Pipe, Decorate, Fill and Sanwich.

Although I had no interest in the Super Bowl Game itself and really needed to be home taking out my hair in preparation for my trip this week, I did attend a party at our friends’ house. (I’m not telling yall where we’re going because I am surprising Greg and some of y’all can’t hold water so you’ll get the kool-aid when he gets it. Lol) Anyway, because I’d prematurely made the whoopie pies, they were murdered before the party so I had to make more. In the last post, I made Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, but at hubby’s request, I made the second batch with a Peanut Butter Filling. The Swiss Meringue Buttercream yields a flavor that is similar to an ice-cream sandwich while the Peanut Butter Buttercream makes you think of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. I mean, they are BOTH great but the peanut butter….there are no words.

The game was cool, I guess. I seriously kept forgetting which team I was rooting for because they were both wearing blue and it was really confusing for some reason. Other than their 10 month old Lab’s COMPLETE OBSESSION with licking my toes and my almost falling out of my chair trying to reach my phn (curse these short arms) nothing was out of the ordinary. Actually, me falling is pretty standard too…. But we had big laughs and good food. What more do you need at a Super Bowl party? Oh yeah, I guess it would help if your team wins. Lol Sorry Greg. :(  wanted the blue team to win too.   

The recipe below is for making standard pies in the traditional circular dome shape. If you are making footballs, trace 12  2-inch ovals onto each piece of parchment paper with a pencil and flip paper over so you don’t die of lead poisoning, lol. Pipe within that pattern. Otherwise, a small ice-cream scoop will ensure uniformity. I used a squeeze bottle to pipe some leftover white icing I had onto the footballs for the decor. (I have a ketchup and mustard combo pack in red and yellow from the dollar store that worked perfectly) You may choose to add more laces since mine start to look like Chinese letters after a while. lol  

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

from Whoopie Pies

For me, this made 31 halves, so 15.5 whoopies  o_O 
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Ghirardelli)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (Kerry Gold)
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

Position baking racks in the upper and lower 2/3’s of the oven.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, sift together, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla and beat for two more minutes.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.
Using a small ice cream scoop (or if making footballs, pipe in an oval shape), drop batter on baking sheet two inches apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes each or until pies spring back when pressed gently.
Remove from oven and cool for about five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Filling

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (or crunchy if you’re feeling frisky)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature*
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

*use regular American butter; here is not where you want a rich buttery taste to me. Save it for the baking.

Beat peanut butter and butter on low until creamy using a mixer.
Add sugar and salt and beat on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat for about four minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.
Spread filling on flat side on one cooled cake. Top it with a second cake and press gently.
Store whoopie pies in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The first time I made these I was scared to add the filling until I need it on the cakes. I stored the whoopie pie shells in an airtight container and kept the filling in a Ziploc bag until the next day.

As you can see, we had waaaaaay more fun than adults should have playing with our food. lol

Nick Going Long - Rochelle Fakes and Eats it - Hiking the Whoopie

This recipe comes from my two new boos, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. They are the authors of my baking bible, Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented. Enjoy!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Yields 10-12 large whoopie pies, 15-17 small pies

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (17.5 oz) All Purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (2.18 oz) dark cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) hot coffee
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) hot water
2 cups (15.32 oz) light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup (6 fl oz) canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) buttermilk, shaken
Swiss vanilla filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line four baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the AP flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and espresso powder. Pour the hot coffee and hot water over the cocoa mixture and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth.

In another medium bowl, combine the canola oil and light brown sugar. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture.

Spoon into a piping bag and pipe into 2 inch rounds on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart (or scoop onto sheets with a small scoop).

Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cookies crack slightly on top and spring back in the center when gently pressed. Let cool completely, then remove from sheet with an offset spatula. Pipe or scoop half of the rounds with the filling. Top each piped round with another cookie and serve.

Swiss vanilla filling
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups (10.5 oz) sugar
2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a pan of simmering water and gently whisk until the sugar dissolves (test this by dipping your finger into the mixture – when you can no longer feel grains of sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers, then the sugar has dissolved) – the mixture will be slightly warmer than body temperature.

Transfer bowl to mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the mixture is smooth, white, and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add the butter, one piece at a time. Add sea salt and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Beat until the filling is smooth and glossy (it may look curdled, but just continue to beat – eventually the mixture will come together).

