No Cream Creamed Corn With Applewood Smoked Bacon Food

SHRIMP AND GRITS WITH CREAMED SPINACH, TOMATO CONFIT AND SMOKED BACON GASTRIQUE

Steps:

• For the tomato confit: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees F. Combine the grape tomatoes, green tomato, red onion, garlic, bacon fat, olive oil, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, sage and a pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar in a small casserole dish. Cover the casserole with foil and place it in the center oven rack. Let cook for at least 2 hours. Carefully remove the foil and inspect the confit: The grape tomatoes should be wilted, but not popped, and the red onions should be nice and brightly translucent. Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaves and keep the confit covered near the stove until ready to plate.
• For the shrimp: Heat an 11-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and keep dry. Warm the butter in the pan. In batches, sear the shrimp on both sides for 2 minutes in butter. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and keep warm. Reserve the pan and drippings for the spinach.
• For the grits: Combine the cream, chicken broth, corn stock, butter, thyme and garlic in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until boiling. Season the liquid lightly with salt. Slowly stir the grits into the liquid. Once all the grits are incorporated, turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring every minute or so, until cooked, about 10 minutes. You will know the grits are done when there's still a little texture, but the grains don't stick to your teeth. Finish with some cracked black pepper and cover until plating. If the grits become thick after standing, adding warm chicken stock will help to thin them.
• For the shrimp creamed spinach: Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of the reserved shrimp shells and sear until the shells are bright and release a nice shellfish aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Vidalia onion, bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the cream and simmer until thickened and reduced slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer and reserve.
• Bring a medium pot half full of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, place a large bowl of ice water nearby. When the water is boiling, add the spinach and blanch for about 30 seconds. Use tongs and carefully remove the spinach to the ice water. Drain with a colander and set aside to let dry for a few minutes.
• In the same pan used to sear the shrimp, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until just beginning to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and the shrimp cream and cook until the cream thickens.
• For the bacon gastrique: Cook the bacon in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until almost crispy, about 10 minutes.
• Add the onion and garlic and sweat lightly over medium heat until translucent. Add the brown sugar, Marsala, sherry wine and vinegar and cook until reduced, about 15 minutes, then taste. The gastrique should be rather on the thin side--chunky and sweet with a nice acidity and dark in color. Cover and keep warm until ready to plate.
• To serve: Scoop about 1 cup grits each in the center of 4 entree bowls. Divide the cream spinach among the bowls, placing it in the middle, standing tall on the grits. Arrange 6 to 8 shrimp around the spinach in each bowl. Next, spoon the warm confit tomato on top of the cream spinach. Finish with a spoon of the smoked bacon gastrique around the edge of the bowl.

APPLEWOOD SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium size bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Rub the seasoning over the both halves of the chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Place wood chips in the smoking tray of the grill. If you don't have this option you can make a packet out of aluminum foil and punch a few holes in the top of it with a fork and place directly on the hot coals.
• Place the chicken on a hot grill over medium-heat with the meat side down. Grill over the wood chips for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cover, this will keep in the smoke and to prevent oxygen from igniting the smoking wood. After 30 minutes turn the chicken to its opposite side. The juices near the bone should run clear.

CREAMY STUFFED CHICKEN WRAPPED IN APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON #RSC

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• 2. Butterfly the chicken breast and place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with a meat mallet.
• 3. Season the chicken on both sides, with the packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning.
• 4. In a small bowl mix together the shallots, chives, and cream cheese.
• 5. Spread the mixture on top of the chicken and top with spinach.
• 6. Lay half of the bacon out next to each other in the style of a fence.
• 7. Place a chicken breast on top and fold each side up and fasten together with toothpicks.
• 8. Repeat with the other chicken breast.
• 9. Roast the Chicken for 30 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• 10. Turn on broiler to crisp-up the bacon.

CREAMED CORN WITH BACON

Steps:

• Bring a kettle of water to a boil and have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Add corn to boiling water and simmer 4 minutes. With tongs transfer corn to ice water to stop cooking. When corn is cool enough to handle, drain and cut corn kernels from cobs.
• Cut bacon into 1/8-inch-thick strips. In a heavy skillet cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Thinly slice enough scallions crosswise to measure 1 cup. In a 3 quart heavy saucepan simmer cream, water, and lemon juice with bacon, scallions, and butter, stirring, 1 minute. Add corn and pepper and salt to taste and cook until liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

CREAMED CORN WITHOUT CREAM

Steps:

• Grate the corn on the large holes of a box grater placed over a wide bowl. If you wrap plastic wrap around the 3 other sides of the grater, the splashes will go into the bowl.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add shallots if using. Cook, stirring, until shallot is tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes, and add the corn and salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is sweet and creamy. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and remove from the heat. Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs if desired.

SMOKY BACON CORN STEW

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in onion and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until bacon and onion are evenly browned, about 5 minutes more. Drain bacon grease, leaving only 2 to 3 tablespoons in the skillet.
• Stir in potatoes to bacon-onion mixture. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a medium-sized pot. Add cream-style corn, sweet corn, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Warm half-and-half gently in a small pan over medium-low heat just until bubbles begin to appear. Remove from heat and mix into stew until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with parsley.