Cauliflower Gratin

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Ingredients

•  1 large head cauliflower ( 3 lb ) , cored and cut into florets

• ½ stick  unsalted butter, divided, more for pan 

• 2 cups hot milk

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• Salt & pepper

• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ¾ cup grated gruyere cheese

• 1/2  cup parmesan, finely grated, divided

• ¾ cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375º. 

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko and cook until crumbs are golden brown, keep a watchful eye as they burn quickly. Transfer the panko to a small bowl and toss ¼ cup parmesan, and ¼ cup of gruyere cheese, thyme leaves, and season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

3. While you prepare the cauliflower, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the cauliflower until tender, but still firm, about 6-7 minutes. Drain the cauliflower, and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the rest of the 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour and cook until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, don't let it brown. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. 

5. Off the heat, add nutmeg, and the remaining of gruyere and parmesan cheese.

6. Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Pour the rest of the sauce over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the herbed panko  bread crumbs and cheese over the top. 

7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Macaroni & Cheese

What is more comforting than a bowl of warm mac & cheese! NOTHING.

This recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal because of how simple it is to make, and also, it can easily be doubled for any holiday like Thanksgiving or just a family dinner.

Before jumping straight to the recipe, let's breakdown the important qualities to the perfect mac & cheese.

1. Pasta - Look for a pasta with a lot of nooks and crannies. I love to use cavatappi, but other popular shapes are elbow pasta, shells, or pipette.

2. At least 2 Cheeses - When it comes to choosing your cheese, remember to use at least 2 in your recipe, 1 sharp, and 1 creamy. Using at least two will give your mac and cheese creaminess while the other will give a flavor punch. My favorite cheeses to use are Gruyere and Cheddar! But any mix of sharp and creamy cheese will do like these:

   • Sharp Cheese - Parmesan, Pecorino, aged Asiago,

   • Creamy Cheese - Gouda, Monterey Jack, and Fontina, cream cheese

3. Grate your cheese! - Picking up pre-shredded bag and cheese is tempting; however, I urge you to think twice! The pre-shredded cheese bags have stabilizers and anti-caking agents, lessen the flavor of the cheese, and it won't melt properly. BUT, if you are tight on time, I advise you to pick only one pre-shredded cheese!

4. Spices - this recipe has mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Adding a pinch of spice really makes all the difference! The mustard goes really well with the cheese, and the pepper just adds that extra kick.

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Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

• ¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• ¼ cup Parmesan, finely grated 

• 2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more

• 8 oz. cavatappi 

• 2 ½ cups whole milk

• 2 shallot, grated

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 4 oz. Gruyère, grated 

• 8 oz. mild white cheddar, grated 

• ½ teaspoon English mustard powder

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2 qt. Baking dish. 

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with Parmesan, thyme leaves, and ¼ tsp. salt.

3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente (the noodles will continue to cook in the cheese sauce, so take them out a minute or two before you think they’re actually done). Drain pasta; let cool while you make the sauce.

4. Bring milk to a bare simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are fragrant and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to stick to bottom of saucepan, about 1 minute. Add warm milk in a few additions, whisking to combine after each addition.

5. Bring béchamel sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until sauce is thickened and doesn’t feel grainy when a little bit is rubbed between your fingers, 6–8 minutes.  Add the grated cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, and ¾ tsp. salt and stir until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and mix in pasta; transfer to the buttered baking dish.

6. Bake 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan breadcrumbs and bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges, 8–10 minutes longer. Let cool in pan 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Pumpkin Meringue Cheesecake

Less than a week away from Thanksgiving, and I can barely hold in my excitement. Once it hits November, I get filled with so much joy because there is so much to celebrate!

I started the month by celebrating my birthday with my close friends and family. I went to cocktail making class with my boyfriend which was tons of fun and also a ploy for the best sunrise ever!

After grabbing a $1 slice pizza ( nothing better) , we headed to Korea town where all my friends surprised me. It was truly the best birthday ever!

Once my birthday is over, the holiday planning starts!

In my family, we all have our roles, my mom is to prepare her famous corn pudding and apple tart, my aunt handles pretty much everything else and I am in charge of desserts.

Considering that our dinner is the same every year, I love looking at old and recent newspapers and magazines to gather up as much inspiration I can for what dessert I want to make that year!

This year I decided to use a classic Thanksgiving ingredient, pumpkin! There is no secret that I love cheesecake, so this year I decided to do a meringue pumpkin cheesecake, with a gingersnap crust, instead of a regular pumpkin pie! The spice from the crust really gives this dessert a kick, and the meringue on top is the perfect sweetness and lightness that helps balance the whole cake.

Try it – it is a simple and easy delicious dessert to make.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 3/4 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs, 5 1/2 cookie sheets

• 3/4 cup finely ground gingersnap crumbs, 6-8 small cookies

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted 

Filling

• Two 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 2/3 granulated sugar

• 2 eggs, room temperature

• ¼ cup flour

• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ginger

• salt

Meringue Topping

• 3 egg-whites

• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

• Pinch of kosher salt

Recipe

Crust 

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, gingersnap cookies, and sugar until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse to combine.

2. Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Once it's done, take it out of the oven and allow to cool. 

Filling

1. While the crust cools, prepare the filling. 

2. In a clean, the food processor, pulse the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and pumpkin puree, pulse for 30 seconds. Add the eggs and pulse again. Lastly, add the flour, spices, and a pinch of salt and pulse until the filling is smooth and all combined. 

3. Pour the filling into the springform pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until its set and slightly jiggly. 

4. Once it is cooked, allow it to cool completely, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Meringue Topping

1. Before serving, prepare the meringue. 

2. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and is hot. 

3.  Transfer the bowl to the standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, then increase speed to high and beat until mixture is stiff.

4. Using a spatula mound meringue either on one half or in the middle, and spread it to the edges. Using a spoon, create mountains and swoops of meringue around the surface. Be creative - you can’t go wrong~

5. Using a culinary torch, hold the torch about a few inches away from the tart, brown the meringue lightly. Alternatively, place the pie in a preheated broiler, watching it carefully, as it will brown very quickly.

Cranberry Orange Chocolate Tart

First Monday of December, and I am in full holiday baking mode!

I’m starting the month off with this festive cranberry curd tart, made with chocolate graham crackers and a cranberry curd with orange juice and zest and topped with sugared cranberries!

This showstopper tart is sour and sweet and a great quick dessert to make for any holiday party.

Cranberries tend to be just a Thanksgiving time kind of berries, but since they are so good for you, I am on a mission to try to use them all year round. Thinking about adding them to a nice pork roast or even to a grain bowl If you have any ideas, let me know, and we will try them together!

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

• 8 oz. fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, plus 4 oz. for topping

• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping

• 2 large eggs

• 1 large egg yolks

• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

• 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest, divided

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice

• Pinch of kosher salt

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Recipe

Chocolate Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, pulse chocolate grahams until finely ground. Pour sugar and melted butter, pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Place mixture into tart pan and press evenly into the bottoms and sides of the pan. Blind bake the crust by placing a piece of parchment paper, or aluminum foil on top of the crust. Pour in pie weights, or dried beans.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes

5. Carefully remove the parchment/aluminum foil with the weights, or beans, and allow to cool.

Filling

1. Bring 6 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

3. Cook cranberry purée, egg, egg yolk, orange zest, orange juice, salt, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.

4. Stir with a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, around 10 minutes (might take a few minutes longer). Let cool until just warm.

5. Using an electric mixer ,or whisk, beat curd.

6. Add butter a piece at a time and incorporate after each addition until curd looks lighter in color and texture. Pass through a sieve, then scrape into crust and chill until firm, at least two hours 2 hours.

Cranberry Topping

1. Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute.

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.

3. Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar.

4. Top tart with cranberries as you like.

Apple Galette

Happy Fall!

Nothing screams Fall more than the smell of a nice apple dessert coming out of the oven! This apple galette is one of my go to recipe because of how delicious and effortless it is to make.

It's one of the simplest desserts to make, thanks to store bought puff pastry! During the holidays, we are all scrambling to make so many dishes that this recipe is a great substitute for when an apple pie is just too much to make!

From the golden pastry crust, to the warm spiced apples in the center, you won’t even think twice about the missing apple pie!

This galette is perfect to make when apples are in season ,but is also great when made with pears, and even stone fruit!

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Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

• 2 - 3 large apples, peeled and sliced

• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 2 tbsp. muscovado sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment paper lined sheet pan.

3. In a medium sized bowl, toss the peeled, cored and sliced apples with lemon juice, flour, sugar, and spices. Toss until all the apples are coated.

4. To assemble, arrange the apple slices evenly in the middle of the dough, leaving a border.

5. Fold edges of dough over filling, tucking and overlapping as needed.

6. Beat the egg, and brush the crust with the egg wash, and sprinkle the muscovado sugar over the egg wash.

7. Bake for 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

8. Serve with ice cream