The Cubano Sandwich at the Palm House on Union Street in San Francisco is Michael's new favorite brunch food. They keep it classic with delicious pressed pork loin, smoked ham, dill pickle, jack cheese, and mustard. Michael gets extra cheese on it, obvy.
Chicken With So Easy Creamy Mustard Sauce
This has become a go-to meal for when I'm feeling tired, lazy... or both. The sauce is so easy, but incredibly rich and delicious.
How to Make it:
The Chicken:
- 2-3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- White truffle salt (I used Selezione Tartufi White Truffle Salt from Sur la Table) and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 (f). Add oil and heat up an oven-safe skillet to medium-high heat until the oil is hot. Generously salt and pepper the chicken. Carefully add the chicken to the pan. Don't move the chicken while it's browning. After about 6-8 minutes turn the chicken (the chicken should turn relatively easily, if it's sticking to the pan it's not ready to turn). Put the chicken in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until thermometer reads 165 (f).
So Easy Creamy Mustard Sauce:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon mustard (I used Olivier® Napa Valley Toasted Shallot and Dark Beer Mustard from Sur la Table, which is crazy delicious)
- Salt and pepper (if needed)
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set on a plate wrapped in aluminum foil to keep warm. Set to medium heat and add the cream to the skillet. Deglaze the pan using a whisk. Stir in the mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. It's that easy!
I served the chicken with steamed spinach. Topped with the Creamy Mustard Sauce and a little freshly grated Romano cheese.
Susan's Green Drink Recipe
This is my favorite green drink invention. I try to have these for lunch to help me balance out against the dinner splurge.
How to Make It
- 1 large handful of kale
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 large celery stock
- 1 large carrot
- 2 stocks asparagus
- About 1/2 cup broccoli stems
- 1/4 red pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Put all, except the lemon, through your juicer. Hand squeeze the lemon into the juice. Mix well and drink up!
Cauli Wrap Via Silpat
If you bake and you're not using a Silpat, go get one immediately! I use these silicone baking mats for lots of baking needs and especially when making cauliflower wraps or pizza crust (Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe). The mat gives great heat distribution, especially when set atop a baking/cooling rack. Clean up is a snap and replaces parchment paper in most cases. All the chefs I know at Sur la Table use these and highly recommend them. Both are available at Sur la Table, of course.
Shrimp Scampi With Zucchini Carpaccio
Chef Emma, at Sur la Table, introduced me to this Zucchini Carpaccio recipe and I just fell in love with it. The flavors are so fresh and delicious, and perfectly seasonal! I matched it up with some simple but tasty Shrimp Scampi.
How To Make It
Zucchini Carpaccio
- 2 zucchini
- a good sized handful of arugula
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon diced blanched almond slivers
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese
- salt and pepper
Thinly slice the zucchini using a mandoline or spiralizer. Set it in a strainer and sprinkle salt generously over. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes. The salt will extract much of the liquid. Thoroughly rinse the zucchini and pat dry with a towel. Toss all ingredients together reserving 1 tablespoon of cheese and a little of the almonds to sprinkle on top. I made this ahead of time in order to let it marinade in the fridge for about 20 minutes. It was just delicious!
Shrimp Scampi
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- juice of one lemon
- 1 pound fresh shrimp
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Melt butter and saute garlic. Add the lemon juice, shrimp and parsley. Cook until shrimp is pink and firm. Plate shrimp and drizzle sauce over. Yum!