YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

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

  The first time I encountered quinoa I was living with my cousin in Manhattan on the lower east side. She was not the most handy person in the kitchen. When I walked in she yelled from her bedroom that the air-popper may be broken as she tried to “pop” the little seeds like you would pop corn and they got sucked into the air vents. This turned out well and since my day consisted of nothing but "creating at a desk"....I had time to sit down and eat. I added fresh tomato and left out the broccoli. Serves 4 2 ½ cups/625ml water or vegetable broth 2 cups/450ml quinoa 2 cups/450ml broccoli  ¼ cup/59ml red bell pepper ¼ cup/59ml yellow bell pepper ¼ cup/60ml canola oil 2 tablespoons/30ml fresh lime juice ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ¼ teaspoon/1ml black pepper Bring water or broth to a boil (if using water add salt). Add quinoa, lower heat, cover and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed (15-20 minutes). Add broccoli to quinoa the last 5 minutes and allow to steam on top to

Tapenade is French for capers. Tapenade is a dish from the Provençal region of France of finely chopped olives and capers. Frequently you will find anchovies, and poached flaked tuna. It is generally as a spread on bread, but is delicious on pasta or baked like this.  serves 4 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Tapenade 1 1/2 cups/343ml/270g Kalamata or Gaeta olives, pitted 3 tablespoons/45ml capers, drained 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 1/4 cup/59ml/10g minced fresh parsley leaves 1/8 teaspoon/.5ml red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon/2ml salt 1/8 teaspoon/.5ml freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup/60ml extra virgin olive oil In a food processor or mortar, combine the olives, capers, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the oil and pulse or work with the pestle into a coarse paste, retaining some bits of olive and caper for texture. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, this will keep well for a week or two.  Preheat oven to 375F/1

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event. Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on imm

...if you do not happen to live on the Mediterranean, you cannot obtain the particular rockfish, gurnards, mullets, weavers, sea eels, wrasses, and breams which they [French experts] consider absolutely essential. But you can make an extremely good fish soup even if you have only frozen fish and canned clam juice to work with because the other essential flavoring of tomatoes, onions or leeks, garlic, herbs, and olive oil are always available." --Julia Child Yes, I know this is December. I know it is holiday season filled with traditions. There is a wonderful celebration, it is Bouillabaisse Day on 14 December.  It is with a tip of my hat that I present my version of this most terrific “French Fisherman’s Stew”. Bouillabaisse is a fish stew that originated in Marseilles, France around 600 B.C.. Yes, B.C.  Marseilles was a Greek colony at this time and being such as known as "kakavia." Bouillabaisse also appears in Roman mythology as a soup that Venus feeds to Vulcan

I t is that time of the year, at least in most parts of the world: when the weather is cold, winds blow, snow falls and people gather together to celebrate with family and loved ones. South Florida may not get the snow and temperatures may not drop to what some consider cold, but for us the spirit of the holidays is the same.  Here are some egg nog recipes that hearken back to days of yore, and still can help to bring the “yuletide” on. Traditional Eggnog I do not know anyone that does not like eggnog, the rich and creamy drink synonymous with winter time. Serves 8 12 eggs, separated 2 cups/500ml bourbon (optional) ¾ cup/180ml brandy (optional) 1 ½ quarts/1.5L milk 2 cups/500ml heavy thickened cream 1 ½ cups/288g white (caster) sugar 2 teaspoons/10ml ground nutmeg In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks together with the sugar for 10 minutes (the mixture to be firm and the colour of butter). Very slowly, add in the bourbon and brandy.

This is a traditional cake served on January 6, which is the Epiphany and also happens to be the twelfth day of Christmas. Today is the day many people celebrate . Little children put hay or fresh straw under their beds for the camels and wake up to presents under their beds.    Read through all of the directions before starting this project! Serves 6-8 For the Pastry 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon/9 ounces/255 g all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon/2 ml salt 1 3/4 stick/7 ounces/200 g unsalted butter 1/2 cup/125 ml cold water OR Pre-made puff pastry For the filling: 4 ounces/115 g unsalted butter 4 ounces caster/115 g (superfine) sugar (not powdered or icing sugar) 3 egg yolks 4 drops almond essence 3 tablespoons/45 ml Cognac 4 ounces/115 g freshly ground almonds 1 dried bean, gold ring or baby figurine Roll out the pie dough on a floured board to about 1/4-inch thickness. Dot it with one-third of the remaining 4 ounces butter cut into dice. Fold the pastry into th

We have been working on a dairy free pudding, in this case a banana pudding using coconut milk.   The following recipe was been reworked a couple of times and the results are pretty good.  In fact, you could eliminate the sugar/sweetener all together when using the roasted bananas.  It all depends on how sweet you like your pudding. If you are so inclined, you could layer the pudding with cookies (as many do), but we prefer them not in our pudding.  It is a personal choice. Also you could strain the bananas before adding to your warm mixture if you do not want lumps.   Again, we wanted the texture of the bananas so we opted not to go this route. 1/4 cup/50g sugar or other sweetener such as honey or gava 3 eggs 1/4 teaspoon/1ml salt 2 cups/500ml full fat coconut/milk 1/3 cup/42g flour 1/2 Tablespoon/7ml vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) 4 bananas, roasted Coconut whipped cream (optional - our recipe to be posted later) When your bananas are roasted, let cool for

There is some controversy as to how this divine dessert (tarte solognote) came about. Was it an accident (as so ma ny kitchen wonders are) or was it just an improved upon recipe of the region? In any case it was made popular at by 2 sisters that ran the Hotel Tatin 100 miles (60 kilometers) outside of Paris. It was Louis Vaudable, owner of Maxim’s Paris that coined the name "tarte des demoiselles Tatin" Tart of the sister’s Tatin. Normally you would use a short crust or a pate brisee. I used a simple pie crust in our recipe as we were short on butter. Serves 6-8 9 1/2 inch/ 24 centimeter pie crust Pie Crust 1 1/3 cup/167 grams all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon/2ml salt 1/2 cup/118ml vegetable (crisco) shortening (or 115g butter) 3-6 tablespoons/45-90ml iced water Filling 2 Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or other firm apple that will not disintegrate peeled, cored and cut in quarters 2-3 tablespoons/29-43g unsalted butter 1/4 cup/48 grams sugar pinch of salt In a bow