It has been a dulce de leche kind of year. We’re only one month into 2012, but there have been more dulce de leche recipes around these here parts than may be necessary. You saw the first appearance with the January Ethnic Exploration that featured alfajores. When you have a couple of cups of dulce de leche in your fridge, you have to use them up. Brownies came to mind almost immediately. They would be a perfect sweet for a friend’s movie night, and dulce de leche is the perfect partner with rich, fudgey chocolate. How does Starbucks fit in? It’s in the mix of course. Literally.

Last summer, we attended a Starbucks Reserve Tasting Event featuring two new varieties of coffee–Kenya Tana River and Sumatra Tapanuli. By now, you have probably seen a few of the Starbucks Reserve flavors popping up in your favorite corner store. The flavors are limited releases that are only available in certain stores, and they span a range of unique and provocative flavor profiles and are usually single origin coffees. On that warm evening in August, we spent a couple of hours with Yuli, a local Starbucks Coffee Master and store leader, Marianne from Starbucks’ corporate office in Seattle and Nicole Weston from Brewed Daily. We sipped iced and hot coffees brewed with the Clover, which is only available in certain stores. This was our first time watching such a detailed preparation process for coffee brewing. The internal chamber is temperature and time controlled during brewing, then the liquid is filtered and deposited straight into your cup. The Clover is for the serious coffee company that wants to ensure each cup is perfection.

We sipped both coffees black, which is arguably the only way to truly pick up the flavors of coffee. The additions of sweeteners and dairy, although tasty, dilute the natural flavor in the brewed beans. It’s best to have the coffee black. We tried our coffees iced and hot in order to taste the differences. Starbucks sources its beans from three main regions, and we were trying two coffees from two very different areas. The Kenya Tana River is a mild bean with notes of cherries and berries and the acidity of black tea. We paired it with orange cranberry scones. The Sumatra Tapanuli is a darker blend with heavy notes of cocoa and fig. We paired that one with maple scones and peanut butter chocolate cupcakes. It was a sweet ending to the afternoon.

Amir cheesin' over cups of iced coffee.

A couple of months later, I had a trip to the Pacific Northwest on the calendar. Amir was unable to attend, so he missed the opportunity to tour the Starbucks corporate office. Two friends and I were escorted through the building and given a much better understanding of the corporation’s social and philosophical outlook. Motivational internal marketing featuring employees, impressive interior design and images of Starbucks stores around the world grabbed our attention. Towards the end of the tour, we took part in another tasting of three different flavors and learned about how coffee beans are selected, harvested, processed and packaged, then finally shipped to your neighborhood store. Whenever you have the chance to learn more about the back end of a company’s procedures, you definitely have a new understanding of how they work and what they strive to produce for the consumer.

There's the magnificent Clover brewing system. It goes to work!

Just after the New Year, Starbucks offered to send us a sample of a new Reserve coffee–Organic Ethiopia Sidamo. It was officially available in stores on January 10th, and hopefully your store was lucky enough to carry it. The bag is stamped with Starbucks’ new QR code. The codes allow you to trace and track your coffee’s production line starting all the way from the farmer’s plantation. This particular coffee’s beans were grown by a longtime farming family in volcanic soil right next to other food crops that have flavored the coffee cherries (the pods that hold the beans). The soil and climate of this region of Ethiopia, along with the coffee’s wash process, have left it with the flavors of spiced gingerbread and graham crackers. The acidity level is light and slightly sweet. Starbucks suggests pairing it with stone fruits and chocolate. Now, you understand where brownies pop into the picture.

Rob & Nicole Weston of BakingBites.com and BrewedDaily.com and Yuli from Starbucks

The Starbucks Reserve Organic Ethiopia Sidamo coffee beans

With tons of dulce de leche leftover from an earlier cookie adventure, there was no reason to let it go to waste. A handful of the coffee beans were ground to a fine powder and brewed. Unfortunately, there was no Clover machine to produce that ‘perfect’ pot, but this was pretty right on. The aroma is intense. It reminded me of the way I used to wake up on Sunday mornings when my parents made coffee with their breakfast. It’s very earthy and intoxicating, which felt like just the right notes to add to a batch of homemade brownies. Imagine that smell resting just under your nose as you take a bite. With sweet dulce de leche seeping out of each bite, it would be one of the best brownies around.

Of course, a cup of coffee alongside your evening dessert is an appropriate way to enjoy the pair. As we’ve seen before, Starbucks wants to be sure that you find ways to combine food and drink in every way. (Maybe you remember that coffee-infused maple bacon?) If you’re a coffee lover, or you have a coffee loving person in your life, here’s your chance to win a sample of Starbucks Reserve Organic Ethiopia Sidamo coffee. Here’s how:

Leave a comment on this post with your favorite coffee pairing, whether it be during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

For additional entries:

1. Follow us on Twitter and tweet “Win a sample of @Starbucks Reserve Organic Ethiopia Sidamo coffee from @TheDuoDishes http://wp.me/pWonA-3pt”.

