Happy Croissant Sandwich

I call it the happy sandwich because everybody loves it. Fast to make, good to eat - a yummy lunch for school kids! 

Ingredients: 

Frozen Croissants

Chicken breast

Romaine or Leaf Lettuce

Tomatoes

Swiss cheese singles

Lemon pepper/Mango Chipotle powder or spices of your choice

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard sauce

Olive oil

Ketchup - optional

Method: Thaw the frozen croissants according to instructions and bake them till golden brown. Meanwhile cut the chicken breast into thin slices or strips. Rub with lemon pepper, or chipotle mango powder or any spices of your choice. (I used chipotle mango powder from Costco) Add some olive oil and roast or broil them in the oven till done. Remove from the oven and let it cool down to room temperature. Slice the tomatoes, wash, towel dry the lettuce and keep aside. When the croissants cool down a bit, slice them in the center with a bread knife more than half way through, without separating the two slices. Spread some mayo & dijon mustard lightly on the inside, add the chicken then top with swiss cheese, tomato slices and lettuce. Add some ketchup to the chicken if you want, just a few drops. Now close the sandwich and serve for lunch with some garden salad. You may also wrap it with cling wrap and pack it for lunch. The Happy Croissant Sandwich is ready to go!

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Dark Chocolate Macarons – Better Three Years Late Than Never

I did it. I made macarons. Finally, I can apply for my food blogger merit badge! Hold on, I’m being told I still need to make mini-cupcakes and a quinoa salad to qualify. Oh well, I’ve waited this long.

Anyway, this was my first attempt at macarons, and for not having any clue what I was doing, I was quite happy with the results. They looked fine, and the texture was almost identical to the ones sold at Chantal Guillon, a famous macaron bar here in San Francisco.

So, was it beginners luck? Yes. You would think since I waited three years to make these, I would have done more research, but I did almost none. In fact, I literally used the first chocolate macaron recipe I found, which happened to be from David Lebovitz. He’s an American, but he lives in Paris, so I figured I was okay.

I watched a few videos, read a few articles, had a couple drinks, looked at a few step-by-steps, and off I went.  One thing I did notice was every single resource used a different recipe, as well as different times, temperatures, and techniques. So, I figured I would just use my instincts and try the most straightforward method possible.

I didn’t do any high-heat/low-heat tricks; no waiting for the tops to dry; no sugar syrups, etc. I just made the batter, piped it out, baked them off, and as you can see, they were not bad at all. One thing I did figure out all by myself was to use the ugly ones as the bottoms. By the way, there’s a very inappropriate metaphor there, if you’re looking.

So, here’s the deal; if you’ve never made these before, I hope this inspires you to give them a go. Believe me, if I can do these anyone can. However, if you’re an experienced macaron maker, we’d love to have you chime in. I can’t wait for this comment section to fill up with invaluable tips and tricks for what I should have done, and how I should have done it.

I know I piped them wrong. You’re not supposed to make a swirl, but keep the tip pressed in the center as you squeeze. I also heard that I should have cooked one pan at a time, because the bottom pan is more likely to crack. What else? Don’t worry about my feelings…after four years of posting videos on YouTube, I don’t have any left…so let me have it. And, as always, enjoy!

Basic Chocolate Macaron Batter (I found this recipe on davidlebovitz.com):
Makes about 18 finished cookies

*Weighing the ingredients is critical. Do not make these unless you have a digital kitchen scale!

100 gram powdered sugar

50 grams almond meal aka almond flour (the finer the better)

25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large room temperature egg whites

65 grams granulated sugar

For chocolate ganache:

1/3 cup hot heavy cream

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

pinch of salt

*pour hot cream over chocolate, and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before filling cooled cookies.

Bonus Coverage: For more chocolate macaron information, my friend Denise from ChezUs makes some amazing ones, and knows WAY more about these than I do, so you can bug her with your questions too! ;-)

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The World’s Fastest Meatballs – No Chop, No Roll, No Fry, No Kidding

One of my favorite things about the Internet is how you can make outrageous claims with complete impunity. For example, I’m claiming that this is the world’s fastest meatball recipe, and while I have plenty of evidence to support my claim, I really like knowing that I’ll never need to. In related news, I’m one of the world’s strongest men.

Anyway, these meatballs are significantly faster than a traditional recipe for three main reasons: First, there’s no chopping and sauteing to make the base mixture. Secondly, there’s no rolling involved. Small meatballs cook fast, and are always tender, but they’re a pain in the butt to roll. By using a small portion scoop, you can do an entire pan in a few minutes.

Lastly, broiling instead of frying is not only a quicker way to brown, but way less messy. Yes, you could just bake, but the broiler will take about half the time. By the way, as I mention in the video, if you have a few extra minutes, let the meatballs simmer on low to make the tomato sauceeven more flavorful.

Just because I’m showing you a few shortcuts, doesn’t mean you can’t add some longcuts back in. You can certainly use a more standard recipe, like our ricotta meatballs, and still use the no-roll and broiler methods to cut prep time, without sacrificing quality.

At the very least, I hope you try this recipe so you’ll have to go out a buy a couple portion scoops. Above and beyond expeditious meatball production, these “dishers” come in handy for so many other kitchen tasks. I hope you give them, and these easy meatballs a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 48 little meatballs:

For the slurry:

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb mix

*Or use: 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thyme

For the rest:

1 pound ground veal

1 pound ground beef

1 1/2 tsp salt (by the way, you can cook a small piece of the meatball mixture to test salt)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper, optional

1/3 cup freshly, finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

6 cups simmering tomato sauce of your choice

View the complete recipe

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Happy Mother's Day!

A happiest of happy Mother's Day to all the moms, and mom-like followers of this blog. I've posted this clip before, but it never fails to make me chuckle, so here you go again. Have a wonderful day, and as always, enjoy!

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Creamy Salmon and Leek Pasta Sauce and Obvious Metaphors

-->It feels like we’ve been swimming up river the last few days, as our small, but traumatic kitchen remodel takes place. I’m sure the project will come in well under budget, and way ahead of schedule, but for now, everything takes twice as long to do.

Happily, wanting to keep things simple is what spawned this very tasty salmon and leek pasta sauce. This recipe features two of my favorite foods; wild salmon and crème fraiche.

These types of seafood sauces are usually made with straight cream, or a béchamel, but I find those fall a little flat when compared to the tangy, fermented goodness of homemade sour cream. While it has the same fat content as cream, it just seems so much lighter and complex.

I’ll assume you’ve seen our winning “how to make your own crème fraiche” video, but if not, I highly suggest you do! Homemade crème fraiche will change your life. Check it out, and enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Portions:

1 tbsp butter

1 large leek, diced, washed thoroughly

salt to taste

1/2 cup white wine

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 cup creme fraiche (you can use all or part cream)

cayenne to taste

1 tsp tarragon Dijon (or regular Dijon)

6 oz boneless skinless salmon, sliced thin (yes, this will work with any other fish, poultry, or meat!)

Cooked pasta for 2!

View the complete recipe

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Under Construction...Literally!

Finally, an appropriate use of the Plastic Wrap filter in Photoshop! Or maybe not. Anyway, we're on Day 1 of a little kitchen remolding project, so if I get a bit quiet on the blog over the next few days, that will be the very good reason. Regardless, the show must go on, and I should still have a brand new video for you sometime tomorrow. Wish us luck, and stay tuned!

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A Quiche for Mom

There are so many food-related ways to show mom love this Mother’s Day weekend, but none will be more delicious than this creamy quiche Lorraine! What are your plans? 

Breakfast in bed? Great idea, until you consider the crumbs and numb legs. Maybe brunch out? Sure, less clean up, but a mediocre meal at the local casual dining complex says, “we like you, mom,” more than it says, “we love you.”

That brings us to the best option; cooking brunch for mom at home. Of course you’ll need something that’s very easy to make, even ahead of time if need be, as well as supremely special and memorable. This cheesy, bacon and onion pie is all that, and more!

In this chef’s opinion, a proper quiche should be rich, custardy, and luxurious – not some kind of dense, baked omelet. This has only enough eggs and yolks to hold things together, but that means you need to let it cool to just warm before serving, to fully enjoy the experience.

I know many will ask, so I’ll cover it now… yes, of course you can just use milk instead of cream, and more whites instead of yolks to cut down on the calories, BUT you will not get the same amazing results, and since this is such a special occasion, you should give any substitutions careful consideration.

As you’ll see, this is very simple, so the challenge isn’t construction (by the way, the layering procedure wasn’t a joke…do it), the real trick it to not overcook the custard. I show you what it should look like, but in case you aren’t great at reading jiggles, use a thermometer, and pull at between 160-165 degrees F. internal temp.

Anyway, I’d like to wish my mother, and first culinary instructor, Pauline, a very happy Mother’s Day. Unfortunately we can’t be together Sunday, but I promise I’ll make quiche for her the next time I see her. I’d also like to wish my mother-in-law, Peggy, a happy Mother’s Day. She was the original Food Wishes fan (even before it was called “Food Wishes”), and was integral to the blog’s growth and success! Thanks, moms! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Pie dough for a large, single-crust, deep dish pie dish or pan (click here for recipe!)

8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup (I used a little more) diced leeks (just white/light parts) and/or onions, washed extremely well!
big pinch of salt

cayenne and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, divided (or other Swiss cheese)

For the custard:

3 large eggs, plus 2 additional egg yolks

1 cup cream

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

Steps:

- Line inside crust with foil, fill halfway up with dried beans, rice, or baking weights

- ”Blind bake” the crust for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F.

- Remove foil/weights and bake another 5 minutes

- Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.

- Bake filled quiche for 40-45 minutes, or until set

View the complete recipe

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