Prosciutto and Mozzarella Panini

I found this recipe in People Magazine a while ago by Emeril Lagasse. It's a perfect lunch that is quick to make and is easily doubled for more paninis!

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

1 tsp. minced garlic

salt and pepper

Ciabatta rolls

4 thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

6 thinly sliced prosciutto

roasted red peppers

Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. 

Slice open bread and spread vinaigrette on both sides.

Place two slices of mozzarella on each roll. Next top with two slices of prosciutto and roasted peppers on each. 

Heat grill pan over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and press down to flatten using a heavy skillet (I use a cast iron pan) cook until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Enjoy with a salad!

Kristen =)

Spaghetti with Clams

• I think it has become obvious how much we love Giada DeLaurentiis' cooking. Here is another recipe from her that I made this past weekend with fresh clams that is simple and delicious and only took about 30 minutes!
• 
  
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 to 7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 pounds clams, scrubbed clean
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, zested, for garnish

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pot large enough to fit all the clams. Add shallots and garlic and saute until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the clams have opened. Discard any clams that do not open.

 

Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk butter to thicken sauce. Check seasonings.

Combine pasta and clam sauce into a large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the pasta. Garnish with remaining parsley.

Toast up some bread for dunking and enjoy!

Kristen

Ladies Lunch

Last week we got together with our good friend to make lunch together. We wanted something easy but flavorful so we decided on chicken sliders, topped with asian slaw, Giada De Laurentiis' sweet potato fries and strawberry - lemon infused water. This was such a perfect meal for us to make together, so grab some friends and get cooking!

Ingredients for Infused Water:

6 whole strawberries halved 

1/2 lemon sliced

3 quarts of water

Ice

Start by making the infused water before you start cooking. In a large pitcher combine water, strawberries, lemon and ice. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Ingredients for Chicken Sliders:
1 package of ground chicken
2 tbsp. chopped red pepper
1 tbsp. chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Salt and Pepper
Slider rolls

Ingredients for Asian Slaw:
1 package of cole slaw mix
1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp.  and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
salt and pepper


Directions:
Start by preparing the slaw. In a bowl combine the slaw mix, with the vinegar, canola oil, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and toss. Salt and pepper the slaw to taste and place it in the refrigerator. Toss once more before serving.

For the sliders, heat a grill pan over medium heat. In a large bowl combine the chicken, peppers, onions and garlic. Generously salt and pepper. Form mini patties. Spray the hot grill pan with cooking spray and grill the sliders on both sides, until fully cooked (8 - 10 minutes). 

For sweet potato fries with basil salt and aioli click here.

Serve the sliders topped with Asian slaw and a generous helping of sweet potato fries and aioli. 


Happy Cooking,
Kristen and Alexandra =) 

Carmine's Chicken Cutlet Milanese

Carmine's in New York City is one of my all time favorite restaurants because of all the delicious Italian, family style food they serve. For Christmas a few years ago my brother got me the Carmine's Family-Style Italian Cook Book which is amazing because it has all their recipes from appetizers to desserts (including the Titanic!) and even basics like marinara sauce, meatballs and breadcrumbs. This recipe is one of my favorite, I have changed it just a little bit because it calls for beef cutlet but I prefer to use chicken. 


5 chicken cutlets
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 lemon, zested
Salt and pepper
1/2 vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. minced shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
5 Tbsp. marinara sauce
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil
2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
Pinch hot red pepper flakes


-Season chicken with salt and pepper. Put flour into one shallow dish, whisked eggs into another and bread crumbs with lemon zest in the last. Coat the chicken in each.

-Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

-In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tsp. of butter, add the shallots and saute them for a minute. Ad the wine and cook sauce for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, bring it to a boil and continue to cook for 1 minute.


-Reduce heat to low. Whisk remaining 6 Tbsp. of butter into the sauce. Add the marinara sauce, roasted peppers, basil, capers and red pepper flakes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.


-Transfer chicken to oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until hot.


-Remove and serve sauce over chicken.

Enjoy!
Kristen =)

Le Pain Quotidien

On Wednesday I was shopping in Greenwich, CT and I walked by Le Pain Quotidien. I have stopped in one that's in the Meat Packing District in NYC to have a cafe au lait and tart (that was so amazing) so I had to go in. They had beautiful little tarts full of summer fruits, buttery croissants, clouds of meringues and crusty, fresh loaves of bread beckoning me to buy them. I ended up buying a french baguette and an almond meringue. As I was driving home, my car filled with the aroma of the french bread and my mind started racing of what to make with it. I used the baguette as the base for a garden fresh bruschetta and with the meringue I felt fresh, macerated red berries would be perfect. Here's how I did it: 


Ingredients for Bruschetta:
1 loaf of crusty bread like a baguette or ciabatta 
5 medium or 3 large ripe tomatoes  
6 basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. of Olive Oil plus more for the bread
Salt and Pepper 


Directions:

Begin by dicing the tomatoes and placing them in a bowl with the juice that is on the cutting board. Using a garlic press, smash 1 clove of garlic into the bowl with the tomatoes and chiffonade the basil. Add the olive oil and basil and gently toss it all together, generously seasoning it with salt and pepper. Place in the fridge to let the flavors meld together. 

For the toast, heat a grill to medium heat (the use of the grill gives the bread another depth of flavor but you can always toast it). While the grill is warming up, slice the baguette on an angle and drizzle the top side with olive oil. Once the grill is warm, place the oil side of the bread down and drizzle the other side with olive oil. Let it toast for about 5 minutes on each side. When the bread is crunchy, take a clove of garlic and cut it in half. Gently rub one side of the bread with the garlic.

Top the garlic toast with the tomato mixture or serve separate and top one at a time. 

Ingredients for Meringue and Red Berries:
1 meringue
1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 cup raspberries
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. water or a berry liquor 

Combine the strawberries, raspberries, zest, sugar and water in a bowl and place in fridge to macerate.  After about 1 hour toss the fruit and you will notice the fruit has released its juices and made a bit of a syrup. Slice the meringue, its ok if it falls apart and top with the berries and some syrup. 

It's that easy! Enjoy,
Alexandra =]

Rainy Day Breakfast

Nothing makes one happier then the smell of warming butter and cinnamon wafting up the stairs to wake you. Hot pancakes and nectarine compote were the perfect breakfast on this dreary morning. These pancakes are airy and luxurious and the nectarines when cooked, release their floral notes to make this breakfast fit for a queen (or king, sorry men). 

Ingredients for Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tbsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tbsp. of granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups of milk

1 egg

3 tbsp. of butter, melted

Ingredients for Compote: 

2 large, ripe nectarines

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon 

Directions:

Start by cutting the nectarines into bite size pieces. 

In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat combine nectarines, water, sugars and cinnamon. 

Stir once and put lid on for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, put the heat on low and stir again and let simmer for another 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar.

Once sifted, make a well in the center and pour in the milk, butter and egg. Whisk until smooth.

Heat an oiled griddle over medium heat. Spoon or pour the batter onto the griddle.

Brown on both sides and serve with nectarine compote over top. 

Enjoy,
Alexandra =)

Lemon Rosemary Biscotti

Lemon and Rosemary are a natural pair so when I combined the two to create these biscotti, the end result was clean tasting, crispy, perfection. These biscotti make a great snack or as a grand finale to a light, fresh meal. Even though they take a little more time and effort than your standard cookie the end result is well worth the time and effort. 


Ingredients for Biscotti: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. of fresh chopped rosemary


Ingredients for Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary


Directions:
Begin by heating the oven to 350 degrees F. and oil a baking sheet and set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, set aside.

Zest the lemon with a microplane and finely chopped the rosemary. 

In another bowl cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. 

Add the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and rosemary. 

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. 

On a well floured surface, with floured hands roll the dough into a 1 inch thick log. This dough is very soft so make sure to work with a lot of flour. 

Cut the log into two pieces and transfer to the baking pans, 2 inches apart, reshape the dough on the baking pan if you need to. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until firm in the center.
Remove from the oven and reduce the oven to 275 degrees F. When the logs are cool, move to a cutting board and with a serrated knife cut the ends to have straight edges, then cut on a diagonal. 

The middle pieces will be longer then the end pieces, cut those in half. 


Return to baking pan and bake again for another 20 minutes or until they feel dry.

 While the biscotti are baking for a second time, whisk powder sugar, lemon juice and finely chopped rosemary in a small bowl. You want this to be runny. 

Once the biscotti are dried out, let them cool completely on a wire rack. 

Place a piece of parchment under the wire rack and carefully drizzle the icing over the biscotti. 

These cookies will store for up to two weeks in an air tight container. 

Enjoy with an espresso, 
Alexandra =)