Garlic Bread Doesn't Get Any Easier

Remember that toast sitting next to the frittata in my last post? That, my readers, is the easiest garlic bread you'll ever make.

Ingredients:

Bread

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Steps/Analysis:

It seems a little misleading to even call this a recipe. Three ingredients and barely as many steps. The hardest part is finding the right bread. A French baguette or Italian bread will do nicely. Basically, though, you'll want a nice, crusty loaf - something that you can cut into thick slabs.

Lay your slices out on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. You'll want to get a nice, even coating so feel free to use a brush if you have one. A paper towel can be used to effectively spread the oil as well.

Next, sprinkle some garlic salt over the whole kit and caboodle. Be careful, though, because its potent stuff. Too much will overload your taste buds in the final product, but just enough will provide all the garlicky goodness you'll need.

Place the baking sheet on the top rack of a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it because it'll burn quickly. Once it's brown and crispy, it's done.

Notes:

Is it fine dining? Not quite, but it's pretty much interchangeable with the garlic bread you'll find at just about any restaurant. It's a damn fine second fiddle to an appropriate entree.

Leftover Corner: Buffalo Wings to Frittata

Today's recipe hearkens back to the week following the Superbowl. On gameday, I gorged on chips and guac, pepperoni and cheese, quesadillas and wings, as, I'm sure, many of you did as well. My family's eyes proved to be larger than their stomachs, though, as leftovers were heaped into the refrigerator after Nawlins' victory.

What to do, what to do? When life hands you lemons, you're supposed to make lemonade. When life handed me Buffalo wings, I decided to make a Buffalo wing frittata!

Ingredients:

10-12 Buffalo wings

8 Eggs

1/2 Onion

1/2 Bell Pepper

1-2 Celery Stalks

Steps/Analysis:

Prepare yourself to get a little greasy. The first step here is to strip the meat off of your wings in bite-size pieces and make a neat little pile.

Once that's taken care of and you've washed your hands, turn your attention to your vegetables. Typically, when I'm making an egg dish, I limit myself to onions and peppers. However, to make the Buffalo wing connection a little more legitimate, I decided to add celery to the mix. It's famous as an aromatic anyway and couldn't possible hurt this dish. Cut everything into similarly small-sized pieces and sautee over medium heat.

In the meantime, crack and beat your eggs in a bowl.

Temporarily vacate your vegetables once they're nice and brown and smelling tasty. Grease up the pan with some butter and pour in your eggs. Allow a couple seconds to pass, then evenly distribute the chicken and veggies over the surface of the egg.

Don't stir the eggs unless you'd rather have a Buffalo chicken scramble (which sounds pretty good too). Instead, let the bottom start to set and lift the edges of the frittat while swirling so more raw egg makes contact with the pan.

When the surface of the eggs is still just a little liquidy, it's time to execute the flip. Get a big plate, preferably one that is larger than the pan you are working with. Jiggle the frittata loose and carefully slide it onto the plate. Turn the pan upside down over the plate and flip pan and plate together so that the uncooked side of the frittata is face down. This maneuver is going to take a little practice, so don't get frustrated when you don't maintain a perfect circle.

Let the frittata finish for a couple more minutes and remove to the table.

Serving:

Pretty simple: cut into slices and serve with salt, pepper, and hot sauce if desired. Hey! What's that nestled up next to my frittata? Stay tuned, folks; you just might get a bonus post in a couple days...

V-Day Breakfast: White Chocolate Blueberry Waffles

Unfortunately, I can only report on my culinary adventures after the fact, which means that you, my reader, did not make the most awe-inspiring, romantic breakfast for your boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever this past Sunday. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about that... at least not until my time machine becomes operational. You'd do well to print or copy down this post for next year, though. Your efforts will be rewarded and I won't even ask for any credit for it.

And so, I present a surprisingly easy, incredibly impressive breakfast: White Chocolate/Blueberry Waffles and Chocolate-dipped Bacon. Yeah, pretty much screams 'Valentine's Day," huh?

