Orange-Cinnamon Cocktail

Just a quick update to share with you this too-good-to-keep-to-myself cocktail recipe. It's made with tequila reposado but any tequila or even a dark rum would work just fine. I made a cinnamon and orange peel syrup which gives this cocktail a much more deep orange flavor. The woody tones of cinnamon, sneaking out at the end of each sip,  complements this drink harmoniously.  Needed a cocktail recipe for the weekend? Look no more. Cheers! 

Happy Weekend! 

Ingredients:

For the syrup

1 cup of water

 ¼ cup orange juice

1 cup sugar 

the peel of 1 orange

1 large cinnamon stick

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Boil it until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat off and let the syrup cool completely. Once cooled, strain the syrup, cover it  and keep it in the fridge until needed. 

To assemble:

½ cup orange juice 

2 oz tequila

2 tbsp syrup

ice cubes

In a cocktail shaker (or a mason jar :) add all the ingredients and shake well. Strain it over a glass. 

Note: This recipe makes 2 drinks but you will have enough syrup to make 4 or 5 more just double the amounts. 

Sony E-Reader Giveaway and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 : Shrimpanzee

Today, I have a really cool post to share. A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Sony Pictures to participate in a fun project. They asked me to recreate one of the characters from their up-coming movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"  (in theaters September 27th). As a mom, I was very excited to do this with Lucas so I clearly said yes.

   

The characters are called Foodimals. As part of the project I had to develop a recipe inspired by one of the characters. They are all fun-looking and really creative but the one I loved the most was the "Shrimpanzee". The recipe is really good, pan-seared rosemary shrimp and to go with it, I made a spicy chunky tomato salsa. Visit their Facebook page to see step-by-step instructions on how to create this and other foodimals at home. We had a lot of fun doing this and we are definitely looking forward to watching the movie. You can watch the trailer HERE

As an added bonus, Sony Pictures is offering one lucky winner a Black Sony E-Reader and one copy of the original “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” DVD.

CONTEST CLOSED

Winner Announced!
Congratulations Candace!
"awesome giveaway!!"

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This contest closes on Friday September 6, 2013 at 12 a.m. The winner will be announced on Friday, September 6, 2013 at noon.

Open to US residents only. One lucky winner will be chosen randomly and announced on this post. I will email the winner who will have up to two days to claim the prize, otherwise, another winner will be selected.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS GIVEAWAY.  

I'm a recipe contributor to the "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2".  This is a sponsored post courtesy of Sony Pictures but all opinions are my own.

Ingredients:

Find the shrimp recipe HERE

Spicy chunky tomato salsa

1 jalapeño, seeded and cubed 

5 tomatoes, skinned

1 sm onion

2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1/3 cup tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, chop the onions, garlic and jalapeño (or you can do it with a knife). In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 3 minutes then add the tomatoes, cumin, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Cook the sauce for 15 minutes or until tomatoes  are soft.

From Semolina to Couscous

Have you ever had freshly hand-rolled couscous? If you have, you would be able to differentiate it from their instant-boxed counterparts. If you haven't then you came to the right place. I'll get you cooking! There are lots of ways to make couscous from scratch and this is how I make it at home.

Couscous is made from semolina through a stemming and rolling process, making sure the semolina gets the right amount of moisture for a perfectly fluffy couscous. It really sounds harder than it actually is. It might not be perfect the first time but if you are a couscous lover, you will love and enjoy the process and hey, you will be making YOUR OWN couscous, how cool is that? 

There is some equipment you need to have before you start, of course a couscoussier would be very helpful but if you don't have one (I don't), you can improvise. I use THIS steamer insert and it works really well. You also need a sieve,  one with a large size holes. Here is a photo tutorial I put together to help you understand the process better. I hope this post will inspire you to throw a Moroccan feast that will impress your friends and family.

Ingredients:

2 cups semolina

2 tbsp olive oil

salt to taste 

water, as needed

Spread the semolina on a large tray. Sprinkle with the oil and a little bit of water (I use a spray bottle, it works great). Gently start rolling the semolina with the palm of your hand in a circular motion. The idea is to add a little moisture before we steam it, but don't over do it, it will get more moisture while it's being steamed. This step will take you about 5 minutes. If you have big clumps, don't panic, just try to gently break them, it will all be smooth once we sift it.

When ready, Add the semolina to the steamer, let it steam undisturbed for 30 minutes (some people like to cover it some don't, I cover it for the first steam only). After the first steam, transfer the couscous back to the large tray, stir it with an spoon to fluff it up and release some steam also, try to break the clumps that might have formed, be careful, it will be HOT. Sprinkle more water like we did the first time then back to the steamer. Steam again for 20 minutes then transfer it to the tray and repeat the process but this time add the salt. Put it back into the steamer for the last time and steam it for 20 more minutes. Fluff it up and sift it. At this point you can flavor it however you like (herbs, spices etc…) or serve it as is. 

Note: Some people like to put a piece of cheesecloth in the bottom of the steamer, I don't do that, as very few semolina will go through the holes of the steamer. Also, I stem the couscous with plain water, make sure the water does not touch the couscous when steaming. 

Fig Galette + A New Video

It is finally fig season. I get really excited because I truly love figs and with my generous tree, I get to really experiment and make lots of treats. I already photographed a few recipes and I will be sharing them with you sooner than later, I promise. 

This fig galette was the first recipe I made from the first figs I collected from our tree. This elegant free-form tart, has a really flaky crust and it's the crust I use for most of my tarts and pies recipes, both savory and sweet. The only thing I adjust is the sugar/salt content, depending on the recipe.

This recipe comes with a bonus video :). I can not begin to tell you how much I am loving this video making situation. It's not easy and I am still struggling with some things like lighting. It's definitely harder to set up lighting for a video than it is for a photograph, specially using natural light only. When I made this video, it was more of an experiment and I honestly didn't think I would have something nice to show you. I was really excited to see it come together, I was thinking, "damn, it's not perfect… but it's perfect!!" Do you know what I mean? Just watch the video and you will understand me better! I appreciate your comments and if you have any tips on on how can I improve the lighting, please fill me in! 

Ingrediens:

For the crust, find the recipe HERE

For the Filling:

16 oz figs, tips cut off and quartered

3 tablespoon sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the figs and sugar. Divide the tart crust in half and roll out each half. Equally divide the filling into the rolled out dough, leaving about a 2-inch border along the edges. Fold the outer edge of the dough in toward the center. Place the galette in the prepared baking sheet and wrap them with plastic wrap. Place the galettes in the fridge for half an hour before baking. When ready to bake, brush the galettes with egg wash and sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Bake them in a preheated oven (375˚F) for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Click HERE to watch my last video

Vegetable Pot Stickers

I was watching a T.V. show on dumplings,  and I started to crave them like crazy. I didn't have any wrappers on hand (I usually do). Isn't that annoying? When you want to cook something and an ingredient is missing. Anyway, on the show they said the dough was only water and flour but didn't share a recipe. I thought, "just water and flour? That should be easy"  Wishful thinking, it's never that easy. After a few attempts driven by the desire to eat pot stickers, I came up with a dough recipe that, in my opinion, is a keeper. 

I am a big fan of pot stickers. They are what I call "a quick dinner fix". I like to make large batches and freeze them in portion bags. There are different ways to cook them. Of course, they are great steamed or pan fried but if you add them to a nice broth, you'll get a beautiful and filling soup or you can simply have them with a salad. 

The first time I made this, I rolled out the dough with a rolling pin. It is a nice workable dough and easy to roll out but if you have a pasta machine, yes, use it! It goes much faster. Either way, it will be good to experiment with this simplified pot sticker recipe, just have fun with it and play around with different fillings. 

Ingredients:

(Recipe makes 20-25 pot stickers)

For the dough

1 cup of flour 

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp warm water

Combine the flour and water and knead the dough for 10 minutes or until smooth. It might seem that there is not enough water but as you knead, it will come together. Let the dough rest on a lightly greased bowl covered for 45 minutes.  In the meantime, let's work on the filling.

For the filling:

1 cup grated carrots

½ cup Napa cabbage, finely chopped

½ cup chives, chopped

¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced 

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp canola oil

Heat the canola oil in a saute pan and add the carrots, cabbage mushrooms, ginger, red bell pepper, chives and soy sauce. Sautee for few minutes or until the veggies are soft. Remove from the heat and drain the liquids off the veggies (I used a sieve). To the drained veggies, add the sesame oil and mix well. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Let the filling cool.  

For the sauce:

⅓ cup soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

chopped chives

Mix all the ingredient in a mixing bowl and cover it until ready to use.

To form the pot stickers:

Roll out the dough thin using a rolling pin or a pasta machine (flour your work surface, the dough will be a little sticky) then cut rounds using a 3-inch cutter.  Place a little filling in the middle of a wrapper, Fold the wrapper in half to form a moon shape. Fold and pinch the wrapper together to seal the pot sticker. Once you are done, steam them for 12 minutes. If you want to pan fried them, heat a non-stick pan and coat with canola oil then add some pot stickers. When the bottom of the pot stickers get crispy, add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan immediately to steam them. Once the water evaporates, they will get crispy again. Serve with the sauce.  

Brioche Buns, Lamb Burgers and Sweets Potato Oven Fries with Harissa Yogurt

I don't eat Burger very often but when I do, I make sure it's a good one from the meat to the bun. And you tell me, what a better bun that a brioche bun? Rich, soft and buttery, a real treat. These buns also go amazingly with fish, particularly salmon. If you have left overs rolls, just eat them for breakfast the next day, they are brioche after all. 

This lamb burger is very lightly seasoned, salt and pepper to be precise. When you are working with good quality meat, not much seasoning is required to make it taste good. When I do lamb burgers, my sauce of choice is always tahini with yogurt. To me, a match made in haven. 

The best complement to this burger are sweet potato oven fries with harissa yogurt. They came out perfectly crispy and absolutely great amazing. So, if you were looking for something to grill this weekend, consider this burger, it won't disappoint! 

p.s: Complement this whole meal with THIS refreshing iced tea and while you at it, watch my first video if you haven't :) 

Ingredients:

For the buns

(makes 12 buns)

441 grams bread flour

97 grams warm water

44 grams warm milk

3 eggs, cold

9 grams instant dry yeast

50 grams sugar

9 grams salt

141 grams cold butter, cut into

tbsp sizes pieces 

Egg wash

Sesame seeds

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl of a mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix together the bread flour, eggs, water and yeast for 5 minutes on low speed. Add the salt and, little by little, the sugar. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 5 minutes or until the dough comes together. Turn the speed to low and start adding the butter, one piece at a time. Mix for another 5 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic film. Let the dough ferment undisturbed for 45 minutes. In a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in 12 pieces (about 75 grams a piece). Shape the pieces into rounds, place them on the prepared baking sheet and brush them with egg wash. Cover and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour or until double in size. Preheat the oven to 375 ˚F. When the brioche is ready, bush it again with egg wash and sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let the brioche cool on a wire rack. 

Find Tahini sauce HERE

For the sweet potato fries

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into fries

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

Preheat the oven to 450 ˚F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or aluminum foil and set aside. In a bowl, Toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper, make sure they are well coated. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes  or until cooked and crispy (cooking time depends on how thick you cut the potatoes). Sprinkle the paprika and serve right away.

For the harissa yogurt. 

I make my own harissa, I'll post the recipe soon but you can use any harissa you like. 

½ cup Greek yogurt

4 tbsp harissa

Mix well until smooth.

For the burger 

(Makes 5)

2 pounds ground lamb 

salt and pepper

Form lamb patties and season both sides with salt and pepper, grill them to your desired doneness. When they are done, let them rest for 5 minutes. Place the lamb burger on the bun, top with the tahini sauce, a thick slice of tomato, onions and greens. You can also crumble some feta directly on top of the meat first to warm it up a little then put the rest of the thing. Enjoy with fries.