Shawna's Food and Recipe Blog

Steel Cut Oats and Coconut Milk Porridge with Banana and Cocoa Sauce ~ Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada!

2013-05-13T13:43:00.002-07:00

Tropical style Irish Steel Cut Oats porridge with cocoa sauce and banana! A hearty healthy breakfast for a long day of photographing migratory birds at a historic oasis in the Great Basin Desert!

Many bird watchers and wildlife fans are vegetarian. Posting a nice dairy product tolerant vegetarian breakfast recipe in their favor is not a bad policy, especially since today's article features one of the greatest places on earth to spot migrating birds during spring.

Steel cut oats are traditional in Ireland and Scotland. Steel cut oats are cut whole groats of oat grain and they are not mashed flat like regular oats. Steel cut oats take longer to cook, but they contain more nutritious fiber than regular oats.

Ginger, cinnamon and coconut milk are flavors that go well with nearly any cereal grain. Add banana and cocoa sauce to the mix and a nice tropical caribbean flavor is created. Chocolate is made by separating the cocoa butter from the dark roasted cocoa pod fruit. Specific proportions of cocoa butter are returned to the dark cocoa paste to create various grades of chocolate. Cocoa powder is the dry form of cocoa paste after all cocoa butter and moisture is removed. To make a simple cocoa sauce, a fat has to be added to the cocoa powder so it returns to a chocolate state. Nearly any fat can be used, but butter, cream or cocoa butter tastes best.

Pahranagat is a Paiute word that translates to valley of shining waters. There is no better word to describe this valley in the Great Basin Desert. Water flows from three major natural springs into the Pahranagat Valley. Many more smaller natural springs also bring water to this area. Pahranagat is a lush green oasis that is located in the southern end of the Great Basin Desert. This region was designated as a national wildlife refuge, because it is such a unique microclimate.

The Paiute Nation and much older western tribes have occupied or held ceremonies at Pahranagat for thousands of years. This area is loaded with ancient Native American pictographs and petroglyphs. These forms of ancient rock art are interesting to see and photograph. Do not touch the art, because the oil from fingers does promote the growth of organic matter that can damage the art. All ancient petroglyph art is protected by federal law.

The natural springs that feed the valley maintain water levels in both the upper and lower Pahranagat Lakes. Wetland marshes are located between the two bodies of water. Just north of the wildlife refuge, green ranches and farmland can be seen. Cottonwood trees provide shade throughout the valley. After driving a great distance through a barren desert to get to this place, Pahranagat is like stepping into a lush green dream!

During the spring season, Pahranagat is a bird watchers dream come true. Migratory birds of every kind pass through this desert oasis. Those who look at migratory flight paths will notice that many of those paths converge or narrow in the Pahranagat area. Water is scarce in the Great Basin Desert, but where there is water, life is drawn to it like a magnet.

During the drive from Las Vegas to Pahranagat, a rare desert rain storm took place. In the desert, birds of prey use the calm before a storm as an opportunity to go hunting for small animals that sense the flash flood waters that are yet to come. I saw a bald eagle and a huge hawk hunting just south of Pahranagat. The wing span of many desert birds of prey can extend over five feet and these birds are impressive to see!

There are well maintained access roads and campsites at the Pahranagat Wildlife Refuge. Early morning or late evening are the best times of day to spot bighorn sheep, wild horses and mule deer. Wild migratory birds and local birds can be spotted all day. Western hemisphere wading birds and waterfowl of every kind can be seen in the lakes and reed marshes. Smaller birds that are unique to this region are everywhere in Pahranagat, but these birds do scatter off quickly when humans approach.

I highly suggest bringing a good camera to Pahranagat. A 250x to 300x telephoto lens is a real plus. I used a Nikon D90 SLR with a 300x telephoto lens to capture the pictures of birds in the photographs above. This type of camera has a very high resolution of megapixels, so even after expanding a small image by over 600%, the fine details of the image are clear as a bell. The photo of the yellow headed blackbird above is a good example of this statement. That photo was taken from about 75 yards away!

The scenic mountains and rolling ancient ocean bottom terrain that surrounds Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is breathtaking. The stars of the show during this spring visit were the migrating birds. Trying to correctly identify wild birds can be a challenge. Try matching these bird names with the pictures of the birds above! American Coot, Gray Vireo, Yellow Headed blackbird, Cormorant, Canadian Geese, Pied-Bill Grebe, Horned Grebe, Mallard Duck, Gadwell and White Crowned Sparrow.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is located 90 miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 93 at Alamo, Nevada. Highway 93 is the Great Basin Highway. Recreational vehicles and camper rentals are available in Las Vegas, if luxury style camping is your bag. No pets are allowed at this refuge. There are campsites with facilities. Gas, food and water is available in Alamo, Nevada.

If you are adventurous and you have a 4x4 vehicle, there is a second way to get to Pahranagat. The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is about 10 miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 95. By taking the long dirt road on the northwest side of the vast wildlife refuge, you can get to Pahranagat without ever seeing a paved road. Alamo road is the name of this long dirt road and it actually ends at the ranger station on the west side of Pahranagat Lake. I only suggest the dirt road option through the Desert National Wildlife Refuge for those who really want to see nothing but the great outdoors all day.

I highly recommend visiting the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge this spring, while the birds are migrating! By clicking on any picture above, a full size slide show mode will appear.

Steel Cut Oats and Coconut Milk Porridge:

This recipe makes 1 large serving!

Place 1 3/4 cups of Irish steel cut oats in a sauce pot.

Add enough water to cover the oats with 2" of extra liquid.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Gently simmer till the oats become very tender and the porridge becomes thick. Add water if the porridge becomes too thick, before the oats soften.

Add 1 cup of coconut milk.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger powder.

Add 2 pinches od cinnamon.

Add 1 pinch of sea salt.

Add 2 tablespoons of palm sugar.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

Gently simmer till the porridge becomes thick and till the flavors meld.

Cocoa Sauce:

This sauce is enriched with butter in the same way that a beurre blanc is made. This is a butter emulsion sauce, so it cannot be overheated once the butter is added.

Place 1 cup of water in a small sauce pot over medium low heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of natural raw sugar.

Add 1/3 cup of cocoa powder.

Whisk and simmer, till the ingredients combine.

Simmer and reduce, till it becomes a thin sauce consistency.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

Add 2 ounces of unsalted butter that is cut into small pieces, while stirring with a whisk.

As soon as the butter emulsifies with the sauce and the sauce looks like it has a rich medium thin consistency, remove the pot from the heat.

Keep the cocoa sauce warm on a stove top and stir occasionally.

Steel Cut Oats and Coconut Milk Porridge with Banana and Cocoa Sauce:

Place the steel cut oats and coconut milk porridge on a large shallow soup bowl.

Cut a banana into quarters and arrange the banana pieces on the porridge.

Spoon decorative random streaks of the cocoa sauce over the bananas and porridge.

Serve with warm coconut milk on the side, if a soupy porridge texture is preferred.

Garnish with items of your choice. Pearl cake sprinkles, mint leaves and whipped cream are good garnish choices.

A hearty porridge breakfast that sticks to the ribs does provide plenty of long lasting energy for a day of hiking and bird watching. Yum! ... Shawna

Chocolate Malt at Grandma Daisy's Candy & Ice Cream Parlor, Boulder City, Nevada!

2013-05-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

An old fashioned chocolate malt in the city that built Boulder Dam!

Boulder City is about 20 miles from Las Vegas. Boulder City started as a camp full of Boulder Dam workers living in tents during the great depression. Federal authorities saw many problems with the living conditions, so they hired a well known city planner to design a town.
Like many federal projects, the budget was cut short, so the full city plan never took shape. The old expression "living high on the hill" came to be. The highest paid dam workers were housed at the top of the hill and the lowest paid laborers had to settle for living at the lowest remote areas. Parks and facilities that were planned for the laborer neighborhoods were cut out of the budget, so the parks and nice places were located at the top of the hill.
Boulder City was planned as a town that would turn the desert green with water. This town is often nicknamed as Nevada's Garden City. Lush gardens and green grass were part of the original city plan.
After the dam was completed, many of the old wooden laborer houses were vacated. Apparently the federal government realized that most of the laborers would move on to seek work elsewhere after the dam was completed, when they made the budget cuts in the city plan. Later, many of the old laborer houses were moved to other towns in the southwest region. I worked in Furnace Creek, Death Valley last summer and some of the old Boulder City laborer houses were in service as guest cabins at that resort.
The federal government did not wish to go with the standard Nevada lifestyle of wild nightlife and gambling when planning Boulder City. Clean living for dam workers was the only theme that the federal government allowed. Because no gambling or wild times were allowed in this town, it actually helped the Las Vegas economy in a big way. Many of the Boulder Dam workers went to Las Vegas to spend their money and gamble, so the Boulder Dam project turned into a blessing for Las Vegas.
Boulder City and Boulder Dam quickly became prime local tourist destinations for those who visited Las Vegas. As Las Vegas progressed to become a top tourist destination, the economy of Boulder City benefited. One might say that the economic boost from dam workers who spent money in Las Vegas went full circle.
Boulder City is now a popular historic tourist destination that offers glimpse into the past. The main street that runs through this town has turned into a mecca of antique shops, souvenir shops and restaurants. The old historic Boulder Dam Hotel that was built in the 1930's is still open for business. There are many historic markers located throughout Boulder City, so taking a casual stroll around town is a good thing to do. Boulder City is a nice place to find relief from Las Vegas sensory overload. When visiting Hoover Dam (Boulder dam) I highly suggest going to Boulder City to get a fresh breath of air in the lush green park and strolling down main street!
The pictures above can be viewed in a full size slide show mode by clicking on any photograph!

In a clean living dam worker town that the federal government built, like Boulder City, there is nothing better than walking around and seeing the sights on main street while sipping on a good old fashioned chocolate malt! When I visited Boulder City, I was on my way to photograph Hoover Dam. Getting a bite to eat was in the original plan, but I was not hungry enough for a meal. After checking out some of the fun souvenir shops, I saw a giant ice cream cone across the street and a sign that said malts. It has been years since I had a good chocolate malt, so I was drawn to Grandma Daisy's Candy & Ice Cream Parlor like a magnet!
Grandma Daisy's is an old fashioned candy shop that offers nice hand crafted sweet treats. Every candy item, chocolate, fudge, caramel apple and cookie is hand crafted the old fashioned way at this store. The old fashioned candies have a nice classic American look to them. Comfortable looking old fashioned candy sure is easy on the eyes, after seeing the complex candies that pastry chefs sell along the Las Vegas Strip. Grandma Daisy's Candy & Ice Cream Parlor is like stepping back to a simpler time!
The chocolate malt was mixed perfectly at Grandma Daisy's! Chocolate malt fans know what is meant by saying that a malt was mixed just right. Not everybody who reads this blog is familiar with classic American food, so I do not assume that every international reader knows what a BLT, patty melt or a malt is. A malt is a milkshake that has malted milk added to the recipe. Malted milk is a mixture of ground malted wheat grain, ground malted rye grain and milk that is evaporated till it returns to a powder form. Grain malt is germinated grain seed that has developed a sweat flavor. When malted milk powder is added to a milkshake, it creates a rich flavor that provides warming comfort.
The malt at Grandma Daisy's was served plain in a paper to-go cup with a lid a straw. Honestly, I was so enrapt with enjoying the flavor of the chocolate malt, that I forgot to take a picture. Oh well! The malt looked like an ordinary old fashioned chocolate shake. The flavor was pure chocolate malt heaven!
Grandma Daisy's is located at 530 Nevada Highway in Boulder City. The Nevada Highway is the old main street area of town. Grandma Daisy's has a nice atmosphere, the place is clean and the service is friendly.
I highly recommend Grandma Daisy's Candy & Ice Cream Parlor in Boulder City! While taking a relaxing stroll in historic Boulder City, you just gotta have an old fashioned malt in hand! Yum! ... Shawna

The Butcher Block, Las Vegas!

2013-05-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

A great old fashioned butcher shop that features specialty meats!

When readers cook recipes in this food site, it helps to know where to find the ingredients, especially if some of the recipe ingredients are specialty items. Posting reviews of specialty markets and butcher shops in the Las Vegas valley does help the local residents. For readers outside of Las Vegas, the description of these stores may help to find a similar kind of market in their own region.

The Butcher Block is a high quality butcher shop that has a lot of great products to offer. Both USDA prime grade beef cuts and USDA choice grade beef cuts are stocked in the display case. Steaks are trimmed and cut perfectly and all popular beef steak cuts, like tri tip, filet mignon, ribeye, porterhouse, NY strip sirloin and T-Bone are offered. USDA prime dry aged beef is also available.

Nice looking deep red ground beef is offered and that is an item that often is of questionable quality at corporate grocery stores that purchase cheap ground beef from remote sources. Often the grocery store beef turns a grayish brown color the day after it is purchased. This means that the ground beef was not fresh to begin with. Butcher shop ground beef is always higher in quality, because a butcher shop's reputation is at stake with every purchase.

Wagayu beef and kobe beef are stocked at this butcher shop! If you ever wanted to try cooking the two highest rated marbled beef products that modern chefs feature on menus, then now you know where to find the goods. Wagayu is an Australian kobe beef that has a little less fat marbling than Japanese kobe and the price is a little more expensive than USDA prime grade. Japanese kobe has the highest amount of fat marbling and a slice of this kind of beef literally melts in the mouth. The US Department of agriculture has developed a rating system for kobe beef that is based upon the current prime grade rating. Kobe or wagayu prime +2 has much more visible marbling than standard prime grade beef. Kobe or wagayu prime +5 almost looks like cheese, because there is so much fat marbling.

A full line of Italian, German, Louisiana and Spanish sausage is stocked at The Butcher Block. Black Boudin is stocked as a frozen product and this specialty sausage can be difficult to obtain, so now readers know where to find this gourmet sausage. Wild game sausages and summer sausages are also in stock.

Speaking of wild game and free range farmed wild game, this is the reason that I visited The Butcher Block. The Butcher Block stocks a wide variety of popular wild game meat. I got a very nice price on pheasant and wild boar tenderloin at this butcher shop. Elk, kangaroo, quail, duck, ostrich, buffalo, rabbit and a few other specialty meats were stocked as frozen products. I have built up a collection of wild game meat to use for food site recipes over the last few weeks and my freezer is starting to look like a zoo!

I picked up some ground wagayu to make some new slider recipes while shopping. Some great looking smoked pork chops were stocked and I could not resist. It has been a long time since I have seen real smoked pork chops for sale. Most grocery stores and cheap restaurants only offer artificial smoke flavored pork chops that have a questionable color. Artificial smoke flavor and color added to a pork chop does not make a real smoked pork chop. Old fashioned smoked pork chops, like those at The Butcher Block are the real deal and the difference in quality is easily noticed.

