Gourmet "Southern Tomato Sandwich" Crostini with Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli, Bacon Fat Fried Toast, Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Brown Butter, & Fresh Chives

Gourmet "Southern Tomato Sandwich" Crostini with Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli,
Bacon Fat Fried Toast, Heirloom Tomatoes, & Brown Butter

Almost every story I have ever heard from my mom or dad has either started or ended with a classic tomato sandwich being eaten. To be honest, I never really got it. All you true deep south southerners are probably shakin' y'all's heads in disdain... I know, I know, please shame me. I deserve it. But, what could be so delicious about a piece of white bread, slathered with store-bought mayo, tomatoes, and some pepper? Now, to each their own, certainly, but there is a significant room for growth and I took that challenge on. Some of y'all will hate me for it and the others will love it, just give it a listen. Okay? First, you gotta throw that overly soft bread, that should only be used for a kid's PB&J sandwich, out the window. That is not allowed to be used. I made my favorite, extra-crusty, super-chewy bread... sliced it thick and fried it in bacon fat. I mean, c'mon people, that already sounds so much better. Now don't get me wrong, I tend to reach for Duke's Mayo on occasion, just for pure time-saving matters, but if you really want to make a sandwich taste better, you have to make it from scratch. There's no way around it. The number one rule, as proposed by my family, is the heavy use of fresh cracked pepper. So, I just incorporated it into my super garlicy, homemade aioli (and I mean a whole lot of it, so feel free to reduce it somewhat if you need too). Next is by far the most crucial part in my book... finding the ripest, juiciest, most colorful heirloom tomatoes that you can find. They are the only kind I buy and if you haven't had one, then you are truly missing out. Their texture is overly tender, no slimy starchiness here, and they are as sweet as can be! And just by adding a small pinch of salt + pepper (with a splash of vinegar), it turns into one of my favorite quick, Summer meals. HEIRLOOM TOMATOES MUST NOT & CAN NOT BE OMITTED (glad I got that out there, it is so very important). After you have layered all of the ingredients, drizzle a little bit of brown butter over the top, and garnish with minced chives. Now I get that this sammich ain't normal or classic by any means, but this updated version will be a go-to lunch this summer when the heirloom tomatoes are bountiful. And wouldn't they just be the cutest as mini crostini for a summer dinner party? I think soooooooo!! Enjoy :)

Here is one that is plain, but the brown butter and fresh chives are crucial!

For the Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli:

1 Egg Yolk

1 ½t Fresh Lemon Juice

1t White Wine Vinegar

¼t Dijon Mustard

1 Garlic Clove, Minced into a Paste (with a little sea salt)

½t Sea salt (plus a little more to taste, if needed)

¼t Sugar

¾C Canola Oil

1-2t Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

For the “Southern Tomato Sandwich” Crostini:

Thick Slices of Country Bread (I used my favorite recipe for bread)

Rendered Bacon Fat, For Frying

Prepared Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli

Heirloom Tomatoes, Sliced & Seasoned Lightly with Sea Salt

Brown Butter, Melted (for drizzling)

Fresh Minced Chives

Directions:

1. For the Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli: Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C canola oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ½C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Season the mayo with the fresh cracked black pepper and a little sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use.  

2. For the Bacon Fat Fried Toast: Heat about 1 inch of rendered bacon fat in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the slices of bread in the oil until golden brown & crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Once the bread is done, immediately remove them from the oil and slightly drain them on paper towels to get rid of excess oil. Place them onto a serving plate.

3. For the Crostini: Spread the bacon fat fried toast with a thick layer of the Homemade Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Aioli. Top the aioli with slices of seasoned heirloom tomatoes, and then drizzle tops of the tomatoes with some brown butter. Garnish with some fresh parsley, basil, or chives.

4. Enjoy immediately!

Oh and now for some Heirloom Tomato food porn...

How amazing do those look? My mouth is watering as I type. 

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt

So, Valentine's Day is in a couple days... that means you need to spend some quality time with your honey. Last year, I came up with the first + original recipe for Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. You may have seen them on Pinterest because they blew up on there, and probably a few other recipes around the internet that got the idea from here, and if you haven't tried them, you should. Especially for the extra special lover's day. This year, my Mountain Man & I are kind of busy, so we have to push our celebration off until Friday. And for every holiday, we always have our own thing that we plan. He always takes us out for dinner, dessert, and a little surprise, while I always cook us a fancy dinner or a cute picnic lunch for the park. This time around, I thought about how I wanted to do a movie night with a bunch of gourmet snacks to enjoy while snuggling up together. This was one of my ideas and I know I will be recreating it for our special dinner + a movie. I mean, you always have to have popcorn while watching a film, ya know?!? Why not spice it up a bit with some caramel corn, and not just any kind of caramel corn... Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn. That's right, popcorn that is perfectly covered in a caramel sauce that is made with truffle honey and truffle butter, and then sprinkled with truffle salt! We love truffle-anything around this house. My Mountain Man is always sniffing the can of white truffle oil while I'm cooking, he's addicted. But, I do know, truffle isn't for everyone, so I urge those who aren't truffle fans to steer clear because it is DEFINITELY truffled. This is the perfect little snack to pop in your mouth while watching rom-com's or scary movies (whatever floats your boat)! Oh, and P.S., check back on Valentine's Day for a new, super awesome red velvet recipe... maybe it could top the cinnamon rolls? Debatable!! Enjoy :)

For the Gourmet Popcorn:

1/3C Corn Kernels

1T White Truffle Oil

½t Salt

2T Truffle Butter, Melted (for tossing the popcorn)

For the Truffle Honey Caramel:

½C Gourmet Truffle Honey

¼C Heavy Whipping Cream

2T Unsalted Butter or Truffle Butter (depending on how much truffle you want)

1t Vanilla

Truffle Salt or Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling    

Directions:

1. Lightly coat a heatproof rubber spatula, a very large mixing bowl and line a large baking sheet with a silpat. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the 1T of white truffle oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and salt, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5-10 minutes (depending on the heat level). Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any un-popped kernels. Pour over the melted truffle butter and toss to coat all of the popcorn (this will add even more truffle flavor, but can be omitted if wanted). Set the buttered popcorn aside.

