Monthly Archives: August 2019

National Pot de Creme Day

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Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme garnished with fresh figs and cherries.

As it turns out, today is National Pot de Creme Day. I’m not sure who decides these sorts of things but who am I to argue. Pots de Creme are super easy custards that are a versatile dessert to have in your repertoire. I love their simplicity and that they don’t have a lot of ingredients. So here is my take on Pot de Creme.

Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme

  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste

Over medium low heat, bring the evaporated milk and heavy cream to a boil in a heavy bottomed pot, While the milk is heating up, whisk egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla paste together in a large bowl and set aside. Once the cream and evaporated has come to a boil, remove from heat. Slowly add the warm cream to the egg sugar mixture a ladleful at a time while continuously whisking to temper the egg mixture. Once all the cream has been added to the cream, set the mixture aside for 10 minutes. Skim and discard any foam from that settles on the top. Even distribute the mixture into 4 ramekins and bake in a water bath at 325F for 50 minutes or until set.  Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with fresh fruit and whipped cream or whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.

Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Give this a try and let me know what you think

 

 

 

3 Easy Marinades for Meal Prepping Chicken

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Some of you may be aware that I’m not a huge fan of chicken, but I acknowledge that chicken breast are super easy for cooking during the week and can usually satisfy even the fussiest of eaters. They’re versatile but can get pretty boring especially if you’ve meal prepped a bunch for the week.

So this week I’ll share with you 3 easy marinades to change up that boring chicken. Personally I prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts, but feel free to use which ever chicken cut you wish. You can marinade the chicken for as little as an hour or overnight. The chicken can be roasted in the oven, grilled or fried in a sauté pan.

Spicy Citrus Marinade

⅓ cup grapeseed oil or olive oil

½ cup orange juice

2-3 pineapple spears or rings or ½ cup pineapple juice

1 jalapeño or serrano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coarse salt

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ achiote powder

1 TBS dried oregano

2 green onions

Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over chicken pieces and let marinade at least 1 hour up to overnight.

 

Spicy Southern Style

½ cup plain greek yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream

¼ cup of your favorite hot sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp garlic powder

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl and pour over the chicken. Marinade at least 1 hour or over night.

 

Mediterranean Marindade

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup plain greek style yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves finely minced or ½ tsp of garlic powder

½ tsp dried dill

1 tsp dried oregano

Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over chicken.

 

By Popular Demand

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Piña Colada Ice Pops

A few months back I took an impromptu and wholly unscientific survey of roughly 80 or so people (mostly my co-workers) asking what their favorite flavor of Ice Pop/Paleta was. Coconut was the winner by an overwhelming margin. Second was Cherry Pineapple which according to my co-workers was a common treat from the ice cream man after school. What surprised me though was that Arroz Con Leche or Horchata was also very popular.

So by popular demand, this week I’ll share my recipe for Coconut, Pina Colada and Arroz Con Leche Ice Pops. To make this weeks recipes you will  need either re-useable ice pop molds or you can get single use zip top ice pop pouches from Amazon. Here is the link to the brand I use.

Coconut

2 15 ounce cans coconut milk

1 can Creme de Coco

½ cup shredded coconut

½ tsp coconut extract

¼ tsp each ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice and ground clove.

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, pour into molds and freeze for at least 8 hours.

Piña Colada Ice Pops

Pina Colada

1 15 ounce can coconut milk

1 Ripe Pineapple peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 can Creme de Coco

½ tsp coconut extract

Combine all ingredients in the carafe of a blender, blend on high until smooth. Pour mixture into molds and freeze for at least 8 hours.

Arroz Con Leche Ice Pops

Arroz con Leche/Horchata

2 cups cooked rice*

1 15 ounce can coconut milk

pinch of salt

1 12 ounce can evaporated milk

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla paste

½ tsp each ground clove, ground allspice, ground nutmeg

Yep, you guessed it combine all the ingredients into the blender and blend until well combined but not completely smooth. You’ll want to retain some of the grains of rice for texture. Pour into molds and freeze

* I suggest using left over rice, but if you do decide to make a fresh batch of rice for this make sure its at least room temperature but ideally cold.

 

That’s it simple easy kid friendly. Enjoy

Peachy Keen…and other assorted peachy puns

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Fresh peaches and whipped feta

It’s definitely peach (nectarine) season around these parts so this week I’m going to share a couple of simple peachy themed recipes with you.

The first recipe is for a Peach and Whipped Feta salad. I introduced you to whipped feta  a few weeks ago with my “Getting Toasted” Post. The thing I really like about this salad is that it refreshing, and doesn’t require any cooking. This salad also works whether the peaches are harder and not as ripe or super ripe.

Peach and Whipped Feta Salad

serves 4

2 ripe peaches or nectarines (cut into thin slices)

1 cups whipped feta*

1 cup micro greens or baby arugula

1 tsp premium balsamic vinegar for drizzling

1 TSP crushed and toasted Marcona Almonds or hazelnuts

salt and pepper to taste

8 slices of prosciutto

For individual serving, spread a heaping tablespoon of whipped feta diagonally across a chilled salad plate. Lay 4-6 slices of peach on top of the whipped feta and drape 2 slices of prosciutto over the peaches. Top with greens and sprinkle with the Marcona Almonds/Hazelnuts. Dress salad with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

 

Recipe number 2 is for Peach and Prosciutto Pizza. You can use which ever store bought crust you prefer, in this case I used Whole Foods Pizza Dough This recipe will be for a 20″ pizza.

Peach and Prosciutto Pizza with Ricotta and Arugula

Peach and Prosciutto Pizza with Ricotta and Arugula

1 ripe peach halved and cut into thin slices

1/2 thinly sliced shallot or red onion

2 cups arugula

8 slices or prosciutto  torn into rough strips

1/2 cup pancetta

1/2 cup ricotta

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 cup shredded aged mozzarella

2/3 of a cup fresh mozzarella thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

honey

Place peach slices in to a bowl, drizzle lightly with oiive oil, honey and salt and pepper and set aside. In a second bowl, dress the arugula with a splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and set aside.  Roll out crust to whichever shape you would like, and cover crust completely with the ricotta and lightly sprinkle half of the aged mozzarella and parmesan over the crust.

Peach and Prosciutto Pizza ready to go on the grill.

Layer the peaches, shallots, prosciutto and pancetta over the crust then top with the remainder of the shredded cheese and the fresh mozzarella. Bake the pizza until the bottom is golden brown and the top has started to brown. Remove from the oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and honey and finish with the dressed arugula.

 

Enjoy