Crepes (Multi-National)

      For many years there has been a great debate about which country was the originator of this very intriguing carbohydrate.  The answer itself is in the history books.  The making of this very thin pancake like dish actually originated in the middle east where it was made as a savory dish.  It was during the period of the crusades and the fall out of the dark ages that this dish gained a sweet side and made its way to Europe where the french turned it into an iconic dessert known as 'Crepe Suzette'.
      The recipes listed below, are something I usually use in the early morning but they can be used as en entree or dessert depending on what your tastes are.  My strawberry crepes recipe uses a white chocolate mousse with infused strawberries and a basil syrup (no that is not a typo it is basil) which is why you can use it as a dessert.  If you want the savory then spinach and leek crepes are what you should serve as the cheese and green vegetables make a great side dish or main course.  But if you enjoy the traditional then just take some melted chocolate and drizzle them over the finished crepes.

Basic Crepes

 1 1/2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Butter (alot of butter)

In a small mixing bowl, combine the milk and eggs.  Sift together the flour, salt and sugar and slowly mix this into the milk mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

In a 8 inch skillet melt 1 teaspoon of butter.  Using a spatula pat down any bubbles that form when the butter is good and melted.  Pour a 1/8 cup of the chilled crepe batter into the pan and begin to tilt the pan so that the batter can evenly coat the bottom.  Cook the crepe until you begin to see the crepe firm up flip the crepe and cook it for a additional 10-15 seconds. 

Remove the crepe to a rack to cool and continue to cook with the remaing batter.  If you do not intend to use the crepes immediately then you can actually store them in the freezer for about 2 months.  If you intend to do this then you must separate the crepes with either parchment or wax paper so that they do not stick together. 

Makes about 12 crepes

Nick's Strawberry Crepes

2 cups heavy cream

4 egg whites

1/2 cups sugar

8 ounces melted white chocolate

4 ounces finely chopped white chocolate

1 carton (12 ounces) strawberries

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves (firmly packed)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

6 crepes

In a large pan of boiling water and a bowl of ice water blanch the basil leaves.  Blanch the leaves in hot for 30 seconds pat dry with a paper towel and place in ice water.  Drain the leaves and squeeze dry.  In a mixer puree the basil and corn syrup.  Transfer the syrup into a container and chill for 2 hours, or overnight allowing the flavors to develop.  Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer disposing of the solids.  Chill the syrup for an extra 15 minutes.

In a large bowl whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, cover and refrigerate until needed.  Over a pan of simmering water, place a bowl of coarsely chopped white chocolate to melt stirring often.  When it is melted set aside.  Place over the same pan of water, after the chocolate is melted, combine the sugar and egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk together until the sugar is melted and the egg whites are warm.  Place the egg white mixture and whip until it is thick and stiff about 5-7 minutes.  Fold the melted chocolate into the egg white mixture.  Add the whipped cream and finely chopped chocolate and fold in.  Chill it for about 2 hours. 

When you  are ready to serve, hull and slice the strawberries length wise.  Fill each of the crepes with an even portion of the mousse.  Fill with the strawberries reserving for some for a garnish.  Drizzle with the basil syrup and garnish with the remaining strawberries.  Serve immediately

Serve 6

 

Leek and Spinach Crepes

7 ounces of leeks, halved, rinsed and finely shredded

3 ounces of soft goat cheese, chopped

8 ounces spinach washed, dried and shredded

6 crepes

2 tablespoons butter

freshly grated nutmeg to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400*.  Melt the butter in a heavy bottom skillet with a lid over high heat.  Add the leaks and stir around so that they are well coated.  Stir in the salt and pepper to taste.  Add a few grating of nutmeg, and then cover the leeks with a sheet of wet wax paper and put the lid on the pan.  Reduce the heat to very low and let the leeks sweat for 5-7 minutes, until very tender but not yet brown.  Stir in the spinach and season if needed just till wilted.

Divide the spinach and leek mixture among the 6 crepes and due so with the cheese as well.  Place the crepes in a 9x13 pan and bake the crepes covered for about 5 minutes until the cheese has began to melt.  Serve immediately

Serves 6

Red Velvet Cake (United States)

     Comfort food is something that everyone has.  Whether it is a favorite flavor of ice cream that helps you get happy after a ruff day at work, or if it is a large piece of red meat cooked extra bloody with just a bit of seasoning we all have that one food that just makes your hear skip a beat. 
      When it comes to Southern Cooking the term comfort food applies to an entire variety of different dishes that can not only make your hear skip a beat, but stop all together if eaten in excess.
      Of all of these dishes, the one which I can not resist sinking my fork into is Red Velvet Cake.  The taste is not chocolate, even though it has cocoa powder; it has no raspberries or strawberries, despite the brilliant red color; and the flavor is something that you can not compare to anything else. 
      When ever I make this cake I actually meditate on the image of Scarlett O'Hara in gown with the wind, when she had downed her iconic red velvet party dress with the feathers.  The cake should not be heavy, it should have a light red color (not to deep), and the frosting should be creamy and not to sweet.  In other words it should be elegant.

(As with any cake, it can be turned into a cupcake.  All this took was a star tip some sanding sugar and a raspberry for the topper and it becomes a real crowd pleaser.)

 

Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs

4 ounces good quality white chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

Red Sugar for decorating

Preheat your oven to 350*.  In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla just until blended.  In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs 1 at a a time mixing well after each addition.  Alternatively add the wet and dry ingredients 1/4 at a time mixing well after each addition.

Grease and flour two 9" cake pans and divide the cake batter between the two pans.  Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of each of the cake comes out clean.  When finished, removed from the oven and allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling the rest of the way.

While the cake is baking place the white chocolate onto a the top pan of a double boiler over simmering water.  Stir the chocolate until constantly until it has melted completely, and then allow it to cool until it is barely warm but still stirrible.

Using a mixer beat the butter and cream cheese together until light.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Using a spatula combine the powdered sugar until well combined (do not use a mixer as powdered sugar and mixers tend to end in a mess).  Add the melted chocolate and beat until well combined, gently fold in the sour cream and place the frosting into the refrigerator and chill until ready to spread. 

On the intended serving platter place a tiny dollop of the frosting onto the center of the platter to hold the layers in place. Place the first layer of the cake onto the serving platter and spoon 1/3 of the frosting onto the top of the slice and smooth it over.  Place the top layer of the cake onto the first layer and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.  To decorate the cake use use the colored sugar and gently sprinkle half way up the sides of the cake. 

(Makes 12 servings)

Coq Au Vin (France)

      Throughout the kitchens of France there is a particular stew that is served almost on a weekley basis.  But, calling it a stew just doesn't do it justice.  In all the world, I do not know of any other stew which use an entire bottle of good quality burgundy, and there is also no other stew which uses the best part of a chicken.  Unfortunately, there is not other type of food which Coq Au Vin resembles.  So like many of the other French classics a stew it remains.
      The rules of classic french cuisine dictate that Coq Au Vin should be made using a well aged cock, aka an older male chicken.  But as this would require an extreme amount of control over livestock it has become nearly impossible to follow this rule, and most simply use what they can get from their local grocer. 
      My recipe for Coq Au Vin calls for chicken leg quarters, which is a fancy way of saying the still attached chicken leg and thigh.  I call for this because white meat never seems to hold the moisture as it should, which cause you to lose alot of that great flavor from the wine.  Also I call for a good quality burgundy, which means that it may cost you a good thirty dollars rather then ten.

Coq au Vin

5 pounds chicken leg quarters

1/2 pound slab bacon

12 baby onions

5 cups baby bella mushrooms

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bottle (750 ml) of a good quality burgundy

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons fresh basil

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

Season the chicken leg quarters with salt and pepper.  Slice the bacon thin and place in a large dutch oven, when the bacon has browned remove it from the heat and place on a paper towel lined plate until needed.  Meanwhile saute the onion in the bacon drippings.  Add in the garlic and mushrooms and saute just until tender. 

Add in the chicken and brown it on all sides.  Add in the wine, broth and the herbs.  Cook the mixture for 45 minutes over high heat, until chicken has cooked through.  Re-introduce the bacon and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

In a bowl melt the butter in the microwave.  Mix in the flour to make a rue and set aside.  Remove the chicken and vegetables from the dutch oven and place on the intended serving platter.  Mix the rue in with the sauce that is in the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. 

Serves 6

Stuffed French Toast (United States)

      It is very hard to say where the technique for making french toast originated.  After all, dipping day old bread in an egg batter and frying it with some butter has been around ever since people began baking bread.  In England they call it Eggy Bread, in France it is called Pain Perdu (lost bread), and for some reason Americans call it French Toast.
      Now stuffed french toast is very American.  Filling a breakfast item with sweet custard and an assortment of different flavors just screams "Melting Pot".  Now if you want to make a more traditional Stuffed French Toast you should use slightley stale Texas Toast and fill it with some sweetened cream cheese.  Cook it as you usually would by frying each side and then garnish with berries.
      For people like me simple is well and good, but something that I refuse to serve.  Not because I like to be an educator of fine foods or because I like to show off.  For me cooking with great presentation is one of the few skills I have that I can give my friends and family to show that I care.  Which is how this recipe actually came about.  Lemon Rosemary French Toast, instead of bread I make it with pound cake and fill it with a lemon cream and a rosemary lemon syrup.  If you need a good wake up call for a person you love, then this is the recipe for you.

Lemon Rosemary French Toast

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoons  lemon juice

4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoon sugar

12 slices slightly stale pound cake (1 inch thick)

5 eggs

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons powder sugar

3 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced rosemary

mint sprigs and fresh blueberries for garnish

In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream, tablespoon lemon juice, cornstarch and 2 tablespoons sugar.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for up to two hours.   

In a medium bowl mix together the eggs, half and half, powdered sugar, rosemary, and lemon rind.  Whisk the mixture thoroughly and gently dip each piece of the pound cake into the egg mixture.  Butter a 10 inch skillet and cook over medium heat.  Place the soaked french toast into the heated skillet and cook for about 3 minutes per side.  Or until the bread has become golden brown.

Once you have completed all 12 pieces of pound cake.  Place on a large plate to allow it to cool while you make the syrup.  To make the syrup combine the 1 cup sugar, water, and 1/2 cup lemon juice bring to a boil and then remove from heat and allow to thicken.  Add in the rosemary and and set aside until ready to use. 

To assemble place four slices of the French Toast onto four separate plates.  Spoon some of the cream mixture onto each and repeat the layering process ending with the third piece of French Toast.  Drizzle the french toast with the syrup and garnish with the mint sprigs and blueberries.  Serve Immediately

Serves 4 

Christmas Pudding (England)

      Over the past five years that I have catered parties independently I have come across one thing which I swore I would never attempt to make again while in a time crunch.  This dish was Christmas pudding.  To be fair it didn't have anything to do with the dessert itself, if made properly the dessert is a very rich way to end a good meal.  But the first time I attempted to make the dessert I had once again bitten off more then I could chew.  The week before I was to cater the party is was working as the master electrician for a Christmas show which had me spending all of my time at the theatre and game me only about 5 hours to sleep every night, making it very hard to prepare anything.  To make matters worse my obsessive compulsive client, who will remain nameless, had asked for a dish I had never attempted let alone perfected... Christmas Pudding. 
      The recipe she had requested I use was the old way of preparing Christmas Pudding, which I will explain in just a bit, and require the use of suet, something else I will explain in just a moment.  I had my pumpkin cognac cheesecake, a mass amount of sugar cookies, black forest cake, and a tower of cake truffles.  And in the center off all these beautiful desserts was my first Christmas pudding, which had split in half when unfolded.  Luckily with some powdered sugar no one had noticed my flop, but what my client did notice was that I did not flambe the thing during the course of the night.  Something which she had wanted very much for the ascetic appeal.
      Now that I have grown from this experience the recipe I use it a bit different from the classic.  But enough about horror stories from holidays past.  The Christmas Pudding is the last of the suet puddings that still are actually made in England.  The concoction uses bread crumbs and a variety of different dried fruits to create a cake like dessert which was originally made in a molded pan and flavored with chopped suet. 
      For those of you asking yourself what the heck suet is, it is the fat extracted from kidneys.  Usually beef kidneys.  This is most likely more modern recipes from trend setting ladies like Betty Crocker do not call for suet as telling people that kidney fat is in your dessert tends to turn the stomach. 
      The use of alcohol to flambe the dish was not introduced until 1714 when King George I brought the dish back to England after a very long Protestant ban on the dish.  His kitchen staff was actually primarily French and they could not resist giving the dessert a bit of the famous French flair.  George love it so much that it just stuck. 
       The recipe I use now is what my one friend calls, a Caribbean Christmas pudding as I changed the liquor from brandy to dark rum and use panko bread crumbs (Asian coconut bread crumbs).  If you really want an eye pleasing presentation at your Christmas dinner make this dish and flambe it, just make sure that you do so with a very long match. 

Light Christmas Pudding

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup candied orange peel (recipe follows), finely chopped

1 cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried currants

1/3 cup dark rum, plus extra if you intend to flambe the pudding

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons lime zest

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl combine the 1/2 cup rum and the dried fruits and orange peel.  Allow to sit in the rum for about a half an hour giving a light toss every often.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and the spices. Stir in the lime zest and set aside.  Cream together the butter and the brown sugar until it is very smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add in the bread crumbs mix well, and then add in the flour mixture.  Fold in the rum soaked fruits and the the cream.  Mix until well combined.

In a very wide stock pot or dutch oven pour about an inch of water into the pan and bring the water to a boil.  Meanwhile heavily grease a 6 cup souffle pan and pour the batter into the souffle dish.  Place either a trivet or a set of three inverted Ramekins into the pan of water. 

Adjust the temperature on the stove so that you get a nice gentle boil going, place the souffle dish onto the trivet/ramekins.  Cover the pot and steam, check about every 45 minutes so that you can replace the water if need be.  Cook until the mixture has cooked through he center and risen slightly in the center.  This should take about 3 hours. 

Remove the pudding from the pot and allow it to cool.  Invert the pudding onto your intended serving plate.  Warm about an extra 4 tablespoons of rum in the microwave and pour over the pudding, ignite it with a long match and allow the flames to die down.  Serve when the flames have died out with a dollop of whipped cream.  Refrigerate all leftovers. 

Serves 10-12



Candied Orange Peel

3 firm, ripe oranges

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Using a a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, remove the orange peel making sure to leave behind the white pith.  Use a knife to cut the peel into this strips and place the strips into a saucepan.  Cover the orange peels with cold water, bring the water to a boil and drain.  Rinse the peel under cold running water for a few minutes. 

Return the peel to the saucepan with the sugar and water and cook until the peel is bright and shiny with no liquid remaining at the bottom of the pan.  Spread the candied peel on a prepared aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.  Allow to cool, making sure to separate the peel so that the strips do not stick together.  Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Makes 1 cup of candied peel

Cheesecake (Europe)

      The funniest thing about cheesecake, is not how it is made or how insanely addictive it is.  The funniest thing about cheesecake is where it originally came from.  Maybe it's just me, but I find it funny that a dessert that is so extremely sinful came from a people who are so devoutly religious.  The first cheesecakes where made by the Jewish people.  These original cheescakes were more of a cream pie made using cottage cheese.  Somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century the dessert made the leap to Europe where different cultures used different ingrediants until it became the wonderful dessert that we know today.
      In the last thirty or so years cheesecake has hit the culinary world by storm.  After all cheesecake is one of the most versatile desserts known to man.  You can make them with strawberries, chocolate, irish cream, mango's, coffee almost any flavor can be added to Cheescake and taste good. 
      For Oscar and Evelyn Overton cheescake was much more than a dessert in 1971 they opened a little restaurant known as "The Cheescake Factory" which would later become one of the highest grossing restaurant chains in the United States with additional restaurants in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
      When you make a cheesecake, you need only follow a few simple rules.  First make sure that you always use a good quality cream cheese and allow it to soften.  Second always mix the cheesecake by hand, I know this is a pain to do but if you use a mixer it will become far to airy and you will have that cracked top effect which will make you so very sad.  Third if you are going to make a cheesecake make the sour cream topping which is in the original recipes, it is so much better than whipped cream.

Baked Cheesecake

5 cups pecan shortbread cookies

3/4 cup butter

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

5 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 containers (16 ounces each) sour cream

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Place the shortbread cookies into a plastic bag and pound them using either the flat side of kitchen mallet, or a rolling pin.  Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl and mix in the graham crackers.  Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 10-inch spring form pan (the best way to do this is to to use a sheet of parchment paper and use a coffee cup or measuring cup).  Place the crust into the refrigerator until needed.

In a large bowl cream the cream cheese with a wooden spoon (it is very important that you do not use a mixer to make this cheesecake using a wooden spoon may be hard to do but it gives the best results).  Add one egg at a time to the creamed cream cheese, making sure that you have fully incorporated each egg before adding the next (VERY VERY IMPORTANT).  Add the 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and mix well.

Pour the mixture over the crust.  Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the spring form pan just in case the melted butter leeks from the pan.  Place the spring form pan on top of the cookie sheet and into a 300* oven for 35 to 45 minutes (If the cheesecake cracks remove it immediately from the oven or it will become dry).  The cheesecake should appear very puffy but when removed from the oven it will deflate.

Allow the cheesecake to settle for 10 minutes while you prepare the topping.  In a small bowl mix together the sour cream, sugar, remaining vanilla, and lemon zest.  Pour the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and place back in to the oven for five minutes so that it will set.  Remove the pan from the oven and refrigerate with the top covered overnight. 

After the cheesecake has chilled overnight place the bottom of the spring form ban on top of the bottom of a coffee can.  Release the sides of the pan.  Serve the cheesecake immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve ( if you like you can freeze the cheesecake for 3 months, just allow to thaw before serving).

Serves 10

Blondies (United States)

      What do you call a brownie without chocolate?  A Blondie.  Not its not a joke, just a simple fact that every baker should know.  Unlike it sibling the brownie, a Blondie is made with no coco-powder, and the addition of brown sugar which give it its unique golden brown color.
       More recently the Blondie has gotten a makeover with additions of fruit, white chocolate, and a wide assortment of different nuts.  I welcome you to try any sort of mixing with these unique bars since, like a brownie, the taste should be based off your personal preferences. 

White Chocolate Pecan Blondie's

1/2 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans (chopped into quarters)

1/2 cup white chocolate chips.

Spread the pecans onto a cookie sheet and place in a 350* oven for about 5 minutes to toast.  In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugars together.  Add in the vanilla, mix, and then add in the eggs one at a time. 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the toasted pecans.   Line a 9x13 baking pan with a piece of parchment paper (do not use wax paper, trust me).  Pour the batter into the pan and place in the oven for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes remove the Blondie's from the oven and place the white chocolate chips into the batter (may require you to push them into the mixture if your oven cooks slightly hotter).  Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the Blondie's comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes and then cut into bars of desired size.

Serves 12

Cheese and Ale Soup (England)

      In England, no one pub is the same.  Each pub is its own separate community filled with unique personalities and histories, go into one and you can have an adventure go into another one and it can be an epic quest. 
      What each of these pubs do sometimes have in common, is that they usually serve some of the same foods.  Though they each have their own unique flavors and alcoholic pairings, there are some foods that you will always come across.  One such being a cheese and ale soup.
      Now for those who don't know how good this soup tastes may shutter at the thought of mixing a dairy product with alcohol.  But I can assure you that like many strange foods, the taste is much different then the ingredients which go into it.  The secret to making this soup, is in the title.  You need a good cheese and a very good ale.  Use only a mild cheddar, as the you do not want a sharp cheddar which will overpower the soup.  And when choosing your ale you should find a nice amber ale, use a dark or pale and for some reason the soup turns out rather grainy.

Cheese and Ale Soup

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup onion (minced)

3 tablespoons garlic (minced)

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup British amber ale

2 cups half and half

2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese



In a large stock pot melt the butter, add in the flour to make a rue and continue stirring until the flour has cooked through (aka turned a golden brown color). This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes.  Add in the onion and saute until tender (they will be very transparent and golden). 

Add in the ale and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and add the half and half.  Stirring frequently add the cheese by crumbling hand fulls of the cheese into the soup pot.  NOTE: it is very important that you keep stirring during the addition of the cheese and after as well so that any non-melted cheese does not settle at the bottom of your pot and burn.  (If some cheese does burn in the pot, the best thing to do is to add some distilled white vinegar to it and allow it to come to a boil, then clean the pan with a thick bristled scrubber.)

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve with some toasted Italian bread for sopping up the remaining soup. 

Serves 6-8

Tiaramisu (Italy)

      Leave it to the Italians to mix coffee and dessert and find a way to make it taste like mana from heaven.  Tiaramisu, literally meaning "Pick Me Up", is so called for its very unique coffee flavor introduced in layers of custard and lady fingers.
      If you go anywhere in the world you will at least come across one restaurant that serves this dish.  However, it may be made in an entirely different manner.  Like so many authentic Italian dishes, there is no one true way in which the dish is made.  Though, I have had many nightmares that there is a secret Mafia of old Italian women who beat you with a pizza peel if you don't make the dishes exactly as they should be.         
      Tiaramisu can be prepared in many different ways.  For instance, one women might make the dish with no mascrapone while another prefers an alcohol infused custard.  One person will tell you to put the layers in a spring form pan but another might use a glass 9x13 pan.  Then there are those who make it with lady fingers where others make it using layers of sponge cake.  Long story short, there is no right way to make Tiaramisu.
      My version of this classic Italian dish is what I like to call the wallet friendly version.  First and foremost, I do not use mascarpone in my tiaramisu (my apologies to the classic Italian cuisine Mafia).  Alot of the times when I send someone out for it they end up having to go through about five grocery stores before finding it, if at all, and then they have to shovel out loads of cash just to purchase it.  Secondly I don't use lady fingers (saying this probably now constitutes a hit),  I prefer the absorbency of sponge cake so that the dish stays together when I cut it.  And, lastly, I make my tiaramsu a bit adult friendly with a special 21 and over ingredient.

Tiaramisu

6 egg yolks

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 (8 ounce container) cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 3/4 cup whipping cream

1 layer (9 inch) pre-maid sponge cake

3/4 cup Kahlua or other espresso flavored liquor

1/4 cup hazelnut flavored instant coffee powder

1/4 cup unsweetened coco powder

In a medium sized glass bowl (it has to be glass even metal has bad effects) whip the egg yolks and sugar, until the mixture turns a lemony yellow.  Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil and place the glass bowl with your egg mixture on top, creating a double boiler.  Reduce the heat to low and whisk the mixture vigorously for 8 to 10 minutes.  Then remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool.

While the egg mixture cools use a serrated knife to split the 9 inch sponge cake into 3 equal sized layers.  Once this is done prepare a 9 inch spring form pan by placing a layer of plastic wrap (this may take two pieces) on the underside (aka the one that does not get placed on the inside of the pan when sealed) of the pan and line the inner sides (aka the sides that do touch the food).  This is to ensure that the dessert doesn't stick to the sides, while making sure the plastic wrap does not go to the serving table. 

In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and milk.  Mix well then fold into the cooled egg mixture.  Combine the whipping cream and vanilla and whip until very stiff peaks form.  Gently fold this into the egg mixture and set aside.

To assemble place the first layer of sponge cake into the pan, brush the layer generously with the Kahlua, then spread 1/3 of the cream mixture on top.  Repeat these steps two more times making sure to press the cake layer down onto the cream.  Refrigerate the dessert for 2 hours or overnight (at this stage you can cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 1 month).  When ready to serve combine the instant coffee and coco powder and dust the top of the tiaramisu generously.  Remove the sides from the spring form pan and discard the plastic wrap.  Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10

Sugar Cookies (Multi-National)

      If you were to ask me what my best memory of the holiday season is, it would be staying up to three in the morning baking cookies.  Macaroons, Spritzes, Peanut Butter Blossoms ,Smooches and Kolachkies.   Mounds and mounds of them flow out of the kitchen each year like some well oiled machine.
      Although I make a wide variety of sweets during the holidays, there is no cookie that I make in such mass quantity as my Rolled Sugar Cookies.  Every year I have at least seven people request them, make them for about four Christmas parties which I cater, and then lets not forget the ones used to for the family Christmas party.   But, the funny thinig is, I wouldn't have it any other way. 
       The origin of this cookie is very complicated. Most likely, it is a relative of the German heart shaped Lebkuchen, which would put its founding around the 13th century.  Unfortunately so many European countries have different claims to the sugar cookie.  So the true story of who made this Christmas miracle will always be left to legend. 
       Though my mom is a great cook and baker, the recipe which she used till I was the age of seven was like so many other kitchen mistakes.  They spread out to far, they burned to easily, and the taste was just never there.  When I started getting committed to baking I quickly found the problem.  Unlike most cookies, you should never use baking soda in rolled sugar cookies.  Baking powder is a must since it does not produce as much oxygen as soda.  Also, you should use real vanilla extract.  Imitation vanilla extract never has the right flavor.

(These cookies can be made as thick as you like, however, you should make sure that you cream the butter very well unless you want large bubbles which you can kind of see in the non-iced cookies show above.)

Rolled Sugar Cookies

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces.

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then set aside.  Cream together the butter and sugar beating until very smooth.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in the flour incorporating small portions slowly into the batter (do not use a mixer it never turns out right if you do sorry).  After half of the flour mixture has been incorporated add in the vanilla and continue incorporating the remaining flour.

Once the cookie dough has been well mixed, divide it into two equal parts and then wrap it separately with plastic wrap.  Chill the dough overnight.

Divide each dough half in half once more and roll the dough onto a generously floured surface to about 1/2 inch thickness (don't worry the dough never expands outward just upward so thick cookies are not your enemy).  Using your chosen shapes cut out the shapes form the dough putting using as much dough as possible to avoid having to re-roll scraps. 

Place the cookies on a ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 350* oven.  Bake for about 7 minutes or until bottom of cookies begin to turn golden brown.  Remove the cookies immediately from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  Decorate the cookies with method of choice, some of which are shown below.

Makes 5 to 6 dozen (depends on the shape of cutter)

(The time of year that I make the most sugar cookies is surprisingly not Christmas but Valentines Day.  I probably get on average 50 orders engraved with special messages in Royal Icing, one special order from this year was a question of "Will You Marry Me?")

 Cream Cheese Icing

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and spoon onto cookies, gently smooth over with the back of a spoon or a metal spatula. Decorate with colored sugars, sprinkles, or royal icing

Glossy Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 teaspoons light corn syrup.

In a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar, milk vanilla, and corn syrup.  Divide the icing into two portions and add enough food coloring to gain desired color.  Start off light as you can never get the color to become lighter.  Dip each cookie slightly in the icing, and allow 10 minutes on a cooling rack for icing to harden.  Decorate with piped royal icing. 

Long Island Iced Tea (United States)

      In the 1970's there was a bartender by the name of Robert Butts, who worked at the Oak Beach Inn in Long Island, mixed probably the strongest highball known to man.  Rather then giving it a name that would immortalize him in bars across the world forever, he gave it a name that gave a false since of security to its drinkers.
      You can drink all you like, but you'll never taste an ounce of iced tea in a Long Island Iced Tea.  The drink itself is a mixture of vodka, gin, tequila and rum which is then given it's particular taste with triple sec, sour mix and a splash of cola.  Let's just say that this is not the drink which you want to binge on as the high alcohol content puts most on their faces after the third round. 
      There have been many versions of this recipe that have been given a multitude of different names omitting one or two ingredients but still calling it an iced tea.  My version that follows omits the sour and cola in favor of a raspberry Razzmatazz, some lime juice, and Sprite. 

Raspberry Long Island

1 cup raspberry vodka

1 cup gold schlagger tequila

1 cup dark rum

1 cup gin

11/2 cups razzmatazz

1 cup sprite

1/2 cup pureed raspberries

In a large pitcher mix together all of the ingredients and stir well.  Serve over ice

Serves 5

Black Bean Soup (South & Central America)

      Black Bean Soup is a bit of a cunundrum in the culinary world.  There is a hodgepodge of multiple nations which call themselves the originator of this dish.  The black turtle bean is grown in so many South and Central American countries that no one variation of this dish is said to be the original, though each country would start a war to prove that their ancestors were the originators. 
      In Brazil the national dish is Feijoada and is made with black beans and beef making a very hearty soup.  In the kitchens of the Caribbean Islands, such as Cuba and Puerto Rico, Sopa de Frijoles, a mixture of black beans and cumin is mixed with cream to make something a bit lighter with a full body taste.  Their are many other dishes throughout these countries which use the black bean and surprisingly, each of them have their own unique flavor. 
      As of late there have been many American chefs, mostly in "Latin Fushion Restraunts" who have placed adaptations of the soup onto their menus.  Primarily because of the way that different condiments can make the black soup a mosaic of color. 
      One thing that you must remember when making this soup is that is it very important to soak your beans overnight before you begin to cook them.  Like many of its family members this bean is very hard and can not cook without adding a large amount of water to soften it. 

Caribbean Black Bean Soup



3 cups black beans (black turtle beans)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil chopped

1 1/2 cups minced onion

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup chorizo finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 quarts chicken broth

4 cups water

3/4 cup sour cream, plus extra for garnish

Medium Salsa (optional garnish)

Soak the black beans in a bowl of cold water overnight.  Drain and pat dry.  In a large skillet heat the olive oil and saute the onion garlic and chorizo.  Cook for 2 minutes and then add in the cumin and saute for one minute longer. 

In a large saucepan combine the black beans, broth, and water and bring to a boil over high heat.   Place the sauteed mixture inside the pan; reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the black beans have become tender.  Allow the soup to cool slightly and pour the mixture in batches into a food processor/blender. 

Puree the soup, place back on the burner over a low heat.  Mix the sour cream into the soup and heat the soup through.  Spoon the soup into serving bowl and garnish with the salsa and extra sour cream.  Serve immediately.

Serves 8

Lady Locks (European)

      Someone asked me once, if I could go back to one time in the history of the world what time and place I would choose.  I think he was a bit surprised when I replied that I wanted to travel back to the day of my parents wedding.  I didn't think it strange, after all, this was the one day that I knew my parents were completely happy for an entire twenty four hours, a time before the strains of being an adult in a not so perfect world took away their foolish optimism.   
      I also wanted to go back to this specific time, because many of the attendants are no longer alive, one person in particular was my great grandmother from the Vonderau side of my family tree.  Through my many years of cooking I have been told by my father how all of my bakery could never compare to his grandmothers.  How most days, she would wake up at five in the morning and begin baking so that by seven when everyone else had woken up, they could have some type of pastry with their coffee.  The after makeing a glorious breakfast, she would sneak away for barely even a period of five minutes and flawlessly make all of the beds and pick up all of the laundry. 
      For many years I had searched and searched for a recipe, or even a subtle hint at what my grandmother had used in her bakery.  Unfortunately, like so many woman of the time, she had never placed a single one of her recipes on a piece of paper preffering to keep them in her mind.  While a girl she had memorized what her mother had done in the kitchen so that she could recall every step without the need of a recipe card. 
      After years of searching and pleading with relatives, my grandmother finally remembered that on the day of her marriage to my grandfather, my great grandmother had given her five recipes to celebrate the wedding.  I rmember the first time that I laid eyes on them.  They were three pieces of paper that had been stained from ages of use.  The scent of the ingredients had soaked into the paper almost as if my great grandmother was trying to give me a hint about what to do.   
      The one and only recipe that I intend to share with the rest of the world, is her recipe for lady locks.  Known also as cream horns or clothes pin cookies the dessert comes from mid eastern European countries such as Germany and Poland.  The cookie does bare some resemblance to the popular Italian "canoli" however the shape, preparation, and filling are very different.  The cookie/pastry came to the United States with some of the first American settlers and has been a common treat in many of the Atlantic states, especially Pennsylvania since the countries founding.
      Originally woman would use wooden clothes pins to give the cookie its hollow cone shape (hence the name clothes pin cookies), but today you can buy many different sized metal forms from a variety of different culinary stores such as the one pictured below from cakeandbakesupplies.com

Lady Locks

Dough

4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 sticks margarine (trust me on this one)

2 tablespoons lard (Crisco butter flavor is best)

1 cup water

2 egg yolks

Filling

3 cups whole milk

9 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups margarine

1 1/2 cups cream cheese (use a 12 ounces from a 16 ounce container)

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift together the flour sugar and salt into a large bowl.  Cut in the margarine and lard with either a pastry blender or two butter knives.  Mix in the water and egg yolks.  Form the mixture into two balls (of equal size); wrap the balls in plastic wrap; and place into your refrigerator to chill overnight. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350*.  Divide the two dough balls in half.  Mix 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 cup powder sugar and sprinkle your board/work surface with enough to roll out the first dough ball.  Roll out the first 1/4 of the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.  cut the square into 6, 3/4 inch strips;  then repeat the process with each of the dough balls.  Next wrap one strip around each of the dough forms, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake each batch for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the finished cookies from the dough forms and place on a rack to cool.  Meanwhile, mix the flour and milk, reserved for the filling, in a saucepan.  Cook on medium heat until thick.  Put the mixture in a bowl and place a piece plastic wrap over the bowl.  Refrigerate until the mixture becomes cool.

When the mixture has cooled, beat the margarine, cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Add the milk mixture and the vanilla.  Beat the mixture until it has the appearance of whipped cream.  Place the filling into a pastry bag with a large round tip.  Pipe the filling into the middle of each of the baked cookies.  Dust with the reserved powdered sugar and serve.  (If you would like to make the cookies ahead of time, you may do so and freeze them in a single layer container.  You may also do so with the filling, but do not pipe it into the cookie until you intend to serve it).

Makes 2 dozens



Baby Back Ribs (United States)

      The idea of cooking meat over a grill is something that has existed since the dawn of time, but, barbeque is strictly and American idea.  Like many other American classics the idea of barbeque came about through a "melting pot" of ideas.  Creole cooking, southern soul food, french gastronomy, all of these were components in the invention of barbeque.  And as every full blooded American will tell you the true king of barbeque is a plate of baby back ribs smothered in a barbeque sauce.
      Many people shy away from cooking this dish, as it is rather labor intensive.  But, as I say to many of the people who learn to cook from me, "If you want easy then there are only two aisles in the supermarket that you should visit, boxed dinners and frozen meals!"  Cooking requires labor, especially if you want your food to taste good. 
      The secret to a great slab of baby back ribs is to use your oven.  Slow cook your ribs in a 200* oven so that you won't charbroil them trying to cook them on the grill.  Secondly, pick a marinade that compliments your intended barbeque sauce.  If you want something sweet then put some honey in your marinade, if you want spicy then give your marinade some cayanne.  Lastly, cook the ribs over a low flame.  If you have properly slow cooked your ribs then you should not need a blazing inferno to finish the process, keep the heat low and give the flavors time to come together.
      The recipe that follows is something that I reserve for very special occasions.  Adapted from a recipe that once appeared on the menu of the Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland Ohio.  Unfortunately they no longer carry them, but luckily after some trials and alot of errors I mimiced the taste in a way that produces for a family of eight not a dinner rush of fifty.  But you may want to consider the dinner rush size as people can't seem to get enough.

(When I need a quick gift, I make the grill glaze and jar it. About one batch gets me 3 jars full.  Once the jars are sealed you have about a good 2 weeks to use the glaze.)

Melon Baby Back Ribs

2 cups watermelon rind
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 pounds baby back ribs

Using a sharp kitchen knife cut the fruit away from the rind leaving a 1 inch line of red fruit on the rind.  Place the fruit on a serving platter onto a platter and use as an appetizer, as you will not need the red part for this recipe.

Seperate the green rind from the small amount of red going into the white, until you have about two cups of the inner rind.  Discard the green and place the inner rind into a blender/food processor and purree.  Strain the pulp and discard the juice (this should leave you with about 1 1/2 cups pulp which is what you actually need).  In a sauce pan combine the remaining ingredients, except for the ribs.  Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then reduce for a light simmer, and keep it as such until the sauce is your desired consistency (45 minutes usually does it but you made need and hour).

Split the ribs, so that they can fit onto two cookie sheets.  Cut two pieces of alluminum foil that can wrap around each set of ribs.  Slather half of the thickened sauce over the ribs and wrap in the aluminum foil.  Let the ribs marinade overnight wrapped in the foil. 

Preheat your oven to 300* and set the ribs onto the cookie sheet seam side up Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until the rob meat has pulled back (aka when the meat from the cut side of the bone has pulled off of the bone about 1/2 of an inch).  Remove the ribs from the foil and brush the other half of the barbecue sauce onto the ribs.  Grill the ribs on a well oiled grill grate, over medium heat, for about 4 minutes per side.  Do not allow the sauce to burn.

Serves 8

Limoncello (Italy)

      The person who coined the saying good things come to those who wait, must have been a maker of some type of wine or spirit.  When making any type of alcohol time is the main ingredient, which is why not everybody tries to make there own.
      I have a rule when it comes to making any type of alcohol, it it takes more then a year for the flavors to ferment, then you might as well just buy it.  One such drink is the Italian favorite Limoncello. 
      One of the famous Italian "Digestifs" (after dinner cocktails) Limoncello is composed of four separate ingredients.  Lemon peels, sugar, water, and vodka.  It hails from the island of Capri where it is drunk as a shot by the masses to sooth the stomach after a large meal.
      Making the Limoncello is not labor intensive, but if you are not willing to wait then you might as well forget it; as the recipe that follows takes about an eighty day period to finalize the fermentation process.  One last suggestion is that you double or triple the recipe and give bottles to friends, they are sure to love you for it. 

Limoncello

15 lemons

2 bottles (750 milliliters each) 100 proof Vodka

3 1/4 cups sugar

5 cups water

Peel each of the lemons, avoiding the white pith.  In a large glass jar place the lemon peels and to the jar add the first bottle of vodka.  Seal the jar and place it in a cool dark place for forty days while the flavors ferment.

After the forty days have passed bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Bring to a slow simmer for no more than 5 minutes and then allow the mixture to cook.  Into the jar add the other bottle of vodka and the sugar syrup.  Reseal the lid and place the jar back into the cool dark place for the remaining forty days.

When the Limoncello has fermented for the full eighty days strain the liquid into 4 separate bottles.  Seal each bottle and place in the freezer to chill until ready to serve (bottles can be stored in the freezer until ready as the alcohol will not freeze).  Serve cold in shot glasses. 

Makes 4 bottles

Scones (England)

      When it comes to breakfast bakery, I think of myself as a bit of an expert.  Especially when it comes to this classic English breakfast treat; which I have had the pleasure of enjoying in its country of origin. 
      Historically the scone was nothing like the tasty bread product that we know today.  What started out as a circular griddle cake, had a major face lift and went main stream when the leavening agent baking powder became available to the Brits. 
      The scone today is usually a biscuit like item that is made with flour, sugar, baking powder, and some sort of berry; made soft with some type of milk solid so that the consumer is not trying to digest a rock first thing in the morning.  The dish is then served with some cream and jam to add some calories and some added flavor.
      My recipe, which appears later, does not adhere to all of the original rules of scone making; but I can guarantee the end result is definitely something that will give you a pep in your step in the morning. 

P.S. if you are not a fan of blueberries all you need to do is substitute your favorite berry and go crazy; though I do not suggest trying to mix up your choice of chocolate.

Blueberry White Chocolate Scones

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 (5 ounce) bar white chocolate (cut into tiny squares)



In a medium sauce pan combine the sugar, blueberries and cornstarch; mix these ingredients over medium heat until the mixture has thickened.  Allow to cool while you are preparing  the scone batter.

In a medium bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  When it has reached a smooth consistency add in the eggs one at a time; mixing well after each addition.  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, next add 1/3 of the sour cream mixture and mix very well.  Repeat this two more times mixing well after each addition.  Fold in the vanilla and set aside.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a sheet of parchment paper and pour the batter into the pan.  With the blueberry mixture make a double S pattern.  Next sprinkle the white chocolate pieces over the batter.  Finally using a clean butter knife run a series of strait lines opposing that of the S's you just made creating a swirl pattern. 

This is how the scones should look when out of the oven just before you cut them

Place the scone batter into a 350* oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until the side of the scones turn a deep golden brown.  Allow the scones about 5 minutes to cool and then remove from the pan.  Allow to finish cooling and cut the scones into rectangular pieces.  Serve as is, or with whipped cream.

          When I served this scone recipe to friends I added some cream stewed berries and some shredded coconut, it was a really good way to start the morning with something small

Serves 10

     

Insalata Di Caprese (Italy)

      The Italians have a salad that makes me think purely of summer. It is called 'Insalata Di Caprese', or as we many of you might know it 'Tomato Caprese Salad'. It is a simple three ingredient recipe from the island of Capri where tomatoes from the new world came in contact with Italian mozzarella and olive oil making a tarantella of flavor.

      When I have given recipes to beginning cooks, I have them make a Caprese salad. It is a great way to practice good knife skills and teaches the importance of not overdressing a salad. The main ingredients should always be a good soft mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil, tomato slices, and basil leaves to give it an extra boost of flavor.

       Now this version of Carpese that I have provided does not use tomato. Instead, the red is from a red pepper which is roasted over an open fire till charred and then rinsed under cold water to reveal the brilliant red underneath. Warning: in door roasting only works if you have a gas range, so if your range is electric you will need to use a grill.



Insalata di Caprese

3 red peppers

2 balls of fresh mozzarella 3 ounces each

10 large basil leaves (must be fresh)

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste


Turn 1 burner of your stove to high heat, or prepare your grill. Place the red peppers 1 at a time and allow the skin to become completely blackened. When skin has become completely charred, rinse under cold water removing the blackened skin.

Slice the mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices. Remove the top and bottoms of the peppers remove and discard the seeds and stems. Slice down the middle of the red pepper; unroll the pepper like a scroll. Slice the Peppers into 2 inch pieces.

To plate the salad, Begin with a mozzarella slice, then top with a red pepper, then a basil leave. Repeat the process once more; drizzle with the balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 5

Arroz Con Gandules (Puerto Rico)

      A very comedic joke between my grandmother and myself, is that of all of her grandchildren I portray my Puerto Rican heritage the most.  It is just a shame that I don't look the part.  This joke is primarily because of my love for cooking, when all of the other boys wanted to play outside I wanted to stay in the kitchen and watch as my grandmother, mother, and aunts cooked up an island feast for everyone to enjoy.
      This was a common occurrence with my mother and her sisters, as it was just a simple way to have everyone together, where they could get some calm in their life. While we kids chased eachother around like a bunch of maniacs. 
      The two main ingredients in any Arroz Con Gandules recipe is of course Arroz (which if you took any sort of Spanish class you should know means rice) and Gandules beans (in America they are called pigeon peas which is strange because they are not related to peas at all).  You flavor the rice with sofrito (a tomato cooking base common in many Caribbean kitchens and available at most supermarkets) Achiote oil (Annoto seeds in English which can either be added to olive oil with garlic or bought in a powder form that is commonly known as Sazon).  The beans are then added to the rice with chopped onion and chorizo sausage, covered in water and then left to cook.  The secret to preventing your rice from becoming to crunchy is to not open the lid until the rice has had time to cook.  In other words "No Peaking".

(My abuelitta was one of the women who taught me how to cook, and was my primary education in cooking Puerto Rican cuisine.)

Arroz Con Gandules

4 cups long grain rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sofrito (recipe available in the blog of the same name)

1/2 cup Achiote oil

1 cup onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cup chopped chorizo

1 can (15 ounces) gandules beans

5 cups water

Begin by washing the 4 cups of rice to remove any dirt or grit that may be on the grains.  In a large Caldero (puerto rican cast iron pot, if you do not posses on a dutch oven will work just fine), combine the olive oil, sofrito, achiote oil, onion, garlic, and tomato paste.  Allow the ingredients to come to a lite simmer then add in the chorizo, gandules, and washed rice. 

Stir the ingredients together then pour in the water to cover.  Cover the Caldero (or dutch oven) with its lid and allow the rice to cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes (time varies depending on the thickness of the caldero and the amount of heat if rice is still cooking cover quickly and allow to finish). 

When the water has evaporated, and the rice has become soft give the rice one final mix and serve.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a separate container. 

Serves 8-10 (depending on portion size.) 

(When my family members come together, we always have rice and beans, whether we are making breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You might try reheating the leftovers and pairing it with some fried eggs.)

Coconut and Cilantro Soup (South Korea & other Southeastern Asian Countries)

      Something to know about me, is that I work in a theatre as a Master Electrician and Assistant Lighting Designer.  And one question that I always get asked is how I thought that culinary and work as a stage hand actually went together.  My usual response is two words, "Dinner Theatre". 
       But the connection between fine dining and theatre is much deeper then this, you would be surprised how many touring companies have two or three foodies lurking in their numbers using part of their take home pay to experience culinary excellence while they go from city to city. 
        One such foodie I met when the Peking Acrobats came to my theatre on their tour through the United States.  Her name was Sue and she was one of the few English speakers within the company.  So being unfamiliar with the different dialects spoken in China I immediately attached myself to her.  They were only with us for two days but in that time Sue and I had become great friends, mostly because we both had a secret obsession with, surprise, food.  When the event ended we exchanged emails and recipes, I gave shared with her my secret to making Coq Au Vin and she gave me her recipe for Coconut and Cilantro Soup. 
       The soup itself is from the southeastern part of Asia, though according to Sue it originated in South Korea.  The creamy citrus flavor of the coconut milk mingles with the zing from the cilantro to make a soup that is actually really refreshing.  In the recipe that follows Sue breaks a bit from the tradition and adds the protein of shrimp to make it slightly more filling.

Coconut and Cilantro Soup with Shrimp

4 cups coconut milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 lemon grass stem, cut into inch thin slices (must be fresh)

4 Kaffir lime leaves, quartered

2 Tai chilies, halved

1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and devined.  (Instructions available in the blog on Shrimp Provencal)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup lime juice

5 tablespoons cilantro, rinsed and finely chopped

In a medium saucepan combine the milk and water.  Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and add in the lemon grass, chilies, limes leaves and 3 tablespoons cilantro.  Allow the mixture to continue to cook on low heat, giving a few light stirs so that that flavors can meld.  Add in the soy, fish sauce, honey and lime juice. 

Using and immersion blender puree the ingredients (if you do not posses one then pour the ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree).  Add in the shrimp and cook until the shrimp have turned a light pink.  Pour into five separate bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.  Serve immediately

Serves 5

Waldorf Salad (United States)

      No one knows how Waldorf Hotel head waiter Oscar Tschirky came up with the dish we now know as Waldorf Salad.  Maybe the kitchen staff was on strike that day (it could have happened in 1890); or maybe he accidentally allowed a bowl of cucumber salad to spill into a fruit cocktail; or maybe, just maybe, he was secretly a culinary genius who wanted a chance to show off his culinary skills.  Well which ever scenario it might have been launched Mr Tschirky into the history books as the man who made mayonnaise and apples taste good.
      This simple delicacy has become a featured dish in many salad bars across the United States, the flavors of tart apple mixing with mayonnaise and a bit of sugar to create a flavor that has no equal.  Over the years many additions have been put into the recipe, but the tradition dictates that the ingredients be tart apples, mayonnaise, walnuts, and celery.  However, I am a notorious rule breaker, especially in the kitchen where you can safely change ingredients without worry.  The dish is best served in the spring and summer when you want something both light and refreshing. 
     

Sweet Waldorf Salad

6 green apples, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

3/4 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup mint, finely chopped

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups thinly sliced celery root

2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

1 1/2 cup walnut halves

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a 350 degree oven place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and allow them to toast for no more then five minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium sized bowl whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, mint, lime juice & zest, sugar and salt.  In a large bowl place the apples, grapes halves, celery root and walnuts and give a gentle toss.  Pour the dressing over the fruit mixture and toss again.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld, make sure that the salad stays cool while serving.

Serves 5

Cobb Salad (United States)

     The history of gastronomy (the science of cooking) is divided into two different schools.  Either the origin of a specific dish is highly debated making the truth unattainable, or we know the everything from name of the cook to the day in which it was invented.  When it comes to Cobb salad it is easy to see that is in the second school of gastronomic history, mostly because it bares the name of the man who invented it.
      While working in a very popular Los Angeles restaurant in 1937 a line cook by the name of Robert H. Cobb decided to make himself a late night snack.  Intending to make a sandwich Cobb ransacked the fridge and slicing the ingredients.  Chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, cheese, and (for reasons unknown to this writer) four different types of lettuce.
      It was not until after he had chopped his ingredients up that he realized there was no bread left, and the delivery wouldn't be until the next morning.  Unable to bring himself to throw away the ingredients Cobb simply made a vinaigrette and placed the ingredients on top of the lettuce, and called it a salad.  Well Cobb must have really liked his concoction, because the next day it appeared on the menu with the name "Cobb Salad".  The rest is a very long history of the dish spreading throughout the United States appearing as the new house salad in restaurants from Massachusetts to Washington.
      The recipe featured below is my own adaptation from a salad I enjoyed while having lunch with a friend in the West Village of New York City.  Eating at Cafe Condesa was as my friend told me, a experience that no one should be without.  The food there was a bit of an enigma, as if classic American cuisine and Latin flair had an illegitimate child that became a supermodel.  When I got home I immediately tried to mimic what I had eaten at the establishment.  The salad was easy to replicated, after all, the ingredients are listed out for you on a plate.  But the vinaigrette was a bit hard. Now, after about a dozen failed attempts, I think I have finally gotten it down. 
     

Cobb Salad

4 boneless skinless split chicken breasts, roasted

1/2 pound bacon, cooked with the drippings removed

1 cup avocado, chopped

1 1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled

3 pint sized containers of cherry tomatoes, washed and sliced in half

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, torn finely

1 12 ounce bag of spinach, washed and dried

2 hearts of romaine, washed and torn into bite size pieces

2 heads of iceberg lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons green onion, minced

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sized bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and mustard.  Whisk the mixture until it has reached a very smooth consistency.  Add in the cilantro, lemon, onion and give the mixture another quick whisk.  Season with salt and pepper as your personal taste dictates and place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile mix the spinach, romaine, and iceberg lettuce and place on a large serving platter, or on each individual plate.  Place each of the ingredients across the salad making defined lines for each of the ingredients.  Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the vinaigrette on the side. 

Serves 4-6 depending on portions sizes.