I made this lemon anglaise-like cream that I was going to use for cake with and then I decided I could do something far more interesting with the cream and I combined it with fresh cut fruit and large tapioca pearls.

The Tomatillo is looks like a green tomato but is really a berry that’s related to the gooseberry. It taste almost watermelon like when it’s raw like from the part near the rind. Jicama is neutral and adds a nice light crunch. The fruit adds flavor and sweetness and the tapioca makes the salad special. Thai Basil adds just the right seasoning that ties everything together. This salad seems light and is refreshing.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 12 0z. can evaporated milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

4 lemons – the fresh juice and zest (you need about a cup plus 1/4 of juice)

4 XL yolks -beaten

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup water

pinch salt

1/2 large jicama – peeled and cut in cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 oranges peeled and supreme and cut in smaller pieces

1 lb tomatillos 3 large or bunch of small cored, peeled, cleaned – cubed

1 apple cored cubed

l lemon just the fresh squeezed juice

2 Tablespoon fresh Thai Basil – chopped

1/2 cup large pearl tapioca

2 cups water

Directions

In a small mixing bowl combine cornstarch sugar, salt, yolks and mix well. In a saucepan on medium heat add your butter, lemon juice/zest, water, Whisk in your small bowl contents into your sauce pan. The mixture must bubble and thicken. Let it bubble for about 5 minutes and turn down heat so it doesn’t burn.

When done refrigerate.

Prep up the produce if you haven’t done already.

There are different kinds of tapioca out there that need different cooking methods so follow the directions on the kind you purchased. Mine was to bring to boil, then reduce to slow boil for about 10 minutes and then reduced to simmer about 10 minutes. Staring often because this stuff sticks. I recommend using a nonstick pot if you have one. Rinse the tapioca well and then add the tapioca to the chilled lemon sauce. Then pour the sauce over the produce and add the Thai Basil.

People will be impressed with this one. Delicious with interesting flavors and textures. This recipe might be prize winning. I should forking charge for this one.

Your Welcome!

 

I had a bunch of pickling cucumbers, some lemons and some fresh rosemary and I was undecided if I wanted to make pickles or salad so I made salad but pickled style. The salad came out very light and refreshing. Cumbers are really a blank canvas you can infuse any flavor to them. Rosemary can be a harsh flavor and isn’t typically used with cucumber but if you are very careful and don’t over use it then it is fine and goes very well with lemon. After you make it the the flavors need at least a day to combine but for the best flavor you need to let it sit about one week.

Ingredients to make around 14 servings

3 1/2 lb pickling cucumbers – remove ends, slice in chip shapes

1 carrot peeled, and sliced very thin

1 sweet onion sliced thin

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and a small amount of the zest.

8 garlic cloves smashed

1 oz fresh rosemary – finely chopped

Directions

In a large bowl add your cucumber, carrot, onion and rosemary. Get a medium sized sauce pan on the stove and add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and then reduce to slow boil for about twenty minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the garlic and discard. Pour the hot liquid over the big bowl with cucumbers. Chill and serve.

Very light and tasty.

I recently dined at Carvalho’s Brazilian Kitchen in Scottsdale AZ and tried their potato salad with my steak. The Brazilian Potato Salad had a good play of flavor between the sweet soft carrots and briney olives. It also was  very bright tasting maybe from lemon.  I became inspired to create a similar salad. The interesting thing that seemed different to me was the texture. It was more like mashed potatoes mixed with chunks of firm potatoes.

My recipe isn’t exactly the same but it is similar. I took liberties and added hearts of palm because it was suppose come with my dinner and was substituted with something else. The hearts of palm surprisingly goes well in the salad.

Some of the tricks to making this potato salad are to boil the potatoes just right. You need to have a cooked but firm center and the ends need to be softer so than when you mix you get a creaminess from the ends of the potatoes. The other part of my trick is to infuse the potatoes with flavors from boiling them with a hot banana pepper and scallions. The palm hearts I added added another texture and taste that goes remarkably well in this salad.

Honestly my potato salad came out really amazing but I never would have thought about making such a salad if it wasn’t for Carvalho’s Brazilian Kitchen.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

2 LB russet potatoes – peeled, cut in halves

1 hot banana pepper (or other hot pepper you like to boil the potatoes with)

4 scallions (to boil the potatoes with)

1 Tablespoon salt (kosher or sea salt)

3 carrots peeled – cut in quarters longways- and half again

1/3 cup olives pitted and then rough chopped – I used kalamata

14.1 oz. can hearts of palm – rinsed well and drained – rough chopped

3 scallions – rough chopped on a diagonal

1 lemon -just the fresh squeezed juice

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise

fresh ground salt to taste (about a Tablespoon)

fresh cracked pepper to taste (about 1/2 a teaspoon)

Directions

Place your potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, hot pepper and 4 scallions in a medium size sauce pan. fill with water to the top of produce. Bring to boil and then reduce to a slow boil for around 15 minutes. You want the potato to be just fork tender. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set them to the side. You will re-use the water to do your carrots. When cool enough to handle cut the potatoes in large chunks and place in a large bowl. set to the side.

Now add the carrots and they need to cook about 8 minutes. You want them soft but not falling apart.

When carrots are done drain them and add them to the large bowl of potatoes.

Throw out the used scallions and used hot pepper. (you might want to keep the liquid for making vegetable soup)

Now to the large bowl add olives, hearts of palm, 3 scallions, lemon juice, low fat mayonnaise and stir gently. Add fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

The forking truth is that after a gave my husband a small bowl to try he kept coming back for more. He kept saying this is really good. He didn’t even think I should call this potato salad Brazilian Potato Salad. He said it’s just REALLY GOOD Potato salad.

 

 

 

 

 

Gochujang is just delicious! It’s a savory, Korean paste made from fermented soybeans, rice, and chilies. If you like Sriracha you will Love Gochujang. It’s far more complex and interesting. I had an idea of what flavors went well with gochujang  so I wanted to marinate chicken in it to make it delicious. I also wanted to add a crispy texture simply baking the plain boneless breast of chicken. So I thought of the kind of American Crispy Chicken recipes where Corn Flakes are used for a crispy texture. So I used Asian thin crispy rice crackers, crushed them and applied them to the marinated chicken and they stayed on and more importantly tasted great. This really did come out amazing. This is something you will make over and over again!

Ingredients for 4 servings

2 lbs. Chicken Breast – Mine were two large breast that I cut in half and pounded Makes 4 servings

The marinate

3 Tablespoons lite soy sauce

1 Tablespoon shaohsing rice cooking wine (looks black..)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon gochujang

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 Tablespoons fresh ground ginger

1 teaspoon black bean  sauce (Lee Kum Kee Brand fermented black beans and garlic)

2 Tablespoons sugar

Directions

Put your chicken in a gallon zip lock bag. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into bag with chicken. Squish it around a little and let sit in your refrigerator for an hour. Now make the sauce.

Ingredients for sauce

3 Tablespoons lite soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon shaohsing rice cooking wine (looks black)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons gochujang

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon black bean sauce (Lee Kum Kee Brand fermented beans and garlic)

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

Mix together and set to the side.

Ingredients

30 Asian Rice crackers

Non-stick spray

Directions

Get rice rackers and crush up in a sandwich bag and set to the side and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get your non-stock spray and spray a baking sheet.

Get your marinated chicken out of the marinate and blot dry. Throw out the marinate. Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the crushed rice crackers. Roast till done. Should be done in 20-25 minutes.

Decide if you want to use some of the juice that released from the chicken and add some into the sauce if desired.

Immediately before serving for sauce over chicken add chopped scallions if desired.

This is FORKING Delicious!

It’s a rollercoaster of flavors in your mouth. Incredibly scrumptious!

(your welcome)

 

 

 

 

These pickles come out delicious and crisp and might be your favorite!

Ingredients makes around 24 servings

3 1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers – whole or halved and trimmed (slice the ends off)

1 sweet onion – sliced thin

3 cups water

3 cups white vinegar

3 cups rice wine vinegar

4 Tablespoons kosher salt

3oz  fresh dill

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 Tablespoon +1 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon +1 teaspoons red pepper flakes

4 bay leaves

20 garlic cloves smashed

1 Tablespoon+1 teaspoons black peppercorns

Everything except for the cucumbers and onions bring to a boil and reduce to a slow boil for about 20 minutes. Place the cucumbers and onions into sterilized jars or containers and pour the hot mixture over them. Place in refrigerator and enjoy in about a week.

Crunchy!  Very Good Pickles!

 

Yellow squash has little flavor on it’s own. To make the yellow squash tasty I usually broil the squash on both sides till it chars with a light sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil. When it comes out of the oven the squash gets fresh ground sea salt and pepper. Then I added a light sprinkle of the Hawayej spice and now I have more exciting squash!

Hawayej is a Yemenite spice blend that is used for meats, soups, stews and vegetables. It is believed to promote good health.

I looked at many recipes for Hawayej and decided to try Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tammy’s recipe since Ottolenghi is considered to be one of the most respected chefs in the world.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Heat up a small fry pan with the black peppercorns, coriander, cumin and cloves till fragrant on medium heat for thirty seconds-up to one minute. Remove from heat when cool grind and then stir in the cardamon and turmeric.

Hawayej sure makes yellow squash more interesting. You can bump this up one step further by adding some creamy fresh feta cheese and some fresh chopped parsley.

I was watching The Chew TV Show and Chef Micheal Symon said he serves a pickled chili salad over his steaks at his restaurant. I never thought of pickled chilies with a steak. I usually do something traditional like slow cooked onions or mushrooms. So I thought I’d try it since a had a bunch of Anaheim Chilies that I wanted to do something with. In Michael Symons recipe he uses Jalapeño peppers, Fresno Chilies and Shallots. I used Anaheim Chilies and one large Red Onion. I have to say the pickled chilies and onions are really great with steak. It seemed to lighten the steak up. These chilies would also be great on sandwiches. You might want to give this a try. Use whatever chilies you like!

Ingredients for 8 servings

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 small onion pealed and sliced

1 head garlic slice off the very top so the cloves are exposed

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

1 Tablespoon coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

8 oz chilies jalapeno and fresno (they were left whole in his recipe I sliced mine) (I used Anaheim  Chilies)

8 oz shallots sliced thin (I used a red onion)

Directions

Leave your chilies in one sterile container and your shallots in another sterile container. The rest of the ingredients put in a medium sauce pan and bring to boil and then reduce to simmer and let it go till it reduces some. Strain and pour over your chilies and shallots.

Yum a new favorite!

 

 

WOW this taste FORKING Amazing. I have to write it down. This combination is just genius. I was watching Top Chef Master Lorena Garcia on some kind of Chef Competition Show and she mixed lox into her guacamole and served it on a fresh made arepa. Chef Lorena won the battle with this creation and the judges couldn’t stop talking about how great it was. So I did something similar.

I made fresh corn tortillas and just used the recipe that was on my bag of masa flour. Doing a half batch for my first time doing tortillas.

I don’t have a tortilla press and used plastic wrap on both sides of the tortilla and rolled it out the best I could.

30 seconds on each side about tree times in a medium high fry pan. I couldn’t forking get mine round but they came out delicious anyway.

I knew I needed to find a better recipe for tortillas so about a week latter I tried Mark Bittman’s recipe.

I do WARN YOU! This recipe I wouldn’t recommend unless you have a non-stick pan because in a regular pan the tortilla comes out well but it is very hard to clean the pan afterwards. Took me a forking hour to scrub out the black residue.

1 1/2 cup masa harina

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons oil or butter or lard (I used canola oil)

1 cup hot water

Made them the same way and these came out better for me. I didn’t use a press but they came out closer to round, were softer and got nice char marks. (corn tortillas should be served hot and steamy)

I wish this was my first try at tortillas.

From my first batch of tortillas……

I topped them off with about 1 1/2 oz of regular not the best smoked salmon or what we call lox (******lox is a loose term and is actually just salt cured salmon from the belly area that’s easy to make if you live in an area were you can purchase really fresh salmon.)

Avocado slices sprinkled well with fresh lime juice

Grated frozen jalapeno (I keep jalapeños in my freezer)

Grated one small garlic clove

Some chopped scallions

a little fresh cilantro

Topped with another small tortilla

Gosh it really was delicious! I’m surprised I never saw this on a menu anywhere. Who knew the creamy avocado goes so well with lox and all these flavors compliment extremely well. It’s fireworks in the mouth. It’s something really original.

Thanks to Chef Lorena Garcia, I learned from watching her on Bravo TV and got the idea to do what I did.

This sandwich was FORKING AWSOME !