For more great recipes using Nature’s Agave premium agave products, vist http://www.naturesagave.com

Ingredients:

• 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
• ½ Cup Nature’s Agave Raw Agave Nectar
• 1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Ground Saigon Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Ground Ginger
• ½ tsp Ground Cloves
• 3 Eggs
• 9-Inch Pie Crust

Directions:

1. Mix Pumpkin, Cream, Agave, and Spices in a microwave safe bowl. Heat pumpkin mixture on high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until steaming hot, stirring in 30 second intervals.
2. Lightly beat eggs. Using a spoon, drop one spoon at a time of the pumpkin mixture into the eggs while whisking, until you have incorporated approximately one-third of the pumpkin mixture.
3. Pour egg and pumpkin mixture back into the pumpkin mixture, and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the combined mixture into cold pie crust, and put the pie immediately into a 425⁰F oven for 10 mintues. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350⁰F for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, until the center of the pie does not wiggle when shaken, or a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pie.

Notes:

1. The RelationChef’s expert tip: Use a thin metal pie tin for your pie. Put two thick pizza stones in your oven, one on the top rack and one on the bottom rack. Preheat your oven to 500⁰F for at least 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300⁰F and immediately place the unbaked pie directly on the stone. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the center of the pie does not wiggle when shaken, or a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pie.)
2. You may substitute milk for the cream. To do this, bring the milk to scalding point, remove the skin that forms on the milk, and pour the scalded milk into the pumpkin, spices, and agave. Proceed from Step 1. This will lower the fat, but increase the carbs in this recipe.

***Please watch the video to see Chef Dan demonstrate how to cook the scallops and spinach. The recipe for the Mango Cherry Relish follows.***

**SERVES 4**

Scallops:

• 1 lb. Scallops

Spinach:

• 12 oz Spinach, de-stemmed

Mango Cherry Relish:

• 1 Cup Cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 Mango, diced
• 1/2 Cup Blackberries, halved
• 3 medium Strawberries, hulled
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Nature’s Agave Amber Agave Syrup
• 1 teaspoon grated Fresh Ginger
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Tarragon Leaves

::DIRECTIONS::

For Scallops & Spinach:

1. Please watch the video on this post.

For Mango Cherry Relish:

1. In a blender or food processor, Combine Strawberries, Mustard, Agave, Ginger, and Tarragon and blend until smooth.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Allow flavors to meld for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz 72% Dark Chocolate
• 6 oz Butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 Cup Sugar (7.5 oz)
• 3/4 Cup Sifted Flour (3 oz)
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate with the butter, vanilla, and salt in a double boiler. Reserve warm.
2. Whip eggs with sugar in a mixer for 5 minutes. (You may mix longer, but not shorter.)
3. Pour warm chocolate mixture into whipped eggs and stir together.
4. Gently stir in the flour.
5. Pour into prepared cupcake molds until 3/4 full and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with fudgey bits attached.

Notes:

1. You may add 1/8 cup of your favorite liqueur in with the chocolate mixture for a little added flavor.

This is a great recipe to make with kids, because kids enjoy rolling the peanut butter mixture into balls…but be careful, because this tasty recipe could end up mostly in their stomachs before the balls make it into the fridge!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup salted crunchy natural peanut butter
• 1/2 Cup Trader Joe’s almond butter with roasted flax seeds
• 1/4 Cup Nature’s Agave Raw Agave Syrup
• 2/3 Cup Nonfat Dry Milk

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Using a tablespoon or tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture by tablespoon onto a tray. Using the palms of your hands, roll the measured scoops into balls. Refrigerate on the tray for at least an hour before serving.

Notes:

1. The flaxseed adds a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids to this age-old recipe.
2. Substituting agave syrup in place of honey lowers the effect on blood glucose levels, yielding a snack lower on the Glycemic Index than traditional peanut butter balls.

***As seen demonstrated on FOX5 San Diego, Monday, April 19, 2010***

If you find that you’re in a rut when it comes to your relationship, I bet that you’ll also find that you’re eating the same foods together. A great way to help get yourself out of your romantic rut is to change up what you’re eating a bit: try some interesting new food/flavor combinations.

This recipe takes two ingredients that you’d typically consider for use in more savory dishes (avocado & basil), and puts them to use in a sweet dish. Experimenting with new flavor combinations can be a baby step to getting out of your rut.

**SERVES 4**

For Avocado Mascarpone Cream:

• 1/2 Avocado, mashed
• 4 oz Creme Friache
• 4 oz Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/3 Cup Agave Syrup
• Zest of 1/2 Lemon
• Zest of 1/2 Orange
• Zest of 1/2 Lime

For Strawberries:

• 2 pints Strawberries, hulled and diced
• 2 Tablespoons Agave Syrup
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 2 Tablespoons fruity or nutty liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier, Chambord, Frangelico, Amaretto)

For Sweet Basil Pesto:

• Leaves only from 2 bunches of Basil (approx 2 Cups of leaves)
• 1/2 Cup Almond Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Agave Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Almonds, toasted

::DIRECTIONS::

For Avocado Mascarpone Cream:

1. Mix mascarpone and crème friache together in a medium bowl. Reserve.
2. Whip the remaining ingredients except avocado together in a large bowl until the cream forms stiff peaks.
3. Fold mashed avocado into whipped cream.
4. Fold avocado whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
5. Reserve

For Strawberries:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours at room temperature.
3. Reserve

For Sweet Basil Pesto:

1. Blend toasted almonds until they are a fine powder.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until a smooth paste forms.
3. Pour into a small container and reserve.

To Assemble the Parfait:

1. Using a spoon, drop approximately 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the cream into the bottom of a martini glass.
2. Spoon 2 to 3 Tablespoons of berries on top of the cream.
3. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of pesto on top of the berries, making sure to get some on the side of the glass so you will see it as a “layer” in the end.
4. Repeat steps 1 & 2.
5. Place a dollup of pesto in the center of the berries

::NOTES::

• Serve the strawberries & pesto at room temperature, with the cream cold
• You may substitute sour cream for the creme friache.
• It is very important that you mix the citrus zest into the whipped cream and add that mixture to the mascarpone. If you add the zest directly to the mascarpone, it will turn grainy…more like the consistency of ricotta cheese.
• When making the cream, the amount of agave syrup you will use is *highly* dependent upon the other ingredients. If your creme friache is more sour than the one I used developing this recipe, or if you substitute sour cream for the creme friache, you may need slightly more. Also, if your citrus zest is very potent, you might need a little more agave. (You’ll need slightly less if your zest is less potent.) Once you have mixed all your ingredients for the cream together, give it a taste. It should be slightly sweet, but not overly sweet. Adjust the sweetness to your liking.
• I only make strawberry dishes when I can get amazingly sweet strawberries fresh from a farm, so I don’t need to add a lot of sweetener. In fact, the reason I add the lemon juice is because I want the sugars from the agave to macerate the strawberries a bit, but I want to counter that sweetness so the resulting level of sweetness is about the same as the natural strawberries. If you’re using less sweet strawberries, you may need to add more agave, and you may omit the lemon juice as necessary to help sweeten the berries.
• Remember that when you make this, you are not making *my* rendition of this dish – you are making your rendition of my dish. You should make this dish as sweet as your taste buds like. If you want to add more agave, then do that. If you’d like to add sugar instead of agave, then do that. If you’d like to use honey, be my guest. Please, take my recipe and make it your own. Make it the way that you and your date will enjoy it.

Dating, especially first dates, can be a a bit daunting with all the rules you’re supposed to follow, and with every action being analyzed by the other person. Sometimes I’ll take a girl I’ve recently started seeing to a very high-end restaurant, simply because I like to experience different restaurants and it’s nice to be able to go with someone; however, I’ve found that some girls take this as an indication that I’m far more interested than I am, or that I’m trying to impress them. In reality, it has far less to do with either of the aforementioned reasons as the fact that I simply enjoy eating at restaurants like that.

When I take a date to a high-end restaurant, I don’t want her to judge me (favorably or unfavorably) on the price of the meal. I also don’t want her to order thinking that I’m judging her based on the cost of what she orders. I’ve taken her there for the experience, but sometimes money ruins the experience because of what people think the money means. In order to remove money from the dining experience on a date, I’ll use something I learned from the Reform Club.

Now, I often call the restaurant in advance and ask if they can print a menu without prices in order to alleviate my date’s concerns about price. While there are some restaurants that simply won’t accommodate a request like this, there are many that are able to accommodate this request because they print their own menus. Some restaurants will even print a menu on some nice paper, even though it won’t look like the standard menu.

More often than not, my date will ask about the fact that the menu doesn’t have prices. Sometimes, she won’t say anything, but will instead look at the menu with a perplexed look. Either way, I explain that I asked for menus without prices and that she should order whatever she likes. I take the opportunity to explain a few things: 1) it was my choice to eat at this restaurant knowing full well what the prices were; 2) I want her to order what she wants without concern for the price; 3) I enjoy eating at restaurants like this, and I’m so glad to be able to share that experience with her. Without my saying this directly, her takeaway is that I’m not simply trying to flash money in her face, but that I’m including her in an activity that I enjoy: she’s seeing the real me. She also knows that I took time to think about her comfort in advance, and there’s never anything wrong with being thoughtful.

If you’re going to take someone to an expensive restaurant, consider asking for a priceless menu. Give your date the gift of enjoying the experience without worrying about money. Eating at a nice restaurant on a date should be about the ambiance, the food, and each other’s company – not about money.

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of advice from women to men about dating in magazines, because it’s always interesting to read advice from one gender to the other. One piece of advice I found interesting was that, according to the source, women always want dessert, they just don’t want to be the ones to say they want dessert, so order a dessert for goodness’ sake. Now, I think that’s good advice in general, however, on a first date, that’s a bit of a trickier call.

You see, on a first date, the question, “Would you care to take a look at the dessert menu?” is really a different question to the guy. The way a lot of guys interpret this question is: “Would you like to continue this date? More importantly, do you think SHE wants to continue this date?” A wrong decision here is thought to lead to either a date who’s upset that you weren’t interested enough to stay for dessert, or a date who really wants to get out of there and is dreading spending the next 5 minutes trying to be polite while you wait for dessert, then the next 15 minutes of eating the dessert and getting the check.

First, let’s analyze these two worst outcomes: Case A) the girl who really likes you (“Girl A”) and wants to continue the date probably won’t be too offended if you don’t get a dessert; Case B) the girl who wants to get out of the date ASAP (“Girl B”) will spend the next 10 to 15 days telling each and every one of her girlfriends, in great detail, about every minute of the 20 extra minutes she spent with you because you had to order dessert.

If you are able to pickup on the fact that Girl A is upset after you’ve left the restaurant, you can recover by using a line like this as you leave the restaurant or when you are in the car on the way home: “I hope you don’t mind, but I have a great dessert place where I wanted to take you.” This is an amazing way to recover, because it makes it look like you know more places to go, which makes you a more interesting person (side note: have a place in mind before the date in case this happens).

If you pickup on the fact that Girl B is upset after you’ve ordered dessert, you’re hosed. There’s no good recovery. Thus, I’d err on the side of slightly offending the Girl A, because you can recover and, even if you don’t recover, it won’t be a huge mark against you. In fact you might leave the girl wondering if you like her, which is not a bad thing to do sometimes…

Especially to the novice dater, these are difficult waters to navigate. Why do there have to be these hidden land mines while eating out on your first date? Can’t you just go out and have a nice dinner without all the subtext? The answer, of course, is “no.” There’s always subtext. Personally, I say you always say “yes” to the dessert menu, then gauge whether your date wants to stay or not as you peruse the menu. You can always turn down dessert after you’ve looked over the menu. More to the point, if your date *really* doesn’t want to stay, she’ll let you know, and it will probably be pretty obvious if you’ve got any ability at all to read people. Her body language will completely give her away: tense, fidgeting, looking around, not making eye contact, noticeably putting physical distance or obstacles – such as her purse – between you and her. (If you don’t have a basic ability to read people, your problems in dating are probably far more severe than not knowing whether or not to order dessert.)

Of course, if you’re at a place where the dessert menu is either already on the table or there is no physical dessert menu, you’re going to have to size up your date pretty quickly. You know the question is coming, so look at your date as the waiter or waitress asks the question, and try to quickly read her facial expressions and body language before answering.

If it comes down to it, you can always defer to your date, and directly ask her opinion. However, you’ve now put her in an awkward position of divulging whether she is interested in you or not, and you look weak for not being able to make a decision. In general, this is a poorly played hand: don’t do it.

So, young men beginning your dating journey, or older men still agonizing over this question on a first date, don’t fret when you’re asked if you want dessert: make a decision one way or the other. The worst thing that’ll happen is that you’ll have some great stories to tell. I am someone who believes in high school sweathearts getting married, and who believes that young people are capable of making relationships work for the long term, no matter when they met; however, statistically speaking, the odds are that your first dating experiences aren’t going to end in marriage, so be prepared to completely mess up a few times. Even if you’ve been dating for a long time, you’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. Dating takes practice like anything else.

Now why am I talking about appreciating those things which have withstood the test of time? Well, you see, in cooking, there are “classical” food pairings that any chef worth his salt will be able to tell you about. Even the most cutting edge cooking (examples of which you all see on the covers of food magazines) often falls back on these classical pairings for inspiration. A great example of a classical pairing is cooking green vegetables with a pork product, e.g. bacon, prosciutto, salt pork, ham, sausage, etc.

While I appreciate haute cuisine and the latest-and-greatest in the culinary world, I think that for the average home cook, knowing, and being able to fall back on, the classics will save you a lot of angst in the kitchen. One of the most frequent pieces of advice I get asked for is how to easily make green vegetables in a way that the whole family will enjoy. My answer is simple: pair green vegetables with a pork product.

I’m going to stop and interject something for those of you who just read that statement and thought, “Is he crazy? He’s suggesting that I take healthy vegetables and add fatty, unhealthy bacon?” First, I disagree with you that bacon is “unhealthy”; however, that’s a different discussion for a different day. Think about this as, with apologies to Mary Poppins, a spoon full of bacon making the vegetables go down. Eating green vegetables is something that I think we’d all agree is healthy. As a society and in general, we probably need to eat more green vegetables than we do. Is it really all that horrible if you have to coax your family into eating a lot more vegetables with a little protein and yummy fat (both of which are nutrients your body needs!)? If you really feel bad about the extra fat, then cut out some of the fat from another component of your meal. (Side note: Although Mary Poppins recommends a spoonful of sugar, I do not condone a spoonful of sugar… refined sugar is TERRIBLE for your body! Use something else… anything else.)

I recently explained this classical pairing of pork product with green vegetables to a friend who wanted to know different ways to prepare vegetables, and she reported back to me today that everyone in her family loves her green vegetable and pork product dishes. The first one she tried was one of my personal favorites: Brussels sprouts and bacon. Yum! Doesn’t get much better than that.

So, the next time you go to the grocery store, buy some bacon, and buy a variety of green vegetables: collard greens, Brussels sprouts, spinach, green beans, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, or even some broccoli. Cut the bacon into small pieces, and slowly brown it in the pan. You may remove some of the fat if you feel there’s too much. Personally, I just leave it all in there. Now, for the more leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard), go ahead and toss them raw into the pan once the bacon is crisp. For the other vegetables, first either steam them or boil them, then toss them around in that yummy melted fat and crisp bacon. Add some salt & pepper, and serve. Your family will love eating these green vegetables.

I love when I hear back from people about how something as simple as pairing pork products with green vegetables has improved their cooking/eating habits. Because I got this feedback today, I thought I’d share this little tidbit with all of you. I’d love to hear about your successes after using this tip in your kitchen. Please leave a comment or email me with your experiences!

The best part, for me at least, is that once you’ve eaten all the pears, you will still have excess syrupy poaching liquid, and you can use this as a wonderful syrup by itself to put on top of ice cream. You’ll get all the wonderful flavors without the texture of the pears, because the poaching liquid does take on some pear flavor.

::MISE EN PLACE::

Equipment:

• 1 Large Sauce Pan or Stockpot
• 1 Slotted Spoon

Ingredients:

NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO POACH MANY PEARS, YOU MAY CUT YOUR COST BY USING LESS POACHING LIQUID, AND POACHING IN MULTIPLE BATCHES. IT WILL TAKE YOU LONGER, BUT YOU CAN SAVE ON THE PORT WINE.

• 12 firm D’Anjou Pears
• 1 Liter Port Wine
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

::METHOD::

Poached Pears:

1. Mix all ingredients except pears in large stockpot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
2. Peel pears. Make sure that you peel in large strokes. The marks left on the pear after poaching become pronounced, so if you use lots of short strokes to peel your pears, they will not be as aesthetically pleasing. I like to take a little skin off the top near the stem, a little off the bottom, and then make long strokes from the top of the pear to the bottom of the pear (see pictures).
3. Place pears in stockpot. The liquid should be steaming, but you should not see bubbles.
4. The pears will float in the liquid, and you want to prevent this so that the pears are evenly colored red at the end. Place parchment over the top of the stockpot, and press it into the pan. Place a weighted item on top of the parchment. You do not want the object to be so heavy that it crushes your pears, but it must be heavy enough keep the pears from floating. It also must be wide enough so that pears cannot “sneak” up for air around the edges. (For example, using a single coffee mug would not be a large enough object.) I use a small lid from another pan. You may also use a small plate or saucer.
5. Poach (see ::POACH::) until tender. A knife should pierce to the core easily, but the pear should not feel like you could easily mash it into an applesauce-like product with a spoon. There should still be some texture to the pear. If you over-cook the pears, make yourself some pearsauce.
   1. This process, depending on how firm the pears are, can take hours. I poached my pears for 3 hours, but I also probably let my liquid get a little too cold.
   2. If you need to hurry this process, you can turn up the heat so that you have small bubbles (simmering), but then you are more braising your pears, and you will have to watch them more carefully to make sure they do not become “mealy”, meaning that  the outside of the pears start breaking down such that it feels like soft grains of sand on your tongue when you eat the pear. We want to avoid making mealy pears.
6. Remove the pears from the liquid onto a plate. You DO NOT want to move the pears to anything with an “edge” to it… like a cooling rack. You want the pears on a flat surface, because anything with texture will leave a mark on the soft outside of the poached pear. You also want to avoid having the pears sit in any of the hot poaching liquid that will collect on the bottom of a plate, because that part of the pear in the liquid will over-cook.
7. Cool at room temperature, or place, uncovered, in your refrigerator until the pears have completely cooled.
8. Reduce the poaching liquid until it becomes “syrupy”. It should have the consistency of maple syrup (the sugary, corn syrup stuff you probably use… like Log Cabin). If you put a spoon in the syrup, it should coat the back of a spoon. (see pictures)
9. Cool the syrup and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

At Service:

1. Cut into the pears so that the tip of your knife cuts into the core (but not through the other end). Cut into approximately thirds.
2. Cut out the core using a knife or melon baller  (as shown). You may perform steps 1 and 2 in advance if you like, or if you are serving a large party.
3. Heat the reduced syrup in a pan. If you want, you may warm your poached pear in the syrup.
4. Scoop a sphere shape of ice cream into a dish (I use super-premium ice cream, but you may use any ice cream you like). If you think a flavor other than vanilla would compliment the complex flavor of the poached pear, you may use another flavor.
5. Open the pear up, and place around the ice cream.
6. Drizzle the heated syrup over the pear (gives the pear a nice glossy look) and some on the bottom of the plate.

1. Take her to a restaurant, but then surprise her with a dessert picnic
Pack a dessert picnic – secretly. Don’t forget to use an actual picnic basket because there’s something innately romantic about a picnic basket for two. Throw the picnic basket, a picnic blanket and some dessert wine in your trunk. Put a single long-stemmed red rose on top of the basket. REMEMBER: it’s a SECRET!

On Valentine’s Day, more so than any other meal, your date is probably expecting dessert, so you’re going to have to be unyieldingly firm in denying dessert at the restaurant, even if it causes a small fight. After dinner, drive to a pre-determined, romantic picnic location, without explaining to your date where or why you’re going (your date might think you’re crazy). Get out of the car, and without saying a word open your trunk, then wait for your date to see what’s inside. Do whatever comes naturally from there…

2. Make it a double
While Valentine’s Day is often spent with just you and your sweetheart, I know plenty of couples who get together and cook with other couples for Valentine’s Day. Guys, coordinate with each other and make a spectacular meal for your ladies, they’re sure to love it.

3. Make a day out of cooking
I’m a big fan of this date for any day of the year, but especially for a nice, low-budget Valentine’s Day. It’s really about spending time with each other, and being spontaneous. Depending on your skill level, you might have to first spend some time looking through cookbooks and magazines to get some ideas – but do that together. Go to the grocery store, see what ingredients you can get fresh and in season, buy ingredients that you both agree on, and go home to cook whatever ingredients you’ve managed to find. It’s a great way to spend time together, and at the end of the day, you’ll have achieved something together as you share in eating the fruits of your labor.

4. Go to a farmers’ market
Whether you’re a farmers’ market regular, or you’ve never been, it’s always an adventure to see what local and seasonal ingredients are available. Talk to the farmers there and see what suggestions they have for using their ingredients – they’ve usually got some great ideas. Who knows, you might even find a new favorite vegetable, perhaps an aphrodisiac…

5. Novelty is sexy
Growing together as a couple creates strong bonds, and the intimacy created within those bonds is sexy. Make a point of making a new recipe, trying a new cooking technique, or learning how to prepare a new ingredient neither of you have worked with before. As you grow in your culinary abilities, you will grow together as a couple.

6. K.I.S.S.
This acronym couldn’t be more appropriate for Valentine’s Day. If you’re thinking about making a dish for your date that requires more steps to prepare than the combined number of steps for all the meals you’ve made in your life, stop and ask yourself if you’re following the rule given to me by my culinary skills instructor at the Culinary Institute of America: “Keep it simple, student.”

Better to have an edible meal, simple and well-cooked, than ending up at a restaurant being told by your date that it was a very sweet idea. The idea does count, but successfully executing the idea counts more.

7. It’s in the details
Maybe you remembered that your date told you 6 months ago that she really wanted to try lobster sometime; maybe you put down a tablecloth, and set the table like a 5-star restaurant; maybe you put a rose at her place at the table; maybe you print up a menu and write a hand-written personal note about how much your date means to you on the back. The details count for more than you might think, and can be more important than how well you can cook.

If you’re worried about your abilities in the kitchen, you can score just as many points by being thoughtful, and paying attention to the little details that will really make it a night to remember.

8. If you’re in Arizona, come to The RelationChef’s First Annual Valentine’s Day Picnic Contest at The Herb Box in DC Ranch (Scottsdale)!
www.therelationchef.com/picnic