Sweet Pickle Burger

 

sweet-burger-28Pickles (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 pound cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick — smaller, “pickling” or kirby cucumbers work best here
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (if ground, use 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Combine the cucumbers, onion and salt in a medium bowl. Mix it up well, cover it all with ice and let it stand at rsweet-burger-01oom temperature for two hours. In the meantime, boil the sugar, vinegar and spices in a pot. Drain your now-room temp veggies and add them to the pot with the vinegar mixture.  Bring it all back to a boil and then remove it from the heat to cool.

You can keep those sweet babies in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the fridge. But you don’t have to wait that long … it only takes two hours before they start tasting like pickles.

Assemble the burgers using soft challah rolls, pickles (generous portion), and a couple slices of fresh sweet tomatoes. Enjoy.

Originally published in “To Make A Burger Sweet? Pickles, Of Course!”.

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Tuna Tartare In Miso Cones

This recipe is adapted from the Wolfgang Puck recipe I had at the Taste of the Nation for many years. I made it substituting gluten free ingredients for soy sauce and flour.

For the tartare:
1/2 pound ahi tuna, diced small
1/2 cup minced green onions
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (can substitute gluten free or Bragg’s liquid aminos)
2 tablespoons lime juice

For the miso cones:
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup unbleached flour (I substituted a gluten free all-purpose flour)

Garnish suggestions:
daikon sprouts
roe
pickled ginger

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the green onions, ginger, wasabi paste, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime juice. Add the tuna either by pouring the mixture over top or stirring the tuna in. Stir together until tuna is well coated. Cover and store in fridge to keep cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a stand or hand mixer, combine the sesame seeds, sugar, butter, corn syrup and flour until the butter is well incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop small, teaspoon sized spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet. Space them far apart as they will spread during baking.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown. Note: I needed to bake mine a little longer, but make sure you don’t go too long!

Remove from oven and roll into cone shapes.

Spoon the chilled tuna tartare into each cone. Add a little garnish if you like too! Serve immediately.

Originally published in “An Amuse-Bouche In Three Bites, If You’re Lucky”

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Holiday Cheese Ball

Makes one very large (approx. 8 inches across) cheese ball or two smaller ones.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 to 12 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 teaspoon Tabasco (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 roasted and chopped nuts (my mom uses Walnuts, I used pecans)

Several tablespoons chopped parsley

A few dashes paprika

Combine cream cheese through the lemon juice in a large bowl and mix well. A stand mixer is handy here, but not necessary — we never had one.

Refrigerate the mixture overnight. The next day, stir together nuts, parsley and paprika in a large bowl. Shape the cheese mixture into one large ball or two smaller ones, then roll in the nut blend to coat.

Serve at room temperature with crackers.

Originally published in “Have A Retro Holiday With A Classic Cheese Ball”

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photo credit to Aaron Otis Photography 2014


July
Watermelon is the perfect summer food. It hydrates, it cools, it's sweet and juicy. We have some great ideas for your table, including a salad, ceviche cups, popsicles and cocktails. Get ready to beat the heat with us!