what are you bananas!!

With a few bananas remaining from the cake I made this past weekend, I decided rather than tossing then out they’d do better mashed up into a wonderful banana bread! This wasn’t just any banana bread, but rather a boozy banana bread…
I soaked sweet little golden raisins in some delicious bourbon. Once plumped up and juicy, they went into my batter that was full of the mashed bananas, chopped pecans, vanilla, two eggs, one cup of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, a half teaspoon of baking soda and salt, one stick of melted butter and sugar.
Once everything was combined, it was into a loaf pan and then off for a nap for fifty minutes on 325. After a quick test for complete doneness, I had to taste! There was very little willpower, but tasting this freshly baked beauty was a necessity. Served up with some vanilla-infused mascarpone made this luxurious delight even more spectacular!
The boozy raisins offered a wonderful addition to the sweetness of the bananas. This definitely will be on my breakfast menu tomorrow!

at a low simmer…
-R

sunday night sweet tooth!!

To end the weekend on a sweet note, I thought a luxurious, slightly dense cake was in order! This was not just any cake, but rather a family favorite and old recipe passed down…
The cake has an interesting array of ingredients, including both pineapple and bananas, and is filled in/topped off with a silky cream cheese frosting coated in toasted coconut that just exudes sensuality.
Once it was ready to slice into and eat, the vision of heaven glimmered across the plates! With each bite of the cake, the desire to eat more and more became apparent… this was not going to be just a single slice of heaven, but rather the following day… a whipping on the treadmill!

at a low simmer…
-R

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sweetheart dinner…

On a day when one professes their love, sends bouquets of roses and boxes of chocolate, I displayed mine with the gift of food…
Instead of a night on the town [don’t fret that is already planned], I decided on preparing a pan seared duck breast and sautéed brussel sprouts paired with an incredible bottle of red wine. To finish off this luxurious meal… homemade meyer lemon mousse topped with crushed amaretti cookies!
The duck was perfectly cooked and beautifully tender, the ‘sprouts’ crisp and full of flavor, but we all know the most important part of the meal… the dessert! The mousse was silky and seductive, each bite transported us to another realm… no denying it took some work to prepare, but it was worth every effort… [so happy I made extra]

at a low simmer…
-R

my ‘clam’ to fame…

It’s been quite sometime since I’ve taken a dinner journey on the deep blue sea, so tonight was just that…
While walking around the fish counter at the local specialty food market, there was a beautiful bounty of rock hard, tight lidded little neck clams just begging to become a satisfying dinner!
Since it’s only two of us, instead of appearing glutinous, three dozen seemed an ok portion to purchase for the meal masterpiece.
Once home, a quick added scrub and then a thirty minute soaking [these little necks are pre-cleaned, but I take no chances] to expel any potential hidden grit…
To get this party started, a nice glass of white wine for the chef, some chopped up garlic, butter, red pepper [as I always advise it’s personal preference regarding spice level], salt and of course wine for steaming the little necks! Getting my little necks drunk makes this dish even more stellar…
Once all of my little necks pop open, it was time to shuck them out, and then toss them back into the pot full of liquidy broth, along with the tagliatelle pasta I cooked. Some freshly chopped parsley, a heavy handful of pecorino and rapid tossing and it was time to plate this luxurious dish up…
The bursts of flavor were intense, slightly spicy thanks to the red pepper, a wonderful freshness from the parsley and a slight saltiness from the cheese…

at a low simmer…
-R

Brown, bubbly and beautiful…

So yesterday I whipped up two luxuriously creamy chicken pot pies to send off to a very dear friend! These pot pies hold the secrets of healing like a good ole’ bowl of chicken soup would…
Filled with gorgeous carrots and onions, juicy chunks of chicken and vibrant sweet peas! Everything was cooked together in a sultry, saucy mixture of homemade chicken stock, flour and of course some cream to make this super special and silky. Then this beautiful filling was ladled into ovenproof bowls, tucked in with a puffed pastry blanket, brushed with an egg wash and then took a long nap in the oven…
After an hour, the puffed pastry was golden brown and the creamy filling, bubbly and piping hot.
Once cooled, it was time to carefully wrap this yummy package and send it on its way…

at a low simmer…
-R

this little piggy went right into my belly…

Realizing it has been such a long time since I’ve enjoyed that fatty, porky goodness of pork belly, a trip to the market and an overnight bath in a fragrant marinade yielded one hell of a dinner!
I seasoned up this beautiful slab with hefty handfuls of salt. While letting the salt permeate into the belly, I prepped a marinade full of healthy veggies and yummy seasonings… and of course wine was invited to this party!
Once the marinade was ready it was poured into a baking dish. The belly was then cozily tucked into the baking dish and surrounded by its luxurious bathing liquid… After a long nights sleep, it was time for a five hour bath until completely tender and a quick tan under the broiler to darken and crisp that fatty skin!
To enjoy this meal, the belly was nestled on a bed of nutty farro that I cooked with sautéed onions and garlic in some chicken stock until fully absorbed… the farro was swirled together with some chopped parsley to finish the story…
Fatty, crisp, sweet, sour, nutty and tender… I can go on and on!

at a low simmer…
-R

a pie doesn’t always have to be for dessert!

So a chicken pot pie seemed like a great warming meal to make tonight. Large chunks of chicken breast, diced carrots, chopped onions, peas, homemade chicken stock, salt, pepper, flour and puff pastry brought this dish together!
I started by roasting the chicken in the oven for about forty-five minutes. Once cool enough to handle, I removed the skin and then cut the chicken into decent, yet mouth-sized chunks. For the filling, onions were sautéed in some butter until softened. Then flour was rained in and stirred until completely smoothed out! Next, I added hot chicken stock and stirred continuously until thickened. From this point, the carrots, peas and chicken were added in and stirred until coated with this luxurious sauce..
The filling was then added into oven-safe bowls, topped off with puff pastry and brushed lightly with an egg wash to help everything brown beautifully while baking. Fresh ground pepper and fleur de sel offered a lovely final touch to the puff pastry!
After baking in the oven for about an hour, out came a piping hot, bubbling, golden pot of flaky delight… Lastly, it was time to crack into the top of the shell and scoop out the steaming hot, creamy filling and start to devour!
This was one satisfying meal, but I sure could have went for seconds…

at a low simmer…
-R

sourpuss…

I’ve been called sweet, but this afternoon a bit of my sour side came shining through. I had a craving for a smooth lime custard so I decided to grab a few beautiful limes and make it happen.
Lime juice, some zest, eggs, butter, a pinch of salt and some sugar were combined in the mixer. Once mixed, it was onto the stove to cook and thicken… After thickening nicely, it was off to chill and set up… This will eventually turn into a luxurious and silky pie at some point this weekend! I’m looking forward to that tangy and sweet filling, complimented by a fluffy cloud-like topping and crunchy base, but for now it is going to be delightful on some toasted bread with some tea.

at a low simmer…
-R