Beck’s Barbecued Onion Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a perennial favorite. With Beck’s Barbecued Onions it reaches another level.

This was sent to us by a customer and loyal fan of our pantry products…She wishes to remain anonymous, and after trying her meatloaf we can see why.  She might have a crowd outside her house if we revealed her identity.

Desperation often leads to discovery, as is the case with this recipe.  I was planning to make meatloaf for my family’s dinner, but learned rather late in the process that we were out of the onions, carrots, and celery that I usually saute and blend with the meat.  Determined to avoid an evening shop, and short on time if meatloaf tartare was not to be our dinner, I began to search the cupboards.  Thank you Beck’s;  your Barbecued Onion Relish saved the dinner and the day.  Here’s how:

BBQ Onion Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef

1 jar Beck’s Barbecued Onion Relish, 3/4 jar for blending w/ meat, remaining for topping/garnish

2 eggs

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ketchup

Heat oven to 375.  Thoroughly mix all ingredient except ketchup and 1/4 jar bbq onions.  Shape meatloaf into oblong rectangle in baking pan and top with ketchup.  Bake 45-50 mins til cooked through.  During last 5 minutes of cooking, top with remaining bbq onions if desired.  Let sit for 5 minutes after removing from oven.  Serve and enjoy.    Never bother chopping onions, carrots and celery for meatloaf again!

World’s Biggest Train Wreck Sandwich

We set the record yesterday–making our biggest train wreck ever, a 6 foot long sub of Best of Philly sandwich heaven.

We started with a gigantic loaf of hoagie bread…

Then we sauteed steak meat with caramelized onions, salami and andouille sausage and topped it all with American cheese.  While that was cooking up to a delicious blend of spicy goodness, we slathered a healthy dose of our Creole Mayo on the bread. 

And finally, we filled the bread with the steak mixture, closed it up and sliced it up for all to enjoy. And no, there was not a piece left.

Missed it? Come on into Beck’s for a regular sized version of this Best of Philly winning sandwich!

Beck’s Caters Mardi Gras June Fete Benefitting Abington Hospital

Looking for a good party?  Look no further.  Chef Bill will be spicing it up at the June Fete Fairgrounds in support of Abington Memorial Hospital Thursday June 7 at 6:30pm.

This event, which features jazz music, a vacation auction, a cash bar (with Hurricanes!), and the best Cajun food this side of New Orleans, benefits Abington Hospital.    Chef Bill will be there cranking out Jambalaya, Etouffe, Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, and other signature dishes.

It’s a great way to have a fun evening and support a worthy cause!  See you there!

Beck’s Garden District Salad

 

At La Cucina’s “Girls Night Out” Cajun Cooking Class, Chef Bill Beck shared his tricks of the trade

The Garden District in New Orleans is world famous as an example of Southern architecture.

The District earned its name because of the mansions built in this spot for the wealthy plantation owners: their supersized houses initially featured glorious oversized gardens.

As the City grew during the late 1800s, a number of the owners of these spectacular mansions sold off parcels of their land and smaller Victorian houses were built on the site of these former gardens.

Today, the Garden District is a unique melting pot of architectural styles, characterized by “a mélange of high styles gleaned from not just the Spanish and French, but also from the Italians, the British, and the “Greek Revival.” (for further info, see About.com’s insightful overview on the District’s lineage.)

The food emanating from New Orleans reflects the varied influences that shape and define this unique city – which is what makes the New Orleans cuisine so attractive.

In tribute to this heritage, Chef Bill Beck of Beck’s Cajun Cafe rolled out his Garden District Salad at a recent cooking class held at La Cucina in Reading Terminal Market.  The classes, designated as a “Girls’ Night Out,” focused on Cajun cooking with Chef Bill demonstrating a series of New Orleans small plates, including this Garden District Salad.

The salad is colorful and evocative of sunshine-laden days spent in New Orleans….

Ingredients

(This salad serves 4 people.  Scale up quantities dependent on the size of your dinner party!)

1x jar of marinated artichokes

4 stems of hearts of palm, cut into 1/2 inch rounds

1 red pepper roasted and skin removed, then cut into strips.

Spring mix salad greens

For the vinaigrette dressing

(The recipe below produces approximately 14 oz of dressing.  As the recipe includes raw egg we would not recommend storing the dressing for any length of time.  Use immediately.  If you would like to omit the egg then the dressing will keep for longer, perhaps 2-3 days, in the fridge.

2 tsps of Dijon mustardbsps olive oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 egg white

6oz of virgin olive oil

4oz of vegetable oil

2 tbsps of finely minced cloves

2-3 tbsps of water

1 1/2 tbsps of honey

Juice of a lemon

1 1/2 oz Apple Cider

1 1/2 oz Champagne Cider

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix first three ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Slowly add the two types of oil to this mix. Add approx 2oz at a time (Note the virgin olive oil provides a strong flavor.  To balance this out and ensure that the salad is not overwhelmed, Chef Bill prefers to use vegetable oil in tandem with the virgin oil.)

3. Add chives, water – to thin the dressing slightly – and the honey.

4. Add the juice of the lemon and then add the two vinegars a little at a time — to stretch out the dressing.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Toss Spring mix salad in dressing, then add in other prepared salad ingredients (artichokes, pepper, hearts of palm.)

The resulting salad has great texture and crunch.  Enjoy!

Fried Oysters and Chicken Salad at the Reading Terminal Gala

We hope to see everyone at the Valentine to the Market Gala tonight!  This is a great party featuring live music, lots of entertainment, plentiful bars, and best of all, food catered by the Reading Terminal Market Merchants.  In case you’re a last minute type, you can  purchase tickets here or even at the door.

We’re all set to go with our Valentine appetizer–a Cajun twist on a Philly Classic:   fried oysters with chicken salad.  It is a valentine party, after all, and you know what they say about oysters…

In case you won’t be there tonight to sample these beauties,  here’s how we make them:

Coat Oysters in  flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then dip in egg and roll in panko.

Fry them in heated oil (peanut, canola, vegetable are fine, avoid olive oil).   Turn oysters til crispy on both sides and fully cooked through.

Drain briefly on paper towels.

Top with a scoop of your favorite chicken salad, a dab of Creole Mayo, and a snip of chive.

Enjoy.

Beck’s Creole Mayo Strikes Again

Beck’s Creole Mayonnaise.  We really are having a love affair with this stuff.  Aside from vanilla ice cream, we think it would be great on everything.  We added it to Tuna Tartare for dinner last night and it was a huge hit.  Here’s what we did:

Creole Tuna Tartare

3-4 servings

1 lb top quality tuna (sashimi grade) cut in 1/4 inch dice

3 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 TBSPs Beck’s Creole Mayonnaise

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp Sriracha or other hot sauce

juice of 1 lime

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate at least 30 mins to allow flavors to meld.  Serve on crackers, crostini, or on a bed of lightly dressed baby greens.

Deviled Cocoa

Hot chocolate is a great way to combat Old Man Winter when he blasts his chilly wind your way!   Even if the winter is relatively mild, like ours has been so far, this molten glory is suitable in all kinds of weather.  And Chef Bill Beck can’t resist spicing things up.  Try his Deviled Cocoa for a sure-fire way to heat up your days and nights…..

Deviled Cocoa

serves 2

2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

2 TBSP sugar

3 TBSP water

1 1/2 cups milk

2 TBSP chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)

a pinch of Beck’s Devil Dust

In small saucepan, mix cocoa, sugar and water to make a paste.  Heat over medium til mixture bubbles.  Add milk and chocolate, continue heating and mix til chocolate melts and cocoa is hot. Pour into cups and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of Devil Dust.  Enjoy.

Chef Bill Beck’s Potato Crusted Salmon

Leftover mashed potatoes should not go to waste.  Rather than just reheat and eat, try this simple but impressive recipe, which Chef Bill presented on Good Day Philadelpihia yesterday…Chef Bill would never steer you wrong.

Potato Crusted Salmon

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes

4 4 oz salmon fillets

salt and white pepper to taste

4 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Heat oven to 425.

1.  Pat fish dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and white pepper.

2.  Lightly spread skinless side of each fillet with mustard.

3.  With your hands, gently pat mashed potato onto mustard coated side of fish until it is evenly covered.

4.  Refrigerate 15 minutes so potato adheres to fish.

5.  In ovenproof, nonstick skillet, heat oil.

6.  Place fish, potato side down, gently into pan.

7.  Saute 2-3 minutes.

8.  When crust is brown and crisp, carefully flip fillet, place pan in heated oven, and cook, skin side down, for another 5-7 minutes until center of fish is opaque in color.  Serve immediately.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

As a Chef, Bill Beck has always sought creative ways to present food.   These “Day After” Potato Pancakes are a unique way to repurpose mashed potatoes into something new and delicious…..

“Day After” Potato Pancakes

2 lbs leftover mashed potatoes

4 oz grated raw onion

3 egg yolks

3 TBSP flour

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

3 TBSP butter, divided

pinch nutmeg

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

1.  Saute onion in 1 TBSP butter on low til tender, 3 minutes.

2.  Combine potatoes, eggs, flour and nutmeg in  bowl; mix well.

3.  Mix in onion, salt and pepper.

4.  With wet hands, form mixture into small pancakes, and dip into panko bread crumbs to coat.

5.  Heat remaining butter in skillet.  Saute pancakes in butter on low heat until  lightly browned, flip, and cook til crispy.  Serve immediately.

Chef Bill Beck’s Thanksgiving Leftover Sweet Potato Soup

Made too many sweet potatoes?  Never fear, Chef Beck has a delicious, healthy way to use them….he’ll be showcasing this on Good Day Philadelphia at 9:20am Friday, but in case you’re out Black Friday shopping then, here’s the recipe.

“Leftover” Sweet Potato Soup

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 TBSP vegetable oil

2 lbs sweet potatoes

3 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Kosher Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a 4 quart pot, heat oil over medium heat and saute celery, onion and bay leaf until caramelize, about 5 minutes.  Add remaiing ingredients, bring to boil over medium heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Cool slightly, remove bay leaf.  In blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until smooth.  Return to pan and heat through.