lobster “roll” (California style)

September 24th, 2012

 

lobster “roll”  California style
(mille-feuille de homard à la Californie)

serves 4

what you need:

lobster 
4 lobster tails 
1 cup seafood stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 sachet (1 bay leaf, fresh Italian parsley, fresh cilantro, black peppercorns, 1 strip lime peel)

salad
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
1-2 apples, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Asian pear, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1-2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1-2 tomatoes (preferably Green Zebra), sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced

dressing
2 teaspoon gros sel de Guérande (or sea salt)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup avocado
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh minced Italian parsley
pinch piment d’espelette
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)

lobster apple and avocado ingredients

garnish
pinch piment d’espelette
pinch minced fresh Italian parsley Read the rest of this entry »

pan bagnat au cadeau

July 2nd, 2012

French Sandwich

 pan bagnat au cadeau 

makes 4

what you need:

sandwich
1 loaf quality pain de mie (or sandwich or olive bread)
12 ounces (320 gr) canned tuna packed in olive oil, drained, oil reserved
20 beautiful, ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
¾ cup rough chopped fresh sweet basil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced Read the rest of this entry »

lotte cigare (Monkfish cigars)

May 27th, 2012

monkfish rolled in prosciutto lotte cigare (Monkfish cigars)  

lotte cigare
(Monkfish cigars)

 serves 4

what you need:

2 beautiful Monkfish fillets (approximately ½ pound each)
8 slices of prosciutto (Prosciutto di Parma)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
olive oil (as needed)
fresh minced Italian parsley (optional for garnish) Read the rest of this entry »

spring carrot purée

May 27th, 2012

chef morgan carrot puree 

 spring carrot purée

 serves 4

what you need:

1 pound diced orange carrots (trimmed not peeled)
2 cups (16 ounces) water
3-4 ounces olive oil 
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon piment d’espelette (optional)
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (as needed) Read the rest of this entry »

rabbit (or chicken) chasseur

April 1st, 2012

 Hunger games food - Katniss’s rabbit (or chicken) chasseur

Katniss’s rabbit (or chicken) chasseur

serves 4-6

what you need:

meat
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 rabbit (jointed into two front legs, two hind legs, two halves of saddle)
(or)
3 pound broiler chicken (cut into 2 legs, 2 breasts, 2 thighs)

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spiced rosemary pecans

March 24th, 2012

spiced rosemary pecans

just hungry, getting spicy, and going nuts:
spiced rosemary pecans

Innocent comments, taken out of context or just plain misconstrued, can lead to life’s awkward, sometimes funny moments. It is one of those moments and a party favorite recipe that bring us this week’s simple pleasure: spiced rosemary pecans. 

 It was a first date and he was a brave man. He was brave because he not only

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soybean hummus

January 19th, 2012

soybean hummus

 makes 1 bowl 

1 cup frozen soybeans, pods removed
1 small clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon piment d’espelette
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, minced
⅛ cup (1 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon tahini paste 
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (and to taste)
freshly ground pepper (to taste)                                                                                                 

  • Blanch Soybeans. Place the frozen soybeans in a pot of salty, boiling water. Boil for 1-2 minutes. 
  • Shock and Drain. Strain soybeans in a colander and place in an ice bath.  Drain well.  If you cooked them in their pods, remove the pods and measure the soybeans (you need 1 cup).
  • Purée. In a food processor fit with a metal blade, place the soybeans, garlic, parsley, tahini paste, lemon juice, piment, and cumin. Pulse until well-combined.
  • Add Olive Oil.  Slowly add oil through the top of the processor while continuing to blend. If you want a smoother consistency, add more olive oil. 
  • Adjust Seasoning.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Chef Morgan Soybean Hummus and Chia Chips

 

 
 
 
 
 

piperade crustless quiche

September 1st, 2011

piperade crustless quiche

Ladurée, piperade and deferred gratification realized: piperade crustless quiche

Call me farmer Lisa but I have chickens and a garden. My children agreed to the poultry addition to our family on the condition that the chickens would not become “poule-au-pot.”  When I inquired as to the source of their fear they cited the example that I recently gutted and cleaned fish in front of their friends on a playdate. Point taken. I assured them that my interest in having chickens was solely for the eggs so they acquiesced. Inspired by the beautiful peppers in the market and these chickens, piperade crustless quiche is this week’s simple pleasure.

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cheese plate focus on quality and simplicity: brebis and spicy cherry compote

June 2nd, 2011

cheese plate focus on quality and simplicity: brebis and spicy cherry compote

My cooking mantra is this: focus on the quality of your ingredients and keep your preparation and presentation simple and you can never, never go wrong.  I was reminded of this recently when I went out to dinner with a friend. The food was disappointing but the cheese plate was what sealed the deal. There were heaping chunks of rubbery cheese, in various colros, two of which were so awful in appearance that the visual imagery still haunts me. My friend laughed endlessly about it.

I hesitated in writing this post because as it is people tell me that they are nervous to Read the rest of this entry »

Abbaye de Belloc avec compote de cerises épicée (Abbaye de Belloc with spicy cherry compote)

June 2nd, 2011

Abbaye de Belloc avec compote de cerises épicée (Abbaye de Belloc with spicy cherry compote)

Abbaye de Belloc avec compote de cerises épicée
(Abbaye de Belloc with spicy cherry compote)

stats:

yield: serves 6 (with compote leftover)

what you need:

11 ounces de-pitted fresh cherries
2 1/2 ounces superfine sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cherry brandy
3/4 teaspoon piment d’espelette
1/3 cup water

6 ounces of Abbaye de Belloc or another Ossau-Iraty Brébis de Pyrénées cheese

how to:

  • Prepare And Macerate Cherries.  Remove stems and pits from cherries.  Toss cherries with lemon juice, brandy, piment, and sugar and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Poach. Place macerated cherries in a saucepan over low heat.  Add water.  Poach cherries (between 160 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit) until softened (about 10-15 minutes).  The cherries should collapse slightly but still retain but retain their shape.
  • Drain.  Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Turn the heat to medium-high and continue to cook the poaching liquid until you reach about 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.  Remove from the heat and let the compote cool to room temperature.  Compote can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
  • Serve. Serve compote at room temperature with one ounce of cheese.

Abbaye de Belloc avec compote de cerises épicée (Abbaye de Belloc with spicy cherry compote)