Get Your Chef On: Blackberries {Summer Salad w/ Blackberry Thyme Vinaigrette}

I have a love-hate relationship with summer.

Heat.  Humidity.  Mosquitos.  Pouring my melting self into a 100 degree car.  These things I can do without.
Way, way without.

 This I love.

Summer may mean sweating and high utility bills.

But it also means blackberries & blueberries--my favorite fruits.  And figs only minutes off the tree.

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Summer Salad w/ Blackberry Thyme Vinaigrette

for the vinaigrette:
1 1/2 cups blackberries
scant 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
scant 1/4 cup olive oil
sugar (if needed)

for the salad (per person):
2 1/2 cups torn leaf lettuce
1-1/2 Tbsp toasted pecans
1 Tbsp blue cheese
1-1/2 Tbsp dressing
about 8 blackberries
1 heaping Tbsp blueberries
4 ripe figs, halved

Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients except for the olive oil and sugar to a food processor or blender.  Blend well.  Drizzle in the olive oil.  Taste for seasoning.  If your berries aren't sweet enough, you may need to add a little sugar.

Add the lettuce, pecans, blue cheese, and dressing to a mixing bowl and toss together.  Place in a serving bowl.  Top with the blackberries, blueberries, and figs and serve.

Got...

blackberries?

Black Beauty Smoothie

Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins

blueberries?

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Blueberry Focaccia

figs?

Figs Royale

Amaretto Figs

This post is part of 

Get Your Chef On is hosted by

Julie of White Lights on Wednesday

and

Jen of Four Marrs and One Venus

Thank you, Julie & Jen!

Also linking with:

Get Your Chef On: Chocolate {Mocha Latte Bread Pudding}

When CHOCOLATE was announced as this month's Get Your Chef On ingredient, I was on board.  As someone who is very familiar with chocolate--like familiar on a daily basis--I thought "piece of cake."  (Pun intended, of course.)

 

Turns out, this common, everyday (no, really, everyday) ingredient was a hard one.  I found it similar to being on the cereal aisle at the grocery.  So many choices.  Too many choices.

I ran a few ideas by The Husband.  When I described the idea I had in mind for bread pudding flavored with chocolate and coffee, he said "that sounds cool."

But really, it's better warm.

Mocha Latte Bread Pudding
w/ Caramel Whiskey Sauce

The texture is actually more like chocolate panna cotta 
than bread pudding,
but there's nothing wrong with that.

This bread pudding has a luscious, velvety texture with over-the-top rich, dark chocolate flavor.  The strong brewed coffee elevates the chocolate.  The Whiskey Caramel Sauce would be good on standard bread pudding too.  The whiskey isn't noticeable at first, but look for it on the finish.

Part of

Get Your Chef On is hosted by

Julie of White Lights on Wednesday

and

Jen of Four Marrs and One Venus
Thanks to Julie & Jen for organizing the event!
More entries can be found HERE.

This post featured @:
Freedom Fridays @ My Turn (for us)


GYCO Round-up @ Four Marrs One Venus

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Mocha Latte Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Whiskey Sauce

6 cups cubed French bread, with crust, roughly 1" cubes
4 whole large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
5 oz strongly brewed coffee
heaping 1/3 cup cocoa powder
pat of butter for greasing the pan

Ahead: Spread the bread cubes out on a sheet pan and let them sit for a couple of hours to dry out.

Whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Add the milk, cream, and coffee to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until dissolved.  Warm the mixture, whisking occasionally to prevent scalding, for about 4 minutes--until you start to see steam rising from the surface.  Turn off the heat and whisk in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.  Whisk until chocolate has melted.

Slowly whisk 1 cup of the milk and chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  Then whisk the remaining milk mixture into the egg mixture.  Add the bread cubes and gently toss to coat.  Press on the bread slightly as you go to allow the bread to absorb the chocolate custard.  Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Transfer the bread mixture to a buttered 2 quart baking dish.  Let stand while oven preheats to 350 degrees F.

Place a 13 x 9 pan on the center rack of your oven.  Place the bread pudding in the 13 x 9 pan.  Fill with water until water is about halfway up the side of your baking dish (containing the bread pudding).  Bake for about 40 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove bread pudding from the oven to cool slightly while you make the sauce.

for the sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, warmed
2-3 Tbsp whiskey

Place the sugar in a medium saucepan set over very low heat.  Melt the sugar, lightly stirring to prevent scorching, until sugar has melted completely and is golden.  This will go slowly at first, resulting in lumps of sugar, but will speed up as the mixture heats.

Slowly add the cream in a stream, stirring it into the sugar mixture.  Stir in the whiskey.  Simmer the mixture for a few minutes until thickened (it will thicken more as it cools).

Serve the bread pudding with some of the sauce poured over the top.

Also linking with:

See Ya Later, Alligator

...after while, crocodile.

This is one of my grandma's favorite sayings, standing on her porch seeing us off during a 30 minute good-bye

(because down here, good-byes are required to last no less than 24 1/2 minutes
and you best get off your fanny, see your company out the door,
and wave at them til you can't see them no more)

Grandma would always tell me "See ya later, alligator...."  Now she says this to The Boy.

Growing up, I didn't realize that this is really a thing.  A thing other people say.  Song lyrics, even.

I thought it was just people from Louisiana saying this.  Because, ya know, we have alligators.

At least that's what everyone thinks.

I recently read this on Facebook: Yes, I live in Louisiana.  No, I don't live in a swamp.

It made me laugh.  Because I imagine a lot of people think we're all down here living in the swamp, driving boats everywhere, and being over-run (or chomped on) by alligators.

The truth is, some parts of Louisiana are prairie, some coastal, some woodland, some hilly (our highest point is 535 feet--that's Driskill Mountain to us.  It's not all swamp.  And if it's not all swamp, it's also not all alligators either.

But it is all alligator today, cher.

looks kinda like chicken

Beer battered alligator bites.  With a cheesy Creole mustard beer sauce.

Oh, yeah...it's all beer today too.

Get Your Chef On is hosted by

Julie of White Lights on Wednesday

and

Jen of Four Marrs and One Venus

This post featured at:
  

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Gator Bites w/ Cheesy Creole Mustard Beer Sauce

1 lb alligator fillets or nuggets
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp hot sauce

If using alligator fillets, cut into bite-size pieces.  Mix the buttermilk and hot sauce together and place in a bowl.  Add the alligator and marinate for 3-4 hours.  When ready to cook, pour into a sieve and drain off the buttermilk.

vegetable oil for frying
1 cup beer
1 1/2 cups flour, divided
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
couple of pinches cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt (optional)

In a pot or fryer, begin heating the vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the beer and 1 cup of flour in a shallow dish.  In a separate dish, mix together the seasonings and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.

When the oil reaches 350 degrees F, dredge the alligator pieces in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.  Dip each piece in the beer batter.  Let the excess drip off and carefully add the alligator to the hot oil.  Fry until golden, about 7-8 minutes (depends on size).  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt if desired.

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup room temperature beer
1 Tbsp Creole mustard
couple of pinches cayenne pepper
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the flour and stir.  Cook until the mixture becomes bubbly.  Whisk in the beer, mustard, and cayenne.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and simmer until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

*Note:  this will make more sauce than needed for the alligator.  But that's ok because it's good on Giant Pretzels.

Linking this week with: