Seared Scallops on Crustini with Bacon and Herbed Goat-cheese

This was a quick little meal invention that was inspired by a cookbook Ms.Huxtable was reading to pass the time at Chapters while I was shopping for french schoolbooks. Look for french recipes in the near future ;)


Serves 4

4 or 8 Bacon strips (depending on presentation, more bacon=more fun)
8 Sea Scallops (sliced into 2 for each)
1 crusty baguette
Herbed Goat cheese (such as Rondelé)
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Slice baguette on angle to create 4 long and thin (1/4 inch) angled slices from the baguette. The slices will be much crispier if they are thin. Brush each with Olive oil and broil in the oven, watching closely as they will turn from crusty to burnt in seconds. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Rub each with garlic clove and then spread herbed goat cheese as thick as you like.

Heat skillet on medium heat and fry bacon until desired crispness. Remove to paper towel for greasy soak-up and reserve the bacon fat in the pan. Add scallops to the hot pan and sautee each side for about 1 1/2 minutes. Scallops cook fast. Lay 3-4 scallop pieces on top of goat cheese. Place 1 to 2 strips of bacon on top and serve.

Burger Grease Art

Prime Rib Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Garlic Aioli Sauce

The most enjoyable time of year for me is the reawakening of spring. When the snow is consistently melting and you can stand outside at 7 o'clock while the sun is still out with a t-shirt and a hoodie, you know it's time to BBQ. I got a bag of charcoal, some prime rib and went to work to make the greatest steak dinner that might challenge any restaurant of quality.

For the Prime Rib
1 or 2 nice pieces of prime rib steak (bone in!)
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

A half hour before you plan on grilling your prime rib, make sure that you take it out of the refrigerator and let it unchill. If your meat is cold, you'll have a harder time to get the perfect doneness that you desire. A rare steak shouldn't be raw, but it will be if you start grilling it cold.

Sprinkle salt on both sides of your steak and then grind some pepper all over. Brush a tiny bit of olive oil on both sides as well. It really helps get some black yummy char happening.

I've learned that pure charcoal is the way to go. Forget propane or natural gas grills. When you want a man steak, you sure as hell better know how to light a fire without any lighter fluid. Use a WEBER!

I cooked this steak for about 3-4 minutes per side on high heat.

Garlic Aioli
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 egg yolk
kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon (grainy) mustard
1/4 tsp water
1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice

After a suggestion by MarcO, I went with a garlic Aioli sauce for the sweet potatoes. When I realized how much I made, I divided it into two batches and added about a tbsp of Horseradish to one and enjoyed it with the Prime rib. Inspired by classic roast beef of coarse.

Sweet Potato Fries
1 or 2 big sweet potatoes
4 cups water
2-3 tbsp kosher salt
2-3 tbsp brown sugar.

These made the meal. Simply peel a sweet potato or two, and cut into your favourite cut of fries. I went with the classic 1/4 inch fry size using a mandolin slicer. Soak the cut fries in a brine of salted water and brown sugar for about 1 hour or so.

Setup the deep fryer at 320 F and put the potatoes in for about 6 minutes. Remove and drain. It's ok to let them cool a bit, and it's encouraged. Crank the heat to 375 F and finish the potatoes off when you're letting your steak rest. They only need about 1 minute at this point. Keep an eye on them. If they need 20 more seconds, you'll know. If you let them go too long, they'll become too dark and too toasted.

Potage Velouté Aux Champignons

(Cream of Mushroom Soup)

An excellent lunch or light supper needs to be no more than a good soup, a salad, cheese and fruit. Combined according to your own taste, a good homemade soup despite access to ready made soup is almost a unique and always a satisfying experience. One of the most satisfying soups that everyone loves is the classic Cream of Mushroom Soup. This is my
favourite and classic french method inspired from the great french chef Julia Childs.

I put this together using Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", which was graciously given to Sharon and I from Ollie and Christine, and added a few words based on my own experience in making this delightful velvety soup (velouté...get it?). In fact, I put this together because I had to come up with an 'Exposé' or presentation to my French class and I wanted to be unique. So here is the version I wrote in English, of which I eventually translated into french so that I could present it to the class. It's in PDF format because I created it in PAGES. You'll need to install Adobe Reader if you don't already have it (but you most certainly should have this program in 2009).

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

 

I don't think that there is a healthier or more satisfying meal than a meal from the sea. This weekend we jumped into the sea and grabbed a pound of PEI mussels for $2.99! Did you know that one portion is actually 1/4 pound? We doubled that for this meal, that just doesn't seem like enough of those little bastards.


Ingredients

• 4 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 small onion(s), chopped
  
• 4 medium garlic clove(s), minced
  
• 3 small tomato(es), plum, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 cup(s) wine, dry white
  
• 2 tsp parsley, flat-leaf, chopped
  
• 1 tsp lemon peel
  
• 1 pound(s) blue mussels (weight is without shells), scrubbed and debearded
  

Instructions

1. Heat a very large pot.
2. Swirl in oil, then add onion and garlic. Sauté until golden, then add tomatoes and cook until they start to break down.
3. Add wine, half of parsley, and half of lemon zest and bring to a boil.
4. Add mussels, reduce heat, cover and simmer until mussels open, 6 to 8 minutes (discard any mussels that don't open).
5. Divide mussels and broth among 4 soup bowls. Serve, sprinkled with remaining parsley and lemon zest.
   

Chicken and Bean Wrap

I'm a huge fan of the wrap. There are so many ways to combine ingredients to make a unique wrap everytime. A fresh quality tortilla is very important so make sure you buy your favourite. I used Presidents Choice Blue Menu whole wheat wraps for this meal.

Yields 4 wraps.

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat flour tortillas - medium or large
1/2 cup canned kidney beans (or black beans, pinto beans, small red beans)
boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1/2 pound or so)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
30 gm bold cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste (approx 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt worked well)

1. Flatten chicken breast with a meat pounder or rolling pin so it is an even thickeness. Season with salt and pepper. Heat up a skillet or non-stick pan to medium-high and add a little oil to help the chicken brown. Cook about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and rest.

2. Dice up onion and bell pepper.



3. Rinse Beans.

4. Mince corriander.



5. Dice chicken breast and add to beans, corriander, bell pepper, onion and seasonings. Mix well.
   



6. Place about 1/2 cup or so of mixture onto a flour tortilla and add a bit of cheddar cheese.
   
7. (optional) wrap tortilla in tin foil and place into a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
8. serve with sour cream and sriracha chili sauce.
   

Thai Green Curry

Hello all! Monsieur bouche invited me to contribute here some time ago, but I dragged and dragged and dragged. So, as part of the list of new year promises I make and break for myself, I decided that I would try to get some recipes posted in 2009. I'll start by saying that I love spicy foods. (My wife and I both do!) We picked this recipe up while roaming around Thailand in 2007. Anyone who knows Thai food knows green curry, so let's get started.



To do this right, you're going to want the freshest ingredients you can find. Luckily, we have a local Asian market not too far away that has fresh produce that you can't find in most supermarkets. You can use whatever meat you want in the curry. We typically use shrimp or tofu, but chicken or beef work just as well. Here is the list of ingredients;

1 lb shrimp (uncooked and shelled)
6-8 Thai eggplants
A handful of green beans
1 cup of Thai basil leaves
2 kaffir lime leaves
a dash of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 small jar of green curry paste (2-4 tablespoons)
2 cans of coconut milk/cream
2 medium green chiles
4-6 small red chiles
a handful of Thai "peas"

I normally use a lot more chiles in the recipe than I've listed above. Adjust to your own taste. Also, I lost something called Thai "peas". I'm not sure exactly what these are, but they add a nice bitter touch to the dish and an interesting texture.


First of all, pour one can of coconut milk onto a large sauce pan or wok. I use a sauce pan because I don't have the gas stove, which I feel is important to cooking in a wok...but what the hell do I know? Fry on high for 5 or so minutes, or until the coconut milk seems to separate into an oil. (ok, this part I know, so pay attention)

Now add the curry paste. Making curry paste from scratch is a pain in the arse, so I typically buy the pre-made stuff. Next time I make the paste, I'll post that too. Oh, fry for about 2 more minutes, then add your shrimp, chicken, tofu, whatever.


Fry the meat until the shrimp turn opaque, then add 3/4 of the other can of coconut milk. Fry for 2-3 min, or until the coconut milk boils again. Now cut the eggplamt into bite-size pieces and add it to the mix with the beans, peas, and half of your red chiles finely chopped. It should look something like this:


Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the eggplant starts to soften. Remove the main stem from the kaffir lime leaves and chop those little bastards up! Now add your fish sauce, sugar, basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves and stir it in. Make sure the sugar melts and the leaves soften into the curry.


Ok, almost done.

I use a ladel made from a coconut just so it feels that much more authentic. At this point, your're basically done. Serve on a bed of rice (we prefer jasmine) and garnish with a couple basil leaves, some of those chopped green and red chiles, and a few drops of the leftover coconut milk. This is by far one of my favourite dishes, and it's really easy. ...impresses the guests every time!

Enjoy!