Battle 5: Easter Appetizers

Happy Easter Weekend all!

And there's nothing like family gatherings, egg dying and a sugar high to make Chef Sink and I want to get cooking.

And luckily we're both still at the wonderful age of "oh sweetie, why don't you just bring an appetizer..." so that's exactly what we're going to do.  Easter Appetizers - and the recipe MUST be from a cookbook.  This means, no cheese platter for these girls.

Ladies, start your ovens!

Daddy's Shrimp 'n Grits - trust me, it's breakfast

So, other than the fact that I'm posting a bazillion days late - I would call this battle a complete success.  I follow France's savory cheesy breakfast with in fact a savory cheesy breakfast... notice a trend? Get on the 'cheese-for-breakfast' bandwagon!

I blended a classic southern breakfast with a family favorite (thanks for the recipe Dad) to bring you THE BEST FOOD EVER - Shrimp 'n grits.  

I physically cannot NOT order Shrimp and Grits whenever it's an option as a restaurant, and have therefore tried my fair share of this dish.  So it is with great authority that I tell you that despite the stick of butter in this recipe, I stand by the fact that this is the healthy version.  After all, there isn't a half inch of butter floating atop your bowl like they do in Key West (Mother-of-god it's delish!)

Nope, here we made our grits with milk, chicken broth and some cheese.  Load it into muffin tins and pop them in the oven.











Now the OTT (official taste tester) said he didn't believe in shrimp for breakfast, but he couldn't argue with  (or resist) cheese grits and ham gravy.  So while the grit "cups" are baking, I browned up some smoked ham,  butter (of course) and some extra broth.  I substituted gluten-free Pamela's Mix for flour in the gravy; still browned up beautifully and no sacrifice in taste either.

Now, here comes the good part.  Once the grits have been in the oven and firmed up.  Use the back of a spoon to make little bowls.  Then spoon in the ham gravy and top with cooked medium shrimp. Warm them back up for about 10 minutes. 

This recipe is originally for an appetizer size AKA mini-muffin tin, but for a breakfast portion I made them in regular sized muffin cups  (makes about 12) and served 2 each topped with some fresh parsley and of course my favorite, Texas Pete Hot Sauce.  

And no, I didn't refrain from licking my plate, cooking implements, fingers or anyone else's.

Happy Eating!
L

Pão de Queijo

One day I will be able to do this without making a gigantic mess.

Zomg.

ANYWAY.

Favorite.

No, but seriously. This is a perfect food.  As in up there with pizza and toast. THIS IS PRACTICALLY THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

Even the batter/dough thing is visibly delicious and cheesy.

Hang on. I'm drooling from the thought of a pizza crust that tastes like this.

Super easy recipe, and I finally got to use one of my cookbooks on BatchBattles. It's not...exactly perfect. Even the frozen stuff my relatives can get at the grocery store has a more delicate flavor, and while this recipe is definitely one of the better ones I've tried, the interior is not as fluffy as I'd hope.

Whatever.

CHEESY BREAD.

And this totally counts as breakfast. I would eat these for breakfast. So would you, and so would your mom.

I'd tell you how many I've had since they came out of the oven...but then I'd have to kill you.

Complete. Genius.

YOU GUYS.

My flawless counterpart is a goddess among women and had a brilliant idea. Neither of us has any time for this nonsense this week, so we are extending the deadline to the weekend and doing a SPECIAL BREAKFAST EDITION.

I'm. So. Excited.

Please excuse our chefs!

Due to a snag... also known as no one wants to consume anything made by a sick chef, we will not be battling this week. 

Please accept our deepest apologies. We will return next week with a bigger, badder, more delicious battle.

YES FINALLY ARGH

You guys...these turned out amazingly well. Even though I totally used lamo Target strawberries, because oh I don't know, I didn't want to pay $9 at Bristol Farms. See, you can't even tell:

Well, maybe I shouldn't be so amazed. I ACTUALLY CAN BAKE, YOU KNOW. EVERYTHING USUALLY TURNS OUT SWIMMINGLY. These last few battles, though, have really done a number on my confidence.

ANYWAY. The point is, STRAWBERRY & CREAM BISCUITS. And they're delightful. Like, beyond delightful. I actually didn't bring them into work because I knew I wanted to scarf them at home with a cup of tea.

Also, a quick sidenote: as I've noted here before, I'm the Midnight Baker. My usual routine is to bake when I'm bored after work, right? So last night, I decided to squeeze these biscuits in after flouncing off to go see A Good Day to Die Hard because NO ONE WOULD GO WITH ME.  Turns out, everyone else had the right idea. I was probably too excited by the poster tagline (Yippee-kai-yay, Mother Russia), and it got my hopes up for the rest of the movie.

Protip: PLOT. Kind of a thing. Barely linking together explosions and gun fights does not a plot make.

So, my point is, strawberry and cream biscuits make everything better. I wasn't about to buy $6 organic unsalted butter from Target, so I used regular salted butter and fudged the salt the recipe called for.

15 minutes later, and BOOM. Perfection.

I think next time I'll try uber-ripe garden/farmer's market berries. Mine weren't super juicy so while the biscuit itself is gently redolent of strawberry, I'd like to see what would happen if I were a little less subtle.
Which is funny, because I'm not exactly a subtle kinda gal.

To wit, me and my strawberry-cream biscuits:

Sorry, work people. These are staying in the Haight.

Hot Damn and Cool Berries

Spring is in the air and berries are in the grocery store, but how can you pick just one kind.

Instead I did a mix of berry goodness (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) complemented by a meringue pavlova and fresh whipped cream.  Even better is this dessert is completely gluten-free and a great trick to have in your back pocket.

All I can say is, please come visit, I need to have company over so I can have an excuse to make this again!

Start by making the meringue (oh Ina Garten, how I love you) and rather than bake it into one large pavlova I made smaller hearts by piping them onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed/parchment paper.  Ok, some were circles too but I was trying to be cute for an anniversary dinner.   On another side note: I made these the night before, and apparently they can keep for up to a week in an air tight container... that has a padlock on it.

After baking for a ridiculously long time in a ridiculously cool oven, out they popped, shimmering crisp shells with warm, slightly gooey centers.  In other words DIVINE.

I then stole a fruit sauce from my cooking crush, Smitten Kitchen, who I love more now after this sauce.  Ladies and Gentlemen, buy a bag of frozen berries (she uses raspberry, I used mixed), let it defrost and blend! Then warm on the stove with a touch of sugar.  Honest to god, I didn't even bother to strain them and didn't hear one complaint.  Again, I made this the night before during while I waited for the meringues to bake.

Cut up fresh berries (I used strawberries for me and raspberries for the OTT) and mix them up with a good smattering of the fruit sauce.  This is not the prettiest image of the night, but I dare you to not lick the bowl.

Whipped cream came right before serving.  I like to make my own to control the vanilla (lots) and sugar (not much).  My whipped cream is usually a tad beige from the quantity of vanilla I add, and for this recipe the warm vanilla flavor played beautifully against the tart fruit.


Lost story short, yes, make this...I know it's going to cycle around quickly in my kitchen this spring and summer... can't wait to try with peaches.

Battle 3: Berry Battalions

Ladies - choose your weapons!
Introducing Batch Battle Round 3 - The Berry Battle

So maybe there won't be blood spilled during this battle, but at least our kitchens should look like it.

There are no other specifics for this battle.  If Frances decides that marionberry has what it takes to win- so be it, even if Lauren chooses to showcase the lovely springtime treasure known as a strawberry. And of course, a berry combination would never bring about a complaint.

May your kitchens run red (or purple) with the sacrificed juices of the sweetest berries.