Last night was the big Lobster Bake at the Hopkins’ home. If you weren’t invited, don’t feel bad…. this was a donation dinner from a fundraising event, so unless you were at the fundraiser and had the winning bid…  sorry!

There were eight lovely guests. It is currently 11:30 AM the following morning and Dave and I have just now finally gotten it all cleaned up. Here is a pictorial of the event… recipes to follow.

The lobsters arrive via Fed Ex from Maine.

Lobsters go in… ( an extra special thanks to Peggy for helping with this part and the photos … would have been impossible to take picture of myself doing this!!)

… and they come out!

Layers of sausage, clams, mussels, shrimp, corn, onions, peppers, lemons, spices, and wine…. create a clam bake!

Waiting for the guests to arrive

…. everything is ready…

They are here… putting the food out…

Tangy Coleslaw

Succotash Salad

Homemade rolls and crusty bread

Potatoes and corn

Clam bake and more lobsters

The guests!

Hot towels

Dessert time…  Deep Dish Blueberry Pie!

Peach and Mixed Berry Cobbler served in mason jars

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream served in more mason jars

A wonderful night!

And it has begun… the major party prep for my Dad’s 1931 Speakeasy themed 8oth birthday party! Not certain how many, if any, recipes I may get up this week, but I will be keeping you up to date on the party preparations.  Today’s tasks; find, get out, and clean all of the glasses, dishes, bottles, and party decor.  Out of that list, “finding” is the hardest part! I have SO much stuff and it is stacked, stored, and stashed all over this house. The good news is that I don’t have to rent anything, the bad news, I have to find it first!

At the top of the page are a few of the crates and empty liquor bottles that are part of the “entry decor.”  Directly above are some of the glasses, plates, ashtrays, water bottles, seltzer bottles, carafes, etc. that I’ve hand-washed and stacked, along with a couple of the feather centerpieces.  The rest of the glasses are in the dishwasher at the present time. And below is the poker table and stacks of playing cards, dice, and empty cigar boxes that will serve as both table decoration and use for actual card games.

Before I get to today’s recipe I want to send out birthday wishes to a very special woman in my life. Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Pat Hopkins, in Rockton, Illinois. Happily, all four of us flew to Illinois last weekend and spent fun times with Mom at Katie and Eddie’s wedding. Happy Birthday, Mom, we’re looking forward to your visit in February. I love you! xoox

What in the world would posses a person to even think of making homemade marshmallows? What or who could make me consider doing it? Tram Mai, that’s who! Tram called a couple weeks ago and asked if I’d like to do a story for Valley Dish about a S’Mores Party. Sure, sounds fun – gourmet S’mores – a party – cool entertaining idea- I’m all in! Immediately I start thinking of all the wonderful alternatives to plain old milk chocolate squares and graham crackers. How to really “kick it up a notch”, as Emeril would say. The filling alternatives are the easy part, then I wonder how to do something different with the real star of the show – the marshmallow. OK, honestly, I have made homemade marshmallows once before; in a cooking class with my summer children’s series, years ago. But those were still plain vanilla marshmallows, I needed something more than that. So I did my usual research – meaning, I “google” it – and found a chocolate flavored marshmallow recipe. Cool! So the chocolate marshmallow recipe provided here is adapted from HERE. Then I went a step further and decided that we needed a third flavor, so I created up a raspberry version too. (that recipe is just below the chocolate version… so keep scrolling). Tomorrow I will post all the gourmet S’mores recipes I created and pictures from our shoot with the entire pretty spread. I’ll let you know when the clip will air on the Valley Dish so you can watch, I think it’s going to be pretty darn great!

Before you scroll down to the actual recipe, let me preface it by saying, “Please don’t be intimidated by the massive length of the recipe!” There are only 9 ingredients… and one is water; some of the others are non-intimidating salt, vanilla, sugar, etc. It’s just a bunch of really long descriptions, explanations, and directions, plus more than a dozen photos to help you visualize it all. The process itself is not hard! Really! Read through the whole thing and you’ll see what I mean. Because now that I’ve made and tasted and drooled over these homemade marshmallows, I am wondering what took me so long to make homemade marshmallows again. Seriously!

Homemade marshmallows are tender and delicate and they taste amazingly fresh. You don’t know what you’re missing until you taste one! Do not attempt to make these on a humid day, and be sure to start them in the morning or make them the day before you need them. Fresh marshmallows keep for about 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature; they are perfect for about 3 days, but will lose their tenderness and delicacy as they age. Do not store homemade marshmallows in the refrigerator or try to freeze them. Trust me, it doesn’t work – I tried!

I specifically recommend using a standing mixer in the equipment section because it is much more powerful than a hand mixer and because the mixture needs to be beating on high speed for a long time. You can use a hand mixer, but it will be more difficult and take longer, plus you will need to add up to 5 or 6 minutes to the mixing time. Most hand mixers will burn out if used for 17 or 20 minutes straight, so be sure to give it a rest a few times during the process if using a hand mixer!

And a candy thermometer is a Must! They are inexpensive and can be found at most grocery stores or Target and, of course, at kitchen stores.

Chocolate Marshmallows

Pam
1  1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cold water, divided
1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (Knox)
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Coating
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Equipment
Electric standing mixer with a whisk attachment
Candy thermometer
13 x 9-inch baking dish
Heavy-duty foil and waxed paper

Line the inside of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side up. Fold the overhang back against the outside of the dish. Lightly spray the foil with Pam. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, with a tight fitting lid, bring 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water to a boil over high heat Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the cocoa and whisk to dissolve. Cool until warm, whisking occasionally.

While cocoa cools, pour 1/2 cup of the remaining cold water in small bowl.  Add all 3 packs of gelatin and allow to stand at least 5 minutes to soften. While the gelatin softens, combine the remaining 1/2 a cup cold water, sugar, corn syrup and salt in that same pot with the tight-fitting lid.

Dissolve gelatin by placing the bowl in a small skillet of hot water over low heat, do not allow water to come more than halfway up the side of the bowl. Stir often with a clean whisk, until completely melted and liquefied, the mixture will look foamy or milky, not clear.

Remove from hot water; and allow to stand at room temperature about 3 minutes, then use a rubber spatula to transfer into the bowl of standing electric mixer. Add liquid cocoa mixture. Beat at a low speed until the two are completely combined.

Place the saucepan with sugar-corn syrup mixture over low heat. Stir well to dissolve sugar. When sugar is dissolved, increase heat to medium-high; bring syrup to a boil. Cover with lid and boil 3 minutes.

This will create steam, which will fall down the sides of the pan and dissolve any sugar crystals that may be clinging to the pan. Uncover and boil until a candy thermometer reaches the soft ball stage, which is 240 degrees, without stirring.

While syrup boils, stir cocoa-gelatin mixture at low speed once or twice to keep the gelatin from setting.

When syrup reaches 240 degrees , remove from heat. Wait until the bubbling stops and then add a very small stream of syrup to the cocoa-gelatin mixture, with the mixer running at the lowest speed, incorporating the syrup.

Continue to add the hot syrup gradually in the slow steady stream, beating on low speed until all the syrup is incorporated. Scrape down the mixing bowl with a heat-resistant rubber spatula about halfway through adding the syrup. The bowl and the mixture will be very hot, so take caution.

When all syrup has been added, scrape down bowl once more. Begin beating at medium speed. As mixture cools, it will thicken and increase in volume, about triple the original volume. Gradually increase speed to high. Beat the marshmallow mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes, adding vanilla during the last minute of beating. Stop the mixer once about halfway through to scrape down the bowl. The marshmallow mixture will be room temperature, thick, and shiny, and will resemble marshmallow fluff.

Spray a clean large rubber spatula with Pam and transfer the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan, quickly spreading level with the spatula. Allow marshmallow mixture to stand uncovered at room temperature for at least 8 hour or overnight before cutting.

When ready to cut, make the coating: In a medium bowl sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Whisk until completely combined.

To cut into marshmallows: Sift a generous amount of the coating directly onto the surface of the marshmallows. With your fingertips, gently spread coating so surface is covered.

Place a piece of wax paper on top of the baking dish, covering completely. Top with a cutting board the cutting board. Grasp the cutting board and the pan with both hands and invert.

Remove pan, then carefully and gently peel back foil from sides and bottom of marshmallows.

Sift a generous amount of the coating all over the top of the uncut marshmallows.

Spray a long sharp straight-edged knife lightly with Pam on both sides. Then cover both sides of blade with the coating. (after the first cut, there will be no need to re-spray the knife,  just keep the blade covered with the coating). Trim off the edges if you want perfectly square marshmallows, if it doesn’t matter to you, no need to waste those edges. Cut marshmallows into squares. Remember to keep covering both sides of the knife blade with coating between cuts! Roll each individual marshmallow in the coating on all eight sides.

