Ingredients: - French Baguette or any long Bread - 1 Jar of store-bought Basil Pesto (OR, CLICK HERE FOR PESTO RECIPE) - Fresh Basil Leaves - 2-3 Roma Tomatoes - 4 - 8 Bocconcini Cheese Balls - Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
1. Prepare the following and set aside: - Slice Tomatoes - Slice the Mozzarella - Slice the bread on an angle - Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spread a small amount of basil pesto onto each slice of bread and place on baking sheet.
3. Put a slice of tomato, basil leaf and cheese onto each slice of bread.
4. Roast the bruschettas in the oven for 7-10 minutes until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients: - Fresh Basil Leaves - 4 Tomatoes - 4 Large balls of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, or several smaller balls of Bocconcini Cheese - 2 Cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2/3 Cup of your favourite Vinegar - 1 Tbsp of Grain or Dijon Mustard - Salt and Pepper
Instructions:
1. Prepare the following and set aside: - Slice Tomatoes - Slice the Mozzarella or Bocconcini Cheese
2. To prepare a basic vinaigrette, you will put the olive oil and vinegar into a mixing bowl. You will then add the mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the vinaigrette vigorously with a metal whisk until mixture has thickened. NOTE: You can add a few drops of cold water while whisking to make it thicker and keep the thickness longer. Set aside.
3. On each plate, arrange the cheese slices, tomato slices and basil leaves as you wish. Use your imagination and make a nice, uniform pattern!
Chicken Caprese Recipe by: Chef Cristian Feher http://www.tampabaychef.com
This is a very easy and satisfying Italian entree. You can try different variations by substituting the chicken with veal, or pork cutlets. My favourite way to serve Caprese Chicken is over a bed of Angel Hair Pasta with Basil Pesto and Plenty of Parmigiano Regiano cheese! But you can cut the carb content by serving it with a hearty green salad, Caesar Salad or Oven Roasted Vegetables.
Yield: 4 Portions
Ingredients: - 4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts - 3 Eggs - 4 Cups of Italian Bread Crumbs - 2 Large Balls of Buffalo Mozzarella - 2 Large Tomatoes - Fresh Basil Leaves - Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Prepare and set aside the following: - Butterfly the chicken breasts - Crack and beat eggs in a bowl - Pour Italian bread Crumbs into a bowl or large plate - Slice Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese - Pre-Heat oven to 380 (convection oven) or 400 (regular oven)
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto each chicken breast. Dredge the each chicken breast through the egg mixture making sure to coat both sides. Then place the chicken breasts into the bread crumb mixture and pat it down on each side so that the crumbs stick to the breasts on both sides. Place breast onto the baking sheet.
3. Place the chicken breasts in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Every oven is slightly different, so keep an eye on your chicken so that it doesn't burn!
4. Take chicken breasts out of the oven and top each breast with a couple of slices of tomato, a couple of fresh basil leaves and a couple of slices of mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 7-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
5. Serve each chicken breast over your favourite pasta or side dish. Enjoy!
Fondue is a great method of cooking. Especially if you're goal is to entertain your guests! There are several ways to make fondue, and there are many different ingredients that one could use. I will be giving you a basic recipe utilizing Colby jack cheese and dark beer. However, you can experiment with MANY different cheeses, and many different bases (wine, beer, stock, etc). It's important to note that different cheeses will give you different tastes and textures. Some may even split, ball-up, or become really stringy.
To fix a fondue that is too stringy, you can add a few squirts of lemon or lime. Although this may not fix the stringiness altogether, it may cut it down somewhat. If your cheese splits or balls up (there is liquid and cheese separately) you can sprinkle some corn starch a little at a time while mixing, until your mixture comes together again. I actually make a habit of coating the cheese in a bit of corn starch before starting the cooking process.
You can use the traditional "fondue pot" that most people get as a wedding gift, or passed down from a relative. But I make it on the stove when I feel like a quick fondue. As long as you keep the heat low, you'll be fine.
There are some Swiss traditions in "fondueing" that I would like to pass onto you: 1) Traditionally, you would use day-old, slightly stale bread (trust me, it works out great!). 2) If you drop your bread into the cheese everyone must take a drink. And 3) If you double-dip and get caught, you must buy everyone a round of drinks.
I hope you have as much fun as I've had when experimenting with all the different types of cheeses. Treat fondue as an adventure, and you will never be disappointed.
Yields: Fondue for 4-8 people
Ingredients: - 1 - 2 Cups of White Wine or Beer of Choice - 5 - 8 Cups of Cheese of Choice - 1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard - 1 Clove of Garlic - Cubed Bread of Choice - (optional) Fruit or Berries - (optional) Corn Starch - (optional) Lime or Lemon
Instructions:
1. Prepare and set aside the following ingredients: - Peeled and halved garlic clove - Wine or Beer - Cubed or Shredded Cheese - Cube and skewer the bread, and/or fruit
2. Bring the pot to low heat on the stove top (or follow the instructions on your fondue pot). Once pot is hot, rub the inside of the pot with the halved garlic clove (this is called "seasoning" the pot). The purpose of this is to make a base of garlic particles on the bottom of the pot. This will flavour your pot and will help to keep the cheese from sticking to the bottom. Discard the clove after you're done rubbing the pot.
3. Add the liquid and bring to a low simmer. This should happen momentarily.
4. Start adding the cheese one cup at a time and stir with a wooden spoon as it melts. If the cheese splits or balls up, read the notes at the beginning of this recipe to fix it. Do not bring the cheese to a boil. Keep the temperature so that the cheese is melting, but not boiling.
5. Once all the cheese is melted you can stir in the mustard.
6. If your mixture is too thick, just add more of the liquid, and if it's too thin, you can add more cheese. Make sure to have extra of both just in case. Note that as the fondue renders down over time, the flavours will become bolder and richer!
7. Bring your guests into your kitchen and have fun dipping the bread into the cheese with the long skewers!
