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Easy No Bake Cheesecake

September 3, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

So yes, summer is technically ending (sniff, sniff) but our weather out here says otherwise, so i’m keeping it going! Currently it’s waaay too hot here in LA to be baking, so this super-duper, easy no-bake cheesecake is your answer to a dessert that works whether you’re hosting or attending a bbq this weekend. This pie plate of creamy deliciousness tastes like a fancy cheesecake that took hours of careful baking, but no! I have to credit Martha with this one. Just wanted to share it with you here, because we all need a little cheesecake sometimes.

For the crust

about 20 graham crackers

11 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp Sugar

For the filling

2 8oz. packages of cream cheese (softened)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

First, to make the crust, you’ll need to crush the graham crackers. I like to put them in a Ziploc bag and roll them with a rolling pin until I have nice coarse crumbs. Next, dump the crumbs into a bowl and add the melted butter and sugar and mix it all together. Now, press the crumb mixture into a lightly greased 9″ springform cake pan or pie plate. Both work well, although the springform will yield a prettier cake, if that’s your goal. Press the crumbs flat, letting them go an inch or two up the sides of the pan/plate. Freeze the crust (in the freezer, duh) for 10 minutes before filling it.

For the filling, use a mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk and mix, scraping the bowl. Finally, add the lemon juice and vanilla and mix until everything is combined and creamy.

Pour the filling into your chilled crust, smooth out the top, and the “hard” part is done!

the heart was pure accident! as were the crumbs in the cheese 🙂

Just chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours until the filling is firm, and you’re good to go!

Go ahead and top the cake (or individual slices) with fresh fruit, compote, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate, whateva!

It’s the last hurrah of summer 17, so get crazy! and make this while wearing pink socks! (or whatever you might be into…)

Blueberry Peach Crumble

July 16, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

Fruit crumbles are one of the simplest desserts to make and this blueberry peach one fits the bill. Not only can you make this with endless permutations of fruit combos that you happen to have on hand, but you can pretty much throw the ingredients together and you will have a delicious result. (READ: you do not have to be that careful when making this… which allows for sipping rosé while chatting with your guests in the kitchen as you throw this together…then, when dessert is served, it seems like you’ve kind of got it together! shhhh…it will be our little secret.)

This blueberry peach crumble showcases one of my favorite fruit combos, and was a great way to use up local, in-season, organic fruit that would otherwise go bad in my fridge. This can be made ahead and reheated, and it travels well to take to a friend’s. You can even decrease the sugar and butter amounts here if you wanted to (for some crazy reason), and you’d still end up with something that tastes good. Serve this (and all crumbles!) with ice cream and/or whipped cream, and you have what I consider to be the perfect summer desert.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a square 9″ baking dish or pie plate.

For the fruit filling

3-4 small peaches sliced

1 half pint blueberries

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup lemon (or lime) juice or juice from a fresh squeezed small lemon

Toss the fruit with the sugar, flour, and lemon juice until it is coated well. Pour the fruit mixture into your prepared dish.

Crumble topping

4 tbsp flour

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp white sugar

pinch cinnamon

1/2 cup (8Tbsp) cold unsalted butter (diced)

Combine the crumble ingredients and squeeze together with your hands to make lumps of crumble topping. Sprinkle the crumble lumps around the to of the fruit. The crumble topping should be messy and clumpy. That’s the beauty of a crumble!

Bake for 30 minutes until crumble topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbly and gooey.

You cannot mess this up so go for it!

Ice Cream Sandwiches…literally

July 2, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

Heeeyyy! Happy Summer!! I’m back! kids…work…yada, yada, yada…..Sooo, after almost a year of living in California (which I can hardly believe is true) it’s only fitting that the first post of my first summer away from Miami pays homage to these amazing ice cream sandwiches that I only learned existed just before leaving there. At Tio Colo in Hialeah, they serve these cuban style ice cream sandwiches in both traditional and tropical flavors (think guava, mamey, and mango) and believe me, there is no better way to beat the Miami heat than to bite into one of these bad boys.

It quickly became my goal to figure out how to replicate these here on the west coast, and I discovered that these are traditional cuban ice cream sandwiches (or bocaditos de helado) that not many people outside of that community seem to know about. Basically, they’re cake sandwiches filled with ice cream. Yes, the sandwich part looks like white bread, but it is actually a light, eggy cake, that dances between pound cake and angel food. It’s genius.

For this recipe, I adapted one that I found for a cuban guava jelly roll cake and used only the cake part. I found that it almost perfectly matches the Tio Colo original. The cake is spongey, malleable, and easy to manipulate, fill, and slice. You can make a batch (this recipe makes 6 if you cut them in 2″-ish squares) and they’ll keep in the freezer for a week. They can be filled with the ice cream of your wildest dreams, and topped with anything you like!

Speaking of toppings, I have recently discovered the sprinkles that (my) dreams are made of. They are simply called Fancy Sprinkles, as they very well should be, and they are just about the fanciest sprinkles in all the land.

Seriously, I cannot explain the amount of joy these bring me, and I am dying to make a huge cake that I can smother with these edible baubles. So, naturally, I had to sprinkle them on some of these ice cream sandwiches to try them out, and they did not disappoint.

Ok, back to the ice cream…

For the cake

1 Tbsp unsalted butter softened, for the pan
6 large eggs, separated
6 Tbsp. sugar (plus 1 more Tbsp to coat the pan)
6 Tbsp. Cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 -2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Then, butter the parchment paper as well and sprinkle a coating of sugar to cover the bottom of the pan. This creates a little crust for the cake, which is key.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and set aside. In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, increasing the speed to medium-high, until stiff peaks form.

stiff peaks!

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg yolks into the egg whites. Carefully fold in the flour and vanilla until well blended.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top.

smoooothe

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean about 12-14 minutes, depending on your oven. Just keep checking on it, and once that toothpick is clean and the cake has firmed up, its ready.

Spread out a slightly damp kitchen towel. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar- this will keep the cake from sticking to the towel.

Loosen cake from edges of the pan and turn it out onto the towel while still warm. Carefully remove the parchment paper and trim the edges if necessary. Remove from the towel and set the cake aside to cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cool, cut the cake in half and fill it with softened ice cream, covering it with the other half of cake.

Wrap this back up in parchment and freeze again until set. Once the ice cream is firm, go ahead and cut them into individual sandwiches.

Don’t be shy about experimenting with ice cream flavors, and don’t forget those sprinkles!

oh, you fancy, huh?

Make these today and take some to your 4th of July BBQ’s! You’ll never look at a regular old ice cream sandwich the same way again. Gracias Tio Colo for the inspiration!

Game Day Food!

February 5, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

Hey! Well we made it through January, and here we are at Super Bowl Sunday! I’ve compiled a few of my favorite game day food recipes that would be a perfect addition to your spread today!

Ok first, candied bacon. Need I say more? Next, I can’t talk up these chicken wings enough. They are amazing, and I’m about to start prepping mine now. Then, yes, these carnitas take some time, but you could start them now and have delicious, fall- apart pork for a taco bar later today. We also have these easy naan bread pizzas. They are a quick fix that will satisfy both your adult and kid guests, and, of course, we can’t forget about mac and cheese!

Make any of these today and you will undoubtedly take your super bowl party to the next level. Game on!

Roasted Winter Vegetable Tart

January 29, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

There’s no better time than now to find some peace in simple pleasures. For me, it was spending time yesterday baking this warm winter vegetable tart. I love tarts and quiches because they are surprisingly simple, increase the ‘fancy’ factor of any spread, and are unbelievably forgiving. You can be pretty loose with the amount of eggs, cream, and cheese, and you will still get a delicious result. A vegetable tart like this also provides a great opportunity to use produce that might otherwise be going bad in the fridge. You can easily add a multitude of veggies and different types of cheese to suit your tastes. Since I had a sweet potato and butternut squash begging to be used, I decide to turn them into this savory, roasted, winter vegetable tart.

I seriously love Yotam Ottolenghi‘s way with vegetables, and it was this recipe that inspired me to make this tart. Also, my daughter declared (for like the 7th time) that she is now a vegetarian, so I figured I’d better brush up on my veggie centric meals.

Now, this does take some prep, but like I said, I embraced slowing down and making something a little more time and labor intensive. Of course, the entire tart was gone in about 15 minutes, but that’s what it’s for, right?

So you don’t have to make your own crust, but its exponentially better when you do. I am a bit of a snob when it comes to homemade crust, so I used this recipe (Basic Short Crust Pastry) to make a short-crust pastry dough, and yes, it requires chilling and blind baking, but to me it’s so worth it for a melt in your mouth, flaky crust.

While your crust is chilling and/or pre-baking, you’ll have lots of time to dice and roast your vegetables. Ok, so here we go.

Ingredients

1 small sweet potato

1 small butternut squash (or half of a large one)

olive oil

honey

half a small onion (sliced)

1/8 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp salted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

2-4 Tbsp soft goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

To roast the veggies, dice them small, into about 1/2 inch cubes. You want about a cup of sweet potato and a cup of squash once they’re cut up. You might be left with some extra veggies when you fill the tart shell, but you can always throw them in a salad, or use them for a quick side dish.

Throw the diced veggies in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 350 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes drizzle a little honey over the vegetables and sprinkle with a little more salt. Let this roast for about 20-30 more minutes. Broil for 5-10 minutes at the end to get some crispy edges on the veggies. Watch carefully! Set aside.

Next, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium high heat and sauté the sliced onion with the thyme and bay leaf until caramelized. Remove the by leaf and set aside.

When your crust has cooled a little, spread the onion slices out in the bottom of the crust. Add the squash and sweet potato. Add 5-10 dollops of goat cheese around the tart, depending on your taste.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, cream, and some salt and pepper together. Pour this mixture into to the tart shell and fill it until just the tops of the veggies show through.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until the middle is set and the top is golden brown.

Trust me. This is worth the work! This tart makes an awesome brunch addition, or a welcoming appetizer with a glass of wine.

Candied Bacon

January 17, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

Seems excessive, you say? Trust me, you need this. This just might be the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth. I never knew how much I needed candied bacon in my life until I made some this weekend and now, I might not be able to stop. 3 ingredients and 20 minutes stand between you and this crispy, crunchy, caramelized confection that is affectionately known as candied bacon, or even ‘bacon candy’, if you just want to call it like it is. I suppose it should come as no surprise though that slathering bacon with sugar yields a delicious result.

Ingredients

1 package of bacon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp chili powder

First, mix together the brown sugar and chili powder and set aside. This gives it a tiny kick that even my kids could deal with, and expands the flavor exponentially.

sugar and spice

I like to use Applegate’s uncured Sunday bacon.

This is a small pack of 9 slices. You honestly can’t make enough of this stuff, so you could probably go ahead and double this recipe for more bacon slices. Depending on how many slices you make, you may have some left over sugar mixture. That’s totally ok, as long as you coat all of your pieces sufficiently.

Arrange the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet.

Liberally coat the top with the sugar mixture ( I spread it around each slice with a small spatula thing).

somebody cant wait!

Stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Turn the slices over about halfway through. Depending on your preference, and oven, you may want to leave the bacon in a little longer, but just watch it towards the end and take it out before it gets charred. Bacon can be tricky that way.

Immediately move the bacon slices to a drying rack to cool and let the sugar harden a bit. The candied bacon will crisp up as it sits and will stay good at room temperature for around 2 days. Although, it never had a chance of lasting that long in our house.

uh…yeah.

Go ahead and eat this on its own, stick it in a bloody Mary, or add it to an egg sandwich on homemade dutch oven bread. That’s what I did…for dinner.

You can’t go wrong with this one. It will be the hit of your next cocktail party…or Sunday morning breakfast…or weekday snack. We won’t judge.

Simple Shortbread

January 6, 2017 By alexkatzman No Comments

It’s a little hard to see in the picture above, but yes, there’s shortbread under there! So the holidays are over, but that doesn’t mean that the cookie baking/eating has to end! Shortbread is one of my favorite cookies of all time. So easy to throw together with just a few ingredients, and it’s all at once buttery, chewy, and crunchy. Shortbread cookies stay fresh for a week or so, and go well with a variety of additions like ice cream, melted chocolate, berries, and whipped cream. I know it’s hard getting back in the swing of things after the holidays, but experts agree, a steady intake of cookies just might help.

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) good (european) salted butter

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1tsp vanilla

*optional 1/8 tsp of almond extract

1 cup all purpose flour

*Feel free to double the recipe to make 2 cake pans of cookies.

Lightly grease and flour a round 9″ cake pans. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. In stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla (plus almond extract if you used any) Next, add the flour and mix until combined. The mixture will be pretty dry and thats ok! Just beat it until it comes together. It will still be crumbly, and thats what you want.

Press the mixture down into your prepared pan so its about 1/2″ thick. Prick the surface all over with a fork and bake for about 35 minutes until lightly golden (a little darker around the edges is ok). When the shortbread is finished, immediately pop it out of the pan and use a pizza cutter or knife to cut it into 12 wedges.

those little bumpy spots equals maximum buttery, flakiness… which equals yum!

Eat alone as a cookie or with some fresh berries and cream. Shortbread is just too simple to make to not have some lying around for a treat this weekend.

Persimmon Bread

January 3, 2017 By alexkatzman 2 Comments

If you asked me 4 months ago what a persimmon was, I don’t think I could have told you. Here in LA, persimmons are everywhere during fall and winter, and they’re delicious! After sampling some at the farmers market, I decided to pick up a few, not really knowing what I would (or should) do with them. As I’m sure you’ve heard, the farmers markets here are no joke, and that has been an amazing part of moving here. I am still getting used to having all of these fruits and vegetables at my fingertips, and I foolishly passed the persimmons many times before actually buying them.

my farmer’s market haul from this weekend! check out those gorgeous persimmons at the top right.

So, there are few different types and I honestly didn’t know what I was buying. I chose ones that looked a lot like tomatoes, with a deep red-orange color.

These, I think, are Fuyu persimmons and are considered the sweetest variety. Perfect! High in vitamin A, C, Manganese, and fiber, persimmons can eaten be as fruit (duh), thrown into salads, pureed for cakes and breads, or even frozen and eaten right out of the skin. Super ripe ones have a custardy flavor that only intensifies when cold and congealed a bit inside. You can also use the Hachiya variety, as my recipe inspiration suggests. They’re all just really so good, so go for it!

There were a lot less persimmon recipes out there than I imagined, but it wasn’t difficult to find a recipe to emulate. A quick search directed me to David Lebovitz’ version of James Beard’s persimmon bread (duh, again). I did little to improve upon the recipe, but I used less persimmon and left out the nuts to make my incarnation of persimmon bread here.

Much like a pumpkin or banana bread, this persimmon bread sets itself apart with its warm, custardy flavor, with hints of cinnamon, and a slight taste of bourbon courtesy of a (liberal) splash thrown into the batter. Perfect for chilly mornings whether you’re running out the door, or are lucky enough to be able to savor it with your morning coffee at home.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

dash of nutmeg

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup of unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

4 eggs (beaten lightly)

1/2 cup bourbon/whiskey

1 cup persimmon puree (4 fuyu persimmons)

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans and set them aside. Set the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the persimmons and cut up or just scoop out the flesh of the fruit. Puree in a food processor just until smooth and broken down.

Sift the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt, baking soda). Make a well and add the wet ingredients (persimmon pulp, eggs, melted butter, and bourbon) into the dry ingredients.

Mix well to combine and pour into your prepared pans. I LOVE ONE BOWL BREADS!

Bake for 45-55 minutes, testing with a toothpick to check for doneness.

Wrapped in plastic, the bread will stay fresh for up to a week.

with just a “little” butter

Go ahead and take advantage of these beauties while they’re still in season!

Peppermint Bark.. it’s easy!

December 16, 2016 By alexkatzman 1 Comment

If you haven’t yet reached peak holiday candy overload, you should make this peppermint bark. It’s beyond easy, makes a ton, and is great to give as gifts to teachers, hosts and hostesses, or just to have on hand for when you need that peppermint boost to keep your holiday cheer up and running. Here’s what you do…

Ingredients

16 oz white chocolate chips

16 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1 box of candy canes (peppermint)

1 tsp peppermint extract

First, prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Then, break up the candy canes into small bits. I put mine in a gallon ziploc bag and let my 10 year go to town smashing them up with a meat mallet, which she quite enjoyed, but, of course, there are many other ways you could break them down. Set the pieces aside. I actually found organic candy canes and used those, so my “red” of the peppermint pieces is a little dull. Better for us, but worse for the pictures. 🙂

Next, melt the bittersweet chocolate chips. The easiest and most successful way to do this is the double boiler method. Don’t let this intimidate you! You only need a pyrex bowl and saucepan filled less than halfway with some water. Put the chocolate chips in the bowl and place the bowl directly on top of the pan with the water in it. As the water starts to boil, the chips will melt. When they start to melt, you will need to stir it every few seconds which will ensure even melting and will eliminate any lumps. Add the teaspoon of peppermint extract at this point and give it a few more stirs to mix thoroughly.

I only have a pic of the white chips during this step so you’ll have to use your imagination on this one.

Now spread the chocolate onto your prepared sheet pan, and use a spatula to spread it evenly and make it as smooth as possible. Let cool in the fridge for about an hour.

When you have beautiful pan of hardened chocolate, it’s time to make the white chocolate layer. Melt the white chips in the same way, except at the end, you can stir in about 3/4 of the candy cane pieces. Spread the white chocolate mixture on top of the hardened chocolate one.

You do need to act quickly and be careful as you spread it because it can easily mix with the brown chocolate underneath which does make the bark look a little less pretty, but hey, it will still taste great so don’t stress if that happens. It happened to me! Just spread the white chocolate and then sprinkle the remaining candy pieces on top.

Let chill for 3-4 hours. When everything is hardened, you can remove it from the pan and break it into small pieces (we used the meat mallet again…and a big knife.)

This yields a surprisingly large amount so you’ll have plenty of peppermint bark to enjoy and share!

Caramel Apple Bars

November 8, 2016 By alexkatzman 1 Comment

Feel like curling up into a ball today while you wait for the election to be over? Make these and take them with you to the couch.

