Provencal Asparagus Tartlet Recipe

With Spring just a couple of weeks away we thought we would get a jump on the celebrations. This is quick and easy hors d’oeuvres, a great starter or even a light lunch. We used a classic pate brisee recipe for the crust but use what ever you are comfortable with. We did not include the dough recipe as we have shared it numerous times.

1 tablespoon/15ml olive oil

2 fresh garlic cloves, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1 pound/450g fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and blanched and cut into one inch/2.5cm pieces

2 tablespoons/30ml capers

1 ½ tablespoons/22ml dry sherry

Preheat a medium sized skillet on medium heat until hot to the touch

Add the olive oil, and heat for a 20-30 seconds

Add the garlic, shallot, tomatoes, asparagus, and capers

Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for one minute

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste

Place mixture into precooked basil tartlet* and serve

Basil Crust/Tartlet, this is a simple adaption of a regular pie crust. Make your pie crust according to your recipe. Before rolling out, add a handful of basil chiffonade (cut into thin strips) to the uncooked dough and roll out. Using a cookie cutter or a small juice glass, cut the dough to the size of your mini-muffin tin. Bake the dough according to your recipe’s instruction and let cool. Poke holes in your uncooked dough while in the muffin tin with a fork on the bottom of the tartlet as well as the sides then put a piece of foil, old beans or pie weights to help reduce the amount of swelling during the cooking process.

personal chefs and event catering

Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach

www.yadachef.com

info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232)

Jacques Pepin's Flatbread Recipe

I saw Chef Pepin make this on one of his shows, and thought, that is almost like the bread I used to make when I lived on the Beach in St. Augustine Florida and I had no yeast. I called it a cheat pizza dough, and I added tons of granulated garlic. Serves 6 1 1⁄2 cups/188g regular all purpose flour 1 cup/250ml water 1⁄4 teaspoon/2ml baking powder 1⁄4 teaspoon/2ml salt 2 tablespoons/30ml olive oil 2 tablespoons/30ml water Dump everything (except the 2 tablespoons water) into a bowl and "stir it into a gooey stuff" as Jacques says. The dough will indeed be very wet, gooey, sticky. Stir in any optional ingredients. Heat a non-stick 10" / 25.4 cm skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and then pour in the dough. Spread into one flat layer with a spoon or spatula. (A little oil on the spoon or spatula helps keep the dough from sticking to it.) Add remaining water around the outside of the dough where it meets the pan; the o...

Healthy Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

So many people in the USA have leftovers after Thanksgiving. Although to me the best are the turkey and stuffing sandwiches. Here is a tried and true recipe. Although many think of this as an Italian dish. It is believed to have been created by Ernest Arbogast, chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco CA in honour of the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. *Tip for sauce. It is generally thick enough when you dip a spoon in it and if you run your finger down the back a line is made in the sauce. Serves 4 396 calories 4 ounce/125g baby bella mushrooms 4 ounce/125g mixed mushrooms 1 tablespoon/15ml olive oil 4 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces ¼ teaspoon/1ml salt 1/8 teaspoon/.5ml black pepper 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced 1 cup/250ml white wine 1 pound/450g spaghetti 2 ½ cups 625ml rice milk mixed with 2 tablespoons/30ml cornstarch handful vegan parmesan cheese 10 basil leaves, torn into pieces Preheat the oven to 400F/204C/GasMark 6. Cook...

The History of Thanksgiving and it's Origins

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. THANKSGIVING AT PLYMOUTH In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachuse...

Ding Dong Cake Recipe

Ingredients For the cake: Cooking spray 3/4 cup/64g unsweetened natural cocoa powder 1 cup/237ml hot brewed coffee 2 cups/240g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans 2 teaspoons/14g baking soda 1 teaspoon/5g kosher salt 1 teaspoon/5 baking powder 2 cups/250g granulated sugar 3/4 cup/180 vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 cup/125nk whole milk 1 teaspoon/5ml vanilla extract For the ermine filling: 1 cup whole milk 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 pinch kosher salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the ganache: 8 ounces dark chocolate (about 70%) or 1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 pinch kosher salt 1 cup heavy cream Instructions Make the cake: Arrange a rack in the...

Three Advantages of Having a Personal Chef

Hiring a personal chef will not only reinvent your dinners, but also change how you think about food. Cooking can be a complicated, lengthy practice, which is why many people turn to a quick sandwich or can of tomato soup for dinner. Put aside that sandwich and soup and hire a personal chef. 1. A Chef Know What Foods To Purchase How many times have you taken a trip to the grocery store and wastefully spent money? You purchase something you think you'll eat, but it just sits in your pantry until the expiration date passes by. A personal chef will prevent this from happening. He or she will know exactly what to buy and how much of it is needed to cook a meal. 2. Convenience Place yourself into this situation: you've been at work since 9 a.m. and the minute hand just struck 5 p.m. You rush home to pick your daughter up from school so you can drop her off at her softball game. By the time the game ends, it's already 7 p.m. You have no ti...

