One of my favorite easy appetizers to make is bruschetta, and this Fig and Mascarpone bruschetta is perfect for the end of summer, when the figs are perfectly ripe. It only takes minutes to prepare, and the result is as pretty as it is delicious.

Ingredients: Serves 4 (two pieces per person)

• 4-5 Figs (I used black mission figs)
• One loaf of dense, crusty bread (I chose French country bread)
• Mascarpone Cheese (Italian cream cheese)
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

I hope you enjoy this simple, chic recipe! Also, you can join me on my Chic Chef Facebook page here.

xo

Layla

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One of my favorite salads of all time is the Central Market Kale and Pepita Salad that you can buy from their prepared foods section. I have been trying to recreate this salad for a while, and I finally think I’ve got it! If you are a fan of this salad, this version is really close to the real thing, and you can make it at home. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Kale greens (washed, de-stemmed, and chopped)
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I use Liquid Aminos which has less sodium)
• 1 Tbsp Sugar or Honey
• I/4 cup Toasted pumpkin seeds or Pepitas
• 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
• 2 Tbsp Candied Ginger (I left this out because I don’t like the taste)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk all of the wet ingredients together and toss with the kale greens. Add the pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and ginger and light toss to combine everything. Let the salad sit for 15 minutes so that the kale softens. Serve and enjoy!

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and let me know how you like it!

Also, don’t forget to “Pin” this recipe for future use.

xo

Layla

 

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I haven’t shared a food post in a while, mainly because of my hectic schedule, but today I wanted to share a quick and delicious snack idea with you. I love to snack on popcorn, and lately I have been making different kinds of popcorn at home. I found this great blog called Versus from my Kitchen, where he shares 3 very “chic” gourmet popcorn recipes. I love that he added the fresh herbs to the popcorn, and the thyme and sea salt one is to die for. Check out all three of his recipes here.

I also wanted to share one my favorite popcorn recipes, which is a truffle and parmesan popcorn. As you may know if you have been reading my blog for a while, I love anything with truffle on it. I recently made a batch of truffle parmesan popcorn, and it disappeared rather quickly. All of these recipes also make great gift ideas. Just place them in a cellophane bag with a nice bow, and voila!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels
• 2 Tbsp Canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Truffle Oil (more if you like a stronger truffle flavor)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

•  Place a few kernels and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once the kernels pop, add remaining kernels to pot and place lid over it (leaving a gap for steam to escape).
•  As the kernels pop, shake the pot until the popping slows down to about 2-3 second between pops. Remove from heat.
•  Melt the butter in a small pot or in the microwave. Add the truffle oil to the melted butter.
• In a large bowl, toss the popcorn with the melted butter/truffle oil mixture and season with salt and pepper. Then add the grated parmesan.
• For presentation, you can add some fresh herbs like rosemary or chives to give it a pop of color.

xo

Layla

 

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I hope you are having a great weekend! Join me on Instagram @ chicchef.

xo

Layla

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I am not much of a dessert gal; I prefer savory any day. However, I love poached pears. Depending on how you poach them, they can have just the right amount of sweetness to finish off a great meal. If you really want to impress your dinner guest, this is the dessert to make. It is really easy, and looks so chic! Here’s how to make them.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 4 pears (I used bosc pears)
• 1 bottle of Cabernet sauvignon – you can use any red you like
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lemon sliced thinly
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp powdered sugar

First, you need to peel, half, and core your pears. I kept the stems on for presentation.I used a melon baller to remove the core and make a nice nest for the mascarpone filling.

Next, combine the red wine, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and a few slices of lemon to a large pot, and bring to a boil.

While the poaching liquid is coming to a boil, you can make your mascarpone filling. Simply combine the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and whip until smooth.

Once the liquid is boiling, add the pears, making sure they are not overlapped. You want them all to poach evenly.

Bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook the pears until they are fork tender. You may need to flip them carefully during the cooking process. My pears were very ripe so it only took about 15 minutes.

Red wine reduction sauce: After you remove the pears and set aside to cool a bit, bring the remaining liquid to a boil until it reduces to a syrup consistency.

Presentation: Add a spoonful of the mascarpone filling to each pear, and then drizzle the red wine reduction over the tops.

Enjoy! These are seriously delicious! Let me know how it turns out. You can also pin this recipe by using my “Pin It” button below the picture.

xo

Layla

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I am fortunate to have Moroccans in my family that have introduced me to some amazing Moroccan home-cooking. Traditionally, Moroccan food is meant to be cooked slowly and enjoyed slowly, but for busy days, this is a great Moroccan-inspired soup recipe. It has elements of Moroccan and Thai cuisine, which is why I call it fusion soup. It is super easy; you just add all the ingredients into a pot, and let them do their magic. This is a great hearty soup that is perfect for my vegetarian readers as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato or yam (cubed)
• 2 Green Apples (cubed)
• 1 can chickpeas drained
• 1 can light Coconut milk
• 1 can crushed fire-roasted tomatos
• 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp thai chili paste
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Salt/ Pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and cook covered on medium heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.

Enjoy!

Speaking of Moroccan cuisine, I can’t wait for Around the World in 80 plates to start on Bravo. It’s like Top Chef meets the Amazing Race. They will be visiting Marrakech, and cooking some amazing dishes for sure!

xo

Layla

 

 

 

 

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It’s been a while since I have done a food post, since I have been so wrapped up in fashion lately, but I just had to share this cute brunch recipe with you all. Brunch has to be one of my favorite meals, because it is an excuse to eat breakfast foods later on in the day. I recently experimented with this mini frittata recipe, and it was a big hit! It is so easy to make, and it is perfect for large groups because you can make as many as you want at once (depending on how many muffin tins you own). Here’s how you make them.

Ingredients:

8 Large Eggs

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Half and Half

1/3 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese

4 oz. Smoked turkey (you can also use ham)- chopped into small pieces

1 medium sized onion (chopped)

2 stalks Green Onion (finely chopped)

Salt/ Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. First, slowly saute the onion in olive oil until it becomes caramelized. Here is a really good lesson on how to do that. You can also make the caramelized onions ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. Beat 8 large eggs with the milk, half and half, salt and pepper until they become frothy. Then, carefully fold the caramelized onions and all the other ingredients into the beaten egg mixture. You don’t want to mix too vigorously because you will take the air out of the eggs mixture and your frittatas will not puff as nicely.

Spray your muffin tins with nonstick spray. Then fill the muffin tins with the egg mixture.

Place it in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes until the frittatas become slightly golden and puff up. You may need to periodically rotate the muffin tin to make sure they all cook evenly.

Carefully remove them from the muffin tin, and serve while they are still warm.

This is the perfect addition to a brunch spread, and I could really eat these any time.

Enjoy! Let me know how they turned out!

xo

Layla

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Serve w/ your beautiful taro chips and a few lemon wedges. Enjoy!

P.S. You can pin this recipe to your Pinterest board by clicking the “Pin It” button at the bottom of the picture.

xo

Layla

 

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I am a fan of any food that comes in it’s own edible cup. When I figured out that you can make a light crispy cup out of a wonton wrapper, I was determined to make as many things as I could to go inside. You can fill these little guys with just about anything, but I want to share my chili-lime shrimp recipe with you today. These are perfect as a chic appetizer when you really want to impress, and they are so easy to make!

Ingredients: (Makes 12)

• 12 Jumbo shrimp (Peeled and Deveined)
• 12 Wonton Wrappers
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Tbsp Chipotle in Adobo Sauce (you can find this in the International section of the grocery store)
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Chopped Cilantro
• 2 Limes (1 of them zested)
• Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika

Directions:

The first step is to peel and devein your shrimp. If you are a little squeamish, you may want to get shrimp that are already prepared for you.Wash and pat dry, then season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and chili powder. Also add the zest of one lime. Don’t add the juice of the lime, because the acid will start to cook the shrimp while it is marinating. If you are doing this ahead of time, you can let the shrimp marinate for an hour.

Next, carefully brush olive oil on both sides of each wonton wrapper, and place it in the muffin pan. You want to make sure your wontons have been in the refrigerator and not frozen or they will stick together and tear.

Bake the wonton cups at 350 degrees for about 6-7 minutes or until the edges become golden brown.While they are baking, mix the sour cream and chipotle in adobo sauce in a bowl and set aside. Also, saute your shrimp until they are fully cooked (only takes about 5 minutes). Remove the wonton cups from the oven, and place on spoonful of the chipotle sour cream at the bottom. Then place one shrimp in each cup and garnish with cilantro. Serve with extra lime wedges.

Enjoy!

xo

Layla

P.S. If you are new to my blog, add my Facebook page or follow me on Bloglovin’ for updates on new posts.

 

 

 

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Caprese salad is one of my favorite fresh spring salads. I usually make it stacked with alternating slices of fresh mozzarella, basil, and beefsteak tomatoes, but I just couldn’t resist these beautiful mutli-color cherry tomatoes (not to mention it is easier to eat this way). This is a perfect appetizer salad for entertaining, because it only takes 5 minutes to make, and it looks so chic.

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used red, yellow, and orange)

1 cup fresh mini mozzarella balls

1 stem fresh basil (chopped finely)

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (I used the aged variety)

1 tsp Herb de Provence

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

To prepare, simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and garnish with basil leaves. That’s it!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

xo

Layla

 

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