Hey all! Happy Friday! And Happy Chinese New Year 2021 – year of the Ox! To celebrate, I wanted to share my Beef and Mushroom Dumplings with Asian Dipping Sauce recipe that I created for my client (Steakhouse Elite) recently. They are super easy and fun to make, and the perfect way to celebrate the occasion!
They’re filled with a savory mixture of juicy grass-fed ground beef, baby bella mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, cilantro, ginger, white and red pepper, and soy sauce. I chopped all the fresh ingredients and seasonings together in a mini-food processor to make it easier and get a fine mince, then mixed it in with the ground beef and an egg to make the filling.
Then I started filling the dumpling wrappers (about a tablespoon in the center of each) and then brushed some water around the edges and pressed and sealed them in a dumpling maker. First I pan-fried them in a little bit of oil for about a minute to brown them, then added about an inch of water into the hot pan and covered it to steam them for a couple of minutes to give a crispy, soft and juicy finish on the dumplings.
They are served with a delicious Asian dipping sauce I made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, a little bit of brown sugar, and sriracha garnished with chives and sesame seeds for extra flavor and texture. It’s tangy and salty and sweet and just the right amount of umami to complement the beef and mushroom dumplings. So good!! I could seriously eat a whole plate of these myself, you guys 😉
And be sure to check out my other recipes below that would also be great to celebrate the Chinese New Year with – some of my absolute favorites and a couple of them are award-winning! (The Kung Pao Beef and Black Pepper Caramel Chicken)
Beef + Mushroom Dumplings with Asian Dipping Sauce
Yield: 30-40 dumplings
These Beef and Mushroom Dumplings with Asian Dipping Sauce are super easy and fun to make and perfect way to celebrate the Chinese New Year! Filled with grass-fed ground beef, baby bella mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, cilantro, ginger, white and red pepper, and soy sauce and first pan-fried then steamed for a crispy and juicy finish on the dumplings. They are served with a delicious Asian Soy Dipping sauce and garnished with chopped chives and sesame seeds for extra flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Dumplings:
3/4 pound Steakhouse Elite Grassfed Ground Beef
3/4 cup sliced baby Bella mushrooms
3/4 cup water chestnuts
4 green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 package pot sticker or gyoza wrappers (30-40)
Canola oil, for frying
Asian dipping sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sriracha or hot garlic chile sauce
1 teaspoon minced chives (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Place mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions, and cilantro in a food processor and blitz until finely minced.
Cook the ground beef in a large sauté pan over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and let cool for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, mushrooms, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, white pepper, red pepper flakes and egg. Mix well with a large spoon or hands.
Set up a work area with the dumpling wrappers and a small bowl of water; lay out the dumpling wrappers on a large cutting board or baking sheet. Place a 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper.
Moisten wrapper edges with water with your finger or pastry brush, and fold the wrapper over filling to make a half circle. Seal edges, pleating the front side several times to form a pleated pouch. (You can also use a dumpling maker to seal the dumplings to make it easier and faster to assemble.)
Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and coat the sides. Place dumplings in a single layer to line the pan, pan fry for about 30 seconds, then carefully and slowly pour in 1/2 cup of water so the dumplings are covered by 1/2-inch. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook dumplings until all the water is absorbed. Remove the cooked dumplings with a spatula and set aside on a plate. (You can also carefully flip the pan over on to a plate with a hot pad, and scrape the dumplings off the pan). Repeat cooking the remaining dumplings.
To make the dipping sauce, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve the sauce with hot dumplings, garnish with additional sliced scallions.
Notes
You could also substitute ground chicken or pork or even shrimp using the same ingredients and these dumplings will turn out absolutely delicious!
The #Superbowl is only a couple days away and I’m so excited it’s in #Tampa this year! To celebrate game day, I decided to make these KetoNashville Hot Chicken Sliders and oh my gosh, they are deeeeelish.
On FIRE, actually! (no pun intended).
photo: Roger Ho/Prince’s Hot Chicken
My recipe is inspired by the famous Nashville Chicken invented by Prince’s Hot Chickenin #Nashville, Tennessee. Their hot and spicy fried chicken is breaded with lots of cayenne pepper incorporated into the batter and is topped with a fiery-hot spiced oil served with two slices of white bread and kosher dill pickles. You can also get it as a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which is served on a freshly baked bun with coleslaw, pickles, and either Kickin’ Ranch or Sweet Heat sauce. Their heat levels range from mild, to medium, to XXX hot! Hattie B’s also has an amazing Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich too except they use a Southern Comeback Sauce which is made with ketchup, mayo, chili sauce, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and spices.
My version is #keto-friendly and #lowcarb due to the fact that I decided to pan-sear the chicken with the spices and oil, instead of breading it and frying it (You could also grill the chicken as well). I used a handcrafted, small batch Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning by The Spice Lab, (which I found in Publix and they also sell online at Amazon). You can also make your own by mixing 6 tablespoons cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon paprika.
I also made these delicious homemadeKeto Slider Buns that are made with almond flour, mozzarella and cream cheese, a little salt and baking powder, topped with melted butter and baked to a crispy perfection. They are so good and buttery, they taste like biscuits! Which is perfect with some spicy chicken, of course.
The sliders are topped off with Buffalo mayonnaise, dill pickle slices, Buffalo sauce, and broccoli slaw mixed with Blue Cheese dressing and each one is only about 2 carbs total which is the best part! So here’s how I made these bad boys…
First, I sprinkled the chicken with the Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning on both sides,
added some buttermilk and hot sauce in a resealable large bag in the fridge to let marinate for a few hours . This lets all the flavors meld together and the buttermilk breaks down the proteins in the chicken to make it super juicy.
Then I made the keto buns by melting the mozzarella and cream cheese together with three eggs, almond flour and baking powder and salt, mixing it together into a dough.
I separated the dough into six balls, and then flattened them a little on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brushed them with some melted butter. Then I baked them for about 12 minutes until lightly browned, and let them cool on a wire rack before slicing.
I made the broccoli slaw by mixing in about 1/2 cup of Marie’s creamy blue cheese dressing and letting it stay cool in the fridge while I made the chicken. You could also use ranch dressing here if you prefer, but I love the tangy, cooling blue cheese with the fiery hot sauce and spices on the chicken.
Next, I took the chicken out of the marinade and discarded that. Heated up some oil over medium-high in a large skillet and sprinkled more Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning on both sides of the chicken, cooking about 8 minutes per side.
Then I sliced the chicken into pieces, and added them back into the pan with some additional oil to coat the chicken with all the delicious spices and brown bits in the pan.
Once the chicken was done, i built the sliders by spreading some Buffalo mayo on the bottom bun, topping it with a few slices of the spicy chicken. Drizzled more Buffalo sauce on top of the chicken, then topped with sliced dill pickles, and blue cheese broccoli slaw.
And you have my friends, a total masterpiece, guilt-free! And perfect for game day on Sunday! Bet you can’t eat just one 😉
These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders are totally delicious and served on Keto-friendly, low carb buns! Pan-seared spicy buttermilk chicken topped off with Buffalo mayonnaise, dill pickle slices, Buffalo sauce, and broccoli slaw mixed with Blue Cheese dressing. They are so delicious and each one is only about 2 carbs total which is the best part!
4 tablespoons Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning, divided
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup light olive oil or canola oil, divided
Keto buns:
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
3 large eggs
3 cups fine almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
Garnishes:
1/4 cup Buffalo sauce
1/4 cup Buffalo mayo
12 pickle slices
2 cups broccoli slaw
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
Instructions
Nashville Chicken:
Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with 2 tablespoons Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning. Combine the chicken, buttermilk, and hot sauce in a large resealable plastic bag or dish covered in plastic wrap. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, up to overnight.
Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken breasts from the buttermilk marinade and discard.
Season the chicken with additional 2 tablespoons Nashville hot Chicken Seasoning and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes per side.
Slice chicken breasts into pieces and add additional oil into the sauté pan. Toss together over medium heat for a few more minutes until chicken pieces are fully coated with the oil and spices. Remove from heat and set aside, covered in foil, until ready to build sliders.
Keto buns:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the mozzarella and cream cheese. Heat on high for 2 minutes until melted.
Add the eggs and stir to combine, then mix in the almond flour, baking powder and salt.
Form the dough into 6 balls, and slightly flatten on to the parchment paper.
Melt the butter and brush over the tops of the slider buns.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until buns are golden brown; let cool slightly before slicing in half.
Make the broccoli slaw by mixing the blue cheese dressing in with the slaw in a medium mixing bowl.
To assemble the sliders, spread the Buffalo mayo on the bottom buns. Top with a few pieces of the Nashville chicken, 2 pickles, drizzle with Buffalo sauce. Add 1/4 cup broccoli blue cheese slaw mixture and the top halves.
Serve immediately with additional hot sauce on the side, if desired.
Notes
I used Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning from The Spice Lab, which you can find on Amazon or at Publix, or feel free to make your own. You could also use ranch dressing on the broccoli slaw if you prefer, and grill the chicken breasts instead of pan-searing them for extra char and flavor.
Hi Everyone! So the New Year #2021 is rapidly approaching (thank God!!) and I decided to celebrate a little with these Spicy Crab Cakes w/ Creole Mayo and some bubbly! They are absolutely delicious and the perfect appetizer duo for the holidays or any special occasion!
I made them with fresh lump crabmeat, crispy applewood smoked bacon, corn, red Chile peppers, parsley, scallions, egg, panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and a dash of Tony Chacere’s Creole Seasoning and hot sauce, and served with a side of spicy Creole Mayo for dipping. Talk about a flavor bomb in your mouth…#YUM!
The recipe makes 8 small crab cakes but feel free to make four larger patties if you want to make burgers out of them. Or make 16 really small crab cakes if you want to make them bite-sized with fancy toothpicks on platter!
I brushed them with some oil and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes, but you can also pan-fry them if you prefer. For a larger crowd, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe because these will be a huge hit and gone before you know it!
They would also be great served on top of some Confetti rice or Cajun/Creole pasta..or try them in some lettuce leaves or on top of a salad for a lighter fare if you’re watching your carbs. I know I will be after the holidays are over. Enjoy and indulge for now – and Happy New Year! #2021 couldn’t come any sooner 🙂
These delicious crab cakes are the perfect appetizer for the holidays or any special occasion! Made with fresh lump crab, crispy applewood smoked bacon, corn, red chile peppers, parsley and a hit of Creole seasoning and hot sauce served with a Creole Mayo for dipping.
For a larger crowd, double or triple the recipe because these will be a huge hit and gone before you know it!
Ingredients
CRAB CAKES
1 lb. lump crabmeat
1/3 c. Panko bread crumbs
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tony Chacere’s Creole seasoning
Dash of hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c. corn
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1/2 red chile pepper, chopped (or sub bell pepper for less heat)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
......
CREOLE MAYO
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tony Chacere’s Creole seasoning
Instructions
MAKE CRAB CAKES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together crabmeat, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, green onions, and lemon juice. Add Creole Seasoning, hot sauce and black pepper. Stir in corn, Chiles, bacon and parsley. Mix well with hands or a fork until mixture is combined.
Form into 8 patties and place on nonstick greased baking sheet. Brush oil on top of the crab cakes.
Bake until golden brown about 25-30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Alternatively you can pan fry them for 3-5 minutes per side in a skillet over medium high heat.
Garnish with more fresh parsley or green onions; serve with side of Creole Mayo.
MAKE CREOLE MAYO
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce and Creole seasoning. Adjust amounts to your liking (less or more spicy).
Serve sauce with Crab cakes on top or on the side.
It’s that love-ly time of year again folks, when love is in the air and a romantic dinner and evening in with your significant other is on the menu. And we all know what Valentine’s Day is all about…wine, chocolate, strawberries and a special sweet dessert!
I created this recipe for a Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake with Strawberry Chocolate Balsamic Sauce that will impress your sweetie and top off a romantic dinner along with a glass of champagne..hope you enjoy and indulge on this special day 😉
A LOVELY dessert made with Blood Orange olive oil and Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar and fresh strawberries and LOTS OF LOVE <3
Ingredients
BLOOD ORANGE OLIVE OIL CAKE:
1 tablespoon butter, for greasing pan
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice from 1 blood orange
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
½ cup Seven Barrels Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup chocolate syrup
1 pint strawberries, stemmed and sliced
Instructions
BLOOD ORANGE OLIVE OIL CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or 8-inch loaf pan with butter.
In a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, mix together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until lightly blended.
Drizzle in the Seven Barrels Blood Orange olive oil and vanilla and mix together until smooth. Add the blood orange juice in and mix into the batter.
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add baking powder, soda and salt. Add to the wet batter in small increments and mix on low to incorporate. Scrape the sides with a spatula and make sure all wet and dry ingredients are blended well.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes or so, then remove cake from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack before serving.
CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
Add the Seven Barrels Chocolate Balsamic vinegar and chocolate syrup to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook for about 5 minutes until heated through and blended.
Add the sliced strawberries to the chocolate sauce and mix together. Serve the sauce warm over Blood Orange Olive Oil cake or over ice cream.
I made myself a pledge to focus on being healthier and happier since the New Year has started… getting more sleep, balancing work and life better, focusing on my business and my brand with a revived passion, reaching out to friends and family more often, traveling more, eating healthier and getting more walking around the city in, and just choosing to be happy every day, no matter what. NO EXCUSES.
BUT, see the thing is…I hate diets. They never last (at least not for long), and I slowly grow tired of counting calories and feeling deprived and end up eating like a maniac and ruining all the good i just did by torturing myself on the diet in the first place. So I’ve decided to go in a different direction by simply cutting sugar out of my diet, eating more healthy lean proteins and fresh veggies and cutting DOWN on carbs, not fully out. It seems to lessen the pain of a diet and I truly feel better and am more conscious of what I eat by tracking the amount of carbs I’m taking in. So far, so good.
So I decided I wouldn’t fully deprive myself of the carb-laden pasta dishes I crave in the Winter and that I’ve been missing out on, and made a Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom & Bacon FettuccineAlfredo that’s absolutely to die for. I used some lower-carb fettuccine pasta (Carba-Nada, which I got on Amazon for $10 and it only has 17 grams of carbs in 1.5 cups of pasta...LOVE IT). I sautéed some chicken breasts, shallots, garlic, bacon and added some spinach and mushrooms to make the base for the pasta. Then I made a delicious Alfredo sauce with half and half, unsalted butter, whipped cream cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese, thinned down with some water to make a semi-healthier version of this luscious, velvety (and usually super rich and fattening) pasta sauce.
I hope you’re getting through the Winter OK yourselves, and if not, whip up a batch of this deliciousness. Guilt-Free. You’ll be just fine, I promise. 😉
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup water, as needed for desired sauce consistency
Instructions
CHICKEN, SPINACH & MUSHROOM PASTA
Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, drain and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water to add back in to the pasta sauce later on, for consistency.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy and cooked through. Drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.
Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts, brush olive oil on and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
Drain bacon grease from saute pan and raise heat to medium high. Saute chicken breasts, about 6 minutes per side, until a nice browning occurs and chicken is cooked through. Set aside, and keep warm with tented foil. (NOTE: You may also grill the chicken if desired at the same cooking time).
In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and saute shallots for a few minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add sliced mushrooms and saute for another few minutes until they are soft.
Defrost frozen spinach in microwave for 5 minutes, drain and then add spinach (you can also add fresh spinach now) to the pan with the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes until all cooked through, add crumbled bacon and season with freshly ground black pepper. Turn heat to low and keep warm while making the Alfredo sauce.
ALFREDO SAUCE
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, cream and whipped cream cheese over medium-low heat.
Add shredded Parmesan cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper. If sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to the sauce to thin it down to desired consistency.
Pour the Alfredo sauce into the pan with the spinach and mushroom mixture, slice the chicken into slices or chunks and add to the sauce and stir together well.
Serve hot over the pasta (or you can mix the pasta into the sauce ahead of serving, whatever you prefer).
Hello Summer! And hello to the season for lighter food and flavors and quality time at the beach and the pool (READ: also time for shorts and sundresses and to lose a few to fit into the bathing suit!)
I’ve been craving pasta lately because i’ve been cutting down on carbs a bit, but I’ve had this cool Veggettinoodle tool in my pantry for a few months and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make some Zucchini Noodles (AKA “zoodles”), and tie in some fresh ingredients from the season such as shrimp and corn and basil.
This dish screams creamy comfort food, but is balanced out with a clean, citrus-y brightness with a Meyer Lemon cream sauce made with mascarpone cheese, Meyer lemon juice and zest, lemongrasschicken broth, whitewine, sweet basil olive oil and garlic. The lightness of these zucchini noodles are also totally amazing, rather than a heavy pasta that will put you to sleep in .02 seconds.
I love Meyer lemons because they are delicate and less sour than regular lemons and almost mimic the flavor of lemon and orange juice mixed together, which you can absolutely do if you can’t find Meyer lemons or they aren’t in season. I ordered mine on Fresh Direct which always has everything in stock and delivers on top of that!
Prep your zucchini noodles with a Veggetti or Spiralizer on a cutting board or over a large mixing bowl. I suggest squeezing out any excess water from them before sauteing (you can let them sit in a colander to extract water for about 15 minutes or so). You might also want to cut the strand piles in half to make them easier to manage and eat. Sauté the noodles in some olive oil with red pepper flakes and garlic for a few minutes and set aside.
Zest and juice one Meyer lemon to add to the cream sauce. Look at that vivid color! LOVE.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the shrimp and sauté in some olive oil for couple minutes until they are pink and set aside. Don’t overcook them though because you will add them back in to the sauce later on and you don’t want tough rubbery shrimp.
Prep ingredients for the Meyer Lemon Cream sauce and add the white wine, chicken broth, Meyer lemon juice and zest to the saute pan with leftover juices from the shrimp. Stir and simmer over medium heat for until the liquid reduces by half.
Add the corn, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until heated through. I used frozen sweet corn but you can use fresh corn too which might take a little longer to cook (or you can precook the fresh corn and add the kernels into the sauce).
Stir in the mascarpone cheese and blend together until it turns into a gorgeous, silky and creamy sauce. Toss in the shrimp and basil. Isn’t that pretty?
Serve over the zucchini noodles with additional basil and lemon zest and get ready to DEVOUR.
Alternatively you can toss the zucchini noodles in to the pan with the sauce and shrimp and corn and mix it all together to serve as a one pot dish. I prefer keeping the noodles separate from the sauce so they don’t get too mushy, personally.
Garnish with some extra basil and lemon zest and serve with a glass of white wine (I particularly like McBride Sisters Truvee Chardonnay who were kind enough to send me a sample which I LOVED), and some crusty bread to mop up that yum sauce, if you wish. Light, bright, healthy and delicious!
This is a super healthy and totally delicious low carb option to pasta. It features sautéed zucchini noodles smothered in a Meyer Lemon cream sauce with shrimp, corn and fresh basil. It's light and bright and the perfect dish for Summer with a glass of white wine and some toasty bread to mop up the sauce.
1/2-3/4 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Garlic salt and Pepper, to taste
Meyer Lemon Cream Sauce:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Zest and juice of 1 Meyer Lemon
1/2 cup white wine (Truvee Chardonnay)
1/2 cup chicken broth (Pacific Foods Lemongrass Bone Both)
2/3 cup Mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup sweet corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Fresh Basil, for garnish
Additional lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Zucchini Noodles:
Using a Veggeti or Spiralizer vegetable cutter, cut both zucchini into medium large noodles over a cutting board or large bowl.
Form the vegetable pasta into two piles and cut each in half to create shorter, easy to manage strands.
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and sauté the garlic for a minute or so, being careful not to burn.
Add the zucchini noodles, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes to your desired consistency.
Remove noodles from the heat into a medium bowl and set aside while you cook the shrimp.
Prepare the Shrimp:
In the same sauce pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
Sprinkle some garlic salt and pepper on to the shrimp, and add shrimp to the pan cooking for about 3 minutes, stirring often so they cook evenly.
Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a small bowl while you make the Meyer Lemon cream sauce.
Meyer Lemon Cream Sauce:
Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in the same large sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the additional garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, zest, chicken broth and wine and let simmer down until reduced, about 3 minutes.
Add the corn kernels, salt and pepper and heat through another minute or two, then stir in the Mascarpone cheese until you get a silky, creamy sauce.
Add the cooked shrimp, zucchini noodles and basil; toss to coat. (You can also keep the zucchini noodles separate from the shrimp, corn and basil with Meyer Lemon sauce and spoon it over the noodles in bowls which keeps the noodles from getting mushy in the sauce which is how i prefer serving them.)
Serve with additional basil and lemon zest, and a glass of Chardonnay or dry Italian wine and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Notes
This would also be a delicious sauce over any pasta, and if you're a vegetarian you could substitute the shrimp for another vegetable or legumes for some protein.
If you can't find Meyer lemons or they aren't in season, simply mix some orange juice into the lemon juice to give it a similar flavor.
Note: I received a sample of McBride Sisters Truvee Chardonnay for tasting which inspired me to create this recipe and share with my readers. All opinions of the product are my own and I was not compensated for this post.
I recently did a food styling project for Morningstar Farms to promote some of their new products to local food editors in NYC, and one of them I got to sample and loved was their Spicy Indian Veggie Burger. I’m not normally a fan of frozen food products and I’m definitely not a Vegan, but I was really impressed with the flavor and texture of these, and decided to make a delicious Curry Cilantro Slaw to go with it along with a Peanut Satay Yogurt Sauce for topping served with some Grilled Pita.
The Indian Veggie burgers have organic red lentils, chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, peas, bell peppers, coconut cream and curry seasonings in them, and are 100% vegan. They are super easy to cook too – I just cooked them for about 10 minutes in a sauté pan, but they could also be grilled or microwaved. The best part is they are only 130 calories and have lots of protein in them so they’re healthy and a great vegan/vegetarian option when you’re seeking lighter fare.
My Curry Cilantro Slaw is super delicious as a topping and side salad with grilled pita bread (or you could stuff it all into the pita, or Naan bread if you wish). The slaw has purple and white cabbage, carrots, celery, honey, olive oil, cilantro, golden balsamic vinegar, and some indian spices such as black sesame seed, cumin seed, curry powder, and indian red pepper to give it a little kick, then topped with toasted crushed peanuts for some extra crunch.
The best part? My Peanut Satay Yogurt Sauce – made with Greek yogurt, satay seasoning, and some peanut butter with a little dash of Indian red pepper. The creamy sauce goes perfect on the burgers and cools the heat and has a delicious peanut-y savory taste. You can find satay seasoning online at Penzey’s (the brand I use) or on Amazon – it has a gorgeous blend of spices such as salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, turmeric, paprika, galangal, cayenne and lemongrass..so good! And of course you could substitute any nut butter you wish for the sauce – cashew, sunflower, or almond butter would be great too.
And of course if you are feeling adventurous and have the time to make your own Indian burgers from scratch, I found a great recipe from Whole Foods which would be great with the Curry Slaw and Satay Yogurt Sauce as well. You could also serve this with some curry chicken, spiced beef or lamb burgers, or even spicy grilled fish and it would be equally delicious!
Also, just a heads up – this recipe feeds a crowd (about 6-8 people). If you’re only serving a few, just cut the recipe in half (or quarter it if you’re dining solo!) Enjoy.
Indian Burgers with Curry Cilantro Slaw & Peanut Satay Yogurt Sauce
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6-8
Serving Size: 1-2 burgers with 1 piece of pita, 1/2 cup of slaw,
Spicy Indian veggie burgers, served with a Curry Cilantro Slaw and Peanut Satay Yogurt sauce served on grilled pita bread.
Ingredients
Curry Cilantro Slaw:
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1/2 fresh lime (about 2 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Indian black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon indian red pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
8 cups shredded coleslaw (cabbage and carrots)
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted and crushed
Peanut Satay Yogurt Sauce:
1-17.6 ounce container Greek yogurt
4-5 tablespoons Peanut Butter (or Almond, Cashew or Sunflower butter)
2 tablespoons Satay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Indian red pepper
Spicy Indian Burgers:
8 frozen Spicy Indian Burgers (2 packages) (Morningstar farms)
8 slices pita bread or naan bread
Instructions
Curry Cilantro Slaw:
In a large bowl, mix together the vinegar, lime juice, honey, olive oil and seasonings.
Add coleslaw mix, celery and cilantro and mix together well.
Heat a small saute pan over medium heat and toast the peanuts until lightly browned.
Remove from heat and let cool, crush into small pieces and add to the coleslaw, reserving a small amount for topping the burgers.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to let flavors meld.
Peanut Satay Yogurt Sauce:
Place all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir together.
Cover and set aside in the refrigerator while preparing Indian burgers and grilled pita.
Spicy Indian Burgers:
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.
Spray cooking oil on each side of the burgers and cook for about 10 minutes, turning half way through until golden brown.
Cook burgers in batches and set aside.
Spray a little more oil on the pita or naan bread and cook until lightly browned, for about 2-3 minutes, turning to cook both sides.
Serve the burgers hot with grilled pita bread topped with Peanut Satay sauce, and Curry Cilantro slaw on top or on the side as a salad (or stuff it all inside the pita or naan bread).
Serves 6-8.
Notes
- You can also substitute any nut butter (cashew, almond, sunflower seed) for the Satay Yogurt sauce.
- The slaw and yogurt sauce would also be equally delicious on grilled spicy chicken, beef or lamb burgers or spicy grilled fish.
- If you're serving only 2-4 people, cut the recipe in half.
There’s nothing I love to eat more in the summer than some fresh seafood to enjoy with friends for a backyard BBQ, picnic or beach party. Everyone loves Lobster Rolls, but they can get a little pricey, and take a lot of work to make enough for a crowd. If you’re in the mood for seafood, Alaskan King Crab BLT sandwiches are a fresh, healthy and less expensive alternative, and a fun addition to your next outdoor BBQ party or picnic. And, they’re a breeze to make with the help of the new KitchenAid Pro Line® Series 4-Slice Automatic Toaster.
KitchenAid Toaster
This gorgeous candy apple red beauty is a new product in the KitchenAid’s Pro Line® Series engineered and designed for culinary pros (and is no ordinary toaster at that!) It’s not only a beautiful addition to your kitchen appliance collection, but also smart as a whip with plenty of options to make the perfect piece of toast in a snap. And it even comes in three sleek colors to choose from: black, white or red. Isn’t it pretty?
King Crab BLT
These delicious Crab BLT’s are made with fresh lump Alaskan King crab meat (you can find it in your local grocery market in the seafood section or buy it fresh from a seafood market). They have tons of flavor from all the fresh veggies and herbs inside: minced red bell peppers, jalapenos, fresh cilantro, scallions and chives. For some extra kick, I add a dash of spicy Sriracha (hot chile pepper sauce), a little bit of mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice and capers, and a few breadcrumbs to bind them all together. Simply make the crab cakes by patting them into medium size patties, then coat them in some Japanese Panko breadcrumbs and lightly fry them to perfection in some oil and drain. Rest the crab cakes on a gorgeous bed of lettuce and juicy tomatoes, garnished with crispy bacon and a light and refreshing coleslaw for crunch. The crowning touch is a homemade Sesame-Sriracha Mayo on a beautifully toasted (or grilled) sesame hard roll. Let the fun begin!
Here are a few of my current objects of obsession…food, wine, cooking tools and gadgets, restaurants, ingredients, props, styling and photography tools, etc…just simply places and things I love that I think are notable and worth a big shout out for their wonderful-ness! Enjoy.
1. Rice Cube Sushi Maker
Sushi can sometimes be a laborious and time consuming thing to make and messy at that. The Rice Cube Sushi maker is just a cool little plastic cube that makes it super easy to make cute and colorful sushi with rice, risotto, polenta, lentils and even falafel. Just add your proteins and veggies and seasonings to the rice, pop it into the cube and voila – you’ve got gorgeous bite size sushi cubes that will brighten up an party tray. Pretty Awesome.Click here for some fun recipe ideas too.
I’m a hot sauce addict, and have tried almost everyone one in the world..and this one is definitely one of my favs – it’s a little bit hot, a little bit sweet, and a little bit tangy and it does go on everything and anything! Originally developed for Autumn Pig Roasts held in the hills south of Naples, NY – it’s great as a marinade, grilling sauce for pork, chicken and beef, tortilla dips, pretzels, on eggs, homefries and for added zing to soups and stews. LOVE IT.
Perfect for the wine aficionado, Verseur 4-in-1 Wine Opener is not only gorgeous, but a convenient multi-tool that combines everything you need to open, serve and save your best wines. It has an easy to use corkscrew, foil cutter, pour spout and rubber stopper all in one nifty sleek-looking tool. Comes in black or metallic red and runs $24.99. Oh, and it was also designed by Angelo Cacchione of London – just a regular guy with a brilliant idea come to life with the help of Quirky.com and their community. Definitely a cool site to check out for fun, inventive items.
I first tried Maguey Sweet Sap at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC last year. It’s an organic, sustainable raw sweetener made with a varied sugar profile that comes from the maguey plant (similar to agave) from the deserts of Mexico. It’s also a natural source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and prebiotic soluble fiber and has a flavor similar to molasses but is less thick. Great sugar substitute for baking, sweetening drinks, yogurts, fruits, pancakes. Just might be a new favorite.
I don’t have much to say other than – who doesn’t love a little bling? These sparkling cuties will brighten up any party in a heartbeat, and come in silver, gold, pink and yellow. Just too fun. Plus, LEIF has a ton of other creative and unique tabletop items, jewelry, accessories, apothecary and other cool objets de désir on their site. Glam it up a little.
Now I’m a sucker for homemade comfort food and especially Sunday Brunch – if you’re in this with me, you gotta check out Penelope in Murray Hill, NYC. It’s a charming cafe, bakery and bar on the corner of Lexington and 30th St – decked out in a tiny space with a blue and white striped awning, a buzzing, homey, interior with wood tables, coffee brewing, and a line out the door on Sunday mornings. Jennifer Potenza and her partner Michael Tsoumpas opened Penelope in 2003 with the goal of creating homey comfort food based on her Mom’s recipes and the cafes and bakeries Jenny has worked in throughout the years. Some of my favs on the menu are the Nutella French Toast, Penny Egg Sandwich, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Arugula with Warm Chicken Meatballs Salad, Joey & Jack’s Chicken Pot Pie, and the Sweet Peas Macaroni and Cheese is um, TO. DIE. FOR. Tons of great burgers, sandwiches and sides too with plenty of vegetarian options. Oh, and they named the cafe after their pet turtle, Penelope, who is seen by appointment only. I have yet to meet her.
Little Ink is a New Zealand-based company with an online store full of great products for packaging, wrapping, baking, crafting and parties. A site full of crafty and colorful items for mixing and matching fabrics, papers, twine and all kinds of other DIY goodies. Mason jars, glass milk bottles, paper baking supplies, ribbons, bags, boxes, stickers, stamps, straws, decorations – you name it..they got it. And it’s all just fun. A creative girl’s dream come true.
9. Asselina Ristorante, Gansevoort Park Ave South NYC
Asselina is a swanky Italian restaurant and bar located in the Gansevoort Hotel on Park Avenue South in NYC. Fireplaces, chic design and lighting, private lounges and patios, and oh, did I mention the FOOD yet? My last feast was a sampling off the lunch menu which was plenty of food for 3 or 4 people. We had the Wood-Fired Pizza with Black Truffle and Farmer’s Egg; the Baked Eggplant with Fresh Ricotta, Tomato and Basil; the House Meatballs with Tomato and Sugo; and the Baby Beet Salad with Cantaloupe, Mache and Ricotta Salata. I can only imagine how divine their dinner menu must be with their impressive wine list to boot. Three words:Rustic. Modern. Sexy.
There’s something beautiful about handcrafted wooden tools and servingware that I just can’t get enough of. Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. is a wood crafting studio located in Kingston, NY who make gorgeous, unique, handcrafted items. None of their items are alike, and they use only domestic hardwoods that are sustainably harvested. And I’m all for supporting local craftsmen and resources from NY State too. Simply lovely.
It’s that time of year again to start planning menus and recipes for the holidays. But instead of just serving traditional turkey or ham, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, why not mix it up a little bit and serve your holiday meal with an international flair? I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and interview several Top Chefs and restaurants in NYC to get some creative ideas for non-traditional holiday menus for the holidays. Whether it have a Spanish, French, Asian, Jewish or Italian twist; here are some great international menu ideas and recipes for a fabulous holiday meal with family and friends that break the norm.
Spanish Holiday Menu – Alex Raij, Executive Chef at Txikito NYC
Executive Chef Alex Raij from the Spanish restaurant Txikito in NYC always makes a classic, festive dish for the holidays. This Canelones de Bakalao Recipe (Salted Cod Fish Canneloni with Crème Fraiche) feeds a crowd and references Basque, Catalan and Argentine family holiday traditions that Chef Raij grew up with in Spain. Serve with other traditional Spanish hot and cold tapas such as: Pikillos: roasted Navarran sweet peppers with ajoarriero; Kroketas: crispy creamy croquettes; Boquerón: marinated white anchovy with eggplant and piquillo; Cogollos: butter lettuce, Basque anchovy, and Bonito del Norte and Tutera: gratin of artichoke, Roncal, Jamón.
Canelones de Bakalao
Photo Credit: Kristen Hess
Canelones de Bakalao Recipe (Salted Cod Fish Canneloni with Crème Fraiche)
Executive Chef Alex Raij, Txikito
Serves 6
1 9×9 inch baking dish, preferably earthenware
12 – 4 inch square pieces fresh pasta sheets boiled and shocked in ice water (The Chef recommends cooking longer sheets and then cutting them after they are cooled in ice bath so they are more uniform)
Filling and topping
2.5 pounds cod
2 tablespoons Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 cups olive oil
1.5 cup tomato pulp pref. pomi brand
2 cups Creme fraiche
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
50 grams hackleback or other high quality caviar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Salt the cod with the 2 T. kosher salt and let stand 10 minutes.
Rinse and pat dry.
Place the cod in a small pot and cover with olive oil.
Place on medium low heat and poach the cod in the oil until it flakes when prodded
Remove the fish to a mixing bowl to cool.
Pour 1/2 cup of the poaching oil over the cooling cod to cool with it.
Heat remaining oil add the tomato fry the tomato until cooked and a little sweet, season with salt.
Pour the tomato oil mix I the bottom of the baking dish.
Break up the cooled cod and flake it with clean hands.
Whip it up with the oil with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Place 6 pasta sheets side by side and place 1/12 of the filling at the end of each sheet.
Roll away from you and place on the tomato.
Repeat with the rest of the filling and next 6 sheets.
Season the crème fraiche with salt and pour over the caneloni.
Bake at 375 until bubbly.
Sprinkle with chives and top with caviar just before serving.
Serve 2 pieces per person.
Printed with permission of Alex Raij. All rights reserved.
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French Holiday Menu – Olivier Quignon, Executive Chef at Bar Boulud
Even as Chef Olivier Quignon of Bar Boulud prepares to celebrate his seventh Christmas in NYC, he hasn’t lost touch with the French holiday traditions of his hometown, the Northern French town of Beauvais. Christmas in the Quignon household, and in the restaurant he helms on behalf of renowned French Chef Daniel Boulud, Bar Boulud, is traditional to a tee, lasting up to six hours and spanning just as many courses. What does a typical French holiday meal entail?
Oysters “Always oysters. We shuck them at lunch and the eating begins.”
Cured or Smoked Fish
Foie Gras “This can be hot, seared, or served as a terrine.”
Hot Fish or Pasta
Poultry
Beef or Game
Cheese “ALWAYS cheese. French people eat cheese at practically every meal. We may sometimes skip dessert, but we never skip cheese.”
Pastry “At Christmas this is often a Bûche de Noel. But my wife is a pastry chef, so there are usually many desserts.”
Tournedos Rossini with Truffles and Foie Gras
Photo Credit: Kristen Hess
Traditionally, Tournedos Rossini is a French steak dish, purportedly created for the composer Gioachino Rossini by French master chef Marie-Antoine Carême. The dish comprises a tournedos (beef tenderloin) pan-fried in butter, served on a crouton, and topped with a hot slice of fresh whole foie gras briefly pan-fried at the last minute. A few slices of black truffle and Madeira demi-glace sauce garnish the dish.
At Bar Boulud New York, ‘Rossini’ is a dish that makes an appearance on the menu every holiday season, and on the tables at many French holiday meals. It is rich in ingredients and flavors, hearty, and the perfect celebration dish. There are several way to prepare Rossini, but Bar Boulud sticks to the traditional preparation—seared beef tenderloin atop a brioche toast, topped with seared foie gras and Madeira-beef jus, served with Pommes Macaire dotted with a celery root puree.
Tournedos Rossini with Truffles and Foie Gras and Pommes Macaire
Executive Chef Olivier Quignon, Bar Boulud
Serves 4
Pommes Macaire
Kosher salt, as needed
4 yellow gold potatoes
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Black truffle butter or oil
2 egg yolks
Canola oil for frying
½ cup flour
Celery Root Puree
1 small (about 3/4 pound) celery root, peeled
Salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
Freshly ground white pepper
To Finish
1 ½ lbs angus beef tenderloin, tied with butchers twine
12 ounces fresh grade A foie gras
6 tablespoons beef jus or demi glace
2 ounces Madeira
1 Tablespoon chopped shallot
4 ¼ thin slices of brioche, cut into 3 ½-inch circles, toasted
8 small light green celery leaves
1 small black winter truffle
For the Pomme Macaire
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make a bed of salt on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and place potatoes on top. Bake potatoes for 45 minutes, or until tender.
Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the potato with a fork, season to taste with salt, pepper, and truffle butter (or oil). Stir in the egg yolk to combine. Press mixture into a bread loaf pan and chill overnight.
Turn the potatoes onto a cutting board and cut into (at least 8) 3 x ½-inch batons. Lightly coat the batons in the flour and shake off excess.
Fill 1/3 of a saucepan with canola oil and heat to 350°F. When ready to serve, fry the potatoes in batches until golden brown. Strain onto a paper towel-lined tray, sprinkle with salt.
For the Celery Root Puree
Cut the celery root into medium dice. Place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until browned. Add the celery root, milk, and water to cover; bring to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 12 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the celery root to a blender and puree with enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth puree. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl.
When ready to serve, transfer to a small saucepan and stir over medium heat to heat through.
To Finish
Slice the tenderloin into four portions and season on all sides with salt and pepper.
Cut the foie gras into four slices and season on all sides with salt and pepper.
