Homemade cream puffs filled with sweet chestnut cream.  This is all I need for Christmas.  Buttery choux pastry filled with sweet cream I whipped with several tablespoons of chestnut cream.  Chestnut cream does not have any cream in it.  It is a smooth, nutty brown spread with a deep, earthy flavor of roasted nuts and toffee.  Perfect match for the sweet cream.  

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
8 tablespoons of salted butter
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup of flour
4 large eggs, room temperature

Cream Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbl chestnut cream
4 tbl granulated sugar
Dash of sea salt
2 tbl powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 tablespoons of butter, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/8 tsp salt. Bring just to a boil over medium heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon. Once flour is incorporated, stir constantly for about 4-5 minutes to release extra moisture and partially cook flour. A thin film will form on the bottom of the pan and dough will come together into a smooth ball.

Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer on medium speed for a couple minutes to cool mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing to fully incorporate between additions. Beat another minute until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.

Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip. Pipe puffs the size you want them to be, they will not puff up much more. Keep them 1" apart and avoid making peaks* but if you do get peaks, wet finger tips lightly with water and smooth them out.

Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes in the center of the oven. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 25-27  min longer or until golden brown on top. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make cream slowly whip in sugars into heavy cream and remaining ingredients.  Whip until peaks form.  Slice cooled puffs and fill with chestnut cream.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Enjoy! 

If you claim to not like beets you have not had these!  I tell my daughters that most recipes or types of food people think they do not like they have had cooked wrong.  For example if you grew up eating overcooked asparagus, you think it is disgusting because it is mushy and stringy.  If you then have some beautifully cooked asparagus, seasoned perfectly, you are amazed by the flavor and the crisp bite.  I challenge you anti-beet people out there, try this recipe and let me know if you like beets.  If you are not vegan, add some goat cheese to this recipe.  

Ingredients:
Beets:
Multi-colored beets
olive oil
salt and pepper

Dill Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper
a couple pinches of dill pollen
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375F.  
Peel and slice beets hasselback style.  A video is on my Instagram page. Roast covered with foil for one hour.  Whisk together vinaigrette and drizzle over top. Top with another pinch of dill pollen and fresh dill.  If you do not have dill pollen, do not worry this recipe will be delicious without it.  If you want to try some fantastic flavor, look into dill and fennel pollen.  It adds a pop to your recipes.  
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This chowder is one of my family's favorites!  It is so perfect for this time of year. As it gets chilly, I crave creamy, comforting and flavorful soups and chowders.  I added additional smoky flavor by charring the corn and poblano pepper on the grill.  I also used my cast iron pot to continue to cook with the top off on the charcoal grill to continue to add a bit of smoky flavor.  This was absolutely delicious.  Tag me @foodcolorspice and let me know if you tried it and if you liked it as much as we did!

Ingredients
2 corn on the cob, grilled then cut off cob
1 poblano pepper, grilled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
32 ounces chicken stock or broth
2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crispy
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions
Grill corn and poblano pepper until charred.  Set aside to cool then cut off cob and dice poblano with charred skin in tact.  

In a Dutch oven or cast iron pot (on the stove or grill) sauté onion, add poblanos, spices and then garlic cook until aromatic.  Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Then add chicken and corn, simmer and return to a boil.  Mix in sour cream and flour into cream and add to soup.  Cook down until soup thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn off heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Top with chopped, cooked bacon, cheese and freshly chopped cilantro.  Serve with toasted bread.  So amazing! Enjoy!  

This sweet potato layer cake has been smoked then filled with a spiced cream cheese buttercream topped with a torched meringue.  It is absolutely delicious and a cake I will make again and again.  It is also a stunner table top with it's beautifully toasted meringue.  Give this a try and tag me @foodcolorspice so I can see your creation and let me know if you like it as much as we did!!

Ingredients
1 1/2 pd sweet potatoes (2.5 large)
3 1/4 cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
7 tbl vegetable oil
1 tbl vanilla
5 eggs, room temperature
 
Frosting
16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered sugar
1 tbl vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbl maple syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbl heavy whipping cream
 
Torched Meringue
4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
 
Cook sweet potatoes.  Bake or boil. Cool and remove skin. Heat smoker or oven to 350F.
 
Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine 5 eggs with sweet potatoes. In stand mixer add sugars, butter, oil and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add sweet potato mixture and dry ingredients until just incorporated. Add to 9-inch prepared pans. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Let cool. Pipe cream cheese filling. Prepare meringue by melting sugar into egg whites over a double boiler. Add remaining ingredients and in a stand mixer beat on high speed until cool. About five minutes. Pipe on cake and torch.
 Enjoy my friends!

This Apple Blossom Spice Cake represents Fall in Virginia.  It is so beautiful and colorful.  When my girls were little we often would go apple picking.  This cake incorporates two kinds of varieties of apples; granny smith and sweet envy (or comparable sweet red apple) This combination of flavors screams fall and is also a beautiful centerpiece for a gathering or celebration. 

Ingredients:
Galette
1 pie crust (bought or homemade)
2 red apples of the sweet variety
3 tbl brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbl salted butter
1 egg
1 tsp milk

Spice Cake
1 cup salted butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 cup apple juice, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups AP Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Apple Filling
4 granny smith apples, chopped
3 tbl salted butter
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Caramel Buttercream
Caramel liquid from apple filling
2 cups salted butter
6 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c whipping cream
dash of fine sea salt
(this is enough to fill and cover cake but to make rosettes you will need to add another 1/2 of the recipe)

Directions:
Prepare galette by slicing red apples very thin and tossing them in brown sugar and cinnamon. Fan out apples to shape a flower leaving space for small rose in the center. Microwave 5 slices for 30 seconds and roll into rose for center.  Brush crust with egg wash and bake at 400F for 40 minutes, cool.

Prepare cake.  Combine dry ingredients and buttermilk, cider and vanilla.  In a stand mixture with paddle attachment cream butter on medium speed for two minutes, scrape down and add sugars.  Add eggs one at a time and then dry ingredients interchangeably with buttermilk mixture.  Add to prepared pans (3  8-inch pans) and bake at 325F for 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

Prepare Buttercream
Cream butter and slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of caramel from apples and a dash of sea salt. 

Assemble cake.
Spread butter cream on one cake and pipe a ridge around to hold in apples.  Fill with apples and repeat on next layer.  Ice a crumb coat and then pipe rosettes around cake.  Place cooled galette on top and add dried rose petals.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt for dough and 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt for sprinkling
1 cup salted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature chocolate chips
14 Oreo cookies

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. 
In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt. 
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth and fold in the chocolate chips.

Weigh 3 ounces of cookie dough and form into balls. This recipe makes 14 cookies.  Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet and evenly place greased English muffin rings on top.  Separate each 3 ounce ball of dough in half and place a Oreo cookie in between, wrapping the cookie dough all around the Oreo.  Place each formed dough in the center of the English muffin ring. Bake for 16 minutes until golden. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top and allow to cool inside ring for 10 minutes. Pull off rings and move cookie to cooling rack.  Enjoy!!! 

It is my mother's birthday this week and I made her a carrot cake.  The next day I was inspired to make cannoli! How awesome would it be to have filling in a cannoli that tastes like carrot cake?  I searched the web and found nothing! I guess I am creating a recipe!  I did and it turned out AMAZING!! Try this recipe and tag me!  

Ingredients:
250g 00 flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup marsala wine
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg white for sealing
neutral oil for frying

Filling:
32 ounces whole fat ricotta, drained
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
dash of fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup carrots, hand shredded
1/2 teaspoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:
First drain ricotta.  You will need to do this for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.  Place in cheesecloth and a hack: I tie the cheesecloth on the sink facet and allow to drain. 

In a food processor combine all ingredients until they just pull together.  Dump onto a board and work into a dough.  Allow to rest in fridge for an hour.  Roll out and then push through a pasta maker two times 7 then 6, getting dough to 1/8 thickness. Cut with three inch cutter and wrap around cannoli tube.  Seal with egg white and fry at 360F until golden.  Approximately 1.5-2 minutes. Allow to cool.  Toast walnuts and cool, then finely chop.  Melt white chocolate.  Dip cannoli into white chocolate and then toasted walnuts.  Set aside to harden.

Roast carrots.  Shred carrots by hand with a box shredder at the finest side.  This is important because the carrots need to be very fine.  Melt ghee and honey and pour over shredded carrots, sprinkle with cinnamon.  Roast at 400F for 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool. 

Prepare filling.  Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Fill piping bag and pipe filling into cannoli.  Eat right away or the shells will get soggy.  You can store the shells for two days in an airtight container and keep filling in refrigerator.  Enjoy!  

I am absolutely in love with Duck breasts!! After I recovered from the fact that I used to feed ducks at the lake when I was little and tried a duck breast I realized how delicious they were.  It is important to cook the duck breast to a medium rare, unlike a chicken breast.  Paired with figs and fig sauce, this is one of my favorite recipes.  It also does not take long and the presentation is so fancy :-) 

Ingredients:
1-2 Duck Breasts (depending on serving size and how many guests)
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Fig Sauce:
1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fig jam
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons salted butter

Plating:
2 baby bok choy, blanched 
1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil
salt and pepper
Fresh figs, sliced
Scallions, sliced

Directions:
Make the fig sauce.  Sauté the minced shallot in reserved duck fat or high smoke point oil until tender. Whisk in sherry and chicken stock and allow to reduce by half.  Whisk in fig jam and balsamic vinegar and cook on low for another 5 minutes.  Finish sauce with butter. Set aside. 

Start with a cold cast iron skillet.  Score duck breast with a sharp knife and sprinkle kosher salt on both sides.  Allow duck to come to room temperature.  Place duck breast(s) into cold skillet, skin side down.  Slowly heat up skilled to render the fat.  If you cook the duck breast too quickly it will seal in a larger layer of fat.  You want to render out most of the fat and create a beautiful sear on the skin side of the duck breast. After, increasing temperature to medium-medium high you will get a crispy and gold sear on the skin side.  (about 10 minutes) flip and continue cooking until breast reaches 125-128.  Remove from heat and allow to rest at least 15 minutes.  

Prepare the baby bok choy. Slice the bok choy in half and slice an X into root side.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and have an iced water bath ready to the side.  Blanch bok choy for 1.5-2 minutes and using tongs scoop into iced water bath to stop cooking.  Remove and sauté in a bit of olive oil or a tablespoon of butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Plating:
Place sautéed baby bok choy on plate, top with sliced figs.  Slice duck and fan over side of plate.  Top with fig sauce and sprinkle sliced green onions on top.  Enjoy! 

This gumbo is perfect and delicious.  I have also smoked my roux in my smoker for 4 hours, reducing the amount of stirring but takes longer.  Either way this gumbo has everything; shrimp, sausage and chicken.  The perfect almost spring but not yet comfort food :-) 

Ingredients:
For the roux:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup fat (I use duck fat, you can use canola/vegetable oil as well)

For the gumbo:
12 ounce package andouille sausage, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
​3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen sliced okra
2 cups shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons file powder (sassafras) 

Topping:
Green onions, sliced
White rice
Tabasco (optional) 

Directions: 
Make the roux.  In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and duck fat. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and thickened. Be careful not to let it burn!  It should go from smelling toasty to a coffee like smell. 

Add vegetables and cook until onions are translucent.  Add garlic, cayenne and bay leaves, whisk in chicken broth. In a separate pan cook the chicken and the sausage and then add to the broth mixture.  Brown and season shrimp with Cajun seasoning and set aside to add towards the end of the cook.  Cook on a simmer for 40 minutes then add the okra*, file powder and shrimp.  Cook for another ten minutes.  Serve with rice and sliced green onions. 

*I soaked the okra in vinegar to remove sliminess but if you are not using file powder you may want to keep okra as is to offer a thickener. 

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This recipe takes Beef Stroganoff to the next level!  Extra Mushrooms please! 

Ingredients:
4 beef filets, equal thickness
Garlic, salt and pepper rub or seasoning of choice

Mushroom Crust:
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms, bella and button, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon sour cream

Stroganoff:
1 pound egg noodles
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound mushrooms, bella and button, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken bone broth or beef
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup sour cream
salt and pepper 
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

Instructions:
Cook the noodles as directed on the package.  Drain and toss with a little olive oil and fresh parsley. Set aside. 

Grill seasoned steaks on high heat (450F) until steaks reach about 120F/125F.  (This is for a medium rare steak).  Take off grill. 

Prepare mushroom crust by sautéing sliced mushrooms in butter and oil until water starts to evaporate and mushrooms are tender.  Add garlic and thyme. Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped but not pureed.  Allow to cool a bit and then toss with remaining ingredients. Top steaks with mixture and put under broiler until golden or steak reaches 130F.  Torch using a hand torch if steak has exceeded temperature.  Allow to rest 10-15 minutes.  

Add 2 tablespoons butter and oil to the sauté pan. Once it has melted, add the onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions are soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Then add the white wine and deglaze the pan by using your cooking spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook down for an additional 3 minutes.

While the wine cooks down, whisk together the chicken or beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and flour until smooth in a separate bowl. Pour the beef stock mixture into the sauté pan, stir to combine, then let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream, Dijon mustard and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Serve warm over egg noodles, garnished with a sprinkle of parsley or dill.  Top with sliced mushroom crusted filet of beef.  Enjoy!