Death by Chocolate Cookies

Originally, these cookies are designed to be mammoth in size, each created from a quarter-cup of batter dropped onto a baking sheet. The recipe has been adapted for smaller cookies but you can feel free to experiment to get the right size cookie for your needs.

Yield:

 

Ingredients

1. 16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2. 3/4 cup brown sugar
3. 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
4. 2 eggs
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla
6. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
7. 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Set aside 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and melt the remaining chocolate (I put it in the microwave for half a minute).
2. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Cool mixture. Stir in flour and baking powder. Add chocolate chips that had been set aside.
3. Spoon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or Silpats. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed and set to touch. Cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Siu Yuk - Chinese Roast Pork Belly

Nothing is simpler than a meal of siu yuk or roast pork and rice. The saltiness and crackling of the skin is satisfying. The garlicky notes of the five spice rub heavenly.

Yield:

 

Ingredients

1. 1kg pork belly, skin on
2. 3 tbsp fine sea salt
3. 1 tbsp light soy sauce
4. 1 tbsp five-spice powder
5. 2 tbsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Wash pork belly under cool running water. Pat dry.
2. Score the skin with a sharp knife, making a diamond pattern.
3. Rub the meat side of the pork belly with light soy sauce.
4. Combine 1 tbsp sea salt, five-spice powder and 1 tbsp garlic powder together and rub the meat side of the pork.
5. Rub remaining salt and garlic powder into the skin side of the pork.
6. Set on rack in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet. Place in a cool spot or in the fridge and allow to dry at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
7. Preheat oven to 350F. Roast at least 30 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
8. Turn the oven to broil and continue roasting until the skin is crispy. Remember to keep a watchful eye on it so it does not burn and to turn on your hood and open the windows. It will probably get smoky.
9. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 - 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with rice and a soy chilli dipping sauce or hoisin sauce if desired.

Notes

Carrot Cupcakes

While most other carrot cake recipes require you to "finely grate" carrots (the finer the grate, the more tender the cake), this recipe asks you to create a carrot puree. A carrot puree can simply be made by boiling some carrots and processing them.

Yield:

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

1. For the Cupcakes:
2. ===============
3. 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
4. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
7. 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
9. 3/4 cups corn oil (or canola or some other vegetable oil)
10. 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
11. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12. 3/4 cup shelled walnuts, chopped (optional)
13. 1 cup pureed cooked carrots
14. 3/4 cups shredded coconut
15. 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
16. 1/2 cup raisins
17. .
18. For the Frosting:
19. ===============
20. 6 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
21. 6 tablespoons of sweet butter, room temperature
22. 3 cups confectioners' sugar
23. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger) into a bowl. Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well.
3. Fold in walnuts (optional), coconut, carrots, pineapple, and raisins.
4. Scoop batter into prepared liners. Set on middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool on a cake rack. When fully cooled, ice with cream cheese frosting.
6. Cream together the cream cheese and butter with a mixer. Slowly mix in confectioners sugar. Continue to beat on low speed, slowly until all the ingredients have come together. Do not be tempted to beat on high speed -this adds too much air; rather beat on low speed for a longer time for a truly creamy frosting.

Notes

To make carrot puree, place 1 lb peeled carrots, cut into a one inch pieces in a heavy pot with enough water to cover. Cook until tender about 25-30 minutes. (a chopstick should easily go through the center of a piece.) Drain excess cooking liquid. With an immersion blender, puree.

Goji Granola

The goji berry (or wolf berry) is indigenous to Tibet and Northern China. Be prepared for a bit of sticker shock when you go to purchase them, they are sold in most natural foods stores now, and they aren't cheap. You are likely to find goji berries in their dried form. Goji's are a deep, brick red color and are typically purchased dried. They are leaner than a dried cranberry or raisin, but similar in size - they are also typically a bit less moist. They are very tasty straight from the bag with a flavor that is sweet without being too sweet and tart without being puckery.

Yield:

Makes about 10 cups of granola.

Ingredients

1. 4 cups rolled oats
2. 3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
3. 1 cup macadamia nuts, big pieces
4. 1 1/2 cups raw unsweetened shredded coconut
5. 1 cup goji berries, loosely chopped
6. 1 cup unsulphered dried fruit of your choice (try dried pineapple and dried papaya)
7. 3/4 cup honey or for vegans, a light maple syrup or agave nectar
8. 1/4 cup unrefined full-flavored coconut oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Put the oats into a large bowl. Add the sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, coconut, dried fruits (except the goji berries), and orange zest. Stir to combine.
2. Heat the honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour the warm honey mixture into the dry mixture and stir until everything is well coated.
3. Spread the mixture onto one or two rimmed baking sheets and bake for about 40 minutes, less if you are splitting the mixture between two pans. Stir every 10 minutes or so. You want to bake the muesli until it is a light, toasty, golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Toss the granola with the goji berries and store in large mason jars until you are ready to eat.

Notes

Marinated Tri-tip w/ Port-Cabernet Sauvignon Reduction

 

Yield:

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1. For the marinade:
2. =================
3. 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4. 3 sprigs fresh thyme, bruised
5. 3 sprigs fresh oregano, bruised
6. 2 sprigs fresh lavender, bruised
7. 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
8. 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
9. .
10. 1 beef tri-tip (about 2lbs), trimmed of most fat
11. kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
12. .
13. For the Reduction:
14. ===============
15. 1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
16. 3/4 cup Port
17. 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
18. 1/2 cup mushroom stems, (use the caps for something else where you actually eat the mushroom!)
19. 1 sprig lavender
20. 1 sprig oregano
21. 1 tsp whole black pepper corns
22. kosher salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients for the marinade into a large sealable plastic bag. Add the tri-tip, then seal the bag removing as much air as possible. Once sealed, shake the bag making sure all surfaces of the tri-tip are covered with the marinade. Allow steak to marinate for 4-24 hours.
2. Make the Reduction: Place all ingredients for the reduction except kosher salt into a saucepan. Place pan over medium heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid has reduced to about 1/3 cup. Strain reduction using a chinois or fine-mesh sieve. Discard the herbs and mushroom stems. Season the strained reduction with kosher salt to taste. (The reduction can be made upto 48 hours in advance.)
3. Remove steak from marinade. Try to remove some of the herbs and garlic that may be adhering to the tri-tip. Liberally season all sides of the tri-tip with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
4. Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Grill tri-tip over medium-high heat until desired level of doneness is acheived, about 10-12 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove from grill and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Allow meat to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. To serve, slice thinly across the grain. Drizzle with Port-Cabernet Sauvignon reduction. Enjoy!

Notes