Ingredients:

1 Box Krusteaz Waffle Mix

4 Eggs

2/3 Cup of Oil

3 Cups of Water

1 Pack of White Chocolate Chips

1 Small Package of Blueberries

1 Container of Strawberry Yogurt

1 Package of Turkey Bacon (or the real stuff if you prefer)

1 Pack of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

1 Small Package of Strawberries

Powdered Sugar

Cubed Cantaloupe (optional)

One note before I begin: I underestimated the size of my girlfriend's waffle maker, so this recipe is for the entire box of waffle mix. I ended up with 12-15 extra waffles. While that's hardly the end of the world, it can present a storage issue, so use your best judgment and follow the directions on the box accordingly.

In a large bowl, combine waffle mix, eggs, oil, and water. Mix until a generally smooth batter is formed. At this point, you'll want to dump in the blueberries and white chocolate chips. White chocolate seemed to be the way to go here because the more subtle sweetness would counteract any bitterness in the berries without overpowering them as standard chips might. The ratio should be approximately 2:1, chips to berries. Stir the batter to evenly distribute the goodies.

Plug in and warm up the waffle iron. Each iron is going to be a little different, so keep an eye on your waffles until you get the hang of it. Also, be careful not to fill the iron so much so that it overflows; you'll be surprised how little batter you'll actually need. When the waffles are golden brown, move them to a pan or plate and place in a just-barely-warm oven. Repeat until you are finished with your batter and be sure to spray the iron with non-stick spray before each round.

I cooked my turkey bacon the day before and let the strips chill in the refrigerator until I needed them. That way, the melted chocolate adheres better and does not simply melt off again.

Now, I suppose you could put your chocolate chips or melting chocolate in a bowl with some butter and throw it in the microwave, but Valentine's Day is a time for grand gestures, so I opted to try the fabled double boiler. For this, you'll want to put an inch or so of water in a pot over low heat. Find a bowl that will fit on top of the pot without dropping in and fill it with your chocolate and a couple pats of butter. I didn't measure this exactly, so be prepared to add more butter to loosen things up as you go along. Stir the chocolate constantly until melted and smooth.

When you're ready, dip the bacon and place on a plate. Put the plate in the fridge so that the chocolate can re-solidify. Oh, and if there's any chocolate left, feel free to dip some fruit for later.

Serving:

Arrange 2-3 waffles on each plate in a pleasing manner. Open an container of strawberry yogurt and stir until smooth. Put a healthy dollop of yogurt on each arrangement and top with a couple strawberry slices. There's so much goodness going on in these waffles, your sweetheart won't even want to use syrup.

Arrange the bacon and fruit around the waffles and serve, preferably with mimosas and candles, you sly devil.

Notes and Tricks:

The chocolate-dipped bacon is a bold move, but may be more trouble than it's worth. I think it may have been tastier had I used real bacon, rather than turkey bacon. I imagine the end result would be crispier and saltier, which would even out the heavy sweetness of chocolate. Nevertheless, it was worth the experiment.

Indulge your creative side and play around with how you slice your strawberries. A few quick cuts and you have heart shapes (Even if they turn out a little abstract, your efforts will be noticed). Fanning the berries works great too. To do that, take a whole strawberry and make vertical, parallel cuts that go almost to the top of the berry. Then, take it in your hand and fan out the slices; the result is a sleek, professional look.

Ultimate Mexican Pizza

I'll admit in advance that I had been enjoying several margaritas while preparing this dinner. I understand that, because of that, you may be suspicious about this next statement. Mexican Pizza is, quite possibly, the best dish I've ever made for dinner.


Also, please forgive the quality of this post's pictures. They were taken with my phone, rather than my usual camera.


Ingredients:
2 Boboli Pizza Crusts
1 Can Refried Beans
1 1/2 lbs. Ground Turkey
1 Onion
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
Mexican Blend Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Black Olives
Jalapenos
Guacamole
Shredded Lettuce


Steps/Analysis:
Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Put a large pan over medium heat on the stove. Slice the onion into very small pieces; a dice would be even better if you're confident enough in your knife skills. Lightly sautee the onion before adding the ground turkey.


Once the ground turkey is nicely browned and broken up, add the taco seasoning to the pan, according to the directions on the packet.


Around this time, lightly brush the pizza crusts with oil and place them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. There's going to be a lot of Mexican goodness piled on these crusts, so it's a good idea to crisp them up a bit first. The process gives them a bit more structural integrity. While waiting on the crusts, open up your canned goods and get a couple baking sheets ready for the payload.


Pizza crusts at the ready, spoon on a healthy amount of refried beans and spread it out like tomato sauce. On top of that, apply a thick layer of the ground turkey/onion mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top of everything and put the pizzas back in the oven. Once the cheese is melted and bubbly, they're done. It'll take about 15 minutes or so.



While you're waiting, get your guacamole ready and slice up all your veggies and toppings. Lay them out nicely on a serving plate and mix yourself another drink.


Serving Suggestions:
A layer of guacamole applied on top of the pizza is the best kind of edible glue there is. Press your olives, tomatoes, jalapenos, and lettuce into that delicious mortar and enjoy. If you've done it right, the slice will look incredibly unwieldy. Your crust should handle it nicely, but a fork and knife is always an option if you're scared. Salsa and hot sauce should be invited to the fiesta as well.

Guest Post: Rubbed Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream

An integral part of the cooking experience is sharing food and recipes with friends and family; that's also an integral part of this blog, as a matter of fact. In that spirit, I was delighted when a friend and recent college graduate came to me with a story of heroism in the kitchen. I was even happier when I succeeded in cajoling him into writing a guest post for The B.A. Gourmet!

I'm very proud to present this story and recipe from Ryan K. and would like to take this opportunity to solict my readers for tales of their own post-college experiences cooking for themselves. There's no reason why this blog can't be a community experience.

Without further ado...

Hey BA Gourmet:

Long-time fan, first time poster. Wanted to submit a simple recipe by way of bragging about some culinary quick thinking over the weekend.

To preface this story, you have to know that the starring kitchen appliance in this story is a shoddy, 70s-style all gas stove with gas burners on top. Practically everything is wrong with this thing, and we've been begging the landlords to replace it since we moved in. Some of its more charming idiosyncrasies: if the oven is on, you can't light the burners; you can't store anything in the drawer underneath the stove since, naturally, the interior burners are located there, rendering any metal cooking sheet capable of melting human flesh; there's no thermometer save for the temperature dial, and there's no way in hell that dial is correct. Actually, to correct that last bit, my girlfriend had purchased an internal, clip-to-the-cooking-rack thermometer that works quite nicely.

And it's here that our sticky situation unfolds. We were setting out to make the delicious steak recipe below. Having preheated the oven to cook the potatoes and the asparagus, we were just about to set the oven to broil to throw the steak in, when the temperature knob stopped serving it's one function, i.e., turning. Later, upon further inspection, we learned that the oven had gotten so hot on it's quest for broiling temperatures that it had melted the dial, which was now spinning around the post rather than causing it to turn. Wonderful.

Meanwhile, the steak was only getting colder in the oven and my girlfriend's ire was drawing hotter. I can see her face begin to pout, mixed with the righteous anger of an innocent victim. She takes great pride in her skill in the kitchen (she's amazingly adept, with a disarming ease to her movements), and she fears even the smallest mistake will do irreparable harm to her reputation (it won't). But right now, we were teetering on the disastrous meal of raw steak and a side of miserable woman.

To talk her off the cliff, I suggested that I could cook the steak in a frying pan. To try to give the steak the same blackened exterior we were going for by broiling, I grabbed a pad of butter, melted it in the skillet, and cooked the steak for 6-7 minutes on each side. The result was delicious, save for a slightly tougher exterior than was desirable. At the very least, it was more satisfying than sulking girlfriend.

The recipe (from myrecipes.com):
Rubbed Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and 1 tablespoon horseradish cream)

Ingredients
STEAK:
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1/4 cup rye or bourbon whiskey
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

HORSERADISH CREAM:
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced

RUB:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Preparation
To prepare steak, trim fat from steak. Place whiskey and soy sauce in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.To prepare horseradish cream, combine yogurt, horseradish, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Cover and chill.To prepare rub, combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through salt). Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. Rub sugar mixture over steak; chill 30 minutes.Prepare grill or broiler.Place steak on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and cook 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with the horseradish cream.

Notes: We actually didn't get a chance to marinate the steak for longer than a few hours, but it was still delicious. Very flavorful. We coupled this with roasted red potatoes and roasted asparagus. Well, as above, they were supposed to be roasted, but we had to come up with a contingency plan, specifically, the potatoes were put in the toaster oven, and the asparagus (that we simply tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper) was roasted in a skillet.