Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Delicious stuffed mushrooms: easy to assemble, quick to cook, and always one of the first items gone on any holiday hors d'oeuvre platter! These humongous white button mushrooms just begged to be roasted and stuffed with sumptuous crab meat and a lightly herbed cheese mixture. From start to finish they take under 30 minutes to prepare and you can easily adjust the fillings to what you have on hand.

Makes 12
INGREDIENTS:

• 12 good sized mushrooms (cremini or white)
• 1/3 -1/2 cup crab meat
• 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan
• 2-3 Tbsp panko or breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp shallot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp minced chives, parsley or green onions
• Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Remove stems from mushrooms & toss mushrooms with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper.
3. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake in oven for 8 minutes hollow side up, then 5-8 minutes cap side up, until golden and softened slightly.
4. Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a bowl to taste.
5. Remove mushrooms, stuff firmly, and bake at 425' for 5 minutes until golden & heated through.

Buffalo Steaks with Root Vegetable Gratin & Brussels Sprout Salad

Ouch. Sorry about that picture above; in my eagerness to eat this I completely went nuts with the lighting. I didn't even want to post it, but I love you all so much that I want you to have this recipe, even at the cost of humiliation.

You're welcome.

Buffalo meat???? For human consumption? You are either knowingly smiling right now or wrinkling your delicate nose in shock & horror. You either know or you don't. This meat is so freaking good. Would I lie to you? Maybe. Okay, would I lie about food to you? NO! Grass-fed bison is one of the leanest, most sustainable, highest protein sources available. It tastes richer, deeper, and juicier than beef. I don't usually like NY Strip Steaks - I'm a filet Mignon kind of girl, but this was one of the better steaks I've eaten!

For side dishes, I pulled together a beautiful root vegetable gratin using only a touch of butter, reduced fat milk, and a sprinkling of high-quality Gruyere. You don't have to have a cheesy, potato-laden gratin to satisfy an autumnal urge for something gratin-y! Oh wait, what's that? You don't like Brussels sprouts?! Try these! I consider this a converting recipe, meaning it can convert sprout-haters to sprout-lovers. These are not your great-grandma's Brussels sprouts! Fresh, bright and clean tasting, they balance out the richness of the meat and the density of the gratin.

What are you waiting for? This meal is perfect. I highly suggest pairing it with a nice bottle of red wine.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
Steaks:

• 2 Buffalo (or Bison) New York Strip Steaks
• Any kind of simple peppery steak rub / seasoning
• splash of Olive oil

Gratin:

• 1 carrot (thinly sliced)
• 1 parsnip (thinly sliced)
• 1 small turnip (thinly sliced)
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & cracked pepper
• 1/3 cup reduced fat milk
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup shredded Gruyere

Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pistachios: (from here!)

• 6-8 Brussels sprouts
• 1-2 tsp Grapeseed oil
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
• handful of shelled pistachios

DIRECTIONS:

Steaks:

1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. Rub steaks with seasoning and let come to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile prepare everything else.
4. While gratins are cooking, throw steaks on grill for 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
5. Remove from grill & tent with foil to rest for 10 minutes.

Gratin:

1. Preheat toaster oven or regular oven to 375'.
   
2. Line personal sized ramekin with parchment paper, allowing some to hang out so you can easily lift gratin out of ramekin when done.
3. Melt butter in saucepan with garlic & milk. Simmer gently and remove from heat.
4. Make layers of each vegetable: onion, parsnip, turnip, carrot and then pour half of milk mixture over, sprinkle with salt, pepper & half of gruyere. Repeat, finishing with gruyere.
5. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, checking the browning process as you go. Depending on size of your ramekins (or if you use a larger baking dish), you may need to increase the time significantly.
6. Remove from oven, carefully lift out of ramekin (I drained excess milk/butter off) and then slide gently onto plate.

Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pistachios: (from here!)

• Slice bottoms off of Brussels sprouts and remove core. This will help you in peeling the outer leaves off. Set leaves aside, discard rest.
• In pan, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat.
• Add shallot and saute 1-2 minutes.
• Add Brussels sprout leaves and saute 2-3 minutes until bright green and tender (not wilted!).
• Quickly add 1-2 tsp of lemon juice and cook it off.
• Toss with pistachios and serve.

French Macarons - [October Daring Bakers]

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

French Macarons are not macaroons, the coconut cousin of this dessert. French Macarons are a cookie made of finely ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar usually sandwiching some kind of ganache or jam. Beautiful to look at, but difficult to master, the challenge of perfecting them haunts many bakers. The difficulty of preparation and my aversion to large amounts of sugar had me dreading this challenge.

While I admire the beautifully colored and perfectly formed macarons of such talented bakers like Tartelette, Cannelle et Vanille and the extensive experiments of Audax, I just don't like the way they taste! I do enjoy a wide variety of sweets and desserts, but not being a sugar junkie, I try to steer away from excessive sweetness. I like my sweets to have rich and deep flavor; these were sugar-shells sandwiching a nice filling. The one I ate gave me a sharp headache!

Plus, they were a pain in the arse to make! Aging egg whites for days, folding, beating, not too much, not too little, finely ground almonds, sugar, sugar, sugar, resting, hardening, baking, then the ridiculous task of peeling these little monsters off the parchment paper. Don't even remind me. Fortunately I wasn't expecting glory, so the failure was more of an annoyance than a tear-inducing breakdown.

Please see here for the recipe given by the Daring Bakers and here for the recipe I adapted (I substituted cinnamon for the saffron, and added mixed pumpkin spices in the filling). Thank you, Ami S., for choosing a real challenge! Although I may not have personally liked the macarons, it's a valuable skill!

Be sure to check out the other awesome Daring Bakers!

Furikake Bagel with Salmon Sashimi & Scallion Cream Cheese (Japanese Lox and Bagels!)

Furikake Bagel with Salmon Sashimi & Scallion Cream Cheese.


What the furikake? Furikake is a Japanese condiment that is savory, salty, intensely addictive and full of umami flavor. Traditionally seen atop white rice, it is a little known treasure trove of taste. At the Asian market there are dozens of brands and types, but the type we like most is Aji Nori: a combination of seaweed, sesame seeds, and salt. .ЯR. and I are hooked on the stuff and you should be too! :)

The other day we were enjoying an outstanding burger at Aloha Grill that came with fries covered in furikake when it struck me that furikake would make an awesome bagel topping. .ЯR. balked. A trouble-maker by nature, I have very little instinct to adhere to tradition. We tossed around this bagel idea over a few rainbows (below) and decided to turn traditional Jewish bagels & lox fully Japanese by adding salmon sashimi! A touch of scallion cream cheese and a sprinkle of pickled ginger pushed these right over the edge!

photo courtesy of mccartdesigns.com

Now, the last time we made bagels, I noted how strenuous the kneading process was. This time, however, I had a little helper. Please say hello to my little friend.....

Kitchenaid. Professional. 600 series. Stand Mixer.

Not for lightweight jobs. Awesome. That bitchy bagel dough? Piece of cake, my friends! Highly recommend this mixer for heavy duty jobs. I can't write any more about this beauty. My words cannot suffice.


On to the recipe! Here it is!

Recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Makes 12

SCHEDULE:
Day 1:

• sponge: 2 hours rising time
• dough: 30 min+ kneading time
• balls, rest, holes, rise: 40 min
• retard: overnight

Day 2:

• prepare toppings
• boil: 2 minutes
  
• top
• bake: 15 minutes
  

INGREDIENTS: Sponge:

• 1 tsp instant yeast (active yeast)
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 1/2 cups water (room temperature)

Dough:

• 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 3 3/4 cups bread flour
• 2 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp malt syrup or honey (I used honey)

Finish:

• 1 tbsp baking soda
• parchment paper
  
• Furikake
  
• egg wash (2 egg whites beaten with a little water)
  

DIRECTIONS: Day 1

1. Stir yeast into flour in large mixing bowl. Add water and whisk until it forms a smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let double in size about 2 hours.
2. Add additional yeast into sponge and stir. Add salt and honey and mix, incorporating 3 3/4 cups flour as you go. Continue kneading until all ingredients are blended. This will take awhile.
3. Turn dough out onto counter and continue to knead until there is no raw flour. We added about 1 tsp water as we went along.
   
4. You will know when you are done kneading by doing the "windowpane test". Take a small chunk of dough and stretch it, pulling it into a thin, translucent membrane. If the dough falls apart or tears before it makes a windowpane, you need to keep kneading.
   
5. Split dough into 12 equal size pieces and roll into balls. Cover them with a damp towel and let rest 20 minutes.
6. To shape the bagels, poke a hole in the center of the bagel with your thumb and gently rotate your thumb (or two fingers) around in the hole to get the hole about 2.5" in diameter. You want them evenly stretched!
7. Place the bagels on a lightly oiled parchment paper coated pan an inch apart. Cover with plastic and let rise another 20 minutes.
8. The bagels are now ready to 'retard'. In order to check their readiness, drop a bagel in a big bowl of cold water. IF it floats in 10 seconds, you are ready to stick them in the fridge for the night. If it does not float, continue to let them rise at room temperature another 10-20 minutes until it passes the test.

Day 2

1. Preheat oven to 500' and bring a very large pot of water to boil.
2. Prepare your toppings and get everything set up (baking sheet with parchment paper, a slotted spoon for removing bagels, toppings handy, etc...)
3. Add 1 tbsp baking soda to boiling water to alkalize it. Drop a few bagels in the pot and let them boil for 1 minute (2 minutes if you like them really chewy).
4. Remove the bagels and brush with egg wash on one side. Immediately shake on furikake.
5. Repeat and once tray is full (we boiled 2 at a time, then baked 6, ate and then repeated!) place in oven and bake for 5 minutes. Rotate pan and reduce heat to 450' and cook for another 10 minutes.
   
6. Remove from oven & cool on rack!

Striped Bass with Edamame-Corn Succotash, Lemon Leek Cream Sauce & Sweet Mashed Potatoes

This lemon-leek cream sauce absolutely made my entire day. Light, refreshing, and bursting with the delicate flavor of sauteed leek and the sharp tang of fresh squeezed lemon! I'm confident that you could put this sauce on just about anything and it would transform into something not just enjoyable, but heavenly.

Being able to select a whole fish from your market is a luxury. You can completely inspect the fish for freshness in a way that you can't necessarily read from sliced fillets. Bright, shiny eyes, a fresh, clean smell, firm flesh and shiny scales without iridescence all help you choose the best fish out of the bunch! We had this beautiful striped bass scaled and filleted for us, but we left the skin on as it adds a huge punch of flavor during the pan searing process.

Edamame? Corn? Sweet Potato Mash? What's with all that stuff on our plate?! We are reducing waste in our kitchen and in our home. I'm guilty of throwing too much food away, so I have taken the challenge (with a little prodding, of course) to start using what we have on hand. You know what? Not only do the meals turn out fantastic, but it encourages creativity and saves money!

The tartness of the lemon -leek cream perfectly contrasts with the sweetness of the sweet potato mash and the freshness of the succotash. Slightly salty pan fried Striped Bass rounds the whole meal out. Try this with any type of fish!

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
Lemon-Leek Cream:

• 2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
• 2 large Leeks - halved & thinly sliced (white & pale green parts only)
• 3 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
• 3/4 cups whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• Salt and cracked pepper

• 1 whole striped bass, cleaned, filleted, de-scaled
• 2 tbsp butter and olive oil, each
  
• 1 cup frozen or fresh edamame (shelled)
• 1 ear corn , sliced off cob
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled & cubed
• 2 cloves garlic
• parsley, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add leeks and saute 2 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and cover, cooking till tender and stirring occasionally about 15-20 minutes
4. Increase heat and add lemon juice, cook until almost all liquid has evaporated, 1-2 min.
   
