creme brulee

creme brulee has been one of my most favorite desserts since i first had it a few years back during a brunch at the palace hotel in sf. how could i have gone so long in life without ever having creme brulee? well i grew up making flan, which was the most popular dish in my household. my mom would also make it for every family gathering, and since it was so delicious, i never thought to venture out. until i cracked my first caramel topping... a life changing moment, if you will. =)

so this week, i present to you - the creme brulee. it's so easy to make and i love using the torch to make the caramel! you see it become golden right before your eyes and it's one of the coolest things. it's like one of those reels you see on the cooking show when they speed up the process, except not, but its right in front of your eyes so it's definitely neato.

i hope you enjoy the video! more to come soon! =)

yummmmm!

Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

1 extra-large egg

3 extra-large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

turkey sliders

Hi Everyone, hope you're having a great week! The weather is warming up here, so it's definitely time to break out the bbq. Natasha from Moody Girl in Style recommended this turkey slider recipe just in time! I made these last week and they were a total hit! There's caramelized onions with cranberries, and then slices of granny smith apples to give it a refreshing crunch. 

Try it out and let us know what you think! 

Recipe: 

Ingredients:

1 lb of fresh ground turkey
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp of ground pepper (or less if you prefer it less spicy)
4 dinner rolls

Directions:

Caramelize the onion slices on med-high heat until they are nice and browned and then add the cranberries. if you need to add a tbsp of water once you add the cranberries to soften them up, that's okay too. cook them together for like 2 minutes and then set aside so they can mellow out. 

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2--3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add burgers; cook 4--6 minutes on each side or until 165°F. Combine cranberries and onion relish.
Top each burger with apple slices, 2 tablespoons onion mixture, and cheese; cook 1 minute to melt cheese. Remove burgers from pan; cut into four pieces.
Spread mustard on inside of buns; add burgers. Serve.

Oat Jam Bar

Hi Everyone, Happy Thursday! I hope you all had a great week so far. Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately, things have been really busy! In a good way, of course... I've been using my time to experiment and trying out new things with my life. One of which includes wedding planning - which will all happen this weekend. I hope it goes well! Have you ever helped plan a wedding? Do you have any pointers for me?

I've been making these oat jam bars all month that I think my friends and family are completely sick of them. Actually one of Nate's uncles, Jeff, just can't get enough. Just when I think he might be sick of them, he tells me how great they were. And so I make another batch and they're gone the next day.  Try this recipe! It's so easy and you'll be hooked too - i promise. =)

April Class Schedule Update

Hi Everyone! Hope you're having a great week. I've updated my live pow how class schedule for April.

Are you wondering what to whip up for Easter?

Join me on Thursday 4/5 at 10am (PDT) or 1pm (EDT) make a delicious Quiche Lorraine with a Fennel and Citrus Salad that will be sure to wow everyone.

On 4/21 at 11am (PDT) and 2:00pm (EDT) - I have a Mommy and Me class where you can whip up whimsical cupcakes in an ice cream cone! Surprise them with this little trick that will have them wanting more.

And lastly, on 4/25 at 6:15pm (PDT) or 9:15(EDT) - I will be teaching the Ode to Ina Garten - one of my favorite chefs - to make a quintessential "barefoot contessa" dish.

To sign up, please follow the link here: http://www.powhow.com/classes/honeysuckle-catering

Hope to see you soon!

zucchini fritters

Our first spring fling episode from the open call for recipes is up! 


A crisp and refreshing take on the zucchini fritters - i put a greek spin on this dish, adding some mint and replacing your traditional sour cream sauce with greek yogurt. i love the brightness of the zucchini strands peaking out at every bite. it came out super flavorful and delicious! 


Thanks to Dea from The Dea Diaries for suggesting this! Please send in your favorite spring recipes or suggestions!