The Butcher Block also stocks fish. Walleye pike is not easy the come by outside of the Great Lakes region. This butcher shop stocks some nice looking walleye filets. If any readers have been craving a taste of this sustainable fine northern lake fish, The Butcher Block is the place to go!

The Butcher Block is located at 7625 south Rainbow Boulevard in a plaza near the intersection of Robindale. The Butcher Block shop is spotlessly clean and well organized. The service is friendly and any questions are answered with an informative response. This is a well managed, clean, butcher shop that is not cluttered with slow selling gimmick products. The Butcher Block is a butcher shop that any old fashioned butcher or quality oriented customer likes to see.

I highly recommend The Butcher Block for Las Vegas locals and visitors! This is the place to go for high quality beef and specialty meat! Yum! ... Shawna

Detroit Coney at American Coney Island Chili Dogs, in The D Casino, Las Vegas ~ Fremont Street!

2013-05-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

Detroit Coney Dogs are now being served in the entertainment capitol of the world!

This Coney Dog info may be confusing to those who do not hold a masters degree in American hot dog history. The original American style hot dogs were made in Coney Island, New York. The hot dog style of minced meat slurry sausage originates in both Austria and Frankfurt, Germany. The word Coney in the Coney Island Chili Dog entree title only refers to the origin of the original American hot dogs. Coney Island Chili and the Coney Island Chili Dog were not created in Coney Island, New York.
Where was the famous Coney Island Chili Dog created? Michigan! Michigan Coney Island Chili Dogs were the first of their kind. The Cincinnati Cheese Coney was created sometime after the Michigan Coneys were already on the market. I posted a Cincinnati Cheese Coney recipe a few years ago. Cincinnati Chili is not really considered to be a true chili, because the recipe contains no chile peppers. Real chili has chile pepper in the recipe and that is how chili got its name.
There is two distinct styles of original Coney Island Chili Dogs. One was created by Flint's Original Coney Island restaurant. It is a fine ground beef heart dry chili that has no sauce. The Flint style Coney Chili looks like dark highly seasoned ground beef.
The second Michigan style Coney Dog is the Detroit Coney Island Chili Dog. The chili is a ground beef chili that is seasoned with Hungarian spices. Detroit Coney Chili has a smooth medium sauce consistency. Since Hungarian paprika is a chile pepper, the Detroit Coney Chili is a real chili. Both the Detroit Coney Dog and the Flint Coney Dog require yellow mustard on top of the chili to make them official.
While I was working in Chicago, I used to play caribbean stud poker at The Majestic Star gambling boat in East Chicago, Indiana. The Majestic Star was owned by Don Barden. Don Barden is better known as Don B. Don B was a casino entrepreneur and he was a pioneer in this field, because he was one of the first Afro Americans who ventured into the casino operator game. Don B has his name on a brand of signature steakhouse restaurants at all of his casino properties.
Don B passed away recently. The Fitz Casino (Fitzgerald's) in Las Vegas was also owned by Don B. The Fitzgerald's Casino had an Irish theme that had become outdated by the modern standards of recent developments in downtown Las Vegas. Recently the Fitz Casino changed its name to The D Casino in part as a dedication to the remembrance of Don Barden and to give the casino a face lift. The D Casino now has a modern look that is really cool. Along with the new look, several restaurants were selected to become part of the theme. Because Don B had dealings in Detroit, it was a natural to bring the American Coney Island Chili Dogs restaurant to The D Casino.
American Coney Island Chili Dogs is located under the Fremont Street canopy where the action is. This restaurant is like an old fashioned Detroit hot dog shop gone modern. The place is decorated with Detroit memorabilia and Coney Dog mementos. The kitchen and dining room are spotlessly clean. The American Coney Island Chili Dogs restaurant has a good old fashioned comfortable Detroit Coney Dog munching atmosphere.
What is on the rest of the menu? Who cares! Detroit Coney Island Chili Dogs are the prime attraction! Of course I asked for mustard and onions on my Detroit Coney. It has been a long time since I had a good authentic Detroit Coney, so I really enjoyed the moment. The Detroit Coney Dogs at this hot dog shop are the real deal!
I highly recommend the american Coney Island Chili Dog restaurant for Las Vegas Visitors, locals and Fremont Street party animals who need to get their munch on! This little gem of a hot dog stand is one of the few places to get an authentic Detroit Coney Dog outside of Michigan. Yum! ... Shawna

The pictures above can be viewed in a full size slide show mode. Click on any photograph and the slide show mode will appear. The pictures were taken on Fremont Street near The D Casino. One of the favorite bands of Las Vegas, The Spazmatics were playing on the Fremont Street Experience band stage next to The D Casino. While the Fremont Experience canopy high resolution light show goes on, people like to take rides on the Flight Lines that run overhead of the crowd. A Flight Line ride while the light show is going on is a wild experience!

Passion Fruit Slush at Veggie Delight in Chinatown, Las Vegas!

2013-05-07T20:40:00.001-07:00

A refreshing slush!

Veggie Delight is a popular restaurant in Chinatown, Las Vegas. Vegetarian cuisine is featured at this restaurant. The menu offers many traditional and creative vegetarian entree's, appetizers and sweet treats. Many modern soy products are featured. Veggie Delight offers nice vegetarian food that will please anybody's taste!
There are a few seafood and chicken specialties on the menu for those who are in a mood for a meaty meal. Salads, soups and noodle entrees round out the menu.
I have been to Veggie Delight a few times in the last few years. I have noticed that the food looked very good and that the customers all look like they are very pleased with the food that they order. Veggie delight does have a steady flow of loyal regular customers and this is a sign that the food is great.
Honesty, I have never eaten an entree at Veggie Delight. There actually is a good reason why. The reason that I have never ordered food at this restaurant is because every time I go to Veggie Delight, my jaw drops in awe when I see the bobo tea, smoothie and slush drink menu! Pictures of each specialty drink are posted with the price. The pictures of the specialty drinks at Veggie Delight look irresistibly good! I simply cannot get past looking at the drink menu when I go to Veggie Delight and my visits turn into an afternoon of sipping on a sweet treat!
In the past, I usually order the taro smoothie with tapioca. During this visit, I was in the mood for something fruity and refreshing. A freshly made passion fruit juice slush was my pick of the day. There are few fruits that offer a fine exotic flavor, like passion fruit does. Passion fruit is perfect for a refreshing afternoon slush!
In case the fruit slush packaging looks like something new, it kind of is. Many restaurants in Chinatown seal all drinks, sweet bean paste custards and yogurt with a plastic spill proof shield. The thin plastic shield is sealed with heat. A sharp pointed straw is used to puncture the seal. This drink sealing system is ingenious and it eliminates plastic lids that never seem to fit the cup.
Veggie delight has a picture menu and that is good for those who are not bilingual. The restaurant is spotless and clean. The small dining area is well lit and comfortable. The service is friendly.
Veggie Delight is located at the southeast corner of Wynn Road and Spring Mountain Road. This plaza is across the street from the main Chinatown Plaza. The street address is 3504 Wynn Road and this location is a very short distance from the Las Vegas Strip.
I highly recommend Veggie Delight for visitors of Las Vegas and locals! This is a charming little jewel of a vegetarian restaurant that offers great tasting refreshing smoothies and slush drinks. During the heat of summer, Veggie Delight is a good place to find cool relief from the heat. Yum! ... Shawna

Cacao Chile con Carne over Amaranth Fry Bread ~ Kah Tequila!

2013-05-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo!

Amaranth is an ancient grain that is now referred to as a super grain. It is loaded with protein and nutrients. Amaranth was used extensively in Aztec and Mayan cuisine. Amaranth flour is nice for making Native American fry bread.

Chile con carne is an old traditional Mexican entree. The word carne can refer to any kind of meat, but pork is most popular for making this entree. Chile con carne can be made many ways. Dried chile peppers are usually turned into a chile colorado for this recipe. Fresh red chile peppers or green chile peppers are also used to make versions of chile con carne.

Cocoa is used by many Mexican chefs and southwestern cuisine chefs as a spice. There are many Mexican mole paste recipes that require cocoa. Cocoa adds a nice warm gentle flavor to chile con carne. Cocoa and chile peppers are a classic pre-colombian flavor combination. Cacao chile con carne over amaranth fry bread tastes really nice!

Kah Tequila is a relatively new brand of Mexican tequila. Kah translates to the word life in the Mayan language. Las Vegas is where Kah tequila was first marketed in America. The quality of the tequila is nice. The bottle design is even nicer! Each Day Of The Dead skull shaped bottle is hand painted by artists in Mexico. No two bottles look the same. The bottle in the pictures above contains the blanco tequila. Kah reposado and anejo tequilas are painted with different colors. The Kah tequila bottles are respected as works of art and they are collectible items. Kah tequila is perfect for celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

Cacao Chile Colorado:

This is a nice mild chile colorado that is not too spicy hot!

Heat a small sauce pot over medium low heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of blended olive oil.

Add 2 tablespoons of minced onion.

Add 1 minced garlic clove.

Saute till the onions turn clear in color.

Add 3 tablespoons of tomato puree.

Add 3 cups of water.

Add 3 seeded whole chile guajillo.

Add 2 seeded mild New Mexico Chiles.

Add 1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground anatto.

Add 1 pinch of Mexican oregano.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced epazote.

Add 2 pinches of cumin.

Add 3 pinches of coriander.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Simmer till the dried chile peppers become soft.

Puree the mixture with a blending wand, blender or food processor.

Set the thin cacao chile colorado sauce aside.

Cacao Chile con Carne:

This recipe makes 1 large serving!
Heat a saute pan or braising pan over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of lard or vegetable oil.

Add 8 to 10 ounces of pork shoulder that is cut into small bite size pieces.

Saute till the pork becomes lightly browned.

Drain the excess oil out of the pan.

Add the reserved cacao chile colorado sauce.

Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

Simmer till the pork becomes tender. Simmer and reduce, till the chile colorado becomes a rich thin sauce consistency.

Keep the cacao chile con carne warm over very low heat. Add water if the sauce becomes to thick.

Amaranth Fry Bread:

This recipe makes 1 fry bread! The wheat flour helps to make the fry bread less dense. Amaranth flour is gluten free and it can cause bread to have too dense of a texture.

Place 1/2 cup of white wheat flour into a mixing bowl.

Add 3/4 cup of amaranth flour.

Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Add 2 pinches of salt.

Mixt the dry ingredients.

Add water, while stir the dough with a spoon, till the ingredients combine and a soft dough is formed. (About of water.)

Add a little bit of flour, while kneading, till the dough gathers. The dough should be slightly sticky, but it should not stick to floured fingers.

Roll the dough into a ball shape on a floured countertop.

Press the dough out with your fingers and hands, till it looks like a pizza dough crust that is about 3/8" to 3/4" thick.

Place a deep wide sauteuse pan, a deep cast iron skillet or a deep wide pot on a burner.

Add enough vegetable oil or lard so the oil is 1" deep.

Heat the oil to 360º.

Carefully place the round flat pressed dough in the hot oil.

Fry the bread till it becomes crisp and firm on one side.

Use tongs to flip the bread.

Cook the bread on both sides and flip the bread occasionally, till the fry bread becomes a golden brown color.

Place the fry bread on wire screen roasting rack to drain off any excess oil.

Keep the amaranth fry bread warm on a stove top.

Cacao Chile con Carne over Amaranth Fry Bread:

Place the amaranth fry bread on a plate.

Ladle a generous amount of the cacao chile con carne over the fry bread.

Sprinkle toasted calabaza seeds (pepitas) over the cacao chile con carne.

Sprinkle some grated coconut over the cacao chile con carne.

No garnish is necessary!

This is a hearty tasty plate of food. Buenos Cinco de Mayo! Yum! ... Shawna

Arbol Puya Pork Chili with Black Beans

2013-05-04T01:51:00.002-07:00

A robust spicy traditional southwestern pork chili!

Everybody that brags up their favorite chili recipe usually has some kind of a secret ingredient or cooking technique that they keep guarded. An experienced chef can figure any secret recipe out after taking one taste. The best chefs can figure out a secret recipe by taking one look, without tasting. There really is no sense in claiming to have a secret recipe, because chefs who have a lot of experience will usually say "you can keep your secret, because my recipe is superior!" Nine times out of ten this is true.

There are no secrets to making a great chili. The best chili recipes are based upon old traditional pre-colombian native recipes of the southwest, Mexico and Central America. Modern marvel european cuisine only offers the standard run of the mill meat choices for chili. Beef and pork have replaced peccary, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, antelope and buffalo as being the standard meat choices for chili.

One thing that cannot be imitated or replaced is chile pepper. Honestly, the selection of chile peppers is the most important part of creating a great chile recipe. Everything else is just a gimmick. Chili means chile! Detroit hot dog chili is an item that is not really chili. New York Coney chile is a very weak resemblance to a real chili. Cincinnati chili is a middle eastern concoction and it truly is not a chili, because no chile peppers are in that recipe.

Two chile peppers are featured in today's recipe. These two chile peppers create one of the best classic traditional robust chili flavors that there is. Chile puya is a mild to medium hot chile pepper that has a complex dried fruit and tangy fruit undertone flavor. Chile arbol has a classic robust southwestern chile pepper flavor that reaches the upper limits of medium hot on the chile pepper heat scale. Chile arbol is commonly used in spicy Chinese cooking. Chinese chefs like the robust chile arbol flavor. Mexican chefs who cook for the tastes of local clientele also like chile arbol. Chile arbol is popular for spicy hot Baja California tourist cuisine.

If a chili is thickened with european grain flour like wheat flour then it is not an authentic chili. A chili has to be thickened with mesquite bean flour, corn meal, nixtamal corn flour, amaranth flour or quinoa flour if the chili is authentic. No thickening at all is okay too.

Sweeteners are never used in a traditional chili recipe. Beans and tomato are always an option and they are often required for many traditional recipes. Onion is required. Garlic is an option, because it is not native. Cumin and coriander are also just an option, because they are not native to the Americas. Achiote, epazote, canella, pimenta and many other native spices are authentic for traditional chili. Cocoa is also authentic for chili but it is an option.

With all these facts in mind, the roots of a great chili recipe can be established. No gimmicks, no secret ingredients and no pre-made modern products are needed for making a great award winning chili.

Chili contest awards? Who really gives a crap! Most of the judges are the best that money can buy in any food contest. Most chili tasting judges do not know their butt from a hole in the ground. Food competitions are always biased and most of them are rigged. These are the facts of life.

As long as the chili gets compliments then that is enough of an award. If guests or customers asks for a second bowl of chili, then you have a winner. In a restaurant, my own chili creations sell out every time. I make great chili, because I know chile peppers like the back of my hand. Knowing chile peppers is required for being a chili cooking celebrity in your own home or in a restaurant.

