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Party in Your Mouth Pumpkin Soup

Party in Your Mouth Pumpkin Soup

November 23, 2011 by · 2 Comments

The funny thing about social networking is you can follow the pilgrimage of all of your friends as they arrive to their respective hometowns for the holiday weekend.

 

I came to Momma’s house last night after loads of traffic on lovely fwy 880. Boy, I’ve missed central heating and Dakota the dog. Oh and of course Momma, but that’s a given. At my house at school there is one heater for the entire 5 bedroom house, which was built in 1903 and it happens to be 3 rooms away from my bedroom. Guess how much heat makes it to my room? ZERO.  It’s the little things in life that get me.

 

Dakota the dog was so happy to see me….oh wait, he said hello and then promptly returned to his pillow. Cameron (Brother) and I ventured to Trader Joe’s today to pick up some last minute items for thanksgiving, scary, I know. Luckily we made it out alive and with all of our needed items. Unfortunately, without the crispy onions I needed for a recipe I’m working on this week for the site. We were standing in line and I was talking rather loud, typical, to Cameron complaining about how I couldn’t find the crispy onions and an employee walks by and says, “Oh actually, we are out, they were a seasonal items and they are sold out.” Sad day…I guess I’ll continue the search or stop being a baby and just make ‘em myself.

Momma and I love to cook together, obviously the nut doesn’t fall too far from the tree. We decided on black bean pumpkin soup from Smitten Kitchen although we put our little spin on it. I love the pumpkin flavor but don’t care much for pumpkin pie so I’m always stoked to find new and scrumptious ways to make use of the tasty squash.

 

Party in Your Mouth Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

|Gather 

For the Soup:

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Pumpkin Puree (15oz)

1 Can Diced Tomatoes, drained

4 C Chicken Broth

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 tsp Salt

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 white onion, diced

1 tbsp Ground Cumin plus 2 tsp to taste

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

 

For the Garnish:

Balsamic Vinegar

Greek Yogurt

 

|Create

In a large pot sauté onion and garlic with EVOO, cumin, salt and pepper over medium heat. Then add the broth, tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. Use an immersion blender to blend soup into a thick constancy then add black beans and continue to cook until soup reaches desired thickness about 25 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly.

|Enjoy

Garnish with a dollop of greek yogurt and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

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Bomb.com Warm Bacon Chopped Salad

Bomb.com Warm Bacon Chopped Salad

November 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

 

OMGGGGEEEEE

 

I picked up my cap and gown today for graduation. I have 7 more days of class not including finals. Whoa. I guess that means I really am graduating…holy smokes it’s really starting to hit me now. I got a touch sentimental, and decided my 5-mile run could wait, I wanted to hit the kitchen.

Typical.

As a tribute to one of my favorite resturants, Big Sky in San Luis Obispo, I decided to come up with my own version of my favorite salad from their amazing restaurant. You may have seen it on the Food Network I think Rachel Ray did a spot about it or something.

Okay, wait, weird tangent I’m eating some frozen yogurt while I write this and I just had a bite and sublimation just happened in my mouth ahhh crazy! My yogurt mouthful released vapor straight from a frozen solid, uhm so cool! Sublimation is when a frozen substance changes phases from a solid to a vapor as opposed to going through traditional phase change: from a frozen solid, to a liquid, to a vapor. The most common example of this is dry ice, which at room temperature produces sublimation. I know what you’re thinking; wow we have a certified science nerd on our hands.  Tell me you don’t love it!

Back to the salad, it’s certified yumm-o. After all it has bacon (warm) the parenthesis declaring the temperature is quite nesscascary since bacon is so much better warm, chicken, blue cheese, cucumber, romaine, tomatoes, and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Salivating like Pavlov’s dogs yet? Good.

 

Bomb.com Warm Bacon Chopped Salad

Serves 2

Side note-bomb.com is not a real website, it’s just trendy 20-something slang.

