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Showing posts with the label foraging

Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookies form a perfect partnership with a

Goat Cheese Cigarillos with Olive-oil Cured Nasturtium Leaves {Recipe & Video}

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Wild Nasturtium flowers have long been prized in the culinary world for their vibrant petals and peppery flavor that lend themselves well to salads, compound butters, and garnish.  But how about the leaves?  This is a question I asked myself a while back during one of my foraging forays.  Nasturtium leaves are so abundant, I just had to try something! It turns out, the leaves are perfect for a quick blanching, then used as a vibrant green wrapper for tasty fillings.  I came up with this very simple way of wrapping mild chevre inside the blanched leaves, then letting them cure in olive oil, black peppercorns and lemon zest overnight. If you're curious about how the leaves taste, they are very mild.  Blanching removes any bitterness and bite.  The texture is very delicate.  They are more tender than grape leaves. Served the next day over toast points rubbed with a garlic clove, these small bites are not only beautiful, but the taste is out of this world.  If you love goat chees

What To Do With Left Over Easter Eggs: Make Spring Garden Deviled Eggs {RECIPE}

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Do you love Deviled Eggs?  Whether you're looking for a way to use up hard-boiled eggs after Easter, or want a simple, natural way to add color, flavor and beauty to this classic appetizer, this is a recipe you should try or pin for later. Inspired by a project done by one of my advanced culinary students ( Sofia Moore, class of 2020 ) for an art gallery show last year, these hard-boiled eggs get their color from beets.  The eggs are not pickled, but rather bathed in the beet water to take on the color without affecting the flavor balance. I love decorating with edible flowers.  On the central California coast, where I live, there are an abundance of local blossoms that grow wild in yards and green areas at this time of year.  Pictured below are some of my favorites that can be foraged in April. The large flowers, Nasturtium, have a peppery flavor and are delicious, but I'm saving them for a different recipe. Pictured below from left to

Recipe: Tempura Fried Wild Mustard Blossoms

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In a time of many shortages, there's one thing that is not in short supply -- Wild Mustard.  If you drive pretty much anywhere in California at this time of year, this prolific weed is seemingly everywhere.  Did you know that it's delicious?  It's great raw in salads -- it tastes a bit like broccolini -- and adds a lot of color and fun.  It's free and it's nutritious.   Wild mustard grows all over our property, so at this time of year, I send my kids out back with a basket and scissors to snip the tiny clusters of blossoms.  They're delicate, so to wash, we put them in a bowl filled with cold water and gently dunk them.  Dirt and other unwanted debris sinks to the bottom and the blossoms float.  My families absolutely favorite way to eat them is what we call "Popcorn Mustard Flowers".  They're essentially foraged, washed and towel-dried mustard blossoms dipped in a simple tempura batter and fried.  They taste like broccoli tempura and