Tips and Tricks, how to make pesto

Pesto, it's not a paste and not a sauce. It's on it's own level.

In this video, Chef Mark gives some great tips onto how to make your own pesto at home. He uses a food processor to cut up the Basil. Make the roasted garlic at 450 degrees for 45 minutes to get that amazing flavor.



Items used in pesto:
Roasted Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pine Nuts or Almonds
Basil
Mint
Chives
Cheese (optional)

What other items do you use to spruce up your pesto at home? Leave them in the comments section.

Cooking with Chef Mark: How to Cut Potatoes Using Bridge Grip

Chef Mark is here today to teach you how to cut potatoes with his bridge grip knife tip. Make sure to bridge over your rounded vegetables like potatoes. Once you have cut the potato in half, use the flat side on the cutting board and use the forward rocking motion with your guide hand. Slice forward and make sure to make your cuts about the same length for even cooking times. You can use this method with other rounded or awkward shaped vegetables and fruit.

Leave a knife cutting question in the comments section to improve your knife skills.

Chocolate Truffle Tarts

Every week I bring you a video recipe and this week I'm in the Jenn-Air kitchen at Contract Appliance to share my favorite dessert, Chocolate Truffle Tart. Don't be intimidated by fresh pie dough, watch my video for tips on how to make, roll and fill pie dough. With a little practice you might find that making pies and tarts to be your go-to dessert.

• 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 large egg yolk

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees and position an oven rack in the center.

To prepare tart shell: On a lightly floured work surface; roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick. Using a large spatula, place into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing slightly to cover the bottoms and sides. Trim the dough to be flush with the rim and chill for 10 minutes.

Cover shell with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights blind-bake in the oven until pale golden brown, about 15 minutes, and allow to cool.

To prepare tart filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and milk and place on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a low boil. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Using a whisk, stir until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk in the egg with the egg yolk and then whisk in 1/2 cup of the chocolate cream. Thoroughly whisk this custard mixture into the chocolate cream in the saucepan.

Transfer the filling into the prepared tart shell and bake until set around the rim but still slightly jiggles in the center, about 30 minutes.

PIE DOUGH
It’s as easy as 3 2 1

• 3 - Part Flour
• 2 - Part Butter
• 1 - Part Water

This technique is based on a ratio of twice as much flour as fat by weight. The fat is rubbed into flour to create a loose mixture that is then bound using a small amount of ice water, rolled out, then shaped and placed to create the top or bottom of a tart or pie. Using butter adds flavor while using lard ensures optimum texture.

Have a cooking or baking question? Leave it in the comments section and Chef Mark will get back to you!

Cooking with Chef Mark - How to Sharpen your Knife

You probably have seen a steel before while chefs sharpen their knives. Chef Mark is here to show you how to properly use your steel to make sure you knives in the kitchen stay sharp.



Make sure to keep your knife at a 20 degree angle throughout the whole length of your knife. Hone both sides of your knife to keep your blade even and straight in the middle. Honing your knife 5-6 time is recommended to get the most out of sharpening your knife.

Remember, a sharp knife is a safe knife!

Have any questions about using a steel for honing your knife? Leave it in the comments section.

Cooking with Chef Mark - How to Cut Tomatoes

Love eating tomatoes, but don't like the seeds? Chef Mark, Appliance Factory & Mattress Kingdom's Celebrity Chef, is here to teach you a couple of tips on cutting tomatoes.



These helpful tips will help you:

• Make less of a mess
• Dice to perfection
• Remove the seeds

What fruit or vegetable do you struggle with to cut to perfection? Leave it in the comments and we will teach you how to perfect it!