Here is one of my favorite salsa recipes for the summer. It is extremely easy to make and has always been a huge favorite. Feel free to change up the amount of heat you use in this recipe to your own palette.
FIRE ROASTED PINEAPPLE SALSA
Yields 1 Quart
INGREDIENTS
6 each Roma Tomatoes
1 each Red Onion (skin removed slice in 1/2)
2 each Poblano Peppers
1 each Jalapeno Pepper
1 each Pineapple (rind and core removed, sliced)
2 each Limes (juiced)
2 Tbs. Honey
2 ounces Cilantro (washed and rough chopped)
2 ounces Basil (Thai if possible)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
METHOD
Preheat Grill.
First wash all ingredients thoroughly. Then place the tomatoes, peppers, pineapple and onion in a bowl. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place all of the ingredients onto the grill and allow them to char. This will give the salsa a more intense flavor with a hint of smokiness. The sugars in the pineapple will caramelize much quicker than the other ingredients, so make sure you keep an eye on it. Once you have a nice char place all of the ingredients into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You want them to steam in there own juices.
Next you want to rough chop all of the vegetables except for the pineapple. The pineapple you want to rough dice and toss into the salsa after it has been chopped. Place all of the ingredients including the basil, cilantro, lime juice and honey into a food processor or blender and pulse until it is the consistency you desire. Place the salsa in a bowl and add your pineapple. Season with salt and pepper.
This recipe is great to use on grilled shrimp, chicken fajitas, grilled tilapia or even as a topper for salads.
Bon Appetite!!
Don't forget to checkout http://www.thechefstableathome.com/ for products to use with this recipe
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Springtime Caprese Salad
The Inspiration behind our Caprese Salad: A Perfect Sringtime Starter,
One day this week, at our restaurant, we received the best fresh mozzarella I have ever tasted. With a deep rich flavor and creamy texture, it was like no other mozzarella I had ever tasted. We received just a small sample and wanted the customers to be able to enjoy what a true, fresh mozzarella should taste like.
The chef and I decided with only five orders available we should make a simple dish to showcase the mozzarella and minimize the emphasis put on the other components of the dish. We looked around the kitchen for ingredients and found we had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes (a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations) that had just started to be harvested.
Our dish was starting to come together, Caprese salad. I love this salad because of its simplicity. A Caprese salad is a very classic dish from the Campania region of Italy. It usually consists of fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes and fresh basil.
For our rendition of the Caprese salad, we used ingredients that are commonly found in Memphis. Believe it or not, Memphis has a culturally diverse population which offers a wide variety of ingredients. I frequently shop at our Vietnamese market which offers an incredible selection of Asian ingredients. We typically buy Thai Basil, kaffir lime leaves and many other varieties of herbs and vegetables to use at the restaurant.
The ingredients of our Caprese Salad consisted of the following: fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, baby arugula, Thai basil, Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt, Balsamic vinegar and fresh cracked black pepper.
This recipe is great to use as a platter for parties or an outdoor seated dinner for your family and friends. Enjoy the recipe and as always feel free to post comments.
Please log onto my website for a full selection of professional kitchen and dining accessories.
INGREDIENTS (Yields 4 portions)
3 each Heirloom Tomatoes (Roma Tomatoes will work just as well)
1 pound Fresh Mozzarella (Italian if possible)
3 ounces Thai or Fresh Basil (tear or leave whole)
12 ounces Baby Arugula
2 Cups Balsamic vinegar
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbs. Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel
1 Tbs. Black pepper
Method;
The first thing you want to do is reduce 1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar. You want to reduce to a syrup consistency. Be very careful not to burn the vinegar. Once the vinegar is reduced place in the refrigerator and hold until service.
Wash the arugula to remove any sand and place in a colander to drain.
Next you will want to make the vinaigrette for the arugula salad. Place the .5 cup of balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the olive oil with the vinegar and hold for service.
The best way to slice the mozzarella is to place the knife under really hot water to warm the blade. This will allow the knife to easily slice the cheese without tearing it. I would slice the mozzarella right before you want to plate up the dish. This will prevent the mozzarella from drying out. Slice the tomatoes and you are pretty much ready to plate.
Place a tomato on the plate then layer the mozzarella. Do this until you have 3 tomatoes and 2 pieces of mozzarella. Tear some of the basil and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes and cheese. In a bowl place the arugula and lightly toss with the vinaigrette. Place a small handful of the arugula in front of the Caprese. Take a spoon and drizzle the balsamic reduction onto the plate and sprinkle the sea salt and black pepper.
