Penuche

I rarely make candy of any kind, but in honor of Father's Day and in my dad's memory, I decided to make penuche...his favorite fudge. 
Part of every summer in my childhood we spent boating and we always docked at Mackinac Island for a week or so. Even after I married and had kids, we still spent time on the boat and Mackinac was a favorite stop. Once in a while, we drove to northern Michigan and took the ferry over, with all the other "fudge-eaters", a label bestowed on tourists by the islanders. For good reason, as everyone ends up walking around the island holding a half-eaten box of fudge. Here's a little 2 minute video on Mackinac and their famous fudge making.

Practically every other store is a fudge shop as you walk down main street. As you can imagine, the entire town smells of candy (and horses as there are no cars on the island and walking, boats, bikes and horses are the only  methods of travel here) and you can stand outside and watch it being made, window after window. 

Dad was very particular and we always bought our fudge at May's. It was the best fudge store on the island. There was no "grit" in the fudge, just smooth luscious rich fudge. It still is there, family owned and operated. Also, they make the best peanut brittle ever...another of Dad's favorites.

So...he loved penuche. Pronounced puh-noo-chee. And while most penuche has walnuts, Dad liked his without, so that's how I made it for this post. It's amazingly delicious, has a butterscotch flavor with maple overtones. If you're going to make it and your family likes nuts, add 3 ounces of roughly chopped walnuts. 

Penuche

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray 
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk 
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar 
5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
3 ounces toasted walnuts, chopped (1 cup) , optional

Method:
Coat a 5-by-10-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line with plastic wrap leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides.
Bring evaporated milk, brown sugar, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 236 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 25 minutes.
Transfer to your electric mixer and beat in confectioners' sugar on low speed. Increase speed to medium, and beat until mixture is thickened and smooth, probably about 5  minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla and walnuts, if using.
Spread mixture in a pan, smoothing top. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm. Cut into small pieces. 

    Here we are at Mackinac on the boat...Dad, daughter Tracy and me, 1959

Best Ever Potato Salad

Best ever? Those two words always make me give a little (feminine) snort. And to be honest, I didn't believe that title either and hesitated to use it too, until I made it and took it to my Garden Club's end-of-year luncheon. That's a discerning group, all ages, all probably having their own mother's or grandmother's "Best Ever" potato salad recipes. And it's mayonnaise-based, which, while delicious, is, let's face it, fattening and a tad dated to boot.

Need I say they loved it? I thought I made too much (we do a pot luck), but there was only a spoonful or so left. So, I'm passing on Brown Eyed Baker's "best ever" recipe. You can't go wrong with bacon and that's the secret ingredient here, not only in the salad, but in the dressing too. Naughty, naughty.

And all right, so I cheated and took  some of my favorite and completely awesome store-bought mini pastries from the Ft. Lauderdale French Bakery for dessert. Hah! Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

Best Ever Potato Salad
From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
 4 cups cubed red potatoes
 10 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
 ¾ cup mayonnaise
 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
 1 teaspoon salt
 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
 1 stalk celery, diced
 1 small onion, chopped
½ medium green pepper, chopped

Method:
Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. (If you're not sure how to boil the potatoes perfectly, HERE is a good source.) Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the skillet.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and salt to the reserved bacon drippings in the skillet and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion and green pepper. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and gently stir to evenly coat. Stir in the bacon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Ina First Fridays: Tuna Rolls

Ina serves these in a grilled hot dog roll, but I wanted fewer carbs so served it as a salad. The tuna would be super done on your grill, but it works fine stove top as well. Just make certain to follow the directions for time because you want it rare on the inside. I served the tuna in a lettuce cup, so I omitted the arugula.

Grilled Tuna Rolls
2009, Ina Garten

Ingredients:
Good olive oil 
1 pound very fresh tuna steak, 1-inch thick 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 lime, zest grated 
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes) 
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder 
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
5 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) 
1 firm, ripe Hass avocado, medium-diced 
1/4 red onion, chopped 
1 tablespoon minced scallion, white and green parts 
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 
9 hot dog rolls, grilled or toasted 
1 bunch baby arugula, washed and spun dry

Method:
Heat a charcoal grill with hot coals. Brush the grill with oil. Brush both sides of the tuna with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook the tuna over the hot coals for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate. The tuna should be seared on the outside and raw inside. Allow to cool and cut into cubes.

(If you don't want to heat a grill, you can sear the tuna in a dry saute pan over high heat. Heat the pan for 2 minutes, add the tuna steaks and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side until seared on the outside and still raw inside.) 

For the dressing:
Whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lime zest, lime juice, wasabi powder, soy sauce, hot sauce, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Toss the avocado in the dressing and then add the tuna, red onion, scallion, and sesame seeds. Line the rolls with arugula leaves, fill with the tuna mixture, and serve. 


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Ina Fridays participants:

 Alyce @ More Time at the Table

Ansh @  Spice Roots  

Bhavna @ Just a Girl From AAmchi Mumbai..

Chaya @  Bizzy Bakes

Linda,  @ Tumbleweed Contessa

Mary @ The Egg Farm

Minnie @ The Lady 8 Home

Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits

Patti @ Comfy Cuisine

Peggy@ Pantry Revisited

Rocky Mountain Woman @ Rocky Mountain Woman

Shiloh @ Cheese with Noodles

Veronica@ My Catholic Kitchen