Fire Roasted Oysters

Early American settlers learned to roast oysters from the Native Americans who lived in coastal areas, and roasted oysters became a staple of their diet. While raw oysters are delicious without cooking, some people find the consistency unpalatable. Oysters are very easy to roast in their shells over a fire or on a grill. The heat from the fire allows the oyster to steam in its shell, poaching the oyster inside.

1 dozen oysters (or more!)
wood or charcoal

Select fresh unopened oysters from your fish market. Give the oysters a good rinsing to remove dirt and mud, and then start your fire. You can use a grill or a fire pit. We use our fireplace and burn oak or hickory which makes for hot coals and less smoke. Once your fire is very hot and well established, place the oysters on a rack or tray.

Make sure they are all in one layer to ensure even roasting. In 3-5 minutes (depending on the temperature of your fire,) the oysters should begin to pop open. Using an oven mitt or glove, remove the oysters from the fire and open the outer shell using an oyster knife. Arrange oysters on a plate and serve with your favorite oyster dressing. Slurping is optional!

Butter-crisped Turkey

We are spending Thanksgiving in Iowa City where my Mom, sister and brother-in-law live. My mom is cooking the traditional Thanksgiving fare: oven-roasted turkey, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, and homemade cranberry sauce.  After a night in the brine bucket, Mom and Dom tucked butter under the turkey's skin for a juicy, crispy-skinned turkey.

1 whole turkey (about 12 pounds), thawed if frozen, rinsed and patted dry
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the lowest position. Loosen the turkey skin, then working from the neck end, slide fingers under skin until you reach the end of the breast, being careful not to tear the skin; rub butter under the skin.

Place the turkey breast side down and fill neck cavity with stuffing, but avoid packing the stuffing too tightly. Close up by folding skin over and fastening with skewers or trussing needles. Turn the turkey over and bend wing tips underneath bird so they stay in place (you may even need to break the bones). Loosely fill the large cavity with stuffing. Then tie the legs securely (overlapping) using cotton kitchen twine, this way the bird retains its shape and moisture during cooking.

Cut the neck into pieces; mix with carrots, onions, celery, and 2 cups water in a large roasting pan. Set roasting rack over vegetables in pan. Lift turkey onto rack; rub with remaining tablespoon butter. Season the turkey generously with salt and pepper. Tent the turkey loosely with foil, and then roast for 1 hour. After the first hour, start basting every 30 minutes with pan liquids. After about 3 hours, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh (be sure to avoid bones.) If the thermometer registers 125 degrees, then remove foil and raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes more. Re-tent with foil if bird browns too quickly; add more water if pan becomes dry. Transfer turkey to a serving platter; cover loosely with foil, and let it rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

The Secret Ingredients Have Arrived!

A box from Marx Foods appeared on the doorstop today. Inside we found Dried Aji Panca Peppers, Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Fennel Pollen, Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms, Tellicherry Peppercorns, Dulse Seaweed, Maple Sugar and Smoked Salt. Now, to compete in the Iron Foodie Challenge sponsored by Foodie Blogroll and Marx Foods, we will need to create a signature dish using at least three of these eight ingredients. Any ideas? Our concoction will be posted here on December 3rd and voting begins on December 7th. Stay tuned to see what we come up with!

Holiday Cookies from my First Cookbook

As the holidays quickly approach, I have started gathering up my favorite cookie recipes. They are like old friends that I only see once a year. On my list are "Molasses Crinkles" from my very first cookbook: Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cookbook. You can tell which recipes were my favorites growing up because the pages are a bit stained from youthful mishaps. Flipping through the pages, I am transported back to 1975. The campy illustrations and pictures are familiar and comforting like a vintage quilt, and the taste of these spicy cookies evoke childhood memories of holidays past!

Molasses Crinkles
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2  teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, but recommended!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar for dusting

Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses and egg thoroughly in large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients except for the granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease the cookie sheet. Shape the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls and roll them in the granulated sugar. Place balls 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with 2 or 3 drops of water (I use a mister and lightly mist the tray.) Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or just until set but not too hard. Remove from the cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool. Serve with hot chocolate!

Curiousity killed the... Kangaroo?

Yesterday, Foodie Blogroll and Marx Foods announced the 25 Challengers in the Iron Foodie 2010 Contest. Dom and I are very excited and honored to have made their list! In the next few days, we will receive 8 secret ingredients from Marx Foods and we must choose 3 of the 8 ingredients to create a signature dish. I have to admit the suspense is killing me. We have visited the Marx Foods web site over and over trying to guess which items will be in the mystery package. Will it be black garlic, squid ink or kangaroo medallions? What could we make with sea vegetables, organic Camelina seeds or green shiso leaves? What in the world do you do with fennel pollen? The possibilities are endless and marvelous. We will let you know what the secret ingredients are as soon as the box arrives. Wish us luck as we embark on this culinary adventure!

