Veggie Day - Asian Ratatouille

Every day should be a Veggie Day but considering today's the National Holiday I thought I'd share a recipe which makes vegetables the star! Ratatouille is a great dish which is so easy to make but can look so elegant. You can make it with ingredients you have on hand and can substitute in whichever veggies you prefer.

ASIAN RATATOUILLE

• 1 pound mixed grilled vegetables (cucumbers, peppers, onions, zucchini, and eggplant)
• 3 tablespoons Chinese marinade
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 packages of Wasabi rice crackers or any other rice cracker

1. Mince all the vegetables fine or combine ingredients and pulse a few times in a food processor; do not over process.  You want to mince the vegetables and puree them.
2. Spoon a small teaspoon per rice cracker or serve in bite size portions on spoons.

*Variation:

Asian Ratatouille Dip:

Prepare as above adding a cup of sour cream or Mediterranean yogurt; taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little lemon juice if necessary.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  (You may prepare this recipe in advance; refrigerate, well wrapped or in a covered container for up to a day before serving.)  Serve with vegetables or crackers.

SUGAR CRUSTED RASPBERRY MUFFINS

Happy Father's Day to all the marvelous fathers out there! This recipe is dedicated to all of you but most of all, my dad. When I was little I had memories of him stashing some of mother's muffins away in the freezer. Then when it was time for afternoon tea, he'd take a couple out, cut them in half, butter them, and toast them. They were just as good a couple days later. It used to always make me laugh but was so clever. He was a man with many tricks up his sleeve. Here's to you dad! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUGAR CRUSTED RASPBERRY MUFFINS

• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 TABLESPOON CINNAMON
•  (1 stick) melted butter
• 1cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2cups fresh raspberries
• 1`cup flour
• 1cup sugar PLUS 1 TEASPOON OF CINNAMON (topping)

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients, slowly adding melted butter.
3. Gradually add milk, egg and vanilla and fold into batter until combined.  Mixture will be lumpy.
4. Carefully fold in raspberries to mixture.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes or 10-12 minutes if you’re making mini-muffins.  Set aside and cool for 10 minutes.
6. Dust sugar on top of muffins

Variations:       Substitute other berries such as blueberries, blackberries or strawberries.  Or combine all for mixed berry muffins

Egg-in-the-hole toasts with ricotta

Happy National Egg Day! Eggs are so wonderful because they are so diverse. They can be the star of a dish or help hold it together (literally!). For this special day I'm going classic and serving brinner. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, it means serving a traditional breakfast dish for dinner! There's something about having eggs when the sun goes down that whimsical and 2x more delicious. Bon appetit!

Egg-in-the-hole toasts with ricotta

Prep time: 5 min. Total Time: 30 min.

Serves 4

Baked with bread and cheese, eggs go from morning staple to delicious dinner.

4 slices rustic bread (1 inch thick)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil from brushing, plus more for drizzling

8 ounces (1 cup) fresh ricotta cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 ounces (1/4 cup) shaved parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Tear out middle of each bread slice to form a 1-1/2 inch hole, reserving torn pieces. Arrange slices in a baking dish. Tear bread from middles into smaller pieces. Brush slices on both sides and pieces all over with oil, and sprinkle pieces around slices. Bake until toasted and golden, about 12 minutes. Leave oven on.
2. Mix ricotta with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper, and fold in thyme. Spread mixture onto slices, avoiding the hole in each slice, and drizzle with oil.
3. Break 1 egg into each hole, and season with salt. Bake until egg whites are set, about 12 minutes. Top each slice with Parmesan, and garnish with toasted bread pieces.

National Wine Day

Happy National Wine Day! For the spirited day (pun intended), I wanted to share two of my favorite wines. 

The first is, Carpineto Dogajolo Rosato by Opici Wines. My sister introduced me to this wine and it was love at first sight. I thought the label was gorgeous and what inside the bottle is just as appealing as the outside. I love that it's a nice quality wine that 's reasonably priced as well. If you love rose, this wine is for you!

The second favorite won me over by it's name but I kept coming back because of it's fantastic taste. It's called Lulu Sauvignon Blanc by Hewitson Wines! Naturally, I had to love it! Name aside, it's a wonderful fresh, crisp white wine. I'm also good friends with the chief wine maker and CEO of the company, Dean Hewitson. In fact, I just had lunch with him at Son of a Gun in Los Angeles last week! Here we are sipping on a glass of wine. Wonderful man and wonderful wine. 

No matter what your preference, just be sure to enjoy the day to the fullest with a full glass of wine!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I know for many Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to enjoy a tall margarita but I thought today I would switch it up. Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely be breaking out the tequila for an ice cold margarita but I wanted to share a more unique recipe with Mexican roots to honor the holiday. 

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Lulu’s Salty Caramel Banana Coconut Flan

Serves: 4-5

Preparation time: 20 minutes active, 1 ½ hours baking

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

¾ cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon

1 large piece of lemon zest

1 tablespoon rum

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Start by infusing some flavor into the milk. Put the milk in a medium saucepan with the lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and rum.

Slowly bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool (this is important).

You will need some custard cups suitable for the oven. You don’t necessarily need flan cups, but you need something about 3” wide by about 2” tall.

In a small non-stick skillet, spread out ¼ cup of the sugar. We are going to create the caramel to go in the custard cup.

Heat the sugar carefully and it will start to melt. Stir until you get a nice golden brown color.

Pour about ½ tablespoon into each cup and tilt the cup to spread the caramel to cover the bottom of each cup.

You need to work fast as the caramel will harden quickly!

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Now in a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, ½ cup of sugar, and vanilla. Beat until foamy.

Pour in the milk (it has cooled, right?) through the strainer to remove the extra bits.

Mix the milk and eggs well.

Pour the mixture into each cup as near to the top as you can. Place the cups (not touching each other) in a deep baking pan or dish.

Pour boiling water into pan around the cups so that you have about an inch of water in the pan. This creates a water bath for the custard.

Bake now for 1 ½ hours. Check the custard with a thin knife in the center of one of the flans.

Remove from the oven when done and remove the cups from the bath to cool.

Can be served at room temperature or cooled.

Remove from the cup by sliding a think knife around the edge of the cup. Enjoy!

Kentucky Derby Juleps

This weekend marks not only Cinco de Mayo off the calendar but what is considered the most exciting 2 minutes in sports...or more commonly known as the Kentucky Derby. Tradition dictates that the derby is always held on the first Saturday in May. Also part of the tradition, is a special sneeky. The race is best enjoyed with a mint julep nearby. (And, if you are a lady, a lavish hat won't hurt, either.) According to the Kentucky Derby Museum, the mint julep has been the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. It's really a simple cocktail; a little bourbon, some simple syrup, and mint. Garnish with some powdered sugar and a some more mint. Though easy to make, when done well, it's oh so refreshing!

Here are four variations to the classic drink: