Saturday, April 17, 2010

Alicia Keys- If I Ain't Got You - High Definition - 2005 Grammy Awards

Tuna Supreme Sandwich

1 (6-ounce) can tuna


1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon capers, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder

2 large crusty rolls (halved) or 4 slices good-quality whole-grain bread

Whole-grain mustard or Dijon-style mustard

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1 hard-cooked egg, sliced

6 fresh basil leaves



In a small bowl, combine tuna, olive oil, garlic, wine vinegar, onions, capers, and mustard powder.



Spread roll halves or bread slices with mustard. Spread tuna mixture over mustard. Top with tomato slices, egg slices, and basil leaves. Top with remaining roll halves or bread slices. Transfer to individual serving plates to serve.



Makes 2 servings

Watermelon Slush


3 cups diced watermelon




2 tablespoons lime juice



1 tablespoon sugar



1 cup crushed ice



1/2 cup water



Directions

Blend watermelon, lime juice, sugar, ice and water in a blender until smooth.

Black-Bottom Apple Cupcakes





Serves:12

Ingredients

1 /2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored and cut in /2-in. pieces (4 cups)



cup packed light-brown sugar



stick butter



6 oz cream cheese, softened



1 large egg



cup all-purpose flour



cup apple juice



3 Tbsp each oil and unsweetened cocoa powder



tsp cider vinegar



1 tsp vanilla extract



tsp each baking soda and cinnamon



tsp salt



Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 regular-size (21/2-in.-diameter) muffin cups with paper liners.



Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Stir in apples, ¼ cup brown sugar and the butter. Cook, stirring once, 5 minutes or until apples are caramelized. Let cool.



Meanwhile beat cream cheese, ¼ cup brown sugar and the egg in a small bowl with mixer on medium speed 1 minute or until smooth, light and fluffy. Set aside.



Put remaining ¼ cup brown sugar and rest of ingredients (except cooked apples) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until well blended. Divide evenly among muffin cups. Top each with 1 Tbsp apples, 1 heaping Tbsp cream cheese mixture, then the remaining apples.



Bake 30 minutes or until cheese mixture has puffed and set. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool completely. Remove paper liners before serving.



Planning Tip: Refrigerate airtight up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month

Black-Bottom Apple Cupcakes

Mango Lassi Smoothie

Ingredients


Serves: Update

1 cup chopped peeled mango



1/3 cup peach sorbet



1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt



1/4 cup orange juice



1/8 teaspoon orange-flower water (optional, see Ingredient Note)



Directions

Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender. Pulse twice to chop mango, stir well, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately.



Ingredient Note: Orange-flower water is a perfumy distillation of bitter-orange blossoms. Look for it at gourmet markets.


Mexican spiced, grilled whole chicken



SERVES 6


for the chicken

1 whole chicken 2-3 lbs (we used a Rocky Jr.)

1/2 cup cumin

1/2 cup coriander

1/2 cup chili powder

salt (kosher or sea)

freshly ground black pepper



The first step with this wonderful dish is to butterfly the chicken. By doing this you allow the bird to cook evenly while on the grill. After this step you can season the chicken with the sea salt and ground pepper. Be generous when seasoning before grilling, as you will loose a fair amount when the juices from the chicken start to run. Prepare your rub by mixing the ground coriander, cumin and chili powder in a bowl. Rub this mixture all over the butterflied bird and let it marinate for about an hour.

Once the grill is ready, the chicken should cook for about 45 minutes, evenly on the back side and the front side. Note, that the spices will blacken so don’t be afraid if the skin starts to get dark.



+ Feel free to use this rub on a cut up (legs, breast, thighs) and either grill or bake.



+ Also try rubbing a whole unbutterflied chicken and roasting it whole in a 400 degree preheated oven for about an hour. Remember to the let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes after the completed cooking time.

for the slaw


1 ear of corn

1 whole avocado cut into small squares

1 large heirloom tomato, chopped

4 small gypsy peppers, cored, seeded and finely sliced

+ Gypsy peppers are a smallish, sweet varietal with a thin wall and floral characteristics. It they

are not available, any other sweet or bell pepper can be substituted.

fresh lime juice (two whole limes)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper



Start this dish by peeling and grilling the corn. Make sure it gets a bit of color, but there is no need to cook it too long, about 5 minutes while turning. When the corn is finished, cut the kernels off of the cob. This step is easiest if the corn is placed horizontally in the cutting board. Place all of the ingredients into a bowl including the lime juice and olive oil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and let the dish stand, refrigerated for and hour or until the chicken is cooked.


for the tomatillo sauce


15 medium sized tomatillo tomatoes, husks removed

medium size onion cut into quarters

3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno pepper

+this will make a medium to hot salsa, if you like less heat use 1/2 a pepper, if you like more then you are free to add at your own risk.

fresh cilantro (one handful chopped)

fresh oregano (one small handful chopped)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper



For the sauce, begin by tossing the tomatillos, onion and the jalapeno with olive oil, salt and pepper and then placing them on the grill for about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool. Place these ingredients and the garlic and herbs in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



+ Like the chicken, if no grill is available, roast the tomatillos, onion and jalapeno in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Chicken Liver Mousse

for the Chicken Liver Mousse


1 lb chicken livers

1 medium yellow onion, rough chop

4 garlic cloves, peeled

pinch chili flakes

juice 1 lemon

2 tsp fresh thyme

1 bay leaf, for soaking

1 tbsp peppercorns, for soaking

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

2 cups milk, for soaking



1. Rinse the chicken livers and place them in a bath of milk, bay leaf, 1 tsp fresh thyme and peppercorns, covered in the refrigerator overnight.

2. In a saucepan, saute the onion, garlic and chili flakes over medium heat until the onions are soft and begin to turn golden.

3. Remove the chicken livers from the bath, add them to the pan, and brown on the outside, leaving them slightly pink on the inside, about 5 minutes. Don’t worry if the bottom of the pan begins to brown and caramelize, this is the where the flavor is.

4. Add the chicken stock and thyme. Bring to a simmer and, with a wooden spoon, work up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid to almost dry.

5. Remove from heat and puree all of the ingredients to a smooth paste.



+ if you prefer a mousse that has a more firm pate-like consistency, add 1/2 a stick of cold butter cut into small pieces to the liver during the last step.



for the Garnish

3 shallots, fine dice

palmful of flatleaf parsley, chopped

5 gherkins, fine dice

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, fine chop

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

juice one lemon



1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste.

+ To assemble the dish, we used a thinly sliced sour baguette that had been seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil and grilled. A high quality cracker would also work.

Some of my fav recipes link ...

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1762793925
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1762793925
http://www.thekitchendaily.com/

Thursday, April 15, 2010