Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat Berry Salad

Ever since the great feedback I received from my Wheat Berry Sunshine Salad, I’ve been itching to throw together another recipe featuring this healthy whole grain.

Wheat Berries

If you’re unfamiliar with wheat berries, they are simply whole kernels of wheat — the same stuff that flour is made of when ground down. They’re a great source of fiber, and have a wonderful nutty flavor and hearty chew to them.

Inspiration for this Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries, Green Onion, Toasted Pecans, and Feta comes from the need to clean out my fridge.

I salvaged a lonely bunch of green onions from the vegetable bin, and rummaged around the pantry for other additions. Sweet-tart cranberries and toasted pecans are staples in my regular green salads, so I was willing to bet they’d work in this wheat berry salad as well. The final ingredient proved to be a handful of cubed feta. Just the thing needed for an extra savory boost.

Dried Cranberries, Pecans, and Green Onion

Dressed with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, this no-fuss salad was a breeze to whip up, and really tasty. The cranberries added a touch of sweetness to the mix, and all the savory, tangy, crunchy, nutty components played nicely together.

Top with some grilled tofu or chicken, and you have yourself a light, flavorful, fast meal! Added bonus: It’s a great make-ahead dish since the extra time allows the wheat berries to really soak up the vinaigrette. The cranberries will plump up nice and juicy too. I know what I’m making my next BBQ this summer…

*****

Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries, Green Onion, Toasted Pecans, and Feta

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (as a side dish)

Ingredients:
½ cup soft wheat berries
2 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped green onion
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
4 ounces feta cheese, cubed
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ olive oil
½ teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Preparation:
1. The wheat berries take about an hour to cook through, so you want to get these going first. Rinse the wheat berries, then, in a saucepan, combine them with the water and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until tender. All the liquid should be absorbed.

2. Meanwhile prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and honey. Set aside.

3. Combine the cooked wheat berries, green onion, cranberries, pecans, and feta. Dress with as much vinaigrette as you’d like. I use about ½ the amount this recipe makes.

Grass-fed Steak Tartare: with raw egg, caperberries, chives, lavender sea salt, and toast

Grass-fed Steak Tartare: with raw egg, caperberries, chives,
lavender sea salt, and toast

I love brunch. With an intense passion. In fact, it may just be my favorite pastime. When else are you given full license to sleep in late, ease into a leisurely day with a light cocktail, and indulge a little, because after all, you are eating through two meals. Why not have something sweet to go with that savory?

The girl & the fig in Sonoma has perfected brunch. And that is no hyperbole. It’s my newest happy place (too bad it isn’t closer).

The restaurant is ridiculously charming with a Frenchy-bistro-meets-wine-country vibe that extends from the décor to the menu. I couldn’t stop oohing and ahhing over all the cute little touches, and virtually everything on the menu was calling my name.

The salon area well accommodates those waiting to be seated, with a “Salon de Fromage” station where you can sample some artisan cheese and house-made charcuterie, floating servers who can help you get started with a tasty drink, and even a gift shop selling all sorts of figgy goods (both edible, like Ficoco, a fig and cocoa spread, and home/bath products, like Fig & Orange Blossom Body Butter).

Balsamic Bloody Mary

My drink of choice on this joyful morning? The Balsamic Bloody Mary, a phenomenal twist on the classic, made with house-made Bloody Mary mix and a splash of balsamic vinegar, garnished with a briny caperberry, green olive, and celery stalk. All the vegetables I really need on a Sunday.

For our starter, the Grass-fed Steak Tartare caught my eye. When it arrived, the presentation was almost too pretty to eat. And yes, I just called raw beef “pretty.” The steak was succulent and sweet, and even more sumptuous with the egg mixed in. The flavor of the caperberries carried over nicely from the Bloody, and cut through the richness of the meat. The shower of chives brought a splash of color and touch of onion, and the lavender sea salt bloomed when sprinkled over each bite. The dish was well-conceived, well-constructed, and fun to dig into.

Duck Confit & Potato Hash: with poached eggs,
applewood smoked bacon, and mixed greens

Next up, Duck Confit & Potato Hash with a side of fresh mixed salad greens. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting, which was larger pieces of duck confit over potato hash. Rather, it was a hash made of duck confit, applewood smoked bacon, and potato. The duck was overshadowed by the bacon, but nevertheless, it was satisfyingly savory and crispy. And the eggs were poached precisely, with luxurious yolk flowing out as we cut into it.

