Showing posts with label New Dress a Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Dress a Day. Show all posts

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Afterschool Special Recipe: "Bad Girl on a Bar Stool," Beer Sorbet and Bar Stool Brittle

"Here’s the story/Of a lucky lady/Who was cooking up some really yummy food.

It was for the cast of My Fair Brady/So I tried not to come unglued."

Okay, okay, my rhyming skills need some work, but I’m trying to keep it classy here, which means lewd, stewed or poohed are out.

When I was in high school, I had the following obsessions; anything 1970s, anything on Food Network and a guy named Greg who looked exactly like Greg Brady but had Ben Affleck's teeth pre the veneers he was given for Armageddon.

To find myself in the kitchen, preparing a meal for Christopher Knight, aka: Peter Brady, and his wife Adrienne Curry (of America's Next Top Model fame--love that show!), took a teenage dream, rolled it in rad dust, dipped it in awesome sauce and served it up on a silver platter. The only thing that might have made it better is if my unrequited Barry Williams look-a-like love had walked through the door and asked me to prom.

For the Very Brady Birthday episode, airing next week on Food Network, I created a dessert I like to call "Bad Girl on a Bar Stool," a combination of beer sorbet and "Bar Stool" brittle, a toffee that incorporates all the snacks you'd find along the rail of a dive where your feet stick to the ground and peanut shells are the carpeting.

Beer sorbet is going to sweep the nation! Mark my words. It's flavor is close to lemon sorbet and the texture is between sorbet and a slushie (because of the alcohol in the beer, it melts very easily). Add in this ridiculous brittle and you have every great flavor dessert needs: sweet, salty and boozy.

The first thing you need is the juice and zest of two lemons, then you add one can of lemonade concentrate...

Add three bottles of lite beer...

Stir all the ingredients together and process the sorbet base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions...

This is what it looks like when it's done. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.

Next, prepare the brittle using these ingredients...

In a greased sheet pan, layer crumbled potato chips and pretzels...

Heat sugar, water, salt and corn syrup in a heavy bottom pan until it dissolves...

And turns a light amber color...

Immediately remove the sugar from heat and stir in baking soda and butter. The brittle changes instantly and starts to look like this...

Pour the hot brittle over potato chips and pretzels and top with Munch 'n' Crunch, peanuts, chocolate covered pretzels or any other treats you might want to use.

This is what it looks like when finished (and after your friends have started to dig in)...
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"Bad Girl on a Bar Stool" Recipe
makes 6-8 servings

Beer Sorbet:
3 12 oz bottles Miller Genuine Draft, Bud Lite Lime or other light beer
1 can lemonade concentrate
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Mix together all ingredients and process in an ice cream maker following manufacturer's instructions for sorbet. Freeze until firm.

Bar Stool Brittle:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup Munch ‘n’ Crunch or Cracker Jacks
1 cup pretzels
1 cup potato chips, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 oz. semi-sweet choc, melted (optional)
1 cup chocolate covered pretzels (optional)
1/4 cup beer nuts (optional)

Note: The idea for this brittle was to take everything you’d find on a bar and use it in a dessert. If you have a personal favorite to add, go for it!

Grease a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with crushed potato chips and pretzels. In a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved and begins to turn a light amber color, about 7-10 minutes or until it reaches 300 degrees (for those of you with a candy thermometer).

Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in butter and baking soda. The brittle will instantly change; bubbling up, becoming caramel and releasing steam. Be very careful and work quickly.

Pour brittle over chips and pretzels on cookie sheet. Drizzle with Munch ‘n’ Crunch and anything you’re using that includes chocolate. Allow brittle to cool and snap into pieces.

Serve with beer sorbet.

PCOBH Premiere Party with Renegade Dulce de Leche Rosemary Apple Empanadas


Last night, for the return of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, I got together with my peeps for a little viewing party, catered by yours truly.

In order to make the viewing experience more immersive and interactive, all the food I made was from this season, sorta like Smell-avision.

In honor of my big TV date with Lorenzo Lamas, I recreated the Renegade Dulce de Leche Rosemary Apple Empanada featured on the show.

You start by taking a can of sweetened condensed milk...

And boiling it for two hours.

When it's amber and thick, you saute some apples, add the dulce de leche and toss in some rosemary...


Then you spoon the filling into dough, crimp the edges with a fork, lightly egg wash and dust with sanding sugar...

And bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
When the empanadas were done, I packed them, along with wild mushroom chimichurri gnocchi, golden beet and fennel salad with gorgonzola flan, Skinny Chimis (my new obsession), beer sorbet with bar stool brittle (off the chain) and a corn bread version of my Harissa tuna churros and set off for Casa de Young where I was greeted with flowers from Lovely Lyle.

The dessert station...
Stacked plate, ready for the show...
The buffet...
Showtime...
Miss Kelly...
Miss Marisa and her fabush New Dress a Day...

The Brothers Young, who so kindly hosted...


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"Renegade" Dulce de Leche Rosemary Apple Empanadas

Makes 12 empanadas

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
pinch salt

Dough:
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup (about) ice water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup sanding sugar (brown sugar can be substituted)

Directions:

Start by making the dulce de leche.

Place an unopened can of condensed milk in a small, heavy-bottomed pot and completely cover with water. Boil can, uncovered, for 2-3 hours, replenishing water as necessary.

Allow can to cool, open carefully and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sauté diced apples until tender but still al dente, about 2 minutes. Add rosemary and a pinch of salt. Cool while making dough.

Note: If you don’t feel like making your own dough, you can use packaged puff pastry or pie dough.

Whisk egg yolk and vinegar together in a small cup or bowl and add ice water. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and butter until a course, crumbly meal forms. Add liquid and quickly run processor just until a ball of dough forms. Immediately stop processor, remove dough and flatten into a disc. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator, lightly dust with flour and roll out to ¼ to ½ inch thick. Using a 4” cookie cutter, or a lightly floured glass, cut dough into circles.

Spoon filling into center of dough, fold dough into a half moon shape, and crimp close with the tines of a fork, placing finished empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, saving additional dulce de leche filling to serve on the side of the empanadas.

Lightly brush empanadas with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Serves warm with leftover dulce de leche, fresh fruit or whipped cream.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Viewing Party

After the photo shoot, it was time to grub.

In order to make the viewing party a multi-dimensional experience for my friends, we started with episode one's Cowboy Caviar Soup with "Hot Dog" Croutons. That way they were able to eat what they were watching. Take that James Cameron! I'm 4-D, baby.
At Caroline's request, we had brussel sprouts. These were roasted and then sauteed in olive oil with Parmesan cheese, red chili flakes, salt and za'atar, a middle eastern blend of herbs like oregano, thyme and basil, sesame seeds and other spices.
Using leftovers from Tuesday's viewing party, a tart of roasted grapes, onions and mushrooms, topped with goat cheese and mushroom duxelle and truffle oil went like hotcakes.

Proof that my friends are the illest, once every one's plates were loaded and the show was ready to begin, Rachel and Erin presented me with a basket overflowing with treats I mentioned in an interview with Radiofree.com and a photo of Jesse James, my choice for a human pinata.
It was an amazing night thanks to the exceptional people I'm lucky enough to call my friends.
For a great group shot and a glimpse into the fabulousness my girl, Marisa, was rocking, head to her rad blog, New Dress a Day.