Save any extra coating so that the marshmallows can be re-rolled if they need it in a few days. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Makes about 30 fresh, delicate, lovely homemade marshmallows

Raspberry Marshmallows

Pam
1 cup cold water, divided
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (Knox)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jelly
4 or 5 drops red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coating
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Equipment
Electric standing mixer with a whisk attachment
Candy thermometer
13 x 9-inch baking dish
Heavy-duty foil and waxed paper

Follow the directions above except for a few omissions and additions :

1. Eliminate the recipe’s second paragraph regarding the cocoa.
2. Once the gelatin is dissolved (in the recipe’s paragraph 5 above), place the gelatin in the bowl of the standing mixer (but obviously, without the cocoa mixture).
3. After removing the tight-fitting lid on the saucepan, during the boiling of the sugar syrup, add in the raspberry jelly (do not stir) and continue to boil as described, until mixture reaches 240 degrees.
4. When adding the vanilla extract, additionally mix in the red food coloring (on low speed, so it doesn’t splatter!).
5. Finally, the coating is just minus the cocoa powder.

Not sure if anyone has made it this far down in this- the longest most wordy (1,776 word count!) post with the most pictures I’ve ever done, but if so, you most certainly deserve a prize! So, leave me a comment complimenting me on another milestone – that being that today is not only my mother-in-law’s birthday but also the 26th anniversary of the day that my husband, David, proposed to me. So congratulate me on that and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a prize. Don’t know what it is yet, but you deserve a chance for reading so much! Good luck!

Finally, the last of the Jamaican appetizer recipes! I saved the best for last, this was my favorite. Caramelized onions are such an amazing thing – the transformation of the pungent and sharp flavor of a raw onion into something similar to candy – wow! The leek jam is just another form of caramelized onion, with a twist. The Jamaican sauce called Pickapeppa, was found along with other condiments near the Tabasco sauce at my neighborhood Safeway grocery store.  It was the first time I purchased or used it, yummy! The rest of the ingredients, from the ciabatta to the Parmesan, hummus, and rock shrimp were all found at Trader Joe’s.

Caribbean Flatbread

Caramelized Onions
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into medium dice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Leek Jam
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, diced then rinsed very well
2 tablespoons Jamaican Pickapeppa Sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Assembly
Three 8-ounce Ciabatta loaves, sliced in half horizontally
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup purchased hummus
1 lemon, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
1 pound small, sweet rock shrimp peeled and cooked
6 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Caramelized Onions: Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in sugar and cook until onions are golden, stirring frequently, about 45 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Leek Jam: Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; sauté about 4 minutes or until onions are softened. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in Pickapeppa sauce and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place ciabatta halves on a baking sheet. Brush each half of the ciabatta with olive oil and spread with hummus. Scatter onions, then leeks over the hummus. Top with lemon slices and shrimp. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then with salt and lemon juice.

Bake in preheated oven until toppings are warmed through and cheese has melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbreads to large cutting board and using very sharp knife, cut each into 6 slices. Place on a platter and serve.

Makes 36 slices

What is it about shrimp on an appetizer buffet that draws people like flies? First of all, it is the quintessential party food. Shrimp are the world’s most popular shellfish. Low in calories and saturated fat; high in protein, vitamins D and B12, iron, and omega 3. Plus they have anti-inflammatory qualities. But something tells me that none of that matters to the guy who is also known as “the shrimp hoarder”. He will block your path to the bowl of shrimp because he is worried that if you get even a couple of the tasty morsels, he won’t “get his”. Or how about the woman, who in April 2009, called 911 to report that she didn’t get as much shrimp as she wanted in her fried rice at a Texas restaurant? Now that’s harsh!

As Pvt Benjamin Buford ‘Bubba’ Blue said. “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.” – 1994 Forrest Gump.

These Jamaican shrimp fit into Bubba’s description – they are boiled…

Beautiful Amy and Whitney looking so much prettier than at the White Trash Progressive!

Warm Jamaican Shrimp

4 cups water
2 Scotch bonnet chiles or habanero chiles, halved
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 pounds large shrimp with tail on (31 to 40 per pound)

Combine water, chiles, green onions, thyme, garlic, salt, bay leaf, and allspice in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Add shrimp and bring to boil. Remove pan from heat; let stand until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain, discarding liquid.

Transfer shrimp to bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves about 20 to 25 as part of a large appetizer buffet

Jamaican buffet, it was a little picked over before I was able to snap the picture, but that's a good thing, right?

Sliders are irresistible as part of an appetizer buffet. Small and easy to eat while standing, they are the perfect casual party food. If you want to prepare the sliders ahead, place patties on the grill or grill pan and just “mark” each side. Transfer to a baking sheet, allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Toast the buns ahead of time, place on another baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees, finish cooking the patties for 12 minutes. While the patties are in the oven, prepare the buns by spreading on mayonnaise and stacking on the onion, tomato, and lettuce. When the sliders are completely cooked, just assemble, put in decorative picks, cut in half, place on a platter and you’re ready to entertain!

In the picture above, you might notice the carrot-pepper “palm trees” – cute, aren’t they? Easy to make too, just peel the carrots, then place in ice water to crisp them up.  Cut the peppers as pictured below, then use toothpicks to hold the palms together in a cabbage half.

Jamaican Jerk Sliders

Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2 whole canned chipotle chilies

Jerk Sauce
1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 medium jalapeño chilies, seeded
2 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 pounds ground beef
16 sesame-seed slider buns or Kings Hawaiian sweet bread rolls, toasted
1/2 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce leaves

Chipotle Mayonnaise: Place mayonnaise and chipotle in a food processor and blend until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Jerk Sauce: Place green onion, thyme, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Add brown sugar, oil, soy sauce and allspice and process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Set aside 3/4 cup jerk sauce. Shape ground beef into 16 small patties; place in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup of the jerk sauce over patties and turn to coat; let stand 20 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare barbecue or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Grill to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with jerk sauce left in glass baking dish, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

notice that the sliders are not cooked all the way through - they are finished in a hot oven for easy "do-ahead"

Spread mayonnaise over toasted sides of buns. Place burgers on bottom halves of buns. Top with onion, tomato, lettuce, and bun tops. Cut in half, placing a decorative pick in each half to hold together. Serve, passing reserved 3/4 cup jerk sauce separately.

Makes 16

The question – What is jerk… not in life (we all know at least one of those!) but in cooking?  The answer – Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Jerk seasoning mostly depends on the inclusion of two items: allspice and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, green onions, thyme, and garlic. When serving a crowd, I often substitute jalapeño for the habanero, since you never know what people’s tolerance is for overly spicy foods.

The shredded beef that I used was the leftover pot roast from a post from a couple days ago. If you don’t have such a thing hanging about, most grocery stores sell prepared pot roast in their meat department or deli.

When assembling the dumplings, lay about about one dozen of the wrappers on the counter at a time, place the filling in the center of each, but only brush and seal 3 or 4 at a time. The dumplings may be made up to one day ahead. To do so; lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornstarch and place the filled and sealed dumplings on the sheet, lightly sprinkle the dumpling tops with more cornstarch and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with another layer or two, sprinkling each with the cornstarch to keep them from sticking. Refrigerate until ready to fry.

Jamaican Beef Dumplings with Jerk Sauce

Sauce
3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 jalapeño or habanero pepper, seeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Dumplings
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound cooked shredded beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
12-ounce package wonton wrappers (about 48)
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil

Sauce: Place green onion, thyme, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Add brown sugar, oil, soy sauce and allspice and process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Dumplings: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then green onion, onion, curry powder, thyme, and allspice; cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and cook until meat is just warmed, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Cool to room temperature.

Put a small mound of filling in center of each wrapper. Lightly brush edges of each wrapper with water, then fold in half diagonally and press to seal completely. (see do-ahead instructions above)

Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees in a large deep skillet. Fry dumplings in batches, turning once, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch.

Pour the jerk sauce in a bowl, place on a serving platter and surround with the dumplings.

Makes  48

Today is completely devoted to shopping, prepping, cooking and setting up for tomorrow night’s neighborhood Progressive Dinner. I’ve got at least a portion of the five different appetizers that I am making, done. And parts of the soup and side I’m providing to one of our dinner hosts, so that feels good. The tiki torches are set up in the yard, now it just needs to stop sprinkling out there so that I can wipe down all the outdoor furniture. Come on “Valley of the Sun”, work with me!

The Caribbean Crab Salad is finished – that shall be today’s post. This salad is easy and quick to pull together, especially if you already have the pasteurized crabmeat on hand. It can be found at Costco and some grocery stores. Since the crabmeat is pasteurized, it can be purchased now and stored in the refrigerator for about 9 months (there is an expiration date on the bottom of the container.)

The porcelain spoons are inexpensive and can be found at Asian markets. The metal spoon pictured was purchased in a set of 12 at Crate and Barrel. There will be more Jamaican party recipes to follow for the next several days…

Caribbean Crab Salad in Endive Spears or Asian Spoons

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
14 pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tomato sauce and wine and boil until evaporated.

cooling the onion-pepper mixture by the open window

Spoon the mixture out of the skillet and into a large metal bowl, spreading out in the bowl to cool quickly.  Once cool, stir in the  crabmeat, olives, cilantro, and Tabasco. (May be made to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day).

Immediately before serving, stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into endive leaves, appetizer spoons, or porcelain Asian soup spoons.

Makes about 50