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Ingredients: · 3/4 cup corn meal · ¼ cup flour · ¼ cup sugar · 1 teaspoon baking powder · ½ teaspoon coriander · ¼ cup melted butter · 1 cup buttermilk · 1 egg · 1 roasted chili, deseeded · 3 tablespoons finely diced crystallized ginger, not packed tight · Salt & Pepper to taste Method 1. In a large bowl, mix together the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and coriander. 2. When combined, add the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Stir together to incorporate. Fold in the jalapeno and ginger at the end and season with salt and pepper. 3. Pour batter in a greased pan. Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Place a rack into the pressure cooker. Prepare a foil sling and place pan on rack. 4. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Ingredients: For the Chicken: · 2 tablespoons olive oil · 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into pieces · 3 tablespoons Lemon Pepper Seasoning For the Risotto: · 2 tablespoons butter · 4 garlic cloves, minced · 1 onion, finely diced · 1½ cups arborio rice · ½ cup white wine · 3 cups chicken broth · Salt & Pepper to taste Risotto Finishes: · 1 cup freshly grated parmesan (lightly packed) · 2 tablespoons butter · ½ cup milk (preferably warmed) · Fresh thyme leaves, or finely chopped parsley, chives or oregano (optional) Method: 1. Turn electric multicooker to “Brown” setting. Toss chicken pieces in lemon pepper seasoning. Add oil, allow to heat, then brown chicken directly in the pan. Remove and set aside. 2. Turn pressure cooker to the saute setting (or saute normal). Melt butter in the multicooker. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent. 3. Add rice and stir until the grains turn from white to translucent. Add wine and cook for until the wine is mostly evaporated. 4. Add chicken, chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. 5. Place the lid on the multicooker, making sure the pressure knob is set. Select the Risotto setting. 6. The multicooker will do the rest! When timer goes off add in the finishes and serve!

1 bunch white asparagus 2 T. butter Salt and pepper -- Gently peel the asparagus and blanche in salted water for 2 and a half minutes. Carefully remove from the water and shock in an ice water bath. When cooled, but down into smaller spears. Heat the butter in a skillet until it browns and add the asparagus and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

2 russet potatoes, cut into large pieces 2 T. oil 1-2 T. (depending on preference) prepared horseradish Salt and pepper 2 T. butter Chives to top -- Mix the potatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper and bake on 400 until a skin has formed and the potatoes are cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and add the butter and horseradish and smash with a fork until the potatoes are just broken up. Top with chives.

Vanilla Thyme Duck Legs 4 duck legs 4 vanilla beans, cut in half and split lengthwise.( 8 half pieces) 4 thyme stems, cut in half (8 half pieces) 1 recipe vanilla cure 2 T. herbs de provence 1 carrot, ½ onion, 1 celery, cut into med pieces 3- 4 C. chicken stock -- Rinse and dry the duck legs. Insert under the skin of the duck legs 2 ea pieces of the vanilla and thyme. Season the top with 1 T. each of the cure mixture in a large pyrex dish. Cover and let sit for 2 days. After 2 days, bring the duck legs out of the refridgerator and gently wipe off the cure mix with a damp sponge (removing all of it) and season with the herbs de provence. In a large skillet, add 3 T. oil and heat until smoking. Add the duck legs, and cook skin side down until a nice carmelization has occurred and the skin is crispy, turn over and cook the other side briefly 1-2 mins. Then remove the duck legs momentarily. Now add the carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes over high heat allowing some color to form. Add the duck legs back on top of the vegetables and put chicken stock in the pan, coming up halfway to the side of the duck legs only. Place in 400 degree oven and cook 35 -45 minutes until the legs are done and tender. Take out of oven and serve immediately. Never take out the thyme and vanilla pods inside the duck legs. Vanilla Duck Cure Spice 1 T. salt ½ T. pepper 4 vanilla pods, scraped clean 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp lemon zest -- Combine thoroughly. Use this mixture to coat the duck.

Roasted Pear and Stilton Soup · 1 onion, diced · 3 ribs of celery, diced · 1 clove garlic, chopped · 3 sprigs thyme · 3 allspice berries · 4 pears - 2 raw, 2 roasted · ½ c. white wine · 3.5 c. stock · 4 oz. stilton -- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take 2 pears, peel and quarter them, and rub them with olive oil and roast on the top rack of the oven until they are caramelized (15-20 mins). Meanwhile, sweat the onion, celery, garlic, thyme and allspice in 2 T. butter for 10-12 minutes. Then add the 2 diced raw pears and cook for 4 more minutes. Then deglaze the pan with the wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. Then, add the stock and roasted pears and bring to a simmer for 45 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the stilton, working in small batches. When the stilton is all incorporated, transfer to vitamix or food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Well, Hello again! As tomorrow is Cortney and I's Two Year Anniversary, I wanted to chime in, 6 months and 1 week later and re"torte" to Cortney's very first blog post on August 12th 2018 titled, " Excuse our love story...It's a little bis-que ". Just as Cortney started off with her post, allow me to also provide a little backstory here, but from my perspective... The year was 2014, it was a very pleasant 50 degrees Sunday on January 29th, when I arrived to Colorado Springs on a whim. I have to admit, when I was taking 24 into town after a very long, boring and exhausting trek on I-70 from Kansas City, I was a little bummed to see no snow on the Peak. The pictures of Springs that I had googled before I got here were that of an alpine peak overlooking a bustling city. When I got here, it looked like I pulled up in July, as there wasn't a fleck of snow to be seen ANYWHERE!!! (That, and the temperature, would change 2 days later). *Oh, I forgot to mention that coming here was not on my initial radar. I actually left Culpeper, VA in November 2014 with a ridiculously fully packed Ford Focus, kind of meandering my way across the country visiting friends and family with my eventual stopping point being Portland, Oregon. But when I arrived in at my mother's house in Edmond, Oklahoma on January 4th of 2018, she begged me not to go to the other side of the country. So, after some research and a couple awesome weeks at my mom's house, I decided that Colorado Springs offered everything I wanted, as it was also the closest/but furthest enough away option to placate my mother. Now that we're back on track... Yes, the Chef's store thing is totally true. I stopped in, checked out the showroom and was all like, "meh". Too expensive.. I called my mom on the way out of the door to my car and said, "There's nothing here for me." And yes, Cortney's office was right on the other side of the wall when I made that phone call. Cue that cresendoing ironic music to setup the next scene... Now lets look at the story of how we met from my angle. I started sending out resumes to all the restaurants as soon as I got here, but didn't get immediate responses. So I decided to change the scope of my job search to include anything I could think of with a kitchen. Want to know who hired me for my very first job in Colorado Springs??? A daycare over off Powers Blvd! Clearly I knew this would only be temporary, but it provided an income for me while continuing to look for a job. Luckily, the call from the owners of a brand new restaurant concept, The Wobbly Olive, called me and I put my "Effective Immediately" termination notice in at the daycare 1 week later. So, I began at the Wobbly - which was a long road. It was taken over from the restaurant that used to be "Nawleans" right next to the Cinemark movie theatre on Powers Blvd, and that place was trashed. I mean wrecked. I've seen some filthy kitchens, but OMG. Anyway, I spend the next 2.5 months, cleaning it up, re-designing it, turning one of the walk-in freezers into a cooler, (the amount of frozen food they served at Nawleans was astounding), designed menus and got it up and running for it's opening May 5, 2018. It wasn't too long after the Wobbly was up and running that I found myself in Denver with 2 of the owners opening up another restaurant! But all of that work was exhausting - and I couldn't/didn't want to keep up with the pace anymore. Driving back and forth from Denver everyday for 3 months with only 1 day off about killed me. Barely able to keep my eyes open, I decided that there had to be a better way. A buddy of mine, Chef Corey Wilson - The Personable Chef, (you would know him from many restaurants around town, but most notably headed up the Blue Star as Executive Chef and the General Manager for a number of years) urged me to come along with him for awhile and learn the ways of Personal Chef here in Springs and open my own personal chef business as a way to continue doing what I love, just not in the kitchen. So I did. That's how David Cooks Dinner (www.davidcooksdinner.com) started! Oh, if you haven't yet - pop on over and sign up for my weekly recipe email. It's different than this one and comes out on Tuesdays! Ok, enough shameless pluggin' for me - back to business. I stayed on with the Wobbly, but only as a consulting chef that changed their menus every season, wrote the recipes and trained the cooks on how to properly execute the dishes. That's about as much restaurant as I could take at the time, and it only had me in the doors for 1 week during new menu rollouts. Perfect! Now - during all of that, Chef's had called Chef Corey Wilson and asked if he would like to come and do some classes - he politely turned them down and referred them to me. That's how I initially came into this. I taught three or four French classes at the Chef's retail store and was actually the last Chef to teach a cooking class there in Nov. of 2015. Then when Cortney and her partner decided to re-open it as The Cook's Marketplace, I got the call. The bad news is, a year went by until I got the next call. But, great things take time to develop, right?!?!? So, my very first class at Cortney's store, The Cooks Marketplace, was a french class, obviously, and I was back to doing classes again! Yay! Oh - I was also back to being the Executive Chef at the Wobbly again, which had me there full-time. Didn't love it, but Chefs by nature are masochists and you have to really enjoy your job and the daily abuse it comes along with to keep showing up to work everyday. Anyway, I finally met Cortney! Done. Stick a fork in me, I was done! I'm surprised I got through that first class. (It did go almost 3.5 hours though). My eyes followed Cortney around her store that whole time, ducking my glance back to the stove whenever she turned around - also I kept trying to look at her left hand... NO RING! Maybe.. Maybe?? . Luckily I didn't burn anything that night. And, if I may address "the most dishes I'd ever seen" thing that Cortney said... she told me from the beginning that at the end she'd help me clean up... So why would I try to rush that by keeping up with my dishes during the class? I wanted as much time at the end with her as possible - and there was only 1 way I could do it craftily. After cleanup and driving home, I know it sounds crazy, but I knew.. I knew right then I was in love. Only 1 problem - I had put work first my whole career and never really made time for a relationship, so I didn't even know where to begin this whole "woo-ing" process I'd heard about from my friends. I had to see her again though, I did know that for sure - so I went back to her store the next day and bought new knives for all of my cooks in the kitchen at the Wobbly. I think I spend over $600. WORTH IT! And then the rest of our story is pretty well known. We got together almost immediately, and we've been together ever since. Unfortunately, The Cooks Marketplace is no longer operational, but if not for that, there'd be no "Us" and there'd be no "Gather" . Not going to lie - the closing of the store was extremely rough, but we got through it, and now we're happier than we can be - doing what we love doing, with the people we love doing it with!!! Now you have it - a relationship that almost didn't find itself... or took its sweet ass time coming into itself, however you want to look at it. And, and one more little piece of the story from my side... As I mentioned that I knew this was the most special thing and I knew deep down that this was going to be big... I put in my notice at the Wobbly a week later, and never looked back. In the spirit of all relationships that center around food out there, I am posting some of the recipes from my very first class, "French Bistro" at Chef's (the day before my birthday) 8-17-2015. I am choosing these recipes for two reasons, 1. They started it all, and 2. They are amazing recipes to make for your lover, for the best at home "Date Night" . I hope you love these recipes as much as I've loved the last two years with the love of my life, Cortney. I love you baby... Happy early Anniversary! (the best thing is, this is what she's waking up to today - she has no clue I did this, and I'll be out the door by the time she reads it :)) Recipes This Week are: Vanilla and Thyme Cured Duck Legs with Guava Gastrique Horseradish Smashed Potatoes Brown Butter White Asparagus

As far back as the first century A.D. in the Roman Empire, Pliny expressed concern that Saffron was the most falsified commodity at the marketplace. Due to its high cost derived from pain-staking and laborious cultivation, it was being adulterated in many different, cheaper forms; from shards of dyed colored wax, to dried meat strands, dried marigold flowers and even dried willow roots! Oh, the Tomfoolery!!! Did you know that saffron was even mentioned in the Bible? (Soloman 4:13-14). But why? What makes this particular so special? For starters, saffron is the dried stigma of the saffron crocus flower (crocus sativus), which is part of the lily family. There are only 3 stigmas per flower and they have to be picked by hand. 1 acre of planted saffron crocus flowers produces an average of 10 pounds of saffron. There are roughly 70,000 saffron crocus flowers producing 210,000 stigmas in one pound. Oh, and then it has to be dried - drying removes 80% of its total weight, so actually, every five pounds of fresh stigmas only produces 1 pound of dried saffron. But that's not all... Even thought the saffron crocus is a perennial, it reaches its maximum potential at year 3, so most saffron crocus farmers find themselves replacing the plants every three or 4 years (up to 10-15 years for kashmiri saffron (India)). Oh and did I mention that most crocus flowers are extremely toxic to humans? Unfortunately you can't just go out picking the stigmas out of any crocus flower - only the ones from the saffron crocus, (crocus sativus) will work. Now let's take a quick look at saffron throughout history. As its origins can be traced back to Asia Minor, most of the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, and the Romans were using saffron for everything from perfumes, to dye, to food and beverages. All the way back to Greco-Roman times, saffron was used as a deodorizer in public places, such as walkways and theaters. The Roman emperor Heliogabalus (AD 218-222) was said to have soaked in baths rich with steeped saffron. And then in 711, the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and invaded and conquered Spain; then around 960 AD, saffron production started popping up in some regions of Spain. It is thought that the spread of saffron throughout Middle-Aged Europe was due largely in-part to the Crusaders returning from fighting in the holy land that brought back the saffron crocus flowers with them. The popularity of saffron spread across Europe like wild fire and in Nurnburg, Germany in 1358, the first saffron inspection committee was formed and mandated that all peddlers of saffron must provide a sample for scrutinous inspection. These people took their jobs very seriously, because in 1444 and 1456 two different merchants were found to be selling adulterated saffron; one was burned alive with his false wares and the other was buried alive, with his Gucci knock-off saffron. The Gestapo-esque committee eventually lessened the punishment to stiff fines, but they were still around until 1797. Next door over in France in 1550, King Henry II decreed that anyone found guilty of trying to achieve monetary gain from selling adulterated saffron would receive "corrective corporal punishment". YIKES! Not only has saffron been highly regarded for it's culinary benefits, but it is also prized for its coloring properties. This colorant has been used in many forms by various cultures to promote hospitality and even wealth. Saffron was also thought to have excellent healing properties. Hippocrates said that it cured indigestion and tooth aches. In 16th century England, if you were in a good mood, you were said to have slept in a bag of saffron. People would drink saffron tea as it was thought to promote optimism, and Irish women would even sleep with it in the bed sheets as they thought it strengthened bones. And saffron is what colors the fined flavored French liqueur, Chartreuse, btw. I said 10 minutes so I'm going to wrap this up, but I do promise a second part to this interview with saffron because I want to further break saffron down by where it is grown and produced in our current day. The best saffron is still said to come from Spain, but there are some other countries that grown saffron, all with their own individual appearance and flavor profile. And then there's fake saffron. I'm not lying to you, there's even a super extra duper fake, cheap cheap cheap saffron available right now that is made from a flavored, dyed, dissolvable plastic (click here to go to a page that has a picture of this nightmare stuff!!!). So, when buying saffron, look for a deep, dark red color with lots of fragrance. Be weary of lighter red colored saffrons, and stay the heck away from yellow saffron or safflower! Safflower, or alazor, or carthamus tinctorius, is a fake saffron imposter that will sometimes be labeled as saffron, but it's not - it's safflower. And safflower only colors, not flavors! But, before I go, I have to say that there are a few iconic dishes that would not be who they are without the use of saffron. Bouillabaise... Paella... Classics are classics for a reason! I have included some of my favorite saffron recipes with this post, so I hope you enjoy them! Also, pro-tip, throw some saffron into your next lemon bars or lemon squares recipe... you'll thank me later! Oh, and one more thing now that i'm thinking about it... Sometimes saffron can take a little while to release all of its color (up to an hour). Next time you are using it in a recipe with some soft of liquid, like stock or white wine, "bloom" the saffron by letting it soak/steep in the stock or wine for 20-30 minutes so it can begin to start leaching out its beautiful color. Otherwise you're final dish will have red spots.. we've all seen them. And lastly, NO. THE ANSWER IS NO! COMBINING 1 PART PAPRIKA AND 1 PART TURMERIC DOES NOT MAKE SAFFRON! It's apparently a thing, but no, you cannot "make" your own saffron! Here are my favorite recipes with saffron. Give them a click to see the full recipes! Mussels Bouillabaise Clams with Longaniza, Potatoes & Saffron Seafood Paella Chermoula Fish Tagine

Ingredients: · 2 T. the absolute best quality Spanish olive oil you can find in America. If you cannot locate this in America, book a roundtrip ticket to Spain. I prefer any olive oils you can find around the Cordoba or Andulusia regions. · 1 yellow onion, diced · 1 red bell pepper, diced · 6 cloves garlic, minced · 3 roma tomatoes, chopped · ½ C. white wine · 1 generous pinch saffron · 1.5 C. bomba rice · 3 – 4 C. chicken (or seafood) stock · 1 lb. clams · 1 lb. mussels · ½ lb. shrimp, unpeeled · 4 bay leaves · 1 C. frozen peas · ¼ C. chopped parsley · Zest of 1 lemon Method: 1. Combine the white wine with the saffron in a small bowl. Set aside. 2. In a paellera, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes making sure that the vegetables are spread out in an even layer in the pan so they can pick up color. 3. Move the mixture to the outer rim of the pan, add the tomatoes to the middle of the pan, again in a flat layer. Season with salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes cook for 3-5 minutes or until they have begun to caramelize. Mix all together with the other vegetables, and return to the outer rim of the pan. 4. Lower the heat to medium and add the rice to the middle of the pan. Toast the rice gently until it begins to pick up some color – rice should begin to appear translucent. Stir the rice into the vegetables. 5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine saffron mixture, and cook down slightly to remove the alcohol. Fold in the seafood. 6. Return the heat to medium high and add 3 C. stock and the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and check the stock level – a little wet is ok. The rice should be 2/3 the way cooked. If the mixture has enough moisture to finish cooking the rice, do not add more stock. If the mixture is too dry, add more stock, ½ C. at a time until the liquid cooks out and the rice is cooked. Remove pan from heat, fold in the peas, parsley, and the lemon zest. Let sit, covered 10-15 minutes. Serve Immediately.

Ingredients: · 1 # potatoes, cubed · 1 T. olive oil · 8 oz longaniza, diced · 2 T. olive oil (if needed) · 1 onion, julienned · 5 cloves garlic, chopped · 1 roasted red pepper, julienned · 2/3 c. white wine · Generous pinch of saffron · 1/3 C. flour · 5 C. clam stock · 2/3 C. pureed tomatoes · Pinch of red pepper flakes · 1.5 Lb. clams · 2 T. parsley, chopped · 1/2 lemon zest · Crusty bread to serve Method: 1. In a small pot, combine the cubed potatoes with cold salted water and boil until fork tender. Remove and set aside. 2. Combine the white wine and the saffron and set aside. 3. In a large dutch oven, heat 1 T. olive oil until hot. Add the diced longaniza and crisp up on all sides. Do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan. When all sides are crisp, remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. 4. Add the 2 T. oil if needed (if there isn’t enough fat left over from rendering the longaniza), and heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and saute until translucent. Next add the garlic, and saute for 1 more minute. Add the pepper and saute for another minute. 5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until the raw alcohol flavor subsides. Then add the flour stirring well to incorporate. Do not let the flour stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes. 6. Add the clam stock, the pureed tomatoes, and the crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer and let reduce until the soup starts to thicken. 7. When the soup has thickened slightly, add the potatoes, let cook for 5 minutes and then add the clams and cover the pot. Let the clam cook until open 1-2 minutes. When the clams are cooked, add the parsley and lemon zest and gently toss in. Check for salt and pepper seasoning. Serve with bread.

Ingredients: · 2 T. oil · 1 shallot, sliced · 7 cloves garlic, smashed · red pepper flakes, to taste · 1 tsp anise seed · ½ fennel, sliced · 1 carrot, small diced · 1 celery rib, small diced · ½ C .white wine · 4 C. fish stock · 2 C. san Marzano tomato puree · 1 T. hot sauce · Saffron, generous pinch · Salt and pepper, as you go, always. · 2 # mussels · 3 T. chopped parsley · Lemon wedges · Toasted Baguette Method: 1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes and anise seed, and toast for 20-30 seconds. 2. Add the fennel, carrot, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are soft 7-10 minutes. 3. Deglaze the pan with white wine and let the alcohol cook out. Next add the fish stock, tomatoes and hot sauce and saffron. Bring to almost a boil. When almost at a boil, reduce to a simmer 10 minutes, covered. 4. Add the mussels and simmer gently, covered until they are cooked. Check for final seasoning. Garnish with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and toasted baguette. 5. For the baguette – cut into thin slices, rub with olive oil and bake in a 400 degrees oven until crispy 5-7 minutes.

Ingredients: For the Chermoula – · 1 bunch cilantro · 3 garlic cloves · 1.5 tsp. cumin · 1 tsp smoked paprika · 1 whole round chili · Small pinch saffron · 1 lemon, juiced · 4 T. olive oil · Salt and pepper - · 1 ¼ -1 ½ # cod, cut into large pieces · ½ # baby round potatoes · 2 T. oil · 1 onion, sliced thin · 1 inch piece ginger, minced · Salt and pepper · ½ preserved lemon, diced – seeds removed · 1.5 T. tomato paste · ½ C. apricots, dried, sliced · ¼ C. golden raisins · 1 C. fish stock Method: 1. To make the chermoula, combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree. 2. In a bowl, combine the fish chunks with HALF of the chermoula. Combine well and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 3. In a small pan, add the potatoes and cover with cold water and a bit of salt. Boil until the potatoes are almost fork tender – not completely cooked through. Drain and set aside. 4. In a large pan, add the oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion and ginger and season with the salt and pepper. Cook the until the onions are translucent. Then add the rest of the chermoula, preserved lemon, tomato paste, apricots, raisins, and fish stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Do not let reduce. 5. Add the cod and the potatoes to the pan and cook until the fish and the potatoes are cooked through. Check for final seasoning.