Ingredients

1 qt heavy cream
1 vanilla pod or 1 TBS vanilla extract
3 cinnamon sticks
peel or zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange (use a peeler to just peel off the zest)

12 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt


Directions

   Scald together the first 4 ingredients.  [In a medium sauce pot, place the heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, peels of both the lemon and orange.  Bring up to almost a boil over a medium heat. Scalding is when you see the little bubbles around the sides of the pot, right before it boils.]
   Ribbon together the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.  [With a whisk, stir together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until they become a paler, sunny-yellow.]
   Temper the cream mixture into the egg mixture.  [Slowly whisk the hot cream into the eggs, gently so that they don't scramble.]
   Pour into 12 ramekins or brûlée cups.  Place in a 315 degree oven in a covered bain marie (water bath).
   50 minutes later or until they just set (check them after 35 minutes) you have the perfect creme brûlée.  Chill, then brûlée the tops, as shown in class - ENJOY!

   It's quick, it's easy, it's healthy, goes with everything, delicious served right away and just keeps getting better if made ahead of time.  I make this for ALL of my family parties, they demand it, as well as for all other events.  Double it, triple it, even quadruple it... You're going to want it.  Make a little extra of the dressing to roast your favorite protein in and you have dinner in under 30.  

As requested yesterday by email - This one's for you Ashara!  Enjoy!

  These are a fool-proof, simple, easy, delectable treat!  This recipe makes 6-10 individual ramekins, depending upon the size you use.  Also great to make in bulk, then store in the freezer to pull out for a treat at any time.  They take roughly 10 minutes to make, then cook in another 10, making this a VERY QUICK delightful dessert.  What makes them lava-ey??  You slightly undercook them.  What you're looking for are the edges to puff up, you'll see a few slight cracks along the top and the middle should stay dimpled; this tells you that it hasn't fully cooked through and will still be super gooey!
[Note: picture above]  
         I highly recommend these - I'm sure many of you have enjoyed these in my classes.
For Valentine's Day I definitely recommend the kick of the hot pepper and cinnamon for a little warmth (I also ALWAYS add the vanilla!)!!!

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKES

INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 oz butter
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
heaping 1/2 c sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp espresso powder
Additional Flavorings: you can use as many as you desire!
1 TBS vanilla
pinch cayenne
pinch chili powder
pinch cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter, spray or oil your ramekins, if desired and set on a baking sheet.,
2.)  Place butter in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil.  Measure out your chocolates.
3.)  Put sugar and eggs in a bowl of a kitchen aid or a mixing bowl, if you are hand mixing - feel free to use an electric mixer as well.  Turn kitchen aid on high, with a whisk attachment.  You are whisking until the eggs have doubled in volume and have turned almost white in color.  
4.)  Once the butter is a rolling boil, you can drop the chocolate in and turn off the burner.  Let sit on the hot stove to melt out, 3-5 minutes - you do not need to stir the chocolate.
5.)  Check your egg mixture, it should be ready.  You can now add in the flavorings, mix until combined.
6.)  With a rubber spatula, swirl the chocolate mixture and whisk into the egg mixture.  
7.)  Pour into the prepared ramekins.
8.)  Place in oven ~10-15 minutes before serving, you want to enjoy these hot!
9.)  Once in oven, lower the temperature to 325 degrees.  Should take 8-10 minutes depending on the oven.  Do not over cook!  *See picture and note above.

This recipe comes from a Teens Tour of Asia class over the summer - we ran out of the store bought sweet chili sauce, no better excuse to whip some up!  This stuff is legit and waaay better! You'll want to put it on everything 



Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 cup sugar
2 TBS grated ginger
2 TBS hot chili garlic paste (Thai-style)

Directions
Finely grate the ginger.  Mix all of the measured ingredients together in a small sauce pot, bring to a boil.  Boil 5-7 minutes.  

Note: It will seem runnier than expected.  As it chills it thickens up.

Let cool before using.  Try it over cheese as delicious topping on your next cheese platter.  Great as a dipping sauce, in Asian-inspired dishes or use instead of honey for a little extra kick! 

It's the best.  It's my favorite.  I make it once a week.  I just can't help myself.  
Once you taste it, you will know why.  And...  It's soooo easy.

(I put it on everything!!!)

   Aioli just refers to garlic mayonnaise (garlic added to fresh mayonnaise).  When people think of mayonnaise they think of the stuff that comes from a jar, in the grocery store - GROSS!!!!  (I want to vomit.)  However, aioli is a delightfully delicious sauce, think more like caesar salad dressing (which it's also the base for).  This recipe is the best, the basil makes it like pesto, the lemon juice compliments and balances all of the flavor beautifully.  Again, you're going to want to put it on, with, in everything.

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1 TBS dijon mustard
2-3 garlic cloves, pasted
juice 2-3 lemons
S&P
2 cups olive oil, something not too floral and strong tasting, could also mix with any oil
1 bunch basil, leaves picked, left whole

Method

(see video posted below for a visual how-to)

Place in a mini food processor: the yolks, dijon, garlic, salt, pepper and juice of half of a lemon.  You need to paste the garlic, with salt, to cut the super potent rawness of the garlic.  No one wants dragon breath!

Pulse that together and let it whirl for about 30 seconds.  You're working on incorporating everything together and starting to add some air to the emulsion.  Note: Each egg yolk can hold up to a cup of liquid - we're doubling the amount of yolks, using four here so that the yolks reach the blades of the food processor, to let the machine do all of the work for you.  It also ensures that the emulsify all of the extra add-ins (lemon juice, basil).

Now, with the motor going, you can start to drizzle in the olive oil...  What's great about using the mini food prep is that it has tiny little drizzle holes in the lid, which drizzle the oil in at the perfect rate.  If you were doing this by hand you would have to whisk FOREVER, then teaspoon by teaspoon, whisk in the oil, making sure to incorporate before adding in more.  It's a SLOW process.  Works off some of the calories..? This is way faster, fresh mayo in a few minutes.

It may look a little runny at first, but all of a sudden it comes together and BOOM!  You have mayo that's the consistency of the jarred stuff.  Once you have added half of your oil (around a cup's worth) pour in the juice of 1 lemon.  When making mayonnaise you need to keep the egg yolks hydrated so that they keep holding that emulsion.  You could use any liquid: water, vinegar, citrus juice...  As you all know my favorite ingredient is lemon juice, so why not?!  Lemon juice is the best!  Not only because it balances the salt, but it lightens and brightens the taste, texture and color of the aioli - all of which make it extra delicious!

Once the lemon goes in, drizzle in the remaining oil.  Add in the basil leaves.  Basil leaves go brown, veeerrrry quickly.  Anytime you're using them you want to cut them right before use.  In this instance (also when making the best pesto) add the whole basil leaves into the aioli.  The blades quickly chop it down and the oil immediately coats the leaves so that they NEVER go brown, resulting in bright, beautiful color.  

Now comes our favorite moment, tasting time!  You will probably need to add more lemon juice, salt and pepper, to taste.  Seriously now, enjoy, I know you will!

 

 You can't imagine a better carrot cake - super moist carroty-goodness, gooey cream cheese and mascarpone frosting, pineapple bits... And, it's gluten free!!! Yum!

Recipe as follows:

For the cake:
5 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 lb (8oz or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (for the one I'm obsessed with see below*)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs pumpkin or apple pie spice (cloves, ginger, allspice, nutmeg)
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 tbs vanilla extract
1 can crushed pineapple, liquid strained off
2 lb carrots, grated

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Take all of the frosting ingredients out of the fridge, and out of their packaging, to start to warm up.  Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners (this recipe makes 24).

 In a stand mixer (KitchenAid) or hand electric mixer cream together the eggs and sugar on high, for 10 minutes, with the whisk attachment.  Brown the butter in a small sauce pot on medium high heat.  Once the milk solids have lightly browned, let sit for a few minutes, then pour off liquid, leaving the majority of browned bits in the pot.  Let cool in the refrigerator.  Measure out all of the dried ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.

 After the 10 minutes, the eggs should have doubled in size, become white and fluffy.  Reduce the speed of the mixer to slow/medium.  Slowly pour in the cooled browned butter.  

 Add in all of the dried ingredients in a few iterations to incorporate easier.  Mix in the vanilla, then the pineapple.  Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and the bottom. Turn the mixer back on.  Once everything is properly mixed, remove the bowl from the mixer and hand mix the carrots into the mixture with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Notes: The carrots get stuck in the whisk attachment, easier to thoroughly mix them in by hand. Also, there's no gluten, so you don't have to worry about "over-mixing" the batter.

 Pour into cupcake liners, 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up.  Bake at 375, ~20-27 minutes.  Check them at 20 minutes with a toothpick or you can press on the top of them, if they feel firmer and press back at you they are done!  Let cool and serve frosted with the Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting.


For the Frosting:
16 oz neufchatel or cream cheese 
8 oz mascarpone
2 oz butter
1 tbs vanilla
dash cinnamon
1/8 c pineapple juice
2 1/2-3 c confectioners sugar, sifted

Cream together the dairy components.  Once smooth add in the vanilla, cinnamon and pineapple juice.  Add the sugar in gradually until desired sweetness, scraping down the sides as necessary.  Frost, chill, so as to prevent the frosting from weeping, and enjoy!!!


* My absolute favorite Gluten Free Blend is Authentic Foods GF Classical Blend.  It's awesome and doesn't have all of the guar gum and xanthan gum in it!

    Here's some comfort food to keep you happy on this snowy day!  

Marinara directly translates as "Sauce of the Sailors," how appropriate?!

It was an easy tomato based sauce, without perishable ingredients such as meats or dairy.  Quick to put together, with ingredients they could keep on hand.  Simple and delicious!

Here's two versions for you - one that's super simple and one that's a little more complex, a delicious way to sneak some extra veggies in, even for the picky eaters and kids.

Simple Marinara

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ TBS fennel seeds
pinch red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
bay leaf (optional)
S&P

2 cups wine, red or white is fine
2 cups canned tomatoes
chopped parsley
chiffonaded basil
lemon juice to taste (1-2 lemons)
parmesan

Sweat out the onions until they are translucent.  Salt and pepper.  Add the garlic; cook until fragrant.  Add in the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaf.  Deglaze with the wine.  Add in the tomatoes.  Simmer atleast 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and puree.  Stir in the parsley, basil and lemon juice, to taste.  Adjust seasonings: salt and pepper, lemon juice; salt again.

Top your favorite pasta, vegetable or meat dishes.  Garnish with extra basil and parmesan.  

Super Vegetable Marinara

Ingredients

3 TBS butter or olive oil
3 onions, chopped
6-9 cloves garlic, chopped
1 TBS fennel seeds
½ tsp red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
bay leaf
S&P
Optional: 4 cups white or red wine, or chicken broth

28 oz canned tomatoes
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
½ bunch basil, chiffonade
LEMON JUICE

Optional add-ons: sliced mushrooms, caramelized onions, pan-seared sliced tri-color peppers, chopped rosemary, sliced shallots, grated parm

Directions

  In a large saucepan heat up the oil and sweat out the onions over a medium-high heat.  You may need to adjust the heat as it cooks.  Once translucent, add in the garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes and cinnamon.  After this becomes fragrant, ~2-3 minutes, add in the carrots.  Cook until they start to become tender, around 7 minutes, and add in the celery and zucchini.  Salt and pepper each of the layers as it cooks to develop the flavors.  

  Deglaze the pan with wine after an additional 5-10 minutes, once everything becomes tender.  Scrape the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan back into the sauce, using a wooden spoon.  Add in the tomatoes.

  Prepare your additional vegetables, cheese, etc.  I use this sauce as a “catch-all” for when I clean out my refrigerator.  It’s also a great place to sneak extra veggies in, since the sauce portion will be pureed.  If any are going to go into the puree, add them in now.

  Let the sauce cook for an additional 20-30 minutes for the flavors to meld.  Remove the bay leaf.  Puree in batches or using an immersion blender.  The parsley and basil, plus some lemon juice can be added before or after this step.  *Reminder: hot liquids seem to EXPLODE in the blender.  To take care, fill the blender only halfway full, put a dishrag over the lid and do in batches.

  Season again after pureeing, salt, pepper and lemon juice, as needed.  

  Toss with your favorite pasta and add-ons, use as a base for a soup (I always make a huge batch and freeze some for this purpose), sauce for bread, lasagna, vegetable terrine…  I like to cook some Italian sausage and peppers into it too… The enjoyment possibilities are endless!

Come join me in the kitchen for a fun evening of sushi rolling up at Appleton Farms on February 12th.

Umami is the fifth flavor (think sweet, salty, bitter, sour) in Japan, it's "deliciousness."  What is "deliciousness" according to scientists?  It's glutamate and it fires tastebuds all over your tongue.  It's found in things like seafood, seaweed, miso, soy sauce, cured pork, cheeses.... MSG.  Monosodium glutamate was originally developed as a "Buddist vegetarian condiment" to add flavor to things, instead of using something like fish sauce, dried bonito flakes or other seafood products.  Crazy to think about with all of the bad rep it has now.  This "deliciousness" or glutamate, in all of it's natural glory, will be rocking (or rolling) our class on the 12th!

For more information and to sign up, please follow this link:

I know these aren't my videos... However I'm sure we can all use a little extra motivation.  So I'm going to leave with you first, a video that I watch any time I feel like I'm lacking the energy and procrastinating (right now...) and another video link that I've talked about in some of my classes - it's for Eggs In Purgatory, and it got me hooked!  Perfect comfort food, atop mountains of creamy, delicious polenta.  You're welcome.  As I always say, "Use recipes as your guidelines, make it your own."  Add some extra herbs, onions... Cheese!  

Happy Monday Everyone!!  Enjoy :)

  I had the book club girls over the other night for a cookie swap and a little merry cheer before our lives get too busy with the holidays.  There were quite a few things on my agenda when trying to design this cookie... First of all, I wanted a holiday cookie, with a healthier twist, festive, preferably paleo.  Cinnamon, cloves, coconut flour, with a hint of hazelnut.  Did you know molasses is paleo?!!  It has waaaaay more nutrients and isn't stripped of all of it's goodness like it's counterpart, granulated sugar.  That sold me, right there on the gingerbread cookie!  Who knew all of these things were dog friendly too!  Yup, I'm a sucker...  As Sperry gave me those puppy eyes, I did a little research while they were baking.  Not only are they dog safe, but the cinnamon and cloves help to freshen their breath.  I wouldn't suggest feeding dogs a huge amount of cookie, but we shared one as a treat.  He adores them.  
  Oh, did I mention the whole thing comes together in a KitchenAid??  So simple and easy.  So now for this versatile, incredible cookie!

Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 scant cups coconut flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 lemon, zest

1egg
1/2 cup molasses, heaping
1/2 cup coconut oil, heaping and softened

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
  In a KitchenAid combine all of the ingredients using the paddle attachment.  Add in all of the dry ingredients first, then, with the mixer going slowly, add in the softened coconut oil, eggs and molasses.  Mix until thoroughly combined.
  Roll out between two pieces of parchment, the size of my baking sheet, until 1/4 inch thick.  Using a cookie cutter, shape the cookies.  They won't spread so you can cut them right next to each other.  Note: I leave the extra dough between the shapes and then this becomes my treats for Sperry.
  I leave the bottom parchment on and place the cookies on a baking sheet.  Into the oven for 7-9 minutes, then cool, and enjoy.  This amount of dough should make two full sheet trays.  Enjoy!