Spiced pear sorbet

 

• 3 cans of pears in light syrup
• a sizeable 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1/3 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon of goldschlager (can be omitted, but helps with consistency)
• 3 cups of water
• 3/4 cups of granulated sugar
• juice of 1 juicy lemon

1. Chop up ginger
2. Simmer ginger, sugar, cinnamon and water for 20 minutes to create simple syrup
3. Pour the cans of peaches into the Ninja blender
4. Pour back out the liquid into one of the cans until can is about 3/4 full, leaving the remainder of the liquid in the sorbet
5. Juice a lemon and add to the pears. 
6. Add the vanilla to the pears
7. Add the simple syrup and ginger to pears. Allow to cool for 20 minutes so blender doesn't explode when you blend
8. Blend on smoothie setting
9. Chill in fridge for 4 hours
10. Use the ice cream maker to turn it into sorbet

Strawberry Szechuan Pepper Sorbet

 

Strawberry Szechuan Pepper Sorbet

Ingredients

1. Frozen sliced strawberries: 1 lb
2. Juice of two lemons
3. Simple syrup: 1 cup of water + 3/4 cups of granulated sugar
4. 1/4 of Szechuan tingle peppercorns (or less
   for a more subtle flavor) ----> remove completely for normal strawberry sorbet
5. 1 teaspoon of alcohol (can be removed, but improves the texture)

Steps

1. Make simple syrup: gently heat sugar in water until dissolved
2. Roast Szechuan peppercorns on stovetop over medium heat for a few minutes to bloom scent, don't let burn
3. Grind peppers until very fine with a mortar and pestle 
4. In a blender, blend all ingredients until extremely well blended (ninja: just press smoothie)
5. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and let it freeze (10-20 minutes)

Store in Tuvolo ice cream tub or similar

Astonish your dinner party guests and toddlers!

Pad Thai

 

                                            

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons of fish sauce

 • 2 tablespoons of tamari soy sauce substitute 

• ½ tablespoon of tamarind paste 

• 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter 

• 1 tablespoon of sriracha

Noodles:

• Rice noodles

• Whatever protein you want

• Bean sprouts

• Bell pepper (sliced into slivers)

• 3 garlic cloves, diced

• 3 green onions (for topping)

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

• dry roasted peanuts, crushed up a bit

• 2 eggs

Steps:

1. Make sauce by mixing together in a bowl
2. Cut up all ingredients so they're ready to go
3. Make noodles according to box
4. Cook protein
5. In a big wok, heat up some oil over medium heat. Cook bell pepper and garlic (and protein)
6. After a few minutes, push to the side of the wok. Add a little more oil. Crack eggs into wok and scramble up. 
7. Add the noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, and sauce to the wok. Mix together. 
8. Finish off with the green onions and lime juice to taste

Almond cake (gluten and dairy free)

 Lemon Almond Cake

INGREDIENTS

• oil or cooking spray for greasing the pan 
• 4 eggs, white and yolks separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (generous!)
• zest of two lemons
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (should be what you get from one lemon) 
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/2 cup raw sliced almonds (for the topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Insert a parchment circle into the bottom and lightly grease that too. 
2. Using a stand mixer or large bowl with hand beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Check regularly.
3. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 
4. Stir in the almond flour and a pinch of salt. 
5. Once the egg whites are beaten, stir in about 1/4 of them to the almond mixture. Once well mixed, gently fold in the rest, doing your best to not over mix. 
6. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.  
7. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until it’s golden brown, and bounces back when you lightly push it in the center. Check after 20 minutes
8. Allow to cool, and run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cake before removing the sides of the pan. 
9. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Adjustment for muffin tin

This recipes makes 12 mini muffin sized cakes. Cook for approximately 15 minutes instead of 25 minutes. 

Italian ices (Granitas)

 Lemon Granitas

• 4-5 lemons
• 3 limes
• 1 - 1.5 cups of granulated sugar (depending how sweet you want it, start with less sugar)
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons of goldschlagger (or other vodka) 

1. Zest a few lemons and limes, cut a few long strips (be careful to avoid the white pith)
2. Dissolve sugar in 2 cups of water on stovetop
3. Add the zest and strips to simmer in the sugar water for a while, like 15 minutes (the strips become like candy!)
4. Put sugar water + zest into a metal bowl
5. Juice the lemons and limes, and add to the bowl
6. Add the alcohol
7. Add the rest of the water, to taste 
8. Put in freezer
9. Once big ice chunks start forming, break up with a fork, and mix everything all together. Repeat until totally frozen

"lamb" tagine with puff bread

"Lamb" tagine with puff bread!

      

Time: 2.5 hours. Bread takes a while to rise. Lots of kneading. Active cooking time is about 40 minutes for filling, and 30 minutes for dough. 


Filling:

Ingredients:


1 eggplant 
1 red bell pepper 
1/2 large onion (vidalia or yellow) 
~5 garlic cloves
12oz pack of impossible meat
Olive oil
Lamb tagine spice mix: https://spicesandtease.com/shop/spice-blends/signature-blends/special-lamb-tajine/ (sweet version of the famous Ras El Hanut)


Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425*
2. Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Coarsely dice the red pepper. Put the whole garlic cloves into a tin foil sachet of olive oil. 
3. On a greased baking sheet, half is diced red pepper, half is eggplant rounds, and tuck the sachet of garlic somewhere on there. Sprinkle a topping of lamb tagine spice mix and a little bit of salt over everything. 
4. Roast those veggies for 20-30 minutes, until you've got a nice bit of carbonization and it's fully cooked. Flip the eggplants and mix around the red peppers halfway through. You may want to broil for the last few minutes. 
5. While those are roasting, finely dice the onion and low cook in a cast iron skillet to caramelize them in some olive oil.  This will take around 30 minutes. Start off by covering for the first 10 minutes or so, then remove cover ad keep cooking. Stir occasionally. 
6. In a mixing bowl, combine impossible meat with a dollop of spice mix, probably around a tablespoon. Mix together with your hands. Form into little patties the same size as your eggplant rounds. 
7. Remove onion from cast iron. Raise heat to medium and put a little more olive oil on the pan. Cook the impossible patties, roughly 2-3 minutes per side. 
8. Turn off all the heat and let everything cool down. 
9. Once it's all cool, arrange the the eggplants and patties in the bottom of the cast iron. Mix the red peppers, onions, and roasted garlic together. Taste test to see if you want a little more spice mix. Put that mixture on top of the eggplants and patties. 
10. Heat the oven to 480*
11. Cover the cast iron skillet with 2/3 of the lavas dough (see below), stretching over the top and sealing around the sides. 
12. Bake for 8-9 minutes 

Bread:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/turkish-lavas-puff-break-recipe-3274371

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (active dry)
• 1 1/4 cups water (warm)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Garnish: sesame seeds
• Garnish: nigella seeds

Steps to Make It

1. In a large bowl, stir the dry yeast and warm water until the yeast is dissolved.
2. Add the sugar and stir again until it has dissolved. Set the yeast mixture aside in a warm place to let it develop. You’ll know it’s ready when you see bubbles on the surface.
3. After 15 minutes, melt the butter then let it cool down. Stir it into the yeast mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture.
5. Knead the dough first in the bowl, then on a lightly floured surface until it forms a smooth ball.
6. Grease the inside of a deep bowl with a little olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover with plastic wrap.
7. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Turn the dough out onto your floured surface and knead again for 15 minutes.
8. Oil the bowl again and add the dough, this time letting it rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size.
9. Preheat the oven to 480 F/250 C. Turn out the dough onto your floured surface and flatten it with your hands.
10. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 3 even-sized pieces.
11. Form the pieces into balls and cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise on the floured surface for 15 minutes.
12. Using your hands or a rolling pin, make a disk out of each piece of dough.
13. Continue to flatten the disk until it becomes very thin. Use extra flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and the surface.
14. Sprinkle sesame and nigella seeds onto the dough and roll it in with the rolling pin with one last stroke.
15. Grease two large baking trays with a little olive oil and place 3 pieces of dough on each one.
16. Bake for about 8 minutes until the centers puff up high and they begin to brown. If you have time, bake them one by one in the very center of the oven for the best puff-up results.
17. Serve your lavaş hot with goat cheese, butter, spicy ezme salad, and grilled meats.

Basic Banana Bread

Ingredients

• Wet
• 2 eggs
• 3-4 bananas, mashed well
• 1 cup of coconut oil, completely melted (or 1 stick of melted butter)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Dry
• 2 cups regular flour
• 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar (or 1/2 cup for slightly less sweet)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• pinch of nutmeg
• ~2 tsp of cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup of shredded coconut (plus more for topping)
• Optional (1/4 cup chocolate chips, if you're doing only 1/2 cup white sugar)
• Optional: Nigella Lawson's lime and cream cheese frosting to go on top (if you're doing slightly less sugar)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Grease a glass baking tray 9 x 13 
2. Sift dry ingredients (except coconut & chocolate chips) in large bowl
3. Mash bananas in separate medium bowl, add oil to bananas, add vanilla extract, add eggs. Stir until well combined
4. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix until just combined using a soft spatula
5. Fold in chocolate chips and coconut
6. Pour into baking tray. Sprinkle extra coconut on top to be cute
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Test if knife in center comes out clean