Chef's Handyman, Food Blog

The summer in the Glass! Watermelon jam, the Chef’s Handyman summer recipe!

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Charlotte

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The summer in the glass, a great idea, especially for the cold winter season! Watermelon jam, the cool Chef’s Handyman summer recipe!

Summer is a great season for berries and fruits. The wide range of fruits can never be topped by other seasons.

Homemade marmalades and jams are the best opportunities to preserve the summer in the glass! How nice during the cold season to open a homemade glass of jam. Suddenly the fragrance of the summer will be unfolded. Just great!

Jams and marmalades can be topped by adding spices and herbs to get a new and fresh taste.

Chef’s Handyman tip for the summer: Watermelon jam!

Pit the flesh of watermelon and cut in pieces. Place 28-30 oz. of watermelon and 32 oz. of preserving sugar in a large pan. Add 1 tbsp. of lemon rind, 4 tbsp. of lemon juice and 1 tbsp. of all spice. Cook on medium heat until sugar has been melted.

Mix all ingredients with the hand-held blender. Add rose blossom water. If no rose blossom water is available, substitute with orange juice. When the jam gelatinizes fill mixture in the prepared glasses. To test, if the jam is ready to be stored, add 1 tbsp. on a cold plate. The jam should gelatinize. If not, cook for another 4 minutes.

Prepare preserving glasses as written in the wrapping.

Shopping list for approx. 8-10 small glasses:
Fruits: 2 lemons, 1.5 kg or 3 lb watermelon
Baking Ingredients: 1 kg or 32 oz. preserving sugar, 1 tbsp. rose blossom water
Spices: 1 tbsp. all spice

The Chef’s Handyman kitchen will be closed for summer holidays. We will be back at the 20. August 2012, with new ideas and new cooking recipes!

Have a great time! Your Chef’s Handyman Team!

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free Trial Recipes’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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Cherry Chutney with Goat’s Cheese, the Summer Special in the Chef’s Handyman Recipe Blog!

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Charlotte

Sweet and spicy a great combination with cherries and goat’s cheese! The summer special published in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

I love to pick fruits direct from the trees. The taste and the sweetness can never be topped from fruits bought in the stores, especially for cherries. The dark red and sweet cherries mixed up with onions are great with goat’s cheese. To give a spicy twist, the goat’s cheese can be marinated with chili and herbs. Serve the appetizer with a glass of white wine. A great starter for a dinner served in the garden.

Cherry chutney for 4 serves:

Cut 4 onions in small pieces. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add onions and sweat them. Add the pitted cherries and 3 tbsp. of preserving sugar. Pound the pepper and the allspice in the mortar. Season the cherries with black pepper, allspice and salt. Chop rosemary and add one tsp. of rosemary. Reduce chutney. Add 2 tsp. of red balsamic vinegar. When chutney does thicken remove from heat. Cool mixture.

Cut goat’s cheese in pieces. Combine with the chutney. Serve with pumpernickel or toasted French rolls.

Chef’s Handyman tip: Mix chutney with spicy marinated feta cheese. The combination of sweetness and the tasty cheese will be more intensive.

Shopping list for 4 serves:

Fruits: 5 oz. or 150 g pitted cherries
Vegetables: 4 onions
Baking Ingredients: 4 tbsp. preserving sugar or jam sugar
Oil, vinegar: 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. red balsamic vinegar
Herbs: Rosemary
Spices: 8 pieces allspice, salt, black pepper
Dairy Products: 10 oz. or 300 g goat’s cheese or cream cheese
Breads: Pumpernickel or French rolls

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free Trial Recipes’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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Snacks! Leichte Sommerküche, the first printed cookbook from Chef’s Handyman has been completed.

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Charlotte

Chef’s Handyman, Snacks! Leichte Sommerküche, the new cookbook!

Chef’s Handyman started with the idea to publish own recipes only in blogs and apps. We never had the ambition to publish a printed cookbook. Our friends stick on the idea holding a printed Chef’s Handyman cookbook in their hands. Following their request, we started to design and layout a printed cookbook.

Here we go! The first print version is ready! Unfortunately the cookbook is only available in German. If there might be any need, we will translate the book into English as well.

Snacks! Leichte Sommerküche, does contain a selection of recipes through all the published mobile cookbooks and also new recipes. The wide variety of recipes made the final decision not that easy. Anyway all our favorite dishes have been included in the new cookbook from Chef’s Handyman. We focused on the light meals especially for summer. Picnic on the country side or celebrate light summer meals in the garden together with friends, is the motto of this book.

