Butterscotch Pots de Creme

Butterscotch Pots de Creme

The first time I had these pots de creme was at my brother and sister-in-law's house. It was a few days after Christmas, and I was only there because our father had fallen ill, and I had to make an emergency trip. Heidi had made the pots de creme for dessert for their Christmas dinner, but they hadn't turned out. Being the culinary perfectionist she is, Heidi needed a do-over, and I'm so glad she did. This dessert can only be described as sweet, creamy, salty heaven on a spoon. It's smooth and intensely flavorful. Just amazing. 

It's not something one would make regularly because it's so very rich. But today, I'm making it because I'm on summer break, and it's been a ridiculously hard year (that I won't go into). Suffice it to say, my soul needs to make these, so that's what I'm doing. 

The original recipe calls for a scant tablespoon of fine sea salt, but that's just a little too much salt for my taste. If you like more salt, go for the whole scant tablespoon. 

Butterscotch Pots de Crème with Salted Caramel Sauce

    --Adapted from JessicaBurns.com who got it from Food and Wine Magazine

Pots de Crème 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 5 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• Boiling water
• Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe below)
• Whipped cream for serving
• finishing salt, if desired (I used Balinese Pyramid Sea Salt from All Spice in Des Moines)

For the Pots de Crème:

• Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. 
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. 
• Gradually whisk in the cream. Return the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. 
• Add the salt and vanilla seeds.
• In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Whisk in a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture, and then gradually pour and whisk in the remaining hot cream. 
• Strain the custard into a measuring cup with a spout, and then pour into eight 6-ounce ramekins. 
• Set the ramekins in a small roasting pan and place it in the middle of the oven. Fill the roasting pan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour, until the custards are set but still slightly wobbly in the center. Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.
• Once cold, top each custard cup of creme with 2-3 teaspoons of the cooled caramel sauce (or more, if you'd like). Sprinkle with some finishing salt, if desired. 
• When ready to serve, top with a dollop of slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Salted Caramel Sauce 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions for Caramel Sauce:

• In a large size sauce pan over medium heat, mix the sugar, water, and salt. Stir the mixture until nearly all of the sugar has dissolved into the water. 
• Turn the heat up to medium high. Cover the pan until you hear it start to bubble and boil, and then uncover it so you can watch the color. Do not stir.
• Boil the sugar and water mixture over medium high heat until it reaches a clear amber brown color. Do not stir the mixture while it’s boiling. Wash down the sides with pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming.  This will take about 10-15 minutes, but be sure to watch the pan closely so it does not burn.
• Once the deep amber color has been achieved remove the pan immediately from the heat and turn off the burner. Carefully add the heavy cream to the pan. Cream will bubble up immediately and then settle down. Stir continuously with either a whisk or silicone spatula until all of the caramel has dissolved into the cream.
• Allow the caramel to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating/using on the pots de creme.

Today I used 4 oz canning jars, not ramekins.
I made 2/3 recipe today, so there are fewer jars here than normal.

I had to taste the pan leavings. Just as tasty warm and liquidy.

I almost forgot to take a pic before they baked.

Beautiful. I think these were in the full hour and they are perfect.

I had more custard than I'd planned for, so I threw in a Pampered Chef glass bowl.

Refrigerated and ready for the caramel sauce.

This is the color you want before you add the cream for the cream sauce.
Notice how it's more golden and the pic below is brown.

This sugar has gone too far and tastes burned in the resulting sauce. :(

You can see the difference in color between
the perfect sauce on the left and the burned sauce on the right.

Just about 2-3 teaspoons of caramel sauce on top.

Jars can be lidded and refrigerated until ready to serve or share.

Food for Guests

 

These are pics of a fabulous dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's home in Georgia. Heidi's an amazing cook and hostess. I've eaten many, many yummy things from her kitchens--several kitchens.

It's almost as if my nephew Tanner knew I'd be posting these pics on the internet. Hmm.

My good friend Sherri read my recent post about college student cooking, and she made a request for my list of top recipes to make for guests. 
Sherri, on occasion, has called me out on how involved some of my recipes get, so be sure to read through the whole recipe before going for it. You've been warned. 
What follows is a starter list of my favorite dishes to serve to my guests, and some of them have sides mentioned and linked. They are in no particular order, and like I said, some are pretty involved, but several are very easy. 
Have fun.


1. Tacos al Pastor-- This is a current favorite of mine. Think Mexican teriyaki on this one. It's pork marinated sweet garlicky marinade. Mmm.



2. Grilled Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin--Yeah, pork again. Pork tenderloin just seems like a good thing to serve guests. This is a slightly sweet, and very flavorful easy grilled meat. I think it goes great with Au Gratin Potatoes.



3. Beef Barbacoa--You'll see that a lot of my go-to recipes are for Mexican dishes. This is a tender, flavorful slow-cooked chuck roast smothered in spices. I like serving with Homemade Flour Tortillas and Mexican Rice. 



4. Burger Sliders--Mini burgers grilled and served on dinner rolls. So cute and tasty. 



5. Beef Brisket--This is a pricier piece of meat, but as you'll see in the linked blog post, it's a tasty meat that you can serve several different ways--the first time around or as leftovers. Brisket is just good. 



6. Deep Pan Pizza--For when you want to make homemade pizza for your friends.  This pizza is delicious and not very fussy.



7. Grilled Mexican Chicken--Can be served in chicken tacos,  burritos, quesadillas, or nachos. For guests, I'd probably make it tacos. 



8. Kalbi Korean Beef BBQ--A super tender and nicely sweet grilled beef. I like to serve it with Bacon Fried Rice.


 
9. Bacon Fried Rice--Okay, not really a main dish for guests, but so deliciously satisfying it deserves to be on the main dish list. I like eating the leftovers for breakfast.



10. Grilled (Teriyaki)Tri-Tip Chunks--Sweet and savory beefy goodness. And you can just use a bottled teriyaki sauce for this one. Easy peasy and also fabulous with that bacon fried rice.


 
11. Marinated Tri-Tip Chunks--Tri tip is just a great meat to grill. This recipe has various spices from your spice rack and grills up savory and perfect. So good.



12. Enchiladas Suisas--Not spicy at all. These are creamy, cheesy, chickeny comfort food. I like to use rotisserie chicken when I want to make it even easier than it already is. 



13. Carne Asada--I really need to get a better pic for this dish. I like to use my standard tri-tip for my carne asada, but this pic shows flank steak. This is a slightly spicy, very satisfying beef dish. The recipe has the spice mix I like to make, and you can make a lot of the spice mix to save for another day. 



14. The Best Meatloaf Ever--I'll tell you up front: this is an involved recipe, but it makes a meatloaf well worth serving to guests. Most delicious when served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. 



15. Chile Colorado Burritos--Super easy and very tasty. For best results, use the stovetop or oven method over the crock pot. Just saying. This is beefy, salty, cheesy Mexican food goodness. It's the most viewed post on my blog.



16. Brined and Grilled Pork Chops--Juicy and flavorful, and really quite simple. These taste best when served with those Au Gratin Potatoes.

 

17. Chicken Egg Rolls--Great for a casual dinner with friends. They ARE a lot of work, but fun to make and eat. The leftovers are great too. 

Tacos al Pastor

Tacos al Pastor

My brother introduced me to tacos al pastor, and to this recipe, last Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if this is a traditional recipe or not--googling "tacos al pastor" got me all different forms of pork. Shredded, cubed, sliced. 
If you've never had them before, just know that tacos al pastor are made from pork marinated in a pineapple juice based marinade. It's almost like a Mexican teriyaki--sweet and salty deliciously tender pork. So good.
One thing I really enjoyed about how my brother prepared these tacos is that he cooked the corn tortillas in a little bit of oil rather than just heating them up. A little fat makes almost everything better, right? The cooking in a little oil makes the tortillas chewy and helps them hold up better to the fillings.
These tacos are not spicy at all, but if spicy is what you're into, I'm sure you could add some minced jalapeño to the marinade. 
I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time for the meat to marinate since I got back from work around 5:15, but a 20-minute soak was plenty, and I had dinner on the table by 6:15, which, if you know me, is pretty good. I'm sure you could prepare the meat in the marinade in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day and then cook it up quickly. It's really an easy meal. I strongly recommend you try it. Soon. And that's all I have to say. Enjoy.

Tacos al Pastor

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 cans (6 oz. each) pineapple orange juice
• juice of 1 small lime
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons red chile powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 pounds pork loin/tenderloin, cubed or thinly sliced 1-inch pieces

Other Taco Ingredients:

• 12 corn tortillas
• canola oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 squeeze lime juice

Instructions:

• In a medium sized glass bowl, whisk all of the marinade ingredients except the meat. Add the meat and allow to marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours or so.
• Mix the half cup of diced onion with the 2 tablespoons cilantro and squeeze of lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
• When you're ready to prepare the tacos, prepare a sheet of aluminum foil folded in half to contain the heated tortillas. Then preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot, drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon oil over the center, and place a tortilla. Cook tortilla for approximately 1 minute, or until bottom is starting to brown; flip and cook another minute. Remove hot browned tortilla to the foil, placing it between the layers of foil to keep it warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• When done heating tortillas turn heat up to just above medium. Pour a little oil in the bottom of the pan (about a tablespoon). Remove meat from marinade with a slotted spoon and spread out in the bottom of the pan, taking care not to crowd the pieces of meat. You'll cook about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of meat at a time.
• Stir meat to cook and caramelize evenly. When meat is cooked through and caramelized on the outside, place cooked meat in a heat-proof container and cover. Continue cooking meat, wiping pan with a clean paper towel between batches. Adjust heat and add oil as needed.
• When meat is done, place two tortillas on your plate (yes, two--the double layer adds stability), top with about 1/2 cup cooked meat and a tablespoon or so of the cilantro/onion mixture. 

Makes about 6 tacos.

The meat is marinating

Heating a tortilla

Not the most attractive pic, but you can see how much meat to cook at a time

Such good tacos

This is the recipe my brother sent. He's not an exact cook, but he's a good one.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

These potatoes are actually the inspiration for one of my more popular posts on this blog: Twice Baked Potatoes...Sort Of. My mom has been making these potatoes for years, and she probably got it from someone at church or something. They are FABULOUS--salty, rich, cheesy, creamy, bacony. The perfect side dish for beef or pork. At first my mom made them with fresh potatoes, but eventually changed over to using instant mashed potatoes. I'll put that version at the end. The recipe she sent me also calls for twice the cream cheese, sour cream, and milk. I'm not sure if that's just because the instant mashed potatoes produce a greater volume, but my version filled up a 9 x 13 inch pan perfectly.

Besides tasting out of this world, these potatoes are awesome because you can make them the day/night before and refrigerate. The next day you just pop it into a 350 degree oven to heat through and then add the cheese and bacon. Super easy and great for taking to dinner elsewhere.
So if you're looking for a delicious and convenient potato side dish, look no further. This is it. If you're looking for something light on calories, though, you may need to move on.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

 Ingredients:

• 4 pounds red potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup jarred bacon bits (or a half-pound of bacon, fried and chopped into pieces, or chopped into pieces and fried)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, dry, pierce, and bake potatoes for about 1 hour, or until potatoes yield when squeezed with an oven-mitted hand.
• When potatoes are done, carefully remove them from the oven and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you're going to be using a hand mixer).
• Break up potatoes with a potato masher or other tool that will break them up into rough chunks.
• Heat the milk a little bit in the microwave and then pour into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the butter and salt. With the paddle attachment on the mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and mix until milk is basically incorporated. 
• Add the cream cheese and sour cream. Mix on low at first and then turn up to high and beat until creamy. Scrape the bottom and the Add green onions and mix to incorporate.
• Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the potatoes into the pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil. At this point you can do one of two things: 1. put the potatoes in the refrigerator until the next day, and then bake them in a 350 degree oven for 60-75 minutes; or 2. place back in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are piping hot.
• When potatoes are heated through, remove the foil and sprinkle top with the shredded cheese and then top with the bacon bits. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
• Serve.
• Refrigerate leftovers, if you have any.
• Makes about 12-16 servings

Twice Baked Potato Casserole under the cheese

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES (Mom's Version)

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups water
• 1/4 lb butter (I sometimes omit this fat)
• 4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (16 oz) container of sour cream
• 1/2 cup green onions sliced thin
• 1 (15.3 oz) Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes (flakes: any brand will do)

Topping:

• 3 cups of grated yellow cheese
• 1 lb cooked bacon (cut into 1/4" pieces and refrigerate until next day)

Instructions:

1. Heat water, butter, salt, to boiling in a 6 quart Dutch oven. Remove from heat. Add cream

cheese, milk, and sour cream, stirring until cream cheese melts.

2. Stir in potato flakes and green onions, mixing until all ingredients are well combined. Spread mashed potato mixture into 13 x 9-inch glass pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Make ahead: refrigerate until next day. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour covered or until bubbling around the edges. (It takes longer to bake when refrigerated) Allow another 20-30 minutes. I sometimes microwave potatoes to bring up the heat before putting in the oven

4. Cheese and bacon topping: when fully cooked, sprinkle cheese and bacon over potatoes and cover to melt. If potatoes are ready too early, reheat in microwave.

This recipe has 47 gazillion calories and is absolutely a crowd pleaser

Spicy Creamed Corn

Spicy Creamed Corn

Last weekend our friends got married and had their reception catered by Woody's Smoke Shack here in Des Moines. All of it was absolutely delicious, from the brisket to the cornbread. In the middle (of the buffet table) was this amazing creamed corn. (Not THIS cream corn here--sorry.) It had actual cream in it and what looked like little pools of butter. There was a bit of an orange-ish tinge to it and it was subtly spicy, so I think they put in cayenne pepper. 
At any rate, it made me want more. For some reason I'm yet unaware of, most BBQ places out here in the Midwest are closed on Sunday. We figured that out the hard way when we drove to Kansas City one Sunday afternoon for BBQ, and found that almost all of the awesome places we went for were closed. Sigh. So, in order to get my spicy creamed corn, I had to make it myself today. I really just made this up and will have to try again once I have Woody's again, but for now, this satisfied my craving.
I added probably too much spice to mine, so if you're not a fan of spicy, back off of the cayenne and jalepeno. If you decide to omit both of those completely, I suggest you at least add a little black pepper to it. This creamed corn is sweet, salty, spicy, and creamy. Lots of good textures and flavors going on here. Come sweet corn season next month, I will try a fresh sweet creamed corn. Stay tuned.

