As you may have guessed, I am not a “dessert lover!” When it comes to creating sweet endings for a menu, I always try to find a quick and easy solution that says “made from scratch” but is just mostly! Everyone loves a fudgy, chocolate brownie. My version is made better with walnuts and fresh tart cherries stirred through the batter. The cherries have been cooked down with a bit of sugar and Grand Marnier. It is finished off with layer of brown sugar caramelized bananas.
Read MoreFrom a simple three ingredient to complex layers of many ingredients, pizza is staple appetizer on my menus. I have lost count of the dozens of variations I have created over the years. I cannot even count how many styles and varieties of pizzas I have made over the years. I wish I had written some notes. The good news is the varieties are endless and fun. Pizza is so versatile that it can serve as a light amuse bouche to a hearty main course. Choosing from a selection of fresh herbs, to the varied dried herbal flavors found in every artSAVOR provides nearly endless possibilities to build flavor. For this is so much fun! The dried leek, dill, marjoram and cilantro in artSAVOR 90 adds amazing depth to this recipe. The bacon and the sunny side up eggs are both optional if you want to keep this very herbaceous and simple.
Read MoreThere are times when elegant and sophisticated does not required complicated preparations. This gorgeous seafood cocktail is easy and requires minimal fuss, yet has my creative touch. Boiled shrimp and lobster with their buttery flavor and texture call for paring with complimentary dipping sauces that deliver layers of flavor – tanginess, citrusy, sweet, sour, umami, and even a bit smoky. My artSAVOR 75 vinaigrette and store bought Cocktail Sauce (I prefer Whole Foods 365 or Trader Joes) mixed with artSAVOR 75 are the answer to that call, delivering all those flavors to make your bite a celebration.
To enhance the buttery luscious texture of the monster crab legs, I set out bowls of melted butter, lemon juice, artSAVOR enhanced cocktail and vinaigrette sauces. The simple addition of artSAVOR 75 to a store bought cocktail sauce or vinaigrette will elevate this seafood platter to new and delicious heights!
Read MoreA veritable symphony of flavors, – sweet, sour, citrusy, tangy, bitter, nutty, and salty – this simple orange salad is a prelude to my Mediterranean inspired dinner. You will revel in the simplicity of this refreshing alternative to plain green salad. Orange slices arranged on a bed of slightly bitter curly frisée topped with creamy, tangy goat cheese and slivered pistachios. This summery salad is so easy. All you need is to drizzle my artSAVOR 75 Champagne vinaigrette for the crowning crescendo to this savory concerto.
Read MoreWhen I am creating flavor in a specific dish or developing a blend, much like a perfumer creating a fragrance with top, heart and base notes, I have a range of savory ingredients that I use to create unique and compelling flavors. I always keep in mind the existing notes consider the main ingredient in a dish which it is important to understand whether beef, salmon, lamb or even the lowly tomato. It provides the melody line of my flavor concerto which I then accentuate by using herbs and a few spices to develop layers of tangy, citrusy, sour, umami and even a bit smoky notes to tease and thrill the palate. This process while not rote, is instinctive for me as I think about an ingredient like beef skirt steak.
I chose artSAVOR 30 as the perfect blend to at accentuate the skirt steak with the addition of one of my favorite spices, Sumac. It is already in the blend, but I have added more to the rub to add tart, citrusy almost lemon peppery heart notes to the preparation. Bright deep red Sumac berries come from an evergreen bush indigenous to the Middle East but grows around the world. Tart, sour and fruity, sumac like salt, brings out the flavor in food, marinades, dressings, meat, rice dishes and kabob. Ground sumac is commonly found on the table in a shaker like salt and pepper and a key ingredient in many Middle Eastern spice blends. I think you will fall in love with sumac and with this delicious skirt steak preparation.
Despite not being a chocolate lover, this warm dessert really tickles my palate in all the right ways! Elegant, graceful and silky this molten chocolate cake is topped with tart strawberry and bittersweet, candied orange peel and a bit of cold vanilla ice cream. This dessert is the symphonic rhapsody to conclude my poolside dining menu. A deliciously wild and wonderful bit of flavor anarchy, you just can’t quite find the words to describe the experience. Simply put, I think you will agree, “It is all fabulous!”
Read MoreDuring the summer, I love to welcome my guests with a light, refreshing cocktail to set the mood for an artsy, delightful evening. Weather allowing, there’s no better place to entertain than outdoors to experience the lush greens, colorful flowers and beautiful summer sky. Sipping on this slushy beverage redolent of a summer sunset colors and garden aromas of melon and rosemary. It could hardly be any easier with this fast and fun drink that presents with elegance. A flight of fancy! Get Creative!
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