There is Hope in New Beginnings

Santa put a little note in my stocking that read "There is Hope in New Beginnings" and that is my mantra going into the new year. I am very thankful and blessed for all the wonderful things in my life but am looking forward to new beginnings!

To thank my wonderful friends and family I resort to baking. I made several different treats this year.

1. Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

2. Lemon Cookies

3. Greek Wedding Cookies

4. Peanut Butter Fudge

5. Chocolate Walnut fudge

6. Sugar Cookies

7. Peppermint Bark

8. Pomegranate Milk Chocolate Clusters

9. Cranberry Pistachio Bark

10. Chocolate Covered Oreos

11. Molded Peppermints

I found adorable little boxes and ribbon at various discount stores and candy bags at a kitchen supply store.

I had so much fun putting the boxes together!!

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday season.

Happy cooking and remember take time to

enjoy a little gourmet everyday.

Kitchen Essential # 1 Le Creuset Dutch Oven

Welcome to the First Installment in My Kitchen Essential Column. This is the first of ten pieces highlighting a variety of cooking utensils that have made me a better cook.

There are many wonderful kitchen items out there, but few are essential.

The Le Creuset Dutch Oven is the first piece of equipment I ever bought that made me realize the right equipment can actually make you a better cook.

And no. . .I have not been hired by the company. . . I simply speak the truth!

Of course I had heard about Le Creuset for years. As a young cook, it seemed like too much money to spend on one pot, I was, after all, racking up thousands of dollars in school loans. Now I realize the cheep and inferior stockpots I had to replace every couple of years added up to a far larger sum of money then would the investment in this one high quality piece.

After school ended, I was overwhelmed with work and as a busy professional, who only entertained maybe once a year, it didn't seem worth buying one.

Then, one day, only a couple of years ago, I was at a discount store and this beautiful piece was sitting there all by its self. It was still quite expensive, but I was in the mood to splurge that day so I bit the bullet and lugged it to my car - and when I say lugged I'm not kidding. It weighs a considerable amount. As it turns out, my parents ending up making that my Christmas present that year so thanks Mom and Dad!!

My first dish in this beauty was traditional pot roast which my friends kids now refer to as "my special meat" and cooked in this pot it was indeed special.

This pot heats incredibly fast and maintains an even, strong heat for long periods of time. My favorite use for this beauty is braising and my favorite thing to braise is lamb shanks.

Here is my ever reliable Le Creuset braising 6 lamb shanks.

And here is the finished dish - the recent star to a holiday party.

But the great thing about this pot is you can use it for so many different things:

Pasta

Soups/Stocks

Chile

Sauces

Deep Frying Anything

They say "a watched pot never boils" but this one heats so fast you can watch and have your pasta ready in no time.

My Spicy Bison Chile tastes great in this, the pan can be set to low heat and it will maintain that heat so the chile doesn't dry out or scorch.

My friend Jeff's Sunday Gravy Sauce - yes i.e. the Godfather - is great in here. It will hold all the sausage and pork and meatballs and allow all those flavors to meld together. Of course, that is when I wish I had two Le Creuset Dutch Ovens, so I could cook the pasta in the second one. Maybe some day. :)

The biggest surprise is when I discovered this is the best deep fryer!! No need for special equipment. Most specialty deep fryers don't hold their heat very well, so when you drop in the food the temperature drops very quickly and the result is soggy food and a long wait time in between batches. Not in this Le Creuset. It holds the temperature great and food fries crisp and never soggy and it is back up to the 350-375 degrees you want in no time.

So my advice as you start to build your kitchen arsenal - don't wait forty years to get this beautiful piece of cookware like I did. It should be one of the first pieces you get.

Visit the Le Creuset website for more information:

http://www.lecreuset.com/en-us/

I highly recommend checking out their outlet stores if you have one near you. The have great deals and fantastic sales a couple of times a year.

