Spring has sprung! Get ready for warmer weather and warm tasty recipes. Sure to satisfy your savory snack needs or curb your sweet tooth, try some of these award-winning recipes from our Creative Arts cooking competition. Get to cooking this March!
HERBED EGG SALAD CROSTINI
Sara Smith
Arlington, TX
3rd Place – Chicken or the Egg
Ingredients:
Egg Salad:
½ c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
8 lg. eggs
Place everything in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Herb Topping:
¼ c. chopped basil leaves
¼ c. chopped dill fronds
¼ c. chopped parsley
2 T. chopped chives
2 T. chopped tarragon
½ tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
Sea salt
1 French baguette, cut into ½ inch slices & toasted
Pipe egg salad on top of toasted baguette and top with herb topping.
CHEEZY AND COLORFUL ENGLISH PEAS
Lynda Sanders
Trophy Club, TX
2nd Place – Speedy Dishes
Ingredients:
Crust:
4 slices bacon, cooked in skillet
¼ sliced onion, chopped
1 pkg. frozen English peas, thawed
Salt & pepper to taste
½ c. Parmesan cheese
½ c. Romano cheese
Cook bacon in skillet and drain some of the grease. Once browned and crisp, remove from pan and place on paper towel. Remove all but about 4 tablespoons of bacon grease from pan. Add chopped onion to skillet and brown until soft and translucent. Place cooked bacon in pan with onion and add thawed English peas. Add salt and pepper and stir until well mixed and cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and Romano cheese and cook 1 minute.
HAND-DIPPED KEY LIME PIE TRUFFLES
Lynda Sanders
Trophy Club, TX
1st Place – Candy
Ingredients:
11 oz. premium white chocolate
4 T. heavy cream
4 T. unsalted butter
2 lg. limes, zested & juiced
5 oz. premium white chocolate to hand dip the truffles
Graham cracker crumbs
In a double boiler, melt white chocolate with heavy cream and butter until well combined and smooth. Blend in lime juice and zest until well incorporated. Place mixture in refrigerator until set (several hours). With a melon baller, scoop out balls of candy and place on waxed paper- lined cookie sheet or platter. Roll mixture into balls. Return to refrigerator until well chilled. Melt white chocolate until smooth then dip candy into chocolate, tapping off excess. While chocolate is wet, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Place into colorful paper cups for serving.
HONEY STRAWBERRY COBBLER
Sam Finn
Dallas, TX
2nd Place – Cobbler Cook-off
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. hulled ripe strawberries, cut into halves or quarters if large.
Juice & zest of 1 med. lemon
Up to ¼ c. honey (wildflower works well), depending on sweetness of the strawberries
2 tsp. tapioca starch, sifted
⅛ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ c. pastry or all-purpose flour
¾ c. cane or granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ c. buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure almond extract
½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)
¾ c. or 10 T. unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 375° and set aside a 10-inch skillet or 2-quart baking dish. Combine strawberries, lemon juice and zest, and honey. Sift over the tapioca; add the nutmeg in a bowl and gently stir. Let sit while assembling the cobbler batter. Add flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add in buttermilk, vanilla and almond extract, and stir together until combined. Place butter in skillet and melt in oven or melt butter and pour into the baking dish. Pour in cobbler batter in middle and swirl butter into batter. Place strawberries and their juice evenly over top of batter. Bake in center of oven for 35 to 50 minutes, or until middle is bubbling and top is lightly browned. Let cool somewhat before serving.
VIETNAMESE BANH MI BOWL
Judith Faulkner
Allen, TX
3rd Place – International Cuisine
Ingredients:
Sriracha Aioli:
1 T. lemon juice or lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
½ tsp. kosher sea salt
2 T. Sriracha sauce or more to taste
1 c. mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pickled Veggies:
1 c. julienned carrots
1 c. julienned seedless English cucumber
1 c. julienned radishes
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
¼ c. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 T. honey
½ tsp. salt
Mix all together and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Bowls:
Sriracha Aioli
1 (14-oz.) box rice noodles
Fresh cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced jalapeños or serrano peppers
Additional thinly sliced green onions
Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside.
Banh Mi Pork:
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. soy sauce
2 T. fish sauce
2 T. Sriracha hot sauce
2 T. minced fresh ginger
3 T. dark brown sugar
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 T. canola oil
1 Ib. ground pork
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, and brown well until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high for 3 minutes until shimmering. Add ground pork and brown, breaking up as you go for 5 to 6 minutes. Once pork is browned, add scallions and cook 2 minutes more. Stir prepared sauce into pork mixture. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Layer noodles in bottom of bowl, then top with pork and pickled veggies. Layer on some spicy mayo, and top with additional sliced scallions, serrano peppers and cilantro, and thinly sliced green onions.