SALTED OATMEAL-CRANBERRY-WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK-PECAN COOKIES

Last year, our friends Tom and Mickey, hosted their first-ever crab party, with the help of my hubby,"the crab guy."  Guy is all about crabs and was happy to find a crab vendor, cook the crabs and set up the tables with "crabware" and crab paper.  The party was so successful, that Tom and Mickey have decided to make it an annual event.

I deliberated for days about what to bring.  I thought about bringing double chocolate rocky road cookie bars.  Then at the last minute, after looking through my pantry and finding 4 bars of white chocolate, I changed my mind and made these cookies.  I used Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bars, because the first two ingredients listed are sugar and cocoa butter.  There are no hydrogenated oils.  Check the Hershey's and Nestle's list of ingredients.  No cocoa butter in either one.

You have to chop the squares into chunks, but it doesn't  take long.

While I prefer crispier cookies, the salt on these kept me coming back for more. There was one major goof:  instead of cooling the cookies  thoroughly, I put them into plastic bags for transport too soon.  They became totally soft.  Some people actually prefer soft cookies, so it didn't keep them from being devoured.  There's a great flavor going on here, with the subtle orange, the tart-sweet cranberries, the lovely white chocolate and the buttery pecans.

The salt on top is the final touch that takes these over the top.

Salted Oatmeal-Cranberry-White Chocolate Chunk-Pecan Cookies
Adapted from Craisins
Bear Rating:  8.5 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup dried cranberries, plain or orange-flavored
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. orange zest
11 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, no warmer
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
7 squares from a Ghiradelli white chocolate premium baking bar (about 2/3 cup, chopped)
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Heat orange juice in microwave in small bowl till almost boiling.  Add cranberries; soak for 15 minutes.  Drain thoroughly in sieve.

Heat oven to 375F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In work bowl of food processor, pulse sugar and orange zest till combined and no lumps remain in sugar.  Add butter and pulse till very smooth.  Add eggs
and extract and pulse briefly to combine.  Add flour, salt and soda and pulse just till barely combined.  Add oats and pulse briefly till everything is mixed.  Turn mixture out into large bowl.  Stir in white chocolate chunks, pecans and reserved drained cranberries.  Stir with spoon or spatula to incorporate ingredients.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, about 2" apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or  till golden brown.  Sprinkle immediately with coarse sea salt while still on baking sheet.  Let cool 2-3 minutes in pan, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.  Yield:  25-28 cookies

GARY'S CLAMS CASINO

Guy and Gary found a great place to go clamming today in the Bogue Sound off Emerald Isle.  The water was about 1-1/2 feet deep and they quickly dug up about 80 clams.  These were the first "Down East" clams for both guys, though they've clammed off the Jersey shore with great luck.  Gary's been pretty well supplied with clams from New Jersey when his brother comes to visit, and Guy manages to beg some.  But, heck, a tip from a local on where to go enticed the men to give it a try.  They weren't disappointed -- it was easy digging.  Gary took the catch home and brought us these fabulous clams casino.

With a little arm twisting, he graciously shared his recipe for this wonderful treat, and I can't wait till these two go clamming again, soon please.

Gary's Clams Casino
Bear Rating:  9 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:
About 24 clams
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. Pinot Grigio, or other dry white drinking-quality wine
1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 - 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2-3 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Shuck clams, discarding top shell.  Spread clams on half shell on large baking sheet.  Heat butter in microwave till almost melted.  Stir in garlic powder, wine, and Old Bay.  Drizzle over clams.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese over clams, then Italian seasoning.  Bake in a 375F oven about 25 minutes, or till tops are golden brown and clams are heated through.  Serve immediately.

MIRACLE-MARINATED GRILLED FLANK STEAK

Beef has been on my taboo list for several years, though I do occasionally enjoy one of our delicious dry-aged rib steaks.  I'm trying to eat more seafood, always wild caught, but even that can be risky because of mercury and pollutants.  Imagine how thrilled I was to learn of the health benefits of eating grass-fed beef.  It's   actually good for you.  It lowers cholesterol and has less fat and calories than grain-fed beef.  Amazingly, it contains Omega 3 fats -- the good fats -- because they're in the grass that the cattle eat.  And because they graze freely instead of being penned up, they're healthier.  But I never expected to find grass-fed beef in our little Southeast coastal town of New Bern.

Surprise, surprise!  Rainbow Meadow Farms and Acre Angus Beef Farm both sell their grass-fed products at the New Bern Farmer's Market on Saturdays.  I haven't met the Acre Angus people yet, but the Rainbow Meadow Farms people are very nice and will do their best to accommodate your needs.  And, BTW, their applewood-smoked bacon is to die for and well worth the price.  It's the best I've ever tasted, hands down.

Recently, I bought a 1-lb. flank steak from Rainbow Meadow Farms.  Flank steak is just about the leanest cut of beef, and grass-fed beef is already lean, so I was concerned that this might be a bit chewy for my senior teeth and gums.  I needed a suitable marinade, one that would tenderize the beef and impart a good flavor.  An old recipe for "Miracle Marinade" from our New Jersey newspaper sounded perfect.

The flank steak was tender and delicious, with a wonderful flavor that enhanced the beef.    Out of one pound of beef, we got one hot dinner for two, sandwiches for both of us the following night and lunch for one the day after.  And here's the best part:  fussy hubby gave the beef two thumbs up, way up.  We'll be lining up at the Farmer's Market to get more of this wonderful guilt-free meat.

Miracle-Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
Bear Rating:  9 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2-1/2 Tbsp. drinking-quality dry white wine
1-3/4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. ground dry mustard
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 (1-lb) beef flank steak, preferably grass fed

Combine all ingredients except steak in resealable plastic bag.  Seal and massage to distribute ingredients.  Add steak.  Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  Discard marinade.  Place steak on preheated 425F grill, about 4 minutes each side, or till desired degree of doneness is reached.  (Remember that steak will continue to cook after it is removed from heat.)

 Let steak "settle" for 5-10 minutes; cut slices of desired thickness on an angle (like a London broil).  Yield:  About 4 servings

Leftovers make delicious sandwiches.

BAKED BEANS WITH GROUND BEEF

A friend (a born-and-bred New Bernian) recently confided in my hubby that he had the best recipe for baked beans.  "Just mix a pound of hamburger meat, a cup of sugar, a cup of ketchup and a can of Bush's beans."  He swore it was delicious.  I tried to dissuade my husband from trying this concoction, because it sounded just awful to me.  Then another friend (also a born-and-bred New Bernian) dropped by and I asked him if he had heard of this recipe.  Not only had he heard of it, he also swore by it.  He had the recipe in his car and quickly retrieved it for me.  His was slightly different:  1 lb. of ground beef, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 1 large can of Bush's beans, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 cup ketchup.  I still wasn't persuaded, but decided to do some research on it.  After scouring the internet, I came up with more precise measurements and decided to appease my hubby with my version, which had a lot less sugar.  Not only was hubby appeased, he was ecstatic to have this version of baked beans.  Even I liked it, so I'm passing it on to all lovers of beans and beef.

Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Source:  The Bear Cupboard
Bear Rating:  9 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 small green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 lb. bacon, diced, cooked till crisp
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1-1/2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 (28-oz.) can Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans

Heat oven to 375F.  In skillet, saute ground beef, green pepper, onion and garlic using medium heat.  Drain fat.  Combine remaining ingredients with contents of skillet in a 9x13 pan.  Bake uncovered 1/2 hour, or till bubbling and heated through.

CHEF SAMI, NEW BERN'S BEST KEPT SECRET, NOW AT SEA GLASS CAFE

Sea Glass Cafe and Bakery is not new to New Bern.  The owner of Sea Glass bought Bear Town French Bakery from the previous owner and changed the name.  Business was so good, they outgrew the small building that housed them on S. Glenburnie Road and moved to their present location (the old Crabby Jack's) on Martin Luther King Blvd.  Breakfast and lunch are served daily and the bakery is part of the restaurant.  Fresh rolls, breads and pastries are the delight of their patrons.

What is new is their evening service which is headed up by Sami Ben Selma, the previous chef at La Fontana Restaurant.

The menu offerings, mostly Italian, are similar to what was available at La Fontana.  My husband, who is 100% Sicilian, was in heaven when La Fontana opened up in New Bern.  It was the first Italian restaurant, in the 17 years we've lived in New Bern, to get his endorsement -- and mine.  Finally, a chef who knows how to cook decent Italian food.  It doesn't hurt that Sami is also Sicilian and hasn't been in America for very long.  But then a fire shut La Fontana down, and we almost cried at our loss.  Chef Sami was out of a job.  Not to be deterred, he approached the owner of Sea Glass to let him open at night with a dinner service.  She agreed.  He has no funds to advertise, so it's just word of mouth.  And business is starting to pick up for him, mostly because customers are satisfied.  Once you taste his food, you'll understand why.

Here we are, ready to go in.

We started our meal with the bruschetta appetizer.  Lightly toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil is topped with sundried tomato and crab meat and accompanied by Chef Sami's special marinara sauce.  My husband always gets glassy eyed when he eats Sami's marinara sauce, because it's so similar to his family's.

Next up was a garden salad, which came with our reasonably priced entrees.  The house balsamic dressing is perfect with fresh greens and veggies.

We couldn't pass up a plate of Sami's special meatballs in tomato sauce.  They're just slightly spicy with red pepper flakes, but not enough to make your eyes water.  So good.

And the sauce -- well, let's just say it's the perfect destination for this nice basket of to-die-for warm honey-glazed rolls.

Break off a piece of roll and dip into that wonderful sauce.  No butter needed.  We could eat this all day.

OK, time for our entrees, though we are getting quite full about now.  First off, Guy's plate of mussels, which comes several ways (as appetizer or entree, with marinara or white wine).  Guy got the appetizer size in marinara sauce.  He was smart.  There was plenty here to fill him up -- 12 big mussels in that great sauce.  He was a happy camper.

Tom ordered the Springtime Linguine: Fresh pasta, shrimp, mushrooms, ham and pesto with parmesan cream sauce.   He couldn't eat it fast enough and kept repeating, "this is so good, this is so good."  

 

I had the Chicken Bella Vista.  Thinly sliced chicken breast with mushrooms, spinach, tomato concasse, sauteed with shallots and garlic in butter wine sauce.  All I can say is Yummo.  I'm not sure which is better, the delicious rolls or the wonderful homemade pasta.  I guess some of each is in order.

It's not that we didn't want dessert, we did.  There was just no more room.  We'll be going back next week to get more Italian food.  You can get your Italian fix Monday through Thursday, 3PM - 8PM,  Fridays and Saturdays  3PM - 9PM.  

New Bern's best kept secret -- Chef Sami.  If you love real Italian food, done right, he's your man. 

Update January 2011:  Chef Sami has opened his own restaurant, Bella Cucina, in New Bern. 

BOURBON PECAN SHORTBREAD

A friend, (a local East Carolinian) who has a pecan tree in his backyard, gave us a huge bag of pecans.  Beautiful, big North Carolina pecans.  I was happy to get such a big bag of these yummy nuts and felt that I should reciprocate by baking something nice, something using the pecans.

I don't know about you, but shortbread is one of my favorite things to eat.  It's buttery, tender and not overly sweet.  When you add pecans, you get even more of a buttery taste.  The bourbon, while a nice idea, doesn't really add anything discernible to the cookie.  You can drizzle the shortbread with melted chocolate or caramel, if you really want to take it over the top, but I like it just as it is.  So nice with a cup of tea.

Bourbon Pecan Shortbread
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Rating:  9 out of 10
PRINTABLE RECIPE


INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, divided use
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
16 pecan halves

Heat oven to 325F.  In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse chopped pecans and sugar until nuts are ground to a fine crumb.  Add butter, vanilla and bourbon; pulse till well combined.  Add flour and cornstarch.  Pulse till mixed well.

Lightly spray an 8" square pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Turn dough out onto pan and evenly press with fingers, working from center to outside edges.  Score the shortbread with a sharp knife, cutting 3 lines in each direction to make 16 squares.  Poke the shortbread all over with a fork.

Place a pecan half on each square.  Score again if necessary.

Bake about 35 minutes (check the shortbread at 30 minutes for doneness), or till just lightly browned and set. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.  Loosen edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a cutting board.  Tap lightly to loosen from pan.  Cut into serving pieces while warm.  Yield:  16 cookies

See how nicely the shortbread cuts while warm.  The scoring lines have filled in while baking, but there are still faint lines to guide you in cutting.

Be sure to try this recipe soon.  It's so delicious -- buttery, tender, and just mildly sweet.

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD

One of the increasingly popular menu items at Thai restaurants across the country is green papaya salad.  I first heard about this salad from a Burmese refugee living in Texas, but I was unable to find a green papaya.  Then Molly Wizenberg wrote about it in the May 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.  I tried harder to find the green papaya, but continued to strike out.  Finally, green papayas came into season and they were everywhere.  Who knew they were a seasonal item?

The salad is a perfect example of Thai food:   a beautiful balance of salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors.   But a firm, hard, green papaya must be used.

If the papaya is at all soft, you will have a rubbery, chewy and tough salad.

I gave it to my two testers:  my hubby (a Northern transplant to the South), and Brad (a local New Bernian).  They both gave it two thumbs up, way up.  Brad says he eats everything, and Guy says he likes the sweet/hot combo of flavors.

The recipe below will make enough for two hearty appetites as a main dish, or about 6 as an appetizer.  If you make a main dish, feel free to add cooked shrimp or other seafood.   Dried shrimp, which makes a nice addition to the dressing, is available at Asian food stores.  New Bern's Asian stores are located on S. Glenburnie Road and in the Trent Road Shopping Center.

Green Papaya Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Rating:  8.5 out of 10
PRINTABLE RECIPE


INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2-1/2 tsp. fish sauce

dash lite soy sauce (or 1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped dried shrimp)

1 garlic clove, minced (1 tsp.)

10 green beans, cooked till crisp-tender, julienned
2 cups finely shredded green papaya
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, sliced lengthwise in slivers
2 tsp. minced Thai pepper or jalapeno
3 Tbsp. chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Prepare the dressing:  Whisk the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce (or dried shrimp) and garlic in a small bowl.  Set aside.

If you have a julienne peeler, use it to shred the papaya.  Otherwise, use the Thai method of shredding:  peel the papaya, then carefully using a very sharp heavy knife, hit the papaya with lengthwise strokes, making gashes down the flesh.

Then take a vegetable peeler and peel the strips.

This should give you long, thin strips of papaya.

Place 2 cups of shreds into a medium bowl.  Add tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, chile pepper and green beans.  Toss.  Refrigerate till ready to serve.  Before serving, pour dressing over salad; toss.  Sprinkle peanuts over top.