Tasty Talapia tacos served on corn tortillas with a dollop of guacamole and sliced tomato is a wonderful choice for a healthy quick meal. This dish was created my Virginia in NYC. Serve with your favorite beer.




Talapia Tacos with Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3 fresh tilapia filets
• salt and black pepper
• Fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 fresh habanero, chopped
• Garlic powder
• Vegetable oil
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 lime, juiced
  
• garnish:1 lime, quartered
  

Directions

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This leg of lamb recipe is a specialty of a very close friend of mine. If you are looking for a special menu for a holiday meal, a family get-together or a special occasion, this meal is sure to fit the bill--roast leg of lamb, roast potatoes, creamed carrots, and peas--simply delicious!





Roast leg of lamb, rosemary potatoes and creamed carrots

Lamb Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb, bone in
• 12, garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bottle red wine
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bunch of rosemary, chopped
• 6 tablespoons dijon mustard
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions for the Leg of Lamb

1. Wash the leg of lamb and pat dry
2. Place lamb in a large non stick roasting pan
3. Season thoroughly with salt and fresh ground black pepper
4. Using a small knife, pierce the leg of lamb and insert the peeled garlic cloves in each slit
5. In a bowl, make a paste with the olive oil, 1 glass of red wine, mustard, cayenne, rosemary and completely coat the leg of lamb with the mixture
6. Cover with foil marinate in the fridge overnight
7. Preheat oven to 375
8. Roast the leg of lamb, covered with foil, for approximately 4 hours basting every hour with the rest of the wine and hot water used from the potatoes (see below)
9. Baste the lamb every 1/2 hour with a mixture of the vegetable water (see below) and red wine mixture
10. When lamb is done, place thinly carved slices on a serving platter.
11. Pour au jus in a serving container and serve on the side. The Au Jus is made from the liquid that is at the bottom of the pan. This liquid consists of the wine and vegetable water used in basting, plus the juices let off during cooking.

Vegetables: Roast Potatoes and Creamed Carrots
Potatoes:

• 1 dozen new potatoes, scrubbed
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tabs of butter

Carrots:

• 2 bags of baby carrots
• 2 tablespoons of sweet butter
• 3 teaspoons of honey
• salt to taste

Roast Potatoes

1. Boil a dozen new potatoes, when half cooked remove from the hot water saving the liquid for the carrots (see below), and place potatoes in baking dish.
2. Sprinkle salt, fresh ground pepper and chopped rosemary, olive oil and  butter
3. Roast in oven at 375 until golden brown, turn frequently to prevent burning

Sweet Creamed Carrots
Use the potato water to boil two bags of baby carrots, when tender, remove from water with a slotted spoon and puree in blender with butter, salt and honey to taste.

Petit Pois (small sweet fresh green peas)

1. Place peas in the same water carrots and potatoes were cooked in, bring to a boil, drain and serve with a few tablespoons of butter
2. Reserve the water  to use for basting the lamb with the leftover wine

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Simply delicious fresh berry compote topped with a marscapone-based limoncello whipped cream. Need I say more??

Ingredients

• one point each of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1 cup of jam or fruit preservative, we used blackberry jam
• 1 tablespoon of sugar or agave syrup
• 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
• one quart of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 half cup of cane sugar
• 1/4 cup  of Limoncello
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest

Directions

1. Mix the fruit, jam and sugar together, gently folding the berries, jam and sugar;  set aside
2. Mix together the heavy cream, sugar and mascarpone, when thickened add limoncello and lemon zest
3. Place berries in a serving dish and top with whipped cream
   

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Satay is a dish from South East Asia made of meat that is marinated (ideally overnight) in coconut milk and spices then threaded on skewers, grilled and served with a succulent sauce. The recipe below is for chicken satay served with a spicy peanut sauce dipping sauce.  According to Wikipedia..."turmeric is a necessary ingredient used to marinate satay, which gives the dish its characteristic yellow color. Meat commonly used includes beef, mutton, pork, venison, fish, shrimp, squid, chicken, rabbit and tripe". I found the recipe for the chicken in Fresh Thai an excellent cookbook by Oi Cheepchaiissara and the peanut sauce was inspired by a few recipes I found online that I altered to the recipe below. Serve with a Thai beer or white wine.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Chicken Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 4 cilantro roots, finely chopped (I used cilantro leaves/stems)
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground tumeric
  
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, well stirred
• 2/3 cup chicken stock or water
• 1 tablespoon palm or coconut sugar

Directions

1. Presoak 10 bamboo skewers in a long shallow dish for about an hour to prevent burning while cooking
2. Cut chicken into 1 1/2 x 4 inches long and 1/4 inch thick and place in a bowl
3. Make the Marinade: Use a mortar and pestle or food processor to blend the shallots, garlic, cilantro and ginger into a paste. Add the mixture and and the remaining marinade ingredients to the chicken. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight, turning the chicken occasionally. 
4. Skewer the Chicken: Thread a piece or two of the marinated chicken onto each presoaked bamboo skewer as if you were sewing a piece of material
5. Preheat the grill (or broiler) to high heat and cook the satay sticks for 5 - 7 minutes on each side or until they are cooked through and slightly charred. Turn frequently and brush the marinade sauce over the meat during cooking. 

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
• 1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sambal red chili paste
• 1/4 cup of coconut milk, unsweetened
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup of hot water
• 1/4 cup of peanuts, chopped
  

Directions

1. Using a food processor or blender, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, lime juice and coconut milk--pure to combine all ingredients. 
2. Pour the hot water slowly into the blender or processor, starting with 1/4 cup and adding more to thin-out the sauce as needed. 
3. Pour the peanut sauce into a small serving bowl, reserving some on the side to drizzle over the chicken
   
4. Garnish with some of the peanuts

Plating the Dish

1. Place the cup of peanut sauce on a large serving dish
2. Add the skewered chicken to the plate and drizzle with some of the peanut sauce over the chicken and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts
3. Serve immediately
   

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Vanilla is fragrant flavoring derived from orchids so right away you now this exotic fruit is a prime candidate as a reputed culinary aphrodisiac. It possesses an intoxicating sweet aroma that is said to mildly stimulate nerves through its aroma and taste, making sexual sensations feel even better. The word vanilla is derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word "vaina" meaning sheath or pod, and simply translates as little pod (wikipedia).
The bulk of the world's supply of vanilla today is provided by Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti and interestingly, vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron because growing the seed pods is very labor-intensive. Vanilla orchids bloom only for a day, sometimes less, and during that time they must be hand-pollinated. After that the pods must be watched daily to collect the ripened ones otherwise the taste may be compromised.  After harvest, the pods go through an elaborate process of being killed, sweated, dried, and conditioned in order to maximize the vanilla flavor and fragrance. The mature bean shrivels and turns black shortly after it is picked which is how we find our vanilla pods in the grocery store.

Vanilla is most commonly used for producing sweet, delicate extracts and flavors. It comes in two forms: the more subtle flavor of the vanilla bean and vanilla extract--the best is Pure vanilla extract. Many gourmet chefs insist that true vanilla flavor can only be derived from the pod itself which is why you will find many recipes that call for splitting open a vanilla bean lengthwise and scraping out the vanilla seeds. Click here to learn how to scrape out a vanilla bean.

Some of our Favorite Vanilla Recipes:

One of my all time favorite recipes that uses vanilla as a main ingredient is creme brulee. You can't help but relish each moment this sublime creamy creation teases your senses with its stimulating texture, flavor and enticing aroma.
 

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