Recipe: Caramelized Pineapple with Pomegranate Reduction

Caramelized Pineapple with Pomegranate Reduction

Don't cut treats completely out of your life because you want to be on a diet. Just replace your nightly ice cream ritual with some fruit - or even dress it up with a brulee torch.

• Pineapple, sliced in long strips (3-5 inches), 1/2 inch slices
• 2 Tablespoons of fine granulated sugar
• 1 cup of POM Juice

1. Pour your pomegrante juice in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce by 3/4 until it reaches sauce consistancy. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Lay out pineapple slices on sided cookie sheet (you may want to cover it with foil if you are worried about removing the caramel later).
3. Get your torch ready and sprinkle sugar, very lightly over 1 pineapple slice, then torch that slice, continue with sugar, then torch on remaining pineapples. Let caramel cool enough to handle.
4. Place pineapple pieces on plate and drizzle pomegranate reduction over and around pineapple to serve.

When you are brulee'ing pineapple, you don't want to do more than 1 slice at a time because the juice in the pineapple will absorb the sugar and once sugar is wet, it becomes nearly impossible to caramelize.

Recipe: Asian Broccoli, Corn & Mushroom Stir Fry

Asian Broccoli, Corn & Mushroom Stir Fry
(Serves 2)

A little asian marinates or oils can change a person who doesn't eat broccolini into someone that does.

• 1/2 bunch of broccolini, blanched
• 1/4 cup of fresh corn kernels (can be frozen)
• 1 portabella, top skin peeled and chopped in bite sized pieces
• 5-7 sugar snap peas
• A few slices of onion (depending on your preference toward onions)
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic
• A shake or two of red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon of sesame seed oil
• Squeeze of lime

1. Heat a wok or saute pan to high, when really hot, add a Tablespoon of Canola oil until hot and 'running' around the pan.
2. Add the onions and saute until translucent, then add garlic and portabellas and saute until mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
3. Add broccolini, sugar snaps, corn kernels, until heated through, then remove pan from heat.
4. Dash in red pepper flakes, sesame seed oil and lime juice.
   

Recipe: Apple Quesadillas

Apple Quesadillas:

A great healthy subsitute and fabulous on the indoor or outdoor grill.

• Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas (2 per quesadilla)
• 2 Tablespoons of Light or Fat Free Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup of low fat shredded cheddar cheese or chipotle flavored
• 1/4 apple, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon of parsley

1. Lay out tortilla and spread sour cream, 1 tablespoon per side.
2. Sprinkle cheddar on 1 side, then fan out apple slices.
3. Top with other side, making a sandwich.
4. Throw on grill for 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted and quesadillas are char-grilled.

And if you don't feel like going on a diet - subsitute the cheddar cheese for 4 oz. piece of brie, chopped up into small pieces and spread around the 1 side of quesadilla.

Restaurant Review: Mini Bar at Cafe Atlantico

Wow. Wow. Wow! That is all I can say about Mini Bar in Cafe Atlantico (and you may note that the web developer of all of Jose Andres websites designed my new work site as well! Fine Dining Solutions). If you are a true 'foodie' and you love experimenting with food and trying new and different things and you HAVEN'T been to Mini-Bar - you are missing out.

Mini Bar is small set of 6 stools, behind a small bar of 2 line cooks. These guys do this 'show' every Friday and Saturday night at 6pm and 9pm, sadly the show is the same at both times and the restaurant only changes out 1 or 2 courses every 3 months or so, therefore it makes it difficult to come back and visit often (I guess a visit every 3 years or so will make it a new experience?) but 1 time is enough for a while and it really gives you the 'umf' that makes interesting and 'chemical' cooking really interesting. As you read on....you'll know what I mean.....

Do make your reservations asap - I've heard they only take 6 weeks of reservations at a time; then you give a non-refundable deposit; sign a contract you have to fax back to them promising you have no food allergies and that you will come....But IT IS WORTH IT...

32 'mini-courses' - all good - and most very interesting....Here are few highlights:

A Cesear salad - completely deconstructed and piled into sushi rolls.

A small bite of foie gras wrapped in cotton candy - sweet and delicious!

A lobster bite - They asked you put the whole piece of lobster tail in your mouth with the end of the plastic squeeze thing - then squeeze the roe end and you were injected with wonderful rowe while you chewed and swallowed a butter-poached piece of lobster tail.This was beyond cool - first they puree'd the peas and ran them through a chinois, then put them in syringe, where they make dropplettes of 'pea juice' into a calcium liquid mixture that naturally created a chemical reaction that creates a very light coating around the pea liquid, literally creating pea 'droplettes' or new peas -or what they called the dish: Pea Caviar.

This was my husbands favorite: Philly Cheesesteak. Thinly sliced Japanese Mishima beef on top of a pita, fried and in the shape of a cornacopia, that is filled with vermont cheddar-truffled pastry creme. This - did not suck.

Recipe: Truffled Gratin Potatoes

I often tell clients that I would appreciate it if they limited their time to the kitchen while I am working. Although sometimes, I need a kitchen assistant and who could be better then a sweetheart like Baily as you see here helping me out in the kitchen the other night on New Years Eve. Baily is a great helper and it was really great having some company in the kitchen while I prepared his families New Years Eve dinner.
Here is a recipe from the event that I think you will enjoy. I also included some directions on how to prepare the gratin over 2 weeks ahead of time and then re-heat it 'personal chef' style - and believe me, no dinner party guest will ever be able to tell.
Truffled Gratin Potatoes:
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
• 8 Baking Potatoes, Skinned and Sliced on a Mandoline (Thinnest Setting Possible)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 4 oz. Truffle Oil
• 6 oz. of Gruyere Cheese, Shredded
• 4 oz. of Parmesan Cheese, Shredded
• 2 Tablespoons, Finely Chopped Black Truffles (from a Can)

To Make Truffled Potato Gratin:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare gratin baking dish: For a tall gratin, use a bread pan. For a shallow gratin, use a 9”x9” square pan. Cover pan with 1 large piece of foil and fold over sides of pan. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray, whip out any excess and set aside.
3. Pour crème into large bowl and set aside.
4. Cut up butter into ‘pea’ size pieces and set aside.
5. Peel potatoes and place in large bowl filled with water, so that potatoes are completely submerged.
6. Put mandoline on thinnest setting possible and lay over crème filled bowl. Remove 1 potato at a time from the water bowl and slice potato through mandoline into crème. Between each potato, carefully flip slices in bowl around to make sure each is coated with crème.
7. Pour truffle oil into a shallow bowl and set aside.
8. Place gratin dish in front of you and start to layer in potato slices. First fan slices, overlapping each by half, from left to right. Sprinkle lightly with pepper, salt and about 2 Tablespoons of gruyere.
9. Continue with next layer of gratin from top to bottom, followed by a light brushing of truffle oil over the potatoes and sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of shredded gruyere.
10. Every third layer of gratin, place 3 pea sized pieces of butter evenly over gratin and sprinkle about a tablespoon of chopped black truffle over gratin and gently press down on gratin to insure you are stacking the layers as tightly as possible.
11. Alternate gratin directions 7 and 8 until you finish with last of the potatoes or ½” from the top of the gratin dish, whatever comes first.
12. Top with parmesan and chopped black truffle, place gratin dish on a sided cookie sheet and place in oven to bake for 30-45 minutes.
13. To check doneness of gratin: Remove from oven and run butter knife through center of gratin; if knife slips through with little to no resistance, gratin is ready. If gratin is becoming too dark for you: Cover with foil and return to oven until cooked through.
14. Remove from oven, slice into desired pieces and lift out with spatula.

To Store Truffled Potato Gratin: Remove gratin from oven and let cool completely. Carefully ‘lift’ out foil from gratin pan – and place on cutting board. Using a slicer, carefully slice gratin in desired pieces and place in Tupperware. Sprinkle each piece with a little gruyere or parmesan and cover to refrigerate (for up to 5 days) or freeze (for up to 2 weeks).

To Serve Truffled Potato Gratin: If gratin has been frozen, please defrost it in the fridge at least 24 hours before you plan to re-heat it to enjoy. Remove Tupperware top and cover with a paper towel. Place in microwave to heat for 3-4 minutes until heated through and butter knife slips through center of gratin with little to no resistance.