Strawberries & Cream Cornmeal Bars

with a name like strawberries & cream, you know it has to be good...

The brain child for this dessert literally came from a childhood memory. I had cornbread at least once a week at my baby sitter's house...I'm sure it was more often than that. Anyway, when she served cornbread at dinner we always had butter and jams on hand. I always loved strawberry preserves on my buttered cornbread. So, when I was thinking about this post it only seemed appropriate that I'd create a recipe with these flavors.

But, I needed to sweeten it up a little more, so I thought what pairs well with strawberries? Cream came to mind, but more specifically cream cheese frosting (my favorite). I have to say, I was skeptical of the cornmeal crust. I was worried it might be too gritty, but after trying one of the bars tonight, I'm happy with this recipe. The cornmeal crust gives these bars the crunch they need. Come down memory lane with me and make these dessert bars. Here's how...

Ingredients - Makes 12 bars
Cornmeal Crust
Nonstick Baking Spray (with flour)
1 C Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 C All Purpose Flour
1 Stick Cold Unsalted Butter, diced
2 T Granulated Sugar
1/4 C Confectioner's Sugar
 1/4 tsp. Salt

Filling & Frosting
1/2 Jar (18 oz.) Strawberry Preserves
8 oz. Block Cream Cheese (low fat okay), softened
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 C Confectioner's Sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 pan with foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Grease the foil well with nonstick baking spray (with flour). Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the cornmeal, flour, butter, sugars, and salt. Pulse to mix together. Add 1 T cold water and continue to pulse until the dough begins to form. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden and browned around the edges, about 25 minutes. Allow the crust to cool.

Once the crust has cooled, spread the strawberry preserves evenly all over the top. Place the bars in the freezer to harden the preserves, about 30 minutes. This helps with spreading the frosting on top.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a medium bowl cream the cream cheese and butter together. Mix in the vanilla and then gradually mix in the sugar. Remove the bars from the pan and frost. Note: you will have extra frosting. Cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Enjoy!

Crispy, Crunchy Cornmeal Encrusted Cod w/ Lemon-Dill Tartar Sauce

fish fry Fridays...

'Tis the Lenten season of the fish fry. Although I'm not Catholic and didn't grow up that way, much of Cincinnati is. So, when Lent rolls around each year there are so many fish fries on Fridays you could go to a different one for the entire season and still not hit up even half of them. Here's a list for the 2015 Lenten season you can search by neighborhood, so it should be easy to find one near you. And, hey, it's Friday, so grab some friends and go check one out.

Or, you could stay home and make my Crispy, Crunchy Cornmeal Encrusted Cod w/ Lemon-Dill Tartar Sauce. It's quick and easy to make. And, quite inexpensive to feed a crowd - I guess the Catholic Church knew what they were doing when they instituted these meat free Fridays!. Even if you aren't Catholic, sometimes its fun to be part of a tradition. You know what they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. If you do decide to stay in (it is freezing out!) keep the fish fry tradition alive. Here's how to make my fried fish...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Fried Fish
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. Cod, skinned
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil, for frying
1/2 C All Purpose Flour
2 Large Eggs
2 T Cold Water
2 C Yellow Corn Meal
1 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 tsp. Lemon-Pepper Seasoning (suggest Mrs. Dash, no salt added)
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
To Serve: Lemon Wedges & Cole Slaw

Lemon-Dill Tartar Sauce
1/2 C Mayo (suggest w/ Olive Oil)
2-3 T Fresh Dill, chopped
Zest 1 Lemon
1 T Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions
Cut the cod into 4 fillets. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside. On med-high, heat a large castiron skillet filled with enough oil to shallow fry the fish to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, setup the dredging station: Put the flour on a plate, beat the eggs in a shallow bowl with the two tablespoons of water, and put the cornmeal in another shallow dish. Add the dried parsley, lemon-pepper seasoning, and cayenne pepper to the corn meal. Mix well.

Next, dredge the fish: Coat the fish in flour, then egg, and finally press into the cornmeal mixture. Repeat this process until all of the fillets are coated. Carefully add the fish to the hot oil and fry for 5 minutes on each side until medium-golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

As the fish fries, make the lemon-dill tartar sauce: In a small bowl combine the mayo, chopped dill, lemon zest and juice. Stir together and set aside.

Finally, serve the fish with the tartar sauce, lemon wedges, and your favorite Cole slaw. Here's to the Lenten season. Enjoy!

Easy Caesar Salad w/ Cornbread Croutons

waste not, what not...

It is a winter wonderland here in Cincy. We've been getting snow since Monday and it's only stopped briefly. I think we have about a foot as of today...it's just a bit much. But, it is February. Given the weather we've had, I haven't made it to the store this week. So, I was quite limited for this post to what I had in my refrigerator and/or pantry. So, I'm getting creative with this series. I'll be focusing on corn meal and the variety of things you can make with this versatile ingredient.

To start off I've made a simple Caesar salad. To put a twist on this classic salad I'm using leftover corn muffins I made earlier this week to create cornbread croutons. If you don't have leftover cornbread, just buy a pre-made loaf from the store. I like the Jiffy Cornbread mix personally and use it all the time. Other than the croutons, this salad is pretty standard. I'm finishing it with a dressing from Anne Burrell of Food Network fame and lots of cracked black pepper. If you are stuck inside like me and have these ingredients on hand, make this salad tonight. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Salad
2 C Cubed Cornbread, 1 inch pieces
1 Romain Heart
1/2 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Cracked Black Pepper

Anne Burrell's Caesar Salad Dressing
1/2 C Grated Parmigiano Cheese
1 Lemon, zest & juice
1-2 Cloves Garlic
1 T Dijon Mustard
2-3 Anchovy Fillets (I used 1 T anchovy paste)
2 Shakes Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 C Olive Oil
Kosher Salt, as needed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the croutons: Put the cubed cornbread on a large baking sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. The croutons will be dry, crisp, and browned. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parmigiana, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard, anchovies, and Worcestershire sauce. Puree until the mixture is smooth, 15-20 seconds. With the machine running, add the olive oil through the feed tube. Let the processor continue to run another 10-15 seconds. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Make the salad: Chop the lettuce and divide among 4 bowls. Top with the cornbread croutons, shredded Parmesan, Caesar dressing, and lots of cracked black pepper. Toss lightly and serve immediately. Note: To make this a dinner, split among two large bowls and add some cooked shrimp or chicken! Stay in, stay warm, but eat well. Enjoy!