Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

2 (12-ounce) bags fresh cranberries

2 large, ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced, about 1 cup
Zest of 1 medium orange, about 2 teaspoons
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated, about 1 tablespoon
½ cup dry red wine
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
¾ cup Molasses
1/3 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick

·       Place the cranberries, pears, apple, orange zest, ginger and dry red wine in a stock pot and bring to a boil.

·       Turn heat to medium. Stir continuously until cranberries start to break open, about 15 minutes.

·       Reduce to a simmer and pour 1 cup water and sugar over the cranberry mixture. Stir in the  molasses and honey. Add the cinnamon stick.

·       Simmer 10-15 minutes; remove cinnamon stick after cooking.

·       Remove cranberry sauce from heat, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator 4 hours or overnight.

SUNDAY BEST Chilled Cucumber Soup

Serves 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Plus 45 minutes to chill

4 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced into ½-onch pieces, about 3 cups

1 small clove garlic, peeled, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 medium lemon juiced, about 3 tablespoons

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

A pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, about 1 cup

Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to cucumbers and let sit for a few minutes. Drain excess moisture of cucumbers, and place in blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until smoothe. You may add additional yogurt if you desire a thicker consistency.

Cover and place in refrigerator until chilled, at least 45 minutes. Serve with a side of pita and hummus and enjoy!

SUNDAY BEST Strawberry Granita

Serves 6
Prep Time: 1 hour, plus a minimum of 3 hours to freeze

1 pound fresh strawberries, stems removed and sliced, about 2 cups
3 tablespoons all-natural granulated sugar
½ large lemon juiced, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar, optional
Fresh Mint leaves, for garnish

Place sliced strawberries in a large bowl. Toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and honey. Honey or agave are optional for extra sweetness. 

Place strawberries in a blender and add ½ cup cold water. Pulse until smooth. If you don’t want seeds, drain the mixture through a cheesecloth.  

Pour strawberry mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish, cover and freeze approximately 45 minutes until the edges of the granita are just set and the center is soft.

Whisk granita with a fork in order to distribute frozen portions evenly. Cover and return to the freezer for an additional 30 minutes. The edges of granita should be icy, with an overall slushy texture. 

Scrape the ice cyrstals from the side of the pan and return to the freezer for 3 hours or overnight. 
Let granita thaw for about 10 minutes before serving.

You may ring the glass with sugar for a prettier presentation.

Serve granita, using a fork to get it into ramekins or martini glasses, which make for the best presentation. Top with a fresh mint leaf and enjoy! 

Shake the Tree and All the Chutney You Ever Wanted Falls Right in Your Lap

If you live or ever have lived in South Florida, you know that tropically inspired food and the in-season fruits that make it legendary are like living a Jimmy Buffet song—only in hi def!   Right now, mangoes and papayas are dangling—and quite tantalizingly—from the branches; iguanas are watching closely, hoping for some of that fruit to fall.

A summertime walk outside in Ft. Lauderdale may be a steam bath, but it’s also an invitation to shake the tree so that all the fruit you ever wanted falls right in your lap—and that’s just what this girl did… except I went to Publix. I picked up enough red flesh papaya to bow the sides of my hand basket. It was just a quick trip for the supplies necessary to make Ft. Lauderdale Fresh Mango & Papaya Chutney: green-skinned papayas and fat, red mangoes weighing about 4 pounds each, chili peppers, a little local honey, etc…..

When I got the papaya home and chopped it open, the seeds reminded me of caviar; these are great, by the way for grinding and using in place of pepper. Papaya seeds have a wonderful sharp and spicy flavor. For the purposes of this recipe, however, I scraped them out with a spoon and put the papaya chunks into a large stockpot. Then the mangoes—easy to slit just once, then peel with your fingers—went in, a cup of brown sugar, half of a diced red onion, with a minced red and green pepper, honey, curry, red wine vinegar and a splash of fresh squeezed FLORIDA orange juice. I let it boil and then took it down to a simmer for over an hour, sorry about only one thing once I tasted it.

