Serves 8

12 slices of French bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted

1 cup barley, cooked
4 cups chopped tomatoes (can use canned like San Marzano or Pomi)

1 roasted yellow pepper, chopped 
1-2 tsp fresh dill (optional)

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, barley, and pepper with the dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Place on crostini and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill.  

Creamy Lemon Dressing:

1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together.  Toss with salad and serve on crostini with fresh dill sprig garnish.

Mascarpone filled Cannoli with Lemon Curd

Yield: 12 cones

You can make lemon curd or buy it already made in your local supermarket.

Lemon Curd

4 lemons, juiced and zest

10 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

In the top of a double broiler, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Stir together over medium heat to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, zest and butter and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon, about 12 minutes.

Pour the curd into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Lemon curd will keep for up to 3 weeks in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Mascarpone Filling

16 ounces mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

¼ cup dried cherries

½ cup Limoncello liquor

3 Tablespoons chocolate pieces or mini-chocolate chips

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 package vanilla sugar (2 teaspoons)

Instructions

Soak cherries for 15-20 minutes in liquor to re-hydrate.  Drain and set aside cherries.  Discard liquor.

Mix together mascarpone cheese, vanilla sugar, powdered sugar and heavy cream.  Fold in lemon zest,  mini chocolate chips or chocolate pieces, and cherries

Pipe into shells. Leave room on either end of shell for a dollop of lemon curd.

Ingredients: 

Topping: 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½  teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup unsalted butter, chopped and chilled 

 Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together blueberries and sugar.

3.  In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.

4. Place berry mixture in a 9×13 baking dish.

5. Sprinkle crumble mixture over the berries.

6. Bake in oven for approximately 35 minutes, until topping is a rich golden brown and berries are bubbly.

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 lb raw shrimp, thawed, peeled, deveined, tail removed

1 egg

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 

 To cook cakes:

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil 

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.   Make patties about 1 inch thick from the mixture.  Size the patties for whether you are serving it for an appetizer (8 cakes) or main meal (6 cakes).  Heat 3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan with high sides (this protects you somewhat from spitting shrimp cakes).  Place shrimp cakes (up to four at a time) in the oil.  Allow to fry 2-3 minutes on one side before carefully turning to cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate for 30 seconds to soak any excess oil. 

 Serve immediately with chilled pineapple salsa.  

Pineapple Salsa: 

 2 cups pineapple pieces (fresh or canned)

¼ cup red onion, diced

2 tsp. Fresh cilantro, minced  

Mix all ingredients together and allow to chill in refrigerator. Serve with cakes.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-3-inch loaf pan.

2. Sift to combine flour, baking powder, and salt on parchment paper. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, with a mixer on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to combine. Stir in mashed bananas and flour mixture by thirds. Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake until loaf starts to pull away from edges of the pan, approximately 55 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chicken with Artichokes, Lemons, and Capers

Ingredients:

2 lemons, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt
4 skinless boneless chicken breast scaloppini
1/3 cup All purpose flour
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 whole garlic cloves
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
¼ cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut lemons in half.  Brush lemon with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve. 

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Pound the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap or slice chicken breasts in half.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess.

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and garlic cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Stir in artichokes and capers.

 Add wine, bay leaves and stock and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Cook until liquid is reduced.

Add butter, the juice of roasted lemon and parsley; simmer until butter melts and chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaves and garlic before serving. 

Homemade Hamburger Bun

Yields 12

2 Tbsp. dry active yeast

2 cups milk

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

5 cups bread flour

1 Tbsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Topping:

Sesame seeds

Egg wash

Heat milk to between 90-100° F.  Dissolve yeast and sugar in milk.  Allow to rest 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer with dough hook, mix 4 cups of flour, honey, yeast mixture and oil.  Allow dough to proof in a warm draft-free environment for 30 minutes.

Punch down dough and mix in salt.  Add additional cup of flour if needed. Allow dough to rest again 30 minutes. 

With a bench scraper cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Allow balls to rise, 15 minutes. 

Brush balls with egg wash and sprinkle tops with sesame seeds.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve sliced open in middle with burgers. 

Decadent Chocolate Raspberry Torte

Serves 8 

Ingredients 

10 1/3 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped

10 1/3 oz. Unsalted butter 5 large eggs2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup raspberry puree 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler.  Stir in butter until melted. Set aside.

3. In a kitchen mixer, combine sugar, eggs, cream and raspberry puree until doubled in volume.

4. Add chocolate to mixer and mix until well incorporated.

5. Pour mixture into a 9” round cake pan.

6. Place pan in a baking pan, and fill pan half way with water. Be careful not to get water into the cake pan.

7. Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

8. Remove cake from oven and cool completely.

9. Remove cake from pan and place in a cooling rack with a baking sheet placed under the cooling rack.

10. Place cake in refrigerator to chill.

Italian Hamburger

Serves 4 

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (80/20)

1 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano

3 Tbsp. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt 

Topping:4 thin slices of pancetta, baked crisp 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Make four patties out of mixture and either grill or pan fry until internal temperature reaches 155° F.

Smoked Baked Beans

Adapted from recipe by Chef Tim McCoy, ICASI

Yields: 3 lbs.  4 oz. pancetta, diced1/2 cup onions, minced

2 tsp. garlic, minced

1/2 cup molasses

2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar

3 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans

(1/4 tsp. liquid smoke – flavor of choice) optional

Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions: This recipe is meant to be smoked on the grill to cook the beans.  If you do not want, or cannot smoke on your grill, then add a little liquid smoke flavor of your choice to the recipe.  In a heavy-bottomed pot (use one you don’t mind ruining if smoking it on the grill – it will get very dirty), cook pancetta until crispy. Very important pancetta is crispy or will taste raw in final recipe. If rendered fat is excessive, remove all but about 2 Tbsp. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Add molasses, brown mustard, water, and vinegar to pan and bring to a simmer.  Stir to combine ingredients. 

Drain and rinse canned beans and add to pot.  Adjust heat to a very low simmer and cook beans until sauce flavors are developed and beans are very soft, about 30 minutes. If cooking on the grill, adjust the heat below the pan to a slow cook.  The smoke will billow into the pot and while the heat slowly cooks it, the smoke will infuse into the beans.  If you are not cooking on the grill, you can do this all on your range.  Adjust the heat of your stove and watch the cooking time as it may take a shorter time to cook this recipe indoors.   Season to taste with salt and pepper.  This reheats the next day beautifully, so feel free to make it the night before and store in refrigerator.