Past Recipes

I love these burgers, and much to my brother's chagrin, I asked him to make some with ground turkey in addition to the beef burgers he prefers. I think anyone would be hard pressed to tell the difference, especially when the burger is this juicy, and sandwiched between a soft bun loaded with lettuce, pickle, red onions and tomatoes. Give it a try.

Serves 6

2 pounds ground beef

2/3 cup bbq sauce (divided)

1/4 cup liquid smoke

3 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning (divided)

Heat the grill to medium (350 degrees).
Crumble the beef into a large bowl and pour about 1/3 cup of bbq sauce and the liquid smoke over the beef.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined.
Form into 6 equal patties either by hand or in a form.
Slather both sides of each patty with the remaining bbq sauce and sprinkle both sides with the remaining lemon pepper seasoning.
Grill until medium, about 15 to 18 minutes, flipping only once, about half way through.

Who doesn't like bread pudding? I guess it's not the best summer dessert, but it's not quite summer yet, and since I just returned from New Orleans, where I sampled a half a dozen bread puddings (including a lovely Apricot Bread Pudding for breakfast), I kind of have bread pudding still on my brain...or is it my hips? I'll just have to run faster, jump higher, etc., because I'm heading back to the kitchen for another bite.

Serves 8 to 10

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound day-old challah bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Bourbon Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup Bourbon

Bread Pudding:

Heat oven to 350°F. Whisk cream, milk, eggs and yolks together. Whisk in the next 5 ingredients (sugar through nutmeg).
Slather the butter generously all over the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Cover with bread cubes and sprinkle raisins (if using) evenly on top.
Pour cream mixture over bread, making sure each cube is moistened. Soak at room temperature for about 10 minutes. (After soaking, I mash the bread cubes with the back of a spoon just to make sure everything is good and soaked.)
Set the pan into a larger roasting pan in the oven and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come half way up the sides of the bread pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. The center should jiggle just a little.
Cool slightly and serve with Bourbon sauce. (If you cool completely, you can cut the bread pudding in neat squares as in the picture, otherwise it will be a little messy.

Bourbon Sauce:

Whisk butter and sugar together in a double boiler over low heat until mixture is smooth and hot.
Drizzle a few tablespoons of the hot butter sugar mixture into the egg and whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the remaining butter/sugar mixture in the double boiler and whisk until smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in Bourbon to taste. (start with 1 or 2 tablespoons, taste, and if you like a strong Bourbon taste, stir in the remaining liquor. Serve warm over bread pudding.

I know it sounds weird, but it's good. The creamy coconut is delicious and after a couple of bites, the back of your throat starts to warm up a bit from the Tabasco sauce. Garnish with some fresh mango and you're set. Oh, just try it.

Makes 1 quart

1 (16 oz) can cream of coconut
1-1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Tabasco® Green Pepper Sauce
1/2 cup sweetened shredded toasted coconut

Whisk first 4 ingredients together and thoroughly chill.
Process chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions, sprinkling in the toasted coconut as the mixture thickens.
Transfer to a freezer container and freeze for 1 to 4 hours.

I traveled all the way to Tucson, Arizona recently for this French Toast. It's that good.

A couple of years ago, I was invited to participate in the Tucson Culinary Festival, and I stayed at Westward Look Resort. This French Toast was on the menu in The Gold Room, the resort's dining room. It was love at first bite.

Last year, I found myself once again in Tucson for an event, and while I didn't stay at Westward, I did stop by on my way out of town just to see if the French Toast was still on the menu. It was. Oh rejoice!

Last month, I once again needed to stay overnight in Tucson to attend a culinary event, and so I called the resort to find out if the French Toast was still on the menu. "Yes, it is," the operator said. "Book me a room," I said.

What she didn't tell me is that the resort was sold last year, and is in the process of a major renovation (which is a good thing, because some of the rooms are looking pretty tired and worn).

I would have slept in the lobby just to have another shot at this French Toast. This is my adaptation of their recipe (they wouldn't give it to me, but my server told me how they make it).

