This has always been an interesting topic of mine, listening to songs about food or drinks or having food or drinks mentioned in the title of a song. I always wanted to make this list, but never got around to it until now. I hope others enjoy this kind of list as much as I do. It made my hungry just making this list, so I had some cherry pie and pumpkin pie right after I finished it. Have fun listening to these songs.
Chicken Tikka Masala is creamy and easy to make right at home in one pan with simple ingredients! Full of incredible flavours, it rivals any Indian restaurant! Aromatic golden chicken pieces in an incredible creamy curry sauce, this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe is one of the best you will try!
Prep: 15mins
Cook: 30mins
Total: 45mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
11.2oz(800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighscut into bite-sized pieces
0.4cupplain yogurt
0.6tablespoonsminced garlic
0.4tablespoonginger
0.8teaspoonsgaram masala
0.4teaspoonturmeric
0.4teaspoonground cumin
0.4teaspoonKashmiri chili(or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder)
0.4teaspoonof salt
For the sauce:
0.8tablespoonsof vegetable/canola oil
0.8tablespoonsbutter
0.8smallonions(or 1 large onion) finely diced
0.6tablespoonsgarlicfinely grated
0.4tablespoongingerfinely grated
0.6teaspoonsgaram masala
0.6teaspoonsground cumin
0.4teaspoonturmeric powder
0.4teaspoonground coriander
5.6oz(400g) tomato puree(tomato sauce/Passata)
0.4teaspoonKashmiri chili (optional for colour and flavour)
0.4teaspoonground red chili powder(adjust to your taste preference)
0.4teaspoonsalt
0.5cupsof heavy or thickened cream(use evaporated milk for lower calories)
0.4teaspoonbrown sugar
0.1cupwaterif needed
1.6tablespoonsFresh cilantro or corianderto garnish
Instructions
In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
Looking for healthy and easy snack ideas for kids? These quick and easy no-bake Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars are always a hit. Made with just 3 simple ingredients: Cheerios, peanut butter and honey. They’re perfect for breakfast, after school, or a quick grab-n-go snack. Toddlers, teens and adults love them!
Servings: 9
Ingredients
3cupsCheerios
3/4cuppeanut butter
1/2cuphoney
Instructions
Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or foil; set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, heat the peanut butter and honey over medium heat until melted and well combined.
Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheerios.
Place the mixture in your prepared pan and press into place.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting.
Oh it’s so good. Chocolate Kiss Peanut Butter Pie. This recipe has a wonderful combination of a chocolate and peanut butter. It’s simple and inexpensive. You can also use chocolate pudding; the pie tastes like peanut butter cup candy. For a really spectacular presentation, garnish with whipped cream, peanuts, and chopped peanut butter cups.
Ingredients
Original recipe yields 8 servings
Directions
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving:
378 calories; protein 8.1g; carbohydrates 39.7g; fat 22.1g; cholesterol 12mg; sodium 481.1mg. Full Nutrition
Grilled Peaches with Whipped Mascarpone. Have you ever tried a grilled dessert? This easy dessert combines grilled peaches with mascarpone, browned butter and crispy sage for a unique tasty treat for those warm summer nights ahead.
Prepare the grill. Lightly brush your grill grates with olive oil and preheat your grill to about 400°F.
Whip the mascarpone. Add the heavy cream to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone and vanilla and beat for another minute or so. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the peaches. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Brush the cut slides generously with olive oil.
Grill the peaches. Place the peaches cut side down on the preheated grill. Grill for 5 minutes and remove.
Assemble. Place a peach half or two on a plate. Top with the whipped mascarpone and drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can use either homemade or store-bought salted caramel sauce. If making homemade be sure to make it prior to grilling the peaches.
To grill the peaches simply brush the grates lightly with oil and preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Cut your peaches in half and remove the pits, brush the cut side of the peach with oil and grill for 5 minutes. It’s really that easy! This simple tips below will help you ensure perfectly grilled peaches every time.
Baked Chicken Taquitos are one of the meals that are easy to make and taste just like you are in a Mexican Restaurant. Taquitos are like mini tacos all rolled up ready to eat. Okay, the ingredients are bit different than regular tacos, but you get the idea.
These baked chicken taquitos have a creamy, cheesy filling with just the right amount of spice. The filling can be made ahead of time and then the taquitos can be assembled just before baking.
The baking allows a crisp tortilla but none of the added fat you find with the traditional fried taquito.
Prep Time 30mins
Cook Time 20mins
Total Time 50mins
Course Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6people
Calories 440kcal
Ingredients
8ozcream cheese(at room temperature)
1cupshredded cheddar cheese
¾cupchili verde sauce
½teaspooncumin powder
1cupshredded Monterey Jack cheese
2cupscooked chicken(shredded)
¼cupchopped fresh cilantro
12–15corn tortillas
Instructions
Stir cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Stir chili verde sauce, and cumin powder.
Stir in shredded cheeses, chicken and cilantro.
Wrap 3 tortillas at a time in a paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds, until tortillas are pliable.
Place filling on each tortilla and roll up. Place on a baking sheet seem side down.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until mixture is warmed through.
Chicken and Mushroom Pie. This looks good. Somebody needs to try this and get back to us. Stay cozy during these chilly months with this ultra creamy chicken and mushroom pie with puff pastry crust! Filled with a savory and decadent cream sauce, smoky bacon and fresh herbs, every bite of this meat pie is comfort food at its finest.
Similar to a chicken pot pie, this divine dish is loaded with a decadent, silky herbed cream sauce and hearty, flavorful add-ins. The puff pastry gives this savory pie a perfectly flaky, crisp crust for an unforgettable finishing touch. Sounds like a crowd pleaser, huh?
Equipment
Large skillet
9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish
Rolling Pin
Pastry brush
Ingredients
8slicesbaconchopped into 1-inch pieces
2 ½cupsboneless, skinless chicken thighschopped into 1-inch pieces
¼teaspoonsaltplus additional for seasoning chicken
¼teaspoonpepperplus additional for seasoning chicken
1poundbaby bella mushroomssliced
¼cupsalted butter
¼cupall-purpose flour
4garlic clovesminced or grated
1 ½cupschicken stock
1 ½cupsheavy cream
½cupfreshly grated cheddar
½cupfreshly grated Parmesan
1tablespoonfresh thyme leaves
2teaspoonsfresh chopped sage leaves
1teaspoonfresh chopped rosemary leaves
1-2dashesWorcestershire sauce
Pinch of ground nutmegpreferably freshly grated
1thawed puff pastry sheet
1eggwhisked
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, cold skillet, add bacon. Turn heat to medium and cook until crisp. Stir occasionally.
Using a slotted spoon, move bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Add chicken to bacon grease. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on the outside. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to another plate.
Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring only occasionally. If the skillet gets too dry, add a tablespoon or two of butter. Also remove from skillet.
Add ¼ cup butter to the skillet and melt. Whisk in the flour. Continuously whisk for about three minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Slowly pour in chicken stock and heavy cream. Whisk until the mixture smooths out. Add bacon, chicken and mushrooms back to the skillet. Bring to a simmer.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, cheddar, Parmesan, thyme, sage, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and ground nutmeg. Keep stirring until the cheese melts. Turn off heat.
Using a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry so that it’s large enough to cover a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour the cream mixture into the baking dish. Place the puff pastry on top. Pinch the puff pastry so that it folds against the interior sides of the baking dish. Brush the whisked egg on the puff pastry using a pastry brush. You probably won’t need the entire egg.
Place in oven in the puff pastry is nice and brown to your liking and the cream mixture is bubbling on the side, about 20-25 minutes. Let set for about five minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
About three chicken thighs typically gives me enough meat for 2 ½ cups.
For full tips, please see blog post.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Pasta to die for? Top Chef’s Simple Pasta Recipe. I’m a simple guy. Spaghetti, Bow tie, red sauce, etc. But this recipe go t me thinking. Try something different. Expand your horizon. Let’s get started.
“If you meet people who have great gastronomy and eat well, they are always happy,” he says. “In so many different levels, having balance in gastronomy helps make your mind better and you are happier. People from northern Europe, we are almost always a bit frustrated when we meet people from the south, who always seem to have a smile on their face.” In the new book, Niklas and co-author H. Ennart, a medical science journalist, dive deeper into topics originally covered in their original book, “Happy Food.” They explore the world of gut health and how closely linked it is to our physical and mental wellbeing. If that sounds a little heavy, the book is actually approachable, with plenty of simple, healthy recipes.
Ingredients:
400 grams (14.1 ounces)
dried pappardelle pasta
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons butter
8–10 sage leaves, plus extra to garnish
50g Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
black pepper for serving
Preparation:
Cook the pasta al dente, according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain and leave to steam thoroughly. Thinly slice the garlic. Brown the butter slightly and add the sage and garlic. Add the pasta and mix thoroughly. Serve with Parmesan shavings, toasted pine nuts, extra finely sliced sage and freshly ground black pepper.
What’s on your fruit menu? For me I’ve always had bananas. Now I’ve added Oranges, Clementines, Raspberries, Apples, and Blueberries. Bananas I believe are Honduras. Oranges and Clementines are from California. And the raspberries and blueberries are from Mexico. So how about you? A big fruit eater? Let us know.
Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate seeds. Edible fruits, in particular, have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition; in fact, humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food.[1] Accordingly, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world’s agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.
In common language usage, “fruit” normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour, and edible in the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. On the other hand, in botanical usage, “fruit” includes many structures that are not commonly called “fruits”, such as bean pods, cornkernels, tomatoes, and wheat grains.[2][3] The section of a fungus that produces spores is also called a fruiting body.[4]
The Buffet, is it possible to out-eat the price you pay for a buffet? How do these places make money? We looked at the dollars and cents behind the meat and potatoes.
Few things epitomize America more than the all-you-can-eat buffet.
For a small fee, you’re granted unencumbered access to a wonderland of gluttony. It is a place where saucy meatballs and egg rolls share the same plate without prejudice, where a tub of chocolate pudding finds a home on the salad bar, where variety and quantity reign supreme.
“The buffet is a celebration of excess,” says Chef Matthew Britt, an assistant professor at the Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts. “It exists for those who want it all.”
But one has to wonder: How does an industry that encourages its customers to maximize consumption stay in business?
To find out, we spoke with industry experts, chefs, and buffet owners. As it turns out, it’s harder to “beat” the buffet than you might think.
How a $20 buffet breaks down
When you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet, you pay a single fixed price regardless of how much you consume. It doesn’t matter if you eat 1 plate or 10 plates: Each bite incurs an extra marginal cost to the restaurant, but no extra cost to you.
We analyzed the prices of 30 all-you-can-eat buffets across the country, taking into account a variety of factors: Geographic region, size of the buffet (independent vs. chain), time of day (lunch vs. dinner), day of the week (weekday vs. weekend), and age (children and seniors often get discounted rates).
All considered, our analysis yielded an average buffet price of ~$20.
Like most restaurants, buffets operate on extremely thin margins: For every $20 in revenue, $19 might go toward overhead, leaving $1 (5%) in net profit.
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
Buffets often break even on food and eke out a profit by minimizing the cost of labor.
Self-service allows a buffet to bypass a wait staff, and all-you-can-eat dishes (which are generally less complex and prepped in enormous batches) can be made by a “skeleton crew” of line cooks.
“At a typical restaurant, a cook can service 25 customers per hour — and that’s at best,” says Joe Ericsson, a managing partner at the food consultancy Restaurant Owner. “In the same amount of time, a single buffet cook might be able to prep enough food for 200 people.”
Because margins are so slim, buffets rely on high foot traffic: At Golden Corral, a buffet chain with 498 locations in 42 states, dining floors are 5k-square-feet and seat 475 people. On a typical Saturday, it’s not uncommon for 900 diners to come through the door.
The volume of food required to satiate 900 all-you-can-eaters on a daily basis can be staggering.
Each year, Ovation Brands, the owner of multiple major buffet chains, serves up 85m dinner rolls, 47m pounds of chicken, and 6m pounds of steak — 49.3B calories in total.
It is estimated that between 5% and 25% of any given dish will be wasted, either through the buffet’s miscalculation of demand or the diner’s overzealousness. Waste reduction is a key focus of any successful buffet and a frequent tactic is reusing food.
“Buffets have always been a landing spot for food scraps,” says Chef Britt. “They call them the ‘trickle-down specials’ — day-old vegetables or beef trimmings can be repurposed into a soup or a hash.”
Buffets are also able to save money by utilizing economies of scale and buying food in bulk. Using data from a wholesale food supplier, we worked out the approximate cost per serving of a few popular buffet items.
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
Fully prepped, starches like potatoes might only cost the restaurant $0.30 per serving, compared to $2.25 per serving for steak.
By nature, buffets attract the very customers they wish to avoid: Big eaters with insatiable appetites. Buffets seek to “fill the customer’s belly as cheaply and as quickly as possible.” To do so, they employ a number of research-backed tricks to get people to eat less food:
They put the cheap, filling stuff at the front of the buffet line: (Study: 75% of buffet customers select whatever food is in the first tray — and 66% of all the food they consume comes from the first 3 trays.)
They use smaller plates. (Study: Smaller plate sizes reduce the amount of food consumed.)
They use larger than average serving spoons for things like potatoes, and smaller than average tongs for meats.
They frequently refill water and use extra-large glasses.
Even higher-end buffets, like the $98 brunch at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, employ these tactics: “They hide the truffles, the foie gras, and the oysters,” says Britt. “You literally can’t find them.”
But what happens when a customer ignores these tricks and devours a Godzilla-sized portion of food? Is it possible to — dare we ask — out-eat the all-you-can-eat buffet?
Buffets and the law of averages
Let’s imagine that Larry, a 280-pound offensive lineman, decides to stop by his local all-you-can-eat buffet after a big game.
Larry’s got a reputation around town for being a gourmand. He’s got an appetite that puts Homer Simpson to shame — and on this particular day, he’s ready to do some serious damage.
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
Larry pays his $20 and proceeds to eat 5 servings of steak and chicken, far more than the average customer.
The cost of this food to the buffet amounts to $16.90. This means that after factoring in other expenses, Larry has handed the restaurant a loss of -$8.50.
Luckily, eaters like Larry (“vacuum cleaners,” as one buffet owner calls them) are baked into any all-you-can-eat buffet’s pricing model. While the buffet might lose money on a small number of meat gluttons, it handily makes it back on those who under-consume or only eat the cheaper foods.
“Most people don’t go in and beat the buffet,” says Britt. “They eat an appropriate amount, or even less than they should, averaging out the outliers.”
Picture 3 diners: One who eats exactly the average cost of food to the restaurant ($7.40), one who loads up on cheaper carbs ($4.70), and a guy like Larry:
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
While the restaurant loses $8.50 on Larry, it makes $3.70 from the under-eater and still takes in its steady $1 margin on the average eater.
And there are a lot more of the latter two patrons: The buffet owners we spoke with estimated that over-eaters like Larry only account for 1 in every ~20 diners.
Of the 300 diners that might come through on a given day, this hypothetical buffet would see 255 average eaters ($225 profit), 60 undereaters ($222), and 15 gluttons (-$127.50). That works out to $320, or right around that $1 profit per customer average. Annualized, the eatery is looking at a respectable $117k in pre-tax profit.
Buffets don’t stop there: Many beef up their margins by selling soft drinks separately. At a cost of $0.12 per fill, a $2 soda comes with a 1,500% markup.
Still, buffets aren’t impervious to extreme circumstances. Larry won’t put a significant dent in a buffet’s bottom line — but imagine if he brought the rest of his team with him.
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
Every buffet owner we talked to had a few war stories about dealing with policy abusers. “All-you-can-eat,” it seems, comes with certain limitations.
“There are people who go to a buffet and eat for 3 or 4 hours straight,” says Anna Hebal, owner of the Red Apple Buffet in Chicago. “They’ll go to the bathroom, then come back and eat again. They don’t stop.” She has since imposed a 2-hour time limit.
Other proprietors have taken more extreme measures. Over the years, buffets have made headlines for kicking out guests who eat too much:
A 6’6″, 350-pound Wisconsin man was removed from a buffet after downing 12 fried fish fillets (and subsequently arrested for protesting outside).
A German triathlete was asked to prematurely leave an $18.95 buffet after consuming 100 plates of sushi.
A woman was booted from a Golden Corral for eating all the brownies, then attempting to smuggle home extras in her purse.
To avoid these situations, some owners have updated their language to “All-you-can-eat within reason,” or resorted to charging customers extra for food left on plates.
But the real enemy of the buffet isn’t the occasional over-eater: It’s the steady march of technological progress, and the changing consumer preferences that have come with it.
The end of the (buffet) line
According to the market research firm NPD Group, the number of buffets in America has fallen by 26% since 1998 — even as the total number of all restaurants in America has risen by 22%.
In the past 20 years, more than 1.3k buffets have shut their doors. The big buffet chains that once dotted the Midwest have been hit the hardest: Old Country Buffet is down to 17 of its 350 original locations; HomeTown Buffet has closed 217 of its 250 eateries; Ryan’s Buffet has downsized from 400 to 16.
Ovation Brands, the conglomerate that owns these chains, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 3 times since 2008.
Zachary Crockett / The Hustle
Industry experts attribute this decline, in part, to the spread of food delivery apps. By 2030, the National Restaurant Association projects that 80% of all restaurant items will be eaten at home — a trend that buffets can’t effectively capitalize on.
Today’s health-conscious consumers have also shifted away from quantity in favor of experience-driven dining options.
Golden Corral, one of the last-standing American buffet chains, has found success by redesigning its dining spaces to be more “bright, shiny, [and] friendly,” and investing in higher-quality food that makes for better Instagram photos.
Anna Hebal, who runs a small buffet in Chicago, has a different strategy.
For 30 years, she has served guests a Polish-themed spread that includes kielbasa, schnitzel, and pierogi. Her secret? Sticking to the roots of what first made buffets popular in the 1970s: excess and variety.
“A buffet is just like life itself; you have so many choices,” she says. “It’s up to you to choose wisely.”
Mary Yoder’s Hearty Hamburger Soup. A favorite restaurant my wife and I visit when in Amish country is Mary Yoder’s. Located in beautiful Middlefield, Ohio. When you go there, you don’t leave hungry. Also forget about diets or counting calories. The website has awesome recipes.
Experience the timeless goodness of Amish cooking with simple to follow directions and basic ingredients. Treat yourself or family to delicious Amish cooking in your own home with luscious recipes.
Melt butter into saucepan, brown meat; add onion and cook until transparent. Stir in remaining ingredients except flour and milk. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender. Combine flour with one cup of milk. Stir into soup mixture. Boil. Add remaining milk and heat, stirring frequently. Do not boil after adding remaining milk.
This recipe can be adapted to your family’s taste. Celery can be substituted for the green pepper if you wish.
The Amish Way cookbook, compiled by Adrienne Lund, published by Jupiter
Press, copyright revised edition 1994. Adrienne Lund is the
author-publisher of nine Amish cookbooks and a children’s book about the
Amish way of life. Her books are available in Mary Yoder’s gift shop and in their online store
Have you ever tried Figgy Pudding? Maybe I should ask if you have ever had plum pudding. It isn’t pudding, at least not the kind of pudding many Americans think of when they hear the word. In the UK, pudding is used as catch-all to describe any sweet dish served after a meal. Figgy pudding isn’t creamy or custardy, but it is a sugary cake, which qualifies it as pudding overseas.
Level:Easy
Total: 1 hr 30 min
Prep: 30 min
Inactive: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Yield:4 servings
Ingredients
Sauce:
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the dates, dried figs and water to a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then add to a blender and puree.
Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat well. Fold in the flour, the pureed date mixture and the chocolate.
Put the mixture into 4 buttered, 1-cup individual ramekins, filling halfway or slightly under. Put in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Prepare the sauce by stirring the sugar and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until incorporated.
Remove the ramekins from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. May be served in the ramekin or unmolded onto a small serving plate. With paring knife cut a cross in the top of the puddings for the sauce.
Pour the sauce into the cross in the center of each pudding, then pour more sauce over the puddings and it allow to soak in slightly. Top with fresh figs and vanilla ice cream or heavily whipped cream. Serve warm.
When I first did this article, I would not even think about it. But now I look forward to my BK coupons that come in the mail. I use the impossible burger coupon. I think that it’s better than the Whopper.
Top five ingredients: Water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil and natural flavors.
Grilled Salmon & Asparagus with Cream Sauce. If you love Salmon, you will love this recipe. This here recipe for Grilled Salmon & Asparagus with Cream Sauce is a big winner. It ´s a dish that is done in under 25 minutes from start to finish, yet it has the presentation that we all expect from a holiday dinner dish. Funny enough, I like to enjoy this salmon dish all year-round. This serves two.
Ingredients
-2 fillets fresh salmon
-sea salt
-black pepper
-1 tbsp extra virgin Spanish olive oil
-8 stalks fresh asparagus
-1 clove garlic
-1/4 onion
-1/2 cup white wine
-1 cup Greek yogurt
-1/4 tsp dried dill
Instructions
Grab 10 fresh asparagus, wash them and pat them dry and cut off about 1 1/2 inches from the root, finely mince 1 clove of garlic, finely dice a 1/4 of an onion, cut a lemon in half, reserve 1/2 cup of white wine, reserve 1 cup of Greek yogurt, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill
Season 2 fresh salmon fillets with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper on both sides of the fillet
Heat a small non-stick frying pan with a medium-high heat and a grilling pan with a medium heat, drizzle a kiss of extra virgin Spanish olive oil on the grilling pan, once the pan´s get hot, add the asparagus to the grilling pan and the salmon fillets to the frying pan, occasionally turn the asparagus and cook until your liking, I cooked them for about 7-8 minutes, after cooking the salmon fillets for 3 minutes flip them and cook for another 2 minutes, then remove from the pan
In the same pan with the same heat as you cooked the salmon, using the rendered fat from salmon, add the minced garlic and dice onions, mix with the oil, after 30 seconds of cooking add 1/2 cup of white wine, simmer for 3 minutes then turn off the heat, after letting it cool for 2 minutes add 1 cup of Greek yogurt, a 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, mix everything togethr until well mixed
Season the cooked asparagus with some lemon juice and sea salt, then decorate 5 of the asparagus per plate, add a fillet of salmon on top of the asparagus and drizzle the cream sauce on top of each fillet
This rich, dense, elegant Chocolate Chevron Cake from Ina Garten‘s cookbook, Cook Like a Pro, comes from her catering days and is an illustration in how repetition makes you a better cook.
“When the baker didn’t show up, I had to make 50 Chocolate Chevron Cakes,” she recalls. “I learned the fastest and best way to bake a cake that looks impressive without a lot of extra effort.” It’s also a lesson in pairing ingredients to boost flavor. “Some ingredients need a partner to bring out their flavor, which is why I always put a touch of coffee in my chocolate dishes,” Garten explains. “You don’t taste the coffee, but it makes the chocolate taste better.”
Chocolate Chevron Cake
By Ina Garten
Makes
1 (8-inch) cake
Active Time
Total Time
Ingredients
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 (16-oz) can Hershey’s chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup heavy cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp instant coffee granules
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8 × 2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour pan, tapping out excess flour.
Cream butter and sugar the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add eggs, 1 at a time, then mix in chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add flour; mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes, until just set in middle. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Remove from pan, turning cake upside down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Cool completely.
Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and 1 Tbsp water until smooth, thick and just barely pourable. When you lift icing from the bowl with the whisk, it should slowly fall back on itself in a ribbon. (You may need to add a few more drops of water.) Fit a pastry bag with a small, round pastry tip and fill it with icing. Set aside.
To make ganache, place heavy cream, chocolate chips and coffee in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat mixture until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Pour ganache evenly over top and sides of cake, tilting rack until ganache is smooth all over.
Immediately, before ganache sets, pipe parallel lines of confectioner’s sugar mixture about 1 inch apart on entire cake, stopping just short of edge. Lightly drag back of a small paring knife through ganache perpendicular to white lines also 1 inch apart, alternating directions (first left to right, then right to left, and so on) and covering the whole cake. Allow the ganache and icing to set. Cut in wedges; serve at room temperature.
Pro tip: “You can wrap and refrigerate the cake for a few days, but once it is ‘ganached,’ leave it at room temperature for up to 8 hours,” says Garten. “If you refrigerate it, beads of condensation will form on the ganache and damage the decoration.”