Mesa Grill Pretzels ala Bobby Flay

So, what makes a great bar snack???


The answer is different if you own the bar, or are drinking at the bar.  Bar owners want to provide gratis items that have just a little extra hint of spice, heat and salt (actually, more than just a hint).  Something that will make you thirsty.  From the lowly popcorn to goldfish to chicken wings; bar snacks are designed to satisfy the munch craving that comes with drinking.  And it is no accident that these foods make you want to continue drinking.  Those free items add a  lot of income to the owner.


The bar patron is looking for something salty to compliment an adult beverage.  A great snack has a little fattiness.  Bars are all about being just a little naughty.  You've already decided to have an adult beverage, not a big leap to jump on something a little indulgent.  But, not too fatty.  A crunchy snack goes better than a soft one.


Salty, fatty, crunchy... and one more thing... Next time you reach for that bowl of CornNuts, think about all the patrons that reached for that self same bowl after a trip to the water closet.  According to a poll published in the NY Times (so it must be true), 1 in 10 women (and sadly, 1 in 4 men) do not wash up after doing what comes naturally in bar restrooms.  So, in addition to salty, fatty and crunchy, let's add personal.  Something that you are grabbing that is uniquely your own.


Let's get that mental image out of our heads and continue on to these little gems...



According to Bobby Flay, in his MESA GRILL COOKBOOK, these pretzels were designed with their crunchy exterior, with salt and spicy jalapeño pepper filling are meant to be a perfect accompaniment to cocktails --- and especially those featuring tequila (but they taste great with a little rum as well)!


The crunchy exterior is coated with a bit of kosher salt.  But the interior has a rich chewy center highlighted by pureed garlic, minced peppers and a hint of brown sugar to add the rich fattiness of a great bar snack.  


And let's not lose the fact that these are served in a tall glass or vase.  So unless someone rudely sorts through the bunch to find the perfect one, they are indeed personal.  Hand touched by no one but you and the people governed by health codes (let me live in my fantasy world about how clean they are).

These are the pretzels that are served at Mesa Grill.  The recipe is included in the MESA GRILL COOKBOOK, at the end of the "Drinks" chapter.  A fitting place for a great Bar Snack!


Here's what Bobby says to do...


1/4 cup Yellow Cornmeal
3/4 cup warm Water
1/4 ounce fresh Yeast
2 teaspoons light Brown Sugar
1 large Egg
1 head roasted Garlic, peeled and pureed
Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
3 to 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 Poblano Chiles, roasted peeled and seeded, finely diced
Jalapeno Chili Powder

• Line baking sheets with Parchment Paper, sprinkle Cornmeal on the sheets.
• Combine the Water and Yeast in a large bowl and mix with your fingertips until the yeast is dissolved.  Whisk in the sugar, egg and garlic until combined.  Add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, 3 cups flour and poblanos and mix until combined.  You may need extra flour to get a dough ball.
• Knead the dough until the dough is smooth and evenly hydrated.  Place the dough ball in a large bowl.  grease the ball with some oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove from the bowl and divide in half.  On a floured work surface, roll each half out onto a 12 X 12 square about 1 inch thick.  Cut each square into 10 even strips.  Hold the dough at each end, stretching it to the length of the baking sheet.  Space the pretzels inch apart.  Let rest for 30 minutes.  Season the tops (I did an egg wash to keep the seasonings to stick) with Kosher salt and Pepper Spice.
• Bake until crisp and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, remove and cool on baking rack.

Wow oh wow, these were amazing.  Soft in the center, crispy like a pretzel in the center, and that fabulous kiss of garlic throughout is very unexpected.  the pepper spice makes these qualify as terrific bar snacks!  I LOVED EM!

Here are a few photos to give you a better idea of what I did...

In the book, there is a terrific section on techniques that will make you a better Tex-Mex (Southwest Cuisine) cook.  Included is a section on roasting peppers and garlic.

Add the seeded, skinned peppers and the roasted Garlic in a mini chopper or food processor.

I did add an "Ancient Sweet Pepper" to the mix.  I just thought the color contrast would add more "pepper" look.

Recipe #2 from the book.  Great to cook from, great to inspire (and even better to eat from!)


Bobby is a winner!

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Parmesan Cheese Crisps

These are so easy, I feel a little guilty about even posting this.


But, I have such pretty photos...

And they make extra pretty garnishes for your ...