These caramel apple bars fulfill all of your fall dessert needs. Love caramel apples, but can’t see yourself going through the trouble of making them? That’s me! These fill that void of caramel apple goodness, with the addition of a buttery, cookie-like crumble. They also give me that little taste of apple pie that I start to crave around this time of year when I am not quite ready to commit to making that whole pie just yet.

You can make the caramel sauce in advance, and just warm it up when you need to drizzle it on these beauties. Plus, then you have caramel sauce lying around for all you fall eating needs.

For the crust

1 stick plus 2 Tbsp salted butter (softened)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

For the filling

3-4 small apples (sliced thin)

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Caramel Sauce (use this recipe here)

Caramel squares (quartered) (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.

Mix the softened butter with the brown sugar (this can be done in a stand mixer or by hand) Add the cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour and mix to combine well. This should be crumbly.

Save 1 cup of this mixture to sprinkle on the top later. Press the remaining mixture down into your greased baking pan to create the crust layer.

Bake uncovered for 12 minutes so this can harden up a bit.

Next, slice the apples thinly and begin to layer them on top of the cooked crust. Drizzle the warm caramel sauce on top of the apples and sprinkle everything with cinnamon and nutmeg. (I used a pre-made mixture I had on hand of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and cloves, but that’s just how I roll.)

Sprinkle your remaining cup of crust mixture on the top, and if you’ve chosen to go above and beyond, place a few caramel candy pieces around the crumb mixture. These bits really stick in your teeth and drive home that caramel apple feel, but feel free to omit them if you don’t want all that. You can also sprinkle a little coarse sanding sugar on top for an extra sugary crunch, if desired.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool and slice into bars. Yes, they’re almost too sweet, yes they’re almost too gooey, but isn’t that what caramel apples are all about?

crunchy, buttery, caramel apple bars at your service.

Go ahead. Indulge. We’ve all been through a lot.

The Return of The Blog! and Unbelievably Delicious Vegan,Gluten free, Chocolate chip Cookies….yes, you heard me.

October 29, 2016 By alexkatzman 2 Comments

Hooray!!! I’m back! The wait is over! The Sunny Table is back and better than ever!

So much has happened over the last few months! The biggest of which was a move across the country, so now The Sunny Table is coming at you from sunny, southern California! We are absolutely loving life out here, and now that we’re settled, I am finally able to get back to this poor, neglected blog. I know you, my throngs of readers, have been dying for your sunny table posts, and I am so happy to be back! After a complete makeover, The Sunny Table is ready to go as I start this next chapter of my life, cooking and baking out here on the west coast.

My daughter doing some sort of “Fame” pose, celebrating our arrival during our first few weeks here.

I figured that it was only fitting that my first post back reflect my new California lifestyle. So, brace yourself… these organic, vegan, gluten free, chocolate chip cookies are like, totally awesome. Like, seriously. They are. Hahaha I promise you, though, I haven’t gone completely Californian just yet. I will still be making my signature, fattening, carb-laden faire, but you know I’m all about that balanced life so here we are.

Now, I never imagined I’d be making, let alone EATING AND ENJOYING a vegan or gluten free cookie, but then I tried a cookie that tore down my walls and opened to me to the possibility of what a vegan and gluten free cookie could be! My inspiration comes from a cookie that LA baker ‘Coco Bakes’ makes, so I made a note of the ingredients, did a little research and stumbled across this recipe from Coco herself. I eliminated the egg to make it vegan just like the one I had originally tasted (I can hardly believe it myself… I actually opted to make it vegan….that’s how much I liked it) and what resulted were cookies that are incredibly delicious AND (kinda) good for you!! Now, this cookie still has a lot of sugar… and fat, but it’s most definitely the good fat, so that can’t be bad, right? Like, the fact that you could make these for your kids, and they’d be getting FIBER?! and good fat from a cookie? Can’t lose. And again, they’re DELICIOUS! They are at once crispy and chewey, and they remind me of Lace Cookies, which are one of my all time faves. Please trust me and give these a try! If you know me at all, you know that I wouldn’t make my first post back about just any old cookie, so that’s gotta count for something!

A few notes…

The recipe does call for a few specialty ingredients, namely Grapeseed oil, ground chia seed, almond meal, a whole vanilla bean… but don’t let that scare you! These are readily available at Whole Foods, Erewhon, and other organic markets. Grapeseed oil is actually a delicious, healthier oil for sautéing veggies, so you can easily find a use for the rest of the bottle. Of course, you will probably just want to make more of these cookies, though.

This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I was out of brown sugar when I made these, so I made my own using 1 cup of sugar and mixing in 2Tbsp of Molasses (I only used 1/4 cup of that mixture and saved the rest for future use, but this is the ratio for substituting so I didnt want to mess with that). This made a very wet brown sugar that I think contributes to the amazing “gooey” factor of this cookie. So if you’re up for it, make your own brown sugar this way!

I also used this nice little trick for using ground chia as a substitute for an egg. 1 Tbsp of ground chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbsp water equals 1 egg. So there you have yourself a vegan, egg substitute for baking that really works!

Ingredients

3 0z grapeseed oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar *(see note above to make extra gooey brown sugar)

Ground Chia Seed egg substitute (3Tbsp water mixed with 1 Tbsp ground chia seed)*see note above

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Vanilla Bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

3/4 cup almond meal/flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

heaping 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

First, combine the water and ground chia seed and set aside.

Next, combine the oil, sugar, and brown sugar.

grapeseed oil and the sugars

Add in the chia seed mixture and the sea salt. Slice open the vanilla bean, scrape the vanilla from it and add that to the bowl. Mix well. You can also use vanilla extract, but I didn’t want to add any more liquid to the already liquid-y/loose batter, so I just went with the bean.

Finally, add the almond meal and the baking powder.

adding the almond meal and baking powder

Stir everything together, and stir in the chocolate chips. So easy!

mixing in the chocolate

I used larger chocolate chips, and I gave them a quick coarse chop so they wouldn’t overpower the cookie in every bite.

Drop them by the teaspoon full onto a parchment lined baking sheet, giving them some room to spread.

ready for the oven

Bake at 325 for 14 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute and transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cookies will harden up a bit as they cool.

These are so, so good. Could they replace your non vegan, non gluten free, staple chocolate cookie? You be the judge!

Spatchcocked Chicken

January 12, 2016 By alexkatzman No Comments

When the temperatures dip, there’s nothing like a comforting meal to warm you up inside. Currently were suffering through 70 degree weather here in Miami (teehee), but I know it’s cold almost everywhere else! So yeah, yeah, its a funny name, but there’s nothing funny about what an absolutley amazing way this is to cook a whole chicken. Not only does it cook in 40 minutes, but the skin gets crispier than when you cook it the old fashioned way, and that’s pretty much what I’m looking for in a roasted chicken.

‘Spatchcocking’ a chicken simply means cutting the backbone out of the bird and essentially butterflying it so that the chicken is opened up, cooks fast, and stays juicy. Now, the cutting out the backbone part is not for the faint of heart. I am comfortable eating and preparing (organic, free range) meat, and this grossed me out a wee bit the first time I did it. My daughter came in, took one look, and declared she was never eating chicken again. 40 minutes later, she was happily enjoying it. I’ll let Martha show you the gory details here. The link shows you exactly how to cut the chicken, and if you still need more help, there are a thousand other videos out there. The only requirement is some strong kitchen shears. Don’t be intimidated! You can do this.

Once you have the chicken spatchcocked, you are ready to go.

it looks whole, but the back is opened up and the chicken is butterflied to give it the most surface area

First, liberally sprinkle on some sea or kosher salt. Drizzle some olive oil on and rub it all over the chicken. I also thinly slice some lemon, then make a few slits in the skin and stuff a lemon slice under the skin of each breast and thigh.

slip those lemon slices under the skin

Set the oven on broil (500 degrees) and cook the chicken for about 40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165. The oven rack should be towards the lower half of the oven so it’s not too close to the broiler. Make sure to baste the chicken with the pan juice every 10 minutes. Since you’re broiling, watch the chicken carefully towards the end so the skin doesn’t get too burnt, but usually 40 minutes does the trick for crispy skin and moist, tender meat.

I like to top the chicken with golden raisins, rosemary, and toasted pine nuts. It’s an amazing combination. Even if you think you hate raisins in food, just humor me and make this.

In a small ramekin, mix 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and fresh rosemary. I bake it in my toaster oven on 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the raisins plump up. Set these aside.

Toast about 1/4 cup of pine nuts in the toaster. 2 minutes is probably enough. They burn really fast.

When the chicken is ready, place it on a platter and top it with the raisins and pine nuts.

Make this tonight and it will warm you up even if the weather’s got you down.

Cream Puffs

December 4, 2015 By alexkatzman 1 Comment

My mother has been making these cream puffs all of my life. They are a staple at all of her holiday dinners and they are truly her signature dessert. The story goes that as a newlywed, she took a cooking class and this is one of the things she learned how to make in that class almost 40 years ago. Why it’s taken me so long to make them myself, I have no idea. I finally made them this thanksgiving, and now I know why she continues to make them after so many years. They seem (and taste) like they’re made by an experienced pastry chef, but they are so ridiculously easy! The shells can be made ahead and frozen for almost a month! Which means you can always have these on hand for a quick dessert, guest drop in, or to take to a party this holiday season. I feel like I am divulging a family secret, but I am happy to share this simple yet sophisticated dessert with you.

For the cream puff shells

1 stick salted butter

1 cup water

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

4 eggs

For the cream

1 pint heavy cream

2 packages instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

dash of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet with butter. Heat the 1 cup of water in a saucepan until its boiling. Drop the stick of butter in the water so it melts. (This seems weird but go with it.) Add the flour and the salt all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture gets thick and becomes a ball.

this is the “ball” stage- it’s more like a clump

Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. My mom even suggests putting the saucepan in the freezer for a few minutes to chill. Once it’s a little cooler, add the whole eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg until the mixture is smooth.

getting smooth after the eggs are mixed in

Using a teaspoon, drop dough balls about 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 and bake for another 25 minutes.

Once they are cool, you can slice them in half and fill them with cream. If you want to save them to use another time, just freeze them in an airtight container. When you’re ready for them, just cut the frozen shell in half and warm them in a 300 degree oven on a baking sheet for 10-15 mites so they crisp up, then fill them.

For the cream, beat the cream ingredients together in a bowl until peaks forms.

its hard not to eat this right from the bowl

Spoon cream in to the shells, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, and serve.

These cream puffs are a perfect, small, sweet, dessert for the holidays or anytime!

Easy Buttermilk Biscuits

November 29, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

Tired of turkey? Even if the answer is no, you should make these anyway. I made these easy buttermilk biscuits for Thanksgiving and I have to say that I will never try another biscuit recipe again. There is a reason Deb from Smitten Kitchen calls these her favorites…they are unbelievable. I have tried so many recipes and they were NEVER, EVER flaky or buttery enough for my high biscuit standards, but these are the pinnacle of a perfect biscuit. They don’t require any rise time or chill time, they can be made in one bowl, and they can be frozen and baked right out of the freezer. Perfection.

I served these up with some crispy bacon and a fried egg and they did not disappoint. By the way, are you making your bacon in the oven? I only discovered that you could do this like a year ago and it is a game changer. No mess on the stove and it gets super crispy in 10-15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Lay the bacon out on the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you like it. Flip the bacon over once halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and drain on a paper towel. So simple!

Ok, so back to the biscuits…

Like I said, I adapted these from Smitten Kitchen’s ‘my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe‘. I doubled the recipe and it made about 18 3″ biscuits. I cooked 12 and froze 6 (wrapping them individually in plastic wrap like below) for whenever we might need a biscuit in a pinch.

I also used 1 cup of bread flour in place of all all-purpose flour, really only because I ran out of all purpose while I was making these. The result was so good though, and since I have no idea whether or not the addition of bread flour was the thing that made these so amazing, I’m going with it! The original recipe uses only all purpose flour however, and I’m sure they will still be great with that if that’s all you have on hand!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

4 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

18 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter (cubed)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

First of all, I never have buttermilk in my fridge, so the first thing I do is make some and set it aside to get all buttermilk-y. Pour 1 1/2 cups of milk and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar to the milk. Let it sit, and in 5-10 minutes you have buttermilk ready to go.

when its looks curdled on the top, it’s ready!

Next, preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl.

Add the chunks of butter and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture looks crumbly and coarse. Stir in the buttermilk and knead by hand until the dough starts to come together. The mixture should look shaggy.

Dump it out onto a floured surface and pat it down so it’s about 1/2″ thick. Using a cutter, cut your biscuits out until you’ve used up all of the dough. When cutting them, be sure to press straight down rather than twisting, as Deb says this makes for fluffier, more layered biscuits on the sides…and I believe her! Place the biscuits on the prepared pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. FYI you can also freeze them on the pan until you’re ready to cook and then just cook them straight out of the freezer for a little bit longer (about 15-18 minutes)

So easy! Add an egg, some bacon, some cheese and avocado, or whatever suits your mood.

This breakfast is just what you need to take you out of your turkey haze and prepare you for the week ahead. Yum.

Simple Pecan Pie

November 25, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

I only started eating/making pecan pie a few years ago. Being from ‘the north’, I wasn’t really exposed to it much, and it was never really a part of our thanksgiving feast. I have changed that though, and now I always include this deliciously sweet and simple pecan pie in our lineup of desserts.

I use the Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie for the filling. It’s unbelievably simple and foolproof every time. For the crust, I’ve been making the everyday flaky dough from the Huckleberry Bakery Cookbook. This little bakery in Santa Monica, California is a truly amazing place. I will go on about it in a future post, but for now, just do yourself and use this crust for everything; sweet, salty, whatever. It’s a tricky crust because you feel like you are not adding enough water, but just let it be and have faith like Zoe Nathan says.

The the link for the dough can be found here. Be sure to follow it exactly and yes, i know it seems too dry, but just keep mixing it and mushing it together and just wrap it up even though it seems too crumbly still- this is what makes it so flaky. I like to lay out some saran wrap first before i dump the dough out so that I can wrap my dough disc right up to chill it. It helps to keep it all together too. Of course, you can use any dough of your choosing and this will still be delicious!

For the filling

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dark corn syrup

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/3 melted salted butter

3 whole eggs beaten

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix the sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour the pecans into the bottom of the unbaked pie crust then pour the wet mixture over the nuts.

Cover the pie with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. **if the center is still jiggly, cover again with the foil and bake for another 10-20 minutes. Baking time varies a lot with this recipe so just keep an eye on it, and once it stops jiggling, it’s ready!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The World’s Greatest Macaroni and Cheese

November 24, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

I know that’s a lofty title to live up to, but in our house, this is the world’s greatest macaroni and cheese. This is my most requested recipe from friends, and this dish is present at most of our holidays, family gatherings, and bbq’s, This recipe comes straight from my husband’s childhood on Long Island. His across the street neighbor, Gloria, would make this mac and cheese often, and he had such fond memories of it, that he got her to share the recipe with him long ago. Now, full disclosure…this uses… (gasp) Velveeta. Yes, this goes against my very being and the tenets of this organic cooking blog, but there are times when we need to make exceptions people! It’s all about balance, right? I even foolishly tried to make my own Velveeta so that I could stay true to my doctrine, but you know what? It sucked. It was no where near as creamy, melty, and gooey, so I took that a sign not to mess with greatness, and so I won’t.

For the pasta, I usually like to use shells or elbows, but I have tried many different types of pasta for this dish, so whatever you like will work fine! Here, I used casarece just because that’s what I had on hand.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

2 Tbsp salted butter

2 Tbsp flour

dash of salt and pepper

12 oz. of Velveeta cheese

8-10 oz. of pasta

sprinkling of breadcrumbs

(Serves about 6)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the milk, butter, flour, salt and pepper into a medium sized heavy bottom saucepan. Heat over medium on the stove until everything is dissolved and combined.

milk, flour, butter, salt and pepper

*You have to be really careful not to make it too hot because the bottom of the pan/milk burns really easily. I cannot tell you how many times I have burnt the bottom of the pan and it sits in the sink soaking…for days… until I can get it clean.

Next add the Velveeta. You can break it up a little bit so it melts faster. Stir the milk and cheese mixture over low-medium heat, stirring often, until the cheese is completely melted.

cheesy, melty goodness

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. I use a little over half of a 16oz box/bag of pasta (about10 oz.) Drain and rinse the pasta and spread it into a square baking dish (8″x8″ approximately)

Next, pour the cheese sauce over the pasta. Mix lightly to incorporate the cheese sauce and sprinkle the top with some breadcrumbs. (panko and italian work equally well)

Cook for 30 minutes at 350 and you’re done! If like the top extra crispy, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes at the end to brown the breadcrumbs a bit more.

There you have it! Include this in your thanksgiving feast, and it will quickly become a part of your holiday tradition, as it has in our house.

salivating!

*btw I’m absolutely in love with these gorgeous plates from Suite One Studio. Thank you Lindsay!

Caramel Mascarpone Bites

November 5, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

These caramel mascarpone bites might be a mouthful to say but they are actually delicious little mouthfuls that make an awesome snack for both kids and adults. My children absolutley love these, and yet they are sophisticated enough to serve at an adult gathering. You can make the caramel sauce way ahead of time and warm it up whenever you want to whip these up. The sweet graham cracker paired with the creamy and slightly salty mascarpone cheese, drizzled with sugary caramel sauce is an unexpected yet amazing combination. You can make your own mascarpone cheese if you’re feeling adventurous. Like making your own Ricotta cheese, it’s really simple, but I like using this nice little tub of it that I buy at Whole Foods.

Here’s what you need…

Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Mascarpone cheese

Caramel Sauce (I use Ree Drummond’s recipe for easy caramel sauce)

1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons salted butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan. While whisking often, bring this to a boil over medium-low to medium heat, and let it bubble gently for several minutes, or until thickened slightly (5-7 minutes in total). Serve this right away or store it in a jar in your fridge until you’re ready to use it. Simply reheat it in a pan when you want to use it.