Why chose to write about chili today? Today is Kentucky Derby Day! Horse breeders, horse trainers, horse racing fans and people who like Kentucky bourbon all like a good bowl of chili. Chili is great for any kind of weather. Chili puts meat on the bones. Chili is powerful medicine. Chili is an American tradition. Every year I post a good recipe for Kentucky Derby Day. Chili is this year's winner!

Frijoles Negros:

This recipe makes 1 or 2 portions of beans!

Soak 1 1/2 cups of dried black beans in water overnight in a refrigerator.

Drain off the soaking water and rinse the black beans under cold running water.

Place the black beans in a sauce pot.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth.

Add enough water to cover the beans with 1" of extra liquid.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or lard.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced epazote.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Simmer the beans, till they become tender. Add water as necessary to keep the beans covered with 1" of liquid.

Simmer and reduce the liquid, till the level of liquid becomes slightly lower than the beans.

Keep the black beans warm over low heat.

Arbol Puya Pork Chili with Black Beans:

This recipe make 1 large portion of chili!

Contrary to what many amateur chili chefs say, chili does not require a year of simmering! Chili is ready, when it is ready. Most of my recipes do not require the artificial element of time. The modern definition of time is just an illusion. The ancient definition of time is a way to define the seasons. Time is a man made creation. Food is ready to eat, when it is ready! When time is eliminated from horse race handicapping, a clear picture starts to appear. Every horse race track has a way of rigging the element of time. Time is just an ace in the sleeve of someone who cheats during the poker game of life!

Heat a sauce pot over low heat.

Add 3 seeded crushed chile puya.

Add 5 seeded crushed chile arbol.

Stir the chiles, till the become aromatic, but not browned.

Add 2 cups of water.

Simmer the chiles, till they become tender.

Puree the chiles and broth.

Set the chile puree broth aside.

Heat a sauce pot over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of roasted lard or vegetable oil.

Add 8 to 10 ounces of bite size pieces of pork shoulder.

Saute till the pork becomes lightly browned.

Add 1 chopped garlic clove.

Add 1/3 cup of small chopped onion.

Add 1 chopped green onion.

Add 1/4 cup of small chopped green bell pepper.

Add 1/2 of a small chopped seeded green jalapeno pepper.

Saute till the vegetables start to become tender.

Add 2 tablespoons of masa harina, while stirring.

Stir till the nixtamal corn flour absorbs most of the excess grease.

Add the reserved chile puya and chile arbol puree broth.

Add 3/4 cup of canned diced stewed tomato.

Add enough pork broth to cover the ingredients.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of coriander.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground anatto.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced epazote.

Add 1 pinch of Mexican oregano.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Add 1 small pinch of canella.

Add 1 small pinch of ground celery seed.

Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

Simmer till the pork becomes tender. Add pork broth as necessary, to keep the ingredients covered with the chili sauce.

Add 1 cup of rinsed cooked black beans.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced cilantro.

Simmer and reduce, till the chili sauce becomes a thin sauce consistency and the proprtion of sauce is less than the ingredients.

Keep the chile warm over very low heat.

Garlic Bread:

Heat a sauce pot oer medium low heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter.

Add 3 whole partially crushed garlic cloves.

Saute till the garlic becomes lightly browned.

Remove the garlic clove.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Brush 2 long French baguette halve with the garlic olive oil and butter.

Grill the bread on a ribbed cast iron griddle or char grill that is set to medium heat. Turn the bread at a 90º angle so cross-check marks appear.

Presentation:

Place a generous portion of the Arbol Puya Pork Chili on a shallow stew bowl.

Stand the two pieces of garlic bread up in the chili.

Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Garnish wish thin bias sliced green onion.

Tasty! This is a comfortably spicy chili recipe. The chile pepper heat does climb! The horse race photos above are some that I shot at Churchill and Arlington in 2010. Get out and play the world's greatest race, the Kentucky Derby! Yum! ... Shawna

American Bison Ground Sirloin Steak with Galangal Chinkiang Vinegar Glacé, Caramel Bermuda Onion, Szechuan Pepper Portobello and Upland Cress

2013-05-03T19:18:00.002-07:00

A free range buffalo ground sirloin steak with a very nice combination of flavors!

Alternative natural free range wild game meat has been a popular choice in recent years. American bison seems to outsell all other wild game meat, because is has a mild agreeable flavor. There are many good buffalo recipes in this food site. When I create a wild game recipe, it usually is something special. Wild game sells for a fairly high price, so just making a regular everyday average entree is kind of a waste of an opportunity to cook something nice. Wild game should be treated with respect, because excessive purchasing demand is usually curbed by supply shortages. Wild game like free range buffalo is a good choice for an occasional special meal.

Years ago, ground sirloin beef steaks were on nearly every restaurant menu. At a fine dining steak house, ground sirloin steak was almost always the cheapest item on the menu. Many average comfort cuisine restaurants offered a large portion size ground sirloin steak. Just because a ground sirloin steak was cheap, it does not mean that quality was compromised. The ground beef came from the sirloin section. Ground sirloin is tender, juicy and full of rich beef flavor.

Customers really do miss the old school menu items, like a big ground sirloin steak. Many modern chefs think that the old style cuisine is beneath their own standards, so the old standard ground sirloin steak has nearly become a relic of the past. Not every customer wants to spend $100 to get a tiny portion of creative food that is hit or miss. Friday night dining customers who work hard all week want to see some old fashioned large portion items on a menu that taste great and are reasonably priced with a portion size that fills a belly up. The old classic ground sirloin steak fits that description!

With the old fashioned classic ground sirloin beef steak in mind, I created today's buffalo recipe. The American bison ground sirloin steak in the pictures weighs 12 ounces! I scored a manager's special on free range buffalo ground sirloin meat at the market for $4.30 per pound. At a casual restaurant, today's buffalo entree would sell for $18 to $23. At home, this modern ground sirloin buffalo steak entree can be made for less than $7. No matter how you look at it, this gourmet meal is a bargain by modern standards, at home or in a restaurant. Restaurant customers appreciate a good bargain, so why not offer one! Bargains create good word of mouth and that is good for business.

Galangal Chinkiang Vinegar Glacé:

Chinkiang Vinegar is also called Chinese Black Vinegar. This vinegar is dark brownish black in color. It is made with a variety of malted grains and fermented rice. The flavor is rich, deep and complex. Chinkiang vinegar is semi sweet and it is not acidic. Many chefs compare Chinese black vinegar to balsamic vinegar, but the flavor is actually more complex.

Galangal is blue ginger root. Dried galangal has a mellow savory ginger flavor. Fresh galangal has a sharp, strong aromatic ginger flavor. The combination of fresh galangal and Chinkiang Vinegar is perfect for American bison!

Heat a small sauce pot over low heat.

Add 1 cup of water.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh galangal.

Gently simmer and reduce, till the galangal starts to become tender.

Add 1/3 cup of Chinese black vinegar.

Add 1 tablespoon of raw sugar.

Add 1 pinch of coriander.

Add 2 tablespoon of rich clear beef stock.

Simmer and reduce, till the sauce becomes a thin syrup consistency.

Keep the sauce warm over low heat. Add a little bit of water, if the glacé becomes too thick.

Caramelized Bermuda Onion:

Heat a small saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Add 4 pats of unsalted butter.

Add 1/2 cup of julienne sliced bermuda onion.

Saute till the onions become a light brown color.

Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Keep the caramelized bermuda onion warm on a stove top.

Grilled Szechuan Pepper Portobello:

The mushroom trimmings and peel can be saved for making sauces!

Heat a ribbed cast iron grill or char grill to a medium temperature.

Remove the stem and scrape the gills off of a large 6" portobello mushroom.

Peel the mushroom.

Brush the mushroom with vegetable oil.

Season with sea salt.

Grill the mushroom on both sides, till grill marks appear.

Place the mushroom cap on a small broiler pan with the gill side facing down.

Sprinkle 1 pinch of crushed Szechuan pepper on the mushroom.

Bake in a 350º oven, till the mushroom becomes fully cooked and tender.

Keep the grilled Szechuan pepper portobello warm on a stove top.

American Bison Ground Sirloin Steak:

Buffalo is best when it is cooked to less than a medium steak temperature. Buffalo meat is very lean and it will become dry, if it is overcooked.

Heat a ribbed cast iron grill or char grill to a medium/medium hot temperature.

Shape 12 ounces of ground bison sirloin into a thick oval hamburger steak shape.

Brush the ground buffalo steak with vegetable oil.

Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle 1 pinch of cumin over the steak.

Grill the steak, till grill marks appear. Brush the steak with vegetable oil, each time the steak is flipped.

Cook the steak to your temperature preference.

Place the steak on a wire screen roasting rack and let it rest for 1 or 2 minutes.

American Bison Ground Sirloin Steak with Galangal Chinkiang Vinegar Glacé, Caramel Bermuda Onion, Szechuan Pepper Portobello and Upland Cress:

Fan out a nice portion of organic upland cress on one half of a plate.

Sprinkle 1 small pinch of sea salt over the upland cress.

Sprinkle a few drops of pure sesame oil over the upland cress.

Slice the grilled Szechuan pepper portobello, so it can be fanned out like fingers.

Fan the portobello over the upland cress.

Place the ground sirloin American bison steak against the portobello and upland cress.

Place a small mound of the caramel bermuda onion on the steak.

Garnish the onions with a petite mint sprig.

Spoon the Galangal Chinkiang Vinegar Glacé on the plate around the ground sirloin buffalo steak.

As far as ground sirloin steaks go, this American bison ground sirloin steak entree is certainly gourmet. The flavor combination is very tasty! Yum! ... Shawna

Blueberry Cheese Danish and Pistacchi at Belle Pastry, Las Vegas!

2013-05-02T23:06:00.007-07:00

Finding nice restaurants, bakeries and food markets is something I like doing. Many times, food writers only select places that are in the spotlight of attention, in order to ride the tide. Many restaurant critics only write about places that advertise in their publication. Free lance food writers tend to write about one of a kind restaurants that are overlooked by the media. This helps small businesses to gain interested clientele.
A food critic really is one of the lowest forms of primordial life. Food critics are often unfairly biased and they can damage a good restaurant's reputation. Not every restaurant can be judged by the same criteria. Many restaurants appeal to a niche clientele. Many offer specialty food that is not meant to appeal to the masses. Some establishments have a clientele that prefer large portions and quality is not important. Quality is always a matter of a consumer's opinion. What is good for a restaurant's clientele often does not measure up to the expectations of an unfair food critic. A good food critic bases their opinion upon the class and clientele of a restaurant.
A writer who does restaurant reviews is not a food critic. Restaurant reviews are factual and not opinion based. A review is meant to be informative. A brief description of the dining experience, the atmosphere, service and cleanliness is part of a review. Information about the restaurant's history or the chef adds interest. Describing the location is of utmost importance. A restaurant review is meant to provide information for interested people. Restaurant reviews help to generate business. Thousands of Las Vegas visitors and locals read my reviews each week. Many of those readers focus on specialty food restaurants and markets.
An honest review writer asks for nothing in return. I rarely even let a restaurant know that I write reviews, while I am there. I only receive commission payments from Google for allowing advertising at my food site. Google decides who advertises via browser cookie feedback. Biased food writing opinions that are demanded by paid advertisers are eliminated with this format.
Every so often I write a blurb about the mission of the review writing style at this site. The reviews at this food site are honest and informative. No negative reviews are published and their is no criticism. If a dining experience was not good, I do not write about it. Why pass on bad information? There is plenty of good in this world, so posting information about good establishments is best!

Readers of this site have heard this next statement a million times already. While I was driving down Spring Mountain Road through Chinatown in Las Vegas, I noticed an interesting shop. Honestly, driving through Chinatown in Las Vegas is restaurant, food market and bakery sensory overload! There is so much great food and such a wide variety of cuisines in this area that it is mind boggling. Any kind of gourmet food or cuisine can be found in Chinatown, Las Vegas!
To make this story short and sweet, the shop that I noticed in Chinatown was a little bakery that was tucked away on the side of a large plaza building. I must have driven past this place a hundred times and never noticed it was there.
I pictured Belle Pastry as being another good asian style bakery. To my surprise, Belle Pastry turned out to be a classic French bakery. The pastry chef was trained in France and the desserts, pastry, cakes and bread all had that classic French look that cannot be imitated. I once worked in a French bakery and I have worked with many great French pastry chefs during my career, so I am able to recognize high quality pastry work when I see it. Belle Pastry offers top notch products!
The service was friendly and informative. After tasting the Pistacchi, I complimented its flavor. I mentioned to the server that the pastry was not too sweet and that it really had a nice european touch. The server mentioned that the pastry chef is from France, so the desserts are sweetened just right. Overly sweet desserts are an American tradition. European desserts do not depend on sweetness alone to create a memorable flavor. Of course, because I have cooked in european fine dining restaurants for most of my life, I prefer european style pastries and desserts.
The Pistacchi was layers of pistachio mousse and chocolate mousse on a pistachio cookie. The Pistacchi was topped with a thin layer of white chocolate and garnished in a classic way. The textures were perfect. The combination of flavors were very nice. Pistachio fans will find the Pistacchi to be a must try at Belle Pastry.
Danish pastry dough is something that I have not made in a long time. When I do make a batch, I will post a recipe. Danish pastries are kind of a problem for me, because they are addictive. I really used to like eating danish pastries a little bit too much. That could be a problem as far as weight gain is concerned, since I am not currently physically active doing professional cooking in a busy restaurant.
There is a world of difference between an average quality danish pastry that is made at a cheap donut shop and a great danish pastry that is made at a French bakery. The danish in the pictures above shows that the danish dough was twisted to create a classic texture. Many chefs overlook that step and it really makes a difference in quality. The blueberry cheese danish pastry at Belle Pastry was perfect! It was crusty, yet moist. The danish had a classic texture and just the right amount of cardamom fllavor was present. If is has been a while since you have had a great danish pastry, then you will find them at Belle Pastry!
Las Vegas is the wedding capitol of the world. Selecting a wedding cake is part of planning a wedding reception. Bakeries in Las Vegas offer every style cake that can be imagined. Belle Pastry is a great choice for selecting classic and modern wedding cakes. The craftsmanship that I saw was classic good taste. A classic French wedding cake is the best romantic choice!
The pastry shop was spotless and clean. The service was friendly. There are both indoor and outdoor dining tables. Coffee creations, salads and sandwiches are on the menu. French bread and specialty breads were stocked. There were plenty of pastries to choose from in the display case. A nice variety of pastries and desserts were offered. There is a little something for everybody at this French bakery.
Belle Pastry is located at 5115 Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas at the Pacific Asian Plaza. Belle Pastry is located at the west side of the plaza building and it faces Edmund Street. This pastry shop is tucked away and only a glimpse of the storefront can be seen from the main road. I rarely post the websites of businesses that I review. In the case of Belle Pastry, the map that is provided at the website may be of help for those who seek this place.
Here is the Belle Pastry website hyperlink: http://www.bellepastry.com/
I highly recommend Belle Pastry for visitors and locals in Las Vegas! This is a great classic French bakery and pastry shop! Yum! ... Shawna

Egg, Pinto Beans and Peppers on Navaho Bread ~ Wildflowers at the Desert National Wildlife Range, Nevada!

