CARROT ORANGE SORBET

Carrot Orange Sorbet
Makes 1 quart

Orange extract is used in this recipe to add some orange flavor without adding water from juice. If you love carrots and want a more pronounced carrot flavor, feel free to leave the orange extract out of the recipe. If you don’t have orange extract, you can substitute a little orange zest.

1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups carrot juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp triple sec
1/2 tbsp orange extract


In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Cool sugar syrup to room temperature.

When syrup is cool, add carrot juice, lemon juice, triple sec, and orange extract. Stir to combine.

Cover and place in refrigerator to fully chill, at least 4 hours. Once chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place parchment over sorbet (to prevent ice crystals) and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

PERUVIAN GREEN SAUCE

Peruvian Green Sauce
Taken from: Serious Eats (If Serious Eats was a restaurant I'd be there all the time!)
Yield: About 1 cup


Ingredients:
3 whole jalapeño chiles, (If you want a spicier sauce leave the seeds in!)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except for the olive oil. Blend, while pulsing and scraping down sides of bowl, until fully processed. With machine going, drizzle in olive oil to form an emulsion, similar to mayonnaise. This will thicken upon being refrigerated, but is still not as thick as mayonnaise.

- See more at: http://www.thisishowicook.com/2014/05/voodoo-in-air-and-peruvian-green-sauce.html#sthash.OCZt92ai.dpuf

GINGER BEER

Ingredients

1lb Fresh ginger root, peeled 
10 cups Hot water
3-5 Whole cloves
1 Tbsp Cream of tartar
1/3 cup Fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar 
2 Tbsp Rum (optional)

Method

1. In a blender, blend pieces of fresh ginger in batches with water and pour mixture in large bowl
2. Add cloves and cream of tartar to mixture and steep in fridge overnight (or for at least four hours, if making same day).
3. Using a fine strainer (or one with a cheesecloth), strain steeped ginger beer into another bowl.
4. Add lime juice, sugar and, if using, rum to ginger beer and stir
5. Pour into a large bottle and store in fridge 

Serve over ice

RABBIT PASTA

4INGREDIENTS
1 small rabbit, about 3 pounds, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
JSalt and pepper
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging rabbit, plus 2 tablespoons for sauce
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 thyme branches
12 sage leaves
½ cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped capers
¼ cup thinly sliced chives
1 pound cooked pappardelle pastaor wide egg noodles, for serving (optional)

Lay rabbit pieces on a baking sheet and season each piece generously with salt and pepper. (If you are using a pepper mill, adjust it for coarse grind.)
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put a deep, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add lard or oil.
Put 1 cup flour on a wide plate. Dip seasoned rabbit pieces in flour and dust off excess. Gently set them in the hot oil in one layer without crowding; work in batches if necessary. Adjust heat to keep them from browning too quickly. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until nicely browned.

Remove browned rabbit from pan and set aside. Add diced onion to fat remaining in pan. Keep heat brisk and cook onions until softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle onions with 2 tablespoons flour and stir until well incorporated, then cook for a minute or so, until mixture starts to smell toasty. Add wine and 1 cup broth, whisking as the sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining broth and the whole-grain mustard and bring to a simmer. Taste for salt and adjust.
Return browned rabbit pieces to the sauce. Add thyme and sage. Cover pot and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat is fork tender. (Alternatively, simmer over low heat, covered, on the stove top, for about the same amount of time.)
Using tongs, remove rabbit pieces from sauce, set aside, and keep warm. Put saucepan over medium heat and bring contents to a simmer. Whisk in crème fraîche, Dijon mustard and capers and simmer until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste sauce and adjust.
Transfer rabbit to a warmed serving bowl and ladle the sauce over. Sprinkle generously with chives and a little freshly ground pepper. Accompany with noodles if desired.

CHEDDAR AND GREEN ONION BISCUITS

Ingredients for 12 Irish Cheddar Spring Onion Biscuits:

*2 cups self-rising flour, plus more if needed

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup shredded Irish cheddar, or other sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions (I used mostly the tender, light green parts)

-Bake at 400 F. for about 20 minutes

* To make your own self-rising flour for this recipe, sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.

GREEN BEANS WITH PEARS AND HAM

Green Beans Pears and Ham
Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for sprinkling
2 large pears, ripe, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks, Bosc are preferred
8 ounces ham, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup chicken stock plus extra
salt and pepper
freshly squeezed lemon juice for sprinkling

Green Beans Pears and Ham

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a hot pan, add the ham and brown. Add the pears, green beans and 1 cup chicken stock; cook at a constant bubble until the green beans are tender and the liquid is reduced to a sauce, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add more chicken stock if necessary to assure beans are tender.
Sprinkle with some salt (remember ham will add salt too) and a good dose of pepper.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil (optional) and serve hot.

BROWN SUGAR AND CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

Brown Sugar & Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 8-ounce package cream cheese - softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar - packed

5 large eggs - room temperature

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan, bundt pan or 2 loaf pans
Add cream cheese, butter and sugars to mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well about, 1minute after each egg.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a small measuring cup and stir.
Alternate adding flour and milk to butter/egg batter - starting and stopping with flour.
Pour batter into buttered, floured tube or bundt pan.
Bake for approximately 1 hour or up to 1:15 hours. Check if done with a cake tester or wooden skewer.
Let cool for 15 minutes then gently remove from pan.

JAZZED UP GREEN BEANS

Jazzed Up Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups red potatoes, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced
1 pound green beans, fresh & trimmed
1 tsp Slap Ya Mama Hot Blend Seasoning
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cups tomato medley, peeled & chopped
Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, potatoes, celery, jalapenos, green beans and Slap Ya Mama Hot Blend Seasoning; sautee for approximately 1 minute.  Add 1/3 cup water, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until green beans are crisp-tender.  Stir in cilantro and tomatoes; cover, reduce heat to simmer and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally.  Serve and enjoy!

To Peel Tomatoes:

With a sharp knife, cut an “X” into the skin of each tomato.  Drop tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds.  Remove from boiling water and immediately place into a bowl of ice water.  Let sit in ice water for about 1 minute and then peel skin off tomatoes.

VEGAN CHILI

Can't Believe It's Vegan ChiliServes 10

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1 12.95-ounce package vegan sausage, chopped

2 cups chopped tomato

1/2 cup white wine

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried ground sage

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 cups unsalted vegetable stock

3 15-ounce cans unsalted cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 15-ounce cans unsalted kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups chopped kale

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

Heat large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and sausage; saute 5 minutes. Add tomato, wine and seasoning. Bring to a boil; cook until the liquid is reduced by half (about 1 minute). Stir in stock.

Combine 2 cans of cannellini beans and 1 can of the kidney beans in medium bowl; mash with a potato masher. Add bean mixture and the remaining beans to the pan. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Add kale; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Top with the oregano.

POULET CREOLE

There’s something about these colors that make you want to go to a bar, order a “demi” bottle of Barbancourt and dance the meringue with a really old guy.

Instead, I decided to make poulet creole and pikliz.

Pikliz is a Haitian, very hot, pickle of cabbage, carrots, onions and scotch bonnet peppers.   It reminds me of the bottle of little green peppers and vinegar that my Louisiana grandfather always had beside his plate at every meal; pikliz is a lot more deadly.

Poulet Creole is a rich, thick stew of chicken, bell peppers, onions, garlic and spices.   Although traditional, this dish is very popular with tourists because it conforms to their notion of eating safely in foreign countries; well done and boiled.

Poulet Creole

8 chicken thighs

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

2 parsley sprigs, stems removed

5 dry thyme stems, stems removed

1 scotch bonnet, cut in half

1 green pepper, chopped

Juice of one lime

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup water.

In a food processor, make a paste of the salt, garlic, scallions, parsley, thyme scotch bonnet, green bell pepper, lime juice and water.   Put the chicken thighs in a zip lock bag and pour this mixture on top.  Mash around and allow to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the olive oil and brown the chicken thighs.   Remove the thighs and set aside.   Saute the onion and red bell pepper in the same pan until soft.   Add the tomato paste, water and chicken thighs.   Bring to a boil and then simmer for 3o minutes.

Pikliz

6 scotch bonnet peppers, cut into quarters

2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, grated

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 whole cloves

1 tsp salt

10 red peppercorns

3 cups vinegar

Mix all ingredients together, then store in a jar for a day or two.   Refrigerate after first use.  Lasts forever.

STONE FRUIT AND TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients: 

• 2 stone fruits, such as nectarines, plums, peaches or apricots, halved and thinly sliced 
• 1 large tomato, halved and thinly sliced 
• 12 ounces burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese 
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/3 cup loosely packed sliced fresh basil 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 
• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method: 

On a large round or oval platter, alternate slices of stone fruit and tomato in concentric circles. Arrange cheese on the platter and slice. (For burrata, it is easiest to slice as you serve rather than preslice.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with basil and chives and drizzle with vinegar. Serve immediately. 

FRUIT AND TOMATO SALAD

1 pint multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup blueberries

½ cup grapes, halved if large

½ cup raspberries

1 nectarine or plum, pitted and diced

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Best-quality balsamic vinegar, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Finely ground black pepper, to taste (optional)




Mix the tomatoes and other fruit in a bowl, seasoning them very lightly with a few drops of vinegar and oil and, if you like, a pinch of pepper.

GRIOT BANNAN PEZE, PIKLIZ

Griot/Fried Pork



Fresh Griot with Bannan peze

You asked for it, well, here it is! Griot! Griot! Griot! Griot is basically pork shoulders cut into cubes/pieces, marinated and deep fried. Griot is a very popular dish and best paired with bannan peze (Fried and smashed plantain illustrated above), pikliz with diri kole (beans and rice).

3 lbs of pork shoulder (cut into cubes/pieces)
3 cloves
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of parsley
1/2 cup onions
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/4 cup green pepper
paprika
2 lime (cut in half & juiced)
1 or 2 habanero peppers
3 to 4 cups of water
4 to 5 cups of vegetable oil
deep fryer
2 sheets of paper towel



How to clean and Marinate P
Blend habanero pepper, parsley, onion, cloves, garlic and paprika into a paste with about 1 tablespoon of lime juice, then set aside. In the sink, rub pork with limes rinse with cold water. In a meduim sized bowl, add pork, lime juice, paste of ingredients and mix with hands. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 24 hours.

Recipe

In a saucer pan, add water, marinated pork and boil until tender, probably 30-45 minutes. Heat oil in deep fryer. Separate pork for liquid and set pork aside, do not discard liquid. Separate pork into batches for frying and fry until a light dark brown color. Set aside on paper towel. Once all the batches are completed you can used liquid as sauce for the rice or fried plantain. Garnish with pikliz and enjoy!

Pikliz is a combination of pickled shredded cabbage, carrot, onions, shallots and habanero peppers. Some people refer to this as Haitian coleslaw with a lot of kick. Normally pikliz is eaten with Griot (Fried pork shoulders), Tassot (Fried beef strips), fried plantain or any fried root. It's really spicy and goes great with fresh fried dishes.

Ingredients

4 cups of pre-packaged coleslaw or
1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 small shallot (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup onion (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon of adobe seasoning
1 glass 32oz jar
4 large habanero peppers (thinly slice 3 & cut 1 in half)
1 pair of tongs
3 cups of vinegar/white wine vinegar
4-6 cloves


RECI
In a medium sized bowl add in cabbage, onion, adobe seasoning, salt, lime juice, pepper, habanero peppers and vinegar. Mix with tongs, then add ingredients into jar and pour in vinegar mixture. Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before eating (TIP: let mine sit for 1 week before using, this allows veggies to sit and taste so much better).Pikliz is a combination of pickled shredded cabbage, carrot, onions, shallots and habanero peppers. Some people refer to this as Haitian coleslaw with a lot of kick. Normally pikliz is eaten with Griot (Fried pork shoulders), Tassot (Fried beef strips), fried plantain or any fried root. It's really spicy and goes great with fresh fried dishes.


4 cups of pre-packaged coleslaw or
1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 small shallot (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup onion (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon of adobe seasoning
1 glass 32oz jar
4 large habanero peppers (thinly slice 3 & cut 1 in half)
1 pair of tongs
3 cups of vinegar/white wine vinegar
4-6 cloves


RECIPE:
In a medium sized bowl add in cabbage, onion, adobe seasoning, salt, lime juice, pepper, habanero peppers and vinegar. Mix with tongs, then add ingredients into jar and pour in vinegar mixture. Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before eating (TIP: let mine sit for 1 week before using, this allows veggies to sit and taste so much better).