Coconut extract adds a taste of the tropics to this satisfying drink.

Technique tip: For ease in blending, use crushed ice.

Nutrition

Calories: 310
Fat: 2 grams (5%)
Carbs: 56 grams (72%)
Protein: 26 grams (33%)
Fiber: 9 grams

Ingredients:
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 small frozen banana, chopped
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 2 tablespoons unflavored protein powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup ice cubes or chips

Directions:

• In blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until of desired consistency.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter 
2 chopped smoked pork sausages 
1 chopped yellow onion 
1 chopped red pepper 
2 peeled and diced russett potatoes 
2 chopped ribs celery 
1 16 oz.can creamed corn 
1 16 oz.can corn kernels 
1 Tbsp white flour 
2 tbsp chopped parsley 
2 bay leaves 
Salt and pepper to taste 
1 liter chicken stock 
12 liter whipping cream

Directions:

Melt butter and sautee all ingredients except stock, cream, salt and pepper, canned corn and creamed corn.

After 10 minutes, add flour and stir for a further 10 min.

Add stock cream and both cans corn. Simmer 12 hour until potatoes are tender.

Ingredients:

250g dark chocolate 
40g butter 
100ml cream 
25g walnuts, roasted and coarsely crushed 
30g raisins, chopped into little pieces 
50g candied orange peel, thinly chopped 
For decoration: 80g roasted almonds coarsely crushed

Directions:

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (double boiler). Stir in the butter and cream until well blended. Remove from the heat and mix in the walnuts, raisins and orange peel.

Refrigerate for 2 hours until the paste is firm. Shape the paste into long sausages and roll on the crushed almonds. Wrap them in plastic wrap and set them aside in the fridge again for 30 min.

Before serving, cut the sausages diagonally in 5cm long pieces. Place the chocolate fekkas in paper crates (e.g. cupcake liners) or cake moulds for presentation.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 small green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1/4-inch strips 
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1/4-inch strips 
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and cut into 1/4-inch strips 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
Freshly ground pepper 
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1 portion (15 ounces) New York–Style Pizza Dough, at room temperature 
Unbleached bread flour for dusting 
1/2 cup New York–Style Pizza Sauce 
2 mild or hot Italian pork sausages (about 1/2 pound), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices 
2 cups (8 ounces) coarsely shredded whole-milk or part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese 
1/4 pound bulk mild or hot Italian pork sausage, separated into small chunks 
1/2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Position an oven rack on the second-lowest level in the oven and place a baking stone on the rack. Position another rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F.

While the oven is heating, warm the olive oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add all the bell peppers and sauté, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, cayenne, salt, and a few grindings of fresh pepper and sauté for 1 minute longer. Set aside to cool slightly.

Coat a 12-inch pizza screen or perforated pizza pan with the cooking spray. Remove the dough from the plastic bag and place on a lightly floured work surface. Lightly dust the dough with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10-inch round without rolling over the edges. Lift the dough and check to make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface. Shake the excess flour from the dough. Toss the dough until it is stretched to a 12-inch circle and place it on the prepared screen. Alternatively, lay the dough on the prepared pizza screen and gently stretch the dough into a 12-inch round.

To top the pizza: Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Distribute the peppers over the sauce. Arrange the sausage slices over the top. Scatter the mozzarella over the top. Arrange the chunks of bulk sausage evenly over the cheese, pressing them into the cheese slightly.

Place the pizza in the oven on the upper rack. (Work quickly to slide the pizza into the oven and close the door so the oven temperature doesn’t drop too much.) Bake the pizza until the crust is crisp and golden brown, 10 minutes. Using a pizza peel, lift the pizza off the screen or pan and place the crust directly on the pizza stone. Using the peel or wearing thick oven mitts, remove the screen or pan from the oven. Continue baking the pizza until the bottom of the crust is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Using the peel, remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Slice the pizza into wedges and serve immediately.

100 ml lemon juice (add the zest of these lemons to the juice)
700ml cream (highest fat content is best)
150g sugar

Directions

Bring cream to boil. Add sugar and simmer 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and add lemon juice. Let sit 5 minutes.

Strain through fine strainer. Pour into shallow bowls and chill at least 1 hour.

