Maryland Oyster Farming

I got an article published on the popular food site, Food Republic! It's about local oysters and features a recipe from Heavy Seas Alehouse.

Click here to read.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Gluten-Free Green Tomato Caprese

Once again our garden is inundated with tomatoes. Green tomatoes. The few that have started to turn red have been attacked by a plague of squirrels. Those furry little bastards take one bite of the reddest, ripest tomato and then leave the rest of it on the vine. If they're going to eat it, I'd rather them take the whole damn thing and save me the disappointment of finding tiny toothmarks in the side of one of my beautiful Black Krims.

(Our next door neighbor told us a funny story about squirrels in our tomatoes. He said he watched one of the critters climb down into the garden, take a tomato, and fling himself skyward onto a branch. He then proceeded to smack directly into a tree trunk and fall flat on his back. With the tomato still in his jaws. He eventually picked himself up and ran off. With the tomato.)

I can't wait for the tomatoes to ripen, so I picked a bunch of green ones. The most obvious thing to do with green tomatoes is to fry them, but I hate the whole messy plate of flour-bowl of egg-plate of breadcrumbs routine and then having to clean up all of the flour and breadcrumbs that inevitably drop onto the floor between the counter and the garbage can. So I thought I could batter the tomatoes, instead of crumb them. I did some googling and found a couple recipes, all of which involved frying in at least half an inch of oil. F that. If pancakes can cook in a haze of PAM, then batter-dipped fried green tomatoes can, too.

Ok, so I didn't use PAM. I used vegetable oil. But only about a tablespoon-full in my big 12" skillet. And see from the photos how purty and brown they turned out?

I thought I'd make a cornmeal batter, but the bag I thought contained cornmeal actually had oat flour in it. Next to it in the pantry was a bag of rice flour, and seeing the two of them together made me flash back to the truly awful gluten-free donuts I made some months ago. I almost sat down and cried again right on the spot; instead I put on my big-girl panties (yes, right there in the kitchen) and took a deep breath. I didn't really want to reach up to get the big heavy barrel of flour off the top of the cabinet, so I used the oat flour and rice flour, bad memories and all, since they were in my hands. Yes, I am lazy, but that makes this recipe gluten-free. And honestly, I couldn't tell that I didn't use wheat flour. (You can use wheat flour, if you're not as lazy as I am.) I kinda didn't want to use milk for the batter, but using beer would have defeated the whole gluten-free thing, and the closest thing to club soda I had on hand would have been some diet raspberry fizzy water. Milk it is, then.

I bought some Buitoni pesto because our basil is really kind of lame this year. Originally I was going to use straight pesto, but I like a mayo-based sauce with my fried green tomatoes. Then I thought mayo and cheese together? Maybe that will be too rich. As if there's any such thing as too rich. So I made a vinaigrette, too, with pesto in it, and a pinch of sugar for balance. (I didn't use oil because pesto already has oil in it.)

What I liked best about this dish was that the hot tomatoes made the cheese melt. It had all the right things going on - crusty, creamy, gooey, tangy, herbaceous, and fried. Mmm.

Gluten-Free Fried Green Tomato Caprese

For the tomatoes:
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Enough milk to make a thick batter
2-4 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4" thick slices
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the pesto mayo:
2 tablespoons pesto
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

For the pesto vinaigrette:
2 teaspoons pesto
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sugar
Salt

To assemble:
Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
Basil, for garnish

To make the tomatoes: Combine batter ingredients in a large bowl.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Swirl the pan so the bottom is coated.

Put several tomato slices into the bowl of batter, turning them with a fork to make sure they are well coated. Using the fork, lift slices and allow some of the batter to drain back into the bowl before putting them into the hot pan. Don't crowd the pan - just put 5-6 slices in per batch.

Cook tomatoes until bottoms are nicely browned. Flip slices and cook an additional few minutes until the other side is brown. Remove to paper towel-lined plates to drain and give them a dusting of salt. Cook remaining tomatoes the same way, adding more oil to the pan for each batch.

To make the pesto mayo: Combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

To make the pesto vinaigrette: Combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

To assemble dish: Place a small blob of the mayo in the center of a plate. Top with a slice of tomato, then a slice of cheese and another blob of mayo. Repeat once more, then finish with a third tomato slice and a blob of mayo. Garnish with fresh basil. Drizzle the vinaigrette around the stack.










Posted on Minxeats.com.

The Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament Enters Semi-Finals

The Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, the largest culinary competition of its kind in the country, is set to enter Semi-Final competition on August 11th. The original field of 16 top area chefs is now down to just four, with only three matches remaining to determine the Champion!

Chef teams from Chefs’ Expressions (Timonium), Basta Pasta (Timonium), Conrad’s Seafood (Perry Hall), and Bistro Blanc (Glenelg) are vying for over $10,000 in prizes, including cash, a 2-day all-expense paid trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to tour Crave Brothers, the New Glaris Beer Plant, and the Emmi Roth USA Plant, as well as attend the Culinary Executive Center for Cheese Course Plates and Fondue for lunch provided by sponsor Emmi-Roth USA, a $3,000 oven provided by sponsor Vulcan, a day training with Certified Master Chef Edwin Scholly, along with numerous other culinary equipment and prizes as well as the title of 2014 Mason Dixon Master Chef Champions!

Matches are being held at the Inn at the Colonnade in Baltimore (4 West University Parkway, Baltimore). Semi-Final matches are listed below. 10% of each ticket sold goes directly to Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, the competition’s charity partner.

Tickets*: $35 for general admission (includes tax)
$55 for judging experience (includes tax)
Available for purchase at: www.masondixonmasterchef.com
*Tickets must be purchased in advance for the above pricing. $45/ $65 day of and at the door (if available).

The $35 ticket price includes admission to that night’s competition, wine/spirit tasting, passed hors d’oeuvres during happy hour, dessert and coffee bar, all taxes and a 10% donation to charity. Tickets are on sale now, and are expected to sell out quickly.

Semi-Final Matches:
The line-up for August 11 and 12 matches in “Battle South East Asia” include:

Monday, August 11 - Chef Janny Kim of Bistro Blanc versus Chef Adam Snyder of Chef’s Expressions

Tuesday, August 12 - Chef Kiet Philavanh of Basta Pasta versus Chef Jake Hack of Conrad’s Seafood

Happy Hour (6:00 – 7:00pm) each evening features complementary wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres, and special pricing on drinks and food for purchase from Alizée American Bistro both days. Guests also enjoy a complementary dessert bar and coffee to top off their evening. Event details available at: http://www.masondixonmasterchef.com/about-the-tournament/menu.php?match_id=74

When & Where:
Semi-Finals: August 11, 12
Championship Match: Sunday, August 24

5:30 -7:00p.m. – Happy Hour (free appetizers and wine/spirit tasting)
6:25 p.m. – Cold Prep Begins
7:00 p.m. – Chef Competition
8:00pm – Judging Begins (complementary dessert and coffee bar for all guests)

Inn at the Colonnade
4 West University Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21218

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Eggplant Artichoke Appetizer Thingy

For those readers who don't yet know, Mr Minx and I produced a cookbook this year. Baltimore Chef's Table includes recipes from 58 Baltimore-area restaurants. The recipes run the gamut from the expected Maryland crab soup and crab cakes to Thai and Persian food. The Orchard Market & Cafe, in Towson, was kind enough to provide two recipes for the book, one of which involves eggplant and artichokes in a honey mustard sauce. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, so when we did a book signing at the restaurant, I ordered the dish. Hmm...it was pretty good. And definitely simple enough to assemble at home.

The recipe in the book makes a 9" x 13" pan full. A bit much for two people, I cut it way back. I also simplified the preparation of the eggplant, and added a bunch more dill because I really wanted to taste it. The book recipe calls for Bulgarian feta, but as we had no plans to go to Wegmans anytime soon, I just used regular supermarket feta. The Bulgarian would have definitely been better, but I can't complain too much about my substitution--we ate it all up.

Eggplant Artichoke Appetizer (adapted from Baltimore Chef's Table)

1 large or two medium eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons honey dijon mustard (I used Jack Daniels brand)
2 tablespoons minced dill
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
4 scallions, chopped
1 can artichokes, drained
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
5-6 pitted olives, sliced
Pita bread for serving

Rinse and halve eggplants from stem to stern. Place cut-side-down on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a piece of waxed paper. Microwave for 10-12 minutes, until deflated and tender. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before scraping eggplant meat onto a cutting board. Chop into fairly small pieces and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season to taste with the kosher salt.

Combine the sour cream, mustard, dill, and molasses in a small bowl. Season with salt, if desired.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the eggplant in the bottom of a 9" round or square baking pan. Top with the scallions. Arrange the artichokes over the scallions and top with most of the feta cheese. Pour the mustard sauce over all. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is browned.

Top the dish with remaining feta crumbles and the olives. Eat with pita bread.

Serves 2-6, depending on whether using it as an entree or appetizer.



Posted on Minxeats.com.