Fancy Pants Foodie

Foodie news, reviews and how-tos from Arkansas and beyond.

Cooking for a Crowd (Recipes Included)

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Photo of me and a parent helper taken at the event, which went great.

Today, I’m cooking for my first big(ish) crowd, my daughter’s aftercare program. They started a new tradition this year of having dinners every couple months for the families of the children. What I thought was going to be 20 or so folks when I agreed turned out to be more like 60+, which is cool. I love a challenge.

The menu:

  • Leek and potato soup, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day
  • Spring mix salad with choice of ranch or homemade orange vinaigrette dressing (see below)
  • Spaghetti with meat sauce (loosely based on marinara recipe posted here earlier, just the tomato products, herbs and garlic)
  • Italian bread with parsley garlic butter (It hurt me to not bake the bread, but we gotta draw the line somewhere. I made the garlic butter, though.)
  • Cupcakes with homemade chocolate buttercream (see below)
  • Tea (sugar syrup on service table)

The challenges for  this event included figuring quantities and portions (already using that culinary math they taught a couple weeks ago in school), figuring out where to buy stuff (some from Sam’s Club, some from the grocery store, and some from Ben E. Keith), and remaining mindful that about half of the audience is children, who will usually eat less and often not the same stuff as the adults.

I must say that I felt pretty cool buying from Ben E. Keith, our local large-quantity foodservice supplier. They are letting me start small on some things, since I’ll probably be a customer from now on, either for catering events, doing classes or whatever I decide to do when I grow up. My daughter and I went to their customer service dock on Saturday to pick up a big box of leeks, two boxes of salad, the dairy products (cheaper there than elsewhere) and some other random things.

Saturday, the director of the aftercare program helped me make the sauce and the base for the soup (everything but the dairy products), and put it all in the fridge. I also cooked all the spaghetti to al dente, rinsed with cool water in a colander and tossed with olive oil, zip-bagged it and put it in the fridge. Not the optimal way to treat pasta, but great for cooking for a crowd — we’ll just hit it with hot water tonight to revive it for service. (My Food Production I instructor told me that trick. Thanks, Chef!)

Today, I’ll brown meat for the sauce (forgot that part Saturday), bake off the cupcakes, make the buttercream, warm the bread, make the vinaigrette (also from my Food Production I instructor), make the sugar syrup (it blends better than anything granulated), and generally freak out. But I’m sure it will be fine.

While planning the last details, we remembered that it’s Lent. So we’ll hold out some of the sauce to be without meat for anyone abstaining. The soup will also be a good option. (I would have had a lentil and mushroom dish available if we had any true vegetarians coming, which we don’t.)

So. All this to say, this is my first big crowd, and I’m a little nervous. But it’s for kids and their parents, so it’s a low-risk proposition. It all boils down to a great practice opportunity for me, as well as a good time for a great bunch of folks.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Please comment below and let me know if you’ve ever cooked for a crowd of, over, let’s say 30. How did you figure out portions and ingredients? How did things turn out? Where did you get your product? Any war stories, tips or suggestions? I look forward to your input.

Orange Vinaigrette Dressing

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 T. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. honey
  • 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Or, place ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, cover and shake until combined.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • 1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 lb. (1/2 cup) shortening
    Note: May use 2 sticks butter and eliminate shortening. Frosting will have a better mouth feel but will be less stable.
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp. cocoa powder
  • 2 T. cool water

Cream butter and shortening (if using) together in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add sugar in several installments, scraping down the bowl occasionally. In a cup, mix cocoa and water together; add to fat/sugar mixture along with vanilla. Beat until smooth and lightened.

Simple Sugar Syrup

  • 1 cup granulated sugar (may substitute all or half with turbinado sugar for a more natural, deeper-flavored product)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 small sprig of any type of mint, optional

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When all sugar is dissolved, cool for a few minutes off the heat, then pour through a sieve (if mint was used) into a squeeze bottle or other container. Perfect for use in cold drinks.

Recipes from Argenta Market’s Chef Shane Henderson

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My apologies to my two readers out there…that includes you, Mom…I’ve been sick the past few days. Not the swine flu, methinks, but enough to be pretty much on my duff for three days.

Meanwhile, I’m still not with it enough to write a proper post. I still owe you the scoop on last Thursday’s Celebrity Chef Cook-Off at Pulaski Tech, as well as the press conference on the upcoming Argenta Fall Foodie Fest. (Remember to save the date, Oct. 17, and swing by after the Race for the Cure!)

So.

It just so happens that the fabulous Chef Shane Henderson of Argenta Market dropped a little gift in my email inbox, sometime during my unfortunate incarceration in an ill body. And I pass along this gift to you, a handful of fun recipes with a Southern kick. Tell him thanks by stopping by his fabulous tent at the soon-ending Argenta Certified Arkansas Farmer’s Market, or at his soon-opening Argenta Market storefront on Main Street, North Little Rock. Enjoy!

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(Recipes and commentary verbatim from Chef Shane Henderson)

Catfish Cake

I love Crab cakes, a few years ago I decided we needed an Arkansas version, so I turned to catfish.  I found that it worked well as a cake or simply mixed as a catfish salad which is great for fish tacos or as a dip.  You can use catfish that was fried the day before, finally a way to get to use leftovers from that big fish fry.

