Harvest Eating

Four Seasons. One Lifestyle.

Christmas Italian Biscotti

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Created By: Omi
Active Time: A little while
Total Time: Until they are done

Description:

Crispy Italian Biscotti are wonderful to dunk in hot coffee in front of the fire during the holidays. These also make a thoughtful hand-crafted gifts.

Ingredients:
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3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp.
1 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup chopped Craisins or cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
3. Add vanilla then beat in dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over work the dough!
4. Stir in the cranberries and pistachios by hand.
5. With floured hands, shape dough into 2-14 inch logs and place on greased baking sheet 4 inches apart.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes on a rack.
7. With a serrated knife ,slice logs into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place cut side down on another greased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, turn over bake an additional 8 minutes or until just golden brown.
8. Cool on wire racks.[/private]

Coconut Cream Pie

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Created by: Chef Keith Snow
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours
Servings:8
Recommended Beverage: Milk

Description:

Coconut cream pie is a nostalgic dish for me. It’s the kind of pie that reminds me of summers growing up. I’ve made this one with as much coconut flavor as I could, so if you like coconut this one is for you.

Ingredients:
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FOR CRUST
6 large Graham crackers
5 tbs butter melted
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup organic, unsweetened coconut flakes

FOR FILLING
1 cup whole milk
1 can coconut milk
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup organic, unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup corn starch
2/3 cup sugar
1 pinch salt

FOR CREAM TOPPING
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract the good stuff!
1/3 cup organic, unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1. In a food processor place the graham cracker, sugar, butter and the first amount of coconut flakes, chop them until very fine.
2. Press mixture into a pie pan to form a crust. Bake in a 350-degree pre-heated oven for about 10-12 minutes.
3. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat combine the milk, coconut milk and coconut flakes from the second amount. Scald, do not boil.
4. In a non-reactive bowl beat the yolks, sugar and cornstarch until smooth and pale yellow.
5. Temper the eggs by adding the hot milk mixture 2 ounces at a time for about a total of 6 ounces. Be careful not to scramble the eggs with hot milk.
6. Pour the now tempered eggs back into the milk mixture and cook over medium-low heat while stirring for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer.
7. Pour this mixture into the pie shell and smooth to the edges. Place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.
8. Make the cream topping by adding the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a large jar and with your immersion blender whip until stiff peaks are formed. Or use stand mixer.
9. Top pie with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes[/private]

Cilantro Pesto Beef Roulade

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[private]Created by: Chef Keith Snow
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Recommended Beverage: Malbec

Description:

This recipe has it all it’s inexpensive, impressive and delicious. Cilantro grows so well in some parts of the country that you’re always trying to come up with recipes that have cilantro. Well this recipe showcases this versatile herb, and if grass fed beef is available your in for a treat, so try this one today.

Ingredients:

1 whole flank steak pounded 1/2 inch thick
2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup Manchego cheese grated
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp chili flakes
4 ounces goat cheese
butchers twine
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients (except beef) in a food processor and pulse until a smooth consistency is reached.
2. Rub the flank steak with a 1/8 inch layer of pesto leaving a 1/2 inch boarder on the edges
3. Roll tightly and tie with butcher twine. Season with salt and pepper
4. Roast in a 350 degree preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, about 40 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let rest before removing twine and slicing, about 10 minutes.
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Crab Stuffed Shrimp

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You just can’t beat the taste of shrimp or crab so putting them together is awesome. This dish is so light, tangy and reminiscent of the Mediterranean that you’ll love to share it with friend at a casual dinner party.

Ingredients:

2 lbs large shrimp (16-20) peeled and deveined
1 lbs lump crab meat picked over to remove any shell pieces
2 medium jalapeno chopped
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
2 tbs Italian parsley chopped
1 tbs fresh tarragon chopped
2 medium shallot chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic chopped fine
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the crab on a sheet pan and carefully pick through to remove any shells. In a bowl combine the crab, jalapeno, breadcrumbs, parsley, tarragon, shallot, garlic and eggs then season to taste.
2. “butterfly” the shrimp and lay them on a sheet pan split side down.
3. Place a ball of the crab stuffing on top of the shrimp and fold the tail over the crab stuffing.
4. Combine the lemon juice, wine and olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture evenly over the shrimp.
5. Bake the shrimp in a pre-heated, 400-degree oven for ten minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove the shrimp from the pan and pour the liquid over them, serve immediately.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

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Farm fresh goat cheese can be found in just about every Farmers Market and this recipe showcases it’s uses. Paired with local hormone-free chicken breast, tomatoes from your garden and you are eating the Harvest Eating way….

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Sweet Potato Cheesecake

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Created By : Chef Keith Snow
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours plus time to cool

Description:

This recipe for sweet potato cheesecake uses vanilla, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and grated nutmeg. It also contains instructions for making a graham cracker crust.

Ingredients:

For Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
8 tablespoons melted butter

For Cheesecake:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Pinch salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 sweet potatoes, baked, peeled, and passed through a food mill

Directions: To make the crust:

1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, and melted butter in a bowl. Using a tablespoon, press this mixture into a 10-inch springform pan, and chill for 30 minutes.

To make the cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place cream cheese. Use paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Continue to mix and add sugar and salt. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add sour cream, flour, and spices. Lower speed and add sweet potato puree.
3. Pour the batter into crust lined pan. Place a baking pan of hot water under cheesecake pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, then lower temperature to 250 degrees F and bake an additional 1 1/2 hours or until cake center is firm.
5. Let the cake cool on rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until completely chilled. Loosen pan sides and remove cheesecake. Carefully slice cake with knife dipped in hot water, then wiped.

No Knead Bread

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Many of you are familiar with the term “no knead bread” which has gained much notoriety recently due to coverage in the New York times and being featured in several bakeries also in New York City who offer several types of this bread.

For some reason, baking bread frightens many people. I believe that making bread at home is simple, more healthful and becoming a requirement due to lack of good baked bread and to low quality breads that are filled with science.  This new fangled no-knead method really takes the fear out of it and makes it so easy literally anybody who can mix a few ingredients together and who can operate the stove, can make killer home-baked bread.

I developed my own recipe that is a combo of bread flour and whole wheat flour that is started with a sponge, which is to say a slightly sour pre-mix that goes into the final dough. This bread requires no kneading and hardly any shaping, it’s just dropped into a pre-heated Dutch oven (I like ceramic, more about that soon!) and baked with the cover on for 30 minutes, then with cover off for an additional 30 minutes. The oven is pre-heated to 400 degrees.

The results are awesome to say the least, all the qualities you’d be willing to pay a fancy bakery for; crisp exterior, large round boulle shape, interesting crumb interior and slightly sour flavor. Pretty much perfect. We usually make a double batch then freeze one so we always have it on hand.  It will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months if stored properly.

By using this method, your always ready to have incredible toast with eggs, bread to make garlic bread, bread for a pb&j and perfect, I’m talking PERFECT bread for a grilled cheese sandwich.

I will be sharing a recipe on this site soon to go along with a video that way you will have no excuses!

Check back soon.

~Keith

Brick Oven Pizza At Home

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[private]iphone-20091109180433-1Making pizza at home is not only easy but also very fun. The pie above has mushrooms, roasted red peppers and rosemary-olive oil & garlic poached onions. It’s topped with fresh mozzarella too..pretty sweet. I make pizza at least once per week and all components are made from scratch. This may sound daunting to some, but trust me, it’s a snap. I make a triple batch of dough in my stand mixer then form it into balls, let them rise in the refrigerator then either use them that day or freeze for later use.

This is pretty much how the pizza shops do it. Each time I form freshly made dough into balls it brings me back to when I was 14-15 years old and working in a Italian restaurant in NJ. At 11pm we would make a BIG batch of dough for the next day’s pizzas.

I really see no reason to order pizza for take in, however I have no problem with going out for pizza as the dining experience makes it pleasurable…that is assuming the pizza is good.

Recently while in NYC for a tv event I ate a pizza from Lombardis, the famous coal-fired pizza joint in the SOHO area. Honestly, I was so excited to actually have their pizza after hearing so much about them on Food Network and in magazines etc…boy was I disappointed….it was average at best. Crust was not good, sauce was way too sweet..just a big let down. My pizza at home blows it away….I will readily admit that many of you may not believe that..and of course this is “my opinion”…. Lombardis has many happy customers and has for generations, they do not need my seal of approval.

In the near future, I plan on shooting a series of new videos that will comprise Harvest Eating Pizza University..admission is for all…..this series will demonstrate everything from equipment (stones, pizza peel, cutters etc..) to sauce, to dough, to toppings….stay tuned for an update..better yet..subscribe to RSS for an automatic update…

~Keith[/private]

Home Made Dough

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Created by: Chef Keith Snow
Active Time:10 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Servings:4-6

Description:

Learn how easy making dough for pizza, breads, calzone and flatbread can be.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Add the packet of yeast to the warm water and sugar then stir through. Add 1 Tbsp of kosher salt.
2. Place the A.P. flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade. Pulse it briefly to loosen up the flour.
3. While running the processor, slowly add the water & yeast mix. Note that you might not need all of the liquid. The dough will start to form into a ball when ready. After the ball forms, let the machine knead the dough for another minute or so.
4. Remove the dough. Start making a round ball by turning the dough in upon itself. Close off the bottom hole/seam by twisting.
5. Add some olive oil to a bowl and spin the dough in the oil to coat evenly. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it someplace warm to rise for an hour or two or refrigerate it overnight.

Chef’s Notes:

An equal amount of honey can be substituted for the sugar. Also, after it rises it can be portioned and frozen for later use. We usually have frozen dough on hand in our house at all times.