I have worked in many bakeries that have put there spin on the classic. Personally, this recipe is a combination of different recipes and techniques that I’ve picked up through my career…

Brioche:

4 ½ cups (630g) unbleached AP flour

1 ½ packages (28g) of active dry yeast

½ cup (82g) white sugar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

½ cup (120g) cold water

5 Large eggs

2 ½ sticks (310g) unsalted butter at room temperature

Step 1. With a dough hook fitted in a kitchen aide mixer, add your flour, yeast, sugar, salt and water in the bowl, yes all at once, and begin mixing on low.

*Throughout this entire mixing production, and always for that matter, it is crucial to always scrape the hook, sides and bottom of bowl to keep consistent mixing*

When the dough begins to start coming together, about 5 minutes, you can begin adding your butter. This is a gradual process; slowly add the butter and add more only when the mixture becomes smooth. Repeat this process for all the butter. After about 5-8 minutes your butter should be homogenous.

Step 2. Kick that mixer up to medium, a 5/6 on the kitchen aide, and mix for another 10 minutes. This step helps form gluten and round out the butter evenly.

Step 3. The dough is done when it doesn’t seem too dry and has a beautiful sheen to it. Pull at the dough and pay attention to how it stretches. If it stretches slow, but holds and doesn’t break, with airholes that grow with force - you’re perfect. If it looks really wet and is still sticking, it needs a few more tablespoons of flour and another 2-5 minutes on the mixer at medium speed.

Step 4. At this stage, you can put your dough in a bowl. No need to grease it, there’s enough butter already used. Cover the dough with plastic wrap directly on the dough so it doesn’t form a skin. Then transfer it to the fridge to proof. Proof the dough for a minimum of 6 hours in the fridge, even overnight if you can.

Cinnamon Shmear:

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temp

¼ cup (55g) packed light brown sugar

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon3/4 cup (80g) pecans, toasted & chopped

Step 1: Combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until incorporated.

Step 2: Add the pecans and give a gentle stir. I like a fine chop on my pecans so they go distribute more evenly but you can rough chop yours if you’d like.

Frosting:

¾ cup (6oz) cream cheese

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

Step 1: Combine all ingredients into a bowl or kitchen aide and mix until smooth. This will be going on the buns hot so don’t worry about the viscosity right now, just make sure it’s smooth.

To Assemble:

Step 1. Punch down your brioche dough and get some air out of it. Then split the ball in half.  Begin rolling both halves out into large rectangles about 14 by 10 inches and about ¼ inch thick. This is just easier to do all at once. Spread the shmear from edge to edge horizontally, and everywhere else really, except an inch from the edge the farthest side away from you. This is the last piece to be rolled when rolling forward. Remember to roll the dough tightly; the more layers you have in a roll the more fluffy and fatter they’ll be as they expand. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the roll into 6 pieces. 

Step 2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and line your buns inside. Be sure to leave about 2 inches between each bun to allow room to expand. Position the rack into the center of your oven so the tops don’t get too dark or dry and bake for 40 minutes or until they’re golden brown.

Step 3. When they come out, wait a few minutes and then spread the cream cheese frosting. Let the frosting sit for a few minutes to warm up before spreading it around. You’ll notice how easy it is after its warmed to seep into every little crevice. Let them sit on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and let that bubbly, oozing filling settle in. A cup of cold milk or black coffee would be my suggestion for your perfect pairing. Enjoy!

Tags: baking, recipe, recipes, breakfast, comfort food, morning

Spätzle is a German/Austrian/Switzerland egg noodle dish almost like a pasta or dumpling. It was weird eating this as often as we did growing up considering we are a very Italian household. Don't get me wrong, we had plenty of rich Italian soups and braises served over polenta, but we’ll talk about that another day. Normally served as a side dish to brats and sausages or roasted meat dishes, Spätzle is typically served with cheese or fresh herbs and caramelized onions. Now, maybe normal people would stop there but these tasty little noodles can be taken way further than that. Use ‘em as a substitute to fries for poutine, serve ‘em under fried eggs, make ‘em smaller and use them in baked mac & cheese, get creative!

This recipe is incredibly easy and you’ll find, through your own experiments, what ratio of egg to flour you like, how chewy you want them or if you need to make any variation in how you cook them. 

Heres What You'll Need: 

1 cup AP flour 

3 eggs 

1/4 cup water 

1/2 t fresh grated nutmeg 

salt & pepper to taste 

Place all your ingredients in a bowl together and whisk. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of black pepper but I put a good heaping in this recipe. It should make a nice batter, slightly thicker than pancake mix. Let the mixture sit aside for 10 minutes to really settle. In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. 

Next, spread the batter on a cutting board in a thin layer. With a butter knife or the back of a palate knife scrape little pieces into the boiling water. They should only take 45-60 seconds, depending how big you're making them, and they will start to float when they are done. Take them out and they can either be eaten right away or you can put them in an ice bath to stop their cooking. I like to sear mine after they're boiled to give them a nice crispy texture so I almost always shock or blanch mine in a water bath. 

To finish cooking them, get a pan hot with a little bit of olive oil and butter. You may be wondering, why both? Well, the butter is going to give you the flavor you want, especially after it starts to brown and get toasty, and olive oil has a higher smoking point so it can withstand higher temperatures for frying. When the butter starts bubbling, throw in your spätzle. They brown fast so this step will only take a few minutes. 

In my opinion, the best way to eat spätzle is with caramelized onions and thyme but you can dress it up to your own liking. Julienne, or thinly slice, 2 onions and get them in a hot pan, medium high heat, with some butter and olive oil. Move the slices around until they start to turn translucent. Then drop the heat and season with salt. The salt helps draw out all of the juices and will help with the cooking process; you also won't have to add more oil because the juices prevent them from sticking. However, you want this to happen gradually so we drop the heat and continue cooking the onions for about 10 minutes, turning them every couple minutes to ensure even browning. When they’re done, throw in a few sprigs of thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. These can be tossed in with your spätzle once you’ve finished browning them in a pan. 

To finish cooking them, get a pan hot with a little bit of olive oil and butter. You may be wondering, why both? Well, the butter is going to give you the flavor you want, especially after it starts to brown and get toasty, and olive oil has a higher smoking point so it can withstand higher temperatures for frying. When the butter starts bubbling, throw in your spätzle. They brown fast so this step will only take a few minutes.

Tags: German, side dish, pasta, fall, comfort food, spatzle, recipe, recipes

Here's what you'll need for the dough: 

2 cups Durum Whole Wheat Flour 

1 cup AP flour, extra for dusting and kneading 

1lb fresh strained ricotta 

1 T extra virgin olive oil 

3 eggs 

1 t salt 

For the Sauce: 

1/2 lb ground beef 

1/2 lb ground veal 

1/4 cup tomato paste 

6-8 large sage leaves, chopped or torn 

1/2 cup Heavy Cream 

1 Onion, diced 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

Salt + Pepper to taste 

Ricotta Salat for garnishing 

For the dough: 

This dough is going to need some time to rest so definitely start here and worry about your sauce while it’s resting. As you know, if I need to impress someone or teach them the different stages of mixing, how to tell when things go wrong and how to fix them I like to mix with my hands. Luckily this recipe is very generous, you can use your kitchen aide mixer for this one! Start by just dry mixing the flours together getting out any big clumps. Then add your cheese, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper and begin to mix using a dough hook. Mix on medium for about 5 minutes until the dough starts to form and have these shaggy little pieces. Next, dump your bowl out onto a well-floured surface and begin to knead by hand until the dough comes together with a slight push back. It should be about an additional 5 minutes. Cover in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. 