Serves 4

8 slices Texas Toast (thick sliced, pale yellow color)
12 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (about 3/4 cup)
2-1/2 cups corn flakes
1-1/2 cups milk (2% or whole)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
Warm maple syrup
Slice bananas or strawberries (optional)

Heat oven to 350º F. Spread one side of each bread slice with 1-1/2 tablespoons peanut butter each. Set aside.
Finely crush corn flakes (I used a food processor). It should look like the texture of uncooked coarse grits. Place in a shallow baking pan and set aside.
Whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla together until well blended.
Dip each bread slice into the milk mixture and place on another baking sheet, peanut butter side up and repeat with remaining slices.
Dredge soaked bread in crushed corn flakes pressing lightly so that flakes adhere.
Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Melt a little butter and fry bread, peanut butter side down first, until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown other side, about 2 minutes.
Place toast on a rack set inside a baking pan. Repeat with 7 remaining bread slices.
Place browned toast in the oven to finish cooking, about 5 minutes.
Remove from oven. Slice bread in half diagonally, giving 4 halves to each person. Top with fruit, if desired and serve with warm maple syrup.

This soup tastes best room temperature or slightly chilled, I think, although it is quite acceptable to serve it warm on a chilly night. The color is pale cream, but with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts, blue cheese and a tiny sprig of rosemary, it looks elegant.

9 firm, but ripe Bartlett pears (about 3-1/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2 generous tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
1 generous tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup white wine (fruity like Viognier or dry Riesling)
1 cup pear juice or nectar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Pear Liqueur (optional)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
Garnish:
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

1.      Peel, quarter and core pears. Set aside. (Cover pears in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice if you prepare the pears in advance, up to 1 hour.)

2.      Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in pears (drain and pat dry if you held them in water) ginger, and rosemary. Cook just until pears are coated in the butter, tossing to coat.

3.      Pour in wine and turn heat to medium high. Cook until the pears release most of their juices and the liquid comes to a boil, about 3 minutes.

4.      Stir in pear juice or nectar and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pears are tender, about 5 minutes.

5.      Remove pan from heat. Puree soup in batches with a handheld blender or in a regular blender (do not fill blender more than half full if mixture is hot.)

6.      Return soup to saucepan. Stir in pear liqueur (optional), lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings. Add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

7.      To serve warm, gently reheat over medium heat, stirring often. To serve chilled, remove from heat and chill in an ice water bath, stirring often. When cool, remove from bath, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.

8.      Ladle soup into 6 bowls, and garnish with a sprinkling of blue cheese and toasted walnuts.

My husband took a slice of this pie before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal, worried that one of the other 33 guests would beat him to it. I took a bite, too, and now I'm convinced that eating pie before turkey will be a new tradition.

This recipe is adapted from two recipes, one from my friend Jane in Park City, UT, and an espresso flavored chocolate pecan pie from Fine Cooking.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Crust:

1-1/4 cups flour
Zest of 1 orange
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup chilled Crisco, cut into small chunks
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
6 ounces chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
2 cups pecan halves

Whisk flour, zest, sugar and salt together. Cut in butter and Crisco until mixture is crumbly (do in a food processor to speed up process and avoid over working the dough.)
Add just enough water to gather the dough into a ball. Flatten dough into a round disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour and you can make it 1 day in advance.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle and center over a 9-inch glass pie pan. Fold edges under and crimp. Line with foil, and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust turns slightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and pie weights. Cool crust.
Whisk melted butter with cocoa and espresso powders until smooth. Whisk in corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
Line the bottom (outside edge only) of the baked pie crust with pecan halves. Take the remaining pecans and coarsely chop. Mix the chopped pecans with the chocolate filling and pour over pie crust (the pecans will float to the top during baking.)
Bake the pie until crust is deep golden brown and pie is mostly set (it will jiggle slightly in the center), about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cover the crust with foil if it gets too brown. (I had to cover my crust after 40 minutes of baking.)
Remove and cool to room temperature. Pie can sit out at room temperature overnight, so you can make this pie a day ahead.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Cranberry sauce doesn't have to come from a can. (Sorry, Dad.) Here's a simple, seasonal rendition that should be on your Thanksgiving table.

Makes 3 cups

1 (12 oz.) package of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup ruby Port Wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries)
1 tablespoon gin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped toasted pine nuts

1. Stir cranberries, sugar, Port, and rosemary, in a heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.

2. Simmer until cranberries burst and mixture thickens slightly, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in cherries, gin and nutmeg. Cool completely before folding in pine nuts. Remove rosemary sprig before serving.

It's still too hot to turn on the oven, so I think we should stick with chilled soups this month. If you want to make more of a meal out of this, throw in some cooked shrimp. I know, it sounds weird, but it works.

Serves 6

8 cups of 2-inch cubed seedless watermelon flesh
3/4 cup peeled, seeded and chopped hothouse cucumber
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper bell
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 jalapeno, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

Garnish:

1 cup chopped watermelon flesh (about 1/4-inch cubes)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped, seeded (but not peeled) hothouse cucumber
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves

Working in batches, pulse the 8 cups of watermelon in a food processor until almost smooth. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Pulse cucumber, bell pepper and onion until finely chopped.
Place in the mixing bowl with the watermelon.
Stir in the cranberry juice, lime juice and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill.
Just before serving, toss the garnish ingredients together.
To serve, ladle about a cup of watermelon gazpacho into a chilled bowl or cup.
Sprinkle a generous tablespoon or so of the garnish mixture on top of soup.

It's way too hot to turn on the oven, so we're grilling outside this month. Yes, it's hot outside and even hotter standing over the hot grill, but that's what ice cold beer is for, right? At least the kitchen stays cool. This month, we're loving this spiced rubbed pork tenderloin, and topping it with a pineapple salsa.

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pineapple Salsa

1/2 a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1/4 of a small red onion, diced very small
1 jalapeno (seeded or not) diced very small
3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Serves 6-8

Trim tenderloins of visible fat and silver skin.
Toss the spices together in a small bowl.
Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with spice mixture. (you can do this the day before to allow the mixture to really penetrate the meat, or at least 1/2 hour before grilling, leaving the meat at room temperature.)
Heat the grill to medium heat. When hot, brush the tenderloin with the vegetable oil. (You may also want to oil the grill rack, too.)
Place the tenderloins on the grill and close the lid. Grill for 4 minutes, then turn the tenderloins over and grill another 4 minutes.
Turn the tenderloin a quarter turn and grill for 4 minutes, and finally turn to grill the last side for another 4 minutes, for a total of 16 minutes grilling time (this will give you just barely medium pork. If you want it more done, add another minute or two to each grilling side.)
Remove the meat and loosely cover with foil. Rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Pineapple salsa

1. Stir all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

My sister-in-law, Tish, thinks she can't cook. She wrong. She has perfected a salmon recipe that she slowly roasts in a low oven, slathered with a smoky sweet-hot glaze. On a recent trip to Texas, she treated us to this lovely dish and so as soon as I returned to Arizona, I wanted to give it a go.

I found Copper River salmon at A.J.'s and at $37 a pound, wondered if I shouldn't just frame it, but instead called Tish to ask her how to make the glaze. "Oh Gosh," she said, "if you figure out the proportions, let me know," she laughed. She said she takes the adobo sauce from a can of chipotles (smoked jalapenos) and mixes in some brown sugar and a splash of soy sauce, both for taste and to deepen the color.

Tish puts a long piece salmon filet (skin removed, no doubt by the butcher) in a roasting pan, covers it with her sauce, and roasts the salmon in a 250 degree oven until it's done. I decided that I wanted to grill the salmon, so that's how I've written the recipe below.

Either way, it's the best salmon dish I've ever tasted. I served it on top of a spicy vinaigrette tossed salad and sprinkled it with smoky grilled corn. Simple, delicious, and oh so good for you.

2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles*
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

1-1/2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin on
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

*To really turn on the heat, chop up one or two of the chipotles to add to the sauce. Tish uses La Costeña chipotles in a 7 oz. can, but you can use any brand. Look for canned chipotles in the Mexican foods aisle of your grocery store.

Serves 4

Heat the grill to medium high heat.
Whisk the adobo sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce together in a small bowl.
Brush the salmon with the vegetable oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
When the grill is hot, place the salmon on the grill, skin side up over direct heat.
Grill for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn salmon, skin side down. Turn the burner directly under the salmon off, and turn the other burners to low.
Brush salmon with the glaze every couple of minutes until it is done.*
Remove skin from salmon and serve.

*It should feel not quite firm when pressed in the center. It takes about 10 minutes total cooking time for 1-inch thick fillets, so adjust time up or down accordingly.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Glaze:

Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-cup standard muffin pan with non-stick spray (like the kind with flour in it.)
Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed in a mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium speed. Beat in vanilla extract.
Whisk flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl.
Stir buttermilk and zest together.
Alternately add buttermilk (in 3 stages) and dry ingredients (in 2 stages) to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the buttermilk.
Spoon batter into the prepared pan, filling each tin about 2/3's full. You will have a little batter left over.
Bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together in a small bowl.
Punch lots of holes in the top of the warm mini cakes with a skewer and brush on glaze. Keep brushing the tops until the entire glaze is gone.
Remove mini cakes from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

I love, love, love Mexican food. I had some left over grilled chicken and started thumbing through my cookbooks (yes, the ones I wrote...I use them all the time to make dinner, don't you?) I stopped on page 99 in Par Fork!, at the Tomatillo Salsa recipe from Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson. They serve this tangy sauce on Huevos Rancheros, but I thought it might be good with my grilled chicken.