Stuffed Brioche French Toast: with sweetened Bellwether Farms fromage blanc, meyer lemon and huckleberry compote

And, the crowning jewel, a gigantic piece of Brioche French Toast stuffed with sweetened, meyer lemon fromage blanc (from Bellwether Farms) and huckleberry compote. Gorgeous. Sweet and tart, full of bright citrus-berry notes, creamy and decadent, but incredibly light at the same time.

Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Nectarines & Raspberries

Summertime in California means stone fruit heaven. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, they are all gorgeous right now. If you time it right, you can buy them at a steal at the supermarket when they’ve reached the peak of ripeness.

I came home with three pounds of juicy, ripe nectarines last week. I prepped and froze some of them for smoothies, for the rest, I quickly dispatched into a beautifully hued Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp.

Makings of a fruit crisp

I adore fruit crisps for the fact that they are a no-brainer. With no dough to fuss with, crisp topping is essentially a super simple mixture of flour, rolled oats, sugar, and butter. You don’t even need to bust out the mixer for this. I’ve found that my own two hands are the best tools to use for cutting in the butter.

Crisp topping

Top this over any fruit that is in season and you are golden. Apples? Piece of cake crisp. Blueberries? Easy as pie crisp. Ok, I’ll spare you any more bad puns. My point is, you can top virtually anything with this crumbly, crunchy mixture and end up with something delicious.

Pretty

Peach-raspberry is the traditional combo, I suppose, but the peaches were rock hard while the nectarines were plump and tender when I bought them, so nectarine-raspberry it was. The sweet tart factor was right on, and that shock of pink and oranges was almost too pretty to eat.

Sugar Dusting

This is the ideal, no-stress dessert. Instant home-baked goodness that looks like you spent way more time on it than you actually did. I love a deceptive dessert.

Fancy it up by making individual servings in ramekins, and finish it off with some ice cream or softly whipped cream.

Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect ending to a summer night?

Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Nectarine and Raspberry Crisp

Ingredients:
For the fruit:
2 pounds ripe nectarines
6 ounces raspberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

For the topping:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1 pinch nutmeg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cut the nectarines into slices and combine with the raspberries, sugar, and corn starch in a large bowl. Mix gently to coat evenly. Place in a baking dish or ramekins.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Cut the butter into the mixture (using a pastry cutter or your fingers) until the butter is the size of peas and evenly distributed.
4. Bake until the top is golden and the fruit starts to bubble, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or softly whipped cream.

Big-Ass Pot of Chili

Big-Ass Pot of Chili

2 pounds of bacon, 4 pounds of sausage, 6 pounds of ground beef…and that’s only the beginning.

Meat mania

This recipe may seem excessive, but by the time this massive pot of chili is done cooking, and certainly by the time you’ve gone through the last of it, you always want just a little bit more.

It really is that good. It’s not like some chili which sits in your stomach like a ton of bricks. It’s not too beany, or too spicy, or too smoky. It’s complex, with a sweet savory tang, and layers of meaty flavor throughout. For me, it’s the sweetness that makes this chili special. A multi-dimensional sweetness derived from a number of ingredients: carrots (grated so that they melt into the sauce), ketchup, barbecue sauce, sugar, and baker’s chocolate.

That’s Secret #1.

The Makings of the Best Chili Ever

Secret #2 is adding a parmesan rind to the pot. This is an old Italian trick I learned for creating rich soups, stocks, tomato sauce, or…chili! Remember it next time you finish off an expensive wedge of parmigiano. After you’re done digging away at all the edible parts, pop the rind in a freezer bag and save it for a rainy (or shall I say chili, ha ha ha) day.

Secret #3: let it simmer for a long long time. This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day, or the day after that. I kid you not, I let this simmer for 6 hours or more. I will usually make it late afternoon on a weekend, let it cook all evening, and then turn off the flame and cover it right before going to bed. The next day, the flavors will have melded together into something amazing.

There may be a few lingering doubts in your mind about why not to make this recipe. One being the long list of ingredients, to which I say, okay, there are a lot of ingredients, and yes, you will need to make a Costco run, but after that it’s really easy. You basically just add everything to a big pot and leave it alone. Fool proof. And worth it.

The other question may concern the alarming quantity this recipe makes. Feeds 20+. Yes, it does! But really, you’ll be surprised at how quickly this goes, and I mean, if you’re going to make all that effort in getting the ingredients, you might as well go the whole nine yards. If you’re still on the fence, consider these scenarios where a massive pot of chili makes perfect sense:

• Game Day with lots of men to feed. Isn’t the Super Bowl coming up or something?
• Ski weekend. This is the perfect make-ahead meal. All you have to do is heat it up on the stove, which is the maximum effort I usually have in me after a day on the slopes, when my quads have turned to lead.
• Any weekend. Especially when it is relentlessly rainy and cold outside. (You may know what I mean). Extra bonus, this recipe freezes really well. Store away single/double servings of this and have a warm, satisfying, homemade meal ready in minutes any time.

Now that you’re ready for chili, the next challenge is to find a pot that is sufficiently massive. You’re on your own for that one. Alright, I’ll give you a hint: I scored mine off of Craigslist from a restaurant going out of business. For something this size, go commercial.

Best Chili Ever

Big-Ass Pot of Chili

Adapted from Steve Conn and Colerain Firefighters Local 3915’s “Major Cojone’s Chili.” I guess it makes sense that the original recipe would come from a fire house I doubled the Major’s recipe, made some tweaks to the heat source, and added some sweet secret ingredients.

Serves: 20+

Ingredients:
2 pounds applewood-smoked bacon, diced into 1 inch squares
4 pounds spicy Italian pork sausage, removed from casings
6 pounds ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
3 red bell peppers, chopped
4 large onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, grated
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cans (28 oz) chili beans
6 lb 10 oz Costco-sized can crushed tomatoes
6 lb 10 oz Costco-sized can tomato sauce
2 cups ketchup
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
½ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons red chili powder
2 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce
2 ounces baker’s chocolate
1 parmesan rind

Preparation:
1. In a large pan, cook bacon until crispy; drain and add to a 3-gallon pot.

2. Drain off the bacon grease. Brown the sausage in the same pan; drain and add to the pot.

3. Drain off the fat from the pan again. Brown the ground beef; drain and add to the pot with the other meats.

4. Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a bubble, stirring periodically. Then, lower heat and simmer on low for at least 6 hours.

5. Serve with chili toppings if you’d like (shredded cheese, sour cream, green onion or chives), Frito scoops, quesadillas, or bread bowl.

Melon and Prosciutto Risotto Recipe

Melon and Prosciutto Risotto

There are some things in life that are just meant to be together: peanut butter and jelly, cookies and cream, and yes, melon and prosciutto. Who would’ve thought that fruit and meat would go so well together, but it does. Sweet juicy cantaloupe and salty cured prosciutto bring out the sweet and salty best in one another.

When Chris first told me about Melon and Prosciutto Risotto, my eyes widened in disbelief that I had not thought of this brilliant idea sooner. It made perfect sense. Take the classic combo of melon and prosciutto, and reinvent it via a creamy divine risotto.

Mama mia, the result was just beautiful. The risotto starts out like a risotto typically does — by softening an onion in some butter and oil, toasting off the Arborio rice, and then adding a generous splash of white wine before simmering broth is added bit by bit until the risotto is creamy and each kernel has a nice toothsome chew to it.

Now here is where the magic comes in. To the risotto, we now add cubes of ripe cantaloupe, ribbons of paper-thin prosciutto, and a shower of parmigiano.

Cantaloupe and Prosciutto

The cantaloupe is the real surprise here. This is the first time I’ve ever tasted it cooked, and the temperature confusion makes you pause for a second. The freshness of the melon comes through though. It really lightens up this comfort meal and makes it fit for spring — which is not to say that it is any less luxurious. It is still, after all, a lush risotto trimmed with melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto, and garnished with bits of crispy prosciutto. That pork on pork action is celebration enough. The beauty, however, is in the balance.

*****

Melon and Prosciutto Risotto

The classic combo of melon and prosciutto is combined into a divine risotto. Sweet, salty, and not too heavy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 pound prosciutto

1 cup Arborio rice

32 ounces chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1/3 cup grated parmigiano

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a medium-sized pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Keep at a simmer the entire time the risotto cooks.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the rice and lightly toast, about 4 minutes.
3. Stir the white wine into the mixture and allow it to evaporate and absorb into the rice.
4. Add the warm chicken stock one ladle at a time, allowing it to absorb into the rice each time before adding the next ladle. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it starts to look like you’ll need more liquid to finish cooking the rice, add boiling water to your simmering pot of stock.
5. Continue adding stock and stirring until the risotto is soft and creamy. The rice should still have a nice al dente chew to it though. It should take about 30 minutes to finish cooking.
6. Meanwhile, roll up the prosciutto and slice it into thin ribbons. Toast a handful of it up in the oven (I use my toaster oven) until it is crispy, and reserve for garnishing.
7. When the risotto is almost done, stir in the melon, uncooked prosciutto, and parmigiano. Allow everything to warm through. Season with salt and pepper if needed, top with the crispy prosciutto, and serve immediately.

Chocolate chip heaven

Chocolate chip heaven

Ah, the chocolate chip cookie. A classic. An American icon. A comfort so versatile, it is as satisfying raw as it is baked.

I’m sure we’ve all sampled our share of this pervasive sweet treat, from those that were passable (but got the job done), to those that reached heights of heavenly decadence.

Chocolate chip cookie, unflattened golf ball version

I had one such cookie lately that made me wonder: What makes the ultimate chocolate chip cookie?

After deep introspection, I came to the conclusion that it must satisfy a trifecta of textural perfection. It has to be crunchy, chewy, and gooey.

I was reminded of David Leite’s fantastic NYT chocolate chip cookie article that came out almost a year ago, in which he described this much sought after “bull’s-eye” of cookie greatness. When you first bite into the cookie, the crisp outer ring should break with a nice crunch, giving way to a satisfying chew, and progressing to near gooeyness in the center of it all. If done right, you should still be able to feel the sugar granules of the cookie dough on your tongue here.

Resist the temptation to eat all of this cookie dough and you will be handsomely rewarded

And then, of course, there is flavor.

The ultimate cookie must envelope you with all the homey flavors of butter, sugar, vanilla, and rich chocolate. Generous, copious amounts of quality, semi-sweet chocolate in each bite, please!

Now, I’ve made dozens upon dozens of chocolate chip cookies before, but how come mine just never seem to reach the ultimate level of amazingness that my favorite bakeries achieve? What is their secret?

As I learned from Mr. Leite and his arsenal of choco chip experts, it’s all about patience. The trick is to let the dough rest between 24-36 hours before baking them!

I mustered up all the self restraint I had, gave it a shot, and was amazed at what a difference it made. As predicted, my cookie had a richer golden color, better texture, and had a significantly more complex flavor. The extra time allowed all the egg, butter and sugar to meld and soak into the flour so that when they baked up, the toffee caramel notes bloomed. Plus, a sprinkle of sea salt at the end adds an extra dimension to the sweetness.

Use the best ingredients you can. I went with my old faithful, unsalted, European Style Sweet Butter from Straus Family Creamery, and E. Guittard’s 61% Cacao Semisweet Couverture wafers. The quarter-sized baking discs melt well and cool with a pretty sheen. They also make for gorgeous, thin strata of luscious chocolate throughout the cookie.

Use an ice cream scoop to create golf ball sized mounds of dough that are all even. I experimented with flattening versus not flattening the mounds before baking. With the ice cream scoop mounds, not flattening resulted in a prettier cookie that was a little cakier.

My favorite batch resulted in using a ½ cup scoop, creating baseball sized mounds, and flattening it slightly so that the cookie spread a bit. The final product was a cookie with wow factor. BIG wow factor. The perfect thing for a special birthday care package.

Jumbo chocolate chip cookie, flattened baseball version

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

Tainted Love Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

About a week ago I receive an invitation from Brianne and Alex to a party with the most creative theme I’ve heard in quite awhile: Friday the 13th / Valentine’s Day!

Conversation hearts and Killer Clowns, pink-tinted booze and blood-thirsty Birds…tonight we’re going to get a massive sugar rush and laugh while people get comedically massacred on the TV.

Our hosts outside-the-box party planning inspired me contribute some fitting treats: Tainted Love Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes.

My favorite recipe for a classic Southern Red Velvet Cake is from Sylvia Woods’ Family Soul Food Cookbook. Its deep, blood red color is shocking and gorgeous and the cream cheese frosting is downright addictive.

I upped the cute factor by pouring the batter into mini muffin molds and adjust my cooking time to 15 minutes.

Happy Friday the 13th Kiddies! xoxo

Tainted Heart Red Velvet Cupcakes