2013-05-01T04:29:00.001-07:00

Fry bread is an old tradition in the Americas. Navajo fry bread has a sad history that dates back to when the Navajo people were forced off of their Arizona homeland. The US government troops fed the Navaho rancid old flour and lard. The only way to cook the rotten flour, so it would be somewhat palatable, was to make a dough and deep fry it. Because of the trail of tears, when fry bread is called Navaho bread, everybody mourns with respect.

Fry bread can be made with baking powder or yeast. It can also be leavened just like how sourdough is made, by allowing onions to capture the yeast spores from the air. Saliva is another natural method of introducing yeast and this method is used by natives in South America to produce strong alcohol from cassava root. Yeast from saliva is not allowed by modern health codes, but the sourdough method is. Once a sourdough starter is made, there is no need to purchase yeast to make bread with.

Fry bread can be pan fried or deep fried. The depth of the oil really makes no difference, because the dough floats on top of the hot oil. The oil must be at least 350º to prevent saturation.

Beans have been and always will be a main staple. In the old west and during pre-colombian times, beans were often a morning meal that was simmered overnight. Few modern cooks think of beans as being fit for breakfast, but beans provide a healthy nutritious start for a day. Beans, Navaho Bread, peppers and egg can fuel a person up for a long day in the great outdoors.

Spring is desert wildflower season. This has been a banner year for desert wildflower blooms. A few days ago, I drove up to Hidden Forest Road in the Desert National Wildlife Range. Alamo Road is the main road that runs through the wildlife preserve. The road has been recently grated, so the going was smooth. All along Alamo Road up the the end of Hidden Forest Road there was plenty of wildflower blooms. Multiple full blooms on cactus were everywhere. The cactus were plump and there were many unopened buds, so the blooming season still has some time. The weather is nice and the summer heat has not crept in. This is the perfect time to see one of the best desert wildflower blooming seasons that has happened in a long time!

The Desert National Wildlife Range is only a few miles north of Las Vegas on Highway 95, just past the Paiute Reservation and Snow Mountain. The dirt road access to the range is Corn Creek Road. The Desert National Wildlife Preserve can also be accessed at two points on The Great Basin Highway (Route 93). This wildlife preserve is the largest wildlife preserve in the lower 48 states. Be sure to print a map, because it is a large place. Always bring at least a two day supply of water and non-perishable food, in case the vehicle breaks down. High ground clearance vehicles are recommended. By all means, bring a good camera!

By clicking on any photograph above, a slideshow mode will appear and the pictures can be viewed full size!

Pinto Beans:

This recipe makes 1 or 2 portions of beans!

Soak 1 1/2 cups of dried pinto beans in water overnight in a refrigerator.

Drain off the soaking water and rinse the pinto beans under cold running water.

Place the pinto beans in a sauce pot.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth.

Add enough water to cover the beans with 1" of extra liquid.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar.

Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Simmer the beans, till they become tender. Add water as necessary to keep the beans covered with 1" of liquid.

Simmer and reduce the liquid, till the level of liquid becomes slightly lower than the beans.

Keep the beans warm over low heat.

Pinto Beans and Peppers:

Remove the seeds from 1 or 2 large mild New Mexico Chile Peppers.

Tear the dried chile into small pieces and place them in a sauce pot.

Add 2 cups of water.

Place the pot over low heat.

Simmer till the dried chiles become tender and a chile broth is created.

Set the chiles and broth aside.

Heat a sauce pot over medium heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add 1/2 cup of chopped mixed red bell and green bell pepper.

Add 1/2 of a chopped seeded green jalapeno.

Add 2 tablespoons of chopped onion.

Saute till the peppers and onions start to become tender.

Add 1 1/4 cups of the pinto beans and some of their juices.

Add the reserved simmered dried chiles and their broth.

Add 1/3 cup of chopped tomato.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced epazote.

Add 2 pinches of cumin.

Add 2 pinches of coriander.

Add 1 small pinch of Mexican oregano.

Bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the temperature to medium low heat.

Simmer and reduce, till most of the liquid evaporates.

Keep the pinto beans and peppers warm over very low heat.

Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper if necessary.

Navaho Bread:

This recipe makes 1 fry bread!

Place 1 cup of flour into a mixing bowl.

Add 2/3 cup water.

Add 1/3 cup milk.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Add 2 pinches of salt.

Stir the dough with a spoon, till the ingredients combine and a soft dough is formed. Add a little bit of flour, while kneading till the dough gathers. The dough should be slightly sticky, but it should not stick to floured fingers.

Roll the dough into a ball shape on a floured countertop.

Press the dough out with your fingers and hands, till it looks like a pizza dough crust that is about 3/8" to 3/4" thick.

Place a deep wide sauteuse pan, a deep cast iron skillet or a deep wide pot on a burner.

Add enough vegetable oil or lard so the oil is 1" deep.

Heat the oil to 360º.

Carefully place the round flat pressed dough in the hot oil.

Fry the bread till it becomes crisp and firm on one side.

Use tongs to flip the bread.

Cook the bread on both sides and flip the bread occasionally, till the fry bread becomes a golden brown color.

Place the fry bread on wire screen roasting rack to drain off any excess oil.

Keep the Navaho Fry Bread warm on a stove top.

Egg, Pinto Beans and Peppers on Navaho Bread:

Cook 1 or 2 eggs sunny side up or any style that you prefer.

Place the Navaho fry bread on a plate.

Spoon a generous amount of the pinto beans and peppers over half of the bread.

Place the egg on the beans and fry bread.

Sprinkle thin bias sliced green onion over the entree.

Sprinkle some crushed pink peppercorn over the egg.

A big hearty nutritious southwestern style breakfast is a good start for a day of high Mojave Desert wildflower hunting! Yum! ... Shawna

Mediterranean Herb White Cheddar Spanakopita with Roasted Red Pepper Lemon Creme

2013-04-30T02:32:00.003-07:00

There are plenty of traditional spanakopita recipes on the internet already. I like a good traditional Grecian spanakopita and I still remember a great one that I had in Philadelphia about 30 years ago. Spanakopita is usually made with phyllo pastry dough, feta cheese and spinach. The pastry is kind of made like a turnover and it can be a triangle or rectangular shape.

Toady's recipe features a spanakopita that is made with a nice white cheddar cheese that is flavored with mediterranean herbs. Flavored cheese has always been popular, but often the cheese quality was not that great. Bulk mass produced cheese was usually the choice for making flavored cheese.

In recent years, flavored cheese has once again become en vogue. Finer quality cheese is now featured in flavored cheese products. Small local farms now offer nicely crafted artisan cheeses that are flavored with nice tasting ingredients like herbs, fruit and fine wine. Higher quality international cheese makers also offer nice gourmet flavored cheese products. One of the most popular kinds of cheese that is selected for adding aromatic flavors is white cheddar. Mediterranean herbs really taste nice in a good white cheddar. The flavor is tasty in a spanakopita!

Spinach Preparation:

Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.

Add 2 minced cloves of garlic.

Add 1 tablespoon of minced onion.

Saute till the onions turns clear in color.

Add 5 cups of baby spinach leaves.

Add 1 pinch of cardamom.

Add 1 pinch of fenugreek.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Stir till the spinach wilts.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Place the wilted spinach on a dish and let it cool to room temperature.

Drain any excess liquid off of the spinach.

Mediterranean Herb White Cheddar Spanakopita:

Frozen pre-made phyllo dough sheets are a nice convenience. It can take hours to make phyllo dough from scratch. Most pastry chefs use a commercial grade dough laminating machine to make fresh phyllo dough.

Phyllo dough is paper thin and it becomes dry quickly. The phyllo dough sheets must be kept covered with a dry towel at all times. The phyllo sheets are brushed with butter one at a time and it takes several layers to create a crust.

Cut 10 sheets of phyllo dough into 11"x11" square shapes.

Brush a 12"x12" sheet of parchment paper with melted unsalted butter.

Place the parchment paper on a large sheet pan.

Brush one side of each sheet of phyllo dough with melted unsalted butter, one at a time, and stack them evenly on top of each other.

Place the prepared spinach on the center of the stack of buttered phyllo dough.

Spread the spinach out, so there is a 2" border of bare phyllo.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup of grated mediterranean herb flavored white cheddar cheese over the spinach.

Fold the phyllo pastry in half to create a large triangle shape.

Press the open edges flat.

Tuck the pressed edges underneath the pastry to create a sealed even triangle shape.

Place the sheet pan and spanakopita in a 350º oven.

Bake till the phyllo becomes a crisp golden brown color.

The sauce can be made while the spanakopita bakes.

Roasted Red Pepper Lemon Cream:

Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter.

Add an equal amount of flour, while constantly stirring, to make a roux.

Cook the roux to a white color.

Add 1 cup of milk.

Add 1/3 cup of cream.

Add sea salt and white pepper.

Add 1/2 of a minced garlic clove.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of minced onion.

Add 1 small pinch of paprika.

Bring the sauce to a gentle boil.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a very thin cream sauce consistency.

Add 1/2 cup of small chopped roasted red bell pepper.

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Simmer and reduce, till the sauce become a thin sauce consistency.

Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

Mediterranean Herb White Cheddar Spanakopita with Roasted Red Pepper Lemon Creme:

Spread a thin layer of the roasted red pepper lemon creme sauce on a plate.

Use a spatula to place the mediterranean herb white cheddar spanakopita on the sauce.

Garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.

This spanakopita takes a little bit of time to assemble, but it is not difficult to make. As you can see in the pictures above, the phyllo pastry becomes light, airy and flaky. Yum! ... Shawna

Mountain Chili with Onions at the Mt Charleston Lodge ~ Nevada Mule Deer!

2013-04-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is a good time of the year for venturing into the great outdoors. The temperatures are pleasant and the early spring wind storm season has tapered off.
Wildflower booms are thick this year in the Nevada high desert. I have never seen so many cactus blooms at one time. The cactus are plump and full of water. There are plenty of flower buds on each wild cactus that are waiting to bloom. The timing of when the rain falls has a lot to do with triggering cactus blooms. There has not been a lot of rainfall this year in the High Mojave Desert, but the rain hit the ground when wildflower plants needed it.
Desert wildlife starts showing itself during spring. Mule deer, bighorn sheep, wild burros and wild horses all start moving up and down the mountains. Wildlife often changes elevations in search of plants to feed on during spring. Most large mammals, like deer, have their foaling season in spring. Nevada mule deer doe with fawns are easy to spot at sunset in mountain meadows.
A few days ago, I spent the afternoon driving on dirt roads in Kyle Canyon and taking pictures of the scenery. Kyle Canyon runs most of the way up Mt Charleston. Toward sunset, I drove up to Mary Jane Falls near the top of the mountain. There are patches of meadow grass pasture in the ponderosa pine forest at this location. The hiking trails are well marked and easy to navigate. Since this area is on the east side of the mountain, the shadows start covering the landscape. It is nice when the high altitude glare of the sun fades away.
Some hikers walking down the trail saw me taking pictures with my big camera. The hikers said that a herd of mule deer were feeding in the meadows just a little way up the trail. After saying thanks, I moved up the trail and spotted the mule deer herd. I left the telephoto lens for the camera back home, so I kind of had to approach the mule deer peacefully in order to get close enough to get some good pictures. The mule deer were busy feeding and they were in no hurry to move off and hide. As it turned out, the mule deer were not exactly camera shy. I ended up with plenty of good pictures!
By clicking on any picture above, a full size slide show mode will appear!

After a full day of dirt road driving and hiking on mountain trails, hunger set in. It is easy to work up a big appetite on the mountain. The Mt Charleston lodge has a great food reputation and I wrote a nice restaurant review about this place last year. The portions of the food at the Mt Charleston Lodge are big and hearty. That is what Mountain people like!
I ordered the Mountain Chili with onions for dinner. Mountain Chili is good name for this chili and it is also an accurate description. The all beef chili was mounded as high as a mountain! I took one look and said "Wow!" I was hungry, but the size of the Mountain Chili was intimidating. Conquering this huge bowl of chili was a monumental task.
The chili was a well crafted and it had a good flavor that was mildly spicy. It took a while, but I was able to finish the whole bowl of chili. My tummy felt good, because the chili was fresh and not greasy. The Mountain Chili at the Mt Charleston Lodge was the best ground beef chili that I had in a long time!
Once again, I highly recommend the Mt Charleston Lodge as a dining destination for Las Vegas visitors and locals! The food is great, the service is friendly and the mountain views are spectacular. Yum! ... Shawna

Carolina Mustard Basted BBQ Chicken with Sumac Berry Potato Salad

2013-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Traditional mustard basted BBQ chicken!

I recently recooked this recipe, because the original photographs of the entree were not a good representation. Because of foul weather in Chicago, the mustard Basted BBQ chicken was cooked indoors, so it did not look that great. Springtime in Las Vegas always provides great BBQ weather. I recently got around to cooking this recipe a second time and the mustard baste BBQ chicken looks like it should! The sumac berry potato salad recipe and photos from the original recipe article were retained.

Today's recipe is an old North Carolina recipe that is simple and delicious. North Carolina pulled pork BBQ has been a very popular trend for about 15 years now. I am surprised that it took so long for vinegar sauce basted slow roast open pit BBQ style cooking to catch on. I have been eating and cooking that style of BBQ since I was a kid. Half of my family is from North Carolina and they prefer old fashioned vinegar basted BBQ over northern style thick sweet BBQ sauces.
An over zealous relative always claimed that vinegar mustard style BBQ was our own old family recipe. Believing what relatives say is often the result of part brainwashing and part polite courtesy. Everybody seems to have a distant relative who claims to be a BBQ expert. Disagreeing with a family member who is stubborn about their own definition of the rules of BBQ can lead to hard feelings. The best thing to do is just agree with what a BBQ fanatic family member says! This can save from suffering through an earful of why the BBQ fanatic relative's opinion is the only one that can be believed. Headache pills should not be a requirement for a weekend BBQ!
Stating that mustard baste BBQ is solely my own family's recipe would not be correct, because as I later found out, plenty of Carolina folk make a similar mustard baste BBQ. In fact, many North Carolina pulled pork BBQ restaurants use this kind of mustard BBQ basting sauce for cooking pork shoulder that is used to make North Carolina pulled pork BBQ.
   I have posted several potato salad recipes in this blog so far. I was thinking of a new potato salad variation when I saw the sumac berry spice in my cupboard. Sumac berry? Why not! Sumac grows like a weed in America. Native Americans used sumac berry to treat colds, digestive problems, infections, bladder problems, make cough syrup and treat arrow wounds. Red sumac berry is edible. White sumac berry is poisonous. Sumac berry has a tangy lemon, red wine and wild berry flavor. Sumac berry stains with a pretty pink magenta color. If the potato salad is made a few hours ahead of time, it will turn a pink color. I must admit, sumac berry tastes nice in a potato salad!

