Galette Gusto!

I have been really into desserts lately, especially with all the delicious fruits coming into season! Nectarines only come around once a year for a few months so I jumped at the chance to create a simple, rustic, yet impressive dessert for my clients.

Fussy tarts and pies can be such a pain to form and of course as a chef I always want to create that perfect aesthetic, however I discovered that when time is of the essence, something comparable like a galette can impress just as much but with less of a hassle.

A galette is essentially a free form rustic, generally crusty pastry that can be topped with various sweet or savory toppings. I chose to pair fresh nectarines tossed with vanilla bean and citrus to accompany the delicate yet crisp crust made with cornmeal. The result was delicious and it couldn’t be easier….here’s what I did….

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed
2 tbsp. buttermilk
1 egg (for egg wash..this creates that golden brown color)

In a food processor combine all the ingredients, except the egg. Pulse until the butter is small and pea sized, but not too small! (if the butter is fully incorporated it will not achieve the same flaky crispy texture you want)

Pull the dough out of the processor and knead by hand JUST until a ball is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the Filling:

6-8 ripe nectarines, sliced
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1 lemon, juiced & zest
2 tbsp. all purpose flour

In a large bowl toss all ingredients until combined and the nectarine slices are evenly coated.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. You may need a bit more flour to prevent sticking for this step…use your noggins people! Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined sheet tray.

Arrange the nectarines in the center of the dough leaving about a two inch border of crust. This will allow us enough room to fold up the edges and prevent any of that yumminess from creeping out. Fold up the edges of the dough and brush only the crust with your left over egg.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. It may take a few minutes longer depending on your oven, but ultimately all you need is for the nectarines to be partially cooked and the dough to be crisp. Check this but CAREFULLY lifting the galette and checking for browning underneath.

I topped mine with a fresh raspberry whipped cream…It’s super easy….1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 3 tbsp. powdered sugar and 1/4 cup fresh raspberry puree. Sub out the raspberries for any other berry that you have

Spring Fruit Crostata

Ever crave a pie but reallllly don’t want to go through the trouble of trying to create that perfect pie crust with an uncooperative pie pan? Yeah me too.

A crostata is basically a free form rustic pie. These can be made individual like I have done, or family sized! Either way they are going to be delicious and easier than you may think. I used fresh apricots and cherries for my simple filling, but try these during any season. (Think apples in fall, cranberries in winter & berries in summer)

Tip: Try getting your kids involved in forming the crostata, this way each one can be unique and personalized!

The most important part of the crotata is the crust….heres my take on it:

Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal flour
1/4 cup white sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold buttermilk (or ice water if buttermilk isn’t readily available)
Extra flour for rolling out

Filling:

4 fresh apricots, sliced
1 cup cherries, pitted
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested

1.) In a food processor pulse cornmeal, flour, sugar & salt. Add in the cold butter all at once and pulse until the butter is around pea sized. (This helps the butter spread evenly throughout the dough and helps promotes flakiness) Slowly stream in the buttermilk just until the dough starts to form. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and knead to combine…..Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. (the colder the better)

2.) In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, saute the apricots and cherries in the butter until they just start to soften. Don’t turn these to mush! Once the fruit has softened just slightly, add in the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until the sugar has melted and coats the fruit. Let cool.

3.) Separate the pie dough into fourths or even eights depending on how big you want your crostata to be. Using the extra flour, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch and place on a parchment lined sheet tray.

4.) Take about 2 tbsp. of filling and put into the center of the dough. Fold up the edges of the dough creating an even crust around the crostata. Bake these suckers at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I plated mine a bit fancier with lemon curd, caramel and a sour cream sauce. These crostatas are perfectly good alone or with some fresh home made whipped cream!

Squash and Pomegranates?!

Farro is one of those grains that is slowly creeping into the restaurant scene. Farro is also underused and often misused. This ancient grain can be used in a multitude of ways and makes a delicious side dish to almost any meal.

I’m going to be totally honest…I headed to the pantry at work looking for arborio rice to make a classic risotto. Turns out I was out of arborio rice and had remembered I bought farro just the other day. I had almost forgotten about this nutty grain entirely!

Turning farro into a risotto is one of my favorite ways to use this delicious morsel. Here’s what I did:

2 cups farro
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil

2 cups butternut squash, diced & roasted (this is about 1 squash)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.) In a large rondeau or pot, saute the onion, garlic & thyme until the onions just start to get some color on them. (about 5 minutes on medium) Add in the farro and continue sauté until the grain start to smell nutty and fragrant.

2.) Deglaze the pot with white wine. Once the alcohol is cooked out of the wine, while stirring, add in about a cup of the chicken stock at a time. Make sure after each addition the previous amount of stock has been absorbed by the farro. You will start to notice after a few additions of stock and stirring the creaminess the starch from the grain gives off. This is what you want!

3.) Once all the stock is added into the farro; bring the roasted squash, mascarpone, spices & parmesan into pot party! Once these ingredients are mixed in the risotto becomes creamy and rich. Garnish the risotto with the pomegranate seeds. These add a nice textural contrast to the creamy risotto and a touch of acidity and sweetness!

Trick Alert: I bought my pomegranate seeds already out of the fruit. (I’m lazy…but also the quantity needed would have taken me weeks to get out! For this recipe you will only need about 1 or 2 pomegranates) Sorry for the rant…back to the trick. Cut the fruit in half and over a bowl of cold water with the fruit seed side down, smack the back of the fruit with a spoon until the seeds fall into the water. The seeds will sink and the light flesh will float making for a much easier experience!

you’re welcome…:-)

End of Winter!

I am obsessed with brussel sprouts. They seem to be the latest fad popping up in restaurants, but I was in love at first bite! Roasting these tasty morsels is the go to technique for cooking, but I wanted to treat the brussel sprouts differently this time around.

Thinly shaved sprouts (yes raw!), shredded carrots, currants, toasted almonds & goat cheese make this end of the winter salad. The textural differences, the simple vinaigrette and the sweet and savory contrasting flavors make this salad a great start to any meal.

For the salad:

1 lb. brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 tbsp. dried currants
2 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:

1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl toss together the first five ingredients. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey and salt & pepper. Stream in olive oil until combined. (try to emulsify the olive oil into the mustard, this just creates a creamy homogenous dressing)

Toss the dressing with the salad and let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. (this helps wilt the crunch of the brussel’s just a bit)

Banana Bread Pancakes

Banana bread is one of my favorite comfort foods. When I smell it baking it immediately reminds me of home. I mean these pancakes take everything you love about banana bread and elevate them to the next level. The velvety smooth glaze over the crispy exterior of the pancake is amazing. Try these out on a Sunday morning; kids and adults will love them.

Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cinnamon and Oats to garnish

In a bowl whisk together oil, sugar, vanilla, milk and mashed bananas. In a separate bowl sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. (Yes this will be a thick pancake batter and will resemble that of a banana bread batter…go figure!)

Vanilla Bean Maple Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Feel free to make any flavor glaze you want but make sure you have plenty it goes fast!

Tis’ the Season!

I am obsessed with any holiday food. Something about the warm spices and bold flavors of seasonal holiday food that really gets me excited! One of my favorite types of cake is gingerbread. It is so intensely flavored, and if made correctly, decadently moist. Growing up I’ve always loved a company called Gingerbread Construction Company’s gingerbread muffins with cream cheese frosting. I have taken a recipe from a friend and molded it to remind of my childhood favorite. Here’s what’s in it…

Ingredients

1 cup Guiness Stout (helps with the rich flavor)
1 cup Molasses
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups AP Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger (this seems like a lot but its necessary!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can used freshly grated)
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Step 1:
Boil molasses and Guiness for one minute, take off heat and whisk in the baking soda. Cool.

Step 2:
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

Step 3:
Whisk together sugar, oil and eggs. Slowly add in the room temperature molasses/stout mixture. Fold the dry ingredients to the wet. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

I topped mine with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting and Homemade Candied Ginger!

Frosting

1 8 oz. Package Cream Cheese Frosting, softened
1 Stick Butter, softened
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar To Taste (Some like it sweeter, I like the tang of the cream cheese to be in tact)

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Top with candied ginger or any other garnish you may want…Try candied orange peel or sprinkle with cinnamon

No Graham Flour? No Problem!

I recently was trying to put a fun twist on a S’more. My end result was a graham cracker cupcake, salted dark chocolate mousse filling and a toasted marshmallow meringue garnished with crushed graham crumbs and chocolate ganache.

While the cupcake as a whole was a success, the real star for me was the cupcake alone…It has a perfect graham cracker flavor with the soft texture of a cake. I highly suggest you try this out, even if just for the cake….

Graham Cracker Cupcake

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp corn starch
1 cup finely ground honey graham crackers
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp honey
1/2 cup buttermilk

This link will take you to the finished product https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1230006_770105626648_1716084835_n.jpg

Thank you, Thank you very much

Did you know Marshmallow Fluff was created in Lynn, MA? Me either..and if you did..Good for you!

Every year there is a ‘Fluff Festival’ with a recipe contest in which the product must feature Marshmallow Fluff. I came up with three ideas almost instantly…1.) Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcake 2.) S’mores Cupcake and 3.) Elvis Cupcake.

All three of these cupcakes would obviously incorporate Fluff…The tricky part was how? I wanted the Marshmallow Fluff to come through without overpowering the rest of the product. I tested all three out and to say the least my favorite was the Elvis Cupcake. Elvis loved a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich…so this is my take on his favorite. This cake starts with a brown sugar banana cupcake, peanut butter- Fluff filling and a browned butter Fluff buttercream topped with crispy bacon, home made peanut brittle and dried banana chips! Here is the recipe…roughly…can’t give away all my secrets

Brown Sugar Banana Cake

1 1/2 Cups Mashed, ripe bananas (I cannot stand the texture and taste of an unripened banana!)
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/8 Cups Light brown sugar
1 Cup Dark brown sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk until incorporated.

In a separate bowl whisk together sugars, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs until incorporated.

Fold in the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time until just incorporated…do not over mix! (This will make for a tough texture in your ending product)

Peanut Butter-Fluff Filling

This stuff is rich and each cupcake only needs about 1 Tablespoon each.

1/2 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
Half and Half to thin it out

Browned Butter Frosting

1 Stick butter, browned and cooled
1 8 oz. Package Greek Cream Cheese (This product has a great tang that cuts through the sweetness of the filling)
1 Tsp. Pure vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
Pinch Salt
Powdered sugar to desired sweetness
Half and Half to thin out to desired consistency

The garnishes on mine were crushed banana chips, peanut brittle and crispy bacon bits the saltiness from the bacon, crunch from the chips and the extra nuttiness from the brittle really round out this cupcake perfectly…Elvis would be proud!

Pantry Raid!

I recently had a few of my close friends over to shoot the shit, gossip and eat some yummy food. I was on a tight budget and decided to make due with ingredients that I had on hand…It was a pantry raid if you will

Topped Crositni is always a super simple and extremely versatile appetizer that everyone enjoys. These can be boring so try something new and exciting like my BLT Crostini with a siracha mayo. It is so easy and fast to do. Here’s whatcha will need…

BLT Crostini

1 small loaf of French bread, sliced to your liking (I did about a half inch thick)
Olive Oil for Drizzling
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled (preferably thick cut)
1 cup diced tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and juice from these guys it will prevent the crostini from being too soggy
1/2 cup shredded ice berg lettuce…if you want to be fancy you can use any sort of lettuce variety you like
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of siracha It’s like an Asian hot sauce. You can find it at most grocery stores
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

So take your sliced bread, drizzle it with olive oil and season it with some salt, pepper and garlic powder. Top each crostini with about 1 teaspoon of cheddar cheese. (heck do more if you want!) Toast it in the oven at 350 degrees until golden brown and toasty.

While the crostini cool a bit, mix together the mayo, siracha, lemon juice and some more salt and pepper. Season as you cook people! Dollop each crostini with desired amount of spicy mayo. Top each crostini with as little or as much tomato, bacon and lettuce as you want. I drizzled mine with more olive oil and seasoned the tomato and lettuce with some more salt and pepper.

This crostini is so inexpensive and most of you have these items on hand. Your guests will never know it was so easy (Excuse the Christmas looking platter…hey don’t judge it was all I had! haha)

As always feel free to make my recipes your own…I tend to cook with what I have! Be creative and have fun

Summer In a Bowl!

This salad is super simple but it tastes like summer. Avocado, corn, cherry tomatoes and red onion come together to make this delicious crowd favorite. (if they don’t like it they are tapped!)

Summertime Salad

4 ripe avocados, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
4 ears of corn, cut off cob
2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil
1 tablespoon chiffonade fresh mint
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

It is THAT easy. The trick here is letting the salad sit for one hour. This will allow the ingredients to essentially marinate in the oil and vinegar. But this needs to be eaten and served the same day or else the avocado will turn brown. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Did I mention it’s really pretty?!

Become Your Own Chef

Recipes and Tips to Commanding the kitchen

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