Month: April 2015

Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Ever since I have started to eat healthier, my sweet tooth has suffered.
I had no problem giving up alcohol and I had no problem to stop smoking, but giving up on cake and patisserie remains a daily challenge, I miss my sweet’s terribly.
I am eating and enjoying a ton of fruits, but sometimes that just does not do the trick. I am a fairly good cook but a lousy patissier, so my sugar-free desserts are a bit lacking in finesse and variety.
Having said that, I DO have a few great options for sugar-free or at least refined-sugar free desserts. The following is one of my favorites because of its creaminess and richness.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Sweet ! (Sometimes)
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Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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1/3 cup Honey
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
5 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
lots of fresh, washed and dried berries

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: Bring milk and honey to a boil

: add vanilla extract

: whisk eggyolks until airy

: make a cornstarch slurry

: add slurry and butter to milk, simmer one minute

: add some pudding to the egg yolks to temper

: return egg mixture to pudding, mix well, simmer another minute

: add fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, fold in carefully

: pour into bowl or individual cups, cover with plastic film to prevent skin, chill overnight

: to serve, add pudding to serving plate

: top with sugar-free whipped heavy cream, sugar-free fruit purre and top with fresh strawberry

: Vanilla Pudding Chock-Full With Berries

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Easy Does It # 23 – Pickled Cauliflower And Pickled Broccolini

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Pickled vegetables are so easy to prepare, they stay fresh in the fridge for day’s and they come in handy any time of the day as a snack, or just as an refreshing side dish.
While you can pickle just about anything with great results, cauliflower and broccolini are my favorites, closely followed by mushrooms and cabbage.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more “Easy Does It”
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Link to “Pickled Cabbage Rolls”
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Link to “Chinese Pickled Cucumbers”
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Link to “Pickled Chicken” (Pollo En Escabeche)

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Pickled Cauliflower

Pickled Broccolini

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: blanched broccolini, garlic paste, pickled chilies, sliced onions, shredded carrots

: add kosher salt, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mix well, marinade at least 24 hours in fridge, serve at room temperature

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

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: raw beauty…………

: cut into florettes

: blanche in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: add sliced scallions, diced onions, fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, garlic pasteapple cider vinegar, mix, marinade at least 24 hours

: Pickled Cauliflower

: Pickled Cauliflower

: Pickled Cauliflower

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DOWNLOADABLE MONTHLY DESKTOP CALENDAR, May 2015, US EDITION AND INTERNATIONAL EDITION

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May 2015

“BUTTERMILK PANCAKES WITH CARAMELIZED BLACK PLUMS“

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>To display the calendar on your computer screen :
> download the calendar of your choice to your desktop,
> right-click on the image,
> choose the option that says, “Set as Desktop Background”, (exact wording will depend on the browser you use).If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference panel :
> Control Panel
> Display
> Desktop) and choose “Fit to screen” as the display mode of your background image. (Mac users will have to use different commands to the same effect).
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May 2015, US Edition :
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Calendar May 2015 US Edition

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May 2015, International Edition:
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Calendar May 2015 International Edition

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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Although most egg dishes which I have encountered in India and Pakistan use hard-boiled eggs, this dish, which I make often when I have some leftover curry sauce in the fridge, seems to capture (for me) the spirit of Indian and Pakistani breakfast dishes I had in hotels and private homes while living (Pakistan) and traveling (India) in both countries 🙂
Serve with naan and / or rice
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Bon Appetit ! कृपया भोजन का आनंद लीजिये ! (kripyā bhojan kā ānnaṅd lijīyai)
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Link to “EASY DOES IT # 11 – CURRY”

Link to Naan Recipe
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Link to Chelo / Polo
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Link to Rice
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Bombay Vegetable Omelette

Bombay Vegetables

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute botton mushrooms in clarified butter until starting to brown

: add diced onions, saute until opaque

: add diced peppers, blanched broccoli and blanched cauliflower

: add curry sauce (see link to”easy does it – curry)

: add spinach leaves and a dollop of greek yogurt

: add plenty of chopped cilantro, check / adjust seasoning

: plate veggie-curry

: whisk whole eggs with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: transform eggs into omelette 🙂

: place egg atop of veggie-curry, add a small dollop of greek yogurt and more chopped cilantro

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

: Bombay Vegetable Omelette

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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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If you’ll have a sandwich, you might as well make a good one ! This one certainly qualifies 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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P.S.
You might want to stop after step 3 – “gratinate until golden” and just enjoy one of the best garlic breads you’ll ever find 🙂
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: mix finely grated parmesan, garlic paste and garlic oil

: spread generously on two slices of sour dough bread

: gratinate until golden

: top both slices of bread with sharp cheddar, then top one slice with sliced cucumbers , season with kosher salt and chili flakes

: top with sliced mortadella

: top with sliced tomato, add horseradish to other slice of bread

: put both breads together, brush both slices with garlic oil

: saute or griddle bread on both sides until golden

: cover sandwich , keep cooking SLOWLY until cheese starts to melt. Meanwhile, make a salad with tomato, cucumber and vinaigrette, serve with sandwich

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

: Bologna & Cheddar Sandwich – Boss Level

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Salade De Pâtes

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A simple pasta salad will, more often then not, hit the spot for a simple yet satisfying meal.
And if you add some fruits to it, culinary bliss will be achieved with a minimum of fuss and expense 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is good !
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P.S.
Use any protein or vegetable to replace the bologna and Swiss cheese, such as shrimp, crab meat, chicken, roast beef and/or any vegetable and cheese at hand.
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More Pasta Salad
Even more Pasta Salad
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Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: blanche asparagus in salted water

: shock asparagus in ice water, drain

: cook pasta, drain

: slice bologna and swiss cheese into julienne(or other protein / cheese of your choice)

: radish, cucumber, asparagus, swiss, bologna

: add COLD pasta, garlic paste, apple cider vinegar, mayo, mustard, ketchup, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: serve with carambola and kiwi (or other fruit of your choice)

: mix all ingredients, check / adjust seasoning

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

: Pasta Salad. Salade De Pâtes

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Chicken Noodle Soup With Broccoli Rabe & Tomatoes

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My very own preference for chicken to use in a soup are the wings, which makes for a bit of messy eating at the dinner table. (Bella does not mind 🙂 )
So, if this is an issue for you, you might want to replace the wings with boneless diced chicken leg.
On the other hand, chicken noodle soup was never meant to be an elegant dish, so what the heck, use whatever makes you happy!
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Simmer wings with water, sliced ginger, sliced garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper until wings are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove wings, set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta, strain, toss with a bit of sesame oil. Strain soup, return to simmer, add chilies, broccoli rabe, tomatoes, scallions, hot sauce, soy sauce and wings, simmer another minute. Check / adjust seasoning. To serve, add pasta to serving dish, top with soup, wings and veggies, sprinkle with more scallion.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: wings, garlic, ginger, blanched broccoli rabe, mild chilies, scsllions, whole grain spaghetti, hot sauce, say sauce, sesame oil

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

: Chicken Noodle Soup With Whole Grain Pasta And Vegetables

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Salad With Irish Cheddar

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The other day I came across this cheese and thought I’ll give it a try. Turns out that this is my new favorite semi-hard cheese. It is simply delicious and, because of its sharpness and strength, ideal to pair with salad, which of course I did at once. Here is the result:
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Salad And Irish Cheddar

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Preparation :
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: the good stuff…..

: fresh herbs, always at hand…..

: rainbow tomatoes, radish. mild chilies

: sliced cucumbers, onions, radish. mild chilies, halved rainbow tomatoes, dressed in honey/mustard vinaigrette

: lettuce julienne with honey/mustard vinaigrette

: to serve, add vegetables and shaved cheddar, sprinkle with fresh basil, fresh cilantro and fresh ground black pepper

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

: Salad And Irish Cheddar

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“Eggs And Potato” (Baked Potato And Caviar)

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Ok friends, here is my opinion about “Caviar with all the trimmings” : It sucks !
In my humble opinion, only folks who don’t love caviar water down the pleasure of eating it by adding a mountain of other “stuff” to stretch it (lots of chopped onions, chopped eggs, sour cream, chopped chives, capers, lots of toast or other bread, mountains of blinis, etc.
I understand that it is not everybody’s kick to pay a few hundred $ for an ounce of caviar. But to stretch it with condiments means to just water down the pure pleasure, so you actually get less bang for your money. (Think of the best cognac you can lay your hands on – then stretching it with ice and water – Brrrrr 😦
All you should add to your caviar (in my own, humble opinion) to enjoy it to the fullest, is a bit of good, buttered bread, a tiny bliny or a bit of potato and top it with a generous amount of caviar. One ounce – two bites maximum WITH the bread or potato. Or, if you want to enjoy the caviar to the max – eat it neat, sit back, enjoy ! Life is good ! (I used one small potato and 4 oz of caviar for this dish – what the heck, I’ll only be 62 once)
As usual, use the best caviar you can afford – quality over quantity !
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I am probably a bit spoiled with my taste for caviar because back in the mid- and late seventies I spend a lot of time in Russia.
During that time we were able to exchange one pair of used jeans on the black market for one kilo of the best caviar. We ate the stuff on buttered bread like other folk eat marmalade on bread – good sourdough bread with unsalted butter, piled high with caviar, probably 6 to 8 ounces per sandwich 🙂
Imagine to be able to do this nowadays, my oh my…………
Some of my friends who were with me during those trips and who read this post –
Yalta, Odessa, Leningrad, Sochi…….Aaahhhhhh, the good old day’s !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Preparation :
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: bake potato at 425 F until very soft

: mix with butter, finely sliced scallions, a bit of greek yogurt and a tiny dash of sriracha

: mix ingredients, (the potato should be very light and almost neutral in taste), fill back into potato shell to serve

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: eat most of the potato before you start with the caviar

: hit me………

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Mondongo

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Even if you never had mondongo (tripes, kutteln) before, this variation should help you overcome your resentment easily because it is eye-appealing, tastes mild and best of all, it smells great, which you can’t say of some recipes utilizing tripe. The secret here is to blanch the tripe 3 times in salted, vinegared water, so that the typical smell of tripe has disappeared and you have an odorless piece of offal which should please you with its great taste and unique texture 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more Mondongo Recipes
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All about Tripe
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