Bacon and Baked Potato Soup

This was the winning new recipe from last night's St. Patrick's Day party. It's always an experiment when you come to my dinner table, but hey . . . that's how I get the winners to share with you. 

1 lb. baking potatoes (such as russet or Yukon gold)

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups half-and-half, light cream or milk

1 1/4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese 

1 cup chicken broth

8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, or chives

1/4 cup dairy sour cream (I omitted this)

Seasoned croutons, optional, for topping

Scrub potatoes with a vegetable brush; pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 40 to 60 minutes or until tender; cool. Peel potatoes, if desired. Chop potatoes; set aside.

In a heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook and stir about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Add half-and-half or milk all at once. Cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add potatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, and the broth; stir until cheese melts. Slightly mash potatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.

For the topping, reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon. Stir the remaining bacon and 1 tablespoon of the green onion into soup. Heat through.

To serve, top each serving with reserved bacon, remaining 1/4 cup cheese, green onions and the sour cream. Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup each).

Grilled Salmon with Rosemary

(1 carb) Recipe from South Beach Diet

 

1 lb. salmon

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp dried, crushed

Fresh rosemary sprigs, optional

Capers, optional

 

Cut the salmon into 4 equal-size portions. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. Brush the mixture onto the fish.

 

To Grill:

Arrange the salmon on a grill rack, or use a grill basket sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Grill over medium-hot coals until the fish flakes easily (allow 4-6 minutes per ½” of thickness). If the fish is more than 1” thick, turn gently halfway through grilling.

 

To Broil:

Spray the rack of a broiler pan with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange the salmon on the rack. Broil 4” from the heat for 4-6 minutes per ½” of thickness. If the fish is more than 1” thick, gently turn it halfway through broiling.

 

To Serve:

Top the fish with capers, if using, and garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve with steamed green beans topped with sliced almonds.

Heirloom Key Lime Pie

Several years ago I treated a young man from Key West, Florida who was dying of AIDS. A couple of weeks before he died, he gave me his 75 year old family recipe for Key Lime Pie. He explained that most Key Lime Pie recipes use condensed milk. Even restaurants in Key West serve Key Lime Pie made with condensed milk. Jessie was disdainful of this version. His family recipe, passed from generation to generation, does not used condensed milk. Jessie claimed it is the only authentic Key Lime Pie recipe. So in memory of Jessie, I offer it to you. (Recipe from a Hospice Nurse).

5 eggs, separated

3/4 C. sugar

1/3 C. Key lime juice

1 T. butter

1/4 C. sugar (for meringue)

1 (9-inch) baked pie shell, graham cracker crust, or Macademia nut crust

Separate eggs into three bowls - 5 yolks in one bowl, 2 egg whites in another, and 3 egg whites in the third. This is the most important step in the whole operation!!!

Cream egg yolks, add 3/4 cup sugar and key lime juice and mix thoroughly. Cook over low heat until very, very thick, add butter and remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile beat 2 egg whites until stiff, then fold into cooled lime mixture. Fill pie shell.

Beat the other 3 whites until stiff. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar. Pile meringue on top of lime filling and bake at 325°F for 15 minutes.

Macadamia Coconut Crust

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

3/4 c butter

2/3 c macadamia nuts

2/3 c toasted coconut flakes

1 tsp sugar

3 Tbsp coconut milk or coconut flavored almond milk, optional if needed

If your macadamia nuts are whole, put them into a food processor and pulse till they are in small chunks.  Set aside.

Place flour, butter, 1 teaspoon of sugar into a food processor and mix well. Stir in coconut and macadamia nuts. (Do not mix them with the food processor. It will break them up too much.) Add coconut milk or coconut flavored almond milk, if needed.

Place ball of dough on floured surface and flatten.

Bake crust at 425º for 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.

NOTE: The Macadamia crust is very tender, and difficult to remove from the pie pan. May need to spray with PAM first.