Barbeque Pineapple & Mint

Sound a little strange? This is possibly the strangest and most interesting dessert I've ever made. Alex and I found in next to a recipe for Wasabi Salmon (which we also made) in the March edition of Bon Appetit magazine. My mom collects these magazines by the dozens. While they're beautiful, I rarely resurrect their glossy pages in my own kitchen. This recipe stood out- for one it involved a barbeque (thank god it is finally barbeque season) and it had unusual flavors like honey, mint and pistachio. I'm pretty creative but I would never think to combine these flavors.

Thanks to Bon Appetit we did and this dessert came out absolutely amazing! We even added our own flare by tossing in some dried cranberries. The deliciousness of each flavor enticed us back for "Oh just a little more mint" and "Just one more dollup of yogurt." Needless to say there weren't many left overs for the dessert that was meant to feed 4.

Barbequed Pineapple with Mint, Pistachios and Cranberry 
                      1 medium ripe pineapple
                      1/2 cup dark brown sugar
                      1/2 cup orange juice
                      3 Tablespoons honey
                      1/4 cup creme fraiche, yogurt or ice cream
                      1/2 cup unsalted pistachios coarsely chopped
                      1 package dices mint leaves
                      1/2 cup dried cranberries

Peel, core and cut the pineapple into wedges (as shown in top picture). Stir the brown sugar, orange juice and honey together in a bowl until they dissolve together.  Coat the pineapple in mixture and let marinate for 10 minutes. Place the pineapple on barbeque and brown on each side, flipping often until tender and the sugar caramelized. Let the pineapple cool slightly then plate 2 to 4 wedges with a dollop (or two) of the creme fraiche/yogurt/ice cream. Garnish with a scatter of pistachios, cranberries and mint leaves. Enjoy!

Variation: If you don't have a barbeque or are not in a barbeque mood, you can BAKE the pineapple. Simply heat the oven to 450 degrees, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and proceed with all the directions on top. Roast the pineapple in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn, brush with marinade and rest again until tender and caramelized (another 8 minutes or so).  Garnish and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Smoked Paprika and Chimichurri Sauce

Even though there is still snow on the ground where I live, I have convinced myself that summer is right around the corner. Meaning that the upcoming weeks mark my last chance to cook up those winter/spring dishes I've been thinking about making for months. The most time sensitive of these things is soup. So.... I decided to spice things up (literally) and put a spin on my favorite: Red Pepper and Tomato. I love anything with the warmth, acidity and colors of these two vegetables. But I get bored easily and if I prepare something the usual way, I always catch myself comparing what I made to the best I've had (which can leave me less than happy).  It is my promise to you that you will do neither of these things nor will you get bored with the pureed soup (which I'm also tend to do). This is because the sweet and smoked flavor of paprika will heat your palate in ways that few North American dishes do. You will then be cooled and refreshed with the Crème fraîche (sour cream or yogurt) and the Cilantro Chimichurri.  This is one of the most unique dishes I've ever made so bon appetit!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Smoked Paprika

                    3 red bell peppers (1 1/2 lb. total) stemmed, seeded, and halved
                    3 tablespoons olive oil 
                    1 onion peeled and chopped 
                    2 cloves garlic minced
                    1 can (28 oz) whole or diced canned tomatoes
                    1 tablespoon paprika such as *Pimentón de La Vera
                    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar OR 2 Tbsp lemon juice
                    Salt and pepper
                    Topping: Crème fraîche, sour cream or plain yogurt AND Chimichiri (see below)

1. Preheat the broiler. Place the red pepper halves, cut side down, in a baking pan and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until the skins are black and blistered, about 8 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel the peppers and place in a bowl, reserving any juices.
2. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and the onion; stir often until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the roasted peppers and tomatoes, along with their juices, and the paprika. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
3. In a blender, food processor,  or with a heavy duty hand mixer, purée the soup in small batches until smooth. Return purée to the pan and stir in balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into cups or bowls and garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche and Chimichurri

* Pimentón de La Vera is a Spanish paprika that adds a smoky, sweet intensity, but Hungarian or regular paprika work too.

My mother introduced me to Chimichurri this summer when she brought it home from a local farmer's market. I think of the Argentinian meat condiment as a glorified cilantro pesto- it is bright, fresh, and tart with the slightest touch of heat. This "sauce" is so delicious I could (and have) eaten it by itself. It can be used on top of meat, soups, salads or a tasty addition to bread and crackers. 

Chimichurri

                     1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

                     2 cups fresh cilantro leaves

                     2 garlic gloves or 1 tsp minced garlic

                     1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated lime grind

                     2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 

                     2 to 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

                     1/4 tsp salt

                     1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

1) Combine parsley, cilantro and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped. 

2) Add lime rind and the remaining ingredients. Process until ingredients are finely chopped and well combined.  3) Scrap sides and mix in with remainder by hand. Taste and fine tune (add more oil, lime juice etc to taste). Enjoy!

*For the best flavor use the freshest herbs available and try to stick to mostly the leaves. 

Cinnamon Rolls!

Anyone of my good friends can tell you, I love anything with cinnamon. What can I say? There is something so comforting about even the smell of something cinnamon in the oven. This is a huge reason why I make batch after batch of cinnamon rolls in the fall, winter and spring- they are delicious AND make the entire house smell amazing. When I'm feeling lazy, I disappoint foodies everywhere by simply buying Pillsbury pre-made cinnamon rolls BUT on days when I've got more time or energy I make the recipe below. Add delicious things like pecans or dried fruit to put a little flair of your own. 

Cinnamon Rolls

        Dough                                                          

                                   1 Cup Milk 
                                   1/2 cup butter
                                   1/2 cup brown sugar
                                   1 tablespoon vanilla
                                   1 teaspoon salt
                                   5 cups flour
                                   1 package instant yeast                                     
                                   4 eggs

        Filling

                                  1/2 cup butter, room temperature
                                  1 cup brown sugar                                                                                                         2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

        Glaze

                                1 tablespoon vanilla
                                 4 tablespoons cream    
                                 1 cup powdered sugar

Mix all the dough ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside. Do the same for all the filling ingredients (DO NOT combine these two collections of ingredients). The glaze will be made at the end and drizzled over the rolls. 

1) In a small pot gently warm the milk along with 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, the vanilla and the salt. Don’t bring to a simmer, warm just enough to melt the butter. Meanwhile measure half the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the yeast. Add the warm melted milk butter mixture to the flour, beat with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth before proceeding. Switch to a dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead until a soft dough forms that is no longer sticky to the touch, about five minutes. Rest the dough in a warm place, covered in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles in size, about one to two hours.  2) Knock the dough down and let rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile thoroughly mix together the room temperature butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon. Flour your work surface, the dough, your hands and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle shape, about 18x12-inches. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the top of the dough leaving an inch or two uncovered along one long edge. This will help a seal form. Roll tightly into a long cigar shape from the covered long edge to the uncovered long edge. Brush the outside of the log with oil or melted butter.   3) Slice the dough log into 12 or 16 sections. Turn each on its side and position evenly in an appropriately sized lightly oiled baking pan. Rest, uncovered, until the dough doubles in size again and the rolls swell into each other.  4) Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350 F. When the dough is ready, bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  5) When the cinnamon rolls have cooled enough to handle stir together the glaze ingredients and drizzle all over them. Serve immediately!

Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna with Soba Noodles

From growing up in Hawaii, I have a very deep love for all kinds of sashimi (raw sushi fish usually salmon and tuna). I often dream about making it at home and if I wasn't scared to death of making myself ill from eating raw fish, I would probably make this dream a reality almost EVERY DAY. Because I don't trust myself or the likes of raw fish that has been sitting on grocery store selves for questionable periods of time... I thought that the ultimate compromise might be in searing the fish. This way our bacterial friends die and we get to get to enjoy the butter delights of sashimi like fish. Sounds like a great compromise to me!


For Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna:

                   2 Ahi Steaks cut 1 inch wide by about 3/4″ thick
                   2-3 Tablespoon of olive oil
                   2-3 Tablespoon of white sesame seeds*
                   2-3 Tablespoon of black sesame seeds*
                   1 teaspoon of kosher salt
                   1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
                   1/8 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
                                 *You can use all  black or all white sesame seeds

Remove the Ahi from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before you intend to cook it. Using your hands, rub the outside of the Ahi with the olive oil to coat it evenly on all sides. Mix the seeds, salt and optional red chili flakes in a small mixing bowl. Toss in the olive-oil coated Ahi and to coat it evenly with the seed mixture. Heat a saute pan over high heat (See #2 below) until it is very hot. Add the Ahi. Sear for 1 minute and 30 seconds per side. Remove the Ahi and slice thinly to serve.

Shitake Mushroom Soba Noodles: 

                 1 lb shitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
                 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
                 1 tablespoon mirin (japanese cooking wine)
                 1 tablespoon soy sauce
                 1 lb buckwheat soba noodles
                 1 tablespoon gingeroot, minced
                 1 large carrot, diced
                 1/2 lb sugar snap peas, sliced
                 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Put a medium pot of water to boil. Combine the sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce with a whisk in a bowl. Lightly oil a pan on medium eat and saute mushrooms till browned on all sides. While the shiitakes are grilling, place the soba noodles in the boiling water and simmer for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles and put them to the side. In a wok or skillet over medium-high heat, add a small amount of sesame oil. Add the ginger and saute. When the ginger releases its fragrance, add the carrots and cook for about one minute. Add the sliced snap peas and incorporate with the ginger and carrots. Once the peas are warmed through, remove from the heat and reserve warm. Add the soba noodles to the sauteed vegetables. Add a dash of extra soy sauce, if desired, and mix to thoroughly combine. Garnish with seared tuna and green onions sliced in long, thin, narrow strips. Enjoy!

Lemongrass Salmon with Bok Choy Stir Fry

Throwing a good dinner party is one of my favorite past times. As lovely as being a host can be, I also appreciate the evenings when I get to be a guest. Aside from the relaxing conversation and leisure this type of situation provides, it expands my culinary mind and enlightens me to flavor combinations I would not otherwise come up with. A few weeks ago a wonderful new group of friends cooked up the most amazing halibut I have ever had. Their secret? Lemongrass. They added lemongrass and cilantro with a bit of sweetness to a buttery rich fish and vola! Clearly something worth reenacting, so I dreamed up a dish with a similar flair- Lemongrass Salmon with shrimp poppers.

 

Lemongrass Salmon

                      2 Salmon fillets

                      1 1/2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass

                      1 1/2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

                      1/4 teaspoon salt

                      2 tablespoons chopped shallot

                      1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

                      2 Tablespoons oil
                      1 lemon
                      3 Tablespoons butter
                      1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
                    *6 raw shrimp cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Run your finger along the flesh side of the salmon filets to check for any bones. Remove them with tweezers. Set aside.  In an electric food processor, grind the lemongrass, brown sugar, and salt to a minced texture. Add the shallot, fish sauce,  and oil. Run the machine, pausing to scrape down the sides, to arrive at a coarse paste. Taste it and adjust the flavors to create a heady paste that’s a little saltier than you’re comfortable with. You can also "water it down a little" with a bit of water and/or oil. Which I recommend.  Rub a baking pan with oil. Place the salmon in the tray (as well as the chopped shrimp if you choose to add them), skin down and evenly spread the marinade over the top of the fish. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the mixture, as well as a bit of fresh cilantro.  *Optionally also poor 3 tablespoons of melted butter over top. Bake uncovered til the salmon is no longer deep pink on the inside (approximately 25 minutes).

 

 
Bok Choy Stir Fry 
                     1 onion chopped
                     2 carrots chopped
                     1 container bamboo shoots
                     1 container water chestnuts
                     1 red bell pepper chopped
                     1 bunch brocolini (or broccoli)
                     4 heads Bok Choy
                     3-4 shitake mushrooms*

       Sauce:
                    2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
                    2 Tablespoons soy sauce
                    2 Tablespoons fish sauce (or 1 Tbs soysauce and 1Tbs sugar)
                    2 Tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce
                    2 Tablespoons brown sugar
                   2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

                   5 cloves garlic, minced

Heat stir frying pan to medium high heat. Mix the sauce ingredients (oyster, soy, fish, thai chili sauces, and brown sugar, lime, garlic) thoroughly in bowl and set aside. Oil the pan and saute the onions till tender. Add the carrots and mushrooms, saute for 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the veggies (bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, broccoli, bell pepper and boy choy) as well as the sauce. Continue to stir together until veggies have reached the desired level of softness.

  Serve stir fry with Lemongrass Salmon and fresh steamed rice! Enjoy :)

Seafood Cioppino

I'm back at it! Believe it or not I have been cooking. As we can all relate, life is busy! Working a 9 to 5 on top of socializing and athletics doesn't leave much time for food blogging. However, it would be short of a crime to not share some of the recipes I've come across lately. As per usual, I am challenging myself to cook food I love to eat but have never created in my own kitchen. Last week this pursuit had me cooking up Seafood Cioppino-- a beautiful mussel and fish stew featured at many high end restaurants. It is the legacy of San Francisco's Italian and Portuguese immigrants—many of them fishermen—have lived on these surprisingly easy to make North Beach favorite, with fresh parsley this stew is both hearty and fresh.  

Cioppino

                          1 medium onion, quartered
                          3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
                          3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
                          2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
                          1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
                          1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
                          1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
                          1 1/2 cups water
                          1 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah
                          1 8 ounce can of tomato paste
                          1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
                          1/2 to 1 pound skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish cut into 1- inch  .   chunks (I used halibut; hake or pollack can also be used)
                          1/2 to 1 pound fresh mussels
                          1 bunch fresh parsley chopped

Heat olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped  onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  | Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften (about 4 minutes).   | Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, clam juice, tomato paste and boil covered for 20 minutes.  | Stir in seafood and 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh parsley and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide. This should take 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened mussels after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves.

 

And serve HOT! Preferably with a toasted bread and a nice bottle of wine :)

Puff Pastry Tart with Three Cheeses

It has been about a month since my last blog post... I promise that I've done lots of cooking and eating in the past month. I just haven't found the time to blog about it. It seems that life is finally starting to get into a rhythm since my move up to Whistler. Soooo.... I've been trying to push my culinary comfort zone and make things I've never made before. The last post was a white wine linguine with mussels which was a lot of first for me. I have never made a white wine sauce nor have I cooked mussels. And let me tell you that I am so happy I challenged myself- the pasta dish was one of the best things I've ever made! So in this adventure I experimented with puff pastry dough (also referred to as philo dough). It is the flaky multi-layered dough that is often used in spanikopita and flaky desserts like apple turnovers.

My brother accidentally defrosted a package of the dough (it typically comes frozen in most grocery stores) and thus, it needed to be used pronto! So I got my foodgawker on and found many people used philo dough to substitute convention wheat crust. Naturally my mind went to savory tarts and pizza and I dreamed up a tart with all my favorite things: mushrooms, carmelized onions, spinach,  zucchini, pesto, cherry tomatoes, chicken AND cheese: feta, parmesan and goat cheese. The great thing is that the tart can be as simple or as complex as you'd like it. I'll give you some ideas as we go :)

Ingredients:

      1 package of philo dough

      olive oil

      1 container pesto

      an assortment of veggies*: mushrooms, carmelized onions, spinach,  zucchini,  tomatoes

      1 chicken breast*

      AND cheese*: feta, parmesan and goat cheese

*other possible ingredients: prosciutto, bacon, olives, artichoke hearts, asparagus, bell peppers, mozzarella, cheddar

Directions:

Thaw the package of pastry (philo) dough according to the package's directions. (Some require thawing over night). Select which ingredients you would like on your tart. It can be as simple as spinach, mushroom and goat cheese OR as complex as mine:  mushrooms, carmelized onions, spinach,  zucchini, pesto, cherry tomatoes, chicken AND cheese: feta, parmesan and goat cheese. The tart comes out best if you pre-cook the majority of the ingredients. For example, if you are using onions, mushrooms, spinach or zucchini, you should saute them in olive oil before putting them into the tart. You should also cook and raw meat like chicken or bacon.

Once you've sauted and pre-cooked all your ingredients. It is time for the fun part! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the veggies you've chosen with olive oil and pesto- to your desired taste. Set the mixture aside. Roll out puff pastry dough onto lightly floured surface. Brush puff pastry dough with olive oil (or melted butter). You can do this with a pastry/bbq brush or I used my hands. It is best if you separate the dough and brush multiple layers. Place brushed layers flatly in a baking pan- I used a 9 x 13. Layer the dough in such a way that it creates a crust around the pan.

After placing the last piece of dough, brush it with oil as well. Gently spread your vegetable pesto mixture over the tart. Next crumble in the cheese you chose (feta, goat cheese and Parmesan are what I used) as well as what meat you'd like ( I went with chicken). After doing so, put the tart in the oven! Cook for 20-30 minutes til the crust is browned and cheese melted. 

Let it cool a little bit then... enjoy!!

     Other puff pastry ideas including how to make sweet tarts can be found at:      http://foodgawker.com/?s=puff+pastry