Boca Grande, FL '13

Alright so I know this blog is about food... but I'm about to give you some food for the soul.

These clips were taken last week during our family's annual 4th of July trip to Boca Grande, Florida. My Meme has a beach house there and we've been going before we were even born... if that makes sense.

Anyways, instead of taking pictures, I thought I'd do a little something different this year. This is my first time making a video like this, but I had so much fun doing it that I've got a feeling it won't be my last.

I hope you enjoy!
And yes, for us, dancing (good or bad) is a habit.



Love those people more than words could ever express.

Tonight, I hit the hay reminding myself how much I have to be thankful for.

Remind yourself what you have to be thankful for. I'm sure it's much more abundant than you realize.

xoxo,
Casey

The Gourmet Grilled Cheese

I'm a huge movie buff.

Perhaps it's because I used to want to be an actress, and grew a deep appreciation for the creation of film throughout my years of acting classes and short time living in L.A.... OR perhaps I like to give my mind a break and be entertained for a good hour and forty-five minutes. Either way, I.love.movies.

Though I have a deep love for animated movies, I've been adding documentaries to my movie-watching routine. Watching documentaries makes me feel more educated and like I'm investing my time in learning about something.

I'm sure it's obvious what genre of documentaries I'm most captivated by... I mean, I do talk and think about food quite often - so why not watch it?

One food documentary that I enjoyed quite recently is Step Up To The Plate , an amazing foodie film that follows French master chef Michel Bras over a pivotal year as he hands his legendary, 3-Michelin Star hotel/restaurant over to his son, Sebastien.

Towards the end of the documentary, it shows Sebastien making his signature dish... a dish that is so intricate that it beautifully demonstrates the fact that he is capable of taking over his fathers restaurant/hotel. If there's anything that proves that the process of making food is art, it is this documentary. In order to make this dish, Sebastien pulled memories of food from his childhood and brought all those distinguished flavors together in different steps to, in the end, tell a story of family and inspiration... which I just think is so neat.

Through his inspiration, I actually found inspiration myself. In one of his courses, he takes a swirl of Laguiole cheese (quite an expensive cheese) and fills it with a little dollop of blackberry jam, as a hint that they should be eaten together in one bite. There are a lot of foods that should be eaten together, and many foods that shouldn't be eaten together. In order to educate myself more on this topic, I often read The Flavor Bible, a book written by some of the most well-known chefs that shows flavor pairings you would never even think of (definitely a necessity to your cookbook collection).

The Cheese: (taken from Step Up To The Plate)

The Jam: (taken from Step Up To The Plate) 

(oh yes, it's in French... some of the best films are)

ANYWAYS, about that inspiration Sebastien gave me.... I made a grilled cheese with it. When you have one of the best chefs in the world pairing two ingredients together, and one of them is cheese, what better to do with them than to throw them on some buttered brioche and pan sear it golden? That's what I always say...

Though I did change one thing: since Laguiole cheese is quite expensive, I did much research and found Laguiole's "sister cheese" called Le Chevrot. Le Chevrot is a lightly firm goat cheese that melts quite beautifully.... especially on some brioche (the best kind of bread for pretty much everything... burgers... french toast... grilled cheese). The cheese and the bread can both be found at your local Central Market and sometimes Whole Foods (but I'd call ahead).

And blackberries- they're at the peak of their season now... so grab 'em and jam 'em why they're hot!

Like, woah.

- beauty at it's best -

The Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

Blackberry Jam:
About 2 cups of Blackberries
1 1/2 cup Splenda
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Cornstarch

The Sandwich:
Brioche Bread
Blackberry Jam (recipe above)

1/2-inch slices Le Chevrot Cheese, rind removed

Unsalted Butter, softened

1. To make the Jam: In a small saucepan, heat blackberries, Splenda, lemon juice and cinnamon on high for 5 minutes, stirring often. Once softened, crush the blackberries with a pounder, fork, or wooden spoon (whatever you have that works). Once crushed to the consistency that you would like your jam to be, reduce heat to medium and cook 15 more minutes.
2. Once some liquid has been produced from the blackberries, pour about 2 tablespoons of the blackberry liquid into a small bowl along with the cornstarch, and mix well until combined. Once free of lumps, pour mixture back into pan (joining the rest of the crushed blackberry mixture) and mix well. Cook on medium for another 5 minutes until cornstarch begins to thicken the blackberry mixture, then transfer mixture into a heat-proof container (like the jar I used), and refrigerate. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools. Jam should be eaten within the week since it's not properly preserved. 
3. To make the sandwich: Heat a medium, nonstick saute pan over medium-low. At the same time, heat another clean, small stainless steel pan over medium-low on a different burner. 
4. Cut thick slices of brioche bread with a serrated knife (I prefer about 1/2 inch slices). Place a good amount of blackberry jam on one slice of bread, and top with slices of Le Chevrot cheese covering the jam. Place the other piece of bread on top to make a sandwich, and graciously butter each side. 
5. Place one side of sandwich in the heated nonstick pan, wipe the bottom of the stainless steel pan with a damp towel, and place the clean, heated stainless steel pan on top of the sandwich, therefore "sandwiching" it ;). Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sandwich is golden brown on both sides (just remember to cook low and slow to gain that golden brown color). No need to flip!
6. Cut in half diagonally, and take a bite into the best combination of flavors in a grilled cheese, ever.

XO,
Casey