I'm not good at rolling corn tortillas for traditional enchiladas so I decided to make them in the New Mexican style, just stacked on top of each other with layers of chicken, cheese and sauce in between. I wanted this to be a little more healthy than traditional enchiladas, so I didn't use any oil on the tortillas and used the cheese sparingly.

The sauce calls for roasting the jalapeno, so I decided to just roast, or in this case, grill everything else, too -- the tomatillos, the onions and the zucchini, since my left over chicken was already grilled. Hey, if you're going to fire up the grill, you might as well multitask.

You can prep all of this (the grilling, making the sauce) a day ahead of time, so when it comes time to assemble and heat, you can have dinner in less than 30 minutes. And I guarantee you, even Rachael Ray can't make a meal that tastes this good in 30 minutes.

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

1-1/4 pounds tomatillos
1 jalapeno
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Enchiladas

12 corn tortillas
1 pound grilled chicken, diced
2 medium grilled zucchini, diced
1 large grilled or sautéed onion
2 cups shredded cheddar (or Mexican blend) cheese
Mexican crema or sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes

For the Sauce:

Grill the tomatillos and jalapeno over medium heat (either outdoors on the grill or on a pepper roaster set over your stovetop burner) until the tomatillos skins are mostly black and the pepper is black all over. Remove from heat and let cool.
Remove the skin from the pepper, and roughly chop the pepper and tomatillos and place in a food processor.
Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh and add to the food processor. Top with the cilantro and lime juice.
Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and pulse until the mixture is mostly pureed but some visible chunks of tomatillo remain. Taste and season if necessary.

For the Enchiladas:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
Place 4 tortillas on the baking sheet.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of sauce on each tortilla all the way to the edge.
Top each tortilla with a small handful of chicken, zucchini and onions. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of cheese (and Mexican crema or sour cream if using).
Place another tortilla on top of each of the four tortillas and repeat steps 3 & 4 -- the sauce, the chicken, zucchini and onions, then the cheese and crema.
Top with another corn tortilla and any left over ingredients. Do a final sprinkle of cheese and then place in the oven until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Garnish with crema/sour cream and some chopped fresh tomatoes.

Nothing says February better than something chocolate. And what could be better than a warm, gooey chocolate cake? How about a warm, gooey cake kissed with orange? I've taken the basic recipe for the Chocolate Volcano from The Cool Mountain Cookbook, and given it an orange twist. The best thing about this dessert is you can make the batter in advance, and bake it while you eat your dinner. Enjoy!

1 tablespoon of butter
5 (8-ounce) ramekins

14 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 6 tablespoons)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Zest of 1 orange
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup flour

Garnish (optional):

Candied orange zest
Mint sprigs
Orange sherbet

Preheat oven to 450°. Butter 5 (8-ounce) ramekins. Set aside.
Melt the 14 tablespoons of butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally, just until melted
Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier and orange zest.
Beat eggs and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until thick and lemon-colored (I used an electric mixer but you may do this by hand). Add powdered sugar to eggs and beat.
Add flour and beat again until smooth. Beat in chocolate mixture. Divide mixture evenly among the 5 buttered ramekins.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops just start to crack (too much cracking is a sign of overcooking). It should be slightly undercooked in the middle.
Let stand for exactly 8 minutes. Turn upside down on a serving plate and remove mold. Serve immediately.

NOTE: If you make this in advance, after dividing mixture into ramekins, refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to bake them, or increase the baking time by 3 or 4 minutes if you go straight from the refrigerator to the oven.

(return to top)

What's new about this shrimp cocktail? Two things -- first, the herbs and spices in the poaching liquid to cook the shrimp, and two, the twist on the cocktail sauce. Of course, it has a Southwest kick.

With the holidays coming up, shrimp cocktail is just one of those classic appetizers that's always in fashion. I hope you like the additions I've made.

1 pound U-15 jumbo frozen shrimp, shell on
4 quarts cold water
2 lemons, sliced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Arizona Cocktail Sauce:

1 cup your favorite jarred cocktail sauce
1 chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce) minced
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons orange juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro