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).

Guacamole

4 ripe Haas avocados

3 T freshly squeezed lime juice (1-2 limes)

8 Dashes Hot sauce

1/2 c. small-diced red onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 medium tomato, small diced

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lime juice, tabasco, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

-This is also a Barefoot Contessa recipe. However, hers calls for lemon juice, but I've always used lime. Also, I tend to use a little less red onion than what this calls for (personal taste). This recipe is pretty easy to scale up for a larger crowd too.

Pan Fried Onion Dip

2 large yellow onions

4 T unsalted butter

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. good mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8 inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions. Maria likes to use a mandolin to slice the onions, I haven't tried this yet). Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and saute for 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized.  Allow the onions to cool.  Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth.  Add the onions and mix well.  Taste for seasonings.  Serve at room temperature.

-This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I pretty much never make any modifications.  Perfect as is :)

Charbroiled Oysters

The lovely Stacy from New Orleans taught me to make these during a post-SXSW fish fry. She gets them all the time at Drago's: Home of the Original Charbroiled Oyster. On a busy day, Drago’s enormous grills turn out around 900 dozen of the now legendary Charbroiled Oysters! We consumed 100 oysters that day—some raw, some fries, and some grilled using this simple, fabulous sauce.

Ingredients:
1 stick salt-free butter
2 T olive oil
3 grinds of fresh black pepper
1 head of garlic, minced fine
1 T dry italian seasoning (oregano, basil, etc.)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 dozen raw oysters on the half shell
lemon wedges

Directions:
Preheat gas grill.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and italian seasoning over low/medium heat until the butter is fully melted.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Immediately, spoon the mixture onto the oysters an place them on the grill leaving them in the half shell.
When the oysters are done, the edges will begin to curl up from the shell and the sauce will bubble and smell lovely. (I can't tell you when that will be, but start checking them after the first 5 minutes.)
Once you (carefully) remove the oysters from the grill, squeeze some lemon over each one.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes lest you sear your tongue with the deliciousness.

Note: Stacy said that it's good to have some french bread to soak up that additional sauce. We didn't have any, but they were plenty good right from the shell. Enjoy!

Caution: You may experience some flare-ups. Don't worry. This only makes the oysters more delicious.
Do remember to use tongs to remove the oysters from the grill. Trust me, the shells get really freakin' hot!

4th Annual Crawfish Boil Jambalaya

The Grier tends to overextend himself when it comes to the annual Crawfish Boil, and the Cajun gastronomy of it all. This recipe came about as a result of a “Cajun Challenge,” to create a pot of jambalaya that was fit for a crowd and would meet the standards of a discerning Cajun. Here is the result, Enjoy!

Ingredients:

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 Texas 1015 onions, diced

3 poblanos, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

1 bunch of celery, diced

12 cloves of garlic, minced

32 oz andouille sausage, sliced (remove the casing if it is thick. I used Cajun Hollar brand)

1.5 lb chicken thighs

3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 Tablespoons of tomato paste (not condensed)

28 oz diced tomatoes, with juices

10 cups of or chicken or turkey stock (I used “Better than Bouillon” Organic Roasted Chicken product to make stock)

2lb box of Uncle Ben’s Converted White Rice

3-4 Tablespoons of Cajun seasoning (I used Emeril’s Bayou Blast recipe)

Flour

Salt, Pepper, & Cayenne (to taste)

File powder (optional)

Directions:

Heat ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of butter over medium-high heat and melt butter. Sprinkle chicken with some of the seasoning and add to the pot, browning in batches until cooked through. Remove from pot and tear apart into bite-size pieces – set aside. Add sausage to pot. Brown and remove, set aside. Add remaining butter and oil to pot and melt. Dust flour over the oil, reduce heat and stir slowly to make a light roux. Add paste and whisk to combine. Add garlic, onion, peppers, and celery to roux mixture and sauté until soft. Add about 2 cups of stock and deglaze pan, stirring to combine. Add remaining seasoning, tomatoes, and sprinkle with file, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cooked sausage, chicken, and remaining stock the pot. Sprinkle with cayenne, salt & pepper (to taste). Add the entire box of rice. Allow for low simmer covered for 25 minutes stirring occasionally until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Yield: A big ass pot of food.

BBQ Sauce Grier Style

This is my easy but tasty sauce. Like most of my recipes, I just read and tried many others and modified until I found how I liked it.

1 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Vinegar (Use what you like. I really dig Steen's Cane Vinegar , which is made from Louisiana sugar cane.)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 T Soy Sauce
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T Creole Mustard (I do 2 good squeezes from the bottle.)
Garlic and Cayenne to taste

Heat and stir to combine. Cool and bottle.
T

Garlic-and-Herb Oven-Fried Cod

This was originally a Cooking Light recipe, but I tweaked it a bit because halibut is wicked expensive and I don't care for basil with fish. It came out with a crispy crust and nice flaky flesh. I will have to remember to mince the garlic a little bit finer next time, but there definitely will be a next time on this one. Delicious!

• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 (6-ounce) cod fillets
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Place egg whites and egg in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 fish fillets; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining fish. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

I squeezed on a bit of lemon at the end and served it with a pasta vegetable medley and a crisp Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc.