Retro Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Figs and Honey Vinaigrette

I was chatting with a friend recently about his upcoming move to North Carolina when he mentioned that he once lived there "way back in the 90's." This immediately sparked a mental mini conversation with myself. "Were the 90's really that long ago? I mean I know the 80's are retro, but do we have to throw the 90's in there now too? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was doing the Macarena and checking the TV guide for when the next episode of The Cosby Show was on!" Noticing the mental struggle I was having by the puzzled look on my face, my friend chuckled and reminded me that time really has flown by. So, I conceded to the idea that the 90's were far enough in the past to now celebrate them and some of its trends as vintage style. Therefore, I pulled this warm goat cheese salad recipe out of the 90's vault and gave it a dash of current foodie flair with some roasted figs and sweetened the deal with a couple of Honey Ridge Farms amazing products. Thanks to living out a third of the 90's in Belgium as an expat, I have many fond memories of this dish. In fact, after discovering this French creation in our French speaking city of Brussels, I am sure I ate every version that existed across Europe during those few years. When you love something enough to know how to order it in French, you just go with it. A combination of crisp warm tangy cheese atop delicate greens tossed in perfect vinaigrette and a drizzle of honey to top it all off became my European comfort food that smoothed out the rough edges of moving to a place much more drastic than North Carolina.

Retro Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Roasted Figs and Honey Vinaigrette
by Krisi

Goat Cheese Rounds:
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme choppe
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 large egg whites
8 ounces fresh goat cheese logs, cut into 8 rounds

Vinaigrette:
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons Honey Ridge Farms Balsamic Honey Vinegar
1 teaspoon Honey Ridge Farms Clover Honey Creme
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Roasted Figs:
6-8 fresh (or dried and rehydrated) mission figs, halved
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Honey Ridge Farms Clover Honey Creme
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt

Salad Greens:
8 cups mixed baby greens
1/2 yellow sweet pepper, julienned
2 teaspoons Honey Ridge Farms Clover Honey Creme for drizzling

Directions:
Prepare goat cheese: Place panko, thyme, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Beat egg whites until foamy in a separate shallow dish. Press each goat cheese round into 1/4-inch disk. Dip goat cheese rounds, one at a time, into egg whites then into panko mixture, pressing crumbs slightly into goat cheese. Place all goat cheese rounds onto a tray and chill for at least one hour.

Prepare honey vinaigrette: In a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid, add all vinaigrette ingredients, except the oil, and shake to mix well. Next add the olive oil and shake to incorporate. Chill until ready to use.

Prepare figs: Preheat oven to 400°F. Put figs, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, whisk in honey creme, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle the honey butter over the figs and roast 10 to 15 minutes until figs are soft and gooey. Set aside.

Turn oven temperature to 375°F. Remove chilled goat cheese rounds from refrigerator. Using a spatula, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until warm throughout, then finish of under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown. Set aside for several minutes while preparing the greens.

Remove vinaigrette from the refrigerator and shake well. Toss dressing with greens and sweet pepper. Divide greens among four individual serving plates. Top each pile of greens with figs and two warm goat cheese rounds. Drizzle some more Honey Ridge Farms Clover Honey Creme on top of the warm goat cheese rounds. Serve immediately.

Texas Tamales

I love layers to my food. Layers in texture and layers in flavor. This recipe is all about layers created by multiple flavors and textures. It begins with a hearty center of beautifully blended chicken and beef laced with jalapeno and cumin. Then a smoky kick of chili sauce dances on top before it's wrapped in a moist corn jacket that has been studded with fresh corn kernels. If that wasn’t enough to create a party on your taste buds, there is a dollop of Texas-style pecan and cilantro pesto on top. It truly is a journey to tamale heaven and I double dare you to drizzle some sour cream on top and a splash of your favorite salsa.

Texas Tamales
by Krisi
Inspired by Reata’s Tenderloin Tamales

Masa Filling

2 1/2 cups masa
3 cups fresh corn (about six ears, off the cob)
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup chicken broth
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon paprika

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and using an electric mixer, process until well-blended. The consistency should resemble wet mud. To test the masa, drop a spoonful into a glass of cold water. If it floats you have the right amount shortening, if it sinks, add more shortening, one tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition.

Cluck 'n Moo Filling

2 pounds Cluck 'n Moo Ground
1 onion, finely chopped
5 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground coriander

Add all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.

Chile sauce

15 large dried chilies (such as Anaheim, Guajillo, Pasilla, Arbol)
2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 onion, sliced 

1 whole garlic bulb, cloves removed and peeled
1 Tablespoon kosher salt and more for seasoning

Remove tops of dried chilies and shake out seeds. Place chilies in stock pot and cover them with water. Add the cumin, sliced onion and garlic. Boil the chilies until soft, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chilies to a food processor along with a ladle full of the chili water. Puree the chilies until smooth. Pass the puree through a strainer to remove any remaining seeds and skins. Pour the chili sauce into a bowl and add salt to taste.