For the sauce: 

Start by sweating your onions and garlic together until they become translucent. Once they become aromatic, you can add the ground meat. Drop the heat to medium and brown the meat. Just before the meat is fully cooked, add the tomato paste and mix well. Let the pan dry out as the tomatoes roast into the meat. 

*This is usually a good stopping point if your pasta is not yet finished but if you're ready to go you can finish the sauce now. * 

After the tomato paste, add your cream and drop the heat to low. The lactic acid in the cream will start to slowly tenderize the meat and thicken the sauce. Finish with your fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste! 

Tags: pasta, Italian, sauce, comfort food, sausage, ragu, recipe, recipes

Ingredients:

1lb of Italian seasoned pork sausage

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped kale

Salt + Pepper + Chili Flakes to taste

You start by browning the meat. You can put olive oil in if you'd like but we're only looking to brown, not really do much cooking yet. If your sausage is fatty just throw it in a hot pan and it'll do the trick. The fat will melt and help render the sausage. Next, add your garlic and lower the heat to minimum. Slowly cook the garlic in the sausage fat until it becomes translucent. A good ragu is made up of simple ingredients, prepared simply and layered. After your garlic's fragrant and ready you can add your tomatoes. If you have a hand blender I find it easiest to chop the tomatoes a bit while they're still in the can. You can, however, chop them by hand instead. I like to add olive oil here too. You don't need much but I just like the balance up against the tomatoes and they sort of blend a bit while the sauces cooks. I let this cook for about 20 minutes on medium-low; until the sausage is cooked and the sauce starts to reduce.

Next, take the fresh kale and throw it right in the sauce. Lower the heat and slowly start to braise the greens. The acidity in the sauce breaks down the bitter-green taste in the kale. I like to cut bigger chunks of kale; it's meaty leaves hold up well in the sauce. Let this cook for about 10 minutes, season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes and you're ready.

Tags: pasta, Italian, sauce, comfort food, sausage, ragu, recipe, recipes

Mushroom Duxelles Recipe:

1lb mushrooms, I used button’s but any would do, cleaned and sliced

2 shallots, small diced

1 garlic clove, minced

5 sprigs of thyme

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Begin sautéing your mushrooms in a large pan on medium heat with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Mushrooms have a longer roasting time then most people think. To really extract there earthy flavor we want to slowly roast them and get a deep color. This should take about 8-10 minutes. 

2. When your mushrooms are dark and most of the moisture has been released then you can take them out of the pan.

3. Using the same pan, crank the heat up to medium high and add the remaining butter. Once melted, add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the garlic so it doesn’t burn or get to much color. If this starts happening then lower your heat. 

4. Once your aromatics are almost there add in the thyme (leaving them as sprigs will make removing them later easier). Just let the thyme cook with the mix for a minute or so then add the rest of your mushrooms. Season to your taste with salt and pepper. Then let the mix cool. 

5. Once cooled, take your mix to a food processor and slowly pulse the mushrooms. We want a rough chop, nothing to fine. See pictures for detail.

Meatloaf Recipe:

1lb meatloaf mix, veal pork and beef

1 egg

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup carrots, small diced

1/2 cup onions, small diced 

1/4 cup fennel, small diced

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

3-5 sage leaves, chifonade 

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Begin by sautéing your carrots, onions and fennel in the olive oil. Cook on medium high until the vegetables soften and onions become translucent. Then add the garlic and let cook for another minute or so. Set aside and cool.

2. In a large bowl; mix the meatloaf mix with the rest of the ingredients including the cooled vegetables. Mix by hand to ensure you don’t overmix and the ingredients are just all combined.

3. On a lightly greased baking sheet, form your mix into a loaf shape. Make sure it’s not to tall as it would take longer to cook. We’re only going to partially cook the meatloaf at first. Put the meatloaf in the over for about 20-25 minutes or until it is browned and have no clear liquids coming out. 

4. Once cooked, set aside to cool. 

To Finish:

1 serving of store bought puff dough

1 egg 

1. Start by unrolling your puff pastry onto a lightly floured board. Depending how big your meatloaf is, roll the puff dough out bigger if necessary but be sure your dough is 1/4 inch thickness, nothing less. 

2. Spread your mushroom mix in the middle to the same shape of your meatloaf. Place your meatloaf on top and make sure you have a good fit with another room to wrap.

3. If you wanna challenge yourself and be fancy, cut the sides of your dough into strips and begin braiding your meatloaf alternating with strips from each side. Be sure to tuck the braids in good on the side of the meatloaf or it will unravel while baking. If you’re not as daring as I, you can just wrap it Whole in pastry and skip this step. Just be sure to cut slits so moisture can escape.

4. Beat the egg well and brush the outside of the pastry. *If your braids aren’t staying in place or sticking, you can use some egg to glue it but be careful on how much you use as you don’t want cooked egg windows on your loaf.

5. Sprinkle with a little finishing salt or kosher salt and stick it in the over for 15 minutes or until the pastry has browned.

I like simple recipes. Ya know the ones that are only a few ingredients and really depend more on the ratios; those that are easy to keep memorized. A pound cake for example originally got its name from its recipe. By using a lb of each of its four ingredients; eggs, flour, sugar and butter. Believe it or not, this is going to be even easier. 

Here’s What You'll Need: 

1 gallon of whole milk 

1 quart of buttermilk, high fat % preferred 

Salt to taste 

Yeah... that’s really it. 

Combine your milk and buttermilk together in an appropriate sized pot and gently cook on a simmer. Really were just gonna let science do its thing here. See, the amount of acid in the buttermilk, once heated, is slowly going to start to curdle your milk, separating the fat solids from the whey. Keep this simmering until the milk starts to break, about 40 minutes. Most people use vinegar or lemon juice for this, and that’s okay, but you do end up tasting those ingredients in the finished product. I like to keep it natural, any acidity you’re getting is coming from the buttermilk itself so it stays creamy and hides a little more on the palate. Continue cooking until the whey starts to get really translucent and that’s when you know its done separating. Little clouds of curd will start forming on the top that you can just skim away with a slotted spoon and into some cheesecloth to strain any excess whey. Do this for all of the curd. 

What You'll Need: 

1/2 cup ricotta, strained 

1/2 cup sour cream 

2 eggs, separated 

2/3 cup flour 

1 T granulated sugar 

1/2 t baking soda 

A pinch of salt 

Start by mixing your ricotta, sour cream and yolks in a bowl. Next, start whipping your egg whites; there’s only two so just man-up, do it by hand and it'll only take 4 minutes. When your whites are at soft peaks, add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to the ricotta batter and mix well. Then, take a little bit of your whites at a time and beat them into the batter. This helps to incorporate the rest of the whites evenly, getting them to a more similar state; this is a form of tempering. Once you have a nice homogenous, fluffy mix, start to gently fold the whites into the rest of the batter. This is going to help keep your pancakes extra fluffy. 

Get a nice skillet going with some melted butter and start making your pancakes. Remember these guys are pretty delicate so keep it on medium heat and 2-3 minutes on each side. Between the whites that are suspended throughout and the baking soda you're gonna get some nice tall, fluffy pancakes. The best way to eat these? Raw honey, crushed pistachios and some orange and lemon zest ontop. Boy oh boy, are these babies fresh. No better way to start your morning!

Tags: comfort food, recipe, recipes, breakfast, pancakes, cheese, how to

Now there are many versions of this dish. Centuries have passed and it has certainly evolved throughout different cultures from India, Brazil and even Canada. The recipe I bring you today is one I grew up on and would like to share for the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

For the topping: 

1lb of Yukon potatoes, you can sub sweet potatoes if you like or get fancy and use both! 

3 T butter 

1/4 c heavy cream 

Salt and pepper to taste 

For the filling: 

1lb ground lamb or mutton 

1 large onion 

2 carrots 

1 cup of peas 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 

1 lamb bouillon cube, if you can’t find lamb, beef or mushroom will work too 

A small bunch of rosemary 

A few sprigs of thyme 

1 T flour 

Salt and pepper to taste 

For the topping: Start by cooking the potatoes. Bring them to a simmer and cook gently until fork tender (if using sweet potatoes I find just roasting them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour works best but make sure to lightly puncture them first to let out steam). Next, mash the potatoes and set them aside. Melt the butter and cream in a saucepan and then add to the potatoes and mix vigorously to smooth out the potatoes. If you’d like, ricing your potatoes before this step will add for a smoother texture but it is a peasant dish so a clumpy mash is perfectly acceptable. Set these aside. 

*Pro Tip* a lot of people over look the cooking of potatoes, which honestly gives them a stale rep. These guys have a super buttery flavor with a delicate texture. Hard boiling potato’s ruins them. They blister and break open and the hot water really takes a toll on cooking them losing a lot of flavor and nutrients. Using smaller potatoes allows you to keep them whole. Cooking them slowly on a simmer will prevent the skins from bursting and too much water from getting in. You almost want to poach them to preserve their taste and texture. Try this and be amazed at how good a potato can taste! 

For the filling: Start by sautéing your onions, carrots and garlic in pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. When they start to turn translucent take them out and use the same pan to brown the meat. When the meat is about 80% brown, add about half a cup of stock (beef or vegetable works best but you could even use water) and then add your bouillon. When the liquid starts to evaporate, add the flour and let it cook out for about a minute. Then add your onions, carrots, peas and then your herbs. Take the pan off the heat. 

To assemble your pie, grab an ovenproof baking dish and spray it down with a little cooking spray. Traditionally the pie has a bottom and top crust but I prefer to only do the top. Add the filling to the pan and then spread the potato topping evenly on top. You can even get fancy with this and use a piping bag if you have one. 

Bake this at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving to let all the juices and flavors settle in throughout and enjoy! Best served on a cold day.

Tags: potato, potatoes, Irish, cuisine, comfort food, lamb, sweet potato, recipe, recipes

Here's What You'll Need: 

1 stick of unsalted butter 

1 cup + 2Tbs sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla bean 

*extract works but nothing beats the real thing in this recipe* 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 cup AP flour 

1 tsp salt 

3 apples, peeled and sliced 

3 Tbs powdered sugar 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8" spring form pan; this is a delicate cake so using a spring form pan is an important step, do not skip it!

*Pro Tip: Trace a piece of parchment paper around the bottom of your pan. Cut the round out and place on the bottom of your pan and grease like normally. This saves the anxiety of your cake bottom sticking and helps if you need to unfold early while the cake is still warm.* 

In a mixer, begin by creaming your butter and 1 cup sugar together. Once homogenous, add your vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl down between each addition. Next add all of your dry ingredients and mix until you don't see any flour, then stop. Its okay if there’s still some streaks of flour or little clumps, they'll get mixed by hand when scraping into the pan. It's important not to over mix with the mixer or else too much gluten will develop and you'll have a tougher cake texture.

Pour your batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and then add the sliced apples evenly on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before un-molding. When you’re ready to serve, dust with the powdered sugar and your apple fix has been met.

Tags: pastry, baking, recipes, recipes, fall, apple, cake, comfort

Real quick – what’s a short rib? A lot of people get confused looking at short ribs and that’s because when you buy them from your grocer or even your butcher they have taken the ribs, divided them and then cut them into shorter little chunks that you use for braising. The name short rib, I believe, came about because of how they cut them but short ribs are just beef ribs. They're much longer and harder to handle in their original size so that’s why they get a trim. But if you've ever been to a BBQ joint and see the big Fred Flintstone beef rib on the menu and it’s a fat ol’ hunk of meat with a huge bone sticking out, that’s the same thing. 

Here's what you'll need: 

1 recipe of my filled pasta dough, refer to my fresh pasta post here: http://www.theartofeating.info/blog/2017/6/10/making-fresh-pasta 

2 cups of smoked short rib, fine chopped 

1 1/4 cup fresh ricotta 

1 egg 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1lb fresh mushrooms, any variety like crimini or button will do, cleaned and rough chopped 

2 medium carrots, peeled and medium diced 

1 onion, medium diced 

3-4 dried porcini mushrooms 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 beaten egg for egg wash 

A pasta roller 

Now the first step is also your longest step, which in this case will be the brodo or broth. Start by getting your pot ripping hot and dry roasting your carrots and onions. Why dry roast? I want this to be a very clean broth, you can add a little oil or butter to your pan to help sweat these aromatics out but I really don't want there to be any fat in this broth. Getting the pot really hot and throwing your veggies in there with a little salt to draw out some moisture will keep your pan from burning and the veggies from sticking too much. They're only gonna be in there for about 1.5 to 2 minutes. Once they start to brown, or almost char, add water to about to the top of your pot (about 2.5 quarts). Next, add your mushrooms and turn the heat down to a low simmer and let them go for about an hour. At this point you should have this nice brown hue in your water, especially looking at the sides of the pot, getting deeper in color as the depth of the pot goes down. It’s pretty beautiful stuff. You should also have this very earthy aroma; you can taste at this point but you’re gonna think something’s missing. You'll feel drawn to turn to some herbs but we don't wanna mask this beautiful earthy brodo with anything but mushrooms. If it was for a different occasion then maybe but it’s not what were looking for here. Strain and discard the mushrooms and vegetables and place the broth back in the pot. Bring up to a simmer once more and toss in your dried porcini's. This is going to add that nice level of umami that were looking for while still feeling familiar. In case you don’t remember what I mean when I say ‘umami’ - Dried ingredients add this high concentrated level of flavor that hits that "6th sense" taste bud in your mouth. This can be found in most fish sauces or pastes, cured and dried meats, anchovies, honestly tons of things. We really only want this steeping for about 20 minutes more, then strain again and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Now that your brodo's made, lets tackle some tortellini. Go brush up on your pasta skills with my ‘how to pasta’ post from a few months back (link is above in recipe). It’s a very simple, straightforward recipe but you wanna do it first so the pasta dough can rest about 40-60 minutes. In the mean time, we’ll make the filling. For ravioli we would leave the meat a little chunkier but for a small tight tortellini I want the meat ground fairy fine so well pulse it in a food processor till its ground well. Next add the ricotta, egg and cheese and mix well. Chances are you won't need to season here; the beef rib was heavily seasoned before smoking and you're getting a good amount of salt from the cheeses. When your filling is made, throw it in a piping bag or you can keep it in a bowl and just spoon your portions out. Each portion will be about slightly more than a teaspoon. 

