No-Bake Chipotle Chili Chocolate Tart Recipe

No-Bake Chipotle Chili Chocolate Tart Recipe

There was nothing better than to be sent back home from Mamaw's house with a bag full of peach, apple, plum, and my favorite, chocolate fried pies. They were so wonderfully greasy that they would make dark spots on the outside of the paper grocery sack that held them. 



No-Bake Ancho Chili Chocolate Tart


2 (3 ounce) chocolate bars (70% cocoa, chopped)
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 
1/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes 
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) box extra-firm silken tofu
Graham Cracker Crust (recipe follows)


In a double boiler over medium heat, whisk the chocolate and cream together until chocolate has melted and the cream is incorporated. This takes 10 minutes. Into the work bowl of your food processor, add the chocolate mixture along with the chipotle, salt, sugar, and tofu. Blend until very smooth. Spoon mixture into cooked, cooled crust and smooth. Allow tart to chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator. No need to bake it. Serve just like that or with a whipped cream or meringue topping. 


Graham crust

1 sleeve honey graham crackers (1 1/2 cups)

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (cubed)

1 tablespoon cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the graham crackers, butter, and sugar into the work bowl of your food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and butter is incorporated. The mixture should look like sand. Press mixture into the bottom of an 11-inch tart pan. Make sure to press crumbs into the scallops of the pan as well until it is 1/2 inch up the inside wall. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Allow it to cool completely before filling. 

Vegetarian "Midnight Snack"

Vegetarian "Midnight Snack"

I watched Chef Kelly English prepare his dish "Midnight Snack" for a photo shoot. It's made with toasted brioche, a poached egg, and sautéed shrimp that are tossed in his signature remoulade sauce. I told him then and there that I was going to make a vegetarian version of that recipe. I did -- and it was awesome. Then recently Kelly kindly sent me the recipe for his remoulade sauce. (Can you believe it? I thought that kind of thing would be top secret.) I made the dish again with his recipe, and it was quite a revelation. The sauce made it, so much so that we had no choice but to enjoy two full servings each!

Vegetarian "Midnight Snack" inspired by Restaurant Iris

1 tablespoon iodized salt

1/4 cup vinegar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 1-inch thick slices of brioche bread
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups quartered artichoke hearts (prepare your own or use 1 can Whole Foods 365 Artichoke Hearts Packed in Water)
2 1/2 cups quartered mushrooms (10 ounces)
Chef Kelly English's Remoulade Sauce (recipe follows)
4 sprigs fresh dill to garnish
Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a large pan over medium heat, bring an inch and a half of water to a simmer. Add the salt and vinegar to the water and return it to a simmer. Poach  4 eggs at a time by slowly cracking the egg into the simmering water and allowing it to cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the white is set. Remove egg from the water and set aside on a paper towel until ready to serve. Discard cooking water.

Spread butter onto the slices of brioche. Using the same pan as you did for the eggs, toast the slices of brioche over medium heat just as you would a grilled cheese. Once the bread has achieved a light brown color, remove it from the pan and set aside.


Again using the same pan, crank the heat up to high. Add half the canola oil to the pan. Once the oil starts smoking, add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining canola oil to the pan along with the artichoke hearts. Cook for 3 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Turn the heat off. Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with Chef Kelly English's Remoulade Sauce. Toss to coat.


Divide the mushrooms and artichoke mixture among the toasted brioche slices, top with a poached egg, and garnish with fresh dill, cracked black pepper, and Maldon sea salt to taste.


Makes 4 servings.


Chef Kelly English's Remoulade Sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole mustard (like Zatarain's)
juice of  1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoons chopped chives

In a large bowl mix the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, celery salt, sugar, paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, horseradish, and chives together until well incorporated. Keep in a food storage container in the refrigerator.

Strawberry & Mango Toasted Trifles

Strawberry & Mango Toasted Trifles

 We figured this simple dessert recipe with a lot of texture would showcase the first strawberries of the season, the first batch that our respective dad and father-in-law Steve grew for us. 


Strawberry & Mango Toasted Trifles


2 cups strawberries
1 tablespoon cane sugar
juice from half a lemon
1 champagne mango
3 vanilla dessert cups (2 cups, cubed)
Easy Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
4 teaspoons Pama pomegranate liqueur (or Chambord)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Hull and slice strawberries. Add sugar and lemon juice, and toss to combine, then set aside in the fridge to macerate. Cut the mango into cubes and set aside. Toast the dessert cups in oven for 10 minutes. Layer the strawberries, mango, whipped cream, and toasted dessert cups into 4 highball cups. Press down the layers with the back of a spoon. Drizzle 1 teaspoon pomegranate liqueur over each trifle. No need to wait like you do with a traditional trifle; these are best when served right after you make them. 
Easy Whipped Cream
Easy Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl whisk cream vigorously until slightly stiff. Add sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine.  Set whipped cream aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Some uses this smoked sun-dried tomatoes in many savory recipes from Spanish tortillas to vegetarian gumbo to carbonara. They add complexity to any dish. There is the sweetness of the concentrated fruit sugars, the natural acidity, a light saltiness from the drying process, and of course, the smoke, which is really the thing that really elevates this ingredient.

Readers have had trouble finding this slightly elusive ingredient. For this reason, I will give you 3 options for procuring smoked sun-dried tomatoes. If you try them once, you'll be hooked just like we are.


The first way is the simplest: buy them. A company called California Sun-Dry sells smoked sun-dried tomatoes in 3-ounce bags.


Another method that's nearly as simple is to add liquid smoke to dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes. I think a good ratio is 1 teaspoon per cup of sun- dried tomatoes. Place sun-dried tomatoes into a food storage container, sprinkle in the liquid smoke, cover, and shake. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes so the flavors can meld.


Finally, you may smoke them yourself. It's easy if you have a few simple items and a little know-how. This is my favorite method as it yields an authentic and aromatic smoky flavor. It's best to make these in a large batch. They will keep unrefrigerated for 6 months because they are preserved two ways.

You will need some special equipment to make your own. Many grill-top or stove-top smokers can be found online or at almost any specialty kitchen store like Viking and Willams-Sonoma. I made my own smoker using a 9x12 stainless steel pan with a shallow, perforated basket and a tight-fitting lid. You could also use an old stock pot with a lid and an old footed colander that will fit down inside the pot. Just remember, the lid has to fit tightly to keep the smoke in, and anything you use has to be dedicated to smoking -- it will be completely ruined for any other purpose. The main thing is that the large pan has to be at least 1 inch deeper than the perforated pan so that there's room for the wood chips. You'll also need an outdoor gas grill and some wood chips, which are available at most grocery stores -- especially during the summer months.

The following instructions work for smoking any non-meltable foods like mushrooms, dates, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sea salt, or tofu. Do not try this method with a cheese that will melt, because, well, it will melt. That said, this is a wonderful and simple way to impart a ton of flavor into some very unexpected things.

Quick Smoking Method:

1. Soak a handful of hickory wood chips and two handfuls of applewood chips in water for about 20 minutes. (I think this is the best mix of pungent hickory and fruity applewood smoke. If you like less intense smoke flavor, go with all-fruit wood like apple or cherry.)

2. Drain chips and set them in the bottom of your smoker pan. Turn your grill on high. Caveat: I do not recommend doing this inside as it produces a ton of smoke. Place the smoker pan directly over the flame of your outdoor gas grill (the side burner works best for this) and leave it alone. After 8 minutes, you will notice a lot of smoke coming from the chips; this is a good thing!

3. Lay sun-dried tomatoes (or mushrooms, dates, garlic or anything else you want to taste smoky) in a single layer in the smoker basket and place over the smoking wood chips.

4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Wait 4 minutes. It doesn't take long for vegetables and fruit to soak up that smoke flavor. Remove smoked tomatoes from the basket and allow it all to cool.

Any one of these 3 methods will give you that rich, savory, smoky flavor that adds so much to so many vegetarian dishes. Give smoked-sun dried tomatoes a try. What will you make with them?

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Pickled Watermelon Rind

 We never had pickled watermelon rind when we were growing up, but it's pretty old-school Southern, so we had to try it and see what all the fuss is about. And what could be better than using up all the parts of an oversized watermelon and cutting way down on waste by making something surprisingly different and really good? One summer, we learned how to pickle rind, and after that practice round, now we know how to get it right. One trick is to avoid using big slices of the white rind; a fine dice is more visually appealing and easier to use as an accent on a cheese plate or salad instead of the focus of a dish.These have more of an Asian flavor profile, and despite all the sugar in the recipe, our recipe yields a pickle that's far from syrupy sweet. With the other part of the watermelon, make our watermelon-jalapeno margaritas,watermelon-tomato gazpacho, or grilled watermelon salad. (We're going to be working on a lot of pickling projects in the next few weeks -- can't wait to share them with you!)

Pickled Watermelon Rind

1 cup watermelon rind (just the tough white part, finely and evenly diced)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2-inch piece fresh ginger (thinly sliced)
1 2-inch piece of lime rind
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons cane sugar (like Whole Foods 365 Vegan Cane Sugar)
1/4 teaspoon iodized sea salt

Place diced watermelon rind in a 1 1/2-cup jar. In a medium saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, ginger, lime rind, coriander, cinnamon stick, sugar, and salt up to a boil. Pour the liquid over the rind and let it cool on the counter for about an hour before sealing jar and storing in the fridge for up to a month.

Strawberry-Tarragon Gin Smash Recipe

Strawberry-Tarragon Gin Smash Recipe

Strawberry-Tarragon Gin Smash


1 cup roughly chopped fresh strawberries
1 Meyer lemon (quartered)
1 3-inch sprig French tarragon
1 cup ice
2 drops blood orange bitters
3 ounces gin (like Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks)
1 1/2 ounces agave nectar


Place the strawberries, lemon, tarragon, ice, bitters, gin, and agave nectar into a large cocktail shaker. Muddle the mixture until the strawberries are broken down and most of the ice is cracked. Strain into 2 champagne or martini glasses. Garnish with a bit more tarragon and a strawberry.

Confetti Corn Chowder Recipe

Confetti Corn Chowder Recipe

 Creamy, sweet, and spicy, it comes together quite quickly and makes for a hearty meal when served with a thick slice of whole wheat bread. (Don't worry if spice isn't your thing -- it's tempered by the sweetness of the corn.) Make it a day ahead and the flavors come together even better. 

Confetti Corn Chowder

2 tablespoons canola oil (like Whole Foods 365)
2 cups diced white onion
1/2 teaspoon cumin6 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 chipotle chilies (from a can)
1 cup white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
1 cup vegetable broth 
1 cup whole milk 
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 pound bag frozen organic corn (divided)
2 cups diced potato
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced  red peppers
Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
sour cream (to garnish)
chopped chives (to garnish)


In a large soup stock pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers and add the onion. Cook onion until translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the chilies and the wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by more than half. Add the broth, milk, vinegar, and 2 cups of corn. The milk may break, but that's okay. Blend the mixture using an immersion blender. Return the mixture to the heat. Add the potato and then red and green peppers. In a medium pan over high heat, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of corn in the dry pan until kernels are nicely browned. Add the corn to the pot. Cook chowder, covered, on low until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with chopped chives and sour cream. (Makes 4 servings.)

Homegrown Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

Homegrown Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

 In picked season strawberries is to systematically find a million ways to use them until the end of May. This is the point at which you finally just can't stand to see another dang strawberry until next year rolls around. We're not there yet, so let the strawberry fest continue!The row of strawberry plants at Steve's farm is going strong with lots of daughter pants popping up, which means that there will easily be some ready to be transplanted to get ready for next year. We made this ice cream to showcase these sweet, pesticide-free beauties. This is super-simple, comes together in no time, and seconds are just about impossible to resist.


Homegrown Strawberry Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups strawberries

1/2 cup cane sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 cup 2% milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or scraped vanilla bean
pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes

Hull and slice strawberries until you have 1 1/2 cups ready. Place berries and sugar into a medium sauce pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Whisk cream, milk, vanillas, and salt. Mash cooled strawberry mixture with a potato masher whisk into to the milk. Pour into your ice cream maker and let it churn for about 20 minutes. Transfer ice cream, which will be soft, to a container and let it harden in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Caramelized Onion + Goat Cheese Pizza

Caramelized Onion + Goat Cheese Pizza

This dish is a tribute at one of our favorite restaurants, Felicia Suzanne's, in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Felicia is a confident and talented chef whose eponymous restaurant just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. One of our favorite things that she serves is this precious little goat cheese and onion tart. It's a piping hot mix of caramelized onions and soft goat cheese nestled inside of a corneal crust. The whole thing is topped with a ton of basil. It's heaven.

Here, that same idea is put into pizza form. The result is a quiche-like pizza topping that is pretty unique and quite delicious. We had this recipe for dinner, but it would be right at home at brunch too. So, go try the original dish, and then make this one at home. You'll love both.


Caramelized Onion + Goat Cheese Pizza


1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cups thinly sliced white onion
2 tablespoons vegetarian Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
5 ounces soft goat cheese (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 large egg
Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 10-inch pizza crust (store bought or use our recipe)
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (to garnish)


In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and add the onion in an even layer. The secret to this dish to to cook the onions slowly to allow the natural sugars to come out and become caramelized. This process will yield a deep flavor. It takes some patience, but it's worth it. Allow the onions to cook undisturbed for about 30-45 minutes. Check the pan every once in a while to make sure they are browning, not burning. You want the bottom layer to have a nice deep brown color before you move on to the next step. Add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and the wine. crank the heat up to medium-high and start to reduce the mixture. Keep stirring so nothing scorches. Once most of the liquid has evaporated, remove pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool. They should be soft and caramel-colored at this point.


Preheat your oven to 550 with a pizza stone in place. Allow the oven to preheat for at least 25 minutes. In to the work bowl of your food processor, place the onion mixture, goat cheese, egg, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pulse food processor until all ingredients are well incorporated. Place the par-cooked pizza dough on your pizza peel that has been sprinkled with corn meal or lined with parchment. Spread the onion and goat cheese mixture evenly over the crust. Slide pizza onto the stone and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the goat cheese and onion mixture is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before topping it with basil and slicing it with a pizza cutter. (Makes 2 servings.)

Delicious Smoky Salsa Migas Bowl

This recipe isn't really that traditional, though -- it's a Tex-Mex creation that I first tried a version of in Austin, Texas at Juan in a Million. I guess it sort of still counts as a way to celebrate today. A Migas Bowl is a great breakfast but even better as a low-key lunch or dinner. 

The vendors' names listed in the ingredients below represent a few of the great farms here in Memphis. Collect the ingredients yourself and make this at home this week!

Simple Smoky Salsa Migas Bowl

1 tablespoon butter
4 large Donnell Century Farm eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup Simple Smoky Salsa (more for garnish, recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups Las Delicias corn chips

1 cups prepared Earth Sprung Grain rice

Seasoned Black Beans (recipe Follows)

3 to 4 ounces Bonnie Blue soft goat cheese
Va Vang's Homegrown Produce cilantro leaves (to garnish)
4 small flour tortillas
sea salt and cracked black pepper to garnish


Melt butter in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and stir constantly using rubber spatula. Once the eggs come together, add the salsa and continue to scramble. Add the corn chips and mix to incorporate. Divide the rice among two serving bowls and top each with about 1/2 cup of the Seasoned Black Beans and then add half of the scrambled egg mixture to each bowl. Top with goat cheese and cilantro leaves. Serve with warm flour tortillas. (Makes 2 servings.)

Simple Smoky Salsa Recipe

2 medium (or 3 small) Micmak Farms tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 small bulb of Flora Farms garlic (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup Va Vang's Homegrown Produce cilantro leaves
2 to 3 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce (we like Valentina Black)
Maldon sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper to taste


In a medium cast-iron skillet over high heat, burn the outside of the tomatoes and the garlic (still in its papery skin). Do this by turning the tomatoes and garlic every 3 to 4 minutes using tongs. Once all sides are blackened, remove and set aside in a bowl to cool. Place tomatoes into the work bowl of your food processor. Squeeze the head of garlic from the root end and the cloves should pop right out. Add them to the food processor along with the cilantro, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse the food processor until all ingredients are well incorporated, but not still chunky. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups.)


Seasoned Black Beans

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup diced shallot
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 15-ounce can Whole Foods 365 Organic black beans (drained, rinsed)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup broth or water
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)


In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the canola oil, shallot, granulated garlic, sage, and cumin. Cook until fragrant. Add the beans, vinegar, and broth. Allow the beans to simmer for 5 minutes. Mash lightly with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm on the stove until ready to serve. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups beans.)