Happy cooking and remember take time to

enjoy a little gourmet everyday.

Pom Wonderful Dinner Party Recap # 2 - The Recipes

Pom Wonderful Dinner Party Full Recipes

It's official, the recipes are here.

Thank you again to Pom Wonderful for sponsoring this event, all the friends and family that attended and everyones support.

Here is the menu. . .

and a preview of the spread.

Here are the recipes from my P♥M Wonderful party. Eventually all recipes will be posted but here is a start. Enjoy!!

P♥M Wonderful Pomegranate Syrup

This delicious syrup was a vital part of my P♥M Wonderful party. In fact, it was in the welcome drink for the guests. It could not be easier to make.

Ingredients

2 cups P♥M Wonderful pomegranate juice

1 1/4 sugar

Preparation

Combine sugar and pomegranate juice in heavy bottomed sauce pan and mix. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for at least 30 minutes until the mixture has reduced by half to a syrupy consistency.

Store in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Pompagne

These delicious party starters could not be easier. All you need is:

Pomegranate Syrup

Pomegranate Seeds

Your Favorite Sparking Wine or Champagne

Drop a few pomegranate arils and pour in syrup to taste.

A drier vs. a sweeter sparkler would work best here since the syrup is adding the sweetness. My favorite reasonably priced sparkling wine is from Roederer Estate in Northern California and this was the only sparkling wine served and at my P♥M Wonderful party. It is actually made by the french champagne house Louis Roederer and contains 60 % chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, which I think is why I love it so much and I can usually find it for about $20.00 a bottle so the price is right.

It was the perfect pairing to the pomegranate syrup and fresh pomegranate arils.

Before and After

Pomegranate Cherry Chutney

Ingredients

8 ounces dried cherries

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium shallots diced

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger - grated

2 garlic cloves - minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

3 tbsp sugar

1 thyme sprig

1 cup pomegranate seeds

pinch of salt

Preparation

Submerge cherries in water for about ten minutes to reconstitute.

Heat oil over medium heat and saute shallots until tender but not caramelized, about five minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook to release fragrance, about one minute. Stir in cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Drain cherries and add to mix. Pour in pomegranate juice and add sugar.

Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about thirty minutes being careful to monitor the heat and stirring occasionally so the bottom does not scorch.

Remove from heat. Stir in pomegranate seeds and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with flavorful cheese such as a creamy blue or goat cheese.

Enjoy!!

Pomegranate Eggplant Relish

recipe inspired by a recipe from www.pomegranates.org

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 pieces

1 onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced

2/3 cup tomatoe juice

1/3 cup pomegranate juice

1/3 pomegranate syrup

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2-3/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Preparation

Put eggplant in colander, sprinkle with salt and set in sink for ten minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil over high heat until shimmering. Add onion and sprinkle with a little salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until soft and translucent. Add eggplant and cook until soft, 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato juice, pomegranate syrup and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in mint and pomegranate seeds. Serve hot or cold as an appetizing spread or as a great topping to chicken, fish, or pork.

I wish I had sprinkled fresh mint on before serving. The colorful mint became subdued after refrigerating.

Pomeritas

I can't take credit for this deliciously unique pomegranate margaritas - it is all my friend Julie and I am guessing on the rations as she makes them to taste so this is my best guess.

Ingredients

4 cups P♥M Wonderful pomegranate juice

2 cups good quality tequila

1/4 cup key lime juice

1/4 cup amaretto

fresh limes and pomegranate arils for garnish

Preparation

Mix together all ingredients in pitcher and fill with ice. Pour into glass and garnish with fresh lime and pomegranate seeds.

Mini Tostadas with Spicy Shrimp and Pomegranate Mango Salsa

Everybody loves the complex flavors of tacos but they can be messy and hard to serve at a stand-up cocktail party. This was my solution at a recent party, make them bite sized. These were gone the second I set them on the table. Everybody loves the complex flavors of tacos but they can be messy and hard to serve at a stand-up cocktail party so I decided to make these bite sized. These were gone the second I set them on the table.

Ingredients

For Mini-Tostadas

4 Corn Tortillas

4 Flour Tortillas

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Peanut OIl for Frying

For Shrimp

1 pound medium shrimp (31-35 per pound count)

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

1/4 cup mango pomegranate juice

2 Cloves Garlic minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

For Salsa

1 mango cut into small pieces

seeds from 1 small pomegranate

1/4 red onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 serrano chile seeded and minced

1/2 large jalapeno chile seeded and minced

2 limes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preparation

For Tostadas

Combine salt and cumin in small bowl. Heat oil in large frypan to about 350 degrees. While pan is heating, use biscuit cutter to cut out small rounds of both flour and corn tortillas. When oil is heated fry tostadas in batches until crispy. This happens really really fast - just about 30 seconds to a minute per side. Put on paper towel lined cookie sheet and season immediately with cumin salt mixture. Repeat until all are fried. You might want to make extra - these are delicious all by themselves and are done quicker than a trip to the store.

For Shrimp

Marinate shrimp in olive oil, pomegranate mango juice, garlic, cumin, and salt for no more than 30 minutes.

For Salsa

While the shrimp is marinating prepare your salsa. Combine all ingredients and mix. Season with lime, salt, and pepper to taste.

Pulling it All Together

Quickly saute shrimp over medium heat. Be careful not to overcook these shrimp, they cook fast. About two minutes a side, 3-4 minutes total.

Place 1 shrimp on a tortilla round and top with pomegranate mango salsa and fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!!

Stay tuned for recipes for the salad, entree, and dessert course.

Pomegranate Braised Lamb with Pomegranate Port

Wine Reduction Sauce

Ingredients For Lamb

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Kosher Salt

6 Lamb Shanks (have the butcher cut them in half)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrot

2 bay leaves

2 springs of rosemary

2 springs of thyme

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice (1 for braise and 1/2 for final sauce

About 1/2 bottle Pinot Noir

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

Ingredients For Pomegranate

Port Wine Reduction Sauce

4 cups braising liquid

1 cup port

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon butter

Preparing the Lamb

1. Season and Sear

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels. Season generously with Montreal Steak Seasoning and kosher salt. Put oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. When oil is heated brush evenly over surface of pan. Place 1/2 lamb in dutch oven and sear until caramelized on each side. Remove lamb from pan. Repeat with second half of lamb.

2. Sauté Vegetables

Put onion, celery, and carrots in pan and sauté until translucent (about five minutes). Tie together bay leaves, rosemary and thyme with kitchen twine. When vegetables are softened add herb bunch and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

3. Prepare Braising Liquid and Cook

Deglaze pan with Pomegranate juice. Add wine and chicken stock and mix. Place lamb back in Pan. Add enough water to cover top of lamb. Turn stove to high and bring braising liquid to a simmer. Place tinfoil over pot and put lid on. Place lamb in 350 degree oven for 3 ½ to 4 hours until lamb is fork tender and falling off the bone.

Special Note

Lamb can be prepared up to this point 24 hours ahead, which makes it great for planning ahead for a dinner party. If preparing ahead, let come to room temperature then sore in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge, skim fat off top of braising liquid and bring to room temperature. Reheat in oven until heated through.

If preparing immediately or after reheating.

4. Making the Sauce

Take out of oven and remove lamb from braise and into a large serving dish.

Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Put four cups of liquid in saucepan and remaining liquid back over lamb. Tent the lamb with foil and place in 200 degree oven to keep warn.

To braising liquid in sauce pan add port and pomegranate juice to liquid and reduce by half. (about thirty minutes) When consistency is velvety and smooth, add butter and mix in with whisk.

Pour over lamb and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Celery Root Puree Recipe Coming Soon.

Dessert Recipes Coming Soon.