Spicy Creamed Corn

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped with a few seeds
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1 small can cream style corn (8.25 oz.)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons jalepeno, finely chopped (depending on desired level of heat)
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on desired level of heat)
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the chopped onions. Saute onions for a few minutes until translucent. Add the frozen corn, canned cream corn, jalepeno, cayenne, paprika, salt, sugar, and cream. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. When mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch and water mixture while stirring corn mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Makes about 4 servings

Grilled Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes & grilled zucchini

This is the second time I've made this pork tenderloin, and I have to say, it's pretty darned tasty. It's slightly sweet from the balsamic vinegar, and the garlic and rosemary add enough other flavor to make it interesting. It's really nothing fancy or difficult, just an easy dinner. Of course, with a 4 to 24 hour marinade, you do need to plan ahead a little bit, but not much.
As with the Brined and Grilled Pork Chops I love so much, I served this with Au Gratin Potatoes--so nice together. The vegetable, as it usually is for me, was an afterthought. Grilled zucchini is good with just about any meal.
I wish I had something more exciting to say to you, but you're really just here for the recipe anyway, aren't you? So, enjoy it, and be sure to try it with the potatoes. You won't regret it--unless, of course, you are lactose intolerant.
More than enough said. I'm done.

Grilled Balsamic Marinated Pork Loin
     --adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt (orignial recipe did not call for salt, but 1 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pork tenderloin, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Instructions:
Mix all the first six ingredients in a gallon size zip top bag and then add the meat. Place on a plate or in a glass baking dish and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

When ready to grill, preheat grill to 450 degrees. Grill tenderloin at 400-450 degrees, turning every 5-6 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. While meat grills, you can bring the remaining marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until liquid is reduced by about half and then skim off the excess oil. This sauce is optional, but it's nice to have some dipping sauce on the side if you want extra flavor.

Allow meat to rest for 10-15 minutes after you remove it from the grill. Then slice into 1/2 to 3/4-inch medallions and place on a serving plate.

Makes 6-7 servings

Brined and Grilled Pork Chops

Brined and Grilled Pork Chop
Served with Au Gratin Potatoes and steamed broccoli

My mom, my beloved cooking guru, told me the other day that she made the best, juiciest, most tender chicken the other night; and she achieved that by brining her chicken for two hours before cooking it. Hmm. I've seen brining, eaten the best brined turkey ever made by my sister-in-law, but I had not tried it myself. It seemed like a hassle. Yeah, anyone who knows me is scratching their heads because I am not one to shy away from a few extra steps in order to make food more delicious. Since my mom recommended it though, I decided to try it with the pork chops I had in the fridge for dinner the next night.
I googled "brined pork chops" and came up with TheKitchn.com. The recipe was simple and like Mom said, only took two hours to brine.
I should have thought about the salt that would be in the pork due to the brine and not seasoned the pork with any more salt, but I did it anyway. The chops came out slightly too salty, but not inedibly salty. They were perfectly moist, tender, flavorful, and fabulous. I will be brining my pork chops from now on.
The recipe below is for grilled chops, but I suppose you can prepare them however you'd like once brined at patted dry. Grilling is not a science for me, as is baking, so what you see below is my best guess. I had planned to use my timer to be able to give you exact times and such, but, well, I didn't do it. If you're used to grilling, you should be able to figure it out without details from me. If you're new to grilling, you might want to grill one chop first and see how it goes before you throw the rest on the grill. Best of luck to you. If all goes well, you should be able to enjoy a fabulous, meaty meal.

Brined and Grilled Pork Chops
    --Adapted from TheKitchn.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salt
• 4 cups water
• 4 thick cut pork loin chops
• Italian seasoning or other low-sodium seasoning
• canola oil

Instructions:
Place water and salt in a large bowl and stir a bit to dissolve the salt. Add the pork chops. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours (I did mine for the 2 hours).
Preheat your grill to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove chops from the brine and discard the brine. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides with Italian seasoning. Drizzle both sides with a little canola oil. 
Grill chops for approximately 7 minutes on each side, turning the heat down after the first 4-5 minutes of grilling. Be sure to check for flare ups and turn the heat down further if your chops are burning on the outside. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature once both sides are browned. When thermometer reads 145 degrees Fahrenheit for a chop (take the temperature of each), remove to a heat-proof dish, cover lightly with foil, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with something yummy like Au Gratin Potatoes.
Makes 4 hearty servings.