Inside Outs Food

INSIDE OUT BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
• Place the bacon in a large saute pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside to cool in a bowl.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, shallot, black pepper, salt, and Worcestershire. Separate the mixture into 4 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 separate patties.
• Combine the cheese into the cooled mushrooms and bacon mixture. Take 1 patty and top with 2-ounces of the filling. Place another patty on top and pinch around the edges to make sure that the filling is totally covered. Make the rest of the patties the same way.
• Over medium-high heat, heat a large skillet with grapeseed oil. Once hot, add the burgers and cook for 2 minutes per side. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 4 to 6 more minutes for medium burgers.
• Remove from the oven and serve on a sesame seed bun.

INSIDE OUT GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and oil 3 9 inch cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.
• Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.
• Make filling:
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F
• Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F
• Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.
• Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.
• Make glaze while milk is baking:
• Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.
• Assemble cake:
• Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.
• Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.
• Cooks' notes:
• • Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• • For easier handling when assembling cake, place bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable bottom of a tart or cake pan.

INSIDE-OUT CHICKEN CORDON BLUE

Steps:

• Put the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to blend.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Slice the chicken breasts in half to make them thinner and drop into bread crumbs. Shake to coat and place in the hot skillet. Cook until lightly browned on the first side, about 5 minutes or so. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes or so.
• Turn the chicken back over to the first side and place the ham evenly over the chicken pieces. Top each one with a slice of swiss (fold it to fit).
• Cover and cook until ham heats up and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.

INSIDE OUT STUFFED AVOCADOS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium heat.
• Using the tip of a paring knife, cut off a sliver of the skin from the rounded side of each avocado half, so they will lay flat on your serving platter. Score the flesh side of each avocado half in a cross-hatch pattern. Brush the inside of the avocado halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the avocado halves cut-side down on the grill for 1 minute 30 seconds. Turn the avocado halves 90 degrees to get cross-hatch grill marks and cook for another 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove from the grill and place, grilled-side up, on a large platter.
• Stir together the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, vinegar, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside for assembly.
• Whisk together the sour cream, agave, lime juice and hot sauce in a small mixing bowl to form the crema.
• Mound about 2 heaping tablespoons of the vegetable mixture into each avocado half. Drizzle the margarita crema over the avocados. Sprinkle the tortilla chips on top. Serve immediately.