Weekend Today: May 15, 2010

Inspiring Katrina Dogs
Ilene Fine and her two rescue dogs from Hurricane Katrina have inspired a series of books and stuffed animals to help others. Ilene is the author of the Brandy and Val: Real Dogs with Real Tales.
www.BrandyandVal.com

Summer Grilling
Two summer treats, grilled steak and a salad made from Executive Chef Patrick Sheerin with the Signature Room.
Check out the following two recipes:

 Grilled Natural Beef Blade Steak with Spring Vegetable Gardinièra Serves 4-6 Ingredients for the Grilled Blade Steak: 1 (2 lb) blade cut chuck roast 2 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp cumin extra virgin olive oil 4 whole medium onions, thinly sliced 5 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed 1 (12 oz) beer Method: Preheat the oven to 175°F. Place a wide, heavy skillet or fry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of meat with the salt and cumin. Add just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan then add the onions and garlic. Stir constantly until onions are softened and lightly caramelized. Add the beer and deglaze and pull from the heat. Place chuck roast in a glass or stainless steel baking dish. Top with the onions and beer, cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Cook for 4 to 4.5 hours or until a fork pushes easily into the meat. Remove from oven and rest (still wrapped) for at least 30 minutes. Place the onions and cooking liquids in a narrow container, skim the fat. Place in a non reactive pot and simmer until the liquid is almost gone and onions are glazed. Lightly re-season the meat and brush with olive oil and caramelize over medium high heat on the grill. Ingredients for Gardinièra Vegetables: ¼ cup champagne vinegar ¼ cup water ½ Tbsp coarsely ground coriander seeds 1 pinch kosher salt 1 pinch sugar 8 whole baby carrots with tops, cleaned 8 whole Hakuri turnips, quartered 1 bunch market radishes, thinly shaved ¼ cup picked parsley leaves, cleaned Method: In a non-reactive pot, bring the vinegar, water, coriander, salt and sugar to a boil. Blanch the carrots and turnips in salted boiling water, transfer to a boil while still warm. Pour over the vinegar solution and let come to room temperature. Assembly: Add the pickled vegetables to the cooked onions and warm through. Slice the meat and transfer to a plate. Fold in the raw radishes and parsley into the pickled vegetables and onions and top the blade steak. Serve. Grilled Bread Salad with Asparagus, Buffalo Mozzarella and Ramp Pistou Serves 4-6 Ingredients for the Bread: ½ loaf ciabatta bread olive oil salt 1 bunch asparagus-preferably from your local farmers' market 3 sprigs thyme leaves, minced 4 oz Fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn into small pieces 3 Tbsp ramp pistou 1 whole lemon, microplane zest and juice strained of seeds Method for the Bread: Slice the bread into 1" thick slices, drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place on a hot grill and mark both sides. Cut into cubes. Method for the Asparagus: Wash and dry asparagus. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and minced thyme. Grill and mark asparagus, and place in a single layer in a cooler as quickly as possible to retain the color. When cooled, thinly slice on the bias. Ingredients for the Pistou: 10 whole ramps, separated into tops and bulbs ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic 4 oz cleaned spinach ¼ bunch parsley, picked leaves, washed and dried Method for the Pistou: In a stainless steel pan over medium heat, sauté the ramp bulbs in the olive oil, add the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add the spinach leaves and turn over in the pan until just wilted. Spread out on a baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator (keep the olive oil). Puree all of cooked ingredients with a pinch of salt. Add the parsley and puree until smooth. Work quickly the friction from the blender will heat up the pistou and kill the green color of the sauce. Chill the sauce until ready to use. Assembly: Combine the grilled asparagus, bread pistou and lemon zest. Toss to combine, check the seasoning and adjust with a touch of salt. Add the lemon juice, toss and add the mozzarella. 

Performing Classes
Preparing for nice weather and activities, Shawn Bowers and The Bite Size joined us this morning for arts and entertainment classes.
www.theiae.com

Green Fashion
Allison Haven of Greenheart Shop showed us a fashion show of clothing that is green.
www.greenheartshop.org

Bullying Expert
Marlise Karlin, a Bully Expert, shared a few tips regarding bullying and the latest news on this topic.
www.marlisekarlin.com

Kids Making Pizza
Making pizza can be a fun project for kids. Rich Aronson Orner of My Pie. Orner will teach viewers how to make pizza with their kids, highlighting the ability to make your own pizza at My Pie.
http://www.mypiepizza.com/

Contact Us