Monkey In The Kitchen

Bacon Maple Cupcakes

• 2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• .25 Tb Cornstarch
• .5 tsp. Salt
• 1 3.4 oz Vanilla Pudding Mix
• .5 Cup Sugar
• .5 Cup Brown Sugar
• .5 Cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 2 Large Eggs
• .75 Cup Milk (or Buttermilk)
• .75 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 5-6 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Diced Onions
• 1 T. Olive Oil
•  1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Baconaisse
• 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 T. Minced Garlic
• 2 tsp. White Pepper
• 1 tsp. fine sea salt

Directions:

 Heat Olive Oil in pan, then cook onions until carmellized.  Be careful not to burn them.  Let cool.  Then combine all ingredients together.  You can either hand mix or use a hand blender depending on the concistency you like your dip.

4 slices bacon
3 very thin slices of Anjou Pear (no peel)
2 slices French Peasant Bread (rustic loaf) 1/4″ slices
3 oz. Shredded Coastal Aged Cheddar
1.5 oz. Crumbled Goat Cheese
Baconaisse

Cook the bacon in a skillet until done, reserve on towel. Do not drain fat!
Assemble the sandwich with the goat cheese on the bottom, then add the slices of pear, then a little of the cheddar, then add bacon, then more of the shredded cheddar.
Spread a thin layer of baconaisse on the outside layers of the sandwich.
Return skillet to burner over medium heat. Press sandwich down in the pan with a spatula, then cover the skillet for a short time to trap heat in it. Flip over when dark golden browned and repeat.

Chili Lime Honey Ginger Shrimp:

• 1 lb prawns or shrimp
• 3-5 Tbs Garlic chili sauce depending on preference of spicyness
• 2 tsp lime juice (or the juice of 2 fresh limes)
• 1/2 cup limeade
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbs ginger
• 1/2 Tbs white pepper
• 1 tsp dried mint leaves

Mix together all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5-7 minutes, then remove from heat, let cool slightly, and marinate shrimp in the sauce for 20 minutes.  Skewer shrimp for grilling.  Return sauce to saucepan and reduce until thickened, use to baste shrimp while grilling.

Coconut Mango Rice:

• 1 cup calrose rice (uncooked)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 mango
• Salt

In a rice cooker, combine rice, water, and salt.  Start the rice cooker and then peel and dice up the mango.  Dump in the mango pieces as soon as you are done chopping them up into the rice cooker.  As soon as you start seeing steam coming out of the rice cooker, add in the coconut milk, give it a quick stir to distribute the coconut milk and mango pieces and then close the lid and let it finish cooking undisturbed.

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon cayanne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon worcestshire black pepper

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked crab meat, remove any shells or cartilage
3/4 cup brown rice cracker crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons garlic aioli mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
6 green onions, trimmed and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
2-3 teaspoons paprika to taste
3 tablespoons white rice flour flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine crab meat, crumbs, cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, green onions, salt, pepper, flour and paprika. Moisten hands with water and form crab mixture into 8 cakes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2) Heat olive oil or butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the crab cakes until crispy and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  I served my crab cakes with truffle oil mashed potatoes and a fresh garlic-basil creamed aioli.

• 2 Tbsp. Cajun Spice Mix
• ½ Cup Butter
• 7 Cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Juice from 1 large fresh lime
• ½ Cup beer (I used New Belgium’s Mothership Wit)
• ¼ Cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb Large Key West Shrimp (shell on)
• ½ Cup Heavy Cream

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and toss in garlic. Cook until garlic starts to caramelize. Add ¼ cup beer, Worcestershire, Bay Leaf, Lime Juice, and Cajun Spice Mix, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, boil uncovered for 20 minutes. After sauce has reduced some, add remaining beer and shrimp. Arrange shrimp into one layer in the pan, adding more beer to cover the shrimp. For each extra ¼ cup beer, add 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and ½ Tbsp. Cajun spice mix. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until shrimp are tender. Remove sauce from heat, remove shrimp from sauce. Add heavy cream to the sauce mixture, stirring until mixture becomes blended. Return to medium low heat for a few minutes and return shrimp to sauce.

• 1/4 cup Crushed Sea Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Paprika
• 1½ Tbsp. Onion Powder
• 1½ Tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Ground White Pepper
• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• 2 tsp. Dried Basil
• 2 tsp. Dried Thyme
• 1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 tsp. Ground Mediterranean Oregano
• ¼ tsp. Ground Spicy Mustard
• ¼ tsp. Ground Cloves

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until distributed evenly. Store in an airtight container. Makes approximately 6 ounces of spice.