YumSugar

Say Cheese! Pimento Cheese

partysugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:30:50 -0700

I am not from the South, so before this week, I had never tasted the comforting spread native to the region that's known as pimento cheese. However, I was eager to experience this seemingly exotic food, so I decided to make it. Pimento cheese isn't a type of cheese, but rather, a seasoned cheese mixture. The main ingredients are sharp cheddar cheese, jarred pimentos (a type of sweet succulent aromatic red pepper), and mayonnaise. The history of pimento cheese is fairly unknown, although it appeared in grocery stores and home kitchens somewhere in the early 1900s. It's delicious simplicity made it a hit during the Depression, and since then, pimento cheese has remained popular in the South. The tasty spread can be enjoyed on crackers, celery or other veggies, toast, or plain, old crustless white bread. To look at the recipe I used - it's Paula Deen's - keep reading.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Veggie Burgers With Lime Mayonnaise

partysugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:15:58 -0700

Looking for an exciting new vegetarian recipe to serve on the Fourth of July? Consider this recipe: an upscale take on the classic veggie burger.

The patty is a filling combination of bulgur, pinto beans, walnuts, and spices. Serving the burger open-faced on toasted multi-grain bread adds an air of sophistication.

Don't skip the lime mayonnaise - it provides a creamy zing to the completed burger. To look at the uncomplicated recipe, please read more.

Veggie Burgers With Lime Mayonnaise
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup water
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
4 slices multi-grain bread,toasted
lettuce, sliced tomato, for serving

Directions

Cook half of onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.
Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped.
Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (31/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill at least 10 minutes.
While patties chill, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice.
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas). Put perforated grill sheet on grill and preheat 10 minutes.
Brush patties all over with oil. Oil grill sheet, then grill burgers on grill sheet, covered only if using a gas grill, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total.
Serve burgers open-faced on toast with lime mayonnaise.

Serves 4.

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Say Cheese! Pork Chipotle Muenster Burgers

partysugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:15:35 -0700

Muenster is an American creation related to France's Munster cheese. It has a smooth texture, yellow interior, and orange rind. Muenster is incredibly mild in flavor with a taste somewhere between American cheese and Jack cheese. The cow's milk cheese is semisoft and great for melting. It's ideal on a grilled cheese sandwich, or in my case, a pork chipotle cheeseburger. To check out the recipe, which is perfect for this weekend's kickoff to Summer, read more.

When I saw this on Gourmet's website, I was immediately smitten. What's not to love about a combination of spicy pork, oozing cheese, and creamy avocado? I followed the recipe word for word and was impressed with the sheer perfection of the burger. The recipe takes the American classic and infuses it with Latin flavors. The final burger is a juicy, smoky, crunchy (thanks to the ingenious addition of tomatillos) masterpiece. Don't be afraid of the mayonnaise; instead, embrace it as a key ingredient that keeps the burger moist.

Pork Chipotle Muenster Burgers
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork (not lean)
2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
4 slices Muenster cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large tomatillo (1/4 lb), husked and rinsed, then sliced
1/2 small avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs

Directions

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat.
Gently mix pork, chipotle, garlic, and a scant tsp salt until just combined. Form into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
Oil grill rack, then grill patties, covered, 4 minutes.
Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Spread buns with mayonnaise and assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado, and cilantro.

Serves 4.

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Bobby Flay For YumSugar: Two Tasty Sandwiches

partysugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:30:13 -0700

In case you hadn't noticed, we're obsessed with getting our weekly sandwich fix. And there's no doubt that we're fans of chef Bobby Flay, who has a knack for spicy ingredients. That's why I'm happy to announce that two of our favorite things have come together in a very exciting three-part series. As spokesperson for mayonnaise giant Best Foods (or Hellmann's, for all you East Coasters), Flay has created a bunch of innovative sandwich recipes. With my help, Flay tailored two of these recipes to suit the YumSugar reader. Check out our exclusive video of Flay making the two YumSugar sandwiches below!

Be sure to tune in tomorrow, when the grill master gives pointers for making the perfect sandwich. See Flay's first fashionable sandwich recipe when you read more.

The Fashionista Sandwich
From Bobby Flay

Ingredients

¼ cup mayonnaise (recommended: Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Real)
2 tablespoons Hellmann’s® Dijonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices white cheddar, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced crosswise
1 small bunch watercress
4 croissants, sliced through crosswise
1/2 pound, thinly sliced London broil or roast beef (from your deli department) or 1 ¼ pound flank steak, trimmed of excess fat and marinated in olive oil, chopped garlic and fresh thyme*

Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill pan or griddle over medium heat. Add 3 slices of beef in an even layer, next to each other and cook for 30 seconds per side, just to warm through.
Top the meat with 1 or 2 slices of the cheese, cover with a lid and let melt, about 20 seconds.
Spread some of the mayonnaise on both sides of each croissant. Layer on beef, cheese, onion and watercress.

Serves 4.

*If using the flank steak: Marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Heat a grill to high or a grill pan over high heat until smoking. Season the steak with salt and lots of black pepper and cook on both sides until golden brown and slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare doneness, about 6 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 minutes before slicing into thin slices against the grain of the meat.

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Source

Taste Test: Baconnaise

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:15:55 -0800

Bacon has surpassed cupcakes as the food of the moment: In the past year, we've seen it appear in everything from chocolate to vodka to pork-flavored floss.

