White Sangria

Our "Summer of Sangria" continues with another basic recipe, but maybe with a twist. This could be one of the best white sangria recipes you’ve ever made.

Gather an assortment of your favorite summer fruits, slice them and place add to my signature mixture of wine, cognac, Cointreau and my fragrant mint-simple syrup. You're going to love this one!

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle of Dry White Wine. 

½ cup Cognac, (or Brandy)

¼ cup Triple Sec, (or Cointreau) 

¾ cup Mint Simple Syrup, (recipe below)

½ Orange, sliced

1 Lime, sliced

1 Lemon, sliced

¾ cup Strawberries, sliced 

Ice cubes

For the Mint Simple Syrup:

1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Water

1 small bunch of Mint Leaves

Instructions

1. In a pitcher, combine the simple syrup, cognac, triple sec and fruits. Chill for at least two hours. Add the wine and chill another 2 hours

2. Serve over ice and garnish with orange slice.

For the Mint-Simple Syrup:

1. Mix 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Stir until the sugar dissolves (about a minute). Turn off the heat. 

2. Add the mint leaves and let it steep for an hour or so. Strain out the leaves and store in the fridge till you're ready to use it.

My White Sangria will be a guarenteed hit at your patio parties and summer get togethers. Isn't it a great "Summer of Sangria"?

Cheers!

Recipe By: Jeffrey Snyder

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Summer Salad Hummus Mini Tacos

Here's a vegetarian taco that's perfect for summer picnics or any quiet evening. These minis are light, fresh and bright, without lugging your belly down.

Hummus one of my favorite "go-to's" recipes for dips, wraps and now .. mini tacos.

With all the bad weather we have had here in Middle America, I thought it would be nice to throw a delicious dish that can be served cold or room temperature. A nice snack on the patio with a good bottle of wine perhaps. So I whipped up a batch of my original "Mia Piccola Cucina" Chickpea Hummus recipe and spread some on hand-cut spinach tortillas.

For toppings, I chose roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes, sliced Sevillano and Black Greek olives, spring lettuces, dried cranberries, pine nuts, fresh feta and then drizzled each with my house white balsamic vinaigrette. This mini is mighty on flavor.

I paired the tacos with 2014 M.Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rosé. To the eye, the wine is light pink with salmon highlights. The aroma has strawberry notes with currant, raspberry and cherry. It has a silky mouthfeel and is fresh, well-balanced and rounded. A very good pairing to the light and airy hummus as well as the briny olives and light feta cheese. (under $13)

This was a fun mini taco recipe for me develop. I enjoy making the hummus and the ingredients I paired with it and the wine makes it a gold standard in my opinion. I hope you have enjoyed this leg of my continuing "Mini Taco Adventure". There's more to come!

 .. Here's a vegetarian taco that's perfect for summer picnics or any quiet evening. See more on my http://www.facebook.com/TheBaldChefCooks page.

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Jerk Chicken Mini Taco

My "mini taco" obsession continues! This time I took one of my favorite ethnic dishes and turned it into a sweet and spicy, two-bite morsel.

"Jerk" is a method of cooking which started in Jamaica by natives who came from the Americas. The technique utilizes a marinade or paste and is slow smoked over wood. The marinade must always include allspice, scotch bonnet peppers and some type of acidic fruit. The rest of the ingredients vary from family to family.

My jerk marinade contains allspice and scotch bonnets of course, along with onion, thyme, garlic, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, ginger, orange juice and a few more signature ingredients.

The chicken, is marinated overnight and then grilled over lump charcoal with cherry wood. To make the minis, I thin slice the meat, then top it with my pineapple, cabbage slaw along with my avocado crema. The end result is a sweet and spicy chicken taco that I'm sure you and your family will coming running for more!

These are the perfect minis for summertime parties and patio get togethers.

I always pair my dishes with some adult beverage. This one is in homage to another "mini" .. Little Kings Cream Ale! This "retro" beer has pale malts, is bready with a touch of caramel. It is fruity with the hint of green apples and pears and a mild bitterness towards the end. The finish is medium-light, a little creamy, dry, with very light carbonation. A smooth little beer (7-oz bottle) that pairs perfectly with the Jerk Chicken Minis.

I hope you are enjoying my "Mini Taco Adventures", there are plenty more in store this summer!

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Fried "Lake Erie Perch"

I must say, one of my absolute favorite things to prepare and eat is the incredibly tasty Lake Erie Yellow Perch. These cousins of the walleye are, in my humble opinion, the tastiest freshwater fish that we have here in Ohio.

Simply filleted, lightly dusted with seasoned flour and fried up crisp and quick in a cast iron "chicken fryer". Couple them with my old family's restaurant's (Farmlad) signature Tartar Sauce and Cole Slaw and you end up with a perfect meal. A thing of shore lunches and fish fry in my family for decades.

Keeping it simple is the realm of perch eating. My simple dredge consists of all-purpose flour, sea salt, black pepper, paprika along with garlic and onion powders. Things I'll bet everyone has in their pantry. No milk, no batter, just dust the filets in the flour mixture, shake them off and put them in the oil (365F) .. super simple!

Lake Erie is one of greatest resources we have in America. Being one of the smallest of the Great Lakes, Erie produces more fish than the other four combined and the yellow perch is without a doubt my favorite.

If you're close to Erie this summer, I encourage you to book a "Perch Charter" and catch your own, if not, some of the better markets carry these tender morsels during the summer months. Pick up a few pounds and have a fish fry. You'll love it .. your family and friends will love it because it's about as good as it gets!

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Blackberry wine Sangria

It's Saturday and that means another weekend in the "Summer of Sangria"! This week was a challenge recipe for me. Meaning a frequent visitor to The Bald Chef Cooks facebook page challenged me to develop a sangria recipe for some blackberry wine she had laying around her house. She said she wasn't a fan of the sticky sweet wine and could I build a recipe that I would drink. You know me, waste not want not. So I set out through my memory as both a chef, wine aficionado and former mixologist to create what I feel could be one of the best sangrias you'll drink this summer!

I started with flavor combinations. Peaches and blackberries are delightful together, so I knew it would be a sure fire winner paired with the blackberry wine, a bit of brandy and an odd yet satisfying addition .. rosemary. The end result, a sangria that will be a hit for any summertime get-together.

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle Blackberry wine, chilled

1 ½ cups Peach Puree, strained through extra fine mesh

1 cup Brandy

Simple Syrup, (optional, to taste)

1 cup Fresh Blackberries, plus more for garnish

1 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs, plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine the wine, peach puree, brandy, syrup and blackberries in a large pitcher.

2. Stir until peach puree until it has been completely incorporated.

3. Add a small rosemary sprig and stir.

4. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

5. Serve the sangria over ice in red wine goblets.

6. Garnish the goblets with blackberries and rosemary sprig.

I hope you're enjoying our "Summer of Sangria". I know I am.

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Cheers to a great and enjoyable summer!

Recipe By: Jeffrey Snyder

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Spaghetti all'Arrabbiata

 "Thats'a one spicy sauce!" Garlic, fresh tomatoes, and red chili peppers cooked in premium extra virgin olive oil .. I just get "angry" when I think of this sauce .. but in a good way. "Arrabbiata" literally means "angry" in Italian!

It's one of the few sauces in Italian cuisine I seldom taper with besides Bolognese. The flavors are bright with red pepper and fresh with locally grown organic tomatoes. If I do tamper, like I did this time, I will add course chopped capers just to add a tad more brininess.

Arrabbiata is traditionally served with penne pasta, however, I find it matches my style better with my "Mia Piccola Cucina" housemade spaghetti. The fresh, handmade pasta is quick on the cook and absorbs the sauce much better than dry pastas.

Two tips on pasta cooking .. first, NEVER EVER add oil to the pasta water. It will form a barrier between the pasta keeping it from absorbing the sauce you worked so hard making. Second, season the water with sea salt. Make it taste like the ocean. This builds a flavor base to your dish you will miss out on and could possibly make an ordinary dish, an extraordinary one!

Spaghetti alla'Arribbiata is a perfect summertime pasta. It makes you sweat a bit, but what could be better than that? Especially when it's paired with a bold Italian red.

I chose the Italian winemaker Banfi's "2012 ASKA Bolgheri Rosso DOC" for this dish. The cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc blend features deep ruby red color and offers up hints of violet. Soft on the nose with red berries, blueberries and plum jam, followed by hints of tobacco and licorice. I would say the wine is well rounded, with velvety tannins and a persistent finish. A great companion to the classic arrabbiata. (under $17)

So if you're looking to heat up the summer night this weekend .. How about getting a little angry?

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Mom's Blueberry Coffee Cake

Mom's Blueberry Coffee Cake .. I suppose it's "ole-timey week" here at The Bald Chef Cooks. Bringing back recipe ideas from my past via my Mom, Aunts or our family restaurant .. Farmlad.

This one is 100% Mom and her Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe. I love a good coffee cake with all those crunchy crumbles .. it's oh so good!

I made mine with a twist that I'm sure would be "mother approved". In place of milk or heavy cream in the recipe, I folded in crème fraîche which gave the cake a rich, more velvety texture and a slight bite from it's acidity. Along with the blueberries, I also added a splash of brandy in both the crumble and the batter. This boosted the flavor even more.

Fresh blueberries are ripe for the picking across much of the region. So I encourage you to visit your local orchard or farmer's market to pick up some of these tasty berries!

I hope you are enjoying my "Back To The Future" moments and I guess we'll just have to see what inspires me the rest of the week!

Remember Buy Local!

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Ohio Cherry Wood Smoked Creamed Chicken Sammie

Taste of NE Ohio .. "Creamed Chicken Sammie"! Picnic time is on my mind and what better choice is there than the NE Ohio original "Creamed Chicken" Sammie? Having grown up eating, making and selling these delicious sandwiches at our family restaurants .. Farmlad Chicken & Burgers .. had me in the mood to whip up a few batches.

My take on this traditional "Ohio Dutch" recipe, had a twist .. Cherry Wood Smoked Chicken! In the traditional recipe, German decedents used either leftovers or they boiled a whole chicken and then pulled the meat. It's good that way, but I want more flavor. Smoking the chicken with sweet and light cherry wood builds a flavor base that carries over into the sandwiches in a very tasty way.

I use our family's Farmlad dry rub on the birds and catch all the juices. These are the flavor secrets that many people disregard. After the chicken has cooked, let it rest and then pull the meat much like you would pork. Save those bones. It makes wonderful stock!

Combining the chicken with the reserved juices and a bit of butter and cream makes a rich sauce that tightens as it cools. Spread the chicken on lightly toasted buns and you have the Ohio Dutch Creamed Chicken Sammie!

What could be better than that? Here's to fun in the sun summertime foods .. Ohio Style!

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Firecracker Sangria

Can’t get enough of the sweet and spicy combination? Me either, that's why I developed this delicious sangria recipe that's sweet, spicy, summery and perfect for the 4th of July! 

Ingredients

1 cup Watermelon Chunks
1 Peach, cut into slices
1 Mango, cut into cubes
1 cup Strawberries, sliced
1 cup Pineapple Chunks
1 cup Blueberries
1 Jalapeño Pepper, ribbed, seeded, and cut in half lengthwise
½ cup Triple Sec
1 750 ml bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
1 lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. Add fruit and pepper halves to a large pitcher and pour curacao over the top of it.
2. Add wine and lemon juice and stir until mixed.
3. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Check the spiciness of the sangria and remove pepper halves if it’s spicy enough for you. You can let the remaining mix sit another day or serve. We let ours go 24 hours, removed the pepper halves, and then served that day.
4. Fill glasses with ice and pour out sangria. Scoop out some of the fruit to add to the glasses and serve!

Light a couple batches of these refreshing and spicy sangrias and enjoy the fireworks in the air and in your mouth! Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July!

Recipe by Jeffrey Snyder

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Green Lentil Summer Salad

I love creating summer salads. Using greens, pastas and even grains. This recipe idea was no exception. Tender green lentils combined with cucumber, sweet corn, sweet peas, red onion, celery and feta cheese in a white balsamic vinaigrette. High in protein and high in flavor.

I want you to try this recipe so much, I'm sharing the recipe!

Ingredients

For the Green Lentil Salad:
2 quarts Water
2 cups Lentils
½ cup Celery, chopped
½ cup Red Onion, chopped
½ cup English Cucumber, chopped
½ cup Fresh Sweet Corn
½ cup Fresh Sweet Peas, shucked
Fresh Basil, torn for garnish
Feta Cheese, to taste

For the Vinaigrette :
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup White Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbs Honey
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
¼ tsp Italian Seasoning

Instructions

For the Green Lentil Salad:
1. Combine water and lentils in a pot and bring to a boil; cook at a boil until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.
2. Gently toss lentils, corn, peas, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, and red onion together in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette (instructions below) and toss.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 2 days.

For the Vinaigrette:
1. Whisk all ingredients together for 30 seconds or until blended.

The Bald Chef's Notes: This recipe is also great made by adding cherry tomatoes or wilted greens, such as kale, Swiss chard or spinach.

Here's to good health and good eating!

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Cola Carnitas Mini Tacos

Over the past several weeks, I have been mini-obsessing or should I say obsessing over minis .. Mini Tacos that is. There is nothing more satisfying than tiny 2-bite morsel that is huge on flavor.

Pork dishes are always on my menu. Smoked, grilled, pan-seared, roasted .. you name it. But braising could be my absolute favorite way of cooking pork. Long, slow and low .. yeah, that's the ticket! For this recipe, I decided to braise my pork in a liquid most people drink with great tacos, cola, and in this case .. Pepsi-Cola! Cola offers up sweet and caramelly notes that enhance the sweetness of the pork.

My cola braising liquid was a little spicy with the addition of garlic, ginger and chili. Browning the meat on all sides first, then the cola bath in my "Dutch Oven" and baked for several hours until the meat drops off the bone.

Reducing the strained liquid, I ended up with a sticky, spicy, sweet sauce that married perfectly with toppings. Speaking of which, I added my housemade red cabbage and carrot slaw using my old family's restaurant Farmlad recipe. The slaw is a mayo/mustard mix that adds just the right amount of acidity to the pork.

Next comes one of my favorite Mexican cheeses .. Cotija! This white, fresh and salty cow's milk cheese bears a resemblance to feta. However, with aging it becomes hard and crumbly like Parmigiano-Reggiano. Its similarity has earned it the nickname "Parmesan of Mexico". Crumbling just the right amount of this cheese boosts the flavor immensely!

Then the sauces .. first is my "Avocado Crema" then my "Árbol Chili Creme". Both contrast each other with smooth and mellow flavors with that fresh avocado hint and árbol chili bite. The mini morsel was then topped my home grown "spring onions". The end result is a hyper flavorful bite.

I always pair my dishes with some adult beverage, but I want to pay homage to the braising liquid, so I recommend popping a can of Pepsi.

I hope you are enjoying my "Mini Taco Adventures", there are plenty more in store this summer!

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