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 pound fried catfish (recipe follows)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/3 cups diced red bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh parley chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons neutral flavored oil, more as needed

Breakup catfish into a large bowl, add all remaining ingredients except breadcrumbs.  Use your hands to mix the ingredients.  Add breadcrumbs a little at a time until a consistency is reached which will hold together.  Taste and adjust seasonings as you prefer.  Form mixture into 4-6 2-3 inch wide “cakes”.   In a non stick skillet heat oil.  Place cakes into the oil and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and heated through.  Serve on a mixed green salad, with tarter sauce, or a spicy chipotle mayonnaise.

Fried Catfish

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow corn meal
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound of catfish filets
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • Vegetable oil, enough to cover fish

Heat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Place catfish in bowl covered with buttermilk.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, seasonings, and the cornmeal. Dredge the catfish in the flour mixture and carefully place in fryer. Deep fry for approximately 7 to 8 minutes until done. Drain on paper towels, adjust seasoning with salt immediately.

Fall Salad

  • 2 Pears, Apples (Any apple will work I like the tartness of the Granny Smith or Stella Apple for this salad)
  • 1 Pound mixed salad greens, washed and dried
  • 8 ounces Dried Figs
  • 1 Small Red Onion
  • 4 ounces blue cheese (parmesan will work, even if you aren’t a fan of blue cheese it plays off of the apples really well in this salad)
  • Candied Pecans

Dice the apples and place them in the juice of half a lemon and cover with water; reserve the other half of the lemon for the vinaigrette. Cut the red onions into small, thin rounds. Toss all ingredients together with a small amount of salt, top with vinaigrette and toss again.

Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is so easy and helps accent all the flavors already going on in the salad.

  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 2 oz. balsamic vinegar
  • 6 oz. good quality olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Mix the ingredients in a small jar, top with a lid and shake to combine, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Labor Day Foodie: Marconi Bruschetta and Smoked Cayenne Chicken

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Today was a busy foodie day!

At noon, I attended the Slow Foods USA Time for Lunch rally in Argenta. This event, one of hundreds held across the country, was to raise awareness about “slow food” (put simply, the opposite of “fast food”) and to support measures to bring fresh, local foods into school lunchrooms nationwide. It was a potluck, and folks were encouraged to bring dishes highlighting our local bounty of said slow foods.

Later this week I’ll post my photos and videos from this event, as I played the intrepid reporter. But for now, I’ll just show you what I made:

My Marconi Bruschetta

Marconi Bruschetta

  • 1 honey-molasses wheat baguette
  • 4 T. olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 c. shredded raw milk cheddar cheese (white, yellow or mix)
  • 3 large roasted marconi peppers (may use red bells), roughly chopped
  • 10 large kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 3-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Slice the baguette into thin rounds with a serrated knife, about 1/4″ thick. Brush with 3 T. olive oil and place on baking stone (preferred) or baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, or until just crisp on tops and browning on edges.

Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese on each round. Return to oven for one minute or until cheese is just melted. Mix final 1 T. olive oil with remaining ingredients and season to taste. (I used much less salt than normal because of the briny olives.) Spoon a small amount of topping onto each round and serve immediately.

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I know, I’ve only been doing this blog for a little while, and I’ve already got bruschetta twice. But this bread was so perfect for making little toasty rounds, it had to be done!

After the potluck, I quickly ran to the next event, a cookout with friends at their house. I wanted to take some chicken breasts to this event to put on their huge, competition-BBQ style smoker. But I also wanted them to be full of flavor and character. So, last night, I put this recipe together using the smoked peppers I wrote about earlier:

Smoked Cayenne Chicken

  • 3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 hickory smoked cayenne pepper
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 T. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place olive oil in a zip-top plastic bag or glass container, and use scissors to snip the pepper into very small pieces into the oil. (To reduce the heat level, you may shake seeds out of the opened pepper and/or use less than a whole pepper.) Leave the pepper to reconstitute in the oil for at least five minutes.

Put garlic through a garlic press and add to oil. Add remaining ingredients to the oil besides the chicken and shake or stir to mix. Add the chicken and, if using a bag, reseal while removing as much air as possible. Move chicken within bag or dish so that the mixture is evenly distributed, then place in refrigerator overnight.

Cook on grill for 10-15 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reads 180 degrees with a meat thermometer.

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The chicken, I must say, was INCREDIBLE! It was juicy and flavorful with just a little smoky, spicy kick. Kudos to our buddy T. for cooking the chicken for me on his smoker grill. Would that make it Double-Smoked Cayenne Chicken?

Tonight, after eating so much all day, I just wanted a light, easy dinner. I mixed some leftover marconi topping with some leftover plain pasta, adding a dash more salt, pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar. I diced a half-piece of the smoked cayenne chicken that was left and mixed it in, and I had (actually, finished while writing this) a yummy, light meal.

More to come, Fancy Pantsers. Leave me a comment and let me know what you made for Labor Day!

A Puppy to Love!

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Recipe Puppy

Just a quick post today to pass along a link my college buddy Stan sent me.

At Recipe Puppy, you can search the entire web for recipes based on ingredients. This is something I hadn’t seen before, and it’s wonderful!

For example, I had no idea what to make for dinner tonight. I still have some yellow squash and bell peppers from the farmer’s market (thx Hefty Fresh Extend), and there are some chicken breasts in the freezer. Put all that in the search box, and voilå, I’ve got options.

I think I’m going with the Baked Chicken Breasts in Salsa from Cooks.com. But wait, that sounds familiar…my fellow foodie girlfriend Sunshine over at Make Life Delicious has a similar Salsa Chicken, sans the veggies. May have to combine.

We’ll see what dinner becomes, I just thought this link was share-worthy.

Coming soon: Morgan’s Ratatouille and Pan-Roasted Patty Pan Squash w/Sage Cream Sauce.