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.

  • Grilled Halloumi and Vegetables

    Comments Off on Grilled Halloumi and Vegetables

    Author’s Notes Halloumi is a firm, white, brined cheese traditionally made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. (Though today, cow’s milk is often used.) Like other low-fat cheeses, it is perfect for grilling. It sears and colors quickly when it hits the hot grill. The interior softens, but the cheese doesn’t melt; it […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Roasted Vegetable Torte, Not as Easy as Pie

    Comments Off on Roasted Vegetable Torte, Not as Easy as Pie

    Ingredients 2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices (sometimes I skip zukes and double up on the other veggies I like more) 1 red onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus another few tablespoons for brushing veggies Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Gnocchi alla sorrentina (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella)

    1 hour 15 minutes
    Comments Off on Gnocchi alla sorrentina (Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella)

    Author’s Notes Potato gnocchi are pretty filling, the kind of food you may associate with the cooler weather. But, in fact, you can enjoy gnocchi all year ’round. They are delicious with pesto, for example, or with a simple tomato sauce. In fact, one of the classic Campanian summer dishes is gnocchi alla sorrentina, or […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Lapin à la moutarde / Rabbit in mustard sauce

    Comments Off on Lapin à la moutarde / Rabbit in mustard sauce

    Ingredients 1 rabbit (about 3 to 4 lbs / 1 ½ to 2 kg), cut into serving pieces ¾ bottle of dry white wine (I used a Chablis) 3 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used a combination of classic Dijon and wholegrain) 250ml / 1 cup crème fraîche 3 tablespoons butter 2 garlic […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Perfect Scrambled Eggs

    Comments Off on Perfect Scrambled Eggs

    Author’s Notes Creamy-soft scrambled eggs require slow cooking over low heat. Drier ones call for a hot skillet, less stirring, and quicker cooking. The version explained here employs the slow-and-low approach, with butter, chives, and heavy cream added just before the eggs are done. Ingredients 1 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter 3 eggs ¼ tsp. kosher […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Speculoos Ice Cream

    25 minutes
    Comments Off on Speculoos Ice Cream

    Author’s Note This recipe is a great way to polish off the scraps left over from making speculoos (a type of spiced cookie), including homemade Biscoff (the most famous brand of speculoos), but feel free to use store-bought cookies instead. Biscoff, whether real or copycat, give this silky ice cream an intriguing caramel flavor, while […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak

    30 minutes
    Comments Off on Perfect Soy-Grilled Steak

    Author’s Notes You may think you don’t have the time to marinate meat before grilling it, but it’s time-consuming only if you think a marinade has to tenderize. As far as I’m concerned, there are only two goals in marinating: to add flavor and to promote browning and crispness. Neither of these requires long soaking, […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Cognac-Ice-Cream Sandwiches

    Comments Off on Cognac-Ice-Cream Sandwiches

    Author’s Notes This recipe came to The Times from Meg Ray and Caitlin Williams, the owners of Miette Cakes, a bakery in San Francisco. They reimagined a classic booze pie as ice-cream sandwiches, literally a children’s dessert for adults. They replaced the graham-cracker crust with homemade graham crackers, turned the mousse into ice cream and […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

    Comments Off on Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

    Author’s Notes Green Goddess dressing — a creamy, piquant blend of herbs, garlic and anchovies — is good to eat on salad. And it’s wonderful as a dipping sauce for vegetables. But its best use may be as a marinade for roast chicken. The mild chicken absorbs all the zippy flavors of the dressing, to […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by

  • 3-Ingredient Pesto-Grilled Chicken with Peaches

    1 hour 20 minutes
    Comments Off on 3-Ingredient Pesto-Grilled Chicken with Peaches

    Ingredients 1 ¾ cups store-bought or homemade pesto, divided ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided, plus more for grill 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds) 4 ripe peaches, halved Instructions Whisk 1 ½ cups pesto, ½ cup […]

    Avatar photo Recipe by