With childhood diabetes rising at a staggering rate, moms across the country are fed up. Our fast paced society has shifted into the wrong paradigm while we remain blinded by giant neon lights and colossal sized dollar menus. Fast food was supposed to make our lives easier but now we realize it's taking valuable years off our lives and hurting our families. Luckily, whistle blowers such Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, and Greg Critser, author of Fat Land, are really helping us to see the big fat picture.
From the standpoint of a professional chef, there are some things I would like to share with you. Thousands of moms have reached out to me in person or through my web site to find out how they can prepare healthy, fast, and delicious meals for their families. I have found over the years that there is a high correlation of people who think they just can't do it with those who lack the proper tools. Fast food restaurants are well-oiled machines that have built their fortunes on the right tools. Their job is to make as much food as possible in the shortest amount of time. The ones who could not find the proper tools have built their own. The giants with the most effective tools are the real winners. So where does that leave us? Well, with a little education, in really good shape actually.
The market is saturated with cooking tools and utensils, which can certainly be a bit overwhelming. Some stores carry so many options that most stare at the shelves blankly while other higher end cook shops push gold plated do-dads that carve out status instead of bread. Keep it simple sweetie, that’s the motto I live by and drill into all my aspiring students.
A good chefs knife, a food processor, and a sauté and roasting pan. With those tools alone you can prepare months of gourmet meals without repetition. The knife is something that you should feel comfortable with. I personally have found that a Santoku knife works best. The food processor will slice, dice, and chop most anything so definitely make counter space for that. Lastly, any roasting pan will do but for the sauté pan I like a well-made stainless steel version. I steer away from the non-sticks because with a low calorie olive oil and the right temperature the stainless steel cooks better, lasts longer and wont rust. I have ventured into many home kitchens only to find non-sticks with portions of the Teflon missing. Wear and tear loosens this harmful toxin and makes it a part of your meal, yuck! Housewives best friend...I beg to differ.
So now you have the tools but the phone is ringing, hunger pangs are manifesting, and the clock is ticking. Well, before you call for pizza or race for the drive thru, bear with me, an incredible meal is minutes away. What’s on the menu, you ask? BBQ glazed salmon, sautéed broccoli rabe, and rosemary scented baked potatoes. I know, I know...it sounds fancy and expensive, hard to cook, and easy to screw up. Well, I give you my word. This is going to be fun and you will be proud. The following recipe feeds 4.
Make one quick stop to the local market. First stop, the seafood section. You are going to ask for 1 lb of wild salmon. They will even portion it for you into four pieces. Now grab a good BBQ sauce to smother on your salmon. Next stop, produce section. Grab a package of broccoli rabe or broccoli if the rabe is too bitter for your tastes. Now with those same hands grab a head of garlic. Lastly, a small bag of sun-dried tomatoes and a few red potatoes. Hopefully you have some olive oil at home but if not, throw it in your basket too. Rosemary is in the spice section, grab that on your way to the checkout if it's not home in the pantry.
Now you have what you need, it's time to hit the kitchen. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat the salmon generously in the BBQ sauce. Next, the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes go into the food processor with a little olive oil. Just pulse it a few times, we don't want to turn it into a paste. Remove from the processor and reserve. Now cut the potatoes into equal size wedges, Coat lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and rosemary. Pop those into the oven to bake until they get nice and golden brown and crispy. They should be done in about 25 minutes.
When the potatoes are done, drop the oven temperature to 375 degrees. In goes the salmon, keep it in for ten minutes and use this time to work on the sautéed broccoli rabe. Heat your sauté pan, coat bottom lightly with olive oil, and add your garlic and sun-dried tomato mixture. Just sauté briefly until the garlic is translucent. Then add some wine and toss in the broccoli. Keep this covered for 5 minutes. Then increase the heat and uncover to cook off the liquid. Season with salt and pepper and you're done. Pull out the salmon and check for doneness. The color should run pink throughout. Now place each salmon filet on a plate with some potato wedges and broccoli rabe. Serve with mixed greens coated lightly in a balsamic dressing.
So now you've cooked your first healthy, fast, easy, gourmet meal. You should be proud of yourself. I think you've had your taste and when you are ready for more, call or e-mail me to set up a lesson for more cooking techniques and tips. Make it good, make it fun!
The Heavenly Chef www.heavenlychef.com

With Thanksgiving behind us, the 2006 winter holiday season in now officially on the horizon. This is our catering departments' busiest time of the year and out most popular offering is by far the butlered hors d'oeuvre service. Due to customer demand, buffet tables are officially being phased out.

Heavenly Chef is Long Island's premier caterer with an emphasis on epicurean hors d'oeuvre. No plates, no forks, no knives. We have created an incredible menu which features over 100 gourmet appetizers to choose from. All appetizers are prepared fresh using only the finest ingredients including all natural and even organic when possible. When you call Heavenly Chef to cater your party you are treating yourself and your guests to a culinary adventure. We guarantee to make your next party the most talked about event of the year. Please book your date as soon as possible to ensure availablity.

For those of you who have visited our site from outside Long Island and aren't able to endulge in our offerings, I am posting a popular recipe for one of our featured appetizers. Bon Appetit!

Ham Brie & Pear Pizzas

Ingredients:

Pizzas:
Thick sliced Organic Prairie Ham
Double Cream Brie cheese
Organic Pears
Organic Pizza Dough

Sauce:
Organic Valley Sour Cream
Simply Organic Coriander
Simply Organic Basil
Simply Organic Parsley
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
S & P

Procedure:

Prep:
1. Cut up Brie cheese into small slices. (Can be done the night before, wrapped and refrigerated)
2. Slice pears into small pieces. Keep in cold water until ready to use)
3. Cut ham into small pieces
4. Make Sauce. In a mixing bowl add all above ingredients and stir to emulsify. (Keep refrigerated)
5. Roll out pizza dough on clean flour covered counter. Cut into small circles using the 3“ circle cutters.


Cook:
1. Pre-heat oven to at least 400. Season Pizza stone with Olive Oil and ground cornmeal.
2. Brush sauce onto pizza rounds.
3. Place ham, pear, cheese, and a dollop of sauce
4. Bake in 400 oven for 10-12 min or until done.

I received a request for a classic lemon chicken recipe from Tara Sullivan.

Classic Lemon Chicken with Sauteed Spinach
Recipe courtesy William Gallagher, Becco's, NYC

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 lemons
4 chicken cutlets, pounded thinly into scallopini
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled
16 caper berries
10 large green olives
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Sauteed Spinach, recipe follows

Procedure:

Squeeze the juice from one and a half lemons and reserve. Cut the remaining half lemon into very thin slices. Remove seeds and set the lemon slices aside.

Season the chicken scallopini with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, coating both sides, and tap the excess flour off. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add as many scallopini into the pan that will fit without touching, and cook until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes. Flip and cook second side until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove scallopini and drain on paper towel.

When done with the scallopini, wipe off the fat from the skillet with paper towels. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, butter, garlic, and lemon juice and slices to the skillet. Cook, scraping the bottom until garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the lemon slices and set aside. Add the caper berries and olives and cook, stirring gently for about 4 minutes. Pour in wine and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and boil until slightly syrupy. Return the scallopini to the skillet and coat each piece in the sauce. Add parsley and swirl into sauce.

Divide scallopini onto separate plates. Spoon the sauce over, and add the caper berries and olives around scallopini. Add some of the spinach on the side. Finish by decorating each plate with reserved lemon slices on top of the scallopini.


Sauteed spinach:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pounds spinach
Salt and pepper


Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Crush garlic cloves with the side of the knife and add to the oil. Cook until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Add the spinach in handfuls, and season lightly with salt and pepper, and cover pan. Cook until spinach releases its liquid. Uncover pan, and cook stirring until spinach is wilted and water has evaporated. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper.

I received an email through our sister website ForkandKnife.com. It was an inquiry from a woman on Long Island that was looking for some special seafood. I decided to post this e-mail conversation in case anyone else was in the same boat. Feel free to add to this blog if you know something we didn't catch!

As Superbowl weekend approaches and I finalize all of my menus, I couldnt help but wonder one thing. What is everyone cooking that hasn't yet hired Heavenly Chef for this weekend? I applaud your efforts for attempting the party planning on your own. I understand how hard it can be, especially for all of you first-timers. I would like to be of assistance to anyone looking for the perfect recipe or party planning tips. Please feel free to send me your requests so my team can help you score HUGE at your Superbowl bash.