Couscous with Chives and Saffron

1-1/2 cups Couscous mix
2 cups water

Stove top: Bring water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Add couscous mix, stir, cover and remove from heat. Let set for 8-10 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Microwave: In a large microwaveable bowl, bring water to a boil (2-3 minutes). Add couscous mix and cover, let stand for 8-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Serving suggestions: Any cooked diced meats or fish can be added, as well as raw or stir fried vegetables. A couscous salad can be made with the leftover cooked couscous, lemonjuice, olive oil and your favorite vegetables.

Yields 2 -3 servings

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Black Thai Fried Rice from Chef Lauren Braun Costello (@itslaurenofcourse on instagram)

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his fried rice dish is as easy as a typical fried rice but with that “wow” factor thanks to the dramatic color of the black rice. The following recipe is as simple as it gets, so feel free to add additional elements to satisfy your tastebuds, such as pickled ginger, pineapple, green peas, carrots, or cashews.

Essential equipment: wok or large nonstick sauté pan; dry and wet measuring cups; measuring spoons; box grater; wooden spoon or paddle

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black Thai rice*

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

2 large eggs, beaten with a fork

8 jumbo poached shrimp, each cut in fourths

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger (optional)

½ cup diced fresh pineapple (optional)

½ cup green peas (optional) ½ cup diced carrots (optional)

½ cup roasted unsalted cashews (optional)

1. Heat a wok over high heat and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Swirl the pan to coat the sides with oil and immediately add eggs. Shake the wok to cook the eggs quickly, stirring with a wooden spoon if necessary. Remove the eggs from the wok and set aside.

2. Return the wok to the heat and add the other tablespoon of oil. Swirl the pan to coat the sides with oil and immediately add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry one minute or until fragrant. Add the scallions and stir fry for another minute. Then add the cold, day-old rice and break the clumps with a wooden spoon. Stir fry for two minutes until the grains of rice are not stuck to one another.

3. Add the soy sauce and toss well to coat. Add the shrimp and return the egg to the wok, breaking up the egg into pieces. Add additional, optional ingredients and incorporate.

4. Serve immediately.

“ILOC tip: Never ever use freshly made rice, whether it be steamed or pilaf, for fried rice. It is simply too moist and soft to make a proper fried rice, a dish whose marked characteristic is individual grains of rice that do not stick to one another.”

Makes 4-8 servings, depending on course/use.

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Coffee Toffee Ice Cream from Chef Lauren Braun Costello for BD Provisions (@itslaurenofcourse on instagram)

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Two of my favorite flavors–coffee and toffee–team up for a tasty grownup ice cream treat.

It just doesn’t seem like summer without a giant ice cream in hand on a sunny afternoon. This coffee toffee ice cream is a French custard-based recipe, meaning that it is made with eggs. The base of this ice cream is a cooked liquid custard, or crème anglaise, with a characteristically high ratio of cream to milk and eggs, which produces the most rich and smooth ice cream. Once cooled completely, the custard is churned in an ice cream machine before adding hand-chopped toffee. Drooling yet?

Equipment: cutting board; chef’s knife; wet measuring cup; dry measuring cup; medium saucepan; mesh strainer; whisk; wooden spoon; rubber spatula; cheesecloth; medium mixing bowl; ice cream machine

Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup coarsely ground coffee

1/2 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 cups chopped toffee

“Decaffeinated coffee is a must for ice cream, by the way. You don’t want that late-night scoop to keep you up!”

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, ground coffee, and sugar. Set heat to medium-high and simmer until the sugar completely dissolves, approximately 3-5 minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, and then gently whisk about a quarter of the hot cream into the yolks to temper them, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds. Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining cream mixture. Return the pan to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula, stirring constantly (see videos below).

3. Remove the pan from heat and allow custard to steep for 20-30 minutes to get the richest coffee flavor.

4. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to make sure that you do not leave any liquid behind. Discard the coffee grounds, clean and dry the mesh sieve/strainer, and line it with cheesecloth. Strain the mixture again into another bowl to help remove the smaller coffee grounds. You may even wring the cheesecloth dry to get all the strained custard you can. Cool the strained mixture to room temperature, then cover and chill overnight.

5. Churn the chilled coffee custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions (generally about 20 minutes). Stir in the chopped toffee, place in a container and store in the freezer.

Makes 6 servings.

Strain the Custard at Least Twice

“This might seem cumbersome, but it actually saves you time this way, counterintuitive as it seems. First strain the custard directly through a mesh sieve. This will get rid of the biggest grains of coffee, which will in turn make getting rid of the tiny ones a more targeted, effective task. For the second strain, use cheesecloth with the strainer. Since all the big pieces of coffee will have been removed already, you’ll have an easier time letting the liquid through the cheesecloth, leaving the coffee bits behind.”

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Tacos!

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Ingredients:

1 lb of cooked meat- chicken, beef, or pork.

2 Tablespoons of BD Provisions Taco Seasoning

Corn or Flour Tortillas

Taco topping of your choice- lettuce, tomato, scallions, avocados, cheese, sour cream etc.

Instructions:

Add 2 Tablespoons of the BD Provisions Taco Seasoning plus 1/2 cup water to a pan over medium heat.  Add one pound of cooked meat and  stir frequently until there the liquid has been absorbed into the meat.

Serve with tortillas and taco toppings and enjoy!

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Cowboy Coffee Rub – Made For BD Provisions By Chef Lauren Braun Costello (@Itslaurenofcourse)

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Ingredients:

1 lb. 1-inch ribeye steaks

1/2 cup BD finely ground coffee (preferably a decaffeinated coffee)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons BD ground ginger

2 tablespoons BD garlic powder

2 tablespoons BD paprika*

1 tablespoon BD kosher salt

vegetable oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

2. Brush both sides of the steaks with oil and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

3. Combine the coffee, sugar, and measured spices in a bowl. Rub each side of the steaks generously with the mixture until well coated, approximately 1-2 tablespoons.

4. Place the steaks on the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes. You want the grill very hot when you start but do adjust/lower the heat if needed so that you do not burn the steak. After 3-4 minutes, or once the surface proteins have sufficiently coagulated so that the steak is no longer sticking to the grill, flip the steak and continue cooking for approximately another 2 minutes for rare, 3 minutes for medium rare, 4 minutes for medium, and 5-6 minutes for well done (but I beg you do not do that).

5. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain to serve.

Serves 2-3 people.

“This rub could be used on pork chops or pork loin. If using the rub for a brisket, be sure to rub the brisket the night before you wish to cook–and wrap it and refrigerate it–so that you maximize the coffee flavor for that cut of beef.”