Cocoa Bronzed Salmon

Ingredients:

4 Salmon fillets (4 to 6 oz. each), fresh
1 Tablespoon Coconut, Olive, or Canola Oil
1 Tablespoons Kodiak Island Salmon Seasoning 1/4 Cup White Wine, Please use a good quality Chardonnay
2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, or Cocoa Butter(Food Grade Only)

Steps:

1.       Rinse Salmon under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. 

2.       Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of salmon with oil, and season generously with Kodiak Island Seasoning.

3.       Place Salmon filets in heated skillet and cook, uncovered, about 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Shake pan occasionally to keep fish from sticking. 

4.       Turn Salmon over and cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Cover pan tightly and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 1-2 minutes; add the wine to pan. 

5.       Continue to cook, uncovered, an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or just until fish is opaque throughout if you like your fish well done.

6.       Remove from heat, add butter to your sauce, and swirl pan to incorporate . 

7.       Drizzle sauce over Salmon when serving.

Linzer Torte

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups ground hazelnuts

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground cloves

1 cup cold unsalted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups raspberry preserves

Confectioners’ sugar

Steps:

1. In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
2. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender or knife, until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Add eggs and lemon zest; stir until mixture forms a ball. Cut finished dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until chilled.
4. Remove two portions of dough from refrigerator; press each into an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 2/3 cup jam over each.
5. Between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper, roll one portion of remaining dough into a rectangle. Cut six 1-in.-wide strips; arrange in a lattice design over jam.
6. Repeat with remaining dough (return dough to the refrigerator if needed).
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and crust is browned.
8. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired prior to service.

Sausage Jambalaya

3 Cups Long Grain Rice

2 Pounds Andouille, or Smoked Sausage, Cubed

1 Cup Tomato Sauce

3 Cups Yellow Onion, Diced

2 Cups Bell Pepper, Diced

½ Cup Celery, Diced

1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced

¼ Cup Parsley, Chopped

¼ Cup Louisiana Hot Sauce

½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

½ Teaspoon Delacroix Island Cajun Seasoning

1 Each Bay Leaf

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cups White wine, If you wont drink it PLEASE DON’T COOK WITH IT!!!!!

Water As Needed

Sauté onions, celery and bell peppers in olive oil until translucent. Add Garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, and white wine. Add rice, sausage and enough water to make sure all the ingredients are covered by approximately 1” of fluid. Add remaining ingredients, and stir well.

Cook over medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 40 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID to peek until it’s done.

Christmas Cake(Iced Fruit Cake)

Ingredients:

For the cake

1lb 2oz sultana raisins

 9oz golden raisins

 7oz glacé(candied) cherries, halved

 4oz dried currants

 4oz cut mixed peel

 4oz  dried figs, roughly chopped

 4oz dried apricots,  chopped

 4oz dried pitted prunes, roughly chopped

 5fl oz brandy

 1 small orange, grated zest and juice

 9oz unsalted butter, at room temperature

7oz dark muscovado sugar

 5 medium eggs

 10 oz AP flour

 7oz macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

 

Finishing decoration:

3 Tablespoons apricot jam

 1lb marzipan

 5oz ready-to-roll white fondant icing

 Royal icing

 Candy silver balls, to decorate

Powdered sugar, to dust

 

Steps:

1. Put the sultanas, raisins, cherries, currants, peel, figs, apricots and prunes in a large bowl and pour over the brandy, orange zest and juice. Mix well, cover and leave to stand overnight. 
2. Line the base of a 23cm/9in cake tin with a double thickness of parchment paper. Line the sides of the tin with a double thickness of parchment paper, so that it rises 1½-2in above the edge of the tin. Wrap a sheet of folded parchment around the outside of the tin and secure with string. Stand the prepared tin on a parchment baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 300° F. 
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle. Add the fruit, its soaking liquid and the nuts and mix well. Stir in the flour, taking care not to over mix it. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 3-4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake starts to get too brown, cover with a sheet of parchment. 
4. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin. Store the cake in an airtight tin, wrapped in greaseproof paper and foil for between two and three months. Feed the cake with brandy every 2-3 weeks until you are ready to decorate it. 
5. Pass the jam through a sieve and warm it in a pan with 1 tbsp of water. Invert the cake onto a serving plate or board. Use a little of the marzipan to fill any gaps between the cake and the plate. Brush the jam all over the cake. Roll out the remaining marzipan and lift carefully onto the cake, easing it around the sides. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife. 
6. Roll out the fondant icing to ¼” in thickness and cut out as many Christmas shapes as you can, re-rolling the trimmings. Set aside on parchment paper to harden. Meanwhile, make up a batch of royal icing. Spread the icing over the cake to cover it, then roughly peak it using a spatula. Arrange the stars on top and scatter over the silver balls. Leave the icing to harden, then dust the cake with icing sugar.

Royal Icing

It’s that time of year when many will head into the kitchen to bake a gingerbread house to decorate for the holidays. I am often asked what can be done to prevent the pieces from falling off, and the answer can be found in selecting the right icing for your project. If you’re looking for the perfect icing to use in the construction of your gingerbread house, royal icing will save the day.  Royal icing dries to a hard, smooth finish, and is used for decorating and frosting cakes and cookies. Royal icing is the perfect glue to attach pieces of your gingerbread house because it dries to a rock-hard yet brittle texture.  It has a crunchier texture than buttercream or store bought frostings, but can also be thinned with water to glaze pastries, or Bundt cakes. This glaze can also be spread with the back of a spoon to create the look of snow, or icicles hanging from the roofline of your house.

 

Ingredients:

3 ounces pasteurized egg whites (3 tablespoons meringue powder can be substituted)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Steps:

1. In the large bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy.
2. Add powdered sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn mixer to high speed and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. (This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.)
3. Add food coloring, if desired. Use immediately
4. Icing can be store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Yorkshire Puddings

I was asked to provide a recipe for Yorkshire Puddings that would equal the quality of those served in the United Kingdom. The secret to getting these little treats to rise is that all of the ingredients must be at room temperature, and the oven should not be opened while they are baking. Failure to heed these instructions will result in very dense and flat puddings.

Ingredients:

7/8 Cup All Purpose Flour (1 Cup minus 2 Tablespoons)

½ Teaspoon Salt

2 Eggs, Beaten

½ Cup Milk

½ Cup Water

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F
2. Sift Flour and Salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Create a well in the center of the flour, and pour the milk into the center. Mix well.
4. Beat the eggs into the mixture. Add Milk slowing while beating the mixture between additions.
5. Add water and beat until large bubbles appear at the surface of the mixture. Allow mixture to rest 5 minutes.
6. While mixture is resting, heat a 9 x 12 baking dish, or muffin pan containing about ¼ inch of beef drippings, or melted butter in the oven.
7. Pour batter into hot pan until it reaches a depth of just slightly more than ½ inch.
8. Bake for 20 minutes at 400˚F, and then reduce temperature to 350˚F.
9. Continue baking 10-15 additional minutes until golden brown.
10. Serve Immediately.

Jamaican Curried Goat

Jamaican Curried Goat

Ingredients:

2lb (including bones) of goat meat – cut in to cubes (lamb may be used as a substitute)
2 tbsp Jamaican curry powder

2 diced onions
2 scallions (or spring onions)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 scotch bonnet chili peppers, minced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
6 cloves of minced garlic
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lb diced carrots
1/2 lb diced potato

Steps:

1. Combine the curry powder, onions, scallion, salt, pepper, chilies, ginger, thyme and half a cup of water in a blender. Add more water as necessary so  the ingredients mix well.
2. Rub the mixture in to the cubes of meat, let marinade in the fridge overnight.
3. Scrape the marinade off the meat and save for later.
4. Add the meat and butter to a frying pan and brown gently.
5. Place the meat in a saucepan and add the potatoes, carrots and marinade then add enough water to cover the meat.
6. Bring to the boil then let simmer until the meat is tender (this should take 1 – 1.5 hours).
7. Served traditionally with rice and peas

Rice and peas

Ingredients:

3 cups of white rice
1 cup of dried red kidney beans or pigeon peas
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
3 Scallion
1 cup of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Steps:

1. Wash and sort your dried peas, or beans.
2. Pour on three cups of water and leave to soak overnight.
3. Crush the garlic and add to seven cups of boiling water.
4. Add peas and boil for 45 minutes.
5. You can test to see if the peas are cooked by crushing them with a spoon to check for tenderness.
   (If they crush easily, you are ready to move on to the next step)
6. Add your coconut milk, rice, salt, black pepper and thyme to the water. Reduce heat to a simmer.
7. Crush the scallion (do not chop) and add this to the peas with the uncut scotch bonnet pepper. The pepper remains uncut so as to not make the rice spicy, but just give it a subtle peppery flavor.
8. Cover the Rice and Peas. Allow to simmer about 40 minutes.

Rogan Josh

Serves 6
Rogan Josh is one of the most popular curry dishes served in restaurants today. The name means ”Red Curry” , the red being provided by the chilies.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Ghee, or Clarified Butter
2 Pounds Braising Steak, cut into 1” cubes
1 Onion, chopped fine
3 Cloves Garlic
1-in. piece Fresh Ginger Root, grated
4 Fresh Red Chilies, chopped
4 Green Cardamom Pods
4 Cloves
2 Teaspoons Coriander Seeds
2 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1 Teaspoon Spanish Paprika
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Fresh Bay Leaf
¼ Cup Natural Yogurt
1-in. Piece Cinnamon Stick
2/3 Cups Hot Water
¼ Teaspoon Garam Masala
Freshly Milled Black Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Heat the ghee in a large pot and brown the meat in batches.
2. Add the onion to the ghee and stir over high heat for 3-4 minutes.
3. Grind together the garlic, ginger, chilies, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin, paprika, and salt in a spice grinder.
4. Add the spice mixture and bay leaf to the pot and stir until fragrant.
5. Return the meat and any juices to the pot, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Gradually stir in the yogurt to the pot while keeping the sauce simmering.
7. Stir in the cinnamon and hot water. Season with black pepper.
8. Transfer meat to a covered casserole dish and cook in a preheated, 350°F oven, for 1 hour, stirring frequently, until the meat is very tender and the sauce has slightly reduced.
9. Discard the cinnamon stick, and stir in the garam masala. Remove any excess oil from the surface.
10. Serve with steamed basmati rice and naan bread.

Lamb Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2-inch piece ginger root, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup natural yogurt
2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon Paprika or 1-2 drops edible red food coloring
1 teaspoon water
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish
Masala Sauce
1 tablespoon ghee( Clarified Butter)
3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
2 fresh green chilies, chopped
½ cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
1. Combine the cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt and yogurt in a bowl. Stir in the lamb until evenly coated with the sauce. Dilute the food coloring with the water, and add to the bowl, stirring well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Soak 6 wooden skewers in hot water with 1 teaspoon oil for 15 minutes.
2. Make the masala sauce. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan and add the tomatoes, mustard seeds, green chilies and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down. Stir occasionally.
3. Thread the pieces of lamb onto the skewers. Set the skewers on a broiler pan and cook under a preheated very hot broiler for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Stir the mint and fresh chopped cilantro into the sauce, and season with salt & pepper.
5. Carefully remove the lamb from the skewers. Stir the lamb into the masala sauce and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
6. Serve with Basmati Rice, and hot Naan bread.