Caramelized Figs With Honey Crème Fraîche

Caramelized Figs With Honey and Crème Fraîche

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons mild honey
6 plump figs, trimmed and halved
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons crème fraîche.

Note: The actual recipe also calls for four fresh thyme sprigs. I omitted it because I’m rarely able to make use of all the fresh herbs I buy and they end up going to waste.

Method:

Cut the stems off of your dates and cut them in half. Anywhere from 6-8 figs will work with these proportions, so don’t stress about how many figs your grocery store packages together.

The recipes calls for 3 tablespoons of honey, but what you’re essentially doing is covering the cut side of the fig in honey. Basically, fill the hole of each fig with honey. Once you’ve done that, put all the figs together and drizzle a little more honey over all of them.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter sizzles when you move the pan, put the dates in honey side down. Let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the dates over and let them cook for one minute on the other side.

Remove the dates to a plate. While still over heat, put 5 tablespoons of water in the pan to deglaze the honey. Use a wooden spoon to work the honey loose from the pan and into the water to make a sauce. Let this boil down for a minute or two. Pour it or spoon it over the figs, depending on how picky you are about presentation.

Serve with crème fraîche.

Penne Carbonara With Fava Beans, Peas and Pecorino

Penne Carbonara With Fava Beans, Peas and Pecorino

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pounds young fava beans in their pods (about 1 1/2 cups shelled)
3/4 penne
4 eggs
2 1/2 ounces pecorino, grated (about 1 cup), plus extra for serving
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen shelled peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
A small handful of chives, finely snipped or sliced.

Note: My local Whole Foods was out of fresh fava beans, so I used a 15oz can instead. Drained off the juice. Worked fine. Didn’t use the chives either. I generally subscribe to the “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em” approach to garnishes or minor herbs because I’m on a budget.

Method:

If you have fresh fava beans, get the beans out of their pods. If not, open the can and drain the juice. Set the beans aside in a bowl.

Grate your pecorino until you have 1 cup.

Next, you need to get your 4 egg yolks into a bowl. The best way to do this is to crack an egg and, using the two halves of the cracked shell, separate the yolk from the whites. Just transfer the yolk back and forth between the two halves until most of the whites have separated off and fallen into the sink. Be careful not to break the yolks. Once you separate a yolk, put it into a bowl. Repeat 3 more times.

At this point, start 6 cups of water boiling on your stove. When the water comes to a boil, put the Penne into the water. Set your time for 11 minutes, or whatever is two minutes less than the al dente cooking time of the pasta you’re using. Salt the water once the pasta is in.

While the pasta is cooking, put the grated pecorino into the bowl with the egg yolks. Salt and pepper the mixture and stir the cheese and yolks together. It should form a pasty yellow mix.

When your timer goes off, add the peas and beans to the pasta and cook for two more minutes. Before you take the pasta off the heat, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Drain the pasta and return it to pot. Add the egg yolk and pecorino paste, the reserved cooking water and the butter. Toss together until there is an alfredo-like sauce coating the pasta.

Tomato Romesco Sauce

Steak Frites with a Tomato Romesco Sauce

Ingredients:

16 oz Cherry Tomatoes
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Method:

Put the tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic in pan under high heat and cook until one side of the tomatoes is blackened. Transfer to a food processor.

Add the red wine vinegar and olive oil to the food processor, along with the cayenne pepper.

Process on medium until well blended.

French Fries

Steak Frites with a Tomato Romesco Sauce

Ingredients:

2 – 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries 3/4″ x 3/4″ x 4″
Frying Oil

Method:

Fill a large pot or pan with enough oil so that it is 2 – 3 inches deep. Turn the burner onto high. Once the oil crackles immediately after water is dripped in, it is ready to fry.

Put the fries into the oil. Do this in batches so that all the fries are submerged in oil. Fry each batch for two minutes and then remove to paper towels to drain.

Allow the oil to heat up again after the first fry. Fry the potatoes again, this time for 3 minutes. Once the potatoes start to brown, they are done.

Drain the potatoes on paper towels and then transfer to a bowl. Salt generously and serve.

New York Strip Steak

Steak Frites with a Tomato Romesco Sauce

Ingredients:

.5 – .75 lbs New York Strip Steak
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Generously salt and pepper the steaks and let them sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.

While the steaks are resting, heat your grill. Charcoal is best. Once the coals are so hot that you cannot hold your hand any closer than 3 inches from the grate, put the steaks on the grill.

Let the steaks stay on one side for 7 minutes. Flip them after 7 minutes and let them cook another 7 minutes.

Next, flip the steaks over again but at a 45 degree angle to where they used to be lying. Let them sit for 2 minutes and then flip them again. This will give the steaks criss-crossed markings.

Serve with french fries and tomato romesco sauce.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Add the sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt to a mixer and mix them on medium speed until well mixed.

Add the cream and beat on high until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teasponns baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line the cupcake pan with liners.

Cream butter and sugars in a mixer on high for 5 minutes.

At medium speed, add the two eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, sour cream and coffee together.

In a third bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

On a low speed, add the liquid and dry contents to the mixer 1/3 at a time.

Once the contents of the mixer are well mixed, put the mixture into the cupcake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes rest before frosting them with peanut butter frosting.