Pecan Mash

This is a spin on traditional pesto, Texas style. Pine nuts and basil have been replaced with Texas pecans and cilantro.

3/4 cups pecan pieces
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 to 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Combine the pecans, garlic, cilantro, cheese, jalapenos and 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until pecans are coarse chopped. While the machine is running slowly add the remaining oil until it is completely incorporated. Season with salt and refrigerate until use.

To assemble tamales:

You will need 40 dried corn husks

Soak the corn husks in hot water until soft and pliable, about 1 to 2 hours. Place 2 corn husks end to end on your work surface with a 2-inch overlap in the center. Keep a bowl of ice water near your work surface, dip your fingers in it and then take 2 Tablespoons of the mesa mixture and place in the center of the husks. Spread the mesa to about 2 inches of the husks edges. Next add about 3 Tablespoons Cluck 'n Moo filling in the center of the mesa. Drizzle about 1/2 Tablespoon of chili sauce on the filling. Tightly roll up the husks lengthwise and tie the ends with strips of the softened husks. I like to soak extra corn husks and tear into 1/8-inch strips and use them to tie the ends of the tamales.

Place the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cooking them in batches may be necessary. Set the rack of tamales over 2 inches of boiling water. Cover the pot and steam the tamales for about 1 hour, adding water as needed to maintain the 2 inches (internal temperature should be 165°F.)

Remove from the pot and serve by splitting open the tamale lengthwise and adding a dollop of pecan mash.

Pasta on the Bayou

Grab a glass of sweet tea, muster up your best Cajun accent and get ready to prop yourself on the porch with a spicy dish of browned chicken, full-flavor sausage and charred veggies all basking in a rich creamy kicked-up sauce. After spending two lively years living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I can testify to two sure fire truths in Bayou country, it’s all about the people and the food! This dish is created in layers and I must warn you from experience that if you have family members around during the process, the beginning layers are so irresistible that they may not make it into the final dish.

Pork Carnitas Under Pressure

Carnitas are a traditional Mexican dish of seasoned pork fried in lard and then slow cooked for hours. Since just about every voice in my universe says to avoid too much frying in animal fat and doing anything slow for hours in this busy mama’s world seems impossible, I’ve found a fabulous cooking alternative for this dish that never disappoints. Using a pressure cooker gives you an incredibly flavorful slow braised result in just a fraction of the time. Afterwards, popping the pork under the broiler instead of immersing them in fried animal fat not only avoids the need to go up a size in pants but provides a delicious crispy coating to the juicy shredded pork. So, take a trip to The Spice House for some authentic spices and cook up some Mexican goodness without sending your cholesterol through the roof and with several hours to spare for that siesta.

Salted Caramel Cake Pops Recipe

Salted Caramel Cake Pops
by Krisi
Vanilla cake recipe adapted from Buddy Valastro's Vanilla Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring cake pan
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of The Spice House Portuguese Traditional Sea Salt "Sel Traditionael de l'Ocean Atlantique"
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup reduced fat milk
Unsalted butter for greasing pan

Coconut Meringue Pie

Although this may not be the pie found at the top of the holiday culinary list, it is first choice for my 37 Cooks Holiday Challenge. In the Monsivaiz home, this creamy coconut custard nestled inside a homemade flaky crust and adorned with a mile high, melt-in-your-mouth meringue is the most coveted dessert at our holiday table. We owe this to my husband and, if truth be told, his mama, Gloria Jean, deserves the credit for this nontraditional tradition. 

Mango Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream Concentrate Sauce

If living as an expat in Singapore wasn't enough of a fantasy, discovering mangos married to a sensational Thai treat known as sticky rice and then adorning it with creamy coconut sauce became the culinary cherry on top of my time in this exotic place. When I received Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate with its rich coconut flavor and texture, I knew it would be the perfect ingredient in my mango sticky rice to take me back to those tropical days on fantasy island. 

Meet Krisi!

My roots come from the rich soil of the south nourished with the homegrown cooking of my mother and grandmothers. I remember learning to make pie crust, biscuits, chicken and dumplings, gumbo, fudge and french fries, to name a few. During my latch-key years as a teen I was given the great opportunity to weather the kitchen on my own and grow some culinary fruit from necessity including the good, the bad and the ugly! My feature mess ups include a giant hunk of hardened fudge still cemented to the bowl with wooden spoon stuck straight up in the center, a grease fire in my mom's cast iron skillet, and loads of burnt bottom layers forever united with a sauce pot. In spite of some epic after-school failures, I continued cooking and, as a result, a love for the kitchen and all of the possibilities that could come from my time there grew.