By Darragh Doiron
The Port Arthur News
May 07, 2008 10:10 am
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You’re not supposed to have Mom working on Mother’s Day, but if you give her “Handy Mom’s Guide: Grilling,” she just might want to fire up the pit.
Catherine Mayhew advises mothers to fear not the grill. Use it for family bonding time. Her new Cool Springs Press release is billed as the fastest, easiest way to smokin’ meals and here are some quickies for the Cajuns — and other grillers — of Southeast Texas. The Apple Cheese sounds unusual, but workable. Readers, let me know if you try it.
Cajun Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons capers
1/8 teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and blend well. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Yields about 1/2 cup.
Herb Butter
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon each minced fresh parsley, minced fresh chives and fresh thyme leaves. Place butter in a small bowl. Blend in herbs. Wrap the butter mixture in plastic wrap and shape into a log. Chill, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator.
Try it as a decadent top for sizzling steaks or as a pasta sauce.
Apple Cheese
1 21-ounce can apple pie filing
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
8 ounces Velveeta cheese
Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
Pour the pie filling into a 9- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine the butter, sugar, flour and Velveeta in a medium bowl and mix until blended. Pat the Velveeta mixture evenly over the pie filing. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.
Black tie barbecue
Where there’s smoke, there’s a great party, says authors of “BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie.”
If you ever get an invite from Karen Adler or Judith Fertig, accept it. This book is full of great recipes and ideas like this one:
Start a collection of old-fashioned juice glasses for serving inexpensive wine. It’s a very Italian or South of France thing to do for perambulating guests.
They also have ideas for better butters for serving or for hostess gifts. All begin with a stick of softened, unsalted butter. Mix-in ideas:
• Chipotle butter: Add 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder.
• Olive butter: Add 1 tablespoon or more olive paste.
• Blue cheese butter: Add 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese.
• Caper butter: Add 1 tablespoon or more caper paste or capers smashed with a fork.
Use their whiskey-cider sauce as a baste for double-smoked ham.
Whiskey-Cider Sauce
2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Place cider and whiskey in a small saucepan over high heat and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the butter and brown sugar.
sake2me:
If you liked wine coolers in the ‘80s, you’ll enjoy the edgy saké2me light soft drink flavors of junmai sake (pure rice sake) with exotic all-natural Asian blends of: Ginger-Mango, Yuzu Citrus, Asian Pear and Green Tea. Cute bottles, bubbly refreshment and trendy flavors … what’s not to like. The Green Teas, with notes of honey and lemongrass, was the top pick at my house.
Palm plates
Banana trees often surround Southeast Texas patios. Palm Leaf Dinnerware goes one better, turning naturally discarded palm tree sheaths into bio-degradable, attractive dishes bound to be the talk of your next barbecue. They have a cool, eco-friendly look for your guests and are right for formal and casual affairs. My guests admired them and actually inspected them. Compost them when you’re done. MarxFoods.com is the exclusive Web store for Palm Leaf Dinnerware. The line includes bowls, plates, serving dishes and utensils. Most products are shipped via Federal Express overnight.
Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.
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