1. Mix salt and sugar together in a small bowl
2. In a shallow dish (with walls tall enough to wrap with plastic wrap without touching the contents of the dish) fill with half of the salt/sugar mixture.
3. Using a whole egg, make 4 small indentations in the salt/sugar mix to create a landing pad for the yolks leaving two inches between each one
4. Separate the whites from the yolks and gently drop each yolk into an indentation in the salt/sugar mix. Save the whites for another project.
5. Sprinkle a small amount of fennel pollen (or fresh cracked black pepper) over each egg yolk and cover with the remaining salt/sugar mix. The yolks should be submerged in the salt/sugar mix.
6. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 7-10 days.
7. After about 10 days curing in the fridge, the yolks will become firmer as the liquid is drawn out.
8. Once firm enough to pick up and not feel sticky, they are ready for dehydration.
9. Give the cured yolks a quick rinse under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
10. At this point, they can be placed in a dehydrator set to 160F for about 1 hour. You can use an oven on the lowest setting if you keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn't burn or sweat.
11. After they cool, cured egg yolks can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple weeks.

Happy Cooking!

1. In an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar with a paddle. Add extract, zest and butter.
2. On low speed, gradually add the flour and baking powder to make a sticky dough.
3. Preheat pizzelle iron, which is usually just turn it on for 10 minutes.
4. Drop about 2-3 tsp worth of batter on each side, just slightly behind center and close the lid.
5. All irons are different, but cook for about 30-40 seconds OR the Italians say two "Hail Marys".
6. Remove promptly and carefully with a fork and put onto a wire rack. You can also shape them by placing them in a muffin tin or on the back of a rolling pin.
7. Dust with powdered sugar after cooled.
8. Eat alone or with coffee, garnish a scoop of gelato or fill the shaped ones with whipped cream and fresh fruit. 

Happy New Year & Happy Cooking!

1. Cut eggplants into rounds about 3/4-1" thick. Place on a rack over a baking tray and season both sides lightly with salt.
2. Wait 1 hour and let them sweat. This will reduce the bitterness, make them a bit firmer because of water loss, and if you're frying them – they'll soak up less oil. This step is very important so do not skip it.
3. After 1 hour, pat the eggplant rounds dry with paper towels.
4. Dredge the eggplants in flour (shake off any excess), then in egg wash (allow any excess to drip off), and then into the panko breadcrumbs and press firmly to coat.
5. Fry in batches in the oil on medium heat in a large skillet (or I use a deep cast iron pan). Eggplant likes to soak up a lot of oil, but one way to reduce that is to make sure you are frying at a hot enough temperature to quickly create a crust on the outside prior to taking in too much oil.  This should take about 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Once golden brown and delicious, transfer to a clean baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt.
7. After all of the eggplant is fried, top each one with some tomato sauce, then the mozzarella and finally a "healthy" amount of grated parmigiana cheese.
8. Pop under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly with little golden blisters.
9. Serve immediately.

Chef's personal tip: It goes great with garlic charred broccoli raab and some lightly buttered angel hair spaghetti.

Enjoy & Happy Cooking!

1. In a small bowl, mix miso paste, maple syrup, butter and chili crunch (if using). Set aside for later.
2. After mushrooms are clean, chop or shred them into large bite size pieces, keeping in mind they will shrink as they cook. Aim for large pieces but with more surface area for browning to occur.
3. In a large frying pan, at medium heat, put in your mushrooms with no oil, seasonings or anything. This is called the dry saute and it will help bring out the moisture faster allowing for better caramelization. Don’t overcrowd your pan, use two pans or work in batches.
4. Once the liquid begins to release into the pan, I like to season it with salt and add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil. Saute for 3-5 min on each side to get some color on it.
5. Once most of the mushrooms are browning, lower the heat to med-low and add the shallots.  Stir to combine and cook for another 3 min.
6. After the shallots have softened, add the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes until aromatic but not burnt.
7. Turn off the heat and add in the maple miso compound butter from earlier. 

Serve as a side dish, over steamed rice, on thick sliced toast or mix it with warm farro. And if there are leftovers, they taste great in an omelet.
. 

Enjoy!



1. Heat a small amount of the water, and dissolve the salt and sugar into it, then let it cool.
2.  In a large enough vessel, place your thawed turkey (innards removed) and add all other ingredients – you may or may not need the full 1 Gal of water). A large plate or something similar will help keep the turkey submerged. 
3. Leave turkey in brine for 18 hours and flip it once during the brining process. If you don’t have room in your fridge, you can do this in a cooler, just make sure you add enough ice to keep it very cold to prevent any food borne-illness. 
4. Remove from brine at least 1 hour before you plan to cook it and let it come to room temperature.
5. Pat dry with paper towels and place in the roasting rack. 
6. You can add additional aromatics to the cavity at this point. I like to add a chopped onion, a chopped apple, some rosemary and sage and maybe a cinnamon stick. 

Happy Cooking!

• Grate both potatoes with a box grater, or you can use the grater attachment on a food processor. Put the grated potato into a tall bowl with some cold water. 
• After the potatoes are all grated, carefully remove them from the bowl of water, put them in a kitchen towel (or use your hands) and squeeze out any excess water back into the bowl. Place squeeze dried potatoes into a large bowl. Let the water sit for 5-10 min while you prepare the latke mixture.
• Grate onion into the large bowl with the potatoes. The onion juices will add great flavor. You’ll cry a little, but it will be worth it. 
• Scramble 2 eggs and add a pinch of salt, black pepper and ½ tsp baking powder in a small bowl. Gently stir this into the potato/onion mixture to combine. 
• By now, the potato water should have a layer of visible starch at the bottom. Carefully, pour off as much water as possible (and discard it) while reserving the potato starch at the bottom.
• Mix the potato starch in with the potato latke mixture.
• Heat a medium heavy pan, preferably cast iron, to medium heat and add 1 tbsp duck fat.  Vegetable oil, canola oil, and peanut oil are all alternatives to duck fat, if you prefer.
• Drop latkes in, one at a time, using a serving spoon.  Gently flatten each one into a disc shape. 
• Working in batches, fry each latke for 3-5 min on each side, or until the edges are golden brown.  Remove onto a paper towel lined plate or baking tray and season with salt. 
• Make more than you think you’ll need, and eat them hot.  A quick reheat in a 400F oven may help if you’re feeding a crowd. 
• Serve with sour cream and applesauce. 

.... and Enjoy!!