Tiramisu

This time last year, I was over the moon excited because my very first recipe was published on Ebony.com.  The digital content editor happens to be a Howard Alum and, lucky for me, she enjoyed the work I was doing on this blog.  She told me she would like to me to contribute to Ebony.com's Food section and gave me my first assignment: A Valentine's Day Dessert.  I wrote not one, but two recipes: Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Dipped Bananas & Pineapple.  I may have gotten a little carried away but for my first time I can say they were both really good dessert recipes!

So here we are a year later and even though I've been doing alot of savory recipe testing, I figured that my one year commemorative recipe submission to Ebony.com should be a dessert.  I mean it's only right!  And I knew that my tiramisu would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

I scaled down the tiramisu recipe significantly, to about 4 servings, for all the happy couples.  You can make it in one bowl or divide into two bowls as I did in the picture.  But be warned, this tiramisu is very rich so two people can share one of those bowls.  My roommate and I shared one, and the word that kept going through my head, was sinful.

You can click HERE to view the recipe on Ebony.com or scroll below to see the process in pictures.  Hopefully the pictures will show you all how easy it is to make.  Simple and sinful tiramisu! How can you go wrong with that?

Tiramisu

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)

3 Egg Yolks, from large eggs

½ cup Finely Granulated Sugar

1 cup, 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese*

½ teaspoon McCormick Pure Coffee Extract

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Package Ladyfingers

¼ Cup Coffee Liquor

Coco Powder for Dusting, about 3 tablespoons

1 Milk Chocolate Bar for Shaving

2-4 Strawberries for Garnish

*BelGioioso makes a Tiramisu Flavored Mascarpone.  If you can find it, definitely USE IT and omit the coffee extract.  If not, plain mascarpone with the extract works fine.  You should be able to easily find the coffee extract in your baking isle. Or click here to order online: Neilsen Massey® Coffee Extract (Google Affiliate Ad)

Fill the bottom pot of a double boiler with 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Combine the egg yolks and sugar into the top pot, place pot on top of the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula.  You want all the sugar granules to dissolve and the mixture to be a thick lemon color.

Next, remove the bowl from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese and coffee extract.  Mix with a handheld mixer on medium-low speed until everything is combined.  

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with a hand held mixer until stiff peaks begin to form.  Then, with a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and set aside.

Now pour the coffee liquor into a shallow dish or pan and dip one side of the lady fingers into the liquor, one at a time, and then begin to arrange them along the bottom of your serving dish (liquor side up).  Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers using a spatula.  Then, dip a few more ladyfingers, one side only, into the liquor and place them over the mascarpone to make a middle layer.  

Cover those ladyfingers with the other half of the mascarpone mix and spread with the spatula to create a flat, smooth surface.

Lastly, use a sifter to dust the coco powder on top of the mascarpone, being sure to cover all of it.  I laid down tin foil to help with the mess.

Then, use a carrot peeler to create the chocolate shavings.  Run the peeler down the edge of the chocolate bar and sprinkle the shavings over the top of the tiramisu.  Cover with saran and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Right before serving, I suggest slicing and fanning a strawberry over the top of the tiramisu.  They look like little hearts making it a festive garnish for Valentine’s Day or any day you want to show some love. :-)

Healthy Weeknight Cooking - Some Tips & A Recipe

I’ve been catching up with a lot of my friends lately and it seems that we’re all on the same page about one thing: it’s time to loose some weight! Whether it’s the typical New Years resolutions, the approaching bathing suit season, or looming 30^th Birthdays it seems as if all of us have a goal to shed some pounds in the next few months.

From what I can tell, everyone has their gym memberships and workout schedules but a lot of my friends are having trouble in the kitchen and are asking me for some healthy cooking tips.  Now even though I love to cook, I’m a teacher by day, so I know first hand how hard it can be to work, commute home, and find the energy to make a healthy, home cooked meal.  Sometimes you just want to say forget it, and pick up fast food or heat up a microwave dinner.  But it is possible!! I do it all the time so I decided to share a few tips that help me.  The tips are below and if you keep them in mind, you can have a tasty, healthy dinner, like my Rosemary Crusted Salmon and Roasted Winter Vegetables, on the table in no time.

Tip #1 Start Your Prep As Soon As You Walk In- If you’re like me, the first thing you want to do when you get home is get out of your work clothes.  But if your planning on making dinner, get everything going in the kitchen before heading in the bedroom to change.  Pre-heat your oven, put your grill or sauté pan on low, and if you’re making pasta or boiling anything, fill the pot with water and get it on the stove.  THEN go change your clothes.  This will speed up the cooking process A LOT.

Tip #2 Cut Back on Fats, Bump Up the Spices and Herbs- In my salmon recipe below, I created a crust of rosemary, garlic, horseradish (my secret weapon), lemon juice and very little oil.  The garlic and herbs give it so much flavor that I forgot it was healthy.  I also tend to use dry spice rubs when trying to enhance the flavor and cut the fat.  I will rub steak, chicken, and fish with a dry rub and then throw them on my lightly oiled grill pan.  It’s a great way to get a yummy meal without the guilt.

Tip #3 Get Help From the Grocery Store- Don’t be afraid to buy the bags of pre-cut and washed vegetables for sautéing, roasting or grilling.  In this recipe, using a bagged vegetable medley cut my prep time in half.  Also, some cooks think fresh is always better but frozen vegetables have the same health benefits because they’re frozen in their prime without the added salt and preservatives that you find in canned vegetables.  So if you have frozen vegetables in the freezer, throwing them in a stir-fry or soup will only improve the health benefits of your meal.

Tip #4 If All Else Fails, Throw Everything in the Oven- If you’re wondering what I make on these cold winter nights when I’m tired but still trying to eat healthy, its roasted vegetables with roasted chicken or fish.  Like I said above, as soon as I walk in, I’ll crank up the oven, season my vegetables and protein and literally throw it all in the oven.  Next thing I know, my house smells amazing, my food is getting crispy and delicious, all while I relax, check my instgram and watch Jeopardy.  It’s the perfect cooking method for lazy weeknights.

So that was a lot of information but I hope some of you found it useful.  Now I will leave you with a recipe and if you follow my tips, this healthy and tasty meal can be ready in under and hour.

Rosemary Crusted Salmon w/ Roasted Winter Vegetables

 Ingredients: Makes 4 Servings

1 Bag Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Carrot Medley

1 Cup Baby Red Bliss or Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 Cup Brussel Sprouts (Trimmed, Outside leaves removed)

1 small Onion

1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus 3 tablespoons

4 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves

1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice (About ½ a lemon)

1 tablespoon Prepared Horseradish

4 teaspoons Kosher Salt, divided

2 teaspoons Corse Black Pepper, divided

1 clove garlic

12-14 oz Salmon Filet (cut into 4 equal portions)

Additional Olive Oil, Salt, & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread Broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot medley on a foil lined baking sheet.  Then halve the baby potatoes and brussell sprouts and add them to the sheet as well.  Finally halve and quarter the onion and spread the pieces over the other vegetables.  Toss all of the vegetables in 1/3 cup olive oil, season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and put it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, REDUCE THE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 degrees for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

While the vegetables are roasting, pre-heat a cast iron or non-stick (oven safe) skillet over medium heat.  Then prepare the crust for the salmon by finely chopping the rosemary.  Add it to a bowl with the lemon juice, horseradish, salt and pepper.  Then, using a microplane, grate the clove of garlic in the rosemary mixture, add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and whisk everything together thoroughly.

Next, prepare the salmon filets by brushing both sides of the fish with a little olive oil and sprinkling both sides with salt and pepper.  By now your pan should be screaming hot.  Place fillets flesh side down and allow to sear for 3-4 minutes.  Using tongs, flip the fillets over and allow to sear on the skin side.  Tip: you know the fish is ready to be flipped when you can easily remove the fish without it sticking.  If any part sticks, allow to cook for a minute more.

While the skin side is searing, spoon rosemary mixture over each of the fillets.  Then transfer the
salmon to the oven.  Remember it should be 350 degrees by now.  Allow filets to cook for about 5 minutes more.  Then remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a plate or serving dish to prevent from drying out.  Remove the vegetables from the oven as well, the potatoes should be fork tender and all veggies should be golden brown.

Serve salmon with vegetables.  Enjoy!

Seafood Guacamole w/ Baked Tortilla Chips

If you're looking for some last minute inspiration for your Super Bowl Party, I've got a few ideas for you! First there's my Seafood Guacamole. This Guacamole is so good that I would be bold enough to say that it will be the best guacamole you've ever had.  When I made it for my family last Thanksgiving, it literally disappeared.  Plus lots of people were asking for the recipe and a couple people even offered to pay me to make it for their next party!  It's THAT GOOD!  But if you're not a seafood fan, or you're allergic, here's my standard Guacamole Recipe. I posted it on here this time last year and it's always good.  But back to the Seafood version.  It was so out of this world that I had to submit the recipe to Ebony.com. 

Click the here for the recipe: Seafood Guacamole

Now I didn't just want to send you guys over to Ebony.com without giving you at least one other idea for Super Bowl, so I decided to post the recipe for Baked Tortilla Chips (pictured right). Now I know what you're thinking. Probably the same thing I was... baked tortilla chips?? I was skeptical at first too but my friend Melissa showed me how to make these and after a lot of mumbling and whining she finally shouted: "April! You will like these! Just trust me!" I was visiting her in NYC, it was after hours and I was starving so I reluctantly trusted her and discovered these chips were REALLY good! Soon all the chips were gone and the next thing I knew I was in the kitchen with Melissa helping her make another batch.

I figured out quickly why these Baked Tortilla Chips were Melissa's favorite snack; they're easy and fun to make. I recommend making these tomorrow if you have kids or are expecting some to be at your Super Bowl Party. Melissa is a Kindergarten teacher and she told me later that this recipe was given to her at school and she made them with her students.  So you can put the little guys to work and they will have a lot of fun! But even if you don't have kids, these chips are still fun to make.  When I made them, I felt like a kid but I still managed to give them an adult edge with some black salt I bought from The Filling Station in Chelsea Market during that same NYC trip.  

So do something a bit different this Super Bowl and instead of buying tortilla chips, make these! Oh and did I mention they are healthy(er) than the fried variety??  I know it's Super Bowl so no one really cares but I thought I'd throw that in there anyway :-)

Baked Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

1 package Flour Tortillas (6" works best)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 1/4 cup)

Kosher Salt (or any artisan salt you may have on hand)

Directions: (They're so simple!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place half the stack of tortillas on your cutting board.  Then cut the rounds into quarters by cutting in half horizontally and then again vertically.  Arrange the quarters in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. (You may have to do multiple batches)

Pour a little olive oil into a small bowl and brush both sides of each chip with the oil.  Then sprinkle one side with salt, so that each chip gets a few crystals and pop the chips into the oven.  Bake for about 3-4 minutes, flip the chips over and bake for 3-4 minutes more.  You're looking for a golden brown color.

When done, remove the chips from the oven, transfer to a bowl and serve alone or with your favorite dip.  Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas.  Any leftovers can be kept fresh in ziploc bags.

Sweet Potato Home Fries

My last post was ages ago. Horrible I know but I promise I'm about to pick up the pace very soon. You will hear all about my February Recipe Challenge and weekly recipe posts are part of the plan.

But in the meantime I just wanted to share a great recipe for Sweet Potato Home Fries.  I wrote it not too long after I wrote my Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe because I made the dish with sweet potatoes I had leftover from testing that recipe.  One weekend I wanted to cook breakfast, and as I was gathering my bacon and eggs, I spied the sweet potatoes.  Then the foodie gods stepped in because I suddenly remembered a gorgeous sweet potato hash that one of my Instagram followers posted.  With that dish in mind, I realized I make home fries all the time so I thought that I would sub in the sweet potatoes for regular potatoes.

Well, that day, the home fries turned out great, but as I was eating them with the bacon on the side, I realized how nicely the salty and smokey bacon paired with the sweet potatoes.  So the next time I incorporated bacon into the dish and all I could think after I tasted was "perfection."

I suggest you make this if you are entertaining for brunch.  It's something different, delicious, and it looks beautiful on the platter (you see that picture don't you?).  Or you can switch it up one night and make breakfast for dinner.  The sweet potato home fries are hearty enough to satisfy your after-work hunger.  But let's be honest, it doesn't matter when you make it, just do it! Make it this weekend! :-)

Ingredients: (make 4-5 servings)

3 Medium-Large Sweet Potatoes

4 Strips of Bacon

½ Green Pepper, diced

½ Onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Paprika (smoked is better, regular is fine)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Vegetarians and Non-Pork Eaters: simply eliminate the bacon and sauté the veggies in 1-2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil.

Directions:

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and add to a medium sized pot.   Cover the potatoes with cold water and place over high heat.  While you're waiting on the water to boil, chop your pepper, onion and garlic.  Once the water is boiling, set timer and allow potatoes to boil for 7 minutes.  (Any longer and the potatoes will be mushy)

While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon strips in a deep frying pan until crispy (about 2-3 minutes per side).  Remove bacon strips from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Then add the diced pepper and onion right into the bacon fat and sauté for about 4 minutes or until softened.  Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.

 

By this time the potatoes should be done.  Drain potatoes and then add them to the pan with the pepper, onion, and garlic.  Season with paprika, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.  Allow potatoes to fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then dice the bacon strips, add them to the potatoes, and stir to combine.

Transfer potatoes to a serving platter or bowl and serve alongside eggs (any style). 

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

 

I was going to wait and post this recipe closer to Christmas but after I got SO MANY requests, how could I resist?  Especially since this recipe has been a long time in the making.  Now I know there are tons of ways to make cheesecake and lots of options for ingredients but this is the recipe for you if:

• If you like your cheesecake melt-in-your-mouth creamy.  
• You're patient. (there's a 90 minute baking time and 24 hour chill time)
• You want to incorporate your favorite holiday flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg into your cheesecake.

Having said that, if you're still interested in making this cheesecake, here are a couple of tips:

1. Like with any cake, you should make sure all your ingredients are room temperature.  Take out your ingredients, including the eggs, 1-2 hours before you plan to bake.
2. This cheesecake is best when allowed to set overnight, which is why I said it's for the patient cook.  For the best results, make it the day before you want to serve it.
3. Sweet potatoes are called sweet because...they are! But some are sweeter than others.  I used 1 and a 1/2 cups sugar in this cake because my sweet potatoes weren't that sweet, but if you find those great, dark, super sweet ones, reduce to 1 cup of sugar.
4. You will need special cooking tools to make this cheesecake.  These include: a spring form pan, a food processor, and a large standing mixer.

Ok I think that's it!  I have shared everything you need to know to make this recipe a success.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust:

6-10 Graham Cracker Squares, crushed

1/2 stick Unsalted Butter, melted

1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar

Filling:

2 Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Ground Allspice

20 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

1/3 cup Sour Cream

1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar

2 cups Sweet Potato Puree (See recipe below)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of a spring form pan; pushing some along the sides as well.  Bake crust for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, yolks, vanilla, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.  Set mixture aside.  Then, in a large mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream, at medium speed, for 1 minute, then add in cream cheese, brown sugar and finally add the sweet potato puree.  Once everything has combined, gradually add in the egg mixture in 2-3 batches, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl before each batch.  Once, everything has combined, stop the mixer.  Pour batter over the graham cracker crust. 

Place the cheesecake in the middle of a large roasting pan.  Pour boiling water (about a tea kettle full) into the roasting pan around the cheesecake to create a steam bath (this promotes even cooking).  Bake cheesecake for 90 minutes and allow it to cool.  Once cheesecake is room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill overnight.  Gently remove from the spring form pan and serve.

Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients: (makes 2-3 cups depending on size of sweet potatoes)

2-3 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 tablespoon Olive or Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet, rub the skin with oil and roast in the oven until softened (about 60-75 minutes).  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel skin off the sweet potatoes and put the flesh into a food processor.  Puree for 2-3 minutes and empty into a bowl.

Puree can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Maryland Crab Soup

It's been a bit since my last blog post, but I promise haven't been slacking!  In fact, I have written what I think is one of my best soup recipes and if you've been following this blog for a bit, then you know I've written ALOT of soup recipes.  But this one for Maryland Crab Soup will go down as one of my favorites.

In fact, I was so excited about this soup that before I posted it on my blog, I decided to send it to my editor at Ebony.com.  Well, it's been posted on the site since November 5th, and besides the recipe being easy, healthy, and delicious, I also pay homage to my home state in my introduction.  So please click the link below to hop on over to Ebony.com to check it out!

Maryland Crab Soup

Apple Brown Betty

Last night, I got the opportunity to cook live on my very first cooking show.  I was invited by Chef James Robinson who hosts an online cooking show every Wednesday at 9pm.  Yesterday, he had me on as his guest and I was asked to make a dessert that would compliment his Halloween inspired dinner.  I figured that I could have racked my brain to think of some kind of spooky dessert or I could keep it simple and classic and make Apple Brown Betty, a dish that I would venture to say was my Grandpa's signature dessert.  Plus, apples are in season so this dessert may not be a typical Halloween dish but it's definitely perfect for fall.

Well, as it turned out the cooking show was the best environment for me to revive this recipe because we had an audience of about 15 people.  The Chef and I gave out all of the Apple Brown Betty that I made and everyone said that they liked it!  I even had one woman tell me she was thinking about making it for Thanksgiving.  Smart lady don't you think? ;-)

So I have copied and pasted my Grandpa's recipe below for those of you who are interested in trying this dish.  This is how I remember him making it, except I substituted graham cracker crumbs for bread crumbs.  I spotted some cinnamon graham crackers at the store and I thought they would compliment the cinnamon that I mix with the apples, but Grandpa always had plain breadcrumbs on hand so he would use those.

Anyway, I hope you all make it this fall while apples are plentiful and therefore cheap! And hopefully I will be able to update this with the video of the show soon!

 Ingredients: (Makes 5-6 servings)

1/2 Stick Melted Butter, divided

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (approx. 6 graham crackers, ground) OR Plain Bread Crumbs

7-8 Medium Sized Apples, peeled, core removed, and diced

Juice of 1 Lemon

3/4 cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

¼ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease the bottom and sides of a medium sized, glass-baking dish using about ½ of the melted butter.  Then, in a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs with the remaining melted butter, until is becomes the consistency of wet sand, and set aside.

Add peeled and diced apples to a mixing bowl and add lemon juice and raisins and stir to combine.  (The lemon juice keeps the apples from browning so you may want to add it right after you dice the apples).  Next add the vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir again to combine.  If mixture seems a little dry, feel free to stir in more lemon juice.

Next sprinkle 1/3 of the cracker mixture on the bottom of the dish and pour half of the apple mixture on top.  Sprinkle some more of the cracker mixture over the apples, then add the remaining apples and sprinkle the remaining third of the cracker mixture on top.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes.  Then remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 and allow to bake for another 15 minutes or until the top begins to brown and the apple brown betty is bubbling. (If you notice that the top is not browning, you could switch the oven to low broil for the last 3-4 minutes.)

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes.  Serve the Apple Brown Betty warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.