BLOG.ELIZABETHDOUGHERTY.COM
A Labor Day menu with no labor... How about that?
We work hard, right? Labor Day is a recognition of that fact and some time to reflect with family and friends. Here's an easy menu. If you make this today, you can serve it right out of the fridge tomorrow and have a casual, no-stress buffet. You could also grill this outside tomorrow and make a day of it. Either way, make some time. You deserve it. These recipes are for 4-6 people, so keep that in mind.
All ingredients in this menu were provided by Messineo's Market
Menu
Composed Cheese Board with Grapes and Gourmet Crackers
Tenderloin of Beef with Three Sauces
Tomato Salad with Chili Powder and Sherry Wine Vinegar
Fresh Tortellini Salad with Black Olives, Sun-dried Tomato and Ricotta Salata
Grilled Peaches and Plums with Vanilla Ice Cream
Use one of these chimneys to light the coals and use natural wood charcoal
Ingredients - Cheese Board
6 oz of Cambozola Black Cheese (about 1/2 lb) (a sublime blend of Camembert and Gorgonzola)
4 oz of Montchevre Goat Cheese
3 oz of Maytag Blue Cheese
5-6 oz of Auricchio Stravec (has almost a Swiss flavor)
Red grapes
White grapes
Assorted gourmet crackers
Ingredients - Tenderloin of Beef with Three Sauces
2 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed and dressed (tied)
Good quality olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Horseradish Sauce:
1/4 cup horseradish
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
Sherry Peppercorn Sauce:
4 oz chicken or beef stock
4 TB sour cream
1 tsp Exotic Peppercorn Blend
1 TB Spanish sherry wine vinegar
Heavy cream, if needed
Mustard Sauce:
3 oz chicken or beef stock
1 oz heavy cream
4 TB sour cream
6 TB Deli mustard
Ingredients - Tomato Salad with Chili Powder and Sherry Vinegar
1 lb ripe tomatoes
1/3 large red onion, small dice
1/2 tsp of chili powder
2 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Spanish sherry vinegar
Ingredients - Tortellini Salad with Black Olives, Sun-dried Tomato and Ricotta Salata
1 lb fresh tri-color tortellini
sea salt
3 oz small black olives, chopped
3-4 oz sun-dried tomato. chopped
2 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 oz Ricotta Salata, crumbled
10 large leaves of basil, rolled up and thinly sliced
Ingredients - Grilled Peaches and Plums with Vanilla Ice Cream
1 lb peaches
1 lb plums
cooking spray for grilling
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Method - Cheese Board
Arrange cheeses on a wood or bamboo board, with selections of crackers and red and white grapes. (see picture above)
Method - Tenderloin
Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper tenderloin generously and rub with olive oil. Place on grill for 6 minutes, then flip. Wait another 6 minutes and flip on the diagonal (for nice grill marks). Wait another 6 minutes and flip on the diagonal again. Let it go for the last 6 minutes. It should be medium-rare.
Combine ingredients for Horseradish Sauce. Place in a ramekin for serving.
For Sherry Peppercorn:
Reduce stock and sherry vinegar over high heat by 50%. Take off heat. Combine remaining ingredients. Place in ramekin.
Mustard Sauce:
Bring stock to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine remaining ingredients. Place in ramekin.
Method - Tomato Salad
Cut tomatoes into one-inch pieces. Combine with other ingredients.
Method - Tortellini Salad
Boil fresh tortellini for 5 minutes in salted water. Drain and rinse. Combine with other ingredients.
Method -Grilled Fruit
Heat grill to medium heat. Cut fruit in half and remove stones. Spray grill with cooking spray for the grill. Place cut-side down over indirect heat for 5-7 minutes, until grill marks appear. Remove and serve immediately with ice cream.
Grilling specials from Messineo's
Here are the specials being offered this weekend by Messineo's Gourmet Market:
M e s s i n e o ' s L a b o r D a y ' s W e e k e n d S A L E
It's time to hit The Bricks
Every once in a while, I come across inspired people and they restore my faith in creative menus with an atmosphere to match. The Bricks is a space filled with history. If only the brick walls and tin ceiling could talk! I'm sure there would be some great Ybor stories to tell.
