Friday, May 25, 2012

Thai ginger peanut sauce


Thai ginger peanut sauce




This is an extra hot recipe, perfect for a dip for vegetables.  If you prefer a little less spicy then reduce the amount of chili flakes used.  Serve your Thai peanut sauce over rice noodles as meal that kids will love.   I use fresh ground cayenne pepper, and Thaiginger sea salt, you can purchase these at my online store and if you use the code word “blog” the shipping is free.
Ingredients:
·         1/3 cup peanut butter, softened
·         3 tablespoons coconut milk
·         2 tablespoons soy sauce
·         1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
·         1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
·         1 clove garlic, minced
·         1 cayenne chili powder or to taste
·         Pinch of Thai ginger sea salt, or to taste
Preparation:
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. If needed, you can microwave the peanut butter for a few seconds first to soften it up.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Gluten Free NY style Cheesecake with peaches


Gluten Free NY style Cheesecake with peaches



When I was a little boy I was always in the kitchen bugging the cook, there were a few things that I learned:  1) that this was Cook’s secret family recipe for cheesecake, and 2) that she always cut the end off the ham because that is the way Cook’s Grandma made the ham taste so good.
Well now that I am a Chef I have found out a few things about Cook’s idea of cooking: 1) Yes it may have been Cook’s recipe, and yes it came from her head but that did not mean it was a family invented recipe, and 2) she cut the end off the ham bone all those years because her mom did, only to find out that she did it to make it fit in a smaller pan.  The point of the story is to say that: 1) In cooking few things are new…usually just a twist on something already tried, and 2) just because it’s always been done that way does not mean that we can’t change it. So feel free to add or change the ingredients in a recipe and make it your own.
So here are my change on a typical NY style cheesecake.
Ingredients
·         ½ to 1 box of gluten free gingerbread cookies, crushed
·         4 tablespoons butter, melted 
·         4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
·         1 1/2 cups white sugar
·         3/4 cup milk
·         4 eggs
·         1 cup sour cream
·         1 tablespoon vanilla extract
·         1/4 cup gluten free almond flour
·         1 large can of sliced peaches
·         ½ cup white sugar
·         ¼ teaspoon almond extract
·         1 tablespoon butter

Directions
1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2.     In a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3.     In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4.     Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.


Topping
Over medium heat melt butter in large pan, add peaches, stirring until warm. Add sugar, bringing to a boil. Remove from heat, add extract. Serve warm over cheese cake or cool in refrigerator and serve cold. It taste good both ways.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Chorizo Chipotle Mac ’n Cheese



Chorizo Chipotle Mac ’n Cheese




Try my adult version of Mac ‘n Cheese with a nice spicy twist. We use handmade artisan chorizos from our store that are nice and spicy, add an extra hot special blended chipotle powder (also from our store).  Then to make this dish melt in your mouth we used an artisan cheddar cheese that has a creamy sharp bite, mixed our milk with heavy cream and added a little Monterey Jack cheese just to round out the flavors.  If you like it extra hot try Chef Lippes special blend of dry mustard powder that has the extra kick of wasabi and can be found in our condiments section.

Ingredients:
·         1 cup elbow macaroni pasta
·         2 Tablespoons olive oil
·         4 ounces chorizo, crumbled
·         4 Tablespoons butter
·         2 cups milk
·         2 cups heavy cream
·         1 Tablespoon dry mustard
·         1 Tablespoon chipotle powder
·         1 pound sharp white cheddar cheese
·         ½ pound Jack Cheese
·         1 cup breadcrumbs
·         Pinch of salt

Directions:
1.   Heat oven to 350 degrees
2.   Cook pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3.   Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté chorizo until browned (removed from casing/crumbled). Set aside.
4.   Lower heat and melt butter. Add flour, whisking for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a simmer, continuing to whish constantly. While stirring, add mustard and chipotle pepper, and cheese (save ½ cup for topping).
5.   Pour drained pasta into the cheese sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to 3 quart casserole dish. Top with chorizo, reserved cheese and bread crumbs.
6.   Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Saturday Night Sausages and cards!

Saturday Night Sausages 


By Chef Lippe



We all know that a summer time favorite is a grilled sausage sandwiches. It is one of my favorite foods. I love hot and spicy so this recipe clearly divides the men from the boys.  I make this recipe for our Saturday night card game.  The artisan sausage that I use is called “Saturday night special.” It is tailor-made to soak up the alcohol after a night of poker. It is a pork sausage flavored with garlic, beer and lots of Siracha Sauce.  I cover the sausage with grilled onions and reconstituted pequin peppers, fresh bell peppers and some more garlic. If you like hot, this is guaranteed to set your mouth on fire! Serve on buns with lots of beer to cool down your mouth.

Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
·         2 tbsp olive oil
·         1 large red bell peppers, seeded, cut into half-inch strips
·         1 large green bell peppers, cut into half-inch strips
·         2 dried pequin peppers soaked in warm water and finely chopped
·         1 yellow onion, halved, and cut in quarter-inch slices
·         2 cloves finely minced garlic
·         1 tsp white wine vinegar
·         pinch of cayenne
·         salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
·         4 grilled Saturday Night Sausage
·         4 soft rolls, split
Preparation:
Add the olive oil, pepper strips, and onion to a cold, large skillet, and turn on the heat to high. When you can hear the peppers and onions sizzling, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the peppers and onions become soft and sweet. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute, stirring. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar, cayenne, salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Divide the hot pepper mixture evenly over the four rolls and grilled sausages.
Enjoy the burst of flavor and heat!