Results tagged “dessert” from iVillage - Secret Sauce
January 12, 2008
Stephanie Sokolove of Boston's Stephanie’s on Newbury shares one of her simple favorite dessert recipes anyone can make, Oranges Oriental.
Chef Sokolove gives us the secret scoop on how she first discovered this favorite dish: "I tried something like this dish years ago on a trip and just loved how fresh it was with a touch of sophistication. So, I created my own version, and I now love to serve it to guests. Sometimes I also serve with homemade vanilla ice cream or whipped cream."
Steal the recipe for this sweet citrus treat:
Method:
- Peel oranges and save rind.
- On top of the stove, bring water and sugar to a boil.
- Let it boil until the temperature reaches 220° and makes a sugar syrup. Take off heat and let cool.
- Add Grand Marnier to the mixture. Slice oranges and put in a bowl. Take rinds of oranges and cut them into thin strips.
- Boil water and add rinds to water for 1 minute. Drain. Repeat again.
- Once drained, add rinds to sugar syrup. Toss and place them over oranges as well.
- Add flavored sugar syrup to oranges. Let oranges soak for at least an hour. Garnish with toast almonds sprinkled on top. Serve.
About the Chef:
Identified early on as a culinary protégée, Stephanie Sokolove was trained by the world-renowned French chef and food educator, Madeleine Kamman. After completing her culinary education in 1980, Sokolove ran her own prosperous catering company, Sidell & Co. She also served as the Executive Chef and Event Planner for the U.S. Trust Corporate Dining Room for 14 years.
In 1994, Stephanie Sokolove followed her dream and founded Stephanie’s on Newbury. Her vision was to create an upscale food market and café offering “Sophisticated Comfort Food” for all palettes. Although the café prospered, Sokolove realized there was an even greater opportunity at hand.
Located in the heart of Boston’s upscale shopping district and on one of the city’s most historic streets, Stephanie’s has become a favorite for neighborhood clientele, travelers and shoppers alike. Under her leadership, Stephanie’s on Newbury has become an institution in Boston and one of the city’s highest independently grossing eateries.
Visit Chef Stephanie Sokolove on the web @ stephaniesonnewbury.com
Best-selling author Nigella Lawson has a frozen treat to share that even the most inexperienced of chefs can easily create with confidence, No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream.
Says Nigella, "It’s not hard to think of a dessert that can be made in advance. But mostly the advantage is simply that all the effort is upfront and early. The thing about this recipe is that you do it in advance–it’s ice cream, so that stands to reason–but what you do in advance is negligible in terms of effort. You don’t make a custard, and you don’t have to keep whipping it out of the deep freeze to beat the crystals out of it. No, you simply squeeze and stir.
On top of that cause for greater contentment, there is also the fact that this delicate pink ice cream tastes like fragrant, sherbety heaven.”
Impress your family and friends with Nigella's delectable dessert tonight. Here's how:
Procedure:
- Juice the pomegranates and the lime, straining the juices into a bowl. You will have approximately ¾ cup of pomegranate juice. Reserve the pomegranate seeds for garnish.
- Add the powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve.
- Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form in the pale pink cream.
- Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a rigid plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Scatter with pomegranate seeds when you eat it.
Watch Nigella prepare this dish on TODAY:
 | Substitute with Pom Juice: Nigella recommends ¾ cup of Pom and a ¼ cup of lime juice in lieu of pomegranates. |
About the Chef:
Nigella Lawson is the British bestselling author of Feast: Food to Celebrate Life, Forever Summer, Nigella Bites, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, and How to Eat, which have sold in excess of 2.8 million copies worldwide. Her 2005 book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life inspired “Nigella Feasts,” which debuted on Food Network in fall 2006. American audiences also know Nigella as host of “Forever Summer with Nigella,” her popular cooking/lifestyle series that aired on style, and “Nigella Bites,” which aired on E! Entertainment Television and style.
Nigella’s upcoming book, Nigella Express, will be published in November by Hyperion, featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious short cuts, terrific time-saving ideas, and easy, delicious meals. The Domestic Goddess is back in her new Food Network series, “Nigella Express,” also debuting in Fall 2007.
Nigella was Deputy Literary Editor of The Sunday Times before pursuing a successful freelance career.
Hailed as Author of the Year by the 2001 British Book Awards, Nigella was also named Bon Appétit magazine’s 2002 “Tastemaker of the Year.” How to Eat was honored as the 1998 British Books Awards Illustrated Book of the Year, while How to Be a Domestic Goddess was named Cookery Book of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers in 2001. Nigella Bites received the WH Smith Book Awards 2002 Lifestyle Book of the Year, with the cooking series based on the book winning the Gold Ladle for Best Television Food Show from the World Food Media Awards in 2001.
Visit Nigella Lawson on the web @ nigella.com.
Excerpted from NIGELLA EXPRESS by Nigella Lawson. Photographs by Lis Parsons. Copyright © 2007 Nigella Lawson. Published in the United States by Hyperion. All Rights Reserved. Available November, 2007 wherever books are sold.
September 21, 2007
Executive Pastry Chef David Guas makes his second appearance on Secret Sauce to share another easy, delicious dessert for you to enjoy! Mini Chocolate Espresso Cakes is special to Chef Guas for one simple reason: Who doesn't love these two flavors?
Catch his TODAY show appearance to see David create this dish live, and get the recipe here - with a special Orange Macerated Raspberries and Chantilly Cream topping you'll only find on Secret Sauce.
Says Chef Guas, "Who does not like to have two of the most popular flavors consumed in my household - Chocolate and Coffee. They are truly my favorite ingredients separately, and so I decided to put them together to make a "blow out" of a dessert. It is a decadent treat to give yourself every once and awhile...at least I do!"
Procedure: Espresso Cakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Butter and flour 6 to 8 four ounce soufflé ramekins*.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, and espresso powder. Reserve.
- Combine butter and chocolate over a double boiler and melt. Remove from heat.
- Allow to cool slightly, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Whisk in eggs, vanilla extract, and sifted dry ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips. Portion mixture into ramekins, filling each one about two thirds full.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the centers are set. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly in ramekin.
- To serve, invert directly onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder. (See below for plating instructions.)
If you have baked cakes ahead of time, you may reheat the cakes in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving.
Procedure: Orange Macerated Raspberries
- Combine sugar in saucepot with enough water to resemble wet sand, approximately ¼ cup water.
- Cover and cook on high heat until caramel begins to form medium to dark color.
- Remove from heat and slowly add orange juice.
- Once it stops bubbling, whisk smooth and add Grand Marnier (or Cointreau) and strain through a fine mesh strainer.
- Allow caramel to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, gently toss raspberries with ¼ cup of cooled orange caramel.
- Let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
Procedure: Chantilly Cream
- Combine 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, and 1 vanilla bean (which has been split with a paring knife and, using the back of the blade, had the inside of the bean scraped) in an large shallow stainless steel mixing bowl.
- Whip with a whisk until medium peaks form.
- Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Note that the whipped cream might need to be re-whipped just before plating the dessert.
| A ramekin is a small glazed ceramic serving bowl. |
About the Chef:
David Guas, the original creative force behind the sweets at Washington’s Passion Food Hospitality restaurants (Acadiana, Ceiba, DC Coast, and TenPenh), has launched his own entrepreneurial career as a private consultant, boutique pastry caterer, dessert cookbook author, and, by the end of 2008, bakery owner.
Bayou Bakery in McLean, Virginia [exact location to be determined] will feature a number of his signature desserts (many of them based on his Louisiana and Cuban heritage) that gained him such a following at Washington’s Passion Food Hospitality.
In 2004, Guas was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, and Bon Appétit called him one of the country’s eight “Dessert Stars.”
Guas makes regular appearances on NBC’s Today Show, de-mystifying everything from pastry dough to Mardi Gras king cakes for the nationwide viewing audience.
Secret Sauce Rewind
- Get the recipe for David's Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
July 25, 2007
Jacques Pépin, one of America’s best-known chefs, cookbook authors, and cooking teachers has published 24 books, numerous articles, and hosted nine acclaimed public television cooking series. Here, Chef Pépin shares his delicious recipe for Berry Potpourri in his own words!
Bon Appétite!
What could be more summery than a mixture of ripe berries at peak taste, smell, and color? This is the ideal dessert for a big party; it is fast to make, and everyone loves it, especially if you serve the fruit with a moist and buttery piece of homemade pound cake and some crème fraîche.I always try to go to local markets to buy berries. Instead of mixing them with sugar, I combine them with seedless raspberry jam or apricot preserves, a little lemon juice, and a julienne of lemon peel. In my garden I have spearmint, English mint, and peppermint, and I like to add some to my berries to add fragrance, flavor, and coolness to the dessert.
The fresher and riper the berries, the better the result. Do not use frozen fruit, because all the juice is released as it thaws and the fruit becomes soft and mushy. (I use frozen berries when I make a coulis, a puree, or a sherbet, however, because frozen berries have often been picked and frozen at their peak and are sometimes more flavorful than the fresh ones.)
The raspberries should have a deep red color and the strawberries should be bright red, with no green near the stems or tips, an indication that they are not ripe. Your nose will tell you whether your strawberries and raspberries are ripe and at peak. As for blueberries, taste them and sort through them, discarding pieces of leaves and stems or any spoiled berries.
Buy 1 pint each of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and, if available, 1/2 pint of blackberries or boysenberries. Sort the berries, and if they are dirty, wash them before you remove the hulls, so the water doesn’t go inside the berries. Cut the strawberries, if they are large, into 4 or 6 pieces, but leave small berries whole. Remove a dozen strips of lemon peel with a vegetable peeler, stack them up together, and cut them into a fine julienne. Sprinkle into the bowl you will use for serving the berries.
Add one 12-ounce jar of seedless raspberry jam to the bowl, and whisk in 2 or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Make a couple of tablespoons of mint chiffonade by stacking up an assortment of mint leaves, rolling them together, and cutting them into fine shredded pieces. Add to the bowl, mix well, and then add the strawberries and blueberries (the firmer fruit), first. Toss, and at the last moment add the raspberries and blackberries, and toss again gently to avoid crushing the berries. Serve with a slice of moist pound cake and a tablespoon of sour cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche.
—Jacques Pépin
Serves about 12.
About the Chef:
Jacques Pépin is former columnist for The New York Times, Pépin writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine. He also participates regularly in that magazine’s prestigious Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and at other culinary festivals and fund-raising events worldwide.
In October, 2004, Pépin received France’s highest civilian honor, the French Legion of Honor, at a presentation in New York. He is also the recipient of two other of the French government’s high honors: he was named a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 and a Chevalier de L’Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1992. The Dean of Special Programs at The French Culinary Institute (New York), Pépin is an adjunct faculty member at Boston University. He is a founder of The American Institute of Wine and Food and a member of the International Association of Cooking Professionals. He and his wife, Gloria, live in Madison, Connecticut.
Pépin has published more than 20 cookbooks with millions of copies in print worldwide. His latest book, Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook, is available online here.
Visit Chef Jacques Pépin on the web @ hnabooks.com.
Roy Yamaguchi, Chef & Founder of the home of Hawaiian Fusion cuisine, Roy’s Restaurants, brings you his signature dish, Roy's Chocolate Soufflé, the all-time, absolute favorite of his daughter, Nicole.
Says Yamaguchi, "We perfected this recipe to the point where frequent visitors to the island claim they return just for this soufflé. We’ve made things easier for them now, by also serving this dessert in all our restaurants. This recipe is best when started the day before so the chocolate mixture can rest overnight in the refrigerator. If you prefer, you can bake the whole recipe in a small casserole dish and serve it at the table, or make the individual soufflés in ramekins. We make our individual chocolate soufflés in meta rings that are available from J.B Prince Co. in New York, (212) 683-3553."
Hey, we're sold. And we don't even have to leave our kitchen! Chef Yamaguchi shows us how:
Procedure
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together. Add the melted butter-chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and combine thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in the eggs and whisk just until smooth. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 4 metal rings (about 2 I inches across and 2 inches high) with greased parchment paper. (Alternative, use 6 smaller molds.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the molds on the sheet. Scoop the mixture into the molds so they are two-thirds full, and make sure the molds are not leaking.
- Bake on the top oven rack for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and while holding each mold with tongs, slide a metal spatula underneath, carefully lift, and transfer to a serving plate. Gently lift off the mold and remove the parchment paper. Serve immediately.
About the Chef:
First introduced in Honolulu by James Beard award winner Chef Roy Yamaguchi, Roy’s has become well known throughout the world for its Hawaiian Fusion® Cuisine—featuring the freshest local ingredients, European sauces and bold Asian spices with a focus on seafood.
Today there are 34 Roy’s restaurants around the world. 25 in the Continental US, 6 in Hawaii, 2 in Japan and 1 in Guam.
Most recently, Chef Yamaguchi was elected to the Board of Trustees of The Culinary Institute of America, the renowned institution he graduated from 30 years ago.
Among the many special events in which he has participated throughout the world, are the Grammy Awards, where he has been a featured chef for four consecutive years, and the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June of 2004, where he participated in the Celebrity Chef Cook-Off with his “sous chef” actor Kevin Costner.
On the literary side, Chef Yamaguchi has published four cookbooks and is working on a fifth.
Visit Chef Roy Yamaguchi on the web @ roysrestaurants.com.
May 17, 2007
David Guas, Executive Pastry Chef, Acadiana, Ceiba, and DC Coast Restaurants, brings you his famed recipe for Dulce de Leche Cheesecake, inspired by his own Cuban heritage:
Procedure
- Soak gelatin in ice water and allow to bloom.
- Place cream cheese in heat-proof bowl above boiling water and allow to heat and melt, stirring occasionally.
- To a mixing bowl, add heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Combine using electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment and whisk until soft peaks form.
- Remove the cream cheese from heat and whisk in softened gelatin.
- Add about one-fourth of the whipped mixture to the melted cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
- Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped mixture using a rubber spatula.
- Portion 4 ounces of cheesecake mixture into a clear coffee cup or any kind of fun 6-ounce cup.
- Tap each cup gently on a soft towel placed on top of a hard surface to knock out any air and allow the filling to settle.
- Allow the cups to set in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours prior to topping them with Dulce de Leche Topping (see below).
Procedure
- Place the jar of dulce de leche in hot water for approximately 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove jar from heat and spoon caramel into small bowl.
- Add the cold heavy cream and whisk until smooth.
- Allow the caramel to rest until just slightly warm to the touch.
Note: If Dulce de Leche is too warm, it will melt the already set cheesecake and sink to the bottom.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip with caramel mixture.
- Starting in the middle, pipe a thin coil of topping (approximately 2 tablespoons) onto each cheesecake.
- Tap the cup onto a soft towel to smooth the caramel topping.
About the Chef:
In the September 2003 issue of Bon Appétit, David Guas is featured as one of eight Dessert Stars in the country; the Vanilla-Bean Cheesecake with Guava Topping and Mango-Lime Salad he developed for Ceiba is anchoring the cover.
Of Guas’ sweets at Ceiba, Restaurant Critic Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post writes, “I have yet to find a single dessert I can say no to”, and Thomas Head, writing in The Washingtonian, states that Guas’ desserts are “worth saving room for” and goes on to rave about the warm churros, in particular.
In June, 2004, Guas was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
