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Asian Nachos

  • Quick Pickled Carrots:

    • ¼ cup rice vinegar

    • 1 tbsp sugar

    • 1 tsp sesame oil

    • ¼ tsp salt

    • 3 carrots (200 grams) carrots, shredded

    • 2 tbsp (5 grams) fresh mint, chopped

    Beef Mixture:

    • 2 tbsp neutral oil

    • 1 lb. ground beef

    • 4 (50 grams) green onions, sliced

    • 4 (20 grams) garlic cloves, minced

    • ½ bunch (20 grams) cilantro stems, chopped

    • ½ inch (7 grams) ginger, minced

    • ¼ tsp white pepper

    • 3 tbsp (51 grams) soy sauce

    • 1.5 tbsp (30 grams) gochujang paste

    • 2 tbsp (40 grams) honey

    • 2 tbsp (30 grams) tahini

  • Quick Pickled Carrots:

    1. In a bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and salt.

    2. Add in the shredded carrots and mint and give it a good stir, making sure all the carrots are coated in the liquid. Place in the refrigerator until needed.

    Beef Mixture:

    1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add your neutral oil. Once it starts to shimmer, add your ground beef and let it be until it forms a crust. Then start to break it up and cook thru.

    2. While the meat is cooking, make your sauce by combining the soy sauce, gochujang paste, honey, and tahini in a small bowl.

    3. Once the beef is nearly cooked thru, add in the cilantro stems, garlic, ginger, green onions, and white pepper, and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

    4. Pour the sauce mixture over the beef and combine. Turn of the heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

    • ¼ cup mayo

    • 1 tsp Sriracha

    • Juice of ½ lime

    • 8 (about 500 grams) Persian cucumbers, sliced on the biased

    • Sushi rice, cooked according to the package directions (roughly ¾ cup uncooked)

    • Red cabbage (roughly 100 grams), thinly sliced

    • Cilantro, toasted white and black sesame seeds

    Directions:

    1. Combine the mayo, Sriracha, and lime juice and place into a disposable piping bag.

    2. On a parchment lined sheet pan, place the cucumbers in one layer, followed by an even layer of the rice, then the the beef mixture, and the quick pickled carrots.

    3. Evenly sprinkle on the red cabbage and then garnish with cilantro, toasted sesame, and nigella seeds

    4. Cut the tip off your pipping back and drizzle on your desired amount of Sriracha sauce.

Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs "Bar"

    • 6 eggs, boiled

    • 2 tbsp good mayonnaise

    • 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste

    • 1 heaping tbsp prepared horseradish

    • Slight squeeze of fresh lemon juice (1/2 tsp or so)

    • Couple shakes of Worcestershire (start with a ½ tsp.)

    • Couple shakes hot sauce (Tabasco)

    • 1/8 tsp onion powder

    • 1/8 tsp garlic powder

    • 1/8 tsp old bay seasoning

    • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped

    • ½ tsp celery seed

    • “Bar” accoutrements (see “assembly” tab for ideas)

    1. Start by cutting your boiled eggs (see chef’s note) in half longwise and scooping out the egg yolk into a small bowl. Set the egg white shells aside.

    2. Push all your boiled egg yolks thru a fine mesh sieve. It takes a little effort but makes for a much smoother texture.

    3. To your egg yolks, add the tomato paste, mayonnaise, horseradish, lemon juice, a bit of Worcestershire, a couple shakes of Tabasco, garlic powder, onion powder, and finely chopped celery.

    4. Give it a good mix and season with salt and pepper to taste depending on how you prefer your bloody mary.

    5. Add the egg yolk mixture to a pipping bag.

    Chef’s Note: My chef instructor in culinary school taught me to bring cold water and cold eggs to a rolling boil and then lower the temperature to about medium (maintaining a boil) and place a lid on the pot. Boil the eggs for 8 minutes and then drain and pop into an ice bath. I’ve had perfectly boiled eggs every single time since!

    • ½ tsp celery seed

    Directions

    1. Fill each egg white evenly with the bloody mary egg yolk filling.

    2. Arrange on your platter and garnish with a sprinkle of celery salt.

    3. Serve with your choice of accoutrements.

    • “Bar” accoutrements ideas, which ideally are cut into small pieces so you can easily build your bloody mary deviled egg however you like.

    • Buffalo wings

    • Capers

    • Cheeseburger

    • Cocktail onions

    • Crispy bacon

    • Cubed cheese (manchego – yes!)

    • Dill pickles (really anything pickled!)

    • Hearts of palm

    • Horseradish

    • Hot sauce

    • Kitchen sink

    • Lemon or lime wedges

    • Pepperoncini

    • Poached shrimp

    • Roast chicken

    • Salami or pepperoni

Chicken Liver Pate

  • Chicken Liver:

    • 150 grams (5 oz.) chicken livers

    • 1/2 cup milk

    • A couple sprigs of thyme and whole peppercorns

    • 1 bay leaf

    Pâté:

    • 50 grams white or red onion, chopped

    • 50 grams butter

    • 150 grams chicken liver, cleaned and trimmed

    • 125 grams heavy cream

    • Cognac-laced Apples:

    • 1 tbsp butter

    • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and small diced

    • 2 tsp brown sugar

    • Pinch of salt

    • 1/2 cup water

    • 1 - 2 tbsp cognac

    • Juice of 1/2 lemon

    • Pickled Mustard Seeds:

    • 3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

    • 1/3 cup water

    • 1/3 cup distilled vinegar

    • 1 tsp sugar

    • 1 tsp salt

  • Chicken Liver:

    1. Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and cover. Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

    Pâté:

    1. Drain the chicken livers and blot dry. Clean and trim.

    2. In a saucepan over medium low heat, cook the onions in the butter until soft and tender. Add a sprinkle of salt and fresh cracked pepper

    3. Add the chicken livers and sauté just until cooked thru. Try not to overcook.

    4. Add the cooked onions and livers to a blender and buzz up. Scrape down the sides.

    5. Slowly blend in the cream.

    6. Press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.

    7. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly.

    8. Place in a bowl and press the top with cling film. Refrigerate to set for 24 hours.

    Cognac-laced Apples:

    1. Over medium heat, sauté the apples in the butter until they get a little color on the outside.

    2. Add the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook for about a minute or so to dissolve.

    3. Add in the water and cook the apples until all the water has evaporated.

    4. Deglaze the pan with the cognac and lemon juice.

    5. Set the apples aside (the apples should be moist but not “saucy”).

    Pickled Mustard Seeds:

    1. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a small jar and shake or stir until salt and sugar is dissolved.

    2. Add in the mustard seeds. Place a top on the jar and refrigerate for at least a couple hours to let the mustard seeds plump up.

  • Directions:

    1. Smear the pâté on a plate. Top with the apples and some of the mustard seeds (save the rest for topping eggs or perhaps adding into your potato salad!).

    2. Give the top a few good cracks of fresh pepper and serve with crackers, toast points, or flat bread.

Chorizo Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped, Dates

  • Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

    • 1 large red pepper, roasted

    • 1 tbsp butter

    • 1 clove of garlic, minced

    • 1 shallot, minced

    • 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

    • 1 tsp harissa paste

    • 1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped

    • 2 tbsp heavy cream

    Stuffed Medjool Dates:

    • 1/2 pound (225 grams) raw chorizo (not cured), casting removed

    • 4-5 slices of bacon, cut in half

    • 8-12 Medjool dates

  • Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

    1. Roast the red pepper either over a flame or in the oven and remove the skin and seeds and give it a rough chop.

    2. In the meantime, remove the skin of the tomato (easiest way is to cut a small cross on the bottom of the tomato and put it in boiling water for 1 minute and remove. Once cooled down the skin should come off easily).

    3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and sweat the shallots and garlic for a few minutes until they become soft.

    4. Add the smoked paprika and harissa and cook for about a minute.

    5. Add the tomato, red pepper, and cream and let everything cook together for about 5-10 minutes.

    6. Add the sauce to a blender (or use an emersion blender) and blend until smooth.

    7. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

    Stuffed Medjool Dates:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C)

    2. Make a small slice down the side of the dates and remove the pit. Stuff with 1-2 tbsp of chorizo (it should look like a meatball on top of the date).

    3. Wrap with a half slice of bacon with the ends of the bacon touching at the bottom of the date.

    4. Place all the dates on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cook for roughly 20 minutes.

  • Directions:

    1. To assemble, place the red pepper sauce at the bottom of a small baking dish (which can also double as a serving dish, for example, a cast iron skillet) and place the cooked dates on top. Drizzle with the excess bacon fat from the sheet pan.

    2. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the bacon is brown and crispy and the sauce is sizzling.

    3. Garnish with parsley, chives or microgreens and serve with toasted sourdough bread.

French Onion Soup Tarts

    • 1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) white or yellow onions (not sweet onions), thinly sliced into half moons 

    • 4 tbsp unsalted butter

    • 2 tsp salt

    • ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper

    • 15 sprigs of thyme, divided

    • 1 splash (1-2 tbsp) cognac

    • ¼ cup dry white wine

    • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

    • 4 cups low sodium beef stock

    • 1 bay leaf

    • 1 puff pastry sheet

    • 6 oz. gruyere cheese, shredded

    • 1 egg with a splash of water

    1. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions, 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper, and about 10 sprigs of thyme. 

    2. When the onions start to soften, add the cognac and wine and let the alcohol cook off (3-5 minutes). 

    3. Once the alcohol has cooked off, add in the Dijon mustard, beef stock, and the bay leaf.

    4. Turn the heat on high and let everything cook down until there is nearly no liquid left (a little is fine). Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn toward the end of cooking. Remove from the heat, season with salt to taste, and let the mixture cool.

    5. Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C).

    6. While your filling cools, lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out your puff pastry sheet to one side being 12 inches in length (other side being 9-10 inches). 

    7. Transfer your pastry to a parchment lined sheet pan. With a fork, lightly poke the pastry all over.

    8. Working about ½ inch from the sides, lightly outline (dock) the puff pastry with a butter knife, followed by pressing a floured fork around the edges to give it a crimped look.

    9. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from your onion mixture and evenly distribute on your puff pastry inside your outline. Top with all the shredded gruyere followed by 5 sprigs of thyme.

    10. Beat the egg with a splash of water and brush the egg wash on all the sides of the tart.

    11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sides are golden brown.

    12. Remove from the oven and let the tart sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

    13. Wrap and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Jalapeños Ranch Cheese Straws

    • 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

    • 2 ½ tbsp ranch powder

    • 1 jalapeño, frozen

    • 226 grams (8 oz.) sharp cheddar, freshly grated

    • 200 grams all-purpose flour

    • ½ tsp salt

    • ¼ tsp pepper

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).

    2. In a small bowl, combine the butter and ranch powder.

    3. With a microplane, grate in the frozen jalapeño. The easiest way I find is to grate it about halfway up and then go around the sides discarding the middle bit with the seeds. Alternatively, chop the jalapeño very small and add to the butter mixture.

    4. Mix everything together and add the butter mixture, cheese, flour, salt and pepper to a food processor.

    5. Pulse until the mixture comes together. Wrap in plastic and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

    6. Split the dough into 4 even pieces and roll out between two pieces of parchment paper to about ½ centimeter thick (maybe a bit less), ideally in a square (which is kind of a tall order; mine usually ends being a cross between an oval and a rectangle).

    7. Cut out the straws to a width of about 1-1.5 centimeters. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, gently twisting if you like, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are turning golden brown. Let cool completely.

Moutabal

    • 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs.) eggplant (before roasting)

    • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

    • 2 tbsp labneh

    • 2 tbsp tahini

    • 1 head of garlic, roasted

    • Juice of ½ lemon

    • ¼ tsp Middle East 7 spice

    • Olive oil

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F / 200 °C

    2. Prick the eggplant(s) with a fork a couple times.

    3. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

    4. Bake for 45-60 minutes, turning one or two times, until the outside is collapsing.

    5. Once cool enough to handle, peel and scoop out the flesh using a spoon (discarding the skins). Place in a strainer to drain excess liquid for about 10 minutes.

    6. Chop the eggplant flesh until it resembles a chunky puree and place in a bowl.

    7. Mix together the labneh, tahini, roasted garlic, and 7-spice until smooth.

    8. Combine the mixture with the chopped eggplant flesh and lemon juice, along with the chopped parsley (saving a bit for garnish). Add salt and pepper to taste

    • Handful of parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)

    • 2 tbsp Pomegranate

    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:

    1. Place into your serving dish and garnish with pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

    2. Serve with toasted pita bread.

Mushroom Bruschetta

    • 1 shallot, minced

    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

    • 1 lb. (454 grams) mushroom (any type), cut into small to medium pieces

    • Zest of 1 lemon

    • 3 – 4 sprigs of fresh thyme chopped (about 1 tsp)

    • Juice of ½ lemon

    • A few dashes of Worcestershire

    • 3 oz. (85 grams) goat cheese

    • 3 oz. (85 grams) mascarpone

    • ¾ teaspoon salt

    • Fresh ground pepper

    • 1 baguette, sliced

    Olive oil

    • A handful of chives or parsley, chopped

    1. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil and a bit of butter and sweat the shallots and garlic for a couple minutes.

    2. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 - 10 minutes and then incorporate the thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook until most of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.

    3. Add the lemon juice and a few dashes of Worcestershire.

    4. Turn off the head and add the goat cheese and mascarpone.

    5. Season to taste.

  • Directions:

    1. Drizzle each slice of bread with a bit of olive oil and light sprinkle of salt and pepper.

    2. Either grill the bread over medium heat for a few minutes on either side or toast in the oven at 350 °F (176 °C)

    3. Serve the mushroom spread either in a bowl, accompanied by the toasted bread or individual toast pieces with a bit of spread on each (if you are feeling fancy, shape it into a quenelle).

    4. Garnish with parsley or chives.

    Chef’s note: if you have leftover mushrooms, cut into quarters and cook in a dry pan over medium-high heat. Once most of the moisture has evaporated, sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper and finish with a pat of butter. These larger cooked mushrooms can act as your garnish, if you like.

Sweet Potato Hummus

  • Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

    • 1 sweet potato (250 grams), peeled and large dice

    • 1 tbsp olive oil

    • ¼ tsp salt

    • ½ tsp cumin

    • 1/8 tsp cinnamon

    • Fresh pepper

    Hummus:

    • 1 can (400 grams) chickpeas, drained and rinsed but SAVE THE LIQUID

    • 2 heaping tbsp (40 grams) tahini

    • 1/4 cup (60 grams) goat cheese

    • Juice of ½ lemon

    • 2 tbsp (28 grams) good olive oil

    • 6 tbsp (84 grams) chickpea juice

    • 2 tsp date syrup (or honey)

    • ½ tsp salt

    • Fresh cracked pepper

    • A handful of cilantro, chopped

  • Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

    1. Preheat your oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Coat the sweet potatoes pieces in olive oil and then add the salt, cumin, cinnamon, and a couple good crack of pepper. Toss to combine. Roast until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

    Hummus:

    1. Remove the out film/layer on each of the chickpeas and add to your food processor. You can skip this step but your hummus will not be as smooth.

    2. Once the sweet potatoes have cooled a bit, toss them into your food processor. Followed by all the other listed ingredients. Process until you get the consistency you like. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

    3. Take the blade out of your food processor and mix in the cilantro by hand.

    • Olive oil

    • Dukkah

    Directions:

    1. Scoop your hummus into a serving dish and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a heavy sprinkle of dukkah.

    2. Serve with crudité, crackers, pita or whatever else you like.

Trio of Tex-Mex Dips

  • Green Avocado Dip:

    • 1 large avocado (200 grams of flesh)

    • 1 medium (100 grams) tomato, large dice

    • ¼ medium red onion (30 grams) large dice

    • 15 grams cilantro

    • 2 cloves of garlic

    • Juice of 1 lime (about 8 grams of juice)

    • 2 tsp ranch powder

    Queso Blanco:

    • 2 cups whole milk

    • 5 oz. (142 grams) white American cheese

    • 5 oz. (142 grams) pepper jack cheese

    • 1 small jar (113 grams) chopped green chiles

    Red Salsa:

    • 1 can diced tomatoes (if you can find a can of “tomatoes and hatch green chili”, use this)

    • 1 can rotel mild diced tomatoes & green chilies

    • 1 small can (113 grams) diced green chili

    • 1 clove garlic

    • 75 grams white or red onion, rough chop

    • 3 grams sugar

    • 5 grams salt

    • 1 tsp cumin

    • 10 grams cilantro

    • Juice of ½ lime

  • Green Avocado Dip:

    1. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    2. Thin out with a bit of extra milk, if necessary.

    3. Let all the flavors meld together for a couple hours in the refrigerator.

    Queso Blanco:

    1. Over medium low heat, reduce the milk by half. Make sure to stir every so often so the milk doesn’t burn on the bottom.

    2. Pour the reduced milk thru a sieve to remove any clumps and add it back into a clean saucepan.

    3. Return the milk to low heat and add in the cheese and the chilies.

    4. Once the cheese has melted completely, remove from the heat and serve with tortilla chips.

    Red Salsa:

    1. Blend all the ingredients together. Adjust the salt, pepper, and lime juice according to your taste.