The Executive Cook

Weeknight Cook ~ Weekend Entertainer

tonmarmor

Crab Louie Deviled Eggs

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Ingredients
6 Hard Boiled Eggs
2 oz. Crab
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 tsp. Chili Sauce
¼ tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Cornichons
Salt
3 Cherry Tomatoes

❃❃Makes 12❃❃

Preparation
Cut eggs in half across or lengthwise and remove yolks to a bowl.  Cut a small amount of the white off to even the bottoms of the eggs so they will stand up.
Ensure all shells are removed from crab, slice tomatoes into quarters and finely dice cornichons.

Eggs
Mash yolks with a fork and mix in mayonnaise, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt and cornichons until smooth.  Fold crab meat into mixture and taste for seasoning.  Add salt if needed.
Fill a piping bag or plastic baggy with egg mixture and fill each egg until mixture is gone.  Top each deviled egg with a tomato.

Honey Goat Cheese with Roasted Za’atar Carrot Tart

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Ingredients
Goat Cheese:
8 oz. Goat Cheese
1 ½ Tbsp. Honey
½ tsp. Salt
Carrots:
12 – 15 large Carrots
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
4 tsp. Za’atar
Other:
8” Pie Crust (Store bought that can be rolled out flat or homemade)

❃❃Serves 8❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Peel carrots, remove ends and with a mandolin or a peeler cut thin strips of the carrot lengthwise.  Ensure that the slices are think enough that they can be curled. 
Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper and za’atar together.

Goat Cheese
Beat the softened goat cheese, honey and salt together until well incorporated.  Once done unroll the pie crust on the baking sheet and curl the outer edge in about ¼ of an inch to create a border.  Spread the goat cheese evenly over the pie shell.

Carrots
As you peel or cut the carrots add them to the bowl of olive oil, salt, pepper and za’atar.  Once all carrots are cut toss and evenly coat them with the mixture.

Assemble
Roll each carrot and place them in the goat cheese.  The goat cheese will help hold the shape.  Continue until the entire tart is filled and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Note:  If you do not have the time to roll each carrot into a rosette use different colored carrots and evenly lay flat strips of the carrots around the tart.  This will require fewer carrots and cook time.

Quinoa Shrimp Burgers

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Ingredients         
Burgers:
1 lb. raw, shelled & deveined Shrimp
2 Tbsp. chopped Green Onion
2 Tbsp. chopped Parsley
½ tsp. Dried Dill
2 cloves Garlic
Juice of ½ Lemon
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup Quinoa
2 Tbsp. Oil
Aioli:
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of ½ Lemon
½ tsp. Salt
1 clove Garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped Chives or Parsley
1 cup Canola Oil
Other:
Arugula
Brioche Buns

❃❃Makes 6 Burgers or 12 Sliders❃❃

Preparation
Bring chicken stock to a boil and add Quinoa.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.
Finely chop or put garlic for burgers through a garlic press.  Chop green onion and parsley.  Zest lemon.
Remove tails from shrimp and in a food processor pulse until well chopped.

Aioli
In a blender combine egg, egg yolk,  lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, garlic and chives.  Mix on medium high for a couple minutes.  The mixture should become lighter in color and start to thicken.  Remove the middle piece of the blender lid and slowly stream in oil until the mixture is thick and resembles mayonnaise.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

Burgers
Add shrimp, green onion, parsley, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cooled quinoa to a bowl and combine.  Form 6 burgers or 12 sliders.
Add 2 Tbsp. oil to a skillet and cook burgers for about 4-5 minutes per side until shrimp is cooked through. 

Assemble
On each side of the Brioche bun add a generous amount of aioli and add arugula to the bottom bun.  Top with burgers and serve.

Blackberry Lime Bars

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Ingredients
Crust:
¾ cups Butter
¼ cup Coconut Oil
½ cup Sugar
2 cups Flour
Pinch Salt
Blackberry Sauce:
9 oz. Blackberries
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Water
Bars:
7 large Eggs
3 cups Sugar
2 Tbsp. Lime Zest
¼ cup Lime Juice + ¾ cups Blackberry Juice
1 cup Flour
Topping:
Powdered Sugar
Remaining 3 oz. Blackberries
Lime Zest


❃❃Makes 24 Bars❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line both ways with parchment paper ensuring there is an overhang to remove the bars from the pan once done and ready to cut.

Blackberry Sauce
Add 9 oz. blackberries, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water to a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then turn to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes until blackberries begin to soften.  Mash with a potato masher and then run through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl over ice to start to cool and to remove all seeds. 

Crust
Cream butter, coconut oil and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add salt and slowly add flour until combined.  Remove from bowl and pat evenly into the 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the dough just begins to set. Remove from oven and let cool.

Bars
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix sugar and eggs together until well combined.  Add zest, then add the lime juice, cooled blackberry juice and flour.  Mix until combined and then pour evenly over the cooled crust.  Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until the bars are set.

Once cooled lift the bars out of the pan and cut into desired size bars.  Sift powdered sugar over the top the bars, lightly zest a lime over the bars and top each with a blackberry or half a blackberry.


Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Bread French Toast

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Ingredients
Banana Bread:
¾ cup Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
3 ripe Bananas
½ cup Water
½ cup Coconut Oil
2 cups Flour
½ tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cardamom
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Nutmeg
3 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (1/2 Tbsp. per)
French Toast:
2 Tbsp. Sugar
4 Eggs
¼ cup Milk
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cardamom
4 Tbsp. Butter
Optional:
Maple Syrup
Powdered Sugar

❃❃Custard makes 6 French Toast Sandwiches ❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325, spray a loaf pan generously with non-stick cooking spray, line loaf pan with parchment paper long enough to go up the sides and across bottom the long way and spray parchment with non-stick cooking spray.
Mash bananas and melt coconut oil.

Banana Bread
In a large bowl whisk the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, mashed bananas, melted coconut oil, water, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, salt and nutmeg together.
Transfer to loaf pan and bake for 1 ½ hours or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the bread.  Remove from oven, let cool and refrigerate for at least two hours.

French Toast Custard
Once banana bread is refrigerated whisk the sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and cardamom together in a bowl.

Assembly
Once banana bread is refrigerated cut into 12 slices that are about ¼ inch thick.  Spread one half of the slices with ½ Tbsp. peanut butter each and top with another piece of banana bread.

Cooking French Toast
Pre-heat the griddle or non-stick pan over medium to medium high heat.  Melt butter on the griddle or in the pan.  Dip each sandwich into the custard on both sides and lay in the pan.  Cook on each side for a couple of minutes or until the custard is slightly browned.
Cut each sandwich diagonally, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Braised Lamb Shanks and White Beans

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Ingredients
½ Yellow Onion, chopped
2 sprigs Rosemary
3 sprigs Thyme
3 cloves Garlic
1 ½ cups Dry White Beans (navy)
3 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Water
1 Lemon
4  1.5lb. Lamb Shanks
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 200.
Chop onion and smash garlic cloves.

Cook Beans & Lamb
Add all ingredients to a large Dutch oven and top with lamb shanks.  Cook for 6-8 hours in oven.

Beans
After 6-8 hours remove the lamb shanks and cover with foil.  Heat the beans on medium-high to high heat until the liquid reduces and the beans become thicker.  Remove rosemary, thyme and garlic.  Check for seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembling
Add a portion of beans to the bottom of a plate and top with one of the lamb shanks.