Cauliflower, Broccoli, leek and Fava bean Salad

Luke, I am your Fava, where have you bean?!

Fava beans....always scared the hell out of me. Not that their disgusting or hard to cook, it's just that I didn't really grow up on them and to be honest (whats the point in lying about a damn pea looking bean thing) have only had them a few times in my life.

so this is a fly by the seat of my pants, quick salad that I think ruled!

what you need:

broccoli

cauliflower

leek

fava beans

lemon juice

EVOO

red pepper flakes

S&P

Step 1: blanch un-peeled fava beans till outer layer startes to turn a light color, pull out of water and put in a ice bath. Repeat with the broccoli and cauliflower (blanch till they are tender). 

Step 2: add a bit of EVOO into a pan and saute chopped leeks till they are soft.

Step 3: de-shell fava beans and add to the saute pan with the leeks, cooking for only a few moments.

Step 4: in a bowl add leeks and fava, then add broccoli and cauliflower (make sure to cut into bit sized pieces if you haven't already done so, otherwise it could be awkward).

Step 5: make the vinaigrette by adding 1:1 ratio of EVOO and lemon into the same pan you used to saute the leeks in- to that add the seasoning and whisk together, the residual heat from the pan is all you need, no need to return it to heat. Once vinaigrette is emulsified add to salad and give a toss! 

sorry for lack of photos, I have some how misplaced my memory card in the heat of the moment......iphone will have to suffice fava the time bean.....

Perfect POM-Pear Almond Tart

The best part about hosting a dinner is the desert at the end. Being in San Francisco we have some of the best pastry chefs in the world here, even the most unfoodie people in San Francisco can taste a wide array of decadent deserts and not think anything of it. So since I kinda cut sugar and gluten out of my life (for the most part) I really wanted to come up with something that would tie together some of the flavors of my POM Wonderful dinner, and still be amusing to even the most snobby of palates.

Follow this recipes three parts, poaching, tart crust and finally the frangipane.

Poached Pears

what you need:

3 Pears

24 oz. POM Wonderful Juice

1/4 C. Red Wine

sprig rosemary

2 cloves

1/4 C. Honey

Zest of 1 Lemon 

Step 1: Peel, and core the pears.

Step 2: In a pot boil the remaining ingredients, let it reduce slightly and then add pears simmer for 20min.

Step 3: Remove Pears and cover with poaching liquid into a tupperware container, place in fridge overnight- rotate for even absorption.

Gluten-Free Tart Crust

what you need:

2 C. Almond Flour

1/4 C. Butter

1 egg white

1/4 tsp. salt

Step 1: Cream butter in a stand mixer and then add flour and salt, blend till smooth add egg white and blend a little bit more.

Step 2: Put mixture into an 8" tart pan and spread evenly.

Step 3: par bake at 400˚ for 10 min. remove and let cool before adding filling.

Frangipane

what you need:

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C Raw Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 C. Finely ground Almonds

2 T. Amaretto

1 tsp. Almond Extract

1 T. AP Flour (or coconut, rice flour for GF)

Step 1: In a stand mixer cream butter and sugar until fluffy, slowly add beaten egg, ground almonds, amaretto, almond extract and flour, mix till smooth. 

::Assembling your Tart::

Step 0: Pre-heat oven to 350˚

Step 1: Dump mixture into cooled tart shell and spread evenly.

Step 2: Remove your pears from the poaching juice and slice thinly cored end laying flat on your cutting board. Gently press your knife on top of the sliced pears allowing them to fan out, gently scoop them up with a wide blade and set them on top of the frangipane, continue this till the circumference of the tart is covered with the fanned pears. 

Step 3: Add a few Pomegranate Arils in the center of the tart.

Step 4: Place tart in oven and bake for 45min or until the frangipane has puffed up and the crust is a golden brown, remove from oven and let cool.

::Serving your Tart::

Caramel: with the remaining poaching juice reduce about 3/4 C. on the stove and add about 1-2 T of Raw sugar, reduce till it becomes a Caramel.

POM whipped cream: whisk (or with your device of choice) whipping cream with 1 tsp. Almond extract and 1 T. POM Wonderful. 

Cut tart and serve with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel....watch your friends be amazed!

Check my full POM Wonderful dinner party here!

poached pears and frangipane recipe from: cookeatshare.com

POM Braised Lamb Shanks over Israeli Couscous

I don't think there is any more of a perfect meal out there than braised lamb shanks, especially if they are done right...trust me I have had them stone cold and not so tender...these were not those. I braised the shanks for about 7 hours, so defiantly give yourself time....it is totally worth it, no knife required in the end!

I made this for 8, cut in half if making between 2 or 4 shanks.

What you need:

Lamb Shanks 

16 oz. POM Wonderful Juice

1/2 C. Red Wine

5 cloves garlic

3 carrots

3 celery sticks

1 Red Pepper

1 onion

1/2 C. Pomegranate Arils

3 bay leafs 

2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 C. Hot Veggie or Chicken Broth 

S&P

small can of tomato paste

Step 1: Clean and Pat dry Lamb Shanks, cover in S&P.

Step 2: Heat Dutch oven up with and right before you put in shanks add 1 T. EVOO, add shanks and brown on all ends, this took me about 30-45min to do all 8 completely.

Step 3: While browning shanks, give your vegetables a rough chop and throw into food processor, it's done when it looks like baby food.

Step 4: Once Shanks are Browned remove and set aside, wipe out dutch oven, add a bit of EVOO and add vegetable puree, cook it till all of the liquid is gone and the mixture starts to brown, this can take awhile so chillax.

Step 5: Once it's browned add tomato paste and allow that to brown as well, at this point add your seasonings. 

Step 6: Once the tomato mixture has reached a dark color, start to add liquid in small amounts, first the wine and then the POM Wonderful, allowing it to boil and reduce a bit.

  

Step 7: Put Shanks Back into Dutch Oven and add enough stock to cover the Shanks, some sprigs of fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme) shuffle them around and put in oven with lid on.

Step 8: Turn Shanks every 45min. to ensure the braise evenly, they are done once the meat is fork tender and looks like something Fred Flinstone would eat; all the meat on on one side of the bone. I braised my for 7 hours at a low heat 275˚, but you can do it quicker at 375˚. You will also notice the sauce reduce into a gravy consistency. 

When cooking is almost done pull them out and skim off fat that has risen from the top, I managed to get about 1 cup off.

yummers! 

Israeli Couscous

What you need:

Israeli Couscous

Water (1:1.5 to couscous)

1 Lemon Sliced

Dates Chopped

Mint Chopped

1/2-1/2 C. Pomegranate arils

S&P

EVOO

Step 1: Boil water and add lemon slices, S&P and 1 T EVOO.

Step 2: Once boiling add in couscous and remove from heat, let it sit for 10min and absorb.

Step 3: Fluff with fork and add in dates, mint and arils, drizzle with EVOO, add S&P and cumin taste.

Top your Lamb Shank:

Mix chopped mint, lemon zest, and pomegranate arils, place on top of shanks, the heat will combust the oils from the lemon and mint to add to the aroma of your meal!

drizzle with braising liquid and top with mint, lemon mixture.

plate and enjoy this hearty, rustic meal!

View the rest of my POM Wonderful Dinner here!

Blini with Creamed Goat Cheese and Mascarpone Spread with Pomegranate Caviar

Blini are essentially small buckwheat pancakes from Russia, commonly they are topped with real caviar and sour cream; I am not to into common, more jazz hands and pizzaz!

I had made these show stomping appetizer for my Pom Wonderful dinner party last week, when racking my brain over what I should serve I realized I didn't want the same old bread and dip type of stuff; I wanted to create something that made the pomegranates shine and hold their own. The combination of the pomegranate caviar, creamy cheese, and the soft pancake really lent its self to a bright and textually pleasing bite, with a fun pop of pomegranate seeds to finish it off. 

Complex, but not uptight. Like me. Wait....

Blini

What you need:

1 C. Buckwheat flour

14 oz. Sour Cream

.7 oz fresh yeast (I used dried yeast)

1 tsp Sugar

•••••••••••••••••••

3/4 C. Milk

1 tsp Salt

2 T melted Butter

1 egg yolk

1 egg white

Step 0: prep your yeast if you are using dry.

Step 1: Heat Sour Cream till it is warm, then add Sugar and yeast.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl (with a lid if you have one) add Buckwheat flour and sour cream contents (remember always wet to dry never reverse). Mix.

kinda messy, oops!

Step 3: Leave on the counter covered for about 2 hours or do like I did and put it in the fridge over night. Helps brake up a full day cooking mania!

this is what it looks like right after you mix.

Step 3.5: Take the dough out from the fridge and let it get back to room temp.

this is the scary post fridge version. I like to call it "when yeast attacks"!

Step 4: Heat Milk, Butter and salt in a pan, add to the dough and mix. Mix egg yolk and add that into the dough. 

Step 5: Whisk egg white into peaks, fold into dough. Your batter may look slightly runny, don't worry.

Step 6: Heat non-stick griddle or if using a pan add a bit of butter. Make silver dollar sized pancakes, flip when batter stops making bubbles. Remove and let cool.

Creamed Goat Cheese and Mascarpone Spread:

Step 1: In a mixer add goat cheese, mascarpone, and a dollop of sour cream (if you have any left over from the blinis) blend till smooth. 

Step 2: Put cream in a piping bag (or zip lock bag with corner cut off) and pipe your beautiful pancakes, make sure the pancakes aren't too hot or they will melt the cheese.

Pomegranate Caviar

Step 1: Remove fresh ariels from a fresh Pomegranate, place 3-4 on top of cheese mixture.

Step 2: Serve, Eat and be Admired!

Check out the full POM Party Here!

The blini recipe was borrowed from www.glutenfreeday.com

Pomegranate Dolmas!

What's this? Vegetarian Dolmas that aren't boring and lacking in texture?! No way! But it is true...while working on my Pom Wonderful Dinner party I was trying to come up with a way to incorporate pomegranates in a meaningful historical context, most of my meal has a very Middle Eastern/Mediterranean feel, but my California vibe... 

translation: pomegranate dolmas....

what you need:

1 C. Long Grain Brown Rice (cooked) 

1 Lemon Zested

2 Lemons Juiced

1 shallot finely chopped

1/2 C. Fresh Mint chopped

1/2 C. Pomegranate Ariels

2 Green Onions chopped

S&P to taste

Cumin (a dash)

Paprika (a dash)

EVOO

Tea Kettle full of hot water

30-40 Grape Leaves (in a jar, don't let Whole Foods tell you they don't have them, because they do, next to the pickles!)

Step 0: un-jar and un-wind grape leaves, place in a shallow dish and pour hot water over, cover and start working on the filling.

Step 1: In a large pan heat 2 T. EVOO, saute shallots till they are soft. Remove from heat and add cooked rice, lemon zest, 1 lemons worth of juice, mint, green onions, Pomegranate Seeds, cumin, paprika, and S&P to taste. Mix till all of the rice is coated with Olive Oil.

Step 2: Drain and rinse leaves. Place in a bowl and clear out the shallow dish, you will be placing the dolmas in it.

Step 3: The Making of...place 1 leaf or enough broken pieces that equal one leaf in front of you, veins up and stem towards you. place about 1/2-1 T. worth of filling in the center.

Step 4: The Fold: fold both side ends in then roll up from the bottom. Place them in the dish stem side down. Make sure you crowed the dolmas, they hate having room. Fortunately for me my boyfriend is a dolma rolling wizard, he graced me with his skills and worked on them while I took a much needed chill pill.

excuse the messy kitchen, I was marathon cooking.

Step 5: Once they are all done, cover with more lemon juice and a drizzle of EVOO, followed by more boiling water (just to cover). Cover with foil and place in a 250˚ oven for about an hour. You want them to simmer and get soft. Once they cool transfer them to a smaller dish, drizzle with more lemon and EVOO and place in the fridge. 

the ugly ones are most likely mine.

Pom Prawns

Now this was meant to be a Pom Shrimp cocktail, however when culinary disasters happen you have to roll with them and usually something wayyyyyy better happens, hence Pom Prawns.

These little guys are spicy and savory and I guarantee I will be making them again and again and again. At BBQs,  funerals, other peoples kids things...pretty much anytime I get invited anywhere I might just make these.....hope you guys like them just as much as I did, and if not, more for me!

what you need:

1 lb. farmed sustainable prawns, 
de-shelled leaving the tail and cleared of veins, you know what I mean.

1 C. Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 T horseradish

1-2 T Sriracha

1/2 T Molasses

pinch cayenne

squeeze of lemon juice

S&P

1 T Butter

Bamboo Skewers

Step 1: Melt Butter and add garlic to sauce pan, once soft add Pom juice, then let the juice reduce (yes I think its about time for rhythms) 

Step 2: Add in Sriracha and molasses bring to boil, add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 min. whisking till it's somewhat thick, taste- adjust spice to how weak or strong your friends are. Remove from heat and let cool.

keep tasting a season accordingly, I think it spicy...

Step 3: Soak Bamboo skewer for a few moments so that way the tips wont burn when you grill them. Stab (in a gingerly manner) 3 shrimp per skewer. If you are magical like me you might end up with the exact amount of shrimp for your sticks. Lay them flat in a dish and cover with half the amount of sauce (reserve the other half for dipping later), cover and place in the fridge till you beckon them for cooking. 

if you make these in advanced which I recommend (strongly) make sure to rotate them ever so often.

Step 4: Grill, either on a BBQ, in a broiler or on a cast-iron grill pan, about 2 min. per side- make sure what ever you are grilling on has been brushed with EVOO and is very hott!

I clipped one end of the skewer to make them a little less dangerous to my friends.

Step 5: Plate and serve, eat up!

Check out my POM Wonderful dinner party here!

Urban Peasant Soup

I often get home pretty late from work and the idea of soup sounds great, but very time consuming...however loaded with pre-made chicken stock in my freezer and veggies dying to be used I just decided to go for it. This soup is super hearty and reasonably quick. I have decided to use buckwheat groats since they are a no fail type of grain, they won't get too soft for left overs like most rice, and they have a nice earthy flavor that lends itself to this type of urban peasant soup. You can use practically any type of earthy vegg. you have laying around and any type of broth IE mushroom, veggie, chicken...water?

You may be asking yourself what a Buckwheat groat is exactly, well in in short they have a texture similar to rice and are most commonly known as kasha, they are gluten-free, cheap and cook pretty quickly. 

What you need:

Mushrooms (crimini, shitake, trumpet)

Kale

Broccoli Rabe (stems and leaves)

Two Turnips and a microphone...

garlic

leaks

Carrots

potatoes (fingerling)

sweet peppers

3-4 C. Broth (chicken)

1/2 C. Buckwheat Groats

S&P

cumin

bay leaves

fresh mixed herbs from the garden

EVOO

Step 0: Heat your stock to a boil, you will be using it later.

Step 1: Heat a pot on med with 1 T of EVOO, clean leaks and throw in pot. Once leaks are soft add 3 cloves of chopped garlic, chopped mushrooms and all herbs cook for a couple of minutes.

 Step 2: Chop remaining root vegetables and stems of broccoli rabe into bite sized pieces and throw into the pot- cook for about 10 min, till their natural starches and juices begin to release and they start to get soft and cumin and S&P to taste, be generous with the seasonings.

Step 3: Rinse and add greens to the pot, wilt down- this should take 2 min.

Step 4: Add Buckwheat groats and hot broth to the pot, you want enough broth to cover the vegetables about 2" the groats will expand. Cook to a rapid simmer for about 20 min. till groats are puffy and al-dente 

Step 5: Spoon into a bowl and add chopped parsley and/or fresh grated parm.

Enjoy!