YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

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 thro

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-inch/2

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,