Place a large sauté pan over high heat. Once very hot, sear the foie gras on both sides to brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter, cover with foil and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan with the foie gras fat to the heat. Sear the beef on all sides, about 3-4 minutes each, basting the meat constantly with the fat. Brown the beef on all sides while basting the constantly with the fat in the pan, about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 120°F for medium rare. Transfer the beef to the platter with the foie gras, cover, and rest in a warm place.
Add the shallots to the same pan over medium low heat, and cook, stirring until translucent. Add the Madeira and simmer to reduce by 2/3. Stir in the beef jus and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
For each serving, place a brioche toast on a plate and top with a portion of beef. Top the beef with a piece of roasted foie gras, and shavings of black truffle. Place two pommes macaire next to the beef and top each with a spoonful of celery puree. Garnish puree with two celery leaves. Spoon the sauce from the pan around and serve.
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Asian Holiday Menu – Hung Huynh, Executive Chef at Catch Restaurant NYC
Whole Roasted Branzino is a favorite recipe of Chef Hung Huynh of Catch NYC for the holidays. It’s simple, delicious and easy to make and great for feeding a crowd. Chef Hung also recommends adding some miso, ginger, soy and lemongrass to the seasonings to amp up the Asian flavors in this beautiful seafood holiday dish. His Asian inspired holiday menu includes:
Roasted Whole Branzino
Sautéed Green beans with EVOO and Soy Sauce
White or Brown Steamed Rice
Miso Soup
Fresh fruit
Roasted Whole Branzino
Photo Credit: Kristen Hess
Roasted Whole Branzino
Executive Chef Hung Huynh
Serves 2-4 people
Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 pound Branzino
1 tablespoon of Aged Balsamic
Seasoning Rub:
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of picked chopped thyme
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one lime
Directions:
Before cooking, the Branzino must be scaled, gutted and scored.
Combine all the seasoning rub ingredients.
Rub entire fish with seasoning including the cavity, distributing evenly.
Make sure that the entire fish is covered in the rub.
Take a half sheet pan and roast at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Reserve the remaining olive oil in the sheet pan.
Place the fish on a platter and drizzle with the reserved olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.
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Jewish Holiday Menu – Zach Kutsher, Proprietor, Kutsher’s Tribeca
Zach Kutsher, Chef and Owner of Kutsher’s Tribeca, always serves Latkes for the Hanukkah holiday. These crispy potato latkes are a traditional Jewish dish made of grated potatoes, onion, eggs and matzo meal, shaped into round potato pancakes and fried to a crispy golden brown. The traditional way to serve them is with a spoonful of sour cream, but Zach likes to also add ½ ounce of caviar (salmon roe, paddlefish caviar and wasabi flying fish roe) to the latkes to give them a special holiday touch. Some other fun ideas that Chef Zach does to dress up the latkes are to use some non-traditional savory toppings such as:
Peking Duck with Cucumber, Scallions and Sesame Hoisin
Wild Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and Herbed Ricotta
Gravlax and Dilled Creme Fraiche
Pastrami Reuben (pastrami, sauerkraut, emmentaler and thousand island dressing)
VLT – Veal Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato
To make it a complete Jewish holiday menu, serve the latkes with: Chopped Duck and Chicken Liver, Seasonal Pickles, Golden and Red Beet Salad with Lemon Ricotta, Arugula and Pecans, Turkey or Brisket with Challah Chestnut Stuffing, Cheesy Spaetzle Kugel, Brussels Sprouts and Pumpkin Shlishkas with Amaretto Matzo and Sage Brown Butter and Babka Sticky Buns for dessert.
Grate onion on the fine side of a cheese grater and then line a strainer with some paper towels and let drain in sink as dry as possible.
Mix egg, yolk, matzo meal, salt, lemon juice, and drained onion together, set aside.
Julienne the potatoes (cut into thin small matchsticks) or grate on the large side of cheese grater, and periodically put the potato in the egg mix to prevent browning. Do not wash potato after it is cut.
Mix all together, fry in schmaltz (rendered/clarified chicken or goose fat – or you can substitute canola oil)
Take one handful of mix, twisted in the palm of your hand like you would spaghetti on a fork, till golden brown and crispy, then flip.
Finish in oven if necessary.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Italian Holiday Menu – Gabe Thompson, Executive Chef of Epicurean Group (dell’anima, L’Artusi, L’Apicio, and Anfora)
Grilled Pork Chop
Photo Credit: Epicurean Group
Chef Thompson, Executive Chef of the Epicurean Group in NYC loves creating special menus for the holidays. It is all about the food, flavors and family. His menu below puts his crave-able Italian twist on some fall favorites to make for a classic holiday menu!
Grilled Pork Chop — roasted vegetable and chestnut panzanella, pork sugo
Warm Cranberry-pumpkin Budino – served with apple cider sauce
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Roasted Acorn Squash Salad Recipe
Executive Chef Gabe Thompson, Epicurean Group
Serves 4-6
2 acorn squash (1 ½ pounds)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each squash into 8-9 wedges, each wedge about 1 inch thick. Remove and discard seeds. In a large bowl, toss the squash wedges together with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season generously with salt.
Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of butter. As soon as the butter melts, add half of the squash to the pan, arranging the pieces so that they are cut-side down. Sprinkle half of the sage over the squash. Cook undisturbed until it is golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Turn each squash piece over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown on the other side. Remove squash from the pan and place on a half sheet tray or cookie sheet. Repeat this process with remaining olive oil, butter, squash and sage leaves.
Drizzle maple syrup over the squash segments. Place in the oven and bake until each piece of squash is easily pierced with a fork, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and set aside.
