Sunday, January 31, 2010

Avocado pomegranate tuna rolls

Yields 2 rolls, 12-16 pieces

24 in x 7 in sheets nori
2 cups sushi rice
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1/3 pound tuna steak
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 avocado
1 cup cream cheese
4-6 cucumber sticks, cut slightly smaller than French fry-sized

Cut tuna into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Place in a bowl and toss with pomegranate juice. Set aside for at least an hour.

Put avocado flesh and cream cheese in a food processor and mix together.
To assemble rolls, place nori horizontally on work surface rough side up, and cover entire surface of nori with a thin even layer of sushi rice. Flip nori over. Place about half of the marinated tuna horizontally in the middle of the nori, making sure that pieces extend to both edges of the nori. Then top with cucumber sticks and avocado-cream cheese mix.

Roll them inside out (so that rice is on outside). Repeat steps for a second roll. Coat them with sesame seeds. Cut each roll into 6-8 pieces. Serve with sauces (we used unagi, soy, and cucumber dill).

Tuna tacos served with tzatziki rice

Tuna tacos
Grilled tuna
2 tuna steaks (just about a pound)
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cumin

Crush the coriander seeds (mortar and pestle, back of a spoon, etc.) and mix all the spices together. Rub onto both sides of the steaks. Grill on medium-high for 5-6 minutes per side. Flake and set aside.

Green chile sauce
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
6 ounces diced green chiles

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until fully mixed.

Quick-pickled cucumber and red pepper salad
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the sauce – mix the first five ingredients until the salt and sugar are dissolved. All amounts/volumes are approximate.

Cut up as much cucumber and red pepper as you see fit and get rid of all the seeds; we used about half a cucumber and half of a red pepper. Toss with the sauce.

Tuna tacos
Flaked grilled tuna
Green chile sauce
Cucumber and red pepper salad
Pomegranate seeds
Taco shells

Fill the taco shells with tuna, sauce, and the salad (in that order). Top with pomegranate seeds.

Tzatziki rice
2 cups Greek yogurt
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup diced cucumber
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Cooked rice

Mix oil and lemon juice. Slowly fold in the yogurt, making sure it completely mixes. Add the garlic and cucumber. Serve over rice.

Pomegranate parfait

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
¾ cup water
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
for garnish - whipped cream, macadamia nuts, pomegranate seeds

Mix gelatin and sugar in a heavy saucepan and set aside. Whisk egg yolks and water together; stir in the gelatin mixture. Cook over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes (do not boil), stirring constantly until gelatin and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in pomegranate and lemon juice. Mix well and refrigerate for 2-2.5 hours.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and thoroughly fold into the pomegranate mixture. Beat cream until soft peaks form and fold into the pomegranate mixture. Divide into 6 glasses and chill for at least 4 hours. Upon serving, top with whipped cream and sprinkle nuts and seeds on top.

Note for vegetarians: This contains gelatin, but there are vegetarian alternatives out there.

Ice cream-filled orange crepes with chocolate-orange sauce

For the sauce
6 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup marshmallow cream
1/4 cup orange juice
Zest from ½ of an orange

For the crêpes
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup All-Purpose flour
Orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream, softened

Melt the chocolate pieces over low heat in a saucepan. Stir in the marshmallow cream, orange juice and zest. Heat

Add all crêpe ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. In a hot, lightly oiled skillet, pour about two tablespoons of batter, keeping it thin and even. Lightly brown each side.

Roll the crêpes with ice cream and keep in freezer. Serve with sauce.

Turkey sliders with orange and cranberry relish served with lemony creamed spinach

Turkey sliders with orange and cranberry relish
1 orange, peeled and quartered
½ cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
½ jalapeno, minced
20 ounces ground turkey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces, Muenster cheese, sliced
Dinner rolls, cut in half, toasted
Lettuce

Prepare the relish by combining quartered orange, cranberries, lemon juice, sugar, and jalapeno in a food processor and combine. Add water if relish is too thick.

Prepare the turkey burgers by combining the ground turkey, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix well and form into ½” thick patties. Cook on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes per side. Add cheese when nearly done.

Place a patty on each burger and top with relish and lettuce.

Lemony creamed spinach
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons All-Purpose flour
1 ¾ cups milk
20 ounces, frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pepper

Melt butter with the oil in a skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually blend in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened.

