Something fabulous is cooking: sweet paul magazine (and savory phyllo cups!)

I've blogged about food stylist and master crafter Paul Lowe before. But there's new news: Paul is launching an electronic magazine, Sweet Paul Magazine. The first issue will be out this Spring and it will be chock-full of great recipes and crafts with a pretty impressive group of contributors. And since everything Paul touches ends up fabulous, I'm sure this will be no exception. I'm very excited to be contributing a multi-page story to the first issue. It's a secret: but I'll tell you that it involves sweet and savory pastry. I've been cooking and shooting up a storm. I'll give you a little teaser. This recipe won't be featured, but this will give you a taste of what's to come. Be sure to follow Paul's award-winning blog for more tidbits.

Savory phyllo cups (makes six)

1 package store-bought phyllo dough, defrosted according to manufacturer's directions
8 eggs
18 stalks of asparagus
6 cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1/2 stick butter, melted plus one pat for scrambled eggs
Some greens to garnish (pea shoots, chopped Italian parsley or whatever you like)
Butter for brushing on dough
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread stack of phyllo dough sheets on a cutting board, and working quickly, cut into squares slightly larger than the diameter of a standard muffin tin (you will need six stacks of these squares). Working quickly, brush six muffin tins with butter and gently peel back each layer of phyllo dough on each stack and brush butter in between layers. Gently press buttered stack into muffin tin. Dough will stick out slightly from top. Brush inside of phyllo cup gently with butter. Repeat six times.

Place muffin tin in oven and bake for 10 minutes, checking periodically. Remove when dough is golden brown.

Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk and a generous pinch of salt and then scramble in butter on a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Once eggs are loosely set, remove from heat and stir in cream cheese. Egg will finish cooking off-heat.

When phyllo cups are baked, place ~3 inch spears of asparagus and tomatoes on a non-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Broil for a few minutes until asparagus is just tender and tomatoes start to pop.

To assemble, spoon a few generous tablespoons of scrambled egg into cups, stick 3 asparagus spears into each cup (you might want to tie them with a piece of kitchen twine to secure them), and top with one tomato in each cup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Cups can be made the day ahead.

Re-exploring: Brussels sprouts

Happy new year everyone! I am back, and already breaking one of my New Year's resolutions, which is to post more of my own recipes versus sharing recipes of others. But this recipe is really worth sharing - it might change the way you think about Brussels sprouts. We cooked in for new year's, making this dish along with lobster grilled with butter, garlic, parsley and lemon zest, the scallop and cabbage recipe I shared at the end of the year, and a basic pasta with olive oil and garlic. It was a low key evening of good food and friends, the perfect way to ring in the new year.

Martha (yes, Martha) recently had chef Jeremy Fox from Ubuntu restaurant in Napa on to share some vegetarian alternatives to typical thanksgiving fare. Among the recipes shared was one for Brussels sprouts that called for just the leaves, discarding the core. While the sprouts take some preparation, the actual cooking time is reduced to mere minutes, and the approach transforms them into a beautiful emerald green color and delicate presentation. He pairs the sprouts with almond oil, chopped almonds and radishes. I have no idea why this works so well but the radish is the perfect complement to the sprouts.

The radishes called for are a mix of varieties you are highly unlikely to find in a grocery store or even typical farmer's market. Instead, I mixed common red radishes and breakfast radishes and for variety, left some whole and quartered / halved or cut the rest into matchsticks, using a mandoline to cut slice them thinly.

You can find the recipe here. Let me know what you think!

Enjoying: scallops

Scallops are under-appreciated. I rarely buy scallops. Why? I really don't know. They are so quick, easy and versatile - they should be on my menu more often. Raw, they smell just like the sea with a touch of sweetness. They cook in minutes. They don't need much dressing. They have a wonderful, meaty texture. They're easy to portion.

The trick is to avoid over cooking them by cooking them until they are just on the cusp of turning opaque, realizing that they will continue to cook off the heat. The other trick is to give them a nice sear by making sure they are completely dry before they hit the pan. One way to help this is to dust them lightly with Wondra flour.

I made a wonderful, quick meal of seared scallops on top of a raw, shredded red cabbage and kohlrabi salad last week. I dressed the salad in olive oil and yuzu rice vinegar (one of my favorite dressings), and sprinkled some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on the top along with some black sesame seeds. I put the scallops on top and drizzled a little more of the dressing on the scallops. Couldn't have been easier and it was crunchy, delightful and completely satisfying.

Red cabbage and green kohlrabi salad

1 small head red cabbage
2 small green kohlrabi
2 tbs good olive oil
2-3 tbs yuzu rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Sea salt and black pepper
Black sesame seeds to garnish

Thinly slice cabbage and kohlrabi or shred in a food processor. Combine dressing ingredients and seasonings. Sprinkly with most of the black sesame seeds, reserving some for scallops. Lightly dress cabbage and kohlrabi. Portion among plates.

Scallops

6-8 jumbo scallops
Wondra flour
Olive oil (approximately 1 tbs)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pat scallops dry. Dredge in Wondra flour. Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil to coat pan over medium-high heat. Sear scallops in batches on both sides until barely opaque (will take between 1 - 2 minutes per side depending on size and heat, watch closely). Remove from heat. Place 2-3 scallops on each plate. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Happy holidays!

Happy holidays everyone. May your holiday be filled with good food (and rich hot chocolate!). Back after the holidays with more recipes and photography!

Best,
Sabra