COOL FACT: Chocolate

The melting point of cocoa butter is just below 98.6 degree F. 

This is how chocolate so wonderfully melts in your mouth.

Research has shown that allowing chocolate to melt in your mouth produced brain and heart rate activity that was simliar to - and even stronger than - that produced with passionate kissing

(hmm....)

http://nutritionfitnesslife.com/chocolate-fun-facts/

RECIPE: Bite-Sized Lasagna

Everyone loves lasagna, but no one really enjoys the countless hours of prep work and layering it takes to make such a simple dish! So here's a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY easy recipe for making mini lasagnas!

I simplified this recipe to make it faster, easier, and tastier than the long way! So in this case, take the shortcuts!

RECIPE:

40 wonton wrappers (4 per mini lasagna)

1 cup pasta sauce

1/2 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1tsp salt/pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup shredded mix of mozzarella, jack, cheddar

1 cooked eggplant (chopped) 

10 large basil leaves

Fresh cilantro (for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 475º. Saute the garlic until fragrant and soft then add ground beef with all dried the herbs (salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes)

TRICK: one trick in making sure all the meat separates easily into small pieces- add a cup or so of water to the pan while trying to cut the meat into small pieces with your wooden spoon. This makes it much easier, and the water will eventually evaporate so it doesn't effect the taste of your food.

2. Add the pasta sauce (I use Trader Joe's 3 Cheese Pasta Sauce), but of course I can't just leave it at that, I've got to add my own special touch! So I add: fresh chopped cilantro, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, shredded parmesan cheese, and a tablespoon of truffle oil, and white wine when we have an open bottle in the house. These are just a couple things I throw in there, feel free to try a couple, or all! 

3. Spray a muffin pan with a non-stick cooking spray, and place a wonton square on the bottom of the pan. Next add a spoonful of your meat sauce, place another wonton square on top, add the shredded cheese with a basil leaf and add another layer of wonton, on top of this add a piece of the chopped eggplant. Top it off with a little more cheese and a circle of provolone cheese (get sliced provolone, and cut small circles out). If you have more space, keep layering! [the more layers you add, the crispier the outside edges become, so if you would like, keep one layer out, and fold the rest in after each layer]

TRICK: eggplants are a pain in the butt to cook. You have to slice it in half, salt it, wait for it to drain, wash it, slice it, then fry it hoping you let it sit for enough time! So basically the best thing ever created that I use almost every day is frozen fried eggplants. YES! All you gotta do is microwave them for a couple of minutes and you have perfect fried eggplants every time. My dream come true! 

4. Place your mini lasagnas in the oven for just 10 MINUTES (or until the cheese melts and slightly browns). Take it out, garnish with chopped cilantro and THATS IT! 

Enjoy!

INGREDIENT: Truffles

As I was talking to my friends, I realized almost all of them have no idea what TRUFFLES are, so this being one of my favorite ingredients, I decided to educate you guys on it! And no, I am not talking about the chocolate truffles everyone is so fond of, I'm talking about the mushroom(ish) type fungus. This earthy, umami (savory), rich flavored fungus is known for being a culinary delicacy.  

Yes, I know these are not the prettiest looking things in the world, and you might be thinking... so what, it looks like a ball of dirt, but for a pound of these, are about $500-1000.Truffles are known as the diamonds of the culinary world, the most expensive natural food. Why you ask? These are grown wild, can only be grown in specific temperatures and conditions, and  most importantly, have to be searched for BY SPECIALLY TRAINED PIGS AND CERTAIN BREEDS OF DOG!


Now, back to biology class, (if any of you were awake for that class): the reason truffles are hard to be cultivated for mass production, is because they are grown by a symbiotic relationships between oak, pine, beerch and a couple other types of trees. If you don't remember what symbiotic means, here's a definition: (symbiosis) the relation between two different species of organisms that are interdependent; each gains benefits from the other. Now, America is trying to mass produce the black truffle, but France (the brighter of the two), restricts the production of the truffle in order to keep the price high. 


The most expensive type of truffle is the WHITE truffle:  



These truffles are around $2,000 per pound!! And the most expensive one sold was 1.6 pounds for $150,000!! The reason white truffles are more expensive then black is these are more rare, are only grown a couple months a year, and are exclusively in one part of Italy. Also, unlike the black truffle, you CANNOT cultivate them, so instead of being mass cultivated like regular mushrooms, these truffles have to naturally grown on their own under the leaf litter and soil of these trees!

Some really great places to try food that has truffle in it: 

Umami Burger: yes, I know its known for it's umami burger, but I personally thought their truffle burger was MUCH better than their most famous! 

The Six: located on Pico, near Westwood, has amazing amazing fries! What they did is they topped their fries with Parmesan and truffle. Absolutely delicious! 

One of the most delicious uses of truffle was our dinner in Dubai of our steak garnished with truffle shavings and a truffle sauce: 

Enjoy!