Searching4Zen

Welcome to Searching4Zen, a recipe sharing and blog discussing adventures in Food & Wine, Travel and Cycling. We hope you will register with us and share your comments.

  • Essential Pomodoro Sauce

    Comments Off on Essential Pomodoro Sauce

    Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion or shallot, chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes Sea salt and freshly ground pepper teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste) 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (optional) Instructions In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • My Go To Pizza Dough

    Comments Off on My Go To Pizza Dough

    Ingredients 800 grams bread flour (about 2 ¾ cups) 10 grams active dry yeast (about 2 ½ teaspoons) 2 teaspoons sea salt 100 grams (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil 500 grams (2 cups) warm water (for 70% hydration use 540 grams, for 65% use 500 grams and for 60% use 460 grams) 2 to […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Skillet Garlic Butter Herb Steak and Potatoes

    35 minutes
    Comments Off on Skillet Garlic Butter Herb Steak and Potatoes

    Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 pound yukon gold potatoes, sliced about ½ inch in thickness 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped 1 teaspoon oregano, chopped 2 lean New York Steak strip steaks salt and pepper Garlic Butter Compound: ¼ cup softened butter 3 garlic cloves, […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Classic Shrimp Scampi

    15 minutes
    Comments Off on Classic Shrimp Scampi

    Author’s Notes Scampi are tiny, lobster-like crustaceans with pale pink shells (also called langoustines). Italian cooks in the United States swapped shrimp for scampi, but kept both names. Thus the dish was born, along with inevitable variations. This classic recipe makes a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce that goes well with a pile […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

    Comments Off on Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

    Ingredients 1 cup sugar 2 ½ tsp. cornstarch Pinch salt 1 cup whole milk ¾ cup whipping or heavy cream, I would substitute cream of coconut instead 2 large egg yolks ½ cup chilled evaporated milk, I would substitute powered milk 1 cup chilled unsweetened canned coconut milk ¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted; more […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Caramelized Banana Pudding

    Comments Off on Caramelized Banana Pudding

    Ingredients ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided 6 medium bananas (yellow but not yet browning) 3 Tbsp. cornstarch ¼ tsp. kosher salt 2½ cups half-and-half, divided 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1½ tsp. vanilla extract 1½ cups sour cream 15 graham crackers Instructions Place rack in bottom third of oven; […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Caesar-ish Dressing

    Comments Off on Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Caesar-ish Dressing

    Ingredients 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, for me I doubled this amount 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more ⅓ cup plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill 6 Tbsp. mayonnaise ¼ cup chopped cornichons […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Cream Cheese Ice Cream

    Comments Off on Cream Cheese Ice Cream

    Author’s Note While cream cheese ice cream has a lovely tang that goes with, um, everything, you’ll want to make this ice cream for its texture. Dense, rich cream cheese replaces some of the cream in this recipe. In doing so, you replace the water in the cream with so much milk protein that the […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Salted Crème Fraîche Caramel Ice Cream

    Comments Off on Salted Crème Fraîche Caramel Ice Cream

    Author’s Note Salted caramel is a new standard, and there is hardly an ice cream shop without their spin on this flavor. This version is finished with crème fraîche, which adds a bright dimension to the wonderfully deep flavor of the caramelized sugars. This recipe also features a dry caramel, whereby the sugar is added […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

    Comments Off on Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

    Ingredients 1 batch of Basic Custard Base I whole vanilla bean or 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract Instructions Follow the instructions as laid out in the Basic Custard Base Ice Cream except for the following changes if you are using a whole vanilla bean: After you have boiled the dairy and sugars (step 2) you Infuse the […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by