Some things are "Simply Irresistible" and this Valentine's Day, award-winning Chuao Chocolatier is offering you the opportunity to win a trip for two to San Diego! You will get round-trip airfare for two, you will spend two nights at the glamorous La Jolla Shores Hotel, enjoy dinner at the beachfront THE SHORES restaurant, and last but not least, you will attend a private wine and chocolate pairing event with Master Chef Michael Antonorsi of Chuao Chocolatier.

And, you will have a chance to win one of 14 Limited Edition Sweetheart Boxes filled with 22 signature Chuao Chocolatier bonbons featuring delectable, aphrodisiac ingredients.

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I love the sizzling sound of frying sliced pork belly, affectionately known as bacon, and the way it fills the room with its intoxicating aroma. And based on the emergence of bacon as the #1 food trend of 2011 where we saw bacon EVERYWHERE, there is definitely an ongoing love affair with this food.  The most notable change was finding bacon infused in the world of sweets: bacon-flavored chocolates, bacon-flavored cocktails, bacon-flavored coffee; and dare I say--there were crazy inventions like bacon-flavored bubble-gum, toothpaste and dental floss.

So what is it about bacon that fascinates our palette so?

Seduced by Bacon, a new book by Joanna Pruess, has captured a sizzling zeitgeist. With ninety delicious and unique recipes including pecan waffles with caramel-bacon sauce; bacon-wrapped trout; sweet potato-hazelnut rosti with apricots, bacon, and watercress; and pecan-brown sugar and bacon ice cream to name a few, this all-bacon recipe book would be a great gift for the food lover, bacon fanatic, or low-carb dieter's cookbook collection. Every cook and bacon connoisseur - in fact, anyone who eats - will savor the delectable recipes, photos and bits of "baconry" in this fresh, innovative cookbook.

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Once you experience the superior taste of homemade apple sauce or compote, I can't imagine a desire to go back to the standard apple sauce found in your local supermarket. With one taste, you will agree how fresh ingredients and the true flavor of fruit enhanced by the right seasoning will seduce your palette; and it is super easy to prepare. For this meal I made an apple-pear compote served with a juicy pan-fried pork chop and sauteed mushrooms. Needless to say, there weren't any leftovers  : )

Apple Pear Compote

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples, I used Granny Smith
• 2 Green Anjou pears (do not use overly ripe, mushy pears)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Core, peel, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks.
2. In a bowl, mix together lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup; toss in apples and pears, mix together to evenly coat.
3. Add apples and pears to a medium sized pot, cooking over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes until the fruit is tender but not mushy.
5. Stir and cook 5 minutes, cover removed.
6. Taste and add more sugar, cinnamon and/or lemon to suit your taste.
7. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Sauteed Onions & Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 2-4 pork chops
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 cup of mushroom caps, thickly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ C white wine (or water)

Directions

1. Remove pork chops from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 20 minutes
2. Heat oven to 450 degrees F
3. Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel, add salt and pepper to one side
4. In a heavy, oven-proof skillet, over medium high heat, melt the butter
5. When the butter begins to brown, add the pork chops, salt side down to the skillet, cook for about 5 minutes, browning the pork chop
6. Add salt and pepper to the top side of the chops and flip over, cooking for about 5 minutes.
7. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside, covered
8. In the same skillet over medium heat add a butter and olive oil. When heated, add onions and garlic cooking for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
9. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and scape all bits from the pan. Turn the heat off and add the pork chops
10. In a separate skillet over medium high heat, add butter and olive oil, when hot add sliced mushrooms and cook until golden brown for about 15 minutes.
11. While the mushrooms are cooking, place the oven-proof skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes. If you are using thick cut pork chops, check the pork by using a thermometer to be sure its done (thermometer should read 150 degrees F).
12. Remove pork chops from oven and let stand while the mushrooms finish up
    
13. Plate the dish with a pork chop, apple pear compote and top with mushrooms.
    

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Gojee, a very cool, visually arresting food blog, made up of some of the best food and drink bloggers today; is having a potluck dinner and invited Seduction Meals to bring a dish. With remorse, I could not attend the affair, however, here is my "virtual" dish for all to enjoy.