Sumac Berry Potato Salad:
This recipe makes 2 portions!
   Place an 8 ounce peeled russet potato in a sauce pot.
   Cover the potato with water.
   Boil the potato over medium high heat, till it becomes tender, but not mushy.
   Cool the boiled potato under cold running water.
Chill the potato in a refrigerator.
   Dice the potato into small cube shapes.
Place the diced potato into a mixing bowl.
   Place 1 thin sliced green onion into a mixing bowl.
   Add 2 tablespoons of finely diced celery.
   Add 1/2 of a seeded green jalapeno pepper that is finely diced.
   Add 1/4 teaspoon of sumac berry spice. (Sumac berry spice is available in middle eastern markets.)
   Add 1/2 of a chopped boiled egg.
Add sea salt and black pepper.
Add 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard.
Add just enough mayonnaise to bind the ingredients together.
Gently stir and toss the ingredients together.
   Set the potato salad in a refrigerator for 20 minutes, so the flavors meld.

Carolina Mustard Basted BBQ Sauce:
   Heat a small sauce pot over medium low heat.
   Add 4 ounces of unsalted butter.
   Allow the butter to melt.
   Add 1 cup of water.
   Add 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard or about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dry mustard.
   Add 1/4 cup cider vinegar.
Add 2 tablespoons of hot pepper vinegar.
   Add 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce.
   Add sea salt.
   Add 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper. (The basting BBQ sauce should be slightly peppery tasting.)
   Add 2 pinches of crushed dried red pepper. (chile caribe)
   Add 1 pinch of garlic powder.
Add 3 pinches of onion powder.
   Stir the ingredients together.
   Simmer he sauce for 2 minutes.
   Set the basting sauce aside.

Carolina Mustard Basted BBQ Chicken:
The chicken should slowly roasted on a char grill away from a direct flame. Roasting over low heat embers is best. After the chicken becomes fully cooked, the chicken is finished over a higher temperature flame to give it some caramelized brown color. The chicken must be basted very often. The basting sauce will keep the chicken very moist and tender.
If you cannot use a char grill in your area or because rain set in, then the chicken can be cooked on a ribbed cast iron griddle over medium heat, till grill marks appear. The grilled chicken can then be roasted and basted in a 350º oven.
Separate the wing, thigh, leg and breast of one half a chicken.
   Cut the chicken breast in half through the bones.
   Leave the skin attached.
Heat a char grill to a medium heat range.
   Place the chicken away from the flame on the char grill.
   Baste and flip the chicken often, as it slowly roasts.
Grill the chicken pieces, till they become lightly caramelized and fully cooked.
Finish the chicken over a higher temperature hot spot on the char grill, till brown highlights appear. Be sure to flip and baste the chicken often.

Presentation:
When the chicken is ready, then pile it up on a plate!
Serve with the sumac berry potato salad.
   Sprinkle a little bit of sumac berry spice over the potato salad.
Garnish with curly leaf parsley sprigs.
Serve wit your favorite BBQ fixings and a bottle of hot pepper vinegar sauce on the side.

Tender, juicy and delicious! Carolina mustard basted BBQ chicken is full of great old fashioned flavor. Yum! ... Shawna

Penne with Smoked Sausage and Beer Cheese Sauce ~ Kyle Canyon, Nevada!

2013-04-28T04:34:00.002-07:00

Cheddar Cheese, Beer, Smoked Sausage Pasta? This pasta entree sounds like some kind of a tailgate party in a pasta bowl. Honestly, I took a chance on purchasing some bargain price smoked sausage at a grocery store. The sausage was not what I expected it to be. The sausage was more like a smoked refined frankfurter, than a coarse ground hearty old fashioned smoked sausage. There was no use complaining about the purchase, because the smoked frankfurter style sausage was nicely crafted and it tasted good.
Smoked hot dogs and smoked frankfurters are considered to be backyard char grill delicacies by many people. Hot dogs and frankfurters are classified as sausages. Both of these kinds of refined smooth mousseline style sausages are made with a force meat slurry. If either of those sausages are smoked, then technically it can be called a smoked sausage. This style of smoked sausage is usually baked with sauerkraut or cooked with pork and beans.
After discovering that the smoked sausage was basically a large smoked hot dog, my dinner plans changed. I had no bean prepared and there was no sauerkraut on hand. I figured that a Wisconsin style beer cheese soup would taste good with this smoked sausage, but I have posted a beer cheese soup in the past. Then the thought of making a pasta with a beer cheese sauce crossed my mind. A smoked big hot dog style sausage with a beer cheese sauce pasta would probably be to the liking of any sports fan. Go with it!

Kyle Canyon
Mt Charleston is only about a 45 minute drive from downtown Las Vegas. Mt Charleston is a busy ski resort in the winter. During spring and summer, the mountain turns into hiking and camping paradise. Mt Charleston is over 11,000 feet above sea level. Starting at about 5,000 feet up, the temperature starts to drop. When it is over 100º in the Las Vegas valley, it is about 20º cooler on the mountain. Since the humidity here in the high Mojave Desert is usually less than 10%, a 20º difference in temperature really feels nice!
Springtime in the high desert is wildflower season. It pays to get off the beaten path this time of year. Most of the dirt roads in Southern Nevada are freshly grated after the snow season water run off ends, so even a passenger car can handle the main dirt roads. To take the rougher dirt trails, driving a high ground clearance 4x4 is the only choice.
Kyle Canyon runs from the base of Mt Charleston to the small town on top of the mountain. There are many dirt side roads to explore. I chose to take a scenic drive on the dirt roads that run straight up the canyon. There were plenty of wildflowers blooming and the summer heat had not turned the foliage brown as of yet. Few cactus flowers are seen in Kyle Canyon, because cactus do not grow in areas that have winter temperatures that drop below freezing. Even so, there were plenty of interesting joshua tree blooms and sage blooms. Wildflowers of every color dotted the landscape.
Because it was late in the day, light and shadow made Kyle Canyon even more interesting from a photographer's perspective. Many ravines and mountain features that are not visible early in the day were easily seen during the sunset hours.
Only a very small portion of Nevada is tame and civilized. Most of Nevada is wide open spaces where few faces can be seen. Venturing into the great outdoors is a good way to take a deep breath, relax and get things in perspective. The spring season weather is cool and mild, so this is a good time to check out the scenery and wildflowers. Las Vegas visitors will find that SUV 4x4 car rentals are easy to come by. Even though the weather is cool, always pack a two day supply of water and non perishable food when venturing off road, in case of a breakdown. Bringing a good camera is a must!
By clicking on any photo above, a full size slide show mode will appear!

Beer Cheese Sauce:
Heat a sauce pot over medium/medium low heat.

Add 1 ounce of unsalted butter.

Add an equal amount of flour, while constantly stirring, to make a roux.

Stir till the roux cooks to a white color, with very little hazelnut aroma.

Add 1 1/4 cups of lager beer.

Add 1/3 cups of milk while whisking.

Add 1/3 cup of cream.

Stir as the sauce heats and thickens to a very thin sauce consistency.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.

Add 1 pinch of Spanish paprika.

Add 1 pinch of onion powder.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground anatto.

Add sea salt and white pepper.

Gently simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a thin sauce consistency.

Add 4 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese, while gently stirring.

Stir till the cheese combines with the sauce.

Simmer the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add milk if the sauce becomes too thick.

Keep the beer cheese sauce warm over very low heat.

Penne with Smoked Sausage and Beer Cheese Sauce:

Cook 1 portion of penne pasta in boiling water over high heat, till the pasta becomes al dente. While the pasta cooks, the sauce can be made.

Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.

Add 5 to 6 ounces of bite size slices of large frankfurter style smoked sausage.

Add 1 minced garlic clove.

Add 1 tablespoon of small chopped onion.

Saute till a few light brown highlights appear on the sausage and till the onions turn clear in color.

Add the 1 1/3 cups of the beer cheese sauce.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of small chopped roasted red bell pepper.

Bring the sauce to a gentle boil.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

When the pasta becomes cooked al dente, drain the water off of the pasta.

Add the pasta to the sauce.

Add 3 pinches of chopped curly leaf parsley.

Toss the sauce and pasta together.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Mound the pasta in a shallow pasta bowl.

Sprinkle a little bit of grated cheddar cheese over the pasta.

Use a squirt bottle to paint streaks of srirachi hot sauce over the pasta.

Garnish with a curly leaf parsley sprig.

If you like beer, cheese and smoked frankfurter style sausage, then this pasta will be to your liking! It is not even close to football season yet, so it is no use promoting this pasta as a tailgate party entree. This pasta is not too heavy for spring weather. Yum! ... Shawna

Truite Amandine

2013-04-27T13:34:00.003-07:00

A classic!

There is average second rate tout amandine and there is great trout amandine that is made the right way. Simply toasting almonds and sprinkling them over broiled trout is not exactly the way to prepare this entree with finesse. Many chefs toast almonds ahead of time and the aroma of the almonds is lost after they sit for a while. Toasted almonds are not the best choice for truite amandine. The almonds should be sautéed in butter, till they become toasted to create the most amount of flavor possible. The almonds should be cooked shortly before the trout is prepared, so the almond aroma is at a peak.

The trout should be sautéed and not broiled for truite amandine. The skin should be fairly crisp. Good sauté cooking skills produce the best tasting trout.

Drawn butter is low temperature melted butter that is separated from the liquid milk fats. Many chefs mistakenly call drawn butter clarified butter, but it is not.

Clarified butter is cooked till more flavor is achieved. Clarified butter is butter that is cooked to a golden yellow color and the water evaporates while the milk fats stick to the bottom of the pot. The butter is skimmed and poured through a fine mesh strainer, then clear pure golden color butter that has a very light noisette flavor is the finished product.

Beurre noisette is a light brown butter that has a hazelnut aroma. Beurre noisette is cooked for a little more time than clarified butter.

Beurre meuniere is brown butter. The butter is cooked till it becomes a caramelized medium brown color.

Beurre noir is black butter. The butter is cooked till the milk fats and butter turn very dark brown and the till a rich caramelized flavor is created.

The classic sauce for truite amandine is beurre meuniere that is flavored with herbs and lemon. The brown butter can be made in the saute pan that the trout is cooked in only if the pan is clean. This requires perfection saute cooking techniques. Cooking butter till it becomes brown in a small sauce pot is also a good method. Either way, the brown butter needs to be poured through a fine mesh strainer, and reheated before adding the herbs and lemon. The lemon juice will cause foaming, but the lemon flavor will infuse with the caramelized butter flavor. Beurre meuniere can be served as is or it can be emulsified. For truite amandine, a clear beurre meuniere that is not emulsified is best.

Sautéed Almonds:

After the almonds are sautéed to a golden brown color, they must be transferred to a shallow dish and spread on the plate, so carryover heat does not continue to cook the almonds. A thick pile of hot sautéed almonds will over cook in the center of the pile!

Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of clarified unsalted butter.

Add 3/4 cup of thin sliced almonds.

Constantly shake the pan. Constantly flip and toss the almonds, so the all toast evenly. Saute till the almonds become a golden brown color and they become aromatic.

Immediately spread the almonds on a plate.

Lightly season with sea salt and white pepper.

Keep the almonds warm on a stove top.

Trout Preparation:

Remove the head from a gutted large brook trout or small rainbow trout.

Trim off the fins and gill flash.

Remove all the bones, without damaging the skin or the flesh.

Use a knife or kitchen shears to clip the rib bones on either side of the back bone.

Use a filet knife to cut parallel strokes under the rib bones till they can be pulled free.

Use the tip of a filet knife to cut between the back bone and the skin, so the back bone can be pulled free.

Truite Sauté:

Season the trout with sea salt and black pepper.

Dredge the trout in flour.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of clarified butter.

Place the trout in the pan with the skin side facing up.

Saute till the flour turns a golden color.

Flip the trout.

Saute till the skin becomes fairly crisp and lightly browned. (Trout skin does not take much time to become crisp!)

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of lemon juice over the trout.

Use a large spatula to slide the trout onto a serving platter.

Keep the sautéed trout warm on a stove top.

Truite Amandine:

Drain the grease out of the hot saute pan.

Add 3 ounces of unsalted butter.

Place the pan over medium/medium high heat.

Cook the butter, till the milk fats stick in the pan and till the butter turns a medium brown color.

Pour the beurre meuniere through a very fine mesh strainer into a sauce pot. Place the sauce pot over medium low heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of a mixture of these minced fresh herbs:

- Italian parsley

- tarragon

- thyme leaves

Immediately add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Lightly season with sea salt and white pepper.

Remove the sauce pot from the heat.

Allow the butter to foam.

Place the trout and serving platter on a counter top.

Spoon some of the beurre meuniere over the trout and on the platter around the trout.

Place a generous amount of the sauteed toasted almonds over the sauteed trout.

No garnish is necessary!

This is the oldest classic style of cooking truite amandine that there is and it is the best. I have cooked truite amandine like this for more millionaires and billionaires at yacht clubs than can be counted. The old big money clientele does not like excessive garnishing. They prefer to see old fashioned cooking perfection! Yum! ... Shawna

Almond Pork Schnitzel

2013-04-26T11:27:00.005-07:00

There are a few variations of almond schnitzel. An old traditional version that is cooked in Austria, Germany and Switzerland is veal cutlets dipped in sour cream and dredged in almonds. That recipe is difficult to cook correctly. I used to cook the sour cream almond version at a country club that was run by a German chef. It takes good quality cultured sour cream to make that entree and plenty of patience. If the veal is flipped too soon, then the almonds will only become soggy, instead of brown.

American chefs usually call almond breaded meats by names like almond chicken or almond pork cutlet. This can be confusing, because there are asian recipes that look nothing like chicken that is coated with bread crumbs and almonds, then pan fried.

Everybody seems to know what schnitzel is, so almond schnitzel is a better name for almond breaded meat as long as English language is used. American Almond Pork Schnitzel is usually a breaded pan fried entree and it is very nice. Any time a meat other than veal is used to make schnitzel, the meat has to be identified in the entree name. If the German name Mandel-Schweineschnitzel is used, then the entree should be cooked the classic way with sour cream dipped pork cutlets dredged in almonds. The two versions are very different!

