Update 11/17/11 I’m re-posting this recipe from 2009 – it’s perfect for Thanksgiving dinner – 3-ingredient recipe with impressive results. Add cheese to make Cheese Puffs – gougeres!

Update 12/8/09 I’m thrilled to share that I’m a featured blogger for Oprah’s Holiday 2009 where this recipe is being featured!

Pâte à Choux

paht-ah-shoo!

Sounds like sneeze, those fancy French words that I can’t ever get right!

But so easy that it can be summed up with this ratio 1:1:1:1:1

1 cup water: 1 stick butter: 1 cup flour: 1 cup eggs: 1 pinch salt

And so easy that even *I* an oven-fearing, non-baker could master it on the very first try.

So easy that I’ve made these cute little babies 6 times in the past 6 days.

Now that’s easy.

Or obsessive.

Either way, you MUST make these — like TONIGHT! Or perhaps your holiday meal? I’ll be making Pâte à Choux for our Thanksgiving dinner! Actually, I’ll add gruyere cheese and make gougeres.

And if you try to make me pronounce gougeres, I can’t.

So we’re calling them “Fancy Cheesy Puffy Poofs” at dinner.

The person responsible for my little poofy puffy pastry addiction is none other than Michael Ruhlman and his very useful ratios. Who knew 1:1:1:1:1 could do this? Well, Ruhlman did, and I know there are Pâte à Choux recipes out there that is way more complicated than 1:1:1:1:1….remember…

Rule #1: Simplest is best.
Rule #2: It’s RUHLMAN.

Oh but wait. I know what some of you smarty pants are going to say – this isn’t a TRUE Ruhlman ratio. A true Ruhlman ratio is by weight. And my 1:1:1:1:1 isn’t by weight — it’s just my way of remembering this recipe.

This choux dough is so versatile, that you can make the puffs sweet or savory. In fact, you can fill ‘em with cream to get Cream Puffs, fry them to get farts of nuns, make easy donuts, stuff them, boil them, dip them in chocolate, drizzle them with chocolate, serve ‘em with sauteed cherries, make cute little ice cream sandwiches with them, dip in peppermint fudge sauce, boil/saute for parisian gnocchi <- watch those 2 videos of Thomas Keller.

Easy Mushroom Pate

If you’d like to try the Easy Mushroom Pate shown in the photo below, you’ll have to head over to Tasty Kitchen.

Add a bit of truffle oil to that mushroom pate? Now that’s luxurious!

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A few months ago, I got an email from “John of Mighty Spice who lives in London” with a really nice message of, “hi, I’m a big fan, I love your blog, I wanna meet you.”

Well, not so blunt like that, it was way more eloquent, poetic and gentlemanly, as any proper Englishman would write. I replied, “Thanks John!” and a couple more generic, non-committal sentences – as um, anytime a handsome, young man emails me wishing to meet me in person, I sort of have an obligation to my husband to not accept random invitations from strangers.

John and I exchanged a few more emails, found out we have mutual friends – double checked back with the friends to make sure John was a-okay and for real (i.e. not stalker!) He checked out, so I finally said, “Okay, I’m speaking at Food Blogger Connect in London in a couple of months. Let’s meet there.”

We ended up actually having a chance to meet in person, over a quick Lebanese lunch and wow, did we have so much in common! We were both talking so fast and furious about food, cookbook, life, wine, travel and blogging that the lunch was over way too soon.

John had *just* come out with his very first cookbook, Mighty Spice and would be coming to America for a book tour. I invited him over to stay at our cottage and just hang out with the family. My boys *loved* Mr. John, and he became part of our family the moment he taught them how to speak with an English accent.

While John was here, I helped him with some television and radio gigs, intro’d him to some amazing people, like Rebecca Brooks, Janis my literary agent and my peeps at Momentum. I know you’ll see more of John – don’t believe me? Watch this pilot!

Mighty Spice Cookbook, , by John Gregory-Smith is available on Amazon!

***

Chocolate and Chickens with Steamy Kitchen

I have just finished a crazy book tour of America. It was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and I can’t wait to return. My tour took me down to Florida, where for a few nights, I stayed at Steamy Kitchen HQ. I had met Jaden in London, where we chatted about all things delicious over a huge Lebanese feast. I arrived late on a Tuesday night and was greeted by, a then hobbling – due to a Taekwondo injury, Jaden, who had a glass of wine on hand to welcome her British guest! Scott had been on BBQ duty and we had an awesome dinner, with one amazing Kale and Cauliflower Salad. Jaden had arranged for me to make an appearance on Daytime TV, the following morning, and pointed out that I had come a bit underprepared – I had no equipment apart from my food, Doh! After a whip round the kitchen I was ready to rock and the show was a blast!

Jaden had started her epic vegetable garden, complete with real, live, flapping chickens. The guys took me for a closer look and it became very clear that I was useless at holding chickens! I live in central London and the only nature that comes my way is the occasional tree or what I find in the food market. Every time I was given one of the chickens to hold, they would sense my uselessness, flap off and carry on scratching away with their mates.

That night we had a delicious, alfresco Mexican dinner, complete with chicken, salsas, salads and yummy cheese. After dinner and a few beers my sweet tooth kicked in and I was in desperate need of some chocolate. Well, once again, staying with a high profile food blogger paid off. I was presented with a sack load of chocolate to eat – by the way, I ate all but a few squares, which I left in the little fridge, sorry!

The next day was a blur; up at 4am to catch a flight to Charlotte NC for a show, back to Tampa and 2 hour drive to Orlando to prepare for The Daily Buzz. It was so nice returning “home” to the Hair’s house, where we had a wonderful spaghetti and meatball dinner, with lots of lovely parmesan cheese! It was a delicious end to a wonderful few days.

Jaden, Scott, Nathan, Andrew and Coco thanks so much for having me, showing me the fish, turtles, chicken, for all the laughs and great food! Come over and see me soon in London!

In the meantime, enjoy this Chili and Basil Scallops recipe from my new book, Mighty Spice.

~John, Mighty Spice

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to learn all there is to know about Prosciutto di Parma. That means Italy, baby. Jaden hasn’t even been to Italy before, so the fact that I was able to go in her place was quite the job perk! She made me promise to eat lots and lots for her, which I, being the obedient assistant that I am, carried out with grace. In the end, it all worked out, that same weekend, Jaden ended up hosting the 3rd annual dumpling festival in New York City, in fact, it worked out so well that they were able to raise over $46,000 for the Food Bank for NYC!

-joanne

about Prosciutto di Parma

Surprisingly enough, there are only two ingredients that go into prosciutto di Parma (also called Parma Ham), they are natural sea salt and Italian pork, more specifically “special” Italian pork that has been raised in one of 10 regions of Northern Italy. Here are a few photos from my experience, and yes, that is me in the funny hat (not my choice).

From top right: "First Salt," Curing Process, Joanne in a funny hat, How Italian's must work off all that delicious Parma Ham!

-Joanne

How to make Prosciutto and Ricotta Crostinis with Honey

For the crostinis, you will need five ingredients: French bread, prosciutto, ricotta, arugula and honey.

Start by slicing the baguette on the diagonal to make around 20 1/2-inch thick slices then lightly brush each slice with olive oil. Bake slices in a 350 degree F oven for 2-3 minutes or until they just begin to toast around the edges.

While the slices are still warm, spread on the ricotta cheese.

Then, top with prosciutto, arugula leaves and a drizzle of honey.

Serve and enjoy!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments

In a previous life, I used to work for a giant booze company. I used to commute between my home in the San Francisco (which was only 7 miles away from the office but took 40 minutes to drive sometimes) to the office near the Embarcadero or to the winery in Napa Valley in my little beloved 2-seater fancy pantsy convertible. I know, a tough life, huh?

On the days that I’d head to the city office, I would try to take the subway a couple times a week and on the walk after work back to the subway, I’d often meet friends for dinner at a Greek restaurant called Kokkari. Coincidentally, I just found out that my very handsome friend and fellow blogger Michael Procopio (*waving hi, Michael!*) works there.

The must-order item on the menu is Fried Smelt, little fishies fried whole and served with a garlic-potato skordalia (thick potato-based dipping sauce) and wedges of lemon. The finger-length fried smelt is eaten whole – tail, bone and all – and I call them my Greek French Fries as they are just as addictive.

Continue reading Fried Smelt...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 38 comments

I’m so thrilled to introduce to you Debi Shawcross and her new book, Friends at the Table: The Ultimate Supper Club.

I have a small group of friends here in my hometown that regularly get together nearly once a week for a dinner party. We often rotate houses, and of course the gathering is built all around the menu for the night. While our dinners are very casual, I really enjoy the idea of a formal “Supper Club” that was popular in the 30′s and 40′s and often included live entertainment, a set menu and beautifully decorated tables.

These days, the Supper Club (or Gourmet Club as some call it) comes in many different flavors. Some still celebrate just like in the 30′s and 40′s with a live band (big band or swing music!) and others are a bit more informal (girlfriends getting together once a month.) But the one thing they all have in common is a love for food.

You’ll love Debi’s book – she gives you menus for each season and great decorating ideas for table. Enjoy this recipe for Grilled Bruschetta with Asparagus and Parmesan Cheese from the book! ~Jaden

p.s. I’m also giving away a copy of the book!

***

What an honor to have a guest spot here on Steamy Kitchen today. Thank you, Jaden!

A traditional supper club in the 1930s and ’40s was a gathering place for people to meet and enjoy an evening of fine dining, drinks, and usually live musical entertainment. The setting was semi-formal, which means men’s attire may have required a tie. The menu often included “surf and turf,” mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. It was a time when people made time for one another, and the evening was centered around food and lively conversation.

My new book, Friends at the Table: The Ultimate Supper Club shows how to take the elements of supper clubs gone by and re-create them in an evening of fine dining at home, without the expense of a restaurant. Included are ready-made grocery lists and plan-ahead tips to ease the stress of entertaining, as well as full menus with a variety of themes to help execute a gorgeous meal, making the experience as enjoyable for the hostess as it is for the guest. The planning has already been done, from shopping lists to easy-to-follow recipes and from selecting music to creating a beautiful table décor.

I’ve included menus that are grand and elegant, some more casual and ethnic, and some a mix of all them all; designed with the idea of job sharing the menu with friends, so that you won’t spend all day in the kitchen.

Here’s a grilled bread appetizer recipe that features the irresistible a combination fresh, springtime asparagus, garlic, and cheese. Just be sure to pace yourself, these crunchy little starters are pretty addicting!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments

I was a-browsin’ for crab rangoon recipes when I came across Philadelphia Cream Cheese’s version that included baking the wonton wrapper into a cup-like shapes in a muffin pan instead of deep frying. What a fab idea! I had to give it a shot, the presentation was just too pretty.

The key to making the wonton skin crisp is to spray both sides of the wonton skin with cooking spray before putting them into a muffin pan. Just a light spritz is all you need on both sides.

This is a sponsored review
by BlogHer and Kraft.

I LOVE crab, but the problem with most crab rangoon that I have at Chinese-American restaurants is too much cream, not enough crab. So my version is loaded with crab meat with just enough creaminess and kick of flavor.

I season the crab with a good squeeze of lemon (any canned seafood can use a little lemon to fresh its flavor), salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Of course add in Philadelphia Cream Cheese and a spoonful of mayo. You can use either canned crabmeat or fresh crabmeat if you’re up for doing a little work.

How to make Baked Crab Rangoon

The ingredients are simple and easily customizable – I’ve used canned crab but you can substitute any type of cooked seafood like scallops or shrimp. Add sriracha hot chili sauce for a spicy version.

The wonton skins are baked in the oven until the edges are golden brown. They turn into crisp little cups. Add in the crab meat filling, return to the oven for a few minutes and it’s done.

Continue reading Baked Crab Rangoon...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 39 comments

While we were in Mexico for Food Blogger Camp back in February, I got a sneak peek at the photos that my good friends, Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple shot of Cristina Ferrare’s new cookbook. I’m sure you heard of Cristina – she’s got a cooking show, “Big Bowl of Love” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Diane and Todd shot all the recipe photos as well as “lifestyle” shots – i.e. a dinner party with friends – if you have a chance to pick up this book, please do. Not only is it chock full of gorgeous food shots (every recipe has a photo) but the recipes featured are non-fussy — what I call “easy sophistication.”

I’ve got so many recipes bookmarked that this book will keep me busy for a while. Today’s recipe, Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast, is inspired from the book. I had originally planned these for a Spanish Tapas party my friend, Wendy was hosting, but we ended up with an obscene amount of food, so I kept the marinating steak in the refrigerator and made the dish the following day.

***

Our Spanish Tapas Party

While Tom’s prepping his dish, Wendy and her sister in law, Kelly are the background with Spanish cookbook in hand reading the recipe.

Tom and his wife, Patty – right here smiley-happy next to the cheese – own the Tae Kwon Do studio that the boys and Scott go to. And yes, the boys can kick mama’s butt.

This was just appetizers….by the time dinner was ready, the entire table was full of food. Most of the dishes were Spanish tapas – we had some wonderful Spanish Tapena wine to go with our dinner party, courtesy of the winery. Tapena wines has recently gotten some amazing reviews and awards – the 2011 Monterey Wine Competition awarded them Import Wine of the Year.

While boys were outside fishing, the gals hung out by the apps and wine.

Tom made these crispy-light rice cakes topped with manchego cheese. I never knew he had this cooking talent!

Even Andrew loved the Manchego Cheese wrapped with Jamon Serrano  — hungry after fishing!

After dinner? A single malt scotch tasting in the ultimate “man cave” – complete with leather chairs, cigars, deer heads (Shawn goes hunting once a year) and bull-horn chandelier.

I encouraged Scott to write a post on Scotch tasting, it would be his first-ever post on Steamy Kitchen. He declined until I told him that if he starts a “Scott’s Scotch Corner” on Steamy Kitchen, all his scotch would be a “business expense”

Look for a post from him soon.

***

Flank Steak on Goat Cheese on Toast

The flank steak is marinated in red chili flakes, smoked paprika, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Toppings included goat cheese, roasted red bell peppers and a balsamic fig and onion “jam” that I found at the market.

You can substitute with any sweet-savory jam or chutney. Mango chutney would be wonderful too. I have a list of recipes for jams at the end of the post.

Slice the roasted red bell pepper thinly.
Continue reading Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 29 comments

A couple of weeks ago, I headed over to Baltimore Maryland to get school on spices, along with my buds Jenny, Shauna and Nicole. What do you do at spice school? We eat, of course!

Their amazing culinary team fed us every couple of hours, in fact, our meeting space was inside McCormick’s Asian kitchen (built-in wok!) and our “class” was no more than 3 steps left of the kitchen.

Of the dozens of food and drinks that we sampled, my favorite were these Chipotle Chinnamon Baby Back Ribs. See that plate? I polished off half of that myself.

A lot of recipe developers and chef talk about “balancing flavors” – and these ribs are a perfect example of playing with the powerful punch of spice – sort of like the soundtrack to “The Perfect Storm”

::sweet (brown sugar) :: spicy & smoky (chipotle) :: warm (cinnamon and cocoa) :: salty (garlic salt) :: tangy (tomato paste)::

So I’ve re-created those flavors into the form of wings. We even threw them on the grill for more smokiness, but you can bake and broil for same effect.

About Chipotle Chile Pepper

What is Chipotle Chile Pepper? From McCormick’s Enspicelopedia:

BOTANICALLY SPEAKING

When green, this Capsicum annum is called jalapeño, a chile with distinctive sweet and acidic notes, along with a moderate level of heat. But when the pod is dried and smoked, it becomes a different animal altogether and is called chipotle. With a strong, smoky aroma and a deep brown color, chipotle pepper is available ground.

YUM FACTOR

Chipotle pepper is the quick way to put a hit of smoky, spicy, “Howdy Pardner!” flavor into anything from prepared mayonnaise, salsa and rubs to cornbread, bean dips, chili con carne and butter for glazing vegetables. Pair it with chili powder and cinnamon as a rub for the most memorable baby back ribs you’re likely to taste.

GLOBETROTTER’S GUIDE

Named for its hometown Jalapa in the Mexican state of Veracruz, jalapeño peppers are the raw materials from which chipotle pepper is made.

HOT OR NOT?

In the United States, the heat of chilies is measured in Scoville Heat Units. Sweet bell peppers score zero on the scale, while jalapenos hit the 2,500 – 4,000 range. Habaneros are reputedly one of the hottest peppers, reaching 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville Units. Some say, however, that certain varieties of African chilies are even hotter, most especially the tiny green gems known as bird’s eye peppers.

How to Easily Cut Chicken Wings

To easily cut a chicken wing, here’s my method — no wrestling needed.

Prop the wing with the backside facing you. Hold it up so that it forms a “V” on that first joint.  Now take your knife and cut straight down that “V”

If you cut straight down the “V” you shouldn’t meet much resistance at all. It should go through pretty darn smoothly.

Same thing for the wing tip. Hold the wing to form V and cut straight down the middle.

Throw the flappers and the drumsticks in a bag, save the tips for stock. Pour marinade in bag.

Close it up, but keep air in the bag so that the wings can move around. Now SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! It’s a good flabby arm workout. After the wings are all coated, open just a crack of the bag up, squeeze all the air out and seal.

Like this bowl? It’s Fire King Jadeite and if you’re not an eBay addict yet, this baby will surely make you one.

A recipe so easy, that even Andrew made it on television last week. That’s him right there at the Daytime studio, standing on a box with host Cyndi.

Continue reading Smoky Sweet Spicy Wings...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 26 comments