Spork or Foon?

Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

 
 

I've become newly obsessed with spinning. Not in-a-circle-with-my-arms-outstreched-until-I-feel-like-I-want-to-vomit spinning, but actual spin class.  

I was a spinning newbie up until a few weeks ago. Then, I walked into this new state-of-the-art spin studio down in Chelsea.  I walked sheepishly to the counter and asked how to register.  The pretty girl behind the counter handed me a waiver and a pair of shoes with metal clumps on the bottom.

Now, I am always wary when I have to sign something that says, "We are not responsible for your death." Especially when all I am doing is riding a stationary bike. But seriously, I thought, what are these metal things? 

I walk into the spin studio and see women on their bikes, spinning furiously (class hadn't started yet) and chatting away with one another.  I found my way to my bike and began to examine.  The pedals were tiny little magnetic bars. OK.  So these attach to my feet. 

Um?

I got on the bike and tried to attach my feet to the medal bars.  Of course, I slipped right off, knocking off the little meter showing the Torq and Resistance. CLANG! CRASH!

Great.  I'm that girl right now. I thought to myself, as I sheepishly tried to get back on. After I finally was able to keep my balance on the seat, I struggled with attaching my feet to the medal bars.  Finally, I heard the click and suddenly, I was locked in.  No way out now. 

Now, I am a workout nut. I love working out. I love athletic challenges.  So I. Loved. Spinning.  I didn't want to stop.  The studio has a Torq Board where you can see your position against all of the other spinners in the class on a large screen in the front of the room.  Some people call that torture.  I call that... well, I guess it is torture. I didn't sign up for it and was glad that I didn't. 

Class was over and it was time to stretch.  The instructor told us to unlock our feet (such an odd statement).  Of course, I did not know how to do that.  I pressed the red release knob and of course, nothing.  I struggled and pulled but my feet were stuck.

This sucks. I'm totally that girl.

I gave up and just pulled my feet out of my shoes, falling forcefully backwards as I released myself.  Luckily, I was in the back row. I stretched and ran out before the lights went on, just to save face.

I went back the next day.  Some may call me a masochist.  But I loved it. 

In the March 2010 Issue of Food and Wine Magazine, Editor-In-Chief Dana Cowin stated that she wanted to redirect the focus of the recipes in F&W to feature healthier recipes.  

I'm down for some healthy recipes. It energizes me when I get stuck on my spin bike. 

So I tried the cover recipe from the magazine.  Soba noodles, tossed with a tamari-soy sauce sauce,topped with lime marinated shrimp and sprinkled with pan-fried garlic and shallots, cilantro and scallions. 

Easy enough.

It was quick to make and smelled delicious.  But I was a bit disappointed with it.  I found the sauce to be very salty on the already salty soba noodles. Sure, I loved the crisp garlic and shallots, the lime flavored cilantro (and I never like cilantro) and the scallions.  And the lime shrimp were incredible.  But I wasn't crazy about the dish.

But the next day. Oh, the next day was different. The flavors mellowed.  The sauce became a subtle coating to the tender noodles.  The lime flavor of the shrimp was even more pronounced.  Definitely a winner.  A nice, healthy winner.

Click here for the recipe.

Top Chef with Teanna - Season Six, Episode 9, Part 2 - Pressed Chicken with Calamari Noodles

I have to keep this one short and sweet - Jack and I are moving (AGAIN) this week to our permanent apartment! 

Here is the winning restaurant wars dish from restaurant Revolt(ing). Michael Voltaggio made a Pressed Chicken with Calamari Noodles.

Let's talk about the brilliance that is Michael Voltaggio. Michael is so brilliant, that in this past Wednesday's episode, his dish prompted Natalie Portman to ask "Who is his dealer and is he accepting new clients?" Toby Young is kicking himself for not thinking of something so witty. 

But that is an episode that I will discuss with next week's dish. And there is a lot to discuss... like the uncomfortable innuendos that were being thrown around the table about a prick. It was... odd.

