Instructions for Trade Secret Revealed: The Electrolux Double Wall Oven

The Electrolux ICON™ 30” Double Wall Oven offers exclusive Smooth-Glide™ racks that extend with ease and the coolest-to-the-touch door on the market. The exclusive Wave-Touch™ control panel technology allows the user to activate the lighted controls with a light touch anywhere on the control panel.

Instructions for Colin Cowie’s edible centerpieces

Ode to green:

1. Start with a glass dish that is partly filled with water
2. Arrange pieces of asparagus all the way around the dish and secure them with a large rubber band
3. When all is in place, hide the rubber band - in this instance, I've used a piece of raffia tied around the rubber band
4. Add white tulips to the center of the dish, which have already been arranged into small bunches
5. Arrange votive candles on either side of the dish
6. Display colored napkins (in this case, green) at each setting
7. Arrange name settings using colorful pieces of fruit, in this case limes which have been labeled with the names of the guests

Seeing red:

1. Decorate your table with red stems, red votive candles, and red napkins
2. Write the names of your guests on small red chili peppers and arrange at each place setting
3. Fill your centerpiece bowl with different variations of colored tomatoes

Purple is for royalty:

1. Give your guests the royal treatment with purple napkins, purple stemware, and purple votive candles
2. Write the names of your guests on purple waxy leaves and arrange at each place setting
3. Fill your centerpiece with grapes, plums, blackberries, Japanese eggplant, and waxy leaves. In this case, I’ve arranged it all in a beautiful Japanese ceramic bowl.

Instructions for Colin Cowie: How to decorate a store-bought cake

Round white cake:

1. Get your local bakery to make three different sized cakes (4”, 6” and 8”), frost and stack them for you
2. Put the cake on top of a cake stand to make it appear taller and grander
3. Chose your color scheme (in this case, we've chosen mango and fuscia)
4. You will need an assortment of three different size roses that are the two colors in your color scheme
5. Anchor the large roses first, spacing them out on each cake
6. Fold in the greenery
7. Fill in the spaces with medium size roses and follow with small roses
8. Make sure your beautiful flowers are evenly distributed all the way around (try rotating the cake as you decorate to make sure that each action is repeated on each side)

Square mint cake:

1. Ask your local bakery for three different sized (6” x 12”, 6” x 6”, 4” x 4”), frosted stacked cakes (we have asked for mint green icing in this cake)
2. Use an assortment if berries as garnish
3. Always use the biggest element first, in this case it's the strawberries
4. Then use the blackberries, smaller berries and finish with fresh mint as garnish
5. Make sure your berries are evenly distributed all the way around (try rotating the cake as you decorate to make sure that each action is repeated on each side)

Instructions for Colin Cowie’s tips for proper wine storage

What to keep in mind when storing wine:

There is great mystery when it comes to drinking wine. You never know what lies behind the cork. Whether a good or bad experience, it all depends on how the wine has been stored and taken care of.

The ideal way to store wine is in a wine cellar.

The Electrolux ICON™ wine absorption cellar has a beautiful stainless steel finish and fabulous smooth-glide racks. It is vibration-free, temperature and humidity controlled, and holds 160 bottles.

Instructions for Trade Secret Revealed: The Electrolux ICON™ Designer Series Refrigerator

The Electrolux ICON™ Designer Series Refrigerator features Smudge-Resistant™ Stainless Steel that resists fingerprinting, smudging and smearing and a Smart Fit™ shelf that can be adjusted while loaded. Not to mention the most advanced water filtration system available, period.

Instructions for Trade Secret Revealed: The Electrolux ICON™ Designer Series Double Wall Oven

The Electrolux ICON™ Designer Series Double Wall Oven offers exclusive Smooth-Glide™ racks that extend with ease and the coolest-to-the-touch door on the market. The exclusive Wave-Touch™ control panel technology allows the user to activate the lighted controls with a light touch anywhere on the control panel.

Instructions for Geoffrey Zakarian: How to stock the perfect pantry

Instructions for how to build a perfectly stocked pantry:

Baking

• Gold Medal All Purpose Flour
• Cornstarch
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Pancake/ Waffle Mix (Stonewall Kitchen)
• Light and Dark Brown Sugar
• Superfine Sugar
• Chocolate Chips
• Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Chocolate Squares – Unsweetend for Baking

Beverages

• Fiji Water and Pellegrino
• Ginger Beer
• Fresca
• Canada Dry Tonic Water and Club Soda
• Assorted Teas: Black, White, Green, Herbal
• Illy Whole Bean Dark Roast Coffee

Bread, Crackers, Snacks

• Biscotti
• Assorted Crackers: Carrs Table Water Crackers, Carrs Assorted Biscuits for Cheese, Crostini, Flavored Crackers
• Breadsticks
• Terra Chips
• Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
• Nuts: Pistacchios, Almonds, Cashews
• Panko
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Raisins
• Green & Black 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
• Canned & Jarred Goods
• Coconut Milk
• Black Olive Paste
• Half Sour Pickles
• Maille Cornichons
• Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste
• Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• Red Pack Crushed Tomatoes
• Oritz Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil
• Medium Salsa
• Stocks - Vegetable, Chicken

Condiments

• o Peanut Butter
• Honey
• A1 Steak Sauce
• Horseradish Sauce
• Sesame Tahini
• Vinegar: Blasamic, Sherry, Red Wine, White Wine, Hazelnut
• Oil: Canola, Extra Virgin Olive
• Ketchup
• Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
• Bonne Maman Raspberry and Blueberry Jam
• Maple Syrup
• McIlhenny Tobasco and Jalapeno Sauce
• Mustard: Classic Yellow, Honey and Maille Whole Grain
• Soy and Plum Sauce
• Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
• Nutella Hazelnut Spread

Rice, Beans, Pasta, Grains, Oats

• Ground Flax Seed
• McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oats
• Pearl Barley
• Dried Lentils, Black Beans, Garbanzo Beans
• Granola without too much sugar or extra flavoring
• Assorted Rice: Extra Long Grain White, Basmati, Long Grain Brown
• Pasta: De Cecco Penne Rigate, Spaghetti, Elbows
• Wide Egg Noodles

Spices

• Baleine Fine Sea Salt
• 5 Whole Pepperborn Blend
• Ground and Whole Cinnamon

Helpful Hints:

• Clean out your pantry two times per year
• Replace your spices every six months
• Keep your olive oil in the refrigerator after opening

Instructions for Cat Cora’s Budino

Budino means “pudding” in Italian, but these are more like little molten cakes, moist and gooey in the middle when served warm from the oven.

Ingredients (makes 24 small cakes or one 9-inch round cake):

• 1 pound high-quality bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 pound butter (3 sticks), well softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 5 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Wisk sugar into eggs in a large bowl. Add in flour while beating mixture together. Wisk the chocolate/butter mixture into the eggs, adding a little bit at a time to temper the two mixtures. Use an ice cream scoop to pour the mixture into muffin tins. Bake for 12 minutes in oven. Serve with ice cream, berries and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Instructions for Cat Cora: How to roll a grape leaf

Ingredients (serves four to six):

• 8 large grape leaves
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon mixed, fresh herbs (thyme, basil rosemary, and/or parsley), chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups cleaned and chilled, fresh arugula
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 slices Greek or a rustic loaf bread
Cured black and herbed Kalamata olives

Directions:

Turn the grill on to high flame.

Mix the goat cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Put aside.

Spread out the eight grape leaves in sets of two overlapping pairs. Scoop about two ounces, a rounded heaping tablespoon, of the goat cheese mixture placing it in the middle of a pair of grape leaves. Starting with one end, fold each side until the goat cheese is covered, making a rounded packet. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Place stuffed leaves in a shallow dish and cover with extra virgin olive oil until ready to use.

Using tongs, place the packets onto the grill. When marked on one side, about 1 minute, turn over, and mark on the other side. Grill until cheese is soft, about 1 minute. When soft remove from grill and place on platter. Brush slices of bread with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill both sides until lightly browned and toasted. Remove from grill.

Assemble Salad:

Toss the arugula in a large salad bowl . Just prior to serving dress lightly with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place a small mound of arugula in the center of each plate. Place the grilled cheese stuffed grape leaf on top of the salad. Cut a slice of bread on the bias and place on either side of the salad and garnish with marinated olives. Serve immediately.

Instructions for Colin Cowie’s Couture Ice Cubes

Instructions for Colin’s Dark & Stormy:

Ingredients:

• Good quality dark rum
• Ginger beer
• Lemon/lime rinds for ice cube garnish
• Popsicle trays for couture ice cubes

Directions:

Combine 2 oz. dark rum with 4 oz. ginger beer. Garnish with “couture” ice cubes, made by freezing water and lemon/lime rinds in fun popsicle trays.

Instructions for Colin Cowie’s Famous New York Strip Steak

Instructions for Colin Cowie’s Famous New York Strip Steak:

Ingredients (serves four):

• 4 aged New York strip steaks, cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, at room temperature (see Note)
• 4 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 3 tablespoons coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. When the oil is very hot but not yet smoking, cook the steaks on one side for 4 minutes. Turn the steaks over and cook for another 4 minutes. Cook each side again for 2 minutes and then each end for a minute. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. (Adjust the cooking time according to thickness of steaks and desired doneness; for example, thinner steaks might take just 3 minutes per side before flipping. The extra flipping helps ensure a well-cooked, nicely caramelized exterior with plenty of delicious juices running inside.)

Note: A steak should always be kept at room temperature before it is cooked, so if it is refrigerated, take it out at least an hour in advance. If it’s cold, right out of the fridge, you’re going to get a steak that’s seared on the outside and nearly raw on the inside. When it’s cooked at room temperature, you’ll see a nice gradation of doneness from the crispy, caramelized exterior to the pink and red center. In addition, a cold steak will take longer to cook, invalidating most recipe cooking times.

Instructions for Geoffrey Zakarian Shows off his Mussels

Ingredients:

Garlic Butter

• 10 garlic cloves
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup chopped parsley

Mussels

• 5 shallots peeled and sliced thin
• 2 Kaffir lime leaves (bruised)
• 1 cup dry Muscat or sweet white wine
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Juice of 2 limes
• ½ can coconut milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 lbs Pei mussels, cleaned and scrubbed
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley (washed and cut in chiffonade)
• 1 beefsteak tomato (seeded, diced small)
• Sea salt and fresh pepper
• ½ pound soft butter

Tools:

• 1 1-quart pot for garlic butter
• 1 large mussel pot
• 1 2-qt sauce pan for Kaffir lime broth
• 2 slotted spoons
• 1 strainer
• 1 Cuisinart
• 1 large decorative serving bowl
• toasted baguettes

Directions:

Kaffir Lime Broth:

In a medium saucepan, over moderate heat, sweat the shallots, coriander, peppercorns, Kaffir lime leaves until shallots are translucent. Deglaze with the juice of one lime and both wines reduce until almost dry. Add in coconut milk and cream, reduce by ½. Season with salt, pepper and the remaining lime juice. Strain and reserve warm.

Garlic Butter

Place the garlic cloves in a small saucepot and cover with milk. Simmer until the garlic gets very soft. Strain off ½ of the milk and discard. Place reserved garlic, milk and ½ pound butter into Cuisinart. Puree until smooth. Finish with the chopped parsley.

Mussels

In a heavy pot over moderate heat, put half of the garlic butter with the mussels, sweat uncovered for a minute then pour in warm Kaffir lime broth. Cover and cook the mussels until they all open. Finally add in the remaining garlic butter, parsley and tomato.

Serve warm with some toasted baguette.

Tips:

• Kaffir lime leaves can be ordered from Kalustyans.com
• Use Prince Edward Island mussels as they are plump, consistent in shape and size and easier to wash

Instructions for Geoffrey Zakarian’s Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pound chicken kosher or natural
• 1 teaspoon of celery salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper ground
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 cloves of garlic lightly crushed
• 1 lemon cut in eighths
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 4 tablespoons soft butter
• Salt and pepper

Under Skin Stuffing:

• Marscarpone
• Equal parts tarragon, thyme and parsley

Tools:

• 1 roasting pan
• 1 375-degree oven
• Cooking twine

Directions:

Season the chicken cavity with thyme, rosemary, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. Loosen skin from meat with fingers starting at back end of chicken and spread filling under the skin. Tie drumsticks together. Place the oil in a large ovenproof sauté or roasting pan, can cook on one side until brown and continue to rotate and brown on other side, this should take about 5 minutes per side. Reposition chicken right side up, dot the chicken with the remaining butter and place in oven. After 15 minutes remove, pour wine over and baste, then put back in oven quickly. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes until done when the internal temperature reaches 158 degrees or the juices in the thigh run clear. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with jus from the pan and a piece of crusty bread.

Tips:

• Make sure chicken is room temperature when starting process.
• Make sure you let chicken rest at least 15 minutes before you carve.

Instructions for Geoffrey Zakarian’s Dover sole meuniere

Instructions for Dover Sole Meuniere:

Ingredients:

• 1 Dover sole with bone; skinned and cleaned
• ½ cup of olive oil
• ½ pound of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup Wondra flour spice mixture
• Zest of the following: 2 oranges, 2 limes, 2 lemons

Zest mixture directions:
Blanche for 30 seconds in boiling water. Remove to silpat®, dry in oven at 200 degrees overnight. The zest mixture should become dry and crunchy but not colored or dark. Pour into spice blender and powder it. Mix with ½ Cup Wondra flour.

Dover sole directions:
Melt olive oil and butter in large sauté pan over medium heat. Dust fish lightly on both sides. Add fish to pan. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes per side or until fish is slightly firm to touch in thickest part. Remove to plate with towel. Serve whole or filet.

Instructions for Geoffrey Zakarian’s burger and gingered cole slaw

Instructions for Geoffrey’s burger and gingered cole slaw:

Ingredients (serves four):

For the burger:

• 4 8oz. organic prime ground chuck beef patties; 35% fat content/ ground through a large die
• 4 Wolfermann’s English muffins
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salted butter
• Salt and black freshly ground pepper
• 4 slices of beefsteak tomato

For the gingered coleslaw:

• ½ large head of Savoy cabbage (cut thick/ chiffonnade)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut very fine julienne (2 inch length)
• 1 ½ teaspoon finely minced young ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• 1 ½ teaspoon yellow raisins (lightly browned in little butter)
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• Salt, sugar, pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of yogurt

Directions:

For the burger:
Season generously the hamburgers on both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. On a hot seasoned grill, grill the burgers charring well on both sides to desired doneness. Just before the burgers are at the desired temperature, remove them to a rack to rest and divide the butter evenly on top of each burger. Sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top. Rest for five minutes. Return to grill to heat before serving. While the burgers are resting, grill each of the English muffins and toast them well.

For the gingered coleslaw:
Combine all ingredients except for the raisins. Season to taste with salt, sugar and pepper. In sauté pan over medium heat, lightly brown the raisins in a little bit of browned butter. Add warm raisins to the coleslaw. Check the seasoning. Refrigerate for later use.