Cuban Rum Punch

Cuban Rum Punch
Serves eighteen

Ingredients:
4 oz. white rum
4 oz. Captain Morgan spiced rum
1 oz. simple syrup
6 oz. pina colada mix
3 12-oz. cans pineapple juice
40 oz. red wine
20 oz. white grape juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. When ready to serve, stir and pour over ice in a tall tumbler.
4. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple and a straw.

Rum a tum tum.

Turbot with a Piquant Sauce

Turbot with a Piquant Sauce (I used halibut, not turbot)

Serves 4

8 slices of halibut weighing about 3 1/2 oz each

lemon wedges to serve

salt and pepper to taste

Court-bouillon:

3 pints water

1 small onion, halved

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, with leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

2-3 bay leaves

Sauce:

3 oz butter

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp capers, finely chopped

1 small fresh red chili, very finely chopped

Bring the court-bouillon ingredients to a boil together. When boiling furiously, turn the heat down, add the slices of turbot and cook very gently for 5-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

To make the sauce, melt the butter without burning it. Mix with the remaining sauce ingredients, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the slices of fish on individual hot plates, and pour the sauce over them. Serve with boiled new potatoes, lemon wedges, and a salad of lamb's lettuce simply dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Crazy good mac and cheese

Got this from David Rosengarten.

Three-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
Makes 8 side-dish servings

6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
1 ½ teaspoons paprika, divided
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 ¼ cups milk
½ cup crème fraiche
1 clove garlic, peeled
8 ounces grated extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, divided
4 ounces grated mild Cheddar cheese, divided
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed with cold water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, thyme and ½ teaspoon paprika; toss with melted butter. Set aside.

In another saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. When melted, whisk in flour, mustard, salt, nutmeg, remaining paprika, and freshly ground black pepper to taste until smooth. Cook over low heat for 1 or 2 minutes or until mixture smells “toasty”. Add milk, whisking until smooth. Add garlic clove, return to a simmer, and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in crème fraiche. Reserving ½ cup of each cheese for topping, stir the rest of the cheese into the sauce until melted. Remove and discard garlic clove.

Place macaroni in a baking dish, add cheese sauce, stirring to coat all of the macaroni with sauce. Sprinkle with half the breadcrumb mixture, then remaining cheese, then remaining breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Chutney-Bourbon Glazed Flank Steak

This is my favorite fajita marinade. Marissa and I got it from a Central Market class.

Chutney-Bourbon Glazed Flank Steak
Serves 4

1/3 cup minced onion
1/3 cup minced bell pepper
½ cup peach or mango chutney
1/3 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound flank steak, trimmed

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak. Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. While the steak is marinating, preheat the grill or broiler.

Remove the steak from the bag, reserving marinade. Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan; cook on each side to desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices; keep warm.
Pour reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with steak.

Chewy Pecan Squares

These are better than pecan pie and disappear quickly.

Chewy Pecan Squares
Makes about 32

Crust
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Topping
1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups coarsely chopped pecans (about 14 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan with foil, leaving 1-inch overhang on all sides. Butter foil. Blend flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in processor. Add butter and process until mixture begins to clump together. Press dough evenly onto bottom of foil-lined pan. Bake crust until set and light golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand while preparing topping. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

For Topping: Stir brown sugar, maple syrup and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils; boil 1 minute. Add pecans and cream; boil until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour hot topping over warm crust.

Bake nut-topped crust until caramel is darker and bubbles thickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to rack. Cool completely in pan (topping will harden).

Lift foil out of pan onto cutting board. Using heavy sharp knife, cut crust with nut topping into 1 1/2 x 1-inch squares. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature).