I've MOVED

Check out my new blog at: Bon Vivant Family

http://bonvivantfamily.blogspot.com/

New recipes, new photos, and a new book recently released!

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

Mini heirloom tomatoes elevate the humble bruschetta to an amazing appetizer and are worth the extra cost and trip to a specialty market. However, these days even mainstream grocery stores are carrying heirloom varieties. They possess an overwhelming and intense tomatoey sweetness. Perhaps that's not even a word, but when you taste these little gems, you'll understand.

4 slices boule, or other wide French loaf
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, lay each slice of bread side by side in the oil. Cook on each side until lightly browned and crispy.

While the bread is cooking, slice each tomato in half or in quarters. Make a chiffonade of the basil leaves and toss together with the balsamic vinegar and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Remove the toasted bread to a plate and top with the tomato mixture. Serve immediately.

Creamy Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Please vegetarians and carnivores alike with this savory dish combining cumin, fresh spinach and black beans in a spicy, creamy sauce.

Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flake

1 teaspoon dried oregano

6-8 cups fresh spinach

1, 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1, 8-ounce package cream cheese

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup reserved for topping
1 tablespoon ground cumin

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Enchilada Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red chili flake

1, 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon good-quality chili powder

sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

1 package corn or wheat tortillas

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped for serving

sour cream, for serving

For the enchilada sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan. Saute the onions, garlic and red chili flake over medium heat until the onion is golden and has picked up some of the red from the chili flake. Add the tomatoes, water and remaining seasonings. Allow to simmer over low heat while making the filling.

Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep skillet. Saute the onions, garlic, oregano and red chili flake over medium heat until the onion is golden. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

Add the black beans and cream cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the cheddar cheese and the remaining seasonings and stir until everything comes together. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-size baking dish, spoon enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom. Fill each tortilla with the desired amount of filling and snuggle down into the pan. Corn tortillas have a nasty habit of splitting during this step, especially if they're cold or not especially fresh. But don't worry, the finished product tastes amazing regardless. Spoon the remaining sauce over all of the enchiladas and top with the reserved cheddar. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes, testing the middle for doneness. Allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

If you wish to prepare this dish in advance, cover, refrigerate, and add at least 15 minutes to the baking time.

To serve, top with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Basil, Fennel & Chili Lasagna

Whenever any of my friends has a baby or moves into a new home, I enjoy bringing over dinner, so that at least one night in their chaos is comforted by way of delicious food. And more often than not, I bring over the forthcoming lasagna. I hate to be so predictable, offering up the bane of church potluck suppers and frozen entree aisles. But, this lasagna is different! I could tell you about all of the things that make it so special -the fresh basil, sauteed fennel and garlic, the homemade pasta- but it possesses an ineffable quality of love and attention that I so desperately want to convey in all of my cooking. Which is why, the last time I made it, I was in Germany, cooking for soldiers stationed at the Baumholder Army base. Many of them have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and all of them were spending their Christmas holiday away from home in a foreign country. This was perhaps my ultimate opportunity to show my love by way of aged cheese, eggey pasta, and heady tomato sauce in my Basil, Fennel & Chili Lasagna.

Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fennel seed, lightly ground in mortar and pestle
1/2 teaspoon red chili flake
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Cabernet or other dry, full-bodied red wine
1 tsp oregano
sea salt to taste

Cheese Layer
24 ounces shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup reserved
8 ounces shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/4 cup reserved
16 ounces ricotta cheese (small curd cottage cheese is also acceptable)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp oregano
1 cup basil chiffonade

Pasta
16 ounces homemade pasta or store-bought variety that requires no pre-cooking

To make the marinara sauce, saute onion, garlic, chili, and fennel seeds in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent and have picked up some color from the chili flake and the whole thing is intoxicatingly fragrant. Add the wine, oregano, and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until ready to assemble.


The cheese layer is equally simple. Combine the milk, eggs, cheese, and oregano and stir until combined. Save the basil chiffonade until ready to assemble.


To assemble, spoon a generous amount of marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. Place pasta in the bottom of the pan, allowing it to overlap as needed. Spoon additional marinara over the pasta. Drop small dollops of the cheese mixture evenly throughout the pan. Sprinkle basil over this layer, then top with noodles and repeat, sauce, cheese, basil, pasta, ending with sauce and then a smattering of reserved mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil. Cover with oiled foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and bubbling.

Kiss Your Oven Goodbye...

...for a summer of delicious raw desserts 

From The Asian Reporter, V19, #20 (May 26, 2009), page 13

Ani's Raw Food Desserts

By Ani Phyo

De Capo Press, 2009

Paperback, 199 pages, $17.95

By Pamela Ellgen - The Asian Reporter

My idea of a good dessert is a homemade chocolate cake with a pound of butter, eggs, brown sugar, and the best melted chocolate on the market, dense enough that even frosting seems unnecessary. However, I recently moved into an apartment with an oven that heats to only one temperature: hotter than hell. So, I resigned myself to a summer sans baking.

Days after moving in, I stumbled across Ani Phyo's new book, Ani's Raw Food Desserts. You can imagine my skepticism given my aforementioned love for baking with butter. But, I'm happy to say, Phyo not only answered my oven woes, but also opened my palate to the glorious world of raw food. Best of all, her concoctions satisfied my sweet tooth. Goodbye chocolate cake. Hellow Mango Sorbet-Macaroon Tartlets, Pecan Pie Cookies, and Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes. 

Read the rest of my review at The Asian Reporter website.

Pecan Pie Cookies

1 cup pecans

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp orange oil or orange juice

1 cup pitted Medjool dates

Combine the pecans, cinnamon, and orange oil in the food processor and pulse into small chunks. Add the dates and process until mixed well. Scoop the dough by 1 1/2 tablespoons onto a sheet tray lined with parchment, and flatten into cookies. 

Will keep for a week in the fridge or several weeks in the freezer (thaw before eating). Makes 10 cookies. 

Best Chocolate "Cream" Pie

As I help myself to a second piece of this amazingly decadent chocolate "cream" pie, I am tempted to conceal the recipe and post only photos. 

So, why don't I want to tell you my secret? I think you won't believe me when I tell you I made it with silken tofu. It's true, and it's the best chocolate "cream" pie I've ever had. 

1 block silken tofu

1T vanilla extract

3T coffee

1-2T brown sugar

3 T butter

1 bag best semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 graham cracker crust

Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a double-boiler, stirring until blended. 

In a blender, cream the tofu, vanilla, coffee, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and blend well. 

Pour mixture into the crust. Chill for one hour in the freezer if you have guests coming. Or chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving. This is truly the best chocolate "cream" pie I have ever had. If you don't believe me, I'll whip one up for you and in seconds you'll be staring at an empty plate asking for another piece. 

Seared Sea Bass with Tomato Remoulade and Herbed Couscous

I happened upon this delicious concoction when my fish monger said he was out of fresh tuna. Since there's no real substitution for sesame-crusted, pan-seared yellowfin, I abandoned my previous recipe. Instead, I picked up some Chilean Sea Bass, which he described as "butter" as he placed two portions on the scale. I went home with a few things in mind and poured a glass of wine. What followed, I can only describe as food nirvana, heaven, whatever, it was pure bliss, "butter" as the fish man would say. 

Serves 2

2 portions Chilean Sea Bass

2 count canola oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 yellow onion, diced

olive oil

red chili flake

marjoram, oregano, thyme

1/4 cup pinenuts

1/4 capers, drained

1 cup fresh grape tomatoes

1/4 cup Greek olives

1/4 dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 

1/2 cup couscous

pinch oregano

kosher salt

Begin with all ingredients measured and ready; the actual cooking takes only about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees first. 

In a large saute pan, add a two-count of olive oil, the garlic, onion, chili, herbs, pinenuts, and capers.   Saute over medium heat for three to five minutes, taking care not to brown the garlic. Add the grape tomatoes; saute for one minute. Add the Greek olives and a the white wine; saute for another few moments until the olives are heated through. When finished, turn off the heat and toss in the parsley. 

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan heat 1 cup of water with a pinch of oregano and salt. When it comes to a boil, add couscous, stir, and remove from the heat. 

Season the fish on each side with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. In an oven-proof skillet, heat a two-count of canola oil over medium-high heat. When it's good and hot, smokin' hot, place the fish filets skin side down. Cook for about 3 minutes. Flip the fish to the other side. Sear for about 30 seconds, then place into the preheated oven for 3-4 minutes. 

Plating is simple. Portion the couscous in a ramekin, press down. Invert the ramekin on your dinner plate. If some of it crumbles, worry not. Lay one end of the fish fillet on the couscous. Spoon the remoulade over both the fish and couscous. Serve immediately.