For the pasta production, Im gonna stay short and sweet and let the pictures do most of the talking. Also don't be intimidated; this recipe is fairly forgiving. Start by extruding your sheets of pasta, or pushing them through the roller, to a fairly thin size. We’re using a high yolk recipe for filled dough so they can take some abuse; the yolks are gonna help add a nice chew even though our pasta is thin. I hate those thick belly bomb raviolis you get at restaurants; they fill ya up too much and are too doughy. Cut your sheet into 2.5-3" squares. Take a beaten egg with about a tablespoon of water to use as your egg wash. Using your finger spread the wash on all four sides of the square. Depending on how fast you are is how many you'll want to do at a time. For beginners, work with about 3 or 4 at a time but I usually do double that. If you’re not quick though, the dough will start to get gummy. Next, pipe or dollop a small amount of filling in the middle of the square. When folding these guys, start by taking two opposite corners and meeting at the top, seal the sides so you have a triangle then wrap those pointy sides around your finger and seal ‘em together to make a little tortellini! 

Fresh pasta cooks very fast so these guys will only need about 60 seconds in a simmering pot of water or until they begin to float for a bit. Boiling water is just too aggressive for fresh pasta and we just spent all day making these little beauties - we don't want to destroy them in a pot of boiling water. The setup for this dish is very simple, heat up some of your brodo and pour it right over your cooked tortellini in a bowl, garnish with freshly grated Parmesan if you'd like or enjoy plain. Bon appetite!

Tags: pasta, Italian, sauce, comfort food, sausage, beef, recipe, recipes

I love one pot meals; easy clean up right? But even beyond that, there’s something about all of these ingredients spending this much time together that really adds a special depth or level to the dish. Now this is not "technically" a one pot meal but its that same idea: it’s a super simple dish that makes people stop and think, “Wow. What did he do?” 

This recipe, like all my recipes, is pretty simple for the most part. As long as you have all of your mise en place, that fancy french term I keep bringing up, everything will go smoothly as we put together this dish. 

Heres what you'll need to yield 4: 

2 T butter 

1 small onion, diced 

2 small potatoes, diced and blanched 

1 cup mushrooms, sliced 

1 1/2 cup frozen vegetable medley (no shame in this) 

2 cups chicken, cooked & shredded (preferably dark meat) 

2 bay leaves 

5-6 sprigs of thyme 

2 cups chicken stock 

2-3 T of Wondra flour 

4 squares of premade pie crust (again, no shame) 

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 egg, beaten 

Start by turning your oven on to 375 degrees. Next, get a medium saucepot hot on high heat and start melting your butter. Add your onions when the butter starts bubbling and reduce the heat to medium high to sweat out the onions. Take your time on this step, remember were layering flavors. When the onions start to lightly caramelize you can add your mushrooms and herbs. Again, we just want a light color on these shrooms so this won't take long. 

When you have the color you want on these guys you can add your chicken stock. Keep the heat at medium and slowly bring the liquid to a simmer. When a simmer is reached, start to sprinkle your Wondra flour on top, just adding a little at a time. We want a nice thick, velvety smooth consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon and feel stable, but not thick and lumpy like a pancake batter. So use your best judgment on how much to add but I usually add about 2 tablespoons. When your mixture reached the desired consistency, add the pre-cooked potatoes, chicken, frozen vegetables and herbs, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Cut the heat off and give it a taste; season with salt and pepper. 

You may be curious about what Wondra flour is and to start, it’s not a type of flour as much as it is a brand of flour. This particular brand makes a low protein, quick dissolving flour that is used in a lot of tarts and pie recipes but is commonly also used as a thickener for quick sauces or soups. The brand became so popular that most recipes just refer to this type of flour by the name itself, Wondra. 

Once our filling is made we can fill up our little vessels about an inch below the rim. As these bake there gonna bubble and ooze and if we want to keep a pretty pot we need to alot for that space. Take your piecrust and drape it over the top, giving it a nice firm push on the rim around. Now its important we have an air vent so steam can escape and evenly cook our little pots. You can make little slits in the middle with a knife, or grab an adorable cookie cutter and get cute with it. We eat with our eyes first right? 

Brush with a beaten egg and in the oven it goes at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. When they come out they should cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Tags: recipes, recipe, chicken, comfort food, quick, one pot

Here's what you'll need: 

1 large onion, sliced 

1 T butter 

1 large butternut squash, roasted and set aside (refer to previous post) 

1 cup apple cider 

2 cups chicken stock 

5 sage leaves, few extra for garnish 

1 t nutmeg 

Salt & pepper to taste 

1/2 cup cream, optional 

Diced apple, sautéed in browned butter for garnish 

Sour cream, for garnish 

Fresh grated cinnamon, for garnish 

The first thing you wanna do is get a medium sauce pot big enough to hold all of these ingredients in. Yes, I said all. This is going to be easy. Start by melting your butter in the pot on medium-high heat and then add the onions. Cook the onions down until they get a nice golden brown color, about 5 minutes. Once your onions are done, you can go ahead and add the butternut squash, apple cider, chicken stock, sage and nutmeg. Lower the heat to medium and let it come to a simmer. Give it a nice turn once everything gets bubbly and continue cooking on low with a simmer for about 20 minutes. What this does is softens up the squash and gets all of the flavors blending together. 

After your pot has been cooking for 20 minutes, it’s now time to blend everything. There are two ways of doing this: you can use a conventional blender or a hand blender. These little hand blades, or immersion blenders, are easily one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. To be able to puree or mix anything, anywhere like that is really a game changer for a chef. Puree the mix until it becomes silky smooth, free of any lumps or chunks. In the final stage of pureeing, pour in your heavy cream and watch the color brighten and the texture thicken; you don't wanna miss it, it’s pretty magical. Next, season with salt and pepper. This soup can be eaten immediately or held in the fridge for about a week. 

Tags: fall, comfort food, soup, squash, seasonal, hot

I have walked into probably at least four different homes and have seen edible squash being used as "decorative gourds" and consequently find myself having to answer, "why does my house smell?" Gourds will get old and dry out. Squash? squash will rot and stink up your whole house if you're not paying attention to it. It's important to know what’s food and what’s meant for decoration. There are more than just two kinds of squash, Delicata, Acorn, Butternut, Kabocha, Hubbard and believe it or not they all vary in taste. Therefore, I think its time for a little mid Autumn product knowledge review... 

The types of squash I'm going to cover today are the ones most commonly found at your local grocery store: Acorn squash, Carnival Squash, Spaghetti Squash, and Butternut squash. Each type of squash, although visually similar, cooks differently. 

Cooking and Cleaning of these squash: For the sake of this lesson we’re gonna roast all of the squash the same. Start by cutting the squash vertically down the middle to split them in half. Scoop out the seeds and either discard them or roast them on their own with salt and pepper for a snack. The skin and seeds on all of these squash are edible. Rub the flesh with Olive oil and season with sat and pepper. You can even add some brown sugar, herbs or butter here but for the sake of uniformity well keep these pretty basic. After being prepared, they go into a 400 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes. 

Acorn Squash: Acorn squash, also called pepper squash, have notable vertical ridges. Their skin is a combination of green, yellow and orange color. Although called a winter squash, because of its sturdy shelf life, it is actually from the same family line as most summer squash such as zucchini and yellow squash. This squash will usually hold for about 4-6 weeks, at a warm room temperature, after being picked off the vine. I feel that the easiest way to cook this squash, and also the most delicious, is roasting it in its shell at around 375-400 degrees for about 30-50 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the size of your squash but for the sake of this lesson I chose vegetables that were all around the same size or thickness to have a somewhat even cooking time in the oven. Once roasted, this squash can be seasoned and eaten a variety of ways: as is with a little butter, turned into a casserole with some sour cream, cheese and breadcrumb topping, turned into soups or even chunked or cubed into your favorite sides such as rice or pasta! 

Carnival Squash: This squash is probably most commonly mistaken as a decorative gourd but I understand why. The colors that rip through the outside of this gourd SCREAM fall! Definitely the most aesthetically pleasing squash on this list, the carnival squash is actually a hybrid between the acorn squash and sweet dumpling squash. Its cream-colored background and speckled/ striped green and orange exterior makes this special squash stand out from the rest and probably the prettiest to keep around. Usually sold around 40 cents a pound this guy can be a little more affordable to keep as a decorative piece. *note after about 4 weeks it will begin to soften and attract bugs* Simply roast this squash as described above and you'll find it’s a little sweeter than a butternut or an acorn squash and has a bit of a light nutty aroma. I like to play off these flavors with some nutmeg or clove or even seasonal nuts like pecans or walnuts. What I love most about this squash is its size. Once halved it becomes the perfect personal serving and can be garnished or even stuffed with chestnuts and sausage and whatever else speaks all the colors of the wind to ya. 

Spaghetti Squash: Spaghetti squash is a little more versatile when comes to cooking. It can be baked, roasted, boiled, steamed or even microwaved. You'll see all sorts of funky ways to cook these guys on the internet since they've become so popular but if you're asking me, it makes the most sense to just roast it. Reason being the way the structural DNA is made up on this guy; it has these long fibrous strands that run vertically down the squash. After being hallowed and roasted, you take a fork and run it down the soft baked flesh and it just starts pulling these strands of squash up, much like spaghetti. Sweet in flavor and actually light in texture, you can sauce or season this guy up however you like. It’s very high in potassium and very low in calories, favoring this squash as a snack or side dish from most nutritionists. The distinct thing about this squash is how tender yet light its texture remains, really a fun squash to cook with. I like to keep my cooking methods with all these guys more on the simple side, when you have these earthy sweet flavors its best to just let them show you what they can do on the palate. Salt and pepper and a drizzle of brown butter and honey compliments this "spaghetti" flawlessly. 

Butternut Squash: Probably the most popular squash on this list, the butternut. What can't you do with a butternut squash? The flesh is a little firmer than the others and takes usually about 15-20 minutes longer in the oven. This winter squash grows on a vine and has a similar sweet nutty taste to that of a pumpkin. When its ripe, it actually gets a noticeably deeper orange color and becomes super sweet. Nutritionally this couldn't be a healthier vegetable. Packed with fiber, vitamin C, potassium and vitamin A & E, there’s a reason we as Americans grow and harvest this vegetable almost all year round. Now typically I am not a fan of farms and grocery stores having out of season ingredients all year round since we do more damage to our agricultural system than people think but that’s a story for another day. With that said, you don't need much to grow these squash - its a winter squash! You can imagine it’s used to harsh growing conditions so it’s an allowable exception to my out of season growing rule. Most popularly you've seen this squash turned into soup, I'm sure, but it actually tastes great roasted and mashed with butter like you would potatoes. It’s also delicious cubed and roasted with fresh herbs or diced and thrown into risotto with fresh sage. This squash really has a way of showcasing fall. The flavor profiles are endless; apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pork or fatty meats, sage, thyme, really the list doesn't stop. As my favorite squash on this list, I think it would only be fair to follow this up with a classic butternut squash recipe....

Tags: education, review, knowledge, fall, seasonal

This recipe goes quick and it’s really not rocket science but one thing I do want to touch base on is the vegetable known as Leeks, what are they? Leeks are actually part of the onion family and if you ever smell one it won't come as much of a surprise. A little milder than regular onions and slightly sweeter, these guys are usually eaten year round as they are fairly easy to grow. The white/yellow/light green part is more commonly used but the dark green leaves do have some good flavor, they're just more fibrous and need extra cooking time. THE most important thing to keep in mind when working with leeks is they must be cleaned properly. These guys grow in the dirt and they're layering leaves makes it easy for sand and dirt to get caught in them. I slice the bottom roots off then usually slice them in half long ways to expose the sections and let them sit in some cold water for a few minutes, agitating them lightly. This will help rinse them and all the dirt and sand, which is heavier than water, will fall out and float to the bottom. 

Here’s What You'll Need: 

4 leeks, cleaned properly and thinly sliced 

2 shallots, thinly sliced 

4-5 whole garlic cloves, I used some confit garlic I had left over 

8 potatoes, medium diced, skins on (I used Yukon Golds) 

1 stick of butter 

1 quart of whole milk 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Start by melting a whole stick of butter in a medium saucepot and then add your leeks and shallots. Sweat these guys out till they're translucent which should only take about 5 minutes. Next, add in your garlic and let all those flavors melt together for a minute or two; the garlic will do most of its cooking later. When everything has had time to sweat and starts smelling amazing you can add your potatoes, milk and heavy cream. Aside from being super easy, there’s almost no clean up with this recipe either, do it all in one pot. Bring the potatoes up to a simmer in milk and keep them there for about 40-60 minutes. This cook time really depends on how small you cut your potatoes but you want them fork tender. 

When your potatoes are don’t cooking, puree them. There are two ways of doing this: you can either throw them in a blender (which almost everyone has) OR you can use my favorite kitchen tool, a hand blender aka immersion blender. Puree everything until smooth and taste as you go along. Chances are you're gonna need a good amount of salt. If you feel it’s too thick, you can either thin it out with more milk, chicken stock or even some water. I like to use course ground black pepper for seasoning this soup and I like to use a lot of it. You don't have a lot of ingredients here so seasoning right is important; everything has to stand out on its own. I like to leave the skins on for this reason so we have a bit of contrast in texture. Also, like almost all fruits and veggies, all the nutrients are found in the skins so why throw that away? 

There’s a few ways you can garnish this soup. The must-have is the toasted or charred piece of bread rubbed with fresh garlic straight out of the oven. Throw that on the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over it to start to soften it up. You can even throw some more confit or poached garlic on top too (its really more sweet than astringent at this stage). The other garnish that most of you will probably love is fresh buttered popcorn seasoned with S+P. Surprising but it’s actually a great garnish for pureed soups like this. The natural flavor profile of the popped corn plays well off all the dairy and silky smooth potatoes. Its also great for texture in a soup as it still has some bite but absorbs some of the goodness. Pomegranate seeds, different nuts or flavored oils all make for great seasonal garnishes, try it and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Tags: recipe, recipes, soup, potato, leeks, onions, comfort food

For the ragu: 

1 onion, small diced 

2 cups chopped or sliced mushrooms 

(I used a variety of shiitake, oyster, enoki and king trumpet (for garnish) 

2 cups mushroom stock 

1 tablespoon butter 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

A small bundle of thyme 

Start by reducing the stock in a medium sauce or sauté pan, we want this to drop to about 1/4-1/3 of a cup of liquid. It will naturally start to thicken as the water evaporates. Meanwhile, in another medium pan, melt your butter and start sweating your onions. When your onions become translucent, add in the thyme and the mushrooms. Just begin to brown and wilt the mushrooms, don’t overcook them; you still want them to have a bit of a bite. 

Unlike a traditional ragu, the cooking time on this is going to be much shorter. We don't have any tough cuts of meat or anything that need to be braised. When the mushrooms and onions start to dry out in the pan, add your reduced stock and balsamic and lower the heat to medium low. Let all those flavors really melt together and become homogeneous. This will only take about 2 minutes. When the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat off and set it aside while you make your polenta. 

For the polenta: 

1 cup polenta or corn meal 

3 cups water/chicken stock/veg stock, whichever you please 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, optional 

2-4 tablespoons butter 

2-4 tablespoons cream cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Start by bringing your stock to a boil. You want to start with it hot so it starts cooking your polenta immediately. Polenta is a little like risotto, only it won’t take as long. I like to throw all the polenta in a dry pot first with the heat on high and keep moving it around. You don't want them to burn, just toast a little to add another level of subtle flavor (going back to that whole layering idea). Next, add about 2/3 of the liquid to the polenta and start whisking fast. Keep the heat at about medium high and just keep whisking until it starts to thicken. When it has just about doubled its thickness, add in the rest of the liquid and keep whisking. The polenta should start to become a little more runny, but still look grainy. Now we want to smooth it out and make it creamy. How do we do that you ask? With cheese, obviously. You can add in your 1/2 c of Parmesan but please, cook to your taste. You won't get in trouble for adding more! The butter keeps things velvety while my secret ingredient, cream cheese, is going to make it real rich and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Tags: comfort food, variety, mushroom, recipe, recipes, seasonal, earthy

I don’t do enough cookbook adaptions and that’s gonna change. For all things pie these guys break everything down super easy step by step for us. That got me thinking, what better recipe to get us started this fall than from their cookbook?! So, since apples are in season and pie is always in season, I feel it'd be silly not to start the fall baking off with a good ol’ apple pie. 

This recipe is pulled directly from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds cookbook: 

*Side note: whoever came up with the expression easy as pie clearly never had to make pie from scratch. After graduating pastry school, the only challenging and daunting art I really struggled with, was pie dough. Its not easy; butter and water need to be a certain temperature, you can't over mix yet you need things to be kneaded well for proper flakiness. It bothered me so I eventually made it my bitch but it wasn't easy. I have a solid pie dough recipe I will be sharing with you but not today. Today, for this cookbook pie, feel free to use store bought like I did or even peruse their book some more, their crust is killer!* 

Here's what you'll need: 

1 recipe for your favorite (2-crust) butter piecrust 

The Salted Caramel 

1 cup white sugar 

1/4 cup water 

1 stick (1/2 cup) fresh unsalted butter 

1/2 cup fresh heavy cream 

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (recommended: Maldon sea salt flakes) 

The Apple Filling 

4 to 6 large lemons 

5 to 6 medium to large apples 

1/3 cup raw sugar (castor, unrefined, large granule sugar) 

2 tablespoons flour 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

2 to 3 dashes Angostura bitters 

To make the salted caramel: Cook the sugar and water together over low heat until just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking at a low boil until the mixture turns a deep, golden brown color, almost copper. Once the mixture has turned a copper color, remove it from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream - the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam - be cautious, as the sugar will be very hot! Whisk the final mixture together well over low heat and sprinkle in the sea salt. Now set the caramel aside while you prepare the apple filling.

In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and Angostura bitters. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples in the mixing bowl. Use your hands to gently mix and coat the apple slices. 

To assemble the pie: Preheat the oven to 375 to 400 degrees F (depending on your oven). 

Gather your piecrust, salted caramel, and apple mixture. Begin by layering 1/3 of the apples in the bottom of the crust so that there are minimal gaps. Pour 1/3 of the caramel over the apples. Add another 1/3 of the apples and caramel for a second layer, and then finally a third layer of the remaining apples and caramel. 

*Side note: Save a small portion of the caramel to pour on top once the lattice is assembled. *

Assemble a lattice crust and crimp the edges of the crust. Pour the last bit of caramel on top. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with raw sugar and sea salt. 

Bake the pie on a baking sheet larger than the pie pan for 20 minutes (otherwise the caramel will bubble over and burn on the bottom of your oven). Reduce the oven temperature to 325 to 350 and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. You can test the apples to see if they’re done with a long toothpick or small knife; they should just be soft. Finally, welcome fall with a delicious slice of warm apple pie topped with some creamy vanilla ice cream!

Tags: pie, baking, pastry, comfort food, apple, seasonal, recipe, recipes

Here’s what you'll need 

12 cherry stone clams 

1/2 lb tomatillo's 

1 small Spanish onion, roughly chopped 

3 cloves of garlic 

1 jalapeño 

a nice handful of cilantro (depending how strong you like it) 

2 T olive oil 

2 limes, juice and zest 

1/2 cup 

salt and pepper to season 

1/2 lb chopped cured pork belly (you can use bacon or pancetta as well) 

The salsa verde is used as not only a sauce but a cooking liquid too, so were gonna tackle that first. Some people use fresh tomatillo's, some people boil or steam them; I personally like to char them on a cast iron pan to get ‘em nice and golden. But before I drop my tomatillos in, I start to brown off my pork. I like to do this first so it seasons the pan for our salsa verde. Similar to a tomato minus the aggressive acidity, they do have quite a nice sweetness to them. We’re almost caramelizing them during this step. Once we have a nice color going, Ill throw in the onion and smashed garlic just to brown it off and release its oils. Then everything gets transferred to a blender, as well as the jalapeño, and pulsed. If we were making a salsa verde for a dipping sauce or condiment I would almost puree this mix, but since its going to be the sauce and a main component here, were just gonna pulse the tomatillos to a loose chop so we still have some nice chunks. Pour into a bowl to cool and add the olive oil and lime, seasoning to taste.

If you don't like salsa verde then we need to re evaluate your palate. I put this shit on everything: tacos, eggs, meats, fish (obv's), vegetables, potatoes and I could keep going. It’s just so fresh! Ripe tomatillos, mild in acidity with a bunch of herbs and lime, are so rich in flavor they just heighten anything you're eating, almost the ultimate garnish. And they can be adjusted and manipulated to so many different tastes. 

Put about 1/2 cup of salsa verde and 3 tablespoons of water in a shallow pot and bring to a simmer. Then add your clams and pork and cover for about 6-8 minutes. You can use little neck clams here if you'd like, their cook time will be quicker but make sure you thoroughly clean them. The thing with littlenecks is they tend to trap a lot of sand inside; you can eliminate this by soaking them for a few hours in cold water with corn meal. The clams start to do their job and "clean" the water as bivalves do, spitting out the dirt and sand to take in the cornmeal. Don't worry about your pan burning with that little water and the tomatillos. Shellfish release a lot of liquid, so they'll be plenty of juice left to dunk your bread in. Once your clams open up you're all finished, serve with a nice chunk of day old bread and you're ready to go!

Tags: seafood, clams, shellfish, surf and turf, recipe, recipes, spring, pork, Mexican

Lobo Eggs Benedict coming your way... 

Heres what you'll need: 

1 English muffin 

1/2 avocado, sliced 

1/2 cup shelled lobster meat 

1 whole egg 

5 egg yolks 

1 teaspoon Lemon juice 

2 tablespoons Water 

1 ¼ teaspoons salt 

1 cup clarified butter 

Now this is a pretty easy dish. In fact, there’s really only two things here for you to make, the poached egg and the hollandaise sauce. 

To make the hollandaise sauce: 

In a small saucepot, or butter warmer, heat the clarified butter until it is very warm but not scalding hot. Whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, water and salt inside of the All-Clad Copper Core 2 quart Saucier. Place the saucier over medium low heat and whisk constantly until the eggs foam and begin to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and continue to whisk until the color of the eggs becomes a pale yellow and you begin to see steam. Remove the saucier from the heat and slowly drizzle the butter into the eggs while vigorously whisking to form the emulsion. If the mixture becomes too thick or oily in appearance, add a tiny bit of hot water to adjust the mixture. When the sauce is ready, strain it and serve warm. Through time, after sitting, this sauce will start to break and separate. 

As for the poached egg, I'll walk you through it but also made you a quick video to follow below. 

You want your water to be at a rolling boil. Since were cooking an egg directly in this water, its important that we season the water. Add salt, pepper and about a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to your water. The vinegar is going to help tighten 

up those whites while they cook. When your water comes to a boil, take a balloon whisk and whisk the water vigorously in a clockwise motion. We essentially want to form a "tornado" or a whirlpool (like you did as a kid, in the summer, in the pool). Once we have our water circling, pull out the whisk and gently add in your egg. I’ve found room temperature eggs are best for this as the cooking process begins faster helping to maintain shape. The swirling of the water will help wrap and shape the whites around the yolk; you will lose some whites here that have just separated and that’s fine. We only want the firm whites that are still attached to the yolk. After about 2 minutes your egg should be finished. Strain with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

To Assemble: 

Start with a toasted English muffin, layered with your avocado and lobster. Gently place the egg atop and cover it in hollandaise. I like to garnish with some chives and fresh lemon and it’s as simple as that!

Tags: lobster, seafood, recipe, recipes, breakfast, eggs

You may be asking, what the heck is a prawn? Or if you’re a bit more of a seasoned chef you may ask, what’s the difference between a shrimp and a prawn? Really, nothing major. Technically, I guess, its about gill structure. Prawns are slightly longer with bigger heads normally (because of their gill structure) and grow to be a little longer. To the regular consumer’s eye they're the same, which is why their names are often used interchangeably. This means that both one can be used, and no you don't have to buy them with the heads on. They are, however, edible and tasty and are usually twisted off and sucked out. 

Here's what you'll need: 

4-5 medium sized, head on shrimp or prawns 

1/4 cup + 2 T olive oil 

3 T fresh orange juice 

1 whole orange 

1 head of fennel, just the bulb 

4 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 T red chili flakes 

salt + pepper as needed 

Start with the shrimp (or prawn); rinse them under cold water and place them in a bowl with the 1/4 cup of olive oil, minced garlic and chili flakes. 

Meanwhile chop your fennel in half and cut out the core. Using a very sharp knife or a mandolin thinly cut the fennel into fine strips or shavings. It should be paper-thin. Set aside in a bowl of acidulated water (lemon water). Next, peel your orange; I cut the top and bottom off and go around slowly cutting down the sides of the orange, making sure to only get the rind and pith (the white part). Peeling the orange this way allows for you to remove smaller chunks, helps it keep its shape and causes less waste. Then I cut them into rounds and also set aside.

Next, get a cast iron pan ripping hot and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp and gently press them down to the pan. I personally like a crispy shell, especially on the heads, almost charred. Meanwhile the skin gets bright red and the meat steams on the inside. Just a few minutes on each side and they're done. I deglaze the pan with the orange juice and use that as my sauce. 

To serve, line your plate with the orange segments. Dress your fennel with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and add to the plate. They already have tartness from the lemon water so just a little oil is fine for dressing. Plate your shrimp on top of the salad and finish with your sauce! Be brave and don't skip the heads!!

Tags: recipes, recipe, seafood, shrimp, spring, light

Lobsters probably top the charts for most sought out seafood in the summer, or at least neck and neck with its fellow crustacean brother, the crab. Being in the North East we are EXTREMELY lucky to have such a valuable amount of fresh seafood available three out of the four seasons. Lobsters, I feel, are hit or miss for a lot of people; you're either into them or super skeeved out by them. Why is that? I know they’re not the most attractive of the underworld creatures, they're no adorable seahorse, but in terms of taste and texture were just talking about a bigger, meatier crab right? 

If we’re being honest, I think most peoples’ hesitation to lobster is the biggest trouble. "They're such a hassle to cook!" "Who wants to sit and work for their food picking out that meat?" "They're tasteless, I don't see the point in them" or "Lobster is so expensive, is it even worth it?" If you're one of these people, please keep reading, we’re gonna answer all of these questions! 1- How to cook them, 2- How to maintain flavor and texture of your lobster through the cooking process, 3- How to shell them and, lastly, number 4- Why are lobster's or lobster products so expensive? 

1. How to cook a lobster: 

Lobsters are super easy, like super easy, to cook. Like most seafood we have quite a few cooking mediums to choose from here; we could grill, boil, steam, broil or bake them. Most of these techniques are self-explanatory. Since lobsters should be cooked fresh (yes, alive) some of these may not be for most of you. Grilling, broiling and baking are done best if you split your lobsters in half raw down the middle first. This would involve killing a live lobster and I can see a lot of people giving me dirty looks for this. Start with sticking the tip of your knife into the head above the eyes; this kills them immediately. Then follow through with your cut down the length of the body. If you're not into sacrificing your food before dinner, option two would be steaming or boiling them, which are my favorite. Boiling is a good choice but it’s where you risk over-cooking your lobster and losing flavor. 

2. Maintaining flavor and texture during your cooking process: 

Lobsters can go from perfectly cooked to over-cooked in a matter of minutes and there’s no bigger disappointment than an over-cooked lobster. The meat shrinks and flavor escapes, the texture is tough and this is probably why lobsters get a bad rep. Steaming your lobsters is really the easiest way to try to cook it properly. For two lobsters, get yourself a big pot and fill it ¼ of the way with water, about 2 inches from the bottom. Bring this to a boil. When your water comes to a boil, add a halved lemon and salt and pepper. I use sea salt specifically here because I want them to cook as naturally as possible. Next, drop your whole live lobsters in for about 7-8 minutes, depending how big they are and how big your pot is. As soon as they’re done, they'll be bright red. Dip them in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking. The shock is also going to help release the meat from the shell and make cracking them a breeze. 

3. How to shell a lobster: 

Lucky for you guys I'm getting better with this whole video thing. I could tell you step by step how to do this but by the third or fourth step I’m probably gonna lose ya. Here’s a little how to video of breaking these guys down instead! 

4. Why are lobsters so expensive? 

If we were talking 60-80 years ago, lobsters were a peasant’s dish. In fact, these ocean crawlers were considered so lowly that the surplus was given to prisoners for dinner! It wasn't until the early 70's people started taking these guys more seriously. Now lobsters can be found in most grocery stores across the US. Their prices, you'll notice, usually stay around the same price throughout the year. That’s because for most places these guys need to be outsourced and shipped. However, it’s in the peak or end of summer you'll start seeing these prices get real funky, shooting up and down. That happens to be peak season for lobster catching; depending how the season goes, prices may drop due to availability or skyrocket because of how fast they'll sell out. So really, it’s not their fault they get a pricey reputation. 

To address and stop the fuss from the age old debate of, man I love lobster rolls but really don't get paying $20 for one... look at the amount of lobster you’re holding. Besides its seasonal price tag, who do you think shucked all that meat? My video may look like it took 3 minutes for two lobsters but these guys easily took over ten. Labor is majority of what you're paying for in a lobster roll but we’ll get to that in a later post...

What's great about this dish is how quick and easy it comes together. There's very few ingredients here so do your self a favor and use top shelf butter and cream,  preferably grass fed, you'll thank me later.

Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo with Peas and Leeks:

1/2 lbs Spinach fettuccine, I bought mine dried on Arthur Avenue

1/2 cup peas

1/4 cup chopped leeks

1/4 cup butter (I used KerryGold)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesean

Parmesean

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente; rinse with cold water and reserve.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Saute your leeks until translucent then add your peas. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, whisk in 1/2 cup Parmesean then add pasta. Heat the pasta through letting some of that sauce soak in it. Garnish with Parmesean and bon appetite!

Tags: pasta, Italian, sauce, comfort food, light, summer, spring, peas, green, recipe, recipes

This recipe is super quick and simple.

Here's what you'll need: 

1lb softened butter 

About 30-40 cleaned leaves (just the green) 

1/4 cup cold water 

3 Tbs of olive oil 

Salt to taste 

Get a nice big pot with water, crank it up to high and let it come to a boil. The first thing we're going to do is blanch the leaves. This is gonna shock the greens and keep the leaves nice and bright; it won't turn dark or brown. Next, get a big bowl of ice water and set aside. Drop about half of the leaves into the boiling water and let them cook for 10 seconds, very quick! Then immediately submerge them into the ice water. I do them in two batches because you don't want your water to be overcrowded. You want a quick cook so the leaves need space to evenly get hot. Blanching stops the cooking process; this can be done with all green vegetables if your goal is to parcook or maintain color. Next dry the ramps on a nice stack of paper towels and squeeze out any excess liquid. Then throw all of your ingredients except for the butter into a blender and start to liquefy, gradually adding any extra water as needed to get a thick but fluid ribbon of liquid going. I like to really purée mine so I let it go for about 60 seconds to really smooth everything out. Now you have two options here. You can use the liquid as is or strain out any pulp that may be left. This all depends on whatever the utilization would be. Personally, I want a nice smooth, clean butter, no lumps. So I passed mine through a strainer or chinois. Next throw your butter in a kitchen aide mixer (or mix by hand) and beat until the butter is smooth and fluffy. Next add your liquid, a quarter at a time, and mix until homogenous. I like to salt to taste at this point, which is usually a generous 3 finger pinch or two. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. 

Now this butter is super versatile. It can be added to sauces, used as a sauce, thrown on top of steaks after grilling or however else you would use butter in a savory alternative. I took some freshly made goat cheese agnolotti and tossed them with some melted ramp butter for the perfect spring lunch. 

Tags: spring, recipe, recipes, pasta, butter, seasonal

We’ll start our party prep by making some fillings. I love the traditional pork and chive but we'll also do a shrimp and chicken. 

What You'll Need For The Party: 

-Your pork filling (recipe follows steps) 

-Your shrimp filling (recipe follows steps) 

-Wonton wrappers 

-Round cookie cutter, optional 

-Bamboo steamers 

-A shallow pan 

-Soy sauce or dipping sauce 

-Scallions for garnishing 

-Chopsticks ( duh ) 

-Booze

Heres The Game Plan

Get ready about a half hour before your guests arrive, or if you're doing this off premise (away from your kitchen) get to your party a little early to set up. You wanna make an assembly line; pork first, wrappers in the middle, small bowl of water to dip your fingers and a baking sheet with some towels on them. 

Spoon about a tablespoon of pork onto a square wonton wrapper. 

Dip your finger in the water and brush the outer edge of the wrapper. 

Take two opposing sides and bring them up to meet in the middle; pinching them together. 

Then take one of the other sides of the wonton wrapper and bring it to the top, crimping and sealing both sides of the "pyramid". 

Finally, do the same to the other side making sure your dumplings are sealed as much as possible with little to no air inside. 

Very similar steps are used for the shrimp dumplings. The only difference is I cut them with a round cutter to make half moons. This way we can tell the difference between the two after they're steamed.

Next you want to get a shallow pan of water going to just a simmer, place your steamers on top and let them pre-heat. 

Once your water is simmering to boiling and you have a nice steam going on, you can add your dumplings. I like to lightly spray the bottom of the steamers with Pam cooking spray or line them with round parchment. Be sure not to over crowd them or let them touch so the steam and heat can distribute evenly. 

After about 3-4 minutes (or when the meat is completely pink with clear juices coming out) you can take them out and plate them on a tray. I like to serve them with some house made dipping sauce which I will teach you how to make shortly.

Pork Filling 

1 lb. ground pork 

1 T freshly grated ginger 

1 T freshly grated garlic 

1 egg 

2 t soy sauce 

1⁄2 t kosher salt 

1⁄2 cup minced chives (or scallions) 

2 t canola oil 

Heat the canola oil up in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add you aromatics, ginger and garlic, and let cook for about 60-90 seconds, keeping it moving in the pan. We just wanna take the "raw" off them, we don't want to do any major cooking, set aside and let cool. Next throw all of your other ingredients into a bowl and thoroughly mix. The egg is going to act as a binder while everything steams because there’s going to be a lot of moisture. I like to make this ahead of time to let the flavors really marinate.

Shrimp Filling 

1 pound large shrimp–shelled, deveined and diced 

1/2 pound ground chicken, white meat

1 T minced lemongrass 

1 T minced garlic 

2 t lemon zest 

1 t cornstarch 

1 t sugar 

1¼ salt 

Heat the canola oil up in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add your aromatics, ginger and garlic, and let cook for about 60-90 seconds, keeping it moving in the pan just how we did for the pork. Next throw all of your shrimp into a food processor, in two stages if it’s a small one, and chop up the shrimp. Transfer to a bowl and add the rest of your ingredients. In this instance, the cornstarch and chicken will be acting as your binder. *This is not a weird combo, I promise you. The Chicken is there for a certain texture and it really just works. The shrimp flavor over powers the chicken so it doesn't really come through but overall it almost tastes like a seafood chicken nugget...an asian seafood chicken nugget.

Dipping Sauce 

1/2 c soy sauce 

1/2 c rice wine vinegar 

1 T minced garlic 

1 T chile oil 

2 T toasted sesame seed oil 

2 T minced chives 

Dipping sauces should be simple so don't overthink it. Whisk all of your ingredients together finishing with some fresh chives or scallions! 

If you’ve prepped everything ahead of time, all you have to worry about is filling, folding, steaming and enjoying your dumplings! To me this is a very warming experience. Being surrounded by friends who really feel like family, all together helping out in the kitchen cooking together and hopefully cleaning too. Having a party like this doesn't take you away from the action and keep you slaving away by yourself. Ask for help, teach people; everyone gets there hands dirty in my kitchen. You cook together you eat together, thats what family is all about. 

Tags: recipe, recipes, friends, group