Read the following articles from Richard Lipton on Eclectic Cooking.com.

Enjoy Tailgating this Football Season

October 17, 2001

    After everything that happened last month, it is truly inspiring that life is continuing in the United States.

Football is taking on a more patriotic emphasis  and nothing is more American than the tailgate  party. Tailgating parties are a football tradition in most US homes, :-), and especially in cities with stadiums.  People arrive at the game hours ahead of time, break out portable grills, propane  burners, etc. and commence to cook whatever the food of choice is depending on the area.  At  home people get together hours before the game comes on and sit and eat finger foods, drink whatever they feel like, and cheer for their favorite teams.  

Whether the party takes place in the parking lot of your sports arena, your local bar, or your  backyard, the food and friends are roughly the same. While chicken wings remain one of the nation's most favorite tailgating foods, why stop there?

Take the bones out of the chicken and change the sauce for a new tailgate food. Instead of spicy wings, add curry with a cucumber sauce instead of ranch or Blue cheese. Go a wee bit Oriental with General Tso's Chicken, making it boneless, spicy, and still finger-food suit-able for the most picky of palates.

Enjoy these tailgating possibilities as our favorite teams remind us that life goes on. Bon appetit!

Read the Southern Cooking article.

Recipe: Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Recipe: General Tso's Chicken
Recipe: Curried Chicken Wings

Cajun food can give you that 'warm' feeling for fall

October 31, 2001

   The colder weather has hit and I, for one, am enjoying this immensely. With a convertible, it is fun to let the wind blow through your hair and enjoy the night skyline with stars and the occasional full moon.  One of the best parts about driving in this cooler weather is coming home to a nice warm meal of our choosing. Cajun food can give you that warm feeling without burning your socks off, if done right. Cajun food is not necessarily spicy.  There is a subtle heat that will warm you without the fiery feeling on your taste buds. The seasoning blend in Cajun food is made from scratch and used on most all seafoods, meats and vegetables to give the food the rich flavor it deserves without breathing fire. Soups, stews and etouffees are perfect this time of year to chase away the chill and fill you up as well.  Served with rice or pasta of choice, you have a meal that could last for a few days. Making a pot full up, and then freezing the unused portion, can make the meal last for a few weeks, off and on. Enjoy these ideas for your next warm meal, enjoy the cool air before it turns really cold, and bon appetit.  

Read the Fish Tips and Ideas article

Recipe:  Seafood Etouffee
Recipe:  Cajun Seasoning Blend

Innovative desserts bring a new spin to the holiday menu

December 19, 2001

   

Desserts are the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. No matter how good the fish, pasta, vegetables or meat was, the dessert just makes everything else seem second rate.

That is, of course, as long as the desserts are edible. As the Hanukkah/Christmas holidays come once again and we get ready to say goodbye to 2001, we start preparing our holiday feast menu. And, what menu would be complete without the dessert table for the kids to want first?

Many more things are available today to use in the kitchen than people had even 40 years ago. New and innovative recipes come out daily to use in place of the traditional cheesecakes, pumpkin pies and apple pies. I'm not saying these desserts are outdated; however, a lot of fun in baking and cooking is substitution and experimentation.

Banana bread is good, but pumpkin bread might be better. Chocolate cake is wonderful, but Chocolate Mousse Cake?
Mmm, makes my mouth water. Make some small tarts for kids to handle and put their or your favorite fruit and/or nut in them. If you don't like apricots, use cranberries, blueberries or raspberries.

Baking always seemed so strict and in some ways, it is (with the measurement of flour, eggs, and sugar). But you can be as equally creative with pasta, seafood and vegetables.

Enjoy these holiday ideas, play with them as you desire -- have some fun with this year's holiday menu. Bon Appetit!

Try the recipes in our Christmas edition.

APRICOT-NUT TART

PUMPKIN BREAD

WARM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Competition at Atlanta food show

January 16, 2002

   
Atlanta has grown much since I was there last. Oriental stores are more prevalent and the Dekalb farmer's market is a "playground" for any chef wanting fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, bread or fish first thing in the morning. Limes the size of small oranges as well as fresh key limes for your next pie were available in abundance.

