lemon curd sauce on gluten free brownies

moms cake for her birthday (I made it with mom's and Bodhi's assistance and a pre-made mix by Pamela's Baking Company :) mom wanted a lemon curd sauce like her Godmother used to make so I made it. It was tart but good and in combination with brownies it was perfect (but maybe next time more sugar!).

These are fresh farm eggs from the farmers market.

Light Lemon Curd(from Chocolate and the Art of Low Fat Desserts)

1/3 cup strained, fresh lemon juice

2 tsp fresh lemon zest

5 tbsp sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine sugar and lemon juice. Add zest and stir until sugar is dissolved completely.In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg. Whisking constantly (or with an electric mixer on low), very slowly stream the hot lemon-sugar syrup into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes (only 1 if you’re using a mixer), then transfer back into the saucepan by pouring the mixture through a sieve.Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the curd just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Transfer to a small airtight container and store in the fridge.

Denver Urban Homesteading Market

Today we went to the Denver Homesteading Market at 2nd and Santa fe in Denver.

The man selling goat milk was very nice and his goat milk tasted wonderful.

They had great canned goods for sale by mm local. We bought the pears with rosemary, applesauce and high desert peppers as a treat for Mom's birthday.

Making mozzarella at Deli Italia

My mom and I went to Deli Italia at 1990 Wadsworth Dr. in Lakewood Colorado and met Riccardo. He was an extremely nice man with fair prices and as a bonus he took us behind the counter and showed us how to make mozzarella with a microwave (it tastes best when warm).

First pour some water over the curd in a microwave safe dish.You then boil the curd until it is very soft, you microwave it in segments of one minute.

You then drain the water until it is just the curd.

You then salt the cheese curd well.

You fold the rest of the cheese, kneading slightly.

This is Riccardo!

You then roll the cheese into balls and eat or plastic wrap it.
The cheese. We made a salad of sorts with it, just tomatoes, olives, frisee, fresh basil and marinated artichoke hearts.

a present for my mom

For my moms birthday brunch I made her and I omelette's which were the BEST omelette's I have ever had/made (the secret is to butter the sides of the pan).

Interview with Chef Giancarlo and dinner at Loconda Del Borgo

Yesterday I went to Loconda Del Borgo to interview Chef Giancarlo, a Sicily native and a very kind man, with a great restaurant and amazing food. The interview was relatively short and uncomfortable and it forced me to create new questions. However after the interview we had my moms post birthday supper and the food was quite literally to die for.

Mom's cioppini for her pre-birthday supper.

Beet salad with frisee, walnuts and goat cheeseMy grandpa Baba's lamb ragu

Ravioli filled with spinach ricotta and topped with a sage cream sauce

Here I am enjoying the ravioli's.

I took this picture back in the kitchen before the food went out.

Giancarlo and I

Interview on March 2nd, at 4:45 PM

How long have you been cooking?

I started in 1985

What was the first thing you remember cooking?

The first thing I remember cooking professionally was large amounts of food. I can't remember the first thing I made.

How did you become interested in cooking?

From the very beginning, my mom was a very good cook.

What is your favorite recipe?

I don't know, pasta?

Would you suggest cooking as a job to others?

Absolutely

Do you enjoy cooking?

Absolutely

When you were growing up, did you have a cooking mentor? If so, who?

My Grandmother

What type of cooking do you enjoy cooking most?

Italian

What is the hardest part of cooking for you?

Long hours standing

Where did you go to school for cooking?

I didn't go to school for cooking, I went to school for architecture.

What was the biggest influence for your cooking?

In Italy, life revolves around food.

When did you get your first restaurant?

My first restaurant? Thirty years ago.

Another class at kitchen table

Earlier today I had a class at kitchen table cooking school (again) and we made recipes with dough I, enjoyed it quite a lot. It taught me how to make dough from scratch. So after I made the dough I put it in an automatic bread maker. Then once flattened I put it through another attachment that enabled me to cut the pasta.
Then to make the pizza margarita I took the same dough as the pasta except I had made it with yeast then I kneaded it to perfection and flattened it until it was around six inches all around. Than I topped it with the toppings of my choice and baked.
I then made crepe Suzette which is essentially really thin pancakes with an orange sauce. I ate it all and loved it!

the secret art of omelette making

This morning I made five omelette using a step by step instruction from Julia Child's book From Julia Child's Kitchen. First I cracked two eggs, one of which I cracked with such force, that it almost immediately exploded in my face covering me with yolk (That delayed me quite a bit).

I then beat the egg with a fork in a metal mixing bowl quite thoroughly until it all
looked like yolk.Before I pored it in I put in a tablespoon of butter on the pan and swirled it around until it completely covered the entire surface of the pan. You know the butter is ready when there is no froth remaining (or not much). I waited a few seconds until a film of coagulated egg formed.
Then to spread the egg completely I lifted the pan up and shook it side to side for a few seconds.
Then I jerked the egg. I lifted the pan up and jerked it to and fro and when it was close to the rim I gave it an upward jolt to flip it.

It was delicious! My dog enjoyed the one that I dropped on the floor.

ace cooks minestrone

• 3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium summer squash, chopped
• 2 cups fresh swiss chard cut into ribbons
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Basil sprigs, garnish, optional (we used freeze dried instead for a money saving tip)

Peeling carrots is none too easy when you have a dull peeler but clean and peel vegetables as necessary.

Onions burn.... need I say more? Apparently so. Add some olive oil to a pot and add carrots, celery and onion. When soft add broth, tomatoes, and beans, thyme, sage, bay leafs and 1/2 t. each salt and pepper.Cover and cook on medium for 30 minutes.

I then sliced chard into ribbons with my knife.
Add the chard, zucchini and squash and stir, then let cook for 15 more minutes. Before serving add cooked pasta (gluten-free for mom) and top with Parmesan cheese and freeze dried basil (no fresh in winter).
The finished product was divine although I needed to cut the vegetables into much thinner pieces and add much more liquid and beans. I made this meal for my mom and she thought it was magnificent so on that note, Bon' Appetite

Julie and Julia

Based on two true stories

Directed by: Nora Ephron

2003 Columbia pictures industries

Julie And Julia is a movie and book about french cooking however I will be doing a synopsis about the movie.

The film Julie And Julia is a movie that is split in half. One half involves Julia Child’s (Meryl Streep) and how she is attempting to get her now popular book The Art of French Cooking published and it takes her to America. The other half involves Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and her attempt to make every recipe in The Art Of French Cooking (by Julia Child’s) in one year and blog about it.

What I discovered from the film is that Julia Child’s wrote a french cookbook that I would like to make recipes from and that Julia Child’s made french cooking accessible to Americans.

Interview with Sam Milligan

How long have you been cooking?

All my life, but 10 years professionally.

What was the first thing you remember cooking?

Whatever was easy growing up, but my first professional dish was a carrot soup.

How did you become interested in cooking?

I liked the creativity involved in the culinary world, plus everyone has to eat so I knew I could always find a job anywhere in the world.

What is your favorite recipe?

Braised short ribs, anything braised is awesome.

Would you suggest cooking as a job to others?

Cooking is a skill everyone needs no matter what job they choose. As a job, it can be tough, but follow your heart and any job is worth it.

Do you enjoy cooking?

I love what I do and I know that wherever my professional life takes me, I will always find time to cook.

When you were growing up did you have a cooking mentor? If so, who?

The chef at my first professional job was my culinary mentor, but the work ethic my grandfather taught me was the most invaluable thing I learned growing up.

What type of cooking do you enjoy most? (ie, American, Italian, French, Japanese etc.)

Japanese, there is a beauty in the simplicity and artistry.

What is the hardest part of cooking?

cooking is an art and the hardest thing is to listen to people judge what you worked hard to prepare.

Where did you go to school for cooking?

Culinary school of the Rockies, I was able to study in Avignon, France for part of my education.

class at Kitchen Table Cooking School

Recently I took a class on knife skills at the Kitchen Table Cooking School, I made chicken parmigianno, a mixed green salad with a tangy vinaigrette, caramelized onions with sauteed bell peppers and carrots and for desert a panna cotta. The meal I made took me three hours to make but it was well worth it. I enjoyed it quite a lot. It taught me basic knife skills , and I think it gave me much more confidence in the kitchen.