 

|Gather

For the Roasted Chicken Breast

1 Chicken breast

1 tsp. EVOO

Pinch Pepper

Pinch Italian seasoning spice blend

 

For the Salad

4 Slices, maple bacon

1 Medium tomato

½ Medium Cucumber

3 C romaine lettuce chopped

¼ C Blue cheese, crumbled

 

For the Dressing

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

|Create

Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat the chicken in the EVOO and sprinkle pepper and the Italian spice blend seasoning on each side of the chicken. Roast the chicken; mine was pretty small and thin so it took about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool, then slice into strips. Fry the bacon, after frying pat any excess grease with a paper towel and tear, cut or break bacon into bite sized pieces. Slice the cucumber julienne and then halve, place on the perimeter of the plate. Dice the tomato, and crumble the blue cheese. Assemble the lettuce and sprinkle the tomatoes, blue cheese, chicken, and bacon over the top. To make the vinaigrette in a small bowl add the EVOO, mustard, and vinaigrette, and the salt and pepper to taste, whisk until combined, drizzle over salad.

 

|Enjoy

Serve as soon as possible so that the bacon is still warm. Perfect for an easy lunch or make it a filling dinner.

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Bedazzled Butternut Squash Bars

Bedazzled Butternut Squash Bars

November 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Tuesday, I had an amazing and informative conversation with fellow food blogger Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen. I have followed and loved her blog for a very long time and she shared so much helpful knowledge, it was a great conversation and learning experience. After talking to her it made me want to do two things: 1. Bake, cook, and write for my blog 2. Paint my nails. Well, one of those got accomplished Tuesday and let me tell you these cobalt blue nails are looking mighty fine. Wednesday addressed the first item on the list and so the baking began…

 

I love butternut squash. It’s friendly cousin the pumpkin, always steels the spotlight this time of year and cute little butternut squash takes the backburner and the sale prices at the grocery store. However, it is the most widely grown winter squash. I decided that butternut squash needed a little bedazzeled lovin’ in the form of something sweet! Here, in San Luis Obispo, it was nearly 72F today hardly fall/November weather by any account, which perhaps, contributes to the fact that I’m a touch late on the fall treats, sweets, and dishes featuring the lovely flavors of harvest.

Bedazzeled Butternut Squash Bars

|Gather

Butternut Squash Puree

1 butternut squash

2 tbsp. Butter

2 tbsp. Brown sugar

 

5 tbsp. Heavy whipping cream

4 tbsp. Brown sugar

2 tsp. Pumpkin pie-spice

½ tsp. Cinnamon

 

Bar Base

2 C Sifted flour

½ C Granulated sugar

½ C Butter

1 Egg

½ tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. Salt

½ C Pecan pieces, chopped finely

¼ C Honey

2 tsp. Water

 

|Create

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Cut the butternut squash half wise and add a tablespoon of butter into the center of each half. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over each half. Sprinkle ¼ tablespoon cinnamon over each half. Roast the squash for about 25 minutes or until fork tender, then remove and let cool. Meanwhile make the base for the bars. Mix the flour, pumpkin-pie spice, soda, and salt into a sifter. Cream butter with granulated sugar until fluffy in a large bowl; beat honey and egg in. Sift in dry ingredient, a third at a time, blending well to make a thick batter. Spread into a greased 9x9x2 baking pan. To create the puree take the roasted butternut squash and remove the skin and place into a food processor add the whipping cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice.  Bake the bar base in a 350 oven for 25 minutes, or until top is firm; spread butternut squash puree over bar base and cook 10 more minutes and then broil for 5 additional minutes to create a brown crust on the surface. Then remove and cool on a wire rack.

 

 

|Enjoy

Cut and sift powdered sugar over bars. To store bars place in an airtight container in the fridge.

A Sheriff of the Kitchen Orginial

 

 

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The Devil Wears Pomegranate

The Devil Wears Pomegranate

November 10, 2011 by · 2 Comments

 

Tomorrow I’m headed to Los Angeles to visit one of my very good friends Cassy. We are going to the USC football game against Washington on Saturday. I’m super excited because I’ve never been to a big football game like this before, should be a good time keep your fingers crossed it doesn’t down pour rain on us. In preparation for my trip, I baked cupcakes to bring down to Cassy because I know how much she loves sweets, plus its an excuse for me to pawn off cupcakes so that I don’t eat every last one of them myself.

 

I haven’t baked anything in a really long time so I was happy that this recipe was rather painless and turned out well.  I tweaked a basic devils food cake recipe out of Good Housekeeping’s Cake Book. I added heavy cream and sour cream in the place of buttermilk and took out the shortening and exchanged it for butter.

 

The post is short today. I’m worn out. Enjoy!

 

The Devil Wears Pomegranate

Makes 12 cupcakes

 

|Gather

 

Cup Cakes

1 C Cake flour, Sifted

½ tsp Baking powder

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Baking soda

¼ C Cocoa

¾ C Granulated sugar

¼ C soft butter-unsalted

¼ C Water

½ tsp Vanilla extract

¼ C Sour cream

¼ C Heavy cream

1 Egg
1 Egg yolk

 

Frosting

1/3 C Soft butter-unsalted

1/8 tsp Salt

3 C Sifted confectioners sugar

¼ C Heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract1 tbsp pomegranate juice
|Create

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, cocoa, and sugar. Add butter, water, vanilla, and 2 tbsp cream. Beat with an electric mixer mix at low to medium speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining cream, sour cream, egg, and yolk beat 1 minute longer. Fill cups half full; bake 25 minutes or till done.


Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. For the frosting: with an electric mixer at medium speed thoroughly mix with and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add remaining sugar and cream alternately, beating till very smooth and add the vanilla.  Pipe the frosting on to cupcakes or spread with a spatula.

 

|Enjoy

Garnish cupcakes with fresh pomegranate seeds.

 

 

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Get Figgy With It Flatbread

Get Figgy With It Flatbread

November 9, 2011 by ·

Today has been a rough day. I’m surprised it’s not Monday because it sure does feel like one. I had one of those computer crash moments where the wheels in your brain start to spin a million miles an hour, as you contemplate the possible severity//how you might have to restructure your day to make it to the apple store. Luckily, I sweet-talked my MacBook Pro back into working correctly, although, it still needs to be checked out as it seems to have dawned the rainbow wheel far too frequently for my liking.

 

Moving away from computer headache to taste bud paradise. A few weeks ago when I was home I tested out a recipe on momma, it turned out all right, but I wasn’t happy with it, and therefore decided to continue recipe development on it. I created Get Figgy With It Flatbread. Made with homegrown figs from momma’s tree which Dakota the dog has had to guard faithfully at night so, as my mom says, “Dakota sleeps outside so I can get the figs before the critters do”. Thanks Dakota.

Get Figgy with It Flatbread, is quite literally, a party in your mouth. My roommate Laura came home yesterday from class ravenous so she had some of the flatbread and would not stop talking about how great it was for ten minutes. Mind you, I hadn’t eaten any of it yet, so I shrugged it off. I was saving it for dinner and as many food bloggers know, I had to make it at 2pm when the light was good for photographing. Dinnertime rolls around and whoa! She was not kidding that was some bomb diggity flatbread.

Get Figgy with It Flatbread

Serves 4

 

|Gather

1 Dough ball, Rolled out (I got mine from a local pizza place that sells fresh dough balls but a Trader Joe’s one or something comparable will do just fine)

1 Yellow or White onion, halved then sliced, NOT diced

3-4 Slices of prosciutto

3-4 Fresh Figs

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

¼ C Chicken broth

Blue Cheese crumbled about 6 ounces

¼ C Parmesan cheese

 

|Create

Preheat oven to 500 °F. Roll out your dough ball if you have not already done so. Place the rolled out pizza on a baking sheet and brush lightly with EVOO and bake at 500 until slightly browned then remove from oven. While the flatbread is in the oven “pre” baking sauté the onion in 2 tbsp EVOO over medium to medium high heat, once the onions start to soften add the chicken broth and cover stirring occasionally to soften the onions and cook them down further. Once the onions are softened and sweet (taste test to make sure) remove from heat and set aside. Cut the steam off the figs and thinly slice them, toss the outer most slices as they are mostly skin. Top the flatbread with the sautéed onions, next place the sliced figs evenly, rip up the prosciutto into smaller pieces and distribute, place the flatbread back in the oven to cook for 5 more minutes at which point the prosciutto should begin to crisp. Remove and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles and parmesan continue baking until cheese has just begun to melt (5-7minutes) then remove the flatbread and let stand before serving.

 

|Enjoy

The Get Figgy with it Flatbread is best served warm. It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty which allows its versatility and would be a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

 


 

 

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Call the Fire Department. The Cats Stuck–Juicy Roasted Chicken.

Call the Fire Department. The Cats Stuck–Juicy Roasted Chicken.

October 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

 

Peculiar name for a recipe, I know. But there’s a great story to accompany it that must be told. While I attended culinary school, and interned at a local restaurant I lived in an apartment in Florence, Italy. It was located about a block away from the beautiful Piazza Santa Crocce. Seeing as most of my time was spent in and or around food, I spent very little time actually cooking, preparing, or eating food at my own apartment.

 

In Florence, and perhaps other parts of Italy as well, their roasted chicken is so amazingly juicy it’s out of this world.  A plan was set forth, I would create my version of this chicken in my apartment, taste it, compare it, and then go eat my favorite again and perfect it until I was satisfied with “my copy”.  On the first mission juicy roasted chicken, I was home in the late afternoon my roommate asleep in the other room for her afternoon siesta; I was happily prepping in the kitchen. Let me set the details up quickly:

 

  • Our apartment was on the 5th floor (that means 68 stairs to climb)
  • It faced into a courtyard of 4 other buildings
  • The apartment building directly across from us and two floors down had this cat, which periodically liked to nap on the windowsill.

 

The windows of these buildings are such that both windows open outward; in this case they happened to be open. As soon as I set my chicken into the oven I hear this terrible cat meowing/screaming coming from the courtyard. I look out to investigate, the owners of the cat are cooing down at their cat, which has now fallen into the courtyard.

 

To make a long story short the cat continued at the maddening cry…mind you we are approaching 60 minutes of this racket. After many a try at the neighbors below to gain access to the private courtyard, the fire department was called. They arrived and positioned a ladder down into the courtyard and a brave firefighter dawned a cat carrier as he went at a now, snarling cat.

Ding!

My chicken was finished, I removed it to let it rest for a few minutes, but in reality, I was engrossed in this drama unfolding in my courtyard I could not have been torn away but for ten seconds to take the chicken out and turn off the oven. Finally, the cat was returned to its owners. The windows were never opened again where the cat slept. Oh and how could I forget! The Italian Grandmas loved to shout at anyone who was too noisy for their liking, so naturally, someone was spouting off this entire time while they tried to retrieve the cat.

 

The photos were a bit rushed for 3 reasons:

  1. Laura and I were hungry
  2. Laura and I were hungry
  3. It was getting dark

 

Granted, you may say, two of those reasons are the same. Nonetheless they’re the most important driving factor as to why the photos were a bit rushed.

Call the Fire Department! The cats stuck–Juicy Roasted Chicken.

Serving Size depends on the size of the chicken. This exact recipe feeds approximately two.

 

|Gather

1 whole chicken for roasting (I used one large enough to serve two people with a little left over, but we are chicks, the same reasoning cannot be applied to feed dudes)

½ white onion, sliced

4 OZ white mushrooms, sliced

5 good sized yellow potatoes

3 Lemons (mine were a little larger then a golf ball)

Dried rosemary

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Salt & Pepper

 

|Create

Pre-heat the oven to 325°F. Remove the innards of the chicken. Wash and slice lemons and lightly sprinkle rosemary over the lemon slices and stuff inside the chicken. Take ½ a lemon and squeeze juice over them chicken. Wash and slice the yellow potatoes scallop style.  Distribute the potatoes, onions, and mushrooms in the bottom of a large class pan. Place the chicken on top of the veggies and drizzle olive oil over the whole dish follow with salt and pepper. Cover the chicken with a tin foil tent and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the tent and check on the chicken. Bake the chicken for an additional 15 minutes until the skin is crispy. Remove the chicken and let rest 5 minutes.

 

Note: depending on the size and power of your oven it may take more or less time to fully cook the chicken than mentioned above. Also you may have to add a bit more olive oil if your chicken or veggies begin to appear a bit dried out.

 

|Enjoy

After the chicken has rested slice and serve with the veggies from the roast. We also paired some unsweetened apple sauce and a piece of baguette with our meal; great fall flavors.

 

 

A Sheriff of the Kitchen Original

 

 

 

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Blood, Gore, and Spooky Soup

Blood, Gore, and Spooky Soup

October 23, 2011 by · 1 Comment

 

It’s that time of year for the Halloween crazy-ness. In this town, it means college students frantically running around trying to assemble their costumes and arranging plans for let’s call them… “shenanigans”. The hottest question right now, “What’re you going to be for Halloween?” I’ve got my costume planned out, not created yet, but planned.

