Tag: Personal chef

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles (Paleo)

Last week I was planning a meal for a new client who keeps kosher and is on the paleo diet. The couple wanted a sweet treat after their meal so I was on a mission to find the perfect dessert! I thought chocolate could be a good start. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like chocolate?  I found a few recipes online using ingredients like coconut milk, coconut oil and chocolate. I had to add peanut butter because, selfishly, I think it makes a dessert and it adds protein ;).  The dessert is completely dairy free and tastes just like a regular decadent truffle. It’s perfect for diets such as kosher, paleo, and just trying to be healthy.

Truffles 5

Truffles

Portion out the above ingredients, microwaves in 1 minute increments, then mix.

Truffles

Freeze the above mixture until it’s solid.

IMG_6790

Scoop using a pastry scoop. I used a teaspoon size but you can use a bigger one if you want. After you scoop them all, roll into balls in your hand. After, cover the truffles in cocoa nibs.

Truffles 3

Truffles 3

Truffles 4

 

Print Recipe
 Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles (Paleo)
They are oh so good and taste just like regular truffles! No joke, these are legit and a must try!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
9
Ingredients
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
9
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in bowl.
  2. Microwave until melted and mix with a spoon.
  3. Cover and freeze until solid.
  4. Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet then shape into balls.
  5. Roll in cocoa nibs.
  6. Make sure to use the thick milk part of the coconut milk and not the liquid.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

The other day I did a little cooking lesson with Julie from the blog, From Prosecco to Plaid. I absolutely loved teaching her some basics in the kitchen. We started out with which knife to use and how to use it. Then we moved onto her oven setting and how I love to use the convection setting and why. This was my first experience teaching someone in the kitchen and I really had so much fun doing it with Julie.

Julie and Morgan

 I chose to teach one of my favorite recipes, lemon garlic chicken, because anyone can make it, really, anyone!

Cleaning Chicken

If I can give any advice in the kitchen it’s to be clean and organized. If you aren’t, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Chopping garlic

Always be careful when cutting, you never want to chop a nail or finger off.

chopping

Keep all of your ingredients organized and separated. Julie did a particularly great job at this 🙂

Pour

Pour the wine, shallot and garlic mix over the chicken.

bake

Bake for 30 minutes on convection and voile! Dinner is served!

chicken

 
Print Recipe
 Lemon Garlic Chicken
Dairy Free, Gluten Free Adapted by Ina Garten's recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
4
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
  3. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
  4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.
Recipe Notes

You can check out Julie's  must see blog, From Prosecco to Plaid. I've gotten some pretty helpful tips and tricks from fashion to hair suggestions.

Cajun Seasoned Kale Chips

I’m always looking for a healthy snack and these kale chips are just it! They have a hint of spice and are good enough for the carnivorous fiance to approve of. These were all of the hype about a year ago but i’m bringing them back because they’re so delicious.  You can season them with so many different flavors: parm, salt & pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle powder, taco seasoning, etc.

Did I mention how healthy they are for you? Kale is the richest source of carotenoids in the leafy-green vegetable family, making it a top cancer-fighter. Cancer fighter? I’m in!

photo 5 (1)

First start out by washing the kale and preheating the oven to 425 degrees.

Kale 1

I like dinosaur kale because of its texture but you can also use other varieties.

Tear the leaves off from the stem keeping them together.

Kale 2

Dry them with a paper towel then add grapeseed oil. Spread them evenly, be sure not to crowd them as they will steam and not crisp up. Sprinkle your chosen seasoning on top. Bake for about 7 minutes depending on your oven. Be sure not to over cook them- they will burn! (it happened to one of my batches, eek!)

Kale 3

They’re light and crispy like a chip and healthy! What more can you ask for?

kale 5

 

Print Recipe
 Cajun Seasoned Kale Chips
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Servings
6
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Servings
6
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Clean the kale thoroughly then peel back the leaves from the stem leaving them in long pieces.
  3. Dry the leaves then toss them with grapeseed oil on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
  4. After tossing them in oil, sprinkle the cajun seasoning on top.
  5. Bake for 7 minutes, or until crisp. Keep an eye on them! You don't want them to burn.
Recipe Notes

When spreading out the kale on a cookie sheet, make sure you don't put them too close together. They will steam instead of crisp up.

:: Canada ::

leaves

 We planned our visit around food as we always do and set the bar incredibly too high. We started by getting smoked meat here at Schwartz’s. I usually don’t like a huge meat sandwich but my dear friend recommended we try it. The meat was not only smoky but moist. There were no tough pieces involved here, it was just smooth moist meat. Having grown up with delicious bbq smoked meat in Texas, this was the best I’ve ever had outside of my hometown.

schwartz's

 

schwartz's

I love bagels. I have high expectations for  a good bagel as does my fiance.  We took a bit of  a trek out of unfamiliar territory just to find this bagel shop, Boulangerie Bagel Shop on St. Viateur. The bagel was sweeter than a normal New York bagel. The shape is a bit different than I’m used to also. It was slightly more dense and chewey on the inside while being kind of crunchy on the outside. Apparently cream cheese is frowned upon, we asked the owner for some and he said “My bagels don’t need cream cheese but if you must have it, it’s in the cooler over there.” After taking my first bite, I just had to figure out what was different than what I was used to. Note to self: add sugar when making bagels!!
bagel shop

bagels

bagels

This was about when my mind was blown. We had reservations at Au Pied de Cochon for 2 months at this point. I was anticipating this night as I read and heard about how amazing this place is. Our first dish was the poutine with fois gras.  This poutine was so incredibly amazing that I could have eaten 5 more plates.

For those who don’t know what poutine is, it’s just fries with a rich gravy and cheese curds on top. This was definitely kicked up 10 notches with the fois gras on top. The gravy was salty and slightly sweet with a rich creamy white sauce smothering the fries as well. All of the flavors and textures melted together to create harmony in my mouth. Seriously, nothing compares. The next night I was craving it so much that we stopped at a neighborhood restaurant just to test it out. Gross. Nothing compares to Au Pied de Cochons‘ amazingly delicious poutine.

Poutine!

Why not? When in Rome, right? Immediately when I saw a pic of this canned duck concoction, I knew I had to have it.

duck in a can

duck in a can

out of can

So it seems a bit gross to have your meal come out of a can when you’re paying a pretty penny. I can almost expect that they cook everything, seal it immediately then serve.

Before the waiter poured this heavenly duck, there’s a rich potato puree with tons of cream slathered on the plate. It complimented the root veggies, duck, and tangy bold sauce. I was still thinking about another plate of the poutine…. We successfully gorged ourselves to feel sick. I hate that feeling but this time it was worth it.

out of can

duck in a can

We took a little trip to the Jean Talon Market where they had tons of fresh vegetables. If only I had a kitchen to cook in. I would love living around the corner from here. Having the freshest ingredients at my finger tips is more than I could ask for.

jean talon

IMG_5538

crepe

We saw a crepe stand and immediately ordered one. This is filled with tart apples, salty ham, gooey gruyere and drizzled with sweet maple syrup, nuff said! Salty and sweet is my favorite combo, this  hit the spot. Until next time, Montreal!

The Foodie Chef Travels :: New York

Chelsea Market

Every time I visit New York it seems like there is never enough room in my tummy to try all of the hip restaurants and food carts.  The key is to plan slightly. I never have an hour by hour plan because I feel rushed and pressured to complete everything. I always have a list of a few places I would like to try. One of which was Chelsea Market. I have been before but it was extremely crowded and hard to take in. This time, I went on a Friday morning at 10am and it was a ghost town.  I highly recommend going then. After walking through the entire place, I decided on my breakfast spot, Sarabeth’s Kitchen. I got this delicious savory yet slightly sweet chive muffin with an egg in the middle. I must figure out how to make this…..

egg muffin

My next stop was Momofuku Noodle Bar. The last time I was in New York, I believed I had the best bowl of ramen at Ippudo. I have yet to find anything comparable in my hometown, Houston. Finally, Momofuku filled my desire for a bowl of umani’d  love (is that a word? I’m make it one). The broth was the perfect balance of salty, sour, and sweet. My favorite part was not the oh so popular pork belly but the shredded pork. It melted in my mouth and had the best flavor. The egg was perfectly cooked and when I punctured it, the yolk oozed out and mixed with the soup. The noodles were doughy and not overly cooked. I ate as much as I could but had to stop so I could save room for the milk bar.

Momofuku Ramen

Ramen

The next stop was Momofuku Milk Bar. I have been wanting to check this place out for far too long.  Last year I got my hands on their crack pie recipe. I’ve made it for a few dinner parties and people still rave about it to this day. With that being said, I had to find (taste) more inspiration to test more recipes! I bought the compost cookie which has butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, potato chips and more– yum!! I also got the blueberries and cream cookie which was to die for. Lastly, my friend got the cereal milk soft serve, O.M.G. Heavenly. Do you know the taste of the milk after you’ve eaten a bowl of frosted flakes? Well, this was it in soft serve form. It was so great that a few days after I came home, I searched for the recipe and make the custard.

Momofuku cereal milk

The next day we took a trip to Brooklyn and went to Smorgasbord. It’s pretty much a gourmet food market. Once again, I had to check all of the tents out before I made my decision. Between my friends and myself, I tried just about 6 different things. The one that stood out most was the lobster roll. Having been raised in the south, Texas, I haven’t really been exposed to a lobster roll. There were chunky lobster pieces, sliced iceberg lettuce, mayo, all in a buttery toasted bun. It was so good that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. See for yourself..

Lobsta Roll

Aside for the roll, I needed something sweet and came across a black and white cookie which was devoured shortly after being purchase.

Black and White cookie

Have you tried  Big Gay Ice Cream? They have some of the most unique combinations. The one I got was the salty pimp which had vanilla soft serve, sea salt, dulce de leche drizzled on top then dipped in chocolate. Wow, need I say more?

Salty Pimp

My last meal was a bagel because I had to.

Murrays bagel

//Mountain Love//

Two weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to Colorado for a vacation. After arriving by plane, we went on a little road trip that started in Denver. We met a good friend of mine at this awesome restaurant called Root Down where I had my first ever Moscow Mule. It was in a copper mug and all. I was in love. The sweet and tangy flavors quenched my thirst after our evening of traveling.

Moscow Mule

The highlight of our meal was the Green Chili Duck Tacos. A mound of duck was topped on a small flavorful blue corn taco with lemon creme fraiche, cotija cheese, and fried crunchy sweet potato. All of the flavors melted together with the salty yet sweet duck, the sour creme fraiche , and crunchy chips on top. The ambience was really hip with dimmed lighting which I really enjoyed. I would fly back just for the duck and mule.

Duck Tacos

As our road trip unraveled we landed in Boulder for a short weekend then onto Aspen. In the mean time we were surrounded by this..

CO

The views are so beautiful but driving alongside those mountains make me oh so sick. The fresh air, views, and delicious food made up for it. 🙂 However, something else completely made up for my sickness…my boyfriend and I got engaged!! He surprised me while riding a gondola down from the top of Aspen mountain. He had both of our families awaiting our arrival. Our celebration continued for several days and another highlight was trying the tasting menu at Chefs Club.  If you’re not familiar with this restaurant, they’re partnered with Food & Wine Magazine. This is where some of the best new chefs showcase their top dishes.

Chefs Club

The whole tasting menu was pretty safe, nothing was too out of the ordinary. The cocktail menu was pretty exceptional and my favorite drink had lavender and fresh egg whites in it. I’m usually skeptical of raw eggs but this, this was frothy, creamy, tangy, and smooth. Oh, and beautiful too, see below!

Lavender Drink

The best tasting item on the menu was the cured scallops. They were light, creamy, sweet, and slightly salty. The texture was maybe the best part, the salmon roe provided a burst of fresh sea flavor.  The lovely pop of color from the carrots added a faint sweetness. Uh and that presentation, exquisite!

scallops

Next up was the Keffir Lime Custard. Although I was so full from the previous dishes, I couldn’t stop eating it! It was so creamy, sour and sweet that it was hard to stop! It was almost like eating the best limeade you’ve ever had in custard form. I.could.not.stop. Before I knew it, the custard was devoured.

Key Lime

Last but not least, we had to visit the farmers market on our second to last day. Peaches are at it’s peak so I just had to taste the peach sorbet. Look how cute and yummy they look (below). The mountainous background and painted sky aren’t too bad either.

Sorbet

::New Orleans::

Oysters

Planning different foodie adventures excites my everyday life. I then have experiences to look forward to. The original plan was to check out Jazz Fest. After the unsuccessful hunt to find nothing but pricey hotels, we decided on going the weekend before the madness.  There are still amazing bands playing so why not? The last time I visited Nola was in college during Mardi Gras. It was an intense and crazy introduction to a lively city. This time, however, was much more modest. My boyfriend and I ate our way through the city (no joke) attending reservation after reservation. Perhaps next time, I’ll visit longer than a weekend, space out my large meals, and make more time to listen to local bands.

The first stop was Luke, a fabulous restaurant by the famous Chef, John Besh. Here’s to my boyfriend and my first time eating raw oysters…

I give you, the charcuterie platter! On the top left corner going the the right, we have: Foie Gras, Blood Sausage, Compania Pork. In the middle: Rabbit and Chicken pate next to it, Rillete of Pork. The sauces consisted of stone ground mustard, housemade pickles, pickled watermelons, sweet pickle relish, and pepper marmalade. My all were amazing but I could do without the blood sausage. My favorite was the rabbit and chicken pate, it was sweet, velvety, and rich. We tried every which combination to get the best flavor, see below…

Charcuterie
bite

Late night eats. This is a must. We don’t have a Krystal Burger in Houston, Texas…

krystal

Something to wake up to, Cafe Du Monde beignets.

beignets

Next stop, Commanders Palace. Way too much good food.. Below is a picture of the perfectly made gumbo. It has a dark roux flavor and color. Next to it, I’m smelling the turtle soup. It was rich in sherry and had tons of flavor. My first experience was excellent!

gumbo/turtle soup

As if I wasn’t full after the soup and killer bloody mary (ahem, heavily hand poured vodka and mixed table side). Below is a picture of shrimp & grits with pork belly. Needless to say, the pants were unbuttoned at this point. The flavor combination was a party in my mouth, from the sherry to the rich and buttery grits, I couldn’t stop eating.

shrimp and grits

Why stop there when dessert is coming? Bread pudding souffle you say? Eek, I’m so full but must. eat. more.

bread pudding souffle

Time for a nap.

———–

 I was still incredibly full after our filling yet delicious lunch and much deserved nap.  BUT we had to attend our next reservation at Cochon.

fried alligator

Here you go, the oh so delicious fried alligator. Simply cooked to perfection without a tough chew.  Sriracha aioli was the perfect addition to these nuggets. Below is the rabbit and dumplings. I would love to describe the flavor but I couldn’t eat anymore at this point.

Rabbit & Dumplings

 

It’s safe to say that we had a successful cajun fix.

Cinnamon Toast Cupcake

Hello foodies! I have such fond memories (i’m sure you do too) of  eating a huge bowl of cinnamon toast crunch cereal and enjoying the sweet milk that follows. I love the flavors { sugary, cinnamony, crunchy, sweet, and slightly salty. }  Combining this delicious cereal with a fluffy cupcake is the perfect combination.  I assure you, you will be very satisfied once you bite into one of these lovlies.

 

Hope you enjoyed the video!

Print Recipe
 Cinnamon Toast Cupcake
Servings
12
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Icing
Servings
12
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Icing
Instructions
  1. Mix eggs and sugar in standing mixer.
  2. Add buttermilk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
  3. Then add dry ingredients sifted in: ap flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
  4. For the icing: Mix cream cheese and butter then add sifted powdered sugar and cinnamon.
  5. Sprinkle crushed cereal on top.

 

{Blueberry Lemon Cardamom Donuts}

Donuts!

A friend joined me in making donuts for :: Valentines Day :: We landed on the lemon blueberry flavor with spicy cardamom because you always need something sweet in your life.  These aren’t your usual fried , crunch yet fluffy donuts.   They’re more like muffins in the shape of donuts.  The Meyer lemon glaze really balances out the sweetness of the  sugar.  I hope you enjoy something sweet in your life this Valentines Day!

image

 

Blueberry Lemon Donut

 

Print Recipe
 {Blueberry Lemon Cardamom Donuts}
Servings
12
Ingredients
Doughnuts
Blueberry Jam
Glaze
Servings
12
Ingredients
Doughnuts
Blueberry Jam
Glaze
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F.

  2. In small saucepan over medium high heat, add blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Mash blueberries until only a few remain whole. Heat and stir until boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
 Beat in greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla, milk and melted butter until fully incorporated.
  4. Spray doughnut pan with non-stick spray, filling each cavity with ¼-1/3 cup doughnut batter. Dollop two to three tsp of blueberry jam on top doughnut batter in each doughnut pan cavity. Using a knife swirl the jam into the doughnut batter. Bake in oven for 9 minutes, or until light golden brown.
  5. In small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon zest, milk and vanilla bean caviar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is runny.
 Dunk tops of doughnuts into glaze and turn right side up to set. Serve while still slightly warm.

The Great Get Away :: Austin ::

It was time for a trip. When life gets repetitive, there’s a huge need for a foodie adventure! Austin is only a few hours away so it’s not a bad ride. Our trip was kind of last minute but before going, I posted on facebook asking friends for food suggestions. We hit some of the top spots and to my surprise, Austin has become so hip and trendy that there are almost 2 hour waits at restaurants. Wait, what?! I wish we planned a bit better but the lesson was learned!  We missed out on places like Midnight Cowboy.

Austin

The first stop was Elizabeth Street Cafe. I’m not usually one to try trendy asian food as I love hole in the walls. I absolutely loved the decor and style of this place. They had the cutest uniforms and their logo can’t be beat. I hate to say it but I liked the way this place looked better than how the food tasted.  It was just missing that authentic flair. I did like one thing… a delicious spicy and tangy drink, Year of the Dragon. It’s made with beet sake, orange sherry, ginger brew, fresnos, falernum, and lime.

Year of the Dragon

The next day we set out on our adventure to have a fulfilling breakfast but light enough to do some hiking. We ended up at the highly recommended,  Bouldin Creek Cafe. I had been there previously but I went out on a limb this time to try some vegetarian/ vegan fare. Everything on the menu seems to have a healthy vibe to which I love! I ended up getting the Renedicit. The small print says “available before 1pm while it lasts.” If a menu item has info like that, I must try this dish. It comes with… grilled ciabatta served open faced and topped with baby spinach, 2 over-medium cage-free eggs, local tomatoes, tofu ‘bacon’, and homemade vegan Hollandaise. So. Freaking. Delicious. I could eat this meal every day. Who knew vegan fare was this amazing?

Bouldin Creek Cafe

After an easy hike around McKinney Falls and a relaxing hour of canoeing on Lady Bird Lake, we had to fill our tummies with yet another delicious meal. This time we chose Noble Pig. It was, like my friend had said, a tad bit far from the hip area but so worth the trip. I took the advice and was blown away. Everything on the menu looked amazing. In the cold case, they had freshly made pate, bacon fat,  house made pickled veggies (holy moly), and more. I settled on the special, house made shrimp sausage wrapped in bacon, pickled veggies, crispy bacon on a challah bun. Holy heck! This was maybe one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The combinations of flavors and textures all together made my tastebuds dance like crazy.

Shrimp Sausage

            nom nom nom

Shrimp Sausage

Our tummies were full and extremely happy. {nap time}

As the evening came, we started the night off with a drink at Weather Up. Ok, ok, I know I keep saying each meal is the best i’ve had. Seriously though, this was the best cocktail. In Houston, we have wonderful cocktail bars like Anvil, which is still one of my favorites. But Weather up, wow. Just on another level of cocktail bars than I’ve experienced. Apparently they don’t buy bags of ice. Instead, they have a huge  block that they chip off of. Each drink requires a different “cut” of the ice. Talk about time consuming work.. Anyway, the entire menu was unique but the waitress helped me find my drink of the night, Peach Blow Fizz. No, this drink didn’t have any peach in it, kind of misleading…

Weather Up

Ok so let me tell you why this drink is so amazing. The absolutely perfectly whipped egg white. Having a pastry background, one can appreciate perfectly whipped whites. It tasted like a boozy strawberry shake without the milk and not overly boozy! It was light and fluffy which was the perfect texture for this flavor combination. I was in heaven.

Peach Blow Fizz

Next stop, Foreign & Domestic. This place was made for the adventurous foodie, one who eat pork jowls and such. The menu was tiny and so was the restaurant.  It’s a good thing though, it gives the chefs a chance to hone in on their skills, use quality ingredients and make each dish amazing. I got the short ribs and the bf got the monsterous kobe burger. Both set us in food comas. ’nuff said.

Short Ribs

 

Kobe Burger

 

All in all, it was a successfull (pun & misspelling intended) foodie adventure to Austin. Lessons learned: plan 2 weeks ahead and make reservations.