September means that we’re into football season and bad snack foods.  So I’m going to help you out a little this year and allow you your pleasure without so much of the guilt.

For me, Buffalo Wings rank right up there with bacon.  Are you with me?  I knew that you were.  But even I can get a little worked up about how unhealthy they are when you consider that they’re traditionally fried and then slathered with a butter-based hot sauce.  Sometimes I get over it.  But now I don’t have to get so twisted.

These are so good that you’ll not really know that they didn’t take a bath in the hot oil.  When I served them recently, our friend Mike stopped eating long enough to ask where I got them.  I should have doubled the recipe.  Next time.

Wings have become so popular that you can now find bigger specimens.  Wings on steroids, or “party wings” as they’re called by my butcher, won’t disappoint.  So don’t settle for the scrawny parts – go for the meatier variety if you can get them.

Baked Spicy Buffalo Wings

6 servings (ha!)

2 pounds chicken wings, preferably “party size”

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic (not garlic powder and not fresh garlic)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

¼ cup canola oil

Wing sauce – I recommend Frank’s Red Hot with no added butter

Preheat oven to 425°.  Whisk together flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and granulated garlic and place dry mixture into a large plastic bag.  Whisk together egg and milk.  Place some of the wings in the egg wash, then into the bag with the flour mixture.  Seal bag and shake to coat.  Repeat with remaining wings.  Place wings, in a single layer, on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Drizzle wings with some of the canola oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Turn wings over and continue to bake for 20 minutes more – wings will be brown and crispy.  Remove from oven and immediately toss with wing sauce.  Serve traditionally with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing if you like.

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I have cake for you today.  Or pie.  Or more cake.  You have probably seen these before, but there’s a good reason for the repeat.  My Favorite Flavours is one year old this month.  So we should eat cake, right? Or pie. Or both because it’s a celebration.

Several good things have happened this past year – all because of this blog:

• I’ve been able to share many of my favorite recipes – some new and quite a few I’ve enjoyed all my life – over 100 posts
• Blogging has introduced me to so many talented cooks and writers – thanks for the recipes and techniques that have continued to inspire me – especially Lynne, Ninette, Cynthia, Chef Louise, Laura, and Stacey
• Three of my favorite sites – Tastespotting, Foodgawker, and Serious Eats – have from time to time felt that my work is worthy of publication on their discriminating sites.  Saveur remains elusive, but I’m hopeful they’ll find me in the coming months for their Best of the Web
• I think my photography has improved, although there is considerable room for gain (special thanks to Stacey  for smacking me early on about white balance)
• Most of all, I’ve been encouraged by all your kind comments – thank you faithful readers!

I’ll keep it coming.  Know that I appreciate your feedback when you see something that interests you.  And when you do decide to try a recipe, please let me know what you think.

I’ll admit that I’m in a rut.  In this case, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Oh, let me just explain.  As you faithful readers know, I’m sort of obsessed with barbecue and smoked stuff.  Doesn’t take much of a nudge for me to fire up the grill and toss on a big brisket, ribs, chicken, pork butt – you name it.  But when it comes to side dishes, I tend to go directly for traditional accompaniments.  So we’ll likely have cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, pickles, and corn bread.  All of that is good.  Really good.

But sometimes I feel the urge to mix it up a little.  So I’m always looking for different complements.  I think I’ve found it with this decidedly southern dish that showcases this season’s delicious sweet corn.

OK, there are some gut bomb ingredients here, but put aside the diet for now.  Besides, you look great and you could stand to put a little meat on your bones.  I think you’ll like this enough to call it your secret when friends ask for the recipe.

Fresh Corn and Asiago Cheese Bread Pudding

Adapted from Southern Living

Serves 12

1 ½ cups milk

1 ¼ cups whipping cream, divided

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne (or more)

1 loaf (12 ounces) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)

4 cups fresh corn kernels

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) Asiago cheese, plus more for top

½ cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375°.  Whisk together milk, 1 cup of whipping cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl.  Add bread, tossing to coat.  Let stand 30 minutes.

Stir in corn, cheese, and basil into bread mixture;  spoon into a well-buttered 13″ x 9″ baking dish.  Top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream and, if desired, some additional shredded cheese.  If mixture seems a bit dry, top with a bit more than the ¼ cup of cream. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until set and golden brown.

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This is the kind of dish that’s usually recommended for “a light lunch with a salad on the side.”  Are you kidding me?  I guess that would work in some circles but not generally at our house.  Don’t get me wrong.  If that is your inclination, I think this tart fits the bill quite nicely and your guests will shower you with praise.

But this is the sort of thing I like to make to serve as an appetizer.  Bacon, cheese, crust – it hollers out at you for beer, wine, or a cocktail.

Now check out how easy this is to throw together.  Buy the puff pastry.  Buy a whole bunch of it because I’m pretty sure that it’s been declared a new food group.  Fry up the bacon and be happy that you’re going to use the drippings to sauté the sweet onions.  Top with the cheese and bake.  That’s it.  Serve it warm, but top with some fresh chopped tomato because it looks good and you’re healthy that way.  If tomatoes are out of season, go for some chopped oven dried tomatoes.  Regrettably, I didn’t have either on hand when I made this but you can imagine.

Bacon and Vidalia Onion Tart

Serves 8 as an appetizer

3 medium Vidalia onions

6 slices thick applewood smoked bacon

1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded and divided

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg white

1 medium fresh tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°.  Cut onions in thin slices.  Give thanks for the bacon and fry over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings in the skillet.  Give thanks once more for the bacon and then crumble it.  Sauté the onions  in the hot bacon drippings over medium heat 5 – 7 minutes or until tender.  Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Set mixture aside.  Unfold pastry sheet and fit into a 9-inch tart pan, square or round.  Whisk the egg white until light and frothy.  Brush egg white onto pastry sheet.  Bake the pastry at 400 for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.  Remove from oven and press the inside of the shell with the back of a large spoon to flatten.  Top pastry with the onion mixture.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and remaining 1/2 cup (or more) cheese.  Bake 5 – 7 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.  Top with chopped fresh tomato before serving, if you like.

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I finally scored Sun Gold cherry tomatoes at the market last weekend.  I actually scored a lot.  And they did not disappoint.

I look forward to this preparation each year.  I can’t think of a better way to showcase the sweet flavor of fresh cherry tomatoes.  Not that they need it, but roasting further intensifies the sweetness of these beauties.  Double bonus – this is quick to fix and it’s as healthy an entree as there is.

Toss the tomatoes with a bit of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Then you can follow my lead or you can venture off on your own.  I always add a lot of chopped garlic and some red pepper flake.  Beyond that, play with whatever fresh herbs you like or have on hand.  Please make them fresh.  Don’t dis the tomatoes by reaching for the dried stuff.  C’mon, it’s summer and fresh is all over the place.  I used Italian flat-leaf parsley, basil, and a bit of oregano.  It was a winning combination.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Serves:  4

2 – 3 pounds cherry tomatoes

olive oil

1 ½ – 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 – 6 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup chopped fresh oregano

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup torn basil leaves

1 pound whole wheat pasta, your favorite shape

Preheat oven to 350°. In a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well.  Roast the tomatoes until tender and juicy, about 35 – 40 minutes. The skins will have begun to pop. 

 Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of liberally salted water until al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add the tomatoes, oregano, parsley, and basil (or your herbs of choice). Toss together and serve immediately.

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The first of the heirlooms appeared last week at the local farmer’s market.  There were just a few varieties, but there is the promise of much more to come.  I like the combination of different colors and tastes and I generally come home with several pounds.  Their time is fleeting and we’ll have them for about 4 weeks.  So they  show up on the dinner table just about every night.

If asked, I’d admit that I mostly prefer them sliced with a little salt and pepper.  But this salad was a winner.  How could it not be?  Bacon makes everything better.  And good, creamy blue cheese moves this just a little to the rich side.  Not too much.  The dressing is light and fresh with an interesting mix of herbs that perfectly complements the sweet basil and all the other stuff.

I used this as a topper on some torn, tender butter lettuce, sprinkled it with just a bit of flaked lemon salt and served it with a simple grilled chicken for a quick summer dinner.

Tomato Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Basil

Adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 4 – 6

¼ pound sliced applewood smoked bacon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cider or champagne vinegar

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon good Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon herbes de Provence

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds assorted fresh tomatoes, cut in quarters or smaller if you prefer

2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (½ cup) – I like creamy Maytag for this

½ cup torn basil leaves

2 cups butter lettuce, torn

Lemon flake salt

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon slices over moderate heat until crisp.  Drain the bacon on a paper towel and then crumble.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and herbes de Provence.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put lettuce on a platter and arrange the tomatoes on top.  Season lightly with pepper.  Drizzle the vinaigrette over the lettuce and tomatoes.  Top with the crumbled bacon and blue cheese.  Garnish with the fresh basil and a sprinkling of the flaked lemon salt.

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This season’s peaches – yellow and white – are some of the best ever.  It must be that the combination of just enough rain and warm hot weather is perfect for a yield of the sweetest and juiciest fruit in many years.  I think it’s working as well for the tomatoes that promise to be superb as well.

Now, I could have halved these with a brush of olive oil to throw on the grill.  I really like them that way.  Likewise, I could have sliced them to eat unadorned.  They’re good that way.  How about in a salad with some basil and a splash of balsamic?  Delicious.

Nope.

Heck, when you’ve got great peaches, some good raspberries, flour, butter, sugar, water, and a deep-dish pie plate….  Well you can see up top how I decided to go.  Pie. Pie with a lattice crust that takes me back.  How worth it was the caloric splurge?  Make this pie and then tell me.  But make it soon.  I’m not sure how much longer the harvest will last.

Peach Raspberry Pie

Pie dough – your favorite recipe for two crust

6 – 7 medium peaches, about 6 cups

2 small containers fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch table salt

3 – 4 tablespoons Minute Tapioca

Preheat your oven to 425°. 

Prepare dough for two crusts. When rolled out, transfer one crust to pie plate and ease it into place.

Peel the peaches. Halve them, remove pits and cut into 1/2″ slices. In a medium bowl, toss the peach slices with the lemon juice, add the raspberries gently to keep them from breaking down. Add the 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and tapioca. Gently turn the fruit mixture into the dough-lined pie plate. Top with the other rolled out dough round and crimp edges. Or get bold and top with a lattice.  Brush the top of the pie with some water and sprinkle the turbinado on top. Place the pie on a baking sheet, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake until crust is set and begins to brown, about 25 minutes.   Reduce oven temperature to 375°, remove the foil and rotate the pie to ensure even browning. Continue to bake the pie until it is golden brown and you see that the filing is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. If crust looks as if it’s getting too brown towards the end, cover again with aluminum foil. When done, remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 3 hours before serving. Filling will set during the cooling period.

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Sounds awfully heavy at this time of year.  I made this several weeks ago – well before Satan’s heat came to stay for a while.  I tucked the photos away, deciding that I’d wait to post this at a more appropriate time.

Well that’s pretty controlling of me.  Who am I to think that you shouldn’t eat what you want, when you want?  And if it’s something really good, what difference does it make if it isn’t salad in July?  What brought me to change my mind is a trip last weekend to our favorite Italian restaurant.  When we walked in, I noticed that just about every table had a plate of gooey pasta something or other.

This is seriously better than gooey pasta something or other.  Creamy cheese with chicken and good marinara sauce.  More cheese, browned just right and a nice little top crunch.  I like that.  So I say, crank up the air conditioning and go to town.  You can purge later, but you can also rationalize that the main ingredients in this dish can be labeled healthy.  Are you with me?  I knew that you were.

And as long as you’re taking the deep dive, go ahead and uncork a good bottle of Italian red.  You’ll call me up to say “grazie.”

Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni

Serves 6

1 package (8-ounce) cannelloni or manicotti shells

4 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

2 containers (8-ounce) cream cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 package (10-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

¾ teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Marinara sauce, your favorite or mine

Garnish: chopped fresh basil or parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir together chicken and next 8 ingredients. Cut pasta shells lengthwise through just one side. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture into each shell, gently pressing cut sides together. Place, cut sides down, in 2 lightly greased 11 x 7  inch baking dishes. Pour marinara sauce evenly over stuffed cannelloni shells. Bake, covered, at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. If you like, uncover and run the dish under to the broiler until just golden brown. Garnish, if desired.

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This is a heart attack on a plate.  I mean that in the best possible way.  The only way you could possibly make it more unhealthy is to serve it with a side of fried okra.  Hmmm.

Splurge at its finest?  Absolutely.  But it was Mrs. MFF’s birthday and what better than to go back to your roots.  So we went all out.  Hey, if you’re going to get nasty with the main dish, you might as well deck that out with more delicious nasty.  Right?

Can’t have chicken fried steak without another vehicle for the gravy.  OK, mashed potatoes.  In the south, this is almost always served with green beans that have been cooked way too long with onion and big chunks of salt pork or bacon.  I like them that way.  Had those too thanks to the Grahams.  And they were superlative.  How could they not with a good shot of bacon grease?  Biscuits on the side – of course – because you want to clean the plate.  If you’re still hungry, there should be pie for dessert.  And there was – Peach Raspberry.

If you’re going to do wrong, do it right.  So for this kind of indulgence, elastic waist pants are the order of the day.  Probably the next day as well.

Chicken Fried Steak with Peppery Cream Gravy

Adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay

Serves 4

4 tenderized cube steaks (some grocery stores call them skillet steaks)

1 ½ cups buttermilk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like the heat)

Canola oil

½ pound slab bacon, cut into lardons

2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk, heated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250° F. Cut the steak into 4 equal portions.

Place the buttermilk in a medium baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a bowl and divide between 2 baking dishes.

Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second dish of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.

Place 1-inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet until it reaches 350° F on a thermometer. Add the steak, 2 pieces at a time and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining meat. Transfer the meat to a rack set on a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan, leaving the crunchy pieces from the breading. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Return the pan to the stove over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan and let cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and continue to cook, whisking occasionally until thickened. Thin to desired consistency with additional milk, if necessary, and season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Serve 1 piece per person ladled with some of the sauce and garnished with a few pieces of bacon.

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Just happened to be in Whole Foods last weekend on a search for char siu sauce, but that’s another story for another day.  I walked the produce section and noticed some super red stalks of rhubarb.  Rhubarb is one of my favorite things, but I never expected to see such nice specimens this late in the season.

I walked out without the char siu – can’t believe they didn’t have any – but with more rhubarb than I ever needed.  I’m weird that way.  If three stalks are good, six are better.  And I knew exactly what I’d be doing with this score.

Somehow I’d forgotten that I had intended to make this ice cream when the season rolled around.  No excuses this time.  How can I even describe this except to say that it’s unbelievable.  Just a bit tart with a perfect balance of sweet.  And how can you go wrong with heavy cream and half and half?  Check out the color – just beautiful.  I always make the ice cream mix the night before and allow it to chill thoroughly.  I think it makes a big difference.

I also think the promise of this ice cream is enough to send you out in search of the main ingredient.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream

Makes about 1 ½ quarts

For the rhubarb sauce:

4 cups sliced strawberries

1 ½ – 2 cup sliced rhubarb

½ cup sugar

Juice of half a lemon

1 piece peeled ginger, about 1/2″

½ teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup water

For the ice cream:

1 ¼ cup finely diced strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 cup strawberry rhubarb sauce

2 large eggs

½ cup superfine sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half & half

For the sauce:
 Add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil. 
Turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes, until it has thickened. Allow mixture to cool, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

For the ice cream: 

Add the diced strawberries to a small bowl. Toss berries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the lime juice. Set aside in the refrigerator to chill while you make the ice cream. 
Puree the 1 cup of sauce, and you should end up with roughly 1 1/4 cup. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs for 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, until it’s dissolved. Next, whisk in the cream and the half & half, then add the pureed sauce. Mix well. Taste to make sure that the mixture is sweet enough.  If necessary, add a little  more sugar, making sure it’s dissolved. At this point, I like to cover the mixture and chill overnight. That’s not necessary, but you should at least make sure that the mix is fairly cold before adding to the ice cream maker.  

Freeze according to manufacturers instructions, about 25 minutes. In the last few minutes of freezing time, stir the diced strawberries, drain them, and add them to the ice cream. When the freezing process is complete, transfer ice cream to a container with a lid.  Place ice cream in freezer to cure and harden.

Top ice cream with reserved sauce if you like.  You will like.

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