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.

  • 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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  • One-Hour Pizza Dough

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    Author’s Notes For our One-Hour Pizza recipe, we employed a handful of tricks to get a crust that was crisp, tender, and light without the need for a prolonged proofing period. First, we used a high percentage of yeast and warm water in the dough to make sure it proofs in 30 minutes. We also […]

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  • Walnut Pesto

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    Ingredients 1 cup shelled walnuts, even better if you toast and cool them first ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed 3 sprigs of thyme, cleaned Salt Small splash of sherry vinegar (I used a generous splash and felt it dominated too much; go easy) ⅓ cup extra virgin olive […]

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  • Provençal Fish Stew

    30 minutes
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    This dish turns the proportion of fish to vegetables on its head — more vegetables, less fish. There’s enough shrimp and squid to let you know you’re eating a fish stew, but enough chickpeas and spinach to let you know it is something different. A puttanesca-like seasoning of garlic, olives, capers, anchovies and tomato paste […]

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  • Sesame Salmon Fillets or Kebobs

    20 minutes
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    Ingredients ¼ cup Mayo 1 tablespoon honey 2 to 4 teaspoons Sriracha 1 ½ pounds responsibly farmed or U.S. wild-caught salmon fillets 2 tablespoons roasted/toasted sesame seeds 2 navel oranges 5 scallions Instructions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a quarter baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Stir together the mayo, honey […]

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