Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! Mine has been wonderful so far and I received far too many gifts :).

For Christmas Eve dinner, I was asked to make a simple green salad that would pair nicely with Stone Crab claws. I looked through a few recipes and there was one that stuck out at me. 
This salad uses spicy salad greens along side crunchy pepitas and sweet pears. It was perfect with the crab claws and I think everyone really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the nice bite of the Manchego cheese. As for the vinaigrette, I will be making it again and again. It was outstanding!

Once again, I very much apologize for the terrible quality of the photos. They were rushed while I was serving the salad.

Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups packed arugula
• 4 cups packed frisée (curly endive)
• 1/3 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
• 5 large pears (any type will taste great), cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 lb piece of Manchego cheese, rind removed and grated or cut into tiny pieces
• 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add in the pepitas and cook until puffed and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Pour the leftover oil from the pan into a small bowl and reserve for later.
2. Heat 2 more tbsp of the oil in the same saute pan and add in the pear chunks. Saute for aroubd five minutes and remove from pan and set aside.
3. Toss together the arugula, frisée, cheese, and pepitas in a large salad bowl.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (including the reserved oil from the pepitas), whisking until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the dressing on the salad and add the pears; toss to combine. If you are making this ahead of time, I like to whisk the dressing up in the bottom of the salad bowl and pour the arugula, frisée, pepitas, and Manchego over it. I put the sauteed pears in a tupperware, and then when ready to serve you just throw in the pears and toss to coat!

serves at least 10 small starter salads

Mascarpone Brownies with Honey-Chocolate Sauce

Merry Christmas!

Brownies have always been one of my favorite desserts, but honestly, who can't say that? This version kicks the typical brownie up a few notches and actually makes it fairly elegant! They are soft and rich from the mascarpone cheese, yet also surprisingly light at the same time. They are nice and fudge-y, and paired with the honey-chocolate sauce they are just absolutely divine.

I apologize for the terrible photos, but I had to take them in very dim lighting at Christmas Eve dinner with my family :).

Mascarpone Brownies with Honey-Chocolate Sauce

recipe adapted from here

Mascarpone Brownies:

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 baking pan.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate and 1/2 cup of butter together in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone, 6 tbsp of softened butter, and sugar until combined.
5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add in the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat until combined.
7. Add the dry ingredients, slowly, and mix just until combined.
8. Pour into greased pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
9. Serve with Honey-Chocolate sauce drizzled over top.

Honey-Chocolate Sauce:

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp honey

1. Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan over medium heat to a light boil.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely combined.
3. Stir in the honey until combined.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use and then heat over low heat until pourable. Serve over brownies.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Arugula and Prosciutto

Ever since I realized the glory that is slow scrambled eggs, I have been all over those babies like white on rice. While I was home, I really wanted to share their tastiness with my family so they could appreciate their wonderfulness as much as I do! Yesterday morning I woke up early and made my mom some for breakfast.
I wasn't sure about the flavor combination that I wanted to include in them so I just decided to see what I had on-hand. I saw some arugula and prosciutto di parma leftover from the tartines I made a couple of days ago and it was settled!
These eggs turned out amazing and it's safe to say that my mother was rather impressed. I served them up with some nice fresh strawberries topped with mascarpone cheese that I mixed with a bit of cream and brown sugar- utterly delightful!

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Arugula and Prosciutto

ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• pat of butter
• salt and pepper
• handful of arugula
• shaved parmesan cheese
• a couple of slices of prosciutto di parma

1. Whisk together the eggs and cream until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Wait until the butter foams up and then the foam subsides. Pour in the eggs/cream and reduce the heat to low.
3. Continually stir the eggs with a wooden spoon over very low heat until the desired consistency is reached (this should take quite a bit of time, up to around 30 minutes). Add in the arugula and stir until it wilts.
4. Scoop the eggs onto four pieces of toasted, fresh bread. Top with a sprinkling of shaved parmesan and finish with a slice of prosciutto. Serves 2-4 depending on appetites.

White Chocolate Heath Cookies

Cookie Time! I finally had to give in to my family's pleads for something sweet and decided to try something a little different. My dad's favorite cookie is White Chocolate Macadamia, but his favorite candy is definitely Heath (and, by the way,  I could not, for the life of me, keep him away from it while I was making these!); I decided, why not borrow a bit from both and make White Chocolate Heath Cookies?
These cookies turned out absolutely perfect. I know calling something "perfect" is a little much, but I honestly don't know how else to describe them! The crunchy heath and the warm, gooey white chocolate just may be a match made in heaven (Who knew?). Plus, they have a nice crispy-ness to them while still being chewy.
Make them this holiday season. I promise you won't be disappointed (and neither will your family or friends- in fact, don't be surprised if you happen to make a few new buddies with these tasty treats!).

Poor Max wanted some cookies. My father honest to goodnesss said they were "doggone good" while attempting to be super punny, hah.

Sorry Maxie :(.

White Chocolate Heath Cookies

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 2 cups Heath pieces

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand-held mixer. Add in the whole egg and the vanilla and beat until combined; follow with the yolk and again beat until combined.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Stir in the white chocolate and the heath.
6. Scoop dough into 1-2 tablespoon-sized balls onto the baking sheet. Lightly press down on the cookies to flatten them ever-so-slightly.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and setting on a wire rack to further cool.

Asparagus, Leek, and Prosciutto Tartines

Whenever I'm back home in Florida my family takes full advantage of my love for cooking/baking and doesn't hesitate to ask for delectable treats. When my mom asked if I would make some appetizers for a holiday party her and my dad were attending, I certainly said yes!
I knew that I would be making some of the Fig Bruschetta that I had made the last time I was home because it is not only incredibly, amazingly delicious, but super easy (though I used dried figs this time as they are no longer in season and they tasted just as wonderful!). But, I wanted to make a second option as well. When I found the recipe for these tartines, I knew they would be a fun and tasty compliment.
They turned out awesome, and like the bruschetta, were very simple to make. I loved the creaminess of ricotta/asparagus puree with the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the lemon juice added a nice freshness. From what I hear, they were a huge hit at the party!

Asparagus, Leek, and Prosciutto Tartines

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• 1 leek roughly chopped, white and light green portions only
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb prosciutto
• bread sliced into rounds for serving (you could use a baguette or ciabatta)
• olive oil for drizzling

1. Boil the asparagus in a shallow pan until it turns bright green, around 5 minutes. Remove from pan and run under cool water to stop the cooking; pat dry.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
3. Roughly chop the asparagus and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Add the ricotta and the sauteed leeks/garlic and pulse until combined. Ad the lemon juice and the other 2 teaspoons of olive oil and puree. Season with sat and pepper if necessary.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the bread slices, sprinkle with black pepper, and toast in an oven until golden brown. Smear a dollop of the puree on each slice and top with a piece of the prosciutto.