Tag: how to make

Food & Beverage

SEAFOOD MAC N CHEESE

You all have been asking for this recipe for a LOOOOOOOONG time, and I finally got you. Just in time for the 4th of July! Macaroni & Cheese is one of those food items that everyone has “the best recipe” for. There are so many ways to make it, and everyone has their “secret ingredient”. Roux or no roux? What kind of cheeses? Mustard? Eggs? No matter how you make yours, once thing is for certain…..EVERYONE is going to judge it, and if you mess it up……not only will you be tarred and feathered in front of everyone, you will forever be relegated to paper plate and napkin duty at any future food gatherings, lol!

Mac n Cheese is one of my favorite foods. I try it on any menu that I see it. I have some really good ones and definitely some not so good ones. One of the issues I have found with a seafood mac, is that it sometimes lacks flavor, or the seafood gets lost. That is definitely not the case here. The mix of cheeses is great, the seafood has life, and the overall dish is going to have your guests asking for it ALL THE TIME. SO be prepared if you take this recipe on!

Grocery Cart:

1 box Cavatapi Pasta (or whatever pasta you like to use)
2 cup whole milk
1.75 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup flour
1 stick of butter (split)
8oz cream cheese
16 oz sharp cheddar
8 oz mozzarella
8 oz smoked gouda
8 oz colby jack
2-3 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning
6 oz langostino tails or lobster meat
6 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp
8 oz crab meat (I used claw meat)
2 tsp ground mustard
salt & WHITE pepper to taste
Old Bay hot sauce (as much or little as YOU like)

Directions:

Lets start off by grating ALL of your cheese, and preheating your oven to 375 degrees

Next, bring some water to a boil, and salt it. Once the water is boiling, add in your noodles. Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes LESS than what the box says to do.

Once the noodles are done, drain them, and immediately add in 1/2 stick of butter and mix together

In a separate pot, on medium high heat, add in 1/2 stick of butter and melt. Once the butter is mostly melted, add in the 1/4 cup of flour and whisk to combine. Cook your roux for about 5 minutes to get the raw flour taste out.

Once the roux has a nice nutty aroma, and the flour taste has been cooked out, add in your heavy cream. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate the roux. Next add in the milk, continuing to whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

Next add in the cream cheese, and stir until it has melted into your sauce. Once the cream cheese is incorporated, slowly, a little at a time, add in the gouda, colby jack, and 1/2 of the cheddar. Whisk occasionally making sure that the cheese does not clump and stick to the bottom.

Once the cheese has been melted through, and your sauce is nice and velvety, add in all of the seasonings listed above. Add others if you like. Adjust the measurements if you want more.

Now, add 2/3rds of the cheese sauce to the buttered noodles. Using a spoon, gently mix all together, and then doubkle check for the seasoning level.

Next, you are going to add in 4 oz of cheddar and 4 oz of the mozzarella, again, mixing to combine.

Once the mac n cheese is complete, here is where you will add in the seafood, and then gently mix together.

Pour the mac n cheese into some sort of baking dish, add the remaining cheese sauce, and then top with the remaining cheddar and mozzarella.

Finish it off with a little more of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning.

Place the dish into the oven for 20 – 30 minutes (if you would like a little more color on top, move to the broiler until you get your desired color.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes……ENJOY!!

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB ARANCINI

I hope you saved some of that risotto from the other day, because your gonna need it for this arancini! If you dont have any left over, or didnt make and you need the recipe, you can find it right here…blue crab risotto. The best part about this Italian street food is that if you dont like blue crab, you can make whatever kind of risotto you like, and stuff it with whatever you want.

Because risotto can be time consuming to make, I always make enough to have leftovers, just so I can make this. Once the risotto is already made, the rest of the ingredients you should already have on hand, so it doesnt require too much. I always like to have some sort of sauce for mine, and this simple pomodoro fits the bill nicely.

The crab in butter was just an added garnish, nothing to special about it. I had some left over crab, tossed in a pan with some butter and parsley and then seasoned it up. I think it made it more of a complete dish, than just a “street food snack”.

Hope you enjoy!!

Grocery Cart:

Day old risotto

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

4 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning (split)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 cups oil for frying

Directions:

First we need to heat 2 cups of oil (i used canola) to 375 degrees.

Next, grab your day old risotto, and using a 1 oz ice cream scoop, form little balls and place them on a baking sheet. Once you have made all the balls you will need, place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

While your little risotto balls are in the fridge, grab 3 mixing bowls. In the first bowl, add in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning. In bowl number 2, add 2 whole eggs and whisk together. Finally in bowl number 3, add in 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning and mix together.

Now that you have your dredging station set, grab your ball from the fridge! First we are going to coat them in the seasoned flour. Then drop them in the egg. Next coat them in the panko mix.

Once all the balls are coated, gently place 2-3 of them at a time into the hot oil and fry. Use a spoon to baste them and get them all a nice golden brown color. They will need about 3-5 minutes to heat through and be crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.

After frying, place them on an cooling rack and immediately hit them with some flaky salt.

Until the next dish ya’ll!

Food & Beverage

RASTA PASTA w/ JERK SHRIMP

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OK you “cream sauce crusaders” I hope this dish is to your liking! I loved it! This one is an easy one to do and has a TON of great flavor. The best part is that aside from cooking the pasta, it only requires 1 pan, so there is minimal clean up. I used the Walkerwoods HOT & SPICY jerk seasoning, so feel free to get a milder version or even use a dry rub if that is too hot for you. This is not a “traditional” rasta pasta” but I believe it rings true to the original dish. Dont eat me up too much in the comments for it. I say it in the video, if you are vegetarian, and dont want to do the shrimp or sausage, a good “meaty” mushroom is a great substitute here.

Grocery Cart:

2 tablsepoons avocado oil
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound andouille sausage
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic paste
3 oz white wine (optional)
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (wet)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup pasta water, if needed
salt and pepper TT