Herb & Fruit Recipes: Video Series

Cooking figs requires chopping up dried figs roughly, bringing the figs to a medium heat in a sauce pan, adding some balsamic vinegar to the pan and adding white granulated sugar to create a syrupy sauce. Use figs in syrup to put over chicken or fish with advice from a private chef in this free video on cooking figs.

Color vegetable oil by finding a colorless oil, heating the oil in the microwave for about a minute and 30 seconds, and stirring in the food coloring one drop at a time. Be patient when coloring vegetable oil because the color will not dissolve right away, and consider advice from a private chef in this free video on coloring vegetable oil.

To process sunflower seeds, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, spread the fresh sunflower seeds evenly on a cookie sheet, and let them roast for 45 minutes. Sprinkle roasted sunflower seeds with sea salt using instructions from a private chef in this free video on sunflower seeds.

Roast sunflower seeds by shucking them from the shells, spreading the seeds evenly on a clean baking sheet, pre-heating the oven to 300 degrees and roasting the seeds for 30 minutes. Find out how much faster sunflower seeds will roast after they have been shucked with information from a private chef in this free video on sunflower seeds.

Making fig preserves requires chopping dried figs, putting the figs in a sauce pan with half a cup of water and a quarter cup of sugar, and cooking the mixture over low heat for about an hour. Stir the fig preserves every five or six minutes to ensure everything gets incorporated with tips from a private chef in this free video on cooking figs.

Make vinegar by squeezing half a lemon through a strainer into a container, adding a little water, letting the mixture sit for five days, adding more lemon juice and letting it sit for another two weeks. Store vinegar mixture in a cool, dark place with advice from a private chef in this free video on making vinegar.

Drying figs requires pre-heating an oven to 170 degrees or the dehydrate function, placing the figs on a baking pan with room between each one, and leaving the figs in the oven for six to 12 hours. Add dried figs to oatmeal or other foods with tips from a private chef in this free video on drying figs.

To freeze figs, cut the figs in half so that they freeze evenly, place them in a plastic container with a lid, avoid layering them too closely, and put them in the freezer. Use frozen figs in smoothies with ice cream and bananas using instructions from a private chef in this free video on figs.

Extract aloe vera juice from an aloe plant by cracking open a branch of the plant over a bowl and pressing the juice out. Aloe vera juice can also be squeezed directly onto the skin. Find out how to mix aloe vera juice with water or juice in order to consume it with tips from a private chef in this free video on aloe vera plants.

To extract cinnamon oil, place a stick of cinnamon in flavorless vegetable oil, screw the oil lid on tightly, and leave the stick in the oil for about four weeks in order to infuse the oil with cinnamon flavors. Use cinnamon oil on salads or for poached pears with instructions from a private chef in this free video on cinnamon oil.

Make rosemary oil by drying rosemary leaves for about two weeks, placing the rosemary in a jar, pouring flavorless vegetable oil over the rosemary and allowing the mixture to sit for two weeks. Use rosemary oil as salad dress or for a marinade with advice from a private chef in this free video on rosemary oil.

Make basil oil by placing dried basil leaves in a mason jar, covering the basil with flavorless vegetable oil, shaking the jar and letting the jar sit for about two weeks to allow the flavors to infuse. Use basil oil to mix with pasta and Parmesan cheese with instructions from a private chef in this free video on basil oil.

Distill herbs by placing dried or fresh herbs in a mason jar, covering the herbs with vegetable oil, allowing the mixture to sit for about two weeks and then straining the mixture through a fine strainer with a paper towel. Press the oil through the strainer to get the full flavor of the herbs with tips from a private chef in this free video on produce and cooking.