5. Add cream and 1 Tbsp lemon zest and reduce heat to simmer over low heat 3-4 minutes.
6. Cool slightly and transfer to blender. Process until smooth.
7. Strain sauce over large bowl, pressing firmly on solids to extract all flavors. Set sauce aside & discard solids.
8. Season with salt and pepper. (can be made a day in advance, refrigerated and covered).
9. Place sweet potato cubes and garlic in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil until fork tender. Drain and mash with a little butter and leek cream. Set aside on low.
10. If edamame is not already cooked, bring salted water to a boil and add edamame. Boil frozen beans 4-5 minutes and fresh beans 5-6 minutes.
11. Remove, drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking process.
12. In small sauce pan, mix shelled edamame, corn and a touch of butter. Saute until warm. Keep over low heat.
13. In large frying pan, heat a touch of oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Salt and pepper bass. Add bass to pan skin side down, pressing with a flat spatula so that the edges do not curl up, 2 minutes
14. Flip fish over and saute another 5-6 minutes depending on thickness. You want a nice, flaky, opaque fish with a slight crust on the outside.
15. Rewarm leek cream sauce, succotash & potatoes.
    
16. Pack potatoes in a cookie cutter or other ring to form shape. Top with fish, surround with succotash and drizzle with lemon-leek cream. Serve additional cream sauce on the side.
    

San Francisco or Bust!

Guess what?!

I'll be in San Francisco Nov. 6-8 at the Foodbuzz 1st Annual Festival!

If you couldn't tell, I am super excited.  Big thanks to my Mom for putting out (okay, financially) for my plane ticket! Merry early Christmas to me! Mama, you rock.

Anyone else going? If so, drop me a comment!  Can't wait to see you there :) 

  

Edited to Add: !Good news!

The Snacking Chef will also be going to the Foodbuzz Festival! If you don't know who she is, you should. She's a whole lot of awesomeness.

Dear Apple Cake, I love you.

I've never met Deb at Smitten Kitchen, nor her mom, but if I did, I would smother them both with my undying affection.  When I saw this recipe for Apple Cake I stopped in my tracks.  The incessant ringing of the work phone faded into silence and my entire being called out for this beautiful, autumnal cake.  Never mind that I have no need for cake!  Screw the diet!  To hell with healthy eating! I. MUST. HAVE. THIS. CAKE!

It's easy to make, it's easy to bake, and it is really easy to eat.  It uses 6 apples, so if you have gone apple-picking this is your moment to shine!  Want something for fall besides apple pie?  Meet your new friend, the Apple Cake.

Enjoy!

Deb's Mom's Apple Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 apples, her mom uses McIntosh apples
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Grease a bundt cake pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
3.  Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. 
5. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
6. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. 
7. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. 
8. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Phở tái & Apple Pie Wonton Dessert [Daring Cook's- October]

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

This month's challenge was two-fold: Phở and dessert wontons! Phở is a traditional and delicious Vietnamese noodle soup and is exceptionally popular here in Southern California where we have a large Vietnamese population. The important components of any good phở are spiced beef broth, thinly-sliced meat that cooks in the broth's heat, tender rice noodles, and an array of toppings including bean sprouts, fresh herbs, jalapenos, Sririacha, and hoisin sauce.

In our home, Phở has replaced the typical American yearning for Chicken Soup on a chilly fall evening. We were delighted to have cooler weather this weekend as we slowly simmered our very own pot of this unique noodle soup. Although phở tái is usually made with less expensive cuts of meat, our butcher had a beautiful filet mignon that he offered to shave thinly for us. It was outstanding in the soup!

We ended up using the rest of the broth for a variety of noodle soups all week long. We will definitely be making a lot more phở this winter!

Phở Tai Recipe HERE

Part 2 of the challenge was to make some kind of dessert wonton. I chose to take a twist on Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream by filling my wontons with chopped apples, walnuts and a little crushed graham cracker. Then I deep-fried (so bad, but soooo good!) and served them with a beautiful vanilla custard sauce for dipping. I rarely deep-fry food as try to be health-conscious and I hate how it makes the house smell, but these were so good that I will definitely make them for a party!

Apple Pie Wonton Recipe

Makes 30

INGREDIENTS:

• Wonton wrappers
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored & minced
• 2 Tbsp butter
  
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 graham cracker, crushed
• handful of walnuts, chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• whole egg, slightly beaten for brushing wonton wrappers
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• vegetable oil for frying
• powdered sugar for dusting
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In pan, saute apples with butter over medium heat about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in cinnamon & brown sugar, tossing to coat.
3. Remove from heat & stir in graham cracker crumbs and walnuts.
4. Using a cookie cutter (optional) cut out rounds from wonton wrappers
5. Spoon small amount of filling onto center of each round. Brush with egg wash and press top wonton round to firmly seal.
6. Place filled wontons on wax paper lined baking sheet.
7. When all wontons are filled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, up to 4 hours.
8. Slit vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds into pan. Add cream. Bring to simmer over medium low.
9. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar.
10. Slowly whisk in cream to eggs. Pour back in pan and simmer over medium low heat for 5-6 minutes.
11. Strain into a bowl. Chill, covered until serving.
12. Fill frying pan with 2" depth of vegetable oil. Heat until the oil reaches 350'. Slide each wonton in, only doing a few so that they do not crowd each other.
13. Fry 1-2 minutes, then flip frying another 1-2 minute on the other side. Remove when they are bubbly and lightly golden. They will darken as they dry.
14. Remove from pan and allow to drain on paper towels.
15. Dust with powdered sugar, serve.
    

Moroccan Rack of Lamb with POM Reduction and Cauliflower Puree

There were still a few bottles of POM left in our beverage fridge.

Beverage fridge? You heard me. We have two full-size refrigerators. When .ЯR. and I moved in we found ourselves with two perfectly good fridges and decided use one for food and one for beverages. Ice cold beer? Got it. Ice cold vodka? Done. Juice boxes for visiting nephew? Check! Bucket of ice for cocktails? Yup! Pellegrino? Frosty. Sauvignon Blanc? Nice and chilled! Mixers, sodas, juices? Loaded. A bevy of beverages for every taste! Beverage fridge = Awesomeness.

Anyway, back to the POM. My mom is a lady of expensively carnivorous tastes and loves rack of lamb almost as much as she loves Filet Mignon. I wanted to take the traditional dish and relocate it to North Africa. Rack of lamb is always "herb crusted" and served over "whipped potatoes" with some kind of "reduction sauce". I almost fell asleep reading virtually the same recipe over and over again. Same rack of lamb again, waiter?! This is new, unique, and explodes with flavors. The secret behind the lamb is ras el hanout - a multi-faceted spice mixture that will tantalize your tongue! The POM reduction sauce balances out the richness of the spiced lamb with a tangy freshness that works in perfect harmony. Cauliflower puree? Don't you dare substitute potatoes. This stuff is really good - nice texture, beautiful taste and it is a nice base for spiced lamb.
 

Serves 4 (2 lamb chops ea)
INGREDIENTS: 

POM sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1.5 pounds lamb stew meat
  
• .5 pound onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups POM
• 1.5 cups low-salt chicken broth

• .5 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Lamb:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 rack of lamb, frenched
• 1 carrot, peeled & cut into diagonal pieces 
• 20 pearl onions, blanched in boiling water 1 min, peeled
  

Cauliflower Puree

• 1 head cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 grated Parmesan
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Lamb & Sauce

 For sauce:

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. 
2. Add lamb and sauté until deep brown, turning occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer lamb to a bowl & set aside. 
3. Add onions, carrot, garlic, to pot. Sauté until vegetables are lightly browned, 8-10 min. 
4. Add POM, broth & lamb to pot with veggies.  
5. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 1 1/2 hours. 
6. Strain sauce into large bowl.  Spoon off any fat from surface of stock; return stock to same large pot. Simmer another 15 minutes.  
7. Mix butter and flour in small bowl and then whisk into sauce. Simmer sauce until slightly thickened another minute or two.  Season with salt and pepper.

 For lamb:

1. Preheat oven to 350°FMix all spices in a bowl to blend.
2. Rub rack of lamb with olive oil to coat.
3. Coat lamb with ras el hanout (spice) blend. 
4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add rack to skillet, spiced side down. 
5. Sauté until browned, about 4 minutes. 
6. Turn rack over and sauté until browned, about 3 minutes. 
7. Place rack, spiced side up, on rimmed baking sheet covered with baking foil. 
8. Toss carrots & pearl onions with olive oil, salt & pepper and arrange around rack of lamb.
9. Roast lamb 25 minutes. 
10. Remove from oven, tent with foil and rest 15-20 minutes. 
11. Cut lamb between bones into chops.
    

Cauliflower Puree

1. Pull the leaves off the cauliflower and core. 
2. Pull the florets off the head . Cut the florets into smaller, regular pieces. 
3. Steam caulfilower until tender about 15 minutes.
4. Process the cauliflower in 3 batches in your food processor with 1/3 of the cauliflower, a touch of steaming water, 1 Tsbpsour cream, salt, pepper, & 1 Tbsp butter. 
5. Add more liquid only as necessary.  You want to add as little liquid as possible so that it's not runny. 
6. Serve on plate, top with lamb chops, drizzle with sauce & surround with carrots & onions. 

Salad with POM-Orange Dressing, Pistachios & Feta

Last Saturday, we wrapped up the last of our Summer cooking with a delicious dinner al fresco. For those of you who don't live in Southern California, we consider anything under 70° to be bitter cold. (Don't hate me because it's beautiful...) We started our meal with this lovely salad and some wine spritzers made with sparkling water, crisp white wine, and a splash of POM over ice. After all, it's important to cram those anti-oxidants into everything, especially your booze!

We got a case of 8oz POM pomegranate juice from the people over at POM in exchange for creating a pomegranate recipe or two. I'm not known for restraint and I went on a POMtastic mission! This salad incorporates a few of my favorite flavors. Blood orange olive oil is a complex, fruity, and divinely beautiful addition to any salad dressing. The warmth of the oil balances out the crisp zing of the pomegranate juice. Salty farm-fresh feta, crunchy pistachios, and a bright blend of mixed greens really allow the unique dressing to shine!

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 small Persian cucumber, sliced
• 1 large heirloom tomato, cubed
  
• 1/3 cup pistachios, shelled
• 1/2 cup Feta, crumbled*
• 1/2 cup POM pomegranate juice
• 1-2 Tbsp blood orange olive oil
• freshly cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk POM and orange olive oil in small bowl to blend.
   
2. Season with pepper.
3. Gently stir in thinly sliced red onion and let marinate for 10-15 minutes.
4. In large bowl, toss mixed greens with onion,oil, POM dressing.
5. Divide between four plates.
6. Top each plate with cucumber, tomatoes, feta & pistachios.

*Note: The best feta is packed in water. If you can find it, buy it! Look at specialty markets for other kinds of feta than the common brand name (here, the most popular is Athenos). Real feta has a taste completely unlike the common brand! OR make your own!

Crab, Avocado & Gruyere Omlette

At the risk of losing too many friends, I am a bit fearful of what I am about to say. After the shrimp & crab boil, we had leftover crab meat. Trust me, we ate as much as we could! We ate like sumo wrestlers before a big match, but still found ourselves with a tiny bit of crab remaining. We awoke the morning after the boil (one of our top 5 meals, ever!) and slowly began the easy preparation of a crab, avocado, and Gruyere omelet. Sunshine, fresh squeezed Mimosas, and a decadent breakfast - what better way to wrap up the perfect weekend?

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 red onion, halved & sliced
• 1/3 cup Gruyere, grated
• 1/2 cup (or more) crab meat
• 1 avocado, pitted & sliced
• 1 Tbsp jalapeno, minced
• Cherry tomatoes, halved for garnish
• 4 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
• butter or oil for pan

DIRECTIONS:

1. In saucepan, saute jalapeno & onion until soft, about 2 minutes
2. Warm crab meat in small pan.
3. Whisk eggs & egg whites in small bowl.
4. Heat oil or a tiny bit of butter in small omelet pan over medium.
5. Add eggs and allow to set gently on the bottom. Lightly stir top of omelet to distribute runny egg around pan.
6. Once almost fully set, flip omelet upside down. (using a second pan helps!)
7. Continue to cook until done.
8. Top with grated cheese, avocado, onions, jalapenos & crab.
9. Garnish with tomato.

California Spot Prawn & Crab Boil

My favorite day this summer was a sunny Saturday spent kayaking, boiling copious amounts of prawns and crabs, and drinking a nice chilly Rootstock Sauvignon Blanc (6 bucks at Trader Joe's!). .ЯR. and I rented kayaks from Southwind Kayaks underneath the bridge on Pacific Coast Highway that divides the harbor from the Back Bay. It's a great place to kayak, and conveniently located right next to Pearson's Port, the hidden jewel of local fish markets!

Tom and Terese Pearson are the second generation to run the fish shack. He gets the catch and she sells it to those of us who are fortunate enough to know that Pearson's is the place for seafood. For more information, please check out this excellent article. No half dead prawns here! These little guys are hopping out of the buckets as they are carried to the scale. The crabs are lively and crawl about their tanks just waiting to be plucked up, taken home, and devoured.

We both agreed this was in the top 5 top meals of our LIVES!

We kept it simple, allowing the crustaceans' incomparable freshness to take center stage! Paired with Cajun seasoning, lemons, garlic, onion, corn-on-the-cob, and pan-crisped potatoes, the prawns and crabs made for a truly epic meal! For those of you who may be squeamish about cooking shellfish whole or alive, it's important to note two things: One, the shell contains most of the flavor, so in-shell cooking makes for the tastiest meat; Two, if you're eating an animal that had a heart, brain, body, and legs - someone, somewhere, had to kill it, clean it, and cook it.

To be squeamish about killing a creature when you have no issue consuming it is a little naïve. If you eat animals, you should be comfortable knowing how they get to your plate. We knocked out our dinner on a bed of ice first, so they were already unconscious when they hit the water. To eat the prawns, you simply twist the head off the body and peel. Try it! There's a reason why many cultures prefer to serve and eat seafood whole, instead of filleted.

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 16 California Spot Prawns (or other large, live shrimp)
• 2 large stone crabs or 4 small (live)
• 4 lemons, halved
• 1 head garlic, peeled.
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cracked pepper
• 6 Tbsp cajun / creole seasoning
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp paprika
• 4 ears of corn, shucked & broken in half
• 30 tiny baby red potatoes
• dried rosemary
• olive oil
• butter (melted) & mixed with fresh lemon juice for dipping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Invite us over to eat dinner :)
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil (the largest pot you've got!)
3. In a wok or frying pan, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil over high.
4. Add baby potatoes, dried rosemary (to taste), cracked pepper & sea salt. Reduce heat to medium high. Cover. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned and crispy on the outside, about 20 minutes+
5. Add lemon halves, garlic, onion chunks, all spices, and bring to a boil. Boil 5-10 minutes to release flavors.
6. Add corn and boil 2-3 minutes. Remove and keep in bowl or glass pan, covered with foil to keep warm.
7. Return water to boil.
8. Add crabs and submerge. Cooking 8-10 minutes depending on size.
9. Remove from water and allow to cool. Clean crab.
10. Return water to boil. Add prawns. Cook 4-6 minutes. Remove one and test for done-ness.
11. Serve shrimp, crab, potatoes & corn on large platter with lemon butter!