Its latest incarnation? Baconnaise, made by J&D's, the brand best known for its Bacon Salt. Since I love both mayo and bacon, as soon as I heard about it, I decided I needed to have it.

On its own, the spread had an incredibly creamy, smoky flavor. When used in place of mayonnaise in my lunchtime BLT, it enhanced the bacon that I couldn't get enough of. I even found myself dipping my potato chips in Baconnaise (a bit too salty, but still delicious), and wondering whether or not it would be kosher to just dip the entire corner of my sandwich into the jar. (For the record, Baconnaise itself is certified kosher.)

The best aspect of Baconnaise is the fact that even people who don't like mayonnaise might love it. Aside from its creamy texture, it really bears no resemblance to mayonnaise. And Baconnaise only includes milk and eggs, which means that for once, vegetarians can take part in bacon, if they so choose.

It's my new favorite thing. I mean, why eat regular mayonnaise ever again, when one can enjoy the savory roundedness of Baconnaise? For those of you who have tried it, did you like it as much as I did?

Is This Heinz Ad Inappropriate?

partysugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:15:36 -0700

In a controversial move, condiment king Heinz has pulled a UK television commercial from the air. Viewers complained that the commercial - which features a single-sex parental relationship - was inappropriate and unsuitable. Nigel Dickie, a spokesman for Heinz, explains why the ad will no longer be aired:

It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognize that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it. The ad was meant to be humorous and we apologize to anyone who felt offended.

Considering last week's legalization of gay marriage in California, I think the ad is harmless and in tune with our culture. What do you think? Watch the video below and let me know if you consider this condiment ad inappropriate?

Source

Fast & Easy Dinner: BLTs with Avocado and Spicy Mayo

partysugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:01:33 -0800

I love making a classic sandwich - in this case, the BLT - more exciting. I almost always add avocado to my BLTs and I jazz up the mayonnaise with herbs or spices. For this kicked up BLT, the mayo is mixed with garlic, fresh lime juice, and chili powder. The recipe has you cook the bacon on the stove, but for a mess-free variation, bake it in the oven on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper for 15 minutes at 375°F. To make this filling and comforting sandwich tonight, get the recipe, read more.

BLTs with Avocado and Spicy Mayo
From Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine

1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
One 12-ounce package center-cut bacon
8 slices of hearty, white farmhouse bread
1 large or 2 small ripe Hass avocados
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 lettuce leaves, torn into pieces
8 dill pickle spears

Chop the crushed garlic with the salt and press it with the side of the knife until mashed.
Scrape the garlic into a small bowl and stir in the chili powder, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and the mayonnaise.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon in 2 batches until crisp. Pour off the fat between each batch. Drain the bacon on paper towels.
While the bacon cooks, toast the bread. Slice the avocado and sprinkle the slices with a few drops of the lime juice.
Spread 1 side of each piece of toast with the spicy mayo. Arrange the avocado slices on 4 of the toasts, pressing them firmly against the mayo. Arrange the bacon, tomatoes and lettuce on the avocado slices. Top the sandwiches with the remaining toast. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve with the dill pickle spears.

Serves 4.

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Would You Eat This Sandwich? I Did!

partysugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:57:11 -0800

Last week we asked if you would eat a sandwich made with peanut butter, pimento-stuffed olives, and mayonnaise. The overwhelming response was that of disgust. A measly eleven percent would eat the Max Special. Many people said no thanks, others would only eat the sandwich if starving. Aversions to olives and mayonnaise were strong. There was so much talk about this sandwich that I decided to make it for lunch. Yes, you read that I ate a peanut butter, olive and mayo sandwich. To find out how it tasted - neither fabulous nor disgusting - and see the Sugar Headquarters reactions to the sandwich in a video, read more.

Would You Eat This Sandwich?

partysugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:27:31 -0800

While watching an episode of Diary of a Foodie on the new Gourmet website, I came across a very interesting sandwich.

The magazine's editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, was making The Max Special, a sandwich with peanut butter, mayonnaise, and pimento-stuffed olives. At first I thought, "gross!" Then I realized if Ms. Reichl is eating this sandwich, it must be pretty darn delicious. I plan on making one to see how it tastes.

What do you think? Would you eat this peanut butter, mayonnaise, and pimento-stuffed olive sandwich?

Source

Would You Drink a Mayogarita?

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:21:18 -0700

In news of the weird, Tokyo restaurant, Mayonnaise Kitchen, is serving up a new drink called the Mayogarita. The drink, which is just one of many mayonnaise based concoctions, is white due to a hint of the creamy dressing. If the Mayogarita isn't up your alley, then how about a drink called the Mayoty Dog? This one is a vodka-based cocktail served in a glass with mayonnaise on the rim instead of salt.

If this sounds disgusting to you, then you may want to completely steer clear from the Mayonnaise Kitchen. The restaurant, which is in suburban Tokyo, features mayonnaise on everything it serves - including spaghetti, tempura and fondue. Many older Japanese are not thrilled with the Western condiment, however the younger generation is embracing the creamy concoction. In fact, they even have a word for mayo fanatatics: Mayolers.

So how about you, are you are mayoler? Would you try a mayogarita, or would you stay the h-e-double-hockey-sticks away?

Source: Spluch