Everything is better dipped in Chocolate!!!

I don't think I'll have many arguments there...  this is a super quick and easy treat to have on hand during the holiday season.  It couldn't be any easier.  From such a simple process, you have a delicious and attractive bite-sized treat to put out when friends and family stop by.

You can usually find all of these ingredients in your pantry, throw this together ahead of time, and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Dried Fruit

Ingredients: Chocolate and fruit!  Seriously!  But here's a more detailed recipe.

Pan-fried Snapper with Caramelized Lemons

This fish has the perfect balance of sweetness and spiciness.  In one bit you get the crisp skin followed by the juicy fish that's finished off with that tangy, syrupy glaze.  To die for!

This fish is beautiful over a handful of lightly dressed greens.  All you need to finish this dish is a crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc that still has a bit sweetness to offset the heat of the glaze.

Pan-fried Snapper with Caramelized Lemons

Ingredients

4- 3 oz. skin-on Snapper fillets
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Caramelized Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
3 lemons, 2 thinly sliced into rings and 1 juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 red chilli, minced
1 pinch salt

Directions

1. For lemon glaze, Combine sugar and water together in a small saucepan and lightly boil for 5 minutes. Reduce to simmer and add remaining ingredients.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until desired glaze consistency.  Set aside to infuse while you cook the fish.

2. Score fish diagonally 1/2 inch apart.   Heat oil in nonstick pan until very hot, just before, but not smoking.  Season fish and add to pan skin side down.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until skin is golden and crispy.  Flip over, cook for one more minute.

3. Serve fish drizzled with lemon ginger glaze and garnished with caramelized lemons.

Baked Pears with Spiced Mascarpone

I used to always get confused over what exactly mascarpone was - a cheese or a cream?  It is the color and texture of a thick cream and is often used in desserts, but it is actually a cheese.  It's a very rich, triple-cream, cow's milk cheese.  I really don't care what it is, it's delicious!

Mascarpone has many uses in both sweet and savory dishes.  It can be used as a filling, a thickener to help smooth out sauces and risottos, a spread, or in this case, a dessert topping.  I added a bit of liquid and some spices to thin it out and enhance the flavor.  It was the perfect topping for these caramelized baked pears. 

Baked Pears with Spiced Mascarpone

Ingredients

Spiced mascarpone:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 orange, juiced and zested, extra zest to garnish
1 1/2 tbsp honey

Baked Pears:
4 pears, sliced in half lengthwise, core removed
1 large glass of white wine
1 orange, juiced
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp flaked almonds, toasted, to serve

Directions

1. For the spiced mascarpone, whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for atleast an hour before use.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Put the pears cut side down into a tight fitting pan.  In small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, wine, vanilla extract, and orange juice and bring to the boil.  Pour over the pears and put into oven. 

3. While the pears are cooking, baste every 5-10 minutes with the cooking syrup.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the pears are tender all the way through.  Remove from the oven to cool.

4. While pears are still warm, serve with chilled spiced mascarpone.  Garnish with orange zest and flaked almonds.

I HOPE the way to your heart is through your stomach!

I know I've been a bit MIA lately... I've been traveling for the last 5 weeks and it was hard to justify spending time on the computer rather than spending time with friends and family, playing with my neice, visiting my 90-year-old grandmother, relaxing on the beach, celebrating my future sister-in-law's wedding... and the list goes on.  Enough excuses, I'll leave it at that.  Please accept my apology and I'll attempt to make amends by offering up one heck of a recipe. 

I didn't have many opportunities to lose myself in the kitchen while I was in the States but I made sure to take advantage of the seasonal summer produce whenever I could.  There's nothing better than going shopping with an open mind and being inspired by the fresh and local produce.  On one of those rare nights that I was able to cook dinner, I was greeted by an enormous display of cherries upon walking into the grocery store.  That made for an easy decision!  Not only are cherries deliciously sweet but they also contain numerous health and healing properties.  I always make sure to look for those that are large, firm and have an even deep red coloring. 

A nice cherry and wine sauce over some browned pork came to mind.  When I hear cherries and wine, I immediately think Pinot Noir, done.  I picked up a few more items and hurried home to the tune of my stomach rumbling.  Let's get to it, I've talked enough.  Without going into any more description, it was too die for!

Spiced Pork with Pinot Noir & Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

Pinot Cherry Sauce:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 cup Pinot Noir
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For the chops:
4 bone-in pork loin chops
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. For cherry sauce, heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft.  Add remaining ingredients and increase heat.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until desired consistency. 

3. Meanwhile, mix spices for pork chops and season evenly.  Heat oil over medium high in an oven-safe pan and cook pork chops on one side for 4 minutes until browned.  Flip chops and place pan in the oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F (pork will continue to rise in temperature after removed from the oven).  Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. 

4. Serve pork chops with sauce spooned over the top.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as thyme or parsley.

Hmmm... what to do with the rest of that bottle of Pinot... 

A Berry Satisfying Breakfast

It was a Saturday morning and I was craving blueberry pancakes.  As pancakes are a little closer to the baking side of things, I needed help.  I decided to consult my good friend Ina Garten (I could only be so lucky).  She never fails me for these tried and true recipes.  She had a recipe for Banana Sour Cream Pancakes that had rave reviews.  I substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream, blueberries for the bananas, used a touch less salt and a touch more sugar, threw in a couple of my tricks, and came out with beautiful blueberry pancakes.  The greek yogurt made them very rich and moist and the subtle flavor of the lemon zest added so much.  These will definitely be on my table again.  Thank you Ina for the inspiration!  Maybe next time I'll try your banana version.

Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup low-fat milk, more if needed to thin out batter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
strawberries, for serving
powdered sugar, for serving
100 % maple syrup, for serving

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.  Do not overmix.  If mixture is too thick, add a bit more milk to get to desired consistency.

3. Heat pan to medium low and brush with butter.

4. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Place blueberries on the pancake and push into the batter.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.

5.  Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced strawberries, dust with powdered sugar and drizzle over maple syrup.

Enjoy and have a great day!

Mango Rice Salad

Here's one to get all of my North American friends excited about mango season.  It's easy to get in a rut with rice and forget that there are endless possibilites to give this grain a makeover.  This rice 'salad' is very easy and will totally transform plain old white rice into a sweet, spicy, tangy, and delightful side dish.  You may serve the rice warm or at room temperature.  This would go beautifully with a sticky honey-soy pork tenderloin. 

Mango Rice Salad

Ingredients

2 cups water
2/3 cup light coconut milk

1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice
3/4 cup chopped green onion
2 mangos, peeled and diced
1 red chili, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup Thai fried shallots (I used store bought to save some time and effort)
1/4 cup shredded coconut toasted
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

2. Allow the rice to cool for 5 minutes and add all ingredients.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mamma's Banana Bread

My mom makes the best banana bread, hands down.  It's always perfectly moist with just the right amount of sweetness.  It's a simple recipe, there are no secret ingredients, but it just works.  Maybe my love for this rendition has something to do with the comfort of being home but I'd be surprised if any other critic found it short of amazing. 

Remember I said it's simple?  I know it's probably breaking some cardinal rule of baking but you just add all the ingredients at once and mix.  There's no mixing of dry and wet ingredients separately, gradual incorporation, etc.  Maybe one day I'll try it out using more traditional methods but it's hard to find a reason to when the outcome is this good.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).  Butter your loaf pan.
2. (If you've forgotten already) Mix it all together using wooden spoon. 
3. Pour into buttered pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool completely on wire rack.  Voila, so easy!

Italian-inspired Salad

If you've ever been Italy, I'm sure you've tried or at least seen the very common antipasto combination of melon and prosciutto.  Before my visit, I had never experienced this delicious duo.  It initially seemed a bit strange to me, but the salty prosciutto couldn't ask for a better mate than the sweet juicy melon.

As is the custom at my Italian meals, we enjoyed a fresh salad featuring prosciutto and canteloupe after our main course.  This salad takes no time to put together and in one bite, you get a peppery, salty, sweet, and sour sensation.  What a workout for your taste buds!

Prosciutto, Melon, & Arugula Salad

Ingredients

1/4 canteloupe (rockmelon)
8 slices of proscuitto
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cups baby argula (rocket)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1.  Cut canteloupe into large cubes. Slice prociutto in half lengthwise. Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly browned.  Set all aside.
2. To dress rocket leaves, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, and salt.  Slowly add olive oil while whisking to emulsify.  Toss with arugula. 
3. Arrage melon and prosciutto over salad and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Get 'em while you can!

I am already fearing the end of 'peach season'... when they start to get dry and grainy... then just vanish from my life altogether!  Oh the misery!  That being said, I want to incorporate them into as many dishes as possible while I still can!!  Breakfast, snacks, desserts, mains, SALADS!!  By tossing a few simple ingredients together, you come out with a sweet yet peppery summer side dish.

Rocket, Peach, & Pinenut Salad

Ingredients

2 peaches, stoned and sliced
2 tbsp pinenuts
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 handfuls rocket
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Toss peaches with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning.  Lightly toast pinenuts in a dry pan making sure not to burn.
2.  Combine peaches, pinenuts, red onion and rocket.  For dressing, whisk remaining ingredients together.  Toss with the salad and serve.

Grilled Pineapple Skewers

These are the perfect ending to a nice dinner on the grill.  A no-fuss dessert with a surprising kick.  As you take each bite, you get subtle hints of the marinade - the lemon, the ginger, the chili.  Feel free to play around with the marinade to suit your personal tastes!

Ingredients

1 pineapple, skin removed and cut into 1/8's, lengthwise

3/4 cup water (about 175 mL)

1/2 cups sugar (about 100g)

1 in piece of ginger sliced (about 2 1/2 centimeters)

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 hot chili, sliced

Directions

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil then simmer until it is almost the consistency of a syrup, remove from heat and cool.

2. Strain and cover pineapple stick.  Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

3. Before grilling, soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes. 

4. Skewer pineapples lengthwise and cook on grill over medium-high heat until they caramelize on the outside.  Cool and serve.

When your neighbor gives you lemons…

Make Lemonade!!!

Since moving into the new house, we had been admiring our neighbor's lemon tree over the fence. This massive lemon tree was adorned with some of the largest lemons we had ever seen.  As luck would have it, we met her just before she had commenced tearing up her entire yard and starting from scratch, even the beautiful lemon tree! We were sad to see it go, but within the next hour, we had a hand-delivered bag of these beautiful lemons sitting on our counter.

Being that it’s 94 degrees out, I think it’s quite obvious where these gems are going… there’s nothing more refreshing than an ice cold glass of lemonade to cool you down!  To put together this simple thirst quencher:

• 4-6 lemons depending on size
• 1 cup white sugar
• 6 cups water, divided

1) Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.  Let cool.
2) Firmly roll the lemons to release juice.  Cut in half and juice into pitcher.
3) In the pitcher, combine lemon juice, simple syrup, and remaining water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice.  Throw in some sliced lemons for presentation.

Like I said... it's 94 degrees so no time for pics!

Grill Happy!

I’ve spent the last few days moving from a high-rise condo in the heart of the city to a house near the beach in Port Melbourne. I must say, I’m enjoying the change…

While I loved the luxury living in the city, it’s so nice to have fresh air, plants, a backyard… AND A GRILL!!! For our first night in, I took full advantage… I decided to do a spice rubbed pork tenderloin topped with a grilled peach salad and accompanied by a grilled vegetable salad and chipotle potato/parsnip mash. This dinner was obviously inspired by my recently acquired access to a grill but also by your blog comments and an attempt to use up the veggies in the fridge!

Spice rubs are perfect for pork that you are going to throw on the grill.  You can use whatever you find in your pantry and the combinations are endless.  There is no right or wrong when you're making a mixture according to your own preferences.  Some of my favorite spices to combine are cumin, oregano, any kind of pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, chile powder, brown sugar, and the list goes on! Depending on the taste you are going for, create your own combination! You can also make enough rub to save for later uses.

I scoured the pantry and created a spice rub of roughly equal parts paprika, ground black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne powder and salt. I then butterflied a pork tenderloin and generously rubbed with the combination of spices.  I grilled until slightly pink in the center as pork has a tendency to dry out if cooked too long, maybe five or so minutes on each side depending on the thickness of your loin.

Pork goes great with fruit so I decided to offset the peppery grilled pork with a sweet grilled peach salad.  I halved and grilled a couple of peaches.  When cooled, I sliced and combined with thinly sliced onions, chopped mint, chopped cilantro and a dressing of lime juice with a splash of sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt.

The combination made for a delicious, fresh and summery main dish.

After digging around the kitchen, I found an eggplant, a red pepper, an onion, and 2 banana peppers.  I sliced, seasoned, oiled, grilled and tossed these with some fresh greens and a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. 

Thanks to your feedback from my previous blog, Chipotle Peppers... Take 2!, I finished this meal off with a smoky potato and parsnip mash.  Being that I only had a few potatoes to feed four, I added an equal amount of parsnips.  Another very easy recipe!  Peel and boil the potatoes and parsnips until they are very tender.  Combine with adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the amount of sauce varies depending on the how much a kick you'd like!  Add cream or whole milk and season to taste.  I also slightly caramelized and finely chopped about a half of an onion to add a sweet bite to the potatoes and they turned out great!

I'm looking forward to many more dinners on the grill!