Pecan Crusted French Toast

As a little girl I wasn't a very big french toast fan, but as I got older that all changed. Now french toast is one of my favorite breakfast items causing me to put my own twist on a classic dish. This was achieved by making regular cinnamon french toast, but then dipping it in pecans to give it a crunch. This dish was delectable and melted in your mouth while eating it. The softness of the challah and after soaking in the egg mixture it becomes so soft and a perfect way to start off the day. I hope you enjoy my twist on french toast! (this recipe feeds 3-4 people)

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 slices of challah
1 1/2 cups pecans

First slice the challah into 6 slices.

Then in a bowl mix the eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together until combined.

On a griddle or a non stick pan put a little oil so that french toast does't stick. Next cook the french toast in the pan for about 2 minutes per side or until the pecans are cooked and the french toast is golden brown,

Finally serve with some maple syrup and maybe some whipped cream if desired, and enjoy!

Tomato and Pesto Tarte

Around my birthday I got an amazing cookbook from a family member (I don't remember who) but it is by Sunny Anderson. This cook book is filled with amazing recipes which can either be southern food, italian food, and even german food. But the recipe that stood out to me was on the cover, it was a tart with flaky crust, a little bit of fresh green pesto, but what stood out the most to me was the beautiful tomatoes that look almost roasted. After looking at this recipe I wanted to make my own version, which consisted of pesto which the basil from by backyard, and ripe tomatoes from the local farmers market. I hope you enjoy my rendition on Sunny's Tomato Pesto Tarte.

Ingredients:

Pesto:

3 packed cups of basil

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cloves of garlic

½ cup Parmesan Cheese

¾ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon salt (to taste)

Crust: 
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (cubed)
6 tablespoon ice water

Other:
4 big fresh tomatoes
pinch of salt (to put over the tomatoes)
cracked black pepper (a little bit put over the tomatoes)
Parmesan Cheese (desired amount)

Tomatoes from the farmers market

Fresh Basil from my garden

First add the flour, salt, and cubed butter to the food processor and combine slowly while adding in the ice water until the mixture becomes like little crumbs. Then with your hands turn the crumbs into a dough, but be fast because you don't want to over work the dough and melt the butter. Put into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Then in the food processor put in the basil, pine nuts, salt, parmesan cheese, and garlic and pulse while slowly adding in the olive oil until the ingredients are chopped and the mixture looks like a sauce. Put the Pesto into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While waiting for the oven to heat up roll out the dough until about 1/8 of a inch thick. Then put into the baking dish and cut the edges to fit the dish.

Put in parchment paper and put on top of the dough. In the parchment paper put in beans of pie weights and cook for about 10-15 minutes out until the pie crust in golden brown.

 Then take out the pie weights and let the crust cook for 10 minutes. Spread the pesto onto the bottom of the crust and then place the cut tomatoes on top of the pesto, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and look almost roasted.

Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and enjoy this flavorful dish!

Stuffed Lobsters

Summer time is an amazing time of year and it is coming to an end (sadly). So to celebrate this time of warmth, relaxation, and most of all good seafood. In the summer I love having clams, muscles, shrimp, and most of all lobster. Lobster is my all time favorite shellfish. It is good by itself, in a lobster salad, as lobster rolls, in mac and cheese, and especially stuffed. This is a buttery and a great way to eat your lobster without losing its delicious flavor. I hope you enjoy this guiltily pleasure before the summer is over because this isn't worth waiting a year for.

Ingredients:
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 1/2 pounds (1 per person)
2 sleeves ritz crackers
1/3 cup olive oil
3 strips bacon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

First cook the lobsters in a big pot of boiling hot water. Then add the lobsters to the pot and let them cook for about 7 minutes.

After you drained the lobster take off the head and cut in half. Then scrape out all of the insides to make room for the stuffing. Detach the claws and crack open for easy eating. Also take off the legs and use a rolling pin to get the meat out so that it can be used in the stuffing.

Cook the bacon in a pan until crispy and then remove. In the pan with the bacon grease cook the onions until translucent.  In the food processor add the ritz crackers, crispy bacon, salt, pepper, cooked onion, leg meat from the lobster, and olive oil.

Remove from food processor and put into a bowl.

Lay the lobsters on the baking tray and start to stuff the lobster with the filling.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until the filling in golden brown.

Squeeze a little lemon juice on top and dip the claws in some melted butter and enjoy this amazing dish!

Eric's Spaghetti Bolognese

Over the summer my mom, my sister, and I went to Boston to meet up with a family friend for the weekend. When we got back we look in the fridge and we see this amazing Bolognese sauce that my dad made over the weekend. When I tasted it I thought that it was amazing and I wanted him to teach me how to make it. So while in Deauville my dad and I made the Bolognese together. I hope you enjoy this recipe, which will transport you to Italy while eating it. 

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

1 ½ pounds ground pork

2 stalks celery

3 carrots

3 garlic cloves

1 large onion

¼ cup red wine

5 cups beef broth

1 cup water

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon oregano
Spaghetti (1/4 pound per person)

First pulse the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots in a food processor until finely chopped.

 Then sauté the mixture of onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until translucent.

 Then add the meat into the pan and cook until the meat is cooked. 

Then deglaze the pan with the red wine and let it cook for a minute until the alcohol is burned up. Then add the water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, and beef broth and let it cook.

Let the sauce simmer for about 4 hours on low heat and cheek regularly to make sure the sauce is not boiling over. After 4 hours the sauce will be done and put it over spaghetti and it is ready to serve.