Columbus Peppered Salame Eggs Benedict

Adding a twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict, I used Columbus Uncured Peppered Salame instead of Canadian Bacon.   The change resulted in amazing flavors and textures and it married well with the Hollandaise sauce and chives.   Pick this one up at your local grocery store and enjoy!

Peppered Salame Eggs Benedict

Hollandaise Ingredients:

• 1 C butter, unsalted and melted
• 1 1/2 T water
• 1 1/2 T lemon juice
• 2 egg yolks
• salt

Directions:   In a small pan, melt the butter and set aside, cooling a bit.  In a double boiler, add water, lemon juice and egg yolks.   Whisk for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.   Remove from heat and slowly add melted butter, whisking as you pour a slow stream.   Once all the butter has been incorporated, set aside.

Poached Eggs Ingredients:

• water to fill saute pan about 2 inches
• 1/2 C white vinegar
• fresh eggs

In a large saute pan add water and 1/2 C white vinegar and bring to a simmer.   Poach eggs until done to YOUR likeness.

Additional Ingredients:

• English Muffins
• Columbus Peppered Salame
• chives, minced

Toast English Muffins and slice the Columbus Peppered Salame on the diagonal, very thin.   Mince fresh chives for the garnish.

To assemble:   Start with a toasted English Muffin, layered with the sliced Peppered Salame, then add the poached eggs, top with Hollandaise and garnish with chives.  Serve and devour!

Stuffed Jalapeno's with Columbus Salame

I normally use Italian Sausage in my Stuffed Jalapeno's but after getting a care package from Columbus Salame I knew I wanted to try their Chorizo Salame in my yummy "poppers".  

 Made with paprika, fresh garlic and a precise blend of other spices, Chorizo Casero (Homemade Style Chorizo) is one of a kind and since they dry cure the pork to perfection, we can enjoy in our favorite dishes or sliced right off the stick.

Columbus Chorizo Salame Stuffed Jalapeno's

Ingredients:

• 10 jalapeno peppers, cut in half and seeded
• 1, 10 oz pkg Chorizo Salame, diced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 med. shallot, minced
• 1 pk cream cheese
• 1 T fresh thyme, minced
• 1/3 C cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 C fontina cheese, grated
• pepper
• jalapeno bacon, cut in half
• toothpicks

Directions:   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Lay a wire rack into a baking sheet and set aside.   In a medium bowl, place cream cheese and set aside.   Dice Chorizo Salame and add to the bowl.

In a saute pan, cook shallots in olive oil until translucent.   Add to cream cheese mixture,  then add minced thyme and grated cheeses.   Stir to mix well and add pepper to taste.

Slice jalapeno's lengthwise and using a spoon, scrap out the seeds.  I like to leave the stems on for looks.  Slice the jalapeno bacon in half and lay out the toothpicks.

Using a spoon, fill each jalapeno half with the cream cheese mixture then wrap each one with 1/2 piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.   Place on wire rack in baking sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and crisp.

Lemon Chiffon Cake

We had everyone over for Mother's Day and even though it was my day to celebrate I still ended up in the kitchen the day before to make this amazing cake.   The lemon chiffon cake is tender while the homemade lemon curd adds a pop of tangy flavor and the Mascarpone frosting is creamy and light.   We devoured this cake up!

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Lemon Chiffon Cake Ingredients:

• 2 C cake flour
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 8 eggs, separated
• 2/3 C lemon juice, fresh
• 3 T lemon zest
• 1/2 t cream of tartar

Directions:   Preheat oven to 325 degrees.   Lightly oil and flour 3 cake rounds and set aside.   In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.   Add the oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest and mix well.   In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with the cream of tartar to form stiff peaks.   Very gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter and pour evenly into the 3 cake pans.   Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.  Cool.

Homemade Lemon Curd {in the microwave}

Ingredients:

• 1 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 C lemon juice, fresh
• 2 T lemon zest

Directions:   In a microwave safe bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until smooth.   Slowly add the melted and cooled butter, then the lemon juice and zest, mixing well.  Put bowl into the microwave and process for 30 seconds, then stir.   Microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir.   Continue this process until the lemon curd gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 - 4 1/2 minutes.  You will know when it's cooked and the results are amazing!   Cool and store in a glass jar with lid in the refrigerator.

Lemon Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients:

•  8 oz heavy whipping cream
• 3 T confectioners sugar
• 2/3 C lemon curd
• 3, 8 oz containers Mascarpone

Directions:   In a large bowl, whip the whipping cream and confectioners sugar to stiff peaks.   In a separate bowl, combine the lemon curd and mascarpone cheese, mixing well.   Fold whipped cream into lemon mascarpone mixture and frost!

To assemble - I cut each cake layer in half.   On the first layer, add lemon curd, then frost the 2nd layer with the Lemon Mascarpone frosting and continue until the cake is put together.   Finally, frost with the remaining Lemon Mascarpone Frosting and embellish as you want.

Open Faced Italian Sandwich

Columbus Salame sent me the greatest care package yesterday, and I wanted to showcase one flavor today at lunch.   Using toasted rosemary ciabatta, I layered flavor upon flavor for an amazing open faced sandwich that you must try!

Open Faced Italian Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Rosemary Ciabatta bread, sliced thin and toasted
• Provolone cheese
• Fontina cheese
• Columbus Toscano Salame, thinly sliced
• arugula
• olive oil
• basil, julienned
• white balsamic vinegar
• Parmesan, shaved
• lemon zest
• cracked pepper

Directions:   Assembly is the key to a beautiful looking and tasting sandwich!   Thinly slice the ciabatta bread and toast lightly.   Next, layer the cheeses on the toasted bread and place under a broiler until JUST melted.  Add thinly sliced Toscano Salame from Columbus, which is their leanest.   Top with arugula, a drizzle of olive oil, thinly julienned fresh basil, a splash of white balsamic vinegar, shaved Parmesan, lemon zest and finish with a bit of cracked pepper.

This is a great lunch, but you can bring it down to hors d'oeuvre size by using toasted rounds instead of the larger bread.  

Leek Risotto

On a quiet evening, my husband and I found ourselves alone.   There were no children in the house bounding down the stairs, no phone ringing off the hook or doorbell chime asking if Emma could play.  { Total silence}  We ate dinner slowly, with candle light and a glass of wine, talking about house projects and other thoughts we hadn't been able to communicate yet.   It. Was. Pure. Bliss.   That night I made Leek Risotto and finished it with with sliced grilled chicken we had leftover from the night before.   It was an amazing meal that I had to share!

Leek Risotto

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 leeks, greens trimmed, cut in half, rinsed and sliced
• 1 C arborio rice
• 4 C chicken stock
• 1/2 C cream
• 1/3 C Parmesan, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:   Heat the chicken stock in a small pot over medium heat.   I removed the fibrous green tops from the leeks and cut them in half which makes it easier to clean the sand and grit away.   Pat dry and slice thinly.   In a saute pan, add olive oil and sliced leeks and cook over medium heat until the leeks are tender.   Remove to a small bowl and set aside.  In the same pan, saute the arborio rice for a few minutes.   When most of the rice has become white, add your first ladle of simmering chicken stock, stirring frequently until almost all of the broth has been absorbed.   Then add another ladle of broth, and keep stirring.   Do this until all the chicken stock is gone.   Remove rice from heat and add in cream and Parmesan, stirring well.   Add the leeks back into the rice and this is where I added sliced cooked chicken into the risotto.   Season with salt and pepper and serve.   This made 2 large servings which was perfect for a meal!

Stuffed Croissants for petit dejeuner

Blackberries are delicious and the grocery stores are chalk full of them now!   After a stressful week of STARR testing, I knew Emma needed to have a special breakfast this weekend.   I grabbed some fresh croissants and made a creamy spread to compliment blackberries.   After eating, she looked at me and asked if she could have another?   Quick, easy but with a beautiful presentation - this makes breakfast special.

Stuffed Croissants

Ingredients:

• fresh croissants
• pint of fresh blackberries {or any other berry}
• 1 pkg mascarpone cheese
• 2 T confectioners sugar + 1 T for dusting
• 1 t vanilla bean extract
• squeeze fresh lemon

Directions:   Rinse blackberries, dry them and slice them in half and set aside.   Split and lightly toast your croissants.  In a small bowl, mix together the mascarpone with the confectioners sugar, vanilla bean extract, and lemon juice.  To assemble, spread the mascarpone mixture onto the bottom croissant slice, layer with blackberries then spread another mascarpone mixture layer onto the top croissant to "sandwich" the blackberries.   Dust with confectioners sugar and serve!

Girls and Giggles - Let Them Eat Cake!

