Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
GIANT BACON CHEESEBURGER
SERVES 6–8
2 pounds ground beef
Steak seasoning, to taste
Worcestershire sauce
8 slices cheddar cheese
1 round mountain bread loaf (or any round or oval boule), halved
Green leaf lettuce
5 strips bacon, cooked crispy
1 large slicing tomato, thinly sliced
8 slices kosher dill sandwich stuffers
Ketchup, for condiment
Mustard, for condiment
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, seasoning and Worcestershire. On a large sheet pan covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray, form the meat mixture into a large round burger, approximately 1 inch thick and slightly larger than the diameter of the bun. Bake until desired doneness, 30–45 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with cheese slices. Return to oven and bake just long enough for cheese to start to melt.
While burger is baking, prepare bun. Cover bottom half of bun with lettuce leaves and bacon. Add burger and cover with tomato, pickle slices and condiments. Cover with top of bun. Slice into wedges and serve.
‘Ribeye’ Tomahawk Steak
Photo by Alex Raths/depositphotos
SERVES 2–4
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 2-inch cut (approx. 2 pounds) tomahawk steak (bone-in), frenched
Kosher salt
Fresh coarsely ground black pepper
Olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, chives, salt, pepper and garlic. Thoroughly mix and scrape onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll up into a small log, and twist the wrap at each end to seal. Refrigerate until needed.
Season steak generously with salt and coarse ground pepper, or your favorite steak seasoning. Bring to room temperature 1–2 hours before cooking or grilling. Place a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan on a medium-high burner. Sprinkle steak lightly with olive oil and place on grill pan. Sear each side for 4–5 minutes. Place grill pan in oven and cook until desired doneness. (Medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer is 130 F.) Remove from oven and tent with foil for 10–15 minutes before slicing. Remember, steak will continue to cook from residual heat. Garnish with a pat of the herb butter before serving. Any leftover butter can keep in the fridge or freezer to use later to make garlic bread.
Apple Blueberry Slab Pie
Photo by Gina Moore
SERVES UP TO 20
8 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 8 slices each
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
¾ cup light brown sugar (or white if you prefer)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
4 9-inch pie dough rounds (2 for top and 2 for bottom)
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained
¼ cup heavy cream
Extra fine sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples slices, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cardamom, nutmeg and cornstarch.
Roll out two 9-inch round pie crusts into one large crust to fit into a 13-by-18-inch half sheet pan. Evenly distribute apple mixture in pan and cover with blueberries. Roll out remaining pie crusts and either completely cover fruit or cut into strips and place over fruit in a lattice pattern. Crimp the dough around the edges of the pan. Brush the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle on the extra fine sugar.
Bake 35–40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.
Double Stuffed Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy
Photo by Karen Hermann
SERVES 2–4
2 2-inch rib pork chops (one pound each), frenched
All-purpose seasoning, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup herb stuffing mix
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup unsalted chicken stock
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish
Heat oven to 350 F. Cut a pocket into pork chops, leaving a 1½-inch opening for stuffing. (Your butcher can do this for you.) Season chops inside and out and set aside.
Into a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add two tablespoons oil. Sauté celery and onions until soft. Lower heat and add stuffing mix and oregano. Stir in chicken stock until mixture is combined and softened. Let cook slightly and stuff even amounts into chops. If the opening is large, secure using toothpicks. Dust chops with flour on both sides.
Add remaining oil to same pan over medium heat. Brown chops on both sides and place on a foil-lined baking pan. Add wine and bay leaf; cover pan with additional foil. Bake 1 hour, basting at least once. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer chops to a platter and keep warm. Strain drippings from pan and set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add butter. When melted, add mushrooms and cook until soft. Add reserved drippings and stir in ½ cup additional wine or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Pour sauce over chops. Garnish with chives or scallions and serve.
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Chef’s Tips
What is Frenching? Frenching is the removal of meat from the tip of the bone. Tomahawk steaks are always sold with the ends already “Frenched” and your butcher can do the same for any bone-in cuts of pork.
Cornstarch and arrowroot vs. flour. In most recipes, cornstarch and arrowroot are the preferred thickeners. Arrowroot is a great thickener; it has no taste and leaves food with a glossy clear finish. Cornstarch has a slight taste and leaves a cloudy, opaque finish to food. Flour has a starchy taste and needs to be cooked longer.
Lemon zest and lemon juice. Whenever your recipe calls for using lemon juice and lemon zest, always zest the lemon first. This is a lot easier than squeezing the juice from the lemon, then deciding that you needed to zest the peel.
Prevent apple slices from browning after cutting. As you cut apples to prepare them for your pies, you will notice that they start to brown very quickly. Squeezing lemon juice over the apple slices will slow down the browning.
What is mountain bread? Mountain bread is a round boule of bread that you can find in supermarket bakeries. It has the appearance of a flattened ball and has a crispy crust like a baguette, but it is softer and more like a hamburger bun.