Fig Jam Pear Puffs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Fig Jam Pear Puffs! Sweet and spicy pepper jellies or jams make such interesting bedfellows when paired with cheese and fruit. You’ve probably noticed them on a charcuterie tray since cheese has a way of “cooling” the heat that can make hot peppers often intolerant. By adding the honey-like sweetness of ripe figs, the combo becomes a tug-o-war fusion between instant gratification, excitement, and joy to an endorphin rush of pleasant feelings.

FIG JAM PEAR PUFFS

Ingredients:

8-ounce tube of crescent rolls

4-ounces cream cheese

2 pears, peeled and finely chopped

1 pinch cinnamon

1 smidgen ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons blistered jalapeño fig jam

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick oil. Set aside. Unroll the crescent dough onto a work surface. Press seams together to form a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares. Press one dough square into each muffin cup. Cut cream cheese into 24 cubes. Place one cube of cream cheese into the bottom of each dough-lined cup. Cover with a heaping teaspoon of finely chopped pears. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over all. Top off with a small dollop of jalapeño fig jam. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Cool 5 minutes and then transfer each pear puff to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Effortless BBQ Beef

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Effortless BBQ Beef! If you are a guy, or have a husband like I do, who craves the deep beefy flavor he can sink his teeth into, you may want to keep this recipe in your stash of favorites. It requires very little effort, but delivers satisfying results. Brisket is actually dense and savory, so don’t let the fatty underside deter you. Once it’s cooked, the fat is removed thus leaving behind the luscious beefy taste associated with lean steak. The thick barbecue sauce adds more moisture to the meat, making it perfect for sliders and sandwiches. Game on!

EFFORTLESS BBQ BEEF

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds beef brisket

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

18 ounces prepared barbecue sauce

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine dried thyme leaves, paprika, black pepper, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin. Mix well. Rub spice mixture all over the top of the brisket. Pour water into the bottom of a slow cooker. Transfer the spice-rubbed brisket to the slow cooker. Pour liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce over the top of the brisket. Cover with the lid. Cook on Low setting for 8-10 hours. Once done cooking, remove the brisket to a platter. Remove fat from the bottom of the brisket; discard. Shred the brisket. Carefully pour the water out of the slow cooker. Place the shredded brisket back into the slow cooker. Cover with barbecue sauce. Gently stir to mix. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer until the brisket and sauce are heated through. Serve warm.

Donut Muffins

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Donut Muffins! I was tickled to pieces when my friend, Judy, gifted me with a spice jar of Vietnamese Cinnamon. I had never used it before, but being a fan of cinnamon, I thought I could do no wrong. I was right on the money. The intense flavor, baked into a luscious donut muffin and then rolled in a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, practically made my eyes roll back in sublime pleasure. Now that I have experienced the taste of imagination and exhilaration, how can I ever go back to ordinary cinnamon?

DONUT MUFFINS

Ingredients for the Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

Ingredients for the Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon

5 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick oil. Set aside. For the donut muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, Vietnamese cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add milk, pure vanilla extract, and melted butter. Mix well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. For the topping, in a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and Vietnamese cinnamon. In another bowl, warm the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir when melted. Carefully dip one donut muffin into the warm butter; roll the donut muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Crisp Asparagus Radish Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Crisp Asparagus Radish Salad! If you can justify the high cost of asparagus, savor every bite. My husband absolutely loves asparagus. When a restaurant offers it as a vegetable option over zucchini, he’ll swallow the up-charge every time and forge ahead like a mighty warrior. So, when I buy a pound of asparagus at the farmer’s market or nearby grocers, I usually have more than one meal planned for it. This time it’s in the form of a side salad.

CRISP ASPARAGUS RADISH SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 radishes, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus. Cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain; immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry. Transfer asparagus to a bowl. Add thinly sliced radishes and green onions. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Buttery Stuffed Haddock

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Buttery Stuffed Haddock! If you’re looking for a break from red meat, look no further than fish. I used to think I only had only two choices when it came time for a homemade fish dinner: either bake it or fry it. Now that I have easier access to fresh fish, I’ve expanded my thought process beyond the ordinary. While I’m having fun with the outdoor kitchen, sometimes I want a little more than that as well. I’m here to say that stuffing is no longer just for turkey. Fish offers options like mixing in shrimp, crab, vegetables, herbs, or rice. How crazy is that? Stick around; I’ll show you how it’s done.

BUTTERY STUFFED HADDOCK

Ingredients for Haddock:

2 – 6 ounce haddock fillets

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon parsley, minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Ingredients for Stuffing:

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1 pound precooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

1/4 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon diced pimentos

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon chives, minced

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a baking dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a large skillet, warm butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped green pepper. Sauté until tender. Add shrimp; stir 1-2 minutes. Add beef broth, diced pimentos, Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, minced chives, sea salt, and cayenne pepper. Heat through. Remove from heat and gently fold in bread crumbs. Divide the stuffing between the haddock fillets. Roll up; transfer stuffed fillets to the prepared baking dish, placing seam side down. Drizzle with melted butter and lemon juice. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Alex’s Porgy Fish Favorite

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Alex’s Porgy Fish Favorite! Just because a fish species is plentiful and easy to catch by local fishermen is no reason to ignore its flaky sweet flavor when cooked. In fact, you can herald porgy’s role in sustainable seafood. The more porgy that is caught, the better chance other wild-caught fish can multiply. Porgy is smaller, too, so one person can often eat an entire serving. Leave the fillet method to the skilled cutters. They can clean, skin, and fillet porgy to eliminate all those tiny bones. Alex is a member of a crew of local fishermen who work together to make each their fresh catch affordable and ready-to-cook when purchased. What more could anyone ask?

ALEX’S PORGY FISH FAVORITE

Ingredients:

2-6 ounce porgy fillets, skinned and deboned

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Melted butter, for garnish

Fresh Lemon, for garnish

Instructions:

Spray an enameled cast iron grill pan with nonstick oil. Warm olive oil and butter in the grill pan over medium high heat. Add porgy fillets to prepared cookware. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Cook two minutes; flip over and cook two minutes longer. Transfer to a platter. Serve with grilled asparagus and fresh tomatoes. Drizzle melted butter over all. Garnish with lemon slices.

Graze or Gobble

Are you a slow eater or a fast eater? Depends on the day. Is Time a factor that makes you practically inhale a plate of food on your way from one commitment to another? Maybe you planted yourself in front of the tv to stream the latest season of a popular series and before you knew it, dinner was gone. (Some blame it on the dog.) Me? I say, if the food didn’t look so appealing, I wouldn’t devour it. On the other hand, as a grazer, I’ve been known to be “Chatty McChat Chat” in conversation lingering over a meal. It’s a tipsy-turvy world. We all have those days when we eat too quickly. Sooooo, the next collection of recipes gives you the opportunity to graze or gobble. Only you can decide. Some of my posts have been favored by the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive @DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram (gail _dorna). You can even find me on Pinterest at Gail Dorna. I’d love to connect with you there as well. I also met Chef Michelle Tribble of Hell’s Kitchen reality cooking show. Fun times. Experience different flavors and textures one bite at a time. Catch a glimpse of “Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Graze or Gobble”. This remarkable journey of the palate is unique because it gives me a few moments with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement.