southern fusion.

I'm still trying to get a hang of making pralines ever since the last time I made them successfully. Turns out, the sugar to milk ratios are pretty important to these little suckers. Too much milk and I get myself a caramel. And if they're not finicky enough, I can't just throw in anything or else they won't set properly. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out how to make almond butter pralines from the original recipe that I'm using.

However, I did successfully make some Mexican chocolate pralines! In an effort to make the praline a little more gourmet, I got the wacky idea to play around with flavor combinations. I've always loved chocolate and cinnamon together. Add a little bit of chile to it, and this flavor was exactly what I was looking for! I dusted these with a little sprinkle of cinnamon to make it extra fancy, but feel free to leave that out. I, on the other hand, like the extra boost of cinnamon!

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Mexican Chocolate Pralines
(adapted from Snapguide: Jada's DIY's & Recipes)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup fat-free half and half or evaporated milk
4 tbsp light butter (cubed)
2 tsp pure vanilla paste or extract
1 1/2 cups roasted pecan pieces
1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt

 
Prepare a piece of non-stick parchment paper (about 12-15 in. long) and place on counter next to cooking station. In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder, cinnamon, ancho chile powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add both sugars and the milk into the pot and mix well with a wooden spoon until sugars dissolve. Dip a pastry or any kind of small cooking brush in cold icy water then brush the sides of the pot to melt away any sugar crystals that may have formed.

Put in your candy thermometer. Make sure the tip is not touching the bottom but is in the actual candy liquid. The mixture should begin to froth at this point. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches it's proper temperature of 240F degrees.

Turn the heat completely off and take it off the burner. Add in the butter, vanilla, cinnamon mixture, and chopped pecans.

Stir mixture until it becomes thick and start to turn opaque. When the candy starts to hold together, quickly spoon it onto the parchment paper. Make sure to not over crowd and make them touch, otherwise the pralines will dry stuck together. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon to garnish, if desired.

Let the pralines set at room temperature for 30 min. Afterwards, if not serving right away, store in a air-tight container for up to 2 to 3 days. Makes about 9 to 12 pralines.

triumph: creamy pecan pralines.

Last night, I had a hankering for pralines. I don't know what triggered it, but I went online and tried to see if I can get some shipped to my house. Holy crap, were they expensive! Just a small tin from my favorite praline store, Savannah Sweets, ran about $30! Granted, I could just drive down to St. Augustine in Florida to go to onne of their stores, but I didn't really feel like driving an hour and some minutes just to get candy. And anyway, it was also the middle of the night.

My only other option? Well, I guess I can make them myself.

But I remember all too well what happened the last time I tried to make pralines . . . they were a disaster. Okay, well "disaster" might not be an accurate term. But I still messed them up, no matter how tasty they were anyway. So this time around, I opted to try a different recipe that I found before that had lots of good visuals in the tutorial. Boy, did they help! Not only was I able to see how to mix the ingredients, but the author also had video on the consistency of the candy! There was no way I would be able to mess this up!

And guess what? I made an almost perfect batch of pralines! Huzzah!

How could I have made this better? Surprisingly, just a couple of things. For one thing, I found them to be a tad sweet. The original recipe called for 1 cups each of white and brown sugar. I could tell already that that was going to be too sweet for me. So I reduced the amount to 3/4 cup each, but I still found them too sweet. Next time I make these, I'm going to further reduce the brown sugar to maybe 1/2 a cup and see where that is.

The other thing I was slightly unhappy about was with the fact that the pralines slightly bloomed. The trick for avoiding bloom (in other words, the sugar from crystallizing), is to make sure that all the sugar crystals melt in the cooking process. So, since I didn't really follow the directions and use a brush to get the crystals on the side, that affected my candy's appearance. Thankfully, they stayed creamy and didn't get crumbly and hard.

Other than that, I'm super happy with the way I made these. And a bonus? I used light butter and fat-free half and half and it still worked! Not only that, I used roasted and salted pecan pieces from Kahler Pecan House down the road. The pecans really made a difference! It was just enough salt to balance out all that sugar. The pralines themselves were melt-in-your-mouth and creamy despite the lighter butter and dairy used. As for me, all I can say is, yay, I found my prefect praline recipe! :D

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Creamy Pecan Pralines
(adapted from Snapguide: Jada's DIY's & Recipes)

3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup fat-free half and half or evaporated milk
4 tbsp light butter (cubed)
2 tsp pure vanilla paste or extract
1 1/2 cups roasted and salted pecan pieces*
      (*or substitute with: 1 1/2 cups roasted pecan pieces and 1/4 tsp kosher salt)

 
Prepare a piece of non-stick parchment paper (about 12-15 in. long) and place on counter next to cooking station.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add both sugars and the milk into the pot and mix well with a wooden spoon until sugars dissolve. Dip a pastry or any kind of small cooking brush in cold icy water then brush the sides of the pot to melt away any sugar crystals that may have formed.

Put in your candy thermometer. Make sure the tip is not touching the bottom but is in the actual candy liquid. The mixture should begin to froth at this point. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches it's proper temperature of 240F degrees.

Turn the heat completely off and take it off the burner. Add in the butter, vanilla, and chopped pecans.

Stir mixture until it becomes thick and start to turn opaque. When the candy starts to hold together, quickly spoon it onto the parchment paper. Make sure to not over crowd and make them touch, otherwise the pralines will dry stuck together.

Let the pralines set at room temperature for 30 min. Afterwards, if not serving right away, store in a air-tight container for up to 2 to 3 days. Makes about 9 to 12 pralines.

blackened, not burned.

Holy. Crap. I think that this may be the BEST fish sandwich that I've ever made. Talk about crazy delicious, this was a spicy, tangy, savory explosion of flavor in my mouth and I am so sad that it's all gone. You should really make this . . . like, RIGHT. NOW.

I came across this fish sandwich when I was looking to try out the blackened seasoning I made. I recently went to Safe Harbor Seafood Market and Restaurant down in Jacksonville and had their famously fantastic blackened shrimp nachos. Wow, were those nachos super tasty! I was going to do a food hack of the nachos, but unfortunately I didn't have the right ingredients to remake it.

What I did have was some ciabatta bread and a few frozen flounder fillets. Sounds like blackened fish sandwiches to me. :)

When I was looking for the perfect sandwich recipe, I wanted mainly one thing: no mayo in the slaw. This recipe was perfect. I liked that it was colorful and the red cabbage slaw was vinaigrette based. Also, I was able to utilize two of the seasonings I had in my cupboard; the blackened seasoning I just made and adobo seasoning.

Speaking of adobo seasoning, I had made mine (a mixture of these two recipes) before trying the McCormick's version. I did NOT like McCormick's version at all. I think it was the taste . . . it seemed off and not at all what I was expecting it to be. Whenever I have Mexican adobo sauce, it's usually more red than yellow and the homemade mix came closer to what I was used to. I had to throw the bottle of McCormick's adobo seasoning away. :/

On a happier note, the seasoning mixes worked well in this particular recipe. I've switched out the seasoning that the fish originally had with equal parts blackened seasoning. For the chipotle mayo, I subbed out the canned chipotles with dried ground ones and the adobo sauce for the seasoning. I don't usually have canned chipotles in adobo sauce in the pantry and I've found that this makes an acceptable substitute. Everything else pretty much stayed the same.

I'm telling you . . . these are the best fish sandwich EVAR.

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Blackened Fish Sandwich with Red Cabbage Slaw and Chipotle Mayo
(barely adapted from Daydream Kitchen)

For the Slaw:
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely shredded red (or purple) cabbage
¼ cup thinly sliced, 1-inch strips of green bell pepper (“matchstick” sized)
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

For the Chipotle Mayo:
2½ tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp dried chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning

For the Sandwich:
2¼ tsp blackened seasoning
1 tsp olive oil
2 5-oz skinless fish fillets, about ⅓-inch thick (cod, salmon, flounder, etc . . .)
2 crusty sandwich rolls, halved and lightly toasted

 
Make the slaw:
Combine the garlic, shallots, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and scallion in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss well to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Make the mayo:
Combine the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. (Alternately, you can substitute sour cream or greek yogurt for a lighter dressing.)

Make the sandwich:
Rub the blackening seasoning all over the fish, coating both sides well and pressing to adhere. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, season the fillets with salt and add to the pan.

Sear until beginning to blacken on the bottom, about 3 minutes. (Reduce the heat to medium if the spices begin to burn.) Turn and sear the second side until blackened and the fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer, depending on thickness.

To serve, spread the chipotle-mayo sauce on all 4 cut sides of the rolls and lay a filet on each bottom half. Mound the red cabbage slaw on top of the fish and cover with the top halves. Serve right away.

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Blackened Seasoning
(from Mom-Makes . . .)

2 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
2 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

 
Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

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Adobo Seasoning
(adapted from Food. and Lemon Chiffon Cake)

1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp achiote powder
1 1/4 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse until finely ground and evenly mixed. Alternately, sift ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keeps up to 6 months.

striving for perfection.

So, ever since we got to Georgia, I've been adapting a more Southern-style of cooking. I think it's because I'm surrounded by that kind of food environment and it just seems to make sense to cook that way. Even my eating habits are turning Southern: The polenta that I used to cook all the time turned to grits, hummus makes a rare appearance in my fridge, and I seem to be buying a whole lot more butter. Because of this, I've switched to light butter to make myself feel better.

Speaking of grits . . . I was surprisingly having a hard time trying to make a decent pot of grits. I just assumed that using my favorite polenta recipe would be fine but it's surprisingly NOT. The texture is off, especially for shrimp and grits, and it's much stiffer than I wanted it to be. I've tried several different recipes, and each time I get closer and closer to my ideal pot of grits.

Today yielded success.

My perfect grits? Always savory that that specific mouth texture. These grits are exactly how I want them: soft and fluffy with just a bit of tightness and texture. While they aren't flavored with anything specific, per se, they're still flavorful and taste like grits. The best part? Even if you put it in the fridge, they stay the same consistency even when you reheat it the next day! Yay!!

For the shrimp, I decided to make it more in the Françias-style of cooking. So fancy, I know . . . but not really! Thanks to my recent binge-fest of an old series of Jacques Pépin: Fast Food, My Way, I've been taking some notes and renewing my love of French cooking. It's kind of like Southern cooking but with a more funny accent, lol.

I like how in one episode, Monsieur Pépin added some chopped mushrooms to his shrimp casserole so that it'll soak up the shrimp flavor. He also did a ragù with tomatoes and onions similar to this recipe, but much more reduced. And man, does that man use a lot of olive oil!!

So, taking ideas here and there, voilà ! Shrimp and grits, my way. :D I did forget to add some peas to the shrimp, though. I think that would've made it über-françias, along with some oil-cured olives as a garnish. Eh, c´est la vie ! No? :) Bon appétit!

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Creamy Garlic-Tomato Shrimp
(makes 4 servings)

24 pcs jumbo shrimp (peeled, deveined, and butterflied)
2 tbsp bottled garlic
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch (about 8 sprigs) fresh thyme
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped white button mushrooms
1 to 2 pcs thick sliced deli ham, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/4 cup low fat half and half
1/2 cup chopped parsley
low sodium chicken stock, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste

 
Marinate the shrimp:
Combine shrimp, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, onion powder, and paprika. Add olive oil to moisten the shrimp then season with ground pepper. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.

Make the shrimp:
In a large pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil with the bunch of thyme. When the oil is fragrant and hot, add shrimp (reserve any leftover marinade) and cook until lightly browned on both sides (about 6 minutes). Remove shrimp from pan and set aside; discard the thyme.

In the same pan, add shallots, mushrooms, and ham. Season with salt and pepper. When vegetables start to brown and the ham becomes slightly crisp, add the tomatoes and any leftover marinade from the shrimp. Reduce heat and cook until tomatoes break down to a paste (about 10 minutes).

Return shrimp to the pan and toss to incorporate. Stir in half and half and parsley. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, then add chicken stock to thin as needed.

To serve, portion out 6 shrimps per person and top over grits or pasta with additional parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for garnish.

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My Perfect Grits
(makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 cup coarse ground grits or polenta (white or yellow)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 to 2 tbsp light butter
1/4 tsp dried parsley
ground pepper, to taste

 
Bring water, half and half, and salt to boil. Slowly stir in grits/polenta, reduce heat to low, then cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and parsley, then season with pepper to taste.

For Savory Cheese Grits: Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp onion powder, a dash garlic powder, and a dash smoked paprika to cooked grits.

chocolate covered failures.

Yesterday was a very trying day. From the moment I woke up to the time I went to bed, nothing I did seemed to go right. Ever have one of those days?

It all started when I woke up later than I wanted to. 10 am, not too bad. just enough time to make some shrimp and grits for breakfast. That idea turned out to be a disaster. Ingredients were flying everywhere, things weren't tasting like they should, and the whole thing wasn't worth the effort it took to make . . . and I usually make a decent shrimp and grits. So after taking longer that I wanted in the kitchen, I was running behind for my shower. And since I was behind on taking a shower, The hubby came home right when I got out and we had an errand to run that day during his lunch break. So, that snowballed for a while until we got home.

When we finally got home later that we should've, I decided to go back into the kitchen and de-stress. I figured that the best way to do that was to finally make some Southern pralines. This recipe seemed easy enough and, since I wanted my pralines to be chewy, perfectly fit what I was looking for.

Problems started arising when I realized that I didn't have the right ingredients. Well, that was no biggie since I always sub a lot of my cooking with this or that. Heavy cream was a major ingredient in the recipe and I didn't have any. What I did have, however, was a big ole box of store brand, powdered skim milk from a recipe I tried a while back. So, not only was I subbing CREAM with NON-FAT dairy, I was using a CHEAP substitute POWDER to boot. Needless to say, I was wondering if this was a bad Idea after all.

I pushed on, though, despite my reservations. Despite adding too much vanilla, adding salt, and misreading the recipe. By the time I realized that I had missed the final step of stirring the pot to crystallize the boiling sugar, my concoction was beyond making pralines . . . it had cooked into caramel.

At this point, I reached the "I-don't-give-a-fuck-anymore" mode. My pralines were ruined, I wasted my precious Georgia-grown pecans my sister gave me, and I hadn't even gotten dinner ready. All the failures seemed to accumulate to this point and I was just not having it. However, I wan't so far gone that I still didn't want to salvage what was left on my counter.

Off I went to Walmart and purchased a couple bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk and a single Lindt's White Choclate bar. I proceeded to melt the chocolate down and mix it with some coconut oil to help temper the chocolate. Then one by one, I covered the pralines-turned-caramels first in the milk chocolate, then drizzled it with white. When I ran out of the milk for dipping, I used the white instead.

In the end, my hopes for pralines were just a distant memory. I've since found a good tutorial for my next attempt on making these confections. While these milk chocolate pecan turtles turned out to be an adequate consolation, it still is a far cry to what they were supposed to be. Failure is failure, no matter how you look at it. *sigh*

But, what better way to fix failure than to cover it with lots of chocolate?