Green & Black's

Recently I entered Green & Black's chocolate challenge put on by TLC's very own Curtis Stone. You may know him from his popular TV show "Take Home Chef".  The rules were simple, come up with a recipe using their chocolates, include 5 ingredients and type up an essay about your inspiration to go green. I entered a recipe that I had been working on during the spring (a basil + honey 70% truffle) and posted it with a delightful essay on how we live in an exciting time which has embraced environmental issues in a mainstream market. So, yesterday I found out I didn't win. However, Green & Black's sent me a voucher for some free chocolate, so I guess in a way I did win. I mean come on free chocolate for taking time to e-mail a recipe and an essay, you just can't beat that....well....ummm unless you actually won the grand prize. 

The 5 grand prize winners came up with some pretty interesting combinations. I especially liked Melissa Moore's creation of Roasted Jalapeno Peppers Stuffed with Brie Cheese and Raspberry Preserves. I think what I liked about her recipe was that the chocolate wasn't necessarily the theme. She used only 2 oz of melted chocolate to compliment the dish. Now some of the other winners, in my opinion, didn't do anything new or exciting. There was even one winner who paired basil, chocolate and shrimp.....I shudder at the thought. I guess they had one hell of an essay.

Lost in the Bahamian Haze

Sorry I haven't posted a blog in some time but I just got back from vacation. I spent last week in the Bahamas on an island called Great Guana Cay (pronounced key). It's one of the "out islands" just off the main island of Abaco. We took the ferry from Marsh Harbor to Guana and stayed at a nice little bar/bed Grabber's at Sunset Beach. Life's rough, yeah I know it. 

I'll be back to writing on a routine basis once I recover and settle in. I have some great ideas for chocolates in the works. While over there I got to talking to the chef at Grabber's about different spices the Bahamian's use in their day to day food. So, I plan on experimenting with different combinations in my chocolates. Should be quite the experience....can't wait to get my hands into it! Until then. 

Grilled Portabella Madness

I'm not a huge fan of eating red meat, in fact I don't. Maybe that's because it makes me violently ill. So, I mostly just stick to chicken, fish and seafood. Although, once a year during my father's Octoberfest party I have been known to eat my weight in bratwurst but that's another story. Thank goodness for the makers of Tagamet-B!

Well, I often miss that rich flavor and texture of a thick grilled steak, so the closest thing I have found is that of a grilled portabella mushroom. I'm sure to get tons of hate mail for this, but hey these are my taste buds we're talking about and not just some schlep off the street that hits up every AYCE (all you can eat) or even worse, dines at Applebee's. To me this is steak! So I treat portabellas with as much respect as someone might treat, let's say....a cut of Kobe beef. 

I start with the best looking caps I can find at the store. They must be firm to the touch, almost springy. If they are too dry or there's any mushiness, forget it, I'll wait. Also, if they are pungent like dirty wet hiker socks (basically more than the usual funk) or hairy and moldy, I leave them be. 

Once home I marinade them in a Ziplock bag with soy sauce, olive oil and fresh minced garlic. I make sure that all of the caps are covered in the marinade. I'll let them sit like that for several hours in the fridge. I fire up the grill and cook them gill-side up first. After 5-10min I flip them and close the lid since the olive oil will catch fire. I let the caps cook another 5mins or so before removing them. They should look juicy and not dried out. Serve immediately. Yummers! 

No-Frills Tomato Onion Basil Quiche

I made four of these super easy quiches last night. Three of them were for work while the other one was for Adrianne and I's dinner. It's such and easy recipe that I thought I'd share. Don't expect some fancy-shmancy quiche here, it is what it is! 

Recipe:

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tbs dried basil

1 tbs salt

1 tbs pepper

a pinch of nutmeg

3 eggs

1 cup cream

2 tbs of flour

2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 (9") pie crust

Arrange chopped tomatoes in the bottom of the pie crust. Then add the chopped green onions. Next sprinkle basil, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheeses. In a bowl whip eggs, cream and flour and then pour into the pie. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool and set before serving.