Portabello Mushroom & Fig Gnocci w/ Truffle

6 large portobello mushrooms diced
3/4ths cup sharp aged hard goat cheese grated
8 semi-dried figs diced
2 tbsp St. Dalfour Fig Preserves
3 cups cabernet sauv
1 package fresh gnocci (NOT FROZEN) -
truffle oil to garnish
small hot red peppers to garnish
crispy shoe-string onions (1 vidalia or sweet onion, crusted & sauteed in olive oil to garnish)
salt to taste

Saute mushrooms & figs in red wine on low-med heat until firm. Add goat cheeze and fig preserves & continue cooking on low-med heat until warm and thick & of equal consistency. While cooking begin boiling water for gnocci. Boil gnocci about 3 minutes right before serving. Run under cold water to prevent sticking, then rewarm w/ hot water & top with mushroom fig sauce. Garnish with a very few tiny red peppers cut into tiny slivers, a tsp of crispy onions and truffle oil. Salt to taste.


I haven't actually prepared this variation yet...so when I do I'll get more exact details/measurements down! I also haven't actually made crispy onions before...so wish me luck! (;

Lobster Asparagus Manicotti & Truffle Hollandaise

1 cup asparagus (see grilled asparagus recipe)
1 1/2 cups fresh lobster or blue crabmeat (could prob sub shrimp, king crab or scallops as well)
1 container ricotta cheese
1/2 package manicotti
1 cup asiago, parmesan or romano cheese
salt to taste

Grill asparagas & boil seafood (try to keep both a tad underdone). Boil manicotti al denti. Place in glass or ceramic dish. Fill with ricotta cheese, seafood of choice & aspargas. Roll manicotti closed. Top with parm or romano cheese. Bake on 150C for 30 min or until cheese is melted (I like mine closer to burnt). (; Take out of oven, plate & top w/ truffle hollandaise. Garnish w/ something...

Truffle Hollandaise
225g butter
3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp truffle oil
pinch salt
pinch cayenne pepper
garnish w/ parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Melt butter slowly in medium saucepan. Once butter has melted, remove pan from the heat & swipe froth off top. Whisk egg yolks in bowl. While whisking, begin adding lemon, salt & cayenne pepper. Then slowly begin whisking in melted butter, water & truffle oil. Return the mixture to saucepan, heat over a very low heat, continuing to whisk until the sauce thickens. Serve immediately or keep warm for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Once again, I haven't actually prepared this variation yet...so when I do I'll get more exact details/measurements down! Someone's in for a treat, however!

Now We're Talking Dirty Sangria

1 bottle semi-sweet spanish or italian red wine
1/2 cup raw cane sugar
3 large sweet oranges (slice 2 & half 1)
2 limes sliced
2 lemons sliced
2 granny smith apples sliced

Combine wine, sugar & fruit. Squeeze juice from orange that was halved & toss out. Refrigerate overnight & put in freezer 2 hours before serving. Guaranteed to cause salacious behavior. I should have just called it...Now We're Talking Dirty Sangria...

PS ...so i did...

Best Guacamole - Ever

2 avocadoes diced medium
2 large red ripe tomoatoes diced medium
15 yellow cherry tomatoes diced medium
2/3rds sweet onion diced medium
2 tbsp jalapeno juice

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt to taste

Gently mix all ingredients together with fork - keeping fairly solid consistentcy.  Top w/ fresh squeezed lime juice & salt. Nuff said.

Eur-Mex Bock Bock w/ Currants

Living in Prague and your neighbor or friend just dropped off a big box of currants and a live chicken? Have no idea what to do with them? Allow me...

4 large chicken breasts
1 cup beer
1 cup water
1 package taco seasoning
2 Tbsp rosehips preserves (or other semi-sweet preserves)

Place 4 large chicken breasts in glass baking dish & cover with 1 cup
beer & 1 cup water. Bake in oven on 175C for 30 - 40 minutes
(or until cooked through). Remove chicken & cut into small-medium
pieces. Set aside.

Remove 1 cup beer/water mixture from baking dish and discard the
remaining liquid. Mix the 1 cup beer/water with prepackaged taco seasoning mix and rosehips preserves. Set aside.

Lightly mix the following together in a large glass dish or
plastic container:
4 chicken breasts - baked & diced
Mixture of 1 cup baked beer/water, taco Seasoning & rosehips preserves
3/4 cup whole red currants
4 chopped medium tomatoes or 2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes
1-2 chopped green onions
1 chopped yellow bellpepper
1 chopped red bellpepper
1 Ccopped light green banana pepper
1 habenero pepper

Serve hot on hard/soft taco shells or refrigerate & serve chilled with
tortilla chips. Drink the rest of the beer. (:

Goat Cheese & Garlic Twice Baked Potatoes

Bake 1-2 heads of garlic (top sliced off & olive oil drizzled) & 6-7 red potatoes (or 3-4 russet potatoes) at 175C for 40-50 min until soft
Mash potatoes & garlic together (keep skin)
Mix in goat cheese
Rebake at 175C for 30 min
Fluff & serve

White Fish & Mango Lime Avodado Salsa

Bake fresh refrigerated (not frozen) white fish in glass dish with lid at 175C for 20 min (do not salt or lemon)
Dice ripe mangos, jalapeno peppers, yellow cherry tomatoes, avocado & lime, mix together & refrigerate to hold form until serving
Serve salsa over fish

Grilled Asparagas w/ Aged Goat Cheese

Place asparagus on baking sheet & coat w/ olive oil & lemon
Broil at 200C for 8 min
Recoat w/ olive oil, lemon & sea salt
Cover with aged, hard goat cheese
Broil at 200C for additional 5-7 min

Dark Chocolate Strawberries Rucola

Low-heat melted 70% Dark Chocolate served under
Sliced Strawberries
Grated Rucola (garnish)

Super Shrimp Scampi

FYI, "super" is pronounced like the Czech way of saying super (suuupear) - with the accent on the first syllable...which apparently I either say too often or pronounce slightly non-czechian as they seem to find my saying it vastly & mysteriously amusing...

.5-1 kilo of fresh shrimp (boiled 3 min until pink)
1/2 cup parmesan

1/2 - 3/4ths bottle white wine (sauvignon blanc)
1 cup butter
1/4th cup green scallions
4-6 cloves of raw garlic

Angel Hair Pasta (alt wheat spaghetti) cooked al dente & drained (cold water)

Dried Cranberries (garnish)

Broil wine, butter, scallions & garlic at 200C for 20-30min until wine is reduced
Add shrimp to reduction & cover w/ parmesan. Broil at 200C for 5-10 min (do not overcook shrimp)
Serve scampi over pasta & garnish with 1tbs dried cranberries

Mango Habenero Almond Salad

Ruccola
Spinach or other plant green
Yellow cherry tomatoes
Sliced Almonds

Mango
Strawberries diced
Habenero pepper diced
Olive oil
Balsalmic vinegar
Mix above w/ fork & serve over greens

Dark Chocolate Bananas Kiwis

Low-heat melted 70% Dark Chocolate served under
Sliced Bananas
Sliced Kiwis
Grated Dried Cranberry (garnish)

Baked Eggplant, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Eggplant baked w/ olive oil (bake at 175-200C 40-50 min until fairly crispy)
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Goat Cheese

Bison Meat w/
Olive Tapenade (olives, sundried tomatoes, olive oil)
1/2 Yellow Onion (Mixed together & cooked medium)

Zita Pasta cooked al dente & drained (cold water)

Place in baking dish - Ziti topped w/ bison meet topped with eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes & goat cheese
Bake at 175-200C for 15-20 minutes

Vegetarian? You can cut out the Bison Meat & Onion. You can also prepare this dish with or w/out the pasta.

Pear, Macadamia & Gorgonzola Salad

Mixed greens
Crisp green pear diced
Red/purple grapes
Red cherry tomatoes
Macadamia nuts
Gorgonzola cheese diced
Olive oil drizzled on top

Dark Chocolate Mango Peppers

Low-heat melted 70% Dark Chocolate served under
Sliced Mangoes
Grated Habenero Pepper (garnish)