It's All About the Garnish!

Cherries Win!

Woo  hooo! I'm so honored to be chosen by head judge Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and the Cherry Marketing Council. Here's the recipe:  http://www.choosecherries.com/recipes/Sweet_and_Spicy_Seared_Tuna_with_Cherry_Cabbage_948.aspx

Here's the write-up from Matt (and a beautiful photo):  http://mattbites.com/2011/03/20/judging-the-cherry-contest/

 

Vanilla Win!

I'm SO excited to share this with you:  I've been named the winner in the Spice Islands Flavor Explorer Vanilla Challenge.

The contest challenged entrants to use their Vanilla in a sweet or savory recipe. And, because their new vanilla extract doesn't contain corn syrup, I was happy to give it a try. I don't bake, so I racked my brain for any savory recipes in my arsenal that would be improved with the addition of vanilla. I'd been making my famous butter-poached halibut for a few months now and knew that chefs have been adding vanilla to their trout, lobster and crab dishes lately. Why not halibut? I had also perfected a nice Meyer Lemon Gastrique with which to drizzle on said halibut but thought it was a little too sweet to be paired with vanilla in a savory dish.

Then, inspiration struck and I came up with the Ancho-Orange Drizzle you'll see on the winning recipe here:  Vanilla Butter Poached Halibut with Ancho Orange Drizzle

Special thanks to head judge Matt Armendariz at mattbites.com

Potato Win!

Finally, after weeks of not winning ANYTHING, I emerged victorious from the KSRO Potato Recipe Contest and Cookoff. The full article comes up on Napa.Patch.com later this week, but I can at least share a brief synopsis from the sponsor website and my recipe below. Yay taters!

The KSRO Good Food Hour Potato Recipe Contest & Cookoff recap.

Here's the recipe:

Potato and Prosciutto Rouladen with Red Onions, Radicchio and Roquefort

6 medium red potatoes
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 heads radicchio, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
8 thin slices prosciutto (4” wide by 6” long)
2/3 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 cup panko
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped

Boil potatoes in a large pot until fork-tender, about 30-45 minutes. While potatoes boil, saute onion, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until translucent. Sprinkle radicchio with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet, stirring occasionally for about 3 to 5 minutes or until radicchio is wilted. Remove from heat.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and return to pot. Add the garlic, flat leaf parsley, 1/2 cup butter, yogurt, salt and pepper. Mash well.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. On a flat surface, place two slices of prosciutto next to each other, small ends toward you, and overlap long edges by about 1 inch. Repeat with remaining slices so you have four large pieces of prosciutto total. Spread the prosciutto with mashed potatoes, leaving 1 inch of prosciutto exposed on all sides. Sprinkle the bottom third (closest to you) with equal amounts of onions, radicchio and Roquefort. Picking up the end of prosciutto closest to you, roll it over the ingredients and tuck under them, continuing to gently roll away from you, sealing the ends.

Place seam-side-down on an ungreased baking sheet. Melt the remaining butter in a medium bowl in the microwave, then toss with salt, pepper, panko and rosemary. Sprinkle on the rolls, then bake for 5-10 minutes or until panko is light golden brown. Serve. (Serves four)

 

Tomato Win!

A couple of weeks ago, I entered the NatureSweet Tomato Challenge, where finalists would be selected based on their essay about cooking with tomatoes. Here's my submission:

Red of flesh, with taut skin and luscious within, tomatoes lend a seductive essence to any kitchen. Bite into them and they explode with flavor, juices running down your chin in all their glory. Ripe and plump, a tomato feels good in the hand, giving an expectation of greatness when brought together with cutting board and knife. An anticipation of deliciousness is brought forth and hangs in the air when tomatoes are roasted, grilled, baked, fried, sautéed, stewed, or stuffed. Their succulent sweetness supersedes other flavors to stand out in a savory sauce, soup or salsa as if to say, “Yes, I am GRAND.” They elevate humble bruschetta to a scrumptious snack and exalt a sandwich to a dish worthy of royalty.  Drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar then tossed with garlic and basil, tomatoes turn any modest repast into a feast, but when paired with a creamy, nutty cheese and crusty, earthy bread, tomatoes turn the dish into the epitome of all that’s right with the world. If my love of cooking with tomatoes would be considered heart, then tomatoes themselves are the soul.

I know it's a little much, but I really, really, really wanted to participate in the cookoff, as it was not only local (Folsom), but it was to be an Iron-Chef-like challenge, with a bag of mystery ingredients  and tomatoes, with an hour time limit. So, when I was selected, I was not only ecstatic, but a little worried. Because Raley's was a sponsor, I spent a couple of days before the event wandering the aisles, taking note of any weird ingredients (tripe, anyone?) they might throw at me, with solutions for each. 

When I got to the venue, I was able to peek at the mystery ingredients and was both relieved and frustrated. They were 'normal' foods such as pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, etc. Where were the anchovies? Where were the bunches of kale? Oh well. I did my best and made what I later called "Tuscan Chicken Cakes" that took home the grand prize of $2,500!!!

Here's the recipe:

Tuscan Tomato Chicken Cakes with Asparagus
By Jamie Brown Miller, Napa, CA
Grand Prize Winner – Sacramento Cook-Off

2 ½ bags of NatureSweet Vine Ripened Cherry Tomatoes,divided
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
1/2 cup plus four tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 slice Naan bread
6-8 basil leaves

Dice one pound of tomatoes. In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté the diced tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper for 5-7 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Set aside.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and use the same pan to cook, covered, on medium high heat until
done, about 10 minutes per side. Set aside to cool.

Sauté asparagus over high heat in a large skillet with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and one teaspoon of the lemon juice for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool, then remove ends, reserving the tips.

Using the same pan, toast pine nuts over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, or until just beginning to
brown. Set aside to cool, then chop finely.

Shred the chicken breasts by using two forks to pull apart the meat. Place in a medium bowl and add the
sautéed tomatoes, ricotta, feta and pine nuts. Stir to mix well, then form into four cakes. Heat two
tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and cook the chicken cakes on high heat for 3 minutes per side.

Slice the remaining tomatoes, then mix with remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Heat remaining two tablespoons olive oil in the large skillet and toast the naan bread, then cut into
quarters.

Stack basil leaves, then roll tightly, lengthwise. Slice into ribbons.

To assemble, place a slice of Naan bread on to four plates. Top with the chicken mixture. Add equal
amounts of asparagus tips to the chicken cakes, then top with the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Makes 4 Servings.

Nasoya Finalist Win!

Waaaaaay back in late 2009, I entered the Nasoya Wraps (the wonton wraps you find in the refrigerated veggie section in the grocery store) Holiday Wrap-Up contest. The challenge? Find a new way to make appetizers for a crowd using wonton wraps. They finally revealed the winners, and while I was beaten for the grand prize by contesting veterans, I managed to crack the top ten. Here's a link to all of the recipes:  http://www.nasoya.com/nasoya-chat/recipe-contest-winners.html

Here's MY recipe!

Apple-Sausage-Blue Bites with Spicy Green Onion Drizzle

  

 

 

Ingredients:
1 pkg Nasoya® Won Ton wraps
3 sausages, casings removed
1 apple, minced
1 ½ cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup water
½ cup olive oil
8 green onions, ends removed, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Crumble the sausages into a large skillet and cook on high heat, for five minutes or until no longer pink. Add the apple and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently. Fill each wrap with a tablespoon of the sausage mixture and a sprinkle of blue cheese. Dip a finger in water and rub the edges of the wrap, then form a rectangle by folding one side onto the opposite side. Press down firmly to seal the edges. Continue to fill the remaining wrappers. Place wrappers onto a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

While filled wrappers bake, make the sauce. Using a food processor, chop the green onions with half of the olive oil until fine. Add the remaining olive oil and blend. Add the lemon juice and cayenne pepper and blend until smooth. Pour into a small re-sealable bag.

When the filled wrappers are done, arrange them on a large serving tray. Snip the corner off the end of the baggie filled with the sauce and drizzle the sauce over the wrappers. Pour remaining sauce into a ramekin for dipping and serve.

A Feature in Taste of the South Magazine!

Wow! I'm in Taste of the South Magazine! I arrived home today to find a FedEx envelope containing four copies, with an article about my "Sweet and Spicy Shrimp with Onion, Bacon and Basil" on page 82! I feel so honored! While there's no online link yet, I'm more than happy to type the whole thing out for you here:

"Jamie Brown-Miller of Napa, California, wasn't always a great cook. "Ten years ago I was cooking with Hamburger Helper," she explains. But then, her family began having friendly cooking competitions. "From competing with my father and my husband, Kevin, I've become a better cook," Jamie says.

These cooking competitions are relaxed affairs. "It's an excuse for us to get together as a family," Jamie says. Last summer, her recipe for Sweet and Spicy Shrimp, a spicy combination of shrimp, bacon and seasoned butter that packs quite a kick, was declared the winner at one of the events. That's when Jamie was bitten by the recipe-contest bug. Now she chronicles the dishes she creates, along with her recipe contest entries, on her blog, itsallaboutthegarnish.com

"I cook dinner every single night of the week, and I love it," Jamie says. Although her domestic bliss sometimes horrifies her friends, she finds cooking with a glass of wine at her fingertips and her beloved Akita, Kodi, at her feet to be relaxing. "Cooking is my Zen," Jamie explains. "I like the sound of my knife on the cutting board."

Sweet and Spicy Shrimp with Onion, Bacon and Basil

2 pounds large shrimp, deveined, tail-on (approximately 48 shrimp)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion

2 to 3 teaspoons ground red pepper

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

48 fresh basil leaves

24 slices very thin bacon, split down the middle

12 wooden skewers, soaked in water

1.  Preheat a grill or large grill pan on the stove top to medium-high heat. Run a small knife down the back of each shrimp to create a pocket, leaving the tail in place but not cutting all the way through the shrimp.

2.  In a small bowl, combine butter, onion, red pepper, honey, garlic powder, paprika and salt, blending thoroughly to make a paste. Spoon approximately 1/2 teaspoon butter mixture into slit in each shrimp. Cover slit with a basil leaf and wrap with a slice of bacon. Slide onto a skewer. Repeat with remaining shrimp, placing four shrimp on each skewer.

3.  Grill until shrimp are just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side. If using a grill pan on the stove top, you may have to work in batches. Serve immediately.

Sunset Magazine Win!

Yay! After losing in New York (again) my mood brightened quite a bit when I learned that I had won the Sunset Magazine Fresh Cheese Recipe Contest. There were two categories:  Sweet and Savory - of course I chose savory, and concocted a puff pastry - ricotta - arugula -shiitake pocket with some spicy tomatoes on top.

The prize? Tickets to the Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma this Saturday, plus the gala 8-course gourmet dinner that night, with town car transportation! Fancy! I've also been invited to speak at the Ricotta Seminar, to talk about my recipe with 40 guests.

Here's the recipe:

SAVORY EGG AND RICOTTA SQUARES WITH SHITAKES AND ARUGULA

Serves: 4

Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes***

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1½ cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup lightly packed arugula
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (from the February 2010 issue of Sunset)
• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp. sriracha (garlic chili paste)
• 1 cup fresh fromage blanc (from the February 2010 issue of Sunset)

1. Preheat oven to 425° degrees. Slice puff pastry sheets into quarters and place 4 on an ungreased baking sheet. Chill all 8 puff pastry squares while you make the filling.

2. Whisk together eggs and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat and swirl to coat pan. Add mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the pepper; cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until mushroom edges begin to brown. Stir in garlic and arugula and cook until arugula wilts.

3. Add egg mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until eggs are almost set. Fold in ricotta and let cool 5 minutes.

4. Spoon egg-ricotta mixture into center of each pastry square, dividing evenly. Place a reserved square on top, aligning the edges and pinching together. Poke center of each square with a fork. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Melt remaining 1 tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add tomatoes and sriracha and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

6. Transfer squares to four plates, then top each with 1/4 cup fromage blanc. Spoon tomatoes over fromage blanc, dividing evenly.

***Note:  I'm not sure why, but Sunset seems to think it'll take 1 hour and 20 minutes to make this dish. No way! If it truly took that long, I wouldn't want to make it. I'd be willing to bet you can do it in 30 minutes or less. 

Here's a link to the page at Sunset.com

A Little Pre-Cookoff Publicity

I'm in the local newspaper's Food section today! Here's the article and my recipe:

Napa resident Jamie Brown-Miller is one of five finalists in the National Live Kosher Cook-off. She’ll be flown to New York City to compete for a $25,000 grand prize before a panel of judges led by Chef Jacques Pepin on what New York Mayor Bloomberg has proclaimed “Man-O-Manischewitz” day.

She was selected from more than 2,000 entries nationwide for her Rosemary Duck Cassoulet. The contest required contestants to use Manischewitz’s newest product, its all-natural broth.

Brown-Miller handles marketing for Hall Wines and last year led the local Canines & Wines event. An animal enthusiast, she is training her 130 pound Akita named Kodi to join Paws for Healing and has also invented non-alcoholic beer for dogs called Happy Tail Ale.

Rosemary Duck Cassoulet

4 duck breasts, de-boned

4 cups cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups red onions, chopped

1 1⁄2 cups tomatoes, chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed

4 Tbsp. rosemary, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Manischewitz Italian Herb Coating Crumbs

2 cups Manischewitz All-Natural Beef Broth

Salt

Pepper

Chop duck breasts into 1-inch cubes. On medium-high heat sauté chopped duck breasts in a large stewpot for about five minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Stir often.

Add the beans and onions and continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, garlic, pepper and salt. Bring temperature up to a boil and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium and add the rosemary. Partially cover and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes, or until liquid has been reduced. To serve, uncover, ladle into four large soup bowls and sprinkle with herb bread crumbs.

Here's a link to the Napa Valley Register.