NRA day 1

Today I attended the fantastic first day of the NRA here in Chicago. (That's the National Restaurant Association, folks. Food, not guns!)
I had an awesome day full of tasty treats and fun culinary gadgets. With the help of my filmmaker mother Etta Worthington, we filmed a bit of my experience at the show. This is my first attempt at a video blog, which I am super excited about. So click play and enjoy.

Till next time live, love and eat some fantastic food.

Fun with food- Orange Basil Granita

Been awhile since my last blog (feels like I’m in the confessional at a Catholic church) and I’ve had many intense feelings and experiences with food. I like when food appeals to all the senses, even the sense of humor. I enjoy finding the laugh and smile in my food. I feel it eating should be pleasurable as well as fun.

So recently when making a dinner for my mom, I found a great recipe for a really fun and simple dessert. It was for an Orange Granita that you serve in a frozen hollowed out orange. I would love to say this is my recipe, but it is from Wolfgang Puck and it turned out awesome. And it has me thinking about some other fun ways to serve a granita. 

For those of you not familiar with granita, it is a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar (or another sweetener), juice and flavorings. It is made simply by freezing the liquid and scraping it with a fork to fluff it up/break up the ice crystals. It’s like a really gourmet and grown-up version of a Slurpee. You know that fun "brainfreeze that makes your tongue every color imaginable" bit of sugary goodness you had as a child. This is just a bit more "refined", yet still very fun. It is a dessert originally from Sicily. 

So for this dessert, you hollow out an orange that you have cut off about 25% off of the top and freeze it. This makes a wonderful little serving dish. Then you pile in the finished granita so it looks like a whole orange again. And since this recipe calls for basil, you can slip a small basil leaf in to make it look like a leaf. This dish is super easy and fun. 

 Here is the original recipe. Though since my mother doesn’t eat sugar, I used Splenda instead. You also may use other sweeteners such as honey or agave syrup as well if you don’t want to use sugar. It also calls for an orange flavored liquer and I used Cointreau for this recipe. It adds a really nice intense flavor to the granita. 

Orange Basil Granita

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 oranges
• 4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• Sugar, to taste
• 3 sprigs basil
• 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions

Clean and wash the oranges. Cut off the top 1/4 of the oranges and shave a small slice off the bottom so it stands easily.

Using a grapefruit knife cut out the flesh of the oranges and place in a strainer set over a bowl. Be careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the oranges on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer and freeze until solid.

Press the flesh of the oranges through the strainer to extract all of the juice. You should end up with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of orange juice. Add the extra 4 cups orange juice. Stir in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is of desired sweetness. Add the basil and orange-flavored liqueur and let sit for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture into a roasting pan or baking dish. The dish should be large enough so the liquid is not more than 1-inch deep. Freeze the mixture for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and scrape with 2 forks to break up ice. Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping with forks every hour or so.

When the granita is frozen, scoop it into the orange shells and serve immediately.

Some other ideas I had for granita flavors are watermelon-lime that you serve in frozen hollowed-out limes. I think this would be good for parties for a fun passed dish. It would make a nice palate cleanser as well.  Also a nice coffee granita that you serve with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream for a fun play on iced coffee. But those will be future recipes/future blogs to look forward to.

I too hope you can find the fun and whimsy in your food. Because food I feel should be more than just about feeding your hunger, but about feeding all of your senses.

Till next time live, love and eat some fantastic food.

Favorite appetizer- Grilled Artichokes with a Spicy Sweet Remoulade Sauce

I have a lovely local restaurant that has some tasty treats called Dunlay’s On The Square. It’s located in the heart of Logan Square in Chicago. I had this awesome appetizer there and wanted try to recreate it at home. Grilled artichokes with a spicy sweet remoulade sauce. Sooo tasty and smoky. The combination of the grilled flavor of the artichoke with the spicy sweet of the creamy remolade was such a delight on my taste buds.

I knew that I had to probably pre-cook the artichokes some how and then make up a mayonnaise-based sauce with both spicy and sweet notes in it. I first tried it out on my mother who loved it so much, that it now is I believe her favorite appetizer for me to make for her just short of the Caprese salad. Mom does love her veggies! So here it is, my version of grilled artichokes with a remoulade sauce. This is a delight for any occasion.

Grilled Artichokes with a Spicy Sweet Remoulade sauce

Grilled Artichokes

Ingredients

4 large artichokes

1 lemon, halved

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

-Spicy Sweet Remoulade Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.

Break off the artichokes' small outside leaves. Cut off the top with a knife and trim the sharp points of the leaves with scissors. Slice the artichokes in half, rubbing them with cut lemon as you go to avoid discoloration. Squeeze the lemon halves into a bowl of cold water, soak the artichokes for 10 minutes, and then wash with cold water to remove sand.  Place artichoke halves in a large steamer insert over simmering water and steam until heart is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes depending upon size (inserted knife blade will go in smoothly). Allow to cool. Remove the choke with a spoon.

Prep the cooled artichokes by brushing on the olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill the artichokes on both sides until golden on the surface with nice grill marks and heated through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with the Spicy Sweet Remoulade Sauce.

Spicy Sweet Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients

1 c mayonnaise

1/4 c ketchup

1/4 c garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t salt

1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash ground black pepper

Dash lousiana style hot sauce (I prefer the original Louisiana hot sauce)

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and serve as a dip with the grilled artichokes.

Leftover sauce will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 or 4 days.

Recipe guide:

T= Tablespoon/s

t=  teaspoon/s

c=  cup/s

Boy, do I love this dish. It was really fun for me, trying to recreate what I had in a restaurant at home with no recipe. It was a challenge, but a good for me to fine-tune my taste skills.

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a knack for tasting food and being able to pick out what spices and flavorings were in the dish. I guess I have a very sensitive palate. I’ve also read that women on the whole tend to have more taste buds then men, but start to lose them earlier around age 40 as opposed to 60 for men. Not sure how exactly accurate that is, but I have read many articles along those lines. And I sure do love to read about food, especially other blogs about food. And here is a great one that talks about movies and food. Who doesn’t love dinner and a movie?

So till my next yummy food blog post, live love and eat some fantastic food.

A tasty dessert at Revolution Brewing

I thought I would change things up a little and do a restaurant and dessert review. Recently for one of my classes at school (Culinary Science), I had to do a report on a plated dessert at a nice restaurant.  The assignment was to pick a nicer restaurant, no Arby’s or TGIF’s allowed and order a plated dessert. We needed to do a review of both the restaurant and the dessert we ordered. We had to comment on the different aspects of a plated dessert as you will soon see. I hope you enjoy.

Revolution Brewery is a new Logan Square Bar-restaurant. Since I live in the area and it’s new, I thought I’d check it out and also do my plated dessert review. Revolution Brewery is located on Milwaukee Avenue just north of California. It's a  brewery, bar and restaurant. When I walked in, I was really put at ease. It has a very warm and comfortable feel about it. I picked this location because their online menu looked fantastic, especially the desserts.

The service was great, very friendly and almost over the top. I think because this restaurant is so new they are being very eager to please. I went with a friend of mine and we were seated in these awesome tall booths that over looked the bar and had a great view of the open kitchen in the back.

For my dessert, I ordered the cherry bourbon cake. Here is the description it came with: Cherry bourbon cake, Michigan sour cherries soaked in bourbon and baked in an almond-rosemary upside down cake with a vanilla bean cream. The dessert was $6. It arrived in a simple but elegant big white bowl.

The textures in the dessert were very good. The cake was soft and had a nice crumb to it. There was a nice crunch with the toasted almonds spread around.  The vanilla cream had a cool creaminess to it. The sauce spread around was tasty, but needed to be thicker and have more of it. It was too thin and soaked right into the cake and sort of layered there around the plate without a nice body.

The flavor of the dessert was fantastic. The cake was very aromatic with almond flour and rosemary. The rosemary was subtle and didn’t over power the dish. The light vanilla in the cream was a refreshing balance to the sweetness of the cake and the tartness of the cherries.

The color was attractive on the plate. It had a golden brown hue for the cake, speckled white for the cream and a bright red for the cherries and sauce. It was sprinkled with some of white with flecks of brown in the toasted almonds. I personally wanted a more contrasting color to make this dish pop more. The dessert was presented very symmetrically on the plate. I think my eye would have been drawn to it more, if it had been a bit off center and more care was taken in plating it.

The temperature of the different elements on the plate where pretty much the same. The cake was slightly warm and the cream was at best room temperature.

But all in all the dessert was very enjoyable and the service throughout was fantastic. I give it a 91%. I look forward to going back and trying not only more of their desserts, but the food on the rest of the menu as well. The rest of the menu had a nice variety of vegetarian, fish and meat dishes, which looked very tasty. 

Also they have their very own beers that they brew and serve which are only a few at the moment. But I'm sure they will have more to choose from the longer they are open. I was also delighted to discover they have Three Philosophers beer on the menu, which is a truly flavorful and potent beer that is newly a favorite of mine. I do recommend if you get a chance, to stop on by and check out Revolution Brewing. 

Till next time live, love and eat some fantastic food.

Revolution Brewing LLC

2323 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647-2924
(773) 227-2739

Day 7- Caramelized Onion Quiche with Portabella Mushrooms and Gouda

Last day- “The Week Of Eating In Challenge”

Whew, my final day of the challenge. And I have a very yummy recipe for you. You can use this for brunch, lunch or dinner. It is a very versatile dish. It’s a quiche. But not just any quiche, a caramelized onion with portabella mushroom and Gouda quiche. Yep, I had to “Ashley” it up. You can serve it with a nice salad for lunch or dinner and maybe some nice roasted potatoes for brunch. Whichever way you choose, I’m sure it will be super tasty. Enjoy and Bon Appétit!

Caramelized Onion Quiche with Portabella Mushrooms and Gouda

Makes 8 slices or 1 quiche

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust (either use Pate Brisee recipe below, or store bought)
• 2 c thinly sliced onion rings (about 1 large onion)
• 2 T olive oil (1 T to sauté the mushrooms and 1 T for the onions)
• 2 c small chunks of portabella or baby portabella mushrooms
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 c half and half
• 1/3 c whole milk
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2  t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2  t freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 1  1/2 c (packed) coarsely grated Gouda cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
• 1/2 c chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.     Unroll crust completely. Press firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake until light golden brown, pressing on sides of crust with back of spoon if crust begins to slide down sides of dish, about 17 minutes.

3.     Pull crust out and reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

4.     Meanwhile, heat 1 T of olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions;   

sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium low and stir occasionally as the onions begin to caramelize. Toss in a little salt and pepper to taste as you are doing this. When done, set aside.

                5.    Heat in another skillet the other 1 T of oil and saute the mushrooms until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Salt and    
                       pepper to taste. 

6.     Whisk eggs, half and half, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg in large

bowl to blend. Put caramelized onions, mushrooms, 1 c of the Gouda cheese and the chopped basil into the prepared pie shell. Next pour the filling into the pie shell. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over quiche.

7.     Bake quiche until puffed, golden brown, and just set in center, about 45 minutes. Cool 30

minutes. Cut into wedges.

Buttery pastry dough (Pâte brisée)
Makes a 9-inch pie shell

This dough refrigerates well after baking and reheats to perfection.
Sift together:
  2 c  all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
Add:
   1/2 c (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
  3 T chilled vegetable shortening
Cut half the shortening into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of cornmeal. Cut in the remaining half until it is pea-sized. Sprinkle the dough with:
   5-6 T ice water
Blend the water gently into the dough until it just holds together; you may lift the ingredients with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread. If necessary to hold the ingredients together, add:
   1 t to 1 T ice water
Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.

Recipe guide:

T= Tablespoons

t=  teaspoons

c=  cup/s

So this ends my week of  “The Week Of Eating In Challenge” offered by Huffington Post. It has been a tremendous learning experience for me. Especially on the do’s and don’ts of blogging. Thanks to you that have been following my blog. So up next after a week of eating in and making wonderful food at home, I will go out and review a local new restaurant in my neighborhood. And maybe even through in a wacky Ashley recipe to boot. 

Till then live, love and eat some fantastic food.

Day 6- Stuffed French Toast with Cherry Bourbon sauce

Day six -“The Week Of Eating In Challenge”

For today I thought I’d do a brunch item, it being the weekend and all. And who doesn’t love French toast. So, I decided to make it even better and stuff it with some delicious sweet creamy cheeses and then serve it with a fruit sauce with some bourbon in it. Yum! Savor and enjoy the pleasure it brings to your palate.

Stuffed French toast with cherry bourbon sauce

Serves 4

Batter:

2 eggs

1 c milk

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t pure vanilla extract

Filling:

8 oz (1 package) cream cheese

4 oz Mascarpone cheese

1/4 c powered sugar

1 T orange zest

1 t bourbon

Sauce:

1 c water

½ c bourbon

¼ c orange juice

1 c dried tart cherries
½ c sugar
1 T cornstarch

Dash of water to mix the cornstarch with

1.Butter, as needed 6 -8 (2-inch thick) pieces Italian or French bread (regular sandwich bread can be used in a pinch)

2.Batter: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk, mixing well until incorporated. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

3.Filling: Fold all ingredients together in a bowl until well incorporated but not completely smooth.

4.Syrup: Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch) in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. On the side mix cornstarch with a dash of water, just to make it a liquid. Add to the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and let reduce by 1/3.

5. French Toast: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large sauté pan and then add butter. Dredge the bread in the batter and place in the pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. Divide filling between 2 pieces of the bread top with the remaining 2 pieces of bread. Transfer French toast to oven and bake for 8 minutes.

6. Cut each French toast in half and serve with the cherry bourbon sauce and, if desired, a large dollop of fresh whipped cream (or whipped cream in a can).

Recipe guide:

T= Tablespoons

t=  teaspoons

c=  cup/s

And I thought since you already have the bourbon for the french toast recipe, why not have a tasty bourbon brunch cocktail to go with it. I found this on the internet, so I can't take credit for the recipe. But I plan to try it very soon. It sounds really fantastic AND a great way to use up that bourbon : )

Bourbon and Blood Orange Blast

Ingredients

       1 1/2  ounces  bourbon

       1/2  cup  blood orange juice

       8  fresh mint leaves, plus sprig for mint

       1  orange wedge

·      Turbinado sugar for garnish

Preparation

In a shaker, mix together the bourbon, blood orange juice, and mint leaves. Serve over ice in a low glass and garnish with a sprig of mint. Rub the rim of the glass with the orange wedge, then dip the edge in a dish of turbinado sugar (also called sugar in the raw).

Now there is only one more day of the challenge. I hope all of you are enjoying all of the recipes that I have put up. It has been a fun challenge for me to keep up with all of the blog posts. But this is just the start of something really big. Someday in the not so distant future, you will be seeing me doing all of this cooking on TV, on the internet and in person doing cooking demos at celebrity chef events (it’s nice the think BIG). Take care and get ready for the final and seventh day of the challenge.

Till then live, love and eat some fantastic food.

Day 5- Caprese salad

Day five -“The Week Of Eating In Challenge”

So, onward I plug with new recipes every day. It is defiantly harder than I initially thought at the beginning of this week.  I decided to go with a light and tasty dish for today that can also be used as a wonderful appetizer. This is officially my mom’s favorite salad. So I’d like to dedicate today’s post to my mom. She truly is the one who first and continues to “feed” my love and passion for fantastic food. Thank you mom.

For those of you who are reading my blog, let me know if there is a favorite dish from childhood that you remember and would like to share.  I find a lot of my recipes are just a more gourmet version of favorite foods from my childhood. So here is the recipe for today, the fifth day of the challenge, Caprese salad.

Caprese salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices
• 20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil
• Balsamic vinegar for drizzling (I used an orange infused vinegar)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Coarse salt and pepper
• A loaf of crusty French bread to serve with the salad

Directions

1.I like to reduce the balsamic vinegar in a pot till it’s thick and drizzles really nicely on the tomatoes and cheese. This is optional, you can just drizzle the vinegar as is.

2.Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter.

3. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil reduced balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Serve with some nice warm crusty French bread.

Optional- you can use this recipe as a nice little appetizer. I recommend putting the bread slices in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 to crisp them up. Then put layer the tomato, mozzarella, and basil on top of a piece of French bread.  Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and serve.

So, only two more days to go of the challenge. Keep on cooking and make some tasty food. More yummy recipes and and blogs to come.

Till then live, love and eat some fantastic food.