recipes

• 1 pound French green lentils, washed
• 4 quarts vegetable stock
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 ounces carrots, medium diced
• 3 ounces onions, medium diced
• 3 ounces fennel, medium diced
• 4 ounces white wine
• 1 each sachet d’ epices (spices and herbs tied up in a small piece of cheese cloth) that contains: 2 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds and 5 thyme sprigs
• 4 oz olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

• 8 ounces goat cheese (at room temperature)
• 5 cloves garlic, blanched in salted water and finely minced
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

• 8 ounces rustic bread, cut into small dice
• 2 ounces butter, unsalted
• 3 ounces chives, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

• In a stock pot, sweat vegetables, garlic, sachet in olive oil until soft and the sachet give off it aromas. (at this point season)
• Add lentils and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine and reduce by half. Add stock and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Taste and adjust seasoning at this point. Remove and discard sachet.
• Puree cooked lentils in a food processor until smooth. (if the soup is too thick add more vegetable stock as needed but always taste and re-season once you have added unseasoned liquid.)
• Pour soup in a warm soup tureen and reserve until ready to serve.
• For the garlic goat cheese: combine cheese, garlic and lemon zest. In a bowl mixed together until all ingredient are incorporated. Set aside.
• For the croutons: melt butter in sauté pan over medium heat. Add croutons cook until golden brown and season. Take pan off the fire and toss in chives and set aside.
• For service: serve soup in a hot soup bowl sprinkle goat cheese and chive croutons evenly over the soup and serve immediately.

• 1 lb. N.C. shrimp, peeled and devined
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbs. pine nuts
• 2 Tbs. raisins
• 1 Tbs. capers, rinsed
• 2 Tbs. Cherry Reds and Sungolds tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ cup shrimp shell stock or vegetable stock
• 2 Tbs. butter
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tsp. Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

• In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is lightly brown.
• Add shrimp and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the pine nuts, raisins, capers, tomatoes and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the pine nuts are golden and the raisins puff, about 1 minute.
• Add the stock, increase the heat to medium high, and reduce the stock by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add butter to thicken sauce and glaze shrimp.
• Sprinkle with parsley, lemon juice and season to taste.

• 1 stick butter, room temperature (8 tbsps)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup fuellitines (french crunchies)

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup dulce de leche
• 5 oz. chocolate, chopped

• Cream softened butter, sugar, salt and vanilla.
• Stir in flour, then fold in fuellitines. Be as gentle as possible so you don’t pulverize the crunchy flakes.
• Pat gently into a greased and papered springform pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool completely before adding the dulce de leche filling.

• Heat cream and dulce de leche gently in a medium saucepan until it comes barely to a simmer.
• Temper your yolks with a little of the hot dulce mixture, then slowly add the rest of the liquid until fully incorporated.
• Pour the mix back into the saucepan and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mix begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
• When thick, take the dulce mix off of the heat and whisk in the chocolate. The mix should be smooth and without lumps. Strain if needed. Whisk until all of the chocolate is melted and then pour the mix into your springform pan.
• Chill the tart for at least two hours so it will set.