So we went to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning and picked up a big ol’ mess of Blueberries ( I always wanted to say that). My intention was to make a pie with them but my wife Ann also wanted a blackberry pie. We had already left the market at that point so when we went to the grocery store later that day I picked up a small package of fresh blackberries. There wasn’t enough to make a whole pie but I remember seeing a few people online using jelly jars to cook pies in. As my mother has been making her own jelly for as long as I can remember, we have quite a few empty jelly jars around the house. In this house jelly is like plastic cups, you don’t buy them in a store. We get jelly from my parent’s house and plastic cups from Mardi Gras parades.
These were really easy to make, I just kinda eye balled the measurements based on my recipe for Blueberry Pie. A little flour for thickening, sugar for sweetness, a little lemon zest for zing and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I also add just a touch of maldon sea salt to bring out the blackberry flavor. I lined 3 jars with pie dough and filled each with the blackberry mixture. I topped with just a dab of butter and a round of pie dough cut out with the jar lid. I cut a slit in the top for steam to escape and put them in the freezer till ready to bake. I baked one at 350 for about 40 minutes. Once cool I put it back in the fridge for later.
Ann ate this one last night while I was at the Wine Country Bistro / La Seafood benefit dinner. From what she says and seeing the empty jar on the counter it was a hit. At least I have two more in the freezer. 
Got my copy about two weeks a go at a local bookstore. This concept is interesting but I am still going through it. Looking forward to what the other issues cover as well as the soon to be released IPad app.
About a month ago when I closed my coffee shop, I took some freshly ground espresso and added it to a mason jar filled with canola oil. I let this sit in my pantry, shaking it occasionally. Today I strained out the espresso grinds and marinated two Rib-eyes with the espresso oil, garlic and dried basil. I will marinate them for about 24 hours and then throw them on the grill. We’ll see how they turn out
Go to LSP&MB’s Facebook page or their Website for my Recipe.
This is my latest creation for the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board. As usual go to their website or their facebook page for the complete recipe.
Stay tuned for the recipe for the Crawfish Butter.
Enjoy
Dark Chocolate Frosting, Maldon Sea Salt and Guinness “syrup” for Dark Chocolate,Espresso Guinness cupcakes
Lately I have been on a somewhat of a comfort food kick. Maybe it is the cold weather or maybe I just want to give my brain a rest and stop trying to create new dishes. I am sure this cold weather doesn’t help either (yes it gets cold in Louisiana).
A few weeks ago when Ann was traveling I really didn’t feel cooking so I picked up one of those deli made meals at a local grocery store. It was a chicken tetrazinni dish loaded with what I assume was velvetta cheese. It was good just nothing really spectacular.
I wanted to make my own version of tetrazinni but not use a processed cheese. Since I have not had this dish (not counting the grocery store) since I was a child I looked up several recipes to give me a guideline to follow. I settled on one that used a basic bechamel sauce and assorted REAL cheeses.
My version includes Tallegio and freshly grated Parmesan as well as mushrooms sauteed in garlic,italian herbs and simmered in beer.
- 1 Rotisserie Chicken ( meat shredded and skin removed)
- 8-10 Baby Bella mushrooms diced
- Parsley,Basil,Oregano
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 can of beer, I used PBR
- 2 cups pasta water reserved
- 8 oz Tallegio Cheese
- 8 oz Parmesan,freshly shredded
- 1 package thin spaghetti, cooked in chicken stock
Saute mushrooms,garlic and herbs in 1/4 stick butter. Add beer and reduce to simmer till absorbed and set aside. Melt remaining butter and stir in flour. Add milk and stock gradually, stirring until thickened. Add cheeses. Combine spaghetti, chicken, mushrooms, and cheese sauce in a large bowl, mixing well. Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees until bubbly. Top with freshly grated Parmesan and broil till crispy.
Although Ann is deathly allergic to onions, I added chopped green onions just to mine at the end for that extra boost of flavor. Not too bad…..
I have been putting this off for awhile now. Between getting the coffee shop ready to open back in September and the daily grind of it (HAHA) I have not had much time for blogging,let alone putting together a video. With today being Veterans Day,the Air Force was off for the day and therefore 90% of my sales were on vacation so I had the day off as well. This video shows pretty much the whole evening of the ArtSpace dinner and should give you a pretty good idea of how the night went. This was such a great experience and I was fortunate that they gave me a shot at doing it. The night went pretty well but as always there was room for improvement.
Some of the things I would have done differently/changed/or added:
- Printed menus with my logo to hand out to the guests to take home
- Have an additional cheese to add to the cheese course
- A “surprise” course not on the menu – just did not have enough time for this
- The dessert : because of the heat and humidity it did not set up and became almost impossible to plate. Everyone said they enjoyed it though.
- Goodie bags for the guests to take home – I had some really good ideas just messed up the timing therefore they were shelved.
- Logo’ed t-shirts for myself and my crew.
All in all it was really fun and went by extremely fast. I had originally signed up to do one of these dinners again in early 2011 but ArtSpace has gone through some changes and is in the process of revamping this program. I let the director know my continued interest in this as well as any other culinary programs they might do in the future so I will keep you updated when I find out anything.
I have to give thanks to everyone who made this night possible : ArtSpace, Michael Chisum, my lovely wife Ann, Connor “mini-me” O’Boyle, Liz Beattie,Robin Rice and Jaimee “Pony Thief” Rice and of course all my guests who dined with us that night…….it truly was special.
The audio in the beginning when the Culinary Director (Michael Chisum at the time) is speaking is kind of low so you may have to turn your speakers up but after that watch the volume because the rest is okay.
ArtSpace – Someone’s in the Kitchen Dinner 8-10-2010 from Michael O'Boyle on Vimeo.