It was very, very good and there was a lot of it, but……

This whole chutney experience had been inspired by a trip to Sur La Table, and I hadn’t come home with any of those cute, vintage looking mason jars to put the chutney in. Sur la Table sells a lot of the Kitchen Must Haves that I talk about in the new book, and thus the field trip since I hadn’t been in a while. Pictured here is a rack of chutneys, salsas, spreads, balsamics, powders, you name it. Being in this place is like opening a wardrobe door into a kind of culinary Narnia, and finding yourself in Ina Garten’s pantry.

Scanning the inventory for potential Christmas gifts (even if it is a bit early), I couldn’t help but want to solve this conundrum for people: what is the difference between chutney and salsa? Because I have to admit that the thick “chutney” I just made was used in part, to mix with a pouch of tuna and scoop up with tortilla chips. It was fabulous, but then again, it was salsa…right?

 
Well, the truth is that while some salsas can actually be cooked, it’s rare to make a salsa on the stove. The chutney/salsa difference lies in the sugar content, too. In order to make chutneys as sweet and sticky as they are, the sugar has to be dissolved via extreme heat into other ingredients, i.e. big ripe pieces of yummy fruit I used today, vinegar and Indian spices. The result is a lot like marmalade: sweet, sticky and thick—and the recipe featured here makes about a quart, enough to pack into clean, sealable jars.

I left Sur La Table without, GASP, buying anything…and maybe those nice looking Mason jars were better left behind this time, since I have big plans for today’s chutney. I am trying to decide if I want to use it on swordfish steaks, take it to picnic with more chips than spoons, or load it into a chicken wrap. Hmm?? Suggestions anyone?

Ft. Lauderdale Fresh Mango & Papaya Chutney

Prep time: about 2 hours

Makes 1 quart of chutney

2 pounds ripe mangoes, peeled, stone removed and diced

2 pounds ripe papaya, peeled with seeds removed and cut into chunks
½ red onion, chopped
2 chilies, one red, and one green, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 cup fresh Florida orange juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey, preferably local honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar  
1 tablespoon kosher salt
11/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all of the ingredients, except for the mustard and lemon juice, in a large pot and bring to a boil, about five minutes. 

Once contents in pot are boiling, turn heat to medium for one hour, then simmer for an additional thirty minutes.

Keep on the stovetop for up to 2 hours total, or until the consistency of the chutney resembles marmalade; stir in the Dijon mustard and lemon juice last; mix thoroughly, turn off stove and let cool. Transfer to clean, warm jars and seal or serve immediately. 

 

Chipotle Spiced Candied Bacon

1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon dried ground chipotle pepper or chili powder

Preheat the oven to 400°. Mix together the brown sugar and ground chipotle pepper.

Cut the slices from 1 pound of bacon in half (about 4 to 5-inch lengths). Dredge each piece in the brown sugar.

Place onto a rack set into a baking pan with lip. Bake until the bacon is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove to a parchment paper lined pan. Cool to room temperature.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Herbed Parmesan Popovers

Servings: 12

Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus baking

4 large eggs

3 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)

Heat the oven to 450 degrees

Place a 12-cup muffin tin into the preheated oven.  (Or use two 6-cup popover pans.)

Place the eggs and milk into a blender.  Pulse to combine. Add the flour.  Pulse to combine. Add the cheese, fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper.  The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream.

Carefully remove the hot muffin tin from the oven. Pour a small amount of butter into the bottom of each cup.  Use a potholder to swirl the pan around to coat.

Pour the batter into the pan, filling each cup ¾ full.

Place the pan back into the oven.  Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door while the popovers are baking.

 

Just another Sunday Dinner With the Fam

Not really…these BBQ’d pork tenderloins were SMOKIN’!!!!!!