I have been promising my Chili recipe forever. The trouble with that promise was the fact that I never seemed to take the time to jot down the ingredients as I made it. I don’t think I told you guys but I was recently hired to teach a Teen Cooking Class at a local teen center. I’ve successfully completed ONE round (about 8 weeks, maybe?)  and I am hooked!! The kids are inspiring, they hang on to my every word and they call me “Chef Z”. <–that rocks! Anyway, along with the candy apples in the previous post, they asked if we could do Chili. Well, maybe they didn’t, I don’t know…I really don’t listen to them. lol So when my family asked me to make it this week (maybe they didn’t, I don’t know), it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s so funny how everyone asks for exactly what I want. Weird, right?

I have two secret ingredients – Green Mountain salsa and Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes…shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone. (Notes listed below as well)

Ingredients:

1 med. white onion, chopped

1 med. green bell pepper, chopped

1 8-oz container sliced portabella mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 lbs. ground turkey (or ground meat of choice: ground beef, sirloin etc)

1 28-oz can “Muir Glen” Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes

2 cans tomato paste

3 16-oz cans “Bush” Chili Beans (Medium Heat)

2 16- oz can “Bush” Light Red Kidney Beans

1 jar “Green Mountain” Salsa (Medium Heat)

2 Tbsp. Crystal Hot Sauce (mainly for the vinegar, not the spice)

1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

2 Tbsp. Dried Oregano

1 Tbsp. Dried Basil

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Heat a skillet on medium for about 5 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil and continue to heat for another minute. Add  onions, peppers and mushrooms to pan. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté for 7-8 minutes, add garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the veggies become tender and begin to “sweat”. Put veggies in Dutch oven.

Using the same skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil followed by your ground meat. Season meat with 1 ½ tsp. of salt and 1 ½ tsp. black pepper. Cook until scrambled and no longer pink. Drain in colander.

Turn pot to medium. Add the remaining ingredients stirring between additions. (Be sure to use a wooden (or even plastic) spoon and not a metal one). Once all ingredients have been incorporated, cook on medium for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.

Serve over white rice. I like to add a dollop of sour cream and a few sprinkles of sharp cheddar. We usually use Ritz crackers as well but you can definitely use Saltines, cornbread, etc.

Let me know how this comes out! It’s sooo flavorful and there is no need to look fwd to that “next day” like we do with sauce based dishes. Although, it DOES get even better!!! Perfect for the cols nights we have coming!!!

““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““

Cook’s Notes: The porcelain enameled Dutch oven is ideal for cooking this type of dish because the porcelain coating is non-reactive when acidic ingredients like tomatoes are used. If you do have a problem with acidity (meaning the tomatoes seem overly acidic), sprinkle a little sugar in the pot and that should counter it.

Secret Ingredients: My first secret ingredient is the addition of Fire Roasted Tomatoes. These tomatoes will add another level of taste because of their smoky flavor. The other secret ingredient is the Salsa. If you were to think about it, it makes perfect sense. It is composed of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers with the addition of herbs and spices. Very similar to diced tomatoes but the added veggies, seasoning and liquid content makes it a better selection to me. I use the Green Mountain because it doesn’t have any gunk in it. It’s clean, organic and made without sugar. The veggie taste isn’t hidden at all.

We spent our Halloweens at the church for “Hallelujah Night” so while I don’t have much first-hand experience, candy apple say Fall and incidentally, Halloween. I’ve made caramel apples as a kid with the premade caramel discs found in the produce section. They never really worked out though. The problem was, caramel never stuck properly and it never produced the smooth polished finish it promised. After making homemade caramel for my Banana Pudding Pie with Salted Caramel, I knew I could do it! I did a little research and found out that supermarket apples have a wax coating that needed to be removed prior to dipping. To do this I dipped them in boiling water for 1 minute. You can actually see the wax that remains once you remove them from the water. Take a paper towel and wipe the rest off.

On to the recipe:

Caramel Apples:

6 small to medium, firm, blemish-free, apples*

4 Tablespoons butter (not margarine + more for parchment paper)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 can (7 oz) of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*The favs are Granny Smith (extra tart) and Honeycrisp (sweet and tart)

Materials Needed:

6 skewers

Heavy bottomed pot

Cookie sheet

Parchment paper

Candy Thermometer

Remove stems, allow apples to dry completely and put them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and until you are ready to dip them. Chilled apples help the caramel set better.

First melt the butter in a saucepan until it browns. This will give you the nice dark caramel color. Stir constantly to avoid getting little brown bits of butter. Be careful because I had to throw out my first brown butter attempt. L (I hate waste)

Add all other ingredients except vanilla.

Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring to a boil and let boil until thermometer reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F).

After it reaches soft ball, remove from heat, add vanilla, then allow to sit for about 5 minutes.

Dip apple in caramel and swirl to cover. Twist apple to remove some of the excess but the excess is fantastic for that thick rimmed bottom that acts as a stand for the apples!

Working quickly, place onto buttered parchment paper.

You can stop here but if you want to dip them in chocolate, pop them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to make sure the caramel is properly set. Recipe adapted from Grandma Betty’s Caramel Apples.

On to the chocolate…

 10oz – 60% cacoa Ghirardelli Chocolate chips

2 Tbsp shortening (vegetable oil)

Crushed candy, sprinkles, nuts, whatever!

 Lay out all of your fixings because you have a small window of time before the chocolate begins to cool and I like to use a 4 cup measuring cup when I melt chocolate because it is deep and I can fully submerge the apples with little effort.  Put the chips in the glass, add the oil and heat on 40% power (depending on your microwave wattage), for about 45 seconds. Stir and keep heating in 30 second increments until melted.

You can fully dip or partially dip and immediately add your preferred toppings.

Allow to harden and enjoy!

I saw this recipe about a year ago on “Desserts First” with Anne Thornton and after cleaning out my file cabinet, I decided it was time to give it a go. I am already the Banana Pudding champ round these parts so I figured the addition of a buttered crust and salted caramel could take me to superstar status with this thing…..and it did. I mention it in the recipe but please note that the caramel has to cool for 4 hours so you should either prepare it the day before you want to serve the pie or just early in the day. But by all means, don’t start on a dessert at 8:30 pm and have 6 angry faces looking at you like “what do you mean we have to wait until tomorrow to eat?”. lol

This pie has 5 (super easy, however) parts. Make the caramel sauce FIRST. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Salted Caramel Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon Fleur de sel

Directions

Over low heat, mix the water, and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 to 10 minutes. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot!

Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat, and stand back to avoid splattering. Slowly add the cream. Don’t panic – the cream will bubble violently, and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

Crust Ingredients

1 box of Nila Wafers, crushed (for 9 in pan)

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted. (I love the European butters for crusts)

Directions

I have a 9.5” pie pan so I would recommend you crush about 45-50  Nila Wafers. You can put them in a Food Processor but since I don’t have one (*side eye*), I put them in a ziploc bag and beat them with the back of an ice-cream scoop for about 5-8 minutes. Therapeutic, as I thought on why I didn’t own a Food Processor, if I may add. Make sure they are finely crushed. Reserve 1/2 cup to top the pie.

Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter in a small bowl until blended. Firmly press it into the bottom, up the sides, and onto the lip of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Bananas Ingredients
3 large ripe bananas, sliced
1 cup salted caramel, plus more for garnish (1 cup caramel, plus 1 teaspoon fleur de sel)

Directions

Coat the banana slices with salted caramel.

Vanilla Pudding Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a bowl whisk together the sugar and flour until all of the lumps are gone. Once it is a fine powder, whisk in the eggs, and egg yolks, and continue whisking until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk, and once this is incorporated add the remaining cup of milk. Transfer the mixture to a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted.) Remove from the heat, and stir in vanilla.

Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Imitation Rum Liquer or Almond extract
5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add the  extract, and sugar and beat until peaks form. Make sure not to overbeat, or the cream will become lumpy, and butter-like.

ASSEMBLING THE PIE:

Note: the original recipe calls for pouring the “hot” pudding into the prepared pie dish but I didn’t read where the caramel had to cool for 4 hours prior to starting this recipe so I had to refrigerate it overnight before adding to the pan and it was fine.

Arrange prepared banana slices evenly over the bottom of the cooled crust. Spread half of the hot (or not-see above note) prepared Vanilla Pudding over the bananas, top with vanilla wafers, and more caramel-coated bananas. Spread the remaining filling over the vanilla wafers, and caramel-coated bananas. Spread the cream over the pies. At service, garnish with a caramel swirl, and the reserved vanilla wafer crumbs.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, paprika, and cocoa powder until well combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bacon.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the topping is bubbling. Cool completely on the rack. Once cool roughly chop reserving 2 strips for topping. Set aside.

Heat a flat griddle, or other large smooth bottom skillet, to medium-low heat.

In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until evenly incorporated. Add the buttermilk and whisk until well combined.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to mix. Stir in the chopped bacon.

Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined and no large lumps of dry flour remain.

Lightly fold in the berries, careful not to burst any or over-mix.

Spray the griddle with non-stick cooking spray and scoop the batter, by the 1/3 cup, on to the heated griddle.

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, or until the batter begins to puff, the edges are no longer shiny, and the cooked side is golden brown.

Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the second side, or until the pancakes spring back when gently pressed in the center and are golden brown.

(of course I decided to photograph the overcooked ones, lol…smh. Trust me, the rest turned out better) To hold pancakes while cooking store in a warm oven on a wire rack. They will hold for up to 45 minutes. Serve warm with a drizzle of the berry syrup and a sprinkle of the candied bacon.

These were so delicious I made them on Saturday AND Sunday. And then I started my diet on Monday. ENJOY!!!

Please note: You should start on Remoulade first because it has to be refrigerated for 30 mins. Additionally, to help them “set” after cakes are combined and shaped, you will have to refrigerate for 30 mins. as well. If you’re looking for an even easier morning, shape and store crab cakes overnight in the fridge on baking sheets wrapped in plastic; fry just before serving.

Crab Cakes

Crab Cake Ingredients:

• unsalted butter
• olive oil
• 1 cup small-diced red onion (1 med. onion)
• 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
• 1 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/3 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
• 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat (in the refrigerator bin in seafood dept.)
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (or panko, Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Place 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and peppers in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Empty crab into a bowl by itself and gently check for shells. Add bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and beaten eggs and toss lightly.

Add the cooled cooked veggies and mix well. (Whenever you’re working with raw eggs, you want to be sure to not scramble the eggs by adding them to anything hot) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into crab cakes, and try to be as uniformed in size as possible. Be sure they are not too big because you need to be able to flip them.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

Makes 8 crab cakes

Note: I’ve also been able to freeze uncooked cakes separated with parchment paper and they came out fine the next weekend when I set them out for a few minutes to defrost and serve after church. It would be just as easy to sub out the crab (if you feel like being cheap or just like eating fish) with canned or smoked salmon as I did in the Ina’s Salmon Cakes post.

Remoulade

Remoulade Ingredients:

2 cups mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons capers, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

Several dashes hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup Chili sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tea. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tea. black pepper

OPT: 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves (I used them because I had them but the sauce will be wonderful even without it!)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½ shallots, minced
• 8 oz. deli sliced ham (kinda thick)
• 1 bag flat-leaf baby spinach, roughly chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
• 4 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare your pie crust by gently unrolling into the pie dish. Push it down into the pan making sure the dough hangover is pretty even around the pan. (If it doesn’t come out perfect don’t worry. Look at mine, lol. I think that it gives it a homemade feeling and rustic quality.   Here is a link to directions on crimping your crust: http://localfoods.about.com/od/piestarts/tp/crimping.htm Totally simple!
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in lower third. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add ham and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add as much spinach to skillet as will fit; season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and toss, adding more spinach as room becomes available, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure all spinach is used.
3. Transfer spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Put spinach mixture into pie crust, top with cheese. Place crust on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour egg mixture into crust.
5. Arrange baking sheet on rack, and bake until center of each quiche is just set, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Let quiches stand 15 minutes before serving.

I would’ve doubled the recipe but I was kinda peed off that I couldn’t find my other pie dish so I lashed out by starving everyone. lol If there are more than 4 people, double up! Also, play with your favorite meats and cheeses etc. It’s impossible to mess up, really. Enjoy!

I rarely cook with wine ever since the “drunken wine  rice” debacle from Rachel Ray. YUCK! I’m still not over it and like a dog that has been kicked, I have a hard time trusting her after that. If you have a good recipe that may get her back in my good graces, please send because right now, she’s skint. lol

On to the Mahi Mahi (aka Dolphinfish……my dad says they call it Mahi when they want to mark it up. And no, it isn’t dolphin but an actual fish called Dolphinfish) It was delicious! The fish was great but the stars of the recipe were the Butter Beans! WOW! They captured the bacon tomato and wine flavors and lit up! That’s why I upped the recipe to 2 cans. I only made one and was regretful.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
6 thick bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
4 ½lb pieces of fresh Mahi Mahi
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped*
1 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
2 cans butter beans (rinsed)

* I definitely plan to use the canned tomatoes next time for this dish. It seemed a little unnecessary as far as what was needed for this dish to get the fresh ones. (Plus you can buy the seasoned kind)

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic and sauté until the bacon is fairly crisp and the garlic is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Push the bacon and garlic to the side and lay the Mahi in the dish. Sear until lightly browned on both sides, using tongs to turn the fish. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and pile most of them and the bacon mixture on top of the fish. Add the beans to the pot.

Add the wine and basil and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the fish is done, about 20 minutes. Place beans and vegetables on warmed plate and top with Mahi. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series,Fish,by Shirley King (Simon & Schuster,

This recipe can also be done with Monkfish.A Monkfish recipe is what I set out to find from the beginning but it is a little obscure in this area.

ENJOY!