Applesauce Carrot Cake Muffins

One more from Step Up's Goddess Baking Night....

These are great. They don't photograph well, but the volunteers and teens of Step Up do, so I photographed them instead. They're a close runner up to Ellie Krieger's apple muffins that I love. In fact, one disappeared from the fridge and was eaten by my husband- he's not a muffin guy, so it's a testament to their tastiness. This recipe was developed by Marisa Angebranndt, the p(resident) baker of wannahavacookie as a healthier way to make carrot cake.

I enjoyed one for breakfast this am, they're very moist and tasty- didn't keep me full for that long though- need to pair it with a fruit next time.

Applesauce Carrot Cake Muffins

Yields 25-30 muffins, prep time: 30 minutes

4 eggs

2 cups Splenda baking sugar

1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup veg oil (is it healthier to use canola oil?)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose baking flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots (8 medium carrots)

Preheat oven to 350. Grate carrots. Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) into a bowl, whisk and set aside. Line muffin tins with muffin liners. Mix wet ingredients into a bowl (eggs, Splenda, applesauce, veg oil, vanilla extract) and whisk to ensure there are no lumps.

Mix in dry ingredients and carrots and stir. Scoop mix into muffin pan until they are 2/3 full- don't overfill. Bake for 25 minutes and switch trays half way through to ensure they get evenly baked.

Healthy Baking Goddess Day

This past week, I went to a "Teen Goddess Healthy Baking Night" at Step Up Women's Network.

I got to meet a lot of nice people, bake some new healthy treats and teach the teenaged girls how to bake with a little less fat and still have fun...

Marisa, a Step Up Member and (P)resident Baker from wannahavacookie, came in to show the girls some of her healthy baking tips while networking with other women who could help her promote her new business venture! Mission accomplished- too bad my blog has 5 readers.

We made awesome cherry almond dark chocolate clusters. I don't even like cherries and I kept sneaking them from the fridge last night. My only regret is not taking more when I left.

It's an Ellie Krieger recipe- she has great "luscious recipes for a healthy life" as her cookbook promises...the night of baking inspired me to flip through her book to find some more gems.

I met her a few weeks back at The Taste of the Upper West Side, where she was enjoying a chilled illy issimo espresso courtesy of yours truly...here she is with her husband, she was as nice as she was on TV.

Ellie Krieger's Cherry Almond Chocolate Clusters
Yields 12 clusters or 24 mini clusters, prep time- 20 minutes
155 calories, 10 grams of fat, only 3 grams of saturated fat (for a regular cluster, not mini)

1 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
6 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Microwave chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 20 seconds, repeat 5-6 times until mostly melted. Remove with an oven mitt and stir for a minute to dissolve all lumps.

Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

'WichCraft's cucumber soup

Last summer, I survived the heat with 'wichcraft's cucumber soup. I had never had or had never thought of having chilled cucumber soup until I tried it for the first time @ 'wichcraft.
I tried to replicate it at home with no success, a yogurty mess was in my garbage within seconds of my last stir.

When I met with one of 'wichcraft's owners a few weeks ago, I asked for the recipe. I have been working on the guy for months. I finally got what I wanteds and it called for 40 lbs of cucumbers! He told me to use a baker's formula to convert it to a regular @ home recipe....played with the calculator & an excel spreadsheet and ended up giving up. So I went to my facebook friend, Norene Gilletz, and asked her how to bring the recipe down to a normal home sized amount....she said divide by 4 and then half it..

I did it nervously cause my self esteem couldn't handle another mess up.

Good thing it tasted exactly like 'wichcraft on try #2!

'WichCraft's Cucumber Soup
Serves 5-6 people

5 lbs seedless & peeled cucs
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups olive oil (I ran out of olive oil at 2/3 cup and didn't taste a difference...)
1 1/2 garlic cloves
1 lb (16 oz) low fat plain yogurt
dried oregano
peppercino (I used crushed red pepper)
kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup red onion, julienned
1/4 cup carrots, julienned

Blend with an immersion blender & chill. Perfect for company- all you have to do is take it out!
Thanks to the fine people @ 'wichcraft for sharing their secret.

Charna’s Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash

The first time I ate Spaghetti Squash, I hated it. Odd consistency and tasted like a water logged noodle. In my opinion, it was a wanna-be carb that would never be approved by Chef Boyardee. I held my ground and refused to eat it - that's until I was invited over to my friend Charna’s house and guess what was being served as the main dish? Now Charna can cook, so with a bit of hesitation and being the polite guest that I am - I indulged. Wow. That's all I need to say.


If Charna’s creation wasn’t convincing enough, the next factoids might have you making this recipe sooner then you thought. Spaghetti Squash has been coined the “dieter's dream” since a a four-ounce serving of spaghetti squash has only 37 calories. Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene.

Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for about a month - buy it, forget it about it and voila, just when you think that you’re all out of groceries and that you might need to order in....Spaghetti Squash to the rescue.

Last but not least, if you’re celebrating passover, this is a great carb substitute that won’t leave you feeling icky (sorry I couldn’t be more eloquent and refined).


Ingredients
serves 4

1 Spaghetti Squash

1 Package of Chopped Fresh Basil

2 Packages of Cherry Tomatoes or Grape Tomatoes Halved
1 small block of Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 diced Yellow Onion (Charna doesnt use an onion)
3 Cloves of Crushed Garlic
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Clean spaghetti squash and then cut it in half length wise and discard of the seeds and the membrane. 

In a glass baking dish arrange the squash halves, cut side down and pour 1/4 cup water around it. Cover the dish tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave the squash at high power (100%) for 12 minutes, or until it is soft when pressed, and let it stand, covered, for 3 minutes.

To prepare the tomato sauce, use a stock pot on the top of the stove at a medium temperature. Cover the base of a stock pot with 1-3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add the crushed garlic, chopped yellow onions and the tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes with the lid on. Cook the onions until they are translucent and the tomatoes become mushy, add the chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper and continue to cook the sauce covered for another 8 minutes. Stir the tomatoe sauce continuously and keep an eye out to make sure that it doesn’t burn.

Turn off the stove, add the Spaghetti Squash to the tomato sauce in the stock pot while it is still hot and add the crumbled feta cheese. Stir it all together, Serve and Enjoy!

Chef Cara (see Charna's modifications in the comments)

Payard's Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies: KOSHER FOR PASSOVER!

Last year I got to work to find heaven on top of the beverage cooler where all the treats were always stored! My friend, Mara Sherman, brought in the most amazing cookies that she made for Passover. Passover, with little exception, means cardboard tasting, flavorless starchy gunk. I need to point out that these cookies are not good by Passover standards, they are sold at Payard, a famous patisserie on the Upper East Side, all year long. I wanted to make them this week, but work is too crazy and I wanted to get them to you before Passover. I promise if you make these this year, you will have happy campers at your seder table. Chewy, gooey and perfect.

Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies
By Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite
Published Apr 13, 2008 in New York Magazine

François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. (1) Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (2) In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen). (3) Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I hear it's hard to get cookies off parchment- someone recommended dampening the back side of the parchment to get the cookies to slide off!

Hadassa’s Raisin & Spinach Salad

I eat at least one salad a day - no Im not a rabbit and no you cant tell (yet!!!!) from looking at me, but I am always looking for new way to make my salad exciting! Yes, I just used the word exciting and salad in the same sentence - if you dont believe me, I challenge you to make this salad below.


This salad is dedicated to my friend Natalie, who will only eats one type of lettuce - Spinach. I'm sorry Natalie if this is a sisterly secretive secret that I wasnt supposed to share with the thousands of subscribers to Braude’s Bites, BUT what are you going to do now that the cat is out of the bag?



This salad originates from Hadassa Srulovicz, who has taught me many recipes over the years and should be awarded for maintaing a constant supply of homemade israeli food in her refrigerator to keep up with the constant demand of the 3 very hungry men in her life. Without further adieu...

Salad

1 pkg Baby Spinach
4-5 Shallots
2 cups Bean Sprouts
1 pkg Mushrooms
1-2 cups Parsley
1 cups Pine Nuts
½ cup Raisins

Dressing

2 cloves Garlic
¼ cup Soya Sauce
½ cup Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Enjoy!

 Chef Cara

Greek Lima Beans in Tomatoe Sauce, Golden Globe winner for Best Side Dish

My parents and I discovered this Lima Beans dish during a visit to a local Greek restaurant called Lezvos - we all raved about the dish and my mother did an immaculate job at replicating it. I just served it as a side dish at my Golden Globes party - even though the Hollywood Foreign press wasn’t around to nominate these beans - my friends Charna and Caryn both said that it was award winning. Opa!


Ingredients:


28 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes or 6 large tomatoes diced

2 1/2 tbsp of Tomatoe Paste
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup olive oil (I only used 1/4 cup olive oil)

1 cup water - (omit a bit for canned beans)
3-4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 pound jumbo lima beans or 2 cans lima beans


Directions:



If you are using dry lima beans you must soak them over night in water and then drain, and rinse them. Then place the lima beans in large pot with 16 cups of water and bring water to a boil and cook for 25 minutes. If you are using lima beans from the can you don’t need to soak or boil the lima beans.

Spray a casserole dish (3/4 casserole dish) with Pam. Combine canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, garlic and chopped onions in the casserole dish. Then add olive oil, lima beans, water, salt and pepper. Bake for 2 hours if the lima beans are dry and bake for 45 minutes if lima beans are from can.

Enjoy!

Chef Cara

Tofu Scramble with a kick

A couple of months back, I finally went from looking at the gorgeous "101 cookbooks" blog to trying some of the healthy & natural recipes. I dipped my foot in the water with Heidi Swanson's edamame with lemon vinaigrette- it was tangy and delicious. I'm not a vegan, a granola or a hippie- I just love to cook, bake & keep it healthy most of the time. Her blog is fantastic- so far, I have made 3 of her recipes & resounding success everytime! There is nothing like trying a new recipe, especially a time consuming one, to find that you've wasted your precious time, money and excitement (like last week's average mushroom barley soup that got rave reviews online). Her blog, so far, has proven to be a one stop shop for 5 star healthy and QUICK recipes with relatively few easy to find ingredients.

Here is the recipe:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/garam-masala-tofu-scramble-recipe.html

Don't let the word "scramble" turn you off- there are no eggs, I hate eggs!

I substituted pistachios & dried cranberries for chickpeas and almonds- you could put in whatever you have in the pantry & fridge.

My apartment smells beautiful and now I have 2 lunches for this week waiting in the fridge.

Perfect for a busy week when I start my new dream job working on launching a new line of authentically Italian illy chilled espressos in New York. How bad could a job be where they send you to illy's coffee university in Soho for 2 days? It would only be appropriate that I make you some illy mocha chip gelato in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Salad with Roasted vEGGies

Happy New Year’s to all of our Braude’s Bites visitors! Rumor has it that this may be the year of the Ice Cream Maker! 


Woke up this morning with the intention of making an egg white omelet - that did not happen. Plan B was new and exciting and a complete success. We’ve all seen the beautiful glossy pictures in the foodie magazines with a poached egg oozing over a bed of healthy greens. Looks stunning but who really makes that for themselves? Well I did, sort of.


Ingredients:

5 Baby Tomatoes on the vine

a few slices of Red Peppers

3 Mushrooms

1/2 small Onion

Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

Italian Seasoning
2 Eggs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil President Choice
100% Greek Olive Oil

Arugula


I sliced all the veggies, glazed with olive oil and put them in my toaster oven to roast for 8 minutes, watch them so they don’t burn - at this point the aromas from the veggies took over my kitchen. 



Next, I arranged the arugula in bowl and seasoned with salt, pepper and the President Choice 100% Greek Olive Oil - any yummy Olive Oil will do!

I cooked two eggs over easy in a frying pan and sprinkled it with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.



I added the grilled veggies and the egg on the salad and it was heaven.

Enjoy.


Cara

My First Tagine

I am not sure what about my trip to Jamaica inspired me to make tagine! Perhaps it was the fairly mediocre food there (minus the beef carpaccio at Half Moon's Il Giardini) that inspired me to get into the kitchen and start trying out some new recipes!

I got this recipe from my friend, Mara, who travels to work with me everyday. She got it from a book she picked up in Morocco- "The Scent of Orange Blossoms" by Danielle Mammane & Kitty Morse.

Loved the buttery taste of the root veggies and the tender beef after they had been roasted so long! Even though it's time intensive, it's just the cook time that takes time- the prep time is extremely minimal.

Next time, I want to spice it up a bit and will add harissa, cinnamon, some honey, some saffron...who knows? You can throw anything in- a sweet potato- whatever...Make it with beef, lamb or chicken and it will be ready to serve to Darren Farber in no time.

Tagine of Beef with Carrots & Turnips (Serves 4)

3 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch sticks
1 lb small turnips, peeled and quartered
2 onions, quartered
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup water
2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
10 sprigs cilantro, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350. In an ovenproof pan (thank god for my Creuset Dutch oven!), heat oil over medium heat. Add meat and cook until brown 5-6 minutes, turn occasionally. Cover the meat with carrots, onions and turnips.

In a small bowl, combine s&p, ginger and turmeric with the water. Pour over the veggies. Seal tightly with aluminum foil and bake until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

Sprinkle the tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic over the veggies. Continue to bake uncovered without disturbing the veggies until the tomatoes are cooked for 20-30 minutes.

Serve hot on some couscous to soak up all the delicious juices.

Freeze the rest for a night when you're too lazy to cook!

Stay tuned- I have big plans for Lebanese moussaka and Zingerman's mushroom and barley soup! I also just bought an ice cream maker (thanks little sister for my Williams-Sonoma gift card!) and am so excited to use it!

Teriyaki Steak in a Haze

I haven't cooked in a while, so I decided to shake it up tonight. I must have been inspired by the the heavenly salty caramel gelato I had at Otto last night. Or maybe it was the olive oil gelato? So glad it's bathing suit time in a matter of days.

I found an old cue card with my handwriting on it; a recipe for teriyaki steak- I don't know where I copied the recipe from, it was definitely from one of my mom's cookbooks. I tend to raid her cookbooks everytime I'm home.

I'm writing to you from a hazy, smoky 700 square foot (it's probably 625 sq feet and they're lying to ROB me monthly), but it's worth it. I just picked up yesterday's NY Times to finish it (so much stress to finish the damn thing!) and Mark Bittman did a bit about "granite being optional for real chefs". I have no fan, hardly any storage space, no outdoor BBQ but I can make it work (and well I may add after tonight's success)! So, I write you this recipe from my very smoky beefy couch! Talia knows what I am talking about- her last kitchen was a science experiment.

I didn't take a picture cause the smoke was a bit excessive. All in the name of a great meal.

Teriyaki Filets
(2) 5 oz center cut filets (or whatever!)
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp vinegar
3/4 tsp ginger
1 decent size garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper steaks. Marinate for 5-10 minutes. Grill on both sides on a grill pan.
Leave some sauce left over to pour on. I served with stir fried green beans and garlic.

Warm n’ Cozy Mushroom, Bean & Barley Soup

****please see an updated version of recipe below***

I recently started buying soup by the liter from a cafe on Queenmary road called Cafe Pelligrino. The chef makes the most incredible soups that you can purchase fresh or frozen. Im a big fan of her Bean & Barley and I was determined to replicate her recipe, well I’ve come close - its not an exact but its a great first shot! This recipe is an adaptation from Seriouseats.com blog which was originally adapted from Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking cookbook.


serves 10 to 12

Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 large carrot, peeled
2 outer ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1/4 cups barley (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cup dried baby lima beans
1 ounce dried mushrooms, coarsely crumbled
12 cups (or more) chicken soup
4 cups (or more) water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a larger pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat; sauté the onions until tender and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.


2. Put the sliced carrot and chopped celery into the pot, Sauté vegetables 3 to 4 minutes more.


3. Add the barley, lima beans, dried mushrooms, broth, and water.


4. Bring to a boil, then partially cover the pot; reduce heat to low so the soup simmers gently.
 Cook at a slow, steady simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until the lima beans and barley are tender. After about 45 minutes, add the salt and pepper.


5. At the end of cooking, add a little more water or chicken soup, as necessary, to bring the soup to a thickness you like. Then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Enjoy!
Chef Cara

***UPDATE*** I have made another batch of this soup and made a few modifications, the final results were top notch! Instead of using two yellow onions, I only used one and substituted the other onion for a leek. Instead of using croyden house to create my chicken stock, I used 4 cups of Campbells Chicken Broth and 8 cups of water. For the spices, I used 3 bay leafs which I put into the pot when I added the liquid and I spiced the soup with Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Ground Pepper, Salt and McCormicks Mixed Spices (not the same as Allspice). I also added a few baby potatoes!

Ratatouille (pronounced ra-ta-twee)

“What is Ratatouille?” is a very common question. 



Yes, it is a highly entertaining children's movie produced by Disney that features a rat as a chef. It is also, for the purpose of this Blog, a fantastic meal or side dish that is very healthy and easy to make! It’s a great alternative to soup when you need something warm and cozy on a cold day.

The recipe makes 8 to 10 serving and it can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a week! 

You could be boring and freeze the leftovers OR you can think outside of the box and try using it on top of pasta, as a pizza topping and inside lasagna.

If you're trying to be skinny a.k.a carb cautious, try tossing it in with some spaghetti squash and crumbled Feta or use it as a sauce for a grilled fish like halibut.


3 cloves fresh Garlic

1 large Yellow Onion

1 Green Pepper 

1 Red Pepper 

1 Orange Pepper

1 Package of Mushrooms

2 Zucchinis
1 Eggplant

1 can of Tomato Paste with herbs and spices
1 can of Diced Tomatoes with herbs and spices

 1/2 tsp dry Basil
1 tsp Oregano

 2 Tbsp Balsamic Oil

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
 Salt & Pepper

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil



1. Cut Yellow Onion, Peppers, Mushrooms, Zucchinis into large chunky pieces. Peel the Eggplant with a potato peeler and cut it into large chunky pieces.



2. In a large soup pot, cover the bottom of the pot with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add the onions and the peppers and simmer with the lid on until the onions become transparent. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the pot.



3. Add the Mushrooms to the pot and sauté all of the vegetables on medium heat for 7-8 minutes with the lid on.



4. Add the Eggplant and Zucchini to the pot and sauté for 10 minutes.


5. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pot and let simmer for 30 minutes. While the pot is simmering, add brown sugar, balsamic oil, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning according to taste.



Assuming you have Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Balsamic oil, Brown Sugar, Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper in the house - you probably do if you are reading this blog since they are the basics - then the rest of the meal should cost you under $15.

Enjoy!


 Chef Cara

Deep Purple Smoothie

I've been making this smoothie for a couple of months. It's a quick, healthy snack made with ingredients that can stay in your fridge for a while...It's also the "recessionista" version of the $5 I used to blow at Jamba Juice...impressive, right?

All you need is a blender. Blend these ingredients together:

1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 cup orange juice (as you can imagine, I will recommend the orange juice of champions: Minute Maid or Simply Orange)
lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1 Splenda or 1 tsp of sugar
2 ice cubes
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt (today I used Fage greek yogurt cause I like their magazine ads!)

You can throw in some flax seed, change the fruit used...ENJOY!

Tofu Red Curry

There is no worse feeling that trying a recipe for the first time to find out it stinks! Wasted time, excitement, effort and ingredients! Everytime I find a recipe on cooksillustrated.com, I know it will be a hit! This one was no different- recipe calls for flank steak (3/4 lb), but I had tofu so I used that! Would work with chicken, steak or shrimp too!

Thanks to Talia for reminding me about the red curry in my fridge!

Red Curry Stir Fry

Serves 2

This meal was so flavorful! Another hit from cooksillustrated.com.

They called for flank steak, but I had tofu in the fridge. You can buy coconut milk and red curry paste in the Asian aisle of your grocery store- no special trip necessary!

1.5 tsp canola oil

1 package of firm tofu (or use flank steak, chicken, whatever!)

2 tsp red curry paste (use a bit less if you don't like the kick!)

3/4 cup light coconut milk (or regular coconut milk if you want a thicker sauce)

1 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp light brown sugar

1 small red pepper

1/4 lb snow peas

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

3 tsp fresh lime juice

Remove tofu from package and wrap in paper towels, put some weight on top of the tofu and leave there for 15-20 minutes to drain water out of tofu so it absorbs the curry better....

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Add tofu and cook until pieces separate and turn firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and peas and cook until peas are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and lime juice. Season with salt to taste. Served with brown rice or a flat noodle.

tangy edamame

I found a recipe to lemon edamame on a blog I really like called 101 cookbooks.

It's not Braude's Bites, the woman is out of San Francisco and has a zillion readers and is actually a photographer (needless to say her food looks more appealing than mine on the canon elph). She is always in the epicurean magazines.

I've made it twice already and Lee & I both love it. The salmon next to it was phenomenal as well...I will blog it next time, it's from Nigella Express, the cookbook I bought last week and had Nigella sign.

It is so easy and quick to make, you can make it last minute and the ingredients don't go bad in the fridge, this edamame is made with stuff you already have in your fridge. It tastes better the day after you make it and is a great protein filled snack for work.

Funny enough, this week, Harley Pasternak, a Canadian nutritionist & trainer who trains celebs in LA, was our guest speaker at a Coca-Cola women's conference. He was a great speaker and has a very sensible approach to eating well and exercising.

He did a cooking demo of healthy recipes like apple smoothies & whole wheat pizza & oatmeal frtittata that you can make quickly with 5 or less ingredients. This recipe is fabulous and is the same deal as the recipes he made: it is quick, uses easy ingredients and is super healthy. I edited a bit, she calls for shiso leaf that's only in asian grocery stores- who has time for that mid week?

Edamame with Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4
adapted from 101cookbooks.com

3 cups shelled edamame (about 12 ounces)
2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons
2 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup (i left it out this time cause i can't find it and it tasted the same!)
Kosher salt & pepper

Buy a bag of frozen shelled edamame in the freezer section. Cook the edamame according to the package's instructions. Drain, place in a serving bowl, and let cool to room temperature.
Zest one lemon and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon (about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon). In a blender, add the lemon juice and zest, the olive oil, vinegar, and maple syrup. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Blend well and gently mix the dressing with the edamame.

If you want, zest the other lemon and sprinkle the zest on top.
Enjoy! I gotta go, Barefoot Contessa is premiering now! Woohoo!

My first brisket

So I finally did it! I made my first roast! Something about it scared the hell out of me so I kept making a safe choice to make my meatballs. I chose a Barefoot recipe to conquer my fear because you can't go wrong.

Served it the night before Yom Kippur and it seemed to be received well (they could have been lying). The taste was great, but next time, I am going to cook lower and slower. I found that it didn't fall off the fork, so I am going to keep trying to perfect it! Today, I met Nigella Lawson at a New York Times Talk and asked her for her advice- she agreed with some dude on chowhound.com, lower and slower....300... So I will adapt the recipe below to reflect the advice I got!

Ina's Brisket with carrots & onions

Serves 10-12 people

*Note: I adapted for 8 people with a 5 lb brisket and reduced ingredients accordingly..

6 to 7 pounds beef brisket

1 tablespoon kosher salt (less than she recommends cause everyone said too salty in the reviews)

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

8 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch chunks

6 yellow onions, peeled and sliced

6 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice (I used low sodium V8)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (I am changing- 350 is too high!)

Place the brisket in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Rub the mixture on the brisket. Pile the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves on the brisket and pour in enough tomato juice to come about 3/4 of the way up the meat and vegetables. Cover the top of the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. (The tomato juice will react unpleasantly with the aluminum foil if they touch.)

Bake for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm.

Place the pan on 2 burners and boil the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.

When it was done, I refrigerated over night and then sliced against the grain and froze....Reheat at 300 for an hour.

I am no longer scared to make brisket! If anyone has any ideas, send them my way.

Mom's Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

This past week we were in Montreal for the holidays. My mom made a beautiful Asian themed dinner for our family friends for Rosh Hashanah! I wonder if Chinese folks make gefilte fish on their new year? Anyway, I digress..

She finished off the dinner with a FIRST TIME dessert that warranted applause.

It looked spectacular and was so amazing it made you second guess Rockaberry's!

Heaven: peanut butter mousse, graham crumble, chocolate topping with peanuts....

Generally, family rule is not to try a virgin dessert for company! She did and it ROCKED the house! She inspired me to make the Barefoot Contessa's brisket for Yom Kippur in NYC this week. I have never made brisket before and am hoping I can pull it off for company! Truth is my mom's meatballs are amazing, but I have become too dependent on them for Jewish holidays, I have to branch out and expand my beef horizons.

It came from a book called "Gatherings: Creative Kosher Cooking From Our Family to Yours" that she bought in the Maimonides gift shop where she volunteers.

For those that love to bake, trust me: do it.

Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Serves: 16

Prep Time, 20 minutes plus

Freezes Well

Crust

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp margarine, melted

Mousse

1 3/4 cups pareve whipping cream

2 cups creamy peanut butter

2 (8 oz) tubs tofutti cream cheese, softened

2 cups icing (confectioner's) sugar

2 Tbsp vanilla

Topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup parve whipping cream

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust: in a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Press into a 10 inch springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Set aside.

Mousse: Using an electric or hand held mixer, beat whipping cream until stiff. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter and tofutti cream cheese until smooth. Stir in icing (confectioner's) sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Gently fold in beaten whipping cream, a quarter at a time. Pour into baked crust. Refrigerate until set, approx 2 hrs.

Topping: In a medium sized sauce pan, combine sugar and whipping cream, Stir over medium hear until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove cake from fridge and spread topping evenly over filling. Garnish with peanuts.

Refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled. Watch guests as they ooh and awww!

Chickpea Salad with Ginger

The New York Times published this recipe in their "recipes for health" section in early September. It has a simple ingredient list, an easy cook process, it's quick and it stays in the fridge as a great snack.

Chickpea Salad with Ginger
4 Servings

1Tbsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
3 cups canned chickpeas (I used low sodium), rinsed and drained
2 red, orange or yellow peppers (cored, seeded and diced)
1 red onion, diced
1 inch pc ginger, peeled & minced (I got a trusty tube of ginger I have been using!)
1 Tbsp sugar, optional
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
s&p to taste
chopped fresh cilantro
*1 Tbsp of Olive oil to moisten it up a bit (A Sherri addition to moisten it up and make it more "restaurant" tasting

Toss all ingredients together except cilantro and refrigerate.
Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice if needed. Add cilantro when ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Loaf A-peel

Canada’s official July 1rst moving day has come and gone, with the cardboard boxes, duct tape and the moving trucks finally in the clear, my apartment building has officially gotten that much cooler with the arrival of my new neighbors Eric Choueke and Naomi Rabinovitch.

Having been in the big apple the weekend that Eric and Naomi moved in, we bumped into each other only a few days later on the street. No standard small talk here, Eric told me straight up that he was already disappointed in me as his neighbor – he said that he expected more from me (picture me in shock) then he went on to list numerous varieties of baked goods that he was expecting to have received as a welcoming gift and that I clearly had not delivered. (now picture me laughing – The chutzpah! Although the little ballubusta in me wanted to plutz)

I told Eric not to worry and promised him that I would deliver, this dessert became top priority and knew right away that my Signature Chocolate Chip Banana Bread would be just the thing to mend this neighborship.


Ingredients:

2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs Beaten
3-4 over ripe Bananas
½ -1 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350

2. In large bowl combine Flour, Baking Soda.

3. In another bowl cream together the Butter, Sugar and Eggs. Stir in the mashed bananas to the Butter/Sugar/Egg mixture.

4. Combine both mixtures together and add the chocolate chips.


5. Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans and bake for 60-65 minutes. Stick toothpick in center until clean to see if the loafs are ready. Once the loafs are out of the oven, leave them to cool on the counter for 10 minutes.

The great thing about the recipe is that it makes two loafs – one can be kept in the freezer for any unexpected company. Since the gifting of the Chocolate Banana Bread, the Chouekes have given me a second chance at allowing me to be the best neighbor that I can be and they even invited my roommate and I over for a BBQ this past week. Turns out that I’m not the only ballubusta in the building, Naomi makes a mean guacamole and Eric is working on his BBQ skills (he was a bit distraught that he lost three out of six salami slices in the BBQ).

A Midsummer's Night Dream

This week has been all about new things. I taught my friend, Jay, how to cook for his new wife, Jennie, via email and cell phone. He went from Kraft Dinner (EW) and eggs to espresso and chili rubbed steaks and roasted asparagus in a few emails. This from someone who once said that my blog was useless! His calls were all day entertainment.

Q: "How do I buy asparagus"
A: "Umm, walk up to the asparagus sign, choose asparagus and pay for them"

Q: "Can I get ebola from the filet mignon?"
A: No, that's e. Coli

Q: "What do I do with the garlic?"
A: Open up the head, take out some cloves and peel them (I will show him how to smash like on Food TV at a later time!)

At the end, he e-mailed me telling me it was a total success and he was so proud. So proud that he is cooking again tonight!

Next, I got on a bike for the first time in years and ended up biking for 3 hours all over the West Side Highway with my friend, Todd.

Then, I decided to order gazpacho at 'WichCraft and loved it. Until last week, gazpacho was of no interest to me. I came right home & found Ina's recipe for her bestselling gazpacho from her days at Barefoot Contessa in East Hampton...I made it yesterday for the first time and it was chunky with a bit of a kick. It's perfect to take for lunch with a sandwich during the summer and looks beautiful for entertaining as well (bonus- you can make it day before and it looks great in martini and shot glasses).

Ina Garten's Gazpacho- The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Serves 4 to 5

1 english (also called hothouse) cucumber, halved & seeded, but not peeled
2 red peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomato juice (the Contessa highly recommends Sacramento brand, I used Campbell's)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
few drops of Tabasco (I added!)

Roughly chop cucs, peppers, tomatoes and red onions into 1 inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it's coarsely chopped. Don't overprocess- it shouldn't be pureed.

After you process each vegetable, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, juice, vinegar, olive oil, s&p, Mix well and chill before serving. The longer it sits, the better it is. I also added 4-5 drops of Tabasco.

Salsify- a rare find!

A couple of months ago, I was ordering dinner at CraftBar & asked the waiter what roasted salsify was. It came with grilled scallops and I immediately thought it may be a chutney or salsa. That night, I discovered salsify for the first time.

Salsify is a root vegetable that is uncommon in the United States, but apparently very popular in Europe. As soon as I got home, I did some research and got on chowhound to see where I could get the stuff. Someone told me I could get it at the Union Square Farmers' Market, but I never really looked that hard. Turns out you can find it at the Paffenroth Gardens stand at the Greenmarket. I have had the dish at CraftBar a few times since and it turns out their chef is on a mission to get this vegetable out of obscurity.

Anyway, yesterday after a brutal workout (I have been on vacation for 2 weeks, which meant my running shoes were in my suitcase, but they didn't get used! Next time, I may pack a bit lighter!), I met Geneve at Chelsea Market. Considering we both love food so much, we found it quite surprising that we both don't spend more time there...After brunching at 202 and sampling some mint chip gelato and fatwich brownies, we stopped by the Lobster Place & The Fruit Exchange. Emeril is always in these places on his show (Food Network tapes upstairs), not that I am a fan.

We were looking around with amazement- such amazing variety (star fruit, rare chilis, all varieties of eggplants) and great prices when BANG! SALSIFY!! I introduced Geneve to salsify and she took out her trusty Canon Elph to take a pic for my blog....

Tonight, I roasted it with my favorite swordfish recipe (roasted with lime juice, olive oil, s&p at 425 and then take it out of oven and refresh with a bit of the same) and it was delicious.

Roasted Salsify

1. Wash & Peel & cut salsify (4 large stalks is perfect for 2!)

2. Place on baking sheet with olive oil, kosher salt & pepper at 350 degrees for an hour.

When it came out, I sprinkled some za'atar on it. Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice that I picked up in Israel...it's delicious, they eat it on pita.

You could easily include carrots, beets and/or parsnips as well!

Thank you Manhattan Fruit Exchange.

I heArt-ichoke

In prepping my lunch in the cafeteria I often get a few “ohhh’s” and “ahhh’s” from my co-workers admiring my special of the day. In an effort to be healthy, I find its important to re-invent the wheel so that when 12’oclock strikes that you’re excited about your dejeuner.

As an alternative to the salad bar, I’ve added a steamed artichoke to my repertoire of lunches. The nutritional information is in: one large artichoke is fat free, contains only 25 calories, 170 milligrams of potassium, and is a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium and dietary fiber. In keeping the artichoke healthy, it’s important that the accompanied dipping sauce is as well.

Its not the traditional lunch and according to my co-workers it seems very high maintenance – I’m here to prove them wrong! Given that it’s not as easy as a microwaveable frozen lean cuisine, both the preparation of the artichoke and the dipping sauce are fairly simple.

Ingredients:

1 Large Artichoke
1 Lemon

When buying your artichoke from the grocery store the tighter and more compact the artichoke, the fresher it is. Prep Time: Fill up a sauce pan with water and half a lemon and let the water come to a boil. Trim the stem of the artichoke and add it whole to the boiling water with the lid on, leave it in the water for 40 minutes. Once the 40 minutes have passed, discard the water and you artichoke is ready.For the finishing touch – the low fat Ginger Dipping sauce only requires three ingredients to be combined!

Ingredients For Sauce:

1. 5 tbsp Low Fat Mayonaise

1 tsp of Fresh Ginger or 1 Cube of Frozen Ginger
1-2 tsp of Tamari Sauce (similar to Soya Sauce)

Artichokes are intimidating and for those of you who haven’t yet encountered an artichoke, how one eats an artichoke is not obvious from its appearance so here is a helpful diagram (instructions & pictures courtesy of http://www.elise.com/):

1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time, starting from the base. Dip white fleshy end in the sauce.

2. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.

3. Continue until all of the petals are removed.

4. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy and prickly parts (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.

Sherri and Lee are traveling to Israel and Greece this week, which coincides very well with this post since artichokes are very popular dishes in both of these countries! Looking forward to SB’s next blog, hopefully it will be on her new international culinary discoveries….

Cara

Bodacious Bulgur

Happy St-Jean Baptiste, Happy Canada Day, Happy 4th of July – no matter what holiday you’re celebrating you’re probably enjoying your celebratory days off. With the summer heat FINALLY upon us, enjoying family and friends company is at the forefront which usually means that people are starting to light up there BBQ’s and grill just about anything in site.

Having recently been invited to a Non-BBQ BBQ (half way through prep my friend realized that her BBQ was still hibernating in her shed), I offered to bring a healthy and low fat side dish to accompany her culinary creations. A new bulgur salad that I recently discovered online at Fresh Direct was my choice. Midway through my recipe I threw in my apron and gave it a bit of a free styling twist – it was a dangerous attempt, but the final result was a success!


At first glance, other BBQ attendees thought this was a cous cous concoction – not so much. That’s like mistaking a piece of White Bread for a piece of whole wheat bread with multi-grains.

So, What is Bulgur? Bulgur is what's left after wheat kernels have been steamed, dried, and crushed. This cereal grain has been a food staple for years because it offers an inexpensive source of low-fat protein, making it a wonderfully nutritious addition to your low-calorie meal plan.

High in fiber and protein, and low in fat and calories, bulgur is another food that offers bulk and nutrients to fill you up without adding pounds. One thing to keep in mind, a cup of bulgur has fewer calories, less fat, and more than twice the fiber of brown rice. (quoted from http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/natural-weight-loss-food-bulgur-ga.htm)


This recipe produces an unusual but exquisite salad! Its easy to make, tastes amazing and is a great dish to introduce your friends and family to a healthier cous cous alternative.


Ingredients

3/4 cup Light Bulgur – Medium Grind #2

1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of Pepper
1-2 tsp of Cumin
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of fresh chopped mint
½ cup green seedless grapes cut in half
½ cup Pistachio Nuts
½ cup Cranraisins
½ cup Golden Raisins
½ cup Chopped Dried Apricot
3 green Onions/ Shallots

Directions

1. Combine the bulgur and salt in a heatproof salad bowl and pour in the boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit for 30 minutes. The bulgur is similar to cous cous as it requires minimal cooking and it will increase in volume by two times or more. After 30 minutes, drain remaining water and fluff it with a fork.

2. Stir in the cumin and the olive oil. Stir well to make sure that cumin and oil are distributed evenly.

3.Put dried apricots, golden raisins and cranraisins in microwavable bowel and add enough water to cover the bowel. Cover the bowel with saran wrap and microwave the dried fruit for 1-2 minutes in order to soften the dried fruit with the steam. Remove from microwave and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes, drain any remaining water.

4. Add the grapes, pistachio nuts and shallots to the bulgur. Add the dried apricot, raisins and cranraisins once they are not too wert.

5. Adjust the seasoning with pepper and cumin, if necessary. This salad can be served cold, hot or at room temperature.

Yieds: 4-5 side dishes.

Enjoy,
Cara Braude

Bubby Estabel's Gefilte Fish

Over the past week, after having many conversations, I was shocked to learn that most people don't make their own homemade gefilte fish. They eat the gross, jelly balls from the jar! It is those exact jelly balls that were used to haze my poor friend, Karina, at boarding school many years ago. So when she heard I was making gefilte fish for Passover Seder, she not only knew what it was, but also seemed scared for her life. Twenty years ago in high school, the freshmen had to get gefilte fish jelly poured all over them and then, they couldn't shower until the end of the day. Needless to say, her memories were vivid! I promised I would redeem the gefilte fish for her.

My Bubby Estabel, who was an amazing cook, passed away last March, but she always made her gefilte fish loaf for all the holidays. As I was preparing for the first Seder I ever made, I added gefilte fish to the menu last minute! I was in the mood for a new recipe and knew my bubby would want to have her presence known at our table for our first Seder. I pulled the recipe from a recipe book that my sister made me for my wedding shower, Bubby Estabel had given her the gefilte fish recipe. In hind sight, I realize she was wise enough to know she wouldn't live forever and that I would need her special recipe when she wasn't a phone call away anymore.

So, I called my mom to check on all the ingredients. She told me Bubby's first rule was no other fish is acceptable except minced white fish. It can't be pike or any other fish and it must be minced. I make a few calls and I live in the Jewish mecca of the world- there are no fishmongers in NYC that have white fish and have a mincer....I tried them all! Wild Edible, Fairway, Citarella, FreshDirect, fish store at Chelsea Market, you name it! Next year, per Mara's suggestion, I will try the Lower East Side. Anyway, finally I found a Balducci's in Scarscale, NY, fifteen minutes from my office. Mission complete! I got my minced white fish.

I realized when I got home that gefilte fish is so easy to make! I don't know why more people don't do it! My diverse crowd was asking for seconds and I know my bubby was proud.

We also enjoyed matzo ball soup and Linda Tischler's almond macaroons (last year's Passover discovery). I tried adding 2 tbsp of lemon zest and they were even better! A Brazilian dude at work was chasing me all day asking for more!

Bubby Estabel's Gefilte Fish
Serves 10-12 people

1 loaf pan, greased
1 1/2 lbs minced white fish (again, only "white fish" and must be minced!)
2 eggs
1 cup cold water
3 medium diced sauteed onions (in 1/4 cup oil)
3 Tbsp matzo meal
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Beat on mix master for 10 minutes on medium with the paddle attachment. Place in pyrex and bake for 1.5 hrs (take it out when the top is fully browned, for me and my mom, it takes 1 hr and 40 minutes, but apparently my aunt burned it at 1 hr 55- so watch it!).

Cool on counter for an hour. Turn out onto paper towel and cool on paper towel.

Wrap in paper towel, then aluminum foil and refrigerate. The paper towel absorbs the moisture. It can be made 2 days in advance.

Slice and serve with horseradish on side.

Note: If you double the recipe, you need to do it separately.

Grilled Tuna with Basil Pesto

In my last post, I alluded to the grilled tuna with basil pesto that I enjoy everytime I'm at my new stomping ground, Bar Stuzzichini. Tonight as I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner, a thought came to mind. Why not use the basil I bought for my couscous (Ellie Krieger recipe from her new cookbook, will keep you posted on results) to try to replicate my Stuzzichini tuna? Not a bad idea considering the fact that everytime I buy basil, I always let it go bad. Those who know me know that my meals are rarely invented...I follow recipes to the tee and leave little room for creativity.

Good news- job well done by me! The result was a delicious, healthy grilled tuna with a phenomenal basil pesto...It was quick, easy and perfect for a weeknight. Bonus- my apartment doesn't reek since tuna only needs to be grilled for 90 seconds on each side! I froze the extra pesto in an ice cube tray so I could thaw it and make this meal even easier next time.

Let me know how it goes for you!

Sherri's Grilled Tuna with Basil Pesto
Serves 2

8 oz wild yellowfin tuna

kosher salt & ground pepper

1 cup of basil

1 garlic clove

1/8 cup of pine nuts

1/2 cup of olive oil plus a tsp for brushing the steaks

Equipment: food processor and grill pan or BBQ

Combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in a processor. While machine is running, slowly add in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Brush tuna steak with very little olive oil, place on grill pan for 90 seconds on each side.

To serve, drizzle basil pesto on the tuna.

Bon Appetit!

Mario Batali's Orange Olive Oil Cake

In recent months, we have become obsessed with a new neighborhood restaurant called Bar Stuzzichini, an Italian tapas bar with unreal appetizers in the Flatiron district of New York City. We took our authentically Italian friend, Donata, there and she was immediately smitten! We always start our dinner with the "Stuzzichini Misti", which is a choice of 5 appetizers for 2 people for a well-priced $24! Highly recommend the ceci (chickpea) and/or caponata crostini, polpo (grilled octopus), the carciofi (heavenly fried artichokes) and the polpette (meatballs). Everytime I go, I order the grilled tuna with a cool pesto. Many of the people I have taken there love the orecchiette e cavolfiore (little ears with cauliflower and breadcrumbs).

I recently started finishing off my meal with the orange scented olive oil cake and decided to try to replicate at home with Mario Batali's recipe from a cookbook Donata bought me for Christmas a few years ago!

We brought it over to our friends' delicious dinner party last night and it was a very good cake especially when served with vanilla ice cream. It's great for a brunch party or a dessert. Perhaps I am my own worst critic, but I would have preferred it to be more moist and spongy. Please feel free to make suggestions on how I can moisten it up. I saw that Giada has a version with whole milk, more citrus juice and normal, all-purpose flour- I will try that next.

Olive Oil & Orange Cake
Mario Batali's "Simple Italian Food, Recipes from My Two Villages"
Serves 8

6 medium oranges
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
confectioners'/icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a 9 inch round cake pan.

Remove the zest from the oranges and juice one of them. Set fruit aside for another use. Sift the flour and baking soda together onto a piece of waxed paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and salt together with an electric mixer until frothy and light, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar, continuing to mix 2 minutes longer. Add the flour and baking sida gradually to the egg mixture, then mix 1 more minute.

In another bowl, combine the olive oil, orange zest and juice. Using a spoon, stir it into the egg mixture, folding until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert onto wire rack.

Cool to room temperature, dust confectioners'/icing sugar onto cake, cut into wedges and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

A Tribute to our Bubby Lucy and her Legendary Cookies

Sherri and I both agreed that it was time that Braude’s Bites was a representation of both the Braude Sister’s culinary skills (even if one of us now goes by the married name Sparaga) . I couldn’t be more honored to have my first post be a tribute to our Bubby Lucy who passed away this month at the age of 93. Our Bubby was known for her love of traveling, her sewing and mending skills, her sense of style, her beauty, her sweet tooth and best known worldwide by her famous White Meringue Chocolate Chip cookies that we referred to as “Bubby Lucy’s Cookies”.

Although these cookies have been a staple in our household for years, it was only a few weeks ago that I made my first batch. This recipe only has four ingredients and takes very little preparation time, but I caution all bakers that this particular cookie recipe needs to be followed exactly in order to achieve the right coloring and shape.

Bubby Lucy’s Cookies
Yields approximatley 22 cookies

2 Egg Whites

½ cup of Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup of Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat the oven for 260 F.

2. Separate Egg Whites and leave them out so that they attain room temperature. Using a mix master (small bowel), Beat the eggs on high.

3. As the egg whites become frothy you gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla. You beat it for approximately 5-7 minutes, until you obtain peaks. The batter is ready when the peaks hold their form.

4. Fold the chocolate chips in by hand.

5. Using two cookie sheets, cover them both with parchment paper and drop cookies with a regular spoon.

6. Bake the cookies for 40 minutes at 265 F. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for an hour, so that they become dry.

I highly recommend sampling a cookie as soon as they come out of the oven! These cookies have a great shelf life in the pantry, our mother always has these on hand for guest (that’s if our father doesn’t discover them before the guests arrive). It should also be noted that they are also low fat in comparison to other traditional cookies.

We’ll miss our bubby, but her legacy will live on with this recipe.

Cara

Photo taken on January 12th, 2008

Cauliflower & Curry

Recently my mom bought me Norene's Healthy Kitchen, a cookbook written by Norene Gilletz, who is a culinary goddess amongst the Canadian crowd and now a subscriber to Braude's Bites! I was looking through it for new ideas on vegetables and ended up finding delicious recipes for both roasted broccoli and roasted cauliflower that I have made frequently over the past few months. I will never steam either of those vegetables again, they lose their flavor and are never beyond average. Both Norene's roasted veggie dishes are tasty, easy and healthy. Even better, they are company quality- not just for your everyday.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower
Norene's Healthy Kitchen
Yields 4-6 servings

1 large cauliflower
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into long, narrow strips (I always leave it out for some reason)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh chives or scallions for garnish (I also leave it out)

Preheat the oven to 400. Wash the cauliflower well and cut into florets. Place in pan with red pepper strips, drizzle with olive oil, curry powder and salt. Spread on a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes until golden and crispy; halfway through, toss them to get them all! They taste really good when they are a bit blackened. Remove from oven and sprinkle with onions or chives.

It turns out cauliflower and curry are a delicious combo and the cauliflower has a really buttery taste. A few weeks after rediscoverin cauliflower, I was at Wichcraft, my favorite sandwich chain and they were not serving my spicy carrot soup with vanilla oil, so my friend, Corryn, convinced me to try the cauliflower soup. It was my first time having cauliflower soup. I enjoyed it so much, I made this recipe from Epicurious.com last night and really enjoyed it!

Quick curried cauliflower soup
Adapted from Bon Appétit January 2003
Makes 8 to 10 servings.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons curry powder
8 cups cauliflower florets (from 1 large head), chopped
10 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 cups)
7 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add cauliflower and potatoes; stir 1 minute. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red peppers. Let cool and puree soup with a hand blender.

Note: The original version was bland, by adding spices to taste you will get a great velvety soup with a bit of kick! It's very quick and makes your house smell delightful!

Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Every Wednesday, I anxiously await the few moments when I can read the New York Times' Wednesday Dining column. I really enjoy Mark Bittman's column and think he resonates with his readers, food lovers that don't necessarily have all day to make a dish from Gourmet magazine; he keeps it simple. This summer, he did a brilliant feature called "101 Simple Meals, ready in 10 minutes or less", I picked up a few tricks to get a healthy dinner on the table very quickly post work.

On January 9th, The Times printed the recipe for a Red Lentil Soup with Lemon by Melissa Clarke. Her article described how she tried the awe inspiring soup at a friend's and convinced me this soup was special enough to try right away. By Saturday, my hand blender was out of the closet! I doubled the recipe and have been enjoying it for weeks.

It is perfect: it's aesthetically pleasing, low maintenance, healthy, tasty and has a great texture and a nice zing of cumin & lemon.

Red Lentil Soup With Lemon
New York Times 1/9/08
Time: 45 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Yield: 4 servings. I doubled it. It also freezes well.

My Chanukah Miracle

Last week, we hosted a small Chanukah party for our family. We fried up the annual latkas, made my trustworthy meatballs and roasted cauliflower, one of my favorite new roasted veggies, especially with a bit of curry powder.

At the last minute, I decided to try rugelach, an experiment given that I had never done it before. I generally don't make it a habit to try new recipes on guests, but Tally Abecassis tried them before me and said they were delicious....PLUS they are an Ina Garten recipe, they never fail. Barefoot Contessa outdid herself again, she made these bakery quality rugelach on her "holidays" episode with brisket and chopped liver...been meaning to try her brisket as well. My mother in law and husband had 5 a piece.....

Equipment: baking sheets, parchment paper, rolling pin, KitchenAid

Rugelach
Barefoot Contessa Parties
Makes 48 Cookies

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 9 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle (rolling out dough is hell!). Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

Enjoy! They are delicious.

Roasted Sweetness

I have recently become addicted to roasted beets. I had never even tried a beet until I ordered a yellowtail and beet appetizer at Telepan on the Upper West Side. Since this summer, I have been making them almost weekly at home. When beets are roasted, they taste so sweet that you wouldn't believe they are good for you. You can pair them with candied walnuts and goat cheese to make a beautiful looking salad. Golden beets are yellow/orange are just as delicious. They're high in potassium, fiber and folacin, yet low in calories. Another benefit is that they keep in the fridge's crisper for a week or two before you roast them and stay in the fridge for a couple of days after you make them. They make a great and filling snack, so make extra!

Sherri's Roasted Beets (Serves 4)

5 Red or Golden Beets

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

1 Orange

Preheat oven to 400. Cut off beet leafs, wash and peel beets. Cut them up into small 1 inch pieces, so they roast faster. Spread out on a baking sheet and mix with kosher salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes, turning them around once half way through.

Place beets in a bowl, squeeze orange juice onto beets and place in fridge.

Serve cool or at room temperature.

Marinated Mushrooms

After our trip from Spain, I decided to host a tapas party at Casa Sparaga. We loaded up the fridge with Sangria and put together a Spanish menu from "The New Spanish Table" and Cook's Illustrated. We enjoyed delicious patata bravas, tomato and red onion salad, sizzling garlic shrimp, meatballs, marinated mushrooms and even a cheese plate (no, I didn' do it! Corryn handled all cheese-related chores). For dessert, my signature molten cakes.

The mushrooms were very easy and tasted delicious. I made them the day before and pulled them out of the fridge an hr before guests arrived. They are also only 110 calories per serving.
On Sunday after the party, I had leftovers for breakfast with some baguette and tomato while reading Travel & Leisure. That's the life.

This week, I also capped off a work day at Boqueria on 19th Street between 5th and 6th for the first time. I enjoyed some great red wine, pan con tomate, blistered peppers and patata bravas. Highly recommend it.

Marinated Mushrooms (another hit from Cooksillustrated.com)

Skillet size limits the yield of this recipe; if you would like to double it, cook the mushrooms in two separate batches but marinate them together.

Thyme, parsley, or basil makes a good last-minute addition--use only one, however, not all three.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , plus 1 tablespoon for finishing
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Table salt
1 pound cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms, cleaned, left whole if small, halved if medium, quartered if large
2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon, plus 1 tablespoon for finishing
1 medium clove garlic , sliced very thin
1 large shallot , chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 small red bell pepper , chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
Ground black pepper

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add mushrooms and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms release moisture, moisture evaporates, and mushrooms have browned around edges, about 10 minutes. Spread mushrooms in single layer on large plate or rimmed baking sheet; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. When cooled, transfer mushrooms to medium bowl, leaving behind any juices. Stir garlic, shallot, and bell pepper into mushrooms, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 6 or up to 24 hours.

2. Before serving, allow mushrooms to stand at room temperature about 1 hour. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and thyme and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper just before serving.

Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls

Once we got home from Spain, it was already holiday time and my parents and sister were coming to New York for Rosh Hashanah for the first time. Although I was busy getting back into the grind, I was determined to make my first chicken soup for Erev Rosh Hashanah. I e-mailed my mother to get the recipe and called home a few times to clarify the procedure. The recipe started with my bubby and was passed on and tweaked by my mother. My family thought mine tasted just as good!

Set aside a couple of hours on a Sunday, while you're doing something else. It takes 3 hours to make the soup. The soup is great to freeze and have on hand for days when you're feeling under the weather.

Bubby and Mom’s Chicken Soup

Serves 10

2 Parsley Root/ Parsnips (with green leaf)
1 bunch Fresh Dill
1 bunch Celery (just tops)
2 Leeks or 1 Whole Onion
3 cloves Garlic
8 Carrots
1 Bay leaf

Chicken

5 Legs
5 Backs (same as thighs)
4 Large Breasts
1/8 cup at a time Croyden House (the powder version of chicken stock)

1. Clean Chicken with hot water and put in a large pot. Cover chicken with water
and bring to a boil. Keep it covered. As grey stuff comes to top, skim the top of the soup
with slotted spoon (10-15 minutes).

2. Place Dill in Cheesecloth & tie up (I didn't use a cheese cloth or tie it up). Add Seasoning. Keep on simmer for 45 minutes to hour.

3. Add vegetables, bring to a boil again and then lower and simmer another
hour. Adjust seasoning. Skim the top of the soup. Put ½ dill in for the second time (15
minutes before the end), raise to medium, bring to a boil and simmer for another 15
minutes.

4. Cool for 1 1/2 hours without cover on another burner and strain. Remove fat after
frozen.

Matzo Balls (Streit’s)

Makes 12

4 eggs beaten

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup water

salt, pepper

1 cup matzah meal

Boil 1/2 hr in boiling water.

Beat eggs and add water, canola oil, salt and pepper. Mix well, add matzo meal, stir thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight. Form into balls (10-11 per recipe) and drop them into boiling, bubbling salt water. If the balls stick to your fingers, wash and dry your hands. Cover and keep on medium, watch pot and lower to medium low (30 minutes total). Freeze on baking sheet with parchment uncovered. Place in freezer bags.

Enjoy!

Pan Con Aceite De'Olivo

Lee and Sherri in Palma De Mallorca
A Cliff between Deia and Soller
Above: Lee and Sherri in Gaudi's Parc Guell, Barcelona
Below: Vegetables at La Boqueria market, Barcelona

Sherri and Lee at Hotel La Residencia, Deia

One of many cappucinos

The Pool at La Residencia, Deia
Patata Bravas at El Xelini Barrigon, Deia
Hotel La Residencia Front Lawn
Paella at Las Palmeras, Deia

We just got back from Barcelona and Deia, a village 30 minutes outside of Palma De Mallorca. After a year of reading Travel and Leisure, Food and Wine and Frommer's in preparation for our big trip, it finally came and went.

Why does everything taste better in Spain? The tomatoes tasted nothing like the ones in New York- they were sweet and juicy. The olive oils (or "aceite d'olivo") with fresh bread at the beginning of each meal got me so full, I was ready for dessert after my appetizer. The sangria was a perfect end to every lazy day. I always knew I liked tapas, but this was the real stuff. How am I going to live without daily patatas bravas?

We found many gems in Spain, so here is a guide of where to find them:

Deia- a village 30 minutes outside of Palma De Mallorca in the hills

Eat at El Xelini Barrigon: Xelini is the village tapas restaurant housed in one of many stone buildings. The locals and tourists flock here alike. After reading about Xelini in Elle, we went there on our second day for lunch. Through out our 6 days in Deia, we ate at Xelini 4 times. The patata bravas, chorizitos, tomato and onion salad, mushrooms and chocolate mousse were unreal. We also tried tumbet, a Mallorcan vegetable dish with a layer of potatoes, eggplant and tomato sauce. If you are in Mallorca and decide to drive up to Deia, this is a must stop. We ate at a few really expensive places in town and this well-priced tapas place tops them all.

Barcelona

1. Divina Pasta, 115 Bailen in Eixample- While walking on our Gaudi tour between Casa Mila and La Sagrada Familia, we came across Divina Pasta, there was a large crowd of locals laughing loudly. There was no English menu and not a tourist in sight. We sat down and ate homemade pasta. I had the best pasta dish I have ever eaten (I haven't been to Italy though)- "Papardelle con tomato natural, hierbas aromaticas y aceite suave de ajo". The place is well-priced and phenomenal. It's owned by Argentine Italians and a Uruguayan.

2. Taller de Tapas is a modern tapas place on Ramblas Catalunya. They have outside seating on the cobblestone walkway and serve great tapas. I had the creme catalan, their version of a creme brulee, and it was delicious! If you're staying on Las Ramblas, this place is really close without the Time Square tourists.

3. Cuines Santa Caterina is a modern restaurant in the Mercat Santa Caterina, which is famous for its coloured, tiled, rippled roof in the middle of El Born/La Rivera. The produce comes right from the market stalls 2 feet away. It is very close to the cathedral in the Barri Gotic and to The Picasso Museum in El Born. Lee had an incredible omelette.

4. La Boqueria- Our first morning in Barcelona, we walked over to La Boqueria and had a great capuccino at Bar Pinoxto. We roamed around all of the stalls of gorgeous produce, meat, chicken and lots of jamon! Fun place to sample a bit of everything.

I came to the realization after eating in numerous fancy restaurants like El Olivo and El Raco D'es Teix in Deia, Restaurant Gaig in Barcelona and Comerc 24, a restaurant that is famous for its molecular gastronomy (read: FOAM PARTY), that the local well-priced places are the best. Although all of these restaurants were good, I didn't think they were great.

When we got home from Spain, I made my new quick dinner:

Roasted jumbo shrimp with garlic and olive oil

Buy Jumbo Shrimp in the frozen section of Trader Joe's. Run water on the shrimp for 5 minutes to defrost them. Throw them in the oven with some minced garlic and olive oil for about 10 minutes at 350. When they come out of the oven, squirt lemon juice on top of the shrimp. If you want to make life really easy, roast asparagus with the same garlic and olive oil for 15 minutes on the same baking sheet. A healthy, one pan meal.

La Scarpetta on a Sunday

Cathy at A Blithe Palate surprised me with an e-mail asking me to participate in a food blogging event about a new cookbook that she and Ivonne from Cream Puffs were organizing. Last week, Adventures of An Italian Food Lover by Faith Hillinger, arrived by snail mail. Adventures of An Italian Food Lover is a recipe in itself: 1/3 cookbook, 1/3 coffee table book and 1/3 a local tour guide's Italy. It's not only about the recipes, it's about relationships and experiences. Her sister, Suzanne, painted exquisite watercolor drawings and each recipe has a foreword about a person or place she is intimate with in Italy. If you have no intentions of being in Italy anytime soon, you can still enjoy it while drinking a few glasses of wine and pretending.

My plan was to choose a recipe and cook it with Geneve, the woman who is responsible for enlightening me with blogging back in April '06. We have been meaning to cook together (and watch Barefoot Contessa marathons) for months since she has arrived here from LA for the summer. Her summer has been very productive; she is a recent grad of the French Culinary Institute's Techniques class and just completed a stage at New York's #1 restaurant. Adventures of an Italian Food Lover is very us. We met seven years ago while both of us were on semester abroad. We bumped into eachother while walking along Tamarama Beach in Sydney and discovered we were both McGill students. A 24 hour flight to Sydney to find a friend at school in Montreal?

Last Sunday, we went to Whole Foods in Union Square and picked up the ingredients for Scquacquacio di Mare, a dish that Hillinger explains is from a wine bar in Venice called Mascareta. She vividly decribes the eclectic sommelier, Mauro Lorenzo, who owns the Inoteca.

Geneve taught me that when you make mussels, all of the mussels should be closed before being cooked. When they are cooked, they should all be open, any closed mussels should be discarded.

We enjoyed the simple and light Watery Seafood Mess and some vino blanco. There was something very European about dunking our baguettes into the zesty sauce of tomato, white wine vinegar and chili peppers. The Italians call it "La Scarpetta", I call it heaven.

Berries in Bronxville

Chris, Karina, Lisa and I
Berry Crumble

Todd, Jorge, Adam, Steve, Josh and Lee

About two years ago, Lisa, a friend from my old job, and her husband, Steve, hosted a bunch of friends from work to a beautiful dinner party. She set a high standard for entertaining; great food and a beautiful table. Two years have past and many dinner parties later, the inevitable has happened. Chris and Josh sold out and moved to Pelham. Three months ago, Karina and Jorge off to Bronxville. Now, Lisa and Steve are moving to a suburb of Boston. The last 4 stand strong. Todd and Adam are safe for a little while longer.


Our diverse crew is headed to the burbs and even worse, they are trying to PUSH the burbs on anyone who will listen. Our friends, Karina and Jorge, have become real estate agents. "Why do you live in the city? If you lived in the burbs, Lee could be closer to golf, you could have a big kitchen and Lee could still lie on the couch all day!"A great pitch, but not so fast....Although, the stench from grilling in my apartment is getting old.


Last night, Karina and Jorge had a lovely party to say goodbye to Lisa & Steve. Karina made a beef tenderloin with olive oil and rosemary that was cooked to perfection. Along side, she served a fabulous spring mix salad with pine nuts and pears and Persian rice with cherries (mmm... for those Venezuelan Persian friends!).

Earlier yesterday, my 9-year old niece, Stacie, and I baked a berry crumble for dessert. I first made this over two years ago for a bridal shower to rave reviews and haven't made it in a long time. It's easy to make and is a perfect summer dessert with vanilla ice cream and/or some whipped cream! It looks so good in this picture thanks to Todd, who taught me that you don't take pictures of your food with a flash. Ooops.

Mixed Berry Creme Fraiche Crumble
FoodNetwork.com, Serves 8

4 cups mixed berries (I used 3 packages of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup creme fraiche*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup melted butter

*If you can't find creme fraiche, you can substitute 1 cup of creme fraiche with 1/2 cup each of sour cream and whipping cream; or 1 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons buttermilk; cover and let stand 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together the berries, flour and sugar and pour into a 8 x 8 baking dish. Spread the creme fraiche over the top of the berries evenly. Mix together the brown sugar, flour and salt. Mix in the melted butter. Top the creme fraiche with this mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown (the recipe calls for 25 minutes, but it doesn't bake enough in 25 minutes...).

Bon Appetit!

Key Lime Bars sponsored by FedEx

First of all, I apologize for my blogging frequency. The good news is I am too busy with my new gig to cook as often and to blog...maybe, I have more of a life now? Amy- try to resist. I also don't have time for pretty photos, but read the comments (READ: co-workers insert how much you liked my key lime bars) and you will see I am not messing around.

Anyway, Lee and I were in Florida last month for Grandma's 90th Bday. My aunt Beth and uncle Jack hosted a beautiful dinner at their house. Aunt Beth made beautiful floral arrangements, set a gorgeous table with tasty food and had a chocolate fountain (I got it to work!). She made a delicious key lime pie from Joe's Stone Crab. It was my first time enjoying key lime pie with real key limes. Within 24 hours, aunt Beth had stopped by Publix to pick up a bag of key limes that I could take back to New York. Somewhere between the front desk of the Marriott and my room, my limes faded into oblivion. Maybe someone wanted to make a pie, hope they didn't choke on it. Thieves! Make a long story short: a couple of days later, a FedEx arrived with a bag of key limes and a pack of Knorr's vegetable soup mix (I liked her dip recipe!). Aunt Beth was determined to get me my limes and when she is determined, stay out of her way, she will make it happen!

What was I to do with these key limes? I wanted to try something new and am very loyal to my own key lime pie recipe. A few weeks went by and I started getting scared that I was going to waste all the effort that had been invested in getting me my limes. At the prompting of Beatus and Bernstein, I was forced into action. Beatus told me she had had enough of my almond macaroons and Bernstein told me that he thought I was all talk. To the kitchen I went.

As mentioned in my last post, I just got a subscription to cooksillustrated.com and found this recipe online. So far, they are 2 for 2. Initially, I wasn't thrilled about paying $24.95 for an annual membership for something that should be free. However, if I look at ROI, this might not be such a bad idea considering I pay more than that for each cookbook and haven't opened many of them!

I tweaked the recipe by changing the crust from animal crackers to Keebler graham crackers.

The result was a tart bar with buttery sugary crust. Perfect for a summer treat and would look great on a plate with my lemon bars- a little lemon and lime!

Key Lime Bars

Cooks Illustrated July 2006, Makes 16 2-inch bars

If you aren't lucky enough to have aunt Beth send you Key limes, use regular (Persian) limes. Do not use bottled lime juice. Grate the zest from the limes before juicing them, avoiding the bitter white pith that lies just beneath the outermost skin. The optional coconut garnish adds textural interest and tames the lime flavor for those who find it too intense. I am not a coconut fan, so left it off. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13- by 9-inch baking pan (I will do this next time I bring these to work!); you will need a double layer of extra-wide foil for the pan (each sheet about 20 inches in length) and should increase the baking times by a minute or two.

Crust
5 ounces Keebler graham crackers (recipe calls for animal crackers)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar (light or dark)
Pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

Filling
2 ounces cream cheese , room temperature (YES, I ATE CHEESE!)
1 tablespoon grated lime zest , minced
Pinch table salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice , either Key lime or regular

Garnish (optional)
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut , toasted until golden and crisp

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place foil in a 8 x 8 pan and let foil hang over the sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. TO MAKE THE CRUST: In workbowl of food processor, pulse graham crackers until broken down, about ten 1-second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1-second pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1-second pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

3. TO MAKE THE FILLING: While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.5. Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve.

Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days; crust will soften slightly. Let bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.

Almond Macaroons

A big thanks to Melissa at work for offering me one of her mother's almond macaroons. It was so good that I asked for the recipe on the spot. By day's end, there was a post-it waiting on my monitor with how to find the recipe. These macaroons are incredibly simple to make and taste great, hard on the outside with a surprisingly chewy center. They were a big hit at the dinner party we went to last night. Even though they are Kosher for Passover, they taste amazing. There is no matzo meal or quintessential Passover ingredients, it just so happens that you are allowed to eat all the ingredients on Passover. All that being said, make them anytime! They will be part of my Passovers and other holidays for years to come! Thanks Mrs. Tischler!

Almond Macaroons (Cook's Illustrated)

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Macaroons need to be baked on parchment paper. They stick to an ungreased sheet and spread on a greased one (mine spread and they tasted great!!).

3 cups blanched slivered almonds (12 oz), measured without packing or shaking the cup

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup large egg whites, plus 1 tablespoon (from about 3 eggs)

1 tsp almond extract

1. Set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle levels of oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Turn almonds into food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and process for one minute. Add sugar and process 15 more seconds. Add whites and extract and process until the paste wads around the blade. Scrape sides and corners of workbowl with spatula; process until a stiff, but cohesive, malleable paste forms, about 5 seconds longer. If mixture is crumbly or dry, turn machine back on and add water by drops through the feeder tube until the right consistency is reached.

3. Allowing a scant 2 Tbsp of paste for each macaroon, form a dozen cookies on each paper-lined sheet, spacing cookies 1.5 inches apart. Roll into 1 inch balls with your palm.

4. Bake macaroons, switching cookie sheet positions midway through baking, until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. If overbaked, macaroons will dry out rather quickly when stored. Leave macaroons on papers until completely cooled or else they may tear. They can be stored in an airtight container for at least 4 days or frozen up to a month.

Enjoy!

Seared Tuna with Mango Salsa

I have been out of the kitchen for a while, I seem to be spending more time in the elevator (going to meet the delivery man) than cooking. This weekend, I got back in the kitchen. I started by baking some low fat apple muffins yesterday. Today, we went to Whole Foods to get ingredients for a homemade dinner.

It is a rare day when the Barefoot Contessa decides to think healthy...her producers must be pushing her to "modernize" her butter-laden recipes. A while back, I saw her making this recipe from "Barefoot Contessa Parties" on her TV show and added it to the arsenal of recipes I wanted to try.

This recipe was very good, but it's not a weekday one! The salsa is mostly sweet with a great kick from the jalapeno. Although searing tuna is the quickest dinner on the planet, it took 40 minutes to make the mango salsa. So, make this one on your day off! It's worth the process, it's a "winner"! No side dish necessary...it's a meal on its own.

Seared Tuna with Mango Salsa (serves 2)
Barefoot Contessa Parties!

2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for searing
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small diced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves
2 tuna steaks (6 oz each is good!)

Saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the mangos, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapeno; cook for 10 more minutes, until orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the mint. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Heat a saute pan over high heat for 5 minutes until very hot. Season the tuna liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and then the tuna steaks. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is browned, but the inside is very rare.
Serve the tuna on top of the mango salsa.

Mustard Roasted Red Potatoes

I haven't blogged in so long that I am on the verge of being kicked off my own blog by my feisty younger sister. Earlier this week, Cara proposed that since Braude's Bites uses the family name we should co-author this blog. Since Cara has just moved out of my parents' house into her own grown up apartment, she has been cooking up a storm for her boyfriend, Jon, who rates her meals on a 10 pt scale every night. I am still debating the merits of having her invade my blog.
On the pro side, she is very creative and funny. On the con side, THIS IS MY BLOG & I am not in Montreal to test her creations. Thoughts??

I have entertained twice this week, so my lack of blogging is not due to my lack of cooking and baking. Last Saturday, we had guests over for a steakhouse themed dinner. We had tuna tartare avocado to start, medium rare spicy filets with a cool yogurt mint sauce, mustard roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus for the main course and a key lime pie, fruit salad and raspberry lime tart from Citarella for dessert. The red wine was flowing, the company was great and Gioia brought her heavenly and buttery biscotti that have called my name EVERY SINGLE NIGHT since last week.

I learned when I first started entertaining that you DO NOT try a recipe for the first time when you entertain. There is nothing like the fear of the unknown and the stress that accompanies it when your guests arrive. With that being said, I gave the mustard roasted potatoes in Ina's new cookbook, "Barefoot Contessa at Home", a try a few nights before and they passed the test! This was the first recipe I tried from her new cookbook and as usual, her recipes are consistently outstanding.

Tonight, we hosted an impromptu and casual traditional Friday night dinner. We started with a mesclun salad with candied almonds, avocado and apple dressed in Nai's easiest and best dressing (1/3 balsamic, 1/3 dijon mustard, 1/3 olive oil and some minced garlic). We moved on to Moroccan chicken, fattoush and Sara Moulton's lemon roasted red potatoes. For dessert, we almost finished last week's biscotti and Nai brought a luscious chocolate cake from Balducci's.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Barefoot Contessa @ Home
Serves 6

2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 Tbsp good olive oil
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
kosher salt and a teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (or Italian) parsley
(I added garlic too)

Cut the potatoes in halfs or quarters depending on their size and place on a sheet pan. Slice the onions into half rounds and mix with the potatoes. Add oil, mustard and s&p. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until potatoes are soft inside and crispy outside. Toss the potatoes while they are in the oven a few times. When they come out, toss with parsley and a sprinkle of more kosher salt. Note: If you double the recipe, it will take a lot longer....close to an hour and a half.

To serve, warm in the oven for 10 minutes and you won't be able to tell they were made ahead of time. They remind me of a classy hash brown.

After of all of this entertaining, I wonder why I am not tired...it's 2 am and I'm awake....Food TV? Perhaps Bobby Flay is having a throwdown?

Thai Tom Yum Soup

Since I first made this soup, I had tom yum soup at my favorite Thai restaurant in the West Village, Galanga, and I went to the Institute of Culinary Education's "Essentials of Thai cuisine" to learn how to make tom yum soup. This version was much better tasting and better for you. This recipe is from Self magazine and was concocted by the chef from Tao in Las Vegas.

Disclaimer: this soup is not an easy meal, it takes a while to make. It's perfect for a Sunday dinner- bring the rest to work on Monday.
The reward is a zesty soup packed with lean protein that tastes different than every other night's dinner.

Thai Seafood Hot Pot
Self Magazine, November 2006

4 oz dried rice noodles

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 can (14 oz) diced tomato, with juice

1 cup light coconut milk

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

Zest of 2 limes (1 Tbsp)

1-2 Thai red chiles, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp sugar

1 stalk lemongrass, minced (if you don't mince, you will taste hard pieces)

6 sprigs cilantro

2 sprigs basil

1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 large sea scallop, cut in half

1 cup frozen calamari rings, thawed

juice of 1 lime

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Stir in noodles; remove from heat. Let stand until noodles soften, 7 to 10 minutes; drain. Heat oil in a large pot over medium hear. Cook shallots, garlic and onion until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add stock, juice from tomatoes, coconut milk, vinegar, fish sauce, lime zest, chiles, sugar and lemongrass. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add cilantro and basil; reduce heat to medium low; simmer 10 minutes. Remove garlic, cilantro and basil from pot; add tomatoes and mushrooms. Return to a simmer. Add shrimp and scallops; cook for 2 minutes. Add calamari and lime juice. Season with s&p. Divide noodles among 4 bowls; top with broth and seafood. Garnish with basil and cilantro, if you'd like.

This Shrimp is Back in the Kitchen!

The long anticipated (by me) Holiday edition is here...this shrimp is back in the kitchen. We started the week at our dear friends' house in Long Island for the annual Italian Christmas Eve to remember. The two beautiful little girls, Sarah, 4, and Julianna, 2, ate 12 pieces of shrimp cocktail each. Year after year, they inhale the shrimp and handle it like real women, I am impressed. We had courses and courses of unbelievable food. The broiled lobster tails were to die for & I am getting the recipe for Braude's Bites.

Yesterday, I leafed through my giant recipe binder in search of a new recipe to try. I've been out of the kitchen for weeks and needed a serious comeback from my hiatus. I found some recipes from our dinner at David Paul's Lahaina Grill in Maui. After our favorite dinner on our honeymoon in Hawaii, I asked the waiter if I could have the recipe for their ahi tuna. In New York, I wouldn't have even asked. In the true spirit of Hawaii, he came out with 6 recipes for all of their classic dishes, all typed up on letterhead for patrons! Truth is you have to adapt the recipes for your home kitchen, unless you're into spending hours in the kitchen making tequila butter to put in the tequila beurre blanc to pour on the tequila shrimp- who are we kidding?

Tequila Shrimp and Vanilla Bean Rice from David Paul's
Serves 4 people

Maui Tequila Shrimp

1 1/2 lbs deveined shrimp
1/2 oil (I used olive, they used corn oil)
1 1/2 tsp chili paste
1 1/2 tsp cilantro
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp bown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 cup tequila
1/2 tsp worcestershire
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Peel and wash the shrimp.Combine all ingredients & marinate the shrimp in a container for at least 1 hour. Take the shrimp out of the marinade & place it in a single layer on a saute pan over medium heat until shrimp are cooked through. Do not overcook,once the shrimps are all pink, take them off.

This easy shrimp recipe boasts spicy flavor and is complimented with a vanilla bean rice. Use this for a weekday meal. It wouldn't be ideal for company cause it's tough not to overcook the shrimp if they sit for a bit and you can't shock them in ice water with their marinade. You could steam them for 30 seconds.

Vanilla Bean Rice

1 Tbsp shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup Jasmine Rice
3 cups clam or fish broth
1 split vanilla bean

Vanilla beans are expensive, but they are worth it. Cook rice over medium heat with vanilla bean, shallots, butter and clam broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff. This recipe has some strengths in that the rice was a Thai sticky rice and tasted of vanilla, but I found the clam broth a bit overpowering. Any suggestions from fellow chefs?

On the 2nd day of Chanukah

This year, my mom & dad were in for Chanukah and we hosted a small party here for Lee's mom's b-day and Chanukah. My mom outdid herself with her annual potato latkas and a classic cake from our childhood.
The kids and adults ran for seconds on the once a year delicacy!

Easy Potato Latkas
Norene Gilletz's "Pleasures of Your Processor"
(yields 2 dozen)

4 medium potatoes, pared (she recommended Yukon gold or yellow flesh)
1 onion
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
oil for frying

Cut potatoes in chunks and onion in half. Place in a processor (with a steel knife) with eggs and process until pureed- 20 to 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except oil and process a few seconds longer to blend into a smooth mixture. Pour oil to about 1/8" depth in a large skillet. When hot, drop in potato mixture by large spoonfuls to form pancakes. Brown well on both sides. Drain well on paper towels.

*These can be frozen. To reheat, place them on a ungreased foil lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, until crisp & hot. Serve with apple sauce. These would make great party appetizers, you can make 5 dozen mini latkas and place a dollop of creme fraiche on top.

Every year at our birthday parties, we would have a vanilla cake with a creamy icing. I always preferred white cake to chocolate cake and always will. She updated the "Betty Crocker's Silver White cake" with Magnolia bakery icing...it was luscious. On our wedding day, my mom gave this recipe to the baker and our wedding cake tasted like my old bday cakes...YUM.

Betty Crocker's Silver White Cake

TIME: Bake layers 30 to 35 minutes, square or oblong 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

INSTRUCIONS FOR LARGE CAKE (TWO 9" LAYER CAKE PANS OR ONE 13" X 9" PAN)

Grease and generously flour pan.
Sift together:
2 7/8 cups sifted Softasilk Flour or 2 2/3 cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1 7/8 cups sifted sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Add:
2/3 cups soft shortening
1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons flavoring
Beat 2 minutes.
Add 5 egg whites.
Beat 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until cake tests done. Cool. Finish with desired filling and frosting. When this cake is iced, it looks like a cake that could have been in a 1950s style bakery front, especially in a pretty pastel color.
Advice from mom: Place a round 9 inch parchment paper round, buttered on both sides, at the bottom of the pans. She also learned how to ice a cake from watching Martha...so watch her :)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SMALL CAKE(TWO 8" LAYER CAKE PANS OR 9" SQUARE PAN)

Follow all the instructions above, but change the quantities to the following:
2 1/4 cups sifted Softasilk flour or 2 1/8 cups Gold Medal flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup soft shortening
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons flavoring
4 egg whites

Ricetta Salsa Verde from Firenze

A Real Italian Cookbook

Ricetta Salsa Verde
Homemade tarts with pastry cream & cognac glazed pears served with ginger ice cream

Thanks to the man in Todd (pictured above on the right), Braude's Bites is being published from bed today as I enjoy the new benefits of being wireless. I feel free in so many ways :) About a week ago, Lee and I were invited to a stranger's for dinner. All I knew about Gioia was that we shared a personal trainer, a love for cooking and a friendship with Karina & Todd. These nuggets, along with the fact that she is from Florence and adores entertaining, convinced me that her dinner would be worth traipsing to Brooklyn for in the middle of the week. I like Brooklyn, don't get me wrong, but Lee and I are known to stay home or within a 10 block radius from our apartment during the week. Not only did I make a new friend, we also ate a dinner to remember. Move out of the way, Giada DeLaurentis! Gioia is the real deal. Before we arrived, Karina & Todd scared her letting her know I do not eat cheese. Gioia called me to better understand my hatred for cheese and told me she had a cousin that hated cheese, but if you hid it, she wouldn't know. I explained her that if cheese came within a foot of any of my senses, I would know. The Italian goddess was thrilled to take on the no cheese challenge and delivered a meal that fell from heaven (and I appreciate it!). Her kitchen was so eclectic, full of authentic Italian cookbooks, rare spices and top of the line kitchen gadgets. Her mandalin was taller than me. When we got there, there were pears boiling in cognac, tarts shells coming out of the oven and a succulent tenderloin roasting. We started with a fettucini with salsa verde that was smooth & nutty. It tasted like it was from an Italian restaurant, which could be called Buon Gioia (I don't take credit for inventing the name of this "would be" hotspot). Moved on to my tuna tartare for a Hawaiian course in the middle of an Italian meal. For the main course,we had a wonderful salad with fennel, jicama (pronounced by Gioia as GI-CA-MA) and pears with a juicy medium rare beef tenderloin and crispy roasted new potatoes. For dessert, we enjoyed home made pear tarts with ginger ice cream. The crust, the pastry cream and the cognac glazed pears were delightful....so delightful, I ate Jorge's uneaten half as well. Who says I have class?

Gioia's Ricetta Salsa Verde

30 grams flat leaf (Italian) parsley

1 large garlic clove

2 filets of anchovy in olive oil (drained)

1 tsp dijon mustard

15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

45 ml best olive oil you can get

salt and pepper

Put garlic, parsley, anchovies and salt in the blender and mix. Add lemon juice and mustard - blend again. At low speed, pour the olive oil in a bit at a time. Add pepper last.

This salsa verde would be great with pasta, the way Gioia served it, or on beef tenderloin and/or roast beef sandwiches.

Buon Appetito from Buon Gioia!

Going butternuts!

I discovered butternut squash soup at Corryn's apartment a few years back. I loved it & asked for the recipe. Since then, I have passed the recipe on to my mom who makes it all the time. Last year when my grandmother, parents and Jean came to our apartment for dinner for the first time, I made this soup. It's a perfect fall soup with a luscious velvety texture, perfect for a fall or winter dinner and will allow you to keep your girlish figure. Cutting the squash will require a good chef's knife and a workout....make it easier, spare the effort and buy it pre-cut if you can.

Butternut Squash Soup - Serves 6
Bonnie Stern

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 baking potato, peeled & diced
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic. Cook gently until very fragrant and tender. Add potatoes and squash. Cook a few minutes until lightly browned. Stir well. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes or until very tender. Season with salt & pepper & red pepper flakes. Puree soup in a blender, food processor or an immersion blender. Add more stock or water if soup is too thick. Return to heat and keep warm.

Optional: Bonnie Stern suggested taking 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, adding some water and making a tomato paint for each serving of the soup (swirls, polk-a-dots). Many restaurants serve the soup with a dollop of creme fraiche.

A Coincidence: Allison's Spicy Peanut Noodles & Shrimp

A while back, I clipped a recipe out of Cooking Light magazine for spicy peanut noodles with shrimp. At the time I clipped it, I paid no attention to who had created the recipe.

As months would pass, we would be watching tv and Lee would exclaim: "Hey, that's Allison Fishman!". She would keep popping up in commercials for ICE and on Dave Lieberman's show. Since then, I have become e-mail buddies with Allison, an old friend of Lee's from high school, who is a cooking teacher, food stylist and recipe developer from Brooklyn. Check out her yummy recipes, cooking classes and blog at The Wooden Spoon.

The other night, I was flipping through my recipe binder, landed on the spicy peanut noodles with shrimp and realized it was created by Allison. So, I made it....and it was yummy without tasting "light"!

Enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Noodles with Shrimp
"Cooking Light" Magazine, Allison Fishman
serves 4 people

Peanut Sauce

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I used reduced fat)

1/4 to 1/3 cup of water

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 to 2 tsp chile paste with garlic (I used 1.5, we like it spicy!)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt, divided

Shrimp

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Cooking spray

Pasta

4 cups cooked thick udon noodles or linguini (8 oz uncooked)

1 red bell pepper, julienned

3/4 cup chopped, seeded cucumber

1/4 cup diagonally cut green onions

3 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts

2 tbsp cilantro leaves

4 lime wedges (optional)

1. To prepare sauce, combine the first 6 ingredients and 1/4 tsp salt and stir with a whisk.

2. To prepare the shrimp, toss with 1/4 tsp salt. Saute in a nonstick skillet coated with Pam over medium high heat for 3 minutes on each side or until done.

3. To prepare pasta, combine peanut sauce, shrimp, noodles, bell pepper, cucumbers and onions in a large bowl, toss well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

The meal is less than 425 calories and tastes great. Go Allison go!

Note: I used soba noodles instead.

An excuse to eat apple crostata

I'm a Canadian married to an American and we're living in the US. Although I don't like turkey, I love the premise of Thanksgiving and the fact that the week is cut short on Wednesday...these Americans do it right.
Here's another great one from Barefoot Contessa Parties!
I'm not her publicist, just a big fan....This is the second time I have made this rustic apple crostata and you only have to make the crust once. It went over very well both times! A perfect Thanksgiving dessert last night.

Apple Crostata- Serves 6
Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Needed equipment: rolling pin, food processor, baking sheet, microplane zester and some bowls

For the pastry (makes enough for 2 tarts!)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lb very cold unsalted butter, diced

For the filling (1 tart)
1 1/2 lbs McIntosh, Empire or Macoun apples (3 apples)
1/4 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice (I didn't have it and skipped it)
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick), diced

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Unplug food processor and take out the blade. Add the butter and toss quickly with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Replug the food processor and put the blade back, pulse 12-15 times or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add 1/4 cup of ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form 2 disks. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate one of the disks for at least an hour. Freeze the rest of the pastry to use for your next masterpiece!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

For the filling, peel, core and quarter the apples. Cut each quarter into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with apple chunks, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon, and allspice into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on apples. Gently fold the border over the apples, pleating it to make a circle.

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Let the tart cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to carefully transfer it to a wire rack.

Bon Appetit!

A Rite of Passage

If you're a Jewish Canadian and your mother liked to cook, chances are that some time after you left home, your mom gave you a trio of cookbooks by Norene Gilletz. When I was little, I always saw my mom cooking from "Second Helpings" and "The Pleasures of Your Processor". As I got older, Norene came out with "Microways" and "Meal- Lean- I Yumm" to adapt to changing technologies and health and wellness! During the holidays, my mom always made a sweet and creamy dressing from her book, "The Pleasures of Your Processor". As I prepare to bring salad over to my thanksgiving feast at my mother-in-law's in Long Island, I made this dressing. Note: This dressing is NOT LOW FAT!!

Sweet & Spicy French Dressing (yields 2 3/4 cups dressing)
From: The Pleasures of Your Processor by Norene Gilletz

2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tbsp salt (I use Kosher)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 cup oil (I use extra virgin)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Peel garlic & drop it through the feed tube on your food processor with machine running. Process until minced. Scrape down the bowl, add remaining ingredients and process 25-30 seconds until blended and creamy.

Do not freeze. This dressing keeps 2 months in the fridge in a tightly closed jar.

Not your mom's tuna salad

This recipe is a great twist on crowd-pleasing tuna tartare. It's one of the quickest and healthiest meals around and comes from the one and only, Ina. I have to say that since Nigella has arrived on Food Network, I feel like I have been cheating on Ina. Her British accent is so sophisticated and my first recipe, her key lime pie, had me at hello. I have also stolen one of her bad habits by sneaking out of bed every night to steal some dark chocolate from the pantry. Anyway, I digress.

The key to this recipe is simple: fresh fish from a trusted fish shop, make sure it's bright red and doesn't smell. Use it within 36 hrs from when you buy it (this is my guideline, not the FDA's :) )

Tuna Salad (The Barefoot Contessa, serves 4)

2 lbs very fresh tuna steak, cut 1 inch thick
4 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated (love my microplane zester!)
1 tsp wasabi powder (if you don't have, skip it, you could also keep some from last night's sushi...the green paste)
6 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 tsp soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (Ina and I use Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocado (the more, the merrier..mmm)
1/4 cup minced scallions (these are shallots in Canada), white & green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced
*You can also add in hearts of palm, I think they go great!

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with s&p. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for a minute on each side. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, s&p, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.