Cochon 555 @ Stillwater, OK

First of all I would like to thank foodbuzz for selecting my blog to go to Cochon 555! Raven and I had a blast! The food was incredible and the wine even better. Choc Beer was also there, you will have to check out their website. They have been an Oklahoma brewery for many years with a lot of history in the state. Really good beer to say the least.

Our vote for the best of the Cochon 555 had to go to Catalan out of Houston Tx. Their chefs and food were the absolute best! Their pork was juicy and seasoned to perfection. They had an appetizer of whipped lard on a crustini, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. One person I talked to said "it tasted like budda." I never knew that fat could taste so good, a good thing since I am teaching a healthy eating class. Their pork tacos were the best I have ever eaten and that is saying a lot. I love pork tacos and eat them whenever I get a chance. The Catalan used a Mangalitsa breed of pig that is also known as the "Woolly Pig." This breed is known for a high quality lard-type fat and a high percent of marbling which doubles that of average pork. This pork had a wonderful taste with just the bare minimum of seasonings. I think that says a lot about the quality of the meat when you don't have to spice it up to taste good. This pork was fork tender too, no knife needed.

Our other honorable mention goes to the Chef himself, Matt Harris from J&G Grill at the St. Regis, out of Utah. We just loved Matt's Maple coated pork. He used a Yorkshire/Hampshire breed of pig. This breed was bred for a very thick back fat and marbling of the meat. This makes for juicy and great tasting pork.

My pick for the best tasting wine goes to Miner Winery. I am a big fan of their attitude and taste! One thing I hate about red wine is the oak taste. The red I sampled of theirs was not "oaky" at all. It was very good with pork. I realize the pictures we took are not the best but neither was the lighting. I hope you got a feel of how great Cochon 555 was. If you are lucky enough to have Cochon 555 roll into your city, be sure to check it out!

Colcannon

This must be my Irish week. I love Colcannon and can eat it as a main dish or as a side. This is definitely a dish where simple ingredients combine to make something unique and tasty. It is easy to make but there are a few steps to get to the end product. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
4 pounds potatoes-peeled and quartered
1-2 pound head green cabbage
1 stick butter
1 cup cream
1 pound bacon-cooked until crisp

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender, as you would for mashed potatoes. Meanwhile, pour enough oil on a heavy bottom skillet to coat it. Cut up your cabbage and remove the core. I cut mine into 1 inch wide strips. Salt and pepper to taste and place into an oil coated skillet. Cook over medium heat until softened but not mushy. Now pour water off of potatoes and mash. While mashing add in your butter and salt and pepper to taste. Add in cream and whip up the potatoes until light. I love to use my Kitchen Aid for this. Now add in cabbage and bacon and stir well. That is it. You are good to go now and remember to share.

Homemade Banana Moon Pies

Ransome loves Moon Pies and so do I. I have seen so many recipes for them but I think this one is the best, soft and sweet. I just love using vanilla beans instead of liquid vanilla extract. I think the taste is best with the beans, plus I love the look of the tiny little vanilla goodness in every bite. This is the first cookie that I have piped out of an icing bag but it will not be the last. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 very ripe banana-mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter-softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 vanilla bean-scraped
2 packages cream cheese-softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean-scraped

In your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment, mix your butter and both sugars together until light and creamy. Add in your banana, sour cream, vanilla, and egg. Now add your egg and sour cream and mix well. Now sift all of your dry ingredients together. I added mine in a cup at a time until all are mixed well. Now fill a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/4 tube tip. I squeezed out mine to half dollar coin size on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I wish that I had pressed the "tip" down so the outside of the cookie would have looked smoother, next time maybe. I guess they look fine with the little pointy tip on top though. Bake at 350' for 10-12 minutes. They will not get golden but will be solid to the touch when done. I removed mine from the parchment paper to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Add your cream cheese and vanilla bean scrapings into your Kitchen Aid bowl and with the paddle attachment on, whip until light. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time until all is added. Fill a pastry bag and use the same size tip that you used to make the cookies. Place about a tablespoon of icing on the bottom of a cookie and top with another. Store in the fridge.

Corned Beef Hash

Raven loves corned beef hash, I guess she is my little Yankee ;~) I decided to make her some out of our leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day and it turned out scrumptious. We ate this with buttered rye bread and it makes it even better. This is What's Cookin on this rainy Spring Day on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
7 russet potatoes-peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 carrots-peeled and a sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 pounds corned beef-cut into 1/2 cubes
4 T canola oil

Coat bottom of a heavy bottom skillet with canola oil and heat over medium heat. When heated add your carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and then add in your corned beef. Continue to cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and corned beef if crispy.

Cochon 555 Oklahoma

I am excited to tell all of you that I will be going to Cochon 555 Oklahoma in Stillwater, Oklahoma on April 3rd! This blog and I were selected by foodbuzz to go! You will hear all about it on this blog too! I cannot wait!

Cochon 555 Oklahoma

Chefs:
CHRIS SHEPHERD - Catalan - Houston, TX
MATT HARRIS - J&G Grill - Park City, UT
CURT HERRMANN - White Owl - Tulsa, OK
KURT FLEISCHFRESSER - Coach House - Oklahoma City, OK

Butcher: RYAN FARR - 4505 Meats

Wineries:

Revana Family Vineyard
Miner Family Vineyards
Domaine Serene
K Vintners
Raptor Ridge Winery

Judges:

Philippe Garmy – OSU-HRAD, Stillwater
Jon Biegel – Chesapeake Energy, OKC
Mark Brown- Tulsa World, Tulsa

Chess Tart

I was reading my Martha Stewart Living Magazine and came across a recipe for a Chess tart. I changed it around to fit what I had in the pantry and it was great! If you have never had a chess pie, it is like a pecan pie without the pecans. Chess pies have Southern roots an can be found in most cookbooks featuring down home cooking. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

For the Tart Shell

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
10 T butter-melted
4 T sugar

Mix all the above ingredients together and stir very well. Press firmly into your tart pan. I used plastic wrap laid on top to make smoothing easier. Put in fridge for 15 minutes to let the crust set. Bake at 350' for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Lower oven temp to 325'. Now on to the filling.

For the Filling:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cups packed brown sugar
6 eggs
2 sticks butter-melted
2 vanilla beans-scraped

Mix all of the filling ingredients together and pour into tart shell and bake at 325' for 40 minutes. It will look a little loose when you take it out. Cool completely and place in fridge overnight. Serve cold, if you can wait that long....

Lentil Soup

Lentils are a very underrated legume. This soup was liked by the family but Sean was having none of it. He did manage to eat a partial bowl but that was his limit. He does not care for the texture of lentils, I on the other hand just love them. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today on this rainy almost Spring day!

Needed:
1 Pound lentils
1 pound carrots-cleaned and chopped
2 celery stalks-cleaned and chopped
1 cup Bulgar
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 onion-cleaned and chopped
5 cups water
2 T salt
2 T red pepper flakes
3 T olive oil

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Now add in your carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and saute until slightly softened. Add in your lentils and water. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add in 1 cup bulgar and cook for 15 more minutes. Serve with a crusty bread.