Dante's Delight

Quiche Trio with Arugula Apple Salad

2012-12-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

Although you might think that quiche is a french classic dish, it originated in Germany. Quiche has a pastry crust and a filling of eggs and milk or cream which, when baked, become a custard. This dish is more of a sampler of three different types of quiche accompanied by a fresh tasting salad to balance out a little lightness from the open faced savory pies.

Quiche Trio with Arugula Salad Recipe

Whole Milk- 1 cup
Eggs- 1 egg, mixed
Shredded Parmesan Cheese, 1 cup
Bleu Cheese- 1 Tablespoon
Sharp Cheddar Cheese- 1/4cup, grated
Mushroom- 1 oz. sliced thin
Bacon Lardons- 1 oz, cubed
Basil- 1 Teaspoon, Chiffonade
Premade Pie crusts- 3 piece, 3 inch radius

Arugula- 1 cup
Grapes- 4 pieces, halved
Apple- 1/4 piece, thinly sliced
White Balsamic Vinegar- 3 Tablespoons
Paprika- 1/4 Teaspoon
Light Olive oil- 1 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper- as needed

Preparation for Quiche
Preheat oven to 340 degrees
Mix the whole milk, eggs, and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl. add a pinch of salt.
Fill in every pie 3/4 of the way with the egg mix.
pie 1: put in bleu cheese and bacon to the top of pie
pie 2: put in mushroom and basil to the top of pie
pie 3: put in 1 oz. parmesan cheese and sharp cheddar cheese to the top of pie
Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top of all three pies and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
(tip- poke the center of the pie with a toothpick and see if the eggs are no longer a liquid base to make sure its cooked through)

Preparation for Arugula Salad
Whisk liquids together till emulsified, fold on ingredients, garnish with parmesan cheese.

Beignets with Pepper Jelly Cream

2012-12-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Beignet is the forerunner of donuts. Yes, the french started it all. Beignet is one of the most universally recognized names for fried dough desserts which are basically fritter batter. With this dish I could have made any sort of cream sauce, glaze, or topping to the beignets, but I decided to go with the duo of pepper-jelly and cream cheese for its rich smooth flavor.

Beignet Recipe

Lukewarm water- 1 cup
Granulated sugar- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Large egg- 1 piece
Butter, softened- 2 tablespoons
Evaporated milk- 1/2 cup
Bread flour or all-purpose flour- 4 cups
Instant active dry yeast- 3 teaspoons
Vegetable oil for deep frying*
Powdered sugar for dusting

Pepper Jelly Cream Recipe

Pepper Jelly (Red or green)- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 1 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
Brown Sugar- 2 oz.

Preparation for Beignet
Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth. Remove dough from bowl and turn out onto a lightly-oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, place in a lightly-greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.
Remove the prepared dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly-floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into approximately 3-inch squares, triangles, or circles (your choice); set aside.
In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees and then deep fry individually. when browned on both sides, place in a bowl with napkins and cool.

Pepper Jelly Cream
All at room temparature, with a whisk, mix all ingredients together and then cool. Serve chilled.

Orange Caprese with Guava and Mint

2012-12-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

This simple appetizer serves as a refreshing appeal to the taste buds. Mozzarella, as my chef said once to me, is like a sponge. It can soak up any flavor you add to it. I love guava for its exotic taste and its aromatic scent that perfumes the air with goodness. Adding the candy guava gives a great flair to the dish.

Orange Caprese with Guava Recipe:

Mozarella- 3 pieces, 1/4 inch slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 2 ounces
Mint- 1 Tablespoon, minced
Orange- 3 pieces, 1/4 inch slices
Guava Candy Slab- 3 1/8 inch slices
Salt and Pepper- As Needed

Preparation and Plating for Orange Caprese;

In a blender, liquify the mint,the olive oil, and a pinch salt. Roll three guava slab candy slices. This will be used as one of the stacks for the caprese. In the middle of the plate, Layer the caprese in the order like so: mozzarella slice, orange slice, the three guava slab slices facing upright, mozzarella slice, orange slice, mozzarella slice. Don't forget to season each layer. With a spoon, pour the mint oil around the caprese. Garnish with mint.

Stuffed Bacon and Cheese Zucchini with Pickled Tomato

2012-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

You can never go wrong with bacon and cheese in a dish. Lardons have been used for great purposes especially in french cuisine. When you saute, grill, or bake a cubed piece of bacon it renders its fat bringing out a strong savory pork flavor whilst complimenting all the other added products. With that technique in mind, this dish has a wonderful flavor with the stuffed mouthwatering oven baked zucchini.

