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Ingredients For the crackling crust: 6 ounces ground almonds 1 egg white 2 ounces caster sugar (superfine) For the topping: 8 ounces plain chocolate, grated 1 pint plus 4 ounces (2 1/2 cups) double cream (or heavy cream) To decorate: Toasted almonds Yellow rose petals Directions Work the ground almonds, egg white, and sugar into a paste and knead into a ball. On a sugared surface, roll out to a round large enough to line an 8-inch nonstick flan tin, 1/4-inch thick and leave to dry for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rested pastry in the tin and decorate the edges with the finger and thumb technique. Line with foil (but no baking beans) and bake blind for 20 to 25 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid scorching. Leave to cool. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, then mix in the cream, stirring all the time to prevent splitting. Remove from the heat and, as the chocolate starts to set, beat the mixture to a light

A dinner party normally involves a sit down meal with more than one course. Any type of food can be served. If you know your guests, it can be more beneficial to pick something you know they will like - or stick to something simple that is usually a crowd pleaser and won't keep you in the kitchen for ages.  A start time is up to you but we wouldn't start any earlier than 6.30pm.  What drinks to serve depends on your guests - dinner parties usually involve a lot of hosting work and effort to "please your guests". If you know your guests aren't wine or champagne drinkers, don't waste your money serving it! If you're unsure of what your guests drinks, have a variety on hand - wine, champagne, beer, soda, juice & water.   "The first step is to go exploring -- if you're out of your comfort zone -- that's one step in and of itself." The options for foods are endless. It's always a bonus if you go the extra mil

2 cups/360g peanut butter chips 2 cups/360g butterscotch chips 2 cups/360g chocolate chips 1 1⁄2 cups crushed ripple potato chips, about 3 or 4 large handfuls uncrushed 1 1⁄2 cups/227g peanuts (salted or unsalted) DIRECTIONS Melt together the peanut butter, butterscotch and chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Add crushed potato chips and peanuts. Mix together with melted chips. Spoon into mini cupcake paper cups. (You do not even have to put these into mini muffin pans as they do hold their shape while they are being filled. It is best to put the mini cupcake papers on a plain cookie sheet to make them easier to move before chilling.)  Chill until set. You can also add ½ cup coconut to melted chips and peanuts. To speed up chilling time, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes. private chefs and event catering Palm Beach + Boca Raton + Fort Lauderdale + Miami Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) 561-285-7466 www.yadachef.co

You all know that expression (originally a book): "Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten." Indulge me as I tweak that to apply to the kitchen. Well, maybe I didn't learn  everything  essential there — but the room known lovingly as the heart of the home surely is a powerhouse of lessons, if you open your mind to them. Following are an even 10. Patience.  I'm a pretty patient person by nature — at least when it comes to tasks, if not so much to people behaving like idiots...or sluggish traffic lights. But in the kitchen, so many things simply cannot be rushed. Yeast dough rising, for example. Or that all-important melding of flavors in soups and stews. That's why so many people shy away from the place — I have no time! they whine. But this is a big mistake. The busier you are, the more critical it is to find ways to slow down. Cooking will do that for you. Precision.  When you're baking, it really does matter if you drop one teas

Remoulade is a French invention and was most likely used as a condiment for meats. Today we see it more as a fish sauce, rather like the English tartar sauce. I like mine with minced cornishon, which you can add to the below recipe. 1 cup/225ml mayonnaise   2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 1 clove finely chopped garlic 1 teaspoon/5ml dry mustard 1 tablespoon/25ml chopped Italian parsley ½ teaspoon/2ml minced chives 1 tablespoon capers, chopped 1 teaspoon/5ml anchovy paste (substitute 3-4 minced) Juice of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon/5ml chopped dill Mix ingredients and allow to stand for 2 hours before serving to marry flavors. personal chefs and event catering Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) www.yadachef.com

Whether you are a novice in the kitchen or you've been cooking for years and feel like you need some new recipes, YaDa Chef's cooking classes for adults covers all the bases.  We keep them fun - get your apron dirty with YaDa Chef! We offer daytime, evening and weekend classes to suit every schedule. All classes are hands-on (or not if you prefer)! Classes are $75 per person, with a 6-person minimum (groceries are included – luxury items may incur an additional charge) for a two hour class.   Customized classes for individuals or couples are available for $125 with a 2-hour maximum, plus the cost of groceries. For more information please email, info@yadachef.com or call 954-367-YADA (9232).  Gift certificates are available. Give the gift of a wonderful (and educational) cooking experience. www.yadachef.com

Serves 4-6 1 roasting chicken 2kg/4 pounds 1 tablespoon/15ml olive oil 1/2 head of garlic, mashed into a paste 1 tablespoon/15ml/15g Herbes de Provence 1/2 tablespoon/7ml sea salt 1 teaspoon/5ml fresh ground pepper 1 lemon cut into wedges 3 baking potatoes cut into large peices Preheat oven to 475F/ 246C/Gas 9. Pat chicken dry. Rub with olive oil. Mix garlic, Herbes de Provence, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over inside and outside of chicken. Place the chicken on a wire rack set inside a roasting pan with potatoes scattered around the chicken. Roast chicken until skin begins to brown, 25–30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F/175C/Gas 4 and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165F/87C, 25–30 minutes longer. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with lemon wedges.  personal chefs and event catering Miami + Miami Beach + Fort Lauderdale + Palm Beach www.yadachef.com info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232)

3 cups/750ml chopped summer fruit, such as peeled and pitted peaches or nectarines, strawberries or pitted cherries 5 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 tablespoons/30ml heavy cream 2 rolled out 9-inch pie dough Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5 On a floured surface, roll out dough until about 1/8-in thick. Cut into twelve (5-inch) circles, rerolling dough as needed.  In a medium bowl, toss together fruit, sugar and flour. (Do this just before filling the pies; if done too far in advance, the mixture can get too juicy. Use less or more sugar, as desired, depending on fruit’s natural sweetness.)  Working one at a time, spoon some filling into the center of a circle of dough; brush edges with water.  Fold over into a half moon and crimp edges to seal, then cut a small slit in the middle as an air vent. Brush top with heavy cream. Bake on a large, parchment-paper-lined baking sheet until golden brown, about 35 minutes. pers

You can pretty much cure anything at all. The common cold is somewhat elusive, but pretty much all fleshy fish can be cured. Gravadlax, or gravlax, is what I’d call a soft and loose cure. The salmon remains moist and almost raw in the middle and the curing process can take anything from 24-72 hours. The salt and sugar mixture is usually just flavoured with dill, although beetroot is becoming a popular addition. Adding toasted caraway seeds gives it a hint of Nordicness (which is also becoming more popular) but crushed toasted coriander seeds give a more pleasant citrusy result. You can add grated ginger, chopped lemongrass, chilli or lime leaves, and various spices from star anise to vanilla to good effect. The chemical reaction that happens when you cure a protein in salt or sugar (or more commonly, both) is that the moisture is literally sucked out of the protein by the salt and sugar crystals. They love nothing more than moisture (that’s why a meringue will go soggy if

INGREDIENTS 1 pound/450g chicken livers, gizzards or boneless thigh meat ½ cup/120ml dark soy sauce or tamari ¼ cup/60ml mirin 2 tablespoons/30ml sake or dry sherry 1 tablespoon/12.5g brown sugar 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed ½ teaspoon/2ml grated fresh ginger Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish PREPARATION Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and place in a shallow dish. In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce or tamari, mirin, sake or sherry, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes, until thickened. Reserve 2 tablespoons sauce for serving. Pour remaining sauce over chicken, cover, and chill for at least one hour (and up to 4 hours). If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for one hour. Preheat grill or broiler. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers, and grill or broil, turning halfway, for about 3 minutes for livers, 10 minutes for gizzards and 6 minutes for thighs. Serve drizzled wit