YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Cake doughnuts can be a healthy way to have an American breakfast favourite that is bak ed not fried. This is a spiced cake version without wheat or nuts using an All-Purpose GF commercially produced flour by King Arthur. Drizzle a bit of glaze if you like or spread with your favourite frosting. We say - “go naked”.  2 cups/244g King Arthur GF Flour 3/4 cup/144g granulated sugar 2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (you can leave this out but the consistency will be drier) 1/2 teaspoon/2ml ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon/1ml cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon/1ml allspice 1 teaspoon/5ml salt 3/4 cup/185ml almond milk (sub dairy, soy or your preferred) 2 eggs beaten 2 teaspoons/10ml pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons/45ml oil Pre-heat oven to 325F/162C/Gas 3 Lightly grease your doughnut pan. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the milk, egg, vanilla and oil. Ma

Sardines are named after Sardinia, the Italian island where large schools of these fish were once found. While sardines are delightful enjoyed fresh, they are most commonly found canned, since they are so perishable. With growing concern over the health of the seas, people are turning to sardines since they are at the bottom of the aquatic food chain, feeding solely on plankton, and therefore do not concentrate heavy metals, such as mercury, and contaminants as do some other fish. While there are six different types of species of sardines belong to the Clupeidaefamily, more than 20 varieties of fish are sold as sardines throughout the world. What these fish share in common is that they are small, saltwater, oily-rich, silvery fish that are soft-boned. In the United States, sardines actually refers to a small herring, and adult sardines are known as pilchards, a name that is commonly used in other parts of the world. Sardines are abundant in the seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and

What is Cassis?  It is a town located just east of Marseille in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.  As a tourist destination it is known for falaises (cliffs) and its many sheltered inlets.  Wine lovers know it for its full bodied, herby white wines produced from Clairette, and Marsanne as well as Doucillon Blanc primarily.  It is also famous for its rose wines, but on this it is overshadowed by its neighbor to the east, Bandol. Say cassis to others and immediately Creme de Cassis comes to mind.  To most it is a sickly sweet, thick deep purple syrup that it only made to mix with champagne for the famous “Kir Royale”.  Even the Kir Royale does not have a wonderful reputation.  It is thought to be the drink of old ladies at Sunday brunches.  What a tragedy this is.  Most of us know only of the imitators, the impostors of the most versatile of liqueurs.  If you are lucky enough to take a trip to France and happen to wander into the Dijon region (yes that Dijon) you will encounter the re

Translated literally this means the Imam (a holy man) Fainted. I guess lying on their sides the stuffed eggplants look like a passed out Imam. Many included fresh tomato and cinnamon. This one does not. It was on the Isle of Crete that I learned the Turkish recipe. One year I decided to go to Greece early. A friend owned a resort. I ended up hooking up with a native of Crete that happened to be in the army and two tourist girls. He had extra bedrooms so we became “locals” for a while. Serves 4 4 eggplants 1/2 cup/125ml olive oil 2 onions, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons/30ml tomato paste handful parsley chopped Preheat oven to 400F/204C/Gas Mark 6 Cut the eggplant in half. Scoop out the center leaving about 1/2 inch/1.27cm around the skin. Chop up the insides. Heat half of the oil in a large stove top/oven proof pan. Fry the eggplant for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add r

Setting the Mood Lighting Keep the lighting low, not so low you cannot see, unless you are looking for that "nightclub" feel.  Everyone wants to be able to see what they are eating and drinking. Cleaning Before and After   Relax, this is a fun thing!  Before : Unless you are throwing a black tie affair, then hire the cleaners.  Otherwise tidy up and make sure you cannot write your name in the dust.  It is only going to get dirty anyway.  My one exception is the place everyone snoops...the bathroom.  Make sure it is spotless.  Put out disposable guest towels (they look like high end napkins). After:   Enlist the help of a dear friend to pick the big stuff up and then leave the rest until the next day. Putting it all together Three weeks before : Send out the invitations Start planning the menu, theme and music  Two weeks before : If you have the freezer space make and freeze your hors d'oeuvres Inventory your serving platters and utensils.  If y

Roast Pheasant Most game is delicious on its own.  Nothing is added by smothering or drowning it in sauces or strong flavours.  Classics are classic for a reason.  Bacon, juniper berries, onion, leeks, cabbage and even sauerkraut seem to work best with most game. Roast Pheasant with Cabbage and Turkey Bacon Pheasant is still hunted with good results.  If you are not likely to head into the woods, process and “hang” one yourself, and most are not, find yourself a reputable butcher that keeps a variety of game in stock.  Free range birds are an excellent choice and much less work.  Be prepared game birds in the USA unlike in most countries is a bit expensive and therefore a treat, but we all deserve treats.  Pheasants have a surprising amount of meat.  A 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg bird will easily serve 4-6 people. Serves 4-6 1 onion cut into quarters 1 stalk celery cut into quarters 2 carrots sliced in half vertically and horizontally 1 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg pheasant 1 ta

The thought of Thanksgiving brings visions of a Norman Rockwell painting, with a table laden with all of the traditional foods. Over the past decade or so there have been those that did their best to change those traditions by not having turkey as the star.  I however am not one of those people.  In my world unless you are a vegan or vegetarian it is de rigueur to consume turkey. This does not however mean I am against “playing with the recipes”.  As a chef, this is what I love to do. Below is a fun way  to stick with the basics while making it a bit healthier, giving it a flair of elegance and keeping it gluten free. Supplies 12 - 15lb/5.54-6.8 kg  Fresh Turkey 3 carrots, cut in half lengthwise and widthwise making an elongated half circle  2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces each 1 large onion cut into 6 wedges turkey neck and giblets skewers kitchen twine large piece of foil to cover bird, oiled and dusted with flour, or cornstarch if going gluten free Rub Ze

No need to salt the eggplant slices. This is done when the eggplants are old to remove liquid and some of the bitterness. The original eggplants where small oval shaped and cream or white coloured,like an egg, hence the name. Later they were bred to be the purple colour and this is why many call them “aubergine” Serves 4 2 large eggs 1 large eggplant, sliced into ½ inch/1.27cm rounds 1 cup/225ml half corn meal and half crisped rice crumbs 1 teaspoon/5ml salt 1/2 teaspoon/2ml ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon/2ml garlic powder 1 tablespoon/15ml dried Italian Seasoning 1 tablespoon/15ml olive oil Sauce: 1 tablespoons/15ml olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 cups/450ml tomatoes, diced ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ½ teaspoon/2ml black pepper pinch of red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons/30ml fresh oregano or 2 teaspoon dried ½ tablespoon/7ml fresh rosemary, minced or 1 teaspoon/5ml dried ½ cup/118ml/90g vegan parmesan cheese 4 ounce/114g vegan mozzarella chees