Butter Poached Lobster

What could be better than lobster…..poached in butter? NOTHING.

 

  • 4 cooked lobsters 1  1/2 lbs. each
  • 1/2 cup unsalted buttter
  • 4 sprigs tarragon
  • sea salt to taste
  • grilled asparagus for 4

Remove the lobster from each shell.

Melt the butter in saute pan over medium heat. Add the tarragon and meat and toss to coat. Turn heat to low and warm the lobster, covered, turning pieces as needed for 3 minutes or until completely warmed through.

Spoon a little cauliflower puree on each plate, add some grilled asparagus and place the lobster meat on top. Sprinkle just a little sea salt over the top and add a spoonful of the tarragon butter over all.

Serve with a lovely chilled Chardonnay and life is so good.  Yum!

 

Cauliflower Puree

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

pot of boiling water

Cook the califlower until tender. Place in a blender and puree. Add a pat of butter and a pinch of salt. Turn machine on for a couple of seconds. Easy.

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Green Beans With Shitake Mushrooms

The secret to this humble bean is to blanche it ahead of time and chill. When ready to serve, saute it quickly.

 

  • 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, sliced
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. avocado oil
  • 4 oz. shitake mushrooms, stems removed, and caps sliced
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4-1/3 cup white wine

Melt the butter and avocado oil together, add the hazelnuts, mushrooms, and wine and heat through. Add the beans and cook for another minute, to heat through. The beans should still be tender-crisp and keeping its vibrant colour.

The wine to accompany this would be a perfectly chilled Pinot Gris.

Who said vegetables had to be boring? Not me!

 

 

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Cheese And Ham Tartlets

This is an easy recipe because you can use the frozen unbaked tart shells. Okay, sometimes I cheat….just a little.

 

  • 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped cooked ham steak, fat removed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • pinch of salt and pepper

Combine the cheese, ham, shallots and sour cream in a medium bowl and mix really well. Add the salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the tart shells on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Evenly distribute the cheee mixture in the shells and return to the oven and bake a further 10 minutes (until the cheese mixture is hot right through and the cheese is melted.

Serve warm. There won’t be any leftovers, I promise!

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Baked Clams

This one is for Pauline.

 

  • 24 Quahog clams, scrubbed
  • 1 cup Panko crumbs
  • 1/4 cup Asiago cheese
  • 3 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 8 pieces each
  • Worchestershire sauce
  • lime wedges

Bring 1 cup water to the boil in a heavy saucepot and add the clams and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 4 – 8 minutes. Check at the 4 minute mark  to see if they all opened and any of them that hasn’t opened at the end of 8 minutes, toss out.

As the clams open, remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl and when done, discard the water.

Preheat the broiler. Shuck the clams and reserve 24 half shells. Scrub the shells inside and out, then dry. Return the clams to the shells and arrange in a shallow baking pan.

Divide the stuffing among the clams with a piece of bacon and a drop of Worchestershire sauce.

Broil 5-6 inches from the heat until the bacon is cooked and the stuffing is a golden brown. No longer than 2-3 minutes.

Serve with lime wedges.

 

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Skewered Salmon

This is a great appetizer to make when entertaining oudoors. Botttled sauces make it easy but don’t be fooled – tasty it is for sure.

 

  • 6  small skewers – soak in water for an hour
  • 1/2 lime
  • 2 tbsp. each plum and oyster sauces
  • 1  1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
  • 8 oz. skinless salmon fillet, 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Start the barbecue.  Squeeze 2 tsp. lime juice into a small bowl. Stir in the plum, oyster, ginger and garlic. Set aside.

Slice the salmon lengthwise into 6 strips. Brush the sauce over the salmon on both sides and place on skewer. Place on barbecue for 2 minutes. Carefully turn over and add more glaze, cooking another 2-3 minutes more.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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Homemade Crab Pate

The title should have read ‘elegant crab pate’. This is another way to make it look like you really worked long and hard in the kitchen. Pfft! NOT!

 

  • 2 tins (113 g crab meat)
  • 1/2 block cream cheese (250 g)
  • 1 small garlic clove (minced)
  • 4 drops of Tabasco sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. parsley, chopped very fine
  • 1 tbsp. grated Asiago cheese
  • lemon wedges, sliced thin

Drain and squeeze the crab meat. Check through to avoid cartilage.

Put 2 tins of the crab meat (removing any large pieces and set aside).

Place remaining ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the larger pieces of crab meat and cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve with your favourite crackers and, of course, a glass of chilled white wine. Place lemon wedges on plate for anyone to use.

 

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Apple Toffee Pie

I once had a friend who made this pie. Don loved it so much so I am putting this out for you all to try. It is yummy, to say the least.

 

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 cups thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
  • 1 cup English Toffee bits
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Use your favourite pastry recipe and mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt . Set aside.

Peel, core and slice the apples. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients with the slices to coat well. Lay out the apple slices in attractive layers and sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients over the top. Dot the top with butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 350 and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Make sure the apples are tender and it doesn’t get too brown.

Serve with cinnamon flavoured whipped cream and WOW!

 

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Shrimp Remoulade

This is a great and super easy first course that will bring accolades galore.

 

  • 2 cups mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
  • 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickle
  • 1 hard cooked egg, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tbsp. drained capers
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tbsp. chopped chervil
  • 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 lbs. large cooked and cleaned shrimp, chilled
  • shredded lettuce

 

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and pepper and mix really well. Stir in the dill, egg, garlic, capers, tarragon, chervil and parsley and refrigerate, covered, for about 4 hours.

To serve on individual plates, pile mounds of shredded lettuce, add about 6 shrimp per mound and generously cover with sauce.

Add a warm dinner roll, fresh butter and YUM!

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The Devil’s Brew

I know, I know you thought I had given  up on my signature drinks. This is a different drink but definitely one for summer evenings on the deck, at the lake…wherever!

 

  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 2 cups chilled white wine
  • 1/4 cup honey (more if needed)
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries (fresh)
  • 1 cup fresh papaya
  • 1 cup cut up cantaloupe
  • 1/2 cup gold kiwi, sliced

In a blender, combine half of all the ingredients and puree until smooth. Pour into a chilled pitcher.

Blend the remainder of the indredients and add to the pitcher. To serve, pour into chilled glasses. Umm…if you wish add the usual mint leaf or get clever and put a strawberry, cubes of papaya , kiwi and cantaloupe on a fancy pick and place across the glass.

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Lobster Newburg

Not  much seems like summer’s here except when serving lobster. I had this for the first time when I was about 20 years old and fell in love with lobster prepared almost any way.

 

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped boiled lobster
  • 2 tbsp. sherry
  • cooked fettucine noodles (enough for 4 servings)

Melt butter in the top of a double boiler, over direct heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour to make a smooth mixture. Add the salt, nutmeg and paprika.

Gradually whisk in the cream and bring to the boil; reduce the heat and simmer, whisking, 3 minutes longer.

Now add a little bit of the hot mixture to the egg mixture and pour all of it back into the double boiler. Add the lobster and cook, over hot water until the mixture has thickened and the lobster is hot (about 8-10 minutes). Do not boil.

Stir in the sherry and serve over cooked and buttered noodles. I know everyone serves this over rice, but come on – try it with noodles and you will melt.

All that is needed with this dinner is a crisp, chilled salad and a glass of a chilled, crisp Pinot Gris…..did I say glass? I really meant bottle. sorry!

Yummy!

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Braised Red Cabbage

This is a great complement for game or even  holiday turkey.

 

  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 cup, finely chopped red onion
  • 1 large red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cloves
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup good red wine (full bodied)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegr
  • 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup grated apple
  • 1/4 cup red currant jelly

Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and saute the onions until softened  (about 2 minutes). Add the cabbage and saute until coated with the oil. Add the bay leaf, cloves and allspice and season with salt and pepper.

Pour in the wine and vinegar and sprinkle in the brown sugar. Toss together and bring to a boil, stirring only occasionally.

Turn the heat to low, add the apples , over and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you need to, add water to prevent sticking. Add the jelly and cook a further 20 minutes covered.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if you need to.

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Cauliflower Soup With A Surprise Garnish

This is a beautiful soup to serve special guests and can be made ahead and just given the addition of the orange zest and juice to perk it up and heat through. This one will make your guests sit up and go “Oh Yummmmmmm!”

 

  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  •  1 bay leaf
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 potato, peeled and diced
  • 4 cups of vegetable stock (the best quality you can buy)
  • 1  1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 large head (7 cups) cauliflower, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
  • 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice (this is important)

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan, add the onion, and saute for about 5 minutes, just until softened but not browned. Add the bay leaf, garlic, pinch of salt and pepper and saute for another minute until the garlic has become softened and fragrant.

Add the potato, stock, and water . Bring to a bowl and do scrape up the bits stuck to the pot with a rubber spatula. Stir in the cauliflower and let this boil for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and remove from the heat.

Remove the bay leaf, and in small batches, transfer to a blender and puree. Stir in the cream and blend well. Always make sure to do in small batches and keep the lid on tight…you don’t want to be washing down the ceiling. Puree the entire soup until velvety smooth. Set aside. (This can be kept in the fridge for 2 days before serving….just reheat.

If you are going to prepare ahead and reheat when ready to serve…hold back the zest and juice and add when reheating. If serving immediately after making (doubtful) add the juice and zest at the end.

Spiced Pear Chips

  • 1 large but firm Bosc pear
  • 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the pear lengthwise into paperthin slices. Combine the spices together and sprinkle over the slices. Place on the cookie sheet  in a single layer. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and place another cookie sheet on top. This is to keep the slices flat.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the edges start to look dry and are very soft.

Remove the top cookie sheet and CAREFULLY peel off the parchment paper off the top. Bake for up to 30 minutes, checking often until the pears are dry and firm. They will crisp up while cooling. While still warm, carefully peel off the parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Get out your prettiest soup bowl, ladle the soup and top with a couple of the pear chips (standing up for pure drama).

 

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