Smoked Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fettuccine pasta
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes until al dente. Drain then set aside.
2. Saute onions in butter in a pan until onions are translucent. Add the salmon and saute at low heat for 2 more minutes. Add the cream gradually. Stir constantly until thickened. Sauce should be very thick once you have added all the cream. Top with tomato and parsley and season with salt & pepper. 
3. Combine alfredo sauce with pasta and serve.

Candied Almonds

Ingredients:

• 1 pound almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 sea salt
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spread almonds over a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until almonds start to turn brown.
2. Stir sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, and milk together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla immediately.
3. Combine almonds with the syrup mixture. Stir and coat very well. Spoon nuts onto a sheet of waxed paper and separate nuts with a fork. Store in an airtight container after almonds are completely cool.

Baked Yams with Rose

This is one of the most demanded dessert during the holidays. You can use Japanese purple or yellow yams or a mixture of them. Make sure to use sugared red bean paste or add 1/2 cup of sugar if using unsweetened red bean paste. Rose petals and honey infuse the yams to make it extraordinarily delicious. Dry rose buds can be purchased from gourmet tea shops.


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of purple yams or Japanese yellow yams
• 1/2 pound of sugared red bean paste
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 3 teaspoons of honey
• 10 dry rose buds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon hot water

Directions:

1. Wash and clean the yams. In a large pot of boiling water, cook yams for 30 minutes. Let cool and peel skin off. Slice yams vertically down the center only.
2. Preheat oven to 350º. Spread butter in a baking dish then spread red bean paste evenly inside the dish. Lay yams evenly inside the dish. If yams are too long to fit inside the baking dish, slice horizontally. Slice cold butter generously over the yams. Bake for 15 minutes. 
3. In a small pan, warm honey and add rose petals. Add hot water and remaining butter. Do not let boil, just warm and mix well. Remove yams from oven and drizzle sauce evenly on the top then bake yams for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Chicken Curry Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of skinless chicken breasts, cut into thick cubes
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of yellow curry powder
• 1 cube of dry curry sauce mix
• 2 tablespoons of water

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add salt on chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Make sure chicken is no longer pink inside. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Add yellow onion and cook until translucent then add 2 heaping tablespoons of yellow curry powder and curry sauce cube. Stir and add water. Add raisin and chicken then mix well.  Let cool.

3. When ready to serve the salad, add apple and celery. Mix well and enjoy. 

Pickled Radish

Ingredients:

• 1 large white radish, about 1 feet
• Salt
• 3 teaspoons of sugar
• 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Wash and clean the radish. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler. Slice the radish down the middle then slice diagonally. Slice one of the four sections into thin slices. Place in a large glass or ceramic jar then sprinkle with salt. Slice another section into thin slices and place inside the jar then sprinkle with more salt. Repeat this process with the remaining two sections. Wrap the jar with plastic food wrap and let sit for 24 hours in room temperature.
2. Remove all the radish slices from the jar and place in a large strainer. Wash with water and let drain. After water has completely drained, place all radish slices back into the jar. 
3. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar to the jar. Mix well and wrap well with plastic food wrap. Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least two days. Serve after two days and re-season with salt or sugar to taste.