Pork and Black Bean Mole Chili - One of my favorite winter meals! Click here for the RECIPE

Starting on Thursday, January 26, check out other potluck dishes fellow gojee contributors shared. Go to gojee.com and enter "gojeepotluck" into I Crave.  You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter.
I made this dish a while ago to rave reviews so I thought this would be my first choice, being winter and all, although I usually resort to my all time favorite recipe for Crab Cakes. 

For more information on Gojee - check out their website and the amazing collection of recipes. Get ready for some serious food porn; one dish is more tempting then the next!

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Peanut butter walnut chocolate fudge--fabulously rich and decadent, this is one enticing treat that will more than satisfy any sweet tooth. If you love Reese Peanut Butter cups, this recipe is for you.

Peanut Butter, Walnut, Chocolate Fudge
Inspired by a recipe found on allrecipes.com, we added the peanut butter/nut mixture.

Ingredients

• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme (fluffanutter)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine fluffernutter, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt.
3. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Set Aside
5. In a medium bowl, mix together vanilla and peanut butter, add nuts.
6. Pour 1/2 of the chocolate fudge into the pan
7. Add the peanut butter/nut mixture over the chocolate
8. Top with the remaining chocolate fudge
9. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm

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In celebration of meatless Mondays, why not enjoy the comfort of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup? There is a grilled cheese renaissance taking place this year. Take note of how your favorite chefs and restaurants have added gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to their menus. Here is one I've always enjoyed - Grilled Gruyere Cheese Sandwich with Caramelized Onions and Fresh Rosemary.   For a heartier grilled cheese sandwich you can also add sauteed mushrooms as well.

You can grill the sandwiches in your oven on a cookie sheet, in a toaster oven, or this can be done in a skillet on the stove. I used a toaster oven.  Serve with your favorite beer or a bowl of tomato soup, or both if you like!

Grilled gruyere cheese sandwich with caramelized onions and fresh rosemary

ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of sweet butter
• 1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, discard stem
• 1 tablespoon of sherry (optional)
• 4 slices of peasant bread or your favorite crusty bread
• butter, softened to room temperature
• Gruyere cheese, cut into 1/8" slices (enough to cover the size of our sliced bread

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add butter and onions and sauté  until onions are translucent. Add rosemary. Lower heat and to low and sauté  for about 15 minutes until onions start to brown.
2. Add sherry, scraping all bits from the pan to the center. Sauté  for a few more minutes and remove from heat
3. Butter the outside slices of the bread with the soften butter (not too much, just skim the butter thinly on 1 side)
4. Place aluminum foil on a flat cookie sheet or toaster oven pan.  With the butter side down, place one slice of toast on the foil. Place slices of cheese overlapping on top of the bread. and top this with 1/2 of the caramelized onions.
5. Place the top slice of bread on top of the sandwich, butter side up.
6. Toast, grill or fry (in a dry pan over medium/low heat) until the bread is browned to your liking.
7. Serve immediately

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As much as I love to cook, I am always grateful for an invitation to dine in the company of fellow foodies, and in this case Stacey and Eric prepared a delectable meal for a group of six adults and two children: Roast Goose with Cherry Compote, served with Shredded Brussels Sprouts.
The goose recipe was inspired by combining two recipes Eric found online. The goose recipe started by looking to Allrecipe.com, but he replaced the port with red wine, and he choose to give the goose a pre-roast soak in a bring for added flavor. Take a look at this quirky but educational video by Alton Brown to learn all about brinning:

  And one of my favorite things about this meal, serving the goose with a fabulous cherry compote. As stated by Stacey, "I don't usually care for fruit sides but since the cherries were fresh and not a ton of sugar was added, they were very good. I wish I hadn't waited until my last bite to try them". Poor Stacey, at that time they were all gone. The recipe for the Cherry compote was found on SmittenKitchen.com; however fresh, regular cherries were used (not sour cherries). The cherries need to be pitted, so having a cherry pitter is a handy tool for this recipe if you want to keep your cherries whole.

Roast Goose with Cherry Compote

BRINING THE GOOSE
Recipe inspired by Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 Gallon vegetable or chicken broth (do not use low or no sodium, you want the salt)
• 1 cup of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
• 6 bay leaves
• gallon of heavily iced water

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil, stirring to be sure all ingredients are dissolved.
2. Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
3. Place pot in the refrigerate until completely chilled, overnight is best, leaving the lid on the pot.
4. Early the morning you will cook your roast, or the night before, add your brine to a large, clean bucket; then add the gallon of iced-water
5. Breast down, place the goose into the brine and let stand for 6-8 hours in a cool space. If its winter you can leave outside (covered of course)
6. Halfway through the brining process, turn the goose over to ensure the meat is perfectly seasoned

ROAST GOOSE
Recipe by Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (10-12 pound) fresh goose, giblets and neck removed
• 3 onions
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 slices French bread
• 2 carrots
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup tawny port wine  (we used red wine)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Discard loose fat from goose. Remove neck, cut into large pieces, and reserve.
2. Rinse goose inside and out, and pat dry. Pierce skin of goose all over, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Loosely pack neck cavity with enough bread to fill out cavity. Fold neck skin under body, and fasten with a small skewer.
4. Quarter 1 onion and all the celery, and place inside the body cavity of the goose. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string, or insert legs through slit in lower skin flap.
5. Transfer goose, breast side up, to a rack set in a deep roasting pan.
6. Cut remaining 2 onions and carrots into 2 inch pieces. Scatter onion and carrot pieces, neck pieces, and giblets in roasting pan. Roast goose at 425 degrees C (220 degrees) in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Carefully pour boiling water over goose; juices may splatter.
8. Continue roasting goose, skimming off fat and basting with pan juices using a metal bulb baster every 20 minutes. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in fleshy part of thigh registers 175 degrees F (80 degrees C).  When done, the juices should run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer.
9. Transfer goose to a heated platter. Remove skewer and discard string. Keep goose warm, loosely covered with foil, until ready to serve.

MAKING THE GRAVY

1. With a slotted spoon discard vegetables, neck pieces, and giblets from pan. Spoon off fat from pan juices, and reserve.
2. On top of stove, deglaze pan with white wine and port (or red wine) over moderately high heat; scrape up brown bits.
3. Add chicken broth, and boil mixture until reduced by about half.
4. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, whisk together 1/4 cup reserved fat and flour; cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking to prevent lumps.
5. Whisk chicken broth mixture into the roux. Bring gravy to a boil, whisking constantly. Turn down heat. Simmer gravy, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes or until thickened.
6. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer gravy to a heated sauceboat.

CHERRY COMPOTE
Recipe by SmittenKitchen.com
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

• 2 1/2 cups (1 pound) cherries, pitted

Directions:

1. Combine water, sugar and lemon juice in heavy medium saucepan.
2. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan; add bean.
3. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until thin syrup forms, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add cherries. Stir 1 minute. Simmer for about 3 minutes
4. Cool the compote, then cover and chill until cold.

SHREDDED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CANADIAN BACON
Recipes found on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound sliced Canadian bacon, or regular bacon if you prefer
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup pine nuts
• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cored and shredded
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons grease, set aside.
2. If using Canadian bacon, let cool and then slice into small pieces or strips; or crumble the regular bacon. Set aside
3. In the same skillet, melt butter with reserved bacon grease over medium heat.
4. Add pine nuts, and cook, stirring until slightly browned.
5. Add Brussels sprouts and green onions to the pan, and season with seasoning salt and pepper.
6. Cook over medium heat until sprouts are wilted and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in crumbled bacon just before serving.

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2012. So what's in store for us this year? In 2011 we witnessed the year of BACON; bacon infused in just about anything you could imagine;  bacon flavored pretzels, beer, confections, candy, toothpaste, lollipops, cocktails and more. We saw a proliferation of food trucks and food apps, an increase in food movies and TV shows, and happily the continued promotion of local and fresh foods.

What are the surprised in store for New Year? Here are some of the trends predicted for 2012:

Insects. Yes, you read right...insects. A recent adventure to downtown NY included a stop at White & Church - a restaurant that promotes a new kind of kick. Here you will find bugs in your drinks....and you will happily pay for the thrill!  Fine dining meets Fear Factor? Perhaps. Their menu has a section devoted to a fine selection of bugs from dried scorpions, grasshoppers, toasted bees, and spicy worms. How many other dining establishments will follow? Would you? Could you?

Donuts. There Baaack! Every since Krispy Creme closed it doors there have been thousands of people in search of the next big thing for their sugary fix. 2012 will shower us with donuts concoctions beyond your wildest imagination ranging from standard regional fare from around the world like Turkish style donuts deep-fried and covered in syrup; churros; beignets and Texan kolache. And unusual donuts for the sweetest palette seekers made with maple syrup frosting and bacon; donuts covered in chocolate frosting and coco-puffs or fruit loops (Voodoo Donut), and donuts dipped in just about anything you can imagine; and to cover all bases there will be vegan donuts as well. 

Meatballs. Perhaps this year's "bacon", meatballs seem to be making a comeback and there are hundreds of recipes that include beef, pork, lamb, veal, turkey, seafood, vegan and more.  In NYC you will find a restaurant dedicated to the delicate art of the meatball; aptly named... The Meatball Shop, which focuses on the simplicity and deliciousness of this fuss free comfort food. My fork is ready for this one! 

Bite-Sized foods. Are we moving from the small plate movement to the "Bite Me" movement? With one to two bites you will indulge in a feast of flavors from appetizer to desserts. Witness Melissa's Cupcakes. I LOVE this place. One can loose the guilt of eating a large calorie-filled cupcake and happily have two bite-sized cupcakes with your afternoon tea. Heaven!   And let's not forget David Burke's Gourmet pops: ready-to-serve cocktail lollipop appetizers include Cheesecake pops, and Goat Cheese and Salmon pops. Easy, fast food without the dishes!

 Haute Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Happy news for cheese lovers; seems chefs are in the race to create their very own signature grilled cheese sandwich.  Get ready to make the switch from your good old basic grilled cheese sandwich to haute, newly dressed up cheesy gourmet treats--can't wait! But please...keep the prices in check, it is just a cheese sandwich after all.

Blood Lust. Perhaps thanks to all the vampire movies and TV shows, we are able to shine a spotlight on recipes made with blood on menus across the country.  In addition to blood sausage and blood pudding, you will find creative concoctions such as blood pancakes, blood ice-cream and blood tofu for starters. Let's see what else comes our way this year.

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Our featured spice today is Allspice. I wouldn't consider allspice an aphrodisiac although its aroma can be quite alluring. Allspice, also known as Jamaica Pepper, is the dried, unripened fruit of a small evergreen tree native to Jamaica and Central America. It closely resembles large brown peppercorns, and comes whole or ground. Allspice releases a flavor of a peppery blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Despite its name this is a spice not a blend.  If you are out of allspice you can replace this by mixing one part nutmeg with two parts each of cinnamon and cloves.

Allspice is used in recipes for meats, poultry and seafood (especially Caribbean recipes and Jamaican specialties like jerk chicken). It can be used when making soup, curries, pates, terrines, sweet potatoes, marinades, pickled herring, rice dishes, cakes and pumpkin pie. If you can find it, go for Jamaican Allspice which is considered the best. It is an assertive spice so use sparingly.

Here are two of my favorite recipes using allspice: Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Creme Fraiche and Pumpkin Seeds, which can be served as an appetizer or main course, and this delicious recipe for Honey Roasted Hens with Pomegranates.

Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Creme Fraiche and Pumpkin Seeds

With the alluring aromas of cinnamon and a blend of special spices (ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and a dash of chili), you know this soup is going to be special. This pumpkin soup recipe is from the Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen--a must have for your cookbook collection. Click here for the recipe

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