Pavlovas with Strawberries, Vanilla Cream, and Basil Coulis

Ingredients

For the Meringues

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar, divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup
• 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon white vinegar

For the Vanilla Cream

• ¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For the Strawberry Coulis

• ½ pint container strawberries, hulled
• 1 tablespoon sugar

For the Basil Coulis

• ⅓ cup packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup light corn syrup or light agave syrup

For Garnish

• 1 pint strawberries, halved, stems and leaves left on
• ⅓ cup crushed raw pistachios

Instructions

To make the Meringues

1. Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 F degrees.
2. Trace six 2½-inch diameter circles on parchment paper, spacing apart about 2 inches. Invert paper onto baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
4. Gradually add ¾ cup sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form, about 3 minutes.
5. Mix remaining ¼ cup sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually beat sugar-cornstarch mixture into meringue batter, continue beating until very stiff, about 2 minutes. Beat in vinegar for 1 minute. Total beating time should be around 10 minutes.
6. Divide meringues equally among circles, mounding and filling the rounds completely.
7. Bake meringues for 40 minutes.
8. Turn oven off and keep meringues inside with the door closed for another 30 minutes.
9. Open door slightly and let meringues cool in oven until almost completely dry in center, about 30 minutes longer.
10. Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
11. To make the Vanilla Cream: Combine cream and sugar in medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form.

To make the Strawberry Coulis

1. Purée strawberries and sugar in processor until smooth. Heat the purée over medium-low heat until syrup forms, about 3 minutes.

To make the Basil Coulis

1. Blanch basil leaves in a small saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds.
2. Drain and transfer basil to bowl over ice to stop cooking. Squeeze out excess water from basil.
3. Purée basil with corn or agave syrup in blender. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavours to develop.
4. Bring basil coulis to room temperature. Strain syrup through a sieve before serving.

To assemble 

1. Divide the vanilla cream and place in the center of each meringue disc.
2. Top each with halved strawberries.
3. Spoon strawberry coulis and basil coulis around the meringue circle and over the strawberries.
4. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Serve immediately, or chill before serving.

Quinoa & Coffee Chili

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound dried beans
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 5 dried ancho chiles
• 2 dried New Mexico chiles
• 2 dried guajilo chiles
• 2 dried chipotle chiles
• 3 dried chiles de arbol
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes, fire roasted
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 5 cups water
• ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon finely ground coffee, Philz's Aromatic Arabic Blend
• 7 allspice berries
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• ½ cup quinoa

Instructions

1. First thing first, you will need to soak your beans, and you will need to do it overnight. There are many quick-soak methods out there for preparing beans and they all kinda suck. Want the best beans ever? Here is what you do: rinse the beans very well, then place them in a large mixing bowl with enough water to cover by double their volume. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and let them soak for at least 12 hours.
2. Now ya gotta make that chile sauce. I suggest doing this ahead of time, like when you start on the beans. It’s not complicated or anything, but then when you are in the throes of making the actual chili, it is one less thing to do. You’ll thank me later or be cursing my name if you don’t.
3. Add the chiles to a small frying pan and toast them on each side over a medium-high heat until the chiles begin to puff up. Add 2 cups of the water that when pressed back down, the chiles are covered. Bring the water to a boil then remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, until chiles fully soften.
4. Transfer the chiles to a food processor along with ¼ cup of the liquid and puree, adding more as needed. Strain the remaining liquid and reserve it.
5. It’s the next day, you’ve hopefully gotten some rest and are ready to tackle the rest of this. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot and warm it over a medium heat. Add in the chopped yellow onion and shallot and cook until the onions have softened and just begun to brown. Add the 2 celery ribs, cooking for about a minute and then add in the 5 cloves of minced garlic, cooking for another minute.
6. Add the 28-ounce can of tomatoes, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, ground cumin, tomato paste and brown sugar to the pot. Cook for a minute, combining the spices and sugar.
7. Strain and fully rinse the beans. Add them to the tomato mixture along with 1 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours. This could take longer depending on the age of your beans.
8. Here’s where you’re gonna get tricky. This is what’s going to make this chili hella better than any other chili you’ve had. See, chili is not about any individual flavor… it’s about balancing everything you throw in the pot to create a rich, deeply textured experienced. Chili should never be one note… it’s a symphony. So let’s begin by adding in the chile puree and the chile-infused liquid.
9. Now, let’s whip out that bass guitar by adding in ½ teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon of finely ground coffee. You can use whatever brand you like; I used my favorite, Philz Coffee. I picked their Aromatic Arabic blend for its woodsy, earthy and smoky tones.
10. Now we are going to tie it all together. In a small frying pan, toast 7 allspice berries, 4 cloves, and 1 star anise over a medium heat for about a minute. Toasting whole spices heats up the volatile flavor compounds, creating new, more complex aromas. Most recipes will have you grind up your spices but I prefer working with whole spices for their complexity and the control you have over flavor. After you toast them, add them to a spice pouch and toss them into the chili.
11. When there’s about 30 minutes left of cooking the beans, toss in the ½ cup of quinoa, adding more water if needed. Cook until the quinoa is tender and the beans are fully cooked, with the lid still slightly ajar.
12. Now, everything is done, sorta. You have created one hella complex chili here, and the quickest way to ruin it is to salt it now. Chili is always best the next day, once the flavors fully get a chance to play together. So I would let it cool, pop it in the fridge and then taste it. You will probably use the 2 remaining teaspoons of salt to flavor it.

No Noodle Pad Thai

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ pound daikon radish, peeled
• 4 medium carrots, peeled
• ½ pound zucchini
• ½ pound bean sprouts
• 4 green onions, finely sliced
• 12 to 14 ounces organic extra-firm tofu, drained and very gently squeezed of excess moisture
• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped, plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably black, plus extra for serving
• 4 small wedges of lime, for serving

Peanut sauce

• ½ cup peanut butter or almond butter
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• About 3 tablespoons water, to thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the vegetable noodles: Use a julienne peeler, mandoline, spiralizer or regular peeler to create noodles out of the radish, carrots and zucchini, if using. Transfer the noodles to a large serving bowl. Add the bean sprouts, onions, chopped cilantro and sesame seeds to the bowl.
2. Slice the tofu: Halve your slab of tofu lengthwise through the middle so you have two large, 1-inch thick slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them into 4 columns lengthwise, then turn the tofu and slice across the columns to make ¼-inch wide squares of tofu. Gently transfer the tofu to the serving bowl.
3. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary—the sauce should taste very bold at this point.
4. If you will not be serving all 4 portions immediately, portion off the amounts of vegetable/tofu mixture you need for now. Drizzle in enough dressing to coat the portioned amount. Use your hands to gently toss the mixture until every single strand is coating in dressing. Serve pad Thai with a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of extra chopped cilantro and sesame seeds. Store leftover vegetable/tofu mixture separately from the dressing and dress just before serving.