Chocolate French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu) + Giveaway

It may be a bit cliché, but I'm a chocolate addict. I’m always trying to find new ways to use chocolate. Growing up, there was Nutella on the table every day, and I thought it would be fun to come up with a decadent, chocolate-flavored breakfast treat for the holidays.

This special breakfast combines French toast, chocolate and, since it's the holidays, marshmallows. I took stale brioche, dipped it in chocolate flavored custard and seared it on the stove. The garnish is made with marshmallow fluff and a drizzle of warm Nutella. Who would say no to that?

Speaking of chocolate, our friends from Romanicos are giving away $85 worth of their delicious handmade chocolates, called the “Cube Box”. I had an opportunity to try the chocolates recently, and they are honestly some of the best I’ve had in the US. I thought I could only get chocolates of this quality in France, so I was very pleasantly surprised. My husband’s family was literally fighting over them, so I’m going to have to get more soon! If you’d like to personalize the product for the holidays, check out Romanico’s Family Holiday Gifts. You can have your holiday greeting cards printed directly on the box. And of course, don’t forget to enter today’s giveaway for your chance to win!

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page and Romanicos Chocolate, or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "$85 Romanicos Chocolate #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @Romanicos_Choco: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

Edamame Pesto Pasta Recipe

Edamame pesto is a new pasta sauce I came up with this weekend. I made this pesto with edamame beans, roasted garlic, walnuts, walnut oil and dill. I added diced fire-roasted tomatoes to soften the sauce and melted brie cheese as the finishing touch. Lulu absolutely loved it and used some of the leftover pesto to make sandwiches this weekend.

I love experimenting with new ingredients, and this week I found not one, but two ways to use edamame beans. We usually just serve them plain as a snack, but now I know that they make incredible hummus and pesto!

Horseradish Cream Sauce for Fish

Fish can have a strong taste, depending on the kind of fish and how it's prepared, which often necessitates a counter-balance of flavor. Horseradish sauce ("sauce au raifort" in French) is an excellent option.

Horseradish gives a depth of flavor to almost any fish due to its subtle tinge of heat, when added in small quantities. Whether you pair the sauce with a simple fish preparation cooked in butter, fish en papillote or steamed fish, this delicious horseradish sauce will be the highlight of your entrée.

Cucumber Raita (Indian Yogurt Recipe)

Raita is an Indian condiment made with yogurt (dahi in Urdu). It's used in Indian cuisine as an "antidote" to spicy food. But the yogurt not only cuts the heat, it tastes great too.

Traditionally, raita is seasoned with cilantro, ground cumin, mint and red chili powder. For more texture, I added finely diced raw vegetables such as Persian cucumbers and tomatoes.

If you fancy a change of pace, you can try my “fusion” raita that uses a lot of French flavors and techniques. My husband Lulu loves it with khichdi!

Harissa Recipe Provided by Chef Pawan Pinisetti

This recipe was provided by Chef Pawan Pinisetti. To learn more about the life of a chef in Vegas, check out his interview (click on the link to view):

"Here's a recipe of one of my favorite accompaniments when I'm eating Mediterranean food. This is a recipe I learned when I was in school (Culinary Institute of America, New York) and I've held onto it ever since. Hope you try it out and enjoy it as well.

Harissa, a spicy red chili paste, popular throughout the Maghreb, was created long after Islam occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Not until the 16^th century and well after the discovery of the New World, did the rest of the Mediterranean accept the pepper as an edible and flavorful ingredient."