I think Cliff Crooks will act on his last name and steal the show! He is emerging as the star of the show - very calm, soft spoken guy he really has a way with food. Cliff has won two Quick Challenges! The elimination challenge was to make an "adult version of comfort food", and the winner's dish is featured on TGIFriday's menu. The dishes were served to firefighters. Cliff's Fish Sticks and Mac and Cheese didn't win however the firefighters loved it!!!!
Cliff Crooks
Fish Sticks with Mac and Cheese
Makes 1 generous serving
Fish Sticks:
1 7-ounce cod filet, cut into three pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 large egg
4 ounces panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or standard bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Pepper to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying
1. Spread flour in a shallow dish.
2. Break egg into small bowl and beat well with a fork. Transfer to a shallow dish.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, red pepper, oregano and salt. Spread in a shallow dish.
4. Dip each piece of cod in flour and dredge to completely coat all
sides of fish. Repeat process with beaten egg and then with breadcrumb
mixture so that each piece of cod has a layer of flour, then egg, then
breadcrumbs.
5. Transfer coated cod pieces to a shallow dish and refrigerate until ready to fry and serve.
6. When ready to serve, remove cod from refrigerator.
7. Pour oil to a depth of 3-4 inches in a heavy bottomed pot. Heat oil
over medium high heat to 325F. Place cod in oil and fry until golden
brown, about 2-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper
towel-lined plate to drain.
8. Serve immediately.
Mac and Cheese:
1 cup elbow pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup grated provolone cheese
1/4 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2. In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add cheeses and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes.
3. Add pasta and stir well to combine. Transfer to a small serving dish and top with bacon.
4. Serve warm.
I had an early dinner today at Caribbean Cafe - a very authentic Cuban restaurant close to my home. My brother told me about this spot this summer, I went and fell in love with it - been going back regularly! I always order the Vaca Frita, it comes with black beans mixed with white rice, sweet plantains and a slice of avocado and tomato. Vaca Frita literally translates to "Fried Cow". Essentially, it's roast beef that goes through a marination process, and is then shredded, seasoned with citrus flavors and onions and fried until crispy - Awesome! You would be amazed at the flavor this dish packs! The other dishes there look great too, I just can't venture pass the Vaca Frita - it's soooo good!
Vaca Frita (Cuba)
1 (2 1/2 pound) flank steak, cut in half
(or chuck steak or roast)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and each half thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Place the beef and bay leaf in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, and cook over low heat, covered, until the meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (chuck roast may take a little longer). Remove the meat from the stock and allow to cool at room temperature (save the stock for another use).
When the meat is cool, cut into 2-inch chunks, shred it using your fingers, and place in a nonreactive bowl. Add the citrus juices, garlic, salt, and pepper, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Remove the meat from the marinade and squeeze out the excess liquid. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until fragrant and cook the beef shreds, stirring 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions and cook until the beef is crisp, another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve over white rice.
On my other Vox site I posted the Jamie Oliver's Chicken Cacciatore recipe that I prepared for dinner tonight. The recipe required a half bottle of Chianti. Here's what you can do with the other half of the bottle.... make and Italian Wine Cooler!
I had these a couple of days ago on work "grill day". They tasted so good, I wanted to make them at home. The plan was the do them on the grill today - being Labor Day and all....
Well, it rained all day today, so I decided to do them indoors. They came out great! Everyone loved them. Super simple - I photographed the process. Try them.
Buy some damn Jalapenos! Remember, however many you buy will be doubled since they will be cut in half. So, you need to cut them in half and scrap the seeds out - that's the hot stuff! I used a spoon to scrap the seeds. Be careful not to touch your eyes!
Mix together plain cream cheese, a half teaspoon of salt and garlic salt with cheddar cheese. The amount of cream cheese and cheddar cheese will depend on how many peppers you have.
Cut bacon strips in half. I used a package of Maple Hickory flavored bacon. And I also used turkey bacon on some for the health conscious folks.
Stuff the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeno halves.
Wrap the bacon around the jalapeno and secure with a toothpick. I soaked the toothpicks in water so that they wouldn't burn. The toothpicks keep the bacon on board :)
All wrapped up and ready!
At this point you would put them on the grill, or in the oven at 450 degrees. I used my George Foreman Grill since I couldn't use the grill outside due to the rain.
Cooking nicely!
The finished product - yum!
I'm a huge Food Network fan! Every now and then I will post some of my favorite chefs and food shows. I think I will start with Bobby Flay. What a cutie!!!
From Food Network.com....
'm going to put a new and colorful twist on southwestern cuisine," said Bobby Flay, host of Food Network's FoodNation and Boy Meets Grill, just before the 1991 opening of the now-celebrated Mesa Grill. Since then the flame-haired man from Manhattan has earned critical acclaim, including Gael Greene's choice of Mesa Grill as best restaurant in 1992. Mesa Grill's two-star review in The New York Times reported that "the sassy fare at Mesa Grill surpasses anything of its kind elsewhere in New York."
The
recognition that Bobby has gained at Mesa Grill for his mouthwatering
dishes has built his reputation as a major force not only in New York's
culinary scene but also nationwide. In May 1993, Bobby was voted the
James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year, an award that
honors the country's most accomplished chef under the age of 30. The
French Culinary Institute, his alma mater, honored him in 1993 with its
first-ever Outstanding Graduate Award, which recognizes the school's
most accomplished alumni. And his first book, Bobby Flay's Bold American Food
(Warner Books, 1994), won the 1995 International Association of
Culinary Professionals award for design. Not one to rest on his
laurels, Bobby has authored five more cookbooks: From My Kitchen to Your Table (Clarkson Potter, 1998), Boy Meets Grill (Hyperion, 1999), Bobby Flay Cooks American (Hyperion, 2001), Boy Get Gets Grill (Scribner, 2004) and Bobby Flay’s Grilling for Life (Scribner, 2005).
Bobby
fell into cooking at the age of 17 when he took a job at New York's Joe
Allen restaurant. Eventually, he so impressed the management that Joe
Allen paid his tuition to the prestigious French Culinary Institute.
But French cuisine was not to be Bobby's destiny. After restaurateur
Jonathan Waxman introduced him to southwestern ingredients,
Bobby--instantly drawn to indigenous American foods such as black and
white beans, chiles and avocados--was determined to explore the
possibilities of southwestern cuisine as an important and distinct
culinary style for America.
From 1988 to 1990, Bobby
experimented with his new culinary passion at New York's Miracle Grill,
where his colorful southwestern creations earned him something of a
cult following. When Bobby's own Mesa Grill opened its doors in 1991,
his reputation as a major New York chef was sealed. He continued to
soar with Bolo, his second New York restaurant, which Bobby (Bo) and
partner Laurence Kretchmer (Lo) opened in November 1993. Dedicated to
exploring Spanish cuisine, Bobby's innovative menu at Bolo dazzles
adventurous palates daily.
In 2004, Bobby opened the Mesa Grill Las Vegas in Caesar's Palace. His newest American Brasserie, Bar Americain, opened in New York in the spring of 2005.
