Blog Archives

  • Spinach Salad on Cheese Crisps

    Dressing:

    Blend in Blender until smooth.

    Cheese Crisps:

    Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a two large baking sheet s with parchment paper. Lay 2 tablespoons of the finely grated parmesan cheese about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes. Take out and let cool on the parchment paper.

    In a medium mixing bowl, combine the spinach, tomatoes, red onion, and dressing. Toss well.

    Assembly:

    Place a mound of salad on the cooled cheese crisp. Top with some chopped bacon. Lay a slice of avocado on top. Serve.

     

  • Hawaiian Inspired Fresh Pumpkin Pie

    Pie Crust:

    Mix flour and salt in a food processor. Add shortening. Mix until well incorporated. Add the ice water and mix until the dough forms a ball.

    By hand: In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt together. Add the shortening and cut together with a pastry cutter until it comes together, like dough. Add the ice water and gently mix together with a knife. Form a ball.

    Form a flat thick disk and place on a well floured surface. Roll out starting from the center, going out until you have a nice large circle. Roll the pie crust loosely around the rolling pin; unroll the crust over the pie dish. Trim the edges one inch longer than the edge of the pie dish. Fold the over hang under and crimp the edges. Roll out the excess dough and cut out any decorative shapes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

    Preheat oven 400 F. With the tines of a fork, poke holes all over the bottom of the pie and the sides (about 1 inch apart)  to prevent the pie shell from bubbling up. Bake pie crust (and decorative pieces) for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and set aside while making the filling.

    Fresh Pumpkin Puree:

    Microwave: Place the cleaned out pumpkin on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 20 minutes. Let cool.

    Oven: Cut pumpkin in half. Lay the halves flesh side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Tent with foil. Roast at 400 F for 1 ½ hours. Let cool,

    Peel skin off the flesh or scoop out the flesh with a large metal spoon and place flesh in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth. Use immediately or store in a sealed container or freezer Ziploc bag and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or the freezer for months.

    Pumpkin Filling:

    Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and all the spices. Blend well. Add the brown sugar, evaporated milk, and eggs. Mix well. Whisk in the melted butter, vanilla, and salt until well blended. Pour into the pie crust. Bake 55-65 minutes or until the center of the pie is slightly jiggly. Let cool completely. Once cooled, top with the chilled coconut custard (stir the chilled coconut custard first as smooth as you can get it) and refrigerate preferably overnight.

    Before serving, top with decorative pie crust cutouts if desired.

    Coconut Custard:

    In a small saucepan, over medium high heat, combine the coconut milk, sugar and water. Whisk the cornstarch in the ¼ cup water until completely mixed together; Add to the coconut mixture. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Stir for one minute more. Take off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Let cool a bit. Pour on top of the cool or cold pumpkin pie.  If making this ahead, Place in a sealed container and place in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours over overnight.

     

     

  • Chap Chae (Korean Side Dish)

    Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

    In a large wok, heat up 2-3 Tbsp. dark sesame seed oil. Place all the veggies in the wok and sauté until soft. Turn off the heat and add the cooked noodles. Pour the sauce over the noodles and sautéed vegetables and mix well. Season with more salt if necessary. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Chap Chae is served at room temperature or cold. 

     

  • Grilled Marinated Vegetables

    Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Make this marinade preferably the day before. Divide the vegetables into different Ziploc bags each with some of the marinade. Massage the marinade into the vegetables well. Let sit for 2-3 hours.

    Heat the grill to medium heat. Grill the vegetables on each side for 3-5 minutes.

  • Cherry Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

    Ice cream preparation:

    In a mixing bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, salt and vanilla extract until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the cream. Place in a sealed container and chill in the refrigerator 4 hours to overnight.

    Cherries:

    In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar and the 1 tablespoon of water. Stir well and heat for 10 minutes until the cherries are caramelized and syrupy. Place in a sealed container and chill completely in the refrigerator.

    Ice cream:

    Turn on your ice cream maker and add the chilled cream mixture and chilled cherry mixture; let it churn for 20 minutes. Add the chocolate chunks and let it churn until the chocolate is completely incorporated. Serve immediately. Yum!

     

  • Guacamole Elote

    Guacamole:

    With a fork, mash the avocados coarsely. Add the other ingredients and mix well.

    Elote:

    Cut the corn off the cobs and add all the ingredients while the corn is still warm. Set aside until cool. Start the guacamole.

    Assembly:

    Add half of the corn mixture into the guacamole. Mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top the guacamole with the other half of the elote corn. Add another 1-2 tablespoons of cotija cheese on top of the elote. Garnish on top with a little cilantro.

     

  • Tropical Salad with a Mango Yogurt Dressing

    In a blender, blend together the mango, sugar, vanilla extract, white wine vinegar and salt. Blend until a smooth puree.  In a small bowl, stir the mango puree into the yogurt with a spoon until smooth. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

    Togarashi Spiced Macadamia Nuts:

    In a medium skillet, combine the nuts and sugar. Stir together over medium heat until the sugar melts and caramelizes on the nuts. Sprinkle the togarashi over the nuts. Stir well and turn the nuts onto wax or parchment paper to cool.  Once, cool use over the salad or store in a Ziploc bag until ready to use.

    Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss well.

  • Burger Bar…. a Great and Fun Meal for any Gathering

    Caramelized  Onions:

    Slice your onion in long thin strips or rings. In a large skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the onion strips in the hot oil and saute until golden in color with some bits of darker brown. They should smell sweet and be soft.

    Sauteed Mushrooms;

    In a large skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place sliced mushrooms in the hot oil and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

    Easy Garlic Aioli:

    Take 1 cup of mayonnaise and add 2 teaspoons of garlic paste, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate for 4 hours or preferably overnight to bring out the flavors.

    Mayonnaise with Horseradish:

    1 cup of mayonnaise with the amount of horseradish to suit your taste. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate for 4 hours or preferably overnight.

    Roasted Poblano Chiles:

    Wash poblano chiles and remove the seeds and the stems. Lay them on a baking sheet and spray both sides of the chiles with an olive oil cooking spray. Roast in a 400 F oven for 15-20 minutes. When cool, remove the skins and slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips.

    Lay out all your ingredients in platters and bowls (you may want to label the condiments so they know what they are). Let your guests create their own burger masterpiece! For more details and pictures of my burger bar, click HERE.

     

  • Individual Lemon Blueberry Trifle in a Jar

    Lemon cream instructions:

    In a medium saucepan, combine the 2 ½ cups of cream and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes once it boils. Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

     Pour into a container with a lid and chill in the refrigerator over night or until it is set.

    Sweet whipped cream instructions:

    In a stand mixer, using wire whisks, mix the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip on high until stiff peaks form. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use. 

    Wash and dry all the mason jars. Place a spoonful of whipped cream in the bottom of each mason jar followed by a layer of the biscuit pieces. Top the biscuits with a spoonful of the lemon cream and add a layer of fresh blueberries. Repeat layers and end with a spoonful of whipped cream. Screw on the ring part of the lid and top with 3 strawberry pieces. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

     

     

     

     

  • Boston Cream Cupcakes

    Cupcake Instructions:

    Spray the insides of 2 cupcake pans. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Slowly add the vegetable oil. Blend until very creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Add one egg at a time. Mix well.

    In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and cornstarch.

    Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Add half of the buttermilk. Add the second third of the flour mixture. Add the second half of the buttermilk. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until well combined.

    With an ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake pan ¾ full (don’t use liners). Bake for 18-20 minutes. I test done-ness by lightly touching the middle of the baked cupcake and if it springs back, it is done. Do not over bake or it will be dry.

    Let cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen each cupcake with a butter knife and place each cupcake on a baking rack to cool completely

    Custard Instructions:

    In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until it is hot, but do not let it boil.

    In a small mixing bowl, mix the sugar, salt and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add ½ cup of the hot milk and whisk to combine to temper the egg mixture. Add another half cup of milk and whisk together. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Put back on medium heat and whisk continuously until the mixture is thickened. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Transfer custard to a bowl and place plastic wrap on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool.

    Assembly:

    With a serrated knife, cut the upper 1/3 of the cupcake off. Cut a wide cone shape piece off the bottom half of each cupcake, careful not to cut through the bottom of the cupcake. Discard or eat the cut out piece. Fill each cupcake bottom with the custard. Top with the cupcake top. Place on a baking rack that sits on top of either some parchment or wax paper or a silpat mat.

    Chocolate Glaze Instructions:

    Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a microwavable bowl, heat the cream for about 45– 60 seconds. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Let sit for about 2 minutes. Whisk together until it is smooth. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and corn syrup and whisk together. Immediately ladle the glaze over the top of each cupcake. Let it sit until the glaze is set.  Refrigerate to store.

     

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