Jamaican Smile (Serves 2)

One of Sheb’s favorite adult beverages while we were in Jamaica was the Jamaican Smile. The interesting thing about this drink was that it was made a bit different each time we ordered it. The recipe below takes the best of each rendition and will, at least in the view of Chez, be the ‘official recipe’. If you are not a fan of ‘frou-frou’ drinks you will hate it…but if you are not opposed to an umbrella in your glass, you will enjoy! (Beware of brain-freeze, however!)

There is a bit of preparation needed if you don’t have a bottle of Rum Cream in your bar. I guess you can skip this ingredient but then it just wouldn’t be a Jamaican Smile, would it?

Software – Rum Cream:

· 1 can sweetened condensed milk
· 1 cup dark Rum
· 1 cup heavy cream
· 2 tbsp. chocolate syrup
· 4 tsp. instant coffee (or 2 tsp espresso powder)
· 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
· 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
· 1/4 tsp. coconut extract

Hardware:

blender

Preparation – Rum Cream:

(If your local liquor store has Rum Cream, you may omit this step.)

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender on high speed for a few minutes until blended and smooth.

2. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to two weeks.

3. Stir before using.

Note: Rum Cream may also be served ‘solo’ over ice.

Software – Jamaican Smile:

· 2 oz Strawberry Daiquiri Mix
· 2 oz Pina Colada Mix
· 2 oz white rum
· 2 oz Rum Cream (see above)
· 1 Ripe Banana (optional)
· Strawberry Syrup to taste

Preparation – Jamaican Smile:

1. Place all Ingredients into blender with crushed ice and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Island-Style Chicken Bites (Serves 4)

These were the winner from our Jamaican theme dinner from 12/14. The marinade makes the dish and the breading gives the morsels a nice contrast between the crunch of the crust and the tender meat of the chicken. The lime garnish is more than a garnish too, so don’t skip the step. By drizzling lime juice on these little bits of joy, you bring a whole new layer of flavor, so don’t skip it.

Software:
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken tenders, cut into 1 1/2-inch length pieces
About 2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 fresh limes
Pineapple (optional garnish)
Coconut (optional garnish)

Hardware:
Wire cooling rack

Preparation –
1) Stir together rum, lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar in a shallow bowl until sugar has dissolved.
2) Add chicken and stir to coat. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, whisk together flour, paprika, cayenne and salt in a shallow bowl.

WAITING FOR MARINADE TO DO ITS MAGIC…DON’T RUSH IT!

4) While chicken finishes marinating, heat 1 inch oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
5) Drain chicken.
6) Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess, and transfer to a plate.
7) Fry chicken in 2-3 batches to avoid overcrowding in pan, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per batch. (If chicken darkens too quickly, reduce heat.)
8) Transfer to cooling rack.
9) Slice limes into wedges or thick slices.

Presentation –
Mine was a simple presentation of a plate on a plate, with the top plate holding the chicken and lime slices and the lower plate holding alternating coconut and pineapple. I like the taste and texture contrasts and everything seemed to go together very well.

Hope you try it.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Ganache (Serves 4)

If you like the earthy tones of hazelnuts and the taste and texture of creamy dark chocolate than this one is for you. I took the original recipe, ‘tweaked’ it a bit and then added a kick. Take it for a test drive and see what you think.

Software:

3 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
1 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (dark is best)
½ cup Frangelico liqueur (If you choose to omit this ingredient, use ½ cup whole milk instead. Note that you won’t get as ‘nutty’ a ganache.)
¼ cup Nutella
2 ounces dark, bittersweet chocolate bar
4 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Hardware:

Plastic wrap
4-5 oz ramekins

Preparation –
1) Stir cornstarch with ½ cup of Frangelico in a bowl until cornstarch completely dissolves.
2) Heat milk, heavy cream, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, until well mixed.
3) Add Nutella, whisking occasionally, until well mixed.
4) Raise heat to medium; cook, whisking occasionally, until almost boiling (steam will rise from the surface).
5) Stir cornstarch-milk mixture again until smooth; add to saucepan in a thin stream, constantly whisking.
6) Bring mixture to a simmer, continuing to whisk, for 2 minutes more. (Mixture will thicken as it heats.)
7) Pour into four 5-ounce cups; press plastic wrap against the surface of ganache to prevent a skin from forming.
8) Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
9) Prior to serving, shave some dark chocolate on top and serve cold.

Presentation –
On this one, I first dusted the bottom plate with some of the dark cocoa and then placed the ramekins on the plate. I also added 3 small pieces of ‘Ritter’ hazelnut-chocolate candy (one white chocolate, one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate) and a couple of fresh hazelnuts as garnish. I finished off the presentation with a small snifter of some of the Frangelico, also on the plate.

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Parmesan Wafers (Serves 4)

Well, we are stuck again. Neither my wife nor I could choose between the appetizer [Roasted Tomato Soup] and the dessert [Hazelnut-Chocolate Pudding] so once again I am presenting both. I hope one of you guys out there can help settle this debate and pick a winner.

