Pearl Couscous Salad

Pearl Couscous Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 poblano pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely diced
• 1 red jalapeno or fresno chile pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh garbanzo beans (or frozen, defrosted)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian Parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro sprigs

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and couscous in a deep skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat the couscous. Cook, stirring, until couscous is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add stock and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer couscous to a large bowl, fluffing with a fork. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and pepper. Toss to combine, then set aside to cool slightly. When couscous is lukewarm or room temperature, add the remaining ingredients except for the fresh herbs. If the grains are a little sticky, then add another tablespoon of olive oil. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt if desired. (Couscous may be prepared up to 4 hours in advance to this point. Cover and refrigerate). Before serving, add the fresh herbs and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Read more »

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with Poached Egg and Hollandaise Sauce

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with Poached Egg and Hollandaise Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 6 slices prosciutto
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup hollandaise sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wrap the asparagus with the prosciutto with three per bundle.
2. Place the bundles on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and season with pepper to taste.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 10-30 minutes. (Note: Roasting time can vary greatly depending on how thick your asparagus is.)
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
5. Crack an egg into a bowl, swirl the water in the pot and pour the egg from the bowl into the water and repeat for another egg.
6. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes and fish them out.
7. Serve the prosciutto wrapped asparagus bundles topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

Read more »

Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
(Cupcakes)

• 1 cup milk
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(Filling)

• 2 cups store bought apple pie filling

(Frosting)

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 to 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce (store bought)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners
2. Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. In a separate, large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix until just until incorporated.
5. Add milk mixture and vanilla, then mix until blended.
6. Divide evenly among baking tins, about 1/4 cup per tin. (The original recipe said this should make 24 cupcakes…I somehow only had enough batter for 20).
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
8. Then cupcakes are cool, use a cupcake corer or spoon to scoop a hole out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with as much apple pie filling as it can handle (I used about 1-1/2 tsp filling per cupcake).
9. Using an electric mixer, beat whip cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer into a piping bag with star tip, and frost each cupcake. (I don’t like my whipped cream to be too sweet, so I don’t use a ton of powdered sugar. You should add more or less based on your own personal tastes).
10. Dip a fork into your caramel sauce, and drizzle caramel on top of each cupcake. The more the better!
11. Serve and enjoy!

Read more »

Creamy Tartiflette

Creamy Tartiflette

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium waxy potatoes , about 350g/12oz (try Vivaldi)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion , sliced
• 175g smoked back bacon , not too thinly sliced, rind removed, cut into 1cm strips
• 100g vignotte cheese , cut into 1.5cm cubes (including the rind)
• 100ml double cream
• sprinkling of crushed chilli (optional)
• 25g fresh white breadcrumbs 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel and thickly slice the potatoes into about 1.5cm slices. Boil them in salted water for 6-8 minutes until just tender, then drain.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion over a medium heat for 5 minutes until it becomes transparent. Add the bacon to the pan and carry on frying for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns lightly golden. With a slotted spoon, remove the onions and bacon from the pan to a bowl, leaving as much fat in the pan as possible.
3. Heat the grill to high. Add the potatoes to the pan and brown briefly in the fat. If your potatoes are on the floury side they may break up or stick a bit, but this isn't a problem, just keep everything moving and avoid too many burnt bits. Return the onions and bacon to the pan and lightly mix everything together.
4. Nestle the chunks of cheese among the potatoes and bacon then drizzle with the cream. Sprinkle with the chilli, if using, then evenly scatter over the breadcrumbs. Protect the pan handle with foil if necessary and grill for 5 minutes, until lightly browned and just on the point of bubbling.
5. Transfer to plates with a wide spatula - no hurry, the dish will not spoil - and savour with a glass of wine.

Read more »

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch Tuscan kale (for ex: black or lacinato)
• 2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1/4 cup (or small handful) grated pecorino cheese, plus adiitional for garnish
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
• Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (scant 1/4 cup or ~50ml)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking.

Using a mortar and pestle or a knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves).. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.

Read more »

Blackberry Farms Apple Crisp

Blackberry Farms Apple Crisp

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 organic granny smith apples, peeled/cored/chopped
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
• 3/4 cup organic packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• zest and juice of 1 organic lemon, plus zest of a second lemon
• 1 tsp organic ground cinnamon
• 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1 cup organic old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 12 tbsp organic unsalted butter, diced at room temp

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Place the apples in a large bowl with the vanilla seeds, brown sugar, cornstarch, zest and juice of lemon and cinnamon then toss to coat.
3. Transfer to 10-inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, oats, baking soda, salt and zest. Add butter and rub into mixture with your fingers until the butter is no larger than a small pea. Sprinkle over the apple mixture.
5. Bake for 1 hour until the apple filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or your favorite ice cream!

Read more »

Black Bean Burger

Black Bean Burger

INGREDIENTS:
Ready in 15 minutes • Makes 1 serving

• 1/2 cup rinsed black beans
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 whole wheat bun
• 1 tbsp salsa
• Arugula, to garnish
• Olive oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, mash beans, flour, cumin, pepper and egg white together. Add carrots and press into a patty.
2. Heat skillet over medium to high heat and coat lightly with cooking spray. Cook patty for 3 minutes on each side.
3. Place arugula and patty on bun and top with salsa.

Read more »