Divine Meals and Musings

Bacon Wrapped Apricot Shrimp

2011-12-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

I have often said that bacon makes everything better. Combine it with shrimp and how can't go wrong. But could it get even better? While going through the pantry I came across a jar of apricot jam and the idea to pair with bacon and shrimp popped into my head. It turned out to be a pretty deliciously inspiration and a great appetizer or entrée.

I used large shrimp U-15 so I needed one whole strip of bacon per shrimp if you use smaller shrimp half a piece will do.

Bacon Wrapped Apricot Shrimp

Shrimp - as many per person as you wish – raw, peeled, deveined, tail on

Bacon - enough to wrap each shrimp – see note above

Apricot jam - approximately 2 to 4 teaspoons per shrimp

Preheat oven to 400°

Par bake the bacon – about halfway through

Take each shrimp and spoon apricot jam along the spine, and then wrap bacon around shrimp

Lay the shrimp on seam of bacon, side down on a jelly roll sheet

Cook in the pre-heated oven for approximately 12 minutes

Serve warm or at room temperature

You can pre-assemble a day or two in advance and bake off when needed. Just wrap them well and keep refrigerated until needed.

Meet your food's "dirty dozen"

2011-11-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

When you’re trying to eat healthier, there are many things to consider including choosing organic foods. However, sometimes going organic is not particularly economical or convenient. If you have to decide when to choose organic, there is a list out there called the “dirty dozen” on organic.com. I found it very interesting and thought I would share it with you.

Organic foods are defined as those produced without modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, that do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

This list of the most and least contaminated foods can help you make healthy decisions when circumstance won’t enable you to go all organic.

12 most contaminated

- peaches

- apples

- sweet bell peppers

- celery

- nectarines

- strawberries

- cherries

- pears

- grapes (imported)

- spinach

- lettuce

- potatoes

12 least contaminated

- onions

- avocado

- sweet corn (frozen)

- pineapples

- mango

- asparagus

- sweet peas (frozen)

- kiwi fruit

- bananas

- cabbage

- broccoli

- papaya

White Bread Versus Whole Wheat Bread

2011-10-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

When I learned this information I made a pledge to cut white bread out and to use whole wheat flour in my cooking whenever possible. Read on and you will see why. Thanks to the fabulous staff at Trader Joe’s for sharing this with me.

What is the difference between white and whole wheat bread?

The biggest differences between white bread and whole wheat are the processing and nutritional value.

Flour is made from wheat berries. The wheat berry is made up of the bran, the germ and the endosperm. All parts are filled with nutrients and are used in whole wheat flour.

White bread on the other hand, uses only the endosperm – the starchy inner layer. There are a total of 30 nutrients missing in white bread. The nutritional difference is immense and has measurable impact on our health.

Not only is white flour drastically less nutritious than whole wheat flour, but it is also chemically bleached. The bleaching process was invented due to, not surprisingly, money. Factories figured out they could speed up the normal aging process of flour (months) into literally days to make it ready to sell.

Flour mills add chemicals in the bleaching process such as nitrogen oxide, chlorine, chloride, benzoyl peroxide, and even potassium bromate. Many European countries ban the bleaching process entirely. Except for an off-white tint, unbleached flour is identical to bleached flour in terms of cooking; many professional chefs will not use bleached flour due to the slight chemical taste in the final product many can detect.

What is the impact of switching from white bread to whole wheat?

The fiber content of whole wheat bread has several health benefits.

Fiber helps the digestive system. It also creates a “full” sensation and thus can help with weight control. Research has been conducted by Harvard and other organizations that shows men and women who eat high-fiber foods have fewer heart attacks and strokes than those who don’t.

There is also an increased risk of diabetes in children who eat refined white flour – a risk that has been proven by the increase in cases of childhood diabetes.

What to look for on the label?

Beware of words like “wheat flour” or “enriched wheat flour” as they can be mostly made from white flour with just a small amount of whole wheat added in.

Look for “whole wheat” or other whole grains, like oat. And don’t be misled by the name of the product. Names like wheat, whole bran, stoned wheat, 12 grain and others are still mostly white flour. The only way to know for sure is to read the label.

Embracing the Squash Blossom (without killing its flavor)

2011-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

A trip to the farmers market recently yielded a wonderful delight. Some of the most beautiful squash blossoms. Whenever I see a squash blossom I always think of a beautiful delicate flower, yet so many of the dishes for squash blossom call for them to be stuffed or deep-fried. With all the wonderful fresh vegetables out there right now, we (my sister and I) decided to embrace our local produce haul for the week and make a vegetable pasta dish with a little bit of bacon thrown in for my nephew, because everything is better with bacon. Below is the recipe we threw together, but feel free to follow your own bliss. Just remember, the squash blossom is a delicately flavored flower, so this one time hold back a little on the spice.

Summer Harvest Pasta with Squash Blossom

Two bunches of squash blossom – tear into 1–½ inch pieces – reserve one if you would like for a beautiful garnish

One medium size Japanese eggplant – medium dice (skin on)

Fresh tomatoes – medium diced

Zucchini – ¼ inch thin slices

Yellow squash – ¼ inch thin slices

Baby heirloom carrots – cut into ½ inch lengths

Roasted garlic – 4 cloves smashed

Apple wood smoked bacon (any will do, this is just one of my favorites) – 4 slices, reserve 1 tablespoon of grease – optional but it sure does make it taste good

6 cups cooked whole-wheat pasta – reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water

Cook the bacon in a large skillet till crisp, remove the bacon set aside

Drain the fat, all but one tablespoon – if you want to go more healthy or vegetarian you can leave out the bacon all-together or just the bacon grease

Sauté the carrots for 3 minutes on medium heat

Add the smashed garlic

Add the eggplant and sauté till it begins to soften

Add the tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash

Cook to desired doneness – like mine a little al dente – if you need a little more liquid to cook it use some of the pasta water – salt and pepper to taste

Toss with the pasta making sure it is heated through then add the squash blossoms, toss one final time

Bowl up and enjoy

May be garnished with a good shaved Parmesan and a squash blossom

Home delivery meals week of 10/3

2011-10-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

1) Organic whole grain vegetable pasta with spinach and a turkey, heirloom tomato bolognaise

2) Organic Whole-wheat pasta with a creamy mushroom and spinach topping

3) Sautéed shrimp with peas and broccoli on yellow polenta

4) Mixed bean salad with grilled chicken

5) Mushroom risotto with chicken, tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella

6) Oven baked wild red snapper with rosemary sea salt, brown rice and steamed broccoli

7) Heirloom tomato and cucumber salad with a low fat dill dressing

8) Mixed greens with tuna, cucumber and heirloom yellow tomato

9) Romaine, grilled chicken, peppercini peppers, roasted corn and guacamole

10)Romaine, French sheep’s feta, cucumber, heirloom tomato and langoustines

Ready to get on our delivery route? Call Chef Brooke at 560-8090.

Home meal delivery week of Sept 26

2011-09-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Mexican style shredded chicken, beans and tomatoes with brown rice
Beef with broccoli and brown rice
Onion and dill Atlantic salmon with broccoli and polenta
Garlic chicken with roasted red peppers, honey glazed carrots and quinoa
Chicken with feta topping, served with sautéed butternut squash and figs, green beans and carrots
Quinoa salad with chicken, heirloom tomatoes, green beans and carrots
Mixed green salad with chicken, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes
Mixed green salad, beans, olives and chicken with a side of salsa
Mixed green salad with heirloom tomatoes, salmon and feta
Local harvest vegetable sauteé with garlic, quinoa and chicken

Hurricane Irene wrecked a perfectly delicious dinner party

2011-09-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

I returned to North Carolina again before Labor Day–just in time to welcome in Irene. The premise of my visit was to prepare a tapas-style dinner party, but I only got as far as shopping for all the food before Irene knocked out our power (for multiple days) and the party was cancelled. Below is the menu we were going to do, fortunately we were lucky enough to have a generator so I was able to salvage some of the food for future use. I really like the chicken lollipops with a sweet chili dipping sauce.

Starters:

Eggplant Napoleon: lightly fried eggplant rounds topped with local grown tomatoes, garden basil and finished in the oven with fresh mozzarella melted on top

Individual chorizo pizzas with sliced tomatoes, roasted peppers, and shaved Manchego

Warm blue cheese filled dates wrapped in bacon

Main course:

Cucumber dill salad: fresh dill, light sour cream, lemon juice and sea salt

Chicken lollipops on sugar cane skewers with a sweet chili sauce

Seared duck breast with a lingonberry sauce

Sea scallops on a pea puree

Spicy shrimp on a cornbread soufflé

Miniature Beef Wellingtons

Chicken Lollipops – makes approximately 12

Season two pounds ground chicken - I used a heavy hand while seasoning you may back off a little if you wish

1 T onion powder

1 T cumin

1 T (heaping) curry powder

1 T chili powder

6 cloves roasted garlic (mashed)

1 t sea salt

2 eggs

¾ cup bread crumbs (I like panko)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Making the sugar cane skewers – (some places do carry the skewers) sugar cane can usually be found in the refrigerated produce section (Melissa’s is a popular brand). It comes whole, approximately 8 inches long.

Using a sharp knife peel the outer layer away. This will leave the light colored inner pulp. Using your knife cut approximately ¼ inch wide strip all the way down then slice up the length to make the sticks. I then cut the sticks in half to make appetizer size lollipops, you could leave them whole and make larger size skewers.

Take the seasoned chicken out of the refrigerator. Using your hand, mold the chicken around skewer. Place the molded skewers in a baking dish (place plastic wrap between layers). When all made, cover with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator. It's best when the skewers can sit overnight in the refrigerator thus allowing the flavors to marinate.

Cooking options:

-Grill on the BBQ on medium high

-Sear off in a pan on the stove with a little olive oil

-Bake in a 375º oven for 15 to 25 minutes on a jelly roll pan with a baking rack in it to keep the skewers elevated while they cook

Serve with a sweet chili sauce

Home delivery menu for the week of 9/12/11

2011-09-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Chicken breast with garlic spinach and carrots

• Vegetable stir-fry with shrimp a soy peanut sauce and brown rice
• Roasted vegetable lasagna with whole wheat pasta

• Rosemary salt seasoned steak, sautéed Swiss chard and sage seasoned baked sweet potato

• Whole-wheat pasta shells with a red sauce and chicken chipotle sausage

• Tilapia with white wine pluot topping, garlic sautéed green beans, mixed rice with lentils

• Tortellini cheese pasta salad with roasted chicken, fresh tomato, cucumber and a Parmesan cheese vinaigrette

Strawberry spinach salad

• Spinach salad with strawberries, hard boiled egg, cucumber and crumbled feta with a berry vinaigrette

• Whole wheat dusted chicken breast sautéed with garlic, accompanied with a garlic spinach and parsley tossed carrots

• Mixed greens with tarragon marinated mushrooms and chicken

• Acorn squash stuffed with an herbed blend of turkey, wild rice and green beans

• Mixed greens with vegetables and roasted chicken

• Mixed greens with vegetables and a warm goat cheese timbale

Simple, flavorful Bucatini all’Amatriciana

2011-09-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Pasta is such a wonderful, versatile food. With all the ways there are to prepare pasta, this has got to be a favorite of mine. The simplicity and minimal ingredients make it a breeze to make and it is always a hit with dinners. This dish is very Italian with some classic Italian ingredients. Here’s a little guide to the Italian terminology used.

Al dente – means “to the tooth”, used to describe pasta or other food that is cooked only until it offers a slight resistance when bitten into, but which is not soft or overdone

Bucatini; bucatoni – hollow, long strands, slightly thicker than spaghetti. bucatoni are the thicker of the two.

Pancetta – called “Italian bacon”, pancetta is cured with salt and spices, but not traditionally smoked. Flavorful, slightly salty it comes in a sausage like roll of pink meat and white fat from the hog’s belly portion.

Pecorino Romano – in Italy a cheese made from sheep’s milk is known as pecorino. Aged pecorinos range in color from off-white to pale yellow and have a sharp, pungent flavor. An excellent hard cheese, good for grating and used mainly in cooking.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

½ pound pancetta, coarsely chopped

1 medium red onion thinly sliced cut into ½ to ¾ inch strips

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

1 ½ teaspoons crushed red peppers

12 ounces tomato sauce (I like mine chunky plain tomato)

Kosher salt (to taste)

1 pound bucatini pasta

½ cup rough chopped flat-leaf parsley

Grated or shaved Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large skillet cook the pancetta over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Using a slotted spoon remove the pancetta, transferring to a plate.

Pour off all but 2 ½ tablespoons of the fat.

Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper to the skillet, cook over medium high heat stirring occasionally until the onion is lightly browned.

Add the tomato sauce, salt to taste simmer down until very thick approximately 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the bucatini to al dente, drain reserving ½ to 1 cup of the pasta water.

Add the pancetta to the thickened sauce, stir then add the pasta, parsley and ½ a cup of the reserved pasta water over medium high heat, stirring to evenly coat.

Top with the cheese.

Home meal delivery week of Sept 5: Summer's bounty!

2011-09-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Mixed greens with garbanzo beans and a medley of summer veggies

This week we made lots of fresh and interesting salads with ingredients from the summer harvest. A real mix with some Mexican, some Asian and some Italian flavors. Healthy, fresh, delicious and delivered!

Fish cakes with soy dipping sauce

This week’s home meal delivery menu:

Watermelon, radish, red onion & grapefruit salad with feta
Arugula, fresh mozzarella, tomato salad with a reduction of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cherries, blue cheese, cucumber on mixed greens
Jicima, carrots, citrus salad
Balsamic braised beef shank with whole-wheat pasta and cauliflower
Whole-wheat pasta with red sauce, turkey meatballs and fresh mozzarella
Chicken fajitas, Mexican seasoned brown rice, pico on the side and whole-wheat soft tortillas
Fish cakes with brown rice pasta and peas with a soy chili dipping sauce
Mixed greens, roasted garlic, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken and sunflower seeds
Asian chicken with brown rice and peanut sauce on the side
Poached salmon with a spicy pico topping and brown rice on the side
Roasted chicken, patty pans with sun dried tomatoes, served on lentils with toasted walnuts

Roasted chicken, patty pans and toasted walnut lentils

Call if you would like to get in on next week's delivery – can’t wait to see what the markets provide!

Great food delivered to your home, with the surprise factor!

2011-08-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Divine Plate delivers healthy meals weekly to some of our favorite clients. Frequently, clients will ask me what will be on next week’s menu and I can’t answer them! The menu develops as I shop. I purchase what’s fresh, looks good and buy local and organic whenever possible.

I have decided to start posting menus after they are delivered to give potential subscribers an idea of what they would get. Some subscribers get two meals a day for their whole family, some just a few meals for the week. Of course, allergies and dietary restrictions can be taken into account.

If you’d like to get signed up for next week’s delivery just give me, Chef Brooke, a call at 775-560-0890.

Lunch and Dinner Home Meal Deliveries Week of August 22

• Seared Ahi tuna with a blueberry ginger sauce, accompanied by brown rice, and sautéed broccoli and carrots with toasted sesame seed

• Pork loin with stone ground mustard and maple syrup glaze accompanied by garlic sautéed snap peas and green beans, and blue cheese roasted figs

• Steak with roasted blue cheese figs and rosemary smashed potatoes

• Quinoa shrimp salad with mixed greens

• Chicken fruit salad with chili pear dressing

• Ahi Tuna salad with a berry compote and dill lemon dressing

• Tuna casserole with snap peas, green beans and whole-wheat pasta

• Beef, broccoli, pepper, tomato whole grain pasta, side salad with raspberry balsamic vinaigrette

• Chicken, pork and veggie stir-fry

• Salad with quinoa, veggies and beans

Maple & Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Potatoes

2011-08-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don’t think anyone is going to ever accuse me of being a great blogger. When I get caught up in the excitement of creating and putting out the food, I forget to take blog pictures and generally don't realize it until end of the meal. However, I did manage to snag a picture of this simple yet very delicious pork from a wedding buffet I did recently.

Pork tenderloin – usually tenderloins come two to a pack. On average, one feeds three to four people.

I will give you amounts for one tenderloin and just increase for more. You really can’t mess this one up.

1/3 C stone ground mustard

1 C Grade B maple syrup – you may use Grade A maple syrup if you can’t get Grade B, but B has a darker richer flavor which works really well for this recipe

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t garlic powder

sea salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together mustard and syrup in a pot, then put on medium heat to reduce down a little.

Remove any silver skin from the tenderloin, season with: onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper.

Heat an oven safe skillet (if you don’t have an oven safe skillet, you may transfer tenderloin from skillet to oven safe pan) on the stove to medium high with a little bit of olive oil, sear the tenderloin till nice brown on all sides.

Once seared, pour half the glaze on the tenderloin and put in a 425º preheated oven, cook for 10 minutes, pour rest of glaze on and then cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Pour the sauce from the pan over the tenderloin before serving

Rosemary Potatoes

Redskin (cut in 1/4) or fingerling potatoes (cut in half)

Rosemary salt (see below)

Olive oil

This is great served with a rosemary, salt roasted potato. Use either redskins – quarter (try to cut to uniform sized pieces) or a fingerling style potato – halved (try to cut to uniform sized pieces).

You will need rosemary salt – you may purchase or make your own. To make your own, use a coarse ground sea salt, approximately ½ C, plu 1 Tbls dried rosemary. Put in a food processor and pulse till blended, best if you can make in advance and let the flavors blend.

Toss the cut potatoes with olive oil sprinkle with rosemary sea salt (you won’t use all of it unless you are making a lot of potatoes). Place in single layer on a sheet tray, put into a heated oven, at least 350º but may be put into a hotter oven, cook until golden brown and a little crisp.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Chocolate Bars

2011-08-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last year on my work-cation at the beach, the great debate was about what defines a “chocolate cake”? My “Southern” friends state a chocolate cake is a yellow-based cake with chocolate frosting. Well, this year our debate centered around peanut butter. I’ll start by saying I am an “all natural”, “crunchy” fan. Second choice is all natural creamy. I was able to get one vote for my preference, but I have a feeling the voter just wanted to stay on the good side of the chef. The rest of the group was divided almost 50/50 for Jiff creamy and Peter Pan crunchy.

In honor of those who don’t agree with me, I am offering a recipe that calls for a creamy peanut butter and, dare I say, it works better with the “non natural” brands. If you want to use all natural, drain off any extra oil that has separated out. These bars are very addictive, so make extra and freeze them, just cut before you freeze.

Bars

6 cups Rice Crispies (or off brand)

10 oz bag marshmallows

3 Tbls butter

Using microwave melt butter in glass bowl, add marshmallows and melt, stir in Rice Crispies. Spread mixture into a well greased 9 ½ x 11 dish. Let cool, may refrigerate if necessary.

Peanut butter topping

1 ½ pounds powdered sugar

1 pound peanut butter (less oily, the better)

½ pound butter (room temperature)

Place all ingredients into a bowl and combine by hand. I usually glove up and mix with my hands, otherwise the powder sugar tends to go flying. Once thoroughly mixed spread the peanut butter topping on the cooled Rice Crispies.

Chocolate topping/base

24 ounce chocolate chips melted

one square inch paraffin wax (this wax is edible) melted

You can cut and dip the bottom of the bar in chocolate, or just spread chocolate on top then cut. You can also use whatever chocolate you prefer from semi sweet to dark.

Combine ingredients, then dip (place on wax paper to cool) or spread.

Second method: temper your chocolate and proceed with desired method

Asian Lettuce Wraps - Light summer fare

2011-07-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Looking for a refreshing summer dish? You can make this dish with or without cooking by purchasing a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store. If you purchase, there will be leftovers for another meal, or you can roast your own chicken. For my Asian/Oriental dishes I have found most grocery stores carry all that I need. That said, shopping at the Asian markets offers a wider selection and I can usually make the dish for half the price. Our local market has expanded their selection to include a wider selection of brown rice style noodles and organic fare.
Asian Lettuce Wraps

Makes enough for approximately 4

3 ounces bean thread (cellophane) noodles (I like to use the brown rice ones when available)

¼ cup fine chopped cilantro

1/8 to ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 heaping Tablespoon chile paste with garlic

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 cups chopped roasted skinless chicken

Romaine or Boston lettuce leaves, approx 12

Cover bean thread noodles with extra hot water. Let stand for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain and rinse under cool water. Once drained thoroughly chop noodles, ½ inch or smaller.

Combine in a separate bowl cilantro, 1/8 cup soy sauce, chile paste, sesame oil and fish sauce. Add chopped noodles and chicken to soy sauce mixture, toss well to coat, may add additional soy sauce if needed. Spoon mixture on to lettuce leaves.

This dish may be made in advance and kept refrigerated for a few days.

Working, playing and eating well in North Carolina.

2011-07-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful time in Indiana, cooking for a bride and groom who have to have the best attitude I have ever encountered – even with an epic thunderstorm that took down the wedding tent they were able to smile – I made my annual summer trek to North Carolina.

This year’s work-cation, cooking for a former employer while he and his family vacation at a Duck beach house, is extended a little this year and I will be away from home over a month. Hopefully I will get some blogging done and some recipe’s posted for everyone.

Each year when I come to North Carolina I am told to cook-whatever sounds good and I have a blast re-inspiring my culinary creativity. I also have the opportunity to go out and have a fabulous meal or two prepared for me. This year’s ‘dinner out’ blew my socks off, well it would have had I been wearing socks instead of cute sandals–we are at the beach.

The whole vacationing gang (20 of us) went to The Leftbank, a four-diamond rated restaurant in Sanderling, North Carolina just north of Duck. In a word–WOW. I’ll do my best to describe what I had and will try to post the menu so you can see what was available. I need to mention the sweetbreads that I did not order, but someone at the table did and allowed me to have a taste. When done right, these are amazing and the glaze on them with the garlic scape soubise was incredible.

1st course

I started my meal out with Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras Two Ways. The two preparations; a pâté with a salted caramel corn dust and passion fruit vinegar then seared on a Georgia peach compote. Both were served with brown butter madelines, incredible flavors and melt in your mouth textures.

2nd course

Being a chef, I suppose I should be an adventuresome eater and I do try, but I have a wee bit of a hang-up if my food looks back at me or actually resembles the animal itself. So I was very excited the Ashley Farms North Carolina Rabbit had been deconstructed. When the plate came out I wasn’t sure where to start it all looked amazing – there was a small loin with coffee “crumbs”, a lumpia wrapped ragout little ribs with a rabbit jus all accompanied with sunchoke, pickled cherries, baby heirloom carrots and watercress gelée “buttons”. Each bite was a unique treat for the taste buds.

3^rd course

We were down to the wire now, as some of our party were going to try to make The Green Lantern showing so we scrambled and ordered quickly and now my brain kicks in and I remembered to get some photos. I ordered the “Potted” Berries served rather whimsically in a little terra cotta pot. This desert might have been “cute”, but it certainly delivered layers of serious flavor. The base was an almond cake that didn’t mess around and was willing to let you taste the almond flavor, topped with a light vanilla mousse–real vanilla beans were used to make this beauty–sprinkled with “chocolate earth”. These were no crumbled Oreo’s, but light, crunchy cookies of yummy dark chocolate. All this topped with fresh berries and a quenelle of homemade berries sorbet and you have your own little pot of heaven – must be eaten by inserting spoon all the way to the bottom lifting up and getting a bit of each layer.

A few at our table had the Dark Chocolate Cremeux – a caramelized white chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream, toasted hazelnuts. This dessert melted in your mouth then danced across the taste buds as the dark chocolate quenelle preceded the ice cream and white chocolate ganache.

Hats off to Chef de Cuisine Travis Lee Robinson and his team at The Leftbank and no need to worry those in our party going to The Green Lantern made it no problem, though they didn’t order any popcorn!

From the Health Meals series - Pad Thai

2011-07-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

A few of my Healthy Meals clients have requested some of my recipes. So we will be posting some of them occasionally. These meals are all based on whole grains, low fats, nothing artificial, and whenever possible I use organic and locally sourced food.

Some of these recipes will have two ingredient options, one is from the detox meals (the italics and bolded ingredient) we did which was a very restricted diet the other is still healthy just not quite as restricted.

Pad Thai

The easiest way to do this recipe is to cook everything separately then toss all together. You don’t have to use separate pans, using the same pan – cook then set each item aside until ready to combine.

This recipe can easily be adjusted, if you like more shrimp or chicken go for it!

You may use a wok or a large sauté pan.

1 lb Pad Thai rice noodles

8 shrimp

1 chicken breast

3 eggs

2T+ chili oil

1/4C+ sesame oil

4 T fish sauce

1/3 c low sodium soy sauce or plum coconut vinegar

salt & white pepper

olive oil

¼ c peanuts or cashews

scallions

bean sprouts

lime

Soak Pad Thai noodles – found at an Asian market for cheap or in a supermarket, usually in with the Asian foods – drain when pliable

Peel and devein shrimp, sauté in light olive oil with a dash of chili oil (set aside).

Cut chicken breast into 1-inch strips, sauté in light olive oil with a dash of chili oil (set aside).

Whisk eggs with a dash of chili oil, pinch of salt and white pepper. Grease pan with a little olive oil over medium heat, pour eggs in and allow to cook like a pancake. Remove when cooked and slice into strips.

Chop nuts.

Now time to assemble:

With pan on medium heat add low sodium soy sauce or plum coconut vinegar-(available at Whole Foods), ¼ C sesame oil, fish sauce 2 Tbls chili oil, whisk then add the noodles – cook for 5 minutes tossing to coat noodles, then add rest of ingredients toss to mix cook for approximately 5 minutes till everything is warm. Garnish with sliced scallions, bean sprouts and lime wedges.

Italian ricotta cake with stawberry sauce

2010-11-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

This ricotta cake recipe comes from Chef Paolo Labao whose cooking class I attended in September at Arte Italia in Reno. He calles it a cake, but I consider it more of a tarte. It is simple, delicately sweet and goes well at an end of a heavy meal. If you want to sample the Chef's fare for yourself, you can visit his
restaurant Farina in San Francisco.

Ricotta cake

300gr/10.5 oz OO flour

200gr/7 oz butter

1 egg

100gr/3.5 oz sugar

pinch baking powder

lemon zest from one lemon

Using two fingers, mix above ingredients together (do not over mix)

Line a spring form pan with parchment paper

Push dough into pan to form crust

320gr/11.2 oz sheep’s ricotta

120gr/4.2 oz sugar

lemon zest from one lemon

½ tsp vanilla

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

Mix together until thoroughly blended

Pour into crust

Bake at 360º for ½ an hour

2 C sliced strawberries

1 Tbls powdered sugar

½ Tbls lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender

Blend on slow then high till smooth

Strain through fine sieve strainer

To plate:

Put a couple of Tbls of sauce on plate, place a slice of cake on plate, sprinkle powdered sugar over top

Genovese-style swordfish with truffle

2010-11-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

Saltimbocca di Pesce Spada con Speck, Salvia al Tartufo Nero

(Swordfish wrapped with sage, truffle & speck)

Once again must thank Chef Paolo Laboa and Arte Italia for these wonderful recipes. Often called the steak of the sea, swordfish is a versatile tasty treat and when you prepare it in this classic Italian style you can’t go wrong. Of course you will need a great dessert, so stay tuned for a post on a delicious and light ricotta cake.

Carrots

Celery

Onion

(above all large diced approx 1 ½ C of each)

1 bay leaf

1 medium sprig sage

1 Tbls chopped garlic

2 Tbls olive oil

5-6 oz piece of veal or veal bones

2 Tbls flour

1 C white wine

In an oven safe sauce pot add carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, sage, garlic and olive oil.

Caramelize then add a piece of veal and cook for approx 10 min on medium high heat.

Stir in flour then deglaze with white wine.

Transfer to 375º oven, cook till dark in color.

Remove from oven, add water to cover then reduce down on stove top till thick and dark in color, strain set aside.

Veal piece may be reserved and used in another dish; ravioli, pasta, soups

Truffles like these can cost hundreds of dollars an ounce,
but cans of shaved truffle can be found at much lower prices.

4 to 6 oz swordfish filets

Black truffle, shaved

Sage leaves

Salt

Thin sliced speck (similar to prosciutto but smoked and herbed)

olive oil

butter

white wine

layer on fish: truffle, sage, a little salt, wrap with speck flap on bottom

Fish pieces with truffle and sage before being wrapped in speck

Heat a large sauté pan with 2 Tbls oil, 1 Tbls butter and 3 sage leaves till butter begins to brown.

Add fish with flap side down.

Once pan is warm again, deglaze with white wine.

Cook fish to medium–it cooks fast.

Boil fingerling potatoes (quantity dependent upon amount wanted) in salted water till soft or able to pierce with a fork.

Drain, add finely chopped sage, salt (to taste), olive oil (approx ½ Tbls per 1 C potatoes) and mash lightly (do not over mash).

To plate:

scoop of potatoes on plate, lay fish on top grate truffle on top of fish, drizzle veal sauce around fish

Preparing Genovese-style Italian food

2010-10-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Chef Paolo Laboa and Ivano Centemeri

Once again I had the opportunity to attend a cooking demonstration at Arte Italia. Returning chef Paolo Laboa, ably aided by Reno's Ivano Centemeri, cooked and served four fabulous courses and this week I’ll share the Antipasti and Primo Piatto courses.

The mission of Arte Italia is to bring Italian art, food and culture to Reno and I feel they are succeeding. I also love the fact that all the proceeds from the classes are donated to St. Vincent’s right here in Reno.

My mother and sister attended the class with me and we enjoyed a fun night out. Chef Laboa has a restaurant in San Francisco called Farina that we hope to visit soon. If it is half as good as the dishes he prepared for us, we can’t go wrong.

Antipasti

Brandata di baccala con panissa alla savonese

Dry cod served in Savonese style fried chick pea polenta

300gr/10.5oz dry salt Cod

50gr/1.75oz white onion

1 Tbls Pinenuts

1 potato

1 bay leaf

approx. 1 C white wine

olive oil

Put a pot on the stove with water and bring to a simmer.

Rinse the salt cod in water.

Add the rinsed cod to the simmering water till softened.

In sauté pan on med high heat drizzle olive oil, add pine nuts, bay leaves, thinly sliced potato, white onion.

Once hot, deglaze with white wine, add the salt cod to the sauce pan cook low and slow 20 to 25 minutes (potato cooked till almost melted) covered.

Remove bay leaf, mix all in Quisinart until consistency of mashed potatoes, may need to add water if to dry to puree.

250gr/8.75oz chickpea flour

1 ltr water

pinch of salt

oil for frying

Bring water and salt to a boil, whisk in chickpea flour, cook 20/25 minutes medium high heat cooked to a consistency of polenta.

Swirl a little water around a bowl add cooked chickpea mixture, cover with plastic wrap place in refrigerator to cool.

Once cool, cut into “steakcut size French fries” approx. 2 ½” long ¼” thick.

Deep fry in oil, till crisp on outside and still soft inside.

Salt

To plate:

Form the Cod mixture into quenelles (football shaped) using two spoons.

Put 2 to 3 chickpea fries on a plate, place quenelle on top drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper garnish with a parsley leaf.

Primo Piatto

Testaroli della lunigina con fungi porcini

Genovese style crepe served with sautéed porcini mushrooms

Semolina flour 35%

OO flour 65%

Water (enough to make a crepe batter/thin pancake batter)

2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

mix thoroughly in blender

Use 8” to 10” non-stick, oven safe pan.

Heat pan on stove top till very hot.

Pour batter into middle of pan, swirl around to create a thin crepe. It will be holey.

Once it begins to brown, finish in oven.

Crepes may be made in advance, just cover and refrigerate. To reheat, cut crepes into rustic shapes, 6 to 8 pieces per crepe, warm again by dipping in boiling salted water for a few seconds, do not try to re-warm with a dry heat.

fresh porcinis (if not available chantrelles work well also) thinly sliced approx. 4C

porcini powder 1 to 2 Tbls

whole garlic cloves 2 to 3

salt pinch

extra virgin olive oil

white wine approx.1 C

pepper

parsley approx. 4 Tbls

butter

parmesan cheese

In a sauté pan warm olive oil and garlic cloves.

Add mushrooms.

After mushrooms cook about halfway, add white wine, finely chopped parsley and porcini powder.

Remove garlic.

Warm sauté pan with olive oil and a bit of butter.

Drop rustic cut crepes to warm, sprinkle with parmesan cheese

To plate:

Place a couple pieces of crepe in bowl, add mushroom mixture on top.

Next week: Secondo Piatto and Dessert

Cannoli with pistachio mascarpone

2010-10-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

These Pistachio cannoli are fabulous! Very impressive looking and not hard to make. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the filling, just substitute the pistachio paste for another flavor. I love a walnut filling with ends dipped in chocolate shavings or vanilla hazelnut.

As you get invited to holiday parties, keep these in mind. You can make the shells in advance, cool, wrap really well and freeze. To thaw, unwrap and lay out on paper towel (prevents condensation and helps to keep crisp), once thawed seal in airtight container till ready to be used. Your treat will be the hit of the party!

Cannoli croccanti con mascarpone e pistachio

Cannoli with pistachio mascarpone

For the cannoli shells:

Forms - copper piping works well 1 inch diameter approximately 5 inches long

Flour double oo (fine) 600 grams / 1.32 #

Sugar 100 grams / 3.52 oz

Butter 100 grams / 3.52 oz @ room temperature

White wine 15 ml / 1 Tbls

Marsala sweet wine 15 ml / 1 Tbls

Lemon rind of two lemons microplained

Mix ingredients together; soft cookie dough consistency. Do not over mix. Cover and put in refrigerator for at least one hour to allow dough to “relax”.

For the filling:

Marscapone 1 kilo / 2.2 #

Confectioners sugar 100 gr / 3.52 oz

Pistachio paste 200 gr / 7.05 oz (available in specialty stores, ice cream ingredient or make your own by pureeing till paste)

Whipping cream 200 gr / 7.05 oz

Gelatin leaves 4 - soak in water

Mix;

Marscapone, sugar, pistachio paste and whipping cream (reserve approximately ¼ cup). Once all ingredients are well mixed together take gelatin leaves out of water, squeeze excess water out, warm reserved cream in sauce pot add gelatin leaves till dissolved, then mix into filling.

You can add nuts, dried fruit etc.. to mix if you desire.

To make the cannoli shells using a pasta machine, work the dough through the machine till it is on number one. Lay out on a lightly floured surface cut out rectangles that leave approximately ½ an inch on each end of form and just overlap by approximately a ¼ inch seal with an egg wash.

Cook in an oil with a high smoke point - peanut or lard (the best). Cook till golden brown. Remove from oil place on paper towel lined sheet tray and slide off of forms.

To assemble:

Fill a wide tipped pastry bag with filling. Pipe into cannoli shell from each end.

Set on sheet tray, dust with confectioners sugar

To plate: place red raspberries on plate 3, put a cannoli in center of plate

Multi-Layer Chocolate Cake

2010-10-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Do you have some extra time on your hands? If you spend it making this cake you will not be sorry. Now the question, how many layers can you make? 12, 14, 16? To make the process a bit easier, gather at least 6 9-inch cake pans.

This is a sweet dessert so one cake serves 15 to 20. Good luck and have fun!

Chocolate layer cake

1 ¾ C butter (3 ½ sticks), 1 C @ room temperature

5 oz (5 squares) unsweetened chocolate melted

7 C sugar

2 ¼ C (18 oz) evaporated milk

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbls instant French roast coffee granules

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 C plus 1 Tbls milk

4 C self-rising flour

Non-stick baking spray

Make the cake glaze first. In a large saucepan, melt ¾ C of the butter and mix it with the melted chocolate and 4 ½ C of the sugar.
Stir in the evaporated milk, 2 tsp of the vanilla, and the instant coffee.
Cook the glaze over medium-high heat until it boils.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove the glaze from the heat.
When cooled a bit, return to low heat as needed, as the glaze must be warm to spread on the cake layers.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray using non-stick baking spray or grease and flour at least four 9-inch cake pans.
Cream the remaining 1 C butter and remaining 2 ½ C sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition just until blended.
Mix the remaining 1 tsp vanilla with the milk (2 C plus 1Tbls) and add alternately with the flour, beginning and ending with flour.

Put a very thin layer of batter -about 7 Tbls- in each pan, shaking the pans to distribute the batter to the edges.
Bake the layers for 11 to 13 minutes.
Remove the layers from the pans and frost (a combination of drizzle and lightly spreading works) immediately with the warm icing. Continue baking layers with remaining batter at least twelve!

Hopefully this will become a family favorite.

Savoring Late Summer's Tomato Bounty

2010-09-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well they are finally here. After wind storms, drought, extreme heat, and even a little plague, the extremely desirable ripe-off-the-vine garden tomato is ready for the picking.
So how does one enjoy these beauties? Well, if you don’t eat them right of the plant standing in your garden, there is a multitude of ways to enjoy this summer harvest. Here are a few of my favorite summer tomato recipes:

Caprese Salad
(Figure 3 to 4 slices of tomato per person)
Fresh tomato
Fresh basil
*Balsamic vinegar
Fresh mozzarella (buffalo is best)
Sea salt

Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella about ¼ inch thick.
Layer tomato slices, mozzarella then basil drizzle balsamic over them.
I like to serve the salt on the side
*You can buy a really expensive balsamic or reduce down a decent one to make it thicker and concentrate the flavors. Simply put 4 cups in a sauce pot on medium high heat. Cook until it is reduced down to 1 to 2 cups depending upon how thick you like it. If you like a sweeter balsamic add a little sugar or better yet some honey as it reduces.

Tomato Tarte
Puff pastry (one 17.3 oz package thawed or feel free to make if you have the time)
Fresh tomato
Parmesan cheese
Egg (beaten)
Fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º.
Lay out one sheet of pastry, brush with egg wash.
Cut other pastry into thirds, attach one section to end of pastry sheet, brush with egg wash.
Cut remaining 2 sections length wise into 1-inch strips, lay them along edges of long pastry sheet creating a crust, brush with egg wash and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in oven till golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
(This step may be done 2 to 3 days in advanced then wrapped tightly and stored till needed.)
Reduce heat to 325º

Take sliced tomatoes and lay them on the cooked tarte, then layer sliced fresh mozzarella drizzle olive oil put in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes till mozzarella is melted before slicing tear basil and drop all over the tarte, serve warm or at room temperature.

Another twist on fish - Shredded Sweet Potato Crust

2010-06-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Fry it, broil it, encrust it, sauce it up - the possibilities for fish are endless.
A couple basic rules for any fish dish:

1) When buying fresh fish, DO NOT be afraid to ask to smell the fish, if it smells “fishy” it is. Look for clear eyes (when available) not slimy, mushy, dried up. Now a days many fish are being frozen with great results. Please try to be aware of “over fished” and "at risk" fish when making your purchase. There is generally a good substitute available with less moral baggage.

2) Breading station requires 3 pans: pan 1) flour (wheat, white, rice) pan 2) liquid (egg mixture, milk, juice) pan 3) topping (bread crumbs, nuts, fruit)

3) Play with your food and don’t be afraid to change up the way things are cooked, I will often give a healthy method of cooking (variation on the original) for the recipe.

This full flavored topping is good on many types of fish. Because of the strong flavors of the topping, a stronger, oilier fish can even be used.

Sweet Potato Encrusted White Fish

Fish

Any white fish - cod or orange roughy (4 oz to 6 oz filets)

Topping

½ cup peeled and shredded sweet potato per piece of fish

per ½ cup sweet potato:

pinch cumin

pinch tumeric

lemon curd jam (if you can not find raspberry, blackberry, orange jams/marmalades may be substituted)

1/3 egg whisked (approx, binding agent)

Mix; potato, cumin, tumeric, jam and egg together, form into balls which will then be flattened on top of fish

Heat a nonstick sauté pan on high heat with a little bit of olive oil in it

Salt and pepper your fish filets

Press the balls down on to each filet

Carefully lay the filet in the pan topping side down and reduce heat to medium.

The topping should get a nice crisp crunch to it and cook through approximately 5 minutes.

Using a spatula carefully slide it under the fish and topping flipping the fish over to finish cooking. For extra thick pieces of fish you may want to finish in a hot oven (approx. 450°)

If have been known to substitute fresh fruit (lemon, orange, lime) segments with a pinch of flour instead of the jam to cut down on the sugar.

In this photo we've served the fish with sauteéd beet greens. I also love it with steamed cauliflower tossed with some finely chopped mint.

Coconut encrusted fish

2010-05-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe could actually be entitled, coconut encrusted fish, chicken or shrimp. No matter how I make it, my 6-year old nephew goobles it up.

For the topping I will use ratios since the amounts will vary depending upon the protein you use.

Set up a breading station:

Pan 1 - flour

Pan 2 - egg, cayenne pepper (optional)

Pan 3 - 1 part toasted coconut (unsweetened if available)

1 part panko bread crumbs

1 part toasted pecans (optional)

mix together well

Preheat oven to 425°.

Put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet.

Bread your protein, dust with the flour, dip in the egg then coat with the topping (pan 3).

Spray with a “Pam” style cooking spray (I like the canola brand or olive oil brand from Trader Joes).

Place protein on the cooling rack, or you can get cooking misters in which you put your own olive oil. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove, turn protein over, spray the second side, return to oven and cook till finished.

Sauce

2 Tbls orange marmalade

1 Tbls stone ground mustard

½ Tbls horseradish

orange juice to thin

Combine first three ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk until mixed together. Remove from heat, thin with orange juice, if desired. As it cools it may thicken more and you may want to add orange juice then.

Serve and enjoy.

Dad's Bacon Stuffed Fish

2010-04-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

My Dad is a bacon lover. So when he asked for a fish recipe, this one came to mind as having natural appeal.

This is best prepared with a firm thick* white fish like halibut, sea bass or cod as we will be making a pocket inside the fish. (*If you can not find a piece of fish thick enough to make a pocket, you can use to thin filets and put the stuffing in between.)

Per each piece of fish

1 heaping Tbls of cooked and finely chopped bacon plus ½ Tbls–reserve some of the fat from cooking (yes Dad you can add more)

1 Tbls finely chopped chives–I really like garlic chives

½ clove garlic finely chopped and lightly sautéed (till just golden)

1½ Tbls pecorino cheese

Mix together;

1 heaping Tbls bacon

1 Tbls chives

½ clove garlic

1 ½ Tbls pecorino shredded

Using a sharp knife make a pocket in the side of the fish filet and stuff the mixture inside pinch the edge back together lightly salt and pepper outside

Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat with a little of the reserved bacon grease. Carefully lay fish filets in pan, cook till golden brown, flip over, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook till done. Remove fish from pan set aside, increase heat to medium high, and deglaze pan with a dry white wine, reduce down add remaining bacon then pour over fish.

Healthy version; substitute turkey bacon, cook in light olive oil

Rich toasted nuts add pizzaz to mild fish

2010-04-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

When spring starts getting busy, we don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. But we still want to eat delicious things. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity.

Just about any kind of fish will do. I do like one that is a little less oily for this recipe like cod or snapper. A variety of nuts can be used, but I really like the flavor of toasted pecans.

For each piece of fish (4 to 6 oz)
2 Tbls of chopped toasted pecans
½ Tbls mayonnaise (binding agent – egg can be used or you may grind ½ pecans in to paste and mix)
½ Tbls butter
pinch S & P

Warm a sauté pan (with lid) on medium high heat add a little olive oil.

Lay fish in pan “nice” side down, cook till golden brown, turn over and lay topping on fish.

Cover and finish cooking fish, remove fish from pan, turn heat up drop in butter and swirl around pan, cook until it begins to foam, just turning brown.

Pour over fish, if you wish you could use a white wine instead of the butter for a “less” fat version. This dish can be a little rich so I like to serve it with steamed vegetables and a nice Jasmin rice.

A modern twist on an Italian classic–Stuffed Gnocchi

2010-02-11T20:37:00.001-08:00

The cold weather seems to be holding and this dish from my Arte Italia demo is perfect. It may become your family’s new comfort food. We had a variation of these on Super Bowl Sunday, paired with a tomato sauce instead of the eggplant puree. I love the eggplant puree as a dip for veggies and bread it holds up well (5 days) in the refrigerator, but I do like to serve it a little warm or at room temperature.

Thinking out loud here but I may have to try a sweet version of these, with perhaps a nut, chocolate and mascarpone stuffing served with a berry sauce!

Gnocchi di patate ripieni di caponatina fondente

“Stuffed Gnocchi” makes approximately 75 stuffed gnocchi

For the gnocchi dough you will need;

1 ½ kilo’s / 3.33 cooked potatoes*

600gr / 1.32 # flour

120gr / 4.23 oz parmesan

3 eggs (or 2 eggs for each kilo of potato)

nutmeg

*Yukon gold potatoes, or simular type, older the better, cook in boiling water with skins on, cook till cooked all the way through, remove from water, as soon as you can handle, peel and then “puree” put through a ricer best to do while a little warm

To mix dough;

Spread potaoes out on lightly floured surface

Layer flour, parmesan and eggs on top

Mix together till just combined (do this by hand, mixers work the starch too much best to do while still a little warm)

Divide dough into softball size balls

Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface approximately ½ cm / ¼ inch thick

Cut into round shapes approx 5 cm / 2 inch width

Eggplant and ginger sauce

Roast eggplant (approx 6) smaller size (prevents them from getting to dark while roasting and less seeds) lightly coat with olive oil, roast in 200° oven till cooked all the way through and “meat” is done. Remove from oven, slice in half using a spoon scoop out the inside “meat” and put into a blender.

Skin ginger, using a micro planner grate ginger into chinois (fine sieve) hold ginger over blender and pour approximately ¼ cup water through lightly press down to squeeze essence of ginger into blender

Add a couple pinches of salt

Turn on blender

Slowly drizzle olive oil into eggplant and ginger to emulsify approximately ½ cup

Set aside in a sauce pot (will warm up before plating)

Caponatina / Stuffing (time to practice your knife skills)

Make while potatoes are cooking

All cut brunoise 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 inch (approximate amounts)

1 cup shallots

1 ½ cups zucchini - just the peel

1 cup celery – remove “ribs”

1 ½ cups red pepper – peeled, then lay flat and remove inner rib

1 ½ cups eggplant – use just the skin and one layer in if still firm and no seeds

½ cup dried tomatoes

1/3 cup finely chopped pinenuts

1 ½ cup ricotta

¾ cup parmesan cheese

to cook caponatina / stuffing

heat a large sauté pan with oil and garlic flavored oil (hot)

(add in order)

1. shallots and 2 to 3 Tbls sugar stir cook till it starts to thicken a little

2. redwine or sherry vinegar 3 to 4 Tbls cook till reduced

3. add celery stir cook about one minute

4. add red pepper stir

5. add eggplant stir

6. add pine nuts stir

7. add zucchini stir

8. add dried tomatoes stir

Remove from heat put into bowl, add ricotta and parmesan cheese mix together put into refrigerator to cool down

Whisk a couple of eggs together

Take potato circle and using your finger put a little egg wash on half the circles edge, put approximately 1 mounded tsp of filling on each round. Fold over pushing filling in and seal edge. Set down on floured surface seam down tuck edges in at ends.

To cook gnocchi;

Drop into salted boiling water till they float then transfer to a warm sauté pan with butter and vegetable stock cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes sprinkle chopped parsley on top and drizzle garlic oil and a spicy oil on top

To Plate:

Tear drop tomatoes halved and lightly sauted with olive oil salt and pepper

Eggplant ginger sauce

Gnocchi

Put a smear of eggplant sauce on plate, sprinkle tomatoes around sauce, plate 2 gnocchi per plate for an appetizer, 5 to 6 for a main course.

Arte Italia Part II - Pesce cotto al sale con pappa al pomodoro

2010-01-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well I flipped a coin and decided this week's recipe from the Arte Italia cooking class with Chef Apreda will be the Sea Bass in Pomodoro Sauce. The cooking method for the fish is unique; stove top, salt and herbs, skindown–creates a moist wonderfully flavorful fish. The sauce was great with the fish, but could go with chicken, veal or even pasta. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did and feel free to use other types of fish too.

(Sorry for the poor picture quality. It was a fast paced class and I grabbed them in between prep duties with my cell phone!)

Pesce cotto al sale con pappa al pomodoro
(Herb and sea salt cooked sea bass with tomato sauce)

Tomato sauce
Approximately 4 quarts tomato puree
Leeks fine chop approximately 3 cups
Dried bread / bread crusts approximately 3 cups
salt
Garlic oil
Olive oil
Fresh basil

In a large sauce pot heat olive oil and garlic oil (approximately ¼ cup of each) add leeks and sauté till translucent, add tomato puree and a generous amount of salt, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for approximately 2 ½ hours. Remove from heat and stir in dried bread, let sit for approximately 10 minutes. Using a wand blend bread into sauce, then hand stir in chiffonade of fresh basil approximately ¼ cup.

Sea Bass filets skin on
Coarse sea salt
Fresh: rosemary sprigs, sage, thyme, bay leaves, garlic slices
Large sauté pan

Mix the salt and herbs together in the pan generously covering the bottom about 1 ½ inches deep, heat on the stove till hot (do not let the salt brown) lay the sea bass filets on top of salt skin side down, cook for approximately ½ an hour to ¾ of an hour. Fish will still be moist but cooked through.

To plate:
Scoop a generous portion of tomato sauce into center of plate remove sea bass filet from pan gently scrape off salt, using your finger. Place skin side up on sauce.

Slow Food makes for fast friends

2010-01-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

The holiday gifts just keep giving. The latest in the form of lovingly prepared and savored food. My sister Paige and I have been talking about Slow Food for quite a while now, but we were a little slow to actually join. Conveniently, and under our direct guidance, our mother got us memberships this past holiday season.

Slow Food is an international movement with 100,000 members in 132 counties including one in our fair city of Reno. According to their website, Slow Food was founded in 1989 to “counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” The mission of Slow Food Reno is to create a culture where the Great Basin Community promotes and advocates wholesome, clean and flavorful food.

We went to our first Slow Food Reno event on January 18–a potluck held at Buckbean Brewery. I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. Who would be there? Would I fit in? I had some preconceived ideas–everyone would be vegan and living in a yurt. Or at the very least vegetarian with a well-cultivated acre behind their house and, if you know me or have been following my blog, you know that I like (probably wouldn’t hurt to say love) meat and dairy. One look at the group that had gathered and the dishes they brought and I rejoiced. It was a wonderful eclectic gathering of people.

One of the topics I knew was going to be discussed was raising backyard chickens. So with that in mind I got some eggs from my friend Mike who raise chickens with her husband. They have a variety of breeds that produce beautiful eggs in various hues of green, blue, brown and speckled.

Their beauty created a dilemma for me. I wanted to use both the eggs and the shells somehow. I knew it was possible to use an eggshell as a “container”. I have in the past cut the tops tipped the egg out boiled the shell to clean and then used it for cold salads even a shot glass once. But I wanted to experiment and see if I could cook in the shells. I took my favorite crème brulée recipe, filled the shells, used a cardboard egg carton in a pan with a water bath, baked and then once cooled, caramelized the tops. All went as planned, although I did learn to make a nest out of aluminum foil to hold the egg when caramelizing the sugar with a torch as the cardboard is quite flammable!

The eggshell may burn a little, but it just adds some color dimension if you want to make them really fancy dust the edges with edible gold or silver powder (can be found at bakery supply stores). The second “eggsperiment” I did was a black truffle egg custard, this was almost the last of the truffles I brought back from a spring trip to France– so sad to see them gone, but so divine in the going. The eggs seemed to be a big hit with the people at my table. The best feed back I go was that is was so RICH, it is best to only fill your eggshells a little over half full. Keep this in mind if you follow the recipes below.

Before I sign off I wanted to let you know Dan and Doug out at Buckbean Brewery have a great set up with some really awesome beers, many of which are available around town at various grocery stores and restaurants. It is worth the trip to go out to the brewery and see how your beer is made and who is making it. Buckbean is also very active in our community. If you are a food lover, come to the next Slow Food Reno potluck, you don’t have to be a member to come to the potlucks, but I am pretty sure you’ll want to join afterwards.

Black Truffle Egg Custard

Preheat oven to 275°

12 servings

12 empty eggshells – you can use an egg topper to cut off the tops over a sharp serrated knife (if using a knife I recommend setting the egg on its side on a wet towel)

Save contents of three of the eggs for recipe (other nine refrigerate for another use)

1 C milk

1 C heavy cream

1 ½ to 2 ¼ TBLS truffle oil

salt and pepper

Garnish: fresh chives, shaved black truffle

1. Heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan till it boils immediately remove from heat and pour into a blender (or food processor) and turn on. Drizzle truffle oil in then add the three eggs a pinch of salt and pepper blend until well combined.

2. Strain the mixture through a chinois (a very fine mesh strainer) into a pitcher. Let sit and skim off foam that rises to the top (about 5 to 10 minutes). Pour the mixture into the eggshells (1/2 full). Prop them up in a cardboard egg carton in a baking dish. Fill the dish up to halfway up the outside of the eggshells with hot water (this makes a Bain Marie). Cover the pan with a lid and bake for 40 to 45 minutes (I didn’t have a pan with a lid large enough to do all the eggs I wanted too so I just sealed it with aluminum foil and it worked fine)

3. Garnish with chive and black truffle, serve warm or at room temperature.

More of those Italian recipes from my class at Arte Italia coming soon.

Mangi bene!

2010-01-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just got to enjoy one of my holiday gifts–a culinary class with award winning Executive Chef Francesco Apreda of the Hotel Hassler in Rome, Italy. The class was offered through Arte Italia a wonderful local organization that promotes the exploration and conservation of Italian culture through classes and exhibits. I am in love with the visiting chefs culinary class concept (and pretty fond of Chef Apreda). And, as an added bonus, Arte Italia donates all class fees to St. Vincent’s Dining Room.

The class began with Chef Apreda and Reno’s own Ivano Centemeri, celebrated chef from La Strada, serving us “students” risotto balls made with saffron and Taleggio. These delightful arancini have always been one of my favorites and the other guests at my table went crazy for them. Since the chefs started us off with these and did not demonstrate their recipe I will share with you mine since I know my classmates are waiting for it.

Over the next few weeks I will also share some of the other dishes Chef Apreda made for us, I am sure you will enjoy them as much we all did.

These are a little time consuming to make but well worth it. Many people are intimidated by risotto and really should not be, the technique is simple and really just requires you to keep your eye on it. For this dish I like my risotto to be a little moist but still al dente, just follow the directions and don’t be afraid to taste as you go.

Taleggio Arancini
Step one is to make the saffron risotto and then cool it down;

About 5 cups chicken stock

Pinch of saffron

¼ cup finely minced onion or shallots

3 Tbls olive oil

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

¼ cup dry Marsala or dry white wine

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 Tbls butter

salt

pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Crumble in the saffron and keep over a moderately low heat with a ladle in it.

In a large saucepan (heavy bottomed is preferable) heat the olive oil over a medium high heat. Add the onions/shallots and stir till translucent about two minutes.

Add the rice and stir with a rubber spatula until the rice is well coated with the oil and slightly translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Marsala/wine stirring constantly, until it is absorbed 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the warm saffron stock in ½ cup increments stirring constantly, until the stock has been completely absorbed. The stock should bubble gently when added; adjust heat as needed. Continue cooking the rice adding ½ cup at a time stirring till absorbed before adding another ½ cup. Near the end you may want to cut back to ¼ cup increments. Cook until the rice is tender but firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy not soupy, 20 to 30 minutes. (You may not need all the stock, or you may need more.)

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and butter season with salt and pepper. Lay out on a lightly oiled sheet tray, refrigerate to cool down.

Step two is to make the balls;

The cooked and cooled risotto (does not have to be cold but not to warm or it won’t hold its shape)

Taleggio (you can use any cheese which melts easily but Taleggio is wonderful in taste and texture)

Once cooled down make a golf ball size in the palm of your hand, use your thumb to make an indentation in the center insert a small cube of Taleggio, then seal the risotto over the top to make a ball again.

Once you have used all the risotto refrigerate the balls for ½ an hour (this just makes it easier to bread them)

Step three is to bread the balls and then deep-fry them;

Set up a classic three stage breading station;

Pan 1 flour

Pan 2 whisked egg with a pinch of salt and pepper

Pan 3 finely ground breadcrumbs

Once you have breaded all the balls you may deep-fry them till golden brown or you may refrigerate them for a couple of hours or days. If you do wait to deep fry them bring them back to room temperature before frying, otherwise they may be done on the outside and not warm in the center, if this is occurring you may finish in the oven to heat all the way through.

These are wonderful on their own, but you may want to serve with a spicy tomato sauce for dipping. Also don’t feel limited to stuffing the balls with cheese, you can use a lamb mixture or sausage or a mushroom ragout. Get creative and try not to eat them all before you serve them to your guests.

Meringue in the New Year!

2010-01-01T21:54:00.000-08:00

One of my guests requested this recipe, so here it is. I recently served some meringue baskets with fresh whipped cream and berries. It is a great light dessert, looks elegant and is very easy to make, with many variations. I love sharing recipes as I believe good food is meant to be shared. So, if I can’t prepare something delicious you, I am happy to share the recipe.

Preheat oven to 225°

2/3 C powdered sugar

1/2 C egg whites approximately 4 eggs (room temperature)

1/3 C granulated sugar

Using a very clean bowl and utensils mix egg whites on low until frothy, add 2 T granulated sugar and whip till soft peaks form. With mixer on low, add sifted powdered sugar and remaining granulated sugar. Increase speed to medium/medium high, whip until stiff glossy peaks.

At this stage on a parchment lined sheet tray you can:

Put into a bag and pipe into disks or baskets

Drop by spoonfuls “dollop cookies”

Drop by spoonfuls and hollow out to make “nests”

Cook in oven for 60 to 80 minutes, will be dried out and crisp no color. Shut off oven and leave meringues in to cool down and dry out (2 plus hours). Store in an airtight container (can be stored for days before filling).

These are best made on a dry day.

There are many ways to finish:

You may dip in chocolate

You may fill the basket with fresh whipping cream (heavy whipping cream, vanilla, powdered sugar and granulated sugar whipped to stiff peaks-sugar to taste) and berries assemble no more than 3 hours before being served

Layer discs to make individual napoleons or large discs for a cake; layer with berries/fruit and fresh whipping cream or pastry cream and berries/fruit

If you brush the meringues with tempered chocolate it will help to make a seal between the meringue and fillings allowing the dessert to be assembled earlier without fear of becoming soggy.

Chefs Get to Make the Holidays Special – for others.

2009-12-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

The holidays are notorious for taking chefs away from friends and families. It just so happens they tend to be one of my favorite times to work. This year for Thanksgiving I was especially lucky to have the opportunity to work for a wonderful family in California. For the family, Thanksgiving is the holiday where they all get together, parents, siblings, extended families, in-laws and close friends, all are welcome. The matriarch of the family has always done the traditional family dinner, using the family recipes passed down among the generations.

I flew in on Tuesday afternoon and we went over the family recipes, planned our shopping trip and wrote out our prep and cooking schedules. I was there mainly to facilitate the true chef for this event, the matriarch who has done this dinner for years. By incorporating my organizational skills and the tricks I have learned, the family’s traditional Thanksgiving meal went smoothly and everyone was able to sit back, relax and enjoy, letting me worry about the food and getting it out on time. Being able to do this for the family made my holiday special. There is no better gift than helping others enjoy fine food in the company of those they love while preserving a great family tradition.

Christmas was just as rewarding working locally for clients who open their home to family and friends who don’t have any place else to go. The gathering was filled with laughter and optimism for the New Year. I prepared a traditional prime rib, using a slow roast low temperature method. It never fails, but is often hard to do unless you have two ovens since it takes a long time and ties up your oven at a very low temperature (recipe is listed below). We also prepared a Yorkshire Puddings (I like to think of them as popovers on steroids), asparagus with Hollandaise, twice baked potatoes and finished up with a decadent chocolate soufflé with a white chocolate sauce.

Throughout this crazy busy season, I did get to spend one very special day with my family. Giovanni (my nephew) turned six on the 21st and we had a special Scooby Doo mystery birthday party complete with Chef Brook’s Scooby Doo cake, Happy Birthday Gio!

Slow Roasted Herb Crusted Prime Rib
(Serves 6 to 8)

3-rib standing rib roast (7 pounds) trimmed to 1/8 inch fat (ask your butcher for ribs 10-12 sometimes referred to as the loin end)
Small bunch of fresh; oregano, thyme, chives
3 twigs of rosemary
¼ cup of stone ground mustard with horseradish
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
A good quality sea salt or kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 200º
Heat a large roasting pan over two burners set at medium-high heat. Place roast in the pan browning on all sides, about ½ a cup of fat will be rendered (set aside if you are making Yorkshire Puddings) approximately 6 to 8 minutes. While browning, chop in food processor the leaves of; oregano, thyme, chives and rosemary, add the mustard to make a paste.

Remove roast from pan, set wire rack in pan, liberal salt and pepper the roast. Tie the meat to the bones between ribs 1n 2 and 2 n 3 (this helps to keep the meat from pulling away from the bones and makes for an even uniform cooking). Liberally rub the herb mustard paste all over the roast, set on rack in roasting pan cooking in 200º oven until a thermometer registers 130º (for medium-rare), about 3 ½ hours (or about 30 minutes per pound). Let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Carving tip; even though it is pretty to carve the roast from the rib for more even slices carve the roast off the bone then place cut side down and carve the roast across the grain into nice thick slices.

Home Delivery Holiday Meal Special

2009-12-12T09:53:00.001-08:00

As the holidays sneak up on you, you may find yourself short on time. Let The Divine plate prepare some meals for you. Listed below are some options I have on special this week, get your order in by Sunday 10am and have delivery on Monday or Tuesday.

Each entrée is available for 2/4/6 people (except quiche which is a regular 9” pie size)

Cost $12/$20/$27 quiche $14

Key:

Freezable – (frz)

Microwaveable – (mic)

Bacon and Spinach Quiche (frz, mic)

Pork tenderloin roulade with feta, cranberries and spinach (frz, mic)

Herb roasted potatoes (frz, mic)

Honey orange glazed chicken breast (frz, mic)

Wild rice medley and glazed carrots (frz, mic)

Black bean avocado and chicken burritos (frz, mci)

Spanish rice (frz, mic)

Roasted eggplant, vegetable and mushroom napoleon

Roasted garlic potato pancake (frz, mic)

Phyllo baked salmon (frz) with a lemon hollandaise sauce

Lightly herbed basmati rice and peas (frz, mic)

Three cheese, beef and sundried tomato lasagna (frz, mic)

Delicious and versatile quinoa

2009-10-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Quinoa is nutritional powerhouse. A relative of spinach, it is often referred to as a “super grain” because it contains 8 essential amino acids, 22 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber in a 1 cup (non cooked) portion. It can be used as a side, in salads, soups even desserts.

Native to the Ecuadorian Andes, many American may have never heard of it or just consider it “exotic,” but I have found it to be a versatile and healthy addition to my menus.

I have posted a few recipes below including a method for cooking quinoa, don’t be afraid to have fun as you can see from the recipes it has many uses both warm and cold;
Quinoa soup
Quinoa risotto
Roasted vegetable and quinoa casserole
Quinoa and shrimp salad

Quinoa Risotto

Olive oil
½ yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup (6 oz) quinoa, well rinsed
2 ½ cups (18 fl oz) stock (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups chopped arugula (rocket lettuce) or spinach
¾ cup shredded carrot
½ cup shitake mushrooms (thinly sliced/ julienned)
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil
Add the onions sauté till translucent
Add quinoa and garlic, sauté stirring, for approximately one minute (do not let garlic brown)
Add the stock and stir-bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer until quinoa is almost tender to the bite but still slightly hard in the center, about 12 minutes. The mixture will still be liquid. Stir in the arugula, carrots, and mushrooms and simmer until the quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about two to three minutes more.
Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa casserole

½ cup quinoa rinsed and well drained
olive oil
2 Tbls minced shallots
2 Tbls chopped carrots
2 Tbls chopped leeks
2 Tbls chopped celery
2 cups roasted corn (divided)
2/3 cups milk (soy ok)
8 slices eggplant ½ inch thick (skin on) roasted then cut into 2 x ¼ inch strips
4 scallions grilled then cut into ½ inch strips
½ tsp chili powder

1- preheat oven to 350°
2- dry the quinoa in the oven stirring occasionally until brown (about 10 minutes) set aside
3- heat a small amount of olive oil in a sauté pan, stir-fry shallots, carrots, leeks and celery for 2 minutes, set aside in pan
4- combine 1 cup of the corn with the milk in a blender and puree
5- combine sauted vegetables, roasted vegetables, corn puree, corn, chili powder, quinoa (all except 2 Tbls)
6- put mixture into lightly oiled loaf pan sprinkle remaining quinoa on top, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes.

Quinoa Shrimp Salad (warm or cold)

1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups water or stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 Tbls butter
1 tsp salt

¼ cup peas (fresh if available) blanched (if frozen thaw in luke warm water and drain)
¼ cup cooked corn kernels
½ cup diced red, yellow, green peppers (any combination)
3 scallions finely chopped
2 Tbls finely chopped parsley
2 Tbls mayonnaise
2 Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 pound shrimp rubbed with 3 Tbls mixture below

1 - combine the quinoa liquid, butter and salt in a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender (set aside)
2 – preferred cooking method: grill the barbecue rubbed shrimp lightly rubbed with oil, till pink on the outside and white on the inside. Other cooking method; heat a sauté pan on medium high heat sauté shrimp till done. Cut cooked shrimp into ½ inch pieces
3 – mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper
4 - mix mayonnaise mixture, shrimp, corn and peas together, then mix with quinoa. Serve warm or chill and serve later.
Barbecue Spice Rub:

Makes approximately 3 ½ cups
1 C paprika (Spanish preferable)
½ C ground ancho chile
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup ground chipotle chile
1/3 C dark brown sugar
1/8 C sugar in the raw
¼ C granulated garlic
¼ C granulated onion
¼ C freshly ground black pepper
Mix together thoroughly, all ingredients
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 6 to 9 months

Ecuadorian Quinoa Soup

3 Tbls butter
1 Tbls annatto (achiote) seeds
heat the butter and seeds together, simmer for 5 minutes, strain the seeds out and return the butter to the sauce pan add:
2 large onions finely chopped (one white one yellow)
6 large cloves garlic finely chopped
cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft

At this point there are a lot of optional ingredients, feel free to PLAY!
1 1/3 C quinoa, rinsed well
1 ½ # firm potatoes, peeled/or not and cut into 1-inch cubes, optional
¾ # fried pork rinds, optional
2 C milk
4 sprigs cilantro
2 ½ tsp kosher salt (if potatoes added more may be needed)
ground black pepper to taste
ground roasted peanuts (see recipe below),optional

Stir quinoa into the butter mixture, add 8 cups water
If using the potatoes add at this time with an additional 2 cups water
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
If adding pork rinds add now
Simmer for another 30 minutes (even if you did not add pork rinds)
Stir in the milk, cilantro, salt and pepper
If using ground roasted peanuts add now
Reduce heat further and simmer for 15 minutes

Ground Roasted Peanuts
1 C shelled roasted peanuts, skins rubbed off (or raw unsalted peanuts)
Heat oven to 375°
In a baking dish roast the peanuts in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until light brown, be careful not to burn.
Cool peanuts completely!
In a food processor, pulse the peanuts until ground fine (do not grind to the point at which oil is released).

Quinoa

To cook quinoa:
1 C quinoa to a ratio of 2 C liquid (water or stock)

First rinse the quinoa thoroughly (it has a naturally occurring preservative on it which can leave a bitter taste if not washed off) and drain well.
Combine the quinoa and liquid bring up to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer, whole cooking time approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
For a nuttier flavor the grain may be toasted first.

Loving the Lavender

2009-10-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

My sister just had her 40^th birthday. For the past year I have heard about these wonderful lavender shortbread cookies a friend gave her. I got a hold of the friend’s recipe and decided to whip up a batch. Upon receiving the recipe I decided it could be improved with a few adjustments. They were a hit with my sister and her friends.

You can use lavender from your own garden (make sure it has not been sprayed with pesticides) or we have a great place right here in Reno. It has lavender in all forms for all ranges of applications; culinary, oils, bath products along with practical and just for fun gifts. Lavender Ridge is located @ 7450 W 4^th street Reno, NV 89523, 775-747-3222 web: www.lavenderridgereno.com email: info@lavenderridgereno.com

Once you have the lavender you’ll want to start to play; lavender salt, lavender sugar, mustard and lavender crusted lamb. The possibilities are endless, the salt and sugar make excellent gifts.

Lavender Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 ¼ C butter (soft)

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 C white sugar
3 ¾ C AP flour

1/3 C sifted confectioners’ sugar
¾ C cornstarch

3 T chopped lavender buds

¼ tsp salt

1 T chopped fresh mint

1) In a medium bowl cream butter and sugars till fluffy. Mix in lavender, mint and lemon zest. Combine remaining ingredients then mix into batter until well blended. Dough will be sticky, divide into three balls then flatten each to about an inch thick, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about one hour.

2) Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C) On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes (rounds, decorative any you choose) you can use a cookie stamp if you like. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

3) Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, just until cookie begins to brown at the edge. Cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. These cookies freeze great

Lavender Salt - great on meats, fish, poultry

1 C kosher salt

1 heaping T dried lavender buds (or more if you wish)

Mix together store in an airtight container, let sit for at least 48 hours – lasts for months as long as it stays dry

Lavender Sugar – baked goods for an extra special touch, fresh fruit, tea

1C sugar

2 heaping T dried lavender buds

Mix together store in an airtight container, let sit for at least 48 hours – lasts for months as long as it stays dry

Lavender Mustard Crusted Lamb

Serves 2 – 3

8 to 10 oz lamb loin

¾ C Dijon mustard

1 heaping Tbls lavender

2 T honey

Brown off lamb loin in sauté pan with a small amount of oil, set aside.

Mix mustard, lavender and honey together, spread on lamb loin and refrigerate for minimum 4 hours, overnight ideal. Cook in hot oven 425° till crust is brown and cracked, to your desired temperature. Remove from oven cover loosely with aluminum foil let rest for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Goodbye to a dear friend – RIP Gourmet

2009-10-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Bon Appétit! “There, in two words, is the gourmet’s credo and Gourmet’s credo as well – good appetite! It is a hearty wish that one’s fellow man enjoy his food and drink. It is a toast to his health, for good appetite springs from healthy hunger, and good digestion awaits both” – The Gourmet Cookbook Volume One 1950

Today I mourn the death of a friend, a constant companion and noble institution. Gourmet magazine is no more. Growing up, Gourmet had a starring role in my mom’s kitchen. I don’t remember the magazine so much as I do the two bound sets of recipes. Printed in 1950 and 1957, the recipes were of the classic style; Kidneys Bourguignonne en Croûte, Canard Sauvage à la Presse, Pigs feet in white wine and many more. The cookbook, compiled of recipes from the magazine, was not for the “faint of kitchen”. Upon graduation from highschool I received my own bound set of The Gourmet Cookbook. Even at that point, I had been a subscriber to the magazine for years.

The magazine was a great representation of modern and old styles, a blend of regions, flavors and cultures. And thankfully, still not a collection of cookie cutter recipes anyone could turn out. Perhaps that contributed to its demise, as well. Today’s home chef doesn’t have the time, or perhaps the desire, to spend hours in the kitchen preparing a meal, which is a sad topic for another blog.

Looking back at an old issue (May 2008) I came across a recipe for Goan shrimp in roasted-coconut sauce, a dish from India taking 1 hour “active” time to prepare, but so worth it. This particular issue, besides having the great shrimp recipe, also highlighted cooking vacations around the world–Thailand, Philo, CA, Nice France, just to mention a few. These were not typical vacations, but took one to small, intimate, out of the way places, even private homes where great food was being created. I will miss those visits. I will miss Gourmet.

What can you do with a 2½ foot zucchini?

2009-10-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me you have been enjoying the bounty of your garden and the local farmers market this summer. If so you probably have also wondered what to do when your bounty spills over. Imagine it happening in one fell swoop. Never one to falter @ a challenge I took on the zucchini……All 2 ½ feet!

Bruschetta with summer squash, bacon and blue cheese
Grilled zucchini: vegetable lavash roll, salads, panini
Lasagna
Slaw
Zucchini chocolate chip bread

Prepping the zucchini: a mandolin is very useful but a knife will work also

4 C matchstick size

3 C shredded zucchini

Remainder 1/8 thick slices (sprinkle with oil, salt & pepper) grilled till golden brown

One thing to always remember when following one of my recipes, if it isn’t a “baked good” switch it up fudge and fiddle do whatever sounds good to you. When baking be careful, if you substitute baking is a “science” liquid for liquid, dry for dry, leavening for leavening.

Bruschetta with summer squash, bacon and blue cheese

2 C matchstick size zucchini

1 Tbls red wine vinegar

3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

5 strips bacon: small diced fried crisp and drained on a paper towel

4 oz crumbled blue cheese

10 slices thick bread (IE: French Bread cut on a bias 1 inch thick) rubbed with a clove of garlic lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted till just golden brown…croutons

Toss all ingredients (except croutons) together, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, divide mixture evenly among croutons, put under broiler until cheese begins to melt, for approximately 1 ½ minutes.

Slaw

2 C matchstick zucchini

2 C matchstick yellow squash

1 C matchstick carrots

1 C seeded and small diced cucumbers

½ C chives freshly chopped

(feel free to add any other vegetables; jicima, bell peppers)

Vinaigrette

¼ C lime juice

¼ C raspberry vinegar

1 C light oil

1 tsp crushed garlic

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp white pepper

Blend vinaigrette ingredients with ¼ C of the chives in a blender/food processor

Mix all vegetables with remaining chives and toss with vinaigrette. Chill and let sit for an hour before serving. Try adding crumbled feta for an extra treat.

The grilled zucchini, a staple now in the refrigerator, use it in salads, pastas, sandwiches etc.

Vegetable Lavash Roll

Julienne: cucumber, bell pepper-red-yellow-green, carrot

Sliced and grilled: zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant

The beauty of this roll is you can add as much or as little as you want, as long as you can still “roll it”.

To assemble you will need a “glue/spread” some possibilities:

Hummus

Spreadable herbed cheese

Sundried tomato dip

Spread your “glue” of choice from the edge to the middle length wise. Starting on the opposite edge from the spread lay out the vegetables-thin layers leaving ½ an inch of the spread uncovered. Roll the lavash from the vegetable side to the spread side; let the roll sit seam side down for a few minutes then slice into 2” thick rolls.

Lasagna

It’s all about the layers….and they can be whatever you want

Grilled: zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant

*Fresh diced tomatoes

*Fresh tomatoes pureed in a blender

Shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Jack)

Ricotta, parmesan cheese

Basil fresh (chiffonade/thinly sliced)

Salt & pepper

Oregano

*canned may be used or a tomato sauce

Rub a casserole with oil than begin to layer vegetables;1) “liquid”-tomato puree and tomatoes 2) vegetables 3) cheese repeat 1 thru 3 till just below top finishing with cheese.

Cook in a 375º oven for 30 to 45 minutes till golden brown and bubbly.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2C (high altitude plus 2Tbls) unbleached AP flour

3 C shredded zucchini (moisture squeezed out)

¾ C sugar

½ C pecans or walnuts rough chopped (optional)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ C plain yogurt (whole, lowfat or non-fat)

½ tsp lemon juice

2 large eggs beaten lightly

7 Tbls unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¾ C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375º adjust shelf to middle position, grease the bottom and sides of a 9"x5" loaf pan, dust with flour tapping to remove excess (set pan aside).

Toast nuts 5 to 7 minutes till fragrant – cool.

In a large bowl combine flour, nuts, baking soda, baking powder and salt

In a medium size bowl whisk sugar, yogurt, eggs, butter and lemon juice together add zucchini and chocolate chips combine. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 55 to 70 minutes. Rotate pan ½ ways through baking. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack, cool for at least an hour then wrap in plastic.