If you’re thinking about something for a light lunch or even an afternoon snack, how about something easy enough that can be made ahead & taken over to mom’s house this weekend.  If you have about one hour to spare one afternoon, try making my recipe of the month. It’s sure to be a pleaser…

Quiche with Bacon * Asparagus * Goat Cheese and Watercress Citrus Salad

Makes 1 nine inch quiche

Serves 6-8

4 oz- Minced Bacon

2 oz     Green Onion – White Only- Thin slice

8 oz     Washed & sliced Asparagus (top 2/3’s only)

2 oz     Oven Dried Tomatoes

Butter or oil as needed

12 oz  Heavy Cream

3 ea      Whole Eggs

3 ½ oz     Crumbled Goat cheese

1 Tbls  Mixed Fresh herbs, like basil, parsley, thyme.

1 – 9’’ Store bought savory pie shell, pre baked

Sauté bacon in medium pan until crisp.

Drain bacon & sauté green onions & asparagus over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Drain on paper towel with bacon

In separate bowl whisk together cream, eggs, salt & pepper.

Scatter the bacon, asparagus, green onion mixture over the pre baked crust.

Scatter the minced oven dried tomatoes, goat cheese & herbs.

Add custard mixture gradually, stirring it gently with the back of a fork to ensure filling has even coverage.

Set quiche pan on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 350 degree oven until knife blade inserted into center comes out clean.

This should take 40 -45 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature

Watercress Citrus Salad

4 oz washed and dried hydroponic watercress

1 ea      Orange – peeled, segmented and squeeze remaining flesh.

1 ea      Grapefruit- peeled- segmented and squeezes remaining flesh

Reserve fruit Segments for later use

4 oz     Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tea   Dijon Mustard

 1 Tbl    Honey

Salt Pepper to Taste

In bowl whisk together fruit juice, Olive oil, mustard, honey, salt & pepper

Lightly toss Watercress in dressing & top with reserved fruit segments

Serve along side your hot or room tempature quiche

 Every item can be made up to 2 days in advance & reheated before serving.

Midori Melon Smoothie

 3 Cups Orange Juice

1/3 Cup Midori Melon Liquor

2 Cups Minced Ripe Honeydew Melon

 In blender combine above chilled ingredients & blend well

 Add 3 Cups Chilled Champagne

Serve in your favorite glasses

Enjoy,

And please remember when dining at the IW Club, reservation are always appreciated & highly recommended.

 Chris P. Olson

Executive Chef IW Club

Roasted Root Vegetable Gratins

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil

2 ea medium Spanish onions

2 tbl minced garlic

1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons allspice

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tbl kosher salt

4 whole eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1 pound russet potatoes,

1 pound garnet yams

1 pound butternut squash

.5 stick butter, melted

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons Spanish paprika

1 bunch finely chopped parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Sauté sliced onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Remove from heat. Slice washed, scrubbed, seeded and thinly sliced vegetable. Thin with a mandoline and place into cream egg mixture. Add cooled garlic and onions to egg mixture. Toss well. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and pepper, 3 cheeses and mix well. Add salt and taste mixture. The mixture should be just slightly salty. Add a little more if desired. In a bowl, combine butter, panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley and paprika. Stir well. Place potatoes mixture into a casserole dish, and top with panko crumb mixture. Wrap with foil and bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until fork tender. Remove foil and cook for 10 minutes uncovered or until crust is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving

This will go great with just about any holiday entrée.

Have a safe New Years.

Chef O

Chris P. Olson

Executive Chef

Indian Wells Golf Resort

With the tempatures outside dropping, this festive soup & chicken dish may just hit the spot & turn a few heads along the way.

 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup * Goat Cheese-Cranberry Dumplings

 Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Tomato Jam

Spinach Gala Apple Salad

 3 Tbl Olive Oil

1 Ea Butternut Squash

1 Tbl Butter

2 Tea Cinnamon

1 Tbl Brown Sugar

½ Tea Ground Ginger

1 Tea Lemon Pepper

½ Tea Allspice
2 small onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Ea Small Diced Carrot

1 Ea Small Dice Celery Rib
3 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups apple cider or juice
Kosher salt

Cracked White Pepper

2 Cups Heavy Cream

Wash and cut squash in ½, remove seeds. Season with small butter, salt, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, lemon pepper, allspice & roast in pre-heated 325 degree oven until tender and skin can be peeled off with ease. This may take 30-45 minutes

Once cool enough to handle, peel & rough chop.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, carrots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add the squash, Stock, and cider and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup until smooth, stir in heavy cream & adjust seasoning.

Soup can be make 2 days on advance & reheated. 

Goat Cheese-Cranberry Dumplings

4 oz Goat Cheese

1 Pkg Won Ton Skins or Egg Roll Wrappers

2 Tbl. Chifonade Basil

1 oz Chopped Reconstituted Dried Cranberries

1 oz Panko Bread Crumbs

Pastry Brush

Water for Pastry Brush

 In bowl combine cheese, basil, cranberries, bread crumbs, salt & pepper.  Lay won ton skins out on clean work surface.

Place small amount of filling in center of won.

Brush edges on won ton with water &

 Fold over corners & press to seal.

Fold corners over again, to resemble a look of a won -ton

Freeze dumplings until ready to serve.

 Once frozen- you can deep fry in small amount of oil at 350 degrees or poach your dumpling in slightly salted boiling water until soft. 2-3 Minutes.

 Ladel soup into pre-heated soup cups or soup plates

Place dumplings on top of hot soup, garnish with toasted squash seeds, and little minced chives

Applewood Bacon Wrapped Chicken * Tomato Jam

Warm Spinach Salad

4- 5-6 oz Chicken Breast- No Skin

Cracked Black Pepper

Salt

2 Tbl. Chopped Parsley

2 Tea. Chopped Rosemary

4 Strips Bacon

2 Ea. Oven Roasted Red Pepper, divided into 4 even pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrease

Trim chicken breast of any excess fat, season with salt pepper, parsley & rosemary.

Place 2 breast together with roasted red pepper in between. Wrap bacon around chicken breast; overlap the bacon when going around chicken.

Heat sauté pan, when pan starts to smoke place bacon wrapped chicken in hot pan, once bacon has a light brown color, flip & sear other side. And place in 325 degree oven

Place in oven & cook for about 20- 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. (Meat probe reads 160 degrease)

Tossed Spoon Spinach with Frisse & Gala Apples

Winter Cider Dressing

4 oz    Spinach- Washed & Dried

1 oz    Frisse Lettuce- Washed & Dried

1 Ea    Slice Gala Apple- ½ Moon

½ Cup Toasted Walnuts

Cider Dressing

2 Cup apple cider – Reduced to 4 oz
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
½ tablespoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cracked black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider, vinegar, shallots and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until it emulsifies.  Add the, salt, and pepper, and adjust the seasoning, to taste.  Reserve dressing until ready to toss greens.

                             Tomato Red Pepper- Jam

 12 oz               Can Dice Tomatoes- Drained & Save Juice

1 Ea.                Medium Dice Red Pepper

2 Table.          Olive Oil

¼ of a Medium Spanish Onion- Small Dice

1 Table.        Peeled * minced chopped Ginger Root

1 Tbl.         Chopped Garlic

2 Table.       Sugar

2 Tbl.         Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbl.       Rough Chopped Cilantro

 In medium size pre-heated pan, add olive oil

Add ginger & garlic and sweat for 1-2 minutes

Add onions & continue to cook till soft

Add tomatoes- red peppers & stir to mix well

Cook over medium heat until most of juices have evaporated

Add, reserved tomato juice, vinegar, sugar and cook to incorporate.

Reduce until jam has taken on a marmalade / jelly look to it.

Adjust seasoning and stir in cilantro….Set aside

Jam can be made 2 or 3 days in advance, and brought to room temperature before service

 Time to Assemble

 Toss salad in dressing & arrange on plate

Slice bacon wrapped chicken & fan chicken over greens

Place 3 small spoons of tomato pepper jam on plate.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley

Have a safe holiday.

 Enjoy!!!!

 Chris P. Olson

Executive Chef, Indian Wells Golf Resort

The next time you come by the Fairway Grill look over toward the clubhouse, right next to where you might park your golf cart. That’s where you’ll find our herb garden. It’s been quite exciting and satisfying to know that we have over twenty varieties of herbs that have been in the ground for about one year now.

GCMM and his crew were instrumental in the implementation of the garden. They placed the plants, turned the soil, laid the irrigation system. All this to bring you and your guests the freshest herbs possible.

It might seem impossible for anything to grow in our searing summer heat, but once the herbs are well established they will flourish.  Our oregano & thyme are doing extremely well in fact…

I’ve included a brief description of some of  the herbs & that we are currently growing at IWClub.

 Bay Leaf: Although quite small right now, in a few years our 2 Bay Leaf trees will offer a brittle, dark, shiny green leaf. With sharp, pungent, bitter flavors. As they dry, the flavor sweetens. 

Basil, Sweet: Offers a warm sweet, spicy and strong flavor that combines anise, clove & mint.

Basil, Lemon: Offers a very prominent lemon scent, it’s so lemony it masks the scent of the basil. Leaves are smaller & lighter in color.

Basil ,Opal:   This deep purple basil variety is not as pungent or as strong as the true basil. Opal basil offers a gingerish, spicy flavor.

Basil, Thai: Growing to 3 feet tall, the more sun the plant soaks up the redder its color becomes. It has a unique blend of exotic flavors of clove & mint.

Chives:  Bearing the taste of a delicate onion, offering a zesty burst of flavor.

Chive, Garlic: Has dull green, flatter leaves with a distinct garlic flavor, a favorite in Asian cuisine. 

Lavender: When used carefully it offers a balsamic scent with pungent, perfumed blossoms. Fine strong aromatic flavors.

Lemon Balm: Bears a mint-like lemon scent. With slightly tart overtones.

Lemon Grass: Has long thin pointed leaves, with stiff glasslike stalks. Bearing an aromatic lemon scent and delicate flavor, not having the tartness the lemon has. Often used in Asian Cooking.

Marjoram: Has a sweet subtle spiciness, quite comparable to oregano with intense pepperiness and distinct.

Mint:  I would like to  grow at least 3 varieties of mint, all with their own unique flavor, from chocolate, spearmint, peppermint. Carrying a strong tangy sweet, sour, mild pungent flavor.

Oregano: Bearing a robust, peppery, tangy and spicy flavor. Close to marjoram in flavor but even more of a distinct flavor. This herb is better dried than fresh.

Rosemary: A very aromatic and most beautiful herb, it releases an intense fragrance when touched. Having hints of nutmeg, lavender. 

Peppers, Habanero: The world’s hottest pepper. They offer a distinctive wonderful flavor with fruit overtones, in spite of the intense, fierce, blazing hot personality. Those poor javalina.

Peppers, Serrano: Smooth, sleek and small this chili packs a tremendous flavor. It has an intense burn with a wonderful taste and a lasting bite.

Sage, Golden: With yellowish- green leaves this variety of sage is similar to sweet sage, extremely fragrant, pungent, bold & powerful. Use in moderation.

Tarragon: Bears a rich fullness with a licorice-anise flavor. It gives a distinctive flavor, use gently because it will dominate.

Thyme:   A cheerful looking plant with big flavor. Releasing a minty lemony aroma, sharp and clean. Dry thyme retains a strong pungent flavor.

Summer Savory: Pleasant similarities to thyme & marjoram. Slightly hot peppery sharp taste and very assertive.

There is nothing like fresh herbs, especially when growing your own. If you don’t have the space or time there is usually a good selection at your local grocery store. Fresh herbs can be kept 5-10 days in the frigerator. Place them stem side down in a glass jar with the stem covered with approximately with 1 inch of water. Cover this jar with a plastic bag and a rubber band, or a screw tight jar with a lid may be used. You’ll need to change the water every 2 days whichever way you decide to store them. Also you may roll them in a damp paper towel, then sealed in a plastic bag. This will keep for about 5 days.

Now that you have your herbs grown or stored, here are a few recipes that you can enjoy with your favorite grilled seafood or chicken breast.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad with Garden Pesto &

Vine-ripened Tomato & Tarragon Vinaigrette

4 ea.     6 oz  Boneless Salmon Filet

10 oz            Washed & dried Organic Field Greens

4 oz               Garden Pesto

12 oz           Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette

1 ea.            BBQ Grill

Garden Basil Pesto

2 oz          Fresh Basil Leaves

1 oz         Toasted Pine Nuts

1 ea.        Cloves Fresh Garlic

1 oz          Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 oz          Olive Oil

               Salt & pepper

In food processor blend basil leaves, garlic, pinenuts, garlic & cheese till smooth.

Add Olive Oil and adjust seasoning as needed.

Cover & refrigerate

Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette

3 ea.     Vine-ripened Tomatoes

1 Tbl.   Capers, Rough Chopped

6 oz       Red Wine Vinegar

12 oz       Olive Oil

1 Tbl.    Rough Chopped Tarragon

1 Tea.    Dijon Mustard

1 ea.       Sliced Shallots

1 Tea    Chopped Garlic

              Kosher Salt

             Cracked Black Pepper

Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil.

Core & score the tomatoes.

Have available a bowl of ice water to shock tomatoes.

Place tomatoes in boiling water for about 30-40 seconds, quickly remove them with a slotted spoon and place them into the ice water.

Now peel off the outside skin on tomatoes.

Cut tomatoes in half evenly, so you have 2 even round halves.

Return them to the ice bath, lightly squeeze tomatoes to remove seeds. Cut tomatoes into approximately ½ inch pieces.

Cover peeled, seeded tomatoes and refrigerate for later use.

For vinaigrette combine remaining ingredients and mix slowly.

Adjust seasoning as needed.

Combine tomatoes with vinaigrette, cover & refrigerate.

Okay now that all of our prep work is done, we can start cooking.

Lightly oil & season your salmon while your grill is preheating.

Once your grill is hot, brush the grates & lightly oil them.

If your grill is at the right temperature you should be able to wave your hand over the fire for about 5 seconds, before having to remove it.

Start your salmon skin side up; cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish & temperature of the grill. But approximately 3 minutes on each side if your grill hot.

Once you turn the salmon apply about ¾ tablespoon of Pesto to each piece of salmon. Now move the salmon to an area on the grill where it isn’t over a direct heat source & cover the grill.

Now go ahead and toss your greens in the tomato tarragon vinaigrette, making sure you stir the vinaigrette before you pour it on the greens. Divide the greens evenly on 4 plates, placing a piece of salmon on top of each of the greens.

If there is any vinaigrette left drizzle it over the salmon filets

Good & healthy eating.

 Chef O’

This tasty summer dish is excellent with fresh grilled Alaskan salmon, now in season. Grill the salmon, place over the polenta, and spoon corn relish over the salmon

Serves 10

Fire roasted Corn Relish

1 cup               onion, minced

1 cup               red bell pepper, minced

1 cup               tomatillo, diced small

2 cups             yellow corn, whole kernel, chopped

¼ cup              roasted red bell pepper, minced

2 T                   Cajun spice mix

1 cup               cider vinegar

¼ cup              fresh cilantro, chopped

                        salt and pepper to taste

                        white sugar to taste

In a sauté pan, cook the onion, peppers, and tomatillos on low heat until translucent. Grill the corn, cut kernels off the cobb and “rough chop.” Add the corn to the sauté pan with the seasonings and cool. Add the fresh cilantro. Set aside.

Ancho Polenta

2 ½ cups         heavy whipping cream

2 ½ cups         milk

2 cups             polenta

3 T                   ancho chili powder

½ tsp               white truffle oil

Bring cream, milk, and ancho chili powder to a boil. Add all polenta at once and whisk to prevent clotting. Reduce heat and constantly whisk for several minutes to soften the polenta. Add the white truffle oil, and salt and pepper to desired taste.

Remember to bring Heavily Salted Water to a rapid boil when cooking those lovely green beans this spring. The water should taste like the ocean and the reason you boil rapidly is to retain color in your bean.

Add small portions of beans at a time to the water, do not dump so much in that it takes the boil away, remove small batch at a time and shock (not by giving bad news) but by drowning in ice water, this stops the cooking procedure.

After you have shocked all the beans, Drain all water off the beans and sauté in whole, unsalted butter, just enough to remove the chill from the bean, keeping al dente, do not overcook, about three minutes at high heat is enough.
Do not worry about the butter turning brown, we call this brown butter and the flavor is magnificent. Lightly salt and pepper, serve immediately.