Grady Gridiron Waffles

Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron back from France in the 1790’s and waffles became popular in America soon after. Waffles were served in lieu of bread any time of day. In the late 1930’s, Wells Supper Club in Harlem, New York started selling the chicken and waffles to late-night customers because “it was too late for dinner, and too early for breakfast.” In the deep South, it was a popular combination that served as a hearty Sunday morning meal before a long morning in church.

Following the tradition, the Grady High School Gridiron Club has been serving up warm fragrant waffles and fried fish on Friday afternoons before each home football game for years. The parking lot is filled with the sweet aroma of waffle steam being released from the waffle iron. According the Chef de Cuisine (Gridiron President Howard Hill,) he uses the “Waffle House Mix” for his near-perfect, pre-game nibbles.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg and combine with sugar, butter, and shortening, mixing until smooth. Add the half & half, milk, buttermilk and vanilla to the egg mixture and blend together. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture while beating and mix until smooth.

If possible make the batter ahead and allow to chill (covered) overnight. If refrigerated, leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating. The batter can be used right away but it is best if allowed to rest a minimum of 20 minutes.

Preheat your waffle iron, then using a cooking spray (we use PAM®,)  spray a  light coating of vegetable oil on your waffle iron. Ladle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are light brown. Serve with butter and maple syrup, and enjoy!

Go Grey Knights!

Pesto Genovese

As the temperatures start getting close to freezing in the South, we find that we use more basil before the plants die out. Fresh leaves in Caprese salad and on pizza Margherita, and fresh pesto for pasta, bruschetta and sandwiches are all delicious. And the spicy aroma doesn't hurt!

When my grandmother made this recipe, she used a mortar and pestle and hand ground all the ingredients together which makes a chunkier, more rustic sauce. For a smoother, more consistent pesto I use a food processor. We use walnuts  since I am allergic to pine nuts.


1 cup fresh basil leaves (packed)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (or substitute walnuts)
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
pinch of salt and pepper

Place the basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add walnuts (I'm allergic to pine nuts!) and garlic and then add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream until a smooth sauce is formed. Add grated cheese and pulse to mix. Add to the cooked pasta of your choice and toss gently to coat pasta completely. If the sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup of the pasta water to the mixture. Additional olive oil may be added as well. Serve and sprinkle top with additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date, but it as never as good as using it right out of the garden.

Iron Foodie 2010 - A Family Challenge

This post is our submission to the Iron Foodie Challenge being sponsored by Foodie Blogroll and Marx Foods. Why do we want to compete in this “Iron Foodie” challenge? The name of our blog answers sums it up quite well! We have been cooking together since we met 23 years ago. We love to and experiment with new ingredients and have tried to instill a love for food and exploration in our children. This challenge would give us an opportunity to try new ingredients as a family, work together to create new dishes, and most importantly to spend time together doing what we all love best: cooking and eating!

We are huge fans of Frank Oz and the Swedish Chef (Bort, bort, bort!), but if we could spend one day in the kitchen of the legendary Thomas Keller, it would be nothing short of culinary nirvana. Merely having access to the impeccable ingredients he uses would be a blissful experience. To gain insight into his attention to detail and his passion for new gastronomic achievements would be both educational and enlightening!

The morsel most likely to be plucked from a dish in our house is a dill pickle. Whether it is a Kosher “full sour” dill or a Polish “ogórek kiszony,” watch your plate or it may disappear!

As we have mentioned before, Dom grew up in an Italian community. Every Sunday his grandmother would open their house to a multitude of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to enjoy handmade cavatelli with a meaty pomodoro sauce (made from tomatoes canned from the garden,) homemade bread with peppers in oil, and even homemade wine. It was unbelievably noisy and messy, but entirely enjoyable and memorable.

When we discussed which one mainstream food we couldn’t abide as a family, there was a heated debate which finally ended in a tie. Dom and Sonny (who could survive on tapas alone) feel that “heat and eat” hors d'œuvres are the sacrilege of the century, while Nic and I decided that instant mashed potatoes are the work of the devil and should be avoided at all costs.

Thanks for taking time to read this post, and thank you for giving us the prompts for a lively and animated conversation about food and life!

Old School Baked Custard

Another treat from my grandmother's recipe box! Perfect comfort food for a cold rainy day. I made this yesterday and had forgotten how incredibly easy it is to make!

Unlike its cousins, creme brûlée and flan, this custard is very soft and delicate with a lighter texture. The plump raisins are a sweet surprise at the bottom of the cup. If you can resist eating it all as it comes out of the oven, it is actually even better served cold.

2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar (scant)
1 tsp. of vanilla
Raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 325oF. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until sugar is dissolved. Place raisins in bottom of ramekins or cups, and then pour the custard mix on top. Sprinkle cinnamon on top after you have filled cups.

Place ramekins/cups in a pan which can be used as a bain-marie (water bath). Place baking dish on the oven rack and then fill dish with enough hot water to keep the bottoms of your custard cups wet (approximately 1 inch). Bake on middle rack for 1 hour. Remove from bain-marie to cool. If you plan to refrigerate, cover lightly with plastic wrap.