Ingredients:

• White Button Mushrooms (or your mushroom preferrence)
• Spaghetti
• Tomato
• Heavy Cream
• Butter
• Parmesan
• Salt
• Chili Flakes
• Roasted Garlic Purée
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Canola Oil
• White Wine

Directions:

1. Slice the mushrooms (observe Chef for different cutting styles).
2. Heat a pan, and add a mixture of olive oil and canola oil. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and allow them to cook and sear.
3. Cut a tomato into 4 quadrants. Hollow out the tomatoes (observe Chef), and slice the outer skin into smaller diamonds.
4. Boil a separate pot of salted water and add half a pack of spaghetti to it to cook.
5. After the mushrooms have gained color, add chili flakes and a pinch of other spices you prefer. Do not add salt at this stage, as it will pull the moisture out of the mushrooms.
6. Once the mushrooms get to a point where they start to sauté, add the tomato diamonds and roasted garlic purée (optional).
   1. OPTIONAL: at this stage, feel free to add rosemary, thyme, spinach and other accouterments that you enjoy.
7. Add a quarter cup of white wine to the mushroom mix, and then add 1tbsp of heavy cream to thicken up the mixture.
8. When the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the mushroom mixture, along with a little pasta water.
9. Start to mix the dish. Break up 1 stick of butter and add it to the pan. (1 stick = 8tbsp)
10. Mix the spaghetti, mushrooms and sauce thoroughly.
11. Transfer the pasta to a plate, garnish with parmesan (or cheese of your choice), and serve.

Ingredients:

• Ground Turkey Breast
• King’s Hawaiian Rolls
• Buttermilk
• Onion
• Wondra Flour
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• White Pepper
• Chili Flakes
• White Pepper
• Old Bay
• Cayenne
• Roasted Garlic Purée
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Canola Oil (for frying)
• Smoked Bleu Cheese (or cheese of your preference)

Directions:

1. Peel and slice half an onion. Soak sliced onion in buttermilk and set aside for 5+ minutes.
2. Add 2lbs of ground turkey to a mixing bowl. Add salt, black pepper, chili flakes, white pepper, Old Bay, cayenne, extra virgin olive oil, roasted garlic purée (can be store bought or homemade). Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until all other accompaniments are ready.
3. Add Wondra flour to a separate mixing bowl. Season with Old Bay, cayenne, black pepper, salt and mix thoroughly. Retrieve the soaked onion slices from the buttermilk bowl and place in the flour mixture. Mix onions in mixture until they’re coated.
4. Set up your frying station: use a pot with canola oil (or oil of your preference). Heat until oil is hot enough to fry. Test the temperature out with a few onion slices. Once desired temperature is achieved, place coated onion slices in the pot and fry until golden brown. Immediately after extracting from the fryer, season the crispy onions with your preference of seasoning.
   1. OPTIONAL: Use an air fryer if you have one.
5. Open up King’s Hawaiian rolls and season with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Toast buns in a hot pan to add a char to them. After toasting, spread roasted garlic purée (or any other accoutrement of your choice) on the open-faced buns.
6. Retrieve ground turkey mixture from the fridge, and shape them into patties of your desired size. Cook the patties in a separate pan. When patties brown along the edges, flip them once. Add smoked bleu cheese (or your cheese of preference) to the cooked side, and let it melt while the rest of the patty cooks.
7. Place cooked patties on the base buns, stack onions and top bun over the patty, and serve.

Ingredients:

• Skirt Steaks
• Eggs
• Onion
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Citrus
• Pepper
• Salt
• Oil
• Butter – 12 tbsp

Directions:

1. Steak Prep
   1. Toss skirt steaks in mixture of onions, tomatoes, cucumber, garlic and olive oil, and set aside to marinate.
2. Hollandaise
   1. Add 3 egg yolks to a cooking pot.
   2. Add 3 tbsp of water and 12 tbsp of butter to the pot.
   3. Place on the stove top at a low heat, and mix.
   4. The idea is “low and slow” so that the yolks don’t scramble and curdle.
   5. Add salt for seasoning and squeeze half a lemon into the pot.
   6. Mix until butter has melted and the sauce is consistent.
3. Pansear the steak
   1. Heat the pan over high heat.
   2. Add oil to the pan after it’s hot.
   3. Sear steaks on both sides – about 1 minute on each side.
   4. Optional: baste with garlic and butter.
   5. After the steaks are cooked, set them aside to rest.
   6. Slice steak, drizzle hollandaise over it, and then serve.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cucumber
• 1 box of Grape Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 pack of Basil
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• ½ loaf of Italian Bread
• Granulated Sugar
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Dried Thyme
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Salad Prep
   1. Dice the whole cucumber, and ½ of the red onion.
   2. Cut grape tomatoes in half.
   3. Add all to a bowl and mix together.
   4. Season salad mix with salt and pepper.
2. Croutons
   1. Dice Italian bread.
   2. Lay parchment paper over a baking tray and place diced bread over it.
   3. Drizzle oil over the bread, and season with salt and pepper.
   4. Set the oven to 250-300° and leave the bread in there for approximately 10 minutes. Pull from the oven when bread is dried out and has a crouton texture.
3. Red Wine Vinaigrette
   1. Mince ⅛ of the red onion, and 3 cloves of garlic. Add to a mixing bowl.
   2. Add 1 tsp of the thyme leaves & ½ tsp of the crushed red pepper.
   3. Add 1 tsp of mustard dijon.
   4. Add 1 tsp of granulated sugar.
   5. Season with salt and pepper.
   6. Add 1 cup of red wine vinegar to the bowl and whisk.
   7. Then add 1 cup of olive oil and mix thoroughly.
4. Garnish
   1. Pick the stems off the basil.
   2. Tear the basil leaves into medium sized pieces.
5. Final Salad
   1. Add the croutons, salad mix and red wine vinaigrette into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
   2. Garnish with basil and serve.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 Hershey’s chocolate bar
• ¾ cup of Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. Prep the mixing bowl by leaving it in the freezer until it’s cold.
2. Separate egg whites from the 3 eggs.
3. Whisk the egg whites in the cold mixing bowl until they’re frothy.
4. Add small quantities of powdered sugar into the egg white mix and whisk. Avoid adding the powdered sugar all at once as the sugar will clump.
5. Whisk until the mix has a pancake batter consistency.
6. Once achieved, deposit the meringue in the freezer so it retains its fluffy texture.
7. Use half of the Hershey’s chocolate bar & heat it by using a double boiler (method displayed in video).
8. Transfer the melted chocolate to a new room-temperature bowl once melted.
9. Retrieve the cold meringue, and fold it into the chocolate bowl (process displayed in video).
10. Once the mixture is completed, transfer to your desired storage container and leave it in the freezer.
11. The semifreddo is ready to consume after it’s been frozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of pasta, preferably Macaroni or Penne

• 1-2 Chicken Breasts

• 1 pack of Beech Mushrooms

• 1 pack of frozen Peas

• 2-4 slices of Bread

• 4-5 Garlic Cloves

• 1-2 sticks of Butter

• 5-6 Chilis (or Hot Sauce)

• 1 Tomato

• Parmesan Cheese

• Salt

• Pepper

• Crushed Red Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Chop beech mushrooms, garlic and chilis (chilis used to garnish the final dish).

2. Cut butter into cubes and set aside for later use.

3. Chop up the tomato and set aside for later use.

4. Season the chicken generously with salt, pepper and red pepper.

5. Start to cook pasta (8-10 minutes cook time).

6. In a separate hot pan, cook the chicken breast whole. Make sure it’s hot enough for a good sear. Cook till the chicken is done and has a nice golden brown hue to it.

7. Remove chicken from the pan.

8. Add chopped mushrooms and garlic to the same pan the chicken was cooked in. Sauté until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned.

9. Take the pan off the heat for it to cool off. The pan should not be piping hot when the butter and parmesan are added, as the heat would separate and break the sauce.

10. Slice and dice the cooked chicken. Add the chicken to the pan with the mushrooms.

11. Next, add the cooked pasta to the pan. The pasta doesn’t need to be strained thoroughly as the pasta water will act as a base for the sauce.

12. Add the frozen peas to the pan, set the heat to medium, and cook & mix all the ingredients together.

13. The pasta should look moist – not too wet, and not too dry. If too wet, you can reduce the water by turning up the heat; if too dry, add more pasta water to the mix.

14. Adjust the heat and let the pan cool down till it’s just warm enough to melt butter.

15. Add cubes of butter to the pan. Swirl and toss until all the butter is melted and has created a thick sauce. Continuously swirl and toss for a few minutes for ideal consistency.

16. Taste test and add more seasoning if needed.

17. Add parmesan to the pan. Mix it in with the pasta and the sauce.

18. Plate the pasta, garnish with more parmesan and chopped chilis and tomatoes for a pop of color and flavor. Sprinkle more seasoning if desired.

19. Optional – Toast or grill 2 slices of bread. Cut and serve with the Rustic Alfredo Pasta.

Ingredients:

• 4-8 bread rolls
• 4 eggs
• 1 pint Sweet Condensed Milk
• 1 pint Evaporated Milk
• 4 medium Bananas
• 2 Oranges
• 1 Lemon
• 2-3 small Limes
• Granulated Sugar
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Ground Cinnamon
• Vanilla Paste/Extract
• Mint Leaves (optional garnish)

 

Directions:

(Note: most of these components can be created separately, in advance.)

 

1. Cut buns open and toast buns in a hot pan (medium heat).
2. Create the crème anglaise in a separate bowl. Add 4 eggs and ¼ cup of sugar. Whisk thoroughly.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the crème anglaise bowl. Also add zest from 1 orange, zest from half a lemon, and zest from 2-3 limes.
4. Then add a pint of sweet condensed milk and half a pint of evaporated milk to the mix. Whisk everything together. Add a glug of vanilla paste/vanilla extract.
5. Whisk the crème anglaise till the texture is a little thicker than heavy cream.
6. When bread is toasted, take off the stove top.
7. In a separate pan, turn up to medium-high and add a knob of butter. Let the butter melt down.
8. Soak the toasted bread in the crème anglaise mix, and then add the soaked bread to the hot pan. Make sure you hear a sizzle; if you don’t, turn the heat up.
9. Toast the open-faced bread rolls on both sides. Make sure not to burn them. Cook till they’re golden brown on both sides.
10. In a separate bowl, add orange segments from two oranges. Add any left over lime/lemon zest, and add juice from half a lemon and half a lime to the same bowl.
11. In a separate pan, start your caramel. On medium-low heat, add butter and about ½ – 1 cup of sugar. Add some of the citrus juice from the bowl to get the caramel started quicker. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
12. Once the caramel is golden brown, add ½ a pint of evaporated milk. Bring to a boil to thicken it. Once at a boil, stir, and then bring down to a simmer. Once caramel achieves a thick consistency, take off heat and set aside.
13. Slice 4 bananas. Add to the citrus bowl.
14. In a separate hot pan, add a knob of butter. Once butter is melted, add the bananas and citrus mix to the high-heat pan. Add a little bit of vanilla paste/extract. Toss and cook for about 30 seconds, and then take off the heat.
15. Plate the dish – add the toasted buns as the base, add the banana-citrus mix over the bread, and finally, drizzle the caramel over the dish.
16. Garnish with lime zest and mint.

Ingredients:

• 3 Sweet Potatoes
• 4-5 Cauliflower Florets
• 1-2 Sweet Peppers
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Lemon/Lime
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Curry
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Paprika

 

Directions:

1. Peel & grate the sweet potatoes.
2. Grate the cauliflower florets.
3. Fine slice sweet peppers and garlic. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add in 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 tsp Chili Powder, 1 tsp Paprika, and ½ – ¾ cup flour, and mix thoroughly.
5. Create patties or balls, to your size preference.
6. Pan-fry with a high-smoke point cooking oil until fritter patties/balls are golden brown and have achieved desired consistency/crunch.
7. Garnish with lemon, lime or other citrus zest.

Mix and match spices to your liking.  Enjoy!

Southwest Butter Chicken:

 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
• ½ Onion
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves
• 2-3 Sweet Peppers
• 1-2 Jalapenos (use more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1 can Tomato Paste (6oz)
• 2-3 knobs Butter
• 2-3 Celery Stalks
• ¾ – 1 cup Cream
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 1 tsp. Chili powder
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 tsp. Curry Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt

 

Directions:

1. Rough chop onion, sweet peppers, jalapenos, and smash garlic cloves.
2. Add to blender, along with can of diced tomatoes.
3. Add about 1 tbsp of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
4. Blend the mixture together till the paste is consistent.
5. Add a 1 tsp. or pat of butter to a separate pan on medium – medium high.
6. Fine slice and dice celery and add to pan, along with can of tomato paste.
7. Increase heat to high until the pan starts to bubble and caramelize.
8. Add the blended paste to the pan.
9. Once the sauce in the pan starts to bubble, decrease to a simmer.
10. Add 1 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of curry powder, 1 tsp of chili, 1 tsp of cumin, 2 tbsp of paprika. Let the sauce cook for 20-30 minutes.
11. Large dice the 4-5 chicken breasts.
12. Add ¾ – 1 cup of cream to the sauce, along with a couple of knobs of butter. Stir thoroughly. Salt as needed.
13. Add chicken to the sauce on medium-low and cook for approximately 10 minutes.
14. Check for doneness and tenderness, and serve.
15. Serve with rice, couscous, beans or bread