The competition I entered a few weeks ago was extremely intense. Chefs from up and down the East Coast wheeled in tubs and tubs of pots, pans, knives, sheet pans, food processors and every other piece of kitchen equipment one could possibly ever imagine.

Six 24-foot tables were set up with fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, rices and pastas, as well as vinegars, wines and oils.
Every chef got one "signature" fish (different for every chef) and two of the same seafoods. On Monday, everyone got shrimp and mussels while Tuesday, all chefs got scallops and oysters.

Each chef had 90 minutes to prepare one entree for four judges (three were chefs and one visitor). Once six chefs had completed their dishes, the judging chefs gave a final analysis to assist the chef in improving his or her dishes, not only for judging, but also for the customer to eat.

And, no matter the outcome of the judging, each chef learned something from the experience in order to assist him in next
year's competition as well as the next night in his restaurant.

One thing I learned was that, as far as the American Culinary Federation is concerned, what a chef wears is as important as, if not more to some, what the chef cooks. Chef wear has changed over the years and while bright colors do well in individual restaurants, some "old-school" chefs do not recognize these uniforms as being acceptable to wear.

Enjoy this recipe that was presented to the judges while wearing a denim blue chef's jacket and green tie-dyed chef pants (I
thought I matched pretty well myself, but I am a chef, not a fashion designer - go figure) and Bon Appetit!

CAJUN BLACKENED RED SNAPPER WITH SESAME SEARED SCALLOPS AND
LOW COUNTRY ROASTED OYSTERS

Served over Lemon Pepper Linguine with Shitake Mushroom and Wasabi Cream Sauce

Sounds more complicated than it was, really.

4, 6-ounce red snapper fillets

Cajun spice
16 scallops
Sesame oil
Black and white sesame seeds
8 whole oysters
1 pound lemon pepper linguini
Olive oil
Sesame oil
1 pound Shiitake mushrooms
Wasabi powder
10 cloves chopped garlic
1 quart heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
Salt
Pepper

Dust a 6-ounce red snapper fillet per person with a mild Cajun spice and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Marinate scallops (4 per person) in 4 ounces sesame oil and a judicious amount of black and white sesame seeds. Refrigerate the scallops for 30 minutes to an hour.

Spread 2 whole oysters per person on a sheet pan, cover with damp towel, and place in preheated 350 degree F oven. Check often to make sure the towel stays damp, re-wetting as necessary, until oysters open.

Boil 1 pound lemon pepper linguini, per 4 people, according to package directions. Drain well, cool off under running water and mix with olive oil to coat. Set aside. Stem shiitake mushrooms (1 pound per 4 people) and julienne the caps. Set aside.

Mix 4 ounces Wasabi powder with just enough water to form a thick paste.

Sauté 10 cloves chopped garlic and shiitakes in 2 ounces olive oil until golden brown.

Add 1 quart heavy cream; simmer 5 minutes. Whisk in 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Whisk in Wasabi paste and adjust for seasoning as desired. Simmer until sauce consistency is achieved.

Place two sauté pans over high heat, one with olive oil and the other with sesame oil. In the olive oil pan, sear the red snapper fillets, skin side up, 2 minutes, flip and place in the oven with the oysters, for 5 minutes (or until done in the middle, depending on the thickness of the fillets).

In the sesame oil pan, sear the scallops 3 minutes on each side, making sure they are golden brown on each side before flipping. Remove from heat and keep warm in the oven. Remove oysters from the oven and open. On the half shell, top each oyster with 1 tablespoon of the shiitake sauce and place back in the oven to finish baking. Mix remaining sauce with linguini to heat through.

Place linguini in the center of each plate. Top with red snapper fillet. Place two oysters on the side of each fish plate. Place four scallops around the plate and sprinkle black and white sesame seeds over all for garnish. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Copyrighted January, 2002, Richard Lipton

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