top 5 around the world

When I travel I always find it helpful to have someone tell me where to go out for dinner.  Therefore, I decided to share with you some of my absolute favorite spots to eat when i'm away from home - and also what to have once you get there!

1. Fleur De Lys

With a 12,000 bottle wine loft, 3, 4 or 5 course prix fixe menus as well as a la carte selections and an absinth bar this restaurant is one of the reasons Las Vegas is the culinary capital of North America. Located in Mandalay Bay, I was lucky enough to have hubs take me here for my 24th birthday last summer (which just so happened to be the day after my vegas bachelorette party….but that’s another story… for another blog…)

Our menu selections that night included:

AHI TUNA TARTARE
Shaved Fennel, Ginger Ponzu, Fennel Seed Tuile

ROASTED ORGANIC BEETS
Fresh Goat Cheese, Poached Quail Egg, House Cured Duck

SLOW BUTTER POACHED MAINE LOBSTER
Herb Späetzle, Wild Mushrooms, Alsatian Choucroute, Paprika

PRIME FILET MIGNON TOPPED WITH SAUTÉED FOIE GRAS
Black Truffles and Red Wine Essence

2. MR. CHOW

With locations in Beverly Hills, Miami, NYC, London and one opening soon in Las Vegas MR CHOW is at the top of the list for fine Chinese cuisine. It is best to order a variety of dishes to share with the table (“family style”) which makes it a great place for a social dinner with some friends or night out with some couples.

My ‘must-try’ menu selections include the Ma Mignon, lettuce wraps, MR CHOW noodles and of course, the Peking Duck.

3. NOBU

Nobu has a ton of locations around the world including Dubai and NYC (the two I have been to) and honestly, my husband and I both agree it is the one fabulous chain restaurant that is missing from Toronto. Do you hear me Nobu people? COME TO T.O!. With some of the best Asian fusion dishes I have ever had, here are some of our favorites that hubs and I have tried…

Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño
Rock Shrimp Tempura with Creamy Spicy Sauce
Black Cod with Miso
Bigeye and Bluefin Toro Scallion Sushi Roll
Lobster Shitake Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing

Though some of these sound like dishes you have seen on other menus – I promise – its not just rock shrimp…it’s the best rock shrimp you’ll ever taste – and its not just black cod with miso – its their signature dish and it’s ridic.

Matsuhisa Nobuyuki needs to get his tush to Toronto ASAP.

4. Il Sole

This Italian trattoria is an intimate and utterly delicious place tucked away in the midst of the celebs and glamour of Sunset Boulevard.

Super romantic and the food is amazing.
A few favorites?
The tagliatelle pasta with truffles (naturally) and the butter spaghetti with meatballs. Yum yum yummmmm.

5. Al Mahara

Last but most certainly not least is the Al Mahara restaurant at the Burj Al Arab 7-Star hotel in Dubai. Granted, this is obviously not a place you can dine at on a whim being that…well… its in friggin Dubai. This was a restaurant I had the pleasure of dining at on the final night of my honeymoon last summer. After the experience we had there – I simply cannot NOT write about it.

Simply put - the finest seafood in the world. The freshest, most delicious ingredients prepared by world-class chefs at this award-winning seafood restaurant that is sure to impress any foodie (even the self proclaimed ones ie moi). As if the cuisine itself isn’t enough to blow you away – you enjoy your meal while watching exotic fish swim around you in what has to be one of the most beautiful aquariums I have ever seen. It is literally an experience of a lifetime.

Some dishes to mention:

Atlantic Lobster Salad, Tomato, Avocado, Mango Chutney
Pan Fried Japanese Scallops, Wagyu Beef Cheek Ravioli, Bourguignon Sauce (Alcohol)
Foie Gras and Smoked Eel Terrine, Red-Black Fruit Pickles
Norwegian Halibut, Prawns,Gnocchi, Mussels ā la Diéppoise
Wagyu Beef “Rossini”, Spinach Subric, Maxim’s Truffle Potato (Alcohol), Served Medium Rare
Salt Crusted Seabass (for two, served tableside) with Seasonal Salad, Steamed Vegetables

The Ultimate Cobb Salad

One of the most delicious composed salads is the classic Cobb.  This salad is typically so packed with a variety of amazing ingredients that its really all you need for a well-balanced meal that is sure to fill you up all on its own.

I've seen alot of different styles for a cobb - some adding a sweet addition such as mango (didn't love it), some using tuna instead of chicken (not my fav.) but overall this recipe is the best one by far.


Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 head boston bibb lettuce - chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce - chopped
10 oz boneless, skinless cooked chicken breast - chopped into small 1/2 inch cubes
2 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 large hard boiled eggs - chopped
4 red beets - tops removed
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
4 strips of bacon - cooked crispy and then crumbled
2 small avocados - peeled, pitted and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub beets. Trim off stem and root ends from beets. Wrap each beet in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until you can easily pierce the beets with a knife. Cool the beets in the fridge until they are room temperature and are easy to handle - then peel them - chop them - and set them aside.

Dressing:
My favorite is to mix a few tablespoons of ranch dressing with equal parts EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl mix all of your ingredients together.  All of your ingredients should be chopped small and bite size - divide, serve and enjoy!

Chef Natty xo 

a must watch

Food Network has just launched what I consider to be one of the best ideas for a food show everrr.  'The Best Thing I Ever Ate".  I am super excited for this one people.  Have a read...

Ever wonder what the biggest food stars and chefs eat in their free time – when they're paying? Find out on The Best Thing I Ever Ate! It's the ultimate guide to the country's most amazing meals, eats, and treats as told by the pros who spend their lives obsessing over food. From a barbecue sandwich worth driving over 1500 miles to canolli so good that it completely healed a bad breakup. Don't miss this series featuring some of your favorite Food Network stars, offering a taste of the things you must try before you die.

did you know? part 2

* Peanuts are used to manufacture dynamite.
* An ear of corn always has an even number of rows.
*On average, each of us consumes: 290 pounds of dairy, 150 pounds of meat, 125 pounds of potatoes, 80 pounds of fruit, 68 pounds of bread, 48 pounds of poultry, and 35 pounds of eggs per year.
* Only male turkeys gobble…female turkeys make a clicking sound.
* An apple, when fresh, is made up of about 25% air…that is why they float in the barrel when we “Bob-for-apples”.
* The smaller the size of a berry, the sweeter its taste.
* A well-done steak, especially if it has “charred” portions, contains much higher levels of carcinogens than a medium-done or rare steak.
* The fat on raw steak or chicken, slices off super easily if the meat is partially frozen.
* There are 1,200 varieties of watermelon.
* Iceberg lettuce is 90 percent water, and therefore, of negligible nutrient value.
* The world record for eating cheesecake is 11 pounds eaten in nine minutes – by Sonya Thomas, who weighs 105 pounds.
* Diet soda has not been proven to aid in weight loss. In fact, it’s been shown to actually increase hunger.
* Whenever a recipe for cake or muffins calls for oil, applesauce can be substituted
* Watermelon and cucumbers are among a dog’s favorite foods…once they are introduced to them, of course. And these foods supply valuable enzymes to a dog’s system.
* Coca-Cola was originally green.

xo

Tuna Tartare Towers

For me, this is one of my favorite dishes.  Whenever  I see it on a menu at a restaurant I tend to always order it.  It wasn't until I tried it at home that I realized how simple this dish really is.  As long as you have access to quality tuna, the hard part is over.

Servings (approx. 4 appetizers)

For the Sesame Wonton Crisps you will need…

12 wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the Tuna Tartare you will need…
6 ounces sushi-grade tuna cut into small (about ¼ inch) cubes
2 tablespoons green onions finely chopped (use the green parts only – the flavor is milder and it gives the dish nice color)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 avocado (contents to be scooped out and mashed down with a fork)

2 teaspoons lime juice

4 tablespoons of fise roe (optional)

You will also need an egg ring cooker (refer to photo)

For the Sesame Wonton Crisps - Preheat oven to 350F and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Cut the wonton squares on an angle to make two triangles. Arrange the wonton triangles on the baking sheet. Brush the wontons with some olive oil and sprinkle lightly with your sesame seeds. Bake until golden, about 6 minutes (do not let them burn!).

For the Tuna Tartar - Mix tuna, green onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cilantro and salt together in a medium bowl. Mix well.

In a separate bowl – add your lime juice to your avocado and stir (do this step right before assembling and serving otherwise the avocado will start to brown (yuck).

Finally – to put this together into a tower for perfect presentation - Place a heaping spoonful of the avocado into the egg ring and use it to help form the bottom layer of your tower. Next, add a layer of the tuna on top and use the ring to help shape out nice cylindrical towers with visible layers. Add some wonton crisps to each plate in a small neat pile and serve immediately with some cilantro to garnish (and your fish roe if you chose to use it) and one of your wontons sticking out the top of the tower for an even better visual effect! It is important that the tuna is not left at room temperature for more than 1 hour.

Makes a perfect appetizer and is one of my personal favorites!

Happy Cooking!

xo Chef Natty

guilt-free snack food

Ketchup Crispy Minis are friggin awesome.

Seriously unless you currently, at this very moment, have your face stuffed with a mouthful of these mini rice treats (as i do) i suggest you get up - yes now- and go and buy some.

90 calories per 12 rice chips - how can you go wrong?

 if you are still reading this you are wasting time.....

seriously ....

......

go.

Easter Love

Now that I am about 18 posts deep into my blog I feel its now time to let you all in on a secret... I do not bake.

I am terrible at it.  It never comes out the way I want it to. Plain and simple I do not enjoy it. 

To me the beauty of cooking is there are so many options and so many ways to create something great on your own - even by accident!  Its not going to destroy a dish if you add a little more garlic or if you replace feta for goats cheese.  In fact, many times I end up making a dish better by adding my own personal touch to it.  But with baking, there is no room for expirimentation or improvisation.  Too much flour and your cake is dry... too much milk its too wet... and in my own recent kitchen disaster... get the wrong semi sweet chocolate for chocolate walnut cookies and they will taste like dirt.  Literally like grainy...muddy...dirty dirt.  Ask my husband.  He was not impressed with his valentines day baking "treat".

However, dispite my distaste for the regimented baking world,  I could not help myself when I came across these little Easter bundles of fun.  I know a special friend of mine with a natural talent for these little guys will appreciate this post. 

The pictures are just too cute not to share...

Care to try one out?

You daredevil you...

Here is the recipe for the "Little Lamb Cupcakes"  (its the first picture you see)

Happy Easter Everyone!

Ingredients

1 vanilla cupcake, taken out of the paper, recipe follows
About 1 cup White Fluff Frosting, recipe follows
1 large marshmallow
2 white candy eyes
1 purple jujube candy
1 short 1/4 inch and 1 long piece 2 inch black string licorice
35 mini-marshmallows
4 purple and 2 pink jelly beans

Directions

Frost cupcake. Place the large marshmallow in the center. Lightly frost candy eyes and press onto the marshmallow. Frost the back of the jujube candy and put below eyes to for a nose. Frost the short piece of licorice lightly and press underneath the nose to make the mouth. Press mini-marshmallows all around the cupcakes and the face to make the lambs coat. Frost the tips of the pink jelly beans to make ears. Stick the purple jelly beans in the front and back of the cupcake for feet. Curl the long piece of licorice and press into frosting to make the lamb's tail.

Vanilla Cupcake:

2 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. (To avoid cupcakes sticking if they overflow slightly, lightly spray the tops of the pans.) Put tins on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Process sugar and butter in a food processor until very creamy, scraping sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water, and vanilla and process to blend.

Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients, in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing, and then scraping batter off the sides of the processor as needed after each addition. Process until the batter is very smooth and pourable like pancake batter, about 2 minutes.

Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin, and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely on a rack before frosting.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes


Fluff Frosting:

1/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
Pinch fine salt
Whisk the milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.

Slowly beat the butter and sugar, in another medium bowl, with an electric mixer until incorporated. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.) Add the fluff and salt and reduce the speed to low. Add the milk and vanilla mixture, scrape the bowl down, and mix until fully incorporated. Raise the mixer to high and beat briefly until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Use immediately.

Yield: 3 3/4 cups

Veal Parmesan

Ingredients

* 4 large pieces of veal scaloppini (milk fed is the better cut, but grain fed will work fine as well)
* 4 cups fresh tomato sauce
* 4 cups mozzarella cheese
* 6 cups plain bread crumbs
* 1 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
* Vegetable oil for frying (spatters less than EVOO)
* 3 eggs beaten
* All-purpose flour
* salt and pepper to taste

Start by beating down your veal with a meat hammer to tenderize the meat (careful not to thin them out too much or they will start to break). In a medium mixing bowl add your eggs and in two separate large plates lay out your flour on one and your breadcrumbs on the other. Add your chopped parsley and some salt and pepper to the breadcrumb plate and mix together.

Next, dip your veal first into some flour to create a nice light coating, then dip it into the egg mixture and let the excess egg drip off back into the bowl, next dip it into the breadcrumb mixture and cover the veal fully – set aside on a plate and repeat this process for the rest of your veal.

Heat up some vegetable oil in a fry pan at medium-high heat and then cook the veal in batches (do not crowd the veal). They are thin so this should only take a minute or two per side. When they are done you should have a nice golden brown crust.

Place your veal onto a baking sheet and spoon out some tomato sauce onto each piece and then top each one with a nice handful of mozzarella cheese. Place the veal into the oven under broil at 450 degree until the cheese has melted.

Best served with a side of fresh long noodle pasta such as spaghetti or capellini etc…

Side note:

For an easy homemade tomato sauce for this recipe simply heat up some fresh chopped garlic in a small pot at medium-high heat with some EVOO – add a can of san marzano crushed tomatoes (you may need to use your hand mixer to puree the sauce) – add some salt, fresh chopped basil and a dash of red wine and let simmer for about 30 minutes on low.


Enjoy!

Chef Natty xo

Tip of the Week

Try substituting different varieties of the same flavor category for new and interesting discoveries.  This is a great way for beginner chefs to become comfortable making their own recipes.  For example, take my summer salad recipe that I posted earlier.  We have nice bitter, sweet and salty-savory mixture.  The strawberries add the sweet, the arugula adds the bitter and the goat cheese fritter adds the salty-savory combo.

For a similar variation, switch up the strawberries with some apples or figs or even watermelon! - you keep the sweet flavour but you've experimented with something different and made it your own.

:)
xo Chef Natty

Penne alla Vodka

Hello Friends,  I appologise for my lack of bloggage for the past week but I promise this week I will make up for it. 

Last night (as per request of my hubs) I made my penne alla vodka.  This recipe is great because its easy, has barely any prep work and is always a classic favorite.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 small cans of cherry tomatos OR 1 large can of whole san marzano tomatos (pureed with a hand mixer to get rid of the large pieces of tomato - same process you would use to make tomato sauce)
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup vodka
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 large leek (chopped horizontally into fine strands)
1 cup italian flat leaf parsley (chopped)
1 cup mild panchetta (chopped into small cubes)
1 cup table cream
Extra virgin olive oil

500g penne
salt to taste

To start, heat up some EVOO in a heavy deep bottom pan (refer to my last post on Natalie's kitchen must-have's) at medium high heat.  Add in your leeks and garlic and stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add your vodka and let it reduce for another 2 minutes.  Next,  add your pureed can/cans of tomatos, your tomato paste, your panchetta and half of your parsley.  Reduce your heat to medium low, add salt to taste (i.e. add a few pinches of salt - taste it - add more if you need it etc...) and stir the mixture every few minutes while it simmers.  In the meantime, heat up a pot of salted water for your penne.  Add your penne once the water is boiled and cook to al dente (*note - most pasta packages will tell you how long to cook the pasta for to make it al dente - if in doubt - take a noodle out and taste it - i've made pasta a million times and this is still the way I decide when it's done since every pasta is so different).

Once your pasta is ready and you are straining it, add in your cream and stir the sauce.  At this point you should look like you have a nice rose colour.  Mix the penne into the pan with that sauce and serve - topping each plate with some fresh parsley (and parm cheese if you like but its not necessary).

Enjoy Everyone :)

xo

Chef Natty Nudds

Natalie's Kitchen "Must Have's"

My must haves….


A large deep heavy bottom pan

* this pan is my go-to kitchen item. I’ve used it for stir-fry’s, pastas and risottos, a quick week night chili… pretty much anything! It’s large enough that I can make dinner for 4 or more in this one pan. Definitely a must have!

A good chopping knife

* If you are used to dull, poor quality knives (like I was before I got this set) they will take a bit of getting used to (aka I sliced myself a few times before I really got the hang of it) but a great set of knives (and especially a chopping knife) not only makes cooking easier and more enjoyable – slicing and dicing like pro – but its also safer. Accidents can happen with a dull knife because a lot more pressure is required to make it cut!

A garlic press

* Sometimes when cooking with garlic, you want the flavor not actual visible pieces of garlic in your dish (which, unless minced very very small, you are bound to have), a garlic press is a fantastic kitchen tool that basically almost purees your garlic cloves so they can easily mix in with any dish (specifically I do this a lot for pasta sauces)

A wooden cheese board

* This is perfect for entertaining. A very easy (and delicious) way to get some food out before dinner is served is by laying out a variety of cheeses with an assortment of crackers and necessary cheese accoutrements (figs, tapenades, chutneys etc…). A high quality large wooden cheese board and proper cheese knives make the horderve platter visually stunning and obviously its way cooler eating cheese off a wooden board… that’s a given no?

A mini-prep blender

* Perfect when you want to make a quick sauce for something and don’t want to bust out the enormous blender that takes a hundred years to clean all for a tiny drizzle of pesto over a caprese salad.

These are some of my classic kitchen favorites - all of which should have a home in your kitchens as well

Chef natty xo

The Village Cheesemonger is almost hereeee!!!

http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/club-news-1382-The-Village-Cheesemonger.html

Alaskan King Crab Legs

While most of you might think making great crab at home would be a difficult task, in reality it is actually one of the easiest dishes you can make!

You will need: (serves 4)
1 pound frozen King crab legs, thawed
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Start by cutting up the crab legs.  Each leg should yield 3 smaller peices. Crab can sometimes be tricky to eat and this is why i like to use a sharp pair of kitchen shears to cut slits into soft part of the crab (it is the part that looks whitish pink and feels softer than the hardest part of the shell).  Cut vertically up each peice of crab this way once they are ready to eat - you won't have to fight with your food to eat it.

Boil a small amount of water (about 1-2 inches) in a steamer pot and steam the crab legs for about 8 minutes (it is better to use a proper steamer pot rather than just submerging the crab in boiling water because it helps the crab retain its flavour).

While the crab is steaming, melt the butter in a sauce pan and add you garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

Once your crab is steamed, divide up the butter into little dipping bowls and you are ready to go!  The crab legs are cut and easy to eat, the butter is the only partner it needs and Voila! Another easy gourmet meal at home!

love chef natty xo

spinach and strawberry summer salad with goat cheese fritter

This next recipe is a summer favorite of mine (ok so its not quite summer yet… but as soon as its warm enough to enjoy this dish outdoors with a nice glass of sangria then its warm enough for a summer salad in my books).


Ingredients: (makes 4 appetizer or 2 large portions)

1 package of baby spinach **arugula can be a substitute**(12oz)
10-12 strawberries (sliced)
½ red onion – sliced julienne style
½ cup chopped walnuts
Panko bread crumbs
1 large package of goat cheese
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

1 egg beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Set your oven to Broil at 400 degrees and using a nonstick baking pan – toast up the chopped walnut pieces. These should only take a couple of minutes and they burn very easily so be sure to keep an eye on them. Once they are toasted set them aside to cool. Next, begin to make your goat cheese fritters by using your hands to form little goat cheese “pucks”. They should be about the size of a golf ball but flatten them out into mini pucks.

In a small bowl, dip the goat cheese into the egg and then let the excess egg drip off back into the bowl. Spread out a layer of panko breadcrumbs onto a plate and simply place the goat cheese pucks into the crumbs covering it on all sides.

Next, heat up some EVOO in a pan on medium-high heat and pan fry your goat cheese fritters until the panko has created a light brown crust around the cheese.

Now in a large mixing bowl, toss the spinach, onions and strawberries in 1-2 tbsp of EVOO and equal parts balsamic vinegar – add a dash of salt and pepper as well.

Plate the salad, sprinkle some of the toasted walnuts and top each salad with its own goat cheese fritter and serve!

Enjoy!

Chef Natty xo

did you know?...

• there are 7500 different varieties of tomatoes around the world
• the average American eats 28 pigs in a lifetime
• large doses of coffee can be lethal – 100 cups in 4 hours will kill the average human
• mcdonalds and burger king coat their fries in sugar to give them that golden brown color
• The vintage date on a bottle of wine indicates the year the grapes were picked, not the year of bottling.
• Almonds are members of the peach family.
• The first soup was made of hippopotamus
• Apples, potatoes, and onions all taste the same when eaten with your nose plugged.
• When an egg floats in water, it is “off” and should not be eaten.
• The consumption of natural vanilla causes the body to release catecholamines (including adrenalin) – for this reason it is considered to be mildly addictive.
• celery requires more calories to eat and digest than it contains.
• cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.
• honey is the only edible food for humans that will never go bad.
• lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.
• olive oil has lots of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory activity to fight rheumatoid arthritis.
• Popsicles were invented by an 11 year old when he left his soda water drink with a stirring stick overnight on his porch.
• pound cake was so named because of its original proportions of 1 lb (500g) each of butter, sugar, and flour.
• avocado has the highest protein and oil content of all fruits, but most of this is the healthier unsaturated type

Crostini 5 ways...

When throwing a dinner party it’s always nice to have some type of horderve to let your guests nibble on before dinner. However, sometimes juggling a whole meal and still finding time or oven space to have a variety of pre-dinner horderves isn’t an easy task. That’s why something simple (but delicious) like a variety of crostini can be a great starter for any meal (and won’t cause too much stress because they can be ready before your guests even arrive).


The following are a list of my own personal crostini creations that are sure to impress 

*note* the amounts will vary depending on how many crostini you want to make but for the most part these little delicacies are so simple you can just eyeball it.

Making the crostini…

Simply use a fresh french baguette – slice it thinly and set in the oven under broil at 500 degrees. How long? This varies depending on the bread, the thickness of the cut etc… so my recommendation would be to watch it carefully (as it only should take a minute or two) and remove them when they are lightly toasted.

Brie and honey
This one is always a crowd pleaser. Simply melt some brie cheese over your crostini (*note* this will require you to put the crostini back in the oven under broil to melt the cheese), and when they are slightly melted, drizzle a touch of honey on each one and serve! *note* for even more flavor try putting a pinch of minced garlic on top of the brie before it goes back into the oven.

Bruschetta
For a classic bruschetta, mix together the following:
• chopped vine ripened tomatoes
• chopped basil (be sure to use a sharp knife when chopping basil otherwise the pressure will bruise the leaves and they will look brown)
• minced fresh garlic
• salt

• extra virgin olive oil

put about a tablespoon of the bruschetta mix on each crunchy crostini and serve!

Roasted red pepper and goat cheese
Set your oven to broil at 450 and roast the red peppers until they are dark brown on all sides (be sure to rotate them). Remove them from the oven and when they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin (it should peel off very easily). Take the seeds out and then slice the red peppers into thin strands. Add some extra virgin olive oil, salt and goat cheese and mix all items together in a bowl. Spoon out the mixture onto the crostini and serve!

Crème fraiche and caviar
For this one you will want to use good quality caviar such as sevruga, or, osetra. You will also need chives, snipped, for garnish.

To make the crème fraiche mix 3 parts fresh heavy cream to 1 part fresh buttermilk in a clean jar. Cover with a cloth and store in a warm area for 24 hours. Stir. Mixture should be thick and creamy.

If you don’t want to make it yourself it can be bought in grocery stores already made (the lazy way)

Spread the crème fraiche mixture on the toast and add a dollop of caviar. Sprinkle each one with some chives and serve!

Prosciutto, ricotta and figs
My last crostini recipe is one of my absolute favorites and oh so simple. This one takes the least amount of time and is fantastic. Put a layer of fresh ricotta cheese on the crostini bread, then add a layer of fresh thinly sliced prosciutto and top each one with thin “carpaccio style” sliceed fresh fig (one or two slices is enough).

All of these are easy ways to spice up cocktail hour and are sure to please your guests!


Bon Appétit!


chef natty xo

Tip of the Week

Try mixing and matching different flavours - you just may discover something fabulous!

Natalie's match of the week:

try thinly sliced apples on a toasted crostini with a slice of  aged cheddar for an interesting and easy pre dinner or mid-day snack :)

The Best Things I Ever Ate - Part 2

So i'm going to make this one a recurring post for all my readers (all 5 of you) because I am constantly finding myself making new fantastic food discoveries throughout the city and when I travel. 

todays treats:

for amazing pizza *pizza libretto* - they dont take reservations so you can pretty much guantee you will have to wait for a table but the pizza is amazing.  Traditional. Italian. Thin crust. Gourmet. Excellence.

for amazing perogies * MARBEN * Smoked Cheddar + Roasted Garlic Perogies: Onion Caramel, House-cured Bacon, Sour Cream Foam - a must try

for amazing Sunday brunch * Le Select Bistro* CROQUE-MONSIEUR /CROQUE-MADAME

for an amazing chocolate chip cookie * le gourmand * seriously. its the size of my face and somehow the chocolate stays gooey for hours.  legit. Thank you to my intern buddy for introducing this amazingness into my life.

love from chef natty xo

what could have been...

As i sit here eating what could have been a delicious lunchtime sandwich (but instead is a dry turkey and lettuce - no sauce - crummy shameful excuse for a meal), I can't help but think about all the wonderful alternatives that could have made these lunchtime blues a little less bluey.


First off, I finally busted out the panini press this weekend (engagement gift from kristabelle) and after experiencing the magical joy that comes from a freshly pressed hot sandwich I just don't think I could ever go back to enjoying cold flaps of turkey between dry wheat bread (aka - today’s treat).

For a great panini sandwich i suggest trying the following:

Ingredients:
1 French baguette
100g thinly sliced prosciutto
pesto spread (can be found at any grocery store - make sure the package says its basil based and don't use one that has any cream - creamy pestos are ok for pastas - not the best for a panini)
Brie Cheese (double creme only. Triple creme is too soft for this sandwich)
Arugula

combine all above ingredients on the sandwich and grill on your panini press until you've got those nice light brown grill marks and you will be in hot sandwich heaven.


happy panini pressin'


love from chef natty xo

Filet Mignon with Shallot Port Reduction

I made this particular steak recipe along with the previous gnocchi post but you can make it on its own, pair it with mashed potatoes, vegetables and anything else you love to eat steak with.  My personal preference with this one - a gnochhi pairing like the recipe below, or a nice risotto.

Ingredients: (serving size 2)

2 AAA beef tenderloin steaks (about 6-8 oz each)
1 chopped shallot
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup port
1/2 cup beef stock
 sea salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees then start by seasoning the steaks.  In a plate, sprinkle a good amount of salt and pepper over the steaks and press down so the mixture adheres to the meat (make sure your meat is dry otherwise the mixture will not stick).  In a pan (dont use a non stick pan), heat a tbsp of EVOO at medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, place the steaks on the pan and sear both sides until you have a nice brown crusting (approx 2-3 minutes each side).  Remove the steaks from the pan and place them in the oven to finish cooking (4-5 minutes for medium rare, 6-7 minutes for medium - anything over medium ruins meat in my opinion so I won't ever be giving instructions on how to destroy a steak).  Take the steaks out and let them sit (covered) for another 8-10 minutes to finish cooking and to let the juices run back into the meat.

Meanwhile - once the steaks are put into the oven - use the same pan you used to cook the steaks  and add your shallots and the butter.  Cook shallots for about 2 minutes and then add your port and begin deglazing the pan (use a wooden spoon to stir mixture and scrap up all the delish bits left behind from the steak).  Once the port starts to reduce, add your beef stock.  Stir every couple of minutes and once steaks are done sitting, this mixture should be done at the same time. 

Pour over your steaks and enjoy!

love from chef natty xo

recipe by request - GNOCCHI

This next recipe is by request from my friend and up and coming foodie, Kym. I made this dish last Saturday night for the first time and it was a great success. My hubs was legit upset when the meal was over so get your pens out for this goodie.



Truffled Wild Mushroom Gnocchi

Ingredients
For Gnocchi:

2 lbs russet potatoes (these are starchy and best for baking)
¼ cup egg, lightly beaten
1 cup of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Fine grain sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For Mushrooms:

Assortment of wild mushrooms (I use oyster and shitake)
2 Shallots
1/2 cup of dry vermouth
1/2 cup beef stock
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake potatoes for 1 hour 15 minutes. When potatoes are done they should be soft and quite dry. Use a spoon to scoop the insides of the potatoes out into a large mixing bowl.

When potatoes are still slightly warm, add in the rest of the ingredients. (*note – if you have a food processor you can add all ingredients in to combine*) – If you do not have a food processor then you’ll have to do it the good ol’ fashion way and mix it all up with your hands. Be sure to smooth out any little lumps in the potatoes. If the mixture feels too sticky you can add a little more flour. Once mixed, roll out the dough into long snake-like tubes and using a knife, make cuts to create little 1 inch gnocchi dumplings.

Drop the gnocchi into a pot of boiling water – once they float to the surface you know they are finished. Meanwhile in a separate pan, melt the butter in a pan and add the mushrooms, shallots vermouth and white wine and let the alcohol reduce by 1/2 ( a few minutes ) then add the beef stock and let the mixture simmer at low heat. Stir every few minutes.

Strain the gnocchi and toss with a little bit of EVOO, salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms have simmered for a few minutes, add the gnocchi to the same pan and stir. ** note: in the photo above I added an extra optional step by pan frying the gnocchi before mixing it into the mushrooms.  If you like this option simply heat up some EVOO in a fry pan and on medium-high heat slightly brown the gnocchis on both sides**

READY TO SERVE!

Simply plate the gnocchi, drizzle each portion with some truffle oil and top it with freshly grated parmesan cheese!

The Village Cheesemonger

Who doesn't love cheese?

I swear if it wouldn't make me 5000 lbs I would curl up every day with a nice bottle of wine, a nice French baguette and some truffled pecorino.... a little triple crème brie.... a snacky of applewood smoked cheddar.... and probably about 50 more favorite varieties of cheese.

For those of you who share the cheese love --- get ready because my hubs and his good friend will be opening the doors to their new gourmet cheese store this April 2010. The store is located in liberty village in unit 155 of the liberty market building and will carry all the delish cheese and accompaniments that you could possibly dream of (I know you do).

THE VILLAGE CHEESEMONGER will carry over 150 different cheeses from around the world, gourmet crackers, chutneys, preserves, tapenades, gourmet pastas and breads, mustards, a tonnn of specialty olive oils and aged balsamics specialty meats to compliment certain cheeses such as Berkshire prosciutto and alotttt more. Basically anything you could possibly think of to pair up with cheese (and some things you may not even think of) – they will have.

get EXCITEDDDD people. Its going to be delish!

Love from Chef Natty

new age nonna

One of the great things I love about cooking at home is starting from scratch. Ever since I was a little girl and grew up around my nonna rolling out her own pasta dough or using fresh tomatos from her garden to make tomato sauce, I was always amazed at how much better things taste when alot of love goes into it. Though making any meal from start to finish can be time consuming, you feel way more accomplished in the end and it will taste way better than the alternative -- items from my x-list such as prego tomato sauce (absolutly a no-no).

For those classic spaghetti and meatball lovers, here is a recipe for the most delicious meatball you will ever have. This recipe pays tribute to a few sources, a little nonna, a little mom, a little me.

The Perfect Meatball
serving size: approx. 10-15 meatballs (depending on size)

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground veal
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 spanish onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano
3 tablespoons of worchestershire
1/3 cup finely grated parmesean cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce

**Note* make the tomato sauce in a seperate pot, when sauce is ready add 1/2 cup of it to the meatball mixture**

combine all ingrediants in a large bowl and mix with hands. When everything is evenly mixed, round the meat into balls of your desired size. In a heavy bottom pan, heat up some extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat and working in batches (do not crowd the meatballs) brown the meatballs on all sides until you have a light brown sear (approx. 1 min on each side). Remove meatballs from pan for the next batch and repeat process until all the meatballs are seared (you may need to add some more EVOO as you go along). Place the meatballs into your large pot with your homemade tomato sauce and let meatballs simmer in the sauce for 1.5-2 hours.


Best served with long noodle pasta such as capellini, spagettini etc...

Sprinkle a touch of parmesean on top and you're done!

Happy Cooking :)

love from Chef Natty

the best things i ever ate.....in TO

As I sit here at work (clearly super busy), with my hunger increasing with each minute that brings me closer to my favorite part of the day (lunch time with intern buddy). I can't help but think about some of my absolute favorite dishes. As I already mentioned, going out for dins is probably one of my favorite things to do. Whether its a night out with the girls or dinner for two with my hubby, i'd take a nice dinner out over bottle service and a vendor dog anyday. That being said, I would like to share with you a list of some of the best things i ever ate in Toronto because these delicious treats are too good not to share.

Ahem...

1. best toronto steak - Jacob and Co.- california cut kobe striploin. Though this isn't what I would call the ecomonical choice, for those special nights out its worth every penny. Trust me on this one.

2. best toronto burger - Mildreds Temple Kitchen - crispy tobacco onions, tomato relish...can't go wrong.

3. best toronto fish - ONE - miso glazed black cod. a must taste. Mark McEwan knows his fish.

4. best toronto sushi - i'm sure all my friends would agree with me that the Ebi Shooter from Blowfish takes the cake.

5. best toronto salad - the singapore slaw from Lee. Susur Lee's signature creation that (speaking from my own kitchen disaster experience) you should NEVER... EVER try and make on your own. I'd like to think there isn't alot I can't make. This intricate dish with a total of 18 individual indredients (all needing seperate methods of preparation)resulted in a near kitchen fire and several hot oil burns up my arm. Needless to say, i've decided to let Susur take the lead on this one from now on.

6. best toronto pasta - this one is a toughy because experiementing (often successfully) with different pasta dishes is something I like to take on in my own kitchen. BUT, if I have to give credit to one place for a fabulous dish its Mistura for their fettuccine bolognese - The Original Meat Sauce from Bologna “La Grassa”.

Try any of these favorites and I guarantee you will have an unreal meal.

'till next time!

love from Chef Natty Nudds

love from foodie.

Hello friends, fellow bloggers and foodies! After following other people's blogs for quite some time i've finally decided to try this out. I love to cook, love to dine out and being Italian, naturally i've grown up around insanely delicious cooking my entire life. SO...basically this blog is to include anything food related in my life. Stay tuned for restaurant favorites, cooking tips and most importantly some of my fav recipes that i've made up over the years (i dislike following recipes to a tee). You may be wondering about the clear truffle obsession... really there is no true rhyme or reason behind that other than the fact that i love them, they are in a lot of my recipes and anyone who doesn't love them should probably call it quits on my blog asap. :)

I am so so so excited to officially begin posts and I hope you will all love reading them and cooking along with me!