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.

  • Classic Patty Melts on Rye

    36 minutes
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    Ingredients 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced ½ teaspoon granulated/castor sugar Kosher salt ¼ cup / 55 grams (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened 12 slices crusty rye bread, each about ⅓ inch/8 millimeters thick 2 pounds / 910 grams ground chuck/minced beef (80% lean) 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ½ […]

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  • Sausage-Stuffed Rigatoni

    50 minutes, plus cooling time
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    Recipe adapted from Jason Vincent and Ben Lustbader, Giant, Chicago, IL. The original recipe is via Tasting Table. Ingredients ½ pound dried rigatoni (medium to small works the best) ¾ pound Italian sausage, uncased 1 large egg Olive oil 1 cup minced onion 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic (from about 5 cloves) 20 cherry tomatoes, […]

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  • Tarte Saint-Germain

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    Ingredients 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter 6 leeks, trimmed, all washed and thinly sliced 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 1 cup half-and-half 1 cup heavy cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Freshly grated nutmeg (optional) One 9-inch shell of Pâte Brisée, partially baked ½ cup grated Gruyère cheese Instructions Melt the […]

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  • Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette

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    Ingredients 1 large head of broccoli (1¼–1½ pounds), cut into florets, stalk peeled and finely chopped Kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 4 garlic cloves, smashed 12 ounces fresh Italian sausage (about 3 links), casings removed ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 12 ounces orecchiette 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut […]

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  • Tapenade Dip

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    Ingredients ½ cup imported black kalamata olive, pitted, can use Alfonso ¼ cup imported green Sicilian olives, pitted 4 anchovy fillets 1 garlic clove 2 tablespoons capers, drained 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup fresh basil leaf, rinsed and patted dry ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup mayonnaise (optional) Instructions Combine black and […]

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  • Gruyère Grilled Cheese with Apple Salad

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    I love Lucques’s rich, gooey grilled cheese with shallots. In the fall, the L.A. restaurant pairs it with a spot-on tart apple and arugula salad. This technique gets your bread golden and your cheese extra melty, making a simple sandwich something special (the Gruyère and shallots don’t hurt either). It’s rich enough that one sandwich and […]

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  • Bailey’s Irish Ice Cream

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    Ingredients 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon salt ½ to ¾ cup of Irish Whiskey (depends on your tastes) 3 to 4 tablespoons of Mocha Ripple 5 egg yolks ½ to ¾ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon coffee extract or 1 teaspoon of finely […]

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  • Smoked Salmon Potato Cakes with Herb Crème Fraîche

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    Ingredients For the crème fraîche ½ cup crème fraîche 4 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (dill, chives, parsley, etc.) ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon lemon zest Pepper For the cakes 2 medium potatoes 4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped (about 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise ½ teaspoon lemon juice 4 large cloves of  garlic rasped 1 egg […]

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  • Charlotte Aux Pommes

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    This extremely good dessert is a thick, rum and apricot-flavored apple purée piled into a cylindrical mold which has been lined with butter-soaked strips of white bread (yes white bread). It is baked in a overshot oven until the bread is golden brown, and is then unfolded. For the sake of drama, the mold should […]

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  • Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

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    Ingredients 1 yellow squash sliced into ⅓ inch think 1 zucchini sliced into ⅓ inch think 1 Japanese eggplant sliced into ⅓ inch think 1 head red-tipped Belgian endive (optional) 4 asparagus ½ green pepper cored ½ red pepper cored ½ yellow pepper cored 8 slices rosemary or other herb bread 8 Montrachet goat cheese slices Marinade […]

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