Ham, Cheese, Egg, and Lemon Sandwiches

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE LEMON CURD:
¾ cup sugar
4 egg yolks
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Zest and juice of 3 lemons, preferably Meyer

FOR THE SANDWICHES:
8 (1"-thick) slices brioche
Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
2 oz. soft goat cheese
4 eggs
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 slices black forest ham
4 oz. mâche

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the curd: Whisk together sugar and yolks in a 2-qt. saucepan; add butter, zest, and juice, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until curd is the consistency of loose pudding, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour curd through a strainer into a bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd; chill for 2 hours.

2. To make each sandwich, heat a 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush one side each of 2 slices brioche with butter, and place in skillet, buttered sides down, and toast, about 1 minute. Transfer slices to a plate, toasted sides down, and spread ½ oz. goat cheese over one slice and 2 ½ tbsp. lemon curd over the other slice.

3. Meanwhile, whisk 1 egg in a bowl, and add to skillet; sprinkle with ¼ tsp. thyme and salt and pepper, and cook, flipping once, until just set, about 2 minutes. Fold up omelet and place on top of the goat cheese. Place 4 slices ham in skillet, and cook, flipping once, until heated through, about 35 seconds; place on top of omelette. Place 1 oz. mâche on top of ham, then top with the bread slice slathered with lemon curd. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 3 more sandwiches.                                                                                                                          

Tomato Stack Salad with Corn, Bacon, and Avocado

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 8 min.

Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bacon, cooked & crumbled
2 ears of corn
2 red tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 yellow tomato, thickly sliced
1 orange tomato, thickly sliced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Basil for garnish
Creamy buttermilk ranch dressing (see link above for recipe)

Directions:

Make the Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Click here for the recipe.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Coat the corn with cooking spray then place into the grill pan and cook for 8 minutes or until well marked, turning occasionally. Remove from the grill pan; cool slightly. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs; set aside.
Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Alternate layers of tomatoes and avocado on the serving plates. Side Note: I used two slices of the avocado together to make an even layer in between the tomatoes. Scatter the corn and bacon crumbles evenly between each tomato stack. Drizzle each tomato stack with the ranch dressing and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Light and Airy- Tres Leches Cake

This version of Pastel de Tres Leches or "Three Milk's Cake" (known in the U.S. as "Tres Leches Cake") is not quite as rich and dense as traditional Pastel de Tres Leches is. This fluffy cake is soaked in three types of milks in the typical style, and topped with decadent fresh whipped cream.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder- aluminum free
• 6 large eggs- carefully separated into yolks and whites
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cream Syrup for Soaking (see recipe below)
• Whipped Topping (see recipe below)

Preparation:

Sift (or mix thoroughly) the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until they become frothy. Whisk the sugar, milk and vanilla into the yolks.
In a chilled mixing bowl, begin to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. While the whites are whipping, mix the yolk mixture into the flour mixture by folding it in with a large wooden spoon.
Then, use a large spatula to begin to fold the yolk mixture into the egg white mixture a little at a time. Do this carefully as to leave the batter as fluffy as possible. Immediately pour into a greased and floured 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 325 degrees. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool until it feels room temperature, at least one hour, if not longer. Pierce the cake with a fork 20-30 times.
Cream Syrup

• evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)

Whisk together the three milks and the rum or brandy if you are using it. While the cake is in the pan, slowly pour the liquid over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for three hours, or overnight if possible.
Whipped Topping

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar

In a chilled mixing bowl add heavy cream, vanilla and sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Spread a thin layer over the cake.
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or garnish with fresh berries.

Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and sour soup is reputed to be good for colds. To increase the health benefits, feel free to add 2 or 3 teaspoons of finely chopped ginger.

For a vegetarian version of Hot and Sour Soup, leave out the pork.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cake tofu (fresh, if possible)
• 2 ounces pork tenderloin
• Marinade:
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• Other:
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
• 2 tablespoons black fungus (Wood Ear) or Cloud Ear fungus
• (or 3 - 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms or fresh mushrooms)
• 1 small handful dried lily buds
• 6 cups water (or 6 cups water and 1 cup Campbell's chicken broth)*
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons red rice vinegar, white rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• White pepper to taste (no more than 1 tablespoon)
• Hot chili oil, to taste, optional

Preparation:

Hot and Sour Soup Directions:
Shred pork. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 20 minutes.

Cut tofu into small squares. Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices. To reconstitute the fungus, soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse, and cut into thin pieces. (If substituting Chinese dried mushrooms, soak to soften, then cut off the stems and cut into thin strips. If using fresh mushrooms, wipe clean with a damp cloth and slice.)

To reconstitute the dried lily buds, soak in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Cut off the hard ends.

Bring the water to a boil. When it is boiling, add the bamboo shoots, fungus or mushrooms, and the lily buds. Stir. Add the tofu. Bring back to a boil and add the marinated pork.
Stir in the salt, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and sesame oil.
Test the broth and adjust the taste if desired. (If using chicken broth, you may want to add a bit more rice vinegar).

Mix the cornstarch and water. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring while it is being added. Let the broth come back to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove the broth from the stove.

Slowly drop in the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time. Add the green onion and the white pepper to taste. Drizzle with chili oil if desired. Serve hot.

(Hot and Sour Soup can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. When making the soup, leave out the tofu. When ready to serve, thaw, add the tofu and bring to boiling. When the soup is boiling, add the egg.)

*Adjust the ratio of water to chicken stock as desired.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

A quick and easy recipe that can be poured over a dish or used as a dipping sauce. A recipe for sweet and sour sauce using black rice vinegar can be found here.

Yields about 1/2 cup

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Preparation:

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

(If desired, you can add 1 green pepper, cut into chunks, and pineapple chunks as desired after adding the cornstarch. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 4 teaspoons while keeping the water constant.)

Reader Comments:
You have probably heard this before but I tried your sweet and sour sauce using rice vinegar, and absolutely love it. My daughter is allergic to some red food colourings so we generally avoid sweet and sour.  (Your recipe) was soooo good I decided to make a second batch ; unfortunately I was now out of rice vinegar. Well...white vinegar just doesn't cut it girl !!!  I am now going to make sure there is rice vinegar at all times in my pantry.

Duck's Breast Dressed in Nuts and Herbs with Raspberrie's Sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings: 2 ducks' breasts, 4 raspberries jam's tablespoons, 1 lime's juice, 20 grs of toasted ground almond, 20 grs of ground walnuts, 2 teaspoons of provence herbs, 3 or 4 olive oil tablespoons, some black ground pepper and thick sea salt.

• Heat a big pan and when it's very hot add the 2 breasts. First do the fat skin one and when it's brown, do the other side. Notice that it leaves a lot of oily fat; to avoid boiling the breast in its own fat, first cook one - empty the pan from the oil - and do the other after. Once they brown in both sides, reserve.
• Preheat oven at 200ºC.
• Prepare the walnuts, almonds and herbs and throw them in a mortar and smash until you get small pieces, add the olive oil and some salt. Reserve.
• With a kitchen brush or with a spoon, add the nuts mixture to the breasts. Both sides should be covered.
• When the oven has achieved 200ºC place the breasts in a Pyrex glass container and over the middle rack. Have for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare a sauce with the raspberries jam, the lime juice and a sprinkle of ground black pepper.
• To serve the dish: Cut the breasts in slices, drop some thick sea salt on top and add the raspberries sauce to one side of the plate. Mix all ingredients while eating. The contrast of flavours is spectacular!

Rice Mint Balls with Pistachios and Shrimps

Ingredients for 4 servings: 200 grs. of rice (I use Bahia), 350 grs. of shrimps, a garlic clove, 30 grs. of pistachios, 6 fresh mint leaves, olive oil, black ground pepper and salt.

• Get some water boiling and add some salt to it, when it starts boiling pour the rice in and cook for 20 minutes or what your package says, strain and let it cool.
• Pour some olive oil in a sauce pan and saute the shrimps, add some salt and a chopped garlic, have for 2 minutes, no more. Reserve. When cold, peel and cut in small pieces.
• Smash the pistachios and mint leaves in a mortar.
• In a big bowl put the rice, the shrimps and the pistachios and mint. Mix all ingredients and with your hands wet, make little balls and place in a recipient.
• Once the balls are done, place in the fridge for at least two hours.
• Serve with a sauce of your choice... Mint pesto? Soy sauce?

You can also make the dish changing the pistachios for peanuts or toasted almonds and the mint could be replaced by parsley too. Let's be creative!