Chef Foundation

Archive for May, 2011

Mexican dessert recipe staples include chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Fruit is also a popular ingredient to use and Mexicans love to use fresh produce in both their savory Mexican recipes and in Mexican desserts recipes too.

Fruit is a great dessert ingredient if you want to make something healthy. You can use it to make pies, cakes, fruit salads and much more. If you can find some Mexican fruits, you can make authentic Mexican desserts.

Famous Mexican Fruits

Mango, prickly pear, guavas and pomegranate are popular fruit ingredients for Mexican desserts and you have probably tasted some or all of these, in Mexican cuisine or another. There are also some other fruits that you might encounter in Mexican recipes for desserts, like soursop. Soursop is green-skinned with a creamy tasting white flesh. It is often found in tropical markets but rarely anywhere else. There are lots of black seeds in the pulp.

Mamey fruit is another and this brown skinned fruit has a very sweet orange-colored flesh. Loquats have soft orange-colored flesh and about four seeds inside. Loquats are native to Asia but also found in Central, South and North America and Mexico. Cherimoya is oval in shape and has white flesh with many seeds. All of these fruits are common in Mexico but it can be hard to find them in other places.

The blossom of the coffee tree looks and smells quite like jasmine. The coffee tree fruit takes nine months to ripen and can be used to make Mexican desserts recipes. Sapote fruits come in black or white. A white sapote is also known as a custard apple and the flesh tastes creamy and a bit like chocolate. The black sapote is a close relative to the persimmon but not related to the white sapote.

Recipe for Spiced Mexican Fruit Salad

This wonderful and simple recipe combines Mexican fruits with lime juice, orange juice, chili powder and tequila for a really flavorful and stunning Mexican dessert recipe. This makes enough fruit salad for eight people.

You can use any fruits you like in this Mexican fruit salad and it is a nice idea to choose tropical ones. Try papaya, kiwi, watermelon or cantaloupe. Leave out the tequila if you prefer or if you are making this for children. You can also leave out the sugar if you like.

What you will need:

1 cup pineapple chunks 2 cups mango chunks 4 cups halved strawberries 2 cups melon chunks 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup tequila 1/4 cup lime juice 1/2 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon dried ancho chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt
How to make it:

Stir all the fruit together in a bowl, then add the other ingredients and mix well. Chill the Mexican fruit salad for an hour or more before serving it. You can serve this fruit salad alone or with a dollop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

The Big Green Egg grill is the most versatile grill available and can be used for smoking, grilling or baking. The Egg has incredible temperature control, which allows you to cook almost anything on it. The thick ceramic walls and draft doors allow you to sear steaks at high temperatures (up to 750 degrees) or slow cook ribs at a low temperature of 200 to 250 degrees. Or if you’re craving pizza or bread, the Big Green Egg bakes better than a brick oven. Here are some tips to make cooking with your Egg even more enjoyable:

Grilling

Most people are familiar with grilling, but just in case, grilling refers to cooking the food directly over coals at a moderate to high temperature. The Big Green Egg can go up to 750 degrees for searing steaks, or you can lower the heat for slow cooking (mmm… ribs). Use the adjustable dampers at the bottom of the Egg along with the daisy wheel at the top for super temperature control for your favorite grilling recipe.

Smoking

When it comes to smoking, the Egg’s thick ceramic walls are perfect insulation for cooking at long, low temperatures needed to tenderize and smoke meats. When setting up your EGG for smoking, layer lump (wood) charcoal with your favorite wood smoking chips (we like grape). Add more charcoal, then more wood chips; repeat until the firebox is full. You can use either natural fire starters or an electric lighter to start the charcoal (never use lighter fluid!). You’re ready to start cooking once the temperature has reached 250 degrees. One of the great things about the Egg is that with the ceramic material and the fact that you always cook with the lid down, you can let your grill cook for long time periods (even overnight) without worrying about flare-ups or overcooking your food. Consider adding the plate setter or the rib rack to make your smoking experience even better.

Baking

The Big Green Egg is known for its versatility and that is most evident when baking breads, dessert or even pizza in your Egg. You can turn your Egg into a fire brick oven just by adding a plate setter and baking stone. Eggheads love baking pizzas in their grills, so you can find many pizza recipes at the Egghead forum. And once you’ve tried a brick oven pizza in your Egg, believe me, you’ll never order pizza again!

Incoming search terms:

The most popular thing today for girls is to get cosmetic surgery. We can see it from so many countries like Korea, America, Japan and Thailand where there are many girls who take cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery helps people to polish people especially women so they can have a better look.

But sometimes, cosmetic surgery can give the patient some several negative impacts if they choose the wrong cosmetic surgeon. Some illegal cosmetic surgery may deceive you with so many tricks. They will persuade you to get cosmetic surgery at their place but actually it is very risky to get illegal cosmetic surgery.

If you really wish to get a better body or face, you can rely on Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon. Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is well known as the best cosmetic surgeon where there are many well known actresses and actors even go there to get cosmetic surgery.

There are actually many kinds of cosmetic surgery in order to polish your appearance. First of all is Beverly hills liposuction. We have known that mostly people today cannot control their appetite and grow fatter. Meanwhile for people to get their best appearance, they must not be fat. In this case, Beverly Hills liposuction will help them to suck the excessive lipid within their body so they can appear slimmer.

For another cosmetic surgery that we have known really well where we can polish our face is Beverly Hills plastic surgery. Beverly Hills plastic surgery will enable you to get beautiful eyes, eliminate your scar, and wrinkles. You even can make your lips look more sexier. If you don’t really like your nose, you can refine it too.

Everything is possible for you at Beverly Hills cosmetic surgery. You don’t have to hesitate thinking whether you have to get cosmetic surgery or not since most people today take it.

Chicken wing is always one of the best dishes to be served in any gatherings with friends or families. Chicken wings can be served as main course or as appetizers, it depends on the way you cook the chicken wings. As a main course, chicken wings are normally cooked in sauce; but as appetizers, we prefer chicken wings to be cooked without much sauce.

Here is one simple Chinese chicken wings recipe which is an ideal appetizer recipe. It only takes about 1 hour to get the dish ready, and it does not require strong cooking skill or technique to cook the dish. And it only requires simple ingredients and sauces. You can get the dish ready for the parties in time even though with tight schedule.

Ingredients:
o 6 chicken wings
o 1 spring onion
o 2 slices ginger
o 2 tablespoons soy sauce
o 2 tablespoons sugar
o 3 cups water
o Pinch of MSG (optional)
o 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:
o Wash the chicken wings and cut them into 3 sections each. Boil them in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and set aside
o Cut the spring onion into 1 inch sections.
o Heat wok and then add 1 teaspoon cooking oil, stir fry spring onion, ginger until fragrant.
o Add in soy sauce, sugar, water, MSG and chicken, simmer over medium heat until chicken is cooked and browned, and not much water/juice left
o Remove from wok, discard the spring onion, and ginger; sprinkle with sesame oil
o Ready to be served

This recipe can serve 3-4 persons. If you like the recipe, you can get more appetizers recipes from Chinese Appetizers and Snacks Recipe

In today’s world, a microwaveable oven is a necessity in every home. The microwave oven has definitely made things easier, and it is practically common knowledge that microwave ovens are fast and easy to use. However, if you have only been using your microwave for the occasional reheating job or just for popping corn; then you are definitely missing out on an excellent cooking tool.

This article will highlight helpful cooking tips and pointers which can help you to make the most of your microwave.

Cooking Tips
* When cooking foods that may have some sort of covering such as a shell or skin, it is always a good idea to pierce the outer layer. This will prevent the food from exploding as a result of steam build-up.

* Ensure that the containers used are specifically designed for use in a microwave oven. Also, when preparing foods in a microwave choose a container slightly larger than the one you would have used on a stove top, for example.

* To achieve an even distribution of heat, it is recommended that all food portions be approximately the same size. If this is not possible, then smaller pieces should be placed in the centre and larger pieces arranged around the edge of the container.

* Incidentally, keeping food covered with a plastic lid or wrap helps the food to retain moisture which then allows for more even cooking. Leave a small space between the food and the lid and always leave a corner of the container open to allow for excess steam to escape.

* Avoid excessive drying of the outer layer of food items by adding salt to the food after its removal from the microwave. Salt of the surface area of food items attracts the ‘microwaves’, which inadvertently result in a rubbery effect.

* A general rule-of-thumb is that, usually six minutes per pound will adequately cook most meats such as meat, poultry and vegetables – seafood will require less time.

* Recipes which dictate recommended cooking temperatures in degrees can be converted to a microwave’s temperature setting. Basically, a microwave on high or 100% power is equivalent to a conventional oven operating at 425 degrees, and an oven at 350 degrees would be about the same as a microwave operating a 50% power. Cooking foods which would normally take an hour in a conventional oven should take approximately 15 minutes using a microwave.

* Foods such as cakes which would consist of leavening agents, such as baking powder, should be allowed to stand for a few minutes prior to cooking in the microwave. This is to allow the rising agents to do their job.

* Finally, heating 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of water for about 2-3 minutes or until boiling does wonders in removing grease and other food stains which may have been splattered on the interior of your microwave.

So, go ahead – amaze your family with various microwave recipes. There are tons of cooking tips available on the internet which will make your venture into the world of ‘microwave cooking’ a culinary success!

If you enjoy Mexican style cuisine but are intimidated by the thought of cooking these tasty foods at home, know that Mexican recipes are rather simple and contain a lot of easy to find ingredients. In addition, not all Mexican inspired meals have to be filled with hot spices either as you can increase or reduce the amount of “heat” used in each of your recipes.

Mexican lasagna is perfect to serve as a main dish as well as chili and enchiladas. Also, consider foods such as bean dips, which are, chock full of fiber and can be made rather quickly. Many people love tacos especially at parties, picnics, and casual gatherings or try a warm tortilla soup for dinners during the colder months.

You can also make your own Mexican cuisine creations using a little bit of imagination and a few of your favorite ingredients. Experiment with different cheeses, seasonings, spices, and vegetables such as bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, tomatoes, and of course, a selection of beans including pinto and the black variety.

Cheesy Chicken and Chile Rellenos Recipe

What You Need

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves 3 tablespoons cornmeal 1/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 egg 1 tablespoon water 1 medium sized can (4 ounces) whole green chili peppers, rinsed, seeded 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 6 strips 2 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 6 strips 2 tablespoons, fresh cilantro, chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 8 ounce jar red salsa

How to Make It

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare chicken breast halves by placing each piece between pieces of plastic wrap and then pounding with a meat mallet. Pound the chicken lightly while forming into rectangular shapes. The pieces should be approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Discard plastic wrap.

In a shallow bowl or dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, peppers, and salt. In another shallow dish, lightly beat the egg with the water.

Cut each of the whole chili peppers in half lengthwise so you are left with 6 pieces.

Place one piece of chili pepper on each piece of chicken near one of the edges. Place the strips of cheeses near the pepper. Sprinkle the cilantro, salt and pepper evenly onto each piece of chicken.

Fold the chicken over, rolling it up starting with the edge containing the pepper and cheeses. Secure the rolled pieces of chicken together with wooden toothpicks.

Dip each of the rolls into the beaten egg and then again in the cornmeal and flour mixture.

Put the chicken rolls in a shallow baking dish with the seam sides down. Drizzle melted butter onto each roll.

Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Just before the chicken rolls are done baking, heat the salsa in a saucepan over medium heat.

Serve the cheesy chicken and chili rellenos garnished with heated salsa.

Serves 6.

Incoming search terms: