Tarragon Lobster Cakes with Spicy Papaya Queso Blanco Sauce

On our summer vacation, we enjoyed some delicious lobster cakes at Newport's Rhode Island Quahog Company restaurant. This weekend, I've made my own version of lobster cakes, with a Royal Joust twist. The ingredients in this month's challenge by Leftover Queen Royal Foodie Joust are papaya, cheese, and tarragon, an unusual combination. Since I love pairing lobster and tarragon, I decided to incorporate the tarragon into the lobster cakes and then combine papaya and cheese into a delicious sauce with a spicy kick from serrano chiles. I used a Red Caribbean Papaya, which is quite large and has a bright pink flesh when ripe. However, other kinds of papaya will also work for this recipe.

Ingredients: (6 lobster cakes)

1/2 cup Red Caribbean Papaya, cut up in small chunks
1/4 cup queso blanco cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon serrano chiles, minced
2 (or more) tablespoons sour cream
Salt to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg
1 cup cooked lobster meat, cut in chunks
1/2 cup panko crumbs
Salt, pepper to taste
Vegetable oil

Directions:

Place papaya, queso blanco, serrano chile peppers, and sour cream in a blender. Mix well, adding more sour cream if necessary to reach a smooth (but still thick) sauce consistency. Season with a little bit of salt.

In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, tarragon, mayonnaise, and egg together. Gently mix in the lobster chunks and panko crumbs.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Form small round patties with the lobster mixture and fry the cakes for about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Serve the lobster cakes with the papaya queso blanco sauce.

Hatch Chile Gazpacho

As the end of August approaches, a hot ingredient to cook with is the Hatch chile pepper, which now is at the peak of its season. This chile pepper is a very flavorful chile that comes mainly from a small village in New Mexico named Hatch and known as the "chile capital of the world". Every Labor Day weekend, Hatch holds an annual Hatch Chile Festival, a very popular event attracting chile fans from all over the world.

I first read about Hatch chiles on Gloria Chadwick's Foods and Flavors of San Antonio. Gloria also created a new site dedicated to this special chile pepper, Hatch Chile Heaven. I had never seen these chile peppers on the East Coast until to my surprise in my last shopping trip to Wegman's I discovered a stand of gorgeous Hatch chile peppers greeting me right in the front of the store! I learned coincidentally that this was the first time Wegmans had had a delivery of Hatch chiles (read about it more on Washington Post). Of course I grabbed a whole bunch of these beauties to bring home with me.

The green Hatch chiles were sweet and juicy with just a little bit of a spicy kick, and perfect as a featured ingredient for a refreshing gazpacho. This Hatch chile gazpacho is delightful for these hot August days.





Ingredients: (yields 16 oz of soup, 2-4 servings)

2 hatch chiles
1 large tomato
1 small seedless cucumber
1 green onion
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 slice bread, soaked (I used brioche which added a bit of sweetness)
1/2 cup stock
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut up the Hatch chiles in small slices and reserve a few slices for each bowl for garnish. Peel and slice tomato and cucumber into small chunks. Chop garlic and green onion. In a blender, combine Hatch chiles, tomato, cucumber, garlic, and green onion. Then, add lime juice, oil, tomato paste, and bread. Pour in the stock. Blend all ingredients together and season with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Chill for at least two hours. Pour into individual bowls/cups and garnish with remaining slices of Hatch chile.

***

I would like to send this soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

Check out other recipes with Hatch chiles posted by my foodie friends this week:

Hatch Green Chile Stew & Cornbread at Texas to Mexico.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Hatch Chilies and Queso at What's Gaby Cooking.

Hatch Chile Heaven site for all Hatch Chile recipes, festivals, events, and Hatch Chile Cookbook Giveaway by Gloria Chadwick.

Brown Sugar Peach Pancakes

It has been our family tradition to eat blueberry pancakes in the summer. True to this tradition, we enjoyed this delicious breakfast throughout the blueberry season this year. However, this August I've decided that it is time to make something new. Inspired by the post by Olga at Mango & Tomato blog where she added peaches and chocolate chips to her pancakes, my daughter and I made these brown sugar peach pancakes. Adding brown sugar was my daughter's idea, and it added a wonderful sweet caramelized flavor that we really enjoyed.

Ingredients: (yields 6 large pancakes)

1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 peach, cut in small chunks
1-2 tablespoon butter
Maple syrup

Directions:

Whisk milk, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs in small bowl. In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Gradually whisk milk mixture into the flour mixture. Mix in 2 tablespoons of melted butter and peaches.

Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Melt additional butter. Pour 1/4 cupfulls of batter onto the griddle. Cook until light brown on one side for about 1-2 minutes. Turn over and cook on the second side for about 30 seconds.

Serve the pancakes with maple syrup.

100th Anniversary Tillamook Cheddar and Macaroni & Cheese A La Russe

photo courtesy of Tillamook Cheese

This year Tillamook Cheese from Oregon is celebrating it's 100th anniversary. This family-owned cooperative makes various dairy products including butter, ice cream, and yogurts, but it is most famous for their cheddar cheese. To celebrate its one hundredth anniversary, Tillamook Cheese released a special 100th Anniversary Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar. This cheese comes in a 2-pound wheel, enclosed in black wax, and packed in a cute wooden box. This cheddar is aged for three years, yielding a pleasant cheddar flavor that is predominantly mild despite a hint of flavorful sharpness. Slightly crumbly in texture, for an extra sharp cheddar it remains surprisingly milky with pockets of crisp flavor crystals.



Tillamook's Vintage Cheddar is an accessible cheese with very little of the extra sharpness evident in other such cheeses. It retains a sufficiently creamy texture to also serve admirably in a cheese melt. We especially enjoyed the Tillamook cheddar melted on baguette slices, and proved an excellent ingredient to use in my new recipe for Macaroni & Cheese a la Russe.



This recipe for Macaroni & Cheese a la Russe originated from leftover garnishes of Russian Blini. I had vodka, dill, smoked salmon, and caviar and decided to mix those in with a pasta the next day. The result was a delicious macaroni and cheese that we put on our list of favorite dishes.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup vodka
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt, white pepper to taste
2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded (such as Tillamook Sharp Cheddar or Vintage White Extra Sharp 3YR. 100th Anniversary Cheddar)
4 ounces smoked wild salmon, thin slices cut into 1 inch squares
1-2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
Salmon roe caviar (optional)

Directions:

Into a large saucepan pour cream, vodka, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Season with salt and white pepper, then add white cheddar. Lower the heat and simmer for just a few minutes, stirring until the cheese melts completely. Add macaroni and mix well. At the last minute, before ready to serve, swirl in the 3/4 of the smoked salmon slices. Place macaroni in a large bowl or individual plates, arrange the remaining smoked salmon slices over the top, and sprinkle with dill. Garnish with salmon roe caviar, if available.

Grilled Bourbon Pork Medallions with Cranberry, Orange & Port Wine Relish

As my "saucy" week comes to an end, I would like to share these Southern-style pork medallions served with sweet corn puree and a cranberry, orange & Port wine relish from Salter's Chesapeake Gourmet. The components of this dish are inspired by our trip to Georgia last year. Dining in The Olde Pink House in Savannah, we enjoyed an exceptionally delicious Bourbon grilled pork tenderloin served with sweet potatoes & collards. After a few unsuccessful attempts to replicate this dish exactly as it was, I decided to created my own version based on this inspiration. The pork tenderloin can be grilled as a whole, or cut up in medallions as I have done in this recipe to reduce the cooking time. While sweet potatoes are also an excellent side dish for this pork, I thought corn would be a better seasonal choice. The idea for the corn puree comes from our dinner in the 5-Star Georgian Room on Sea Island. This is a perfect summer side dish, featuring delicate sweet flavors, and complimenting the tart sweetness of the cranberry, orange & Port wine relish.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 pound pork tenderloin

3 ears of white corn
3 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste

Directions:

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Place the pork tenderloin in a plastic bag, cover with marinade, seal, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

Prepare grill. Take the pork tenderloin out of marinade, slice it into 1-inch medallions (about 12), and sprinkle lightly with salt. Grill the pork medallions for about 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the corn for about 10 minutes in a salted boiling water. Cut the kernels off and place those in a food processor. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and mix well. Strain, pushing the corn puree out with a wooden spoon as much as possible (will be about a cup of corn puree).

Serve pork medallions with corn puree and top with the cranberry-orange relish.

***

I would like to thank Juliana from Simple Recipes for the One Lovely Blog Award and Catherine at Unconfidential Cook for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Baked Chesapeake Rockfish with Crab Au Gratin

One of the things we enjoy about living in the Washington D.C. area is the proximity of the Chesapeake Bay area, the wonderful local seafood, and especially our local fresh crab meat. One special getaway destination that we are looking forward to visiting in the near future is the Inn at Perry Cabin, a luxurious resort housed in an elegant colonial mansion in St. Michaels, Maryland. This resort also features a gourmet restaurant where award-winning executive chef Mark Salters offers a seasonal continental menu featuring Chesapeake Bay ingredients and flavors.

Mark Salters also runs his own company, Salter’s Chesapeake Gourmet, offering gourmet marinades, sauces, and dressings. I was recently able to sample some of these products. Today, I am sharing a Chesapeake Bay inspired dish that I created using Mark Salter's Eastern Shore Pub Sauce. This tomato-based sauce features a fusion of delicious flavors and can be used to compliment a number of dishes including crab cakes, burgers, and fish & chips. I used the Pub Sauce to coat my Wild Chesapeake Rockfish Fillets, which were then topped with creamy and cheesy Maryland Crab meat. This delicious combination of flavors is further enhanced by serving plenty of additional Pub sauce on the plate.

* The Eastern Shore Pub Sauce is available at several locations around the Chesapeake Bay area or online http://www.salterschesapeakegourmet.com/, free shipping within USA).


Ingredients: (4 servings)


2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup cream
2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup milk
Salt to taste
1 cup Maryland Crab meat
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

4 Wild Chesapeake Rockfish Fillets
About 1/2 cup of Eastern Shore Pub Sauce
Chives (optional)

Directions:

In a skillet, melt butter. Add flour and stir until a paste forms. Whisk in cream and wine. Add Gruyere cheese, mix until the cheese is melted. Add milk, making sure the sauce is smooth and uniform. Season with salt and fold in crab meat. Take the crab mixture off the heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Cover the rockfish fillets with Pub sauce on all sides and place on a baking sheet. Top each fillet with a generous portion of crab mixture (about 1/2 cup). Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan and broil for 1 more minute. Garnish with chives if desired.

Serve with additional Pub sauce and baked potato fries.

Sailor's Macaroni, Buffalo Buffalo Burger, and other "Saucy" Ideas

This dish that my mom made from chicken leftovers is the best comfort food from my childhood. It’s called Sailor’s Macaroni, or “Makaroni po-flotski”, because it is so easy and quick to make anywhere, even at sea (if you’ve got chicken), and it was probably originally created by a ship’s cook. Often after I've made chicken soup, I will use the leftover cooked chicken, fry it with onions, and mix it up with pasta. It's even better when I make this from freshly ground chicken as this way the chicken is a lot more tender. Still, my family often complains that this dish is not flavorful enough. The Saucy Mama's Parmesan Garlic Marinade provided a perfect solution. I used it as a sauce to add to my Sailor's Macaroni. I expected the resulting dish to be rich and creamy, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to find a light vinegary taste with a wonderful spicy kick that complimented the pasta with chicken very nicely. This was just the sauce this dish needed!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked macaroni (or other pasta shapes)
1 boneless chicken breast half
Salt, pepper to taste
1/2 onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup (or more to taste) Saucy Mama's Parmesan Garlic Marinade
1/2 cup yellow heirloom tomatoes, cut in 1/2 inch chunks

Directions:

Grind chicken and onion using a meat grinder, season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute chicken and onions, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, until chicken is just cooked through. Mix in Saucy Mama's Parmesan Garlic Marinade and cook for another minute. Serve and top with yellow tomatoes, if desired.

Other "Saucy" Ideas

Seared Sesame Ginger Wild Salmon



To make this Asian-style dish, I seared the salmon fillets, basting these with the Saucy Mama's Sesame Ginger Dressing. I served the salmon with rice pilaf, mandarin oranges, and drizzled a little more of the Sesame Ginger Dressing over the salmon.

Lamb Chops with Chipotle Mustard

This dish probably sounds very familiar to my readers. Just a little while ago I posted a recipe for Grilled Lamb Chops with Chipotle Mustard and Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes, one of my signature dishes. I was very happy that I got Saucy Mama's Chipotle Mustard because it was excellent and I didn't have to spend extra time making the chipotle mustard from scratch.

Buffalo Buffalo Burger



I coated these grilled bison (buffalo) burger patties in the Saucy Mama's Hot Wings sauce (Buffalo-style) and topped them with blue cheese. We were wishing that we had some Awful Awfuls (from Newport Creamery) with our Buffalo Buffalo burgers!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground bison meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of Wostershire Sauce
Saucy Mama's Hot Wings sauce
4 twisted pretzel rolls
4 tablespoons lettuce, shredded
4 tablespoons blue cheese, sliced in small chunks

Directions:

Prepare the grill. Mix bison with salt, pepper, and Wostershire Sauce, then divide into 4 equal parts, shaping into balls, and flattening them into round disks. Grill bison burgers for about 2-3 minutes per side. Coat with Saucy Mama's Hot Wings sauce on both sides. Place 1 tablespoon of shredded lettuce on the bottom of each roll, place a burger patty, and top with 1 tablespoon of blue cheese.

***

I would like to thank The Veggie Mom for giving me the Kreativ Blogger Award and Sophia from Burp and Slurp for a very special The Circle of Friends Award.

Lime Chipotle Marinated Duck Breasts with Nectarine Salsa

During this August heat, I am making light meals that are easy to make. I was fortunate to receive a package from Saucy Mama with several excellent marinades and dressings that helped me create some delicious quick dinners. Today, I would like to share the dish that we liked the most - Lime Chipotle Marinated Duck Breasts. As a result of using the Saucy Mama's® Lime Chipotle Marinade, the duck was very tender and had a terrific citrus and smoky flavor with a touch of spice, giving it a Tex-Mex flare. A refreshing nectarine salsa and delicious Mexican-style rice complimented the duck very nicely.

Ingredients: (yields 2 dinner servings or 4 small plates)

duck
2 small duck breasts (Maple Leaf Farms Boneless Duck Breast)
1 cup Saucy Mama's® Lime Chipotle Marinade
Salt, pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

salsa
1 nectarine, sliced in small chunks
1 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon red pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt, pepper to taste

rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
Salt to taste, pinch of Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup rice
1 cup stock
1/4 cup tomato paste

Directions:

duck
In a shallow container, place the duck breasts, and pour the Lime Chipotle Marinade over. Refrigerate for at least two or three hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Discard from marinade and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a oven-proof skillet. Place the duck breasts skin down and pan-fry until the skin turns golden brown. Place the skillet in the oven and roast the duck breasts for 8-10 minutes for medium-rare. Let the duck breasts rest for 5 minutes, then take the skin off (if desired) and thinly slice, diagonally on a bias.

salsa
In a small bowl, combine nectarine chunks, green onion, red pepper. Season with salt and pepper, then add olive oil and lime juice and mix well.

rice
In a small pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and chipotle chili powder and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add rice, tomato paste, and stock. Season with salt and add a pinch of Cayenne pepper. Mix well. Bring to boil, then lower the heat, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until all liquids are absorbed.

assembly
Place a portion of rice in a center of the plate and arrange the duck bread slices around. Top with nectarine salsa.

Return to Cheese Tastings

I recently realized that I have not posted about any of our cheese tastings in some time. Our cheese tastings have not been very regular, with vacation, weekend getaways, and numerous birthday parties to deal with during late spring and summer. Fortunately, we have still been able to enjoy various cheeses for our Saturday lunches. During the last few months we have gone back to some of our favorites, the most frequent of which has been the Parrano Original, a Gouda-style cheese from Holland made from cow milk and a wax packaged rind (see full review).



