Category Archives: food

Cornbread Muffins with Berries and Cream

Cornbread Muffins (makes 9 muffins)

130 g ap flour

130 g stone ground yellow cornmeal

8 g baking powder

25 g toasted milk powder

big pinch of salt

2 large eggs

245 g buttermilk

60 g melted butter

80 g honey

1 tbsp butter (for toasting)

Equipment: scale, measuring cups/ spoons (1/3 and 1 cup, 1 tbsp and 1/4 tsp), 2 small mixing bowls, 2 larger mixing bowls, piping bag, 3×3 muffin pan, whisk, serrated knife, small sauté pan

  1. Thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet in smaller one.
  2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until no pockets of dry ingredients remain, lumps are good so be careful not to overmix. Transfer to a piping bag and rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400 ℉ and prepare your 3×3 muffin pan by spraying with nonstick spray, or brushing the muffin pan walls with butter.
  4. Fill your muffin molds 3/4 of the way up and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out with a little bit of moisture and crumbs stuck to it.
  5. Once removed from the oven, flip the muffin pan over on a cooling rack and flip them individually right side up to cool.

Macerated Berries

1 cup Blueberries

1 cup Raspberries

50 g lemon juice

100 g light brown sugar

pinch of salt

  1. In the other small mixing bowl carefully mix the ingredients together every 10 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved into the accumulated juices

Whipped Cream

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

1 Pinch of salt

  1. In a larger mixing bowl whip all the ingredients to soft peaks

To Serve

  1. Cut the corn muffins down the middle and toast in a pan with butter
  2. Plate the cut muffins next to each other with a heavy dollop of whipped cream laid across the top and plenty of berries and sauce spooned over the middle and around the edges. Garnish with fresh mint.
  3. Enjoy!

Pain au Chocolat French Toast

***I recommend only using Pain au Chocolat/ chocolate croissants that have 2 batons of chocolate per croissant each

Serves 2 people

2 pain au chocolat

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

1 tsp cinnamon

a 3-finger pinch of salt

1 tbsp butter

Agave, powdered sugar, berries to serve

Equipment: bread knife, whisk, large mixing bowl, pan with nonstick capabilities, spatula

  1. Preheat your pan over medium-low heat.
  2. Using a bread knife, carefully cut the croissants down the middle in between the batons of chocolate and set aside.
  3. Thoroughly whisk together all the rest of the ingredients excluding the butter to make the custard. Make sure the whites and yolks are completely incorporated with each other before moving on.
  4. Add the pain au chocolat halves to the custard and then add the butter to your pan. When the bubbles in the butter have subsided, remove the croissants and add them cut side down to the hot pan. Careful not to overcrowd the pan, work in batches if needed.
  5. Once the first side is golden brown and dry in appearance, flip them and give them a light press to slightly to help with the other side’s browning. Don’t crush them or flatten them all the way!
  6. If you have any leftover custard, I recommend spooning a little extra in over the French toast after you’ve flipped them to give their interiors extra creaminess.
  7. Plate and then drizzle a bit of agave over the top. Dust them with powdered sugar and serve alongside fresh berries of your choice to help cut the richness of the French toast.
  8. Enjoy!

Fennel and Citrus Salad with Pistachios

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

2 heads of fennel

3 oranges

2 grapefruits

1/2 cup toasted pistachios, chopped

1 small red onion

5 oz fresh arugula

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 clove of fresh garlic, grated with a microplane or finely minced with a knife

1 tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard

1 tbsp agave/ honey

salt and chipotle chili powder to taste

Optional: 5 oz crumbled blue cheese, a dry gorgonzola dolce if possible

Equipment: chef knife, mandolin (optional, but helpful), cutting board, bowl for mixing, bowl with a mesh strainer set in it, microplane/ fine grater

  1. Start by cutting the onion as thin as possible. A mandolin will make this easier, but it isn’t necessary as long as you can cut it very finely. Rinse the cut onion under cold water through a mesh strainer to help prevent the harsh onion flavors from overpowering the other ingredients after the salad has sat for a while.
  2. Cut the fennel next, at leasts thin as the onion. Remove and reserve the fronds. Set the everything aside while you cut the citrus.
  3. To prepare the citrus, cut the top and bottoms off of each orange and grapefruit just enough that you get past the pith and can see the segments of the flesh clearly. To peel them, place the fruit on one of their flat sides and cut the peel away, careful to remove all of the butter white pith. Cut the peeled citrus into wheels and remove any seeds that you see. If the grapefruit are larger than the oranges, cut those slices into half moon shapes. Set aside.
  4. Add the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, agave, salt and chili powder to a small container with a watertight lid and shake well until creamy and everything is fully incorporated with each other.
  5. Add 2-3 tbsp of the vinaigrette to a large mixing bowl and spread it around the bottom third of the bowl with a spoon. Add the arugula, fennel and onion with another couple tbsp of dressing on top and mix until everything is mixed together equally and fully coated in the dressing. Taste the salad at this point for seasoning. Add salt, chili to taste
  6. Plate the salad in a tall pile on a large serving dish. Place the citrus on top of the salad in a visually appealing way. Sprinkle the pistachios (and the cheese if desired) evenly over the top and garnish the with the fennel fronds. Serve immediately alongside grilled or roasted meats and seafood.

*Since you rinsed the red onion, you can reserve some salad for later if you don’t plan on serving it all at once, just utilize the vinaigrette accordingly and store everything separately in the fridge.

Chick o’ Stick Cookies

Recipe makes 8 cookies

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups desiccated coconut (separated into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup Turbinado sugar

Equipment: hand mixer, mixing bowl, baking sheet, parchment paper, oven

  1. with a hand mixer cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup of the coconut until it’s light and airy
  2. add the egg and blend until smooth
  3. with clean hands, roll the dough into 8 equal sized balls
  4. mix the rest of the coconut and the turbinado sugar together and roll the dough balls in that mixture
  5. bake the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes, or when the edges just start to darken

best enjoyed with coffee or tea

Vegetarian Cabbage Frittata

Frittata:

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 of a head of cabbage diced

1/4 a small yellow onion diced

2 stalks of celery sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp chipotle chili powder

8 eggs, scrambled thoroughly with a fork or whisk

3 oz feta cut into small cubes (1/2 inch)

3 oz smoked gouda cut into small cubes

Crema:

1/2 cup sour cream

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 a bunch of dill, chopped

2 scallions, sliced very thin on a bias

Equipment needed: chef knife, cutting board, flexible spatula, fork/ whisk, pan with nonstick capabilities (I recommend a well-seasoned carbon steel pan but regular nonstick is fine), plate for flipping

  1. In a nonstick pan of your choice, preheat 2 tbsp of your oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, sauté the prepped vegetables until the edges just start to brown.
  2. Add your spices and cook for 30 seconds, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
  3. Add the rest if your oil to the pan and pour the eggs on top of everything. Evenly distribute the ingredients in the pan with your spatula.
  4. Add the cubed cheese and let the whole thing cook, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Be careful to keep your eye on it in case the heat is too high.
  5. Once the eggs are cooked most of the way through and there is very little liquid egg sitting on top, flip the frittata over using a plate turned upside-down on top. With your hand firmly pressed on the plate, turn the pan over with the plate and slide the frittata back into the pan once it’s flipped.
  6. Let it cook for another minute or two and remove it from the pan and let it rest on a non-plastic cutting board.
  7. While the frittata rests and cools slightly, make the crema. Mix together the sour cream with the chopped dill and lemon juice.
  8. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve with the crema dolloped on top and the sliced scallion sprinkled over the plate.

For some extra protein, sauté some dry Spanish chorizo with the vegetables and leave out the 3rd tbsp of olive oil.

I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Vegan Beans

makes approximately 1 gallon of beans

2 quarts dried beans

1/2 cup olive oil (plus enough to sear the aromatics)

2 large shallots, halved pole-to-pole and root “hairs” trimmed

1 head of garlic, halved orbitally

1 poblano pepper

1 lemon, halve

2 packets of Sazon Goya

1 tbsp dried mexican oregano

1 tbsp Aleppo chili flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp mustard oil (or 2 tsp dried ground mustard)

water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Equipment: 6-8 qt pot, chef knife, broiler/ torch

  1. Start by preheating a large pot with 1/4″ of oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. With their cut sides facing downward, place the shallots, garlic and lemon into the oil. Cook until thoroughly browned. Remove everything from the pot and reserve.
  2. Char your poblano pepper under your broiler or with a butane torch. Your end result should have all of the chile’s skin black, blistered and starting to separate from its flesh. Place the freshly charred poblano in a metal bowl and cover with a pot lid or plastic wrap and let it steam for 10 minutes. At this point, rub the burnt skin off using a dry paper towel. Cut off the stem and remove as many seeds as possible. Place aside with the other seared aromatics.
  3. After checking your beans for debris, add them to the pot along with the 1/2 cup of olive oil, Sazon, oregano, chili flakes, paprika, four 4-finger pinches of salt and 10-12 cranks of freshly ground black pepper (approximately 2 heaping tsp). Fill the pot with water so that the beans are covered by at least 2 inches.
  4. Add your reserved fruit and veg to the top and bring the whole thing to a boil. At this point, reduce the heat to a gently bubbling simmer.
  5. The beans will need to cook between 2.5-4 hours, or until they are tender all the way through. Be sure to keep your eye on the water level, making sure to cover the beans in water whenever needed.
  6. Remove the aromatics from the beans. At this point, you have 2 choices: you can dispose of the aromatics to keep your broth clearer and thinner, or you can blend them in a food processor (careful to de-seed the lemons beforehand) and add them back to the beans. The latter makes your broth thicker and more unctuous. All the flavor has been cooked out of the aromatics, so this step is primarily for texture and appearance.
  7. Turn the heat off on your burner and add your apple cider vinegar and mustard oil. Mix thoroughly and taste your beans. At this point you want to add more salt/ pepper/ vinegar a little at a time until they are seasoned to your liking.
  8. Enjoy with rice or alone as a delicious vegan protein source!

Sam’s Coconut Sablé

makes 16 cookies

75 g unsalted butter, room temperature

50 g extra virgin olive oil

80 g white sugar

25 g fine dry coconut

55 g egg yolk

5 g dark rum (optional)

3 g salt

5 g baking powder

50 g powdered coconut milk

130 g all-purpose flour

  1. Mix the butter, olive oil, sugar and dry coconut until the mixture is fully incorporated and slightly fluffy.
  2. Add the egg yolk, rum and salt and mix thoroughly.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until no dry bits of flour remain. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
  4. Once fully chilled, preheat the oven to 300℉. Roll the dough into 16 balls, each one approximately weighing 30 grams. You should end up with 16 dough balls.
  5. Space the dough balls out on 2 parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges of the sable should be just barely starting to brown.
  6. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet trays, then remove the cookies from their trays and finish cooling on the counter until they’re no longer warm to the touch.

Refried Bean Croquettes

Makes 8 large-ish croquettes

1 can refried black beans

6 slices of bacon, fried/ baked and chopped

2 small or one large Red onion, small diced and sautéed

2 poblano peppers

3 tbsp masa harena/ fine cornmeal

1 egg

1/2 lb Oaxaca cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

4-6 cups oil for shallow frying (enough to come halfway up the croquettes when frying)

sour cream/ salsa to dip

Equipment: a 4-6 qt pot, tongs, baking sheet with a rack lined with paper towel, broiler/ butane torch, small mixing bowl with a lid that fits it (or aluminum foil), large mixing bowl, 1 long, deep dish for breading

  1. Roast your peppers under the broiler and turn ever few minutes until the entire surface of both peppers are black
  2. Add the peppers to a heat proof bowl and cover with a pot lid or plate. Let sit until cool enough to touch.
  3. Once cooled, take paper towels (or wear disposable gloves) and rub off the burnt skin. Cut the stems off and remove the seeds as well. Chop into pieces equal to the size of the onions.
  4. Once everything is cooled, mix all but the cheese and breadcrumbs fully. The mixture should be slightly sticky to the touch. If it’s too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time until it’s the right texture.
  5. Take a spoon and scoop an amount of bean mixture equal to the size of a golf ball and push a chunk of cheese into its center, making sure that the cheese is completely enveloped in the mixture.
  6. Roll these balls in panko breadcrumbs until there are no bare spots and reserve in a sheet pan
  7. I use a saucepan to shallow fry because it ends up a little less messy that a frying pan. Fill the pan just under halfway with oil and heat to between 350℉ -375℉. Fry the croquettes until golden brown and drain over a cooling rack set in a baking sheet to keep them crispy. Be sure to season them with a 3 finger pinch of salt while they are fresh out of the oil.
  8. For the dipping sauce, mix equal parts sour cream and salsa.
  9. Enjoy while hot or keep warm in a 200℉ oven

Sandwiches!

These are just ideas for sandwiches, email me (Donaldson103211@gmail.com) with any questions!

Breakfast Sammy

  • 3 eggs, lightly scrambled with salt, pepper and a splash of milk
  • 2 slices of a country bread loaf, toasted
  • 2 slices American cheese
  • ketchup mixed with a dash of chili sambal or sriracha

Sausage patty melt

  • 2 thin sausage patties
  • 2 slices of toasted white bread
  • 1-2 slices of American cheese
  • 1/4 of an onion, sautéed until brown around the edges
  • 1-2 tbsp mayo for the bread
  • 4 slices of dill cucumber pickle

Summer Vegetable and Cheddar sandwich

  • 2 slices of soft white bread
  • 1/4 green bell pepper, sliced thin
  • 10 thin slices of cucumber
  • 4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • mayo on both sides of bread
  • 1 tbsp toasted and chopped pistachios pressed into the mayo’d slices of bread
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • pickled red onion
  • 2-3 leaves of butter lettuce

BLT

  • 2 slices of soft white bread, each toasted on one side only
  • Thick cut applewood smoked bacon, fried or baked
  • 2-3 leaves of a flavorful lettuce like romaine
  • 6-8 thin slices of tomato, seasoned w/ salt and pep
  • mayo on the toasted sides of the bread

Egg and Avo Soldier

  • toasted French bread style loaf
  • 3-4 soft, creamy scrambled eggs
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • flaky salt and pepper

Open- Faced Sausage and Avocado

  • Breakfast sausage or sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
  • red pepper flakes
  • toss the sausage in malt or sherry vinegar and ground, toasted fennel and coriander seeds
  • seasoned, mashed avocado
  • Crusty Bread, toasted in olive oil
  • shredded havarti and red pepper flake to garnish

Grape Parfait

This recipe is simple, yet delicious. It delivers a lot with a little, and is a go to for me on hot days. This recipe makes 3-4 servings

  • 2 cups rinsed red grapes
  • 1/2 cup full fat greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup toasted roughly chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 2 4-finger pinches of brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Mix the yogurt with the maple syrup, salt and nuts
  2. Add the grapes to the yogurt mixture
  3. garnish with the brown sugar, only on top to preserve its texture