Tis the Season for Dinner Party Fun (Part I)featured

There is nothing like a good excuse to have a dinner party! With the busyness of the season, I wanted to take some time to catch up with some old friends I haven’t seen in too long (Alessia & Will, Leda & Tim), introduce them to some wonderful new friends (Brianne & Alex), and enjoy some good food and plentiful wine (thank you Hua for being the best sous chef ever).

The menu for the evening:

appies Gruyere Gougeres Hot Crab Dip with Blue Corn Chips

one more app for good measure Baked Sea Bass and Mango on a Half Shell

soup with inspiration from thomas keller Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Nutmeg Creme Fraiche Honey Wheat Bread Wreath with Honey Butter

greens Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans, Apples, Grapes, and Pomegranite Seeds

entree Lemon and Garlic Herb Roasted Chicken

sweet finish Riesling Poached Pear with Cardamom Cream and Burnt Sugar Garnish

More »

Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps and Yay for Asiansfeatured

On this happy Friday, I am happy to report that yours truly is officially the new food writer for AsianWeek, the oldest and largest English language newspaper serving the Asian/Pacific Islander American community. My weekly column, entitled Asian Eats, will feature 1) reviews on restaurants in SF, focusing Asian cuisine and establishments run by Asian business owners, and 2) recipe remixes you can do yourself, inspired by the restaurant/cuisine of the week.

So don’t be shy, Asians and Asian loverrrs…check out Asian Eats, posted live every Friday!

This week’s story gives props to Bodega Bistro, my favorite spot for a pho fix. I’ve expanded on the original review I wrote on Lick My Spoon, and also added this DIY recipe for Bun Cha Hanoi, Grilled Pork and Rice Vermicelli Lettuce Wraps.

More »

Cornbread Casserolefeatured

I was looking for a good cornbread recipe the other day and came across the website for the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. It sounds like quite the shindig, with a cook-off (naturally), carnival, car show, road race, and beauty pageant—oh, to be crowned Miss National Cornbread Queen! **hands clasped in joy** Friendly mocking aside, I really kind of want to attend this year’s festivities. April 25-26, 2009. Calendar marked.

Any who, I decided to soothe my southern envy by making myself a cornbread dinner. The NCF kindly posts all the winning recipes, and 3rd place winner, Earl Brandy, Jr.’s Sausage Pepper Cheese Quiche with Cornbread Crust caught my eye.

I made do with my Pyrex pan (mental note: buy cast iron skillet so as not to be mocked at NCF’09) and it came out just fine. Other substitutions: I omitted the vegetable oil, and added some sugar and butter to the cornbread crust since I thought the original version came out a little bland and dry.

In the filling, I swapped out the half and half with milk, and doubled up on the peppers and onions instead of using mushrooms (I almost never have mushrooms in the kitchen…too lazy to prep them).

Earl Brandy Jr. also uses a mix of red and green peppers. I think red peppers are sweeter so I just use those. And then toppings…I omitted the tomatoes and avocado because I thought the flavors were getting too busy, but feel free to add if you want. The sour cream lends a nice cool, creamy complement to the dish, and the cilantro adds a little bit of green freshness.

I have a feeling this will become a staple weeknight dinner around here. Quick, easy, and comforting.

Cornbread Casserole

Print Cornbread Casserole

Yield: 8-10 servings

Adapted from Earl Brandy, Jr.’s Sausage Pepper Cheese Quiche with Cornbread Crust – 3rd place winner, 2008 National Cornbread Festival

Ingredients

    Cornbread Crust:
  • 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup coarse ground corn meal (or polenta)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (4 1/2 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
  • Filling:
  • 5 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pound pork sausage
  • 2 cups chopped red bell pepper (2 large peppers)
  • 2 cup chopped onion (1 large onion)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup shredded yellow Cheddar cheese
  • Toppings:
  • Sour cream
  • Chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 3 quart (13x9) pyrex dish; place in oven 7 to 8 minutes or until hot.
  2. Add baking soda to buttermilk; set aside for 5 minutes. In large mixing bowl, combine all cornbread crust ingredients; stir until well blended. Pour into hot baking dish. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.
  3. Reduce oven to 350° F. In large mixing bowl, combine 5 eggs, milk, salt, pepper and cumin; beat well.
  4. Remove the sausage from their casings and brown, breaking it up into pieces. Remove the sausage from the pan, draining excess fat. Sautee peppers and onions.
  5. Layer sausage, peppers, onions, and cheeses over crust. Pour egg mixture over top. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.
3.1http://lickmyspoon.com/recipes/cornbread-casserole/

Recipe Source: LickMySpoon.com.

Hello! All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you!

Pomegranatesfeatured

PomWonderful

Just look at that ruby red beauty. Pomegranates are such a magical fruit. Smooth and conservative on the outside, once you split it open though, a lurid flood of color hits your eye. Intricate rows of delicate seeds sit encased in a honeycomb-like membrane. It takes a little work, but once you are able to persuade the little jewels out, you will be handsomely rewarded with bursts of sweet-tart, antioxidant-richness.

I came home and wondered what I could put together from my pantry to make something tasty with my prize. I had some leftover coconut milk in the fridge, and those big round beads of Israeli couscous in the cupboard caught my eye.

Israeli Couscous

More »

Loading...