golden

Golden Oyster Stew

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Golden Oyster Stew! I knew it was something special when my father requested this savory stew once a year. Although he was the only one who indulged in its aromatic creaminess, I managed to sneak one spoonful each time. I guess you could say eventually I acquired a taste for this seafood delicacy. Now I’m sharing it with you. Carry on the tradition. 

GOLDEN OYSTER STEW

Ingredients:

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon onion, chopped 

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

8 ounces of fancy whole oysters, with oyster liquor 

1 cup light cream

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, finely shredded 

Oyster crackers 

Instructions:

In a 2-quart pan over medium high heat, combine potatoes, onion, butter, sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Add just enough water to cover. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and add oysters with liquor, cream, and cheese. Stir occasionally for cheese to melt. Gently bubble until the edges of the oysters begin to curl. Do not boil over. Serve the golden oyster stew immediately with oyster crackers. 

Upgraded Lunch Break

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Elevated Edibles: Upgraded Lunch Break! For those original gamers from the 1980’s, today’s snapshot may detect a slight resemblance to a popular video game character known as Pac-Man. I assure you, that was not my intention. My kids played that harmless game all the time, staring at a screen that literally ate its way to a high score. Then again, I seem to remember them requesting pizza delivery more often as a result of it. At least nowadays I can choose a healthier alternative with multigrain baked crackers that have wheat, corn, and oats. Plus it won’t cost me a roll of quarters.

UPGRADED LUNCH BREAK

Ingredients:

6 multigrain baked crackers

3 slices cherrywood smoked ham, deli-style

1 golden delicious apple, sliced in wedges

Fresh chives, for garnish

Instructions:

Arrange multigrain crackers on a platter. Cut each slice of ham in half. Form into an accordion shape to create “wells”. Secure one end with two strands of fresh chives. Tie securely. Place the ham onto a multigrain cracker, fanning out the hills and valleys. Insert apple wedges where possible, allowing them to stand upright. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Golden Puff Pancake

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Golden Puff Pancake! When it comes to convenience, this one-dish weekend wonder can save the day. You know how we tend to take it slow and easy for all things breakfast after a good night’s sleep? Yes, we’re worth it. That doesn’t mean, however, that we need to spend all the time in the kitchen flipping pancakes and dredging French toast through an egg batter. A Golden Puff Pancake is pretty much a cousin to the Dutch Baby. Everything gets mixed together and then baked into an airy popover-style pancake that immediately deflates once it’s removed from the oven. At first glance it appears as though someone in the house opened the oven door and then slammed it shut again. No worries. Fill the “well” with fresh fruit and powdered sugar. It looks and tastes fantastic.

GOLDEN PUFF PANCAKE

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons butter

Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Strawberries, blueberries, and fresh mint for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Butter a one-quart ovenproof casserole dish. Set aside. In a food processor, combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, and sea salt. Blend until smooth. Let batter rest for 5 minutes. Place butter in casserole dish. Transfer to hot oven to melt. Watch carefully, 1-2 minutes. Do not scorch. Swirl butter to coat pan. Pour in batter. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until pancake is fluffy and deeply golden. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with strawberries, blueberries, and fresh mint. Cut into wedges and serve.

Oven Roasted Golden Peaches

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Start Smart: Oven-Roasted Golden Peaches! Forget about cleanup of baking sheets by utilizing a perfect nonstick solution. Parchment paper. Never confuse it with wax paper, though, which will smoke in the oven. That’s a big mistake. Parchment paper is made to withstand oven temperatures during the baking or roasting process. Not only that, parchment paper contains a release agent that prevents foods from sticking to it. Bonus points, in my opinion. Because we’re covering the sliced peaches with pure maple syrup, you can imagine how difficult that would be to scrape off the pan once it’s baked in. May as well throw the pan away and buy another. Or…you could do what I did the first time I baked a galette. My husband took his sander tool and ground the petrified sugar off. Hey, don’t judge me. It was my favorite baking sheet. Still is.

OVEN-ROASTED GOLDEN PEACHES

Ingredients:

3-4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced

2-3 tablespoons butter, melted

2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sliced peaches in a single layer, without touching. Drizzle with melted butter and maple syrup. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 15 minutes, then flip peaches over. Spoon excess sauce over peaches. Bake 10 minutes longer. Serve warm with sea salt caramel ice cream.