I don’t review cookbooks, so much as act them out—so when I fell in love with Adam Perry Lang’s best seller Charred & Scruffed, I asked my cousins, who were visiting me for one last vacation this summer, to come on out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to taste some truly inspired PREMIUM barbecue. You could say we were the GRILLS next door; these ladies and cherished friends traveled far to be with me, so of course we had to make the most of it. When we get together it’s not about site seeing or shopping, it's about gabbing, gossiping and goofing around. What made our conversation flow better than anything? I’d say a few good sips of wine and a couple of over-the top meals helped.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed—as a meat lover—to read something by a fellow carnivorous foodie.  While I used many of Adam Perry Lang’s techniques to create this most memorable dish, it did of course feature my own twists and tweaks. Sunday Best Grilled Tenderloins were born. It’s an entrée that’s going to star in an upcoming cookbook I’m writing about meals that are best reserved for those lazy Sundays after church. You know…those uber-laid back weekends where friends who identify with your love of fire, salt and meat gather round the grill. I love those Sundays. Before long you’ve got the whole neighborhood jealous of those heavenly wood smoke smells coming from your backyard.

My grilled tenderloins, pictured above, are EXTREME in flavor, tenderly brined and skillfully basted; these are simply the best pork tenderloins you will ever slice; served with creamed spinach and au gratin potatoes; in these you have a pig that tastes like a Kobe steer!

For side-dishes (what my muse Adam Perry Lang calles “co-stars”), I served creamy cheesy au gratin potatoes and velvety creamed spinach. My niece, present for this Extreme BBQ gave me this compliment: “No one does au gratin like J-Mo.” Aw, thanks Megan. Of the pork tenderloin, my sweet girl also enthused:

“It was juicy and tender with loads of flavor. She tried this new brine and board-dressing technique where you baste the brined meat on the grill with butter and garlic using a brush made of tied together sage, rosemary, thyme (and other herbs) then finely chop herb, garlic and the juice of a lemon on the board you leave the meat to rest on. Once you take the meat off the grill you roll the tenderloin(s) in the herbs and then let it rest and soak up the flavoring.”

Megan isn’t the only one I wanna thank. The whole crew deserves a round of applause for their tirelessness at clean-up. The dishes were sky-high after our over-the-top feast, but all of us cousins rose to the occasion like an enactment from The Big Chill, blasting “I’ve Had the Time of my Life” from my husband’s iPod . I didn’t know it was possible to dance and dry dishes at the same time—at least without breaking any. Thanks again for making everything sparkle after such a stupendously messy and delicious meal; it certainly wasn’t the only chargrilled indulgence that weekend: we also had (pictured above left) Grilled Rib Eye & asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, and spicy onion rings. For dessert there was ice box cake, and you’ll have to private message me to get my sister’s family recipe.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the food porn, and have a great rest of the week!
 

Flavorful Fava Beans

When my friend, Rose and I hit the farmer’s market this past week, we discovered a vendor with a large basket of fava beans. Also known as broad beans, you see them in the spring usually as a garnish on fresh salads. Most of the shoppers we observed shied away from the large pods. I suspect this is because either they did not know how to get the bean from the pod or they did not know how to cook them. Undaunted, I stuffed my plastic bag with a couple of handfuls of bean pods and off we went.

And then a funny thing happened. After we got the beans home, and I offer to give them a try, Rose finds a link to a grilled fava bean post on the Food 52 website. http://food52.com/recipes/18008_ignacio_mattoss_grilled_favas

You know what comes next – a fava bean showdown! Rose followed the grilled recipe and I made them for a fresh salad.

First, you slice a slit down the seam of the pod and pry it open with your fingers. 

Remove the beans from the pods and plunge them into boiling salted water for about 3 minutes. 

The outer shells will open to reveal the bright green fava bean inside. 

Remove the outer shell and the beans are ready to use in a colorful salad like this one!

Although you might think that the fava bean is similar to a lima bean, you will be surprised to taste the clean, crisp flavor. Use the beans in a fresh salad or sauté them quickly to add as a garnish for any dish. I say garnish because you need about a pound of fava bean pods to produce about 1/3 cup of fava beans!

Rose’s grilled beans uses a flavorful marinade to season the entire pod. Grill the pods and return them to the bowl with the marinade. Add chopped anchovies and toss to create an entirely edible fava bean pod with the tender beans a surprise inside.

Let me know how you like your fava beans – grilled or blanched!

