Grilled Sea Bass, Peas with Prosciutto, and Corn Pancakes ~ French Fridays with Dorie

Grilled Sea Bass

Once again, we bought fresh-caught Sea Bass on the docks of the Channel Islands Farmers' Market from Fresh Fish Fanatics.  Its perfect snowy white flesh needed only a sprinkling of spices before going on the grill.  John used Sunny Spain Seasoning and a bit of salt and grilled the fish over a medium flame for 5 minutes per side.

Peas with Prosciutto

Clean and shell 1 pound of English Peas - these were fresh from our garden
Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, then strain.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Shallot, finely minced
2 slices Prosciutto, finely chopped - I used kitchen shears

When Shallots are softened, stir in Peas.
Add leaves from 2 stems of Thyme
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring often

Corn Pancakes

Ingredients in the blender ~ ready to whip!

This week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for Corn Pancakes.  I have to admit I was less than enthusiastic about making these because I thought they'd be bland and boring.  I added pepper to the four ingredients for the recipe:  a can of corn, eggs, flour, and salt.  All of these are whipped together in a blender in a matter of minutes, then fried.  That's it.  

Of course, Dorie had them with Creme Fraiche and Caviar.  I wanted to add some flavor to these and kept thinking they reminded me of tortillas, so I topped them with Mexican Restaurant Style White Cheese Dip and diced tomato and avocado.  I have to say that they were better and more flavorful than I expected.  

Bon Appetit!

California Brown Pelican swimming ~ Channel Islands Harbor, CA

Grilled Chicken, Iron Skillet Roasted Red Potatoes, Sauteed Zucchini

On the heel of an unusually cool Spring, Summer has arrived in Southern California!  So, we decided to have a simple dinner of grilled chicken.  We often grill a couple of extra pieces to use later for salad. pasta, risotto, etc.

Grilled Chicken

About 1/2 an hour before grilling, sprinkle chicken with Galena Street Rib and Chicken Rub and set aside.

On a grill, over medium heat, cook chicken for 6 -7 minutes on each side.

Iron Skillet Roasted Potatoes

John perfected these potatoes using a seasoned cast-iron skillet on the grill. 

1 pound assorted red potatoes, quatered

2 spring onions, quartered

Place in pan and coat in olive oil

Sprinkle with Tony Chacere's Original Creole Seasoning

Place pan on the grill over a high flame, stirring potatoes every 10 minutes until they're roasted brown and the onions are carmelized. 

Sauteed Zucchini

Slice 3-4 medium zucchini and place in a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and let sit about 5 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sautee:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Prepared Zucchini
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
 
Stir often to cook evenly, until tender.  Sprinkle with a scant teaspoon of sugar to cut the bitterness of the squash.  Top with grated parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy!

Gorgeous Rose in the International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon

Stacked Salad with Blue Cheese and Bacon

While we were in Portland, John and I had a lot of incredible meals.  One trend we enjoyed was stacked salads.  John had a Caesar Salad that was prepared this way, and I had a beet salad with goat cheese and candied pecans.  We especially like this because we love wedge salads, but iceberg lettuce isn't our favorite. This method allows us to create great salads with a variety of large-leaf lettuces - that are prettier & more nutritious.


Clean one head of Romaine Lettuce, separate, and dry the leaves.  
Discard the core.
Loosely layer 4 - 6 leaves of lettuce on a plate - we used oval-shaped ones.


Scatter over stacks of lettuce:
1 Heirloom Tomato, diced
1 Spring Onion, finely diced - you can also use 2 - 3 Green Onions, thinly sliced


Drizzle with Creamy Peppercorn Salad Dressing.


Sprinkle with Blue Cheese crumbles
Crumbled Bacon

Great Blue Heron - Channel Islands Harbor, CA

Enjoy!

David's Seaweed Sables ~ French Fridays with Dorie

Ready to eat!

Ready to refrigerate

This week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for David Lebovitz's Seaweed Sables.  You may be thinking:  Aren't  sables sweet?  Usually, they are, but this recipe reflects the current culinary trend that plays up the delicious contrast between salty and sweet.  They're simple to whip up - provided you have roasted seaweed on hand - and keep well in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to bake them.

Ready to bake

A good excuse to enjoy a Kir!

Okay, what you probably really want to know is how we liked them...well, not so much.  I like the idea of them, but think they would have been far better with sesame, caraway, poppy, or anise seeds instead of seaweed.  The texture is great - the seaweed flavor is not.  

Bon Appetit!

Portland Theatre, Portland, Oregon

English Pea and Pesto Risotto

We returned from a quick vacation to Portland, Oregon, today to find lots of English Peas weighing down the vines on our garden.  So, we decided to make a fresh, summery Risotto.

English Pea and Pesto Risotto

Clean and shell 1 pound fresh English Peas.
Set aside.
In a deep sauce pan, saute:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 small Onion, diced
When Onions begin to soften, stir in:
1 Cup Arborio Rice
Continue stirring until rice is lightly browned
Add 4 Cups Chicken Broth in 1 Cup increments, stirring until almost completely absorbed in between additions.

Then stir in:
1 Cup White Wine
3 Tablespoons prepared Pesto Genovese (we used Trader Joe's)
Fresh English Peas (you can also use 1 1/2 cups thawed frozen)
2 Tablespoons Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, mincedPepper, to taste.
When liquid is absorbed, finish with:
1/2 Cup Parmesan, shredded
Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  
Garnish with additional Parmesan Cheese and fresh Basil.

Print this recipe

Buon Appetito!

Mansion along the Willamette River, Portland, Oregon

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream ~ David Lebovitz

Fresh, luscious raspberries!

OMG!  This Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream from David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop tastes just like raspberry truffles!  It has only 4 ingredients, so I encourage you to make it now while fresh raspberries are in season and on sale.  It is so easy to make and so delicious that you'll have a hard time not eating it all in one sitting!  

It's as simple as bringing cream, sugar, and high quality cocoa powder to a boil, removing it from the heat, stirring in the raspberries and allowing them to sit for 10 minutes before blending and straining the seeds out - then pouring the fabulous results into an ice cream maker.


I've purchase a few ice cream cookbooks and none of the others compares to the recipes in "The Perfect Scoop."  If you don't own a copy, this is the perfect time of year to get one!

Enjoy!

The Portland Building designed by Michael Graves, Portland, Oregon

Chicken Lo Mein

We have a bumper crop of English Peas in our garden so John decided to make Chicken Lo Mein.  It tasted fresh and delicious and was pretty easy to prepare on a weeknight.   

Chicken Lo Mein

Cook 1 package of Chinese noodles according to package directions.  Strain, rinse in cold water, and toss with 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil.  Set aside.


While the noodles are boiling, dice 2 boneless Chicken breasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a wok, over high heat stir-fry:
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Diced Chicken
When chicken is cooked through, finish with 3 Tablespoons White Sherry.


Remove chicken from wok.
Wipe wok out with paper towels and return to high heat.

Stir-fry:

• 1/2 Cup Green Onions cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal
• 1/2 Cup Carrots, Juliened
• 12 English Pea pods, sliced into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal

When vegetables begin to soften, stir in Chicken and:

• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• A few drops of Sriracha Chili Hot Sauce

Cook until heated through, then toss with prepared noodles.


Serve with Soy Sauce at the table.

Print this recipe

Enjoy!

Going somewhere?  Pioneer Square, Portland, Oregon

Aunt Sabra King's Pudding Bars ~ Baked Sunday Mornings

This week's Baked Sunday Mornings challenge is for Aunt Sabra King's Pudding Bars.  The rich creamy dark chocolate pudding laced with Whiskey is just so Southern!  The pudding rests on a graham cracker crust and is topped with Whipped Cream.  I added fresh Raspberries as I find them an irresistible match to chocolate.


This recipe is not at all difficult, it just takes time.  I was intrigued with the method of straining the hot cooked custard onto the chocolate and how well it worked.

This is what happens when you let your brother pipe the Whipped Cream!

I halved the recipe to make four individual tarts and they turned out great.  A wonderful, light dessert with layers of flavor & texture. 

Enjoy!

Wink, Wink! Nudge, Nudge!  Say No More!

Skidmore Fountain ~ Portland Oregon

Lobster Louis Salad

Louis Salad is typically made with Shrimp or Crab Meat, but it translates beautifully to Lobster.  


In two large bowls, layer:
Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
Hard boiled Eggs, cut into wedges
Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Avocado, diced
We added blanched Sweet Peas from our garden, but you can use Asparagus Spears instead
Sprinkle salads with minced Chives and 1 teaspoon Capers

Poached Lobster Tails

In a shallow skillet, over medium heat, poach 2 Lobster Tails Lobster for 8 minutes in:
1 cup White Wine
2 cups Seafood Broth
1/2 teaspoon Sunny Spain Seasoning


Remove Lobster Tails from poaching liquid and cut Lobster Tails along the underside of the tail with cooking shears and remove the meat.

Place shelled Lobster Tails on top of salad and drizzle with Louis Salad Dressing.
John usually makes this from scratch, but we found this pre-made dressing from Paladini and decided to try it.  And, it was pretty good - and made our weeknight dinner easy to prepare.

Enjoy!

Hang Gliders over Carpinteria Bluffs, CA

Lime Honey Beet Salad ~ French Fridays with Dorie

Duncan Miller Teardrop bowl from our Depression Glass collection

This week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for this super-simple, fresh summer salad.  Although Dorie offers several cooking methods for fresh beets, I picked up a packet of pre-cooked ones at the grocery store.  I was able to toss this together during my lunch break and we enjoyed it for dinner.  

Fresh flavors ready to blend

The zesty taste of lime really sets off the sweetness of the beets.  And fresh herbs always boost natural flavors.  This salad would be ideal as part of a  buffet of salads and side dishes for a summer party.

Gladiolus blooming in our garden

Bon Appetit!