{an adventure in cake baking with little girls}

I think somewhere we have lost that baking from scratch ease that our grandmothers had...

Now it's premade, preboxed, into the oven without a thought... but stop and think for a moment... what is Modified Food Starch, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, and Maltodextri and why is it in YOUR CAKE?

Today's little girls need the same baking from scratch confidence that our grandmothers had and I started yesterday with my baking class for six of the cuties, silliest and giggliest girls around!

I had done a little "pre measuring" for the cake and explained the ingredients for a simple cake from scratch... they were curious!

Everyone took turns putting in the sugar, butter and eggs while Reese and Alexandria manned the mixer.   Then we blended until light and fluffy and added vanilla.   {smells good so far}.

They added baking powder, salt then a scoop of flour, mixing between additions and adding milk.   They made the perfect batter!

We talked about pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing our baking sheet for the cake by greasing and flouring the surface.   They all tried shaking flour around!

We then moved on to buttercream... which produced a hysterical wave of giggles when someone turned the mixer on to a high speed after confectioners sugar had been added... you can see the results and we learned a valuable lesson of why it's important to have quick on-off bursts until it's mixed with the shortening and butter.

Each girl picked their favorite cake to work on... then their favorite frosting... and everyone tried using the piping bag.  I was impressed with their technique!

 Miss Alexandria frosting her cake

 Miss Ella was excited about chocolate frosting

 Miss Claire created a vanilla on lemon cake

 Miss Reese opted for Red Velvet and lemon buttercream

 Miss Kelly loves chocolate on chocolate and has mad piping skills

My daughter, Miss Emma, showcasing her embellishments

Once our cakes were complete we headed out to the "Secret Garden", a peaceful little spot on the side of our home where all the little girls love to hang out and spend time playing.   

 

I had already set up and table topped with fine bone china tea cups and saucers, my array of antique English bone china plates and my grandmother's sterling.   It was Tea Time! 

The girls took turns describing their works then shared their cakes with each other {and the Mom's as well}.   They enjoyed lemonade, tea and cakes while a gentle breeze kept us cool while under the shade of an oak tree.

The girls were so proud of their cakes and it gave them such a confident demeanor.  It's my belief that if we can "keep this up" we will instill a baking from scratch faith in our children that will produce self-assured, knowledgeable and capable adults that care about what they put in their mouths!

The girls and myself after a great day

You can find all my cake and frosting recipes here http://www.fourpointsfoodie.com/2012/04/cupcake-craze-recipes.html

Citrus Cream Scones

The kiddos had a 4 day weekend with Good Friday and the bad weather make-up day that was never used.   After an afternoon in the pool I made them Citrus Cream Scones, but I have a story to tell...

I received negative feedback for feeding my daughter and her friends these treats.

I understand that in publishing my recipes I will get feedback, both positive and negative, and honestly I welcome any comment.   But I do want to offer a small insight into why I did/do this.

I would rather have my child eat something I made from scratch over a store bought, over processed, salty snack.   Does she eat chips - of course, but my cream scones are made from organic flour, fresh cream, hand zested citrus, fresh citrus juice and a pinch of sea salt. 

I won't elaborate on her daily intake yesterday, but she did eat fresh fruit, yogurt with granola and drank milk and water.   So offering one of my scones as a snack made perfect sense after swimming for a couple hours.

Did I mention the citrus glaze?   {No butter is needed as they are tender and melt in your mouth}   You simply must make them and judge for yourself.   I love them and so does my family!

                                                                                                                 Stacey

                                                                                                                 aka the Four Points Foodie

Citrus Cream Scones

Ingredients:

• 2 C flour
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t sea salt
• 1 C half and half
• zest of 3 tangerines
• juice of those 3 tangerines
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of that 1 lemon

Directions:   Preheat oven to 425 degrees.   In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, mixing well.   Add the half and half and citrus juices and mix until dough forms.   Add the zest of the citrus, mix once more and turn out onto a floured surface.   Pat dough into a long rectangle and make diagonal cuts to form triangles.   Place on silpat or parchment on baking sheet and place in oven for 15 minutes.   Scones should be golden on top.   Remove and cool.

Citrus Glaze

Ingredients:

• 2/3 C confectioners sugar
• juice of 2 tangerines
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 2 tangerines and 1 lemon

Direction:   Mix above ingredients together to form a glaze.   Drizzle over cooled scones and serve.