Chipotle-Chili Tartar Sauce

This is an excellent all purpose sauce for adding a little smokiness/spiciness to burgers or whatever else you choose. Sometimes when I have people over to eat, but I want to keep things simple, I make something plain and then have a few sauces/spreads available so everyone can choose whichever one they like. It's nice because you can whip them up quickly the day before and they're ready to go.

CHIPOTLE-CHILI TARTAR SAUCE

Yield: approx. 1 ¼ cups

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or dill

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon drained capers

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk everything together in small bowl. Can be made 2 days ahead; Cover and chill.

barely tweaked from Bon Appétit (originally from Hal’s Bar & Grill, Venice, CA)

can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

all the ingredients ready to mix

The original recipe called for dill, but based on
the reviews, I used cilantro (and did not regret it).

chipotle-chili tartar sauce
generously slathered on a burger...

...and hot dogs

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Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (on Chicken & Waffle Sandwiches)

I came across a recipe for chicken & waffle sandwiches that looked fantastic. Only I didn't have time to make the fried chicken from scratch and I had some fancy waffle mix burning a whole in my kitchen cabinet, so I cheated and took shortcuts. I used Bell & Evans chicken tenders and the aforementioned waffle mix and proceeded to follow the rest of the original recipe. The only part I made from scratch was this spicy maple mayonnaise, which I recommend trying. It was scrumptious and I'm sure it taste great on all kinds of sandwiches.
 

SPICY MAPLE MAYONNAISE

Yield: 1 ¼ cups

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon horseradish
dash or two of hot sauce (such as tabasco)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.

barely adapted from foodnetwork.com by Julie Ohnstad, Atlanta, GA

all the ingredients

spicy maple mayonnaise

CHICKEN & WAFFLE SANDWICHES FOR CHEATERS & SHORTCUT TAKERS

Yield: 4 servings

8 waffles, kept warm

12 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and drained

12 Bell & Evans breaded chicken breast tenders, cooked according to package directions

8 slices sharp cheddar

Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (recipe above)

1.      Preheat broiler.

2.      Lay 4 waffle halves on a sheetpan. Top each with 3 chicken tenders, 3 slices bacon and 2 slices cheddar.

3.      Broil the sandwiches just until the cheese melts (careful, it doesn’t take long).

4.      Spread about 3 tablespoons spicy maple mayonnaise on the top waffle and place on the sandwich.

waffles

chicken tenders

bacon

cheddar

melted

spicy maple mayonnaise on waffle

chicken & waffle sandwich

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Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip

Sometimes you make a recipe and it surprises you. Then there are other times when you end up with exactly what you expected. This was one of those times. I expected lots of luscious mellow roasted garlic flavor melded with salty, smoky bacon and a hint of pungence from the chives and scallions - all enveloped in a blend of creamy mayo and sour cream. And that's exactly what I got. Loved it!

ROASTED GARLIC BACON DIP

Yield: 2 ½ cups

3 heads garlic, left whole and unpeeled

6 slices bacon

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.      Heat oven to 400º F.

2.      Cut just enough off the tops of the garlic heads to expose the cloves. Rub each head with olive oil and wrap in foil (or place in a ramekin and cover with foil). Roast until tender and golden, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3.      While the garlic roasts, lay the bacon strips on a sheet pan and bake at the same temp. for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bacon is very crispy. Blot on paper towels. Once cooled, finely chop.

4.      Once the garlic is cool enough to hold, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

5.      Combine roasted garlic and bacon with the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

barely adapted from gourmetsunday.blogspot.com

roasted garlic

crispy bacon

all ingredients

roasted garlic bacon dip

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Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

I like most dips. It's hard not to with all that sour cream and mayonnaise. I'd almost go so far as to say that it's difficult to make a bad dip (no need to email me about the horrendous dip you were served last week - I said almost). This is an example of good dip. In fact, it reminds me of a dip I used to make when I was in college using Knorr Tomato Basil Soup Mix (which has since been discontinued - damn I'm old). It used to taste great served with cooked cold tortellini. In fact, I wish I'd remembered that yesterday when I served this. Oh well...it wasn't too shabby with vegetables and chips.

 

SUN-DRIED TOMATO DIP

Yield: 2 cups

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup good mayonnaise

10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce (like tabasco)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon salt)

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Puree tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.

from Ina Garten

sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream,
mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt and pepper

I forgot to chop my tomatoes first, but
isn't that what the food processor is for?

pureed; adding scallions

sun-dried tomato dip

sun-dried tomato dip on a cracker

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Baba Ganoush (Eggplant & Tahini Dip/Spread)

I see hummus absolutely everywhere these days. My local store has at least 4 brands to choose from and some of those are available in more than ten varieties. But I don't see that much baba ganoush around. Why am I making that leap from hummus to baba ganoush? Because hummus just reminds me of it. They're both Middle Eastern, both dips/spreads and both garlicky - it's not a stretch. I did buy the one brand that was available at my store and it was good. But it had no business calling itself baba ganoush. It said so on the container, but after taking a closer look, I discovered the second ingredient, right after eggplant, was sour cream. Now, I'm not knocking sour cream - that stuff is the bomb. If it wouldn't shave a few years off my life, I'd put a dollop on my cereal each morning. I just don't think any self respecting baba ganoush would be caught dead consorting with it. Oh and there was mayonnaise in there too. I can't believe I almost forgot to mention that. So after I ate the whole container (and practically licked it clean because, well, it was scrumptious, what with all that sour cream and mayonnaise), I decided to repent and make some real baba ganoush. It was fantastic - authentic, fresh and smoky. And if you try it and don't like it, you can always mix in a little sour cream and mayo.

BABA GANOUSH

(EGGPLANT & TAHINI DIP/SPREAD)

Makes about 3 cups

2 to 3 eggplants (2 ½ lb. total)

1/4 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame paste)

3 garlic cloves, chopped and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt or smoked salt (omit liquid smoke if using smoked salt)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke, or to taste (optional)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

toasted pita wedges for serving

1.      Preheat grill (or broiler).

2.      Prick each eggplant all over with a fork. Grill eggplants on a rack set 4 inches over glowing coals or flame, turning every 10 minutes, until charred all over and very soft, 20 to 35 minutes. (Or broil on a baking sheet about 6 inches from heat, turning occasionally.) Cool eggplants.

3.      Discard charred skins and tough stem ends and purée eggplants in a blender or food processor with tahini, garlic paste, lemon juice, cumin, salt and liquid smoke (if using) until combined well. Season to taste with more salt.

4.      Transfer to a plate or bowl, then drizzle with oil and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Serve with pita wedges.

adapted from Gourmet, September 2000

raw eggplants
(don't forget to prick them all over with a fork or they'll explode)

roasted eggplants

I used my broiler, not the grill.

peeled eggplant in the food processor

raw garlic and salt

It looks like a lot of garlic because each clove
is halved. But I do like mine super garlicky.

garlic paste

squeezing in some lemon juice

everything added

blended

drizzled with extra virgin olive oil

sprinkled with parsley and dipping in a pita chip

I didn't make homemade pita chips this time,
but those are great. I have a recipe for Sesame
Cumin Pita Crisps if you want to see how
to make them yourself (if you want them plain,
just use olive oil and leave out the cumin).

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