Fried Oyster Poor Boy Sandwich

Ingredients:
 
32 ounces shucked oysters
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (recommended: Indian Head)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Vegetable Oil for frying
4 (6-inch) hoagie loaves
Remoulade Sauce, recipe follows
4 leaves romaine lettuce
1 to 2 lemons
Special equipment: brown paper bag

Directions:

Drain the oysters and place in a small bowl. Cover with 1 cup milk and let soak for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining milk, water, cayenne and eggs. Place the flour,cornmeal, black pepper, and salt into a brown paper bag, close and shake to mix.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour enough oil to fill the pan halfway. Heat until a  deep frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F.

Drain the oysters from the milk. In batches dip oysters in the egg mixture then drop in the paper bag. Close and shake. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the oysters. When oil is at 360 degrees F, fry oysters in batches. Do not overcrowd. Cook turning once until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel. Repeat with remaining oysters.

To serve, cut sandwich loaves in half horizontally. Slather a generous amount of Spicy Remoulade Sauce on the inside. Place a lettuce leaf inside and fill generously with oysters. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over oysters just before serving.

Spicy Remoulade Sauce

1 1/4 cups mayo
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 tablespoon pickle juice
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank’s Red Hot)
Special equipment: a food processor

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

Saffron Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Currants

Ingredients:

2 cups white basmati rice
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup slivered almonds
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup dried currants (or cherries, golden raisins, or barberries)
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1 tablespoon water
additional salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring the four cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and rice, lower the heat and simmer for 5- 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Rice should be slightly “al dente.” Drain the rice thoroughly and return to the sauce pan. Set aside.

Dissolve the saffron in the one tablespoon of water and stir into the rice.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Brown the almonds over medium-high heat in a medium or large skillet. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. When browned, pour the almonds in a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter and oil. Then add the currants and sugar. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has browned a bit, stirring frequently (just a few minutes). Remove from the burner and set aside.

Spread half the rice in a casserole dish or other baking dish (at least 3 quarts). Pour half the butter mixture over the rice and sprinkle with half the almonds. Then spread the remaining half of the rice in another layer and pour over the remaining butter mixture and almonds.

Cover (with lid or aluminum foil) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is soft and there’s some browning around the edges. Season with salt and pepper to taste when serving.

Egg-in-a-Basket Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 slice Of Your Favorite Kind Of Bread
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 whole Egg
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Directions:

With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.

Next, heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt a Tablespoon of butter in it. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of hole.

Cook for at least 30 seconds or so before attempting to move the bread or things could get messy. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side.

Now move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the glorious butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels, to the touch, still soft without feeling over-jiggly.

Lemon-Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Crust
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable cooking spray

Filling
1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup granulated sugar $
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 egg white

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare Crust: Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, beating at low speed until well blended. Press mixture on bottom of an 8-inch square pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare Filling: Process cottage cheese in a food processor 1 minute or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add granulated sugar and next 6 ingredients, and process 30 seconds or until well blended. Pour filling over prepared crust.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until set. (Edges will be lightly browned.) Cool 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours. Cut into bars. Garnish, if desired.

Hushpuppies

Ingredients:

6 cups peanut oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees F.

Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the onion. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Drop the batter, 1 teaspoon at a time, into the oil. Dip the spoon in a glass of water after each hushpuppy is dropped in the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hushpuppies during the cooking process.

Southern Hoecakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal, or from a mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
• Oil or butter for frying

Directions:

Mix well all ingredients, except for the frying oil. Heat the frying oil or butter in a medium or large skillet over medium heat. Drop the batter, by full tablespoons, into the hot skillet. Use about 2 tablespoons of batter per hoecake. Fry each hoecake until brown and crisp; turn each hoecake with a spatula, and then brown the other side. With a slotted spoon, remove each hoecake to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leftover batter will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients:

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.