Chicken Francaise

Homemade Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

Roasted Vegetables

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Chicken Francaise

  yield: 2 servings

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and dredged in flour (beurre marinier)

½ tablespoon vegetable oil

2 6-8 oz chicken breast filets, lightly pounded

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 large fresh lemon, cut in half and only 1 half sliced in ¼ inch thick rounds

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg, Wisked

Sea salt and ground white pepper

1 tablespoon flat or curly parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preheat medium skillet on medium heat

  Place flour and egg in separate small bowls. Season flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of white pepper. Dredge chicken in flour being sure to cover it entirely and gently shake off excess flour. Dredge in scrambled egg, again being sure to coat completely.

Add vegetable oil to skillet and wait for oil to shimmer. If oil smokes, turn down heat and wait for smoke to subside. Gently place egg battered filets in skillet 2 at a time so not to overload pan. Sear for 2 minutes or until very lightly browned. Using fish turner or tongs, gently flip chicken breasts, careful not to splash hot oil. When filets are evenly browned on both sides, transfer to baking sheet and set aside.

 While pan is still hot, add minced garlic. Sauté for 30-60 seconds, just until garlic begins to brown lightly around the edges and becomes aromatic. Add white wine and deglaze pan, being sure to scrape any bits of caramelized fish and garlic into wine. Add butter and lemon slices and lemon juice and reduce liquid by half. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if needed. Decrease heat to low and add beurre marnier, stirring to melt it in. Sauce will thicken slightly. Taste again and adjust seasonings if needed. Add chopped parsley and cold butter, stirring to incorporate.

Check chicken for doneness by pressing gently with your finger; It should be firm and springy. If needed, transfer breasts to 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked completely. Lowest internal temperature should be 165 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Transfer hot filets to warmed dinner plate and spoon desired amount of sauce over top. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprig if desired.

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.)

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.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Yield: 8 servings

Ice Cream

2 ½  cups heavy cream

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon real vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Toppings

Chopped nuts of choice

½ cup heavy cream for whipping

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon real vanilla extract

Prepare ice bath

 In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and salt. At medium heat, bring mixture to 170-180 degrees, careful not to boil. Stir constantly to dissolve sugar and keep dairy products from scalding. Mixture is ready when bubbles appear around edges and steam begins to rise.  In a medium mixing bowl, add egg yolks and whisk vigorously until they become fluffy and turn a pale yellow color.  Move mixing bowl up against side of saucepan. Using an 8 oz ladle, drizzle hot cream mixture into egg yolks, slowly at first but with increasing speed on following ladles. Continue until 80% of cream is added and mixing bowl is hot to the touch. Transfer egg and cream mixture back to saucepan and heat on low until custard thickens slightly, careful not to let any of eggs cook to bottom of the pan. If whisked vigorously, foam will appear on top but will disappear quickly when mixture begins to thicken.

Chicken Francaise

 Homemade Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce

 Stuffed Tomatoes

Bananas Foster

Chicken Francaise

  yield: 2 servings

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and dredged in flour (beurre marinier)

½ tablespoon vegetable oil

2 6-8 oz chicken breast filets, lightly pounded

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 large fresh lemon, cut in half and only 1 half sliced in ¼ inch thick rounds

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg, Wisked

Sea salt and ground white pepper

1 tablespoon flat or curly parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preheat medium skillet on medium heat

  Place flour and egg in separate small bowls. Season flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of white pepper. Dredge chicken in flour being sure to cover it entirely and gently shake off excess flour. Dredge in scrambled egg, again being sure to coat completely.

Add vegetable oil to skillet and wait for oil to shimmer. If oil smokes, turn down heat and wait for smoke to subside. Gently place egg battered filets in skillet 2 at a time so not to overload pan. Sear for 2 minutes or until very lightly browned. Using fish turner or tongs, gently flip chicken breasts, careful not to splash hot oil. When filets are evenly browned on both sides, transfer to baking sheet and set aside.

 While pan is still hot, add minced garlic. Sauté for 30-60 seconds, just until garlic begins to brown lightly around the edges and becomes aromatic. Add white wine and deglaze pan, being sure to scrape any bits of caramelized fish and garlic into wine. Add butter and lemon slices and lemon juice and reduce liquid by half. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if needed. Decrease heat to low and add beurre marnier, stirring to melt it in. Sauce will thicken slightly. Taste again and adjust seasonings if needed. Add chopped parsley and cold butter, stirring to incorporate.

Check chicken for doneness by pressing gently with your finger; It should be firm and springy. If needed, transfer breasts to 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked completely. Lowest internal temperature should be 165 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Transfer hot filets to warmed dinner plate and spoon desired amount of sauce over top. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprig if desired.

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.

Lemon cream sauce

  yield: 2

1 cup heavy cream

1 lemon zested and juiced

¼ cup white wine

½ cup grated parmesan

In a large skillet over medium heat combine all ingredients and cook until thickened.

Season with salt and pepper then serve over pasta

Mozzarella and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 2medium tomatoes with firm, fleshy walls, 2 1/2 inches wide
• 1/2cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2ozcup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 4fresh basil leaves chopped, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 2 oz breadcrumbs
• 1/2tablespoon salted butter, melted
• 1/2teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oilfor drizzling

Preheat oven to 400

Prepare the tomatoes:

Slice the tomatoes in half horizontally around the equator and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Be careful not to puncture the walls of the tomato, but if you do, the filling will plug the hole. Place empty tomato halves in a casserole dish or oven-safe skillet, and season with salt and pepper.

Using your hands or a spoon, separate the seeds from the scooped out tomato flesh and transfer the flesh to a cutting board. Discard the seeds and the tomato water. Chop the flesh and set aside for the stuffing.

Make the stuffing:

In a medium bowl, add the chopped tomato flesh, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, basil, breadcrumbs, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to thoroughly combine.

Bake:

Using two spoons, fill the tomato halves with the stuffing. Sprinkle filled tomatoes with the remaining parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender, then broil on high for 1 minute until the filling begins to bubble and brown.

Banana Foster

  yield: 2

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon and 2 ¼ teaspoon rum or brandy

¾ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

1 ½ medium banana, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise and crosswise

2 tablespoons and 2 ¾ teaspoon coarsely chopped walnuts

 vanilla ice cream for serving

in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sugar. Once melted and bubbly, stand back and add rum. Once the rum has burned off add vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Once mixture begins to bubble again add banana’s and walnuts to pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 2-3 minutes. Serve over ice cream.

Steak Au poivre

 Fresh Pasta/Ala Vodka

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

 Creme Brulé

 Cherries Jubilee

Steak Au Poivre

2 thick-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

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.

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.

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.

Classic Cherries Jubilee

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 cup cold water
• 1/8 cup orange juice
• 8 oz Bing or other dark, sweet cherries, rinsed and pitted (or use frozen pitted cherries)

• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon cherry extract
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 cups vanilla bean ice cream

Directions

1. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a wide saucepan. Stir in the water and orange juice; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking until thickened. Stir in the cherries and orange zest, return to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. While the cherries are cooking, spoon the ice cream into serving bowls.
2. Remove the cherries from the heat, and stir in the cherry extract. Pour in the brandy, and ignite with a long lighter. Gently shake the pan until the blue flame has extinguished itself. Spoon the cherries over the bowls of ice cream.

Sirloin Steak with Bacon and Gorgonzola

Hasselback Potatoes

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

Chocolate Pot De Creme with Raspberry Compote

Steak topped with bacon and gorgonzola

  yield: 2

Choice of steak

2 strips of bacon cut into small pieces

1/4 cup gorgonzola

1 teaspoon butter

1 sprig of rosemary

1 garlic clove, crushed

in a skillet over medium high heat cook bacon to desired crispiness, remove from pan and set aside. Season steak with salt and pepper then place into a pan with bacon grease. Lower temperature to medium and cook for 5-8 minutes, flip and cook for another 5-8 minutes depending on desired internal temperature. Once ready, add butter to the pan along with rosemary and garlic clove and cook slightly in butter then place on top of steak and spoon butter over top of steak. Spoon about 8-10 spoonful of butter before removing rosemary and garlic from top of steak and placing steak on a warm plate to serve. Top with cooked bacon and cheese.

Hassel back potatoes, topped with parmesan and bacon

  yield: 2

1 large russet potatoes

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup parmesan

2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400”F

in a small bowl combine melted butter, and spices then set aside.

Place potato between two wooden spoons and slice  ¼ inch slices from one end of potato to the other. Stuff cheese and bacon in between each section of potato

Brush seasoned butter over potato

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

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.

Chocolate Pot de Crème

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces high quality dark chocolate
• 2 cups heavy cream (dairy free: use coconut milk)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar , optional and really only needed if you’re using very dark chocolate (for semi-sweet chocolate the sugar isn’t necessary)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop up the chocolate and place it in a blender. Set aside.
2. Place the cream, egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking to combine the ingredients. Continue to whisk continually until the mixture just starts to bubble and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Pour the hot mixture into the blender with the chocolate and vanilla and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into individual ramekins and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or until set (I often chill them overnight).
4. Let the pots de creme sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top with a sprinkle of grated chocolate or chocolate curls.

Raspberry Coulis

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water or orange juice
• 12 ounces frozen raspberries thawed
• 1 tablespoon Chambord Framboise or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine sugar and water (or orange juice) in a 1 cup (or larger) microwave-safe cup or bowl. Stir to combine. The mixture will be very thick.
2. Cook in the microwave on high power for two minutes. Stir for 5-10 seconds to ensure that the sugar crystals are dissolved.
3. Combine frozen raspberries and hot syrup in a blender container. Blend until the mixture is smooth and pureed.
4. Pour puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium-size bowl. Stir and push on the solids with the back of a rubber spatula until all of the liquid has been extracted. This will take several minutes as the mixture will be thick.
5. Discard the seeds. Add the liqueur, if using and stir to combine.
6. Store in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Homemade Pizza

Green Beans

Chocolate Cupcakes

Fresh Pizza Dough

yield: 1 pound (2-12 inch pizzas)

¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees)

2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast (1 package

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (16.25 oz)

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 cup room temperature water

½ tablespoon plus ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil

Bench flour for rolling dough

Vegetable oil for greasing bowl

  In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water and ½ tablespoon sugar. Stir out lumps and let sit for 5 minutes, until a foamy skin forms on top.

  In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, ½ tablespoon sugar and salt, turning machine for 5 seconds to mix. Add water, yeast mixture and oil and mix on slow speed until dough forms and loses its mealy texture, becoming smooth and soft. Do not overmix.

  Transfer dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover. Place in a warm place and let dough proof for 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. Remove from bowl and place on generously floured surface. Roll to desired size and thickness taking into account that dough will rise as it bakes to roughly double its thickness.

  Transfer dough to pizza peel dusted with coarse semolina flour and working quickly, add desired toppings. Slide onto pizza stone or steel and bake at 425 degrees until crust is golden brown, 375 degrees for white pizzas.

Fresh Pizza Sauce

yield: 12 servings (1 12 inch pizza)

1-15oz can crushed tomato or tomato sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon granulated garlic

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine or if using a food processor, pulse 2 or 3 times to fully mix. Taste and add a pinch more salt or sugar if needed.

Bacony green beans

yield: 2 servings

½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and blanched

2 slices diced bacon

1 garlic clove, minced

½ shallot minced

½ cup parmesan

Olive oil drizzle

Salt and pepper to tatse

In a large skillet cook over medium high heat cook bacon to desired crispiness. Add green beans. Cook for 3 minutes, add shallots, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn heat add, drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle over cheese. Season with salt and pepper, serve.

Chocolate Cupcakes

  A favorite for all ages, cupcakes are fun and easy to make. Decorating cupcakes is a great way to practice different techniques that can be applied to cakes and other pasty.

Yeild: 12 cupcakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 fine teaspoon sea salt

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin tin with paper cups

  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter and sugar and using paddle attachment, beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.  Add vanilla and stir until just incorporated.

  In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.

  Alternating between milk and flour mixture, add half of each and beat at low speed until incorporated. Turn off mixer and remove bowl.

  Using a portion scoop, fill each paper cup ¾ full with batter, wiping any excess batter that drips on pan. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes until pick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin and transfer to a cooling rack until fully cooled.

Chocolate Buttercream frosting

yield: 2 ½ cups buttercream

1½ cups butter 3 sticks, cut in 1 inch cubes and softened

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  In a small saucepan, heat milk and vanilla to about 170 degrees Add sugar slowly while stirring and mix on low heat until sugar is dissolved.

  Transfer milk mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed for 3 minutes to cool. Add cocoa powder and whisk until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and add butter, a couple cubes at a time. Continue to add until all butter is used. Increase speed to high and whip until buttercream is fluffy and creamy. If frosting appears too thick, add 1 tablespoon milk to thin. Set aside until ready to use.

  Using a pastry bag with star or French tip, or using an offset pallet knife, frost cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, candy, or any desired confections.