Here's what I changed:  You know with any Voltaggio dish, you're going to be doing some crazy stuff.  Like putting frozen calamari steaks through a meat press.  I couldn't find calamari steaks, so I just got the largest pieces of calamari that I could find and cut them into noodles with a pairing knife.  No freezing required. Secondly, I do not have an immersion circulator, so I just poached the chicken in 2 cups of chicken stock, extra garlic and thyme, and added a lemon slice to really bring out the flavor.  I then followed the rest of the instructions for the chicken by pressing a large frying pan on top of them and then crisping the skin when they were ready to serve.

The broth was delicious and reminded me a lot of the Cardamom Tomato broth that Kevin and Jennifer made in a previous episode.  Michael's broth wasn't as sweet, as there was no sugar, but the sweet, licorice flavor of fennel and the citrusy lemongrass added the perfect flavor profile to this dish. 

Although the recipe is challenging, it is definitely adaptable to the home kitchen if you put your mind to it.  Click herehttp://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/pressed-chicken-with-calamari-noodles-tomato-confit-and-fennel-salad for the recipe. 

Oh, and here is a real picture of the other dish that Kevin and Jennifer made a few weeks back.  I had to replace the crappy iPhone photo.

Smoked Salmon "Tartare" on New Potato Slices

In the latest and final installment of "The Appetizer Diaries", I present to you Salmon "Tartare" on new potato slices. 

Originally, I wanted to make Thomas Keller's Salmon Tartare Cornets.  I knew they would be a lot of work, but that the payoff would be totally worth it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find sashimi grade salmon anywhere, so I needed a new salmon recipe.  So I scrambled and found this recipe way back in the Archives of Gourmet Magazine, June 1995.  

1995! My first year of high school! The year of Windows 95 (Thanks Bill Gates), the announcement of the upcoming new DVD technology, the first computer generated film: Toy Story, a pre-crazy Mel Gibson in blue face paint as Braveheart, the end of the MLB Baseball strike, the song that would never get out of your head: "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts (better known as the "Friends" theme song), and apparently, fake salmon tartare.  

But let me tell you something.  Apparently 1995 got something right, because this dish is amazing.  This dish is a textural delight. Slightly firm potato slices are topped with a creamy mixture of diced smoked salmon mixed with creme fraiche with crunchy diced red onion and chives thrown in.  These flew off the trays.  Best of all... these are ready in 10 minutes. Holla! 

The Thomas Keller dish would have been a lot of work for a great payoff and these were a small amount of work for a great payoff. So I think it worked out just fine.

Smoked Salmon Tartare on New Potatoes adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Yield: Makes 24 hors d'oeuvres 

6 red potatoes, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter (about 3/4 pound)

For "tartare"

1/4 pound smoked salmon, chopped fine

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup creme fraiche (use sour cream if you do not have creme fraiche) 

Slice potatoes into twenty-four 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Boil potato slices, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes, and cool completely. Potato slices may be steamed 1 day ahead and kept in a sealed plastic bag, chilled. Bring potato slices to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.

Make "tartare":

In a bowl stir together "tartare" ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble hors d'oeuvres:

Brush tops of potato slices with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Top each slice with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon "tartare".

Top Chef with Teanna: Season 6, Episode 1 - Arctic Char with Turnip Salsa Verde

Welcome, chefs, to Season 6 of Top Chef with Teanna.

For those of you who have been following my "show", you may say to yourself, "But she hasn't even finished cooking through Season 1!"  And you are right, my perceptive friend.  You are very right.

I mentioned in my first post that I would pause at the point in which the new season aired and would start cooking the winning dishes of the current season.  I will continue my posts and finish out Season 1, but for now, the new season will take up this Wednesday slot.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

So let's get started, shall we?  We are introduced to a whole new crop of tattooed, faux-hawked culinary wonders who all get to live in a gorgeous Vegas mansion complete with swimming pool and slide (we later get to see a somewhat zaftig (I'm trying to be nice here) cheftestant slide down head first into the pool). We meet the chefs, which include a several chefs from Atlanta, one from Philly who has studied under my favorite Frenchman, Eric Ripert, a New Yorker (only one???), a chef from Jersey, and a chef from France who has a penchant for wearing red napkins as a neck accessory, to name a few. Note: I have googled this and it is called a "neckerchief".  The frenchman will now be my new obsession of the season, a la Stephen Aspirino of Season 1. Lets hope his sound bites are as catchy as his neckerchief is trendy.

The chefs are introduced to Padma Lakshimi, the stunning goddess of Bravo TV and Burger King and Tom Colicchio, god of gorgeous blue eyes and skeptical smiles that speak a thousand words.  The chefs are told that their first quickfire challenge will be a relay that consists of four stages:  shuck 15 clams, peel 30 prawns, clean five lobsters, and butcher two chops from a prime rib.  In true Vegas fashion, the contestants draw chips from a bag, and their corresponding chip will determine their teams (except for the gold chip, chosen by Robin, which not only allowed her to sit out of the challenge, but also gave her immunity for the first elimination).  The blue team, consisting of Mattin and his neckerchief, Bryan, Jennifer, and Jesse eked out a win against the black team, despite Mike from New Jersey's apparent confusion in which he must have thought that he was at a NJ Devil's game and not in the Top Chef kitchen, which would be the only excuse for his excessive battle shouts. Unfortunately, the red team finished dead last. I think Preeti may still be trying to shuck her first clam. 

But the quickfire does not stop there.  The chefs of the winning team are then told that they must make a dish out of their corresponding leg of the relay. The winner of the challenge would win $15,000. Jen, the chef from Eric Ripert's restaurant in Philadelphia, wins not only the respect of her peers, but $15,000. And she probably has touched Eric Ripert, so I am jealous of her on so many levels.

But the real challenge excites the chefs:  pick a personal vice and cook a dish that represents that vice.  We have some truly creative dishes, like Mike from the Devil's game dish of a piece of fish that looks like a bar of soap because he curses too much and a rack of lamb represented a a different Mike's attraction to unnatural female enhancements.  The losing dish was Jennifer Z's dish of Chile Relleno stuffed with Seitan. But the winning dish was by Kevin Gillespe (the slide-surfer) which represented procrastination:  Arctic char which was slowly poached to medium rare in garlic olive oil. 

This was a knock-out dish, and I have to say, I had more fun making this dish than I did any other Top Chef creation.  An UNBELIEVABLE marinade of cider vinegar, star anise, sugar, cinnamon, and whole peppercorns flavor diced shallots and turnips for a long period of time.  Smashed garlic and thyme flavors olive oil cooked at a very low temperature for 45 minutes. Basil, parsley, and tarragon are mixed to make a stellar herb puree.  A juiced cucumber is mixed with a buerre fondue (water-butter emulsion) and used to braise romaine lettuce. Cucumber and fennel bulb brunoise is them mixed with the shallot and turnip mix, then mixed with caramelized celery, and finally tossed in a bit of the herb puree. Finally, the char (I actually used turbot, as I could not find char), which is simply flavored with fennel pollen (which I did not do because I am fresh out of fennel pollen) and salt is slow-cooked in the warmed garlic and olive oil mixture and basted continually until cooked to a fine medium rare. 

Like I said, I had so. much. fun. making this dish. Honestly. And it is outstanding.  But my favorite, favorite part is the turnip salsa verde. I hate turnips and I could not stop eating this. I made two dishes - one with pork and one with turbot, and this dish worked fantastically with the pork as well. 

This is going to be a great season. 

Oh, and all of you cooks out there - you'll all be happy to know that the Top Chef website actually posts comprehensive recipes now. 

So click here and give this recipe a shot. It is totally worth it. 

Top Chef with Teanna: Season 1, Episode 8 - Wedding Bell Blues - Shrimp Toast with Scallop Mousse

Just like there is no "I" in team, there were no winners in Top Chef.

That sentence may not have made any sense, but it doesn't change the fact that this week, all of the cheftestants failed our beloved Tom Colicchio. 

This was the first time as viewers we saw the sadness and disappointment in Tom's crystal blue eyes. The cheftestants were asked to cater a commitment ceremony for Scott and Scott (yes) that would feed 100 people and consist of five courses with an Asian Flair, which included hors d'ourves that used prawns and a wedding cake for dessert, all within a $3,000 price limit. 

Oh, and the ceremony was the next day.

The remaining cheftestants would work together as a group, and the person with winning quick-fire dish would be in charge of setting the menu. Leanne won with her Shrimp Toast with Scallop Mousse.  

To make a long episode short, the chef's struggled on all accounts.  The chef's cooked through the night, which may have been their downfall. They were unorganized, the dishes were uninspired, and since none of them had any pastry experience, they decided to use a box mix.  "It is why God created Betty Crocker", Harold informed us. Yes, Harold, yes it is.

I'll never forget the moment when Tom walked into the kitchen and saw the multiple boxes of cake mix in the garbage. Tiffani explained their reasoning and Tom just smiled his pretty Tom smile and walked out of the kitchen.  Later, a guest would eat a slice of the cake that had a wedding surprise in it: an egg shell.

Overall, the guests and the judges felt that the dishes were uninspired. Tom said that he has had "better take out food from a place in NY" and a guest said "The salmon was USELESS!  I was all of a sudden at a bad convention - it might as well have been boiled chicken."

Ouch.

As per usual, Stephen spent most of his time in the front of the house, which ultimately, was the reason for his elimination from the show.  For one last time, let's take a gander at some Stephen gems from the episode:

This wedding cake had no potential whatsoever. I did not want to attach my name – even if I were to help – because, you know, mediocrity is not my game and I just didn't want to have anything to do with it.

A chef's responsibility is to delegate. He is a leader, he is a manager in the kitchen; no one took that role. No one, except for myself.

I needed to talk to some of the members of the hotel, and making sure that the EXECUTION – the foremost important part of this whole entire event – was intact.

Now that my role in this competition has finally come to an end I'm going to be a restaurateur, and that is my goal in life. I will probably influence the industry and raise the bar to a level of excellence that I don't think has been achieved yet to date in this country.

We're waiting for it, Stephen. With baited breath.

Because there were no winning dishes, I decided to cook the Quickfire winning dish - Leanne's shrimp toast.  

This was a stellar appetizer.  I baked them and then pan fried them instead of only frying them. At first bite, I wasn't sure if it was any good. But then I took another bite.  Then I grabbed another.  I had to stop myself after two, because these are addicting.  The combination of the shrimp with the salmon mousse was oustanding, and the chives, waterchesnuts, and sesame seeds provided great textural depth to the entire dish.  A definite keeper. 

Lee Anne's "Wong's Shrimp Toast"

Scallop Mousse
 1 lb. Scallops, cleaned

1/2 lb. Butter, softened to room temperature
Salt to taste
6 Tbs. Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbs. Shaoxing Rice Wine

1.      In a food processor blend the scallops and butter with a little salt until well homogenized. The mousse should be fairly smooth, no visible chunks of shrimp or butter. Be careful not to process too long, or the shrimp will begin to cook from the friction of the blade.

2.      Once the mousse has been formed, turn the food processor back on and add in the soy sauce and shaoxing. Process until well blended.

3.      Test the seasoning of the mousse by poaching a quenelle in simmering water. Adjust seasoning to taste (i.e. more salt, white pepper, more soy, pinch of sugar). Keep mousse refrigerated, but allow to soften before folding in additional ingredients.

Shrimp Toast

Scallop Mousse recipe (above), softened
3 lb. Raw Shrimp, small dice
2 cups Waterchestnut, small dice
2 cups Scallion, thinly sliced crosswise, whites and greens
Salt and pepper
1 loaf White Bread, denser and drier, preferably
Sesame Seeds, raw
Oil for deep frying

1.     Combine the softened mousse with the shrimp, waterchestnuts, and scallion. Mix well with a spatula. Test for seasoning by poaching a quenelle.

2.     Cut the crusts off the side of the bread slices, using half of the loaf (try to use the largest square shaped pieces). Cut those pieces in half. You should have small rectangles. Allow the bread slices to dry out a little at room temperature so the bread will stiffen up.

