"Snickers" Bars

Ingredients:

Base:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 1/2 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (Scharffen Berger or Lindt), chopped
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup puffed rice cereal

Peanut Nougat:

• 1 large egg white
• 1/8 teaspoon plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup toasted salted peanuts, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Milk Chocolate Bavarian Cream:

• 4 tablespoons whole milk, diided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream, divided
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 9 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (see above), melted

Chocolate Coating:

• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

(Hint: We found "cheating", by buying prepared coating chocolate at the market perfectly acceptable for this recipe.) 

Preparation:

Base:

• Coat an 8x8x2" metal baking pan with nonstick spray; line with plastic wrap, pressing to smooth out any wrinkles. Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from saucepan. Stir in peanut butter, then cereal. Transfer to prepared pan; press over bottom in an even layer. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Peanut Nougat:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment; coat with nonstick spray. Place egg white in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Add 1/8 teaspoon sugar; beat until peaks begin to form. Bring honey to a boil in a small saucepan. With mixer running, gradually add honey to egg white. Set aside.
• Stir 3/4 cup sugar, corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat; boil until mixture reaches 275°, 5–7 minutes.
• Return mixer with egg white to medium speed. Gradually add syrup to egg white, allowing it to drip down sides of bowl. Beat until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes. Fold in peanuts and salt. Spread nougat over prepared sheet into an 8" square (about 1/4" thick). Let cool for 1 hour.
• Invert nougat over base in pan; peel off parchment. Spread over base in even layer.

Milk Chocolate Bavarian Cream:

• Place 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand to soften, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 cup cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk yolks and sugar in a medium bowl; gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Return to same pan. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer registers 175°, about 3 minutes. Add gelatin; whisk until dissolved.
• Place melted chocolate in another medium bowl. Pour cream mixture through a strainer into chocolate; whisk until smooth.
• Beat remaining 3/4 cup chilled cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just to blend between additions. Pour Bavarian cream over nougat, spreading in an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

Chocolate Coating:

• Place chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted. 
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Invert 8" pan onto a work surface; remove pan and peel off plastic. Turn over. Cut into 6 slices, then halve each slice crosswise. Transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet, base side down. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate over tops and sides of bars. Freeze to set, 30 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover with foil; freeze. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Beef Wellington

Calm down.  This Wonderful Dish isn't that daunting once you've made it a couple times.
Your guests, however, will praise your ability in the kitchen.



The Secret for This Recipe is to have a butcher give you a great cut of tenderloin.  Do Not Buy what's in the display cooler, have it custom cut.
Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef tenderloin fillet
• Salt and pepper
• Canola, grapeseed, or olive oil
• 1 lb mushrooms (we used half cremini, half shiitake)
• 4 thin slices ham (Parma ham if you can get it) or prosciutto
• 2 Tbsp yellow mustard (we used Coleman's Original English Mustard)
• 7 ounces puff pastry (needs 3 hours to defrost in refrigerator if using frozen)
• 2 egg yolks, beaten

Method:

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.



2 Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large pan on high heat. Season the fillet generously with salt and pepper. Sear the fillet in the pan on all sides until well browned (hint: do not move the fillet until it has had a chance to brown). Remove the fillet from the pan and let cool. Once cooled, brush the fillet on all sides with mustard.

3 Chop the mushrooms and put them into a food processor and purée. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Scrape the mushroom purée into the pan and let cook down, allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture. When the moisture released by the mushrooms has boiled away, set aside the mushrooms to cool.




4 Roll out a large piece of plastic wrap. Lay out the slices of ham on the plastic wrap so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham. Place the beef fillet in the middle, roll the mushroom and ham over the fillet, using the plastic wrap so that you do this tightly. Wrap up the beef fillet into a tight barrel shape, twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.



5 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a size that will wrap around the beef fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the pastry dough. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten eggs. Fold the pastry around the fillet, cutting off any excess at the ends (pastry that is more than 2 layers thick will not cook all the way, try to limit the overlap). Place on a small plate, seam side down, and brush beaten egg yolks all over the top. Chill for 5-10 minutes.

  
 

6 Place the pastry-wrapped fillet on a baking pan. Brush the exposed surface again with beaten eggs. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, not going all the way through the pastry. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden when done. (To ensure that your roast is medium rare, test with an instant read meat thermometer. Pull out at 125-130°F for medium rare.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice in 1-inch thick slices.

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

This Recipe is the best one we've found for Souvlaki-Style Chick.   







Ingredients:

 

4 Cloves Garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 heaping tablespoons Plain or Greek Yogurt
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 1/4 lbs Chicken Pieces (I used boneless, skinless breasts)
Salt and Pepper
Tzatziki (Link)
Sliced Tomatoes
Sliced Onions (omitted as I don’t like raw onions)
Pita Bread

Preparation:

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Preheat the grill to medium heat (we use broiler but you can also use pan on the stove).  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending  what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.
Meanwhile, heat your pitas in a fry pan, in the toaster or spray with a bit of oil and place right on a gas burner. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Roll up and eat!

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce

(serves 4)

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 gloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons chili sauce (I recommend Sambal Oelek)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 4 teaspoons cold water
• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked large shrimp
• 6 cups fresh green beans, trimmed
• toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Combine the first seven ingredients (soy sauce through chili sauce) in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Add this sauce mixture to a small saucepan set over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil. Let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and stir, letting the mixture return to a simmer for about a minute, or until it has become glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket set over simmering water, steam the green beans and shrimp until the beans are tender and the shrimp have turned an opaque shade of pink.
4. Pour the sauce mixture over the steamed shrimp and green beans and toss to combine. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve!

Tzatziki 1

• 16 oz. of plain or Greek yogurt (preferably not fat free)
  
• 1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
  
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1/2-1 tsp white wine vinegar
  
• salt and pepper
  
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.
Shred the cucumbers and then wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Don’t skip this step!
Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.