We have sampled a few new cheeses as well. In particular, the Snow White Goat Cheddar from Wisconsin's Carr Valley Cheese company was a great find. This cheddar made from goat milk is cloth-bound and cave-aged for six months, resulting in full and complex flavor. It is milky white and creamy but firm in texture. The taste is quite mild, with a hint of sweetness, and just a little bit of smokiness from the rind. This spectacular cheese has won the first place Best of Show at the 2008 American Cheese Society Competition.


Snow White Goat Cheddar

We also tried a new Gouda cheese, the Vintage Special Edition from Wegmans. This Dutch cheese is made from cow milk and aged for three years. It had a rich nutty flavor with a little bit of sweetness and hints of butterscotch. We loved the creamy texture and the occasional crunchy bites of this cheese.


Vintage Special Edition Gouda

Another new cheese we tasted was a White Stilton from Cropwell Bishop Creamery. This family-owned creamery is located in the Vale of Belvoir, near Nottingham, England, and it specializes in producing some of the best, award-winning Stilton cheeses. The creamery has quite a selection of white stiltons, paired with various fruits. The White Stilton we tried was blended with dates and orange. This cheese was soft and creamy, with a fruity and sweet taste with tangy notes from the orange. It was quite rich and perhaps a little bit too sweet, but I thought it was excellent as a dessert cheese.


White Stilton with Dates and Orange

Our cheese tastings will now be more regular, and I hope to report on some interesting new cheeses as we discover them, with a cheese tasting post at least once a month. In two weeks, we will have an opportunity to try a very special cheddar made for the 100th Anniversary of Tillamook Cheese. Meanwhile, don't forget to check out the Tillamook Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest.

***

I would like to thank Rebecca from Chow and Chatter for the I Love Your Blog award!

Newport – Newport Creamery and Rhode Island Quahog Company

For part of our vacation, we spent some time in Cape Cod with family, relaxing at the beach, hiking, and sailing.



Our next historical destination was Newport where we explored the architecture and life of the rich and famous during the Gilded Age. Some of the fabulous mansions we toured include The Breakers, Beechwood, and Rosecliff.



Our first culinary stop in Rhode Island was an old time favorite, the Newport Creamery. This summer, the creamery is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Awful Awful, their special milkshake.



We tasted Mint Chocolate Chip and Vanilla Awful Awful shakes. The mint chocolate chip shake was naturally brown in color, rather than artificial mint green.



We also enjoyed a Malted Frappe with maple walnut ice cream.



We then had dinner at the Rhode Island Quahog Company restaurant, located on busy Thames street. The “Quahog Story” on the menu explains that this restaurant is named after quahogs, Rhode Island’s original clams. Narragansett Indians called this clam "poquahock" which eventually became quahog. They also used these clams as currency, known as wampum. Hence, the saying “Hey that’s a lot of clams”.



The restaurant offers many excellent seafood dishes. In the summer, there is also a special lobster menu that has an impressive list of creative dishes featuring lobsters.



We opted for lighter fare (after all those Awful Awfuls for lunch) and chose some appetizers to share. The New England clam chowder was delicious. In fact, their clam chowder recipe has won awards at the International Chowder Cookoff.



We couldn’t resist sampling the lobster cakes from the Summer Lobster menu. The lobster cakes were very flavorful with a little bit of sweetness and a nice spicy kick. Roasted corn, tomato, and black bean salsa were very refreshing and complimented the lobster cakes.





We also had to try the stuffed quahogs which were really good, featuring excellent Native American flavors.



We liked our meal at the Rhode Island Quahog company so much that we had to come back the next day. This time, we had a Block Island lobster bisque, a Waldorf salad with pomegranates and gorgonzola, and a bowl of linguine with little neck clams and buttery white sauce. We enjoyed all of these dishes as well.


The Rhode Island Quahog Company is an excellent casual seafood restaurant that offers a good value and a classic New England experience.