Are you interested in our new cookbook? You can get in touch over our contact form, which can be selected under www.chefshandyman.ch . Click on the contact button in the right edge above.

Sincerely yours,

Chef’s Handyman Team.

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Olive oil and pear vinegar a perfect combination for the summer salad in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Charlotte

Summer salad, a wonderful combination of flowers, leaf salad, berries and goat’s cheese sprinkled with olive oil and pear vinegar is the weekly special in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog.

For this recipe I have found two great products:

The olive oil ‘Reine Olive No 1’ is a Greek olive oil. The oil has been made of Koroneiki olives. The flavor of these olives is intensive and fruity. This olive oil goes perfect with salad and goat’s cheese.

To get more information about the olive oil, see under: www.reineolive.de

The other new ingredient, I have found is the pear vinegar from Borboletta AG. They sell different types of vinegar. All of them are just great. Check for more information under: www.borboletta.ch

Both products are combined in the cooking recipe below. The fresh fruity flavor is made for this summer salad. Especially when the summer turns to high a light and fresh dish will be very welcome.

Chef’s Handyman tip for 4 serves: Summer salad with leaf salad, goat’s cheese and berries.

Cut pears in pieces.

Place leaf salad in a bowl. Sprinkle with 5 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tbsp. of pear vinegar. Add lemon rind. Toss lightly. Season the salad with salt and black pepper.

Place salad on plates. Add pear pieces, nuts and berries. Place goat’s cheese on top of the salad. Sprinkle with olive oil. Garnish with the flowers.

Serve salad with baguette bread.

Shopping list for 4 serves:
Salad: 250 g or 8 oz. leaf salad, 1 oz. flowers for salad
Oil, Vinegar: 6 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. pear vinegar
Fruits, Berries: 2 pears, 1 lemon, 150 g or 5 oz. blackberries
Dairy Products: 4 small goat’s cheese
Spices: Salt, black pepper
Nuts: 50 g or 2 oz. walnuts

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free Trial Recipes’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. This recipe will be visible under the category: Salads. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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Strawberries and raspberries with rose blossom water, a great flavor burst for brunch. Another great recipe in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Charlotte

Chef’s Handyman tip for the Sunday brunch: Strawberry raspberry jam with rose blossom water.

To get up on Sundays is a like putting a quart into a pint pot! The only reason to do else, is a great breakfast under the apple tree in the garden. Even better is the reason to have homemade jam as well.

Chef’s Handyman tip for the recipe blog: Strawberry raspberry jam with rose blossom water. Makes about 5-6 small glasses of marmalade:

Cook raspberries and 2 tbsp. of sugar and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice on low heat. Sieve raspberries through a fine meshed sieve. Collect juice.

Add strawberry juice and strawberry pieces in a pan. Pound 4 cardamom in mortar, add them to the fruits. The fruits should have a weight of 600 g or 22 oz. Add 700 g or 23 oz. of preserving sugar, lemon rind and 6 tbsp. of lemon juice. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Skim foam. Add 2 tbsp. of rose blossom water.

To test if marmalade does gelatinize, add 1 tbsp. of marmalade on cooled plate. If the marmalade does not thicken than cook the jam for another 5 minutes.

Prepare preserving glasses as written in the wrapping.

Shopping list for 6 small glasses:
Fruits, Berries: 200 g 0r 7 oz. strawberries, 400 g or 13 oz. raspberries, 2 lemons organic
Baking Ingredients: 700 g or 23 oz. preserving sugar
Blossom water: 2 tbsp. rose blossom water
Spices: 4 cardamom

This recipe and other great cooking recipes can be found in the new Chef’s Handyman cookbook. More information about the new Chef’s Handyman cookbook will be published in the middle of June.

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Cheesecake, the weekly special in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Charlotte

Cheesecake a delicious dessert dream! A great weekly special in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

A visit in New York without eating any cheesecake is a no go! Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. Whenever I have the chance to taste and eat an original cheesecake, I will take this opportunity.

There are so much different styles and flavors. My favorite one is the classic cheesecake New York style. Much better is the taste, when eating this piece of heaven in the Central Park. To have a picnic outside in the green!

Chef’s Handyman tip for 1 cheesecake (9×3 inch springform pan):

Butter the springform. Sprinkle the crumbs of graham crackers in the base of the pan.

To make the filling: Beat cream cheese, 2 eggs, vanilla custard powder, sugar, lemon rind, lemon curd and crème double with the electric mixer until soft and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the pan.

Bake in oven at 200°C or 400°F for 40-45 minutes. Leave in oven to cool for 3 hours. Take out and store in fridge for 2 hours before serving.

To make sauce: Place raspberries, 2 tbsp. of vanilla sugar and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice in a pan. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain raspberries through a fine meshed sieve. Collect sauce.

Serve cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Garnish with strawberries and blue berries.

Shopping list for 1 cheese cake:
Dairy Products: 250g or 8 oz. crème double, 800g or 25 oz. cream cheese (Philadelphia), 1 tbsp. butter
Eggs: 2
Fruits, Berries: 1 lemon organic, 200 g or 7 oz. raspberries, 150 g or 5 oz. strawberries, 100 g or 4 oz. blueberries
Baking Ingredients: 0.75 cup sugar, 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar, 1 packet vanilla custard powder, 200 g graham crackers, 5 tbsp. lemon curd

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free trial recipes’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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Chocolate strawberries, the perfect gift for mother’s day! A great cooking recipe in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Charlotte

Chocolate strawberries! A great gift for mother’s day! The recipe tip in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Strawberries do have a great flavor and are sweet in taste! Covered with chocolate and a dream comes through! The perfect gift for mother’s day! The chocolate strawberries can be prepared within no time. Children might like to assist to produce them for mum’s special day.

Chef’s Handyman tip for the recipe blog:

Bring water to the boil. Combine 1 tbsp. of butter and the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts. Turn the strawberries in the melted chocolate.

Dry for 5 minutes than turn in coconut ground or chocolate vermicelli. Dry again for 30 minutes.

Place strawberries in a gift box. Consume immediately!

Shopping list for 250 g or 8 oz. strawberries:
Fruits, Berries: 250 g or 8 oz. strawberries
Baking Ingredients: 100 g or 4 oz. chocolate, coconut ground, chocolate vermicelli or edible sprinkles
Kitchen Ingredients: Toothpick or skewer, gift box

Happy mother’s day! Your Chef’s Handyman team!

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Easy, fast, delicious! Chef’s Handyman tip: Asparagus salad with smoked salmon!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charlotte

Light and easy to prepare, especially after a long trip home! The new cooking recipe published in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

I love New York! Discover fancy places! To stop at Macy’s it’s a must. To shop clothes and many other things on sale, what a great pleasure! Sightseeing with the Double-Decker Hop-on, Hop-off busses around the city and into all the attractions in town! Actually a weekend trip is too short!

Back from the long trip home, I’m too lazy to go out for eating. After checking my fridge I have a couple of things at home. Asparagus, lemons, spring onions and bell pepper. I also have some smoked ham on stock. What about a fresh asparagus salad with smoked salmon? Another great recipe for the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog and the asparagus serial! I also ate asparagus in New York. Thinner and smaller ones, but they were prepared delicious as well.

Chef’s Handyman cooking recipe for 4 persons: Asparagus salad with smoked ham!

Cut asparagus in pieces. Bring water to the boil. Add salt, sugar and asparagus. Cook pieces for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain asparagus sprinkle with cold water.

Cut bell pepper and spring onions in small pieces.

To make dressing: Combine 5 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, 1 tbsp. of white balsamic vinegar. Season the dressing with salt and black pepper. Cut lemon grass in small pieces. Add lemon grass, 1 tbsp. of lemon rind and a hint of chili flakes.

Place smoked salmon and salad on the plates sprinkle with dressing. Serve with horse radish mousse.

Shopping list for 4 persons:
Vegetables: 400g or 13 oz. asparagus, 2 bell peppers, 2 spring onions
Oil: 5 tbsp. olive oil
Vinegar: 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Spices: 1 lemon grass, salt, black pepper, chili flakes
Baking Ingredients: 1 tsp. sugar
Fruits: 1 lemon, organic
Fish: 400g or 13 oz. smoked ham
Sauces: 200g or 7 oz. horse radish mousse

If desired double the ingredients for the dressing.

Enjoy the meal!

Fruity tastes! The new theme in the next Chef’s Handyman serial!

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Asparagus salad with scampi and berries, the weekly special in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog!

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Charlotte

Asparagus salad with scampi and berries! What a colorful spring salad, a new weekly special in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog.

Colors are not only for fashion! I love a colorful food composition as well. With the spring the bright colors will be back again. Why not reflect this spirit into the food? Seafood is very nice with berries or fruits.

The lemon gives the berries and the scampi a nice and fresh flavor. The black pepper takes out the fruity flavor of the berries. The asparagus does very well harmonize with the seafood and the fruits.

The only male tester in our round pointed out, that this salad is made for a ladies’ lunch. So the result of the testing can therefore not be considered representative.

Try and find out. This salad is just delicious!

Chef’s Handyman cooking recipe for 4 persons: Asparagus salad with scampi and berries!

Cut asparagus in pieces. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Roast gently on each side until soft. Place in a bowl. Then roast scampi on each side for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.

Cut strawberries in quarter.

To make dressing: Combine 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, 1 tbsp. of lemon rind, 2 tbsp. of raspberry vinegar, 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of black pepper, 1 tsp. of honey and lemon balm leaves.

Place green salad leaves, asparagus, scampi and berries on a plate. Sprinkle with dressing.

Serve salad with baguette or bread.

Shopping list for 4 persons:
Vegetables: 400 g or 13 Oz. asparagus
Fruits, Berries: 250 g or 8 Oz. strawberries, 150 g or 5 Oz. brambles, 1 lemon (organic)
Vinegar: 2 tbsp. raspberry vinegar
Oil: 6 tbsp. olive oil
Spices: Salt, black pepper
Herbs: 1 bunch lemon balm
Salad: 1 green salad
Seafood: 400 g or 13 Oz. scampi
Honey: 1 tsp.

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Free trial recipes’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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Asparagus and wild garlic, two harbinger of spring! Great asparagus recipes published in the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog.

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Charlotte

Asparagus and wild garlic are great ingredients for spring menus. Chef’s Handyman will publish in the recipe blog, cooking recipes with asparagus and wild garlic.

Shortly before Easter fresh asparagus can be bought in the stores. When walking in the woods, the smell of wild garlic will surround a wide range of land. This will be the beginning of the wild garlic and asparagus season in our area. It’s a tradition to share new cooking recipes with these ingredients. Each restaurant will promote delicious asparagus menus and each shop will sell fresh asparagus and wild garlic goods, like wild garlic paste, salad sauce, wild garlic mustard or sausages.

For the Chef’s Handyman recipe blog I will share a pasta recipe with asparagus and wild garlic sauce.

Chef’s Handyman cooking recipe for 4 persons: Asparagus ravioli with wild garlic sauce.

Boil asparagus in salt and sugar water until soft. Approximate 10-15 minutes.

To make filling, combine ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp. of grated parmesan cheese and 2 asparagus in pieces. Mix with a hand blender. Season the filling to taste with salt and pepper. The filling should thicken, if not, add more grated parmesan cheese.

Serve ravioli with wild garlic sauce. Heat 3 tbsp. of butter in a pan. Add wild garlic paste. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cut rest of asparagus in pieces. Combine with sauce.

Lay pasta sheet on a flat surface and apply a whisked egg or water on top. Place small portions of mixture on pasta sheet, spoon by spoon. There should be a space of 3 cm (1.2 inches) between each stuffing. Place second pasta sheet carefully over first one. Press on border around the filling. Do not press filling. To give the shape of ravioli, cut along the middle of the spaces into squares or rounds with the pastry-cutting wheel. Make sure the border of ravioli has the same size around the filling. When finished, dust them with flour or semolina powder, so that they do not stick together.

Boil the ravioli in hot salt water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and place them in preheated plates. Serve with wild garlic sauce and asparagus pieces.

Shopping list for 4 persons:
Dough, Pasta: 4 x pasta dough (6.3 x 22 inches)
Dairy Products: 8 oz. ricotta cheese, 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese, 6 tbsp. butter
Spices: 2 teaspoon (s) pepper, 1 tablespoon (s) salt
Eggs: 1 x egg
Flour: 1 cup semolina powder
Vegetables: 13 oz. asparagus
Sauce: 1 tsp. wild garlic paste

This cooking recipe will be published in the Chef’s Handyman app for iPhone/iPad. The cooking recipe can be downloaded in the e-cookbook ‘Pasta Remix English’. Click on the button on top right in the category screen than push the update button within the mentioned e-cookbook. When the app will be downloaded the first time, this cooking recipe will be already included. The Chef’s Handyman app can be found in the iTunes Store.

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