Sweet Soy Grilled Short Ribs

I was surfing around one of my favorite websites Instructables.com and found this recipe that looked fantastic. I loved it so much that I had to not only make it, but post it in it's original form to to it's simplicity and tastiness.  Click here for the full recipe and take them to a friends house impressing them with your culinary skizzils.. Thank you very much to Laura Rebecca for posting. Happy fourth of July everyone!

Wine that Loves Food

I found this wine on a fantastic website called TheCoolHunter.net. I liked the idea of having a wine that is easy to pair with out any of the typical snobbery associated with wine and food. But that doesn't mean that the wine is sub par in any way. These are great wines created by San Francisco-based Amazing Food Wine Company. With the expertise of former Le Cirque (New York City) sommelier and Windows of the World (Manhattan) cellarmaster, Ralph Hersom. So for those of you that enjoy, but are not sure of how to pair here is something to make your life easier...

Zesty Caprese

Another One from Anders... Here is a very tasty and simple appetizer or lite meal for those of us who like a little kick, in terms of heat. I like the use of the blended peppers and vinegar as a drizzle that way you can regulate the heat...

Slice on the vine tomatoes (no salmonella)
Slice part skim mozzarella.
tear fresh basil

in blender
1 cup of red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp of chipotle peppers and sauce. I buy the canned kind - nice and smokey.
blend until liquefied

rinse,

then add 1 cup e.v.o.o
1 fire roasted poblano pepper
1 fire roasted habenero pepper
both deveined and deseeded.
blend until liquefied

arrange tomato/mozzarella/tomato/mozzarella etc
throw on torn basil
lightly salt and pepper
drizzle both sauces on to taste. Be careful, spicy.....

As seen on Bobby Flay

Vinho Verde of Portugal

This week I'm starting to invite some guest Foodies to send me some posts of things that they like. My good friend Anders Reinertsen who is a very good cook and connoisseur of all things fantastic. Starts us off with two posts.. The first is Vinho Verde of Portugal.. "As an idea for your blog, here is a great summer wine . It's a Vinho Verde, which I believe is exclusively from Portugal. Light and sparkly, great to drink when hot out. Found it after watching "Three Sheets" episode "Portugal" -Anders

Get Fresh

Eat fresh this summer and every season through out the year. Epicurious.com has set up an interactive map of the US with a description of the freshest produce available based on the month and area. Not only do they tell you about it, they also show you what to do with it.

Get Fresh every season

Sandwich and a Salad

I threw this together the other day with some stuff I had fresh in the fridge. There is no exact recipe but I will try to explain the best way to make this. First we will start with the sandwich... I took an uncut loaf of multi grain bread and cut two thick slices put a little extra virgin olive oil on both slices along with a sprinkle of kosher salt. Grilled the bread on high heat until slightly crisped on the outside but not dry. I then sliced some Campari tomatoes along with some fresh "Fior de Latte" Mozzarella (fresh mozzarella balls in the water) then picked some fresh sweet basil leaves from my yard and added some fresh slices of Prosciutto de Parma. for additional taste I slathered both sides of the bread with fresh pesto. Viola you have a sandwich...

Now the salad... I started with a frisee lettuce first, then added some red seedless grapes, toasted pecans, Gorgonzola cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. Then take some balsamic vinegar and good quality extra virgin olive oil and make your self a vinaigrette. Once you pour the dressing over the salad sprinkle a pinch of salt. Now sit down and enjoy your fantastic lunch! 

Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

I already am a huge fan of Leinenkugel's magical Brew's. Berry Weiss and Sunset Wheat are at the top of my list So there was no need for them to add another flavor to win me over. I have to say that definitely sparked a little heat in the relationship though.... My good friend Lew a fellow brew connoisseur introduced me to this stuff about a year ago and teased me with all the flavors that were not available here but only in the northern Midwest( he's from Detroit). Summer shandy was one of those flavors. Now that Miller has taken over the distribution of this sweet concoction I can now enjoy it without having to fly 1200 miles. This is my pick for official beer of the summer. A simple lager with a hint of honey, coriander and lemonade.  Be careful though this beer is not Bud or Miller lite If you have a few of these you'll definitely feel it. You have been warned.... 

Karla's Bakery and Cuban Pastelito's

Ahh... Miami. One of my favorite cities in the world and my home. There is something about sharing a "Cuban Colada" with your friends and hitting up your favorite bakery whether it be Versallies, El Brazo Fuerte, or my families favorite Karla Bakery . For the "pastelitos" made with your choice of Guava, Cheese, Ground beef, Chorizo, Ham, Coconut Cream, or Mango just to name a few, are fantastic. The Guava (My Favorite!) Melts in your mouth and oozes with delight. And I won't even get into there cakes..... Just ask my Mom and Grandma. Psst...... there Big Fan's!! If you are in Miami this is a must try to understand truly understand food on this side of the map.

6474 W Flagler Street Miami, Florida 33144 Tel. 305-267-9000 Fax. 305-265-2222

Lychee

Lychee Fruit is one of my favorite fruits for a hot summer day it's lightly sweet, refreshing, and fun to eat. You eat the fruit by scoring half of the outside skin with your teeth, peel it off, suck the fruit and seed out of the other half of the skin, eat the flesh, and spit out the seed. I recently found out that most people don't know what the fruit is or have tasted it's sweet translucent flesh. So with that said here is the history behind this delicious and elusive fruit. Lychee

Jaime Oliver

Jamie Oliver is hands down my favorite chef. I love his simplicity and creativity in the kitchen. He is a down to earth guy that has been wildly successful as a restaurateur and Author. His cookbooks are a great way to get an education in the kitchen. Check him out in this Video.. (Awesome house and garden by the way)!

Pasta with Peas, Mint and Basil

OK, I know I've gone for a while but I'm back! And more enthused than ever. I starting an internship of sorts working at Milk and Honey Cafe learning different techniques from my friend Tim who is the Head Chef/Owner. I've been at it for about three weeks now and I'm feeling stronger in the kitchen already. We'll start this off with an awesome recipe for Pasta with Peas, Mint and Basil. I topped it with some leftover Lobster I had just grilled the night before. But you can top it with anything or nothing, you decide.

Ingredients

1 16-ounce package large shell pasta

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 16-ounce package frozen petite peas (do not thaw)

2 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup chopped fresh Basil, divided
Preparation
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.
Meanwhile, bring cream to simmer in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peas and simmer just until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups cheese and stir until melted and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in mint and 1/4 cup Basil. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve, passing additional Parmesan alongside.

Black Beluga Lentils

These lentils have such a richness to them, no wonder why chefs refer to them as the "Caviar of Lentils". This is a very loose recipe. So
don't panic just use your insticts... Start by lightly browning some
diced pancetta and shallots in a pan until the pork is crispy and the
shallots translucent. Throw in 2 parts high quality chicken stock to 1
part lentils as this will be the majority of flavor that they absorb.
Then let them cook(simmer don't boil) stiring lightly and adding water
as needed. Once they are done they should be slightly crunchy but not hard and careful to not let them get mushy. Serve drizzled lightly
with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and this would be nice under
a filet mignon with Ander's wine reduction sauce.(Coming soon)

Dogma - A Frank Philosophy

On my way to pick up my grandmother, I stumbled across this small hot dog place called Dogma Grill. And outside it has a banner proclaiming it the best hot dog in Miami. Well, I was ready and able to put them up to the test. I walked in and found a friendly staff who was ready to explain their menu and make a few suggestions on what was most popular. They offered me things like the L.A. chili dog, Chicago dog, and Burrito Dog which is only three of their many choices. Plus they offer them in health conscious ways like turkey, and vegetarian (there you go B!) I opted to go with there Chicago dog with sliced tomatoes, neon relish, celery salt and sport peppers on a wheat roll. To wash it all down I enjoyed a delicious (but southern sweet tea style) sweet fresh mint lemonade. I have to agree with Miami, it is in my opinion, the best hot dog in the city. 

Dogma Grill - A Frank Philosophy

899 NE 125th Street North Miami, FL 33161

Laurenzo's Italian Market

I have lived in Florida for a little over 7 years now and I have heard about, talked about, and even eaten food from; but have never actually been to Laurenzo's Italian Market until this Sunday. I must tell you I have been missing out on the best Italian market in South Florida. I love that it's complete with all the tacky italian-american tschokes and the whole NJ/sopranos theme a little Italian market should have. But thats not all, you can still get things like fresh pasta, sauces, bread, sweets, dressings, pizza dough, etc..... and that is just a quarter of what they make themselves. They have one of the biggest selection of olives, deli meats, and cheeses in the area. I was very happy to say that I even found Farina "00" a super fine grain flour imported directly from Italy used to make pasta. For all of you who love to cook and need to find the most obscure Italian ingredients you are experimenting with, you will really appreciate this place.

Laurenzo's Italian-American Supermarket

16385 W.Dixie Hwy. N.Miami Beach FL 33160

305-945-6381

Grilled Salmon Teryaki over Soba w/ Lemongrass Consumme

This is what I made for dinner last night, Wild Sokeye Salmon served over Japanese Soba noodles with a side of Wasabi mayo. Also a lemongrass consumme with Miso Tofu and Bok Choy. This is something I just threw it together so I hope you like it. It is going to look diffrent then in the picture because there are some things that i thought about after the fact that would work better. I have included those thoughts below.

Ingerdients

Main dish

2 Wild sockeye Fillets (fresh or forzen and thawed)

1/2 Cup Teryaki sauce

Seasame seeds for garnish

2 handfuls of thin japanese soba noodles

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

1/4 cup fresh or jar mayo

2 teaspoons wasabi powder or paste (more if you like heat)

Soup

1 stalk lemongrass

4 cups chicken broth

1 stalk celery

1 cup diced firm tofu

1 half of a small onion

1 small baby bok choy

3 tablespoons miso powder ( if no miso available use finely chopped fried onions for taste)

Salt to taste

Chili oil to garnish

For the soup start by making the lemon grass consumme ( Click for Video) after removing all the veggies from the consumme add in some thinly chopped bok choy leaves, and green onions (no steams) and some diced tofu. Garnish with a drizzle of high quality soy sauce, Sesame oil, and chili oil if you like heat.

Start off by placing salmon in a covered container in the teryaki sauce for a least 20 minutes in the fridge. Boil water for the soba noodles once boiling place noodles in and let cook until aldente. (the cooking process is much quicker than regular pasta so watch it closely) Pre-heat grill and throw the salmon fillets on for about 6 minutes on one side and 2 on the other. Fi you have some wasabi paste or powder and some mayo you can create a nice wasabi mayo by just mixing them together 1/2 cup mayo and two teaspoons wasabi( maybe a little more to taste. Then plate a nice bunch of Soba noobles with a dolop of wasabi mayo and the salmon on top. Garnish with a few sesame seeds and a lite splash of sesame seed oil.

Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Mango Salsa

Last night I made Grilled pork Chops with Yellow Saffron rice and Mango Salsa. It's a really good dish due to the combo of the salty grilled flavor of the pork and the sweet tangy taste of the Mango salsa. This is a real easy one, see instructions below.

Ingredients
2 1 inch thick bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons Badia seasoning
1 1/2 cups long grain rice ( you can also use store bought yellow rice and disregard the saffron)
4 sprigs saffron
1 whole mango peeled and diced
1 can of corn ( fresh corn would be great if available)
3 tablespoons fresh chopped Cilantro
1 lime (juice only)
1 sprig of cilantro for garnish

Season two pork chops with Badia Adodo seasoning. Put long grain rice in rice cooker with a few sprigs of saffron just enough to color, salt to taste, and a dash of oil. Now, preheat BBQ.
While the rice is cooking and the grill is pre-heating. Start by cutting the Mango then in a bowl add the corn, mango, Lime juice, and fresh chopped Cilantro all together mixing well. by this time your grill should be ready, place the two pork chops on the grill and let cook until firm to touch or about 160 degrees internally turning only once about half way through to get a consistent grill mark for presentation. Serve with creativity and your done!

Lemon-Rasberry Cupcakes

These are one of my favorite recipes for cupcakes. I love the raspberry preserves inside. The fresh raspberries give it that little extra zing. I made these cupcakes that I found on Bon Appetit magazine's April cover to try something new. They are better than I expected and have been enjoyed by everyone who has tried them. Below is the recipe (which needs to be followed precisely) I tried changing up on another batch and it changed them completely (not for the better).

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, divided
4 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
12 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 3 teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl until blended, then beat until fluffy and pale yellow. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in half of flour. Add buttermilk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; beat to blend. Beat in remaining flour.
Drop 1 rounded tablespoonful batter into each muffin liner. Spoon 1 teaspoon raspberry jam over. Cover with remaining batter, dividing equally.
Bake cupcakes until tester inserted halfway into centers comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on rack. Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel in small bowl. Spoon half of icing over 6 cupcakes. Whisk 1 tablespoon raspberry jam into remaining icing. Spoon over remaining cupcakes. Let stand until icing sets, about 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries.

Meyer Lemon Bars

I was up until late last night making these. I found the recipe online at allrecipes.com it inspired me to try them since I had never even tasted them before. I took the original recipe and tweaked it I read the comments on the post about some changes that should be made to the original to make it better and decided to make some additions of my own. for one I used Meyer lemons(regular lemons will work fine) for 90% of the one cup and then added 10% lime jucie for tartness to reduce the sugary sweet. I also did not add food coloring to the mix because the lemons were so ripe and yellow they did not need it. Here is the recipe as I made it.. By the way they are a fantastic mix of buttery, sweet, and tart.

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
Filling
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.