Sweet Potato and Brie

All of my favorite food groups rolled into one dish? Why yes, please and thank you. Who doesn't love pasta, cheese, and sweet potatoes? Pair it with a fabulous glass of wine and to me it is the perfect evening meal.

 Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked pasta, I used a whole wheat penne
1 cup sweet potato puree. I used 1 large potato baked at 300 for 1.5 hours
1 cup milk or heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese ( I used 1 ounce cream cheese and 1 ounce goat cheese)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup good double cream brie cheese (rind removed, and cut into small cubes
Tiny pinch of nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta to your liking, I enjoy mine slightly al dente. Meanwhile over medium heat (too hot and cheese won't melt right) whisk together the sweet potato puree and milk. Reduce heat to low and whisk in cheese until fully melted. Stir in nutmeg, season with salt and pepper. Drain your pasta and add it to your sauce. Serve immediately and sprinkle with a touch of nutmeg, garnish with a basil leaf or two.

This pasta is very rich and with that being said a lighter wine would be its best companion.  I would suggest a Grenache or even a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc would be nice. Enjoy!!

Mongolian Beef

Short sweet and to the point, this was hands down the best Mongolian Beef Recipe! We live in an area where finding a variety of different foods is NOT an option. In order to keep my palate happy I have to create those tastes on my own. My goal in life, well many of them is to show my kids the vast variety of cultures and the food that comes with them. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as everyone in my family did! Yes that even includes my picky husband :)

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil
 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 (1-pound) flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 scallions (green parts only), sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 Bag Trader Joes Organic Brown Rice (Frozen)
1 Head Fresh Broccoli

Directions:

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes.

 Add the soy sauce and water, stirring to combine. Stir in the brown sugar and increase the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. Place the coated pieces of steak in a sieve and shake off any excess cornstarch. Allow the steak to sit 10 for minutes.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until it is seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center. Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the wok. Place your broccoli in your steamer and cook to your liking. We like ours slightly still stiff for more of an al dente taste.

 Place the sauté pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan (it should come to a boil almost immediately), then add the reserved steak and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes.At this time prepare your brown rice according to the package, this should cook for 3 minutes.

Add the sliced scallions, stirring to combine. Spoon your brown rice onto the center of your plate, add your steak and then top with your broccoli. Best when served hot. If you want you can even prepare this ahead of time for lunches just slightly under cook all ingredients and add your rice frozen not cooked.

Blueberry Muffins

I don't know about you but I love to have easy mornings and being able to pull out pre made items from the freezer through out the week that are healthy and not full of chemicals is ideal. Here is a blueberry muffin recipe that is super simple and for the most part healthy too.

Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line two muffin tins with liners, this recipe makes between 22-24 muffins.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup apple sauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients and then combine with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix or your muffins will be very dry. Once all the ingredients come together gently fold in your blueberries.

Place one large spoonful in each muffin liner. When you are finished sprinkle with just a tad bit of sugar.

Bake for 20-15 minutes depending on your oven.

Roasted Pork Belly

While recently wine tasting in Murphy's California I came across a new tasting room, Bunting Vineyards. This is the newest tasting room located downtown and I had heard great rumors about their wines so my girlfriend and I decided to check it out. Their tasting room manager was great for being so new to the area as well. Long story short he presented to us a fabulous Mourvedre from the Sierra Foothills and asked what I would pair with it. It got me thinking, as I let the wine dance around my taste buds I could taste all the bug red fruits. The tannins hit the back of my mouth with just enough to not leave your mouth puckered. This wine to me would be perfect with Pork Belly. The combination of the slight tartness from the wine and the succulent juices from the pork belly were sure to be a match made in foodie heaven.

So once I was able to hunt down so Pork Belly (yes it really did take me 5 grocery stores to get it, and I bought it all!) I began my hunt for the perfect recipe as I have only eaten pork belly in restaurants. I finally was pointed in the direction of the pork master himself, Michael Symon. I cannot wait to grab his book off the shelf "Carnivore".

The recipe I used was adapted from his moment on Jimmy Fallon (you can you tube it). This was tricky as he didn't use specific amounts of any one ingredient so be sure to know your flavors and what you want to be most prominent.

Pre heat your oven to 350

4.5 Pound Pork Belly Slab (room temperature)

Pancetta (diced)
Chili Flakes
Capers
Onions (diced)
Lemon Zest
Orange Zest
Garlic
Rosemary (fresh)
Parsley (fresh)

Puree all your ingredients in a food processor.  Place your pork belly fat side up on a baking sheet and slice a criss-cross design in the fat making sure not to reach the meat itself. This allows the fat to breath and come to a crisp easier. Turn your pork belly over and generously apply the rub you just made. Turn the meat back over so the fat is facing up and the rub is face down. You are now ready to place in the oven. Allow the meat to bake at 350 for about an hour and a half to two hours depending on the thickness.

I accompanied this meat with a four cheese mashed potato, sliced zucchini and of course a glass of Bunting Vineyards Mourvedre. Cheers!

Sweet Potato Cake and Eggs

I don't know about you but I love to have a lot of protein at breakfast. It keeps me fueled and satisfied through out the morning until lunch. I don't feel like snacking and that is always a plus in my book. One of my favorite things to eat are eggs, so this morning I made myself a sweet potato cake with eggs and avocado. What can I say besides that it just melted in my mouth.

Recipe:

1 Sweet Potato peeled and shredded
2 Eggs
1 Small Avocado
Fresh Basil for Garnish
Coconut Oil for frying

Heat a frying pan up with 2 TBS Coconut Oil. Place your shredded sweet potato in the pan in a round ball and smash it with a spatula to look like a pancake. Heat on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side or until the desired crisp has been reached. Place your cooked sweet potato cake on a plate. Take your eggs and fry them to your liking and place on top of your potato cake. Slice up your avocado and place on top of your eggs and garnish with your fresh basil. You can sprinkle with salt and pepper if you want.

Dinner Party take two!

I would have to say that the ladies night in dinner party was a success! I will make this one short and sweet as there are a lot of photos and the recipes will be quite long on this one. Our menu consisted of the following:

Caramelized onion and bacon tarts

Goat cheese with a slice of fresh fig drizzled with a balsamic glaze

Brie with fresh pear slices sprinkled with fresh rosemary and a hint of kosher salt

I also created a cheese plate to go along with these that consisted of the following:
Old Amsterdam Smoke Gouda
Goat Cheese
Brie
Manchego
Pickled Peppers
Brioche Toasts
Rosemary Cranberry Crackers
Fresh Sliced Baguette
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Raw Honey
Dukkah Dipping Spices
Raw Almonds
Traditional Bruschetta
Artichoke Bruschetta

Our dessert to finish off the evening was a lemon curd filled puff pastry topped with a spoonful of fresh whip cream.

We started the evening off with a glass of Tango from Castoro Cellars Castoro Cellars and then we finished off with a glass of Grenache from Cass Winery Cass Wines. Both of these wines paired excellently with all the appetizers, you could have stayed with either one of the wines through out the evening. 

~RECIPES~

I made puff pastry from scratch but for someone who doesn't want to spend two days making puff pastry I would suggest buying it pre made. It is less costly and certainly less time consuming. Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees and line some cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper you can always spray them just be sure to remove the puffs as soon as possible so they don't stick.

For the tarts I rolled out my puff fairly thin, a little thinner then you would a pie crust. This dough has many layers and tends to puff up pretty high so the thicker you roll it out the higher your puffs will be. Cut out small circles about two inches in diameter. Line them on one of your prepared baking trays. For the sweet puffs you will want to sprinkle them with sugar ever so slightly and bake them for about 15 minutes, you want them to be a nice golden brown on both the top and bottom of the pastry. When they are finished allow them to cool completely. Slice them in half ever so carefully place a spoonful of lemon curd in the middle put the top back on and finish off with a dollop of whip cream.

For the savory tarts you are going to need to complete a little prep work first. You will need the following:

Crumbled cooked bacon
Caramelized onions
Chopped Rosemary
Sliced pears
Kosher salt
Sliced Brie
Goat cheese
Sliced black figs
Balsamic glaze (Trader Joes)

Roll out and cut the puff pastry just as you did before and line them on the baking tray. For the first one place a small amount of bacon and onion in the middle of the tart. Be sure to try and keep your ingredients balanced in the middle and not too top heavy they will topple over if you have too much.
Bake them at 400 degrees for about 13-15 minutes, the bottoms should be a nice solid golden brown.

For the other two tarts it is the same process slightly. Layer your cheese down first then your fruit, then sprinkle with your rosemary. Do not drizzle the glaze on the figs until after you have baked them. They bake for 13-15 minutes as well. Once the pear ones come out of the oven sprinkle with just a hint of salt, lighter is better as it is there to bring all the flavors together.

Plate them after they have cooled and enjoy!

Dinner Party

Tonight I am having some girlfriends over for some wine and appetizers. Here is a sneak peak at the menu and what will be coming up on the blog in the next few days....
Bruschetta with a traditional sauce as well as an artichoke one. I made fresh puff pastry that will have numerous fillings...fresh fig with goat cheese drizzled with a balsamic glaze, caramelized onions with bacon bits with goat cheese, fresh pear and brie cheese sprinkled with rosemary and quiet possibly even a lemon curd puff. Along with these freshly made appetizers we will have your traditional cheese plate, salami, olives, nuts, raw honey, and fresh fruits. Can't wait to post some photos!

Stuffed Portabello

I didn't use to be a fan of 'shrooms believe it or not. I would avoid them at all costs actually. It wasn't until I was at a friends house for dinner back in college and he made bbq'd mushrooms that I tried them and realized what I was missing out on! There are endless ways to prepare this dish but here is just one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

Large portabello mushrooms
Kosher Salt
21 Ingredient Seasoning Salute (Trader Joes)
Olive Oil
Crushed Garlic
Crumbled goat cheese
Fresh roma tomatoes diced

Directions:

Start by removing the stem from each of the mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and then rub in your garlic. Use the garlic to taste, I use about 1/4 tsp or so per mushroom, but I love garlic! Next sprinkle with the 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes and follow up with the tomatoes and then finish with the goat cheese.

Cooking:

You can either bbq these or bake them in the oven. If you are going to use your oven, preheat it to 375 and bake for around 20 minutes until the mushroom feels soft when you poke the side. If you are going to be bbq'ing these use a medium heat and place the mushrooms directly on the grill or over a piece of foil. They will take around 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your mushrooms.

Once they are finished slice them up and enjoy with a glass of ice cold Pinot Grigio from Opolo Vineyards.

Creme Brulee Cheesecake

I love all things Creme Brulee. I mean who doesn't love that crispy brown topping? The cracking sound it makes when your spoon taps it slightly to unveil the yellow creaminess underneath?! It is heaven on earth in terms of desserts in my book. The topping's you can place on it are endless, the flavors you can create are mouth watering. It is simply just divine. 

I was recently browsing pinterest one evening and I stumbled across this recipe for creme brulee cheescake bars (www.cookingclassy.com). One can only guess that my next move was to see if we had all the ingredients. Well as it turns out (because of our big upcoming move) I did not, so I was off to the store to gather what I would need to make this amazing treat.

Crust
• 1 1/4 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (from 9 sheets)
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted (preferably salted)
Cheesecake filling
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

For the brulee topping, sprinkle sugar to your liking and torch it.

Directions

• For the crust:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Pour in butter and use a fork to mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture into an even layer in prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• For the filling:
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup granulated sugar with the flour. Add cream cheese to mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together cream cheese and granulated sugar mixture just until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in eggs one at a time and mix just until combined after each addition. Add heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla and blend just until combined. Tap bowl forcefully against countertop about 30 times to release air bubbles. Butter the side of the baking dish and pour filling over crust. Set the 8 by 8-inch baking dish into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish (a roasting pan would be fine too) and pour about 3 cups of hot water into the 13 by 9-inch baking dish (or enough water to make the water level reach halfway up the sides of the 8 by 8-inch dish. You are only pouring the water into the pan without the cheesecake in it, simply to create a water bath which will help the cheesecake cook more evenly and reduce the possibility of cracking). Bake in preheated oven until cheesecake is fairly jiggly, about 42 - 45 minutes, then turn oven off and allow cheesecake to rest in warm oven with door closed about 10 minutes longer or until center only slightly jiggles. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature 1 hour, then cover and chill 4 hours.
• For the topping:
• Cut bars into squares. Sprinkle each square with an even layer of sugar and melt sugar with a culinary torch (it will melt into beads then bubble, then caramelize and turn to a smooth surface). Allow topping to cool then pipe or spoon a small dollop of whipped cream over top, then add a raspberry and garnish with mint (garnish just before serving and melt sugar within several hours of serving for best results). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. 

This turned out divine! If you are going to be serving this for guests I suggest pairing it with one of two options. One being a sparkling wine, I prefer Cass Brut Sparkling Grenache Noir from Paso Robles, CA. Option two being a dessert wine, I am partial with this to Opolo Vineyards Late Harvest Zinfandel also from Paso Robles, CA.

Cinnamon Rolls

Who can resist a hot, fresh from the oven cinnamon roll? I know it is one of the few things that I cannot resist eating especially if they are home made. Ever since I can remember my mother used to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. However these were the out of the foil rolled tin and make by Pillsbury! My Mom was not the baker in the family, we are still trying to figure out where I got the talent from. My family has continued the tradition however we make them from scratch! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. I highly suggest pairing them with a great mimosa!

Whenever you are baking you want to make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature, this allows for the ingredients to come together much easier.

Sweet Roll Dough

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 TBS butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup hot water
1 egg beaten
1/2 TBS salt

1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Combine your yeast, water and a sprinkling of sugar in your mixer. Allow to stand for 10 minutes until it begins to foam. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and egg into the mixer and mix on low speed until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the speed up and allow to mix until the bowl is clean. Allow to proof until the dough has doubled in size.

Roll the dough into a rectangle and spread the butter evenly throughout the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and sugar making sure to leave a one inch space at the top of your dough as your seam. Once everything is spread evenly begin to roll your dough up, make sure to pinch your seam closed and place seam side down before slicing your cinnamon roll log. Using a bench knife or a very sharp chef's knife slice your cinnamon rolls into 1 1/2 inch sections. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, be sure there is an inch space between to allow for room to rise.

Let your rolls rise until double in size. At this point you can prepare your frosting.

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1-2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 TBS milk

Whisk together until desired texture is reached.

Bake your cinnamon rolls at 400 for 15-18 minutes. Always start your time on the lower end as you can always add time to baking but you cannot take time back.

Crispy Chicken Fingers

These chicken fingers are the perfect finger food for a party or a weeknight kid friendly dinner. If you are hosting a party I would suggest making a few different dipping sauces for your guests to enjoy. I suggest pairing these with a crisp white wine such as a Viognier or a Sauvignon Blanc. The crispness from these wines pairs nicely with the different dipping sauces.

Recipe:

2 large chicken breasts cut into strips about 2 inches in length
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
1 cup flour
Coconut oil, Olive oil for frying (enough to fill the pan one inch up the side)

Dipping Sauce:
Honey Mustard

3 TBS Mayonaise
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp honey
lemon juice to taste
horseradish to taste

In a large skillet combine frying oils and turn heat on medium. Combine bread crumbs and panko crumbs together and mix well. Beat eggs and milk together in separate bowl and place flour in its own bowl.
Toss the chicken pieces in the flour until they are well coated. Next move them to the egg mixture and coat well. Toss 5-6 pieces at a time into the crumbs and coat well. Place them on a plate ready to fry. Continue this whole process until all your chicken is coated. Place 6-8 pieces in the oil at a time for a minute or so on each side until the are a nice golden brown. Make sure to allow the oil to have a minute to come back to temperature before placing your next batch of chicken in the oil. This will ensure even cooking and browning on all your pieces.
While your chicken is cooking mix your dipping sauce ingredients together and allow to chill in the fridge until you are done.

Once you are finished enjoy your chicken with a fabulous glass of wine!

Eggs Benedict

Good Morning! During my time managing a bed and breakfast in Paso Robles I was introduced to this amazing creation called Eggs Benedict. Now as a foodie one would think that I had tried this mouth watering recipe before. However I had never had it! I quickly became obsessed with eating this and trying all kinds of different variations.A traditional Eggs Benedict is very simple, it consists of an english muffin (slightly toasted), canadian bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. You can add everything from sauteed spinach and mushrooms (Opolo style as I like to call it) to real bacon or tomatoes and fresh basil. The picture below has just steamed spinach as an addition. Feel free to try new variations and let us know what your favorite is! Recipe: Makes two servings 2 English Muffins slightly toasted 4 Poached eggs 4 Slices of Canadian Bacon grilled 2 Handfuls of fresh spinach 1 Cup sliced mushrooms 4 Eggs yolks 1 Pinch of salt 1 Pinch of Cayenne pepper (to taste a little goes a long way, it can get spicey) 1/2 Lemon juiced (again to taste the more lemon the more tart your sauce) 3 TBS Butter melted 2 TBS+/- of boiling water 1. Begin by poaching your eggs, I have an egg poacher that I use and enjoy because the eggs come out in a perfect circle to fit on your english muffin. 2. While your eggs are cooking, grill your canadian bacon, saute your spinach and mushrooms and get a double boiler going. 3. For your double boiler you are going to want to use a metal mixing bowl on top of the water to create your sauce. Before placing the bowl on top of the boiling water you will want to mix the yolk, the lemon juice,butter, salt and pepper and whisk it together. 4. Place your english muffins in the toaster. 5. Place metal mixing bowl on top of the boiling water and whisk constantly. If you stop the yolks will cook and you will end up with scrambles instead of sauce. Whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. As soon as it starts to thicken add a TBS of the boiling water and whisk together, add one more TBS of the boiling water until it becomes a sauce and the consistency that you desire. The more water the runnier your sauce will be. 6. Place your english muffins side by side, then top with canadian bacon, spinach and mushrooms, place your egg one on each one, and then top with your sauce. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of the cayenne pepper and serve!