Oaxaca Kitchen's Guacamole - For Cinco de Mayo

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo we have a great recipe for you to make at home!

It's Guacamole, with a recipe courtesy of Oaxaca Kitchen, New Haven! That's right! Chef Prasad Chirnomula is sharing his recipe for this hearty and delicious guacamole, that's easy for you to create at home!

And we all love an easy to prepare recipe - that's good for you too!

Photo Courtesy Oaxaca Kitchen and SplashPR

Guacamole Recipe by:

Executive Chef:  Prasad Chirnomula
Assistant to Chef:  Balu Sagadevan

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1-2 Jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped to small dices
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 to 1 whole fresh lime juice (Based on personal taste and size of limes)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
• Thin slices of red radishes for garnish. Serve with tortilla chips or sliced cucumbers.
• 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced garlic and roasted (Optional)

Method

• Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
• Using a wooden ladle, mash the avocado. (Remember to leave it a bit chunky and fully mashed)
• Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt  and mash some more. Chili peppers vary in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper, and taste and add as you go.
• Before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix and garnish with radishes and some more chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Serve with crispy corn tortilla chips and enjoy!

Want the real deal? Head on down to Oaxaca Kitchen and let them do the Cinco de Mayo cooking for you!

Oaxaca Kitchen

228 College Street
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 859-5774
http://oaxacakitchen.com/

National Grill Cheese Day with T-Fal USA

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!

Photo Source: 5WPR

Who doesn't love a fun foodie holiday?

Not me - that's for sure! So, in honor of the humble Grilled Cheese - let's whoop it up and enjoy the day! (As if we needed an excuse to indulge in a cheesy, gooey, delicious hot melted sandwich!)

The Classic American Grilled Cheese is a culinary staple, but let's face it. Been there. Done that.

So let's do a recipe upgrade, with T-fal's Four Cheese Gourmet Grilled Cheese.


The key to this sandwich's crispily delightful look and taste is that it is grilled to perfection in the T-fal Optigrill Plus, (product info below).  I mean really, a grill cheese with grill marks? Win Win!

T-fal's Four Cheese Gourmet Grilled Cheese

2 Servings / Preparation Time: 5 min.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) melted butter
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped
• Fresh parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• A pinch of black pepper

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 slices fresh crusty bread, about1/2-inch (1 cm) thick
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) shredded Gruyere cheese

Instructions:

1. Blend the butter with the parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pepper until well combined. Spread the butter mixture evenly over one side of each slice of bread. Place a slice of Cheddar, on the unbuttered side, of the other 2 slices of bread. Toss the mozzarella with the Gruyere and sprinkle over the Cheddar. Top the sandwiches with the remaining bread, buttered-side-out.
2. Turn the T-fal OptiGrill Plus on. Select the sandwich program and press OK. Once the purple indicator light has stopped flashing, place the sandwiches on the grill and close the lid.
3. Cook until the indicator light has changed to red or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.

TIPS:

• The combination possibilities for this sandwich are endless! Add bacon, ham, salami, turkey, tomato, basil, sage or roasted red peppers.
• Substitute any combination of favorite cheeses for those suggested in the recipe.
• Serve this sandwich with a hot bowl of soup for a warming lunch or light supper.

T-fal OptiGrill Plus

The T-fal OptiGrill Plus is the new, one-of-a-kind way to grill indoors. The innovative OptiGrill Plus features a cooking sensor that guarantees a perfectly cooked meal every time. The built-in sensor automatically adapts to the thickness of your food and delivers perfect doneness from rare to well-done for six different programs: burgers, poultry, Panini, sausage and pork, red meat and fish. The OptiGrill Plus' unique temperature gauge allows the savvy home cook to have total control when cooking foods on the manual setting. Users can customize and adjust the temperature from keep warm, low, medium and high, allowing for a range of preparation options beyond the current preset functions. The OptiGrill Plus features angled plates that allow fat to drip off easily into the extra-large drip tray. The brushed stainless steel exterior is sleek and compact for easy storage and the removable cooking plates and drip tray are dishwasher safe for fast and easy clean up.

Available at Bed Bath & Beyond. SRP: $179.99

Bauli's Panettone Berry Trifle for Easter

Luca Manfe's Panettone Trifle With Red Berries

Here's a great recipe to use for Easter dessert that's not only delicious (AND EASY) but will look perfect on the holiday table!

What would be better than a  bright and colorful Bauli's Panettone Berry Trifle!

Photo Courtesy of  5W Public Relations

To make this already-simple recipe even easier, Celebrity Chef Luca Manfè, winner of Masterchef Season 4 (see bio at end of post) takes you step-by-step in this How-To video! And the entire recipe is found below, courtesy of the great folks at Bauli!

Bauli's Panettone Berry Trifle

Ingredients

 (4 serving)
•1 Panettone
•2 cups of Raspberries
•1 cup of sugar
•4 tbsp Marsala
•1 cup Mascarpone
•2 cups Custard cream
•2 tsp Vanilla extract
•2 cups Fresh cream

Directions

Cut the Panettone cake into slices eliminating all of the upper crust. Then cut into cubes and place the cut Panettone in glasses.

Pour the raspberries into a bowl then marinate with lemon juice, 250 ml sugar and 4 tbsp Marsala wine in a saucepan.

 Whisk the 250 ml mascarpone cheese until creamy then gradually add in the 500 ml cream and 2 tsp vanilla extract, stirring constantly to properly combine all the ingredients.

Begin the trifle by placing a layer of cake on the bottom of the cup followed by a layer of berries and a layer of mascarpone cream.
 Finish with whipped cream and add some berries.

Put the trifle in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
After one hour, it will be ready to serve.

Ingredients for the Mascarpone Cream:

 1 cup chilled whipping cream
 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
 1/4 cup sugar
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

 In a stand mixer combine mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a large metal bowl.
 With an electric mixer on high, beat until the mascarpone cream starts to seize and thicken.
 Turn mixer speed to low and slowly drizzle in milk, beating until well combined.
 Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For more great recipes visit http://www.bauliusa.com

About Luca Manfè

Chef Luca Manfè has been in the restaurant business since he was 16 years old, working in a pub in his small hometown in Northeast Italy. When he turned 21, he started to travel the world, working in Italy, Australia, Florida, and New York.  He had the privilege and honor to work with great chefs, experiencing ingredients and techniques from different cuisines. Ultimately, he landed in New York City, in pursuit of the American dream.  Fast forward ten years, and Luca has certainly achieved what he set out to accomplish. Today, Luca is a successful cookbook author, releasing his first cookbook, "My Italian Kitchen," in May, 2014.  He also runs a small catering company called "Dinner with Luca," and serves as brand ambassador for Italian confectionary company, Bauli. Luca is the first male (and non-American) to win the title of MasterChef USA.