3. For the Truffle Honey Caramel: In a medium pot, add in the truffle honey, whipping cream, butter, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat until it is bubbly and caramel in color, reaching 240 degrees. Make sure to stir continuously. Once it has reached the desired temperature, pour the honey caramel over the popcorn and toss it with the prepared rubber spatula until the popcorn is completely tossed and covered. Quickly pour & spread the caramel popcorn onto the prepared silpat. Sprinkle the hot popcorn with either truffle salt or vanilla bean fleur de sel until you have reached your desired saltiness (depending on how much truffle or sweetness you want, you can also use sea salt).

4. Place the popcorn pan into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the popcorn has reached an even darker caramel color. Let the popcorn cool & harden completely before enjoying.

source: honey caramel corn.

"Porker Jack" a.k.a. Popcorn Pig Candy

Here's another one of our snacks from our tailgate at the Carolina Cup this past weekend. I knew I wanted something that people could easily grab and munch on all day, and I instantly thought of caramel corn. But I knew that I wanted to make it slightly better and super unique. I did this by adding lots of crispy bacon and roasted peanuts. Then to top it all off, I added in some cayenne and red pepper flakes for that signature kick. It was delicious. I mean any popcorn that is popped in bacon fat is a winner in my book. It tasted almost exactly like my bacon peanut brittle that I was raving about a couple weeks ago. The popcorn was smoky, sweet, spicy, and crunchy... and we just loved it!! Enjoy :)

"Porker Jack" or Popcorn Pig Candy

If you look up close, you ca see the pieces of bacon and peanuts hiding in the caramel

For the Popcorn Pig Candy:

Nonstick Cooking Spray

10 Strips of Thick Cut, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Pieces & Fried until Crispy

3T Reserved Bacon Fat

½C Popcorn Kernels

2C Unsalted Peanuts, Roasted

1 ½t Baking Soda

¼t Cayenne & Cinnamon

½t Red Pepper Flakes

3C Sugar

3T Unsalted Butter

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas, a very large mixing bowl and two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or a thin slick of oil.
2. In a sauté pan, fry the bacon pieces until cooked and very crispy. Strain from the fat onto a paper towel and set it aside. Use 3T of the leftover bacon fat for the popcorn kernels.
3. In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any un-popped kernels.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda, cayenne, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.
5. Have the two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and ½C of water. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden-yellow caramel, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up). Add in the crispy bacon pieces and roasted peanuts and stir quickly to combine.
6. Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and don’t fuss if it doesn’t all come out of the pot — you’ll have plenty. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated. Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm, and then sprinkle the surface with sea salt to taste. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

source: spicy caramel corn.

Homemade Spicy Chex Mix

Well, I just arrived back in Savannah this afternoon, and I'm so glad to be back. Celebrating Christmas was fun in Atlanta, but I missed my Mountain Man dearly (he was in Birmingham), and I missed the warm weather. I still can't get over the fact that it is 70 degrees and sunny here, but freezin' cold just 4 hours away. So bizarre. Anyway, this recipe is perfect for any occasion or party really because it is simple to make & makes a huge batch, so you can feed a lot of people. It's also a simple, salty snack that people will keep grabbin' for all night. The glory about homemade chex mix is that you can alter it to your tastes. I obviously like my food quite spicy & flavorful, so I add a little bit more than the average person. Also, the chex cereal is my favorite, so I substituted that in for other ingredients. Just play around with it... it's pretty easy!! I hope you had a great holiday & enjoy :)

Homemade Spicy Chex Mix

For the Mix:

6C Corn or Rice Chex

4C Wheat Chex

3C Square Pretzels

4C Mixed Nuts

4C Cheese Crackers

2C Bugles

3 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Melted

4-6T Worcestershire Sauce

6-12T Hot Sauce

1-2T Fresh Garlic, Minced

Cajun Seasoning, Paprika, Cayenne, Chili Powder, Garlic Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper, and set them aside.
2. Mix the Dry Components: In a large bowl, mix together the chex, pretzels, nuts, crackers, and bugles until they are evenly incorporated.
3. Make the Seasoning: In a bowl, mix together the melted butter, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and garlic.
4. Make the Chex Mix: Pour the butter mixture over the mixed, dry components and toss to completely cover evenly. Separate the buttered chex mix evenly onto the prepared baking sheets. Spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the buttered chex mix with the seasonings listed above. Use as little or as much as you like, just do it to taste. I like mine very spicy, so sprinkle it heavily. Toss the cover.
5. Cooking the Mix: Bake for 3 hours, stirring & tossing every 30 minutes for even baking. Sprinkle with more seasonings throughout the baking process to coat more heavily. Once they have baked, remove from the oven and cool completely.
6. Serve in a large bowl. Store in airtight containers or Ziploc bags (this made about 2 large gallon-sized bags).