Brie, Pecan, and Hot Honey Puff Pastry Bites

This is a great appetizer for the fall and winter since it's served warm. You can prep the puff pastry ahead by rolling it out, docking the dough, cutting the rounds and placing into a butter coated mini muffin tray. Keep them covered in the fridge with plastic wrap.

The classic combination of brie, pecans, and honey has been used so many times but making it bite size made them seem a little more fun and elegant. This recipe makes 24 bites

Ingredients:
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge
1 wheel brie cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces
Hot honey, to drizzle over top

Directions:

1. Roll out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Prick the dough all over with a fork (this is called docking). Use a cookie cutter and place the dough rounds into a butter lined mini muffin tray. 

2. When ready to serve preheat the oven to 400. Place a small cube of brie cheese into each puff pastry cup. Drizzle with a bit of hot honey and cook for 15 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the pastry gets a little golden brown. 

3. Top the puff pastry bites with pecans and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes and then gently place them on your serving tray. They are best served warm but are tasty at room temp also. 

Tator Tot Bites

I love potatoes! I found this side dish for some sliders but it could also be an appetizer. If you want to make it extra fancy you could top the bites with creme fraiche and caviar. You definitely want to serve these warm and they need to be made in the moment, when I tried making the tator tot cups in advance they didn't get very crispy the second time when reheating. 

You can make these in a muffin pan and make some big hash brown cups but I prefer to make them bite size by using a mini muffin tray. 

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
24 frozen tator tots
Sour cream
Bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
Chives, finely minced

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 425. Spray the muffin tin with olive oil spray. 

2. Place one frozen tator tot into each mini muffin slot. Cook as is for 10 minutes. 

3. Use a shot glass and press into the tator tot to make a small cup. Spray with olive oil and put back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the tator tot bites are crispy and golden brown. 

4. Fill the bites with your toppings of choice. I did a dab of sour cream, bacon bites, and topped them off with the chives. Serve warm! 

Crispy Tofu for Brian

 My Husband Brian really likes tofu. Me, not so much. That's why I make tofu a lot for his lunch meal prep. I'd been testing ways to make the tofu crispy for some extra texture and this recipe is the winner. It's super simple to prep. Serve with a veggie stir fry or rice for a complete meal. 

Ingredients:
1 block tofu, extra firm
1 Tbsp. corn starch
Olive oil spray
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce:
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

Directions:

1. Cut the tofu block into 4 even slices and drain on a paper towel. Press the tofu gently to remove as much excess liquid as possible. 

2. Using your hands tear the tofu into large chunks and place into a bowl. You want lots of edges here instead of cubes. 

3. Add the corn starch, salt, and black pepper to the tofu bowl and gently mix until all of the tofu is evenly coated in corn starch. 

4. Place coated tofu in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined tray. Spray all over with the olive oil spray. Cook in an airfryer at 375 for about 6 minutes or until the tofu gets crispy. 

5. While the tofu bakes make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl large enough to toss the tofu in. Whisk to combine the sauce. 

6. Once the tofu is crispy add it to the sauce and stir until the tofu is evenly coated. Serve warm with your side dish of choice. 

Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing

I was making my Crispy Rice recipe and I wanted to add a salad to it. I've always loved the Benihana salad dressing. It's a simple salad but the dressing packs a lot of punch. This recipe has a lot of ingredients in small portions but it really adds up in flavor. 

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. chopped ginger root

1 Tbsp. chopped celery

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Salad Mix:

4 cups romaine lettuce or mixed greens

1/4 cup sliced carrots

1/4 cup sliced cucumbers

1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. 

2. Add lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes to a bowl. Add in half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing if desired. 

3. Serve immediately so lettuce does not wilt. (Dressing can be made ahead 1 day in advance and stored in the fridge. Make sure to bring back to room temp and shake to combine before use.)

Shaking Beef

My husband Brian and I had this dish for the first time at a restaurant near use called Little Sister. It was such a rich marinade but the beef stayed so tender and medium rare I new I wanted to try to make it myself at home. To keep the beef tender you may want to cook it in batches and you definitely want to use a very high heat and quick cooking method like a wok.
 
Ingredients:
Marinade:
2 lb boneless beef rib eye, cut into 1-inch (2 1/2-cm) cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 
Salad:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
1 red onion, sliced into rings
2 bunches mixed greens
3 roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges
2 Tbsp. canola oil
fresh cilantro, for garnish
cooked white rice, for serving
 
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and black pepper. Toss to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. In small bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and water. Add the red onion and toss to coat in the dressing. Set aside to soak.

3. On a platter or large plate, arrange the watercress and tomato slices.

4. Preheat a large wok or skillet over high heat, then add the canola oil. When the oil is shimmering, swirl around in the pan to coat evenly. Add half of the marinated beef and sear on all sides, shaking the pan, until the meat is slightly charred and medium rare, 3-5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and repeat with remaining beef.

5. Arrange the beef on the bed of watercress and tomatoes. Top with the dressing, red onions and fresh cilantro.

6. Serve with domed white rice.

Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad Copycat

I was lucky enough to visit the Las Vegas location of Din Tai Fung during the first F1 weekend they brought it back. I realized as I was at this restaurant I was sitting next to Jean George and a culinary team having a meeting (Bucket list moment, I said hi and he was kind enough to give me a quick hello). Anyways, back to the cucumber salad. This was a highlight of the lunch as well as their soup dumplings. Such an easy dish and great as a summer side. 

Ingredients:

1 lb cucumber, Persian or English, cut into ½” thick rounds
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 tbsp chili oil
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds, optional garnish

1/2 tbsp kosher salt

 Directions:

1. Slice the cucumbers into 1/2 inch thick rounds and place into a bowl. Add the kosher salt and mix until salt is evenly coated. Allow this to sit in the bowl for 30 minutes so the salt can draw some of the moisture out of the cucumber.

2. While the cucumbers sit, make the sauce. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small container and whisk to combine.

3. After 30 minutes rinse off the cucumber with water until all the salt is removed. Place cucumber slices on a single layer onto a tea towel or linen. Roll up slices so all of the extra water is removed and the cucumber slices are dry.

4. Add dried cucumbers to a bowl and combine with sauce mix. Allow to marinate for about 10 minutes. The longer it marinates the less crunchy the cucumbers will get. Stack in a pyramid shape to copy Din Tai Fung’s plating and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and an extra drizzle of the marinade. Enjoy!

Spring Pasta with Leeks, Peas, and Pistachios

This dish is a creamy pasta but with the flavors of spring with mint and peas. I'm so used to basil in pasta that the mint was a nice change to the sauce. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup pistachios
12 oz orecchiette pasta
12 oz peas
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 small bunch mint, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 oz parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and Black Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Toast pistachios in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Remove to cutting board and crush lightly.

2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water following the pasta package directions. Add peas during the last two minutes. Drain pasta and peas and set aside making sure to reserve some pasta water.

3. While the pasta is cooking, heat butter and olive oil in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Cook leeks, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 3 mint sprigs stirring occasionally until leeks are softened but not browned.

4. Add cream to pan with leeks and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer and remove mint sprigs.

5. Add the cooked pasta and peas to the cream sauce. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese adding a little pasta water if needed if sauce gets too thick. Cook pasta and sauce together for 2 minutes and serve in bowls. Top with extra parmesan cheese, thinly sliced mint, and crushed pistachios.