Basil Dressing.

Ingredients (yield 1/2 cup):

• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp apple or orange juice
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 grams Silken Tofu

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Use within one week.

My Guacamole!

To me, guacamole is at its best with a few fresh ingredients that are in season. The basic essentials are garlic, jalapeno, lemon or lime and avocado. You can adjust and add more on top of that.

Ingredients (yield 2 cups): 

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 tablespoons minced jalapeno
• juice of one lemon or lime
• pinch of cayenne
• kosher salt to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Smash the garlic against the cutting board with the side of a knife and remove the skin. Add a pinch of salt to the garlic and mince finely. Use the side of the knife to grind the paste finer into a paste, using the salt to act as an abrasive. (or use a pestle and mortar for the job). 
2. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the onion, jalapeno, and avocado. Mash up the avocado but remain slightly chunky.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt and cayenne to taste.

Notes:

• Add freshly diced tomatoes or red bell peppers.
• Use it as filling to make Devil's Eggs.
• Use it with baked wonton wraps for appetizers.
• Use it for Bruschettas.
• Use it in quesadillas, wraps and sandwiches.

My Classic Pesto Sauce.

Store-bought pesto sauce can never taste as good as a homemade batch and it only takes 3 minutes to make it if you have a food processor.

Use it on pastas, sandwiches, or in soups and salad dressings.

Add enough oil so there is a thin layer of oil float on top of the sauce to keep it fresh and green, before you retire them to the refrigerator. The oil will keep the basil from oxidizing and darkening.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pin nuts or walnuts
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put everything except the oil in a food processor and pulse until the basil is chopped.
2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all is incorporated to a pasty consistency.
3. Enjoy.

Homemade Crème Fraiche!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cups heavy whipping cream (at least 36-40% milk fat.)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk (real buttermilk with a live culture in it.)

Directions:

1. Clean a jar thoroughly and sterilize it in boiling water for 10 min. Let it dry completely before using. 
2. Pour the heavy cream into the clean jar and add the buttermilk.
3. Mix together and cover with cheesecloth (I use twine to tie it up), a coffee filter or something breathable.
4. Leave it at a warm spot (about 70°F - 75°F) for 24 hours until thickened.
5. Keep refrigerated for 24 hours before using. It lasts about a week or two.

Notes:

• You can slightly warm the cream up first before mixing in the buttermilk to speed up the process. Basically the warmer it is, the faster the reaction is. 
• Unlike sour cream, the cream won't curdle and break when cooked.
• It's tart and tangy with a deeper flavor and a nutty note, better than sour cream.

Homemade Mustard!

Ingredients (yield 1 cup about 250g):

• 1/3 cup (55g) mustard seeds
• 1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) dry white wine (or water)
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar or turbinado sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• big pinch of cayenne
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water, if necessary
• optional: 1-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the horseradish, in a stainless-steel bowl. Cover, and let stand for 2-3 days.
2. Put the ingredients in a blender and whiz until as smooth as possible. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if the mustard is too thick. Blend in the horseradish, if using.

To store: The mustard will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated, although it’s best if used within one month.

How to Make Clarified Butter.

Clarified butter is a butter that has been melted and separated into butter fat, butter milk, and milk solids. The buttermilk and milk solids burn more easily (at about 300F and 150C) and are removed to produce the remaining clear butter fat that can tolerate higher heat (about 450F and 230C).

It could take a few hours to make clarified butter, just letting it simmer very gently on the stove. A few hours later, it will be separated into clear fat with the white foam on the top and the butter milk at the bottom.

Directions:

1. Cut the butter into cubes and place them in the saucepan. 
   
2. Melt the butter over a very low flame. It will foam, bubble, and it will start to separate into its components, with the milk solids floating on the top and the butter milk on the bottom.
3. Once the butter starts to separate, you can skim the milk solids off of the top and continue to cook it over a very slow, gentle low heat. As it continues to cook, it will separate even more.
4. Ultimately the butter will be almost clear and it is pure fat.
5. You can use the clarified butter for stir-fry or as a topping.

Note:

• Do not replace regular butter with clarified butter in your recipes unless it calls for it specifically. Since regular butter contains 16-17% water that has been removed from clarified butter, it's going to throw the proportions of your baking recipes off. 
• Ghee is not the same as clarified butter. It's often used in Indian dishes and is heated just a wee bit more on medium heat, until the milk solids are browned, giving the resulting fat a nutty flavor, richer aroma and a very high smoke point. (more)
• The butter milk and milk solids in regular butter start to burn above 250F-300F (about 150C). Clarified butter has a higher smoke point (around 450F and 230C) for high heat cooking. 

