Tejas Restaurant Avocado Salsa

compliments of Executive Chef Jorge Guzman, Tejas Restaurant, 952.926.0800

combine:
10 tomatillos
1 jalepeno pepper
Half of a red onion

Toss in oil and grill/roast until the mixture gets charred, soft and blistered.
Throw into food processor with 4 cloves of roasted garlic.
Blend till smooth.
Then add:
two pureed avocados – and – one half cup of chopped cilantro

Add salt and lime juice to taste, and fold one finely diced avocado into the pureed mixture.

Tejas Restaurant is located at 50th and France in Edina, Minnesota, 952.926.0800.

Grandma Kimmes’s Apple Squares

compliments of Chef Rick Kimmes, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, 612.333.BASS

“Here is my favorite apple recipe – my grandmother made these for years and I finally got the recipe a few years ago. The vanilla sabayon is my addition or a good cinnamon ice cream can be used” - Rick Kimmes, The Oceanaire Seafood Room

Grandma Kimmes’s Apple Squares
Frozen Vanilla Sabayon Cream

Yield: one 9” x 13” pan

Preparing the Apple Squares:

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and apples in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, sugar and salt (*) for the dough. Add butter and pulse on low speed to incorporate as for a pie crust.
3. Mix egg yolks and milk then slowly add to flour/butter mixture and pulse to bring mixture together.
4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead together. (Dough will be sticky.) Divide in half and refrigerate for twenty minutes.
5. Roll one half of dough to fit a 9” x 13” pan. Place in pan with edges hanging over sides of pan.
6. Place crushed corn flakes on bottom of crust and top with apples.
7. Roll other half of dough and place on top of apples. Lightly crimp edges.
8. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until top crust is golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and let cool.
10. Mix 2 Tbsp of water with the powdered sugar to create a glaze and brush on warm crust.

Sabayon:

Ingredients	Amounts:
Egg yolks, pasteurized Sugar Tuaca, Vanilla Flavored liquor Orange juice, fresh squeezed Orange Zest Cream, Heavy Whipping	½ cup ¾ cup ½ cup ¾ cup 1 orange 3 Cups

Prepare Sabayon:

1. In a small stainless steel bowl set over a water bath with simmering water cook egg yolk and sugar for sabayon.
2. When sugar and yolks are slightly thickened add liquor, juice and zest. Continue to cook until thick and aerated.
3. Let sabayon cool completely. (can be done 24 hrs in advance)
4. Whip cream to stiff peaks, gently fold into sabayon mixture and set aside.

Note: This is the perfect time of year to find Minnesota apples. Also when preparing this delicious desert, try using local butter, eggs, milk, ice cream and whipping cream.

Bushel Boy Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Pastures-A-Plenty Bacon, Stickney Hill Chevre, Minnesota Valley Salad and Herb Company Chives, and Arugula

Ingredients:                   Yield- 20 servings
40- each cherry tomatoes (Baby Boys), seeded from the top, not the stem side
1 1/4-pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/8-cup mayonnaise
1/4-cup Stickney Hills Peppercorn Chevre
3/8-cup chives, cut thin, bias
5/8-cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 5/8-tablespoons arugula, stems removed and chopped

Method:
1. Hollow out the tomatoes.
2. Mix all other ingredients and stuff tomatoes with mixture.
3. Refrigerate at least one hour.

MN Valley Salad and Herb Company 507.934.4650
Pastures-A-Plenty 320.367.2061
Bushel Boy Tomatoes - found easily at most Cub Food Stores
Stickney Hill Chevre - found easily at most Cub Food Stores (the Tomato Basil would be a great variation!)

Provencal Tian

compliments of Sous Chef Cory Mahlke, St Olaf College with Bon Appétit

Filling:
6 large STOGROW heirloom tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
6 small STOGROW eggplants, thickly sliced lengthwise
3 STOGROW zucchini, thickly sliced lengthwise
½ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 large red onions, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Topping:
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
about 1 cup of dried breadcrumbs
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
sprigs of basil to serve

Preparation:
Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up, and push slivers of garlic into each one. Roast in a preheated oven at 400° F for about 30 minutes to remove some of the moisture.

Put the sliced eggplants and squash on a plate, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for
30 minutes to extract some of the moisture. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onions, and sauté until softened and translucent. Remove from the skillet and spread over the base of a tian or other
shallow ceramic ovenproof dish.

Arrange overlapping layers of the tomatoes, eggplants and squash on top — arrange them in lines across the dish, like fish scales. Tuck the chopped thyme between the layers.

Brush with the olive oil and cook in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the topping, grate the lemon zest into a bowl, add the crushed garlic, and mix well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and cheese, then sprinkle over the top of the tian. Continue cooking for at least 30 minutes or until browned, finishing under a broiler if necessary. Serve topped with basil leaves.

FireLake Smoked Berkshire Pork Melt with Apple Butter

compliments of Chef Paul Lynch, FireLake Grill House, 612.216.3473

Ingredients:
2 slices Cranberry-wild rice bread
1 oz butter
1 T. mayo-mustard mix, spread on one
slice of bread
1 oz FireLake apple butter (see recipe
below) – spread on other slice of bread.
8 oz smoked pork loin, shaved thin
1/2 oz cider reduction
3 T. carmelized onions
2 oz tilsit cheese, sliced

Preparation:
Butter bread, brown on griddle. Spread slices as noted, apple butter on one side. Warm pork with splash of cider reduction, spread across bottom slice. Top with onions and cheese, melt in warm oven. Top with bread slice spread with apple butter. Cut in half.

FireLake Apple Butter

compliments of Chef Paul Lynch, FireLake Grill House, 612.216.3473

Ingredients:
5 lbs Macintosh apples (or Cortland)
cored and sliced
5 lbs tart apple (Haralson) cored and diced
1/2 quart fresh apple cider
3 cups sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 T. salt

Preparation:
Bring cider and sugar to a boil. When sugar is dissolved, add apples and spices. Bring back to a boil, stirring every few minutes. Reduce heat, add lemon juice and salt. Cook apples, cider, and spices over medium heat for 20–30 minutes, until smooth and thick.

Transfer to stock pot. Simmer on mediumlow for 5–6 hours, stirring and scraping down every 30 minutes, until smooth and thick.

Sterilize pint canning jars and lids by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Fill jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Process for 20 minutes (make sure water covers the jars by 1") Leave cool overnight. Store in dry, dark place. Will keep for one year. Yield: 3 pints.