What can be better then Mac and Cheese except maybe Mac and Cheese made with beer and bacon? The Brits have a dish called Welsh Rarebit which is a beer and cheese sauce usually served over toast and broiled until the sauce is nicely browned and bubbling. In my research I have found other trailblazers that have had this same idea but in the spirit of making it my own, I am adding my own home cured bacon to put it over the top. I love to add a topping made with panko, crushed Ritz cracker, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. I have made uncured bacon for this recipe (made without curing salt) to speed up the process but you can substitute any dry cured bacon even unsmoked if you want.

Ingredients:

 Home Uncured Bacon

 3 pounds pork belly
 3 Tbsps. kosher salt
 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
 2 tsp. pepper
 2 tsp. ground coriander
 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
 1 Tbsp. ground thyme

 Welsh Rarebit Mac and Cheese

 1 cup Newcastle brown ale (or another brown ale)
 2 cups milk
 4 Tbsp. butter
 3 Tbsp. flour
 1 cup finely diced red pepper
 1 cup finely diced onion
 1 deseeded finely diced jalapeno
 2 Tbsp. dry mustard
 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
 salt and pepper to taste
 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
 1 cup coastal cheddar cheese
 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
 1 cup diced Velveeta cheese
 1 pound of pasta

 Topping
 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Procedure:

 1. Rub the pork belly with all the ingredient and seal in a Ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight. Smoke the pork belly on low heat for at least 4 hours. Heat in a 275 degree oven for one hour until browned.

 2. Melt the 3 Tbsp. of the butter in a large sauce pan and whisk in the flour to create a roux. Add the dry mustard then the Worcestershire sauce, beer and milk to a soupy consistency. Gradually add the cheeses slowly so they melt slowly and season with salt and pepper.

 3. Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook until almost done.

 4. On medium heat, in a separate pan melt the remaining butter and add the peppers and onions stirring until the onions are translucent. Add to the cheese sauce. Spray with cooking spray or butter a oven safe dish and add the pasta then the cheese sauce. The mixture should be soupy so stir in more milk if needed. Mix the topping ingredients and cover the mixture. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 to 40 minutes and let cool a bit before serving.

When I make risotto I usually make extra to make one of my favorite appetizers, Arancini Di Risa (fried risotto balls) the next day. They always are a hit at any party. When I started looking at way to utilize grits; and in particular shrimp and grits. I started thinking in the back of my mind about these lovely golden fried balls that I stuff with a piece of cheese. Why not encase a piece of shrimp in flavorful cheese grits? Better yet, for anyone that doesn't like shrimp we could use pieces of sausage or cheese. I could pair these with a savory cajun style or traditional shrimp sauce. I will leave that up to you. Remember you need to cook your grits with less
liquid and let it cool completely to let the starch set up. That will enable the balls to stick together while frying.


Ingredients:

For the cheese grits - 

  2 cups stone ground premium white grits

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1 1/2 cup milk

  water to achieve proper consistency

  1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup grated fontina cheese

  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  salt 

For the breading station - 

  1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

  2 eggs beaten

  1 cup Panko bread crumbs

 
Directions:

1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk and continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes). Grate the cheeses and add while stirring, season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. Let cool. Note: we want a fairly stiff mixture.

2. Clean and devein the shrimp. Cook the shrimp in their shell. Peel and remove the shells then dice into one half to three quarter inch pieces. If you are using sausage, brown the sausage and cut into pieces.

3. Using a small scoop, scoop out some of the grits mixture. using your finger make a hole in the mix and insert the filling. Gather up the mixture to encase the filling and form into a ball.

4. Create a standard breading station, with one container of seasoned flower, one of beaten egg and one of bread crumbs. I prefer Panko Japanese crumbs.

5. Heat up oil for deep frying to 350 degrees F. Roll the balls in the flour shaking of any excess, then in the beaten egg then roll in the bread crumbs. deep fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with or without a sauce.

Well, I am finally in my new kitchen, in a new state ready to try some new things! Since moving to Georgia I have been researching the local food scene, looking at new ingredients and how I can use them. The first thing I want to tackle is southern style grits which are served for breakfast almost every where. I love to add cheese to my version because regular grits with butter is just too plain for me. I like to add three different cheeses; cheddar, fontina and parmesan, but you can try your own combination of cheeses or just one. Its all up to you! I like to serve mine with diced country ham and some bacon. I'll think I will make some extra to make my version of shrimp and grits. More on  that later. First you may ask, what is the difference between grits and polenta? The major difference is that grits are traditionally made from a type of corn called dent corn, while polenta is made from flint corn. Polenta is usually a little coarser and can have a firmer texture while grits generally are creamier. I have tried two premium stone ground offerings. The first I got from The Healthy Gourmet in Athens, GA ( check them out on facebook ) from the Logan Turnpike Mill ( http://www.loganturnpikemill.com/ ) and the second are called Gayla's Grits from Shaw Farms ( http://gaylasgrits.com/ ) which I picked up at Lizzies Pantry ( http://www.lizziespantry.com/ ).

Ingredients:

 2 cups stone ground premium white grits

 1 1/2 cup chicken broth

 1 1/2 cup milk

 water to achieve proper consistency

 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 1 cup grated fontina cheese

 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

 salt

 2 pieces of thick sliced bacon cooked crisp and broken into pieces

 1/4 pound country ham fried and simmered in water to reduce saltiness

Directions:

1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes

2. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a wisk

3. Continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes) 

4. Grate the cheeses and add while stirring.

5, Season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency.

