Holiday Recipes!

It's that time of year again! I know I'm a bit behind on posting this, but here are a few of the dishes that made the table at this year's Thanksgiving. There were a lot of repeats from last year, like the Brussels Sprouts and Apples and the Warm Butternut Squash and Arugula, my mother-in-law's Wild Rice Salad, Oatmeal Crunch Apple Crisp...they've definitely become staples.  I did decide to give Pure Food and Wine's raw, vegan Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart a shot and we changed up my mother's traditional "candied yams" (or sweet potatoes with marshmallows and corn flakes, of course) to a slightly healthier version. These are all great ideas for your Christmas dinner in a few weeks!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or less if you're not a big ginger fan)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1/2 cup marshmallows

1/2 cup corn flakes

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Oil a medium-sized casserole dish. Wrap each sweet potato in foil, pierce numerous times with a fork and place in the oven for about an hour, until each is baked through (you should be able to slide a knife through the center flesh easily). Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then cut each sweet potato in half. Scrape the flesh into a large mixing bowl and mash the sweet potatoes with the coconut milk. Stir in the ginger, maple syrup and salt. Let sit for a few minutes, stir again and taste - adjust the seasoning if you need to. 

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake uncovered until warm, roughly 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the marshmallows and corn flakes, alternating each in diagonal rows. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or so until the marshmallows toast and brown slightly.

Pure Food and Wine's Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

Serves 6

For the tart crust:

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup fine almond flour

1/2 cup maple syrup crystals

1/4 cup coconut butter

pinch of sea salt

In a standard mixer with a paddle attachment, mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined into a dough. You can do this by hand as well, with a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Press the dough evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill 1 hour or more.

For the ganache filling:

2 1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup coconut butter

Blend all of the filling ingredients in a blender until smooth. Taste the ganache to make sure it's not grainy. If needed, blend further until completely smooth. Pour into the chilled tart crust. Place in the refrigerator to chill and set at least 3 hours.

For the vanilla cream:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours or more

1 cup coconut meat

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup coconut butter

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean

1/4 tsp salt

Blend all the ingredients until completely smooth. Transfer to a separate container and refrigerate to chill and set, 2 hours or more.

Cut the tart into 12 slices (running the knife under hot water between each slice) and top each slice with a spoonful of the vanilla cream. I could not get enough of this!! Unbelievably decadent.

What's for Dinner?

Ahhh...the ultimate question at the end of a fab weekend. It was a gorgeous day and I cant help but want to take advantage of the good weather and our New York terrace and grill out. First thing that comes to James' mind is steak. Again. But, hey, I'm ok with it (as long as it's fish next time, of course!). We went to Gourmet Garage to see what was fresh. When you're cooking steak on the grill (with a guy) you need corn and potatoes. A little early for the fresh corn season but this "summer nights" preview was tempting our taste buds. So we bought the packaged stuff and I made my "guy-approved, girl-friendly" version...

Grilled New York Strip
with Charred Corn and Sweet Tomato Saute
Garlic and Parsley Red Potatoes to taste

Ingredients
2 New York strip steaks
4 small ears of corn
1/4 lb red potatoes, cleaned and halved
pint of exotic tomato medley
1 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
salt & pepper
pinch of sugar
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter (or butter substitute)

Before grilling steaks, always let sit out of the refrigerator, covered for twenty minutes. Start with the corn. Heat up the grill to medium heat. Place the ears of corn in a large bowl of cold water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and shake off the excess. Place the corn on the grill for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the kernels are tender when pierced with a knife. Cut the corn off of the cob and transfer to a medium bowl. Toss with half of the fresh basil, 1 tbsp of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.


In the mean time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and let simmer. Start to chop the fresh basil and parsley and set aside. Once the potatoes are cooked through (you should be able to easily slide a fork into each piece), drain and place in a bowl. Add the fresh parsley, some of the butter, smashed whole garlic cloves and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together. The heat of the potatoes will melt the butter and you will start to smell the aroma of the garlic (Note: mouth starts watering here). Cover and set aside.


While the potatoes are simmering, drizzle the steaks with olive oil and liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill and let cook until golden brown, turning once, until done to your liking (about 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium rare). Remove the steaks to a cutting board, loosely cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

While the steaks are resting, heat the olive oil and remaining butter in a small pan until bubbling. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes or until just beginning to soften. Stir through the basil, dash of sugar and salt and pepper. Serve the tomatoes atop of the charred corn. The sweet juicy pan sauce will reheat the corn and add a moist element to the dish.

Serve and enjoy!

EASTER FEAST (for two)

Today could have seemed like a typical New York (almost Spring!!) Sunday...

I walked around my neighborhood basking in the sun (yes, with my coat still on), went to Physique 57 to work out, met my friend Natalie at the Chelsea Market (I of course tasted the Fat Whitch brownie samples on my way in), picked up my friend's dog from Pup Culture...but it's actually Easter Sunday and all I could think about all day was FOOD.  I was anxious to get in the kitchen and cook up a flavorful feast for the holiday. The unfortunate thing was that I had to wait for dinner, so I literally spent my day wasting time trying to get my mind off of the juicy lamb chops that were marinating in my refrigerator. I had gone to my local butcher the day before, who had cut and prepared a rack of lamb for me, and stopped by the bodegas and shops in my hood for the rest of the fresh ingredients for my meal: Mouthwatering herb and garlic grilled lamb chops with roasted brussels sprouts and red potatoes. Homemade chocolate and raspberry sorbet eggs from Cones with crumbled freshly baked biscotti on top from Rocco's. Delightful. 

I used a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for the marinade on my lamb chops. I can always count on Giada!

Giada's Grilled Lamb Chops

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Tbls fresh rosemary leaves

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Pinch cayenne pepper

Coarse sea salt

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 lamb chops

In a food precessor add garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until combined. Pour in olive oil and pulse into a paste.  Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb chops and let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.  When ready to cook,  allow the chops to come to room temperature before cooking. 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes

Extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz brussels sprouts, halved

10 oz red potatoes, quartered

Sprinkle of dried oregano

Sprinkle of dried basil

Sprinkle of fresh thyme

Sprinkle of fresh rosemary

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.  Put parchment paper down in a baking dish. Place vegetables in the baking dish and add the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Add more olive oil if the vegetables seem dry. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. 

In the mean time, heat a grill pan over high heat, add the lamb chops and sear for about 2 minutes.  Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. 

Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet Eggs with Crumbled Biscotti

Homemade Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet

Freshly baked hazelnut biscotti

Place biscotti in plastic bag. Crush with a meat tenderizer. Scoop out sorbet and plate. Sprinkle with biscotti.

Happy Easter!