3.     Spread about 1/4 cup of shrimp mix onto each piece of bread. Using an offset spatula, pave the mixture smooth to cover the bread, evening off corners and sides. Mixture should stand a little less than 1/2" thick on the bread. Dip the finished pieces in sesame seeds (just the top). Use the offset spatula to clean the sides again. Refrigerate until needed. The shrimp toast may be frozen also.

      

        Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the toasts for 7-10 minutes, or until the shrimp turns slightly pink.  Remove from oven. 

        Preheat the deep frying oil to 350°F. Deep fry the shrimp toast in small batches until a deep golden brown and the shrimp are fully cooked, about 3 minutes. Drain on towels, season with salt, serve immediately.

The toast goes in looking like this:

And comes out like this:

Not bad.

Next Week - I have to go a bit out of order because I am moving back to NY this week (YAAAAAAAAAAY!) so I am posting a Fig Tart from the finale.  This tart was so good, it deserves six postings. I still can't stop thinking about it. 

Shrimp Enchilado

I am traveling (again) this weekend for (another) wedding, so this one will be short and sweet.

The original dish called for lobster tail and crab legs, but this soon-to-be-unemployed-and-moving-back-to-NYC-in-a-down-economy-girl was not going to spend the money on such delicacies. So shrimp it was. 

This stew, of Cuban origin, is basically seafood cooked in a mildly spicy tomato sauce.  It was to be served with rice and fried plantains, but I forgot the plantains.

The amount of traveling I have been doing has sucked out all of my brain capacity.  

This is a solid dish. A rich tomato sauce is flavored with a complex sherry wine, sweet paprika, and briny clam juice and a little bit of heat from the cayenne pepper. 

This is one of those dishes where you'll go back for seconds asking "Please, sir, can I have some more?" in your most feeble Oliver Twist voice.

Or will that just be me next month?  

Shrimp Enchilado - Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4

• 1 lb uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon lime juice 

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 4 large plum tomatoes, seeded, diced
• 1 cup canned tomato purée
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 3/4 cup dry Sherry wine
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•   
  

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and chopped bell pepper to pot; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic cloves, fresh parsley, and paprika and sauté 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and tomato purée. Cook until juices thicken, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add clam juice, dry Sherry, and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt. Add cayenne pepper. Bring mixture to boil, then shrimp and lime juice.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lobster meat is cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes.   Serve with rice and fried plaintains.

Top Chef Season 1, Episode 4: Mirin Glazed Mahi-Mahi

This week was super simple and for that, I thank Top Chef and the episode winner, Tiffani Faison.  I have had a hard time doing this Top Chef challenge on a weekly basis, as I have been traveling to NY from DC every weekend since the beginning of June (and I have 2 more weeks of traveling), so it has been hard for me to cook on the weekends.  But I am not traveling anymore after the weekend of the 10th until I move back home to NY on August 13 (I'm not counting down the days or anything).

For this week's challenge, the cheftestants were assigned the task of creating a gourmet meal that could be reheated in the microwave.  Now, if I am not mistaken, this was before the blatent GE/Glad Bag/Dr. Pepper/Etc/Etc/Etc product placement, so this may have been a geniune challenge idea by the producers.  But I could be wrong.

The cheftestants were given a budge of $50 and then had 90 minutes to cook, package, and refrigerate their dishes.  The next day, they have 10 minutes to prepare and plate their dishes to serve to the Oakland East Bay Junior League.  Tiffani's simple dish of Mirin Glazed Escobar (Seabass) won the ladies and the judges over.

It won me over, too.

I cannot believe how simple this dish is.  It called for some exotic ingredients such as Shaoxing Wine (huh?) and purple shisho sprigs (oh, I'm fresh out of my batch of purple shisho sprigs...), so I improvised. None of the fishmongers (favorite. word. ever.) were selling sea bass or any fish remotely like it, so I just got mahi mahi.  

10 minutes people.  A delicious dish in ten. minutes.  And suprisingly, even though I'm sure the sea bass was fantastic in the microwave as well, this fish held up very well to being reheated.  Tasty, tasty, tasty. 