It's an "eclectic meets trendy" atmosphere with a seamless crowd. Young professionals and families mingle with the more edgy tattooed, pierced crowd in a big-city kind of way. The art on the walls also gives testament and tribute to local culture.
They opened not long ago after a lengthy renovation of the space. The video below gives some justice to the fact that opening a restaurant is not a simple task.
The successful renovation is paired with a menu that really works and is affordably priced. When you eat out as often as I do, one gets tired of the same old offerings. Here are some of the things currently on the menu:
The Pitamonkey ($4) - Sliced bananas, brie and raisins on toasted pita bread.
Honey Bourbon Bbq Pig Quesadilla ($7) - Smoked cheddar, onion, roasted peppers, cilantro, avocado cream, and, of course, shredded pork.
Kinky Tuna ($12) - Wasabi pea and pistachio-crusted Ahi seared rare with "kinky" lemongrass cream.
Honey Bourbon Bbq Pig Quesadilla
When I visited, I was ready for something different, so I ordered the Bird and Pig Sandwich ($8). Admittedly, the description sounds odd; roasted chicken with bacon, brie, crisp apple and agave nectar on pressed Hawaiian sweet bread. The flavors did work though. The brie and apple made sense, but I wasn't so sure about the bread and the mystery nectar. It tasted great and was pressed, giving the brie that perfect spreadable quality, blending it with the other components. (I had already eaten half of it when I remembered to take a picture of it for you.)
Bird and Pig Sandwich
The Honey Bourbon Bbq Pig Quesadilla didn't disappoint either. It was stacked full of "pig" with a pleasant kick and not-too-sweet-flavor. Part of their menu has an "ode to Elvis" feel with the Peanut Butter Bar. Diners can choose their own bread and peanut butter or go with the standard Elvis; peanut butter, banana, bacon, honey and white toast.
The Wall O' Mugs
Kahwa coffee is served in unique, individual mugs. I hear you can bring your own and be part of the mug hall of fame. They have a full coffee bar with espresso shots, flavored shots, lattes and the like. They've also got some flavored iced teas, beer and wine.
Local Art Adorns the Walls
The space is not only pretty to look at, but artists display their works there offering conversation pieces for diners. This restaurant is just a comfortable place to be with a good vibe. My only regret is I didn't try this yet:
The Bricks of Ybor is located at 1327 E. 7th Avenue in Ybor City. They are open Sunday - Wednesday 11am to 9pm, Thursday - Saturday 11am to 11pm. (813) 247-1785
Food around town and at home over the past few weeks - Part One
It's been a busy time, but I did manage to eat now and then! Here are some places you might like to visit, and recipes you may want to try at home.
After discussing genetically modified produce on my site, I tried to find an alternative place for you to buy produce. Rollin' Oats pictured above, has an extensive display of organic fruits and vegetables. In fact, I could not find one selection that was not organic.
It took a while, but I finally got around to having lunch at Emilio's. This is the French Onion Soup. They are very generous with the cheese and the soup has the usual bread crouton underneath. The flavors were traditional although it was slightly sweet for my taste. Nearly every table was filled when I went there yet the service was still polite. They make a big effort at getting your food to your table quickly in time to eat over a lunch break and the prices are reasonable with most individual portions under $10.
One of their quiches of the day
The quiche was one of the most unique I've had. It was definitely more cheese than anything else and the crust looked like it was made from their croissants. It was one slice, but it was very rich. This one had tomatoes and spinach in it. I was unable to finish the whole thing.
An array of artisanal breads at Messineo's Gourmet Market
Messineo's had a sampling of some of their pastas a couple of weeks ago and I stopped in to try them. While I was there, I noticed these beautiful breads. There's not enough good, crusty bread around these days, so I was very happy to see a local place that actually cares about carrying decent bread.
Tortellini sampling at Messineo's
These tortellini are fresh pastas from their refrigerated case. One in particular stood out and that was the mushroom and cheese. It had a very meaty quality to it and at first I thought it could be veal. For those looking for a tasty meatless dish, I'd give those a try.
