ROASTED POTATO SLICES WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

This would be a perfect appetizer for any occasions or parties. I make this dish for my Christmas Eve Party and all my friends were so delighted with it. You could make the Romesco Sauce up to 3 days ahead and just before using, bring it to room temperature and stir well. Romesco is a tomato-based sauce featuring nuts and spices that's ground smooth. Since the NFL Football season is coming to the end, I would recommend you'll to try this appetizer to serve your friends and family.

Recipe Courtesy from The Best of Fine Cooking-Appetizers

This recipe yields about 48 hors d'oeuvres

INGREDIENTS :

1 medium plum tomato (about 1/4 lb), cored and quartered
16 whole almonds, toasted
1 tbsp coarsely chopped jarred roasted red pepper
2 small cloves garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb small red potatoes (1 to 2 inches in diameter), rinsed and dried
Finely grated zest of 2 medium lemons, for garnish
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish


METHODS :

1. Position rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit.

2. In a food processor, combine the tomato, almonds, roasted red pepper, garlic, cayenne, 1/4 tsp salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process, scraping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is somewhat smooth, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and 1 tbsp of the olive oil and process until well incorporated. Taste and more salt if needed.

3. Trim the ends off of each potato and cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch slices. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt to coat well.

4. Lay the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet that been sprayed with a non-stick oil spray. Roast the potatoes, turning the slices with spatula and rotating the baking sheet halfway through roasting, until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. To serve, arrange the potato slices on a serving platter; blot with a paper towel if they look oily. Top each slice with a generous 1/4 tsp of romesco sauce. Garnish each with a tiny pinch of lemon zest and a parsley leaf.

GLAZED HAM WITH WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD & GUINNESS

                            

This is one of my favorite ham which I always make it on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Nothing tastes better than your homemade glaze on your cooked ham. Years ago, I found this recipe from the internet posted by Almost Bourdain. I love this recipe ever since and is a recipe to keep.

INGREDIENTS :

1 (about 8 to 10 lb) cooked leg ham
175 g wholegrain mustard
175 g orange marmalade
440 ml Guinness Stout
440 ml pineapple juice



METHODS :

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

2. Place the ham in a deep sized baking tray.

3. Mix the together the wholegrain mustard and orange marmalade. Slowly spoon all over the ham.

4. Then pour in the Guinness Stout and pineapple juice into the baking dish.

5. Place the ham into the oven and allow to slowly caramelize and keep basting every 20 minutes or so. The ham will take about 1 to 1-1/2 hours to cook.

6. Once the ham is done, let it stand for 30 minutes before craving.

PORCHETTA & POLENTA WITH PICKLED ONIONS

This is what I make for my neighborhood party for Christmas and I got this recipe from Food Network magazine in year 2010. Everyone seems to enjoy the foods that I prepared and I'm happy with my work.

Porchetta pronounced as "por-ketta"....is an Italian speciallity of slow-roasted suckling pig and usually heavily salted in addition to being stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel or other herbs. I hope all of you will enjoy this 5 stars rated recipe that I choose and happy cooking :)

Recipe courtesy from Chef Ted Allen for Food Network Magazine


INGREDIENTS :

For the Pork:
3 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher or sea salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds, plus more for sprinkling
16 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the Onion:
3/4 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
Kosher or sea salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large red onion, thinly sliced into rings

For the Polenta:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tube (about 18 oz) prepared polenta, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds


METHODS :

(A) For the Pork:

1. Prepare the pork; to butterfly, slice down the middle of the pork with a sharp knife, about two-thirds of the way through. Open the meat like a book and pound with a mallet or heavy skillet into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, about 8 by 14 inches.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Season the pork with about 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest, garlic, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, the sage, rosemary and 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork, then roll it up tightly and tie with twine. Drizzle the roll with olive oil and rub all over; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and more fennel seeds.
NOTES: The roll can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; refrigerate until roasting.

3. Place the pork roll on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the middle register 180 degrees and  the pork is crusty on the outside, about 2 hours. Let it rest 15 minutes before slicing.


(B) For the Onion Pickle:

1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, the bay leaf, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onion slices and simmer 1 minute, then remove from the heat and let the onion cool in the liquid.

NOTES: Leftover pickled onions will keep in the liquid for weeks.


(C) For the Polenta:

1. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and fry the polenta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side.

2. Drain on paper towels.


(D) To Assemble:

1. Arrange the polenta on a platter or individual plates.

2. Thinly slice the pork roll, then cut into bite-size pieces and pile on the polenta.

3. Top with pickled onions and served warm or at room temperature.

STAINED GLASS CANDY COOKIES

As Christmas is approaching, I'm having a mood for baking some cookies and decorating my house. Nothing feel much better than Christmas time.....as we starting to buy gifts for our loves one and to the anyone that need our help on this special day.

This cookies is so pretty and is an idea from my very special friend from Singapore. She's very creative in a way and her recipe as an added almond flour and mixed without any baking powder. The cookies comes out very pretty and very tasty too. So here's the recipe I would like to share;



INGREDIENTS :

150 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
130 g powdered sugar
290 g cake flour
30 g almond flour
60 g eggs
2 g fine salt
14 hard candies, such as Jolly Rancher or Life Savers


METHODS :

1. Sift the cake flour and almond flour. Set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

3. Meanwhile, separate the candy by color and place each color in a separate resealable plastic bag. Crush into small pieces using a rolling pin; do not pulverize.

4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, lightly dust the dough with flour and roll out between 2 pieces of parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Cut into shapes using 2 to 4 inch cookie cutters and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Cut out shapes from the centers of the cookies using smaller cutters; fill the cut-out areas about two-third full with crush candy. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
NOTES: Gather the dough scraps and refrigerate until firm; re-roll once to cut out more cookies.

5. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Bake the cookies, until the candy melts and the cookies are just golden, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then slowly peel off the cookies from the parchment paper, then transfer to racks to cool completely before storing.

WHITE-BEAN SOUP SHOOTERS WITH BACON

I would like to share with all of you this recipe that I make it last year for my Neighborhood Christmas Party. This soup is so yummy and rich with the white beans and perfect for cold weather. I poured the soup into individual party size shot glass and decorated it with some goat cheese, toasted croutons and some freshly grounded black pepper.....and VOILA!!! I wanna take this opportunity to share this recipe, so all of you could try it on this coming Thanksgiving Party or Christmas Party. Believe me.....everyone will WOW on this soup.....ENJOY!!!!

Recipe Courtesy : Ted Allen for Food Network Magazine

Preparation Time : 26 minutes
Cook Time : 24 minutes
Level : Easy



INGREDIENTS :

1/2 strip bacon, diced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
6 leaves fresh sage, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
3 slices crusty bread, toasted
2 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper


METHODS :

1. Fry the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until halfway done, about 3 minutes. Add the olive oil, butter and shallots and saute until soft, about 6 minutes. Add beans, sage, garlic and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor in three batches and puree until smooth. (Be careful-hot liquids are prone to explode when whipped) Return the pureed soup to the pan and add the cream, cayenne, and salt to taste. Keep warm.

3. Cut the toasted bread into 3/4-inch croutons.

4. To serve, ladle the soup into shot glasses, top with goat cheese, croutons and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.