Cooking almond breaded meat cutlets of any king can be tricky. Deep frying is the method that lower quality restaurants use. Pan frying is the better method. The tricky part is adjusting the temperature, so the almonds become golden brown and so they do not scorch. Many young saute cooks turn the heat up full blast for every item that they cook and the food turns out second rate. For any cuisine, there is no one size fits all temperature and many items require moderate saute temperatures.

Almond breaded meats cannot be pan fried at too low of a temperature or the breading will become saturated with fat and it will not look golden brown. At a medium temperature, the almond breaded cutlets will have to be flipped a few times to prevent scorching. If the almonds are cooked darker than golden brown, then they will become bitter. The almond breaded pork cutlets in the pictures were cooked just right. The breadcrumbs are crispy golden and the almonds are toasted golden brown. Try to keep these goals in mind.

Almond Pork Schnitzel:

There is almost always some breading mixture leftover when breading meats. The mixture can be refrigerated in a container. The best thing to do is top accurately estimate how much almond breading is needed, so none is leftover. The amount of breading mixture measurement in this recipe should be looked at like a proportion. More or less may be needed, depending on the size of the pork cutlets that are selected.

Place 2 eggs in a mixing bowl.

Add 1 ounce of milk.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Whisk the ingredients, till they are blended.

Set the egg wash aside.

Place 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs in a shallow small roasting pan.

Add 1 cup of sliced almonds.

Mix the breading mixture together.

Cut 2 slices of pork loin that weigh 3 to 4 ounces apiece.

Pound the meat thin and even with a meat mallet.

Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Dredge the cutlets in flour.

Dip the cutlets in the egg wash.

Dredge one cutlet at a time in the almond breading mixture.

Gently press the breading mixture onto the cutlets.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add enough vegetable oil, so there is about a 1/8" deep layer in the pan.

Add 1 tablespoon of clarified butter.

Adjust the temperature of the oil to 345º to 355º.

Pan fry the almond breaded cutlets.

Allow the cutlets to turn a golden color before flipping. Flip the cutlets occasionally to prevent excessive browning. Keep in mind that almonds only take a few minutes to scorch!

Pan fry till the cutlets become a golden brown color.

Place the almond pork schnitzel on a wire screen roasting rack to drain off any excess oil.

Place the almond pork schnitzel on a plate.

Serve with vegetables and a potato of your choice.

The vegetables in the pictures were boiled buttered tourné potato, blanched broccoli and peeled fluted portobello mushroom cap.

Simple and elegant tasting! No sauce is needed, if the almond breading is cooked to a golden color. The almond flavor is plenty nice enough. Yum! ... Shawna

Onion Crusted Black Angus Hamburger Steak Barge with New Mexico Chile Tomato Sauce and Roasted Jalapeno ~ Wildflowers and Wild Burros at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada!

2013-04-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

Mojave Desert Wildflower Season!

April showers bring May flowers. This old saying does hold true. Even after a very dry high desert winter, it only takes a little bit of rainfall for the desert wildflowers to bloom. Desert flowers can be found in small patches or they can be scattered sparsely for miles.

At higher elevations, cactus do not grow, because the temperatures drop below freezing during the winter. At about 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level, joshua trees become more common in the Mojave desert. This year's spring turned into a heavy joshua tree bloom season. Other species of yucca were also blooming heavy this year.

Nevada wild burros can be seen all over Red Rock Canyon. During the afternoons they find shade near canyon walls or under shade trees. Some of the old cattle ranchers from the 1800's planted mesquite trees to provide a little bit of shade. Mesquite trees are often planted around gravel parking lots as a border plant. Wild burros like to gather in the shade of these trees. Looking for shade trees is how I found the pack of wild burros in the pictures above.

Burros were originally brought to Nevada by the Spanish and gold miners. The burros were cut loose after the gold mines played out. The burros started living in the Nevada wild, the same way that they did in Africa. Wild burros are wild animals, even though they look like they are tame. Feeding wild burros or wild horses can result in a steep fine. Petting burros or getting too close to them is not really a good idea. Wild burros can bite shirts and ears clean off. They can also kick hard enough to send a person into next Tuesday! The expression "kicks like a mule" does hold water.

Wild burros can stand and stare forever. They notice when a viewer is distracted and they do sneak up quiet like. I was changing camera lenses in my car when a wild burro snuck up and got a little bit nosey. It is best to roll the window up, before a burro has a chance to stick his head in the car. Once they get their head in the window, a person can consider themselves stuck until the burro decides to move on and that can take quite some time. Anything that interests the wild burro inside the car will be bitten into and munched on. Cameras, bags of chips, hair, a shirt collar and earrings are prime items of interest. Once a burro bites into something, it does not let go anytime soon.

After playing the game of rolling the window up and down for a few minutes, each time that the sneaky wild burro tried to get his head in the car, the burro finally gave up and just went back to staring into the distance. The situation did make for some good close up photos. Wild burros are not camera shy and they often act like they are camera hogs.

Springtime is a good time of year for getting good wild burro photographs. In late spring and early summer, burro foals can be seen with burro mares. Fuzzy furry baby burros are really cute creatures!

Red Rock Canyon is easy to find. Red Rock Canyon is located on the west side of Las Vegas and it can be accessed from Blue Diamond Road or Charleston. Now is a great time of year to visit this scenic canyon. Horseback rentals and hiking is highly recommended, while the cool springtime weather is still here. Be sure to bring a good camera, be sure to keep the camera out of the reach of nosey wild burros!

Today's Recipe!

A hamburger steak can be called a salisbury steak, but a salisbury steak cannot be called a hamburger steak. Ground sirloin steak is another name for a hamburger steak. Black Angus beef has to be ay leash 51% black on the hide. Black Angus beef is slightly better in quality than standard beef. The difference in quality is noticeable between ground Black Angus beef and regular ground beef. Black Angus beef does have a richer flavor.

This is a nice easy to prepare southwestern style hamburger steak entree. Instead of just slapping a burger patty on a bun, a nice old fashioned barge presentation can be nice. For the price of a couple dollars, a hearty southwestern style knife and fork dinner can be made.

New Mexico Chile Tomato Sauce:

There are about five varieties of New Mexico Chile Peppers. A mild variety is best for this recipe.

Heat 2 cups of water over low heat in a sauce pot.

Add 2 to 3 seeded dried whole large New Mexico chiles.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add 3/4 cup of imported Italian whole peeled plum tomatoes that are packed in there own juices.

Add 1 pinch of cumin.

Add 2 pinches of coriander.

Add 1 small pinch of Mexican oregano.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Simmer till the chiles become tender.

Use a blending wand, blender or food processor to puree the sauce.

Return the thin puree sauce to a sauce pot over medium low heat.

Gently simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a medium thin tomato sauce consistency.

Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

Roasted Jalapeno:

Select 1 large mild green jalapeno pepper.

Lightly brush the pepper with vegetable oil.

Place the pepper on a roasting pan.

Roast the pepper in a 350º oven, till it becomes tender and a few brown highlights appear.

Keep the roasted jalapeno warm on a stove top.

Barge:

Cut a large slice of French bread. The slice of bread should be about 1" thick.

Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil.

Grill the bread on a griddle or saute pan over medium/medium low heat, till it becomes toasted golden brown on both sides.

Keep the barge warm on a stove top.

Onion Crusted Black Angus Hamburger Steak:

Press 8 ounces of ground Black Angus beef into a large oval patty shape.

Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle 1 pinch of cumin over the patty.

Sprinkle 1 small pinch of garlic powder over the patty.

Place a thin layer of small chopped onion on a plate. (About 3/4 cup is plenty.)

Place the burger steak patty on the onions.

Press the onions on both sides of the burger patty. Just press enough onion on the burger to flavor the burger patty.

Heat a cast iron griddle or saute pan over medium heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Pan sear and grill the burger on both sides, till the onions and burger steak become browned. Try to only flip the burger patty only once or twice, so most of the onions stay on the burger patty. Cook the burger steak to your preferred temperature. (For children, a probe thermometer should read 160º.)

Onion Crusted Black Angus Hamburger Steak Barge with New Mexico Chile Tomato Sauce and Roasted Jalapeno:

Place the grilled bread barge on a plate.

Place the onion crusted Black Angus hamburger steak on the barge.

Soon a generous amount of the New Mexico Chile Tomato Sauce partially over the burger steak and on the plate.

Place the roasted green jalapeno on the burger steak.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.

Sprinkle a little bit of minced cilantro or curly leaf parsley on the plate.

Simple, hearty and a delicious mild southwestern flavor! Yum! ... Shawna

Refritos Colorados and Cheddar Nacho Sauce with Heirloom Hopi Blue Tortilla Chips

2013-04-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chips n' Dip!

I have posted a few nacho platter recipes in this food site. Making a nacho platter that does not become a soggy mess can be tricky. In the late 1980's, I worked at a bar and grill style restaurant for a short time during the slow off season. The busy Florida winter tourist season was over, and the usual routine of finding work during the summer meant accepting any cooking job that came along. Fine dining restaurants in Florida do very little business after the snow bird money migrates north for the summer. Cheap low price restaurants that have a beer drinking atmosphere are busy enough to hire personnel during the slow summer season.

Anyway, cheap restaurants usually equate to sub par average food and sub par cooks. The bar and grill that I was hired at was not exactly a known for quality food. The place had management problems and profit skimming from previous personnel left the restaurant in shambles. I was hired on the basis of being a strong cook who could improve quality, but I had no managerial authority, so necessary changes could not be made. Needless to say, the job turned into a temporary situation and I moved on.

The bar and grill had some cooks who really lacked good cooking skills. This place had a reputation for the worst, soggiest, rotten nacho platter in town. The nacho platter was so embarrassing, that the manager decided to change the presentation to a chip and dip style platter. That was not a bad idea, because it took care of the soggy, greasy mess that the cooks called nachos. All the nacho toppings were placed in a bowl and tortilla chips surrounded the bowl. The nacho platter turned into a chip and dip platter and the drunken customers were happy with the change.

Today's recipe is a chip and dip style nacho platter that is perfect for a Saturday afternoon of watching horror movies or sporting events. A platter like this is great for a sunset sangria party. Gourmet exotic beans have become a recent food trend. Red beans are an old time favorite and they are great for making refritos. Red beans translate to frijoles colorados in Spanish.

Ever since GMO corn came into the picture, consumers have become aware of why modified food has been banned in many foreign countries. Studies show that GMO food poses a health risk and an environmental threat. American politicians are basically supported by corporations, so consumer protection is not always what it should be. Smart consumers trust their own judgement when deciding what is not safe to eat.

Savvy shoppers trust organic food. Heirloom seed or natural hybrid seed is non GMO. Because of corporate payola in America, it is against the law to label GMO products or state that a product is non GMO. There are ways to get around this law, as can be seen in the picture of heirloom Hopi Blue corn tortilla chips above. Stating that a product's origin was from a farm that is a member of the Non GMO Project Organization is legally stating the origin of the product and it is way to bypass the GMO labeling laws.

On a local level, most people do not care for national laws that restrict freedom or endanger public health, so they are ignored. As long as corporations only think they are getting away with a crime, that is okay. When they lobby to enact laws to protect themselves, there is a problem. In reality, morally correct food merchants and consumers both look out for their own best interest. By public demand, non GMO labeling does take place, in one way or another. Non GMO product labeling is currently done in subtle ways. Understanding the lingo and definitions of key words on food labels is more important now than ever before.

Red Beans:

This recipe makes 1 or 2 portions of beans!

Soak 1 1/2 cups of dried red beans in water overnight in a refrigerator.

Drain off the soaking water and rinse the black beans under cold running water.

Place the red beans in a sauce pot.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth or pork broth.

Add enough water to cover the beans with 1" of extra liquid.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of cider vinegar.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or lard.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

Add 1 small pinch of Mexican oregano.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced epazote.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Simmer the beans, till they become tender. Add water as necessary to keep the beans covered with 1" of liquid.

Simmer and reduce the liquid, till the level of liquid becomes slightly lower than the beans.

Keep the red beans warm over low heat.

Refritos Colorados:

Place 2 cups of red beans and the red bean simmering juice in a sauce pot over low heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of lard or vegetable oil.

Add 1 pinch of garlic powder.

Add 1 pinch of paprika.

Add 2 pinches of ground chile ancho.

Add 1 pinch of ground chile pequin.

Simmer for 10 minutes, till the flavors combine.

The beans can be pureed with an electric blending wand, a food processor or they can be mashed by hand with a potato masher. Mash and puree the beans till they become smooth.

Return the mashed beans to the sauce pot.

The refritos colorados should be thick enough to cling to a spoon. Adjust the consistency by adding water, if the refritos are too thick. If the refritos negros are too thin, then simmer and reduce till they become thick.

Simmer over very low heat and stir often for about 10 minutes. Be sure that the refritos colorados do not scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Taste the refritos colorados and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if necessary.

Keep the refritos colorados warm over very low heat.

Cheddar Nacho Sauce:

The mother sauce for this recipe is a plain bechamel with no piquet or nutmeg.

Heat a sauce pot over medium/medium low heat.

Add 4 pats of unsalted butter.

Add an equal amount of flour, while constantly stirring, to form a roux.

Stir till the roux cooks to a white color, with very little hazelnut aroma.

Add 1 1/3 cups of milk while whisking.

Add 1/4 cup of cream.

Stir as the sauce heats and thickens to a very thin sauce consistency.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.

Add 1 pinch of Spanish paprika.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground anatto.

Add sea salt and white pepper.

Gently simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a medium thin sauce consistency.

Add 4 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese, while gently stirring.

Stir till the cheese combines with the sauce.

Simmer the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add milk if the sauce becomes too thick.

Keep the cheddar nacho sauce warm over very low heat.

Refritos Colorados and Cheddar Nacho Sauce with Heirloom Hopi Blue Tortilla Chips:

Mound a generous portion of the refritos colorados on the center of a shallow casserole dish.

Pour the cheddar nacho sauce around the refritos.

Sprinkle thin bias sliced green onion slivers over the dip.
Garnish with 2 pickled chile guero. (yellow chile caribe)
Garnish with a cilantro sprig or a curly leaf parsley sprig.
Line a serving platter with paper doilies.
Place the casserole dish of dip on the center of the platter.
Place some organic heirloom Hopi blue corn tortilla chips on the platter.

Dip dip and dip! A plain refried red bean dip, nacho sauce and tortilla chip platter may not sound fancy, but it tasty and satisfying. This is a nice plate of casual snack food! Yum! ... Shawna

Gringo Desayuno Quesadilla

2013-04-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

As middle of the road as a quesadilla gets!

A tourist who speaks no Spanish, wearing a plaid shirt and bermuda shorts, with medical tape wrapped around the bridge of his glasses, driving an old station wagon full of family members on vacation in Mexico is pretty much the old definition of a gringo. Local Mexicans just kind of look and scratch their head, while wondering what a tourist like this is all about. Every Mexican vendor knows that tourists spend money, so every vendor offers their goods. Because tourism is an important source of income in Mexico, tourists are respected. After the tourists leave the area, the first words of many Mexicans are "Did you see those gringos?" and they do laugh about how awkward some American tourists look. Face it! Some American tourists do look like members of the geek squad. Even so, they still get respect for making the journey to see the sights.

There are quite a few entrees in Mexico that were created for the tastes of visiting tourists. In fact, restaurants at any tourist destination anywhere sell items that the locals call tourist food. Mexican tourist food is usually made with easy to recognize midwestern style flavors, like swiss cheese, processed cheese, ham, eggs and ground beef. One of the popular Mexican recipes that newcomers to Mexican cuisine learn to like is a quesadilla. A quesadilla is basically a grilled cheese and poblano pepper grilled cheese sandwich that is made with a wheat flour tortilla.

The day that I made the sandwich in the pictures, I was craving a nice simple breakfast sandwich. This sandwich came to mind. I started to think of a good southwestern style name to give this sandwich and the word gringo came to mind. I looked at the sandwich after I cooked it and said to myself "this is really gringo, mon!" Go with it! Gringo style breakfast quesadilla was not a bad name. This simple pleasant tasting breakfast sandwich really brings back memories of station wagons full of tourists on vacation. Aye chihuahua! Los gringos está aquí!

Gringo Desayuno Quesadilla:

Roasted fresh chile poblano or use canned roasted chile poblano are both okay for this recipe!

Heat a small saute pan over medium low heat.

Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Add one roasted peeled seeded chile poblano that is split in half.

Gently warm the chile.

Keep the chile poblano warm on a stove top.

Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.

Add 1 egg.

Break the egg yolk.

Season the egg with sea salt and black pepper.

Cook the egg over hard.

Keep the egg warm on a stove top.

Heat a saute pan or griddle over medium/medium low heat.

Brush 2 slices of pullman loaf style white bread with olive oil.

Place the bread in the pan.

Place a few thin slices of Monterey Jack Cheese on the bread.

Place the fried egg and the warmed roasted chile poblano on one half of the sandwich.

Grill the sandwich till it becomes toasted golden brown

Place the two sandwich halves together and set the grilled sandwich on a cutting board.

Cut the gringo desayuno quesadilla in half and set it on a plate.

Serve with a ramekin of mild green jalapeno hot sauce.

Garnish with a cilantro sprig or Italian parsley sprig.

Honestly, this Gringo Desayuno Quesadilla could be a good simple breakfast menu item, because it has a catchy name and it tastes good. Without the hot sauce, this sandwich could be a good children's menu item too.

Pack up the station wagon and hit the road to the next tourist destination! Yum! ... Shawna

The Euro Market & Deli, Las Vegas!

2013-04-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

A nice Las Vegas market that specializes in eastern european food!

A few days ago, I needed some fresh air after being cooped up writing essays and research papers for college. Editing old recipes and writing new ones is part of my daily routine too. After spending hours typing on a computer, fresh air and sunshine spells relief. A sunset drive through Red Rock Canyon sounded like a good idea. Springtime is nice in the high Mojave Desert and this is wildflower season. On the way to the south end of the canyon, I passed by a store that I had not seen before. The Euro Market & Deli sounded interesting, so I decided to check the store out.

Specialty food market articles are featured in this food web site. Passing along information is something that all good chefs do. I write plenty of recipes that require hard to find ingredients and interested readers need to know where to find those items. There is no use in writing a recipe, if a cook cannot find the stuff to make it with!

Even if a reader does not live in Las Vegas, a description of items that are carried by a certain kind of specialty market may give a clue as to what kind of store to look for, when seeking ingredients in other cities. When readers know where to find exotic items, it helps to keep specialty markets in business. If I only cooked the same old everyday food that nationwide corporate grocery stores carry, then I would be an unhappy customer. Variety is the spice of life!

The Euro Market & Deli specializes in eastern european cuisine. The shelves are well stocked with Russian, Czech, Yugoslavian, Hungarian and Bulgarian food. Pretty much any food of any nationality or region of eastern europe is offered at this market.

Fresh produce and hard to find frozen vegetables are available. There was a large selection of pickle products, olives, avjar, paprika peppers, pickled green tomatoes and eggplant specialties to choose from. Dry goods, noodles, concentrated sauce pastes and seasoning mixes of every eastern european flavor were on the shelves.

One of my favorite items was well stocked and it was advertised. Jars of sour cherries! Sour cherries are popular in eastern europe and the middle east. I have posted a few recipes that call for sour cherries in this food sight, but they specified the dried variety. Jars of preserved sour cherries are a really nice product.

Eastern european wine and beer is sold at this specialty market. Fresh baked specialty bread is offered. Many specialty grains and baking products can be found at this market and that is a real plus for those who prefer to bake traditional eastern european bread or desserts at home.

The deli has a nice selection of imported meats and cheese. Imported Swiss emmentaler was in stock. Real Swiss emmentaler is much better tasting that domestic American swiss cheese. Several kinds of regional feta cheese were in the deli case. Grecian manouri was available and that is one of my favorites. I selected a very nice mellow Czechoslovakian salami and a very nice quality head cheese at the deli. A nice smoked provolone made it into my basket too.

Fresh regional eastern european specialty desserts, pastries and cakes were offered in a display case. The desserts looked too good to resist! I selected a couple of nice desserts while I was at the market. One was krempita. Krempita is a Yugoslavian specialty that is best described as a thick cream pie. After getting bogged down with studying and writing school papers for days on end, a couple of nice desserts put a smile on my face. Like most european desserts, they are not made with way too much sugar and the sweetness does not overpower the flavor. The desserts were nice!

The Euro Market & Deli is located in a plaza at 5625 South Rainbow Boulevard between West Dewey and West Russell. Two landmark signs to look for, while passing by, are the "Jack In The Box" and "Living Dead Tattoo". Living Dead Tattoo? That is another story altogether!

I highly recommend the Euro Market & Deli for local residents of Las Vegas! Eastern european visitors who crave the flavors of home will surely like this market. The Euro Market & Deli is spotless and very clean. The store is well organized. The employees are friendly and helpful with questions. English and eastern european languages are spoken at this market and that is a plus. Yum! ... Shawna

Hot Link with Peppers, Onion, Creole Shallot and Louisiana Remoulade

2013-04-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Louisiana beef hot link sausage!

Hot link sausages are a nice traditional Louisiana treat. I posted a simple hot link sandwich last year, but the hot link sausage was poorly crafted and the casing split. The sausage was a bit wimpy as far as the portion size is concerned. Recently, I found two butcher shops in Las Vegas that make plump high quality hot link sausages. Posting a better looking hot link sausage was well within order.

There are several remoulade sauces that are made in Louisiana and they are usually identified by their color. There are many variations of each Louisiana remoulade. The most popular Louisiana remoulade has a pink or orange color. Pink remoulade can be simple or highly seasoned.

In old Louisiana cookbooks, shallots are part of many recipes. In most pre 1900's Louisiana recipes, the word shallot refers to green onion. Green onions are referred to as Louisiana shallots or creole shallots by Louisiana cooks even to this day. Nearly all modern Louisiana recipes that were written later than the 1960's do differentiate shallot from green onion. When cooking an old Louisiana recipe, it pays to do a little bit of research to see whether the word shallot actually refers to green onion.

I chose to use the term Creole Shallot in the title of this recipe, just to inform readers about how the word shallot does not always refer to a small sweet bulb that looks like a purple onion. I have a few Louisiana recipes from the 1800's that I will be posting soon, so foreknowledge will help to keep readers in the know.

Louisiana Remoulade:

This type of remoulade is the pink variety Louisiana remoulade. Keep in mind that there are many variations of pink remoulade. This recipe makes enough for 2 to 4 servings!

The ingredients can be minced by hand the old fashioned way and they have to be minced very fine, if a squirt bottle is used. Another method is to place all the of the ingredients in a food processor, the pulse the mixture till it becomes smooth and minced fine.

Place 1/4 cup of mayonnaise in a small mixing bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of Louisiana creole mustard or dijon mustard.

Add 10 to 12 minced capers.

Add 1 minced garlic clove.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of finely chopped baby dill gherkin pickle or cornichon pickle.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced green onion.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced onion.

Add sea salt and black pepper.

Add 1 small pinch of thyme.

Add 1 small pinch of tarragon.

Add 1 small pinch of basil.

Add 1 small pinch of oregano.

Add 1 pinch of dill weed.

Add 2 to 3 pinches of cayenne pepper.

Add 2 pinches of minced curly leaf parsley.

Add 3 pinches of Spanish paprika.

Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Add 2 tablespoons of organic catsup.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce.

Mix the ingredients together or blend in a food processor.

Place the the Louisiana remoulade in a plastic squirt bottle.

Refrigerate till the sauce is needed.

Hot Link with Peppers, Onion, Creole Shallot and Louisiana Remoulade:

Select a 6 to 8 ounce beef hot link. The hot link can be raw or smoked.

Heat a saute pan or griddle overmedium/medium low heat.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Grill the hot link, till light brown highlights appear.

Remove the hot link from the pan and keep it warm on a dish on a stove top.

Leave the pan on the heat.

Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.

Add 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped onion.

Add 1/2 cup of mixed coarsely chopped red bell pepper and green bell pepper.

Add 2 coarsely chopped green onions. (creole shallots)

Saute till the vegetables become tender.

Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Keep the vegetables warm on a stove top.

Split a 6"to 8" sub roll open.

Brush the roll with melted unsalted butter.

Heat a clean griddle or saute pan over medium/medium low heat.

Grill the sub roll, till it becomes toasted golden brown.

Place the sub roll on a cutting board.

Place the grilled peppers, onions and creole shallot on the roll.

Place the hot link on the sandwich.

Place the sandwich on a plate.

Garnish the plate with pickles and a curly leaf parsley sprig.

Use the squirt bottle to paint the sandwich with the Louisiana remoulade sauce.

Hoo dawgy! A great traditional Louisiana hot link. Yum! ... Shawna

Kona Coffee Milkshake at Lappert's Ice Cream in the California Casino, Las Vegas ~ Fremont Street!

2013-04-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Shakin' n Bakin'!

When a craving strikes, go with it! The weather is finally warming up, after a chilly high desert winter. This is the time of year when feeling good is all that matters. A milkshake has a way of putting a smile on a face. A milkshake? While having a wild night in downtown Las Vegas? Why not! Just because this is Las Vegas, it does not mean that cocktails are the required drink. Slurping on a good shake while wandering around and having fun on Fremont Street is a nice experience!

There is so much going on in Las Vegas and so much to see. Everything is going on everywhere 24/7! For the most part, Las Vegas locals and visitors tend to stay comfortably sober, even when enjoying cocktails. Getting bombed only results in losing out on fun opportunities. Since there is no 2:00AM cut off line drawn for alcohol consumption in Nevada, there is no rush to soak up the suds before the bell tolls. The party goes on and on endlessly. In Las Vegas, there is no such thing as the illusion of time!

After having a good day, I had a craving for something sweet. An old fashioned milkshake sounded like a good idea. Since I am on a student budget while earning a degree in hospitality management, spending top dollar for a milkshake at a trendy brand new restaurant would not have been a wise choice. A milkshake at a fast food joint was out of the question. Milkshakes that come out of a soft serve machine are not real milkshakes. Old fashioned traditional hand scooped ice cream milkshakes are the real deal and they are the best.

I have heard great things about Lappert's Ice Cream over the years. Lappert's Ice Cream started in Hawaii and their ice cream is rated as one of the world's best. Lappert's offers unique Hawaiian ice cream flavor combinations that are well thought out and they are gourmet by any standard. A hand scooped ice cream milkshake at Lappert's sounded like a great idea!

Las Vegas is often referred to as being the ninth Hawaiian island. Downtown Las Vegas is a favorite destination of Hawaiian visitors. The California Casino is Hawaii central! Since Lappert's is a Hawaiian ice cream shop, Lappert's location in the California Casino makes sense. There are many great Hawaiian specialty shops and restaurants in the California Casino. Lappert's Ice Cream is located on the second floor of the casino. The second floor food court of the casino has tables with umbrellas in a tropical Hawaiian setting. The atmosphere is perfect for enjoying a good milkshake made with Hawaii's most famous ice cream.

I decided to try the Kona Coffee ice cream shake at Lappert's. The milkshake was served plain with no toppings and that is okay by me. Honestly, the milkshake did not need to be dressed up with fancy toppings, because the flavor did all the talking! The coffee flavor in the Lappert's shake was not weak like most commercial coffee ice creams tend to be. Nobody likes a weak cup of coffee and Lappert's obviously realized this when they created the Kona Coffee ice cream! The coffee flavor was rich and it had that great Hawaiian Kona flavor that only Hawaiian volcanic soil can produce. The shake was rich, thick and satisfying!

I highly recommend Lappert's Ice Cream at the California Casino for visitors and locals here on the ninth island, Las Vegas! Lappert's offers desserts, pastries and sundries and their ice cream is nothing less than awesome!

After the fine milkshake experience at Lappert's, I was ready for another kind of experience. The Fremont Street Experience! The old original Las Vegas casinos are located in the downtown area. Downtown is the old charm of Las Vegas. The Fremont Street Experience is a few city blocks long. There is solid nightlife and entertainment going on every night of the week. The world's largest high resolution video screen serves as a canopy over Fremont Street. Light shows set to music take place throughout the night.

There are several band stages on Fremont and the entertainers are top notch. Tyler James "Elvis", The Spazmatics and Muse Le Deux Dancing DJ's were performing the night I was there. The house was rockin'!

A lot was going downtown on Fremont Street and there were a few new attractions, so I snapped a lot of photos. A portion of the photos are posted in today's Lappert's Ice Cream review article. The rest will follow in an upcoming post. Not a lot needs to be said about Fremont Street, because it is a place that is meant to be experienced. The pictures above can be viewed full size in a slide show mode by clicking on any photo. Click a pic and get your Fremont Street Experience on! Yum! ... Shawna

Mango Aspic with Caramel and Torrontés Glacé

2013-04-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

A nice light mango aspic with two sweet sauces!

Store bought instant fruit flavored gelatin products have a flavor that is not exactly gourmet. They are appealing to some people and they are nice when feeling ill, but quality oriented chefs and restaurants do not use flavored gelatin products. They make their own gelatin flavors.

By definition, plain unflavored clear gelatin is the only item that a French chef will call gelatin. A gelatin that is flavored is called an aspic. An aspic can be sweet or savory. A gelatin made with a bechamel sauce is called chaud froid. A gelatin that is made with mayonnaise or sour cream is called collee.

It is difficult to make a clear mango broth with fresh mangoes. Sun dried mango slices will easily produce a clear orange colored broth. Sun dried mango broth also has a concentrated rich mango flavor. Sun dried mangos were used to make the aspic in the pictures.

I used petite silicone brioche baking molds as aspic molds. Even though silicone baking molds have a non-stick surface, aspic will cling to the mold. By dipping the molds in hot water, the aspic loosens and easily pops free.

Clear caramel sugar sauces are often used to paint plates. The caramelized sugar needs to be diluted with water or it will harden like candy. Judging the consistency of a caramel garnishing sauce has to be done by eye. The sauce should be like a thick syrup that clings, but does not harden.

Torrontés wine is a special Argentinian white wine. The white grapes are a cross breed of Argentinian muscat and an unidentified breed. Torrontés grapes are now recognized as their own special breed. The acidity level is mellow. The flavor of Torrontés wine has complex fruit and nut flavors that are perfect for making a desert glacé sauce.

Mango Aspic:

The simmered reconstituted dried mango fruit is not needed for this recipe. The fruit still has plenty of flavor and it can be added to oatmeal, rice pudding or other recipes. There are many recipes that require sun dried mango in this food site!

Place 2 cups of water in a sauce pot over low heat.

Add 1 cup of sun dried mango slices.

Add 2 whole dried allspice berries.

Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Simmer till the sun dried mango reconstitutes and becomes soft. The broth will turn a natural orange color and it will have a rich mango flavor.

Remove the mango slices from the broth and save them for another recipe.

Remove the allspice berries and discard them.

Simmer and reduce the mango broth, till a volume of 1 1/2 cups can be measured.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Allow the mango flavored liquid to cool to room temperature.

Rain 6.5 to 8 grams of powdered gelatin on the surface of the mango liquid.

Allow the gelatin to bloom.

Place the sauce pot over low/very low heat.

Heat till the gelatin dissolves into the liquid. Do not allow the liquid to boil.

Place three petite brioche molds on a small baking pan. (Any small gelatin molds of your choice can be used.)

Pour the mango aspic into the molds.

Refrigerate till the aspic start to set and it becomes chilled.

Drape plastic wrap over the aspic to prevent drying.

Refrigerate the mango aspic for 24 hours.

Caramel Reduction Sauce:

This recipe makes extra sauce! Save the extra for other recipes.

Place 1/2 cup of sugar in a small sauce pot.

Add 1/2 cup of water.

Place the pot over medium high heat.

Boil the sugar liquid, till the water evaporates and the sugar starts to enter the molten candy stages.

When the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, it will only be a short time before the sugar turns amber, so keep an eye on the sugar!

Allow the sugar to become a full, golden brown amber color. For amber golden brown sugar, a candy thermometer should read 335º to 345º.

Note: Not every sugar caramelizes at the same rate. Over 300º, a margin of 10º is a narrow range! A precise caramel temperature can be established if the same brand and type of sugar is used every time.

Be careful when adding water in the next step. A tremendous amount of steam will be generated.

As soon as the sugar becomes an amber brown color, add 1 cup of water.

Reduce the temperature to very low heat.

Allow the caramel to dissolve in the water.

Simmer and reduce, till the caramel becomes a thick syrup consistency.

Keep the caramel reduction sauce warm on a stove top.

Torrontés Glace:

Heat a sauce pot over medium high heat.

Add 1/3 cup of water.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar.

Boil till the water evaporates and the sugar becomes molten, foamy and clear in color.

Add 3/4 cup of Torrontés wine.

Reduce the temperature to low heat.

Simmer and reduce, till the sauce becomes a thin syrup consistency.

Keep the Torrontés glacé warm on a stove top.

Whipped Cream:

Canned whipped cream and pre-made whipped topping are second rate! Fresh whipped cream is best.

Place 2/3 cup of cream in a chilled mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Add 3 drops of vanilla extract.

Briskly whisk till stiff peaks appear.

Chill the whipped cream.

Load the whipped cream into a small star tipped pastry bag.

Chill the whipped cream till it is needed.

Mango Aspic with Caramel and Torrontés Glacé:

Heat a saute pan over low heat.

Add enough water, so the water is 1/2" deep in the pan.

Dip each aspic mold in the hot water, to loosen the aspic.

Invert the aspic mold onto a plate and free the aspic from the mold onto the plate.

Chill the plate and the aspics for 15 minutes.

Decoratively paint the plate with the caramel reduction sauce.

Spoon a little bit of the Torrontés glace around each petite mango aspic.

Garnish the plate with 5 raspberries.

Sprinkle a little bit of fresh lime zest on the plate.

Use the pastry bag to pipe some whipped cream on each petite mango aspic.

Viola! A fancy nice mango aspic with a modern presentation. Yum! ... Shawna

Larry's Great Western Meats, Las Vegas!

2013-04-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

There is something about this food and recipe site that Las Vegas residents like. Locals like how I pass information along. When I find a good market in the valley, I let people know about it. This helps readers find items that they seek and it helps to keep good businesses alive.

Ever since the computer internet age began, fewer people rely on thumbing through a phone book to find specialty stores. Typing words in a search engine delivers a list of results. The problem is that many times the search results are not always accurate. Sponsored businesses and businesses that pay to be placed at the top of the search result list tend to hog the show. Scrolling down the search engine result list is what good shoppers do, but those who are in a hurry usually just glance at the first few results that they see.

Another item that affects search engine result is cookies. Every web site that is visited leaves a tracking cookie. That cookie is entered as data gathering device for marketing purposes in most cases. For example, if a search was done on pets and the focus was on looking at bird cage designs and prices, those items of interest are gathered by the cookies that were placed in the computer and transferred to a database in a remote marketing company server. For the next few weeks, every time that a new page is opened on the internet, advertisements for bird cages, pet stores and birdseed will load in advertisement spaces on each page. Even the media works this way on the net. Articles about parrots and pet store businesses will be seen in news site pages. After a few days or a couple weeks, if no bird related purchase is made, those ads and articles are replaced by the next item of interest.

Looking for specialty food items on the internet does take patience. It takes time to filter through search engine results. Food items that are popular do top the list. Items that are in low demand often take some time to find. Low demand items are usually carried by small specialty stores. Because major nationwide stores spend money to ride high as a hog on search engine results, small specialty stores often only receive a trickle down effect of customers who are determined to find what they really want, rather that be directed to a major corporate market. Shoppers who are determined to find specialty items, do take the time to find the places that stock those items.

I personally found Larry's Great Western Meats by searching one page after another for someplace in Las Vegas that stocked elk meat! The first time that I visited Larry's Great Western Meats, I liked what I saw. Larry's is an old fashioned butcher shop that carries high quality beef. USDA prime grade beef is the best beef that money can buy and it is available at this butcher shop. Delmonico steaks are one of the most popular cuts of beef at Larry's. Delmonico steak is a nice quality rib steak and they are big.

Larry's Great western meats carries top quality pork, veal, chicken and lamb. Fresh, cured and smoked sausages are made in house at Larry's Great Western Meats. Offals are stocked, so if you are looking for sweatbreads, brains, liver, kidneys, oxtail or whatever, you will find it at this butcher shop. Larry's even stocks rocky mountain oysters!

Searching for a source of wild game meats is how I found Larry's Great Western Meats. Buffalo, quail, duck, pheasant, elk, frog legs and many other items are either sold fresh or in cryovac packages as frozen products. Buffalo meat hot dogs are stocked!

During this recent visit, I purchased a thick center cut pork chop, a package of veal stew meat, a Louisiana hot link sausage and one of the best looking elk ribeye steaks that I had ever seen. I recently prepared a very special meal with the elk steak and I will be posting that recipe soon.

If finding prime grade beef or specialty meats has been a problem, then Larry's Great Western Meats is the place to go in Las Vegas. Larry's Great Western Meats is located at 420 South Valley View at the intersection of Alta. Larry's is just a few blocks south of Highway 95. This butcher shop is easy to find and it is close to the downtown Las Vegas area.

Larry's Great Western Meats is highly recommended for local shoppers! Visitors of Las Vegas who wish to ship a few western wild game steaks home may also be interested in this butcher shop. BBQ and steak on the grill season is here. Larry's Great Western Meats sells awesome steaks! Yum! ... Shawna

Strawberry Rhubard Shake

2013-04-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Gourmet milkshake!

Old time milkshakes came in two flavors. Chocolate or vanilla. Malted milk was an option and so was whipped cream. A maraschino cherry garnish was as fancy as milkshakes used to get.

Later, many more ice cream flavors were offered. Strawberry milkshakes became a standard item. Fancy sprinkles, fruits, nuts, cookies, syrups and many other items were used as toppings. Shakes topping garnishes became a way to add a signature touch. A plain shake with no garnishes was still standard issue and well liked. Shakes with fancy toppings added charm to the milkshake experience.

During the last few decades, shakes with themes have become popular. Pastry chefs and bartenders became involved with creating exciting milkshake themes. Milkshakes with artistic creative themes were given names. Because milkshakes are fun items, the shake names had to be exciting and fun. Modern creative theme shakes require fancy surprising presentations. A plain milkshake with nothing fancy is a milkshake. A fancy milkshake theme that has a creative presentation and an exciting name is not just a milkshake. It is entertainment!

Now there are a few paths to choose from, when creating a modern shake. The first choice is whether to add liquor to the recipe. If liquor is added, then the milkshake's appeal is limited to adults and those whole drink alcohol. Items like marshmallow vodka, hot cinnamon liquor, honey bourbon, whipped cream vodka, cupcake vodka, bubblegum vodka and many other sweet liquors have become popular foe boozed up milkshakes. Adult spiked milkshakes tend to have presentations that are dressed up to the hilt and the names are often shockingly fun.

Non alcoholic shakes can be just as fun as the adult liquor spiked shakes. Cooks can make any gastrique or syrup flavor that they wish. Concentrated syrup flavors are the best for adding sharp pronounced layers of flavor. Coarse textures like pop rocks, chocolate, candy, cookies, nuts and fruit do have one restriction if they are part of the shake and not the topping. The pieces have to be small enough to pass through a drinking straw.

Drinking straws used to be one size and they were made out of paper. Modern plastic straws are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Reusable eco friendly plastic, metallic or glass straws are good options. Many modern restaurants and gourmet malt shops use fancy eco friendly straws that have the restaurant logo on the straw and the straw is meant to be taken home by the customer as a keepsake that can be washed and reused.

The flavor combination of the basic shake is the key to making a great milkshake. If it sounds like it would be tasty, give it a try! Seasonal items are valued by chefs. Rhubarb and strawberries are in season every spring. Strawberry rhubarb pie is an old fashioned favorite dessert and it is often served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Rhubarb adds a tart flavor to sweet strawberries and it is an interesting flavor for a milkshake creation.

Today's milkshake recipe is meant to be an introduction to the world of fancy modern milkshakes. This recipe was designed to be easy and fun with no complicated cooking techniques. As I post more fancy modern milkshake creations in the future, the presentations and cooking techniques will become more challenging. I have made plenty of ice cream, sorbet and sherbet during my chef career. Plans for acquiring a good ice cream making machine have been set, so nice ice cream flavor recipes will become part of this food site.

Since today's recipe is meant to inspire creative milkshake making, easy to use pre-made store bought products are in the list of ingredients. There are good pre-made ice cream topping products on the market that make creating a fancy shake an easy task. A big tall fancy glass is required for modern milkshakes. Fresh made whipped cream is still the best option. Cake sprinkles of all kinds can be found in any grocery store.

If you make your own ice cream then you got it made! Reading the label of store bought ice creams is a must. Try to avoid ice creams that contain gums, artificial colors, enhancers and corn syrup. Natural ice creams are the best. The better the ice cream quality is, the better the shake will be.

Rhubarb Preparation:

For those who are not familiar with rhubarb, only the red stalks are edible. The leaves are toxic!

Place 1/3 cup of very thin sliced rhubarb stalk in a small sauce pot.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.

Add 1 small pinch of allspice.

Add just enough water to cover the ingredients.

Place the pot over medium low heat.

Simmer and reduce the liquid, till the rhubarb becomes very tender and the liquid turns into a thin syrup.

Set the rhubarb mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature.

Milkshake Glass Preparation:

Store bought pre-made strawberry syrup was used to garnish the glass. Strawberry syrup is easy to make and there are several syrup recipes in this food site that can be used as a guideline. Today's recipe is meant to be easy and convenient!

Select a tall nice looking 20 ounce to 24 ounce capacity glass. (An English pint lager glass is nice!)

Chill the glass in a freezer till it becomes ice cold.

Stream streak of strawberry syrup inside the glass.

Immediately return the glass to the freezer, so the strawberry syrup freezes in place.

Freeze the glass till the milkshake is made.

Whipped Cream:

Canned whipped cream and pre-made whipped topping are second rate! Fresh whipped cream is best.

Place 2/3 cup of cream in a chilled mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Add 3 drops of vanilla extract.

Briskly whisk till stiff peaks appear.

Chill the whipped cream.

Load the whipped cream into a small star tipped pastry bag.

Chill the whipped cream till it is needed.

Strawberry Rhubarb Shake:

When fruit or syrup is added to a shake, the amount of milk needed becomes less. Because ice creams vary in density, the amount of milk added to a shake can vary. The amount of liquid added to a shake is always a judgement call.

It is best to add less milk than what is needed at first. If the shake is way too thick, a little bit more milk can be added as the shake is blending. The goal is to create a shake that is thick enough to support the weigh of a garnish. One strawberry placed on top of the shake should not sink into the shake, if the shake has the right consistency.

A blender with a strong motor or an ice cream shake blender is best. Cheap blenders wit weak motors will burn out after making a few thick milkshakes! The same can be said about blending wands. I have a commercial pro quality Swiss electric blending wand that is strong enough to make milk shakes. Cheap weak blending wands will self destruct after making a couple of shakes.

Extra is a milkshake tradition! Always serve any extra milkshake that does not fit into the glass on the side.

Place the reserved rhubarb and its syrup in a blender.

Puree the rubarb.

Add 1 cup of chilled sliced ripe strawberries.

Add 2 tablespoons of strawberry syrup.

Add 1 tiny pinch of cinnamon.

Puree the mixture.

Add 18 ounces of French vanilla ice cream.

Add 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of chilled milk at first. More can be added if necessary.

Blend till a smooth thick milk shake is created. Add more milk, while blending, if the milk shake is too thick.

Pour the strawberry rhubarb shake into the frozen strawberry syrup garnished milkshake glass.

Garnish the milk shake with:

- whipped cream

- 1 fanned ripe strawberry

- thin strawberry syrup

- small pearl candy cake sprinkles

Viola! An easy to make modern milkshake that features seasonal pie fruit! You can get as fancy as you want to, when applying the syrup garnish to a frozen glass. The modern random art look, like the shake in the pictures, never goes out of style. Composed decorative painting can create interesting visual effects. If it looks good, then go with it! Yum! ... Shawna