 

Costume aside, this allowed me to focus on more important things, such as creating the perfect Halloween inspired recipe. I’m no primo baker so naturally I had to go the savory route. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS??? Spooky Soup!

Tell me you think it’s spooky.

A puddle of blood and skeleton hands clawing out of the bowl… You see it right?

No?

Damn, well I tried! Hahah, can’t win ‘em all.

 

This soup is super easy and a perfect complement to a Halloween inspired party, or for an easy weeknight meal. The “blood” is a roasted red bell pepper and tomato soup with smoked Gouda. The “skeleton hands” are fresh cauliflower cut and stuck on a toothpick. Spooky soup packs a filling and savory punch, the smoked Gouda and roasted red bell pepper add depth and complexity, which distinguishes it from your run of the mill tomato soup.

 

Spooky soup

Serves 4-5

 

|Gather

2 Cans Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 Cup Chicken broth

½ Cup Water

Two large-ish Red bell peppers, fresh

1 6oz Can Tomato Paste

1 t Salt

2 T Red wine

¼ Cup chopped onions (dehydrated/dry)

¼ t Black Pepper, ground

6 Oz Smoked Gouda, shredded

Fresh Cauliflower

Toothpicks

 

|Create

For pepper roasting see photo for step-by-step instructions for further clarification. Wash and dry the bell peppers. Place on stovetop burner and roast until outer layer is black. Remove from stove and let cool, then peel off outer skin/burned area, it should come off fairly easily, if not, this may be an indication that the pepper has not been roasted long enough. Open and empty the contents of the canned whole peeled tomatoes into a large pot. Add the water, chicken broth, and tomato paste as well. Next, turn the burner to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. When the peppers have cooled remove their skins and seeds and pulse in a food processor to desired consistency (I did mine on the chunkier side, I like thicker soup) then add to the soup along with the salt, pepper, and onions. When the soup reaches a boil, cover, and turn the burner to low and let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes. Use and immersion blender or food processor and blend the soup, this is to break up the whole peeled tomatoes. Once the soup is blended add the wine and cook 15 minutes further, uncovered at a simmer. Finally add 4 ounces of shredded Gouda and stir until cheese is melted and combined. To create the cauliflower skeleton hands slice the heads off the cauliflower. Taking the stems, slice to desired thickness for “fingers,” I tried to mirror a hand by doing smaller slices for pinky and thumb. Finally run the toothpick through the bottom of the fingers and spread apart. Add to soup at the edge propped against the side of the bowl.

 

|Enjoy

Serve soup hot and garnish with remaining fresh shredded smoked Gouda, or cauliflower skeleton hands.

 

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Love at First Fig

Love at First Fig

October 9, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Vanessa is fun sized.

Vanessa is a foodie.

Vanessa made me love figs.

 

Vanessa and I have gone to school for 8 years and have been friends almost as long. We share a passion for food we take turns having each other over dinner, going out to upscale restaurants, and enjoying wine and fine food. She graduated and I still remain at Cal poly to finish my last quarter, Vanessa lives in Florence, Italy and goes to culinary school at Apicius, my former culinary school. I miss her so and in her honor I came up with a tasty fig recipe reminiscent of her fig snack, which got me on the fig kick to begin with. Her fig snack consisted of figs stuffed with Maytag blue cheese wrapped in prosciutto. They were delicious and got my wheels racing in to the land of figs.

Now that I have arrived at Figville population ME.

I decided the Love at First Fig recipe would be crafted this week, on a rainy Tuesday in October I got to work. I pulled out my organic black figs from Trader Joe’s they were rotten. Oh weird, produce from Trader Joe’s rotten and spoiled after a day. Typical. Sorry about my Trader Joe’s poor produce rant, I’ve learned my lesson on that place for sure. Moving forward I then made a trip to our version of Whole Foods called New Frontiers and picked up some fresh figs to begin again.

 

Love at First Fig is the perfect mix of sweet and salty seems to be a theme as of late on this blog…hmm. It’s like I have an obsession with sweet and salty or something… Anyways figs are one of the highest sources of calcium and fiber in a plant source. This is great news considering what I will dress our lovely friend the fig with.

Love at First Fig

Serves 3-4

 

|Gather

12 Fresh black figs washed and prepped (see photo for proper prep)

6 Slices prosciutto

1/2 lb Your favorite Blue Cheese

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

 

|Create

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Slice the tops off the figs and cut halve wise almost to the bottom in both directions (see photo). Next crumble about half of the blue cheese and stuff each fig to the top with cheese. Tear the sliced prosciutto in half and wrap the prosciutto pieces around the figs, a tooth pick will not be needed as the prosciutto should stick to its self and it will also help hold the figs and there bold, cheesey, amazing filling together. Next add a drop of lemon juice to the top of each fig. Finish with a drizzle of honey over each fig. Place the figs on a baking sheet (does not need to be greased) and bake until the prosciutto is slightly crispy and the cheese is a bit melted. No more then 15 minutes.

 

|Enjoy

The figs are best when warm so allow to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

 


A La Cucina Del Bargello Orginial

 

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Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

October 5, 2011 by · 4 Comments

If someone where to say the words brussel sprouts to you, what would your reaction be? Visions of delicious side dishes? Gag reflex memories flashing before you associated with the brussel sprouts that remained on your plate as a third grader, which your parents forced you to take “dinosaur bites” of to be excused from the table? Should you identify with the second statement have no fear Not Yo Momma’s Brussels are here to save the day..or rather the meal.   The taste of a raw brussel sprout mirrors a similar crunch and flavor of raw cabbage not terribly tasty by itself, but contains great cooking potential. My inspiration for Not Yo Momma’s Brussels came on my shopping trip yesterday with my roommate Laura. We happened upon a two-foot stock of brussel sprouts, which was quite clearly a necessary purchase. These hearty little veggies pack an enormous nutritional punch with nearly 20% Vitamin C and a great source of antioxidants and fiber reaching almost 10% of the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA). The most likely suspect for the terrible taste associated with the veggie is when brussel sprouts are overcooked. An undesirable compound known as glucosinolate sinigrin is released. This is a sulphourous odor and may contribute to the strong feelings people many have towards these winter gems, having unfortunately only experienced them in their overcooked and smelly form.  Generally six to seven minutes of cooking either broiling, boiling, or steaming is sufficient to completely cook the brussel sprouts. Not Yo Momma’s Brussels have a wonderful mix of harvest flavors with bright and juicy pomegranate seeds, slightly toasted pecan pieces, complementing cranberries, and salty bold bacon bites in a slightly sweet balsamic glaze.

Not Yo Momma’s Brussels

Serves 4-5

|Gather

  • 1.5 Pounds brussel sprouts washed and halved
  • ¾ Cup Chicken broth
  • ¼ White Onion Finely Chopped
  • ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • ¼ Cup Cranberries
  • ¼ Cup toasted pecans
  • 3 Strips bacon-fried
  • ¼ Cup Pomegranate Seeds
  • S & P to taste

|Cook

Fry the bacon, once the bacon has finished frying remove it from the pan and add the white onion and sauté until softened. In a food processor pulse the cranberries and pecans until a rather fine texture and set aside. Once the onions have cooked add the brussel sprouts to the pan along with the chicken broth cover and steam. Stir occasionally for six to seven minutes check the brussel sprouts they should be done. Remove from pan and deposit into a large mixing bowl with the cranberry pecan mixture and the bacon strips loosely broken into pieces. Reduce the balsamic vinegar over low heat until a thick sauce is apparent. Pour the glaze over the brussel sprouts and incorporate all parts. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

|Enjoy

For best results let the mixture sit for at least an hour to let the flavors combine. The dish may be served cold or at room temperature.

A La Cucina Del Bargello Orignial

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Savory Palmier

Savory Palmier

February 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Savory Palmier

  • 1 box puff pastry (defrosted)
  • 1 cup or so of pesto, 1/2 cup for each pastry
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/4-1/2 cup fresh chopped mozzarella or feta
  • 1 egg for egg wash

Combine pesto mixture and sun dried tomatoes. Layout the puff pastry and spread pesto mix over the pastry you can take it out all the way to the edge. Then sprinkle cheese over the top. Then fold the pastry half way in on both sides then again to the middle until it makes a little folded log. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut the log into 3/8th inch slices so a little over a ¼ inch but not quite 1/2 inch. Lightly brush the egg wash over each palmier. Bake for 10-11 minutes flipping them half way through.

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