Dynamite Salmon on Crispy Rice Paper

Ingredients

• 1 package rice paper sheet
• ½ lb sashimi grade salmon
• 2 tbsp kewpie mayo
• 3 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha (or to taste)
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• frying oil
• scallions

Prepare

1. Cut the salmon into small bite-sized pieces.  Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a cast iron skillet. Cook the salmon until it begins to crisp on the outsides.
2. Transfer to a bowl and add the kewpie mayo, thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, sesame seeds and sesame oil.  Mix well and taste test – adjust seasonings to your taste then set it aside in the fridge.
3. Pour a thin layer of oil in a pan and heat on medium-high.  Then cut a rice paper sheet into small chip-sized pieces and keep in mind it’ll expand as it cooks.  You can test the oil by dropping a small piece of rice paper in the oil – it should crisp up within a few seconds.  Drop just one rice paper in the oil at a time then remove and vigorously shake out the excess oil (this is to prevent oily chips).
4. Add a spoonful of salmon onto each chip, garnish with scallions and enjoy immediately!

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Summertime Charcuterie

Ingredients

• Humboldt Fog Cheese Wheel
• Prosciutto
• Rustic Bakery Sourdough Flatbread Olive Oil & Sel Gris
• Garlic Stuffed Green Olives
• Sauternes 2017 Emotions de La Tour Blanche

Prepare

1. Grab a wood board, set up all of the ingredients and pour yourself a glass of Sauternes and enjoy!

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Mediterranean Branzino

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil, I recommend our Early Harvest Greek EVOO for this recipe.
• 1 pound whole branzino fish, cleaned, head and tail attached (or whole striped bass, black sea bass, flounder, red snapper)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ lemon, sliced into rounds
• 3/4 red onion, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup chopped fresh dill
• ladolemono sauce (see recipe below)

Ladolemono Sauce

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice Juice of 2 large lemons
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 to large garlic clove minced
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Prepare

1. First, adjust a rack in the center of your oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Next, pat the fish. With a sharp knife, make two slits on both sides of the fish. Rub the fish with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides, inserting the seasoning through the slits and in the fish cavity.
3. Stuff the fish cavity with the sliced onion and lemon.
4. Roast in the center rack of your heated oven for 5 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked and flakes easily. Turn the broiler on and place the fish about 6 inches from the heat source for 3 to 4 minutes or until the skin chars.
5. While the fish is cooking, prepare the Greek ladolemono sauce.
6. Put the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
7. While you are whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil.
8. Finally, as soon as the fish is finished, remove it from the oven. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and drizzle immediately with as much of the ladolemono sauce as you like, making sure to add some of the sauce all over the cavity part as well. Toss the cherry tomatoes with a little salt and spoon them over the fish (you can drizzle a bit of the sauce again all the tomatoes). Finish with fresh dill. Serve immediately.

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Lemon Scones

Ingredients

• 2 Cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice powder

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

• 6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces

• 2 large eggs

• 1/3 cup plain yogurt

• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp. pure lemon oil

Prepare

1. First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. whisk all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Work the butter in until it looks like coarse cornmeal.
3. Next, whisk together eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon oil in a separate bowl and add to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
4. Spray the inside of a scone pan with Baker’s Joy, or your preferred floured spray to avoid the scones from sticking.
5. Fill each scone well evenly.
6. Bake the scones until golden and lightly browned.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
8. Flip the scone pan over onto a wire rack, serve immediately. You can save these in a dark and cool place for up to a week.

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Burnt Basque Cake

Ingredients

• Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup cake flour

Prepare

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degree F.
2. To prepare the pan: Take two sheets of 16 1/2″ x 12 1/4″ parchment and crumple each into a ball. If you don’t have parchment that size, you’ll need enough to cover roughly a 15” square.
3. Uncrumple the parchment completely and overlap the two sheets in a cross, pressing them into a 9” springform pan to completely cover the bottom and sides of the pan. The paper won’t lie flush with the sides, but crumpling it first will make fitting it into the pan easier.
4. Fold the overhanging parchment down over the outside edge of the pan to ensure that the top of the cake remains visible and open to the oven’s heat.
5. To make the cake: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment (11-cup capacity is best; see “tips,” below, for alternatives).
6. Process the batter until it’s smooth and lump-free, about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl about halfway through.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and transfer the pan to the middle rack in the oven.
8. To bake the cake: Bake the cheesecake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is a deep-dark brown, the edges are just set, and the center is still quite jiggly. A digital thermometer inserted 1″ from the edge should just barely read 185 degree F. For best results, start checking your cheesecake at the 25-minute mark, and continue to check at 1-minute intervals until the desired doneness is reached. Taking this cheesecake out of the oven at just the right point is critical to its success; see “tips,” below.
9. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it on a rack; cool the cake to room temperature before slicing. Serve the cheesecake at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled.
10. Storage information: Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Cuban Yuca

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. Yuca
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup Sour Orange
• 1 cup olive oil

Prepare

1. First, boil the yuca in a large pot for about 20 minutes or until tender enough to break with a fork.
2. Drain the yuca and place in a casserole dish or deep baking dish.
3. In a separate saute pot, heat up the olive oil with onions until they start to become soft and translucent.
4. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and then the sour orange and cook for one more minute.
5. Off the heat and pour the mojo mixture all over the yuca.
6. Finally, bake the yuca in an oven at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with, rice, beans, Cuban pork, and tostones and enjoy!

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Limoncello Sprtiz

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Limoncello (I used Il Tramonto)
• 4 oz. Proseco
• 2 oz. Club Soda
• Fresh Lemon Wheels
• Rosemary for garnish

Prepare

1. Pour all of the first three ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.
2. Place an ice sphere in each of two cocktail glasses and squeeze the lemon wheels on the sides of the glass.
3. Pour the mix drink into each glass and garnish with rosemary sprigs.
4. Enjoy!

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Tortellini Al Forno

Ingredients

• 20 oz. refrigerated Tortellini, (I like “Giovanni Rana” brand, and I prefer cheese stuffed!)
• 6 slices bacon, uncooked
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pint half and half, (equivalent to 2 cups), you can sub whole milk.
• Salt/pepper, to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup Parmesan, shredded
• ¼ Asiago cheese, shredded (can also use more Parmesan instead)
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ¾ cup spinach, finely shredded (optional)

Prepare

1. First, use kitchen shears to cut the bacon into 2-3 inch pieces so that they equally cover the pan and cook evenly.
2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon slowly on low heat. *Low and slow is best for bacon*.
3. Once the bacon is nearly cooked and crisp on each side, cook the tortellini in a large pot according to package instructions. Set aside.
4. Remove the cooked bacon from the pan, set aside to cool, and leave 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan. Keep the heat on low and add the garlic to the pan, cooking for about one minute.
5. Increase the heat to medium. Gradually whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, until all flour is incorporated and the grease has thickened.
6. Gradually add the half and half (keep stirring). Bring the mixture to a boil and add the salt/pepper and Italian seasoning. Reduce the heat back to low and stir for about 2 more minutes.
7. Add the Parmesan, Asiago, and mozzarella cheeses. Stir until well incorporated and thick. Toss in the spinach and the Tortellini and use a rubber spatula to carefully incorporate it into the sauce.
8. Once the spinach has wilted (about 1 minute), turn off the heat. Crumble the cooled bacon into smaller pieces and sprinkle over the Tortellini. Serve and enjoy!

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Wagyu on Salad with Peewee Potatoes

Ingredients

• 16 oz. A5 Japanese Wagyu Steak
• 4 tbsp. Échiré French Butter
• 2 oz. Humbolt Fog Aged Goat Cheese
• Mixed greens salad
• Kale microgreens
• Red Onion
• Salt
• Pepper
• 16 oz. Peewee Potatoes

Prepare

1. First, fill a saute pot with water about 1/2 way and add 1/2 cup of salt and bring the water to a boil.
2. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes on high heat. Strain the water and place to the side.
3. heat the butter up in a cast iron pan until it starts to bubble and smell nutty.
4. Next, add the wagyu steak and allow the first side to sear for 5 minutes. Flip it over and sear for another five minutes for a medium finish.
5. Bring the steak to a carving board and slice into thin strips. Using a spoon, scoop up the remaining butter from the pan onto the steak strips.
6. Divide the mixed greens and microgreens onto plates.
7. Spread the steak strips over the salad and top with the red onion, Humbolt Fog cheese, salt, and pepper and serve the peewee potatoes on the side. Serve and enjoy!

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Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 16 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, reserving 1 tbsp for topping (I used Guittard)

Prepare

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F.
2. Place the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.
3. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat at medium speed until lightened in color and creamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just combined.
4. Set aside 1/3 cup of the chopped chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate to the dough and fold to combine. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch cast iron or oven-safe skillet. With damp hands, press the dough in an even layer to the edges of the skillet. Sprinkle the reserved 1/3 cup chocolate over top and gently press into the dough.
5. Bake until the center is set and the edges are golden-brown and slightly pull back from the skillet, about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

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