To bake or not to bake... apples are the question!

Some apples are for eating, and others are destined for even more delicious adventures.  I'm doing some baking today and I usually defer to my sissy (sister) for an answer to the ever popular question of "which apples are good for baking?" I've come upon this great article on allrecipes.com. This is a great go to list of which local apples are for eat, and which are for bake! I encourage you all to print out this article and save it with the rest of your food files and recipes. You can always ask your local grocer if you have to make a quick shopping decision and want to be sure. Identifying which apples are suitable for a sauce or tart is extremely difficult since there are 7500 different type of apples around the globe. Rest assured not all of them are available for commercial consumption. If you are curious to know more about these 7500 varieties go to www.allaboutapples.com

Side dish delight - suteed brussel sprouts with red onion

A beautiful combination as a side dish or topping for a pan fried protein. Brussel sprouts are one of those love em or hate em vegetables. We just love em! They are a super veg meaning they have so many healthy properties including antioxidants and can actually prevent cancer. They are very high in fiber as well as vitamin C, A, E and K. Brussel sprouts are best enjoyed slightly cooked to bring out the most of their nutrients. This recipe is simple and delicious, you may even be able to win over some of the haters. 

INGREDIENTS: Suteed brussel sprout and red onion

brussel sprouts - large bunch about 4 cups & blanched                  

1 red onion - thinly sliced

2 small cloves garlic - minced 

red wine vinegar - 2 tbs

olive oil  or butter - 2 tbs

s&p

PREP: quickly blanch & shock your brussel sprouts ie. toss them in boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes. then immediately transfer into ice cold water to halt the cooking process. Then pat them dry and  thinly slice. 

COOK: in a medium hot pan sutee the onion in butter or olive oil add garlic s&p and cook until slightly transparent add splash of red wine vinegar allow the alcohol to cook off (about a minute or two) before adding the brussel sprouts to the mixture, cook for another minute or so and you're done!
SERVE: Over pan fried nile perch:
- for pan fried nile perch - season fish with salt and pepper then lightly dust fish with potato flour and fry in a small amount of vegetable oil, serve with lemon. 

Baby steps to eating organic

I know it can be extremely difficult to shop all organic. It is expensive and some people would rather wear fancy shoes as opposed to eat fancy fruits and vegetables. Our bodies are what get us through life so we should pay some attention to what makes us feel good and look good on the inside as well as the outside. This is a beginner list for eating and shopping organic. You will see that you don't have to take the full plunge and eat completely organic. In fact some believe that eating local is more important then eating organic. What I can confidently say is that eating a combination of local, and organic is probably the best nutritionally, sustainably and definitely economically. For the full list of why these fruits and veg are better enjoyed organic please go to everydayhealth.com.
ORGANIC:
potatoes
kale/ collard greens
cherries
spinach
bell peppers
imported grapes
nectarines
blueberries/ strawberries
apples
peaches
celery
NON ORGANIC:
kiwi
pineapple
banana
asparagus
eggplant
mushrooms
tangerines
green peas
cabbage
broccoli
cranberries
raspberries
papaya
mango
watermelon
orange
grapefruit

First times a charm - 5 Spice tofu with over Asian slaw

This was a stumble upon delicious recipe yet again. I always break the golden rules of entertaining. NEVER MAKE SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN THROWING A DINNER PARTY!! For me it ads a sense of adventure, plus it really wows your guests when you tell then it's the first time you've made the dish and they ooohh, and aaahh over your amazing accomplishments. Recipes definitely make this dangerous party trick easier, but since I rarely use them I want you all to pull this off with ease.  5 Spice tofu with over Asain slaw INGREDIENTS:
firm tofu - cut in half width wise so you have 2 large steaks
1 yellow pepper - cut in to thin strips
1/2 english cucumber - " " "
2 large carrots - " " "
handful of fresh mint - chop into thin strips
chinese 5 spice blend - for tofu
sesame oil - for dressing small drizzle
soya sauce - light 2tsp
rice wine vinegar - 2tsp
hoisen sauce - 2tsp
grape seed oil - or other mild flavored oil - 2tsp
sesame seeds - black is preferred but it's optional.
PREP: dust both side of tofu with the 5 spice. For salad place all veggie in bowl and toss with dressing. 
COOK: in a hot pan drizzle some grape seed oil then fry tofu until golden and slightly crisp on each side.  Remove from heat and cut into cubes. 
SERVE: tofu on top of salad with sprinkle of sesame seeds and mint ribbons. 

Beginning of the end of summer wrap up

So you all know I neglected the blog this summer with moving and wedding planning and all, I've decided that instead of celebrating the fall any further I'm going to do a summer recipe wrap up. There are a bunch of dishes we enjoyed this summer that were blog worthy and I think you loyal readers deserve to know about them. We going to get it started with this quick soup served cold. It's an apricot gazpacho with mint. INGREDIENTS: 
a dozen fresh apricots - rough chop
1/2 English cucumber - de-seeded and skinned then rough chopped
1 shallot - rough chop
1 celery stocks - rough chop
1 yellow pepper - rough chop
1/2 or more lemon- juiced or any citrus 
mint - few leaves (5) for blending mixture and some for the garnish
s & p
olive oil 
PREP: Using a hand blender or whatever appliance you choose blend ingredients together roughly - you don't want a smooth blend rather little bits still visible. 
SERVE: in a glass with a small spoon drizzled with olive oil and fresh mint. Summer in a glass - a wonderful way to start a backyard BBQ! 

I got the beet - marinated beetroot salad with ricotta and basil

I LOVE beets! Also know as beetroot they're a delicious healthy LOCAL sweet vegetable that we eat all the time at home. There are so many ways to enjoy beets, and I better not see any of you throwing away the tops. The tops are the leafy greens you see on top of these beautiful burgundy bulbs. They are wonderful - kind of a cross between spinach and swiss chard, but that not what I'm here to talk about today. Today we are talking marinated beet salad served cold with ricotta,  fresh basil and a orange marinate for the dressing. INGREDIENTS:

beetroot - thinly sliced and boiled until tender

1 orange - juices 1 cup of tropicana will also do

1/2 lemon - juiced

salt & pepper

drizzle of olive oil

ricotta cheese - feta or goats cheese will also work

fresh basil sprigs

PREP: You can boil your beets whole and peel the skin off, or you can peel and slice your beets and then boil. Its really up to you. Once beets are tender place them in a bowl with orange and lemon juice  enough to cover them completely and sprinkle of s&p. Lets beets sit over night.

PLATE: Sandwich dollops of ricotta between slices of beets, use the beet marinate as the dressing for the salad and top with a drizzle of plain or flavored olive oil and some fresh basil. Simple and delicious.

22 Pounds of Turkey bliss

Love Thanksgiving.... love love love... turkey mash stuffing the whole shabang. This year a group of my friends decided we would do a hungover thanksgiving potluck. We were all at a wedding the night before, so I preped my mash a day early in anticipation of the hangover. I was going to show the host my good friend Whitney how easy it is to make a turkey. I was a bit nervous as i've never roasted the whole turkey before, and I had no thermomiter. But as always I like to live on the edge, and be fearless in the kitchen. Thankfully for all of us my love of that bird paid off, it was delicious moist and cooked perfectly. I decided to stuff my bird with sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, shallots, orange, and lemon. I rubbed Lawrys seasoning salt all over the turkey with some olive oil and pepper. I initially would have loved to brine my bird in water with salt and sugar overnight, but its was so big and not in my fridge, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get a moist bird. I left the turkey neck in the pan as well as some extra orange slices and shallots and herbage. Put the bird in at 350 for the first hour, then covered it with tin foil and cooked at 325 for the next 3.5 hours basting with juices every 45 mins or so. For the last 30 mins I uncovered the turkey in hoped of crispy chewy delicious skin, and thats exactly what I got. Everyone was urging me to cut into the bird to make sure it was cooked properly, but I said hellz no! This sucker will rest until I say so, and after 35-40 mins I made the first cut. It was gorgeous! Aromatic juicy turkey perfection. I even carved the damn thing - never done that before either, but It seems I did an excellent job with my helped Kelly who was very good at removing those wings. I didn't bother with gravy, we enjoyed the pan juice and all of the other delights. The compliments keep pouring in, and we can't wait for November to do it all again Americano style. 

Menu: 
22 pound roasted turkey with pan jus
fluffy mash potato
roasted cinnamon sweet potato
corn bread
roasted veg - squash, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, onion etc...
salad
stuffing and bacon wrapped stuffing balls
squash soup
pumpkin cheesecake
ice cream pie
chocolate peanut butter cups
I'm sure there was more but I just cant remember

Desperate For Poutine

No recipe here. This is a delicious snack I made for myself one day before I moved. I was desperately craving poutine, but couldn't afford the calories. I had a few potatoes left in my pantry some local mushooms, shallots, beef stalk, rosemary, mozzarella and a splash of wine. I baked the fries, and used a low fat mozzarella to make this gluttonous delight a little less guilty. I actually have no right calling this poutine but it sure satisfied the craving. Chow for now

Challenge #2: The Classics - Ode to Arthur Wellesley The 1st Duke of Wellington

What an exciting day. I'm so thrilled to have moved into round 2 of this amazing food blogging challenge. I had a lot of trouble deciding what would be the perfect follow up post for todays challenge. THE SPECS: My own representation of a classic dish, not Italian and not French - keeping in mind I have to be cooking outside of my comfort zone. Hmmmmm what to do, what to do. After racking my brains out for two days, and driving my sister and friends all crazy. I decided that I was going to attempt an elegant British dish I have heard so much about, but have never tasted. Beef Wellington is totally blog worthy, and is definitely out of my comfort zone. I've never used prosciutto, or puff pastry, and i've certainly never wapped a filet of beef in this combination of delight, smothered in spicy mustardy goodness and then baked. Sounds sinful right? This popular dish is said to be named for Arthur Wellesley the first Duke of Wellington know as the Iron Duke. It's a timeless dish in Gordon Ramsey's repertoire - an ace in the hole when executed perfectly. I've also been watching a ton of Masterchef Australia and America, beef wellington is always a challenge for the contestants and the judges are always excited to see how they do. Today my beef wellington recipe is based on two different recipes one by Gordon Ramsey and the other by Tyler Florence. The main difference in these two dishes is the addition of shallots, and the type of mustard used. To keep things as authentic as possible I will be using English mustard which is bright yellow and hot. The wellington will be served with baby veg of golden beets, purple carrots golden pearl onions and roasted fingerling potatoes. I will also make a red wine pan gravy with a touch of cream. The dish is broken down into steps and begins with a mushroom duxelle. Right now there are two hours left on my clock to cook, and thats the only step I've completed. Still have to sear off my beef, wait for my puff pastry to de-frost, photograph and finish blogging... holy &^$^%#%$#@. Now it's really starting to feel like a competition. Hope I make it to the finish line...
Beef Wellington: 
INGREDIENTS: 
For the Duxelles: 
2 cups white button mushrooms - rough chop
2 cups oyster mushrooms - rough chop
4 cloves garlic - rough chop
2 shallots - rough chop
thyme - about 10 sprigs 
2 tbs butter - for sutee
2tbs olive oil - for sutee
s & p - for sutee
PREP/COOK: In a food pro combine thyme shallots garlic and mushrooms blend until smoothish. Remove from food pro, and sautee for 8 - 10 mins in butter and olive oil. Leave to cool in a fine mesh sive  so that excess liquid drains out. 
For the beef: 
center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed 4 oz per serving
thin slices parma prosciutto

thyme - 3 sprigs leaves only
English mustard - 2 tbs
flour - sprinkle for rolling out puff

1 pound puff pastry - thawed room temp
eggs - 2 beaten lightly
olive oil - for searing beef
s & p 
PREP/COOK: Depending on the size of the beef - I'm only making 2 portions (each 4-6 oz per) tie the tenderloin in a few places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Season beef lightly with salt and pepper, and heat a few tbs of olive oil in a heavy pan. You just want to sear the beaf on the outside - for better flavor. Prep your wrapping station by setting out your prosciutto on a long sheet of plastic wrap (approx. foot and a half). Overlap the prosciutto so it forms a large rectangle big enough to wrap around the entire filet of beef. Then cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles finish with more s&p. After beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with English mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight being sure to tuck the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely cover the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure a lovely round log shape. Pre Heat Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly flour your surface to roll the puff pastry out (1/4-inch thickness). You may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together depending on size of tenderloin. Remove beef from refrigerator and remove plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides use egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - you can save those ends to use as a decoration for the top for shmancy presentation. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet and brush the top of the pastry with egg for  beautiful shiny golden crust. Make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - to allow steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices. Serve with simple roasted fingerling potatoes baby veg and pan gravy - or enjoy the beauty that is the beef wellington as it stands alone. 
The verdict: Beef perfectly pink...puff pastry gorgeously golden... taste...damn good! Next time use less mushroom, and make sure duxelle doesn't go all the way to the end - leave a bit of prosciutto peaking off the edge. I think I wrapped the beef in the wrong direction, maybe should have placed it horizontal instead. It's okay to have minor setbacks in cooking. Learning is part of the game. 
Ps. I didn't realize I had until 3:00 pm PST, in all of my panicking my fiancee pointed out that I actually had a few more hours to have everything ready. I've never been happier to be on the east coast. 
All in all everything went pretty well. I think I deserve an A ! 
Chow for now - happy voting :)

Low fat idea of the day - Indian Saag Paneer with tofu

Saag paneer is one of my all time favorite Indian dishes. It's rich and creamy and a little bit spicy and totally satisfying. Saag which means spinach and paneer which means cheese is best enjoyed over perfectly fluffy basmati rice or scooped up with fresh garlic naan. It's not fat people kinda food, purely a gluttonous delight to be eaten once in a while definitely a treat. I had been trying to stay away from Indian food for a while. It's deadly very high in fat and oh so delicious, when I eat it I crave it for days, and smell of it for the next 24 hours at least. It's kind of funny how it seeps out of my pores during spin class. I had a brick of lonely tofu in my I'm so busy I have no time to grocery shop fridge. Along with a package of fresh spinach, half an onion some minced garlic and ginger cube I had left in the freezer. This was one of those survivor kind of meals I've told you about in the past. See how long you can hold off until buying groceries, living off pantry items and canned goods. It's kinda fun, you should all try it sometime. Test your skills in the kitchen for sure. Anyways I thought this lonely brick of tofu would be a great substitute for paneer in this low fat version of my saag dish. I don't remember what my recipe was, but I substituted low fat coconut milk instead of cream, and I used a great spice blend I got at the Indian Bazar on Gerrard St. E. I served the dish with a homemade vegetarian biryani. Pretty good for my first attempt at Indian food. Next time I'll be sure to write a recipe.