trip to the Northeast as my parents and sister donned plastic bibs and polished off lobster after lobster, dipping the sweet meat into melted butter. I also just watched as my dad and sister’s continually searched to find the perfect oyster on the half-shell. Their love for oyster bars just never was appealing. But the topper was a trip in 2007 to Europe, where my mom and Kyle oohed and aahed over the steamed mussels served in seemingly bottomless black pots wafting with the scent of white wine and garlic. I just didn’t understand.

But all that sideline observation has ended and I’m enjoying rediscovering fish and seafood. I especially love mussels, so when they were listed on the menu for our French cooking club night, I couldn’t wait! RJ and Katie were assigned to the dish. And although the recipe, which called for 2 pounds of mussels, would have been enough for the group given the amount of food we were had planned for the night, they knew better and doubled it. The result was a giant vat of beautiful mussels served in a fragrant white wine broth with tomatoes, herbs and saffron. If you make this recipe, be sure to have some hearty bread on hand to mop up the broth. I can’t wait to make these mussels when the weather turns warm again!

Last for the evening was the creme brulee. Jill and Brian were in charge of this dessert, which they baked and chilled earlier that day. We brought our kitchen torch and the group made an activity out of each torching his or her own dessert to create their own sugary, caramelized top. Everyone did a great job, but style points go to Chad, who broke out the big torch once our small one ran out of butane. The creme brulee was a classic recipe with vanilla and the texture was perfectly creamy and smooth. If there’s anything better than hearing the top of a creme brulee crack with a light tap of the fork, I certainly don’t know what it is.

Balthazar Martini
Balthazar Restauarnt, New York City
1 oz. chilled vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/3 oz. Chambord
ice cubes

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously to create a frothy head. Strain into a martini glass and serve straight up. Makes 1 martini.

Mussels in White Wine
2004, Barfoot in Paris
3 lbs. cultivated mussels
1/3 c. flour
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. good olive oil
1 c. chopped shallots (5 to 7 shallots)
1 1/2 T. minced garlic (6 to 6 cloves)
1/2 c. chopped canned plum tomatoes, drained (4 oz)
1/2 t. good saffron threads
1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsely
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
1 c. good white wine
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper

To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand. Drain the mussels, then remove the “beard” from each with your fingers. If they’re dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren’t tightly shut.

In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes, saffron, parsley, thyme, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the mussels, stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don’t burn on the bottom. Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.

A couple weekends ago our Cooking Club gathered at our friends’ Brian and Jill’s house for a Taste of San Francisco themed menu. Brian wrote an eloquent description of the evening as our invitation, so here is the abridged version below.

“First off, we will be touring the wine country to collect our wine for the meal and tastings of cheeses and crackers. Then we will be heading down into San Francisco to flavor some local feast. After we “taste” some wine and clear our pallets with cheese, we will be stopping off at Fisherman’s Wharf/South Beach for some Acme Chop House salad lasagna, followed by a quick jaunt to The Mission (district) where we will be visiting Panchita’s Restaurant #2 for some Pupusas. That’s the starters, still hungry?

Main menu will involve the poultry flavor and a bit of garlic to your liking in the heart of North Beach. The Stinking Rose is famous in San Francisco, but for those who are not garlic fans (forty clove garlic chicken), you can quickly hop over to Chinatown for some House of Nanking Paper Wrapped Chicken, sorry we opted not to display the Dim Sum on this menu. We’ll have some butternut squash brought in as well for dinner from the Grand Café in Union Square.

Finally, we’ll be hopping on the trolley car up and down famous Hyde Street to The Hyde Street Bistro for dessert. Chocolate soufflé anyone? The Hyde Street Bistro is my favorite, quaint, off the beaten path restaurant in San Francisco and their desserts are to die for. Coffee to top the night off in the Russion Hill area with some Buena Vista Pub Irish Coffee.”

Per our Cooking Club format, Kyle and I were given tasks of bringing a bottle of wine and some cheese for tasting and making papusas. Wine and cheese…easy stuff. Papusas? I had never even heard of them, much less made them. So I ‘phoned a friend’ for some help. She filled me in on how they should look and taste (El Salvadorian corn cakes filled with cheese or meat and served with a tomato sauce and a spicy pickled cole slaw), but then when left to my interpretation I messed up a pretty significant step. In short, corn flour is not a direct substitute for masa harina. Therefore the first batch of papusas, while not horrific tasting were heavy and sat in my stomach like a brick (these bricks are pictured above). Kyle, sensing a meltdown, ran to a hispanic market in Northeast, bought some masa harina and we quickly made a new batch for Cooking Club. Disaster averted, and I have to say they turned out quite tasty!

My favorites of the evening, however, were the Nanking Paper Wrapped Chicken – neatly folded envelopes of chicken with a light cilantro flavor – and the molten chocolate cake – no elaboration needed…it was molten, it was chocolate and it was cake. I included the recipe below that they used for these cakes, they will definitely be made at my house soon.

Overall I was impressed with the research of the menu and creativity to pull it all together. The next menu belongs to Chad and Vickie and there were rumors of a French cooking theme. Sounds like a good time to me!

Molten Chocolate Cakes
Makes 6

Sauce
4 ½ oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 c. hot water
¼ c. light corn syrup
¾ tsp peppermint extract

CAKES
5 oz. bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
10 TBSP (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
½ c. all purpose flour

Vanilla ice cream

FOR SAUCE: Stir both chocolates in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted. Add 1/3 cup hot water, corn syrup and extract; whisk until smooth. Remove from over water. Cool slightly. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover, chill. Before serving rewarm in saucepan over low heat stirring constantly).

FOR CAKES: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter six ¼ cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover. Chill).

Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates, Spoon sauce around cakes. Serve with ice cream.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, our Cooking Club got together for brunch. We usually try to hold our club on Friday or Saturday nights, since a lot of alcohol is usually involved, but with the holidays brunch was all we could manage in our schedules. Kyle and I were hosts, so we got to pick the theme. After much thought, my sister came up with an idea…New Orleans Brunch! We would have spicy, rich food and bloody mary’s to boot!

New Orleans Brunch Menu
Eggs Benedict
Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Frittata
Pecan Waffles with Pecan and Banana Syrup
Cayenne-Candied Bacon
Baked Cheese Grits
Cajun Bloody Mary’s
OJ and coffee

I found the recipes all on the Food Network recipe list. Actually, most of the recipes are from Emeril, which I hated to do but knew if I wanted some “kicked up” food from New Orleans, Emeril was the man to consult. I’m still not a fan of Emeril the personality, but after eating this brunch, I am definitely a fan of his recipes.

My favorites of the morning were the bloody mary’s, the frittata, the grits (which were amazing as leftovers with plenty of Louisiana hot sauce) and the cayenne-candied bacon. Honestly, spicy-sweet bacon? I’m in love.

The biggest disappointment for me were the eggs benedict. I don’t know what happened. The muffins were good, the eggs were cooked well (with runny yolks), the steak was seasoned well, and the Hollaindaise was tasty…but the sum of all the parts just didn’t add up for me. I’m beginning to wonder if I just don’t like eggs benedict. Does anyone know where I should go to put this to the test? Where are the best eggs benedict in the Twin Cities? I really need to figure this out.

Back to brunch…The morning was a lot of fun. We even got to do some cooking together, which usually doesn’t happen in our club. Vickie whipped up the syrup at my house and Katie (not me, the other Katie) was awarded the “utility cook of the day” by helping me with the waffles and the eggs benedict.

Looking back, perhaps it wasn’t a great idea to have this huge brunch the Sunday before Thanksgiving, since we had some big meals coming up. But in the moment that Sunday, I wouldn’t have changed a think. Then again, after two bloody mary’s on a Sunday morning, everything seems like a good idea!

Straight from our Minnesota State Fair binge, we went to our Cooking Club on Friday night. The menu was set by RJ and Katie – a good old fashioned seafood boil! The ingredients for the boil were crab legs, shrimp, andoullie sausage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and corn. The accompaniments to round out the menu were cole slaw, cornbread and semifreddo for dessert.

Seafood boils are a ton of fun! You get a big ‘ol pot of water, add plenty of seasoning and then boil the ingredients…voila! RJ and Katie have a huge pot and propane stand made especially for this type of thing, but we ended up bringing it inside and putting the pot on the stove to speed up the boiling process. Nevertheless, it worked great!


One of the best things about a seafood boil is that it is just plain messy. Between cracking the crab legs open, dipping the meat in melted butter and the eating the corn, you end up with greasy, yummy fingers…and no one cares! You can choose to use silverware for the potatoes, carrots and sausage, but everything is cut bite size anyway, so you also have the choice to just eat with your hands. Which is exactly what I did. Sitting outside on a warm August night while eating a messy seafood boil was just perfect.

Kyle and I were in charge of making the dessert, a lemon semifreddo with summer berries. It was a lot of fun to make and, wow, was it good! Light and airy, with just a bit of tartiness…yum! I would definitely make it again!

A little over a year ago Kyle and I were invited to join a newly formed cooking club with three other couples. The idea, thought up by Chad and Vickie, was to bring four couples together every two to three months to try new recipes, eat dinner, and get to know each other better. Needless to say, I was pretty excited! The way it works is the hosting responsibility rotates each time and the hosting couple chooses the theme and recipes and then emails them out to the group a week or two ahead of time. Recipes are assigned to couples and the idea is to make that exact recipe in order to try new things. Since the beginning of the club, Kyle and I have made fudge, stuffed mushroom caps, peperoni imbottiti, and Italian love cake.

This past Saturday night marked the official beginning of “Season Two”, as we are calling it. We have made it through all the couples hosting, although it did take us over a year to do so. Saturday was Chad and Vickie’s turn to host again and they chose a barbecue theme: bbq shrimp, corn bread, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, baby back ribs, and keylime pie. And to wash it all down, Tennessee Tea, a concoction of several hard alcohols and coke. Yes, it was a lot of food…cooking club generally does leave you overly full and begging for mercy, but it’s a really fun all-out smorgasbord of guilty-pleasure eating.

Kyle and I were in charge of the bbq shrimp and the potato salad. All in all, we really didn’t like the shrimp. As Kyle said, “I think someone mistook heavy seasoning for good flavor.” It’s true, the shrimp were dry-rubbed with two rubs and then smothered in a really sweet bbq sauce. It just really wasn’t our thing. The potato salad was pretty good, considering it called for Italian parsley and I am not a parsley fan. I strayed just a bit from the recipe and used about 2/3 of the mayo sauce and only half a bunch of parsley. The flavor was good, although I do wonder if I could get a tangier taste by adding the cider vinegar directly into the mayo…I’ll have to try that next time.

Of all the recipes, my favorites were the cornbread and the ribs. The cornbread, a recipe from Red Stone Restaurant, has pieces of real corn to add texture and is baked in a cast iron skillet. Topped with maple butter, it simply melts in your mouth. Second to the cornbread, was the dry rub on the ribs. It is thick and spicy and, when topped with a sweet and tangy bbq sauce, is a wonderful complement to the tender pork ribs.

Another successful cooking club night. Good food, good conversation…good times.