Pan Seared RIB EYE STEAK with a Cognac Pan Sauce 
served with...
Garlic Basil Pea Puree
And especially sticking out of...
Mashers - Garlic Mashed Potatoes

So, since they look so pretty, and make such useful garnishes for your plate, but MOST OF ALL, THESE ARE ABOUT THE TASTIEST LITTLE TIDBITS OF CHEESE YOU COULD EVER ASK FOR!!!


They are... Really!


All you need is a sheet of parchment paper,
2 TBS of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
and a preheated oven set at 325 degrees...


Heck, if you keep an eye on em, you really don't even need to preheat the oven.

spread the cheese around to make a cookie shape, mostly flat.  the beauty comes from it's rustic unevenness, so no need to used a round cookie cutter to get a uniform look (unless you like that kind of thing).

It's done when the edges start to reach a golden brown crispness, while the center is bubbling.  Since this is a hard cheese, even though it melts and sticks together, the holes do not fill in, making it even more pretty!

See...


And they taste really good as well.  Nothin' but salty cheese!
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Buddy's Country Fried Steaks from Delicious and Suspicious

Jackie and I needed this.  10 days and counting till our Caribbean adventure comes to an end.  Doom, despair, sadness abounds.  Time for a little homespun comfort food...


Country fried steak and an amazing onion gravy, recipes courtesy of ...

Delicious and Suspicious, first in the new Memphis BBQ series by Riley Adams.  And her book is so much fun, no one can be in a funk for long.


First, a little bit about Riley Adams.  Adams is a pen name for Elizabeth Spann Craig.  Miss Elizabeth is a southern gal, born and bred in the Carolinas.  While Delicious and Suspicious is the first book written under her new pen name, she is a published author under her real name.  Many of you may know her as one of the six Merry Murderesses from the Mystery Lover's Kitchen.  The MLK is a blog with six published mystery authors, all with characters associated with food.  They rotate a different author each day of the week, with a guest author filling in on Sunday... LOVE EM!


But Liz (can I call her Liz???  Nah, not yet), Miss Elizabeth has earned a special place in my heart.  She also publishes a daily blog of tips, hints and contacts for writers in general, and mystery authors in specific at... http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/.  Mystery Writing is Murder is addictive.  Once you start reading it, you will spend an hour.  And then set aside another couple hours for your next visit.  She's been at this for awhile.  She just passed the 500 post mark on her writing tips site.  Worth a look, even if you only want to improve your blog writing.  And wait till you see her sidebar contact list.  On a full stomach of Lulu's comfort food, and an hour of reading Miss Elizabeth's tips, you will gently fall asleep dreaming of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle personally welcoming you into the club.


And there are some great recipes in the back of Delicious and Suspicious.  Red Beans and Rice, Corn Muffins, BBQ Sauce and many more prove Miss Elizabeth can not only talk write the talk, but she also walks cooks the walk.  Looking at the recipes, and reading all about the best little BBQ place outside of my back yard, I couldn't stop thinking of a movie quote, "You ain't gonna get any nouveau, amandine, thin crust, bottled water, sauteed city food. Food's brown, hot, and plenty of it."  Other than the red BBQ sauce, that pretty much sums up Lulu's joint.


The diner is set in Memphis (Hopefully Lulu will have an adventure soon in Kansas City, site of the true championship of BBQ, the American Royal, but I digress).  A wonderful cast of characters, including my favorites, the Graces are regulars.  The Graces are docents at Graceland.  Not because they were hired,, as much because they just kept going back everyday and just were absorbed into the Elvis fun (and Graceland is fun, don't be a snob).


I may be prejudice, but I thoroughly enjoyed every page of Delicious and Suspicious.  Lots of great references to BBQ, but also just a fun setting, fun cast of regulars, well defined main character and the possibility that the ghost of Elvis may pop up in a future offering in the series.  What's not to love!


Oh yeah, did I mention the recipes...

Like this INCREDIBLE recipe for Country Fried Steak, along with a wonderful onion gravy (that I just had to make one suggestion/change)...


Here we go...


BUDDY's COUNTRY FRIED STEAK


1 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 package of Cube Steaks
Cooking Oil
1 diced Onion

And, Miss Elizabeth, forgive me, but I changed your recommended 1 cup of water to 
1 cup of Buttermilk, but did need
1/2 a cup of water to thin the gravy a bit... sorry, the Lulu in my mind would insist on a true milk gravy for her "best BBQ" in Memphis (in my humble opinion).