2. Like us on Facebook and post a message on our page about the new Starbucks Reserve Organic Ethiopia Sidamo coffee.

Leave a comment on our blog for each of your entry methods. All entries must be submitted by Wednesday, Februay 8th at 11:59 pm pst. Be sure to include your contact information. Entrants must reside in the contiguous United States.

For more information on Starbucks Reserve Organic Ethiopia Sidamo, check out this video. Learn more about how those beans move from the farm to the stores, and inevitably, into your cup.

Dulce de Leche Brownies – Makes 16 (Adapted from Joy of Cooking)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed, plus extra for greasing the baking dish
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons brewed coffee*
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs, slightly whisked
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dulce de leche**

1. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8″ x 8″ cake pan with butter. Then line the pan with parchment paper to create two handles on opposite sides of the pan. Grease the parchment paper with a little more butter. Set aside.

2. Place the butter and both types of chocolate chips into a medium, heat-resistant bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Allow the butter and chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally to combine. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly for 3-5 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix the coffee, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Plop about 1/8 cup of the melted chocolate into the egg mixture and whisk quickly to combine. Then, scrape the egg mixture into the bowl with the melted chocolate and butter. Whisk to combine.

4. Fold the flour into the chocolate until just combined. Transfer the brownie batter to the lined baking pan. Drop pools of dulce de leche in the four corners and the middle of the batter. Using an knife, drag the tip through the batter, creating swirling patterns on the top. Slide the pan into an oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully lifting the brownies out of the pan with the parchment paper handles. Eat warm or allow to cool completely.

*You could leave the coffee out of this recipe, although there will be one layer of flavor missing. It will not result in an undesirable brownie though! You could also swap 1-2 teaspoons of finely ground beans for the 2 tablespoons of brewed coffee.

**Feel free to use jarred dulce de leche or caramel, but it is pretty easy to make dulce de leche as well. We have a recipe here in our last post on Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies).

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

Disclaimer: We received a free sample but no compensation for this post. All opinions are our own.

For our first Ethnic Exploration of the year, we are waffling between two different countries. In fact, some of you may know Chrystal rang in 2012 in Barcelona. While I was home slumping on the couch, she was eating exotic dishes, checking out historic sites, and gallivanting around the city. From the snapshots she shared with me of her trip, it was clear she experienced plenty of incredible eats, even describing one tapas dish as “the best mussels she’s ever tasted in her entire life. Ever.” Wow! That was a pretty bold statement, I thought. With praises like that, we clearly had to explore a couple of elements of Spanish cuisine this month. There was really no other choice!

To be honest, this month’s Ethnic Exploration begins in Spain, but it could be argued that it ends in Argentina. Every dish is the summation of its parts, but most importantly, it owes everything to its roots. That’s the story of the alfajor. Let’s start at the beginning. The cuisine in Spain is as varied its culture–both past and present. The foods of Spain have ties to nearly every country in Europe, parts of Africa and throughout the Mediterranean. Ancient Roman rule and Moorish invasions in Andalusia would forever imprint their culinary traditions into the region, creating a lasting impression of North African influence. The proximity of Portugal and France lend themselves to the food along the border regions. Barcelona itself is entrenched with the history of its Catalan population, some of whom regard themselves as a completely distinct ethnic group within the country. There’s no doubt as well that the country’s geography adds a crucial contribution to the cuisine, for the country’s seaside surroundings provide abundant seafood available just off its shores. Mussels, like all seafood, are strongly flavored by their surrounding waters, which could explain why Chrystal’s Barcelona order of Mejillones a la Marinera were so memorable compared to previous experiences.

We both have an insatiable sweet tooth, so it should be no surprise we wanted to make a dessert this round. These sandwich cookies are called alfajores. Two sweet biscuit-like cookies with a dulce de leche filling is all that it takes to create an alfajor. These cookies traditionally are made with flour, honey, nuts, and a variety of spices such as cinnamon or anise. Alfajores have roots in the Arab world, and were first introduced to Spain during the Moorish occupation. Since then, this sweet ending has embedded itself into Spanish culture and undergone numerous incarnations. In Spain, this dessert is most popular during Christmas, although the Andalusia region sells them anytime. Alfajores even made its way across the Atlantic, spreading throughout parts of Latin America–Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Peru, for example–as a treat to be enjoyed year-round.

The sweetened condensed milk has a date with the oven.

The dulce de Leche is ready with the perfect color and thickness.

