Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 oz butter

4oz flour

1 finely diced onion

1 lb cleaned thinly sliced mushrooms (creminis work well)

2 qts chicken stock

half qt of heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

In a pot over medium, melt the butter. Once it's almost melted, add the onions and let them sweat (not brown).

Add the mushrooms and mix them in.

Once all the ingredients have come together, add the flour, a little at a time. While adding it, stir it in, so no clumps form. Repeat until all the flour is used and there is a homogenous mixture.

Add the 2 quarts of chicken stock a little at a time. While adding, gently stir. Repeat until all 2 quarts are used.

Add the half qt of heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring in the process.

Once to a boil, reduce to a simmer .

Taste and add salt and pepper

Run an immersion blender through the mixture or put it into a food processor to puree the soup. Pass it through a chinois.

Garnish as needed and add salt and pepper to taste.

The nice thing about cream soups is that they are very versatile. Once the technique and ratio is learned, the main ingredient can be altered. This same cream of mushroom recipe can be altered to make a cream of broccoli, potato, asparagus, or leek soup. You're only limited by your imagination.

Spice rub (good on white fish or chicken)
½ cup toasted fennel seed (put the fennel seeds in a pan and toast until brown don’t burn!)
½ cup curry powder
½ cup ground allspice
¼ cup sea/kosher salt

Put it all in a container and give it a good shake.
To use, dredge fish or chicken in this mixture. Sear it in a pan and then finish in an oven (325-350).
When messing with this recipe, wear gloves if you have them. Curry powder is quite strong and it lingers, no matter how many times you wash your hands.

Spicy Cabbage

1 head Napa cabbage finely sliced
1.5 tablespoons Korean Chili flakes (or use whatever chili flakes you have)
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoons toasted mustard seed (just throw them in a pan over heat)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients in a container and hold in refrigerator for a few hours.
When you get it out, there will be less cabbage, because the water is out of it.
Put mixture in a hot sauté pan and gently toss until heated through.

Steak au Poivre

New York Strip steaks work well for this one. They are thin enough to be finished fairly quickly, yet are marbled enough to turn out a juicy steak. This is a classic French bistro recipe, serve with pomme frites. I had this many times in Colmar at a small cafe.

1 NY Strip steak

Crushed black peppercorns

Salt

For the sauce:

1 or 2 tbsp of green peppercorns (canned work well for this)

1 or 2 tbsp of minced shallots

3 tbsp of heavy cream to finish

Get a saute pan really hot. Add a bit of butter to the pan and let that melt.

Cover the meat with crushed black peppercorns, both sides. Press them in if need be.

Let it rest.

Season it with salt, just before it goes into the pan.

Place the meat in the hot pan. It should start to sizzle immediately. Don't touch it for at least 3 minutes. After about 3 minutes, check the sear. Should be nice and crusty. Flip onto other side, leave for about 2 minutes. Place on an oven safe dish and bosh it into the oven (350) while you make the sauce.

In the same pan, add the shallots and green peppercorns. Let those cook. Add some beef stock to deglaze the pan. Stir it around to get all those yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Once done, add the cream and let it cook for another minute or two, to let it thicken up.

Get the steak from the oven, plate it up, pour the sauce over the steak and tuck in!

Beef Stock

Since we're covering stocks this week at school, might as well go along with the theme here. Stocks can be called the foundation of a culinary education. Chef Peter Timmons', (CMC, of the Greenbrier) biggest food cost expense is veal bones and ingredients for making a stock. From a good stock, you can make almost everything, soups, sauces, marinades, and lots of other things. This first recipe is for a classic beef stock.

7 pounds beef bones, sawed into 2-inch pieces
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
2 cups red wine
20 peppercorns
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme

1.5 gallons water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the bones on a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. Lay the vegetables over the bones. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Place the pan on the stove and deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned particles. Put this mixture in a large stock pot. Add the peppercorns and herbs. Season with salt. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 4 hours. Remove from the heat and skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Strain the liquid and discard the bones.

Easy Brined Turkey

1 (12 to 15-pound) turkey

For the brine:
2 gallons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 lemons, sliced in 1/2
4 bay leaves
3 cinnamon sticks
Small handful cloves

Put everything but the turkey into a pot large enough to hold the water and bird. Be sure to mix up all the ingredients in the water. Add the bird and refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove turkey from brine and transfer to a roasting pan with a rack. Stuff turkey with the lemon halves, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks used in the brine. Cook turkey for about 3 1/2 hours,basting every 40 minutes or so. If any part of the turkey gets too brown towards the end of cooking, shield with pieces of tin foil. When the turkey is done, juices should run clear from the breast and the legs should pull away from the bird easily. Remove from the ovent and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Easy Stuffing

1-pound loaf sourdough bread
8 tablespoons butter
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
2 to 4 stalks celery roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Handful of fresh thyme leaves
10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, 2 tablespoons butter, and thyme. Once the butter has melted, cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Crispy & Spicy Green Beans

1 pound string beans, trimmed
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
4 to 5 cloves garlic, smashed
1-inch piece ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Blanche the green beans as follows: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook for just 1 to 2 minutes, until the beans turn bright green. Drop them into a bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking, and then dry them with a paper towel (this will prevent oil from splattering when they're added later).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast them until golden brown, about 4 minutes, shaking the pan often to avoid burning the almonds. Remove the toasted almonds from the pan.

Return the skillet to the burner and increase the heat to medium-high. Heat the olive oil in the pan and add a few pinches of salt, the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes (as usual, use chili flakes to taste). Cook just until the garlic starts to brown. Add the vinegar and let cook down for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and toss in the beans to coat them thoroughly and evenly with the dressing.

Serve on a platter and scatter the top with the toasted almonds.

Pumpkin bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

(To get the pumpkin shredded, you can easily use a box grater)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/3 cups pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

(if you like spicier seeds, add more seasonings)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the pumpkin seeds with the garlic powder, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper on prepared baking sheet and toss to combine.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until seeds are crispy and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to release any seeds that have stuck to the baking sheet, and cool completely before serving.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
6 cups good quality chicken stock
1 pound (1 package) chicken breast tenders, diced
1/2 pound wide egg noodles
A handful fresh parsley, chopped
A handful fresh dill, chopped

Place a large pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Add vegetables to the pot as you chop, in the order they are listed.

Add bay leaves and season vegetables with salt and pepper, to taste. Add stock to the pot and raise flame to bring liquid to a boil.

Add diced chicken tenderloins, return soup to a boil, and reduce heat back to moderate.

Cook chicken 2 minutes and add noodles. Cook soup an additional 6 minutes or until noodles are tender and remove soup from the heat.

Stir in parsley and dill, remove bay leaves and serve. This is a thick soup. Add up to 2 cups of water if you like chicken soup with lots of broth.

Lemon Bars/Lemon Squares (depends on how you want to cut them!)

The recipe calls for "cutting" the butter into the dry ingredients. The term "cut" means using a pastry cutter. Personally, I don't worry about the fancy cutter, but prefer to just use a pinching technique. Cut the butter into small cubes. Drop a few cubes into the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, just "pinch" them together on the butter. Doing this will break up the butter, combine it with the flour, and eventually give the crumbly texture you want. Plus, it's more fun!

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Filling:
2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan.
Make the crust by combining the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers into a little flour or confectioners' sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until brown.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Keep an eye on it, because you don't want them to go dark on top. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, when the bars are done. (Personal note, I like them chilled)

Sauteed Spinach

Fresh baby spinach is available pretty much in any market. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Put a tablespoon or so of olive oil in and add some minced garlic (canned or fresh). Once the garlic releases a nice odor, add the spinach. Don't cook the garlic too long, or it goes bitter.

Add a lot of spinach (it wilts down to nothing), almost a whole package - whatever will fit in the pan. Add a health pinch of salt and pepper. While it's cooking, turn it with tongs and move it around the pan. Once a dark green color (or to your likeness), take and serve!

Filet Mignon

Aunt Judy and Uncle Bill's chef Julia showed me a quick and easy way to make filet mignon. This would work well with other cuts of meat, but filets are good, because of their thickness.

Make a marinade of soy sauce, olive oil, fresh minced garlic, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

In a hot pan (cast iron works best), sear the steaks for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side, up to 1 minute. Set onto a microwave safe plate. Bosh it into the microwave for 1 to 2 min (depending on preferred doneness).

A great accompaniment to the filets is a quick sauce: Combine sour cream and horseradish. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Key Lime Pie

This recipe is an alteration of the key lime tarts that I served at Disney. Pre made pie shells work great here. Just remember to dock (poke holes with a fork) and blind bake them, until they are golden brown.

1.5 c Sweetened condensed milk

3/4 to 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 egg (beaten)

Mix all of these ingredients and then pour into the pie shells. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes and then chill well.

Louisville Hot Brown

Definitely not a low calorie dish, but definitely a local favorite here in Louisville. There are many variations on this recipe, but this one's the original!

1/3 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 1/3 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices white bread, toasted
12 ounces roast turkey, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
16 strips fully cooked bacon

Sauce: In a medium saucepan melt margarine or butter. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once.
Cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Gradually stir some of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return all of the mixture to the saucepan. Cook and stir until just bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Arrange the slices of toast in a single layer on the unheated rack of a broil pan. Top with sliced turkey, sauce, and the 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.

Broil 3-4 inches from the heat about 3 minutes or until the sauce is brown and bubbly For each serving, place one toast stack on a serving plate. Top each serving with two slices of cooked bacon, forming an "x". Serve immediately.

Mojitos

Now this is one of my favorite drinks. It's light, citrusy, and refreshing. Perfect summer drink!

1 bunch fresh mint, cleaned
1 cup sugar
4 lemons, juiced
4 limes, juiced
Ice cubes
1 (750 ml bottle) light rum
1 liter club soda

In a large pitcher, muddle (mix, smash, you get the picture) mint leaves with sugar and lemon and lime juices until well combined. Add ice, rum and club soda and stir together. Pour into glasses, straining out mint. Enjoy!

Cold Sesame Noodles

Came up with this recipe for my friend at work. Turns out the timing was good, because we're starting Japanese cuisine in class. This is best served cold (I think). All of these items are easily found in your local supermarket.

12 ounces angel hair pasta
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup ground/chopped peanuts
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Fresh chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. Chill.

In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, lime juice, brown sugar, peanuts, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.

Simple and great Peanut Butter Fudge

1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar

Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with waxed paper. Place a second piece of waxed paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Easiest and Best Cheesecake

2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (2eggs, 1 white)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 pint sour cream

It's recommended to use a mixer for this, but if you don't have one, let the cheese get a little bit soft and then use a wooden spoon. Combine the cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon zest in a bowl. Mix that around until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time (first the two whole eggs, then the egg whites). Most recipes I've seen call for 3 eggs, but I think that it turns out a product that's a bit too yellow in color.

After everything has been combined, pour out into two blind-baked (baked w/o filling) pre made graham cracker crusts. (This recipe will easily fill 2 crusts).

Fill the crusts with the filling. Put into a water bath (hotel pan w/ water halfway up the sides of the pie shells) and bake for 45 min to an hour at 325 and be careful not to overbake. The cake should still jiggle a bit in the center. Put it onto a rack and then into the refrigerator for several hours. This causes the cake to cool and become dense. Then enjoy! Top with chocolate or strawberries (my personal favorite).

Creamy lime fettuccini

2 cups heavy cream

zest of 5 limes (just the green, no white)

salt and pepper

fettuccini pasta

grated cheese (parmesan or fontina)

In a saute pan, add the heavy cream and lime zest. Let the cream reduce by about half.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Once al dente, add to the cream and toss in the pan. To finish, add some grated fontina or parmesan cheese.

To make it a more complete meal, putting a piece of fish or chicken would work well. Just get a small piece of either, saute it, bake it, grill it, however you want to prepare it and then just serve it up!

Italian Bread Salad

Once again, today was basically a free day, make whatever you want. Chef started hinting that he wanted some nice salads. Since I wasn't up to doing anything too hard core, a salad it is! Since I wanted to use artichokes, what Chef and I came up with was an Italian bread salad. I know what you must be thinking, a bread salad?!?! It's not all bread. It's like an antipasta plate that's been marinated and tossed with some croutons and fresh baby spinach. It's easy peasy, so feel free to try it and tuck in. It was so good, chefs from other classes were stopping by to try it!

Hard/smoked salami (sliced thin or cubed)

Provolone cheese (sliced thin or cubed)

Canned artichoke hearts

Fresh green beans (a couple handfulls)

Cherry tomatoes (1 pkg)

Button mushrooms (1 pkg)

Dressing:

Red wine vinegar

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Soybean/vegetable oil

Whole mustard

Salt and pepper

Sugar

Garlic - minced

1. Blanch the green beans. This means, putting them in boiling salted water for about 30sec to a minute, to lightly cook them and bring the green color out. They will still have a nice crunch. After taking them out, immediately put them into ice water to stop the cooking. Set them aside.

2. Saute the mushrooms. Be sure the pan is hot and use olive oil, salt, and pepper. Saute them until soft (a couple minutes). Set them into a bowl and put aside.

3. Drain the artichokes and set aside

4. Cube or thinly slice the meat and cheese. Keep these two ingredients consistent (if you start with cubes, keep them cubed) in size.

5. Using a 3:1 (oil:vinegar), add the oils to a bowl. Use about 1 cup of olive oil and 1 cup of vegetable oil. In the same bowl, add about 3/4ths of a cup of red wine vinegar and about 1/4 cup of balsamic. Add a couple tablespoons of the whole mustard, add the minced garlic. A couple pinches of salt and pepper and a touch more of sugar. Whisk vigorously. Depending on your taste, you might need to add more or less of some of the ingredients.

6. In a large bowl, add all the vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Pour over the dressing and mix it around, to coat everything. Put into the refrigerator for a bit.

7. When hungry, add some croutons and fresh baby spinach to the salad. Toss around and serve it up. It's great! !

Crab Rangoons

This wouldn't normally be the type of recipe I would put up, because of the equipment needed, such as a stand mixer and a deep fryer, but it is one of Christal's favorite foods, so here it is. The stand mixer with a paddle attachment is recommended, for mixing the ingredients together. Using a hand mixer would incorporate too much air and not to mention, leaving the cream cheese out to get soft wouldn't work, because the filling would be too runny.

(as usual, I'm winging the amounts)

Needs:

2 8 oz blocks of cream cheese

1 pkg of crab meat (real stuff, not the imitation compressed white fish stuff)

a couple of scallions or green onions (very finely sliced or as small as possible)

a couple teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning

2 eggs (beaten) and mix in a tablespoon of water

wonton wrappers (ethnic food market would be the best bet)

Bosh all the ingredients (NOT THE EGGS or WONTONS) into the mixer and giv'em a whirl until nice and mixed.

Take a wonton wrapper on a flat and dry surface and put about a tablespoon of filling in the center of it. Dip your finger in the egg mixture and dab it around the edges of the wonton. Fold the wonton up to your liking and then set on a tray that's been sprinkled with cornstarch. Make sure the edges of the wonton are sealed, or else the filling will leak out.

Repeat the process until all the filling is gone or the wrappers are used, whichever comes first.

Once finished, fry them up. Be careful because of the hot oil. A minute or two, until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain.

Enjoy!

I recommend using a sauce, such as sweet chilli sauce or some other sweet and sour sauce to your liking.

Parmesan Encrusted Sea Bass

So I finally went in on a "Plus Friday" at school. Sort of like a regular day of the week, except Chef Akmon doesn't yell at us as much! Here's what resulted.

Needs:

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese. (Not the green cannister) A couple cups will do.

Sea Bass fillets

Flour

Eggs

Salt and pepper

Cayenne

Using the 3 step breading method (flour - egg wash - grated Parmesan), prepare the sea bass. Be sure to shake off the excess flour and then generously coat with the egg wash. Take the parmesan, mix in some salt and pepper and a bit of cayenne for a kick and then dredge the fish into the cheese mix.

Heat a large, non stick skillet with butter and olive oil. Gently place the fish into the oil. After a couple minutes, flip and then put into a preheated 350 or so oven to finish. BE SURE YOUR NON STICK PAN IS OVEN-SAFE.

Greek Avocado-Shrimp Salad w/ Oregano Vinagrette

Obviously I'll be posting the recipes and ideas that I had at school, so this first week of class, it has been salads. This one I threw together, starting with the shrimp and avocado. The contrasting textures are what drew me to this idea and then the rest of it sort of fell into place.

What you'll need:

Half of a fresh avocado (pit removed of course)

5-6 shrimp, deveined, tails on

Handful of Kalamatta Olives

Birdseye Chile, seeded and finely diced

1-2 handfuls of mixed greens

Handful of Feta Cheese

Dressing:

2 tablespoons of fresh oregano, chopped

3/4 cup of Olive Oil

1/8 cup of red wine vinegar

1/8 cup of lemon juice

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

Sugar, salt, pepper to taste

For the dressing, throw everything into a bowl and give it a whisk. Once all incorporated nicely, taste it. When I tried it, the first test was a bit too acidic. If you encounter this problem, you can add a bit of sugar. Just remember to add a little at a time. You can always add, but can't take away. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Chill the dressing while you prepare the salad.

Be sure to butterfly the shrimp. Most shrimp now come purged, but doing this will ensure cleanliness, plus it looks better. Just take a small paring knife and hold the shrimp with your index finger and thumb. Have the back (rounded part) facing you. Take the tip of your knife and cut down the back, not going too deep. Do this for all the shrimp and you're laughing!In a HOT pan, add a bit of olive oil and throw the shrimp in. These will cook fairly quickly (if your pan is nice and hot). Set them to the side

The salad is quick and easy. Cut the avocado however suits your fancy. Slices, julienne, Medium Dice, it does not matter. In a mixing bowl, put your salad greens, olives, and a bit of dressing in. Mix them around, to coat the greens. Put the greens onto a plate, add the avocado and shrimp however you like and you're ready to eat. Don't forget to spread the chiles around. A nice finish to this salad is nice crumbled feta cheese over the top!

Sesame Vinagrette

Ok, so I made this in class today. It's almost identical to the one I made while on the Sea Cloud II ship, helping Chef Markus Gradel in the galley.

Needs: sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, whole mustard, fresh ginger (a piece about the size of your thumb), about a tablespoon of minced garlic (add more if you love it, less if you don't), juice of a lime, salt and pepper to taste.

With the ginger, peel the outside off. I find it easiest to do with a knife, just slice under the skin to take the tough parts off. A really handy tool to have with this is a pestle & mortar. Give it a quick chop and then pound it in the pestle and mortar.

The ratio of a vinagrette is 3:1 (Oil: Vinegar). This is approximate, so you may need a bit more or a bit less. If you use about 1/2 cup sesame oil and just under a 1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar,and about a tablespoon or so of mustard, this will be a good start. (Depending on the volumes you choose, adjust other seasonings and ingredients accordingly. Don't overdo it though)

In a bowl, add the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, ginger, and garlic. Give it a proper whisk, mixing all the ingredients well. Add a bit of salt and pepper to your liking. Bosh it in the refrigerator and then enjoy it in a couple of hours.

Ribs

Whenever I'm at my parents' house and they get a craving for ribs, this is how I prepare them. Pretty easy and damn tasty!

This method of cooking ribs is quite tasty and versatile according to the season.

1 or 2 packages of ribs, either beef or pork will do. On the stove, put a large stock pot or kettle of water on to boil. Don't forget to add salt. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the ribs. Be careful when adding them not to splash, that water is hot! Let them boil for about 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Once desired tenderness has been reached, take them out. Here is where you can do a couple of different things. If you want to finish them indoors, turn the broiler in your oven on. Slather on your sauce, salt and pepper, dry rub, whatever suits your fancy and let them finish in the broiler. . . . The other option is putting them on the grill to finish. Either way will turn out a nice crispy outside and tender product.

Roasted Red Onions

This side dish is good with red meat as well as white meat such as turkey, chicken, or fish.

Needs: Red Onions (about the size of a baseball will do), fresh thyme, salt/pepper, butter

Trim the top and bottom of the onion off. Not too much, just enough to get rid of the root and still have it stand up right. Sit them upright and then make two cuts, one vertical and one horizontal in the onion. Do not cut all the way to the bottom. Once that is done, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Drop a knob of butter onto the top of the onion and sit it upright in an oven safe container, such as Corningwear. Sprinkle the top of the butter with thyme and cook in the oven, 325-350 for about 30 min. When finished, onions will come out very tasty.

Asian Tuna Salad

Before you get grossed out and think "eeewww, tuna", just remember you can use chicken as a substitute and it will be just as good.This tuna salad isn't mayonaise or mustard based as many American style salads are.

Here's an ingredient list:

Rice wine vinegar (in Ethnic food aisle)

Coconut milk (in Ethnic food aisle)

Soy Sauce

Tuna (I used the stay fresh pouch stuff, not canned)

Half a diced red pepper

Half a diced, SEEDED jalapeno pepper (if you're brave a whole one. If you're nuts, leave the seeds in) Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after slicing. Don't touch your nose or eyes for sure.

Quarter of a diced red onion

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour about a 3 count of rice wine vinegar in. About a 2 count of coconut milk, and a couple shakes of soy sauce. When adding the liquid, be sure to add a little at a time. You can always add more, but can't take it away. Don't forget to add salt and pepper!

Mix it all together well. It should be moist, but not wet. Good served on toasted rolls, with a piece of lettuce or cabbage as the base.

Arugula Salad

So I know salads aren't a winter food staple, but this one's great. It's a salad that my mom had it at her sister's place in the Virgin Islands. As you know, I'm a big fan of arugula and since it's still warm in the Virgin Islands, figured I'd post it!

Arugula (easily found at Whole Foods Market or Wild Oats)
Dried cranberries (a couple handfuls will do)
White raisins (a couple handfuls will do)
Toasted Pine nuts (oven @ 300 with a tad of olive oil), until brown
Parmesan cheese (Use shavings of the cheese, rather than the grated version. Looks much better)
Olive Oil

Wash and drain the arugula, toss in the berries, raisins and toasted pine nuts.

Drizzle olive oil over and then toss the parmesan on top! ! ! !

Deep Fried Turkey

So I know Thanksgiving has past and Christmas is 20 days away, but the deep fried turkey on Thanksgiving was so good, had to do another. I won't usually recommend going out and buying new equipment just for one item, but a turkey fryer is a good investment. They're fairly cheap and the product you can get from it is phenomenal. They'll run 30-50 dollars or so, depending on where and if there's a sale on them.

I used about a 6 lb turkey breast. Which means, it's smaller than a normal whole turkey and it doesn't have the legs.

What you'll need:

Turkey Fryer

3-4 gallons of oil

Seasonings of your choice. (I used injectable cajun marinade and dry cajun spices on the top)

Heat the oil to 375-400 F.

Gently lower the turkey basket (turkey included) into the oil. (The temperature will drop, which is why it needs to be heated up first)

General estimate is 3.5-4 minutes a lb.  I used about a 6 lbs. turkey breast. (Cook until an internal temp is 175 or so)

Let rest for a few minutes. Then serve up!

The Best Apple Cider

Ok, fall is here, and most importantly, Thanksgiving is around the corner! Here's a recipe for apple cider, but with a few extra things in it, to make it even better! In a stock pot or dutch oven, pour a gallon, quart, pint, whatever amount you have, of apple cider. Put it on the heat and then add the following: 5 or 6 cinnamon sticks, about a tablespoon of whole cloves, and an orange (sliced thin, rind on). Keep in mind how much cider you started with. You don't want to overpower it. Stir these ingredients around and then let it simmer. After a gentle simmer, ladle it out into coffee mugs or some other vessel of your choice and enjoy!

Simple Marinade

Here's a simple and tasty marinade. Had it on pork, but would work just as well for chicken and seafood.

1/4 Cup of Teriyaki Sauce

1/8 Cup of Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp of Garlic Salt

1 tbsp of Honey

(As you like, adjust to your taste) Stir and pour over meat and let marinate.

Chicken Lo Mein

I was in the mood for some sort of Chinese food today. Lo mein is one of my favorite take out dishes.

Needs: chicken (cut into small, uniform-sized cubes) and be sure to be sanitary when handling chicken, spaghetti/fettuccine noodles, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce.

Cook the noodles according to directions (ramen noodles may be used instead).

In a hot pan, saute the chicken (either sesame oil or olive oil).

When the noodles and chicken are done, put the noodles in the saute pan (with the chicken).

Add some soy sauce and teriyaki sauce (about the same amount of each) and toss in the pan. for a couple minutes.

Serve and enjoy! Vegetables and/or toasted sesame seeds are good on here also.

Penne Pasta Salad

Here is one of my favorite items that was served at Walt Disney World while I was on the college program, a penne pasta salad.

Needs: bag of baby spinach, half a fresh tomato (diced), a couple handfulls of grated cheese (parmesan and asiago was used, but feel free to use whatever you'd like), penne pasta, olive oil (a couple of tablespoons will do), a little bit of garlic (minced), salt and pepper

1) Cook penne pasta according to package directions, although you can use whatever shape pasta you like!

2) While pasta is cooking, in a mixing bowl, put all the other ingredients.

3) When the pasta is done, drain it and while it's hot, put in the bowl with the other ingredients.

4) Toss and serve. (if it's too dry, you can always add more oil).

A nice variation on this recipe is to add chicken (store bought ready to eat strips are good) or shrimp.

Steak Sandwich

Needs:

Olive oil
salt and pepper
thin cut of meat, such as round steak
good sandwich bread- ciabatta, hoagie or anything else in the bakery. Just not sandwich bread. Won't hold up well.

Unusual Items: fresh rosemary, Arugula (type of lettuce with a peppery flavor). Both should be available in the produce section.

Optional Items: sliced onion, tomato, ketchup, cheese

1) Take meat and place into a ziploc bag. Pour in a couple glugs of olive oil and rosemary (just the leaves, not the stems). The leaves of 2 or 3 stems will do. Don't forget the salt and pepper!

2) Seal bag and pound the meat, with your fists, head, whatever's around. It's very theraputic. This will help the oil and rosemary to soak into the meat, as well as tenderize it.

3) Toss it on the ol' George Foreman grill or a hot griddle pan. Cook it until desired doneness. Shouldn't take too long, if it's been sufficiently tenderized.

4) While meat is cooking, prepare the rest. Slather dijon mustard on bread, along with the arugula.

5) When meat's done, assemble your sandwich and chow down!

Beef Wellington

This dish sounds fancy, but it's fairly simple. In class, we used foie gras and truffle slices to top the beef, but that's a bit much. Instead you can use blue cheese chunks.

This recipe is for one Beef Wellington, so of course, adjust to the number you're serving.

1 6-8oz. beef tenderloin filet

1 tbsp bleu cheese crumbles/chunks

2 sheets of puff pastry, cut into squares, about 6 inches.

Egg Wash (1 egg, 1-2 tbsp water)

Preheat pan with oil

Season the filet liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.

When the pan is screaming hot, sear the filet on both sides. The sear will determine the doneness of the meat.

Remove from the pan and place onto paper towels.

Roll flat one piece of the puff pastry. Not see through thin, just enough to add more size.

The non-rolled sheet of puff pastry, spread lightly with egg wash.

Now you're ready to assemble the Wellingtons.

On the egg washed puff pastry piece, place the filet.

On top of that, put the bleu cheese crumbles.

With the flattened piece of puff pastry, lay that over the top of the filet and cheese.

Gently press it down, to remove any airbubbles.

Cut off the excess puff pastry from the sides.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the top and side of the Wellington with the egg wash.

Place in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the puff pastry is baked.

Remove and enjoy!

Osso Bucco

This is a classic recipe that uses the technique called braising. Most commonly associated with winter and comfort foods. It's a great dish to entertain with.

4 veal shanks, center bone, cut into 8 to 10-ounce portions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, large dice
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup red wine
2 cups stock (beef or veal)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Several sprigs fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large rondeau, large skillet or Dutch oven.

1) Season the veal with salt and pepper.

2) Sear the veal shanks over high heat until well browned on both sides.

3) Remove the browned veal shanks from the skillet, put them to the side for now.

4) Pour out the excess fat (leave the fond - the bits at the bottom of the pan).

5) Now add the diced vegetables, along with the garlic and saute them for 3 to 4 minutes.

6) When the vegetables have begun to cook, add the red wine and deglaze the pan.

7) Place the veal shanks back in the pan, on top of the vegetables.

8) Add thet stock and the herbs to the casserole and braise - keep at a simmer for 6-8 hours.

9) The veal should be fork tender, with the meat just beginning to separate from the bone when you move them from the oven. Do not remove until fork tender.

10) Remove the shanks from the pan, and strain the rest of the contents through a strainer or chinois. Put back into a sauce pan and reduce until thick for a nice sauce.

Crostini / Bruschetta

Crostini and bruschetta are two classic Italian dishes that are quite popular. They are small toasted pieces of bread that are grilled or baked and then topped. There are a couple of differences, but these are open for debate, depending on who you ask. One difference is that bruschetta is said to be classically made with sourdough bread, while crostini is often made with white bread. The other difference is that bruschetta is grilled, while crostini is baked. Also, bruschetta is usually rubbed with garlic or drizzled with olive oil before being topped, while crostini is not.

Don't treat it like pizza. generally, i wouldn't use more than one or two "star" ingredients. Also, make sure the toppings are the correct size. If you're using cucumbers or zucchini, make sure they're sliced thin or a brunoise size chop, not a large dice. When grilling the bread, just bosh it onto the grill or griddle pan with no oil. If your surface is hot enough, this will give them terrific grill marks.

While pizza is similar and Italian, please don't treat bruschetta or crostini like pizza. For one, you don't want a mass amount of cheese on the top. It will cause the bread to go soggy and frankly can be a mess to eat. If you're going to use any type of cheese, grate it to a fine consistency and use it sparingly. In regards to ingredients, you don't want one to overpower another. Here's a couple ideas for some toppings.

To prepare the bread, thinly slice it on a bias. Put onto a hot grill or griddle pan. Flip onto other side to finish.

Optional: rub a fresh clove of garlic over the bread and/or drizzle with good quality olive oil (only do the oil right before service).

Baby Artichokes

8 Artichoke hearts (can be picked up at the grocery)

4 cloves of garlic

1 juiced lemon

Olive oil

salt and pepper

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat a saute pan and oil. Once hot, add the artichoke hearts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Just to get a bit of color.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice and season to taste.

Remove half of the artichokes and leave the other half in the pan. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and mash everything together.

On toasted bread drizzle with olive oil.

Spread the mixture on it and then add one of the reserved artichokes.

Tomato and Basil

2 handfuls of mixed ripe tomatoes

small bunch of fresh basil, leaves only

Salt and pepper

olive oil

white wine vinegar

1) Prepare the tomatoes (wash, remove cores, and squeeze out seeds. You can chop them if you want. Squeezing is more of a rustic look.

2) Put them in a bowl, add torn basil, season with salt and pepper, and add a glug or two of the white wine vinegar.

3) Spoon over freshly grilled bread and enjoy!

Fresh Mozzarella and Chiles

Fresh mozzarella (get the stuff from the deli. It'll be in it's own container and will be a "ball" of cheese).

Finely diced and de-seeded fresh red chili.

Fresh basil - chiffonade

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1) Tear the cheese into pieces.

2) Put onto the bread.

3) Sprinkle over the chiles

4) Add the chiffonaded basil

5) Add Salt and pepper

6) Drizzle with olive oil.

Flavored Salt

For this, I highly recommend a pestle and mortar. Now you can find them at gourmet shops locally, but pay close attention to the materials. In no way am I endorsing ImportFood.com, but rather using it as an example of a good quality one. I have seen several in stores that were made of wood and steel. The wood can and will absorb flavors and the stainless steel won't hold up as well as a stone version.

So for this recipe, get a big package of sea salt. I recommend sea salt, because it's going to get a good bashing in the mortar. If you start with iodized salt, you'll end up with miniscule grains of salt.

Green Tea salt: bag of loose tea (whichever flavor suits you, I like green teas), zest of one lime, sea salt (around 1 cup)

Bosh all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar and have a go at it. Since the zest is wet, it'll be a wet salt.

Spread it out on a piece of foil and a cookie sheet and let it dry. Add it to a low oven to dry it out.

Once finished, press it through a microscreen (this will give it a consistent texture) and save it. It'll last a couple months.

This one is good on chicken, white fish, salmon, etc.

Orange Zest salt: zest of one large orange, 1 tbsp of grated ginger (use fresh, not dried), sea salt

Bosh all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar and have a go at it. Since the zest is wet, it'll be a wet salt.

Spread it out on a piece of foil and a cookie sheet and let it dry. Add it to a low oven to dry it out.

Once finished, press it through a microscreen (this will give it a consistent texture) and save it. It'll last a couple months.

Use it as you would salt. Also, finish a dish with it.

This one is good on seafood, tuna, and shrimp.

Roasted Fruit

This recipe is easy peasy and can also be an elegant dessert, depending on how you want to dress it. My recipe uses pineapple, but plums, peaches, and apples can be used.

Cut a fresh pineapple into large chunks and bosh it into a bowl.

Add a couple glugs of a dark rum, about a quarter cup of sugar, and give it a good toss.

Put it into an oven safe bowl and into a hot oven, about 325-350 for 10 - 15 minutes.

Once nicely golden brown, remove from oven and serve it with your choice of ice cream.

Carrot and Proscuitto Wraps

Proscuitto, thinly sliced (ask for it at the deli)

2 carrots, peeled and grated

4 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

A couple pinches of salt and a couple grinds of pepper

Mix the balsamic, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a bowl.

Add the grated carrots and mix.

Spoon the carrot mixture onto the proscuitto and roll up.

Mozzarella Salad

Mozzarella is available at good delis. It should come in small rounds or a ball of it.

Mozzarella balls (depending on the size, leave whole or slice them)

Spring mix greens

Tomato, sliced

Fine dice of red onion

1/8 c Balsamic vinegar

4 Tbsp Olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside

Slice the mozzarella and tomato, of similar thickness

On the plate, arrange a small arrangement of mixed greens.

Next to it, arrange a tomato, mozzarella, tomato, mozzarella, you get the picture.

Sprinkle a bit of the diced red onion over the whole plate.

Spoon over the balsamic dressing over the salad.

Roasted Duck Breast

This item might sound familiar from the Geico commercials with the cavemen, but rest assured, duck is delicious! I've chosen to use the breasts, because trying to explain how to break down a whole duck on the internet would be nearly impossible.

2 duck breasts, skin on

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

Liberally season the duck breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. When the pan and oil is really hot, lay the duck breasts skin side down in the pan. It will immediately start to sizzle and pop, but once they're in, don't move them. Wait 2 or 3 minutes and check them. If they move easily, flip them over. Sear the opposite side for 1-2 minutes and then bosh it into an oven, 350 degrees or so. Wait until desired doneness is reached. I like duck medium rare to medium. Remove it from the oven and let it rest before slicing.

Crimini Mushroom Risotto

I used crimini mushrooms because those are what we had, but feel free to use whatever mushrooms suit you. Using a mixture would be nice, a bit of criminis, buttons, shitakes, etc. Now risotto is a method of cooking rice, much like the pilaf method. It's not the name of a type of dish, but a method. Use any short grain rice you please, but DO NOT  RINSE it. The starches contained in the rice is what gives this dish it's creamy consistency.

1 cup short grain rice (arborio)

1 garlic clove, diced

half a white onion, small dice

3 tablespoons butter

2 quarts chicken stock (might not need all of it)

1 cup diced mushrooms

Toss the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread out on a sheet tray and roast in the oven.

Remove and set aside when finished.

Heat the chicken stock in a separate sauce pan.

In another saucepan, melt the butter.

Add the onion and garlic and sweat it (don't brown).

Add the arborio rice and mix well. Make sure all the rice is coated with the butter (if needed, add some more butter to coat).

Once everything is mixed well, begin to ladle the hot chicken stock into the rice. Add a ladle full and wait for it to reduce to almost nothing before adding more. Constantly stir during this process. This does two things: the liquid finishes cooking the rice and it reduces to give the final product it's creamy consistency.

When the risotto is nearly finished, add the mushrooms and stir. Allow the whole mixture to finish cooking and then serve.

Port Cherry Sauce

This sauce would be good for lots of different applications. Duck, chicken, any other sort of poultry.

2 cups Port wine

Handful dried cherries

2 tablespoons demi glace (can pick it up at Whole Foods).

1 shallot, minced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

In a small saucepan, sweat the minced shallots.

Once sweated, add the port wine, dried cherries, and white wine vinegar.

Allow this to reduce and then add the demi glace. Stir to incorporate.

Let it further reduce until it's nappe (coats the back of a spoon).

You can take the cherries out, or serve it with them. They are quite tasty.

Eggs & Salsa

2 eggs

1 egg white

2 tablespoons salsa

Handful of cheese crumbles

Salt

Pepper

1/4 cup milk

1. Whisk the two eggs and one egg white together

2. Add the salsa, cheese, salt and pepper, milk

3. Stir together with a spoon

4. Add mixture to a preheated pan, medium heat.

5. Constantly stir, until cooked to desired consistency.

Serve with some toast, fruit, whatever you please.

Salmon and Gnocchi

2 - six oz filets of salmon (skin on)

Fruit based salsa, such as mango salsa

1 - package fresh gnocchi

salt and pepper

olive oil

1.  Preheat an oven-safe pan over medium high heat. Also, put a pot on with boiling water for the gnocchi.

2.  Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the gnocchi and let it boil for about 3 minutes.

3.  Liberally season the non skin side of the salmon with salt and pepper. Add to the pan, skin side up and let it sear for a couple of minutes. Don't touch it until time to flip. Flip it over and sear the skin side for about 2 minutes. Then put the pan into a 350F oven for about 10 minutes (maybe longer, depending on how done you want it).

4.  Remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and some Italian seasoning. Set aside.

5.  Once salmon filets are done, remove them from the oven and plate up! I serve a couple spoonfuls of gnocchi with the salmon and    then top the filet with a tablespoon or so of the mango salsa.