Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 6 vine ripened tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 1 bunch basil, chiffonaded.
• Excellent quality extra-virgin olive oil
• Slices of sourdough baguette
• Half stick of butter
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated parmesan

Directions

Dice and seed the tomatoes and add to a medium sized bowl. Add basil, salt, pepper, and a few drizzles of EVOO. Toss gently.

Add butter to a medium fry pan.  Cook on both sides until bread is crispy and golden. Transfer to plate, rub the bread with garlic cloves. Spoon tomato mixture over grilled bread, sprinkle with cheese and enjoy!

Chef's note: These bruschetta should be prepared at the last minute.

New Year's Appetizers

Ceviche verde con pepino

·         1/2 head garlic, cloves broken apart, unpeeled

·         2-3 fresh serrano chilies

·         1 medium bunch cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off)

·         1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley (thick bottom stems cut off)

·         1/2 cup olive oil

·         Salt

·         For finishing the ceviche

·         1/4 cup fresh lime juice

·         11/2 pounds “sashimi-quality” skinless, boneless fish fillets — my favorites are Alaskan halibut, ahi tuna and Tilapia — cut into 1/2-inch cubes

·         2 Persian (baby) cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

·         2 ripe large avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from skin and then cut into cubes

·         Lettuce leaves (butter lettuce works great here), for garnish

Make the chimichurri. Set a dry skillet over medium heat. Lay in the unpeeled garlic cloves and chiles.

Roast, turning frequently, until soft and blotchy brown in spots, about 10 minutes for the chilies and 15 minutes for the garlic.

Cool then slip the skins off the garlic, pull the stems off the chilies and roughly chop (no need to remove the seeds). Place in a food processor along with the cilantro (about 1 cup if packed), parsley (about 1 cup if packed), oil and 2 generous teaspoons salt. Process until nearly smooth (it will be pasty). Scrape into a storage container and refrigerate until serving time.

Finish the ceviche. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice and 1/2 cup of the herb seasoning. (Cover and refrigerate the remainder for another preparation.)

Add the fish and cucumber, and stir to combine. To blend the flavors, cover and refrigerate for a half hour (for best results no more than an hour).

Taste and season with a little more lime juice or salt if you think necessary, gently stir in the avocado (save a little for garnish if you want), then serve on lettuce leaf-lined plates or in martini glasses.

Note: You’ll have more than you need of the chimichurri.  Store it in a covered container in the refrigerator (pour a film of oil over the top). It’ll keep for a month or more. I smear it on chicken before grilling or roasting it. I stir it into scrambled eggs. I add it to salad dressing and cream sauces. It’ll make your everyday cooking taste special-occasion

Christmas Ham

Toasted Spiced Ham Drizzled in Honey

Ingredients

• 1 boneless country ham
• 2 cups honey, for glazing ham
• 2 tablespoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
• 1 lb baby carrots
• 1 large sweet onion diced
• ½ cup chicken stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place ham on a cookie sheet. With the tip of a paring knife carefully score a 1-inch grid pattern around the outside of the ham. Brush the entire surface of the meat on all sides with some of the honey.

Season the entire surface of the meat on all sides with the toasted spice rub and thyme. Add about a half cup of stock to the base of the roaster. Place ham on baby carrots and onion mixture in the roasting pan.

Cook for 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, baste ham with juices that collect in the base of the roaster and the honey. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving as desired.

Toasted Spice Rub:

• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 4 tablespoons California chili powder
• 4 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Toast the cloves, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. (Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.)  Working quickly, turn on the exhaust fan; add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.

Using a small spice mill blender or a thoroughly cleaned coffee grinder; grind only the clove, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

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Eggnog

Baby its cold outside!  It’s time for fires roaring, fuzzy socks, and cuddling under a blanket.  What could be better than a nice cup of spiked eggnog?  The problem is the stuff they sell at the store is usually sickenly sweet.  Homemade eggnog isn’t hard to make and as long as you’re careful consuming raw eggs shouldn’t be a problem. Yes there is a small risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, I recommend you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells.  Heck I bet there are more parasites lurking in that kitchen sponge of yours. 

Enjoy!

Eggnog

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces bourbon (or more…..)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 egg whites

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Cook's Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

Raw Oysters with Spicy Mignonette

When the holidays arrive often we want to pull out our holiday finest, whether it is our finest china, linen, or attire.  When the candles are flickering and champagne is bubbling here is something surely to impress even the toughest of in-laws.  If not to hell with them, they don’t deserve your effort anyway!

Raw Oysters with Spicy Mignonette

Scrub the oysters under cold water with a stiff brush to remove the dirt, especially in the hinge area where mud has a tendency to get trapped. Next, find a durable thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; this will steady the oysters as you shuck them and also protect your hand. Using the towel as a mitt, place the oyster, cup-side down in the palm of your towel-covered hand with the hinge facing you; have a small bowl handy to catch the delicious juice. Insert the tip of an oyster knife or dull butter knife as far into the hinge as it will go; don't jab it in there or you could break the shell. With gentle force, twist the knife back and forth to pry the shell open. Using the knife, cut the muscle away from the top shell, bend the shell back, and discard it. Run the knife underneath the oyster to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell. Tip out the briny liquor into the bowl and pour it back over the shucked oysters. Nestle the oysters in a bed of crushed ice, never use rock salt; you want these babies nice and cold.

·         3 tablespoons finely chopped Shallot

·         1 Scotch bonnet (also called a Habanero) stemmed, seeded and chopped fine-These are hot! So be cautious when handling peppers. (wear gloves)

·         3 teaspoons of Champagne Vinegar

·         3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – buy the fruity expensive stuff!

·         1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

·         Kosher salt and freshly course ground black pepper to taste

Whisk in a bowl and drizzle over prepared oysters, Enjoy!

Oh as a special note, if you can find just the tiniest amount of wasabi roe, OMG your mouth is in for a real treat!

Tradition

 Thanksgiving is the super bowl of food holidays.   It’s also the one time of year that we pride ourselves in tradition, making recipes that have been passed down from generation, to generation.  Yet who hasn’t been at the table and offered what appeared to be green mush in a casserole dish with dehydrated burnt onions on top? Or a sickenly sweet glop of sweet mashed potatoes?  I have just two things to say, the first one is leave the can of cream of mushroom soup for a weeknight, I’m too busy to even think about cooking supper.  Thanksgiving is the day where we should take that extra step and make everything, (And I mean EVERYTHING) from scratch. You’d be hard pressed to find any can’s in my kitchen.  Also what is up with those little damn marshmallows?    What am I three?  This is a side dish, not a freaking dessert!  Sigh, year after year my family insists on these goopy, nasty dishes.  Well in the words of KISS, “WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT!”  When opportunity arrives and I get to spend the holiday at home, this is what I make instead.  No they’re not my recipes; credit goes to Bobby Flay and Emeril.  But I have fallen in love with these recipes so much that they have become tradition in my home.  Bon Appétit!

Emerilized Green Bean Casserole

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

Prep Time:

35 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 10 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips and blanched
• 2 1/4 cups Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons Essence, plus 2 teaspoons, recipe follows
• 2 cups grated Fontina
• 4 to 5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/16- inch thick)
• Hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with the butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the green beans, Wild Mushroom Soup, 2 teaspoons of Essence, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and stir well. Pour into the prepared dish, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top, and bake until bubbly, 35 to 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan, add enough oil to come about 3 inches up the sides, and heat to 360 degrees F.

Pat the onions dry. Drizzle hot sauce on the onions and toss. In a bowl, combine the flour and 2 tablespoons of the Essence. Add the onions and toss to coat evenly. Shake the onions to remove any excess flour and add in batches to the hot oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Top casserole with fried onions and serve.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 11/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 6 ounces oyster mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, the mushrooms give off their liquid and start to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the brandy, bring to a boil and cook until glazed, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor. Add the cream, return to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning, to taste.

Yield: 8 servings

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick  (side note from me, USE A MANDOLINE, if you don’t have one BUY ONE, it’s worth the money, trust me!)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Also add enough butter to grease the bottome of your pan, trust me or it will stick, I also like to top it with dollops of butter, I know my God cream AND butter? Relax already, it's the hollidays, just don't eat the whole damn pan and you'll be fine already!

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.

In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

The Art of Food: An Introduction to Butternut Squash Soup

As an artist I found that food is very much another form of art.  Just as an artist can picture a painting in their mind, I can taste flavors there too.  Once I have an idea of what to create, all of my senses are used in the process.  It’s not just about taste, and smell, but sight, and even sound.  Take my butternut squash soup for example.  Visually it’s beautiful; a warm bowl filled with a thick puree if butternut squash, deep in tangerine color, speckled with fiery bits of chipotle peppers, with a white swirl of crème fraiche, topped with crispy golden fried shallots.  The smell is incredible; the sound when the fried shallots sizzle when they hit the soup makes the dish exciting.  

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (Maui or Walla- Walla) diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 chipotle in adobo, rinsed, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced in half
• ½ stick of butter
• One head of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (pref homemade)
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 thinly sliced shallots
•  3 tablespoons corn starch
• Crème fraiche
•   Fresh chives

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice butternut squash in half. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle EVOO over the top slices of squash, place  pats of butter place on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice garlic head in half drizzle with EVOO sprinkle garlic salt over the top. (Yes I just told you to season your garlic with garlic) Roast both in oven 30 min, and until soft and golden brown. Squeeze roasted garlic out and into a small bowl. Scoop cooked squash out of rind and place into a bowl, set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and when shimmering, add the onions bay leaves and cumin, and cook until softened about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, tomato paste and chipotle, (By now have your fan on high, that chipotle is strong stuff!) and cook stirring until the carrots brown about 8 minutes.

Raise the heat to high and stir in squash and garlic, making sure everything is mixed in evenly Season with 1 tablespoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer cover, and cook until the flavors have melded about 20 min.  Remove and discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or cool slightly and puree, in a jar blender.

Meanwhile, toss sliced shallots with corn starch, and heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil, and when melted, fry the shallots in batches. Cook, tossing frequently, until golden brown, about 4 min. 

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche, sprinkle chopped chives, season with fresh ground pepper, and a handful of fried shallots.

Enjoy!