tyler florence is god...

not only is tyler florence easy on the eyes, he's just that guy that your mama told you to wait for...seeing him now a husband, father and owner/creator/chef of an organic baby food line, well...she was right...plus he always made me feel i could conquer any recipe i set my mind to, no pressure, cooking should be fun...maybe with tyler...naked...                                               

this is his recipe...thanks tyler...

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with adrizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.




i'm adding his recipe for risotto with scallops...yum...

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops, crescent-shaped muscles removed and discarded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as Portobello, crimini, andshiitake, stemmed
• Leaves from handful fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 8 cups canned chicken stock, heated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with a 2-count of oil. When the oil is hot, sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm while you make the risotto.

Reduce the heat to medium. Drizzle in another 2-count of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft. Toss in the mushrooms and herbs and cook until the mushrooms lose their liquid and are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir 2 minutes to coat with the oil; the grains will turn opaque. Season again. Stir in the wine and cook 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.

Now pour in 1 cup of the warm stock and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Add another cup of stock. Continue in this way, stirring constantly and adding the stock 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. (You may not need all of the stock; therisotto is done when it is slightly firm but creamy.) Fold in the scallops with the last cup of stock to warm them up. When the risotto is cooked, fold in the butter and cheese, and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley.

carne asada...easier than you think...

so many people are intimidated by things that are surprisingly easy...carne asada is one of those dishes...the secret is in the marinade, which is no secret at all...

Carne asada shown wrapped up in a flour tortilla with pico de gallo and avocado

Carne asada is the thinly sliced, grilled beef served so often in tacos and burritos. It is also commonly served as is, with rice and beans on the side. Although almost any cut of beef can be butterflied into thin sheets for the carne asada, typically it is made from flank steak or skirt steak. It can be grilled just with salt and pepper for flavorings, or it can be marinated. The following is a recipe for marinated carne asada.

Carne Asada Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Marinade:
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

METHOD

 

1 Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

2 Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thin they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

(Optional) Serve with warm tortillas (flour or corn). Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable. Alternatively, you can warm tortillas in a microwave: heating just one or two at a time, place tortillas on a paper towel and microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds each on high.

old-fashioned custard pie...

custard pie lends itself to many different incarnations...add fresh fruit, or a nice tart coulis, chocolate sauce, even fresh homemade jam...                   

the other nice thing about this pie is the crust...sweet pastry crusts are wonderful as they are more like a cookie than a pie crust...

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour, for surface
• Sweet Pastry Dough
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 12 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick round. Fit into a 9-by-2-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Line with parchment, and fill shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove beans and parchment, and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
2. With the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a saucepan, and add pod. Add cream and milk, and bring to a simmer. Remove pan from heat, and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk together yolks and granulated sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Still whisking, add warm cream mixture in a slow, steady stream. Add arrowroot and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into cooled crust. Skim foam from surface.
4. Bake until edges of filling are set but center is still slightly wobbly, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Before serving, unmold, sprinkle with nutmeg, and dust with confectioners' sugar.
   
   
   
   

   Ingredients

   • 2 cups all-purpose flour
   • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
   • 3/4 teaspoon salt
   • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
   • 1 large egg yolk
   • 3 tablespoons ice water

   Directions

   1. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add yolk and ice water, and process until dough just comes together. (It should not take longer than 30 seconds.)
   2. Shape into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated overnight, or frozen for up to 1 month.)

sweet potato pie...

sweet potato pie is not a substitute for pumpkin...it should have its own distinct flavor profile...to me, that means mace and cardamom...

pate brisee...

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, pouring it through the feed tube with the machine running, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces, and place on 2 separate sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form 2 disks. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
   
   
   
   

   Ingredients

   • All-purpose flour, for work surface
   • 1/2 recipe Pate Brisee
   • 2 large sweet potatoes, (about 1 1/2 pounds)
   • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
   • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
   • 2 large eggs
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
   • 1 teaspoon ground mace
   • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
   • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
   • 1 cup of heavy cream

   Directions

   1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pate brisee into a 15-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it into the edges. Trim to a 1-inch overhang all around. Crimp edge as desired. Cover with plastic wrap; chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
   2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water; place over high heat and bring to a boil. Fit saucepan with a steamer basket, add sweet potatoes, and cover. Steam until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. You may need to add more water as sweet potatoes steam. Let sweet potatoes cool slightly before removing skins by rubbing potatoes with a paper towel.
   3. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash with a hand potato masher or fork.  the potato should hold some of their texture and form (once again, this is not a pumpkin pie)
      Add butter and beat by hand until well combined and cooled slightly. Slowly add sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add cardamom, mace, nutmeg, vanilla, and heavy cream. Continue beating until well combined, but not mush.  once the butter and eggs are well-combined you can fold the remaining ingredients into the mix.
   4. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Transfer to oven and bake until center has set, 45 to 50 minutes.

shrimp toast...simply a pain...

once again...i save frying for extreme and worthwhile moments...this is one...

1/2 lb. raw shrimp (shelled)

2 eggs
2 green onions
2 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. grated garlic

Chopped water chestnuts or celery

i like to add minced water chestnuts...but then i think they're wonderful everywhere...

they don't over-power the shrimp...

Chop all ingredients in blender, then add water chestnuts, perhaps 5. Use 8 to 10 slices homemade style bread, crusts removed. Spread mixture on slices. Cut each slice into 4 triangles and fry in hot fat at 350 degrees. Turn once and cook about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on shrimp side, a few seconds on bread side. Fry only a few at a time. Drain and serve at once, or freeze. To reheat frozen toasts heat in oven @ 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

hot chinese mustard...

sweet and sour...

coconut pineapple...