Bon Appetite!
One day this week, at our restaurant, we received the best fresh mozzarella I have ever tasted. With a deep rich flavor and creamy texture, it was like no other mozzarella I had ever tasted. We received just a small sample and wanted the customers to be able to enjoy what a true, fresh mozzarella should taste like.
The chef and I decided with only five orders available we should make a simple dish to showcase the mozzarella and minimize the emphasis put on the other components of the dish. We looked around the kitchen for ingredients and found we had some beautiful heirloom tomatoes (a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations) that had just started to be harvested.
Our dish was starting to come together, Caprese salad. I love this salad because of its simplicity. A Caprese salad is a very classic dish from the Campania region of Italy. It usually consists of fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes and fresh basil.
For our rendition of the Caprese salad, we used ingredients that are commonly found in Memphis. Believe it or not, Memphis has a culturally diverse population which offers a wide variety of ingredients. I frequently shop at our Vietnamese market which offers an incredible selection of Asian ingredients. We typically buy Thai Basil, kaffir lime leaves and many other varieties of herbs and vegetables to use at the restaurant.
The ingredients of our Caprese Salad consisted of the following: fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, baby arugula, Thai basil, Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt, Balsamic vinegar and fresh cracked black pepper.
This recipe is great to use as a platter for parties or an outdoor seated dinner for your family and friends. Enjoy the recipe and as always feel free to post comments.
Please log onto my website for a full selection of professional kitchen and dining accessories.
INGREDIENTS (Yields 4 portions)
3 each Heirloom Tomatoes (Roma Tomatoes will work just as well)
1 pound Fresh Mozzarella (Italian if possible)
3 ounces Thai or Fresh Basil (tear or leave whole)
12 ounces Baby Arugula
2 Cups Balsamic vinegar
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbs. Hawaiian Pink Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel
1 Tbs. Black pepper
Method;
The first thing you want to do is reduce 1.5 cups of balsamic vinegar. You want to reduce to a syrup consistency. Be very careful not to burn the vinegar. Once the vinegar is reduced place in the refrigerator and hold until service.
Wash the arugula to remove any sand and place in a colander to drain.
Next you will want to make the vinaigrette for the arugula salad. Place the .5 cup of balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the olive oil with the vinegar and hold for service.
The best way to slice the mozzarella is to place the knife under really hot water to warm the blade. This will allow the knife to easily slice the cheese without tearing it. I would slice the mozzarella right before you want to plate up the dish. This will prevent the mozzarella from drying out. Slice the tomatoes and you are pretty much ready to plate.
Place a tomato on the plate then layer the mozzarella. Do this until you have 3 tomatoes and 2 pieces of mozzarella. Tear some of the basil and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes and cheese. In a bowl place the arugula and lightly toss with the vinaigrette. Place a small handful of the arugula in front of the Caprese. Take a spoon and drizzle the balsamic reduction onto the plate and sprinkle the sea salt and black pepper.
Bon Appetite!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
It was my second year at the Brooks Uncorked (Memphis, TN) event on Friday, April 11th. The wine tasting and auction is one of a five part annual event titled "The Art of Tasting." I scored the tickets through a good friend who works in wine sales.
As I entered, I stayed clear from the crowd around what I later found to be the Treana table. Neeedless to say, they ran out early. Treana is always a solid purchase, $35. It is usually a blend featuring Syrah. The other wines included the newer Matchbook products, I especially enjoyed their Syrah; it was rich, dark, and peppery. It is definitely worth the $25. I saw another favorite of mine, Cycles Syrah from the Central Coast. This Syrah is structured easy-drinking if you have not enjoyed this wine yet. No need for food here, just a similar love for Syrah. Please pick it up, the price is right at about $12. I love how bigger grape varietals still retain body when inexpensive, unlike a cheap and fruity Merlot maybe. I also went back to the Au Bon Climat table a few times. I ended up buying a couple of bottles. It helped that our local liquor store giant, Buster's, offered 15% off all bottles they carried. But going back to the fabulous Pinot Noirs, I purchased the 2006 Santa Barbera by the "layed back" Jim Clendenon. However, all of ABC's wines are exceptional. The subtle differences of each would be great to experience side-by-side one day, like a terroir tasting. Maybe then I could pick out a favorite. I also got to experience, for the first time, the Green Lion wines. The Cabernet was good, but the Merlot was the star being well balanced with tons of dark purple fruit and solid oak. Most interesting was the colorful artwork on the bottle itself. It was rumored that night and later confirmed that the same artist designed covers for two Beatles albums, Sgt. Pepper and Revolver. They must have a lot of hippies still left in California. But seriously, once you see the label you will notice the similarities. The other standout for me would be the Ghost Pines wines sold by my friend, so I am a little biased. Again I thought it was a case where this Napa Merlot outshined the Cabernet.
