This is your lucky day! Chef Renée  Schuler of Eat Well has shared her Vietnamese Vegetable Salad 
in Crispy Edible Cone recipe from the 1 Night 12 Kitchens event. First, I was  taken by the visual of this gorgeous presentation. (Love the crispy cones – and the little tubes are filled with pink soup!)  The taste was a great as the presentation. Cool cool cool. Thanks Renée!

For more information about Renée  and Eat Well, visit her site eatwellonline.com

Vietnamese Vegetable Salad 
in Crispy Edible Cone
Courtesy of Chef Renée Schuler of Eat Well

Cones:
6 lumpia sheets or large round wonton wrappers
3 quarts canola oil
1 egg white (from one egg)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
non-stick pan release spray
cornet cone molds with 2” opening
Vegetable Salad:
1 head napa cabbage [Read more →]

Raspberry Mintini

1.5 oz Early Times Mint Julep
1.5 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur

Method: Shake
Glass: Martini
Garnish: Mint sprig

Pam Walling prepared the most delicious asparagus today for this morning’s class for Jr League. With or without the crumb topping, I love this  method for dinner parties- set a 10-minute timer and move on to other things! I roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper then drizzle with balsamic then grate on a little Parmesan before serving. 

Amalfi Asparagus
1 pound fresh asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Snap asparagus stems. Place on a baking sheet that has sides. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 500ºF oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice and zest. Top with toasted crumbs.

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Melt butter in a skillet, add bread crumbs. Stir and toast over medium high heat until crispy.

If you’re having a Derby Party, this is the smartest way to serve Mint Juleps for a crowd. The Mint Simple Syrup is a great thing to keep on hand beyond Derby Day. Use it to sweeten ice tea or  add interest to homemade lemonade. Once it’s in your fridge, you’ll find myriad ways to use it! 

Cheers!
Amy

Mint Juleps for Many

2 oz Woodford Reserve
1 oz Mint simple syrup*
Crushed ice

Method: Shake
Glass: Tall with crushed ice
Garnish: Mint sprig

Mint Simple Syrup
1 1/2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Chop mint. In a saucepan combine chopped mint, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve, pressing hard on solids. Cool. The chilled syrup will keeps for at least 2 weeks

Chocolate Mintini

1.5 oz Early Times Mint Julep
1 oz Chocolate Liqueur

Method: Shake
Glass: Martini
Garnish: Mint sprig 

Jon Stiles made these incredible tacos in his class the other night. They’re from Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking with Carolynn Carreño. Published in 2007 by Clarkson Potter.

Jon says the tacos are great to have guests put together themselves. He thinks they would also be great with tilapia or even chicken.

Pan-Seared Tuna Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa
Serves 4 to 6

Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for oiling the grill)
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound ahi tuna steak, about 1-inch thick
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 7-inch flour tortillas, warmed
2 cups loosely packed arugula
1 cup shredded green cabbage

Preheat the grill to hot.

Stir the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, cumin and garlic together in a small bowl. Place the tuna in [Read more →]

Chef Jackson Rouse, from  Murphin Ridge Inn, made the most incredible soup in class at EQ tonight. Enjoy! Amy

 Creamy Mussel and Fennel Soup with Saffron and Brandy
Serves 6

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups (about) bottled clam juice or low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes fresh fennel bulbs, divided, fennel fronds chopped and reserved for garnish
1/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes peeled carrot [Read more →]

Here’s a “cheaty” Julep recipe for your Derby Day party! Stop in to EQ at The Party Source today from Noon-1 pm for a free tasting of the Woodford Julep Two Step! Cheers!

Woodford Julep Two Step

2 oz Woodford Reserve
2 Tablespoons Mint Jelly
Crushed ice

Method: Shake
Glass: Tall
Garnish: None

Tips on hosting a Derby Party from Tim Laird:
The type of invitation you use will set the tone of the party – casual, formal and/or costume. Costume ideas include: dress in your favorite jockey’s silks, creative hats required or dress in the color of your Derby horse’s saddle cloth.
FYI – Saddle cloth colors correspond to the same number at almost all Thoroughbred racetracks. They help chart callers and fans identify the horses as they race.

1 Red
2 White
3 Blue
4 Yellow
5 Green [Read more →]

I am incredibly honored to have been asked to speak at the Girl Scout Gold Award ceremony next weekend. This morning I spoke with Girl Scout Gold Award winner Laura Clyde.

Laura is a senior at Lakota East High School and has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. She has earned the Bronze and Silver Award and the Senior Leadership Award. Laura plays softball, basketball and is on Student Government at her school. She plans to become a doctor.

Laura partnered with Katie Schraffenberger on a project that was geared at fulfilling the wish list of the Ronald McDonald House and to bring awareness to the wonderful services that this charity provides and the needs they have in order to continue to run successfully. Laura worked for many months [Read more →]