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Grilled Corn on the Cob with Maple-Chipotle Glaze

I can’t imagine going back to regular corn after tasting this sweet and spicy combo. My dad has a fail proof microwave method (no dealing with pesky silks) and then I grill it afterwards to get the brown charred kernels.

I have to believe this would also be incredible slathered on salmon!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies*
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 ears fresh corn (husks on for cooking)

DIRECTIONS

Bring first 5 ingredients to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze is reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. (Glaze can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

This is my Dads quick microwave corn method – and it’s a huge success. Keep husks and silks on the corn. Cut the bottom and top off the corn. For each ear of corn, add 3 minutes to the total time. 6 ears of corn will cook a total of 18 minutes. Place corn in microwave and cook for 9 minutes. Turn corn over and cook another 9 minutes. (You can prepare the corn up to this point and wait to clean until ready to grill with the glaze). Remove the husks and silks.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush corn with some of glaze. Grill until lightly charred in spots, turning frequently. Transfer corn to platter. Brush corn with remaining glaze. Sprinkle generously with salt and serve.

Bing Cherry, Blueberry & Almond Crumble

Sadly, fresh cherries have not been in my life before this summer. Maybe in the back of my mind I knew pitting the suckers would suck. It only sucked for a short bit until I found the perfect pitting tool: the metal pour spout from my olive oil bottle. Works like a charm.

I probably ate a 1/4 pound fresh out of the bowl and they were delicious. But the fresh cherry and caramelized onion compote over pork chops wasn’t too shabby either! I will be making that again in the next few weeks to share with you.

Lets move on to dessert. Those of you who know me can testify that the ice cream in my freezer usually gets thrown out. My sweet tooth isn’t as big as my chip and dip tooth. But when it comes to crumbles, crisps, cobblers, hot fruit and sweet brown sugar crusts… hand me the spoon and an ice cream scoop. Pronto.

I’ve made a few versions with my cherry crop – but this is my favorite. Luckily it is lighter in calories and fat which means I don’t have to give it all away.

Calories: 311, Fat: 11g, Protein: 4g

INGREDIENTS

Filling

  • 6 cups (about 2 pounds) bing cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Cooking spray

Topping

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare the filling, combine cherries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, juice, almond extract, and salt in a large bowl; toss gently. Spoon cherry mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. With you fingers, work in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in sliced almonds. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over cherry mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is crisp. Let stand 5 minutes; serve warm.

Kaitlyn’s Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

This little creature was the first to officially make me an Aunt. I’ve loved her since the moment I set eyes on her. She entertained me with her silly games when she was little and my family lived for every second we could spend with her. It’s unbelievable she just celebrated her 18th birthday and graduated Cum Laude!

From an early age Kaitlyn’s food selections were always impressive. When she was 4 years old I took her to a local kids pizza place with games and lots of noise. She headed straight to the salad bar and piled up a plate of cherry tomatoes, carrots and baby corn. She still loves her vegetables but also developed quite a friendly relationship with her mom’s best friend… chocolate.

Cheesecake made with vegan baking supplies and chocolate is what she wanted for her graduation party. So I made her one… with cherries on top.

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)
  • 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • 7 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • Table salt
  • 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • chocolate shards or curls, for garnish

Chocolate Ganache

  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 6 ounces dark chocolate
  • 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate
  • *I used Valrhona chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and 3 Tbs. granulated sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan (to press, use plastic wrap or a flat-bottom measuring cup). Bake until the crust is fragrant and slightly darkened, 9 to 12 minutes. Let the pan cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, flour, and a pinch of table salt on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle frequently, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure the cheese has no lumps. Add the 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth.

Add the vanilla and beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. (Don’t overbeat once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much and crack as it cools.) Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

Bake at 300°F until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged, 55 to 65 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges, and the center will still look moist. Set on a rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen at this point for up to 1 month. (To freeze, put the unmolded, cooled cake on a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer, uncovered, until the top is cold and firm; then wrap it in two layers of plastic and one layer of foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.)

For the ganache: Pour 3/4 cup of whipping cream into a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate. Keep stirring, and as it comes together, switch to your whisk, stirring until it is completely combined and smooth. Let this cool slightly. Pour the ganache on the cheesecake and spread evenly.

Garnish with chocolate shards and serve immediately. To cut, run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.

Mufasa Corn

Mufasa was one BIG goat…. here is the story.

There is a sweet lady named Susanne who once lived near Tyler and had many goats. I see this sweet goat-raising lady a few times a year and a meal is always in the story. I seem to always bring a dish with goat cheese and like clockwork she politely declines to indulge in my creation. She came clean and explained the taste of goat cheese smells just like those stinky goats!

The last meal we shared I made what I was calling a “corn and tomato succotash”. She officially renamed the dish in honor of her biggest goat (who was quite popular with the ladies)… Mufasa.

It works… and it tastes incredible.

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 ears sweet corn, cooked and kernels removed
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion, diced medium
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 2 ounces goat cheese
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Boil corn for 7 minutes. Cut kernels from ears of corn. You can also use a large bag of frozen corn. Be sure to defrost, drain and dry the kernels (try to get the water off so they will brown in the pan). Add corn and onion to skillet over medium heat with 1-2 T olive oil. Cook on medium high until the corn has slightly charred. Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and add tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes just to warm through. Stir in goat cheese and cream. Serve warm or room temperature.

Vegetable and Hummus Pizza with Greek Vinaigrette

The one thing I always have in the refrigerator: hummus. I love it with pretzels and it’s usually a snack that can be devoured quickly. As much as I love it I do get tired of it after several days of walk by dipping. I was at my favorite Mediterranean market in Dallas, World Foods, buying my stock of olives and feta and checking out the baked goods swimming in honey. I noticed a big pile of fresh whole wheat Naan* and this pizza was born.

I have to say it was everything I thought it would be. Don’t skip the vinaigrette drizzle over top and on the veggies. The acid from the vinegar is a perfect compliment to the creamy hummus.

*Naan is an Indian flatbread and is thinner than most pita. Pita would also work fine in this recipe – use what you can find!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Indian Naan or pita
  • 2 tablespoons hummus (any flavor)
  • 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and cut into large chunks
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 slices lengthwise
  • 1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into medium squares
  • 1 ounce Feta, crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts

For the vinaigrette:

  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon Greek oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

For the vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid, then add the oil and shake to mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons to a medium bowl to toss the veggies in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Naan or Pita directly on rack and bake for 5-10 minutes until bread is crispy. It will not be baked again, so make sure to get the crunch you desire. I like mine crispy so I bake it closer to 10 minutes.

Heat medium skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season zucchini with salt and pepper and cook for 1-2-minutes on each side, until al dente. Remove and add to bowl with dressing.

Add bell peppers to the same pan and cook until slightly charred. Toss in the same bowl with the dressing and zucchini.

To assemble pizza: Spread hummus on to cooled crust. Layer zucchini in a single layer over the hummus. Sprinkle bell peppers, olives and feta over zucchini. Top with toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.

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