Take Along Snack

Today there are so many prepackaged cereal snack bars available on the market, so it can make you dizzy trying to decide which one to pick. Yes, there are some good ones, but why not make your own? 

Let’s begin by understanding this recipe I've created. Oats are the main body of the recipe, so that ingredient is the constant. Other than that, you can be creative with several substitutions based on your personal preference and ingredients you have on hand. If you don’t have dried blueberries but have dried apricots - fee free to substitute! Have sliced almonds, but no walnuts, no problem. OK, you get the idea.

My Oat Bars are perfect for take-along snack for traveling. You can also share your own snack bars at the office, bake sales, church socials, or your next tailgate. 

Oat Bars

Makes 2 dozen bars

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2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup desiccated coconut (shredded & dried)

1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or mixed

1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, or mixed; chopped

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons, maple syrup

2 Tablespoons butter or canola oil, plus enough to grease parchment

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit, raisins, blueberries and cranberries

2 large ripe bananas, mashed 

1/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon cinnamon  

pinch fresh grated nutmeg

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Line a 9-inch-baking sheet pan with parchment paper allowing two inches to over lap sides of pan. Brush parchment paper with melted butter.

Spread oats, coconut, nuts and seeds on another baking pan and toast in oven just until very light brown, about 5 minutes, stirring once. Use caution not to over brown. 

In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, and maple syrup. Stir over low heat until warmed. In a separate large bowl, mix together toasted oats, coconut, seeds, dried fruit, mashed banana, applesauce, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour butter mixture over and stir until well combined. 

While mixture is warm, spread into lined parchment baking pan with a spatula. Bake until brown, 25 to 30 minutes, remove and allow to cool. 

Lift parchment by grabbing the sides of paper and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars, about 1 1/2 inches by 3 inches.

For extra crisp bars, toast bars in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Lay cut bars out on a clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 300 degree oven until bars crisp, about 15-20 minutes.

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Plum Jam

Beach plum jelly has a virtually unknown taste except maybe in the Hamptons, Cape Cod, and along the Atlantic Coast. The art of making beach plum jelly, or any jams for that matter, has been revived recently, with more people wanting to use local fruits and have a condiment that's a notch above mass-produced jelly-in-a-jar. However, beach plums are fickle; some years, they are available, and other years, like this summer, they are plentiful to pick from their secret spots along the East Hampton dunes. That's if you are still fortunate to avoid poison ivy and ticks. A safer bet for me is to make Damson Plum Jam. Or, contact my favorite monks at Trappist Preserves for a mail-order jam solution.

Yes, you could say they use a production method of a higher authority. But, what I really love about Trappist Preserves is they use only the best seasonal fruits and make only a certain allotment based on the highest quality, not filling sales quotas. When the Kadota Fig Preserves, or Red Currant Jelly is gone that’s it. And, yes they do make a Damson Plum Jam! 

A lesson learned from the late Fr Robert, “Ordinary, Obscure and Laborious” —the life of monks.

To watch one of my favorite vintage TV Segments from St Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer Ma.

Do You Know Your Jam?

- Jams are made from puréed fruit
- Jellies are made from fruit juice
- Marmalades include peel
- Conserves & preserves are made from whole fruit, and raisins and nuts may be added

Click for the complete guide to home canning

Jam is only as good as your fruit. Taste plums and adjust tartness vs. sweetness according to the ripeness of plums. If only using all ripe plums, peel, core, and chop one green apple instead of unripe plums to add natural pectin.

Beach or Damson Plum Jam

recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes about 6-8 250-ml jars

2 3/4 pounds very ripe Beach or Damson plums
1 cup water
1/4 pound unripe Beach or Damson plums; contains added natural pectin
Variable: 4-6 cups pure cane granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the plums and personal taste (you may also use a little honey and cut down on some sugar)
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 orange peels- about 2 inches x 1/4 inch, no whites

Wash the plums, add the water, and simmer the plums until the skins are soft. Allow to cool and remove the pits.

Optional~ if you do not want plum skins, strain plums through a sieve to remove skins. I prefer the texture and do not strain.

Combine plum puree, lemon juice, orange peel, and sugar in a heavy gauged sauce pot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally with a long handle spoon until sugar dissolves. Continue to go frequently to prevent sticking or burning. Cook until the plum puree and sugar reach the jellying point of 220 degrees F. It takes about 20-30 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour the hot jam into sterile hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel, making sure the tops of the jars are clean so the lids seal. Adjust two-piece sterile metal canning lids. Place jars into a large pot with a filter on the bottom so jars do not have direct contact with the base. Cover the filled and closed jars with an inch or so of hot water and boil for 10 minutes. 

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Old Fashioned Coffee Break

When actually was the first coffee break? Possibly in 12th or 13th century in Africa. But, the officially dedicated daily event in the US, the 1900s.

In 1952, a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign urged consumers, "Give yourself a Coffee-Break - and Get What Coffee Gives to You." (source, NPR)

The coffee break was and still is such an important part of everyday lifestyle and now our culture. For more than three and one half million people in the US, the very ritual of having a cup of coffee gives good reason to get together, talk and even gather your thoughts, even if for just 10 to 15 minutes. I look forward to a later afternoon coffee break everyday.

Whether you take your break mid-morning or mid-afternoon, pair that freshly brewed coffee with my old fashioned style sour cream coffee cake. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Makes a 9" Bundt Pan, about 10-12 slices

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For the Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

6 Tablespoons sweet butter, softened

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Place the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl and crumble together with your fingers until it forms a crumb mixture. Add in the nuts. Reserve and mix cake batter.

For the Cake:

1/2 cup sweet butter, one stick softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind

Grease and flour a tube, Bundt-style, or a regular-sized 9 1/2-inch baking pan.

Cream together the butter, sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix in eggs, vanilla and orange zest, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt and milk together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately in three stages with the sour cream, yogurt, and milk mixture; stirring and scraping the bowl with spatula after each addition. Mix until just blended. Do not over mix.

Place half the batter in the pan, and sprinkle with half the topping mixture. With the back of butter knife swirl the batter slightly to mix the crumb mixture slightly into the bottom of cake batter. Add remaining batter, then the crumb topping.

Bake coffee cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool for 15-20 minutes, and then remove from pan by placing a large plate over top of cake and invert pan. Tap the sides of cake pan to free cake from pan. Plate serving platter over the bottom and invert again. The crumb topping should be on the side up to serve. Allow to cool at least 2 hours (if you can) before slicing!

Cover cake once fully cooled.

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Cedar Planked

Can late summer get boring with another burger on the grill. You bet! So, it's time to change it up. 

You are going to need cedar planks for today's fish recipe. I am encouraging you to step outside + grill with this recipe. Soak planks for 30 minutes before you fire-up the grill. Make sure the grill is good and hot, this is key! Grilled cedar planked fish takes on a wonderful smokey flavor with more flair and a lot less hassle as you grill. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. This technique of cooking on planks is not new. The Indians in the Pacific Northwest cooked on cedar and alder, a tradition done for many centuries.

This weekend when you are running errands, head to the hardware store and pick up some cedar planks. Oh- be sure they are untreated non-resined wood, no thicker than 1 inch. Cedar and alder are popular choices, but mesquite, cherry, peach, apple, and oak also add their own unique flavors. Just give it a try and have a good time. Enjoy.

Cedar Plank Fish

makes two servings

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1 cedar plank

Two 10-ounce salmon, trout or halibut fillets

juice of one fresh lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons butter

Soak plank in water to cover 1 hour; drain.

Pre heat Grill to high.

Rub plank with one tablespoon olive oil. Place fillets on plank; season with pepper, parsley, syrup and lemon juice. Top with remaining olive oil.

Grill 10-14 minutes or until fish is cooked. The thickness of the fillets will determine final cooking time.

Prior to serving top with fresh butter and serve with extra fresh lemon slices.

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KYFF, Dry Rub

Tune-in / dvr GHL Create TV Sat 6/22 6AM/6PM, Sun 6/23 12PM est

The most important ingredient in cooking champion ribs is time. Ribs cooked slowly with a dry rub = Q heaven! But, don't forget to add a little moisture; by misting or brushing with water, or better yet secret, with apple juice. Over the years, I’ve offered several ways to cook ribs in my books. Caution - speedy versions that cook at temperatures hotter than 225 degrees just boils the juice out of the ribs, basically dry bones. The bottom line, great ribs cannot be prepared in a hurry. Good practice of patience. Enjoy!

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Pork Rib Rub 

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Makes 1/2 cup

1/4 cup paprika

2 Tablespoons each dry thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, brown sugar, cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

In a small bowl combine all ingredients. 

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Ribs with Pork Dry Rub

recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings

1 slab of St. Louis Style meaty pork ribs, with 14 ribs, about 3 1/2 pounds

1 recipe pork rib rub

2 cups apple juice

3 cups pork ribs wet sticky sauce, see sauce recipe.

Coat the entire rack of ribs with pork rib rub, wrap ribs tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Pre heat a grill to low temperature (approximately 225-250 degrees F). Place ribs meat side up on grill and cook for 2-3 hours. The lower temperature keeps the meat from drying out and becoming tough. After 2 hours begin to baste or spray the ribs with apple juice. The juice keeps the meat moist and from becoming dry during the long cooking.

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