Best Recipes: Avocado and Roasted Corn Salad with Cumin Dressing

From The Culinary Center of Kansas City’s

BEST RECIPES

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Avocado and Roasted Corn Salad with Cumin Dressing

When summer is in full swing and corn is at its height of sweetness and flavor, this salad shines! Make sure the avocados are ripe and buttery. Served with fresh bread, summertime eating doesn’t get any better!

DRESSING:

¼ cup olive oil

1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin

1 teaspoon honey

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

SALAD:

2 cups golden corn, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)

2 medium avocados (ripe, but firm), peeled, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

Fresh hot chili pepper (such as jalapeño or seranno), finely diced

6 cups mixed baby lettuces

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake well to blend. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a small baking sheet, roast corn until fragrant and slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. In a medium bowl, combine corn with avocados, bell pepper and hot pepper. Add dressing and toss very gently, just to cover. Serve on a bed of baby lettuces; garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Makes 4 servings

Nutella at it’s Best!

 

 

 

 

Nutella Crème Brulée
8 Servings

4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Pinch of salt
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup Nutella brand spread
16 teaspoons sugar, for glazing

Preheat oven to 300-degrees. In a medium saucepan, cook the cream with the vanilla bean and salt over moderate heat until the surface begins to shimmer.  In a large heatproof bowl, blend the egg yolks and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon.  Slowly add the hot cream mixture, stirring gently.  Add the Nutella and stir. Strain the custard into a large measuring cup: skim off any bubbles.

Arrange 8 oven safe ramekins in a roasting pan. Slowly pour the custard into the ramekins, filling them all evenly.  Set the roasting pan in the center of the oven and carefully pour in enough hot water to  reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.  Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until the custards are firm at the edges, but still a bit wobbly in the center.

Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 7 days.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the sugar over each custard in a thin,even layer.  Broil the custards as close to the heat as possible until the sugar is evenly caramelized, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.  Let cool slightly and serve at once.

 

Food For the Soul – A Warming Winter Soup

There’s nothing like a piping hot bowl of soup on a snowy winter day.  A pot of this Minestrone will perfume your home and entice the brave sledders and snowman makers in from the bitter cold.

Italian Minestrone Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 oz. pancetta or 2 slices of bacon, chopped (optional)

Heat over medium heat in a large soup pot until the pancetta or bacon has released its fat, 2 to 3 minutes.

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

2 medium celery stalks with leaves, minced

1 4-inch sprig fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup tightly packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ small head green cabbage

3 swiss chard leaves washed, dried and chopped

1 14-oz can whole tomatoes, drained and broken into pieces

1 16-oz can borlotti or pinto beans, rinsed and drained, half of them mashed

10 cups chicken stock, or water

Add all ingredients above except last three and cook, stirring, until the greens are beginning to wilt, 5 to 10 minutes.  Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes.  Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Stir in beans and stock.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove the rosemary sprig, if used.  Stir in 4 oz penne pasta.  Continue to simmer for 15 minutes.  Ladle into warmed bowls and drizzle extra virgin olive oil and garlic over each serving.  Sprinkle with ground black pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste over servings.

Sticky PB&J Wings

Well, Chef Richard McPeake our resident “Educator of ‘Que” saw all the ways that our foodie friends love to eat peanut butter on our Facebook page, and he decided to share his as well. His Sticky PB&J Wings make a great addition to any tailgate or Super Bowl party!

Sticky PB&J Wings

3lbs.  Chicken wings, split into “drums” and “flats”

1 TB Ground Chili Powder

1 Tb Paprika

1 Tb Cayenne Pepper

1 cup Grape Jelly

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp Asian Chile Sauce

Combine the chicken wings with the next four ingredients and toss to coat.  Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Combine last four ingredients to make Sticky PB&J sauce.

Preheat your grill and lightly oil.  Grill the chicken wings over medium high heat until wings are charred nicely on all sides.  When the wings are halfway cooked start basting with the PB&J sauce.  Continue basting until wings are cooked through.  Serve on a warm platter to happy guests!

Tomato Cognac Soup

Break away from the can friends, this amazing soup is our #1 most requested recipe here at The Culinary Center of Kansas City.   It  is an absolutely irresistible soup… interesting enough to make for company but comforting and homey at the same time.

Tomato Cognac Soup

6 pounds canned whole tomatoes, with liquid

2 large onion

12 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoon dried basil

1 qt heavy cream

4 tablespoons brown sugar

¾ cup Cognac

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley or chives or hot croutons, for garnish

Chop the onion and sauté in butter for 5 minutes, until soft but not brown.  Squash the tomatoes, then add them and their liquid to the onion. Add the basil, and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly. Puree in a food processor and reheat.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the sugar, whisking often. Pour into the tomatoes. Heat the soup but do not boil.

Add the Cognac and salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives or fresh hot croutons.



Biscotti di Prato

Mmmm Biscotti, our favorite Italian dunkable cookie.  It’s crispy, nutty, and actually fairly easy on the waistline as cookies go. (Shhh no one will know!) This recipe is a winner, and comes from Chef Cody Hogan of Lidia’s Kansas City, who also teaches immensely popular classes right here at The Culinary Center of Kansas City. Cody learned this recipe while working at Chez Panisse.

4 Eggs

1 1/3 Cups Sugar

zest of 2 lemons

3 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

2 ½ cups whole almonds

4 teaspoon anise seed

Beat the eggs, sugar and lemon zest for a very long time—until the batter is very, very light.  If you have a mixer, start this process, and then collect all the rest of the ingredients for the biscotti.

Combine the remaining dry ingredients, but withhold the almonds.  Stir the dry ingredients into the batter.  When well mixed, add the nuts and stir just to combine.

Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat.  Wet both hands and pick up the dough in one piece.  Squeeze it into one long rope (or two smaller ones if desired) on the cookie sheet.  Smooth.  Bake at 300°F until the done.  The top will not give, and the log will begin to take on a little color.  Remove for the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, until it can be handled but is still warm.  Slice the loaf into ¼-1/3 inch slices and bake again to dry them.  You do not want them to color.  Store in an airtight container.

Classroom Chatter

Happy New Year Foodies! 

 

Can I still say that on January 10th? I think we get the entire month of January to welcome in the new year. I know that I for one am still adjusting to 2011, in fact I’m not sure I’ve written the right year on a check yet! (Ok, it’s usually around April before I do.)

Other than the inevitable date confusion - this time of year feels shiny and new, full of possibilities, hope for what this new year may bring.  Here at The Culinary Center of Kansas City we see the excitement first hand. Knife skills classes fill to the brim with excited students eager to start chopping and dicing like their favorite TV star chefs, Three day basics classes are all the rage taking students from “kitchen zero to kitchen hero” in just a weekend!

The trend nearest and dearest to me though is the excitement buzzing through our kitchens by students taking classes that not only teach them to make delicious food, but healthy food as well.  So many people resolve to live a healthier lifestyle this time of year, but it is sometimes tough to make those resolutions stick.  As someone who’s lost 100 lbs, I certainly understand this is a struggle, but I’m so proud to hear from our students is that when they leave our classes, they have tools, recipes and confidence to keep the momentum going!

We’ve got quite the line up of such classes this winter too, from lunchtime classes with wellness coach Shelly Murray (next one on January 19th), to Gluten Free classes of all kinds (don’t miss The Basics of Cooking Gluten Free on 1/30), to my very own classes for weight watchers (Don’t miss One Pan Meals for weight watchers on 1/29 and Comfort Foods for weight watchers on 2/19).  There certainly is a lot of healthy excitement around here! 

Cajun Quiche

Got out of town guests? Need a New Year’s Day brunch show stopper? We’ve got just the thing.

Cajun Quiche

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

pinch salt

3 to 4 tablespoons water

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup caramelized onion

1 cup roasted red pepper strips

1 cup cooked andouille, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2/3 cup milk

pinch each cumin and cayenne

6 large eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized

8 oz. shredded cheddar or provolone

To make the pastry: In a bowl, using fingertips, mix the flour, softened butter, and the salt, adding just enough of the water to form a ball. Do not overwork the mixture. Cover and chill for several hours.

 

To make the filling: Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.  Add peppers and cook over medium heat until juices are evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Remove to a medium bowl and let cool.  Stir in sausage.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk into the eggs.  Add the cream and continue whisking until homogenous.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Pat into a 10-inch tart pan so that the dough extends up over the edge by ¼ inch. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and gently line with a sheet of foil, pressing against the bottom and sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake for another 5 minutes, pressing down any pockets with a fork. Spoon in the vegetable mixture and pour the egg mixture over.  Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.   Serves 4 to 6.

Classroom Chatter

Oh, I do love this time of year!  This week marked the beginning of Gingerbread Mania here at The Culinary Center of Kansas City! The first lucky people got to come in with their friends and families, make an edible keepsake and leave without cleaning up the mess! (Lucky them!!)

We made gingerbread houses a lot when I was a kid, using gingerbread, graham crackers, candy and all the trimmings, I must admit that they started out as glorious mountains of candy, but as the season wore on, the decorations disappeared mysteriously and by Christmas the houses were bare cookie shacks, most of the festive trimmings having been ingested by a sibling.

One of the best holiday cookie adventures that I remember is one year when we had a “cookie tree party” we baked and baked and decorated trees all over the house with tons and tons of amazing Christmas confections hanging from them.  As a child this is the best kind of party, not only tasty, but a bit magical feeling.  These kinds of traditions always remind me of the feeling you only get as a child during the holiday season, the intense excitement and anticipation of something wonderful to come.  It’s a rare thing to capture that childhood feeling again, it’s a gift.

Rachel Ciordas

Dean of Deliciousness

Strawberries in Red Wine and Black Peppercorn Sauce

A jar of these strawberries makes a unique and  fantastic Christmas or hostess gift!

Strawberries in Red Wine and Black Peppercorn Sauce

2 quarts fresh strawberries

1 bottle dry red wine

2 cups sugar

1 T fresh lemon juice

Zest from 2 lemons

Zest from 2 oranges

2 cinnamon sticks, approximately 3” long

10 whole black peppercorns

Pinch of kosher salt

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for garnish

Clean strawberries and cut into desired size.  In a heavy saucepan combine wine, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and salt.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by at least one-half, about 15 minutes.  Strain and serve warm or at room temperature over the strawberries and garnish with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Makes 8 servings.