Mrs. Cheney's McIntosh Cake Recipe

Sometimes “old” classic recipes are the best. This recipe has to be from at least the 1950’s. It was found whilst cleaning out my Nanna’s (Nonna’s) kitchen. No need to have McIntosh apples any good baking apple will do. Since the bottom is the top you can arrange a couple of apples before pouring in the first amount of batter. 5 apples, peeled, sliced, cored 1/2 cup/85g granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons/7ml ground cinnamon Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over apples in a medium sized bowl. Toss to coat all the apple pieces and let sit while making the batter. 3 cups/298g all purpose flour 2 cups/383g granulated sugar 1 teaspoon/5ml baking soda 2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder 1 cup/250ml vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1/3 cup/80ml orange juice (we used triple sec) 2 teaspoons/10ml pure vanilla extract Greased bundt/tube pan Pre-heat oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4 ...

The Buzz On Beet Greens, Roasted Beets and Sautéed Greens - With A Bonus Recipe

What Are Beet Greens Good For? Botanical name: Beta vulgaris Grown in the Mediterranean region as far back as 2,000 B.C., beet cultivation spread to Babylonia in the eighth century, then to China around 850 A.D. Beets, along with their greens, belong to the Goosefoot family, known as Chenopodiaceae. Within the botanical family, beet greens are factored alongside spinach, Swiss chard, quinoa, lamb's quarter, and a number of other wild plants, which means that beet greens can be placed in the “dark, leafy” category. Because they are a cool season crop, beets grow quickly and can survive almost freezing temperatures, making them a favorite of northern gardeners. Beets and their greens also enjoy a longer than normal growing season. It’s best to use beet greens within two or three days after refrigeration. Enjoy beet greens by themselves as a salad or with other leafy vegetables, or sauté them in a bit of olive oil or balsamic vinegar and salt for a delicious side di...

European Crusty Rolls and Recipe

There is an art to making those wonderful rolls and every crusty bread you find in France. There are also rules to make sure you are gett ing only the finest of products. We have been working to Take the Mystery Out of the Kitchen. Below you will find a recipe that will result in the most delicious, crusty on the outside and chewy on the in with a wonderful crumb. Let us first explain a bit about the rules all French bakers (at least in Paris) must abide by. Article 1 -- Bread called "pain maison" or an equivalent name can only be sold under those names if the bread has been entirely kneaded, worked and cooked on their place of sale to the ultimate consumer. However, this denomination can also be used when the bread is sold away from the premises to the ultimate consumer by the professional who ensured that the operations of kneading, shaping and cooking occurred at the same place. Article 2 -- Bread called "pain de tradition française", "pain tradi...

How to Stay Healthy on a Gluten-Free Diet

While the movement to label boxes of food as “gluten-free” has certainly made a gluten-free diet much easier, eating right on any diet can be a challenge. Gluten-free diets can be just as healthy or unhealthy as any other diet, so it’s important to watch what you eat and ensure you are receiving adequate nutrition. Follow some tips to get your gluten-free diet off to the right start. Stay Positive It’s an adjustment to go gluten-free, particularly if you’ve had foods with gluten your entire life up to this point. Don’t focus on what you can’t eat but rather what you can -- you can open up your palette to new flavors you might not have tried before. Allow yourself some mistakes from trial-and-error as you discover what foods you might have to cut out and what foods you can add to your diet. Don’t cheat, either -- if you’ve experienced some negative symptoms of celiac disease or just general gluten intolerance, you know even a tiny bit of gl...

Millennials and Life Skills 101

Interesting Forbes article, https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2014/07/02/millennials-struggle-to-pass-life-skills-101/#7654f93b79e7 , relating to how some are now lacking life skills many take for granted. "Cooking is another practical skill that has dropped by the wayside. According to a recent marketing report , Millennials are far more likely than older generations to order food from restaurants for delivery or carry out. They’re also driving the rise of “grocerants”: grocery stores that provide ready-made meals. Fully 78% of Millennials have purchased these prepared foods in the past 30 days, compared to 68% of Xers, 60% of Boomers, and 57% of Silent." We have created a series of new cooking classes targeting the truly basics in the kitchen. From boiling water, to cooking an egg, to the more advanced.

YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Search This Blog