Pineapple Custard Tarts

Crust

1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for work surface

2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed*

1/4 cup (60ml) ice-cold water, plus more as needed

egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

optional: coarse sugar

Filling

16 oz crushed pineapple canned crushed do not drain and do NOT use fresh

1/4 cup All Purpose flour

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks at room temperature and lightly beaten, Whites will be used in meringue

1 tsp vanilla extract

Muffin tin greased with pan spray.

Make the crust: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse pea-sized crumbs. Add the water and stir until the flour is moistened. Add 1–2 more Tablespoons of water if the dough seems dry. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using your hands, work the dough into a ball. Divide into 12 small balls and flatten it into discs. Wrap the dough discs in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.

As the dough chills, prepare the filling: In a bowl whisk together the flour and sugar.  Mix in the sour cream and then the egg yolks and vanilla.  Then fold in the pineapple.

Once the dough has chilled roll out the disks to fit into the muffin tins, making sure dough comes almost to the top.  Fill ½ way up with the filling. Once all are filled bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes making sure the filling is set.

Let cool approximately 20 minutes the using a knife remove from muffin tins.

Dust tops with powdered sugar and serve.

Sparkling Pear and Strawberry Puffs

Champagne Citrus Salad

Freshly Made Pasta with Creamy Champagne Chicken

Mimosa Cake

Pear Puff Pastry with Strawberry Wine Glaze

Yield 8:

½ sheet puff pastry, cut into 4 squares

1 pear, thinly sliced

GLAZE

2-4 strawberries, slices or frozen

½ cup red wine or champagne

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ lemon juiced/zest

Combine all glaze ingredients together and bring up to a boil and simmer down to a glaze. About 7 minutes.

Preheat oven 400”F

Place puff pastry on sheet tray and place pear on puff pastry. Bake until golden brown about 7-10 minutes

Drizzle with glaze and serve

Citrus fennel with champagne vinaigrette

Serves 2

4 cups mixed greens

½ cup fennel

2 inches of jicama

1 green apple

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon

1 teaspoon honey

1 lime wedge

In a small mixing bowl add honey, Dijon, and vinegar. Whisk until fully combined. At the slow steady speed pour in oil while whisking, adjust seasoning as needed.

Cut apples into 1 inch cubes, set aside.

Slice fennel and jicama into thin julienne strips.

Pour mixed greens out onto a chilled plate, top with apples, fennel and jicama. Add as much or as little dressing and squeeze lemon wedge over top.

 Champagne chicken 

Yield 2:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast

¼ cup all-purpose flour for dusting

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoons oil

1 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

1 cups heavy cream

½ cup champagne

Lightly dust chicken breasts with flour and a little salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, lightly brown chicken breasts to a nice golden brown in olive oil. Once browned on both sides, add mushrooms and champagne. Cook over medium heat, When chicken is tender, transfer chicken to a platter.

Pour cream into skillet. Simmer about 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Serve.

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.

 Mimosa cake

Yield 1 cake:

1 vanilla box cake mix

Replace water with orange juice

½ cup champagne

Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream

1 pack instand pudding (I use vanilla )

½ cup or more of champagne

Mix boxed cake according to intrusions but add orange juice instead of water. Bake according to box

Allow to cool completely

In a stand mixer combine heavy cream and pudding and whip until stiff peaks form. Add champagne and mix to fully incorporate. Garnish with orange zest if desired.

Cheese and portabella mushroom ravioli with butter herb sauce

Pappardelle Bolognese

Mediterranean Layered Salad

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Mediterranean Layered salad

yield: 2 servings         

Dressing:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoons honey  

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch ground black pepper  

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salad:

½ cup romaine lettuce, chopped

¼ cup garbanzo beans

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved  

¼ medium cucumber, ¼ inch diced   

¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

2 thin slices medium red onion  

¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped  

2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled

  In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano honey, red pepper flakes and parsley. Whisk to combine. Drizzle olive oil into bowl as slowly as possible while whisking vigorously. If oil begins to pool, stop pouring and whisk until emulsified and continue pouring remaining oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper

  Divide lettuce between two chilled salad plates. Divide hummus, spooning over greens. Arrange tomato halves in a single layer on hummus, then a layer of cucumber. Sprinkle olives over cucumber and then a layer of artichoke quarters. Arrange onion slices over artichoke hearts.

