Wordless Wednesday: Banh Mi
Wed, 1/09/10 – 6:51 | 6 Comments

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Cocktails

It’s 5 O’clock somewhere. Let’s mix it up!

Easy Eating

It doesn’t have to take forever to be good…

Farmer’s Markets

Fresh. Local. Made Easy with our market updates.

French

Can’t get to France? Bring France to you!

Portuguese

Mama’s home cooking, California Style!

Dessert, Food and Wine Blog Event, Recipe, Sugar High Friday (SHF) »

Brown Butter and Wildflower Honey Gelato {Sugar High Friday}
Thu, 26/08/10 – 21:16 | 10 Comments

I have not participated in a Sugar High Friday event in a very long time ….. embarrassing long! I was poking around a couple weeks ago and noticed that Elissa of 17 and Baking is challenging the group to come up with creative ways to use Brown Butter. Well, I love butter and I really love brown butter. I thought of all sorts of ways to incorporate golden nutty brown butter into a dessert; such as sugar cookies, pound cakes, even an attempt at adding to macarons. Then it hit me – gelato!

You may remember a Cinnamon Gelato I made a few months ago with my dear friend, Nanette. I decided to take the base of this recipe and mix it up a bit. It was easy! It came out … Creamy. Nutty. Luxurious. Floral. and Sweet.

Recipe: Brown Butter and Wildflower Honey Gelato

300ml full fat organic milk

300ml organic heavy cream

4 organic egg yolks

½ cup organic wildflower honey

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into slices

Brown your butter.  Heat a deep saucepan over medium heat.  Add the butter, whisky continually.  Continue to cook the butter.  Once the butter is melted it will start to foam a bit.  Watch it.  Small specks will start to brown in the bottom of your pan and begin to smell slightly nutty.  When golden remove from the heat and set on a cool surface to stop the cooking.  You do not want to burn the butter.  This is an easy process, just be sure to watch what you are doing.  Don’t be twittering at the same time.  *smile*  Let cool.

Bring milk, cream, and honey slowly to the small boil in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and temper your egg yolks into a small amount of the hot mixture.  Once tempered slowly add to the milk mixture and whisk to incorporate.  Return to a very low heat and slightly simmer, while stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.  It is very important to continue to stir and to do it over low heat or you will scramble your mixture.  Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl.  When it’s cool, stir in the browned butter and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (I left it over night).  Put the mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to the instructions included.  Serve.  Eat.

Sticky Ribs with Guava Marinade
Tue, 24/08/10 – 17:11 | 3 Comments
Sticky Ribs with Guava Marinade

Guava Paste makes a slightly sweet marinade that is perfect smothered over beef short ribs.

Rough Caprese Salad
Mon, 23/08/10 – 19:05 | 7 Comments
Rough Caprese Salad

The freshest summer heirloom tomatoes are tossed together with fresh mozzarella, baby basil leaves and a good drizzle of olive oil and balsamic – easy and perfect for your next summer time meal.

Grilled Corn Salad
Thu, 19/08/10 – 7:51 | 5 Comments
Grilled Corn Salad

Sweet white corn is lightly grilled and then tossed with summer’s bounty of cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and creamy avocado. The perfect side side for your next BBQ.

Charcuterie
Thu, 19/08/10 – 2:27 | 8 Comments
Charcuterie

Ferme Baradieu is run by the Chapolard family and it is a true example of sustainability as they grow the feed for their pigs, they butcher the pigs and they sell the meat and house-made Charcuterie, at the weekly markets in their immediate areas — truly “Seed to Sausage”.

Wordless Wednesday: Making Sausage
Wed, 18/08/10 – 8:58 | No Comment
Wordless Wednesday:  Making Sausage

Making sausage with the Chapolard family in Gascony.

Green Bean Salad
Wed, 11/08/10 – 16:44 | 9 Comments
Green Bean Salad

An easy summer salad made of the freshest green beans and heirloom tomatoes. This salad will stand alone as a light meal or goes very well with a nice grilled pork tenderloin or juicy steaks.

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Greens after Gascon Rain Storm
Tue, 10/08/10 – 20:50 | One Comment
Wordless Wednesday:  Baby Greens after Gascon Rain Storm

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Greens after Gascon Rain Storm

Spicy Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Fri, 6/08/10 – 11:04 | 4 Comments
Spicy Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

We have become big pork eaters in the past couple months.  Funny thing is, I usually never keep anything in the freezer except for some ice, vodka and ice cream.  Over the weekend I opened …