Special Recipes from Restaurants and Event Venues Archives

Tomato Pie from Mentone, AL’s Wildflower Cafe

02/10/2016 By: CCPearson4 Comments

Sign at the main road leading to the Wildflower Cafe.

Wildflower Cafe while waiting outside on a busy day.

The Wildflower Cafe in Mentone apparently has shared the recipe for its famous Tomato Pie because it wasn’t created by their chef (who closely holds his recipes, especially the one for Sweet Potato Biscuit Bread Pudding). This recipe was given to them by a visitor to the cafe. They decided to try it, and now it’s one of their most requested items. I won’t say that it’s 100% certain to be the actual recipe, but from what I tasted, it’s gotta be mighty close. This is out there for all the world to see on Karen Boyd’s website — wegottaeat.com. Thanks, Karen for figuring this out and sharing with the internet population.

INGREDIENTS:

6 ROMA TOMATOES, SLICED

2 cups BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

1 BAKED PIE SHELL

3/4 cup MAYONNAISE

3/4 cup CHEDDAR CHEESE,GRATED

3/4 cup MOZZARELLA CHEESE, GRATED

1-2 tablespoons BASIL

DIRECTIONS:

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350

2. MARINATESLICED TOMATOES IN VINAIGRETTE FOR 30 MINUTES. DRAIN.

3. LAYER TOMATOES IN BAKED PIE SHELL.

4. IN A SEPARATE BOWL, COMBINE MAYO, BOTH CHEESES AND BASIL, and pour over the tomatoes.

5. BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES OR UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN. CUT INTO SLICES. SERVE WARM.

Tomato pie.

Be sure to enjoy Wildflower Cafe’s website and read the articles linked there from Southern Living and Lookout Alabama.

New England Clam Chowder at Saratoga Grill — The Best I’ve Ever Eaten

11/25/2015 By: CCPearson2 Comments

No, I don’t expect you to suddenly change your menu for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner. But, in the cold days leading up to Christmas, I believe this would hit the spot. It is hands-down the best clam chowder I’ve ever tasted. We experienced it at the Saratoga Grill during a recent visit to Hillsborough, N.C. with my cousin Ginger and her husband Reitzel.

Saratoga Grill’s clam chowder with garlic-seasoned croutons

Digging through the restaurant’s website, I found the recipe in an article “Seafood Delight” by Christie Hadden, posted at www.Fifteen501.com, Spring 2010. Eureka! You could find it there for yourself, but here it is with my highest recommendation.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

1/8 lb. butter

4 T. flour

1 T. olive oil

2 strips of bacon

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/4 c. white wine

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. basil

1 t. oregano

1 t. white pepper

1 t. celery salt

1 t. thyme

1 t. granulated garlic

1 dash salt

1 dash Tabasco sauce

4 c. clam juice

4 c. chopped clams

1 medium Russet potato, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 qt. Half and Half

In a small saucepan, melt butter, add flour and cook for 3 minutes. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add bacon and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to render fat. Add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine, Worcestershire sauce, spices and Tabasco sauce and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add clam juice, potato and bay leaf and cook until potato is just tender or about 10-15 minutes. Add chopped clams and Half and Half. Bring soup to just below boil and add room-temperature flour mixture, or roux, with a wire whisk. The soup should thicken immediately. Bring to just a boil and remove from heat. Serve with garlic-seasoned croutons.

Here is the amazed/delighted/awestruck face of cousin Reitzel when he took his first bite.

Reitzel’s first taste of the chowder. This is his delighted face. Ummmm-good.

Kimo’s Original Hula Pie — Signature Dessert for a Family of Restaurants in Hawaii and California

11/16/2015 By: CCPearson2 Comments

(As I have begun to explore unique restaurants around the country, I am also discovering amazing recipes. From time to time, I will be sharing them on this blog, so I have created a whole new category. Hula Pie — an ice creamy concoction, might seem out of season, but once you taste it, you will FIND a season or an occasion to serve it. Yum!!

Rob Thibaut and Sandy Saxton, co-founders of TS Restaurants, found the most picturesque, romantic and fabulous locations for their popular restaurants. Eight are on the Hawaiian islands, 5 are on the Pacific Coast of California, and 1 is in Lake Tahoe. These restaurants are not a chain. The names, as well as the menus, vary – Hula Grill, Kimo’s, Leilani’s, Keoki’s Paradise, and Duke’s. All are joined by their most-requested, signature dessert – Hula Pie.

Hula Pie has been around for almost 4 decades. It takes 2 days to make, and the serving sizes are huge. Definitely shareable. The remarkable aspect is that they are not really complicated to make, and no baking is necessary. After holding the recipe close to the vest for a number of years, it was shared in a Cooking Channel segment and by Hawaii Magazine. Sampling it recently in both Maui and Kauai, I can attest that the taste is the same on both islands. Cold, refreshing, delightful.

HULA PIE

Ingredients:

1 9-inch chocolate cookie crust

1 half-gallon of macadamia nut ice cream (Yes, the whole half gallon and don’t stop reading. I’ve given a suggestion below for how to create some macadamia nut ice cream.)

4 oz. chocolate fudge topping

1 shot (1 oz.) of expresso or strong coffee

6 oz. chopped macadamia nuts

Whipped cream

Additional fudge topping, optional

Use a prepared chocolate cookie crust or crush Oreos to make about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. Add a little sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter to the Oreos. Mix well and press into a pie pan. It’s best if this homemade crust is in the freezer overnight before adding the ice cream.
Spoon slightly-softened ice cream into the cookie crust. If you can’t find macadamia nut ice cream in your local store, use a good brand of vanilla ice cream, let it soften (but not too much) and fold in chopped macadamia nuts (the amount depends on your personal preference). Shape the ice cream into a high dome or bombe.
Mix the expresso or coffee into the fudge topping and use a warmed knife to spread it over the ice cream.
Put the crust/ice cream into the freezer for several hours or until ready to serve.
Right before serving, cover the top of the pie with whipped cream (perhaps do a decorative piping), sprinkle with chopped nuts, and if you’d like, add a generous drizzle of additional fudge topping.
Use a warmed knife to cut the pie into large, thick wedges, probably 6 servings per pie.

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