6. Serve in a bowl with the diced bacon and ham

Daylight is getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler and football rules the airwaves so it must closer to Thanksgiving day. One great thing about being a Canadian in the United States is that I get to celebrate two separate Thanksgivings, November 28, 2013 in the US and October 14, 2013 in Canada. Talk about leftover turkey! All kidding aside, how do you take inspiration and make a special breakfast that does Thanksgiving proud. Each year I look forward to my favorite dish; stuffing made with celery and onions, bread and spices plus something extra like sausage or diced turkey. My inspiration is to recreate that same great taste in a savory muffin, my "Stuffin' Muffin." I wanted the muffin to be moist and savory with a hint of sweetness. I encourage you to use this as a starting point and make it your own and then envision your own savory muffins.

Note: I searched for the name "stuffin' muffins" and found others had made something similar (even Rachael Ray has one!) usually using bread crumbs or pre-packaged stuffing mixes. I think that using seasoned bread crumbs would be a great idea if used as a crisp topping. I believe my version is unique, adding turkey gravy to add additional moisture (and for taste);  creating an unique dish. I believe you could substitute chicken or turkey broth to save some calories.

Ingredients:

 3 tbsp. butter

 1 medium to large onion

 2 or 3 stalks celery

 Optional: 1 or 2 large precooked turkey or pork sausage patty

 2 tsp. poultry seasoning

 1 cup turkey gravy plus extra for serving

 1 tsp. thyme leaves

 1 tsp. ground sage

 Salt and pepper for seasoning

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

 1 tsp. salt

 3-5 tbsp. sugar

 1 Large Egg

 ½ cup milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
 
Finely dice the onion, celery and if you choose to use, the sausage. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add butter. Sauté the onion, celery and sausage seasoned with salt and pepper until the onion and celery are soft. Add the poultry seasoning, thyme and sage and sauté for  two minutes more, then add the gravy and stir to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning, take off the heat and allow to cool until warm.
 
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in to a large bowl. Beat the egg, sugar and the milk in another bowl and gently mix into the dry ingredients. As making any other muffin I want not to over work the mixture. Mix in the onion and celery mixture.
 
Grease some muffin tins and spoon the mixture into the muffin tins ¾ full. Bake in a 400° F oven until done (about 20 minutes) or until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve hot with extra gravy.  Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins.

Here we are and it is fast approaching July 4th. Fire up the grills and stock up on hot dogs and hamburgers. What is more American than a hot dog? I met the owner of a hot dog stand at my local farmers market and said I would develop a bacon relish recipe that set his stand apart and help bring people back. I wanted to make something salty, sweet, spicy, and just the right amount of sourness, so everything is balanced. This recipe is the end result and is an amazing topping for your next hot dog but save some for breakfast; it goes great just on toast!
Ingredients:

 1 pound thick cut lean bacon
 1 large red pepper
 1 large poblano pepper
 1 large sweet onion
 ½ cup brown sugar
 ¼ cup sweet pickle juice or white balsamic vinegar
 ¼ cup water to deglaze pan
 2 to 4 tbsp. ketchup
 red pepper flakes to desired spiciness (start with a pinch and taste)
 Salt and pepper for seasoning

Roast the red and poblano peppers over the flame on your stove or under the broiler in your oven. Turn often to char the skin and put in a paper bag to steam 5 minutes. Remove the skin, dice and reserve.
 
Cook half of the bacon on a parchment covered sheet pan in a 400° F oven until brown and crispy. Crumble into small pieces and reserve.
 
Finely dice the onion and rest of the bacon, season with salt and sauté on medium heat in butter until brown. Deglaze the pan with the water and turn the heat down to low. Add the rest of the bacon, roasted peppers, brown sugar, ketchup, red pepper flakes and mix. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Continue tasting, adding just enough pickle juice or white balsamic vinegar until it tastes balanced. Refrigerate until needed. Makes about a cup and a half. If you like it a little looser, add a little of your favorite liquid (I like a little dark beer) and stir.

A great Benedict deserves a great side dish. If you remember the scraps from the Southern Style Benedict from my last post; they can be diced, breaded and lightly fried to create chicken fried steak bites. Thus, our scraps from one dish can be used as inspiration to create another great dish. I remember having sweet potato fries with chicken fried steak so why not take two uniquely Southern tastes and combine them to create a hash. Dice some red bell pepper, vibrant green poblano chiles and some Vidalia sweet onion to create a colorful counterpoint to  our Southern Style Benedict.

Ingredients:

 2 medium to large sweet  potatoes
 remaining meat from Southern Benedict (½ inch dice)
 ½ cup milk
 1 egg
 ½ large onion diced
 1 small red pepper diced
 1 small poblano chile diced
 2 sprigs fresh thyme
 2 sprigs fresh parsley
 2-4 Tbsp. cooking oil
 Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

One day ahead, quarter two sweet potatoes and put in a pot of cold salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until a fork is easily inserted with little resistance. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

In two small shallow dishes, add the flour to one and beat an egg in the other. Season the steak with salt and pepper then dredge in the flour fist, shaking off any excess. Next dip in the beaten egg then dredge in the flour again. Let rest on a wire rack. Heat the oil in a medium skillet, then fry in the oil until golden brown on both sides. Reserve warm until needed.

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add half of the oil, heating until it shimmers. Add the diced onion, poblano and red peppers, season and cook until the onions are just starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and reserve. Remove the thyme leaves and finely chop with the parsley.

Remove the skin from the potatoes and dice to desired size. Add the rest of the oil to the pan on medium heat and heat until the oil is hot. Add the potatoes tossing to coat in the oil. If the mixture is dry add some more oil. Season with salt and pepper. The secret is to let the potatoes brown and crisp slowly turning only when brown on the bottom. When the potatoes are brown and crispy, add the reserved chicken fried steak tossing to combine. Add the reserved vegetable mixture, thyme and chopped parsley; toss and remove from the heat. Serve immediately.