Top Chef, I love you.  And next week's dish scares me. I don't think it will take 10 minutes. It has about 30 ingredients, 1 of which is date syrup. Where do I get date syrup???  

Next Week:  Moroccan Cubano Pork Sandwich

Mirin Glazed Escobar adapted from Top Chef

6 tbsp mirin

1/4 cup white miso paste

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup sherry 

Two 6 oz pieces mahi mahi

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 fresh parsley

In a cointainer large enough to hold the fish, combine the mirin, miso paste, teriyaki sauce, and shaxing. Put the fish in the marinade and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

In a medium saute` pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Remove the fish from the marinade, scraping off the excess, and pat dry. Put the fish in the pan and cook, without turning, for three minutes until well browned on the bottom.  Turn and cook the other side for about 3 minutes until well browned and just cooked through (the fish will flake easily when prodded with a knife).  Turn the heat down to medium if the fish is browning too quickly.

Place the fish on serving plates and garnish with purpole shiso and salad burnet sprigs.  Serve immediately.

Mussels in White Wine and Garlic and Living the Life

This past weekend, Jack and I enjoyed an extended weekend at his family's beach house in Long Beach Island, NJ, or LBI for short.  LBI is a fantastic island off of the southern coast of NJ and is part of the famed (or infamous, depending on which reputation you are familiar with) Jersey Shore.  However, this is not the Jersey Shore that you may know of from such programs as "True Life: I Have a Summer Share" (Parts 1 and 2) with orange twenty-somethings who have invested stock in hair gel and wifebeater t-shirts partying at clubs and cursing each other out.  LBI is a family place filled with mini-golf, amusement parks, ice cream shoppes (with an "e"), breakfast places such as Uncle Will's and The Chicken and The Egg, and plenty of fried fish.  When I am in LBI, I have a daily ritual of going running at 8 am sharp while listening to Bob Marley and smiling at every person who passes by (and they smile back! which is an odd experience for a New Yorker). 

We invited two friends to join us and spent a lot of time just relaxing at the house, which is on a pier and has the most spectacular views of the ocean and the boats.  We all joked that the house makes us "old" because we all needed to take naps in the middle of the day to stay up past 11 pm, but the truth of the matter is that this may be the most relaxing place I know.

I can sit in these chairs and stare out at the views for hours.  Tell me they are not calling your name right now.

Views from the balconies.

I was so excited to put the kitchen to good use. The house has the most glorious kitchen that only lives in my dreams, so I am always excited to cook when I get to LBI.

Can't you just picture yourself with your own cooking show in this kitchen? I always do. It is a little weird because I talk to a camera that isn't there.  

Jack, helping me prep.

It's nice to just relax, take in the scenery, and take a dip in the pool every now and then.

Remy jumping in the pool.

Remy desperately trying to get out of the pool.

Remy trying to get back into the pool.

Remy aggressively trying to dry herself off.

And, finally, enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner filled with food, friends, and laughs.

It is always nice to get some really fresh seafood, and these mussels were no exception.  The best part about mussels is that they are a snap to make, which is great when all you want to do is head back outside and enjoy the good life.

Mussels in White Wine and Garlic

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup parsley, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dry white wine

2 1/4" slices lemon

Discard any mussels that are open and/or broken.  

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add wine, lemon, salt, and parsley and bring to a boil.  Add mussels and cover, cooking for 6 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove mussels from broth and place in a separate bowl. Discard any unopened shells. Adjust sauce for seasoning and pour over mussels. Serve immediately.

This is definitely a place where, once you are here, you never want to leave.  Jack, for example, decided to stay the entire week with Remy to relax a bit (he has been a bit stressed in his post-MBA grad life) while I returned to Washington, DC to work.

Booooooo to Jack.

But I guess I can't blame him.

Could you?

Cassoulet de Poissons - Fish and White Bean Stew

"Your boyfriend is a great cook, DiMicco."

Those words came straight from the mouth of my boyfriend, Jack.  This dish was so good, it allowed him to speak in third person.  

Jack is still cooking through the Le Cordon Bleu at Home cookbook, and I will say, he is kicking culinary a** and taking names.

I just wish he wouldn't speak in third person while doing it.  

I will say, though, that it was a great, great dinner.  Healthy and fresh.  There is something to be said about the beautiful simplicity in French food.  The flavors of the ingredients truly stand out and are not bogged down with spices or seasonings.  With french cooking, if you want a fish, you are going to taste a fish.  

The cassoulet is filled with white beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, scallops, and my favorite and yours, monkfish.  It is topped with bread crumbs that results in a deliciously crisp surface that lends a nice contrast to the creamy beans and succulent fish.  

For those who fear the monk (fish, that is), any firm white fish can be substituted.  But don't fear the fish. 

Cassoulet de Poissons adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home

 3/4 lb Dried white beans (such as Great northern)
 1 Medium onion
 1 Clove
 1 Bouquet garni
 Salt
 2 Carrots, sliced thin
 6 tb Vegetable oil
 6 tb Unsalted butter
 2 Medium onions, chopped fine
 2 Cloves garlic, chopped fine
 3/4 lb Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
 Freshly ground pepper
 2 Trout (about 1 lb each) or
 1 1/2 lb Monkfish fillets
 6 Sea scallops
 3/4 c Dried bread crumbs
 

Soak the beans overnight in cold water to cover. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with 4 to 5
inches of fresh cold water. Peel the whole onion and stud with the clove and add to the pan along with the bouquet garni. Bring to a
boil and skim the froth that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt. Add the carrots
and continue simmering until the carrots and beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain; discard the bouquet garni and the onion.

While the beans are cooking, heat 3 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the
chopped onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until tender but not colored. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add tomatoes, season
with salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cut the monkfish fillets into 1 inch thick slices. Cut the scallops in half cross-wise. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil
and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over high heat. Saute the monkfish and sliced scallops until golden brown
on both sides; set aside.  

Preheat the oven to 450F. Combine the tomato mixture and drained beans in a
saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Spread one-half of the mixture over the bottom of a 10x15″ gratin dish. Arrange the fish and scallops on top and cover with the remaining
bean mixture. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake until the bread
crumbs are golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Crepes au Saumon Fume` - Smoked Salmon Crepes

"Baby!" Jack shouted.  "I made my very first batter!"

And oh, how he did.

His batter was extremely successful, but he was getting frustrated on the "thickness" of the crepes.  As the batter lover that I am, I tried to give him tips on how to spread the batter properly by tilting the pan to swirl the batter in order to coat the bottom to get the right thickness (or thin-ness) of crepe, but Jack got mad at me. 

"Stop it!" he'd shout.  "I am teaching myself!"

There was a lot of shouting going on. 

Jack has kept up on his quest to cook through the Le Cordon Bleu at Home, and this dish of Smoked Salmon Crepes may be the best thing he has made yet.  Smoked salmon is wrapped in a blanket of light crepes and topped with creme fraiche (Jack's favorite thing to make/eat) and baked to perfection. 

Jack struggled a bit with flipping the crepe over in the saute pan, so, remembering his reaction to my previous attempt to help him, I nervously grabbed the pan and flicked my wrist to flip the crepe in the air. The crepe glided through the air like a professional olympic diver and slowly flipped onto its backside as it landed perfectly in the pan.  I paused, expecting him to be upset for trying to steal his thunder.

Instead, he ran around the kitchen like a 10 year old, shouting, "I can't believe you know how to do that! That is amazing!"  

Back to the good shouting.  

According to the book, these crepes are a "French variation on a Baltic theme:  blini with caviar and sour cream."  What we both love about this book, and French cooking in general, is that the food actually tastes like what it is.  This dish is elegant yet comforting and will surely be something that we make again and again. It was, in a word, outstanding.  

Just like my Jack.  I definitely have got a winner on my hands - in this dish and my boyfriend.  

Click here for the recipe or check page 22 in Le Cordon Bleu at Home for more specific directions, and definitely make this one.  Or call me and I'll send Jack over to whip them up.  He'd appreciate it, I'm sure.