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Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Preheat the oven to 400°F/Gas6/204°C. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a hot oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Eat as is (we love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with

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

Chocolate Chip Cherry The origin and history of the National Biscotti Day are anonymous.  Biscotti  ( / b ɪ ˈ s k ɒ t i / ;  Italian pronunciation :  [biˈskɔtti] ; English:  twice-cooked ), known also as  cantucci  ( [kanˈtuttʃi] ), are  Italian  almond  biscuits  that originated in the city of  Prato . They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and may be dipped in a drink, traditionally  Vin Santo . A dough of flour, sugar, eggs, and unskinned or unroasted almonds are used in the preparation of the Biscotti. According to Wikipedia  Cantuccio   is an old Italian word that literally means "little place" or "nook","corner" but that, in past, was also used to indicate a little piece of bread with a lot crust (usually the first and last slices of the loaf, the "corners"). The word  Biscotto  instead, used in modern Italian to refer to a biscuit (or cookie) of any kind, originates from the medieval Latin word  biscoctus , meaning

Ingredients 1 pork tenderloin, medium size, about 1 lb 2 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 1/2 cup spinach, fresh 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, dry 2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press 10 basil leaves, fresh Salt and pepper to taste Directions 1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. 2. Cut pork tenderloin almost in half lengthwise so it opens like a book. Cut each half in half lengthwise one more time. Be careful not to cut through. Pound both sides through plastic wrap to flatten slightly. Rub salt, ground black pepper and 1 clove of crushed garlic on both sides. 3. Lay cheese, spinach, basil, sundried tomatoes and the rest of crushed garlic down the centre of the tenderloin, leaving 1” border around the edges. Press gently. Roll the long edge over stuffing overlapping as necessary, and fold in the narrow end. Secure with skewers, toothpicks or kitchen string. 4. Place meat on a baking pan with a rack and place in preheated oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes o

We have shared this before but feel it is worth sharing again. 1. Eat, but not all day long. Three meals a day, plus the children’s traditional after-school “gouter,” or snack, which might be a pain au chocolat, fruit or applesauce. When mealtimes roll around, you eat with real pleasure because you’re hungry. 2. Eat real foods and generous portions. Consuming three meals a day without grazing in between means you can eat well when you sit down at the table — and that includes a starter, main course, cheese and dessert. Portions are generous without going overboard. An example of yesterday’s lunch menu: Starter course: Lentil salad Main course: Roasted chicken, green beans Cheese course: Vanilla yogurt Dessert: Apple and orange slices … and that was in the public school cafeteria. 3. Choose water. Generally speaking, the French do not drink their calories. At mealtimes, water (whether still or sparkling) is the drink of choice. Adults might opt for a

YaDa Chef Baked Crisps Recipe The original potato chip recipe was created in Saratoga Springs, New York by George Crum after having a  customer continually send back fried potatoes because they were too thick. Since they have become the addictive unhealthy choice of many as a snack. We have been baking our “rustic” crisps for years, but were never truly satisfied with the results. Inspiration came all at once. Our secret is to “blanch soak” the sliced potatoes. Whether you do them thin or rustic is up to you. Take this recipe and run with it. Use your favourite seasonings. Serves 4 2 medium russet potatoes, sliced with a mandolin 1mm (for very thin) 2mm (for rustic) 1 tablespoon/15ml oil 1/4 teaspoon/1ml Sea Salt 1/2 teaspoon/2ml coarsely ground black pepper Pre-heat your oven to 450F/230C/Gas 8 Place your sliced potatoes into a large bowl. Pour in just enough water to cover the slices. Gently move them around with your hands. Drain the water to0 remove excess s

If a recipe calls for baking powder it is important that it is still fresh enough for the leavening process it was intended to do.  We often buy baking powder or baking soda (bicarbonate) and it gets shoved in the back of a cupboard. Who knows how long it's been there.  If you are smart you would have put a date on it, but honestly who does that sort of thing?!  This is a sure fire way of testing you baking powder before you make a cake that flops: Add a teaspoon to a cup of water. If it just sits there and doesn't bubble and fizz, it is time to toss that stuff away.  You are welcome for the wonderful tip of the day.  private chefs and event catering Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) www.yadachef.com fort lauderdale catering and personal chefs

Serves 7 Makes 28 mushrooms  28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed 28 mushroom stems, minced and sauteed to remove water  1/2 cup/60g Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs  1/2 cup/90g grated Pecorino Romano  2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced  2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves  1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves  1 tablespoon chopped basil Salt and freshly ground black pepper  1/3 cup/79ml extra-virgin olive oil  Preheat the oven to 400F/204C/Gas 6 Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, sauteed mushroom stems, parsley, mint, basil, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.  Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated th

Are you tired? Are you Sluggish?  Are you having trouble Concentrating?  Maybe your dehydrated! Are you drinking enough water? We found a good calculator. Very interesting. Chef Bryan filled out the form and is supposed to drink about 3 liters/99.1 ounce s/12.68 cups/0.79 gallons of water daily. Which he does - actually he drinks a bit more. How much are you supposed to be drinking? And do you do it? http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm private chefs and event catering Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) www.yadachef.com fort lauderdale catering and personal chefs

This is a fairly new branch of YaDa Chef.  We developed it for when we partnered with a national company providing healing services for broken families. Using cooking and baking as therapy tools. Sharing the cooking and eating process with others can be extra helpful. Having an excuse to be in th e kitchen or around a table with others can boost social skills and confidence. Many cooks know what a sanctuary the kitchen can be so YaDa Chef has created courses partly aimed at teaching healthy cooking and eating skills for those living tough, chaotic lives. Classes also soothe stress, build self-esteem and curb negative thinking by focusing the mind on following a recipe. Psychologists say cooking and baking are pursuits that fit a type of therapy known as behavioral activation. The goal is to alleviate depression by boosting positive activity, increasing goal-oriented behavior and curbing procrastination and passivity. Classes let the students focus on something other th

ROMAN MUSTARD: 12 ounces/340g brown mustard seed 8 fluid ounces/250ml red wine vinegar 12 fluid ounces/375ml unsweetened red grape juice 1 tablespoon/15ml salt 2 teaspoons/10ml cumin seeds, freshly ground 2 ounces/56g flaked almonds 3 ounces/85 pine nuts 1 pound/450 green beans 2 tablespoons/30ml mustard oil 1/2 small fresh green chili, seeded and finely chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon/5ml Roman mustard Salt (preferably Maiden salt) 1/2 teaspoon/2ml ground mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon/2ml cumin seed To make about 1 1/2 pints/710ml of Roman mustard combine the mustard seed, vinegar and grape juice, and mix in the salt and cumin. Leave to soak, covered but not sealed for 36 to 48 hours. Put into a food processor and whiz for 1 to 2 minutes or until coarsely ground, then add the almonds and pine nuts and whiz very briefly until they are completely broken up, not over-processed. Top and tail the beans, then slice them into 1-inc

Jewish cooking has a wonderful thing called khrame, which is horseradish sauce with beets. It is probably this that makes us think of this combination. 6 frankfurters 6 small pickled beets, drained and chopped (see pickled beets recipe here) 2 onions, chopped 2 teaspoons/10ml capers olive oil wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon/2ml finely grated fresh horseradish OR 1 teaspoon/5ml bottled red horseradish cream to taste salt and freshly ground pepper Put your frankfurters into boiling water, bring back to a boil, remove from heat, and leave for 10 minutes. Drain, chop, and place in a bowl with the beets, onions and capers. Make a dressing with the remaining ingredients. Be sparing with the vinegar as the beets may be tart.  Add a little cream to the horseradish before adding it to the dressing if you find it too strong. Mix the dressing with the frankfurter mixture. Cover and leave overnight before serving.  Recipe by Clarissa Dickson Wright private chefs and

These little dumpling “pillows” can be made with a variety of ingredients. Originally they were made with flour/egg mixture. The potato version many of us are familiar with came about after potatoes were introduced from the New World in the 1600's. This recipe was learned while I was wandering around the Veneto. It is always served as a first course or “primo” Serves 4 1pound/450g Russet Potatoes ¼ cup /38g purpose flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill GF AP mix) ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ¼ teaspoon/1ml pepper 1 large egg lightly beaten Place the whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pot and cover with water (you can roast in a 400F/200C oven for 45 minutes or easily pierced).  Salt the water generously and boil until “fork tender” (about 45 minutes). Remove potatoes from water and let cool enough to handle.*   Remove the skin and pass the potatoes through a food mill or ricer.  If you do not have either of these simply mash them.** Mix in the beaten egg and add flour