Notes from a Blue Ridge Locavore

http://www.christopherjmorgan.com/

Hi Friends! I am delighted to be back in the North Carolina Mountains for the summer.  After unpacking my bags, I made a run for the best farmer’s market in Boone, NC. They’ve got legendary vendors, offering everything from radishes the size of billiard balls to homemade strawberry-chocolate jam. I’ve included links to these locavores!” Gotta love that tongue twister! If Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers from the Watauga Farmers Market, they’d be lovingly canned into something you couldn’t get enough of—like Fire from the Mountain.   

Returning to this farmer’s market on Saturdays means I get to decorate my supper table with the region’s best. This is a recent display.

You’re looking at Soft Shell Crabs served on a bed of yummy collards, olive oil-poached salmon, slow roasted over herbs and cherry tomatoes, and an arranged grilled vegetable salad that featured eggplant, peppers, onions and locally grown tomatoes. Dessert was triple chocolate bread pudding, of course.

That same week, shopping locally meant dining on an herb rubbed organic chicken, raised humanely not 100 miles from home. I borrowed the recipe for Foolproof Rotisserie Chicken from the New Life Farm Stand and slow roasted it—the chicken really merits its very own blog entry and I promise you I’ll get to it soon. I simply wanted you to have this super easy, DEEPLY satisfying recipe on file for those lazy summer weekends ahead.  

What’s on the table tonight—in this insane locavore tour of Boone—is the Fresh Catch!

The purveyor was Carolina Beach Mobile Seafood. I couldn’t believe their selection. I mean talk about fresh! Some of them were still moving among an array of catfish, grouper and shrimp. The fish monger on duty offered me a sheet of paper as she was packaging up my treasure. I looked down and read the instructions on how to clean the crab.

“What? You don’t clean the crabs?” I asked a little nervously.

“No, Maam.”
Well OK then. Off I went.  

Dealing with my awesome haul of seafood later that night, I found that cleaning the first crab was a little scary, but by crab number six I was an old pro. I sautéed them in butter and olive oil and made a pan sauce with lemon, garlic and wine. I can’t begin to describe how good it was so I won’t even try.

But what I will do is describe the local food scene—you’ll need to know it, if you ever come to call. Among my favorites are Lulu’s Sweet and Savory—bread puddings to die for. I don’t know whether to be proud or ashamed, but I cleaned up with Lulu. It was only my first trip out, and already I’ve bought enough decadent bread puddings to fill one whole shelf of my freezer. I cannot wait to dig into one particular concoction that I bought there, featuring mushroom, rosemary and goat cheese.

Then there’s Cheryl Piraccie, offering samples of her home made jams. Check out the photo of this pair of Bella Rooster sweetness.

I’ve learned I cannot abide this life without her Chocolate-Strawberry Jam. Cheryl modestly compares it to Nutella, but Nutella has never tasted like this! I thought I’d hit the ceiling of euphoric foodie highs and then…well…I saw the roadside spring greens. There were bright collards and kale, dewy lettuce mixes and crisp garlic scapes. What more can I say? I see a lot of salads and sautéed greens in my family’s future.

My summer experience has begun and my taste buds are already on high alert. If you can’t get to the mountains of North Carolina, check out the websites of the farmers’ market vendors near you. Some of them ship! Share your farmers’ market finds and fresh recipes with the readers here. Post a comment or send along your thoughts to Jorj@Jorj.com. More to come!!

I Had a Midsummer Night’s Dream…

About Revisiting my Favorite Recipes for the Perfect Summer Solstice Party

The days are getting longer and home improvement shops are rolling out the outdoor pavilion sets. You know the ones—they have dreamy names like “Garden Oasis Gazebo”. Admit it! It’s fun to check out the plush cushions on the wicker patio stuff, and peek into hibachis where fake corn and steak adorn the grill. I like to picture a summer get together with guests roaming my backyard in cottony dresses, kids capturing lighting bugs, and happy campers of all ages queuing up at my buffet.

Though Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner, I can think of an even better date, further out, for a grand summer party: the summer solstice, on June 20th. It’s the longest day of the year, and appeals to Extreme Party Planners the world over. As I planned my party, I focused my eyes (and taste buds) on Scandinavia, plenty inspired to sit down and create my own summer solstice party on Pinterest.

