Roasted Blackberry Beef Tenderloin

Mashed Potatoes

Honey Siracha Carrots

Creme Brule

Beef with blackberry sauce

Yield 2:

Beef tenderloin

Salt and pepper

 oil

Blackberry Sauce

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup roasted blackberries

¼ cup beef stock

2 tablespoons butter

Season Beef with salt and pepper. In a pan over medium high heat, add oil and beef. Cook until desired internal temp is reached.

Remove from pan and add red wine, roasted black berries, jam, beef stock and reduce down by half. Add butter and swirl to melt. Once melted turn heat off and serve on beef.

Honey Sriracha Roasted Carrots

ingredients

1 pound carrots, cleaned and slices 1/4+ inch thick

1/2 tablespoon honey

1/2 tablespoon sriracha (or other chili sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon oil

Toss the carrots in the mixture of the honey, sriracha, salt & pepper and oil, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes, turning once in the middle. (Tip: Don’t pour any excess honey and sriracha onto the baking sheet as it will just burn; save it and toss the roasted carrots in it again before serving.)

Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

  Yield: 2

2 Russet Potatoes

A handful of salt

1 Bay Leaves

½ cup Half & Half Cream or heavy cream

2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

¼ cup Sour Cream

2 tsp Prepared Horseradish

1/2 cup Shredded White Aged Cheddar

¼ cup Swiss or Gruyere

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Place potato pieces and bay leaves into a large pot, and cover with enough water so that the water is 1 inch over the potatoes. Add enough salt to the water so that the water is similar to seawater. Place over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove bay leaf

Using a potato ricer or a masher, mash the potatoes back into the empty pot. Add butter, infused cream, sour cream, horseradish, and cheese to the pot, and mix well until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper, and serve

Classic Crème Brûlée

yield: 8 servings

4 cups heavy whipping cream

8 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

½ teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Granulated sugar for Brûlée crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

  In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolks and beat well, whisking until yolks turn a pale yellow color.

  In a Medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream and heat on medium until mixture is approximately 170-180 degrees but do not boil. When steam begins to rise and small bubbles begin to form around the rim of the pan, turn off heat. Move bowl of yolks up against saucepan to limit spillage. Scoop 4 oz of hot liquid with a ladle and drizzle it into yolks while whisking it in. Add another ladle full being sure to whisk as it is poured to prevent eggs from cooking, gradually increasing speed. Repeat until ¾ of liquid has been added and bottom of bowl is hot. Return egg and cream mixture to saucepan and whisk to combine.

  Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Pour 4oz into each ramekin and set in roasting pan. Top off each ramekin with remaining custard. Fill roasting pan with 1 inch hot water around ramekins and place on oven rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until custard is firm but jiggles when shaken. Remove from water bath and set on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to cooler to chill.

  Sprinkle top of each baked custard with granulated sugar and using a torch, broil sugar until medium brown and bubbling. Let stand 3 minutes for candy crust to harden and serve.

Roasted Blackberry Beef Tenderloin

Scalloped Potatoes

Chopped Salad

Creme Brulé

Beef with blackberry sauce

Yield 2:

Beef tenderloin

Salt and pepper

 oil

Blackberry Sauce

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup roasted blackberries

¼ cup beef stock

2 tablespoons butter

Season Beef with salt and pepper. In a pan over medium high heat, add oil and beef. Cook until desired internal temp is reached.

Remove from pan and add red wine, roasted black berries, jam, beef stock and reduce down by half. Add butter and swirl to melt. Once melted turn heat off and serve on beef.

Scalloped Potatoes au Gratin

yield: 2 servings

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch ground black pepper pepper

½ cup whole milk

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup white potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

½ teaspoon shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

  In a small saucepan at low heat, melt butter and when butter subsides, add shallots. When shallots are soft and translucent, add flour and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring constantly. Add milk, cheese, salt and pepper and continue to cook until cheese is melted and sauce thickens. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

  Arrange potatoes in a shallow baking dish so equally layered. Ladle sauce over top, careful not to overflow. Gently move potatoes to allow sauce to separate the slices and wipe inside rim of dish to avoid burning.

  Bake uncovered for  45-60 minutes, until potatoes are tender and sauce is bubbling brown but not too dark. Transfer half to a warmed dinner plate and garnish with chopped parsley

ice and serve

Italian Chopped Salad

yield: 2 servings

Salad:

4 oz romaine lettuce, cut in 1 inch bite-sized pieces

8 slices hard salami, cut in ¼ inch pieces

¼ cup English cucumber, diced in ¼ inch cubes

¼ cup grape tomatoes, diced in ¼ inch cubes

2 pepperoncini peppers

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon mixed fresh herbs in equal amounts (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley), minced

1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic

¼ teaspoon shallot, minced

Pinch crushed red pepper seeds (optional)

Sea salt and ground black pepper

  In a small mixing bowl, combine vinegar, herbs, red pepper, garlic and Dijon mustard. Whisk for 1 minute to extract flavor from shallots and work out any lumps of garlic. Drizzle olive oil into bowl at the slowest steady stream possible while whisking vigorously. If oil begins to pool, increase whisking speed and stop drizzling until pools are gone, then resume adding oil. When all oil has been added, dressing should be slightly thickened and not separated. Taste and adjust flavor with salt and pepper if needed.

  Add all chopped ingredients to a small mixing bowl and add half of dressing. Toss or fold contents to evenly coat with dressing, adding more if needed or desired. Evenly divide salad between two chilled salad plates and top with crumbled bleu cheese. Serve immediately.

Classic Crème Brûlée

yield: 8 servings

4 cups heavy whipping cream

8 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

½ teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Granulated sugar for Brûlée crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

  In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolks and beat well, whisking until yolks turn a pale yellow color.

  In a Medium saucepan, combine sugar and cream and heat on medium until mixture is approximately 170-180 degrees but do not boil. When steam begins to rise and small bubbles begin to form around the rim of the pan, turn off heat. Move bowl of yolks up against saucepan to limit spillage. Scoop 4 oz of hot liquid with a ladle and drizzle it into yolks while whisking it in. Add another ladle full being sure to whisk as it is poured to prevent eggs from cooking, gradually increasing speed. Repeat until ¾ of liquid has been added and bottom of bowl is hot. Return egg and cream mixture to saucepan and whisk to combine.

  Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Pour 4oz into each ramekin and set in roasting pan. Top off each ramekin with remaining custard. Fill roasting pan with 1 inch hot water around ramekins and place on oven rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until custard is firm but jiggles when shaken. Remove from water bath and set on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to cooler to chill.

  Sprinkle top of each baked custard with granulated sugar and using a torch, broil sugar until medium brown and bubbling. Let stand 3 minutes for candy crust to harden and serve.

Chicken Strips

Homemade Pasta with Alfredo

Mixed Berry Romaine Salad

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Ice Cream

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

Alfredo Sauce

• 1/4cup butter, cut into large cubes or slices
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (not table salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Add the butter and cream to a large nonstick sauté pan, over medium-low heat; whisk until butter has melted.
2. Add in the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil) and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the parmesan cheese just until melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Take off the heat and toss with cooked fettuccine noodles (or your favorite pasta.)
6. (If the sauce isn’t quite thick enough, allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes before tossing with the pasta.)

Fried chicken strips

  yield: 2

2 cups chicken breast cut into strips

1 cup seasoned flour

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

Oil for deep frying

In a small bowl combine egg and milk. Whisk to combine. Stir in seasoned flour making sure no lumps appear.

If mixture is to thick, adjust by adding 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.

Add chicken and fully coat.

In a large skillet bring oil up to medium high heat. Slowly add 3-4 chicken strips into oil at a time. Cook until golden brown. Once ready to remove, place onto plate lined with paper towel to drain any extra oil. Continue to cook chicken until all are done. Serve with choice of sauce.

Romaine and Berry Salad with Vinaigrette

yield: 2 servings

½ head Romaine lettuce, rinsed and cut in ½ inch slices

½ cup mixed berries

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

3 tablespoons walnuts roughly chopped and lightly toasted.

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, minced

1 teaspoon honey

Sea salt and ground black pepper

  In a small mixing bowl, combine champagne vinegar, honey and thyme. Whisk to incorporate and add parsley. Pouring in the slowest steady stream possible, drizzle olive oil into bowl while whisking vigorously. If oil begins to pool, stop pouring and whisk until incorporated and oil is used. As emulsion forms, dressing will thicken and will not separate. Taste and adjust flavor with salt and pepper.

  Dry Romaine thoroughly. Using tongs, place a mound of lettuce on a chilled salad plate. Arrange sliced strawberries on top of lettuce and sprinkle with walnuts. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie for Two

Ingredients

1/2 cup (75g | 2.6oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (50g | 1.8oz) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50g | 1.8oz) light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)

1/4 cup (60g | 2.1oz) butter, melted

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup (90g | 3.2oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (save a few tablespoons to melt and drizzle over cooked cookie)

—

Your favorite vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously butter a 6-1/4” mini cast iron skillet. If you didn’t have such a skillet, you could use a 6” cake pan instead, but you may have to adjust baking time slightly.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix well with a whisk until well combined; set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until well combined.

Add the egg yolk, stir well, and then carefully stir in the flour mixture. Mix until completely combined, then stir about 2/3 of the chocolate chips.

Transfer the cookie dough to the cast iron skillet and arrange it delicately with your fork, just so it’s evenly distributed across the skillet.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and browned and the center appears set.

Remove from the oven and press a few additional chocolate chips across the surface of the cookie, if desired; allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave, adding a few drops of oil to make it more drizzleable, if necessary.

Garnish the cookie with a great big scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the melted chocolate and serve with 2 spoons!

Steak Au Poivre

Fresh Pasta with Ala Vodka sauce

Balsamic roasted vegetables

Toffee Brownie Trifle

Fresh Pasta Dough

yield: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

Vodka Sauce

Yield 2:

 1/2 pasta dough recipe, rolled out and cut into desired sized strips

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

1/3 cup vodka

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

2-4 basil leafs, chiffanoned

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat add oil when warm add onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add vodka and allow to reduce down until almost dry. Add crushed tomatoes and heavy cream. Bring up to a simmer then add butter and basil. Cook for 5 minutes then add chicken, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Boil pasta until it floats then remove and place directly into sauce.

Steak Au Poivre

2thick-cut Steaks Beef Tenderloin or NY Strip steak, 6-8 ounces, about 1 1/2 – inches thick

Coarse salt

1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns crushed

1/2 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup Cognac

1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. At least 30 minutes up to an hour before cooking remove the steaks from the fridge. Sprinkle all sides of steaks with salt. Just before cooking, pat steaks dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Generously coat all sides of steaks with the fresh ground black pepper, pressing it into the steaks.
2. Heat a large heavy cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Just as butter begins to smoke, place steaks in pan for medium rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Adjust cook time for desired doneness, using a meat thermometer for doneness. Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil.
3. Turn burners off. Carefully pour Cognac into hot frying pan. Carefully light the alcohol with a lighter and swirl the pan around until the flame burns out. Turn heat back on to medium. Whisking until sauce lightly thickens, about 6-8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, pour sauce over steaks.

Steak temperature:

Rare 125F, Medium Rare 135F, Medium 145F, Medium well 150F Well done 160F

Roasted Vegetables with Garlic and Balsamic

yield: 2 servings

10-12 oz assorted vegetables ( broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, zucchini or sweet potato)

4 garlic cloves, quartered

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fine balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper or more if preferred

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  In a medium mixing bowl, toss vegetables with garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper until coated. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 until vegetable start to brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Toffee Brownie Trifle

  Yield: 8

1 (18 ounce) package brownie mix (9×13 pan size)

2 1⁄2 cups cold milk

1 (3 1/2 ounce) package cheesecake flavor instant pudding or (3 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding

1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant white chocolate pudding

8 ounces Cool Whip

2 -3 Heath candy bars, chopped (can also use packaged toffee bits)

Prepare and bake brownies as directed on package.

Cool completely, and then cut into 1-inch cubes.

Beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed 2 minutes.

Fold Cool Whip into pudding.

Place 1/2 brownies into dish, cover with 1/2 pudding mixture.

Repeat layers.

Refrigerate until needed.

Sprinkle top with Heath bits just before serving.

Nick’s Supernatural Brownies

1/2 pound/2 sticks/227 grams unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

1/2 pound/227 grams dark chocolate (60% is perfect), cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup/200 grams firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

1 cup/135 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups/about 200 grams pecan or walnut pieces, divided (optional)

9×13 pan

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Let the butter start to sizzle and get very hot. Off heat add the chocolate. Shake the pan to submerge the chocolate and wait a minute. Whisk smooth.
3. Place the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the paddle on medium speed until the mixture is very fine and powdery, 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate between additions, followed by the vanilla.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and thoroughly fold in the butter and chocolate mixture. Fold in three quarters of the nuts, if using.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining nuts, if using.
7. Bake the brownies until they are slightly firm and no longer liquid in the center of the pan, about 40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then wrap in plastic and wait until the next day to cut them—they are still too soft immediately after cooling. To rush the process, chill the cooled and wrapped brownies for a couple of hours before cutting the brownies into 2-inch squares.