Oven Roasted Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella

For some reason my recipes seem to keep coming back to tomato and basil. Could that be because it is the height of summer and my garden is just pumping both out by the ton? Could be.

Here's an easy one asked for by a friend & slightly modified from the last time he had it. Oven-Roasted Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Bread

2 Ripe Tomatoes
1 Loaf French Bread
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Handful of Fresh Basil
A Couple of Spigs Fresh Oregano
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 Cup Parmesan
S&P to taste


First up:

Turn the oven on to about 300. Slice the Tomatoes 1/2" thick and Place the slices on a sheet tray. Lightly salt and pepper them. Toss in the over for about 1/2 hour. After the Tomatoes are out of the oven raise the temperature to 400.

Next:

In a mixing bowl or food processor toss the butter, Parmesan, Basil (if you are doing this by hand, chop up the basil and oregano) Oregano, Garlic (minced), and mix it all together.

Slice your French Bread in half lengthwise and spread the Butter & Cheese mix evenly over the bread. Top the Bread with the slices of Tomato and the remaining Mozzarella on top of that. Pop it all back in the oven until the Cheese is Melted and the Bread is Crisp.

Absensce

Sorry about my abscence. A new restaurant consulting gig has come my way and demands my attention most of my time these days. The opening date is less than a month away and the owners are still spinning their wheels. Now I'm there to bear some weight and help push them forward in a manner that makes sense from a culinary standpoint as well being responsible economically. Wish me luck.

Catering Tonight

Unfortunately, I do not have much time to update today. A catering client of mine asked me to do a dinner tonight at about 3:30 p.m. yesterday, and I had to say yes. I love last minute seat of my pants cooking. Here is the menu:

Hor's D

A Selection of Cheeses (St. Andre, XXXtra Sharp NY Cheddar, Smoked Gouda),

Nuts (Cashews, Pecans) & Fruits (Plums, Peaches, Champagne Grapes)

Salad

Summer Tomato Salad Over Baby Greens

Accompanied By

Fresh Mozzarella, Cucumbers & Oregano

Moscato Vinaigrette

Entree

Roasted Pork Loin in a Fresh Cherry & Burgundy Sauce

Rosemary Yukon Gold Potato Tatin

Slow Simmered Local Green Beans with Caramelized Vidalia Onions & Garlic

Dessert

White Chocolate Shortcake Touched by a Melange of Berries & Whipped Cream

All Made by Me. All Organic. Nice.

Kitchen Creativity

Last night I sat down with a potential catering client to discuss the possibility of handling the catering at her house and I have to say that I'm really excited. It's an opportunity for me to do a variety of different jobs, themes, and styles. Basically it seems like a creative outlet that can round out my life behind the editor's desk.

I spent the night and the morning thinking up ideas. Here are some:

Slow Roasted Moullard Duck Breast in a Fresh Cherry & Burgundy Sauce Accompanied by a Roasted Garlic Mousse & Crispy Rosemary Potatoes

Sweet Potato Pancakes w/ Roasted Red Pepper Creme Fraiche & Chives

Whole Grain Flatbread w/ Oven Roasted Hannover Tomatoes, Geneovese Basil & Buffalo Mozzarella

Local Trout in a Brown Butter, Scallion, Pine Nut & Lemon Sauce

Goat Cheesecake Drizzled In Raspberry & Port Syrup

Rockfish in Mango Barbecue Glaze Over A Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Chilled Grilled Shrimp w/ a Tomato Ginger Jam

Grilled Crab Manicotti

Salt & Pepper Caribbean Lobster Tail

Cornmeal Crusted Oysters w/ Curried Tartar

Wild Mushroom Wontons

Now of course my brain is seizing up and I can't think of any more at the moment. I suppose that is the way it always is. I still need to brainstorm more and then move into developing recipes that work from both a cooking and serving standpoint.

Family Cooking In a Cabin On Lake Norman

This past weekend, I took the family down to Lake Norman, outside of Charlotte, North Carolina and spent some quality time with my brother and cousin plus all of their kids and significant others. In the process, I got to cook dinner for everybody. This is the kind of cooking I really enjoy, because I'm doing it for people I know and care about. Plus, you get a gush of immediate responses. The kids are the best because their responses are not censored and they don't really feel the need to protect and massage other's egos. They just let it rip and that is fantastic. I appreciate honesty far more than obligatory praise.

