TFF: Bourbon Peach Cobbler
See that steam? That’s one hot cobbler, baby.
Last weekend was the local Peach Festival around here. It’s a pretty big draw every year, there’s never any place to park and the line of cars waiting to get in usually stretches about three miles. All of us want the same thing… to sample peach cobblers, pies, ice cream, salsa, and even slushies. The boyfriend and I always leave completely peached out, but still take home a huge bag wondering what we’re going to do with them all.
I was craving more cobbler after a few days passed by and I’ve had Tyler’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler recipe bookmarked forever. It was the perfect time to test it out.
I’ve still been out of the baking loop (and down a little over ten pounds now to show for it) and I felt really rusty being in the kitchen again. I was somehow tripling certain ingredients instead of cutting them in half (?) and rummaging around the cabinets not remembering my organized chaos ingredient placements. However, this was a good recipe to sort of get me back in the swing of things. It’s fast, easy and I could make it in just a few pans and bowls using basic kitchen utensils and my hands.
This cobbler is full of fresh peaches, has a thick sauce with a background note of bourbon and just the right sweetness and spice. The biscuits on top are brushed with heavy cream and sugar before baking and are perfect – crunchy on top, moist underneath. I’m telling you, you won’t even need ice cream to go on top of this (although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt!). I didn’t use any simply because I didn’t have any in the house. The biscuit layers aren’t that overly sweet though, so be aware if you like things a little more sugary that you might want to add a little extra sugar to the dough or make sure you do have ice cream.
The only change I made was to adding a little vanilla to the peach filling. It seemed strange to me not to have any vanilla in the recipe.
I made half a batch and it was gone within an hour between the two of us.
I need more peach cobbler. Now.
Tyler Florence’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler
Show: Food 911 Episode: Chili Roundup
Ingredients
8 peaches, peeled and sliced, about 6 to 8 cups
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
Click here for directions
I do love this Tyler Florence, there’s no doubt about it.
Bourbon Peach Cobbler marks my 20th post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Chicken with Apple Cider Sauce and Rice Pilaf
Hi, remember me?
I think there’s been a time warp.
Somehow, the last five weeks or so have flown by in a blur.
We’ve been on puppy duty and fully immersed in ironing out all of our new routines. Here’s my big girl at 13 weeks old. She’s already getting so big, she’ll be a full size Great Dane in no time it seems. I swear she grows visibly every single day!
I’ve hardly been in the kitchen at all the last five weeks. Heating up cans of soup or grabbing cold pizza out of the fridge wouldn’t count I don’t think. I’ve only actually made something twice and both of those times I was cooking and baking out of… a box. *Gasp!* Anyway, I’ve really missed it. It was my “me” time and something I just naturally did without putting too much thought into it.
So this week I’m back with Tyler Florence Fridays after my little unplanned hiatus. Maybe only halfway because I’m actually kind of cheating, this recipe is one I’ve had saved in my drafts for a while. I made this back in January and never posted it because I felt I couldn’t take a decent picture of it to save my life. But this Apple Cider Chicken was so GOOD and I thought it should be shared since apple cider season is getting into full swing. I also had made Tyler’s Rice Pilaf as an afterthought, just kind of throwing it together using dried herbs I had on hand.
Some of the Food Network reviews complained about the Apple Cider Sauce and how it never got thick enough. I paid attention to this complaint and cooked the sauce on high heat for the recommended time. Doing it this way, I didn’t have any problems at all.
The chicken had a great flavor and was slightly sweet. I will make this again without a doubt, especially now that apple cider is starting to pop up everywhere again. I can’t look at apple cider anymore without thinking back to Tyler and this chicken recipe. Mmmm!
Tyler Florence’s Chicken with Apple Cider Sauce
Show: How To Boil Water Episode: Make It Tonight
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Click here for directions
Tyler Florence’s Rice Pilaf
Show: How To Boil Water Episode: Make It Tonight
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups basmati-style long grain rice
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Click here for directions
Chicken with Apple Cider and Rice Pilaf marks my 19th post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
It feels good to get back to the blog. Until next time…
TFF: Spring (Or Should I Say Summer) Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup
At our local orchard they have the most beautiful strawberries right now. I was originally going to use them in a savory dish of but came across this panna cotta and my plans immediately changed.
Vanilla flavored desserts are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Sure, I like interesting concoctions with fancy names and out of the norm ingredients – I’m all for that every now and then. But really, simple is how I like it. Give me a vanilla base with a fresh fruit topping and I’m happy. Could that be construed as boring? Perhaps. But what’s good is good.
This recipe called for crème fraîche, which is a thinner and creamier version of sour cream, and something that I couldn’t find anywhere. I made the decision to substitute regular sour cream, I figured it would be alright and it was. Of course, a week later I found crème fraîche at a gourmet market 30 minutes from my house. I seriously hope one day I find one store close by that carries all the stuff I’ll ever need. At this point, I’m going to have to start keeping a damn spreadsheet so I can remember all the places in my state where I find different things. If you have time to spare, you can always make your own crème fraîche using a recipe like this one from Joy of Baking.
I really loved this panna cotta. It was smooth, creamy, and a little tangy. The vanilla was very present and the touch of lemon was nice. The balsamic strawberries were the perfect topping. The texture of it would not set enough to be able to unmold onto a plate like other versions I’ve seen, but it was fine keeping it in the ramekin. Maybe the texture was due to using the sour cream or maybe adding some extra gelatin could have helped. I tasted both components separately and preferred them much more together. I thought the tastes really played off each other well when the panna cotta and strawberries were combined on the spoon.
Loved it. Would make it again without a doubt.
Tyler Florence’s Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup
Show: Tyler’s Ultimate Episode: Ultimate Orecchiette
Cook Time: 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Ingredients
Nonstick spray, for greasing ramekins
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup superfine sugar (I put regular sugar in a food processor and pulsed a few times)
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (I used vanilla bean paste)
4 strips lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche, room temperature (I substituted sour cream)
1 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 large carton strawberries, trimmed and quartered
Directions!
Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup marks my eighteenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Megan’s Challenge is an optional monthly event over at Tyler Florence Fridays. Megan chooses a recipe for everyone to test out if they want and for June the selection was Tyler’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. Words like “Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce” really speak to me, I had to give these a shot.
The rolls are stuffed with cellophane noodles, peanuts, cilantro, and vegetables such as carrots, beets, bean sprouts and fresh chiles. A couple of mint leaves are tucked under the papers before the paper is completely rolled up. I stuck to the recipe on this one but I think you could easily switch up ingredients if you wanted to.
I’ve never made anything like this at home before and I didn’t have any problems. It’s moderate prep work, a little mixing for the sauce and filling, and then rolling up the filling inside wet rice papers.
These were the perfect summer dinner. The rolls are full of flavor from the vegetables and fresh herbs. The cellophane noodles are soft while the peanuts give some crunch. The sweet chili sauce gives a nice twist. I really hate cilantro, at first I was put off by it. I didn’t think I liked the rolls that much but I kept tasting just to make sure. These actually really grew on me, nasty cilantro and all.
The beets turn everything pink inside the rolls. As well as your hands, the counter, the cutting board… you name it. :)
This was such a fun recipe to make. I’m glad I attempted it. Thanks you Megan for choosing the perfect summer recipe!
Tyler Florence’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911 Episode: Thai One on
Yield: 20 rolls
Rated 5/5 stars on foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
Summer Rolls
3 ounces Vietnamese cellophane noodles, cooked according to package directions
2 cups bean sprouts
2 carrots, julienned
1 large beet, julienned
1 fresh red chile, cut in circles
2 handfuls fresh cilantro, hand-torn
3/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
Sea salt
20 (8-inch) round rice paper wrappers
40 mint leaves
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
Click here for directions
Tyler’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce marks my seventeenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Guest in the House
I didn’t prepare anything for Tyler Florence Fridays this week.
But my boyfriend did.
He didn’t want to do any writing, just the making part and taking the picture**.
Tyler’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Chiles and Feta Cheese
Don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it here before, but my boyfriend is a pretty amazing cook. Nothing scares him in the kitchen, he will try anything and we’ve had some fantastic meals at home thanks to him. In the past, he’s actually picked a few of Tyler’s recipes at random from foodnetwork.com and I just recently realized this as I was going through my year 2005 printed recipe binder (that was a BIG year for him in the kitchen). I never made the connection since they were “the boyfriend’s recipes” but I had to smile when Mr. Florence’s name was appearing beneath quite a few of my most favorite homemade meals. Like this one.
Anyway, Tyler’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Chiles and Feta Cheese happened to catch my man’s eye while checking out tylerflorence.com last week. He took one look and said “I’m making it.” I thought to myself, of all of Tyler’s dishes he could’ve seen… Gazpacho? Gazpacho to me = ACK! Of course, I wasn’t going to stand in his way. We headed out to the farmer’s markets for all the things he’d need.
He seemed to have an easy time making this, the soup is made entirely in the blender without too much prep work.
The taste test? He loved it.
And me? I was prepared to hate it. I ended up loving it too.
His notes and thoughts:
*simple
*easy
*the flavor of the feta accented the softer flavors of the watermelon and tomatoes
*watermelon was good in this as it added a sweetness which he liked better compared to other gazpachos he’s had
*would mince up the cucumber a little less, or add some diced cucumber so it had a bit more texture
*would not buy a 7 pound watermelon again just for this recipe (my note: LOL, we had watermelon FOR DAYS)
*he would make this again
The recipe can be found by starting here on Tyler Florence.com. Just select the “Soup” button and scroll down until you see the Gazpacho – it’s the perfect summer recipe. Happy Blending!
Tyler’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Chiles and Feta Cheese marks my sixteenth post (can I still say “my”?) for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday. Thanks to my boyfriend for stepping in this week. It was fun having someone else do the work, but I’ll be back next Friday with my own creation. I really would like to thank everyone for the nice comments and emails I’ve gotten recently, just want you to know it meant a lot and made me smile. Hope you all have a great weekend!
**Oooohhh, the boyfriend’s camera makes me extremely jealous. A Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR… I’m still trying to get my paws on this baby to test it out, but have not been successful as he won’t let me near it!!
Only a few fainting spells…
Something exciting happened at Something Sweet by Karen. My recent Tyler’s Ultimate Cheesecake post for Tyler Florence Fridays was selected to be featured this week on Tyler Florence’s blog. Yes, the man himself! Click here to see the entry.
I couldn’t be happier. I love Tyler, his recipes, his show and his books, and I love being a part of the Tyler Florence Fridays group. Every week, TFF members cook and bake an impressive line up of Tyler’s recipes. I urge you to check out what everyone has been up to.
Showcases of TFF members will now be a weekly feature over at Tyler’s site, and one of many new innovative and interactive ideas being launched. It’s all very exciting, I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
TFF: Bring on the cookout
This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I was ready to get the cookout started.
I chose to make Grilled Chicken with Peach Barbeque Sauce and Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad, both from the book Tyler’s Ultimate.
Of course I had big plans to use my outdoor grill but then realized we were out of propane… kind of an important part to the whole gas grilling thing. Now I live directly behind a huge shopping center with tons of stores and restaurants selling most everything I could ever need, but I avoid shopping like it’s the plague. Laziness and an unwillingness to go shopping usually leads to some alternative thinking for me. I got to looking around on foodnetwork and saw that Tyler’s BBQ chicken recipe there had you grilling for a few minutes and then transferring to a 350 degree oven for the remainder of the cooking time. I figured with those instructions, me and George (Foreman, that is) could still get this whole grilled chicken thing worked out.
If you look on foodnetwork.com at Tyler’s Top 100 Recipe list you will find that the majority of this list are chicken dishes, tons with 5 out of 5 ratings. So I knew going in that I pretty much was going to get something great. I wasn’t let down. The chicken is brined for two hours prior to cooking and doing it this way it turned out really moist. Cooking on the Foreman grill and then in the oven worked like a charm. The Peach Barbeque sauce was AMAZING. It was sweet, smoky and had a fresh flavor burst from white wine vinegar. I was so happy with it I’m not sure I’d bother looking for any other BBQ sauce recipe to try out this summer.
The potato salad was so different than what I’m used to, which is a good thing. I’ve never been a huge fan of potato salad but would tolerate it if I had to. This one had eggs, red onions, dill pickles, pickle juice and capers – some things you might not expect to see and things that made me interested in testing it out. I liked how he had the eggs cooking with the potatoes, that was a nice shortcut. Wasn’t disappointed here either, this was one of the best potato salads I’ve ever had.
Both of these dishes made up the perfect dinner for me and the boyfriend this past Memorial Day. Neither one of us had any complaints and there wasn’t anything leftover.
Now all I need is to add a few more Tyler dishes to the list alongside this BBQ chicken and potato salad and I’ll have the perfect cookout menu. Oh… and I guess I better get some propane, too.
Tyler Florence’s Grilled Chicken with Peach Barbeque Sauce
Ingredients
Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chickens, quartered (I used chicken breasts)
The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin (didn’t have any, left it out)
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Click here for instructions!
Tyler Florence’s wife Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad
Ingredients
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 cups mayonnaise (foodnetwork.com lists as 2 cups – only use 1!!!)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Click here for directions!
Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce and Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad marks my fourteenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Peach Couscous
This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I wanted to do something different. I’d been interested in trying the Apricot Couscous for a while so I thought I’d go with that. As I was buying all the ingredients I found that dried peaches were less than half the price of apricots. Since I really like saving all the money I work hard for, less than half price really spoke to me and Apricot Couscous turned into Peach Couscous.
This is a great idea for a quick, easy side dish. Or dinner if you’re like me and generally only make one thing to eat. It’s light, but packs a lot of flavor. The combinations of orange, peach and scallions was interesting and different to me. Both the boyfriend and I thought this was pretty good. There’s a amped up version of this recipe on foodnetwork here from Tyler’s Ultimate but I just went with the more basic version below this first time around.
Tyler Florence’s Couscous with Apricots
Show: Food 911 Episode: Moroccan in Miami
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 cups hot chicken stock
10 dried apricots, chopped
2 scallions, sliced thin, green parts only
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (I used extra scallions as the garnish)
Directions
Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with chopped parsley.
TFF: Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
I used to hate french toast.
Maybe it’s because I had never had croissant french toast with soft caramel apples.
I like french toast now.
Peeling apples is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I always dread it because of the “arthritis” in my hands but once I get started, I find it therapeutic. It also makes me think of the scene in Sleepless in Seattle when Tom Hanks is telling his young son about his deceased mother and how “she could peel an apple in one… long… curly strip. The whole apple.” And us viewers know that Meg Ryan sits in her kitchen all the way across the country able to do the exact same thing. I love that movie.
I always try to peel the apple in one long, curly strip but it never works out. The below picture was the best I could do this time around. Have you ever done it?
Anyway…
Caramel and Apples. Mmmm. Now Tyler says “don’t freak out” if your caramel seizes on you. Mine did and I’ll admit I freaked out even though he said not to. I was stirring caramel the consistency of peanut brittle for a long time. But it all worked out ok in the end. I found the apples needed a longer cook time than the 10 minutes he suggested, I think they needed more like 15 or 20.
No, that fourth picture is not chicken that I slipped in this post by mistake. But it kind of looks like chicken.
I really liked this and I’d recommend it for your breakfast this weekend. It’s easy to make, doesn’t cost that much and most of the ingredients you’ll already have at home. It gets a five star rating on Foodnetwork.com as well.
My boyfriend thinks this post is taking too long for me to write since he wants to go to bed and my light is still on. He says “it’s apples, two slices of french toast croissant to make it a sandwich, topped with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon… it’s good. What else is there to say?”
He’s right.
So there you have it.
Tyler Florence’s Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
Show: Food 911 Episode: B&B Breakfast
From the book Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen
Cook Time: 35 min Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Batter:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon
Caramel Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large croissants, halved lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Click here for directions!
Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples is my twelfth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini ranks as one of the best Tyler Florence recipes I’ve made so far.
Acorn squash is hollowed out, roasted in the oven and then used as a serving dish to hold cheese tortellini in a creamy, alfredo like sauce. A little garnish of parmesan and sage leaves is sprinkled on the top. The cheese tortellini ends up getting kind of crispy which makes for a great texture difference. Everything together has a smooth, creamy, and subtle richness that I absolutely loved.
I think the presentation factor makes this a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party. Plus, it’s meatless so it would be good for vegetarian guests.
My only recommendation would be to roast the squash a little bit longer than the recipe suggests. I’ve found this to be true with a few of Tyler’s roasting times. Maybe it’s just my oven or something with my own personal preferences, but just be aware.
I actually made this a few weeks ago but just hadn’t had the time to get it posted. So tonight I seriously felt bummed inside while looking at these pictures at the same time I had Sloppy Joe Hamburger Helper simmering away on the stove. It just didn’t seem right. :)
Tyler Florence’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Ingredients
2 medium acorn squash (about 1 pound each)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 garlic clove crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 pound cheese tortellini (store bought)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese for topping
Fresh sage leaves for garnish
AOL has the recipe here with directions
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini is my eleventh post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
