by cheri on March 17, 2010
It is almost summer like weather here in Orange County. Coming home and having it light out is so nice, I love this time of year. It feels like we have skipped spring and are into summer. Tonight I made Fusion Risotto for the first time in a very long time. I was introduced to a version of this at a class I took when I first became a personal chef.
This risotto has a hint of the caribbean with the red curry paste and paprika. It is slightly sweet with a hint of heat. I add in peppers and snap peas but you could substitute asparagus if you’d like. Instead of sauteeing I like to grill vegetables to put on top. I like the combination of creamy risotto and crunch vegetables. [click to continue…]
by admin on March 15, 2010
It is time change this weekend and I can’t wait for spring and summer. Today it is a beautiful and sunny day. Did you remember to turn that clock forward?
Spring means it is time to grill and I immediately thought of Indonesian Ginger Chicken. When I was catering this was a popular appetizer. The Satay Sauce is sweet and spicy.
If you want to serve individually take small plastic or glass cups. Place a tablespoon of the sauce in the bottom and serve on a small skewer standing up in the glass. [click to continue…]
by cheri on March 13, 2010
This weekend Southern California warmed up to 80 degrees. It felt very springy and with a big bowl of lemons sitting on my counter I went in search of a “light” lemony (is that a word?) dessert. I found a Meyer Lemon Budino on Epicurious.com.
Budino is the Italian word for pudding. I had never heard of a lemon budino but it looked good. The budino’s I have had are more pudding like where this is more like a pudding cake. It is a light and airy dessert bursting with the flavor of Meyer Lemons. It is good both cold and warm out of the oven.
This came to gather very quickly. If you don’t use Meyer Lemons you might want to add a a bit more sugar. Also watch the oven, mine cooked quicker than the recipe said and started to brown. Read on for the recipe
by cheri on March 8, 2010
Before I talk about these Chocolate Pecan Bars let me tell you why it’s been quiet here. This weekend I finally resurfaced in my kitchen. Two weeks ago my little Max had knee surgery. I learned the challenges of working full time and caring for a puppy that is suddenly contained. Today, the sutures came out and only a month more of containment.
Are you wondering what brought me back into the kitchen? My favorite yearly event, the Oscars. I am movie buff from a movie crazed family. Which is ironic since I wasn’t allowed to see many movies growing up. That Baptist preachers kid thing. Movies were an escape. They took me to another place and time. When I was really young we went and saw at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. In junior high my dear dad took me to see Gone With The Wind on a big screen. That is a commitment and love.
These days I love seeing movies through the eyes of my niece and nephews. This weekend we saw Alice in Wonderland. Bizarre but good. Johnny Depp has the talent to make creepy and crazy seem endearing.
Every year my friend Carol and I throw a party. Some big and dressy, others small and casual. This year was the small and casual. However these caught my eye over at Twig and Thistle and I forgot our party was small and casual. So I made these treat bags for the party
Then I printed these from Twig and Thistle.
Then I made enough food for a small army. Even Carol’s husband bringing 4 of his friends over after golf didn’t really make a dent. I may have gone a bit overboard.
After years of looking at this recipe I made the Chocolate Pecan Bars from Barefoot Contessa. I am hesitant to even list the ingredients. It is hard to believe Ina hasn’t had a heart attack cooking like this. Then I dipped these in chocolate. My mother almost had a heart attack.
This recipe makes enough to give to your family, work and neighbors! What is your favorite movie memory? Share in the comments! [click to continue…]
by admin on February 15, 2010
Just in case you didn’t get enough sweets on Valentine’s Day I cooked up a rich dessert for you.
I love the combination of orange and chocolate. This tart is a decadent mixture of both. You start with a chocolate tart dough and fill it with a rich chocolate orange ganache. It is reminiscent of those chocolate covered oranges you can buy at Trader Joe’s.
These could also be made in bite size tart shells to serve at a large party.
Chocolate Tart Dough
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
Ganache Filling
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier or other orange liquer
To prepare the tart dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and beat on low speed until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough to an 18×12-inc rectangle, 3/16 inch thick. Cut out a circle 1 – 1/2 inches larger than your tart pan. Place dough in tart and using your fingers press the dough to the sides of the tart shell. Chill for 20 minutes.
Line the tart shells with foil and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the pastry looks dry and set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To make the ganache glaze, in a saucepan, bring the cream and liquer to a boil. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared tart shell. Let stand until set, about 2 hours, or chill for 1 hour.
by cheri on February 13, 2010
Happy Valentines Day! I hope you are enjoying this weekend. Over the holidays I made these Espresso Shortbreads and loved the delicate flavor. For Valentines Day I decided to make a version of those in heart shapes, drizzled with chocolate.
They are light with a hint of espresso and a little bit of chocolate. Wrapped up in cellophane with a little ribbon they would make the perfect Valentine’s Treat.
Espresso Bean Shortbread Hearts
Adapted from Martha Stewart recipe
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Whisk flour, espresso, and salt in a bowl. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, and mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix on medium-low until dough comes together. Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Roll between sheets of parchment to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a cookie cutter; space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Reroll scraps; cut out. Freeze 10 minutes.
Bake until set but not browned, about 9 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.
While cookies are cooling melt chocolate chips in a saucepan or in the microwave. Using a toothpick drizzle over the cookies. Let harden.
by cheri on January 30, 2010
Is January really almost over? I can’t believe I haven’t had the chance to share the Tagine of Chicken I made for a dinner party last month. The recipe is by Colin Cowie, a party planner and author of several entertaining books.
The Tagine is a one pot dish and has this great blend of saffron and aromatics and preserved lemons. I liked it because I could do the browning, place in the pot and cook while we were enjoying appetizers and wine.
You cook it in a heavy bottom pan. This dish was traditionally cooked in a glazed tagine but many have the likelihood of lead content so unless you know for sure that yours is lead free, only use the tagine to serve the dish in.
I served this with Couscous with Apricots, Golden Raisins and Almonds. I also used breasts of chicken instead of the whole chicken called out in the recipe. [click to continue…]
by cheri on January 27, 2010
Looking for new cookie recipes I discovered these Espresso Chocolate Shortbread cookies over at Smitten Kitchen. How can you go wrong with espresso and chocolate and shortbread. I was sold at the recipe but then I took a bite.They melt in your mouth.
These are from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking From My Home to Yours”. It is a great cookbook full of amazing treats. These cookies are buttery with a hint of coffee and sweet, but not too sweet, and chocolate. Deb was right when she said they get better with age. I had these in a tin for over a week. My friend was going to freeze some of hers for later.
The recipe calls for putting the dough in a ziplock bag to roll. It was so easy. No sticky rolling pin and board. A trick I will continue to use. I did not sprinkle with sugar, they were perfect as is. [click to continue…]
by cheri on January 24, 2010
I am part of the 10in2010 group with the goal of eating healthier and getting more exercise.
Looking through Cooking Light online I found these amazing Roasted Banana Bars with
Brown Butter Pecan Frosting. People looked at my skeptically when I said it was from
Cooking Light.
It was all I could do to not just eat the roasted bananas and caramel sauce out of the pan. The
sauce was sizzling around the roasted bananas. Roasting the bananas gives the cake a subtle carmel flavor and adds to the richness of this dessert.
On another note my cousin Cassie has started blogging. Her latest entry features Deviled Eggs. While I am not a fan of these, my entire family is. My mom usually brings them to family dinners, but it looks like Cassie is going to give her some competition. Go over and say hi. [click to continue…]
by cheri on January 20, 2010
We had a tornado in Southern California yesterday. I have lived here all my life and don’t think I ever heard of one. We are getting pounded by rain. I walked out of my office to a river running down the street. I try not to complain knowing we are seriously spoiled with beautiful weather but try getting to your car when a river stands between.
These cold rainy nights makes me crave something warm and sweet. Inspired by a recipe I saw over at Food Loves Writing, one of the fun new food blogs I discovered last year, I made these Caramel Roasted Pears.
This recipe is so incredibly easy. You dump it all in a pan and bake it while you are eating dinner. What comes out is this creamy caramel sauce and soft, sweet pears. The first time I served this my dinner guests were craving more.
Roasted Pears In Caramel Sauce
4 pears, sliced in half, core scooped out
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup dark brown sugar packed
Half a lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 13 x 9 baking pan: set in the heating oven until it melts.
Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over melted butter, then place pears, cut side down. Squeeze juice from half a lemon all over and put lemon, cut side down, in the pan with the fruit. Bake until tender, 30 minutes.
Remove pan from oven, turn pears over and use a pastry brush or spoon to baste the fruit with pan juices. Return to oven; bake until golden and glossy, about 10 minutes longer.
Let cool slightly before serving.
Top with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle the caramel sauce over the top