Did I Pique Your Pinterest?

You’ll see when you visit my newest pinboard, that I’ve given myself over to the idea of seafood. The Scandinavians got it right. Picture it: salmon, lobster, lightly roasted vegetables—loads of starchy, wonderful potatoes coated in enough fresh dill, you’d swear it was lawn clippings and not just an abundance of herbs on the table. It would have been good to be a Viking! Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Topped with Smoked Salmon and Dill were the first appy to pop into my head. Please let me know if they land somewhere in your summer buffet.    

Summer Solstice Menu; All Oldies But Goodies!

For the entrée. How about making LOBSTER the Maine Event? Click the punny link to read my personal experiences signing a FedEx receipt for still alive, still squirming crustaceans. I know that lobster is a tall order in the present economy—so if you want to save, or just spare your guests from those small hammers and bibs, this is your next best thing: the Barbecued salmon hoagie. You’re going to fall in love with it the minute you see it—and it absolutely must be served with Chili roasted corn on the cob with lime cream. Serve Rosemary Baked Potatoes as one side, and Six veggie slaw with tarragon as the other; it’s the crisp, cool counterpart to what’s hot.

Dessert has to be light, creamy (a difficult juxtaposition in food, I know) and make you hum along to Billy Ocean’s Caribbean Queen. I’ve gotten compliments on my trifles, and the Tropical trifle is among the best in my trifling repertoire.

Simple Moonrise Parties in Lieu of the Bigger Bashes

I wouldn’t worry too much about dessert if the drinks offered at your party are cool in every sense of the word. I’m serving  Bourbon minted tea, which brings me round to describing what one of my readers shared with me recently. She serves this beverage during her moon rise parties—small gatherings that involve she and her husband, a few friends and a toast in the hour or two before dusk, when the moon looks like a bouncy bluish ball in the sky. I like to picture this friend in a white deck chair, glass in hand, enjoying the remains of the day. Please bookmark these published Moon rise times for the summer months ahead.

Enjoy them all! Summertime is a celebration of new beginnings and vitality!  Walk barefoot through the grass, my friends!      

Jessica’s Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Serves: 4 as a side salad, or 2 as a veggie main dish
Prep Time: about 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes cook time

2 portabella mushroom caps, gills removed, cut into ¼-inch pieces, about 2 cups
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch pieces, about 1 cup
1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch pieces, about 1 cup
1 medium yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch pieces, about 1 cup
½ red onion, cut into ¼-inch pieces, about ½ cup
3 tablespoons herb-infused oil, divided (feel free to substitute with olive oil)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried basil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
1 cup plain whole wheat couscous
1 cup home made vegetable broth, or prepared low sodium vegetable broth
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed, about ½ cup
1 bunch fresh arugula leaves, about 3 cups
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400º

Place the vegetables onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and coated with cooking oil spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and dried basil. Toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes.

Place the cherry tomatoes into a small bowl. Pour the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil over top. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir until all the tomatoes are covered. Let sit for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir tomatoes every 5 minutes or so to help the flavors marry together.

Place the couscous into a medium pot with lid. Stir in the vegetable broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the couscous to a boil over medium high heat. Cover the pot with a lid. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork to break up any clumps.

To assemble the dish, place a handful of arugula on a plate. Top with couscous and roasted vegetables. Top with mozzarella chunks and the cherry tomatoes with their dressing. Drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle with basil to make the flavors pop!

 

Creamed Spinach

Fresh spinach is quickly wilted and then finished in a rich and decadent cream sauce.

4 (10-ounce) bags fresh spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium white onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)
4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
2. Place half of the fresh spinach into the skillet and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove to a large baking dish. Continue until all of the spinach has been wilted using additional oil as needed.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
4. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden and bubbling, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Whisk in the milk. Reduce the heat to medium.
7. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, bay leaves and cloves. Continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce. Pour half of the sauce over the spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt in the sauce. Add the remaining spinach and sauce.
9. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the casserole.
10. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling.