• Mix together dry ingredients and put them in a plastic zip bag with the cube steak and shake vigorously until they are well coated
•  Heat oil in a heavy pan until hot (about 2 minutes).  Add the coated cube steaks and fry over medium-high heat for half a minute.then flip to cook for another half a minute.  Continue cooking and flipping frequently until the meat is brown and the inside isn't pink (about 4 minutes).
• Remove the steak from the heat and drain on a paper towel.
• LEAVE 3 teaspoons of grease in the pan, as well as all drippings.
• Add the onions and 5 tablespoons of the leftover flour mixture from the zip bag.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly as the flour browns and the onions cook.
• Add one cup of buttermilk, whisking the gravy until all the lumps are gone.  Add water if it needs to be thinned.
• Add the steaks to soak in the gravy for 10 minutes and serve!

I plated this with some Mashers - Garlic Mashed Potatoes ala Alton Brown, and a simple special peas recipe that would be right at home on Lulu's table... with one exception...


A can of peas, 
1/2 of a sautéed onion, 
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced and sautéed 
one slice of Mango Glazed Bacon.


And just mix and heat

A great recipe.  Fun to cook, better to eat and certainly was comforting.


Delicious and Suspicious was a great read.  Perfect for fans of BBQ, Mysteries, Elvis (I am sure he will pop up in the series soon) and more.  Beyond Highly Recommended!

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Mashers - Garlic Mashed Potatoes ala Alton Brown

So just how many posts can I make from a single three course meal... Three courses, three posts (but come back tomorrow to see the Parmesan Crisp get its well deserved due).


It really was a terrific basic meat and potatoes meal.  The Garlic Basil Pea Puree was a surprise BIG hit.  And that Pan Seared RIB EYE STEAK with a Cognac Pan Sauce was among the best steaks I have ever had.  Best of all, the entire meal came together so easy.  The peas are done in advance, the potatoes are warming while you make the steak.  30 minute meal indeed!


Some times you are in the mood for a good steak.


But, who knew there was so much to making a great batch of mashed potatoes?  Remember earlier in the week, I told you all that I had ordered a couple of mysteries and 2 HEAVY cookbooks from Amazon.  My wife was not terribly pleased, as we are moving from paradise in just 10 days.  Her comment, the savings from Amazon (free shipping if the bill is high enough) is going to get pretty expensive if I have to pay for weight penalties in my suitcase.  Only way to justify the luxury of the books is to actually cook from them.


The Pan Seared RIB EYE STEAK with a Cognac Pan Sauce was the first pilot episode and the first chapter of Alton Brown's overview book of his FoodNetwork series, GOOD EATS.  I am pretty familiar with cooking steaks, but I still learned quite a bit from the chapter (and the sauce recipe was amazing).  The chapters are laid out like the TV show.  Lots of science in the beginning, followed by practical use of the knowledge.


Chapter 2 is a great follow up to the steak chapter.  What goes with a great steak better than great Garlic Mashed Potatoes?  But, before the recipe, there was lots of info that I didn't know.  Best of all was a clear explanation of the different types of potatoes, and why some are better for mashing, and some are better to dice and make potato salad (and once you know the difference, you can add texture to your mashed potatoes).  Lots of discussion of starch and expanding granules to make fluffy taters.  Basic stuff, not needed to follow a recipe, but valuable information if your goal is to become a cook.


I love this book.  Once again, he wrote this entire book just for me!


And he has a great application for Mashers...

ALTON BROWN's MASHERS

2 pounds Russet Potatoes (rinsed, peeled and cubed 1/2 inch size)
2 pounds Red potatoes (rinsed and cubed 1/2 inch size)
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
3/4 cup Buttermilk
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
6 cloves Garlic (peeled and smashed)

1. Place all spud hunks in a 4 quart saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover.  Add 1 tsp salt to the pot, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Meanwhile, combine the buttermilk, cream and garlic to a 2 quart saucepan and bring to simmer over low heat.  Watch to make sure the mixture does not boil over.  Stir occasionally.
3. When the spud water boils, ditch the lid, drop the heat to simmer and cook until the taters are easily crushed with tongs.  Drain the potatoes well.  The less moisture, the better.
4. Add the final teaspoon of salt, add 1/4 of the buttermilk mixture and start smashing.
5. As the spuds break down, add more of the buttermilk mixture.  Remember these are smashed potatoes, not whipped potatoes.  The red potatoes will mash well, the russet potatoes will mash slightly, but also some will remain whole, leaving a nice mixture of creamy potatoes with firm hunks floating.  Mash to your desired results.

And Joy of Joys... Alton gives a second application (he does not give recipes, his are applications of the knowledge he gives in the first half of the show/chapter).  This is an application for MASHER CAKES, made from left over Mashers!

MASHER CAKES

10 ounces leftover MASHERS
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley, thyme or Green Onions (I used a TBS of "Not your Grandmother's Herbes de Provance")
1 Large Egg
1/2 cup of Japanese style breadcrumbs (Panko)
Oil for frying

• Heat oil to frying temperature
• Mix the Mashers, herbs and egg together, divide into 6 equal balls
• form a ball into a flat patty, coat with the breadcrumbs
• fry each side for about 3 minutes, until golden brown and delicious
• Drain excess oil

Here's the lunch I sent to work with Jackie... A Masher Cake and a piece of left over piece of Salmon - Garlic Chipotle Spiced, Mango Glazed Salmon.  Not a bad meal made from leftovers.


ALL GOOD EATS indeed!

Save over $10 from the cover price... A great deal and incredibly valuable information if you want to jump from a recipe follower to a cook!

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Garlic Basil Pea Puree for Two For Tuesday

Do you all remember yesterday's post Pan Seared RIB EYE STEAK with a Cognac Pan Sauce?  Remember that pretty color combination of the medium rare steak and the bright green... Well, bright green baby food looking stuff under it.


Well, surprise, it is about the tastiest adult baby food you could imagine.


I was inspired do try this by Alex (or maybe Ed) from last week's TOP CHEF episode.  For those that are not playing along with the idea of voting cooks out of the kitchen, there is a good probability that either the producers are wrongfully accusing one of the chefs of stealing another chef's finished dish and passing it off as his own.  Or, one of the chef's is a thief.  If the editors are doing it, it is criminal.  If the chef did it... it makes for great TV!  For the details, click HERE.  Course, Alex (the possible thief) earlier in the season, when asked what he would do if he won a cash prize during a non-elimination challenge responded that he would "buy a hooker and an 8-ball".


I thought it was unfair that he would go for the sympathy vote by implying that he would rescue a wayward girl by teaching her billiards if he won.  But, at least it was a strategy.


But I digress...


The judges implied that the pea puree was the greatest thing since sliced bread (you would think they would have more diverse palates, but I digress again...)


So, I did a little research, and OH MY gOD, does this dish ever have all the ingredients I love.  Who has been hiding this dish all these years?  No wonder it was stolen.


Here's what I did...


1 cup fresh Peas
5 leaves of Basil
4 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Combine Basil and Garlic in a mini chopper and mince away
• Add Cheese and Peas and use the Puree setting (duh)
• transfer the goo to a sauce pan and heat over medium fire
• add Salt and Pepper to taste
• Serve warm
• Or skip all of the above and steal something from your neighbor for dinner
• ... win $20,000

Sounds easy and it was.  But more importantly, incredibly tasty!  This is the best pea recipe I have ever eaten (and I do love my peas!)!

Here's some photos to give you a better idea of how easy...

Come back tomorrow and I'll brag about the best garlic mashed/buttermilk SMASHED POTATOES!




I am linking this to the 2-4-2sDay roundup... "Two for Tuesday" (Click HERE), the only instructions were to post about "real Food".  If the ladies will forgive me for the post, I do think this all qualifies as real food!
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Pan Seared RIB EYE STEAK with a Cognac Pan Sauce ala Alton Brown

I am seriously considering using this photo as my next Christmas Card.


Pan Seared Rib Eye, extra thick cut, cooked to a perfect medium rare (hot pink center, internal temp of 135 degrees), topped with a cognac pan gravy sauce and served on a garlic-basil pea puree, garlic masher potatoes, and topped with a Parmesan crisp. 


Now, that is what I call... GOOD EATS!



The Pan seared Rib-eye is the very first recipe, from the very first pilot episode (there were two pilots) from Alton Brown's Peabody Award winning series, Good Eats!  If you are paying attention, you remember that last week I got a shipment of books from Amazon.com.  Good Eats: the Early Years has been on my want list since I first heard of the book being released.  The show is made just for me (so I believe).  A little science, just enough to know how and why food cooks like it does, and basic recipes, easily adapted to taste.  But, unless you can DVR it and rerun parts with a notepad, the recipes are usually gone by the time you realize you want to try them.  This book solves that problem, with all the recipes reprinted, and much of the content of the shows graphically explained (lots of photos and drawings).


The book is BIG, heavy and perfect for fans and learning cooks.  


And best of all, Mr. Brown in his introduction puts pen to a way to explain my cooking journey, and the approach I take to blogging.  Despite the cover boldly advertising "more than 140 recipes", Alton claims that there are no recipes in the book.  He shows applications.  Think mathematical "proofs" that are used to build on.  If you know this, you can do that, and once you can do that, these are easy.  The man is a genius.


And speaking of genius, he starts right in with his "application" for a pan seared Rib-eye Steak.  This is best cooked on a cast iron skillet, as the meat will go from stove top to oven.  Also, an instant read meat thermometer is needed to get the proper degree of doneness.  I like mine medium rare, Jackie is a medium well fan (sigh).  Honestly, if you don't have one of those remote prob meat thermometers you should seriously consider them.  PERFECT steaks every time.  No more guess work.  And best of all, the prices have taken a huge drop recently (half what I paid a year ago)...



All right, let's get right to his... "application" for 

PAN SEARED RIB-EYE STEAK

2 - 1 1/2 inch thick Boneless Rib-eye Steaks (about a pound each)
1 teaspoon Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

1. Allow steaks to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Position rack in the center of the oven.  Crank to 500 degrees and slide in a cast iron skillet to warm.
3. When oven hits temperature, carefully (Note: it's HOT) move skillet to cook top over high heat for 5 minutes.
4. Lightly coat steaks with conola oil, then liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the steaks in the pan and do not touch them for 30 seconds.  Use a kitchen timer.  (Note: expect a lot of smoke, turn the fan on your hood).
5. Flip the steak with tongs (note: NEVER use a fork, never put holes in your meat when cooking, always use tongs) and cook for another 30 seconds.
6. Move the skillet back to the 500 degree oven for 2 minutes.  Flip the steaks and cook for another 2 minutes.  This step will need to be repeated a number of times, depending on step 7.
7. Check the internal temperature of your steaks.  Medium Rare steaks are done when they reach an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees (mine took 8 minutes to cook).  Medium Well steaks (shudder) are done when they reach 145-150 degrees (Jackie's took 12 minutes).
8. Rest the meat for 5 minutes (Note: this step is VERY important.  Have you ever seen steak served in a pool of blood?  This step will fix that unsightly problem.  The juices will collect in the meat and remain if you rest the meat uncut for 5 minutes.  Actually, I rest mine in a double layer of aluminum foil.  This also keeps the meat hot the entire time, so you can serve a HOT medium rare steak at the same time you are serving a HOT medium well steak.  Just trust the temperature prob, and DO NOT EVER CUT INTO THE STEAK TO TEST DONENESS!  Also, since I was making a Cognac Pan gravy Sauce, I rested my meat for almost 15 minutes.  If it was not tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, the steaks would have begun to cool.  Since mine were wrapped, they were served HOT!).

Alton does explain the proper way to check for internal temperature (from the side, not the top.  You want to measure the temp at the thickest part of the meat, in the center.  When you check from the top, it is hard to find the center).

He also explains a complicated set up for resting.  I confess that aluminum foil works for me, and I did not follow his resting collection method for collecting juices.  Buy the book and take a look for yourself if you want to get complicated.

While the meat is resting, I followed Alton's application for a ...

COGNAC PAN SAUCE

1/4 cup Cognac (I used ALIZE brand Passion Fruit infused Cognac)

1 ounce Blue Cheese

2 Tablespoons Butter

1. Allow the skillet to cool for 1 minute (took at least that long to wrap the meat).  Pour in the cognac and whisk to dissolve all the little bits stuck to the skillet (deglaze the pan).
2. Reduce the cognac for 30 seconds (If you are using a heavy bottom cast iron skillet, no need to return the pan to the heat.  It is still plenty hot).
3. Add the cheese and whisk another 30 seconds
4. Add the butter and continue to whisk until it is incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken slightly.
5. Serve in Ramekins for dipping, or pour over the top of your steaks!

Here's some photos to show how I did it...

Boy does it smoke...

But that first 30 seconds, while it smokes produces a beautiful sear.

No shots in the oven (would be boring), but the meat resting in the aluminum foil is SOOOOO important, wanted to show this.

Time to make the Gravy...

Time to cut the meat.  Still tongs, just toss that big fork away.  You do not want to use it... EVER!

And here's my money shot!  Beautiful deep red color, still hot (internal temp actually evened out to 137 degrees while it rested.  Look at the marbling, moist, tender, juicy... A beautiful thing.  Also note that there is no pool of blood under the steak.  the resting will keep that from happening, even on a more rare steak than this.  REST YOUR MEAT!

And here is the difference between medium rare and medium well.  Hard to tell, but the medium rare steak is thicker (they started same thickness), and the marbling is reduced.  Fat is good in a steak.  Fat flavors, but always best to keep your guests happy and serve their steaks the correct degree of doneness (no matter how wrong she is).

Anyone want to stop by for dinner???

Come back tomorrow to hear about my soon to be legendary Pea Puree! 

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Blue Cheese Bacon Sliders for "the Project"

Oh, and take a look at the buns...


Exotic toppings!


Well, not really.  If you've been following along, you have seen those toppings other places... "Not your Grandmother's Herbes de Provance", that's the herb topped bun at the bottom; Sesame Seed with Kosher Salt Herb Mix", those are the dramatic looking Black and White seed toppings in the middle; and finally, at the top,  my favorite way to add a kick to your burger... CAJUN SPICE RUB - Blackening Seasoning Mix!  All three of these spice mixes I have on hand all the time.  These pretty buns took me a grand total of 60 seconds to add the extra look.

But first a quiz...


It's 4:20 in the afternoon, and you drive by this house every afternoon to get home.  "Puff the magic Dragon" is playing on your iPod, and your good friend Harold is coming over for dinner with his buddy, Kumar.


What do you serve???


Right, your best efforts to make upscale White Castle Slidders!  And shame on any of you who caught the references.


BTW, the white castle in the photo is about 50 feet from my front door, so I do see that house every day.  I always wonder if the guy with the million dollar location (beach front property, with an amazing view) really wanted his house to look like a restaurant...  


But I digress...


First, the buns...

They're just little hamburger buns.


You've seen the recipe before, it's my beloved ENG BREAD.  A sweet French bread, very versatile.  You can make a round bowl size loaf, a more traditional long loaf, smaller long hot dog bun size or now little tiny hamburger buns.


 ENG BREAD is my very favorite bread.  Not only does it have a little extra sweet, but it reminds me of my beloved cat.  He used to watch me knead the bread dough from his perch near my kitchen counter.

Nearly fool proof in it's simplicity, comes together fast (only a 2 hour rise, followed by a shaping and second rise of an hour... fast for a yeast bread).  It slices for a sandwich, tastes great as a bun for your burgers or hot dogs and is easily "topped" to give your food that dramatic, "superior to you" look that we want when serving friends simple things.

For the recipe, follow this ENG BREAD link.  When you get to the shaping phase, divide the dough into 12 equal sizes.  Form each into a ball and press gently onto the parchment paper.  As the dough does it's final rise, they will settle into a flat bottom, rounded top perfect looking mini-bun!  To get the topping look, I just do a simple egg wash (beat an egg, and brush the tops of the buns with the egg).  This guarantees that the toppings will stick to the dough.  I like to sprinkle a little paprika on the top to get a beautiful "toasted to a golden brown" look.  Then just sprinkle the toppings of choice on the top of the bun.  The baking will add a roasted taste of the spices, making them POP.


At White Castle (the restaurants, not the house in the Virgin Islands), I eat about a half dozen of theirs.  But, at the fancy restaurants, when you order sliders, they always seem to serve them in threes.  SO, I liked the idea of topping some with all three of my "standard" spice/herb mixes.  Everyone gets three sliders, everyone gets 1 of each of the fancy toppings buns!

I was making 12 sliders, I used 2 pounds of ground beef (80/20 mix so the fat flavors the meat), divided into 1/6th of a pound each.


The blue cheese is an equal mix of blue cheese and cream cheese.  I heat this in a pan to get the mix soft.


And the bacon...

Remember these???


Mango Glazed Bacon ala Bobby Flay.

They are beautiful things on their own, and proved to be very useful...  PIZZA - Walnut Pesto with Mango Glazed Bacon Pizza.  AND Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops.  Certainly worthy of the bragging you have read.


And now, I use the last of the pound of bacon I made to grace my tribute to Neil Patrick Harris.  And again, if you get the joke, you should be watching Turner Classic Movies channel instead of CineMax.

I would write more lovingly about these, but I'm getting the munchies.
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