Ingredients:

1/4 head each red and green cabbage sliced thin with a sharp knife
2 bunches of watercress rinsed and chopped coarse
1 mango peeled and chopped fine, or 1/4 fresh pineapple chopped into bits
1&1/2 Tbs macadamia nut oil, or 1 tsp of sesame oil
1 Tbs fine minced pickled ginger or pickle of choice
1/4 cup of pickled ginger vinegar, or cider vinegar
1/2 a lime zested and juiced
1 Tbs extra hot horse radish, or wasabi horse radish
1 pinch of salt , maybe a fancy kind someone has gifted to you
Fresh cracked pepper or however you like it
1 tsp Chia seed white or black
1 Tbs golden brown sugar

Directions:

Combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, horse radish, lime zest and juice into a large bowl and whisk.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper as you like it.

Add the cabbage and mix well. Allow the cabbage time to absorb the flavors for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the remainder of the ingredients: mango, watercress,and Chia seed.

Mix well and serve

Eat It!

For the ALMOND SABLĒ:

Start with:
225 gr. butter, room temperature
120 gr. icing sugar

Mix with paddle at low speed until very creamy.

Add:
150 gr. almond ground (fine ground)
125 gr. bread flour
125 gr. cake flour

Roll the dough thinly between 2 parchment papers, size of ½ sheet pan. Bake between 2 half trays. Cut any size while still warm. Bake at 350 F for approximately 10 minutes or until light golden in color

For the CHOCOLATE CREMEUX:

2 cups heavy cream
75 gr. egg yolks
75 gr. sugar
1 vanilla beans
10 gr. cocoa powder extra brut

Cook like a sauce anglaise at 86C. Then add:

8 gr. bloomed gelatine leaves.

Let rest overnight in refrigerator. Blend until smooth with a hand blender.

For the SOFT ESPRESSO MERINGUE:

190 gr. Sugar
125 gr. Egg white
1 gr. Gelatine
1 teaspoon instant coffee

Whisk the egg white and sugar until a smooth meringue. Add the gelatine and instant coffee and place in a piping bag until needed.

For the COFFEE SYRUP:

In a small sauce pan bring to a boil the following ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee

Let cool down until needed.

For the FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE

Cream together:
100 gr. soft butter
50 gr. icing sugar

Then add:
6 egg yolks
100 gr. melted chocolate
100 gr. ground almonds

Make a meringue with:
6 egg whites
50 gr. sugar

Then fold into first mix. Pour into a parchment lined cookie tray and bake for 10 minutes at 350F.

ASSEMBLY:

Cut the chocolate cake and place at the bottom of the Mason jars.

Add a little coffee syrup, then pipe some of the chocolate crèmeux.

Add a couple of pieces of crumbled almond sablè.

Finally top with a generous amount of soft espresso meringue and toast the top using a flame torch.

Enjoy!

GNOCCHI WITH CHERRY TOMATOES by Chef Fabio Viviani

Serves 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

GNOCCHI:

3 medium baking potatoes peeled, cooked and mashed
1 egg
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour

SAUCE:

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (drizzle)
1 lb. cherry tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
¼ cup Olive Oil
Thinly sliced Parmesan cheese

UTENSILS:

• Bialetti Pans
• Stand up Mixer with paddle attachment ****very important!
• Chef knives
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowls
• Assorted spoons

Directions:

For Gnocchi, combine room temperature potatoes, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add ¼ cup of flour at time on low speed until dough starts to form. Dough should be easy to handle and smooth. Use additional flour if necessary. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into four pieces. Gently roll each piece of dough into cylinder-like shape, about a ½ inch in diameter. Cut dough into ¾-inch long pieces and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cook gnocchi, in batches, in a large pot of salted boiling water, 2 minutes or until gnocchi start to float.

For Sauce, heat Olive Oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook cherry tomatoes, about 5 minutes or until skins start to blister.

Add basil to food processor Process until well chopped. Slowly add Olive Oil and process until smooth. Spoon basil oil into cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl; let drain. Reserve liquid.

Combine cooked gnocchi and tomato sauce in serving bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle with reserved basil oil and top with Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired, with fresh basil leaves or fried fresh basil leaves.

Ingredients – Meatballs

4 slices bread (2 packed cups’ worth)
2 pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus about 1 cup for serving
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
15 turns white pepper
4 large eggs
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Preparation – Meatballs

Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the fresh bread in a bowl, cover it with water, and let it soak for a minute or so. Pour off the water and wring out the bread, then crumble and tear it into tiny pieces.

Combine the bread with all the remaining ingredients (except the tomato sauce, see below) in a medium mixing bowl, adding them in the order they are listed. Add the dried bread crumbs last to adjust for wetness: the mixture should be moist wet, not sloppy wet.

Shape the meat mixture into handball-sized meatballs and space them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The meatballs will be firm but still juicy and gently yielding when they’re cooked through. (At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days, or freeze them for the future.)

Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the meatballs comfortably.

Dump the meatballs into the pan of sauce and nudge the heat up ever so slightly. Simmer the meatballs for half an hour or so (this isn’t one of those cases where longer is better) so they can soak up some sauce. Keep them there until it’s time to eat.

Serve the meatballs 3 to a person in a healthy helping of the red sauce. Hit everybody’s portion – never the pan – with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese.

Reserve the leftover tomato sauce (it will be super-extra-delicious) and use it anywhere tomato sauce is called for in other recipes (like from The Frankie’s own cookbook, “The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual”.)

Ingredients & Thoughts – Tomato Sauce

Use good Italian canned tomatoes and high quality olive oil when making this sauce, and take your time – there’s no rushing it. When you’re cooking the garlic, you want to very, very slowly convert the starches in it to sugars and then to caramelize those sugars. Slow and steady. Then get the tomatoes in and let them simmer. Not a ton happens over the four hours – no epic deepening of color or furious reduction – but it cooks as much water out of the tomatoes as possible without turning them into tomato paste.

Makes about 3 quarts

1 cup olive oil
13 cloves garlic
One 96-ounce can (or, if you can find it, 1-kg) or four 28-ounce cans
Italian tomatoes (e.g. San Marzano)
Large pinch of red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Preparation – Tomato Sauce

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large deep saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the garlic is deeply colored – striations of deep brown running through golden cloves – and fragrant. If the garlic starts to smell acrid or sharp or is taking on color quickly, pull the pan off the stove and reduce the heat.

While the garlic is getting golden, deal with the tomatoes: Pour them into a bowl and crush them with your hands. We like to pull out the firmer stem end from each of the tomatoes as we crush them and discard those along with the basil leaves that are packed into the can.

When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook them for 30 seconds or a minute, to infuse their flavor and spice into the oil. Dump in the tomatoes, add the salt, and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium, get the sauce simmering at a gentle pace (not aggressively) and simmer for 4 hours. Stir it from time to time. Mother it a little bit.

Check the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be cooked with meat at this point, or stored, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 days or frozen for up to a few months.

Excerpted from “The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual” by Frank Falcinelli, Frank Castronovo & Peter Meehan (Artisan Books). Copyright 2010.

½ pound cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ pound mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
6 sheets phyllo pastry
¾ cup melted butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
½ pint raspberries

Preparation

Either by hand, with a whisk, or with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together on high until it’s light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the mascarpone and beat only until incorporated.

Whip the cream to soft but firm peaks and fold it into the cheese mixture. The cheese mixture can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Lay a sheet of phyllo out on your work surface and brush with butter. Sprinkle evenly with 1½ tablespoons sugar. Place a second sheet over the first and press firmly over the entire surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle evenly with another 1½ tablespoons sugar. Cover with a third sheet of phyllo and press firmly again. Brush generously with butter.

Cut the sheet in thirds lengthwise and in quarters widthwise to make 12 even squares. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat the above procedure with the remaining phyllo, butter and sugar.

Bake one tray at a time for 4-4½ minutes until very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The squares may be made a day in advance and kept in a tightly covered container.

Just before serving, assemble the cheesecakes. Place a square of phyllo in the middle of a plate. Place a large dollop of the mascarpone mixture in the middle of the square. Top with a phyllo square and another large dollop of the mascarpone mixture. Cover with the third square. Spoon a small dollop on top. Cascade the berries over the tops and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.