Pick-up a fresh baked pie from Caffe Victoria and serve it with your favorite ice cream. Bam! Dessert is ready!

Maybe.

We grill on a regular basis in the summer months.  After all, just like you, we don’t want to heat the house up by cooking over a hot stove.   So we move it outside.

With the longer days, our dinners usually don’t happen until 7 or 8 p.m.  We stretch our days, with work early until mid-afternoon.  Finishing up our work efforts for Catering by Victoria, most nights we get in some tennis, sailing, cycling or running.  As the evening hours wane, we realize we need sustenance.  We crave meats, and we want something that is easy, delicious and satisfying.

Grilling sweet potato slices and glazed chicken breasts.

In this post, I include some pics and recipes of such dinners.

Last Saturday night, we threw together a salad of fresh bing cherries, cilantro leaves and cucumbers.  Dressed simply with white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.  So pleasing to the eye, and refreshing to the palate.

Tart, sweet cherries, cool, crisp cucumbers and fresh cilantro make a refreshing summer salad.

Cherries are fantastic right now…so pick up a bag today! We will be gobbling them up for as long as we can get them, and featuring them in a variety of recipes.

For the sweet potatoes, we par-boiled them, then peeled and sliced them into 1/4″ slices.  Drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  They were cooked on the grill for just a few minutes, while we glazed the chicken.  The grill gives them a little smokey flavor and a delicious sweetness.  They paired well with the Asian Glazed Chicken.

Brush breasts with Asian Glaze and cook 30-60 seconds longer on each side.

Asian Glaze

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, if you like heat
1 -1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1-2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
Juice of one orange
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, optional

If your grill is on, wrap the garlic in foil and roast over a medium heat, on lowest rack for 10-12 minutes, turning over half way through.

Meanwhile, in saute pan, roast peppercorns for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.  Set aside, allow to cool.  Use the same pan to saute onion in oil for about 10 minutes, allowing onions to caramelize.

Squeeze garlic out of peel and mince.  Grind pepper and add to saute along with garlic and oyster sauce.  Cook over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Add  soy sauce, orange juice and water.  Allow to reduce  over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Sauce should be thick.  Transfer sauce to blender and puree until smooth.  Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

CHEF’S NOTE:  Try this Asian Glaze on a variety of proteins…salmon fillets, skewered shrimp, pork loin, and beef kabobs.  It’s a winner!

Original rub recipe modified by Victoria Queen

1Tbsp. + 1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. mild ground dried chile, like Ancho or New Mexico

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. smoked paprika

10-12 lbs pork short or spare ribs

Directions verbatim, according to Mark Bittman’s recipe

1. Start a gas grill, using the burners on only one side to achieve a heat of 250–300°F. Put a couple handfuls of wood chips in a tin foil pan and set it over the burners that are on. While the grill heats, mix together the dry ingredients and rub them all over the pork, including under the skin as best you can and in any crevasses you find.

2. Put the pork on the cool side of the grill, cover, and walk away. Check about 15 minutes later to make sure the chips are smoking and the heat is below 300°F. Now you can ignore the pork shoulder almost entirely; check every hour or so to make sure the heat hasn’t escalated too much and the chips or charcoal do not need replenishing. If you’re cooking ribs, turn them every half hour or so.

3. The pork shoulder is done when it reaches an internal temperature of about 190°F, about 4 hours later (less if you used a smaller piece of pork, more if larger). More important, the pork will be very tender. The ribs are done when they have lost much of their fat and developed an unquestionably cooked look, anywhere from 2 to 6 hours later.

4. This next step is optional for the shoulder but a must for the ribs: Just before you’re ready to eat, raise the heat to high (or add a bunch more briquettes and wait a while) and brown the meat on both sides. Be very careful; they should still have enough fat on them to flare up and burn, ruining all your hard work in an instant (believe me, I’ve done it several times). Watch them constantly and move them frequently. Browning will take about 10 minutes. Serve immediately with any sauce you like or refrigerate overnight, slice, and grill (or pan-grill) individual slices.

Short ribs smokin' on the gas grill

Red, White and Blue Pies

I was on Twitter this morning and read a tweet from bittman, a.k.a. Mark Bittman from New York City.  He’d posted some recipes on his blog  http://markbittman.com/sunday-supper-4th-of-july-menu as suggestions for a Fourth of July menu.  CLICK HERE for Victoria’s Rib Rub Recipe.

I was particularly intrigued by his ribs recipe because they have a good sounding rub, and that it precisely the way Scott likes them.  I’d never prepared smoked ribs with a rub, and thought I was up for the challenge.

Mixed green salad with fresh berries and avocado.

Scott grilled some perfect looking brats.

I cut the rack of ribs in half, they weighed about 5lbs.  To his rub recipe, I did add a teaspoon of garlic. You see, garlic is one of those mandatory ingredients in our cooking.  My mother, when she was teaching me to cook, told me that I should always put garlic or  vanilla into everything I cook/bake, but never together.  I also used a smoked paprika, because that is what I had available.  It added a nice depth of flavor.  The New Mexico chile powder I included in the rub was medium spicy which contributed some warmth for the palate.

The wood chips I had on hand were from the Aspen trees in our yard.  I don’t think they add much flavor-wise, but the

Scott's plate.

smoke smelled yummy.  I think next time, I will try them with some Apple or Oak chips.  All in all, the ribs cooked on the grill for about 3 hours.  The color on the ribs was really beautiful, and the smell of them was mouth-watering.

I enjoyed making these ribs, and the quality of the finished product was equally on par with the best ribs we have ever eaten.  Considering this fact, I would easily try some of Mark’s other recipes in the future.

With our delicious, slightly spicy ribs, we rounded out our menu with some grilled bratwursts, a mixed green salad with fresh berries, red onion and crumbled goat cheese.  I liked the way the cool, cream goat cheese soothed our mouths from the spicy ribs.  We drank some unsweetened berry ice tea, fresh water melon, and salt Lays® potato chips.

Cherry & blueberry pies topped with vanilla ice cream and blueberry compote.

For dessert, we enjoyed fresh baked individual cherry & blueberry pies with top quality vanilla ice cream and a good drizzle of blueberry compote.  With our dessert we all enjoyed a glass of Gysler Spätburgunder Rose Beerenauslese, 2003.

Thank you, Mr. Mark Bittman for the inspiration.

We served this cake, along with a full menu of Colorado produced meats and locally grown produce for an event we just catered last night  for United States Congresswoman Betsy Markey and 100 of her friends.  The cake was the crown of a very pleasant evening in a wonderful backyard setting.

As the summer sun set, with the Fort Collins foothills as the backdrop, we plated up dessert.  We topped the cake with top quality vanilla ice cream and my mother’s recipe for world famous chocolate fudge sauce.  Guests were truly enamored.

Zucchini Fun Fact:   Zucchini is low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, phosphorus and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, potassium and manganese.

Zucchini Dark Chocolate Cake

Serves 12-24

Ingredients:

Grease sides and bottom of a 13 X 9′ pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla.  Stir in sugar and zucchini.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa and cinnamon.  Stir dry ingredients into liquid mixture until thoroughly mixed. Pour into prepared pan.  Bake in a preheated 350° F oven (300° F for convection) for 45-55 minutes.  Toothpick inserted in center of can should come out clean.  Cool completely before cutting.  Serve this cake with a dark roast coffee or a big glass of ice cold milk.

In the meantime, we are working on upcoming Food + Wine = Art events and menus.  If you have thoughts or suggestions please share them by responding to this post.  We’d love your feedback!

We are beginning to take bookings for the upcoming holiday season (already!)  Our breakfast menu at the Caffe has been refreshed and updated with some very delicious new items, some economical choices and the preservation of your most favorite dishes.  View or download the latest breakfast menu, holiday menus and information about our catering policies from our website.

Finally, we are hiring for some key positions.   Details about the positions available can also be found on our website.    Thank you for passing this information on to special people you think would have skills and desires to grow, learn and excel.

By the way…I had a bratwurst on the grill about two weeks ago.  My goodness it was tasty!  I find myself craving another…no bun, spicy mustard…it was some dawg!  Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Today, it officially begins!  Synonymous with summer has to be apple pie.  It very well could be the most American dessert, a symbol of freedom, justice and patriotism.  Think about a fourth of July without the tradition of fresh baked apple pie.  Might as well skip the fireworks too.

Ah but alas, you do not need go down that road!  Last night my family had a pie from the bakery case at Caffè Victoria.  It was left-over from the day of operation.   A double-crust apple pie.  It could very well have been a perfect pie.  The crust, would have won any pie baking contest, hands down.  It was crisp, buttery, slightly sweet and flaky.  And this crust was only surpassed by the tender, tart apples that were lightly laced with cinnamon and sweetness.  No need for ice cream to enhance this piece of pie.  I ate it slowly, savoring each bite.  Some muffled utterance escaped, and my throat purred.  I concluded that this truly was the most amazing apple pie I have ever tasted.  And trust me, I have tried and eaten my fair share of apple pies, tarts, cobblers and crisps.  I think it is safe to say I have an extensive palate resume to make this claim.  Now at the risk of sounding arrogant and boastful, I should let you know that this pie and it’s wonderful crust were made by my son.  He is an 18 year old, excellent novice baker.

“So,” you might asked, “what’s the secret?  Why is this pie so amazing?”  I submit to you, it is the recipe.   A simple recipe that anyone with a pie dish and an oven can make.  Read on, and you will find this recipe and your opportunity to share this love of country and tradition with the ones you hold dear.

Double-crust Traditional Apple Pie

For the Filling:

4 Fuji apples, peeled & cored

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled & cored

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp. corn starch

2 1/2  tsp. ground cinnamon

Slice apples crosswise, 1/4-inch thick.  Toss with remaining ingredients.  Set aside.

For Double- Crust Pastry:

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 sticks butter, cut into 16 pieces

4-6 Tbsp. ice water

In food processor, put first 3 ingredients, mix until crumbly.  In a slow stream add ice water until dough comes together in a ball.  Do not over work.  Form into ball, wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator,  and allow dough to rest 10-15 minutes before rolling out.  Cut dough in half and form into disk.  Flour the countertop and roll dough out for bottom. Roll in short, deliberate strokes, in different directions.  Keep rolling pin floured to avoid tears.  When the disk reaches a diameter of about 11 inches all the way around, move it to pie pan.  If you roll the crust back up on the rolling pin, it makes it easier to avoid tears.  Should a tear occur, simply press the affected area back together with your finger tips.

Pour prepared filling into bottom crust.  Dot top of filling with 1 tsp. butter.

Follow the same steps for rolling out the top crust.  Wrap rolled crust around rolling pin to transfer it over filling and bottom crust.  Gently unroll and lay top crust over awaiting pie.  Trim bottom and top crust edges to an overhang of ½ inch.  Pinch and fold two crust together forming a seal.  With your index finger in one hand and thumb and index from second hand, working in an opposing manner, crimp the edge decorative all the way around the pie.  Make 3-4 vents in the top of the crust.  You may decorate the top with left over crust scraps, as desired.  Extra crust can be adhered with a brush of cream.  Brush top crust with cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Place pie in freezer for 15 minutes to thoroughly chill before baking.  Preheat oven to 425 ̊.  Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 ̊, and continue baking for the duration of the particular pie recipe.