Did you know?

Fat free really means – Less than .5 grams fat per serving

Low fat really means – 3 grams or less fat per serving

Low saturated fat means – 1 gram or less of saturated fat

Reduced or less fat means – At least 25% less fat per serving

Light really means – 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat per serving

Low cholesterol means – 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol and less than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving

Reduced cholesterol means At least 25% less cholesterol and less than 2 grams saturated fat per serving

Soon it will be autumn. The time of the year when the colors outside are so beautiful.  It’s a time of year when the weather in Chicago cools to a nice 60 to 70 degrees.  It’s a time of year where we tend to lean toward comfort foods. One of the foods that I like to lean toward is Focaccia bread. It’s great to eat alone or with soups and or sandwiches. It is also a very easy bread to make. It is very forgiving. You can bake it and is ready within 20 -35 minutes.  There are many variations of Focaccia, some with herbs such as rosemary or basil. I have seen some versions that include small amounts of parmesan etc. So play with this wonderful bread and make it to your liking.

As the summer season comes to a close so does the desire to make ice cream, sorbet and bavarians. I am already getting into my fall mood. I am looking forward to making some gumbo in the next three weeks. I hope the weather agrees with me. Well back to the sorbet. I had an ice cream dessert at a Greek restaurant which featured Creme De Cassis. Every since that day I have been making various dishes with papaya that also featured this wonderful liquer.

I have made sorbets but it can be tricky sometimes depending on the thickness of the fruit pulp and the fruit’s water content. In addition, I don’t have the instrument to measure the sorbet’s sugar content. I plan to by it soon (Baume thermometer). Well even though I didn’t have the therometer the sorbet came out great. I know traditional sorbets don’t have corn syrup as one of the ingredients but I like the texture that the corn syrup allows to develop.

To make the sorbet, I mixed the sugar and water together to make a simple syrup. I pureed the papaya in a blender until very smooth and then I strained it. I added the cooled simple syrup, lemon juice, Creme De Cassis, pinch of salt. I stored it in a tupperware dish overnight and froze it in an ice cream maker the next day. I poured it from the ice cream make and placed it in the freezer. The corn syrup allows it to get cold, firm and frozen but it doesn’t have the crystals which is how I like it. I feels so smooth.

1.5 pounds papaya
10 oz water
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon Creme De Cassis
3 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon corn syrup
1 pinch salt

 

I had the occasion of meeting with a colleague the several weeks ago for a luncheon meeting.  We had lunch in his company’s cafeteria. There were many items offered but what intrigued me the most was this orange chicken that was serve over Orzo. I can never taste anything that I like without trying to make it at home. My first attempt to make the dish was okay. I tried several times and was finally satisfied with the final outcome. The sauce for the chicken is An Orange-Lime Cilantro Sauce. The ingredients are as follows:

6 oz orange juice
I tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon on minced garlic
¾ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon orange zest
¼ teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons cilantro

Mince several cloves of garlic. In a saucepan mix the remaining ingredients except the cilantro. Over medium heat reduce the sauce by 1/2. Strain through a fine strainer and return to a saucepan.  Heat until the sauce is nice and syrupy. Add the cilantro. Remove from the heat. Spoon 2-3 tablespoon over grilled chicken. So delightful.

Do you have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity?  If you do, it is critical that you know what products contain gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat.  Individual s that have intolerance to gluten may experience diarrhea, bloating and fatigue. For assistance with identifying gluten-free products or restaurants visit gluten.net.  The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer protection Act requires that wheat containing foods must list wheat on the label. Gluten is also present in other grains such as rye and barley.

For more info visit these sites:

Canadian Society of Intestinal Research   http://bit.ly/qx7Ks
Gluten Intolerance Group of North America http://bit.ly/1YxcAP
American Celiac Disease Alliance http://bit.ly/Tn2bh
http://glutenfreediet.ca http://bit.ly/lzfMv

I have received several requests to post gluten free recipes so in the near future I will start posting gluten free recipes.

I had a taste for chicken this weekend. I thought about making firery chicken, cajun chicken or jerk chicken. But since it rained and I thought it would stay cool for awhile I wanted something to stick to my ribs. So I decided to use a bottle of Chardonnay that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago. I decided to make a Chardonnay reduction which I though would go well with the shrimp that I wanted to add to this dish. I was in a mood for cooking so it didn’t matter that I would be in the kitchen for a while preparing the meal. I wanted roasted vegetables to be the base for flavoring the wine. So I roasted some a red onion, two red bell peppers and a head of garlic. Once they were roasted I added them to a saucepan with one tablespoon of olive oil and cooked them about 1 minute. I kept out 1/2 red pepper so that I could add them diced to the meal for color. I then added the wine and reduceit by 1/2. I then blended this mixture until it was very smooth and then I strained it. I added it back to the saucepan and then added my stock and reduced it by 1/2. Finally I added my cream and reduced it by 1/2. I removed it from the heat and added my parmesan cheese. I added the chicken that I cooked earlier and plated it with diced red peppers and parsley .It turned out very good. However, this dish is rich and since I am trying to control the total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol this dish actually makes 12 servings. You may increase the noodles, vegetables and chicken by half if you want a more filling meal; however, I would not increase the cream as this will add considerably to you fat content. Lemon, Parmesan Parsley Chicken can be found on my Nutrition Page.

I was talking with a new friend on twitter the other night and he asked me for a recipe for a remoulade and a simple cream pasta sauce. Because of the time of the year,  I like to eat lighter and cooler dishes, I had a remoulade that I normally used readily available. I love cooking and there is so much we can learn from each other. I am in the Midwest and my friend @nickslay is on the east coast. It will be interesting to see what sort of changes he makes to the recipe and what sort of fish dishes he combines this remoulade with.

A remoulade is a classic sauce made by combining mayonnaise, mustard, capers and chopped gherkins, herbs and anchovies. It is served chilled as an accompanied to cold meat, fish and shellfish. Some versions of remoulade include chopped hard-boiled egg. In the classic version, the mayonnaise is  home made. 

I have used the recipe on salmon, tuna and crab. I have made slight adjustments to the ingredients depending on the fish but that is simply a matter of taste. My wife likes the sauce as is on fish or other cold meats. Please let me know how you use the sauce and if you have any variations that improve upon the flavor. To view the recipe, simply click remoulade.

Wow! I finally found some time to get back into the kitchen to make bread. I used to bake bread almost every weekend. However, after I took a part-time job cooking at a golf course, I no longer had time to bake on a regular basis. I choose to make french bread because of it’s versatility. I can use it to eat with meals or make crostini, bruschetta or even croutons. This is french bread not a french baguette. I t does contain a small amount of oil. I chose to finish this bread with a brushing of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. I learned this technique from an Italian chef ( Gabriel Sorci ) who really inspired me to bake. Next week I will be baking rosemary focaccia.

Sometimes it’s just good to have fun in the kitchen. I had the opportunity to go to half price books today. I usually get inspired when I get to pick up a great cookbook on flavor, ethnic cooking or baking. I love working with pastry. So while I was cleaning out my freezer and refrigerator I decided to do a quick fire challenge by myself. I found some catfish, plantains, honey dew melon and a mango.

So I decided to make blackened catfish, with plantains cooked in a light butter and brown sugar sauce,  topped with  toasted pecans and then I made a mango salsa which included mango,  honey dew melon, onion,  jalapeno pepper, honey, lime juice and lime zest.  And the blackened catfish was topped with the salsa and fresh squeeze orange juice.  It was a lot of fun and my wife said the flavors were great. I usually feel good when she says the flavors are great. I often tease her and her girlfriends about the difference between a man and woman’s palette.  Nonetheless, I do rely on the female palette because I know what I want and like but it really helps when the opposite sex enjoys the meal as well.  The really keep me rooted and grounded and always trying to come up refreshing flavors.  Have fun get away from the recipes and try it.  If you do something different and the dish comes out great leave me a note. I am always willing to learn from others. Here is the dish I created below:

I love mashed potatoes. There is something about the smooth velvet feel that they leave in your mouth.Most everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make them taste good either. So why am I writing about mashed potatoes. Well I happen to make some the other day and my wife and my brother went crazy. They loved them so much that they had 2nd and 3rd helpings. I wrote down what I did because I didn’t have a recipe. My brother was trying to take my notes. I told him if it meant that much to him I would post it on my website. While I did not use a recipe, I did adhere to a few principles for trying to achieve balance. The dish was a potato dish so I want very much for the dish to taste like potatoes.  However, I did add a few things that made the dish more favorable. I used 2 1/2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes. These potatoes are generally higher in sugar and lower in starch. They are considered waxy potatoes. Secondly I used garlic that was slow roasted. I wanted to infuse the potatoes with the flavor of garlic but I didn’t want it to overpower the potatoes. I also added thyme, tarragon, paprika, salt, and pepper and finished the dish with a little melted butter. The flavors were so smooth. Creamy garlic mashed potatoes recipe.