Rum or Bourbon Balls

Southern Bourbon Balls aka Rum Balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• Pinch of cayenne, optional
• 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rum or bourbon
• 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup finely ground nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts)
• Choice of coating (below)

Instructions

In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa and cayenne, if using. Stir in the corn syrup and rum or bourbon and blend. Stir in the crushed Nilla wafers and nuts; mix well. Dough should be fairly stiff; add more crushed vanilla wafers if needed. Shape into balls roughly an inch in size, and roll the balls in a coating(this can be powdered sugar traditional...or coconut, ground nuts...or be real fancy dip in chocolate) as desired. Refrigerate or freeze to set. Serve at room temperature, but store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Foolproof Pie Dough

 

Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough

I know this sounds STRANGE.... but this is SUPPOSED  to be a FOOL proof (maybe proof is the word!) pie dough....I am trying it today.... and will let you know!

Hope

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup cold vodka
• 1/4 cup cold water

Procedures

1. 
   

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. 
   

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

 

We have been making Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette at The Rouge Rabbit for several years and it is always highly requested...it is not a complicated dressing... and the flavor is uniquely delicious! 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of cilantro leaves (packed tightly... in other words A LOT 

1/2 cup evoo

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove of garlic

2 T honey

 

METHOD

place everything except olive oil into blender and puree it... adding the oil a little at a time...until the whole concoction is nice and smooth... it is OK if the cilantro is still peaking out  ...makes a nice presentation!

Keeps in the fridge for a good amount of time... even though that doesn't happen too often.... we have to make it almost weekly to keep up with the demand.. .and of course we make 4 times the amount above. 

 

Sensation Salad

Sensation Salad originated in the kitchen at the old Bob & Jake’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge, LA.  The restaurant has long since been closed...however, I had the great privilege of eating Jack Sabin's Restaurant in the early 70's.....I thought I had died and gone to heaven....the only salads I had eaten prior to this were the old tossed green salad that was made by Mom.... never had I tasted such a thing!   My host and hostess Rig and Carol Rigby introduced me to a whole new way of eating.... unfortunately ... I hadn't learned restraint during the ensuing years!

Anyway... it is a simple and elegant salad that "Ms. Carol" taught me how to make!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of finely ground Peccorino Romano cheese

1 pint of olive oil

juice on 3 lemons

4 tsp of red wine vinegar

6 cloves of garlic pressed with pulp and all the juice

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley (NOT THE DRIED CRAP)

very cold romaine lettuce  torn into small pieces  

Wash and spin your lettuce and pop into the cooler to chill

take the juice, garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk together...

add the cheese whisking all the time.... adding the olive oil into the whole shebang a little at the time ( you can use a blender.... if your not into the whisking thing!)...  if you make this FAR enough in advance it has time to MARRY and really taste AWESOME!  

chop the parsley up and toss with the Romaine.... and a couple tablespoons of the cheese.... if you have extra..... 

Then GENTLY toss the lettuce with the dressing coating all the leaves..... and serve with fresh croutons... or NOT... the dressing is so good you can almost DRINK it! 

The Cobb Salad

The Cobb salad was created by Bob Cobb the owner of the Brown Derby in Hollywood... it is a simple concoction that we serve at The Rouge Rabbit here in Baton Rouge, LA..... it is one of our most requested Salads.... every chef does his or her own presentation.... some are lined up others tossed together... but any way you serve it is FANTASTIC!

Start with fresh greens.... we use Spring Mix, and Romaine fresh and cold and crisp

Add a chopped boiled egg

Add tomatoes ( we used cherub tomatoes)

Add bacon crumbles

Add grilled chicken strips

Add half an avocado sliced into strips

Add cheese of your choice - cheddar or blue are good choices

add big beautiful croutons

And top with Brown Derby Dressing - found in Salad dressings!

Enjoy!  

The Brown Derby Salad Dressing

  Cobb Salad: One of the most famous dishes in American culinary history was created on the spur of the moment.

     Cobb salad was created at the Brown Derby in Hollywood. Here's the official story ... or legend, if you will ... as recorded by the Brown Derby itself:

    "One night in 1937, Bob Cobb, then owner of The Brown Derby, prowled hungrily in his restaurant's kitchen for a snack. Opening the huge refrigerator, he pulled out this and that: a head of lettuce, an avocado, some romaine, watercress, tomatoes, some cold breast of chicken, a hard-boiled egg, chives, cheese and some old-fashioned French dressing. He started chopping. Added some crisp bacon -- swiped from a busy chef.
    "The Cobb salad was born. It was so good, Sid Grauman (Grauman's Chinese Theatre), who was with Cobb that midnight, asked the next day for a 'Cobb Salad.' It was so good that it was put on the menu.
     "Cobb's midnight invention became an overnight sensation with Derby customers, people like movie mogul Jack Warner, who regularly dispatched his chauffeur to pick up a carton of the mouth-watering salad."

   
The original Cobb Salad Dressing AKA as Brown Derby
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teas sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry English mustard
1 small garlic clove finely minced
1/4 cup full flavored olive oil
3/4 cup salad oil

Blend all ingredients together, except oils.  add olive oil and salad oil mixing well to emulsify ...

shake well before mixing it with the salad

Recipe and picture hijacked from Rumbly In My Tumbly
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD:

Mix sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk in a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil and boil ONE (1) full minute
Remove from heat
Stir in peanut butter - mix well
Add vanilla then oats
Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper and let cool

I use this size to make the cookies uniform...I actually draw it out onto the paper.... so I have them really nicely uniform...and no one fights over who got the BIGGEST one!...makes approximately 21 patties