oven roasted corn on the cob

no need to wait for the sunshine to grill corn on the bbq. you can roast them in the oven! i love roasted corn on the cob so much, i need portion control....otherwise, i'd keep eating them until i pass out. i really do like eating them plain but sometimes, i add some fancy butter to make them extra special.

oven roasted corn on the cob
4 ears of corn, with husks still on

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. place the corn on the oven rack and roast for 30 mins. using oven mits, remove the corn from the oven. peel down the husks and add your favorite condiments!

i rubbed garlic butter, sprinkled grated parmesan cheese and cayenne to mine =)

other topping suggestions:

garlic butter and parmesan cheese
brush each ear of corn with melted garlic butter and sprinkle each ear with 1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan. sprinkle cayenne to taste.

mexican corn on the cob
mix 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice. in a separate bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/8 teaspoon of salt. spread mayonnaise mixture to each corn and sprinkle cheese/spice mixture.

cayenne and lime
sprinkle with cayenne pepper (to taste) and serve with lime wedges for squeezing. add salt, if desired.

sour cream and chives
for each ear of corn, combine 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. spread on just before serving.

cilantro butter
mix 4 tablespoon of unsalted butter (room temp), 2 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice and ¼ teaspoon of salt. chill the butter. rub each ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of the cilantro butter.

garlic butter
mix 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (room temp) and 1 garlic clove, pureed. chill the butter. rub each ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter.

bon appétit~!

smoky glazed asparagus

i love bbq season! when i got the june issue of food & wine i got all kinds of excited just thinking about all the burgers and steaks that will be coming off my grill this summer. but of all the bbq recipes, this one called out to me. probably because i'm trying to eat more veggies. but the mayo in the recipe adds fat to the asparagus, creating a slight crust when grilled. and u know how i feel about surface area ;)

mise en place

smoky glazed asparagus
recipe from food & wine
yields 6 servings
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (i used ground cumin)
1 lb thick asparagus

light a grill. in shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and cumin. add the asparagus and toss. let marinate for 30 mins.

grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning until tender and blistered in spots, about 6 mins.

bon appétit~!

mini shrimp cakes

i needed to make something for a picnic. i wanted to make a finger food that was bite-sized so i made these mini shrimp cakes. its the cousin to the crab cake. instead of using a crab mixture, i used a combination of shrimp and bacon. the shrimp is cook in the bacon fat so the flavor is infused throughout! i made it in a mini muffin pan so you can just pop them in your mouth.

mini shrimp cakes
yields 24 mini cakes
3 strips of bacon (i used smoked applewood)
1 dozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
large pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, separated
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. lightly butter a mini muffin pan and set aside. on medium-high heat, cook bacon in a pan. set aside on paper towel. discard most of the bacon fat but leave a thin layer for the shrimp. cook the shrimp in the same pan, the bacon fat will flavor the shrimp. cool and roughly chop the shrimp and bacon.

in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. then add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and egg. beat to blend. mix in creme fraiche, salt and cayenne. fold in shallots, chopped shrimp and bacon into mixture.

in another bowl, toss the panko bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. drizzle the melted butter all over and toss with a fork, until evenly moistened. spoon 1 tablespoon of the panko mixture into each cup of the muffin pan. lightly press down with your finger or spoon. add 1 table spoon of the cream cheese/shrimp mixture in each cup. make sure each cut has shrimp and bacon. sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the panko mixture on top.

bake for 30 mins. let cool before serving.

bon appétit~!

holy guacamole!

happy cinco de mayo! in honor of this mexican holiday, i'm posting my recipe for guacamole! ok, it's not exactly "holy", but it's so good, you just might think it is. whip it up for your next fiesta and your guests will be muy feliz!

p.s. it also makes a great condiment for carnitas!

mise en place

guacamole
2 (medium-large) ripe avocados
1/4 medium onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 - 1 jalapeño (depending how spicy you want it), finely minced
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
few sprigs of cilantro, chopped

peel and seed avocados and put them in a bowl. using a potato masher, mash the avocados.

add the rest of the ingredients, mix it up and voila, guacamole! it's that easy!

couple things to note:

• the lime juice is important not only for the flavor but it keeps the guacamole from turning brown. and there's nothing more unappealing than brown guacamole.
• i find that guacamole tastes best served at room temperature. if you need to put it in the fridge, wrap it w/ plastic wrap so that the wrap is touching the top of the guac. let it come to room temp before serving.
• my recipe calls for SEA SALT because that is what i use. if you are using regular table salt, reduce the amount by 1/2. add more to taste if needed.
  

bon appétit~!