Add the spinach, cheese, lemon juice, and a generous amount of pepper. Heat.

Lemon bars with creamsicle shot

Lemon bars
For the crust
1/2 pound butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon of salt

For the filling
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the butter and sugar together until fully creamed. Combine the flour and salt, and mix together. Once mixed, stir into the butter and sugar mixture and stir until fully mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough into a 13x9 baking pan and chill. Once chilled, bake it for 15-20 minutes until just lightly browned. Let it cool

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let it cool to room temperature, cut, and serve.

Creamsicle shot
1/2 measure vodka or citrus vodka
1/2 measure triple sec
1 full measure orange juice
1 full measure cream

Ingredients are listed as "measures" so you can scale this drink up or down as you see fit. Mix all ingredients together with ice. Strain into shot glasses.

Lemon-butter cod with cilantro-lime quinoa

Lemon-butter cod
1 1/2 pounds cod
1/2 cup butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic. Bring to a boil and continue to cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Arrange the cod fillets in one layer on a baking sheet. Cover with half of the butter mixture and cover the sheet with aluminum foil. Back 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is easily flaked with a fork, and pour the rest of the butter sauce over the cooked fish.

Cilantro-lime quinoa
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and bay leaf. Add the bay leaf, stir, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the quinoa and stir until fully coated. Add the stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until quinoa is tender. Drain and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Lemon bruschetta with lemony mushrooms and peppers

Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Thick crusty bread, cut 1/2 inch thick
Salt and pepper, to taste

Grill the bread - this will take about 2-3 minutes per side - and rub both sides with half of the garlic. In a small bowl, mix half of the lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brush or dip the bread in the lemon mixture and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions, peppers, and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining cup of lemon juice and the lemon zest; stir until mixed. Add oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes and sprinkle with the parsley. Spoon the mixture onto the bread.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Chocolate caramel tart

Tart shell
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Cream butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment for about 1 minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour and cocoa powder; beat at low speed until combined. Scrape the dough into a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap well and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°. Roll out the tart dough and take small sections to fill individual sections on the cupcake pan. Press the dough to spread it out until it is a thin layer – about ¼ an inch – along the bottom of the section and up the sides a little more than halfway. Chill this for at least 30 minutes.

Prick the bottoms of each section with a fork to prevent it from rising. If you have pie weights, you can line each section with parchment paper and use the weight. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Caramel filling
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks, beaten

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of sugar (save the other cup), flour, salt, milk, and egg yolks. Stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. The mixture should have a pale yellow color. Remove from heat.

In a 10” cast iron skillet, sprinkle the remaining cup of sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into other mixture. Stir until mixed and brown.

Chocolate ganache topping
½ cup heavy cream
3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 2 minutes. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula. Mixture will turn dark brown.

Pour caramel filling into tart shell. Pour ganache on top of the caramel. Set the tarts in the refrigerator until set, at least 15 minutes.

Smoked salmon cigars with yucca fries and dark chocolate mole

Cigars
1 sheet puff pastry
1 package (4.5 ounces) smoked salmon
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cream cheese, lemon juice, and most of the lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste; mix thoroughly. Cut puff pastry in approximately 2"x4" rectangles. Put a strip of salmon on the pastry. Spread a spoonful of cream cheese mixture on top of the salmon. Roll up. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the pastry starts to brown.

Dark chocolate mole
Sesame oil
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic
3.5 ounces dark chocolate
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
6 dried Guajillo peppers
10 black peppercorns
Oregano
Cinnamon
Cloves
Allspice
Thyme
Fennel seeds
1 tortilla, shredded

In a medium-sized sauce pot, saute the onion in the sesame oil. When the onions are clear, add all of the other ingredients, adding the spices to taste. Simmer for at least 45 minutes. Strain if desired, though this may be difficult.

Yucca fries
1 yucca root
Oil for frying
Seasoning salt

In a large pot, heat the oil to medium-high heat. Peel yucca root and slice with mandoline into fry shapes. When oil is hot, add the fries and stir occasionally until the fries start to brown a little bit. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and onto a plate with a paper towel. Sprinkle with seasoning salt

Garnishes
Shaved dark chocolate
Lemon zest

Serve the cigar in a big spoonful of mole. Place a few fries on top of the cigar. Top with the garnishes.