Homemade Mayonnaise - Cheaper and More Delicious!

The good thing about making your mayo is that you could use good high quality olive oil that is good for your health.

Ingredients (yield about 2 cups): 

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from half of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Dump the egg yolks into a tall container, a mason jar, or the beaker that comes with the stick blender (immersion hand blender). Add lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt, sugar, Dijon mustard into egg yolk. Top with a cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Let it settle for 10 second.
2. Stick the hand blender to the very bottom of the container or beaker. Start very gentle and slow and just pulse 5 second to begin with. Pulse slowly at 5 second intervals until you see the white thick cloudy emulsion starts to form from the bottom after the first 10 to 20 seconds. Then move the blender around to whip the whole thing into thick mayo.
3. Just a few second and voila! There you have your homemade mayonnaise.

Note:

• This recipe is on the tangy side. If you like a sweeter mayo, reduce the wine vinegar to 2 teaspoons. 
• You can also make it in the food processor following the same drill.

Herb Mayonnaise.

Ingredients (yield 1 cup):

• 1 cup mayonnaise (how to homemade healthier version)
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to season

Directions:

1. Combine the mayonnaise, parsley, dill, lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper in a blender and pulse at 5 second intervals until the mayonnaise is smooth and green.
2. Serve or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Raspberry Sauce.

Ingredients (yield one cup):

• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 cup honey or sugar
• 2 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (framboise) or orange liqueur
• crated orange zest and juice from one orange
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine raspberries, honey (or sugar), liqueur, and orange zest and juice in a small saucepan and put on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly. Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
2. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer. Toss away the solids. 
3. Serve immediately or cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Note:

• Chambord raspberry liqueur is a common one at most liquor stores and is more expensive.
• Mathilde raspberry liqueur is a less expensive option among others.
• Some fruit liqueurs are candy sweet or cough syrupy. Making your own liqueur (Raspberry Liqueur Recipe) gives you control over the end result in terms of sweetness and alcohol level.

Homemade Raspberry Liqueur.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces raspberries (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 cups gin, vodka or a red wine with a fruity note 
• 2/3 cup brandy (or use the same vodka)
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

• Rinse raspberries and place in a container that comes with a tight lid. Mash and crush to break them up. Add vodka, (or wine), brandy, vanilla and sugar. Cover tightly with lid and shake well. Keep in cool place for 1 month.

Note:

• Don't use full-body red wine with too much tannin that may be too overpowering. Try light body low acidity red wines that are herbal, fruity and bright. You could try to make it with crisp, flowery and fruity white wines.
• Add lemon zest, vanilla, orange, honey, black currant to add more flavor and complexity.

My Warm Dark Chocolate Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/2 cup whole milk (or 1 cup heavy cream for fuller flavor)
• 1/2 cup dark maple syrup
• 10 ounces of 60 percent plus bitter-sweet chocolate, finely chopped. (Or use 5 ounces 70 percent plus bitter-sweet chocolate and 5 ounces 50 percent plus semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped.)
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine the yogurt, milk (or heavy cream) and syrup in a small saucepan.
2. Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Add the chocolates, salt and reduce the heat to low. Stir until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat. 
3. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note:

• To re-heat, microwave 15 second and stir, repeat four times (total heat up time is 1 min).
• The use of name designations for chocolates is subject to food regulations and there are usually three types of baking chocolates on the market: milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and bitter-sweet chocolate, plus more names (sweet chocolate, dark chocolate) to confuse us.
• In the U.S., milk chocolate has to contain more than 10% chocolate liqueur, sweet chocolate - more than 15% and semi-sweet/bittersweet chocolate has to contain more than 35% chocolate liqueur.
• Different brands of chocolate vendors have different cocoa contents for these types and the listed percentage on the product may be higher than the actual chocolate liqueur/bits content. Therefore, don't expect the same sweetness in the result of prepared food, even when you use the same type or the type with the same designated percentage from different vendors.
• For example, if you use Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (designated 60%), use 10 ounce. If you use Scharffen Berger, Valrhona or Schokinag, use 5 ounces of their semi-sweet type (50%) and 5 ounces of their bitter-sweet type (70%). I like Guittard 72 % bittersweet for its smokiness and I use all ten ounces of this.
• What's in the rest of chocolates? Mostly sugar and cocoa butter, and milk in milk-chocolate.

My Barbecue Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.Whisk occasionally. 
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer. Cook until the flavors have melded and the sauce has reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.