Stuffed Bacon and Cheese Zucchini with Pickled Tomato Recipe

Cream Cheese- 1/4 cup
Red Jalapeno- 1 piece, small diced
Scallions- 2 stems
Bacon Lardons- 1/4 cup
Zucchini- 1 piece, halved, deseeded
Parsley- 1 tablespoon, fine chopped
Pearl or Sunburst Tomatoes- 4 pieces, thinly sliced
Red Wine Vinegar- 1 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper

Preparation for Zucchini
Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Half the zucchini and with a spoon scrape out the seeds creating room for your stuffing. Drizzle some oil on both sides and season.

Preparation for Stuffing
Microwave the cream cheese for ten seconds. mix in diced jalapenos, scallions, and bacon lardons. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. With a spoon, place in the zucchini. Put the stuffed zucchini on a pan as well as the other unstuffed one and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Preparation for Tomato Salad
slice tomatoes thinly and place in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of chopped scallions and parsley. place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until zucchini is cooked.

Final Preparation
Take the unstuffed baked zucchini and cut unabias(diagonally). This piece will be used to mount the stuffed zucchini and give it height on your dish. Take the tomato salad and plate it in a floral way overlapping each other. Voila!

Baked Tomato with Quinoa and Pomegranate Feta Salad

2012-11-29T09:33:00.001-08:00

Quinoa, also known as the "Miracle Grain," is a personal favorite of mine. The taste and texture of quinoa is similar to brown rice crossed with oatmeal. Quinoa serves as a versatile component to a handful of classic recipes you usually make. For example, try being creative and replace your short grain rice with quinoa and make a risotto! Here's a dish that you will enjoy.

Baked Tomato with Quinoa and Pomegranate Feta Salad Recipe:
Tomato- 1 piece
Quinoa- 1/4 cup
Brown Rice- 1/4 cup
Mushroom- 4 pieces, chopped
Red Pepper- 1/4 piece, fine dice
Quail Egg- 1 piece
Feta Cheese- 1/4 cup, crumbled
Rice Wine Vinegar- 1 Tablespoon
Olive Oil- 2 Tablespoons
Pomegranate- 1/4 cup
Parsley- 1 Tablespoon, minced

Preparation for Baked Tomato and Quinoa
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small pot of boiling water, add the rice and quinoa and cook till ready. then strain.
Cut the top off the tomato and empty out the seeds in the inside, so you can stuff the other ingredients in it.
In a Saute pan at medium high heat, add the mushroom and red pepper, then add the grain and rice and saute for a minute. Season and then stuff as much as you can in the tomato along with some crumbled feta. Place in the Oven for 5-7 minutes.

Preparation for Pomegranate Salad
whisk the oil and vinegar till emulsified. Add the chopped parsley, mix, then add the pomegranate seeds. You want to Fold in the feta cheese lastly so the vinegar doesn't break down the feta and make your salad look cloudy. Season.

Plating
Place the rest of the quinoa in the center of your dish, remove the tomato from the oven, and add on top of the quinoa. Crack the Quail egg and place on top of the tomato. Put the pomegranate in a side bowl or on the same plate and enjoy your meal!

Cornish Hen with Fig and Acorn Squash Pasta

2012-11-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

I prepared this dish to be submitted for a contest on a food website. I felt like an interesting combination of squash and fig might appeal as a different approach to pasta. This dish has a great flavor of sweet and umami packed in each fork-load.

Cornish Hen with Fig and Acorn Squash Pasta Recipe

Cornish Hen Breast- 1 piece
Acorn Squash- 1/4 piece, par cooked, Diced
Pearl Tomatoes- 5 pieces
Dried Turkish Fig- 5 Pieces
Red Wine- 1 cup
Onion- 1/4 piece, small diced
Parsley- 1 Tablespoon minced
Sage- 2 Tablespoon Minced
Brown Sugar- 2 Tablespoon
Butter- 2 ounces
Pasta Linguine- 1 Cup

Preparation for Acorn Squash
Place the squash in an oven and set at 300 degrees for one hour or until cooked. If you can easily poke a knife through the skin then it is ready. After, cut in half, de-seed, de-skin and cut in cubes

Preparation for Dried Turkish Fig
Soak the Turkish fig in Red wine for 30 minutes to rehydrate.

Preparation for Pasta
Bring pot of water to boil with salt. Once at boil, place noodles in until cooked.

Preparation for Cornish Hen
Once the Acorn Squash is out of the oven, sear the breast on a saute pan till brown, then place in th eoven for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Final Preparation
Using the same pot that you seared the Cornish Hen, deglaze the pan with the red wine from the Turkish fig. Add onions, sage, and the squash until everything has been slightly sauteed. After, add all the butter and saute till the butter is dark brown. Add the sugar and stir then place ingredients in a bowl. Strain the noodles and toss in the bowl with all the ingredients including. Add the tomatoes at the end then season.

Marjan's Medley- Biscotti French Toast and Rolled Crepes with Honey Marscapone

2012-11-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

This recipe is dedicated to my lovely sister Marjan!
Biscotti has been a traditional Italian Classic. Back in the day, it was useful for sailors at sea who depended on long preserved foods. Biscotti is the term for twice baked, which results in its hard bite. What if we soaked the biscotti in a french toast batter for an hour? The result was great! The Honey marscapone adds a rich smooth flavor to the delicate rolled crepes topped off with cranberry fig syrup.

Biscotti French Toast and Rolled Crepes with Honey Marscapone Recipe

Crepe Batter Salted Butter- 2 Tablespoons
Almond Breeze Vanilla or Milk- 1 cup
Eggs- 2 pieces
Flour- 1 cup

Biscotti French Toast
Biscotti Almond Bread- 3 pieces
Almond Breeze Vanilla or Milk- 2 cups
Cinnamon- 1/4 teaspoon
White Sugar- 1 Tablespoon
Eggs- 1 piece

Honey Marscapone
Marscapone- 1/2 cup Honey- 1 Tablespoon

Cranberry Fig Syrup
Water- 1 cup
Brown Sugar- 2 oz
Dried or Fresh Figs- 4 pieces, Halved
Cranberries- 1 Tablespoon
Vanilla Extract- 1 teaspoon
Coconut Milk- 1/2 cup

Preparation for Crepe Batter
Whisk all liquids together and then sift and whisk in dry ingredients. In a non-stick pan at medium heat, pour in crepe batter. Once, the crepe is able to lift off the pan, carefully fold the crepe from one side of the pan to the other. Take off the pan and repeat.

Preparation for Honey Marscapone
Fold in all ingredients and store in fridge. Serve when ready.

Preparation for Biscotti
Whisk all ingredients and soak biscotti for one hour or until bread has rehydrated. Put biscotti in a pan at medium-high heat and cook till golden brown.

Preparation for Cranberry Fig Syrup
Place in a sauce pot and reduce till the syrup can coat the back of a spoon completely.

Plate and eat your wonderful Breakfast!

Baked Tilapia and Stuffed Potato with Portobella Mushroom

2012-11-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

Tilapia has a very simple flavor to it and acts as more of a neutral taste, which allows a vast amount of opportunities to make a great dish with this fish. The natural juice from the sauteed portobella mushroom becomes the sauce which creates a strong rich umami taste to the whole plate.

Baked Tilapia and Stuffed Potato with Portobella Mushroom Recipe

Tilapia- 2 Filet Piece
Portobella Mushroom- 1 piece
Leek- 1 piece
Potato- 1 piece
White Onion- 1/4 piece
Red Wine Vinegar- 1 Tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese- 1 Tablespoon
Cream Cheese- 1 Tablespoon
Parsley-1 sprig
Sweet Chili Sauce 2 Tablespoon
Salt and Pepper- As needed

Tilapia Preparation:
You need to fabricate the fish so that it will be able to wrap around the potato and then tied by the blanched leek.
Slice the filet with your knife in an angled cut, 1 inch apart. Make sure not to cut all the way through otherwise you'll be having small separated pieces. Season and put aside.

Stuffed Potato Preparation:
Peel the skin off the potato. Start using your peeler to shape the potato in a symmetrical cylinder. Once even, core the center of the potato. Boil the excess potatoes as well as the cored potato. On a saute pan, Saute the portobella and onions. Once the bottom of the portobella mushroom has been browned, set aside.
Mash the cooked excess potatoes in a bowl with the sauteed onions, red wine vinegar, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Season.

Leek preparation:
Slice the leek and clean in between the layers. Take one layer and slice the leek so it ends up looking like a long shoe lace.

Final Preparation
Take the cooked cored potato and stuff the center with the mashed potatoes. Lay down the leek strands on a cutting board, then the filet of tilapia and then the cored potato. Wrap and tie the all three leeks around the fish so it stays firm on the potato. Place the product upright as well as the portobella mushroom on a sheet tray. Preheat the oven to 325 and cook for 15 minutes. Plate t your liking!

Snowed Thyme Garnish

2012-11-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

As one of the elements to a great presentable dish, a garnish should always be used. An edible flower, a type of herb that correlates with the dish, or a stylized vegetable cut, all give your meal a flair to its appeal.
Here is one example of a garnish that can be used for dessert!

Snowed Thyme Garnish Recipe

Thyme 3-5 Sprig
Egg Whites- 1 piece
Sugar-1/2 cup

Preperation

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl. Put suger in another bowl. Place the thyme in the egg whites and make sure it is completely covered.

Whip the thyme so that any excess egg whites will prevent clumps of sugar. Generously cover the thyme with sugar and flick the stem so excess sugar comes off.

Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes and then let thyme cool so sugar hardens.

Tip: You can use any type of herb for this type of garnish!

Seared Ahi and Baked Tomato with Mustard Soy Sauce

2012-10-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yellow fin tuna, or ahi, is widely used in raw fish dishes like sashimi. As one of my favorite fish to eat, ahi has a medium-mild flavor with a firm texture. If you ever decide to try cardboard, don't order it cooked more than medium rare, as it also loses its wonderful flavor. Generally speaking, the more fat marbled in the meat, the higher quality and flavor it has.
The quick sear of the ahi and the dehydrated tomato, complimented by mustard soy sauce, all play its part as a strong flavor profile to each savored bite.

Seared Ahi and Baked Tomato with Mustard Soy Sauce Recipe
Ahi- 4 oz piece
Salt and Pepper- As Needed
Avacado- 1/2 Piece

Mustard Soy Sauce
Mayo- 1 Tablespoon
Soy Sauce- 3 oz.
Mirin Rice Wine- 1 oz.
Rice Wine Vinegar- 1/2 oz.
Whole Seed Mustard- 1 Tablespoon
Brown Sugar- 1 Tablespoon
Sage- 1/2 teaspoon

Baked Tomato
Roma Tomatoes- 1 Piece Salt and Pepper- Drizzled on top

Preparing the Tomato
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Slice the tomato 1/4 inch. Place your tomatoes on some foil that has been pre-oiled or sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and place in the oven for 40 minutes.

Preparing the Sauce
Mix all ingredients well and then season. Mince the sage and add at the end. Remember that you just want to get a hint of the sage, for the herb can overpower the sauce if you put too much

Preparing the Ahi
Season the Ahi on both sides. Bring your saute pan to high heat, then drizzle some oil to coat the pan. Quickly sear the ahi for no more than 20 seconds. Flip and do the same to the other side. Take the ahi off the pan once you see the even cooking of both sides of the fish and place on your cutting board. Slice the tuna in uniformed thin cuts

Plating and Garnish
Layer the tomatoes on your plate, fan out the ahi on top, drizzle some sauce on and around the protein, then garnish with a slice of avacdo and a sage leaf. Voila!

Scallop Filo with Truffle Yuzu Sauce

2012-10-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of my favorite recipe books by Chef Nobu, Nobu: The Cookbook, and decided to somewhat replicate the dish. Scallops have a beautiful ocean like flavor to its tendered taste.
The truffle yuzu sauce compliments the scallop bringing a stringent sour flavor to the tongue.
As we all know, truffle is a very expensive product, so dabble in the chinese black truffle! You can find them at your local higher end market for a great price.
Yuzu originates from East-Asia and is commonly grown in Japan. Most believe it is a hybrid of sour mandarin and Ichang papeda. It has a very strong acidity level and a wonderful aroma.

Scallop Filo with Truffle Yuzu Sauce Recipe
Scallop- 1-3 pieces
Kataifi Shredded filo- 1 box
Salt and Pepper- As Needed

Truffle Yuzu Sauce
Chinese Black Truffle- 3 oz.
Yuzu Juice- 3 oz.
Grape Seed oil- 1 oz.
Soy Sauce- 4 oz.
Salt and Pepper- As needed
Chive- As garnish

Preparing the Scallop
Season the scallop on both sides with some salt and pepper. Once you do that, wrap the scallop with the shredded filo. Dont overwrap it! If you layer it too much, once it hits light brown in the oil, the filo close to the scallop will not be fried.

Tip:Scallop is a very delicate seafood and cooks very fast. Make sure to keep the scallops nice and cold. As soon as you drop the scallop in a pot of Canola Oil you want the filo to be light brown with a crunch and the scallop not to be overcooked.

Preparing the Sauce
Use a microplane or zester to shred the truffle.Add all ingredients in a blender and make sure to have all the products combined and emulsified. Season to your liking! don't forget to garnish with the chive and some truffle!

Welcome to Dante's Delight!

2012-10-30T11:10:00.002-07:00

Many years ago I volunteered service in Haifa, Israel. In the midst of my service at the Baha'i World Centre, I found my true passion. One beautiful day, in a city formed of beauty and ruins called Akko, a group of my friends decided to enjoy a dinner on a rooftop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. At sunset, the ocean turned dark purple with bright pink rays gliding over the water. As incomparable as that sunset was to anything I had ever seen, I looked at my friends, who came from around the world to be here, and realized how beautiful they are. The food that brought us together that night brought me clarity. It made me happy to see people from different backgrounds eating the same food in unity and with unforgettable smiles. And in being there for the same purpose, I came to the conclusion that making food for others made me happy, thus my working in the food industry and my creation of this new blog! I often try to remind myself, and hope that this might stick with you, that to appreciate food is to enjoy delicate meals in its simplest form.