For the auction, all of the procedes went to support the Brooks Museum. Some friends we invited began bidding on various bottles and artwork that looked of interest; I jumped right in. We started off slow, just checking out the selection, but the rush quickly took hold of us. Soon we were all running around trying to get in our last bids and lost a Cabernet package in the last 5 seconds. Auctions are fun! We ended up winning the 1980 Sterling Napa Reserve Cabernet to be drank soon at the new East Memphis phenom Interim Restaurant which has great food and also has family ties to me.
Other fun notes include the whole roasted pigs. I will say that the food this year was better than what I remembered from last year. Although, if I do recall correctly, it was Wally Joe's first event at his new home, the Brushmark in the Brooks. Ironically, the eponymous restaurant he had to leave is the current site of the new Interim that I just referred too. All in all the experience was wonderful and exciting. I would suggest anyone go to more wine tastings, like the ones put on at Salsa next door to Great Wines. Gary Burhop does a great job and you can get on an email list updating you on wine dinners and small allocations; but I digress. In conclusion, wine is great, and definitely subjective, so never be afraid to drink more to find out what you like.
Julie Davis,
Memphis,Tn
As I entered, I stayed clear from the crowd around what I later found to be the Treana table. Neeedless to say, they ran out early. Treana is always a solid purchase, $35. It is usually a blend featuring Syrah. The other wines included the newer Matchbook products, I especially enjoyed their Syrah; it was rich, dark, and peppery. It is definitely worth the $25. I saw another favorite of mine, Cycles Syrah from the Central Coast. This Syrah is structured easy-drinking if you have not enjoyed this wine yet. No need for food here, just a similar love for Syrah. Please pick it up, the price is right at about $12. I love how bigger grape varietals still retain body when inexpensive, unlike a cheap and fruity Merlot maybe. I also went back to the Au Bon Climat table a few times. I ended up buying a couple of bottles. It helped that our local liquor store giant, Buster's, offered 15% off all bottles they carried. But going back to the fabulous Pinot Noirs, I purchased the 2006 Santa Barbera by the "layed back" Jim Clendenon. However, all of ABC's wines are exceptional. The subtle differences of each would be great to experience side-by-side one day, like a terroir tasting. Maybe then I could pick out a favorite. I also got to experience, for the first time, the Green Lion wines. The Cabernet was good, but the Merlot was the star being well balanced with tons of dark purple fruit and solid oak. Most interesting was the colorful artwork on the bottle itself. It was rumored that night and later confirmed that the same artist designed covers for two Beatles albums, Sgt. Pepper and Revolver. They must have a lot of hippies still left in California. But seriously, once you see the label you will notice the similarities. The other standout for me would be the Ghost Pines wines sold by my friend, so I am a little biased. Again I thought it was a case where this Napa Merlot outshined the Cabernet.
For the auction, all of the procedes went to support the Brooks Museum. Some friends we invited began bidding on various bottles and artwork that looked of interest; I jumped right in. We started off slow, just checking out the selection, but the rush quickly took hold of us. Soon we were all running around trying to get in our last bids and lost a Cabernet package in the last 5 seconds. Auctions are fun! We ended up winning the 1980 Sterling Napa Reserve Cabernet to be drank soon at the new East Memphis phenom Interim Restaurant which has great food and also has family ties to me.
Other fun notes include the whole roasted pigs. I will say that the food this year was better than what I remembered from last year. Although, if I do recall correctly, it was Wally Joe's first event at his new home, the Brushmark in the Brooks. Ironically, the eponymous restaurant he had to leave is the current site of the new Interim that I just referred too. All in all the experience was wonderful and exciting. I would suggest anyone go to more wine tastings, like the ones put on at Salsa next door to Great Wines. Gary Burhop does a great job and you can get on an email list updating you on wine dinners and small allocations; but I digress. In conclusion, wine is great, and definitely subjective, so never be afraid to drink more to find out what you like.
Julie Davis,
Memphis,Tn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
