Tag Archives: chef ben

chef…or shall i say…baker ben {macarons}

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as some of you may recall, my chef ben decided to set a new year’s resolution for himself - to become baker ben.  he normally isn’t too keen on the baking arts.  cooking fine cuisine, yes.  making up tasty recipes, absolutely.  but for some reason he has always left the baking up to me.  not that he isn’t into baked goods.  he is a cookie fiend.  but, he prefers preparing a savory entrée over frosting a layer cake.

so, when he decided to take on the baking realm, naturally, he started with the tough stuff.  delicate and intricate and temperamental macarons.  way to ease into things, chef.  and naturally {slash sickeningly} he killed it.  i mean, he totally killed it.  and as a result, i have eaten WAY TOO MANY of these little pretties.  i can’t wait for the next round.  baker ben said that he will make some intense chocolate for me so i expect those to last all of three hours.

{step 1}

create the candied grapefruit peel with star anise and vanilla bean

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{step 2}

whip the egg whites to create the merengue and then gently fold in the other ingredients.  including a perfectly measured amount of food coloring to create a vibrant pink-orange hue.

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{step 3}

melt the white chocolate for the ganache.  add in the campari to give it that citrus zing.

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{step 4}

assemble the cookies

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{step 5}

refrigerate the cookies for 24 hours to let the flavors meld. 

AKA endure the brutal wait until you can FINALLY eat the long-awaited cookies.  {darn those french and their delayed gratification} but let me say, it is more than worth the wait. 

and then…you eat as many as you can handle before slipping into a sugar coma.  amazing

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chef ben {spanish style deviled eggs}

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holy smokes folks!  chef ben made the yummiest tapas-esque meal the other night.  it may sound a little bit like a lame potluck sidedish, but no sir!  these deviled eggs were to die for!  big time flavor in bite-sized {well, three bite-sized for me} vessels.  once again, he grabbed the smitten kitchen cookbook and flipped through page after page of yum, settling on these tasty guys.  they are sprinkled with crispy prosciutto and salty marcona almonds.  i mean, come on!

seriously, they were amazing.  we paired them with a vibrant,spicy, and deep rioja from our wsj wine club collection {loving that, by the way}

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it was so much fun to pop these guys while sipping on a perfectly paired red.  i love flipping the mundane on its head and making it something memorable…and my fabulous chef did that for us this week.  boring old eggs made amazing.  and a typical tuesday night became an {unexpected} smashing evening of relaxing and savoring and celebrating all the little good things in life.

let’s do this again.

chef ben {manly, meaty chili}

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oh yes, chef ben has been in the kitchen…  aromas of toasted spices and browned beef.  happy day.

for superbowl, my hubby leaned on our go-to guy, mr. tyler florence.  he flipped to the “guy’s game night” section and selected a perfectly fitting prime rib chili.  holy moly folks.  so, so good.

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he lovingly stirred that pot of goodness until the meat was fork-tender and all those flavors melded into a thick stew of rich deliciousness.  and not a bean to be found!  this chili is not for wimps.  the paleos would be so proud…

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and then, after hours of simmering away, we sat down in front of the fireplace on a dreary day to warm ourselves with this deeply satisfying dish and to watch some guys toss the pigskin.  not too shabby.

thanks honey.  until next time…

chef ben {turkey meatballs & smashed chickpea salad}

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my man was at it again!  and he gave that smitten kitchen cookbook a workout, i tell ya.  this week he made us some super delicious and totally nutritious smashed chickpea salad with lemon and sumac.  it was pretty magical.  lots of yum packed into bite-sized orbs of turkey…on a pile of flavorful chickpeas.  he even got me to eat some olives all chopped up in there.  big win for hubby.

this is a great recipe.  it is warm and tasty and satisfying and healthy. perfect for a january meal.  you should snag a copy of deb perelman’s sk cookbook ASAP.  no joke.  it is amazing stuff…and fabulous to look at.

speaking of fabulous to look at…i am thinking about purchasing a smashing chef hat for my man so that he can don the full, official garb for this series.  he would look pretty darn dapper, no? {insert whistle sound here}

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a post that will make you super envious

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this weekend, my amazing hubby made me the most scrumptious and decadent dinner.  you know you’ve got it good when your man randomly turns to you one day and says “i would really like to start making a special dinner at home once a week”.  um, okay.  so.  the plan is to get out on the town for a date night dinner out at least once a month and eat a special date night dinner in once a week.  courtesy of mister ben.  yup, sounds like a good plan.  he just loves to cook and he is so darn good at it.  this is one of his best ideas yet.  and has inspired a new series that i will be calling “chef ben”.  winner, winner, chicken dinner indeed.

dinner1he took a page out of tyler florence’s new cookbook fresh.  i highly recommend it. dinner2

nothing sexier than a man in the kitchen. dinner3the finished plate.  butternut squash puree topped with crispy porcini mushrooms, crispy sage, roasted pecans, and brown butter wine sauce.  and a dusting of parmesan.  so rich and satisfying…and no meat to be found!  now that is a culinary feat.