{Savory & Sweet}: Herb-Truffle + Honey-Cinnamon Compound Butters

If you know me, then you know how I feel about a good compound butter.  Over the weekend, I decided to whip up two varieties--one sweet and one savory--to add extra flair and flavor to my holiday tables.  And what resulted were insanely good butters that will have you feigning long after the holidays have come and gone.

On the savory side, I took to my pantry for truffle salt (because it's the holidays, you know), and garlic, then I rounded up some fresh Italian herbs to create a decadent Herb-Truffle Butter.  This delicacy will take your turkey, chicken, roasted veggies, popcorn, and more, over the top with bold, savory goodness.

On the sweet side of things, I went for the warmth of cinnamon, coupled with the floral sweetness of honey, for a Honey-Cinnamon Butter that will make you forget what you did with your pancakes, waffles, french toast, muffins, baked sweet potatoes, and then some, before it came along. 

Easy to make and wonderful for sharing, these compound butters are the perfect special touches to your holiday fare.

Happy Eating!

Herb-Truffle Butter
Ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon truffle salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Medley of fresh basil, rosemary and thyme, chopped  

Method:
In a small bowl, combine butter, herbs, salt, garlic and pepper.  Place on parchment paper and roll up into a log.  Refrigerate, or freeze, to firm.  Serve and enjoy!

Honey-Cinnamon Butter  
Ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon salt
Splash of vanilla extract

Method:
In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Place on parchment and roll up into a log.  Refrigerate, or freeze, to firm.  Serve and enjoy!

(Cook's Note: Butters can be stored in freezer and refrigerator.)   

Salted Honey-Caramel Sauce

Not all great dishes require extended time and effort to pull off something remarkable and deliciously nosh-worthy.  Take decadent salted honey-caramel sauce for instance.  This homemade treat comes together like a dream in a matter of mere minutes, and from there the sky is the limit on the number of ways to indulge.

From ice cream sundaes, to milkshakes, to cheesecake, to pancakes (you get the picture, no?), a drizzle or two or three of this homemade confection delivers irresistible sweet-salty-caramel-y goodness to your favorite desserts and dishes.

Make. Drizzle. Nosh. Repeat.  All in a day's... Happy Eating!

Salted Honey-Caramel Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel (or coarse salt)   
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Combine honey, 1/4 cup water, and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium, swirling until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil; cook until mixture is deep golden brown, 4-6 minutes.  

Remove from heat and carefully whisk in cream, butter, salt and vanilla (be careful, mixture will splatter).  Let cool completely.  Sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks in an airtight container.  Gently reheat before serving.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart   

Grilled Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing

This past weekend marked the unofficial start of the Summer season.  There were festivals, concerts and BBQs galore to soak in the beautiful weather and holiday weekend good vibes--and that means food (specifically what to eat) was never too far behind.

A family BBQ was on my agenda for Memorial Day and I contemplated what to contribute to the menu.  I briefly considered doing a dessert, but then decided to go in a different (but equally delicious) direction with a classic Summer staple: salad.  But not just any salad.  If it was going to be a salad that could hold its own among burgers and franks and sides and, yes, dessert, it had to be one that I was sure could deliver.   So I decided to dust off my my recipe for Grilled Caesar Salad with homemade Caesar dressing.  I fell in love with this salad years ago, and it was a hit at last year's Spring Pop-Up Cooking School, so it had already passed the taste test many times over.

There's nothing quite like making your food from scratch. The homemade effect is hard to beat and that couldn't be truer when it comes to homemade salad dressings.  Caesar dressing is especially wonderful with a bold, deeply savory and scrumptious flavor that can single-handedly elevate your classic Caesar Salad to other-worldliness-and when coupled with grilled, slightly charred greens, you'll never see this salad the same again.

Here's to a beautiful Summer filled with lots of Happy Eating!

Grilled Caesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Few dashes of Tabasco (optional)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Romaine hearts

Method:
Add the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, anchovy paste, Worcestshire, hot sauce (if using), egg yolk, salt, and pepper to a blender to combine.  With the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to incorporate until dressing is thickened.  Remove dressing from blender and whisk in 3 tablespoons of Parmesan.  Set aside.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Take romaine hearts and lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Grill, face-side down, for up to two minutes, or just until greens start to slightly wilt and char.

Greens can be served whole or chopped.  Add dressing and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.  Enjoy!     

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

There are some flavors that I simply cannot get enough of.  And such are the flavors of one of my absolute favorite sauces: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa.  I began making this bold, tangy, bright and ever-so-scrumptious treat years ago as my go-to accompaniment to fish tacos--perfect for drizzling over crispy or grilled fish and for dipping with tortilla chips.  But, I soon realized that this treasure could be enjoyed on just about anything, from eggs, to steak, to enchiladas, to any way you please.

Tomatillos are used heavily throughout Mexican and Central American Cuisine

I especially savor this recipe because it yields a warm salsa that's somehow more delectable--a byproduct of the roasted vegetables.  Effortless to bring together, there is every reason for this to become a part of your condiment repertoire forever.  Forever. 

Happy Eating!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 large white onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup cilantro
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place vegetables on a baking sheet and roast in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes.  Remove vegetables from oven and add to blender or food processor, along with salt, cumin, lime juice, vinegar and cilantro.  

Using the pulse function, blend to desired chunky texture.  Check for seasoning, serve and enjoy!
(Cook's Note: If a mild salsa is preferred, halve the jalapeno peppers and remove the ribs and seeds before using.) 
 

The Best Guacamole

If you've never tried your hand at homemade guacamole, today's post will give you just what you need to finally check it off your bucket list--and remove any excuses for doing otherwise.  How can I be so sure?  Because beyond the fulfillment of making it (or anything, really) from scratch, is the realization that it's truly quite easy to create amazing "guac". 

The essentials?  Buttery, ripened avocados. Fresh tomatoes. Onion. Garlic. Jalapeno. Cilantro. Salt. Freshly squeezed lime juice. 

  
Got it?  Then you're ready to make the freshest, most delicious, "they keep asking me to bring the 'guac'", guacamole you've ever tasted.  Within minutes of assembling your ingredients, you will have a creamy, decadent bite that's worthy of your favorite tortilla chips, atop chili or soups, slathered on toast, piled on tacos--or whatever your pleasure! 

Happy Eating!

The Best Guacamole

printable recipe

Ingredients:
3 softened, ripened avocados
2 roma tomatoes, diced with seeds removed
1 jalapeno, minced (remove seeds to reduce heat)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion or medium shallot, finely diced
Juice of 1-2 limes
Kosher salt to taste
Bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

Method:
Peel avocados, place in a medium bowl and roughly chop or mash.  Add in tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, garlic, lime juice and salt.  Mix to combine and taste for seasoning.  Sprinkle in cilantro and give a final stir to combine.  Enjoy!

 
 
 

Special Touches: Champagne Vinaigrette & Herb-Garlic Butter

 

In the grand scheme of a meal, a special dressing or butter may not seem like a big deal, but trust me when I tell you that it is.  In fact, I think everything that brings a meal together--from the quality of the ingredients to the finishing touches--are quite special.  They exemplify the effort (i.e. the heart and soul--and love, in my case) that goes into preparing a delectable meal.

In the case of a vinaigrette and compound butter, you can single-handedly elevate a dish from routine and ordinary to extraordinary and unforgettable.  And recipes like my classic Champagne Vinaigrette and Herb-Garlic Butter will help you do just that. 

When I share with others that I've been making my own dressings (Vinaigrettes, Blue Cheese, Caesar, etc.) for years, they often look amazed.  (And I get it--especially with the non-foodie types.)  However, I then share how easy they are to make, as well as the fact that with the home-made stuff you know--and control--exactly what you're eating.  The added health benefits--along with the fun of creating something delicious on your own--means that you really have no reason not to make your own!  This is equally true with compound butters.

The flavor profiles for vinaigrette and compound butter are as varied as your tastes and imaginations will allow, but for today's purposes, I'm sharing two of my all-time favorites that never fail to satisfy--and solicit the abundant "oohs and aahs" that every dedicated cook loves to inspire. 

So whether you're looking to dress up salad greens and grilled vegetables, or wake up pasta, fish or roasted meats, adding these special touches will take you there--and beyond.

Happy Eating!

Champagne Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar*

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon honey

Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture while steadily whisking until the oil is fully incorporated and the dressing emulsifies.  Store dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for on-going enjoyment.

*Cook's Note: If you don't have champagne vinegar on hand, you can substitute a good white wine vinegar for an equally delicious vinaigrette.

Herb-Garlic Butter

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine butter, herbs, garlic and salt.  Refrigerate (or freeze) until butter has become firm again.  Remove from refrigerator, serve and enjoy! 

P.S.  Tell me, what special touches do you like to add to your dishes?

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