Chix Duxelle and Brussels Sprouts with Chive Flower Mash

Today is a beautiful day for my friends parents. A loving couples anniversary. I intended to pick nice and simple ingredients to plate for them. This dish was served for them at their home table to enjoy a dinner while talking about their earlier memories to us. Happy anniversary to Soheil and Ladan Haji!

Recipe:

Preparation for Chive Flower Mash

yukon potatoes- 5 piece
Chive stems- 3 tablespoons minced
butter- 2-3 oz.

 Chop thinly the stem of chive flower. keep the flower for garnish( which is also edible). boil potatoes, strain once potatoes are soft, fold in stems and mash, add room temp. butter. season to your liking.

Preparation for Brussels Sprouts

brussels sprouts- 8 piece
garlic- 1 Tablespoon minced
butter- for saute

half or quarter brussels sprouts and place in boiling salted water. poach for 5 minutes, strain, then saute at high heat with garlic.

Preparation for Chicken and Duxelle

chicken breasts- 2 pieces, skin on
garlic- 2 tablespoons, fine minced
shallots- 2 pieces, fine minced
white mushrooms- 1 cup, minced
brown sugar- 1 teaspoon

With butter,Saute and brown the garlic, mushrooms, shallots in a stainless steel pan and add sugar close to the end. place sauteed ingredients on a plate and cool in fridge. keep the pan, dont wash off the suc(browned food bits).

make an incision with your pairing knife at the side center of the breast and cut in all the way to the end of the breast making space for your duxelle to stuff. be careful not to pierce out of the chicken. season chicken then stuff cooled duxelle in the breast. Brown the top side of the breast, place in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Preparation for sauce-
With the pan that youused to saute for duxelle, deglaze with water. add about 3 oz. of small cut pieces of butter and stir constantly till sauce consistency. season.
 
I chose to give a more modern presentation by using smaller portions on the plate and cutting the chicken to show the duxelle. Plate the way you like and enjoy! 

The search for the best Salcichas in LA

Death Dogs. There is a great reason why the call it that. Whats greater is the combination of a bacon wrapped sausage topped off with extra cilantro on a late night in LA. 

 

Grilling off Salchichas for some friends about to come over!

My friends and I always stay up late having meaningful conversations about three things. society, music. food. Most of the time we eventually decide to go to taco trucks or our usual Nicaraguan restaurant in downtown. 
One night, we were on Hollywood and Highland and passed by a lady with her griddle attached to the back of her toyota truck. I wasn’t hungry but my friend bought one an it was to die for. I had no idea what was so different about it but it blew my mind. Ever since then. we often make salchichas hoping to replicate the perfect death dog we had that night.

What’s your secret recipe to a good salchicha?

Artichoke and Summer Slaw with Saffron Hollandaise

I’ve been in a hotel for two weeks now due to a flood downstairs at home. I called one of my closest friends and asked her if I could come over and use her kitchen for a recipe I thought of the other night. We went to a local supermarket so I could pick out the ingredients, came back to hers, and then fired off the dish. The result came to be very refreshing and delightful. I’ve always been the one to follow the classic module of uniformity, color, presentation, and freshness. This dish definitely had a flair to it. Let me know how it turns out for you!

 

Recipe

Preparation for Summer Slaw 
red cabbage- 1/2pc. thinly sliced
orange- 1 tablespoon zest, juiced
yellow squash- 1 piece, thinly sliced
baby radish- 5 pieces, thinly sliced
white wine vinegar- 1/4c
greek yogurt- 1/4c
white sugar- 2 Tablespoons

pour in orange juice, sugar, vinegar then whisk
fold on yogurt and mix, then add all ingredients and toss.
place in fridge for 1 hour

Preparation for artichoke
Take one artichoke, cut top off, half, and then with a spoon pull out the choke(the furry inedible part above the heart) and then place in salted boiling water for 20 minutes.
Tip: make sure to add a lot of salt in your water! For any green vegetable that you poach you always want to have a lot of salt to retain the color(clorophyll-green pigment in green veggies). 

Preparation of Saffron Hollandaise

egg yolk- 1pc.
butter- 8oz. melted(no need to clarify)
tarragon- 1 tablespoon finely chopped
saffron- pinch, in 1 tablespoon hot water
lemon juice- teaspoon

bring water to a boil, place metal bowl on top, place egg yolk, add lemon juice, and slowly consistently pour melted butter while whisking rigorously to emulsify. add saffron water, whisk more, then season to taste!

Plate the way you like!

Citrus Quinoa Salad with Endive and Agave Balsamic Dressing

Quinoa seed has been around for a long time, but only in the last 5 years has it really flared up in modern day cooking. I’ve had a lot of dishes that include quinoa, but nothing beats a nice citrus quinoa salad on a summer day. This recipe is bound to bring a smile on your face.

Recipe:

Preparations for Salad

Quinoa- 1 cup, cooked
Red and Orange BellPepper- 1/4c of each fine diced/brunoise
Ciantro- 2 Tablespoons fine minced
Orange- 1 piece, zested, peeled, then diced
Agave Syrup- 2 teaspoons

Fold in all ingredients , let it sit in the fridge for an hour so all the juices soak up. Season to taste.

Preparation for Endive

Endive- 1 piece, cut in half
Salt- to taste

Bring a saute pan to piping hot, add just a tad bit of oil, and for a quick 3 seconds sear the open cut side of both endives then take off immediately. be careful not to overcook for the color of the endive will die out and look pretty ugly and not presentable!

Dressing

Balsamic Vinegar- 1/2 cup
Agave Syrup- 1 Tablespoon
Salt- to taste

In a saute pan with agave and BR, reduce at low heat till the vinegar has a sauce consistency, then cool in a fridge.

Grapeseed oil- 1 Tablespoon
Cilantro- 1 teaspoon, fine minced

Drizzle cilantro grapeseed oil on plate for presentation. you can also put it on your endive once it is plated on dish.

Bon apettit!

oh and ps. check out these wonderful benefits of quinoa!

Eat one cup of quinoa (a single serving size), and you’ll consume:

• 220 calories (70 percent carbs, 15 percent fat, 15 percent protein)
• 40 grams of carbohydrates (13 percent daily value)
• 8 grams of protein (16 percent of daily value)
• 3.5 grams of fat (5 percent daily value with no saturated fat)
• A glycemic load (blood sugar spike) of only 18 out of 250
• 5 grams of fiber (20 percent of daily value)
• 20 percent of daily value of folate (various forms of Vitamin B)
• 30 percent of magnesium daily value (beneficial for people with migraine headaches); 28 percent daily value of phosphorous; iron (15 percent); copper (18 percent); and manganese (almost 60 percent)

Quiche Trio with Arugula Apple Salad

This quiche dish turned out wonderful! Although you might think that quiche is a french classic dish, it originated in Germany. Quiche has a pastry crust and a filling of eggs and milk or cream which, when baked, become a custard. This dish is more of a sampler of three different types of quiche accompanied by a fresh tasting salad to balance out a little lightness from savory pies.

Quiche Trio with Arugula Salad Recipe

Whole Milk- 1 cup
Eggs- 1 egg, mixed
Shredded Parmesan Cheese, 1 cup
Bleu Cheese- 1 Tablespoon
Sharp Cheddar Cheese- 1/4cup, grated
Mushroom- 1 oz. sliced thin
Bacon Lardons- 1 oz, cubed
Basil- 1 Teaspoon, Chiffonade
Premade Pie crusts- 3 piece, 3 inch radius

Arugula- 1 cup
Grapes- 4 pieces, halved
Apple- 1/4 piece, thinly sliced
White Balsamic Vinegar- 3 Tablespoons
Paprika- 1/4 Teaspoon
Light Olive oil- 1 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper- as needed

Preparation for Quiche
Preheat oven to 340 degrees
Mix the whole milk, eggs, and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl. add a pinch of salt.
Fill in every pie 3/4 of the way with the egg mix.
pie 1: put in bleu cheese and bacon to the top of pie
pie 2: put in mushroom and basil to the top of pie
pie 3: put in 1 oz. parmesan cheese and sharp cheddar cheese to the top of pie
Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top of all three pies and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
(tip- poke the center of the pie with a toothpick and see if the eggs are no longer a liquid base to make sure its cooked through)

Preparation for Arugula Salad
Whisk liquids together till emulsified, fold on ingredients, garnish with parmesan cheese.

Orange Caprese with Guava and Mint

 

This simple appetizer serves as a refreshing appeal to the taste buds. Mozzarella, as my chef said once to me, is like a sponge. It can soak up any flavor you add to it. I love guava for its exotic taste and its aromatic scent that perfumes the air with goodness. Adding the candy guava gives a great flair to the dish.

Orange Caprese with Guava Recipe:

Mozarella- 3 pieces, 1/4 inch slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 2 ounces
Mint- 1 Tablespoon, minced
Orange- 3 pieces, 1/4 inch slices
Guava Candy Slab- 3 1/8 inch slices
Salt and Pepper- As Needed

Preparation and Plating for Orange Caprese;

In a blender, liquify the mint,the olive oil, and a pinch salt. Roll three guava slab candy slices. This will be used as one of the stacks for the caprese. In the middle of the plate, Layer the caprese in the order like so: mozzarella slice, orange slice, the three guava slab slices facing upright, mozzarella slice, orange slice, mozzarella slice. Don’t forget to season each layer. With a spoon, pour the mint oil around the caprese. Garnish with mint.

Beignets with Pepper Jelly Cream

Beignet is the forerunner of donuts. Yes, the french started it all. Beignet is one of the most universally recognized names for fried dough desserts which are basically fritter batter. With this dish I could have made any sort of cream sauce, glaze, or topping to the beignets, but I decided to go with the duo of pepper-jelly and cream cheese for its rich smooth flavor. 

Beignet Recipe

Lukewarm water- 1 cup
Granulated sugar- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Large egg- 1 piece
Butter, softened- 2 tablespoons
Evaporated milk- 1/2 cup
Bread flour or all-purpose flour- 4 cups
Instant active dry yeast- 3 teaspoons
Vegetable oil for deep frying*
Powdered sugar for dusting

Pepper Jelly Cream Recipe

Pepper Jelly (Red or green)- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 1 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
Brown Sugar- 2 oz.

Preparation for Beignet
Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth. Remove dough from bowl and turn out onto a lightly-oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, place in a lightly-greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.
Remove the prepared dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly-floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into approximately 3-inch squares, triangles, or circles (your choice); set aside.
In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees and then deep fry individually. when browned on both sides, place in a bowl with napkins and cool.

Pepper Jelly Cream
All at room temparature, with a whisk, mix all ingredients together and then cool. Serve chilled.

Stuffed Bacon and Cheese Zucchini with Pickled Tomato

You can never go wrong with bacon and cheese in a dish. Lardons have been used for great purposes especially in french cuisine. When you saute, grill, or bake a cubed piece of bacon it renders its fat bringing out a strong savory pork flavor whilst complimenting all the other added products. With that technique in mind, this dish has a wonderful flavor with the stuffed mouthwatering oven baked zucchini.

Cream Cheese- 1/4 cup
Red Jalapeno- 1 piece, small diced
Scallions- 2 stems
Bacon Lardons- 1/4 cup
Zucchini- 1 piece, halved, deseeded
Parsley- 1 tablespoon, fine chopped
Pearl or Sunburst Tomatoes- 4 pieces, thinly sliced
Red Wine Vinegar- 1 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper

Preparation for Zucchini
Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Half the zucchini and with a spoon scrape out the seeds creating room for your stuffing. Drizzle some oil on both sides and season.

Preparation for Stuffing
Microwave the cream cheese for ten seconds. mix in diced jalapenos, scallions, and bacon lardons. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. With a spoon, place in the zucchini. Put the stuffed zucchini on a pan as well as the other unstuffed one and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Preparation for Tomato Salad
slice tomatoes thinly and place in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of chopped scallions and parsley. place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until zucchini is cooked.

Final Preparation
Take the unstuffed baked zucchini and cut unabias(diagonally). This piece will be used to mount the stuffed zucchini and give it height on your dish. Take the tomato salad and plate it in a floral way overlapping each other. Voila!

Cornish Hen with Fig and Acorn Squash Pasta

 

I prepared this dish to be submitted for a contest on a food website. I felt like an interesting combination of squash and fig might appeal as a different approach to pasta. This dish has a great flavor of sweet and umami packed in each fork-load. 

Cornish Hen with Fig and Acorn Squash Pasta Recipe

Cornish Hen Breast- 1 piece
Acorn Squash- 1/4 piece, par cooked, Diced
Pearl Tomatoes- 5 pieces
Dried Turkish Fig- 5 Pieces
Red Wine- 1 cup
Onion- 1/4 piece, small diced
Parsley- 1 Tablespoon minced
Sage- 2 Tablespoon Minced
Brown Sugar- 2 Tablespoon
Butter- 2 ounces
Pasta Linguine- 1 Cup

Preparation for Acorn Squash
Place the squash in an oven and set at 300 degrees for one hour or until cooked. If you can easily poke a knife through the skin then it is ready. After, cut in half, de-seed, de-skin and cut in cubes

Preparation for Dried Turkish Fig
Soak the Turkish fig in Red wine for 30 minutes to rehydrate.

Preparation for Pasta
Bring pot of water to boil with salt. Once at boil, place noodles in until cooked.

Preparation for Cornish Hen
Once the Acorn Squash is out of the oven, sear the breast on a saute pan till brown, then place in th eoven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Final Preparation
Using the same pot that you seared the Cornish Hen, deglaze the pan with the red wine from the Turkish fig. Add onions, sage, and the squash until everything has been slightly sauteed. After, add all the butter and saute till the butter is dark brown. Add the sugar and stir then place ingredients in a bowl. Strain the noodles and toss in the bowl with all the ingredients including. Add the tomatoes at the end then season.

Marjan’s Medley- Biscotti French Toast and Rolled Crepes with Honey Marscapone

This recipe is dedicated to my lovely sister Marjan!
Biscotti has been a traditional Italian Classic. Back in the day, it was useful for sailors at sea who depended on long preserved foods. Biscotti is the term for twice baked, which results in its hard bite. What if we soaked the biscotti in a french toast batter for an hour? The result was great! The Honey marscapone adds a rich smooth flavor to the delicate rolled crepes topped off with cranberry fig syrup.Biscotti French Toast and Rolled Crepes with Honey Marscapone Recipe

Crepe Batter Salted Butter- 2 Tablespoons
Almond Breeze Vanilla or Milk- 1 cup
Eggs- 2 pieces
Flour- 1 cup

Biscotti French Toast
Biscotti Almond Bread- 3 pieces
Almond Breeze Vanilla or Milk- 2 cups
Cinnamon- 1/4 teaspoon
White Sugar- 1 Tablespoon
Eggs- 1 piece

Honey Marscapone
Marscapone- 1/2 cup Honey- 1 Tablespoon

Cranberry Fig Syrup
Water- 1 cup
Brown Sugar- 2 oz
Dried or Fresh Figs- 4 pieces, Halved
Cranberries- 1 Tablespoon
Vanilla Extract- 1 teaspoon
Coconut Milk- 1/2 cup

Preparation for Crepe Batter
Whisk all liquids together and then sift and whisk in dry ingredients. In a non-stick pan at medium heat, pour in crepe batter. Once, the crepe is able to lift off the pan, carefully fold the crepe from one side of the pan to the other. Take off the pan and repeat.

Preparation for Honey Marscapone
Fold in all ingredients and store in fridge. Serve when ready.

Preparation for Biscotti
Whisk all ingredients and soak biscotti for one hour or until bread has rehydrated. Put biscotti in a pan at medium-high heat and cook till golden brown.

Preparation for Cranberry Fig Syrup
Place in a sauce pot and reduce till the syrup can coat the back of a spoon completely.

Plate and eat your wonderful Breakfast!