This story really starts the second night we were down there, because we arrived too late for dinner on Friday. The whole day was perfect for jet skiing and hanging out with everyone in and around the water. After taking a quick nap with the boy, I started hearing whispers about my cooking for everyone. As I said before, I like cooking for everyone, but doing the freestyle cooking thing in an ill-equipped lake house with no chance to go to the store. Sorry, I didn't mention that the closest store was a healthy trek away and I woke from our nap far past the time dinner should have been started. So there I was pulling everything out of the fridge and creating as I went. I ended up with something that went a little like this:

(Cream of Refridgerator Chicken)

12 Boneless-Skinless Chicken Breasts
6 Green Peppers
4 Yellow Squash
5 Carrots
6 Toasted Slices of Whole Wheat Hippy Bread - Finely Diced
8 Slices of Honey Ham
1 Chunk of Swiss Cheese
8 Fresh Peaches
1 Smirnoff Ice malt beverage
2C Orange Juice
4T Cheap Yellow Mustard
3C Ginger Ale

Now, If you've made it through the ingredients and are still with me out of some sick curiousity, let's see how I put it all together. First up, I julienned the Green Peppers, Yellow Squash, & Carrots. No Garlic or Onions, not because I couldn't have used them, but these are not typical ingredients utilized by my relatives apparently. Next, I sauteed up the vegetables along with the ham. Once it was all softened up in went the Swiss Cheese and Bread.

In a separate pot, Skin and chunk up the peaches, Pour in the Ginger Ale & Orange Juice and start to reduce, while making sure to mash up the fruit as you go. Randomly grab a bottle of Cheap Yellow Mustard and Squeeze some of that in there too for a distinctly Jamaican Feel. Once you notice that it needs a little bit of tartness, go for the bottle of Smirnoff Ice. Pour that right in also. Just don't drink it. Really a bad idea. I know, because I did.

Once the stuffing has cooled, cut a nice pocket into the chicken breast and cram full of the mysterious pepper, squash, ham compound. Spread a little Country Crock fake butter stuff over the top and pop in a 400 degree oven. Occasionally baste the chicken with the Peach Sauce while it cooks until there is a nice crust over the chicken. Pull and slice on the bias to show off the beauty of the stuffing. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Quickly open and heat a can of Baked Beans. Call everyone to dinner, then sit back and enjoy the compliments as they pour in.

Feed Your Kids Right

The ultimate solution to kids eating better is to actively involve them in the process. Every kid I know is interested in cooking. The only thing that seems to hold them back are parents that cannot be bothered with it. But by now all of you know that taking the time and preparing a nice healthy home-cooked family meal is the only way to go, so it's time to let in the kids and let the real fun begin. One great way is to focus on the colors of different foods. Bell peppers his much of the rainbow. Use color to entice your kids. Make food about fun and not drudgery. Look for recipes that allow for a lot of prep away from the burners and knives. If you are chopping, simply put what you are doing into another bowl and let your child dump that into the pan. It's more fun than you think as long as you emphasize the fact that you are a team and building something together. Before long you will also realize that cooking together is a real chance to spent time with your kids as well as taking care of their nutritional needs.

And maybe the most important part of the whole family meal thing is to remember that your dinner is not about you. My wife will try to push her veggies off to the side of her plate or even make faces at certain things. At least she did until I kind of lost my mind and strongly exhorted her to remember that her responses are mimicked by our son. She got the point and even seems to use the "it's not about you" line as a mantra. Whatever works I suppose.

I'm not saying that I am the greatest tender of my child or that we don't dine on the occasional pizza or french fry, but those nights really are in the minority and I think the decision to engage Maksim's eating habits rather than avoid them will serve him and my future grandchildren well in the long run.

Solutions for children's Poor Eating Habits - Part 1

Yes, I realize the post from yesterday is pretty much a rant and sometimes rants are a necessary way to express yourself. I have been extremely frustrated by my son taking on some of the attributes of our little visitor from last week, because he saw her get away with it and now he's trying to push the envelope too. You can't blame him or any kid for wanting to eat their favorite foods and only their favorite foods. They are kids, it's their job. Our jobs as parents is to nurture our children and raise them to have strong and healthy bodies and minds.

So, I offer up a few suggestions to healthier homemade eating. First up, I do not think it is ridiculous to expect your children to eat like you do, unless you are just shoving your pie hole full of processed trash. Then it is your job to make sure that your kid eats better than you do. I have never made a special meal for my son because I'm worried he won't like what we are having. It's my opinion that if you treat your child's meal as special from your own, they will always expect special. Why set your child apart from you? I find that kids want to be included and enjoy being an equal part of your world. When I make dinner it is for all of us, not just the adults. If he doesn't like it, then he has the choice of going hungry or eating anyway. When he decides to not eat and then wants a snack later in the evening, I simply reheat his dinner for his snack. Sometimes he goes for it and sometimes he doesn't. In general, he has just accepted that what's for dinner is on his plate and other things aren't an option. Of course he goes through phases where he wants one thing over and over, so I accommodate him by working his choice into the week's menu. Currently it is Shrimp and Pasta. See Recipe Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Simple, Fresh Pasta .

Speaking of menus... Try to rough out the weeks meals ahead of time, so you have an idea of what you are going to do. Having a plan in the kitchen really makes it easier when you get down to doing the cooking, because you do not have to pull ideas out of the ether. Instead you know what you are going to do, which makes pulling off the final product easier. It's a realizing expectations thing. Not so tough really. Tonight I know that I'm doing Pork Chops with Roast Sweet Potatoes and Succotash. Tomorrow Roast Chicken with Wild Rice and Green Beans. Maybe it's a little bit boring to plan out dinner, but once the planning and buying is done I don't have to worry about it. My neighbor is a lousy cook, but she lines up her recipes for the week in a notebook every Sunday before grocery shopping and then buys the ingredients from there. That way she has a plan as well as knows nothing will be missing when it comes to executing the dinner.

These are just a couple of things I thought of in working against the cycle of people not being engaged in the feeding of their families. I hope any of this helps someone out there.

Red Sauce or White Sauce

Now don't start thinking that this will be any sort of post about buerre blanc and buerre rouge, because it's just not going to be it. I'd be happy to do one if anyone would like, but this post is one that has been kicking around in my head for a while and now I'm just going to start putting it out there and see what I come up with. The real inspiration for this post was a visit from one of my best friends, Matthew, over the July 4th holiday. We have been tight ever since our days at the University of Virginia, but our wives and kids had only spent a minimal amount of time together. The one thing I can say is that his daughter, 3, and my son, 4, got along great. Of course they battled it out here and there, but for the most parts they were playing together most of the time.

But what do I write about here? Inter-family bliss? No, I write about food and eating and so we need to get to what has been going on for me since their visit and my thoughts on kids and food. First the basics, his daughter is what you would call a picky eater. In fact virtually everything that goes into her mouth is accompanied by a generous amount of red sauce or white sauce. Now, in this case, the red sauce is ketchup (or catsup if you are old school with your spelling) and the white is Ranch Dressing. Seeing this really kind of freaked me out, and made me think back to my little brother who has definitely had to deal with a healthy dose of eating issues himself. For him it was more of a choice between honey and ranch dressing, but either way it was about covering his food in goop before he ate it. He ate the simplest and worst foods imaginable for a little kid and in the process he grew fat and unhealthy. I'm happy to report that he now looks great and seems to eat a more balance array of foods.

The question I find myself coming to is why kids fall into this spot where they eat a limited number of foods, refuse to try new things, and bury what they do consume in copious amounts of sauce. The answer I think is both simple and very difficult. First off, people just need to get off their lazy butts and put some time in the kitchen. Buying a bunch of premade processed foods and feeding your family with it every day is completely bankrupt in the humanity department. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to put some effort into what is coursing through your veins. I know people that think more about what grade and kind of gasoline they put in their cars than they do about what they fuel themselves with. It's just wrong. You are not to busy to cook a real meal for your family. The TV or computer or whatever it is can wait until after the meal is made.

The excuse that really gets to me is the whole, "I can't" or "I don't" cook excuse, as if making that decision and labelling yourself in that way excuses you from ever having to put a pan on the stove. If you are a parent and raising children, it's not about you and what you can't or won't do. It's about your children and if you really and truly want the best for them, simply learn. Not everyone can get in the kitchen and whip up something fantastic, but the reality is that everyone can learn the basics and retain enough knowledge to keep the table filled with good things. The next time you reach in the freezer to pop dinner in the microwave just take a second to read the nutritional information on the side of your Stouffer's box. There's nothing good in there, I promise you that much. Go out and take a class, buy a book, surf for recipes online. Do whatever it takes, but don't just shove a chicken nugget and a french fry in your kids mouth because it makes them happy and shuts them up for a few minutes, because you are not really helping yourself. You're actually hurting them.

Unfortunately, I now have to end this post for the day because my lunch hour is nearly over, but I promise that tomorrow I will offer what I see as reasonable paths to better diets for our kids and not just a rant.

Grilled Lemon Chicken With Rosemary & Basil

This is my absolute favorite way to do chicken on the grill, because all of the flavors just come together for something that really defines the summer grilling season. It's simple & not prep intensive so you can set it up and get on with your life. Try it out, and I bet you will find yourself making it over and over.

The Necessities:

1 Head Garlic - Peeled & Diced
4 Lemons - Halved & Sliced Thin
1 Whole Chicken - Boned & Cut 8-ways
2T Champagne Vinegar
1/4C Fresh Basil - Chopped
2T Fresh Rosemary - Chopped
1/2T Cracked Black Pepper
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt Before Grilling

Toss All of the Ingredients into a Mixing Bowl Until it is Sufficiently Jumbled About Then Cover With plastic Wrap and Weight the Top With a Plate. You Want Enough Pressure to Keep the Chicken Fully Covered in the Marinade.

preferably the next day, Fire up your grill and toss on the Chicken Skin side down. Watch for flare ups because as the flames lick the Chicken they like to leave an off flavor of burning oil. I usually have a spray bottle of water to keep them in check. Grill the Chicken until the outside is thoroughly Grilled but not burnt. In order to minimize burning, I usually grill the chicken and then pop it in the oven on 400 degrees for about twenty minutes to make sure it is cooked evenly and to the proper temp.

Finally, Pull it out and dig in.