  Drizzle with lemon dressing and garnish with crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately.

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Fresh Pasta Dough

yeild: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups (6.25oz) 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.

Portabella Mushroom and Cheese Ravioli

yield: 20-24 Ravioli

1/3 cup ricotta cheese, strained

1 large portabella top, grilled, pureed and drained

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

1 oz egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Pinch ground black pepper

1 recipe fresh pasta dough

Warm water and silicone pastry brush

  Split pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll the pasta dough into. Fold edges before rolling so pasta sheets are roughly rectangular in shape

  Using a 3 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut as many pasta disks from 2 of the 4 pasta sheets as possible, leaving as little scrap as you can. If dough is still moist and pliable, knead trimmings into a ball, flatten one end and repeat the process to create another sheet and repeat cutting.

  Place ½ spoonful of cheese/spinach stuffing off center on each dough round, careful not to overstuff or ravio;I will not close. Once all disks have been filled, brush uncovered edge with water using a silicone pastry brush and carefully fold in half making a half-moon. Use a fork to crimp edges to seal. Set aside on a rimmed baking sheet dusted with semolina flour.

  To cook, bring a pot of generously salted water to a full rolling boil. Add all pasta at once, waiting 20 seconds before stirring gently. As ravioli cooks it will float to the top. Cook until all ravioli is floating and water begins to return to a boil, about 4-5 minutes. Gently pour contents of pasta pot into a colander, or 2 separate colanders if it is a large amount of ravioli so they do not get compressed. Drain for 1 minute and transfer to mixing bowl with half of marinara sauce.

  Serve onto warmed dinner plates and ladle with desired amount of remaining sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Herb and Brown Butter Sauce

yeild: 8 servings                                                                           

8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced

½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon fresh chives, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

  In a medium skillet, melt butter. If using a cast iron skillet you will need a stainless steel spoon to check color of butter. Continue to cook butter at 175 degrees until it browns slightly. Butter will take on a nutty aroma but do not burn.

  Add herbs and spices all at once and sauté for 1 minute, until butter becomes aromatic, increasing heat to 200 degrees if necessary. Add vinegar and turn off heat, scraping any fond from bottom of pan. Taste and adjust flavor with more salt and pepper if needed.

Bolognese Sauce

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

¼ chopped onion

½ stalk chopped celery

½ carrot diced

5 oz ground chuck

3 oz ground pork

4 oz milk

4 oz white wine

2 cups tomatoes cut up

Salt and pepper

Pinch nutmeg

2 oz parmigiano cheese

Put oil, butter and onion in pan and cook on medium heat. Cook and stir until onion is translucent, then add celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Add ground meats with salt and pepper, cook until no longer red. While cooking make sure to crumble the meat.

Add milk and let simmer, stirring frequently, until it has almost evaporated, add pinch of nutmeg.

Add wine and deglaze the pan, stirring until evaporated.  Add tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer, cook uncovered for 3 hours or more. Add water if sauce begins to dry out.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Cake:

 7 oz medjool dates (approximately 7-10 dates)

 ¾ cup boiling water

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses

 ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed

 2 large eggs*, at room temperature

 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking powder

 ¼ teaspoon salt

Toffee sauce:

½ cup unsalted butter

 ¾ cup heavy cream

 ¾ cup brown sugar, packed

 2 teaspoons unsulphured molasses (teaspoons, not tablespoons)

 pinch salt

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Finely chop the dates. You should have about 1 cup loosely packed. Place the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water and sprinkle with baking soda. Stir, then allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until creamy and combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
5. After the dates have soaked for 20 minutes, mash or puree the datesalong with the liquid. If the dates you used were moist you should be able to mash them easily with a fork. If the dates were really dry it will likely be easier to use an immersion blender or small food processor to puree (they don’t have to be completely smooth). Transfer all of the date mixture into the cake batter and beat until combined.
6. Grease ramekins** or a 12-count muffin tin (see note for an 8×8 pan). Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Depending on the size of your ramekins this can be anywhere from 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Toffee sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cream, brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and set aside to cool slightly; it will thicken as it cools.

Assembly and serving:

1. While the cakes are still a little bit warm, remove them from the ramekins/muffin tin and place them on a baking sheet or a piece of foil or parchment paper. Note: the cakes will likely have a dome on top. If desired, you can use a serrated knife to level off the top. I prefer to level it off and serve the cakes upside down.
2. Brush all sides of the cakes with the toffee sauce, reserving the rest of the sauce for serving.
3. Serve the cakewarm, drizzled with extra toffee sauce. Garnish with heavy cream, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Pork and Thai Basil Stir Fry

Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Thai Peanut Salad Wonton Cups

Banana Coconut Thai Basil Gelato topped with Toasted Coconut and Caramel

Pork and Thai Basil Stir Fry

  Yield: 2

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon palm sugar

4 tablespoons water

1 cup frozen green beans

1-3 small red chilis chopped finely

2 green onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves crushed or chopped finely

1 cup ground pork

½ cup Thai basil

plain rice for serving

2 eggs poached

Mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, mushroom soy, oyster sauce, palm sugar and water in a bowl and set aside.

Heat up a large drizzle of oil in a pan. Then stir-fry the green beans for a few minutes on a medium high heat. Add the chopped chilis and garlic and stir-fry for a couple more minutes.

Add the pork and break up with a wooden spoon. Stir-fry until cooked.

Pour in the sauce, stir well, then let bubble for a minute or two more.

Stir in the basil until wilted, add green onions, then serve with the rice and top with poached egg.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

  Yield: 2

2 tablespoons oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced

3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 cup boneless chicken breast or thighs

4 cups chicken broth/stock

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2/3 cup coconut milk

1 cup egg noodles

Lime wedges, pickled red onion, red chilies, cilantro, scallions (to garnish)

Fried rice noodles for garnish

In a pot over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Fry for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook for a couple minutes, just until the chicken turns opaque.

Add the chicken broth, fish sauce, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. At this point, taste the broth for salt and adjust seasoning accordingly (add salt if needed, or if it’s too salty, add a bit of water). Add Egg noodles and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, add a squeeze of lime juice and your garnishes, and serve.

Thai Peanut Salad Wonton Cups

  Yield: 2

12 wonton wrappers

Vegetable oil cooking spray

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey or other vegan substitute

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger

Salt to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 cup shredded cabbage

½ cup shredded carrots

2 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons crushed peanuts

Sweet thai chili sauce drizzle

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and place 2 wonton wrappers inside each muffin cup, making sure to offset the corners to create a “flower” pattern. Push the wrappers down into the muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-13 minutes or until the cups are crispy and slightly browned. (This can be done ahead of time) Let them cool in the muffin tin until they reach room temperature and then remove. Combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt and red pepper flakes in a bowl and whisk very well until combined. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots and toss well to coat.

Spoon the cabbage salad into the cooled wonton cups and top them with the sliced green onions and crushed peanuts, drizzle with sweet thai chili sauce and serve immediately!

Banana Coconut Thai Basil Gelato topped with Toasted Coconut and Caramel

  Yield: 10

4 bananas, mashed

½ bottle of coconut crème

¼ – ½ cup Thai basil, chopped

1 can sweetened condense milk

2 cups heavy cream

Toasted coconut garnish

½ jar or bottle of caramel

In a bowl combine banana, coconut, Thai basil, condense milk and heavy cream. Stir to combine then pour into ice cream core and turn in machine until thickened. Remove and set in freezer until ready to serve.

Once ready to serve scoop out and top with caramel and toasted coconut.