Next, spread a dollop of the mascarpone cheese on top of the graham crackers, drizzle with the caramel, and you’re done! This is such a quick appetizer, snack, or dessert, that, like most of my dishes, looks kind of fancy, but really isn’t at all.

of course you’ll have to lick the plate

Mushroom and Bacon Quiche

October 25, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

I love quiche. It’s one of my favorite things. It’s the perfect breakfast meal…savory, cheesy, eggy, crusty perfection. I often find, though, that it is sub-par at restaurants and bakeries alike. This always annoys me, because I think that making a really good quiche is amazingly simple. You can alter the veggies and meats, and as long as you have a good base, it will always turn out well! Quiche makes a great brunch dish, and is a great dish to bring over somewhere. You can make it the night before and reheat it in a pinch. You can even eat it for lunch or dinner. It also serves as a sneaky vessel for getting 5 year olds to eat veggies they might not otherwise consider.

My favorite combination for this quiche is swiss cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and shallots, but you can easily leave the bacon out and change everything else around. The key is to sautée and season those veggies first, since so much of the quiche’s flavor will be coming from them. I’ve substituted chopped spinach, red and yellow onions, and tried different variations of cheese and had equal success. Experiment! But this combo is savory, rich, and hearty, and provides you with everything a quiche (in my humble opinion) should be.

You can make the crust or use a pre made one- just make sure to “blind bake” it which just means cooking the pie shell unfilled (with pie weights or uncooked beans in it to hold it down in the center) at 375 for 15-20 minutes at so that the pastry crisps up and provides a crunchy base for your quiche. Otherwise, you will have a soggy bottom quiche, and no one wants that. Set the cooked pie crust aside until ready to fill.

cast of characters

Ingredients

8 oz container of sliced mushrooms

2-3 shallots chopped (or about a 1/4 of an onion chopped)

splash of sherry/brandy

4 slices of bacon

5 eggs

8 oz shredded cheese

3 oz cream cheese (softened)

1/3 cup heavy cream

olive oil

salt and pepper

pinch of thyme

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in a pan and then sauté the chopped mushrooms and onions for about 10 minutes. The mushrooms should be getting nicely browned and the onions should be translucent. During this time, you should add the thyme and a little salt and pepper to taste. I usually add a few more drizzles of olive oil as this cooks. At the 10 minute mark, add the splash of sherry or brandy. Let the mushrooms and onions cook for about 3-5 more minutes to soak up all that flavor. Once done, set this aside to cool.

sautéing the mushrooms and onions

Next, cook the bacon until crispy and then crumble it up into small pieces.

mmm bacon

Now that you have your bacon and mushroom mixture ready to go, crack 5 eggs into a bowl, add the softened cream cheese, 1/3 cup of heavy cream, and the shredded cheese. Then add the cooled mushroom mixture. Mix everything together and pour into you pre-baked pie shell.

before cooking

Cook at 375 for 35-40 minutes and serve up slices once the quiche has cooled a little.

couldn’t get a shot before we started digging in

Go ahead and spoil yourself! Make this mushroom bacon quiche today for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or linner!

Sliced Apple Tart

October 14, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

As the apple picking pics from friends up north begin to flood my news feed, I always start to feel a twinge of homesickness for fall in New York. Last year at this time, we made a quick trip up to satisfy that craving, and we took the kids apple picking upstate. The weather was glorious and the changing foliage was picture perfect.

The apples, of course, were ripe and juicy and we ended the weekend with an apple pie bake-athon. I love traditional apple pie, but I wanted to make a variation on the traditional with this gorgeous apple tart. As with most of my recipes, this looks fancy but is actually quite easy. Unveiling this apple tart makes an impressive end to any meal.

A rich flaky crust and a sweet, nutty frangipane cream, topped off with golden apple slices make this apple tart recipe one to hold on to. It’s become a holiday favorite of mine, for sure.

My standard go to crust is Martha’s pâte brisée, but for this tart I went with a slightly richer crust that includes an egg yolk. This makes it hold together a little better, but you still get that delicious, flaky, buttery texture.

For the pie crust

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1 egg yolk

3 Tbsp. ice water

You can use a food processor to make this dough or you can do it by hand with a pastry blender (which is what I prefer). First combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

Add the butter chunks, and mix/process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Next, add the ice water and mix/pulse until the dough holds together without it being wet or sticky. To test it, you can squeeze a small amount together. If it is crumbly, you can add more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disc and wrap in it plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes and start to make the filling.

For the pie

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. brandy

2/3 cup ground almonds

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3- 4 medium apples (peeled and thinly sliced)

1 tsp. sugar for sprinkling on top

1/4 cup apricot preserves

To make the frangipane (almond cream), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the egg and the remaining egg yolk one at a time. Stir in the brandy. Stir 2 tablespoons of flour into the ground almonds, then mix that into the batter and set this aside.

making the frangipane

peeled apples waiting to be cored and sliced

sliced apples ready for the pie

Preheat your oven to 400 and put a cookie sheet in there while it heats up.

Take your disc of dough out of the fridge, and on a floured surface, roll it out to about a 12″ circle. Press the dough into a greased and floured 10″ pie plate. Make small holes with a fork and make your edges as fancy or as rustic as you want.

If your dough got too soft while you were working, return it to the fridge to chill and firm up for 15 minutes or so.

Once the dough is chilled again, spoon the almond cream mixture into the crust, and spread it in an even layer. Next, starting from the edge of the crust and working toward the center, start laying the apple slices down in an overlapping, spiral pattern. Press the edge of each apple slice down into the cream so it almost touches the bottom of the crust and then lay the next apple slice next to it.

Place the pie plate on top of the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 10 minutes. Take the pie out and sprinkle some sugar over the top of the apples. Put the pie back into the oven for 10 more minutes until you see the sugar start to lightly brown.

Remove from the oven and let the tart cool. Once cool, add a touch of water to the apricot jam and brush on top of the tart.

Voila! Include this apple tart in your arsenal and you will have some very happy guests!

Pumpkin French Toast

October 4, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

It’s October! You know what that means…pumpkin everything! As the temps start to dip into the low 80’s, we know that Fall is upon us in Miami. Seriously, it’s quite a relief from the 90 degrees and 100% humidity we’ve had for the last 4 months, so people around here definitely get excited. Hey, it’s all we’ve got.

So I made some quick pumpkin french toast to welcome in the season. All I did was add a little canned pumpkin to my basic french toast batter, and it was a delicious little addition that made us feel all warm and cuddly inside.

This makes about 4-5 pieces of french toast

Ingredients

Sliced bread

1 egg

1/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

1Tbsp. brown sugar

generous pinch of cinnamon

powdered sugar (optional)

Mix the egg, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until smooth to make your batter.

I like to use a buttery bread like this brioche, but it is a softer bread so you have to be careful the bread doesn’t break once it’s coated. Any bread will work, though!

Place a pat of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. (As you cook, you will need to add a little more butter between batches) Dip the bread in the batter and cook on each side until it gets slightly brown and crispy. I like the crispy bits that form around the edges.

This pumpkin french toast is so good, and with only a hint of pumpkin, it’s just enough to satisfy your fall flavor craving. Even my pickiest eater gobbled it up.

Carnitas Tacos

September 25, 2015 By alexkatzman No Comments

Earlier this summer, I made a Mexican feast. I mean I made my own tortillas and everything. It was awesome. This is not an easy weeknight dinner, but rather something to make when you have some time on your hands. You could certainly prep it on the weekend and then have it for dinner during the week.

Sometimes on the weekends, I find myself looking for things to make that are a little more involved, especially if we’re entertaining friends. So, I decided to embark on this carnitas adventure. While it may seem complicated, these are not hard to make. They do take a lot of time, but a lot of it is down time, I promise!

For the Tortillas

I’ve tried to make my own flour tortillas before, but I never really got the right combo of lightness and heartiness that allows you to fold it softly without it cracking yet staying strong enough to hold lots of stuff inside. Finally, after many disappointments, I found this recipe on a lovely blog I stumbled upon…The Café Sucre Farine. They tout them as the “best ever homemade tortillas” and they just might be! Don’t let the process deter you.These are totally worth it! They keep well and you can make a bunch in one day and use them as desired for tacos, wraps, and even pizza crusts.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

⅓ cup canola oil

1 cup warm water

First, combine the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix the dry ingredients until they’re combined well. Next, with the mixer running at medium speed, add the oil and water and mix for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl sides when necessary. When the mixture comes together and begins to form a ball (about 1 minute), turn the mixer to low speed and continue to mix for 1 more minute or so until smooth.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide it in half, then in half again. Continue dividing the pieces until you have 16 pretty equal pieces. It is important to roll each piece of dough into a ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand into a small disc. Add a little flour if its too sticky, but this recipe made a perfect consistency dough for me. Arrange the discs of dough on baking sheets and then cover them with a kitchen towel. Let them rest for 15 minutes.

ready to go into the fridge

After they’ve had time to rest, heat a large DRY stainless steel (not nonstick) pan over medium-high heat. This is the step I’ve always gotten wrong. I’ve always added oil to my pan thinking it would be wrong to cook on a dry pan, but now I realize this is what makes it become a soft tortilla! This was a huge breakthrough for me. So on a floured surface with a rolling pin, you roll each dough disc into a circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, trying to get it super thin. Turning the dough around as you roll it out ensures a better circle shape.

When the pan is very hot, place the tortilla into the pan and allow it to cook for about a minute until there are a few light brown spots. The top will start to show a few small bubbles.

If it’s getting too brown too fast, lower the heat a little. Flip the tortilla over and cook for about 30 seconds more until you see a few more brown spots on that side. Remove from the pan and start piling them up. You can keep them in a Ziploc bag until you are ready to serve them. Now you’re ready for the next tortilla! You may need to wipe the pan clean in between each one in case burnt bits start to stick to the pan.

You are now ready to fill these babies. Look out.

Carnitas

So carnitas just means “little meats” and traditionally this meat filling is made with pork that has been braised and roasted for a while so that the meat falls apart into these little shreds and bits of deliciousness.

This recipe makes the best pork carnitas I have ever tasted. You must use the duck fat! Do not be scared! You can get it at Whole Foods and it’s what give this pork its caramelized edges and depth of flavor.

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder with fat

1/4 cup duck fat

1 Negra Modela beer

2 clementines, tangerines, or small oranges, quartered

1/8 cup brown sugar

Salt and pepper

First, remove the outside fat from the meat and cut the fat into small 1 inch strips. You are going to fry this fat in the duck fat. I know, I know, but stick with me here. Not only does this give you a couple of chicarrones (pork rinds) for an appetizer but this further flavors the fat that you are searing the pork in. yum.

Next, cut the meat into 2″-3″ inch chunks and set aside.

In a sauté pan, heat the duck fat over medium high heat. When the duck fat is hot, add the fat pieces and stir. Allow them to cook over medium to medium high heat, they should be cooking at a slow sizzle. Allow them to brown slowly, over a 7 to 10 minute period, the oil should not be smoking hot. When they are golden brown and crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the fat from the pan, move to a paper towel and season with salt (if you want to eat them that is…which you do.)

kinda gross but kinda delicious

Thoroughly salt the pork pieces and place them into the hot fat. Cook over medium high heat and brown on all sides until they are a deep golden brown, probably about 15 minutes.

When the chunks are a deep golden brown on all sides, turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes.

mid-way through searing

Open the beer and take a big sip of it (bonus!) and then add the rest of bottle to the pan. Add the oranges and brown sugar to the pot. Stir it all together and bring it to a simmer.

Once it is simmering, cover the pot and cook at a low simmer on the stovetop for about 2 hours, or until the meat is falling apart.

When the 2 hours is up, shred the meat with a fork, use a slotted spoon to spoon it out onto a plate, and start making your carnitas tacos!

omg

I served these up with a bunch of fixings like, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, crumbled queso fresco, diced tomatoes, sautéed peppers and onions, fresh cilantro, and salsa verde. Needless to say , there will be a lot of dishes in the sink after this meal, but the dish washing will help ease you out of the food coma.

I let the guests serve themselves and doctor up their tacos however they wanted to, experimenting with different combinations of toppings and salsas. This was a big undertaking for sure, but the rave reviews made it all worthwhile.

Next time you want to go all out, make this feast! You won’t regret it.

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