theme: Tyler Florence

Here’s the mac & cheese recipe. My pictures turned out pretty crappy from that night…If you want the photos of your dishes, I can give them to you, but they don’t look so hot. I had to do a LOT of color correcting on this one to get it to look presentable. At least it tasted good!

The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese with Peas and Bacon
Tyler’s Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Anytime – Tyler Florence

I don’t know a man, woman or child who doesn’t love a bowl of great mac and cheese. Sweet peas and bacon spooned on top take it to a whole new level. This is the one and only macaroni and cheese recipe you will ever need.

Serves 6 to 8.

kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups warm milk
5 ½ cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Leaves from 1/4 bunch of fresh thyme
2 cups frozen peas, thawed in colander under cool water

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep lumps from forming. Gradually whisk in the milk and, whisking vigorously, cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

While that’s going, heat a 2-count of olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the bacon, onion, garlic and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Fold in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scatter the pea and bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoky pea mixture on each spoonful.

Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911
Episode: Tiki Bar Treats

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 scallions, sliced thin
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, crimini, oyster, shiitake)
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1 carrot, grated
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 ounces bean thread noodles, blanched and chopped
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package spring roll wrappers
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying
Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar

Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute. Add the cabbage and carrot and cook until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hoisin and oyster sauces; toss to coat the mixture. Remove from the heat and mix in the noodles, sprouts, and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. The filling should be moist but not wet. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Lay a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface on an angle so it looks like a diamond. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling near the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold up to enclose the filling. Fold in the 2 sides. Paint the top seam of the wrapper with beaten egg. Continue rolling up to form a tight cylinder. Pour about 1-inch of oil in a skillet or wok and heat to 350 degrees F. Fry the spring rolls, turning to cook all sides, until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Serve with Mustard Dipping Sauce.

For the Mustard Sauce: Mix all ingredients together and stir until the sugar dissolves.

The recipe serves 4 – I almost doubled it.

Dressing – mix all ingredients except oil, then drizzle in while you wisk/immersion blend
1/4 c soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salad
Toast 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds in a small dry pan until fragrant – about 1-2 min. set aside.
Rinse and dry chicken about 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast. Tyler filleted the breasts, but I cut them into strips for easier eating. Toss the chicken with enough dressing to lightly coat. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. Combine 1 1/4 c panko (I used whole wheat panko from whole foods) with 1/4 c sesame seeds and salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken and pat to get it to stay on. Heat olive oil in a skillet over edium high heat and ready a plate with paper towels for cooked chicken. Cook about 2 minutes each side, until golden brown and crispy. I finished some in the oven, since this 4 min wasn’t quite enough. I then skipped the frying for the ones I made for our daughter, just spraying the with Pam and then baking at 400/convection.

Fill a bowl with about 4 c fresh baby spinach, 1 cucumber, cut into thin slices, unpeeled (I used 3/4 of an english one), a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped, 1 scallion, white and green parts, sliced. Mix together with chicken, and the 2 reserved tablespoons of sesame seeds. Drizzle with the dressing to taste.

Cold sesame noodles

1/2 pound Chinese egg noodles (or angel hair, which I used)
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal oelek
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cucumber slices, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnishCook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don’t stick together.

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium-low flame. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Cook and stir for a minute until soft and fragrant. Mix in the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has smoothed out. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with the sesame seeds, cucumber slices, and cilantro.