Kitty: Semi Finals of the World Cup of Food - FRA 1 vs SWE 2 - Truffle Oil Steak with Truffle Oil Mushrooms

France 1 vs Sweden 2 Today's entry is French Truffle Oil Steak with Truffle Grilled Mushrooms. I had a great plan to cook this entry and also a Swedish Sandwich Cake for lunch. The final game started before I was able to finish cooking both dishes. Warning the following recipes are also just general outlines since I didn't have enough time to write down the measurements as I was cooking. Truffle Oil Mushrooms

10 large Button Mushrooms Truffle Oil Paprika Dried Dill Dip Honey Vanilla Powder

Coat the mushrooms with all of the seasonings and grill on a hot grill until done.

Truffle Oil Steak

1 Strip Steak Paprika Coriander Onion Powder Truffle Oil Greek Olives

Coat both sides of the steak with the seasonings above and only grill on one side to sear in the seasonings. Grill the meat until it is medium rare Combine 1 slice of meat, 1/4 of a mushroom, and one greek olive

Kitty: Day 4 of the World Cup of Food - FRA 4 vs CAN 0 - Steak Crackers & French Vanilla Custard Fruit Tart

France 4 vs Canada 0

Today's entries are Steak Crackers and a French Vanilla Custard Fruit Tart. I figured I needed to do two recipes today because France had such a resounding win today. The largest scoring for any game so far Nothing really says summer to me better than a Custard Fruit Tart. Something really light and happy with berries on top always puts me in a good mood. Traditionally you would melt down a cup of jam to pain your fruit, but I have never liked the texture. I just soak my fruit in vanilla powder and sugar instead before putting the fruit on the tart.

French Vanilla Custard Fruit Tart

Short Bread Crust (Recipe was originally given to me by an old friend to make short bread cookies. The recipe works for both. Thanks always C.T.)

1 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup of natural sugar 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt 10 Tablespoons of butter 1 large egg yolk

1) Add the sugar to the food processor and pulse for 2-5 minutes until you have turned the natural sugar almost into confectioner's sugar 2) Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse them to combine. 3) Cut up the butter and slowly add the butter to the dry ingredients, pulse the ingredients until the mixture looks like the coarse meal.

4) Break up the egg yolk with your hands and add it to the mixture. You will want to pulse the mixture until it comes together

5) Butter and flower a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press the dough evenly over the surface of the pan. 6) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F 7) Butter a piece of aluminum foil that fits the bottom and the sides of the crust and place it on top of the dough and cook for 30 minutes 8) Remove the aluminium foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes. 9) Let cool for at least 30 minutes before you are ready to assemble

Vanilla Custard

2 cups of Whole Milk 7 large egg yolks 1/3 cup of cornstarch 1/2 cup of sugar 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 4 tablespoons of salted butter

1) Add Milk and vanilla to a sauce pan and bring the mixture up to boil while cooking on low.

2) In another bowl whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together in a metal bowl. 3) When the milk and vanilla boils, remove from heat and measure out 1 cup of hot milk and slowly drizzle it into the yolk mixture to warm the eggs while whisking continually. (It is better to take a long time to drizzle than to cook your eggs) 4) When the first cup is added you will want to add the rest of the milk to the yolk mixture. 5) Cut up the butter into small pieces and add to the mixture. 6) When the butter has melted, pour the mixture back into the original sauce pan and return to the eye. 7) Bring mixture up to a boil again while continuing to whisk constantly for a minute 8) Remove from the heat and allow to set for 10 minutes then transfer it to a bowl to allow to cool in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Garnishing Fruit

Blueberries Raspberries Strawberries, etc 1 tablespoon each bowl Natural Sugar Shake of Vanilla Powder

1) Wash the fruits and put to marinate with 1tablespoon of sugar per bowl and a shake of vanilla powder to each bowl 2) Allow to marinate for 30 minutes

Assembly

1) Pour the cooled custard into the tart shell 2) Add the fruit to the top of the custard

Steak Crackers

2 Small steaks Cream Cheese Chopped Black Olives Grape Tomatoes Fruity Red Wine Ritz Crackers

1) Place 2 small steaks on the grill and sear with the red wine on each side

2) Place a handful of the olives on one side of the steak while it finishes to cook on the finale flip

Assemble

1 cracker, a small smear of cream cheese, a small bite of steak, 1/2 half of grape tomato, and a piece of the hot olive.

Kitty: Day 3 of the World Cup of Food - BRA 1 vs AUS 0 - Brazilian Churrasquinhos-

Brazil 1 vs Australia 0

Tonight meal was Churrasquinhos to celebrate Brazil's win over Australia. I'm sorry Australian friends. :( I actually really really wanted to make Lamington tonight :( So a little bit about tonight meal. Churrasco is a Portuguese term referring to beef or grilled meat served as a principle ingredient in Brazilian and other Latin American cuisines. In Brazil though "Churrasqueira" requires a special BBQ grill that is designed to only support skewers or a spit. So sadly I had to substitute with just metal skewers on the grill. I didn't get to enjoy the skewers directly above the charcoal embers and that rich smoky taste. None the less it made for an enjoyable meal.

Brazilian Churrasquinhos

1lb of beef chunks 1 medium Spanish Onion 6 strips of thick smoked bacon 1/2 bottle of Jarritos Tamarind Soda 1/2 teaspoon of dill 1/4 cup of olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste Juice and sliced pineapple 1 head of romaine lettuce

1) Chop one onion into small pieces and combine the rest of the ingredients into a small bowl. (Minus the pineapple and lettuce) 2) Marinade mixture for 1 hour in your refrigerator

3) Take one skewer and place the bacon on the skewer weaving back and forth bacon, meat, bacon, meat, bacon, meat until the end of the strip of bacon. Repeat for the remaining of your ingredients.

4) Place on a hot grill and grill until the bacon is crispy and the beef is cooked through

5) Wash and break up the salad and place in a metal bowl. Pour the juice from a container of fresh cut pineapple over the grilled skewers and place half of the can of pineapple in the salad.

Ready to serve. The wilted lettuce under the skewers that have the bacon grease is obviously the best part. Hope you enjoy today's entry in the World Cup of Food!!!

kitty: Day 2 of the World Cup of Food - ENG 1 vs MEX 1- Basil Oil and Mexican Fajita

England 1 vs Mexico 1

Mexican Fajita, what could be wrong with any grilled meat served on a flour tortilla? Absolutely nothing!!!! We went with a very traditional version using skirt steak, mushrooms, onion, avocados, cheese, tomatoes, but with a little basil twist.

Basil Oil

2 cups of Shredded fresh basil 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1) Wash and remove the stems from fresh basil and place it in a blender 2) Pour in 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil 3) Chop just until the leaves are finely chopped ( do not puree) and oil is blended together 4) Pour mixture into a sauce pan over low heat. Stir occasionally until bubbles form around the sides and it reaches 165f degrees.

5) In a strainer lined with cheese cloth or silk pour the mixture and allow to cool for 1 hour 6) After oil passes through, gather the cloth and twist the top with a pair of chopsticks and transfer to your storage jar.

7) Squeeze the basil until no oil drips out of the basil bundle. Transfer your basil to a dish to use latter and cover the oil with a lid and store in the refrigerator. The oil will keep for a couple of weeks.

Mexican Fajita

1 lb. of skirt steak cut into chunks 1 Medium Spanish Onion 2 Large handfuls of thick sliced mushrooms 2 packets of sazon 1 teaspoon of adobo with pepper Salt and pepper to taste Basil Olive Oil Garnishing Flour or Corn Tortilla Tomatoes Avocado Equal portions of grated Cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack Cheese

1) Put a small bit of Basil Olive Oil in the bottom of a cast iron skillet an add the onions to sweat until they are transparent 2)  Turn the skillet to low and add the beef to the onions and continue to cook until the outside edges start to turn.

3) Add sazon, adobo, the 2 cups of cooked basil from the basil oil cooked above, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook on low for 5 minutes

4) Add the mushrooms and stir in to the mixture and cook on low until the meat is cooked through.

While the Mixture continues to cook.... 5) Take pre-cooked Tortilla shells and heat them on a griddle pan until they start to bubble 6) Plate Dish with a portion of the meat filling, 2-3 slices of avocado, 2-3 slices of tomatoes, and a small pinch of cheese Serve to your happy dinner guest!