Today you get the soup. By the way, the roasting is a MUST and without this 1st step... well, it’s just soup, so invest the time and effort in the roasting and your efforts will be rewarded.

Software (Soup):
4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 small sprigs of fresh oregano

Software (Wafers):
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (4 to 5 oz; do not use a food processor)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Hardware:
medium baking sheet pan
1 oven-proof cooling rack {must fit in the sheet pan}
Parchment paper

Preparation (Soup) –
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.
2. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour.
3. Change oven temperature to broil and broil tomatoes and garlic for 5 minutes
4. Pull from oven and cool in pan on a rack. Peel garlic.
5. Cook onion, oregano, and sugar in butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
7. If you have a stick blender, purée soup in pot...if you don't have a stick blender, purée batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).

8. Force through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids.
9. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.
10. Divide soup among 4 bowls and float 1 wafer in center of each and place one oregano sprig on the wafer.

Preparation (Parmesan Wafer) –
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together cheese and flour in a bowl. Make 4 mounds (about 3 tablespoons each) about 5 inches apart on baking sheet and spread each mound to form a 4- to 5-inch round.
3. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a rack, then carefully transfer each wafer (they are very delicate) with a wide metal spatula to rack to cool completely.

Presentation –
My presentation {see above} was exactly as the recipe called. Nothing added and it all worked well together. Prior to consuming, we tore the sprig of oregano apart and scattered it onto the soup…yummy!

Bacon Wrapped Polenta and Eggs (Serves 4)

As promised, here is the 2nd recipe of the week and my ‘Star of the Brunch’ from last weekend. I really liked this one, and NO…it’s not just because it has bacon. (But of course bacon is one of my favorite vegetables!)
The polenta can be prepared two days in advance, so once you are ready to go forward with making this, the whole thing comes together quickly.
This was a great brunch dish, but since the whole thing is sitting on a bed of baby spinach I guess you could use this for just about any light meal.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and I would appreciate any feedback if you give it a try.

Software:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup minced green onions (most is for polenta but reserve about ½ tablespoon for the vinaigrette)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant polenta
1/2 cup (packed) shaved Parmesan cheese (you could use grated but shaved will give you a creamier texture)
2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
8 thick slices smoked bacon (you have to go with the thick-cut stuff)
6 ounces grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
6 ounces grated Gruyère cheese
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
4 cups baby spinach or any salad greens of your choice

Hardware:

4 - 4.5 oz ramekins (3 ½” diameter)
medium baking sheet pan
1 oven-proof cooling rack {must fit in the sheet pan}
2 small mixing bowls
whisk

Preparation (Polenta) –

1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add most of the green onions and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. (Remember to reserve some of the onions for scattering on the spinach.)
3. Add 3 cups water and salt to saucepan.
4. Raise heat to high and bring mixture to boil.
5. Gradually whisk in polenta. (If you add the polenta too fast and you will get clumps. If this happens, dial back the heat and smash the clumps as best you can, and then dial the heat back up to high. The lumps that are left should bake out later.)
6. Bring polenta to boil, but as soon as you get there, reduce heat to low and simmer. (If you boil too long the polenta will get gummy, so try to get the heat to simmer as soon as you get to a boil.)
7. Simmer until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally, about 13 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of the thyme.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Cool to lukewarm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)
11. Cover and refrigerate (Polenta will become firm.)

Preparation (Bacon Vinaigrette) –

12. Preheat oven to 400 F.
13. Arrange bacon on cooling rack and place rack on baking sheet
14. Bake for about 12 minutes or until bacon is just beginning to brown but is still pliable.
15. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool slightly.
16. Drain bacon drippings from sheet pan and wipe down with paper towel, but reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings and put in small mixing bowl.
17. Add olive oil to drippings.
18. Add vinegar to second mixing bowl and slowly drizzle in bacon dripping/olive oil mixture, whisking constantly in order to make an emulsion.
19. Add ½ tablespoon of reserved minced green onion and set aside. (Do not refrigerate!)

Preparation (The Dish) –

20. Line sides of ramekin with 1 slice of bacon each, forming collar.
21. Cut 2 slices of bacon in half and place in bottom of ramekin to form an ‘X’.
22. Divide polenta among cups and fill each cup to about ¾ full.
23. Firmly press polenta over bottom and up sides of bacon.
24. Mix cheeses in bowl and sprinkle ¼ of cheese mixture over polenta in each cup.
25. Crack 1 egg into center of each cup.
26. Sprinkle eggs with remaining thyme and black pepper.
27. Transfer cups to baking sheet and bake until egg whites are almost set, about 20 minutes. Let eggs stand at room temperature 5 minutes (eggs will continue to cook).
28. Evenly distribute spinach on 4 salad or dinner plates.
29. Drizzle vinaigrette on salads.
30. Run small sharp knife around edge of the ramekins; tilt cups and slide bacon, polenta, and egg onto salad and serve slightly warm.

Presentation –

My presentation {see above} was a bit more than the recipe called for. I garnished the salad with some of the minced green onion I saved, some bacon crumbles, a teaspoon of sharp cheddar and then I set a couple slices of fresh lemon on the side. Nice!