Have a look at this beautiful display of fresh pastas at Messineo's
For folks who started out selling bulk dry goods at the farmer's market, they've come a long way at Messineo's. They have quite a few desserts as well, including a tiramisu made in Italy. It comes with the glass it is served in. The flavor of it was unlike any tiramisu I've had in the states. The quality of the mascarpone in it was outstanding.
Fray's donuts are being carried all around town at convenience stores
Every once in a while, I've got to have my donut fix and Fray's always does the job. They can be found at several places in the area, most of them Rally Stores. They are light and fluffy, with that background of yeast you can smell across the room.
Crepes at the Dougherty house
Speaking of breakfast, every once in a while my son asks me to make crepes. He loves to eat them like roll-ups as a little snack. Go figure. When you make a batch of these, you'll have around 15-20 crepes, depending on how thin you make them. (That's always the challenge, isn't it?) With some practice, you can just flip them in the pan instead of having to use a spatula. Here's the recipe:
http://blog.elizabethdougherty.com/2010/02/03/crepes-are-easier-than-you-think.aspx
I've got even more pictures from around town to share with you. Look for those here, soon.
Yellow heirloom gazpacho soup, thinly-sliced marinated sea scallops in lime and fresh tarragon over buttery leeks and pistachio-crusted chicken breast with tangerine salsa over Moroccan couscous
Myth #1: It doesn't take a thousand ingredients to make an elegant meal. In fact, the simpler it is and the quality of ingredients you use make the difference. Here's an easy summer menu that
highlights this concept.
Ingredients
4 medium yellow heirloom tomatoes
1 Vidalia onion
1/2 large cucumber
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
sea salt
Tabasco sauce
6 large sea scallops (untreated please)
1 lime
1 bunch fresh tarragon
1 leek
2 TB butter
white pepper
...
<< MORE >>
Easy crab bisque at home in minutes
It's easy to make crab, lobster or any other bisque at home, if you think about it ahead of time. When you eat shrimp, crab or lobster, shell them first (before you eat or serve) and freeze the
shells in a freezer bag. It also helps to freeze four cups of the water you boiled them in, because it's a great stock. Here's how to put it together quickly for an impromptu gathering.
Ingredients
Crab shells from 1 lb of crab legs
2 TB olive oil
1/2 large ...
<< MORE >>
Here's the best of what I ate this weekend
This weekend turned out to be one of those weekends where I had a lot of things to do and had the opportunity to eat some great food along the way. Here are some of my picks for places to go and
things to try.
Capitol Grill
Definitely try the Lobster Mac and Cheese. Nirvana.
Savannah's
The Crab Chowder had lump crab in it and was a tasty starter. Their mussels from PEI were also very tender, perfectly cooked with a ...
<< MORE >>
My picks for things to do this weekend!
Museum of Fine Arts - 255 Beach Drive NE St. Pete
Tonight from 6-9 pm, Jazz at the MFA
$10 for members, $15 for non-members
The MFA Cafe will be open for dining options and drinks
Dali Museum - Surreal Fridays
1000 3rd St. St. Pete 5:30 - 8:30pm
Silent films, cigar bar and complimentary tapas
Food provided by StoneChef
Saturday Antiques and Green Market
Central Ave. and 13th St. N St. Pete 9am - 2pm
Produce, gourmet foods, local artists
...
<< MORE >>
Heirloom tomatoes are almost here!
When the Florida days get this hot and the nights aren't much relief, I take solace in the fact that soon summer will be winding down and the fall harvest will begin. The end of August and the
beginning of September is the time to eat tomatoes. In fact, it's the only time to eat them fresh from the vine. Cooking an heirloom will just ruin it.
Update on Chateau France
The owner of Chateau France, in an apparent about-face since a previous post from their website published here blog.elizabethdougherty.com/search.aspx?q=chateau%20france&sc=t&dt=3m&al=none,
posted this comment on elizabethdougherty.com this evening:
Just to let everyone know, we are NOT closing. The press
that went out is incorrect and we are still open and accepting reservations as always.
<< MORE >>