Believe it or not, the traditional Spanish alfajor was not quite what we tend to see in bakeries today. In the Moor capital of Andalusia, Medina-Sidonia, alfajores used to be a cylindrical shaped wafer dusted with powdered sugar and filled with a paste of nuts, honey, dried fruits and spices. The influence and spread of Spanish culture amongst other Central and South American countries is the reason why alfajores have seen a change. Here is where our Ethnic Exploration takes a few bumpy detours. Today, you’ll encounter countless versions of alfajores around the globe, with each country boasting its very own adaptation. In Arabic, the word ‘alfajor’ simply means stuffed, so it makes sense that other countries would have their own specialties. For example, it’s common to see a finished alfajor in Argentina dipped in chocolate or completely coated in powdered sugar. In Mexico, an alfajor there would most likely be multicolored with coconut used as the main ingredient. Though some places prefer a type of jam, alfajores are most commonly filled with a simple dulce de leche. Dulce de leche, literally translated to ‘sweet of milk’, is one of the top choices in Latin American countries, not so much in Spain. It’s important to note that the version of alfajores that we see so often in the States are very similar to those served in Argentina. If you make a trip to Buenos Aires or another Argentinian city, you will find varieties of alfajores almost anywhere. The fact that Argentina is a major producer of dulce de leche makes that option one of the most popular.

Making the cookie dough went off without a hitch. The dough and cooked cookies very much reminded me of a common shortbread. After some frustrating boil-overs and a complete mess of our preliminary homemade dulce de leche, we had to try a second method.  Instead of milk and sugar simmering in a sauce pan, we just went with the condensed milk version. Once cooked down in a bain marie, it’s dulce de leche time with no fuss.

The cookies themselves are light and crisp, but not overwhelmingly sweet. The subtle sweetness was perfect, though, making way for the intensely sweet caramel filling. We rounded it off with a sprinkle of toasted coconut for the perfect complement. This story of the alfajor is so very layered, but it has a very special place in Spain’s history as one of its founding confections. Of course, it seems as though the cookie most of us know visually hails from Argentina. Either way, they both have important meanings for their respective cultures and to the historical bond the two countries share. You may have several other versions in your worldly travels. No matter where you hail from in the world, you’re sure to find something to love about these sweet little ones. We did add some dark rum into the mix because that was what we had in our liquor cabinet, but a cognac or brandy would work just the same. Or feel free to leave the booze out all together. Give ‘em a whirl!

Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies) - Approximately 1 dozen (Adapted from Recipe Girl)
Cookie
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Zest of one lemon
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2-4 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
Powdered sugar, sifted

Filling
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and powder, and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat together egg yolks, vanilla extract and rum. Set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg yolk mixture in two parts, continuing to mix until well combined.

3. Using your bare hands, add flour mixture to the butter mixture and knead until well combined and a soft dough is formed. If the dough is too flaky and dry, add in milk 2 tablespoons at a time. Divide dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours to 2 days. (Any unused dough freezes well. Simply double wrap the dough and keep up to 6 weeks. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to thaw.)

4. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Let dough rest a room temperature for 5-10 minutes before rolling. On a well floured surface, roll one piece of dough out to a 1/4 in sheet. Using a cookie cutter or top of a shot glass, cut about 2 inch round cookies and transfer each one to the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are completely dry but not brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

5. For the filling, pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 9″ x 9″ cake pan or a similar baking dish. Place the baking dish into a larger roasting pan, and fill the pan up halfway with water to create a bain marie. Cover only the pan with the sweetened condensed milk tightly with aluminum foil.

6. Slide the nested pans into an oven preheated to 425 degrees and cook for an hour, then remove from the oven and carefully stir the liquid. It should be a caramel brown and slightly thickened. If necessary, slide it back into the oven for another 15-30 minutes, checking halfway through the additional cooking time. Remove from the oven once the mixture has reached your preferred color and texture.

7. Assemble alfajores by dividing cooled cookies together into pairs. Spread desired amount of caramel filling on flat side of one cookie and top with its match, also on the flat side, forming a sandwich. Gently press the cookies together until the filling slightly peeks out the edges. Sprinkle with grated coconut and top with sifted powered sugar.

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

Our first Guest Test Kitchen of the New Year comes from our dear friend, Cameron. Cameron and Amir are extremely close friends who met in undergrad at the marvelous University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!). Cameron currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and is on track to become an expert baker. She’s always sharing pics of her latest, magazine-ready sweet creations. She raved on how spectacular these Banana Nutella Whoopie Pies tasted, so we’re ecstatic to share this one with you. Here’s Cameron with more…

“Things I can’t get enough of right now: My new Kitchen Aid stand mixer, whoopie pies, and Nutella! Put all of those together and you get this recipe. Ever since I got my new mixer for Christmas (which by the way is a lovely shade of “Aqua Sky”), I’ve been itching to bake things that I haven’t before like whoopie pies! If you haven’t had a whoopie pie before, it is a cake-like sandwich cookie with “gobs” of delicious filling. To learn more, I bought a really fun book of mix and match recipes called Whoopie Pies (shocker) by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell. The book gives you a great base knowledge on how to make whoopies, what supplies you need, and a ton of different recipes for cakes and fillings! I really do recommend this book… it’s fun, simple, and down to earth!

For this recipe, I used the “Banana Whoopie” recipe found in Billingsley and Treadwell’s book and then adapted my own Nutella Cream Cheese filling from their variety of filling recipes.

Banana Whoopie Pies with Nutella Cream Cheese Filling – Approximately 20-24 pies (Adapted from Whoopie Pies)
Cakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening*
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together both flours, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl or onto a piece of wax paper. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined.

Add the bananas and beat on medium for about 2 minutes or until until completely combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients gradually, beating on medium until well combined.

Using a spoon (or I used a small cookie scoop), drop about one tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them each at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella

Beat together the cream cheese and the butter on medium until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes. Beat in the Nutella until well combined. (You may want to start by adding 1/4 cup of nutella and then slowly add more until the flavor suits you).

Once your filling is ready and cakes are cooled, assemble the whoopie pies! Put a generous amount of filling on the flat side of one cake, and sandwich together with another cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate. It’s a good idea to keep these bad boys refrigerated since they have cream cheese in the filling. They can even be frozen!

Jazzy additions to try if you wish:
- Melt a little Nutella and drizzle on the tops of the whoopie pies
- Roll the edges of the whoopie pies in chopped hazelnuts
- Spread a thin layer of Nutella in addition to the filling on the inside of the cookie for a deeper Nutella taste

*Billingsley and Treadwell insist that shortening is “a necessary ingredient to achieve lift, lightness, and that classic rounded whoopie shape”!

I love this recipe because it’s not super sweet tasting like other whoopie pies I’ve tried, and the filling combo of Nutella and cream cheese is just heavenly! These whoopies were definitely a crowd pleaser with my co-workers and college students that I advise, so I hope you enjoy them too!”

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

These mini puddings would have been perfect for a virtual potluck party. Just perfect. Here’s hoping Gojee will still be open to including them in the bunch, but for now, we don’t know. That’s because we missed the deadline! Have you ever had something at top of mind, or at least in your list of to do’s, and for some reason, it just never gets done? That’s what happened during most of January. In December, we filled a friend’s birthday cake with a caramelized pineapple and ginger sabayon that was inspired by two previous successful sabayon flavors. If you’re not familiar with sabayon, don’t think we’ve gone all fancy on you.You too can pull together a sabayon. If you do it in a timely fashion, maybe you will make it to the party with dessert in hand.

We’ll break it down as simply as possible. The French sabayon is an egg-based mixture similar to the Italian dessert known as zabaglione. Whisk egg yolks with sugar and a flavored alcohol such as Marsala wine, champagne or port wine until the eggs are thick and cooked through. You can eat the sabayon warm or chill it for a dessert. A sabayon can also be savory if sugar is omitted and unsweetened liquids are used for flavoring. When a dish like sabayon has so many variations, you feel inspired to try them all. The problem is, the sweet tooth runs strong around these here parts, and the desire to create a sabayon dessert took over. Chocolate, dry sherry and vanilla set the flavor base for what will become creamy, decadent puddings. The whipped egg whites folded into the melted chocolate mixture add just a touch of levity to what would otherwise be a very heavy treat.

So let’s go back to this Gojee potluck, shall we? If you haven’t checked out the Gojee site yet, make sure you take a look. If you’re a fellow food blogger, you will most likely notice a few familiar faces as contributors–including us! The site is a new way for hungry folks to find recipes based on ingredients they have on hand or foods they love. The company is based in New York, so unfortunately we haven’t been able to participate in any of the in-person contributor events. In an effort to keep the Gojee crew tight, there will be a virtual potluck. On Thursday, January 26th, you can see what other virtual attendees are bringing. Just go to the Gojee site and enter the words “gojeepotluck” in the I Crave menu bar. You can also follow the good stuff using the hash tag #gojeepotluck on Twitter. Hopefully, you’ll find these mini puddings in the picnic basket.

Chocolate Sabayon Puddings – Serves 6
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (at least 60%)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Toasted shredded coconut, optional

1. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, placing the yolks into a heat resistant bowl and the whites into another medium sized bowl. Place the bowl of yolks, along with the sugar, on top of a pot with water and whisk to combine. Add the sherry and vanilla. Bring the water to a simmer, making sure not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk the sweetened yolks continuously until the mixture is thick, ribbony and creamy, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from heat.

2. Pour the chocolate chips and butter into a heat resistant bowl over the same pot of simmering water. allow the chocolate and butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and scrape the chocolate into the warm egg yolks. Stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, powdered sugar and cream of tartar until soft peaks form, approximately 2-3 minutes. Scoop about one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate and stir to combine. Fold the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

4. Evenly divide the sabayon between six 4-ounce ramekins.* Chill for at least an hour or cover and chill up to over night. If desired, sprinkle with toasted coconut prior to serving.

*Precious sake cups were gifts from a friend, and they were the perfect mini serving size for a little taste of a rich sweet. The best ramekins for this dessert would be deeper than shallow. You could even use small espresso cups or dessert wine glasses for this one.

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

Winter’s vegetables are in full force with kale winding its way to the top of the list. It is one of those vegetables that goes a long way, but it was never one that frequented either one of our family tables. Kale popped up once we found the farmers markets and restaurants of L.A. Kale chips and kale salads were the winners that swayed folks in the direction of this green. Kale salads are fairly easy to find on restaurant menus, but they are very simple to make at home. The dark, rich greens stand up well to a tangy, sweet vinaigrette and a variety of stir-ins to add a variety of textures to each crunchy bite. A version of this salad was served last month at the Social Justice Learning Institute’s monthly workshop in Inglewood. The salad shown above was shared with friends this past weekend for brunch. Now it’s your turn to make your own.

Kale just might be addictive. You can judge for yourself once you take a bite. Who can feel guilty after swallowing a big bowl of greens? It’s nearly impossible. Look for the deep green, large curly bunches, and be sure to wash the leaves very well before trimming out the fibrous stems down the middle. Once you have the hearty leaves, where you go from there is up to you. We suggest a salad for starters. Here’s one that will set you on a delicious path.

Massaged Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions, Cranberries and Pine Nuts – Serves 4 to 6
Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salad
2 pounds kale (approx. 3-4 bunches of kale), stems removed and leaves very thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shaved

1. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and red pepper flakes together in a large bowl. Add the kale and toss to coat. Using your fingers, rub the kale gently for 3-5 minutes or until the greens begin to wilt and soften. Set aside.

2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a shallow pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar, tossing all of the ingredients in the pan. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the water and continue cooking for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.

3. Top the wilted kale with the warm onions, pine nuts, cranberries and Parmesan cheese before serving.

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

This recipe was created on a complete and total whim. It was like an episode of Food Network’s Chopped. I literally grabbed 3 ingredients from the pantry that had reached the end of their shelf life: a handful of pearl onions that were on the verge of sprouting, a couple old sweet potatoes in the same condition, and a dusty can of black beans. They needed to be eaten today or they would have to forever hold their peace. What could possibly come of this random trio? I opened the fridge and noticed a carton of eggs. Yes! A frittata would do just the trick.

After several weeks of holiday cookies, overflowing plates, and hearty meals, I was in the mood for something light and a little more on the healthy side. Plus, Chrystal just returned from Spain, so I imagine she feels similarly after a vacation of indulgence.  A frittata would offer just that. This fluffy egg concoction is the perfect go-to in times of pantry surfing. You can toss in literally whatever you like in the pan, and it all magically comes together in one easy dish.

We already have a couple other fritatta recipes on the blog. Around this time last year we shared an Arugula and Scallion Fritatta to serve a similar purpose in detoxing from the holiday excess. Arugula would actually work in this version too, but I threw in some fresh spinach instead since I had a bunch on hand. Note to the wise, though, just be careful whenever you’re using a pan that is able to go from the stove-top into the oven. Whenever I take the pan out of the oven and put it on the stove to cool, for some reason I always forget the handle is burning hot and grab it with my bare hands. This happens every time I use this pan. Every. Time. I suggest keeping an oven mitt over the handle as a reminder that it’s indeed too hot to handle. Sadly, there’s a new burn on my hand to prove that this is a good idea!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Frittata – Serves 6-8
1 – 15oz can black beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin circular slices
12 pearl onions, peeled and cut in half (or 1 medium white onion cut into thin rings)
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, rough chopped
1 cup tomato pasta sauce, heated

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Empty can of black beans into a metal strainer. Rinse under cool water and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in an oven-safe large, flat pan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Toss in onions and stir to coat them evenly in the oil. Cover pan with a lid (or a baking sheet if the pan is not accompanied with a lid) and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 additional minutes.

3. As the potatoes cook, combine eggs, cream, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste in a large mixing bowl. Whisk mixture until well combined and the eggs are completely beaten. Set aside.

4. When the potatoes are ready, remove the lid and return the pan to high heat. Cook the potatoes for an additional 4 minutes, or just as they start to brown around the edges and become crispy. Stir in the spinach and beans, sauteing the mixture until the spinach leaves begin to cook down, about another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat on the stove.

5. Add in egg mixture, gently shaking the pan to disperse the eggs around evenly. Place in the pre-heated oven and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the frittata is solid throughout. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

6. Cover the pan with a large plate or cutting board and careful flip the whole pan over to release the frittata. Cut into slices and serve warm with tomato sauce.

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

Happy 2012 to you and yours!  2011 has been quite the year for us, comprising of another cookbook mention, a local avocado takedown, several interviews, a dozen more Ethnic Explorations under our belt, and much more.  Of course, not to forget all the wonderful food we’ve cooked, tasted, and shared in the last 365 days.  We’re excited for the new ventures and developing prospects to come for us in 2012.  In the meantime, here’s a perfect recipe to ring in the new year!

Right now as I type this, Chrystal is literally partying her life away in Barcelona, Spain with two of our close friends. No doubt she is eating some incredible meals, making new friends, and, as we like to say, “doing the most” in the streets of España. I’m here in sunny SoCal enjoying a quieter, more relaxing New Year’s celebration. And one that involves a Southern tradition–black-eyed peas. Notable in the Southeast, one is supposed to dine on a bowl of black-eyed peas every New Year’s Day, supposedly bringing you a year of greater luck and prosperity. We’ll clearly take more of both, please!

Just a couple months ago we announced we were finalists in the Alexia Foods “Reinvent a Classic” French Fry Challenge, having our Herbs de Provence and Garlic Sweet Potato Fries compete to be produced and sold nationwide (voting is still open folks, and all you have to do is make one click here after ‘Liking’ Alexia’s Facebook page). Anyhow, this opportunity allotted us the privilege to meet and interview Tyler Florence, where we were given a copy of his latest cookbook, Family Meal. In it, there is a black-eyed pea recipe with nods to his Southern roots. I had to try out this version for myself, which adds in stewed tomatoes and fresh herbs. It was so simple to throw together, and I’m not embarrassed to admit that I licked my bowl clean once it was all done. The whole dish had a deep level of flavor and richness to it, with the tomatoes adding a pleasant amount of sweetness. I didn’t want to use a ham hock this time, which is common in black-eyed peas, so I instead threw in some kielbasa sausage and bacon bits. Even though it’s technically not New Year’s Day anymore, I’m sure it’s early enough in the year for this superstitious tradition to still work its magic, ensuring you even more luck and prosperity to come. Plus, this hearty stew is worthy to be tried any day of the year. Bon appetit!

Black-Eyed Peas with Stewed Tomatoes – Serves 4-6 (adapted by Tyler Florence)
1/2 lb kielbasa sausage, cut into thin 1/4 inch slices
6 strips of bacon, chopped into small 1/4 inch pieces
1 lb dried black-eyed peas, rinsed, sorted, and soaked overnight in 8 cups water or quick soaked*
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 – 15oz cans whole stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, rough chopped
Leaves from 2 fresh oregano sprigs, rough chopped
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add both meats and cook until bacon starts to become crispy and more fat is rendered out. Add in pre-soaked peas, broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook uncovered until the peas become tender, about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile in a separate medium pot, melt the stick of butter over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Then, mix in tomatoes and sugar, letting the mixture reduce to a thick syrup, about 30 minutes.

3. Once tomato mixture is reduced, stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then, carefully pour the entire tomato sauce into the pot of cooked peas. Stir to fully combine. Serve warm.

*You can do a quick soak to your dried beans if in a pinch. Just cover the beans in 8 cups of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for one hour. Then, drain the water and give the beans another good rise. Now, you’re good to go!

Click HERE for printable recipes.

Hopefully, one day I’ll make it back to Austin to watch Funmi Ogunro in action. Or perhaps she’ll find herself in Los Angeles putting on a performance with her traveling food education shows entitled Funmi and Friends. I was able to meet her just before this summer’s International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in Texas, and I made sure to keep in touch. Unfortunately, Amir has yet to meet the young entrepreneur, but I have a feeling they would get along very well. Funmi has an infectious personality and a driven interest in creating healthy lifestyle education programs for children and families. It’s a pleasure to have her close out this year’s Guest Test Kitchen series with one of her quick and homemade creations that is perfect for the midweek meal. If you have yet to make your own pizza at home, put it on your New Year list!

Pizza is easy, cheap to make, and so much fun! I love pizza margherita, with the fresh tomatoes (no tomato sauce) and basil! This is a vegetarian recipe. You can swap out ingredients if you like. It also takes about two hours to prepare because you have to create the dough and wait for it to rise.

When I was younger, I just knew pizza making would be the most arduous task. My little brother and I always proclaimed that we would make pizza one day. It looked like fun, but how in the world would we be able to toss the dough in our hands like we saw in pizza joints? We thought it was impossible so we stuck to ordering out! Well now I am a believer in making your own pizza- it tastes much better!

Pizza Margherita – Serves 8 to 12
Dough (recipe by Allrecipes)*
1 – 0.25 ounce package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as necessary

Toppings
Two small tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil or 4 basil leaves
6-8 spinach leaves

Directions
Slice two tomatoes and chop two garlic cloves in small pieces. Put the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and basil in a bowl. Add the tomatoes and garlic in the mixture and let sit for about 10 minutes or until you add the tomatoes to the pizza.

Take the yeast and put it in a bowl with one cup of warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the flour, salt, sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour the vegetable oil and yeast-water mixture in the well. Using your hands, start mixing the ingredients. Toss some flour (2-3 teaspoons) on a flat surface, and place the dough on the table. Knead the dough by pressing the palm of your hand on the dough. Flip the dough and keep kneading for about 8-10 minutes or until the dough has a smooth consistency. You can use a bread mixer instead of kneading.

Take a large bowl and grease it with about a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Then place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Sit the bowl in an area at room temperature for about 45 minutes to an hour. The dough should rise and increase in size. (You can also put it in the oven to rise. Make sure the oven is off.)

Once the dough has risen, tear the dough in half. Half the dough will make a 10 inch pizza. (Save the rest for later. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in the fridge or freezer). Dust a little bit of flour on the table (about 3 tablespoons). Place the dough on the flour and start to knead the dough into a circle or whatever shape you want your pizza to be. Use a rolling pin to do this.

Once you have the dough rolled out the way you want it, place the dough on a non stick, metal pan. Then, start adding the toppings. Drizzle a little bit of the oil from the marinated tomato and garlic mixture on the dough. Shred or tear the mozzarella cheese and add on top of the dough. Then take the tomatoes and place on the top. Next, add the spinach and sprinkle the basil on top. Then, if you would like, drizzle any remaining oil from the marinated tomato mixture on the crust of the pizza.

Slide the pizza in the oven at a temperature of 400 degrees. The pizza will cook in about 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

*This dough recipe is enough for two 10″ pizzas, although this recipe is based on the completion of one pizza. You can double the toppings for a second pizza.

Click HERE for the printable recipe.

You may have seen many tweets and Facebook posts about Kwanzaa Culinarians. For those celebrating, Kwanzaa began on December 26th, and it will end on the first day of the New Year. Kwanzaa Culinarians’ is comprised of a group of food bloggers, authors, chefs and business owners who are shedding light on the principles of the holiday and how they relate to community at large. Of course, for us, food finds itself at the root of many of the principles. For every day of Kwanzaa, you can read four different bloggers’ views on and experiences with the principle. Today, you can check out the meaning of Ujima, or collective work and responsibility. No doubt you are very much aware of the ways in which collective work and responsibility helps to bring awareness and change, and that has never been more evident than in the food world. Check out a Massaged Kale Salad recipe, and find out how Ujima has made itself known in one neighborhood of Los Angeles with the Social Justice Learning Institute.

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa! And of course, Happy Boxing Day! Today, we’re sharing our experience with French-Canadian food as part of December’s Ethnic Exploration. It’s usually interesting how we end up choosing our new country, region or national group that ends up as a feature, and this time was no different. The exhausting busy body effect of the holiday season was setting in for me, and the idea of coming up with an experimental recipe felt like one more thing to add to the list. We bounced around a few idea, but it was Amir’s mention of the French-Canadian tourtière that stuck. We would avoid adding another sweet dessert to the season’s line-up, the savory meat pie was holiday appropriate, and above all, it had a delicious appeal. Sold!

Truth be told, there’s nothing particularly difficult about a tourtière. The hardest part for some may be pronouncing it correctly, but if you watch this cute Pillsbury commercial, you can get the hang of it quickly. In fact, if you take a peek at different recipes, you may find yourself feeling quite ho hum about it. Generally, ground meat is cooked with a few spices and onions, scooped into pie dough and baked until golden brown. The ground meat is often pork, although it could also be a singular or mixed variety of ground game, beef, lamb or veal. We found no authentic recipes with chicken or turkey, but we’re positive it cannot be a completely foreign option. Should you feel inclined to make one, feel free to be a rebel. The usual vegetables are onions, celery and potatoes. Occasionally mushrooms will pop up as well. You have room to toss in veggies as you please. Of course, it is the mix of holiday spices with the meat and vegetables that make a tourtière the masterpiece. Savory, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg are common culprits, which add a beautiful aromatic flair to the pie. For those who want to put on their fancy pants, they will make a tourtière du Lac St-Jean, which is much bigger and uses a wide variety of cubed meat. Although the tourtière is well-known as a Québec delicacy, you will find it served on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve across the entire country of Canada and also here in the States where Canadian ancestors settled long ago. It just may be the epitome of holiday dishes for many Canadians.

There’s something about looking forward to a specific holiday dish that makes the holidays so special. Although we could easily have many dishes all year long, it’s tradition to take part in them on certain occasions. Those occasions come once a year such as birthdays, anniversaries, secular and religious holidays. When we eat these foods, we relieve memories of yesteryear’s cooking fiascos and successes. We sit around tables with friend and family laughing and joking about whose recipe is the best. We spend the evenings huddled around the microwave or oven reheating a second helping because it was so good the first time. That’s what’s so great about foods that are tied to holidays. That was what was so great about the famed tourtière. Everyone seems to look forward to it, and almost everyone has a recipe, whether it is traditional or their own take on a classic.

There are many people, including Canadians, who will admit that the country has never been known for an outstanding cuisine. What it is known for are hearty, rib-hugging dishes that keep you warm during their blistering cold winters or sugar desserts that have been passed down for generations. Poutine, nanaimo bars, butter tarts, maple tarts and Canadian bacon are familiar to many of us. Why has the tourtière been such a mystery? It is not as cold here in Los Angeles as it is in Canada, but it is cold enough for a super savory meat pie. We peeked through several recipes to get the gist and decided to go our own route for this one. Of course, we kept many of the traditional elements but decided to add a couple of other touches to make it our own.

Most tourtière recipes were packed with pork, and the slices appeared very compact and sturdy. To thicken our pie’s slurry, we used a little butter and cream in combination with beef broth and flour to create a sauce that enveloped the meat and vegetables. Carrots and cubed red potatoes added texture, along with the onions and celery. Our spice mix added smokey, earthy, rich notes to the mix. The last two touches of lemon zest and sugar added a bit of levity to what is inevitably a dense, meaty bite. We were more than pleased with the filling. Typically, we make our own pie crusts, but due to a busy day of cooking, we went with one of our favorite producer’s variety when in a pinch–Trader Joe’s. If only Amir had little maple leaves in his collection of cookie cutters! We decided to go for the round edged star for decorative overlay.

Tourtière is not tourtière unless it is served with a special condiment. Many people eat their’s with green ketchup made from green tomatoes. It is December in L.A., and green tomatoes are hard to find. We knew that eating this pie on its own would be fine, but why not add our own version of a tomato topping to plop on each plate. Instead of making our own ketchup–again, time was of the essence–we made a tomato jam of sorts with red peppers, onions and green apples. It most likely borders along the lines of jam and chutney, but we’ll call it a jam today. For fun, we thought we’d put together a video to show you just how easy it is to whip it up.

Once the pie had a few minutes to cool, we plated big slices and paired each one with our warm, sweet and tangy jam. The flavors were right on. You could immediately smell the holiday appeal that came from the tourtière, and of course, you could taste it as well. It is a classic for a reason, and perhaps that is characteristic of many pies–savory or sweet. A homemade pie feels rustic. It feels like a nurturing force. It reminds you of your family. It reminds you of home. It signifies the holidays. Enjoy your holiday season, and be sure to eat a lot of pie. You owe it to yourself and whomever showed enough love to make it for you.

Tourtière (French-Canadian Meat Pie) – Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the pie dish
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium red potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground savory
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon whole caraway seed
1/8 teaspoon whole celery seed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 double pie crust, thawed or your favorite pie crust recipe
1 egg

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a wide, deep pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and red potatoes. Toss to coat everything with the oil and butter. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions and potatoes turn translucent.

2. Stir the garlic, bay leaf and flour into the vegetables, then add the pork. Break up the meat with a spatula. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 3-5 minutes or until most of the meat is no longer pink.

3. Add the beef broth and 2 tablespoons cream, stirring to combine. Season the mixture with the black pepper, salt, allspice, savory, cloves, caraway seed, celery seed and cinnamon. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 8-10 minutes, allowing the filling to thicken. Stir in the sugar and lemon zest. Remove from heat, pick out the bay leaf, transfer to a separate container and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes. Cover and chill until completely cool.*

4. Butter a 9″ pie dish. Roll out the pie crust to fill the bottom of the dish. Spoon the filling onto the crust, then top with the second pie crust. Trim or decoratively crimp the edges of the crust as desired.

5. Whisk together the egg and remaining 1 teaspoon of cream. Brush the top and edges of the pie, then cut small slits in the top to allow any steam to escape. Set on a baking sheet and slide into a preheated oven at 400 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

*The filling can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. Just cover and chill until ready to use.

Tomato and Red Pepper Jam – Makes 2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium high flame. Once hot, add the tomatoes, peppers and apples. Toss to coat with the olive oil, then cook for 5-7 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften. Mash the vegetables and fruit as they cook.

2. Add the brown sugar, stirring to cover everything with the sweetener. Next, add the white vinegar, water, dry sherry and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir and mash the mixture occasionally to break up the pieces.

3. Finally, add the maple syrup, sriracha and salt. Cook for another 40-45 minutes or until the jam has thickened significantly. Remove from heat. Serve warm or chill and serve cold if desired.*

*If you prefer a thinner jam, allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, then use an immersion blender or food processor to purée the jam to your preferred consistency.

Click HERE for printable recipes.