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus baking

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serves 8; preparation time about 30 minutes

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces (about 6 cups)
4 o 6 cloves garlic, roasted
6 tablespoons butter (about ¾ stick)
½ to 1 cup milk
2 tablespoons snipped garlic chives

Boil the potatoes in water until they are cooked, about 20 minutes.

In an electric mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, roasted garlic, and butter. Mix on medium high speed to blend.

Add enough milk to reach the desired consistency. For thicker potatoes use less milk. For thinner potatoes use more milk.

Mix in the garlic chives and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

2 pounds button mushrooms, sliced
(about 4 cups)
1 cup red wine
3 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup all-purpose flour, mixed with 1 cup cold water

Sautee the mushrooms in the pan drippings over medium high heat.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add the red wine to the pan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the flour mixture to the pan, a small amount at a time. Cook until the sauce thickens to gravy consistency.

Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

A Summer Tiki Party

Where the Birds Sing and the Flowers Bloom

Welcome to a tropical hideaway, you lucky people, you…or so the Enchanted Tiki Room song went, when it was written for Disney World in 1963. In Mad Men, (if you’ve never heard of the AMC television series, come out of your cave) Don Draper would definitely approve of the ambience found in a tiki room; a party with the kind of atmosphere where “Skirts” and fedoras drift by, the booze flows freely and kool kats enjoy a little intoxicating food and drink, their smokes, and music that gives Elvis’ Blue Hawaii a run for its money. To recreate such a scene, I’m recreating the Polynesian PuPu Platter and serving up my Hurricane Brew in hollow coconut shells—what a way to cool off this summer!

Tiki Time Event Menu

Purveyors of tiki culture were the proprietors of Don the Beachcomber restaurant and Trader Vic’s; both were, in the 1930s, young men who had sailed throughout the South Pacific and loved exotic rum punches, rattan furinture, tropical flowers and tiki torches—it was a way of dining and entertaining that peaked in the 50s and 60s, vanished in the 70s and has come back for an encore now. In homage, her’es my PuPu platter, defined as a tray of Chinese American/Hawaiian assorted small meats and seafood appetizers: think egg rolls, chicken wings, savory skewers and other temptables for kool kats.

Get out your best monkeywood platter and load it up with all or some of the following:

Grilled Rum Marinated Flank Steak Sandwiches with Chipotle Lime Aioli
Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Cranberry, Corn and Avocado Relish
Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps
Mustard Coated Chicken Skewers with Grilled Veggie Salsa
Fried Calamari with Tuna Caper Dipping Sauce
Tropical Trifle for Dessert
Signature Drink: Hurricane Brew

I can’t say enough about these tiki-rific choices. Make sure you have a jar of Maraschino cherries standing by to garnish the plate in true PuPu platter style. For the flank steak sandwiches, your everyday sammy gets a makeover with a big burst of flavor, and the chicken skewers offer an update on fast food chicken fingers that’s easy to prepare. Fried is a distinguishing factor to any PuPu platter, which is why I added the calamari, but with a dipping sauce that cuts through that salty, deep fried heaviness.

As Seen on Mad Men…Drink It, Wear it or Use it at Your Tiki Party!
And now to introduce my signature drink for the big event. My Hurricane Brew is best whipped up in a pitcher, then authenticated by pouring the concoction into hollowed pineapples. You’ll need a few tools to serve the Brews this way; first a pineapple slicer, which removes the core and gives you a neat stack of pineapple rings—and drinking glass!!—in seconds. This is a cocktail that will have you looking all over for those little paper umbrellas; it calls for rum both light and dark, grenadine, fresh citrus juices and plenty of granulated sugar. If you don’t want to trouble yourself with real pineapple glasses, check out the Tiki drinking glasses I found shopping online; you’ve probably seen this same set with lipstick stains on the rim in Mad Men. Oh, and speaking (again!) of that series, did you know Banana Republic is coming out with its own Mad Men clothing line in August 2011? That’s this summer! View the whole Retro clothes collection by clicking the link.

Here’s a hyperlink shortlist of other tiki bar supplies I found for cheap…real cheap…on Amazon:

Paper Cocktail Parasols - Pack of 144
Pineapple slicer
tiki luau drinking straws

And while you may love behaving like "Mad Men" at your tiki party this summer, don’t expect to see the show again until 2012…how many great parties will you have before then!

Happy Mai Tai Sipping, Everyone!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Ragu of Roasted Shallots, Fresh Peas and Mushrooms

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

8 (4 to 5-ounce) loin lamb chops, cut 1 ½ to 2-inches thick
4 tablespoons olive oil (or more)
1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 to 6 large shallots, peeled and separated into lobes
6 small (2 to 3-inch) red potatoes, quartered
4 ounces Baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Merlot wine
4 ounces fresh green peas1 ½ cups beef broth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place the lamb chops in a dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Place the shallots and the potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and the potatoes are browned.

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Cook the mushrooms in the pan until soft. Season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

Pour in the red wine. Reduce heat to low.

Add the peas to the pan.

Pour in the beef broth. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half and the peas are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Cook the lamb chops, turning once, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the sautéed shallots and potatoes to the mushroom and pea mixture. Toss to coat all of the veggies with the sauce. Adjust seasonings.

Serve 2 lamb chops per dish. Surround the chops with the vegetable ragu. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Turkey Wraps with Apples and Curry Mayonnaise

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 sandwich

½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
½ teaspoon curry powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large spinach tortillas
6 to 8 leaves red-leaf lettuce, washed and dried
2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
8 ounces deli style roast turkey breast, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Warm the tortillas in the oven until they are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, sun-dried tomatoes and curry powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Place one tortilla onto your work surface. Spread with a tablespoon of the curry mayonnaise. Layer with lettuce leaves. Top with apple slices and turkey. Roll up the tortilla. Wrap in parchment paper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Before serving, cut the rolls in half diagonally and pull down parchment paper to act as a paper holder for the wraps.

Peppered Pork Pinwheels stuffed with Swiss Chard, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 to 45 minutes

For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 pounds Swiss chard, washed, dried, stems removed, leaves torn (about 8 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ounces reduced fat, grated Mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

For the pork:
2 (12 to 14-ounce) pork tenderloins, tri-flied
2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place one tenderloin onto a cutting board with the thick end facing away from you. Place your free hand on top to steady. Starting at the thick end and working horizontally, use a sharp knife to cut a slit about ¾ of the way through the bottom third of the meat, from right to left. Do not cut all the way through, leave attached. Open the tenderloin. Cut a slit from the center of the meat, from right to left again, ¾ of the way through toward the thick half. Do not cut all the way through. Open up the flap. You will have 1 large piece of meat. Repeat with the second tenderloin. Invert the second tenderloin, so that the thin end is placed next to the thick end, and overlaps slightly. Cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound the meat to an even thickness of about 1/2-inch. The two overlapping tri-flied tenderloins will yield a rectangular piece of meat about 10-inches by 12-inches. Place the cutting board, with the tenderloin covered with plastic, into the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add half of the Swiss chard. Cook until wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining Swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.

Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the meat. Cover with the Swiss chard mixture. Top with sun dried-tomatoes. Carefully roll up the tenderloin around the filling. Secure with toothpicks.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush with mustard, and coat generously with pepper. Place 1 more tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Brown the pork tenderloin roll, beginning seam side down, on all sides until golden, about 5 minutes total. Place the pork roll into a baking dish. Bake until the meat is still moist and the juices are clear, about 35 to 45 minutes.

To serve, remove the toothpicks from the roll. Cut into 1 ½-inch slices.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Looking for a more figure-friendly game day snack food? This appy has all of the ingredients of that spicy wing dish you already know and love -- with a few of the calories lopped off.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
3 medium celery ribs, diced, about 1 cup
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
1 whole marinated roasted red pepper, diced, about ½ cup
1 cup hot pepper sauce
1 head leaf lettuce, 25 to 30 leaves, washed and dried

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the chicken to a platter.

Place the green onions, celery and garlic in the pan. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper. Place the chicken back into the pan. Pour in the hot sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the chicken in the sauce until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place the shredded chicken back into the sauce.

Serve the shredded chicken in a bowl. Place the lettuce leaves around the side.

Servings: Enough for a game day crowd
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes