A small bowl of this Bisque will certainly have everyone clamoring to the table – no big appetizer required. Rich, delicate in flavours and a perfect beginning…..
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 tsp. curry paste
- 1 large cauliflower (about 2 lbs. in weight)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups 18% cream
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
- 4 slices of bacon, crisp, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander
In a large saucepan, melt butter over a low heat. Add the onion, potato and curry paste and cook, covered, for about 6 minutes. Stir occasionally and make sure the onion is translucent.
Trim the cauliflower and chop coarsely. Add to the pan along with the stock and onion mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low, simmering until the vegetables are cooked. About 10 minutes, then cool slightly.
In batches, puree in a blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve and pour into a clean saucepan.
Stir in the creams, salt and hot pepper sauce. Heat over a low temperature, stirring often while it simmers and becomes hot.
Ladle into warm soup bowls. Garnish with a generous pinch of crisp bacon and a touch of coriander.
This will serve 12 with small bowls or 6-8 with larger portions.
Seafood Trout Roulade
This, my friends, is entertaining elegance. Trout stuffed with shrimp and scallops with a beurre blanc sauce…..it doesn’t get any better.
- 2 lb. centre cut trout fillet
- pinch of salt and pepper
Place fillet, skin side down. Hold one end corner with a paper towel and angle the knife slightly toward skin, but without moving, slowly pull the skin back and forth to remove. Discard skin. Trim any silver skin remaining. *see hint below
At the thinnest long side and just starting where the trout starts to thicken, cut in half, horizontally almost through but not quite (open like a book). Leave a 1 inch border on both the long and 1 short side.
Seafood Stuffing
- 1 egg white
- 8 oz. raw Black Tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 oz. Bay scallops
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp. grated lime
- 1 tsp. tarragon, fresh
- pinch of salt and pepper
In a bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Set aside. Finely chop the shrimp, cut the scallops in 1/2 inch cubes. Add this to the egg white, along with the bread crumbs, chives, parsley, lime zest, tarragon salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Refrigerate while oven is heating up.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the stuffing over the salmon. Starting at the side with the stuffing, roll up. With kitchen string, tie at 1 inch intervals. Place what was the skin side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven until a thermometer inserted into the stuffing through the end of the roll registers 160 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes.
Lemon Tarragon Beurre Blanc
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup dry vermouth
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tsp. grated lime rind
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
- pinch each of salt and pepper
In a small saucepan, boil the shallots, vinegar and vermouth until reduced to 2 tbsp. (3 minutes). Reduce heat to low, whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, until smooth. Add the tarragon,. lime zest and salt.
Use a chef’s knife and a very gentle sawing motion, slice the trout crosswise in 1 inch thick portions, removing string. Serve with the sauce.
Hint: skinning the trout when it is cold is much easier or ask the fishmonger to skin and butterfly the trout to save you any frustration.
Cheese Souffle With Bacon Spinach Salad
These are not difficult to make. Give it a try…with the bacon spinach salad it will be hard to beat.
- 4 tbsp. butter (more for ramekins)
- 2 tbsp. finely grated Asiago cheese
- 1 garlic clove for rubbing
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 large eggs, room temperature, separated
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. wine vinegar
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 4-6 strips bacon, cooked crisp, broken up
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the garlic and cut in half. Run around the surface of the ramekins. Discard the garlic. Butter two 2 cup ramekins, coat with the Asiago cheese and set in refrigerator.
Melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly (making a roux). Add the milk, whisking constantly until thickened for 2 minutes and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the Gruyere cheese, pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the egg yolks.
Whisk egg whites until still peaks have formed. Fold into the cheese mixture, one third at a time. Divide between the ramekins. Bake on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake until it as puffed up (approx. 15 minutes. Watch so it doesn’t burn.
Whisk together the oil and vinegar. Drizzle over the spinach. Top with the broken bacon pieces. Serve on a plate with the soufflé (still in the ramekin).
Enjoy! This will serve two for dinner.
Chili Shrimp
These are tasty, but should be part of a meal, not the meal itself.
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 lb. medium size shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. chili sauce
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 3 tbsp. canola oil
- 2 tbsp. dry sherry
- 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 green onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- parsley sprigs, for garnish
In a large bowl, combine the tbsp. of salt with 3 cups of cold water, stirring until salt has dissolved. Add the shrimp and let soak for 1 hour. Drain and place the shrimp on paper towels and dry well.
Mix together the soy sauce, chili sauce, ketchup and sugar.
Heat a flat bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes in a second or two. Swirl in the canola oil, add the shrimp, cooking until the shrimp starts to turn pink then immediately remove to a plate .
Add the sherry, ginger and garlic; stir fry for 30 seconds. add the onion and peppers, stir frying for another minute. Now add the green onion and jalapeno, cooking for another 30 seconds, Add the soy sauce and shrimp and cook for 60 seconds or until the shrimp are just cooked.
Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Honey-Dijon Zucchini Potato Salad
This is a wonderful salad for summer dinners shared with family and friends. Try it with pork or chicken and you have a perfect meal.
- 2 tbsp. jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. Djon mustard
- 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 lb. zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 8 oz. tiny new potatoes, halved
- 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped pickles
In a small bowl, whisk together the jalapeno, garlic, honey, mustard, mayonnaise and oil. Season carefully with salt and pepper. Reserve half of this mixture for the dressing.
Brush the cut sides of the zucchini with the remaining mixture . Grill on a well oiled rack on a covered grill, directly over a medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until just tender. Turn these only once.
Coarsely chop the zucchini, combine with the potatoes, egg and pickles. Add the reserved dressing, turning to coat.
This makes 6 servings.
Chestnut Mousse In A Chocolate Casing
Okay, people, this one will test your endurance maybe. Read it through, pour yourself a coffee, repeat the mantra “Damn I CAN do this” and go for it. Reads harder than it really is to make.
- 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 oz. unsalted butter
- 2 gelatin sheets
- 1/4 cup amber rum (1 oz. for you…just kidding)
- 3/4 cup chestnut puree, chilled*
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 2 cups whipped cream, chilled
- 1 tsp. vanilla paste**
- gold flakes (edible) for garnish
Butter a 9 inch springform pan and line the base and sides with parchment paper, extending it 2 inches over the rim and butter it all again.
Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water surface. Stir constantly until it has completely melted and the butter has been incorporated. Pour the chocolate into the prepared pan, spreading all over with a spatula as uniformly as possible, but leaving the top of the sides jagged and rough for a better appearance. Chill until firm.
Soften the 2 sheets of gelatin in 2 cups of cold water for 5 minutes. Heat rum in a small pan to lukewarm and remove from the heat. Drain the gelatin, squeezing out excess water and then add to the warm rum, stirring to dissolve completely. Cool to room temperature.
To make the mousse, blend the chestnut puree with sugar and rum mixture until smooth (stop drooling…you have to wait until you are done). Whip the cream and vanilla bean until stiff peaks form. Add 1 cup of the whipped cream to the chestnut puree. Carefully fold in the remaining cream. Pour this into the chocolate lined springform pan, making sure the mousse only goes as high as the LOWEST part of the jagged edge of the shell. Refrigerate overnight for sure.
Remove from the refrigerator, unclip the springform and c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y remove the sides. Peel the parchment paper from the base and sides. Place on a serving platter and decorate the top of the mousse with some edible gold flecks.
* can be purchased in any specialty store or bake shop
** simply cut a vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds
Serve immediately, either just scooping out the mousse and breaking up the chocolate into pieces or cutting with an exceptionally sharp serrated knife. Either way it is delicious and fabulous to see.