therealdesign

Filling: Combine the following and place in a 9 x 12 baking dish coated with Pam Butter flavor spray

9 Gala Apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup maple sugar (available from The Mapled Nut Company)

1 tsp. Saigon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup AP flour

1 tsp salt

1 stick butter diced

Juice from 1 lemon

Streusel Topping: Combine the following and use a pastry cutter until it is crumbly. Evenly sprinkle on top of sliced apples

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup maple sugar (available from The Mapled Nut Company)

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 cup Mapled Nut Company Baker’s Topping

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes

To contact The Maple Nut products, order online from http://www.maplenut.com

Chocolate Terrine

Golden raisins                                                          1/2 cup

Dried cherries                                                          1/2 cup

Craisins                                                                    1/2 cup

Semi sweet chocolate                                              6 oz.

Sugar                                                                        1/2 cup

Water                                                                        4 Tbs

Cocoa Powder                                                          1 cup

Unsalted Butter, softened                                         1 1/2 sticks

Dark Rum                                                                 1 Tbs

Eggs, beaten                                                            1 each

Egg Yolks beaten                                                     2 each

Method

1.  In a double boiler melt the chocolate.

2.  Place the sugar and water in a saucepan until it is dissolved and the syrup is clear.

3.  Place the cocoa powder and softened butter in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Stir in

the sugar syrup, and then the melted chocolate.  Add the dark rum and stir.

4.  Add the whole egg and egg yolk into the mixture and mix well.

5.  Fold in the dried fruits and immediately press the mixture into a 5x8 inch mold or loaf pan. (First rub the pan with butter which will keep the mix from sticking to the pan)

6.  Tap the pan’s bottom on a flat surface to remove air bubbles and refrigerate overnight.

7.  To unmold, run a knife around the sides of the terrine.  Dip the mold into hot water then invert onto a serving platter. 

8.  Garnish with fresh fruits, cocoa powder and confectionary sugar

Brian's Most Favorite Strawberry Birthday Cake 

Ingredients

White Cake Mix                                  1 package

Cherry Jello                                          1 package

Flour                                                      3 Tbsp

Vegetable Oil                                       1/2 cup

Eggs, whole, beaten                            4

Salt                                                          one pinch

Frozen strawberries

Thawed and mashed                         1/2 10 oz. package (or 5 oz.)

Method

1. Mix ingredients in order as listed.
2. Pour into two 9 inch cake pans that have been greased and floured
3. Bake for 40 minutes at 350*F 

Strawberry Icing

Ingredients

Confectioners Sugar                                                                       1 lb box

Butter, unsalted, softened                                                             1/4 lb (1 stick)

Frozen strawberries, thawed and mashed                              1/2 10 oz. package (or 5 oz.)

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together for 3 minutes
2. Fold in thawed and mashed strawberries.
3. Ice cake when fully cooled
4. Keep cake refrigerated
5. Serves 12 people or 4 Averna family members

Many years ago, I developed the very first "Dip" sandwich featured on the national sub shop Quizno's menu. It sold millions and millions of sandwiches and it really was quite delicious.  I can't  share that exact recipe with you but, here's  a recipe you can make at home with a bunch of ingredients easily found at your grocery store that is equally as delicious.

 French Onion Roast Beef Dip Hero

Serves 4

4 hero rolls

Non stick vegetable spray (as needed)

1 lb cooked roast beef, sliced thin

1 large onion, sliced thin

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 cups beef broth

4 T pesto sauce (available in the refrigerated case at your grocery store)

3 T Hellman's mayonnaise

4 T Regianno Cheese, grated

1.  Slice the hero rolls and spray the insides liberally with non-stick vegetable spray.

2.  Place the opened rolls in a large saute pan or griddle and grill for 2 minutes or until nicely brown.

3.  Remove the heros and melt the butter with the olive oil and heat on medium flame in the same pan.

4.  Add the thinly sliced onions and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the onions are golden brown (stir frequently).

5.  In a small sauce pan, heat the beef broth for 2 minutes and add the thinly sliced roast beef and cook for 2 minutes.

6.  While the beef is heating up, combine the pesto sauce with the mayonnaise and mix well.

7.  Paint the inside of the hero rolls with the pesto mayonnaise, pile the roast beef inside and top with the caramelized onions.

8.  Sprinkle the grated cheese atop the onions.

9.  Serve each hero immediately along with a small cup of the hot beef broth for dipping.

This classic English Dessert was insanely delicious sweet gooey and Indulgent. One of the best desserts I ate while in London! This is a recipe from a small UK restaurant chain called Giraffe
Serves 8

Pudding

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
180g butter, softened
240g dark brown sugar
2 medium eggs
375g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
75g sultanas (golden rasisins)

Toffee Sauce
100g dark brown sugar
100ml double cream

Method-Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a brownie tin with baking parchment. Bring 250ml water to the boil, add the bicarbonate of soda and set aside. Whisk the butter and sugar and beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour, baking powder and sultanas. Stir in the reserved water. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and cover with buttered tin foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the mixture is cooked - an inserted skewer should come out clean. Leave to cool for five minutes and turn out onto a chopping board. Remove the parchment and cut into squares.

To make the toffee sauce, dissolve the sugar in a deep pan 200ml of water over a low heat. Turn up the heat and boil until caramel point is reached. The mixture will be a dark mahogany brown. l Remove from the heat, allow it to cool for a couple of minutes and then add the cream. Take care, as the mixture tends to bubble up. Mix gently. You may need to return it to the heat briefly to loosen it. Serve with the toffee sauce.
Adapted from 'The Giraffe Family Cookbook' by Hugo Arnold, published by W&N at £9.89

2012 was a big year in England, especially for London; the host of The Queens 60th year Jubilee and of course the Summer Olympics. I traveled to London recently, and just missed the Paralympics closing ceremony by a day. The city of London was its best, tourists still lingering a few days after the Paralympics ended. I was really impressed with the food; the day of boiled beef is long gone. This is a NEW Britain and from a food perspective, I was shocked. The restaurants were diverse featuring many of the ethnic cuisines you would find in America such as Middle Eastern, pan Asian, Spanish, and French with a fair amount of classic American joints. What was most noticeable though, was the public transportation hubs that were filled with kiosk after storefront selling fine food to go. Tenderloin of Beef seared and served with white asparagus wrapped in a see-through oven-able tray as well as fresh sausages, steroid free chicken, very cool filled pasta, lots of organic and free range meats could all be bought at the train station on your way home from work. I suppose London might not have a well respected culinary identity other than bangers and mash, pastys, the aforementioned boiled beef and sticky toffee pudding, but it was quite evident that the citizens of England want, and pay for clean labeled, high quality and delicious foods…perhaps the US will follow suit. The people by the way, were gracious, kind hearted and couldn’t have been nicer.

This morning I am headed to The United Kingdom and next week to Brussels Belgium to dine on both sides of the English Channel.

Stay tuned while I check out and write about real English bangers and mash, boiled beef (there has to be a better name) and classic pommes frites (french fries).

See you across the pond.

B

Earl Mindell could be considered the pope of the holistic healing culture. His book,  The Herb Bible is interesting and  informative. Whether you believe in holistic healing or not, the book is packed with folklore, facts and theories about a new approach to healing the old fashioned way; through herbs. Earl wrote an entire chapter just on herbal teas. Every tea that is called out in the book is available in health food and specialty stores. The teas can be consumed hot or cold, but are not all pleasant tasting, Most importantly, according to Mindell, these teas will cure what ails you. Alfalfa tea for example, aids in digestion, perfect after a hearty fall meal. If you not feeling well and don’t have an appetite, or if you have a cold and cant taste a darn thing, a sip of black currant tea will help. This popular flavor is also said to stimulate your taste buds. Ginger tea supposedly restores a lost appetite, not a problem for this chef. Most of us have seen what catnip can do to a little kitty. The author does not suggest that you will react similarly to a cat sniffing catnip, but he does write that catnip tea is a relaxant and mild depressant. If your kids are driving you wild and you are one-step away from lacing their spaghetti sauce with Demerol, let them sip on iced chamomile tea. Believe it or not, it calms hyperactive children and is perfect before bedtime. If you're planning on tailgating this weekend and ylooking to chow down on some good old fashioned baked beans, sip on some peppermint or spearmint tea, both are good when you are trying to avoid having your dinner talk behind-your-back. You can find The Herb Bible at Amazon.com 

Pasta is always a favorite in my home A simple three-ingredient sauce such as a classic Alfedo made with cream, butter and cheese can be as delicious as a more complicated hearty Bolognese. I’m a big fan of gnocchi. This pasta is typically made from potatoes and when prepared properly, they can be as light as fa eather but more often than not, they are dense and as heavy as a potato dumpling. I make my gnocchi from scratch a day before I plan on serving them. I start by baking 10 lbs. of russet potatoes; these are heavier in starch and often referred to as bakers. I sheet them up single layer and bake them in an oven set at 400 degrees for about an hour or until they are tender inside. I remove them from the oven and immediately cut off the tops in order to scoop every ounce of that delicious starchy pulp. I always have a pot of ice water nearby where I dip the hand that will be holding the potato to keep from burning myself. Once I have the potatoes scooped out, I gradually add about 2 cups of all-purpose flour and a few teaspoons of sea or kosher salt. I end up kneading this on a stainless table for about 10 minutes and add enough flour so the dough stands up and holds it shape, so it is similar to bread dough. Once the dough is firm, I roll it into thin uniform logs about as thick as my thumbs. Using a knife, held at a slight angle, I cut the log every ? inch or so, depending upon how big I want my gnocchi to be. I then gently drag each gnocchi onto a floured fork allowing the tines to make indents in the pasta. The indents will allow my sauce to collect and stick to the pasta at service. I then store the gnocchi on a floured sheet pan and refrigerate overnight. The next day, I cook the gnocchi in simmering, not boiling, 190-degree water, until they float to the top of the pot. This makes enough gnocchi for about 12 people, or 4 Avernas. Any sauce will compliment these potato babies but my favorites are Basil Pesto Genovese, Bolognese meat sauce or just a simple quick made fresh tomato sauce.

Knives are a cook’s best friend. Whether you are a professional chef, or a home enthusiast, a good sharp knife can either allow you to prepare food efficiently and safely, or be a deadly weapon.  It sounds crazy, but a dull knife is much more dangerous than a well cared for sharpened one. If you’re shopping for a knife, look for the tang, or end of the blade that attaches to the handle to run throughout the entire length of the knife. It should also be riveted in several places.  A high carbon stainless steel or forged carbon knife is recommended, because it will hold an edge, or remain sharp longer. Sharpening a knife with an electric sharpener if not done properly can really shorten the life span of a good knife.  You must hold the knife, while inserting it in the sharpener at just the right angle, or you will actually dull the knife, flattening it’s surface... I give my knives a quick sharpen by using a steel.  You have probably seen these in the stores and might even own one. Its a long metal or ceramic stick that you draw the knife against at a 20 degree angle, the blade becomes renewed after a few passes and will appear sharper than ever.