Regional Cuisines Make-up Work

FOODS!!!

So, as I believe I mentioned before, I missed more days than I would have liked this block. On the plus side, one of the ways that we can make up for a missed day is to cook some dishes of the day. Two days I missed foods from the south of this beautiful country, Florida/Caribbean and the Southern States. They both have tasty food!!! Oh well, I got to make it all yesterday :-D

Florida/Caribbean

Key Lime Pie:

So this I already made, (it's been 2 weeks now!) but it is one of the dishes we had planned for that day. As I wrote in that original post, I needed some more lime flavor, I think next time I will make an almost Creme Anglaise while seeping the lime zest and then strain it out. I was going to add more juice but that is EXACTLY the cause of my thumb disaster...

Jerk Chicken:

I really enjoyed making this. It was sooooooo tasty! I had to do a bit of a twist on the recipe that we had, I wrote everything down but apparently just didn't read the list when I went to King Soopers.

Marinade:

• 4 Limes - juice of all, zest of 2
• 2T Blackening Seasoning
• 2T Ground Allspice 
• 2T Ginger Paste
• 4 Green Onions - small dice
• 1/2 Fresno Chile - small dice
• 2t Cinammon
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
• 2 Cloves Garlic - minced
• 4oz Canola Oil
• 1-1/2 T Dried Parsley*
• 1T Dried Oregano*
• 1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary

Chicken:

• 6 Skinless-boneless Chicken Thighs

*The recipe calls for fresh cilantro, I totally forgot it and had to improvise for similar flavor*

1. Rinse off and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, rosemary.
2. Mix all of the remaining marinade ingredients in a bowl.
3. Coat chicken in marinade, ensuring all sides have some of the sauce. Chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, (I have a great cast iron from my grandmother) and sear the chicken on all sides. Make sure you don't burn it!!!
5. Reduce the heat and cover with a loose fitting lid or some foil. Cook until chicken is done, about 15 minutes (165F internal temp).
6. Serve and enjoy!!!

The South:

For this day, I made some cornbread and finished the meal off with my favorite, Pecan Pie. I also apparently forgot to take a photo of the cornbread like at all during the whole process... I will update this when I get home!

I absolutely LLLOOOVVVEEE Pecan Pie, it's the best pie!!!!!!!!

Cornbread:

• 8oz All Purpose Flour
• 8oz Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/2oz Baking Powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Eggs - lightly beaten
• 8oz Heavy Whipping Cream*
• 4oz Unsalted Butter - melted*
• 2oz Honey
• 2oz Sugar

*The recipe called for half and half. I looked FOREVER at King Soopers and couldn't find ANY! Like any at all... So heavy cream it is! It also calls for half the butter, but I love it so oh well.

You can see my sifted flours in the bowl.

1. Heat the oven to 400F.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients, I use a dry whisk to ensure it is all properly mixed together.
3. Combine the wet ingredients. To make sure the honey gets incorporated I mixed it first with the hot butter and then added it to the eggs.
4. Combine all the ingredients until the flour is just incorporated. Immediately put into a greased baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the bread. (I had to cook mine for closer to 40 minutes, my oven is hit or miss on baking)
5. Serve hot!

Pecan Pie:

Dough:

I'm not a fan of the traditional pie dough for pecan pies. I really like the graham cracker crust on dessert pies. This was the first time I used one for a pecan pie, it got a bit of the liquid in the dough and got a bit of the caramel chew to it. Next time I think I will make a thicker crust and see what happens, it's all a learning process in the end :)

Filling:

• 5T Unsalted Butter
• 8oz Packed Brown Sugar
• 6oz Light Corn Syrup
• 1/2t Salt
• 2c Chopped Pecans*
• 1oz Bourbon*
• 2t Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 Eggs - lightly beaten

*The chopped pecans at the store were TWICE as much money as the halved ones. Yep, I wasn't about to pay extra money for that. I just smashed them, still in the bag, against my bannister in the kitchen. Chopped pecans folks!!! For my bourbon I used the slightly better Gentleman Jack, yes I also made a rosemary infused whiskey :-D

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Gently whisk the eggs in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a a saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, salt and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. DO NOT BURN!!! Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the bourbon and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes.
5. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. Fold in the pecans. Pour into the pie crust and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is almost there. Cool 10 minutes and serve wish fresh whipped cream!

This in-action shot of sautéing the carrots was so hard to do! 

Overall it was a really good meal! I made the sautéed veggies to add the balance to the meal, you need a proper one. They were carrots, onions, and red peppers sautéed with a bit of rosemary, garlic, and salt. I really loved cooking all of it, even if it was something I HAD to do! Can't wait to go home and eat it!