Dried Figs, Cranberries, Walnuts & Goat Cheese with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:
3T lime juice
1T Dijon mustard
1tsp. salt pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:
10 oz. mixed salad greens, arugula or spinach (8-10 handfuls)
2 Belgium endives, sliced
1 small head radicchio, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 cup dried figs, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
10 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1. Vinaigrette: In a small glass jar with a lid, add the lime juice and mustard, 5 grinds of pepper and salt. Put on the lid and shake.

2. Add the olive oil recover and shake until the dressing is emulsified.

3. Salad: In a large salad bowl. Add the salad greens, figs, cranberries, nuts, and goat cheese. Add just enough dressing to coat the salad greens. Toss the salad and then adjust the seasoning.

4. Place the dressed leaves on a platter or individual plates. Serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

• To toast nuts, place them on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes. Give the pan a shake and toast for an additional 3 minutes until slightly brown. Be careful: they burn easily! Chop as desired
• You can substitute lemon or orange juice for the lime juice, or use any vinegar.
• The vinaigrette will separate, but just shake to re-emulsify. It will keep in your fridge for up to two weeks.
• One handful of salad greens is equal to one serving.
• You can substitute any dried fruit: dates, dried blueberries, cherries, or apricots for the figs and cranberries.
• You can substitute almonds, pistachios, or pecans for the walnuts. ¼ cup of walnuts has been said to help promote good brain health.

Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp, peeled, and deveined
5T butter
2T olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely diced
½ cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ cup lemon juice
1 pound fresh pasta
2T chopped flat parsley
salt & pepper
chili flakes-optional

1. With a paper towel pat dry the shrimp and season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once melted, add the shrimp and cook until they start to turn pink about 2 minutes (they will be undercooked). Remove from pan place on a plate and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter and olive oil, and then add the shallot and sauté 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the wine and lemon juice and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the shrimp back into the pan and toss in the sauce to finish cooking, about another 2-3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the shrimp.

6. Add the lemon zest, and parsley, tossing until well coated, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if needed to thin out the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can keep the shrimp whole or cut them into pieces, as you prefer. I used 16/20 shrimp, which means that there are 16-20 pieces per pound. I like to use shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico.
• Have your mise en place, a French culinary term that means “to put in place” prepped and ready to go before you start cooking since the cooking time is so short. In other words, have all your ingredients prepped and organized before you begin.
• The recipe calls for fresh pasta, which normally take just 3-4 minutes to cook. You can substitute dried pasta (cooking time 8-10mins); just start cooking the pasta before you start cooking the shrimp.
• You can also substitute the pasta for couscous, cauliflower rice or quinoa.
• You could add scallops when you sauté the shrimp. Or add capers, chopped olives, chopped tomatoes or basil to add different flavors to the dish.
• This recipe doubles easily.

Chocolate Orange Mousse, with Berries

Ingredients

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2T unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
¼ cup orange liquor
3 large egg whites, room temperature
pinch of salt
3T super fine sugar
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup raspberries, washed
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

1. Place the chocolate in a medium-size heat-proof bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat off. Stir until the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, stir in the liquor and the butter. Stir until the chocolate is completely mixed and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a bowl of your mixer, over medium speed beat the egg whites with salt until they form soft peaks, about 2 -3 minutes. While still beating, sprinkle in the sugar by the spoonful and continue beating until soft, shining peaks are formed, about another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a clean bowl, whip the cream until it is fairly thick and holds a soft peak.

4. Using a large spatula, gently fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mix until slightly incorporated. Fold in the remaining whites. Now fold in the whipped cream gently folding until all the cream is blended in.

5. Spoon or pipe the mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

6. When ready to serve, sprinkle a few raspberries on top of the mousse. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve with meringue kiss cookies on the side.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Use a good dark 60% cacao chocolate.
• You can use Grand Marnier, triple sec, or Cointreau for the orange liquor. I prefer the Cointreau; it adds a clean, light orange flavor.
• Egg whites separate best when they are cold. They beat up best when they are room temperature. They can sit on your counter for hours.
• Take care when separating the egg whites to insure that there is no egg yolk in the whites. Egg yolks have fat, and fat will cause the whites to not whip up. Make sure your mixing bowl is really clean.
• Chocolate mousse can be made two days in advance. Just cover the dishes with plastic wrap. Remove the mousse from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to remove a little of the chill.

This is a Companion recipe to
Meringue Kisses recipe.
Click photo below to go to recipe.

Meringue Kisses

Ingredients

4 egg whites at room temperature
¼ tsp. Cream of Tartar
pinch of salt
1 cup superfine sugar
red food color

1. Preheat oven to 200° F.

2. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt at medium speed until they are foamy, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing time for it to dissolve into the whites. After all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to “high” and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 8-10 minutes (the whipped egg whites should stick straight up when the whisk is turned upside down).

5. Add a drop or two of food coloring. Mix until combined.

6. Scoop the egg whites into a piping bag. Pipe the meringue into kisses.

7. Place the sheet pans in the 200° F oven. Bake the meringues for an hour. Turn off the heat to the oven and let the meringues sit and cool inside the oven for about an hour. Cookies should come off easily from the paper.

8. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.

TIPS & TRICKS

• The meringue cookies can be colored with different colors and can be flavored with a teaspoon of vanilla or peppermint extract.
• If after 1 hour of baking and 1 hour of “cooling” the cookies still stick to the parchment. Turn the oven back on to 200 degrees. Once it reaches temperature turn the heat off and put the cookies back in the oven and allow them to sit another hour or until they are completely dry.
• The meringue cookies can be made up to two weeks in advance. Store them in an airtight container.

This is a Companion recipe to
Chocolate Orange Mousse, with Berries recipe.
Click photo below to go to recipe.