Tag: chef service

Cooking Class in Bologna, Italy

Cooking Class Apartmen

After a year long engagement, my fiance and I finally tied the knot! It was a magical evening and everything we could have asked for surrounded by family and friends. A few days later, we embarked on our Italian honeymoon, #jankcation as we call it.

Our first stop was in Venice, the most romantic place possible. Unfortunately, George Clooney was getting married at that time and it was oh so busy in Venice. It was uncomfortably packed in this city 🙁 We made the best of it and wandered through the town peering out on canals.

Next, we rented a car and drove to Monte San Pietro, Emilia-Romagna which is about 15-20 minutes outside of Bologna. This was was absolutely breathetaking! The area was filled with Fattoria’s (agrotourismo) and unpretentious vineyards. We stayed at an airbnb that was decorated 70’s style named Cool Cat that looked out to other hill towns.

We arranged a market tour and cooking class for beginners (husband) and experienced (me). We started out by finding the teacher at a specific coffee shop. It was interesting finding it in a city we had never been to nor do we speak the language. After asking a few people and staring at our map, we found her!

She then took us to this amazing market that’s only held on weekends. Everything is grown locally and looked so fresh and beautiful. The market was surrounded by bakeries, meat stores, small grocery shops, convenience stores, and specialty stores. I was in heaven. After we gathered all of our ingredients and got all of my questions answered, we went to the teachers apartment to start cooking!

fresh produce Fresh produce

We started out making fresh pasta. The eggs that we used had bright fresh orange yolks.  If only I raised chickens in my backyard… I learned in school to make it by hand then roll it through a pasta machine. This time, we did it all by hand which took a bit of time but was worth it.

pasta we made M&Z with pasta

We then stuffed squash blossoms with ricotta and parsley.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Now it was time to get all of the sauces together: Bolognese, porcini marsala, and butter. Everything we made was very simple with simple ingredients but all were very fresh. The tomatoes, tasted like actual sweet and delicate tomatoes!  I feel like the tomatoes we get here in US are bland, picked before ripe and just have no taste.  This is really unfortunate.

We cooked up our pumpkin tortellini then sauteed it in butter then it got a fab drizzle of 25 year aged balsamic vinegar. Next, our over an hour simmering bolognese sauce was topped on our freshly made tagliatelle. Then of course we grated fresh parmesan from Parma.

pumpkin tortellini Bolognese

I’m pretty sure my husband and I agree on this, our cooking class in Bologna was by far the best meal we shared together in Italy. It’s no joke that Bologna is the food capital of Italy, it is the real deal.

 

 

 

 

Austin Foodie Adventures

Franklin BBQ

My fiance and I are lucky enough to have to visit Austin multiple times this year in preparation for our wedding there. On this particular trip, we had time to explore restaurants we’ve been wanting to try. One of which is the world famous Franklin BBQ. Especially since it made a juicy appearance in the movie Chef and Obama visited the restaurant recently.

We didn’t want to wait in line so we had two failed attempts of hiring someone to wait in line for us. The third time was a charm due to taskrabbit and it’s reliable people. In the meantime, we tried another bbq spot, Micklethwait, during the two failed attempts. The ribs and moist brisket definitely satisfied us for the time being.

Micklethwait BBQ

Finally, on our last day, we had success in someone waiting in line for us. No, we’re not lazy, we’re just efficient 🙂 We ended up waiting an hour on top of the taskrabbit person waiting 3 hours. It was well worth it, see below. We went a bit crazy and ordered something like 5 pounds of brisket, 2 pounds ribs, 2 pounds, sausage, 2 pounds turkey, small scoop of potato salad and a pint of cole slaw. We made a dent in this but we were able to take a lot home to Houston and share with family (lucky them!)

Franklin BBQIn comparing the two bbq places, they were pretty close. Franklin does have crazy hype for good reason but Micklethwait was pretty amazing too. Their ribs fell off the bone and the brisket was moist, juicy and had a nice smoke ring. I think both are worth trying. If you don’t mind waiting 4 hours, try Franklin BBQ. If you don’t care about the name and hype, definitely try the later bbq place. You won’t be disappointed.

Paloma at Josephine House

After having many wedding planning meetings, we needed to cool off with a refreshing drink. Josephine House was our pick and it was so adorable. Not only was the design perfect but the attention to detail with the wait staff and presentation was comfortable yet chic. I would love to go back and have a meal there but this time I got the paloma which was perfectly crafted and refreshing on a hot summer day.

I secretly (not such a secret) want a slate of this marble…. this would be perfect for future foodie chef pics.

Ramen Tatsuya

Since we had a reputation of waiting in lines on this trip, we thought, what the heck, what’s one more line?

I’ve been hearing about Ramen Tatsuya for quite some time now. A friend of mine raves that it’s the best ramen in the US, aside from Ippudo in NYC. I agree, Ippudo is hands down the best I’ve ever had.

The ramen was tasty yet it was missing something. Compared to a local place in Houston, Kata Robata, I liked theirs better. Kata’s creamy soup is just indescribable. Tatsuya was missing that umami flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I was full and happy but locally, Kata Robata, is more my thing.

Sugar Mama's

Lastly, we had our cake tasting. At this point we were just full of red meat and soup. Just a bite was enough for us which is not my normal mo. Sugar Mama’s was our place of choice and it is on point.

Having gone to pastry school, I’m really picky with my desserts. I don’t like them too sweet or dry and these were just right. They have a valrhona cupcake, I was sold immediately! They also have flavors named the elvis and baklava which I love the interesting variety. We quickly chose our cake flavors and can’t wait to enjoy them at our wedding!

 

Cantaloupe Gazpacho

Cantaloupe Gazpacho

In honor of summer and our new look 🙂 I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes and memories that I’ve held onto for a few years.  I learned to make this soup at my very first internship in a kitchen. When I tasted it, I never forgot the delicious sweet yet complex taste it had. Summer always deserves a delicious cold soup, especially when it’s 100+ degrees out.

Thinking back, I was helping the Chef de Cuisine prepare this soup for his appearance on the Deborah Duncan Show. We went back stage, he got a little make up and hair action and I waited patiently as his assistant. Once he was on, I anxiously waited backstage, watching on the small tv to see the hosts reaction. She loved it! I felt honored to be invited to be his assistant as I was just the novice intern in his tiny kitchen.

Anyone can make it, it’s really simple. This soup is indeed raw so watch out all of you special dieters. This is an extremely healthy soup chalk full of veggies!  If you want to add a protein, shredded chicken is the perfect match. You can see how I made it below!

Print Recipe
 Cantaloupe Gazpacho
Inspired by Chef Jose Vela
Servings
3-4
Ingredients
Servings
3-4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Cut up all ingredients into small pieces, a rough chop
  2. Pulse all fruit and veggies in a food processor. I suppose a vitamix would work well too.
  3. While blending, slowly pour the olive oil and sherry until blended well.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Once finished, taste to double check the flavor. It may need a bit more sherry vinegar.
  6. Bon Appetit!
Recipe Notes

*Feel free to take out a veggie if you're sensitive to it. I tend to go light on the red pepper.

Preserved Meyer Lemons

Meyer Lemon

We have an amazing meyer lemon tree in our front yard. When we first moved in, it was summer time and I thought they were limes. I got so excited that I pulled one fruit off the tree, anxiously cut it open and tasted it. It was sour but slightly sweet yet didn’t taste anything like a lime. I thought, how can a green colored fruit that looks like lime taste like a sweet lemon? After doing alittle research online, I figured out it was a meyer lemon tree! How lucky are we!! If you haven’t tried one before, they are absolutely amazing. I introduced them to a friend the other day and she can’t stop squeezing them in her water. They do make the best lemonade. Not to mention their zest is pretty tasty too. Ahhem- lemon zest cookies! Now that I had a plethora of fruit, I had to preserve them in some way. Once again, I researched and found an easy recipe for preserved lemons. I recommend waiting for the fruit to ripen in the winter, don’t preserve these gems in the summer time. I could have waited a few more months but I couldn’t wait any longer!

Preserved Lemon

 

Meyer Lemon

 

 

Preserved Lemon

 

You can also slice them too

Meyer Lemon

Preserved Lemon

These cute mason jars filled with delicious lemon goodness are great as gifts for the holidays.

Once opened, they are great cut up on top of fish, in a salad, fish tacos, in cous cous- the options are endless and so flavorful. Don’t forget to wash the preserved lemon under cold water before cutting and serving- they can be very salty.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Place salt in a large bowl; set aside. Stand lemon on its stem end on a cutting board; cut down the center as though you were going to cut in half, but stop about 1/2 inch above the stem. Make a perpendicular cut, stopping about 1/2 inch above the stem, so the lemon is quartered but still in tact.

Holding lemon over bowl of salt, spread four quarters open and pack as much salt as you can, allowing excess to fall back into bowl. You should be able to pack about 2 tablespoons into lemon. Place lemon, cut side up, in a 1-quart sterile, dry glass jar, preferably with a neck that is narrower than the jar, with a lid or a clamp closure. Repeat process with as many lemons as the jar will hold (you may have to add some the next day when lemons are softer). Cover and let stand overnight.

Push lemons down with a clean spoon, add remaining lemons, if necessary, keeping in mind you may only be able to add another half or quarter. Add enough lemon juice to jar to completely submerge lemons. Cover with lid until just finger-tight or clamp closed. Place jar in a dark spot, but not the refrigerator.

Everyday, for the next week, turn and shake jar once a day to redistribute salt. Add more lemon juice if lemons are no longer submerged. Let lemons stand for 1 month before using.

Polenta Al Forno

 

Polenta 1

Polenta, oh, polenta. I have never been a fan of polenta aka grits or cornmeal. My mother, having been raised in the deep south, absolutely loves grits. She gets sheer enjoyment when grits are on the menu. So, this dish is slightly inspired by her. I came across this recipe in New York Times. It was unlike anything i’ve ever made so I thought i’d give it a shot. It was an experiment with success, though, I will do a few things differently next time.

Polenta 3

Polenta 7

Polenta 6

Polenta 5

Polenta 4

Polenta 2

This is a great vegetarian dish that’s low fat. I used low fat ricotta to reduce the fat but i’m sure the full fat version is wonderful too. The next time I make this, I won’t cook the polenta quite as long and I would make thicker layers. It really makes a difference when holding the middle spinach mix together. It would also be delicious with the acidic taste of marinara sauce spread on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  This is a great side dish for #meatlessmondays.

Print Recipe
 Polenta Al Forno
Gluten Free, Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
6-8
Ingredients
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
6-8
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Blanch spinach briefly in large pot of boiling water. 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and cool. Squeeze all excess moisture from spinach and roughly chop.
  2. In a large bowl, combine chopped spinach and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper, then add cayenne, lemon zest, half the Parmesan and all but 2 T of the fontina and stir well.
  3. Butter a 9x12 casserole dish. Ladle in half the warm, soft polenta and spread with a spatula to make a thin layer. Spoon spinach mixture evenly over it. Top with remaining soft polenta and spread to smooth surface. (may be made ahead up to this point, then covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperate before baking.)
  4. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and fontina. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from over and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from the NY Times recipe

Spicy Mexican Soup

 

Spicy Mexican Soup

The weather has been nuts in Houston. One day it’s cold and then next day it’s hot. It just so happened to be cold for a few days and I was craving soup. Something spicy was perfect to help stop the beginning of my cold. I pulled together all of these ingredient that I already had on hand which is so convenient. Not only did I add flavorful Mexican spices  but I had a small piece of salami which really added meaty richness to the soup.

We had just finished celebrating a weekend of our friends wedding and got these cute heart shaped pasta- they made an appearance  in my soup.

I suggest making this soup when you have a spicy craving, it’s fulfilling and heart warming 🙂

 
Print Recipe
 Spicy Mexican Soup
Dairy Free
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Pour 2 Tbs grapeseed oil into soup pot.
  2. Once heated, add shallots, garlic, and onion.
  3. Cook until translucent and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Add carrots , tomato, and salami.
  5. After a few minutes, add the chili in adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and chipotle powder.
  6. Once everything is mixed well together, add the chicken stock and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
  7. In a separate pot, cook pasta until al dente. Once drained, add the pasta to each serving bowl then cover with soup.
Recipe Notes

You will have extra chilies in adobo and tomato paste. Spoon a teaspoon of each onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment leaving space between. Freeze for 1 hr then put them in a plastic bag and place back in the freezer. Whenever your recipe calls for each of these ingredients, you can pull the exact amount right out of the freezer.

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!