The Traveling Epicurean

Pasta Sauce 101

October 20, 2022April 7, 2014 by Michel

Pasta Sauce 101

Pasta sauce is such an essential part of any kitchen that I want to share with you my basic pasta sauce that I use for so many things. What I don’t use right away I freeze in small pint-like containers for futures uses. A basic slow cooked pasta sauce can be used for virtually anything from plain pasta’s to lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, vodka sauce, sausage and peppers, curry sauces and the list goes on.

When making an authentic slow cooked pasta sauce it’s important that one of the base layers of flavors come from some kind of meat like sausages, pork chops, meatballs or braciole, thin cut flank steaks rolled and stuffed with herbs and parmesan and then sauteed like the sausages. This method is something my family has been doing for generations. I happen to love the homemade fennel sausages from Liuzzi Cheese, an Italian delicatessen located in North Haven, CT. If you haven’t been there yet you really should check it out especially for their homemade cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, and my favorite scamorza. Scamorza is an Italian cow’s milk cheese similar to mozzarella but dryer and a little saltier with better melting qualities…my kids love it! Liuzzi also has homemade pasta’s and their own delicious line of canned tomatoes and olive oils.

One of the best things about making this sauce is that your kitchen will smell amazing all day long. It would be wise to keep a crusty loaf of Italian or sourdough bread for dunking every now and then…you know, just to check and make sure every thing is going well! An appetizer dish that goes great with pasta and sauce is zucchini torta, baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, baked coconut shrimp,wrapped, smoked salmon with cream cheese-caper spread on crostinis, clam puffs, or how about a roasted beet salad with mint and feta, or a refreshing fennel and citrus salad with tangerine dressing. Then there always dessert to plan for like a fresh fruit pavlova, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fennel sausage (your favorite) my favorite is Liuzzi in North Haven, CT
5 28 oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup red wine
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 lg. garlic cloves (crushed)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
2 Tsp Italian seasonings (ground in spice grinder)
1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
3 slices pesto butter log or handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Slice up the sausage links into 3″ pieces
Smash the garlic cloves with a large knife to release the cloves from it’s wrapper
Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and 6 smashed garlic cloves to a large pan (this will be your sauce pan)
Put the heat on low and sauté garlic til lightly golden … This will take about 7-10 minutes
When the garlic is slightly golden remove from pan and set aside
Add in sliced sausage links to the same sauce pan and turn heat up to medium/high
Sauté sausage links turning every 5 minutes or so until they become golden on all sides…this will take about 20-30 minutes
Put the 1/2 of the whole peeled tomatoes into a food processor (this will take 2 rounds with this large can) and then add the golden sauteed garlic cloves
Puree for 40 seconds and add to the sautéed sausages
Add the rest of the whole peeled tomatoes and puree for another 40 seconds and again add to the pot of sauce
Add in the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan (no need to purée these) and the cup of red wine
Add in all the spices and turn heat to medium to bring to a simmer
Cover the pan, leaving a little opening at the edge to let condensation escape during the cooking process
Turn down right away to low heat and keep a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours
When you take the pan cover off to check on sauce be sure to NOT let all this condensation drip back into the sauce from the inside of the lid
Stir every 45 minutes or so to make sure bottom isn’t burning
Towards the end oil will accumulate from the sausages on the top layer of the sauce so just skim this off with a spoon
Serve and take off stove to let cool
Put into frig or into container for the freezer

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

April 8, 2014April 4, 2014 by Michel

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

It’s so nice to have a local book store like R.J. Julia’s right in own own town of Madison, CT with a gourmet bistro to boot. R.J. Julia’s café serves freshly made soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis. The café also has a full espresso bar and we can’t forget those truly amazing cupcakes that come from from La Rosticceria in Guilford. Recently I was there and had their chicken and apple salad that came with a lovely balsamic-apple vinaigrette that was both tangy and fruity. The chicken was moist and flavorful and I loved the crumbled, sweet and creamy blue cheese. It went so well with the chewy cranberries, sliced chicken breast, and apples . Being a big crouton aficionado I adored their homemade croutons that they sprinkled on top of the salad too.

The atmosphere is very sweet and relaxing inside. It’s probably a good idea to get there somewhat on the early side (before noon) because they definitely have a loyal client base and fill up fast for lunch. You won’t be disappointed that’s for sure. So next time you are strolling down main street you should pop into R.J. Julia’s Bistro for a gourmet nibble. If you are a big salad lover you may want to try my cold Asian shrimp and rice noodle salad, roasted beet salad with mint & feta, fennel and citrus salad, or follow up with my melt in your mouth turkey stuffed peppers or easy crock pot pulled pork tenderloin with BBQ sauce and whiskey.

HAND CRAFTED SALADS
COBB chicken, tomato, avocado, bleu cheese, bacon, egg 11
ROSTI goat cheese, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts 9
CAESAR romaine, chicken, shaved parmesan, caesar dressing, house croutons 10
ARUGULA fresh pear, bleu cheese, spiced walnuts, lemon dressing 9
SCOOPS your choice of one, two or three scoops of our freshly made tuna,
chicken or egg salad over fresh greens with tomato and cucumber 6/8/10
CHICKEN & APPLE chicken, apple slices, dried cranberries, bleu cheese,
red onion, white balsamic apple vinaigrette 10

all salads come with house made croutons
house salad dressings ~ creamy balsamic vinaigrette, white balsamic apple vinaigrette, lemon dressing
we also have ~ asian sesame ginger, honey mustard and caesar

Grilled Asian Salmon

March 18, 2019April 3, 2014 by Michel

Grilled Asian Salmon

Grilled Salmon or pan seared salmon is up there as one of my very favorite fish dishes! In the past I have been spoiled with having very fresh salmon to work with. You may ask how fresh was it…well I’ll tell you, we are talking so fresh it just was caught in the San Francisco Bay minutes before it was in my kitchen. My rule of thumb for fish is if your fish smells and or tastes fishy you shouldn’t cook or eat it. In fact, the marinade I use here is very light and I only soak the fish for a mere 1 hour. I want to taste the luscious meat of the salmon and only want a hint of the Asian flavors which I actually use to help caramelize the edges of the fish.

The Restaurant Depot in Milford, is where I like to buy my salmon. As shown in the photos below, they have a wonderful selection of fish. The local markets like Star Fish Market and Atlantic Seafood have a great selection of salmon. The salmon in this recipe is farm raised from Canada, so not a whole long distance to travel. I have grown to love good farm raised salmon because it is meaty and luscious in flavor and you can’t beat the price. But you need to know that I would only make my gravlax recipe from a wild salmon like a sock eye salmon. Wild Salmon is all flash frozen to -10º for at least 36 hours by regulatory means to assure that if a possibility of parasites exists they will be killed making it safe for such delectable recipes as gravlax. Gravlax is made from raw salmon (flash frozen… unless you are fishing for it yourself!) cured in salt, sugar, dill and eau-di-vie or vodka and is heavily. I have actually had a request for my gravlax recipe so stay tuned for that recipe in the up and coming weeks.

The salmon can be grilled or pan seared the only difference being you finish the salmon off in a 325º oven for 5 minutes instead of a turned off grill. I have given you the mixture for my marinade BUT if you don’t have time you have the convenience of using one of my favorite store bought marinades called Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” with the yellow and blue label which happens to be incredible on chicken, by the way. You can find Soy Vay products at all the markets on the marinade shelf. I like to serve the grilled Asian salmon with my cold asparagus-ginger salad and if you want something a little hardier you can add in my perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion recipe which would all be delicious together.

Ingredients serves 4 people:

1 lb. salmon filet
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe cold asparagus-ginger salad
1 recipe perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion
Marinade #1: 1/2 cup white wine + 1/2 cup pineapple juice + 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy or Tamari soy (a dark soy) + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger + and 2 crushed garlic cloves
Marinade #2: 1 cup Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” marinade + 1 cup white wine + 2 crushed garlic cloves + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger

Directions:

Wash and dry your 1 lb. salmon
Slice into 4 even pieces
Choose marinade #1 or #2 from above
Place the salmon pieces in a large bowl with the marinade, cover with saran and pop into the frig for one hour…NO MORE
Take the salmon out and place onto paper towels to blot completely dry
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the salmon filets
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper
Heat the grill to medium/high
Rub olive oil on grill grates carefully with a brush before you put the filets down
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Close grill top
Cook for 5 minutes
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets and close grill again…you may need to wiggle filets gently on the grill with a thin metal spatula to loosen them …be patient
Cook for another 5 minutes
Turn the grill off and close grill letting them sit for another 5 minutes

For Pan Seared Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325º
Place a large sauté pan on the stove and put on medium/high heat
Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into pan
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Cook for 5 minutes
You don’t need to cover on your pan
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets…they will flip over easily in the pan
Cook for another 5 minutes
Then place pan into the oven for 5 more minutes on 325º uncovered
Take out and serve with asparagus salad, mashed potatoes & red onion and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

May 15, 2019April 2, 2014 by Michel

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

Wow…this cold asparagus-ginger salad is such a God send in the busy spring and summer days when you want something refreshing, super flavorful and a total make ahead dish so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends. The longer this sits in the frig the better the flavors get so make this the night before and that will be one less thing to do when you have to grill the Asian salmon, skirts steaks, or sautéed chicken breasts with a roasted garlic & cannellini purée, or perfectly mashed potatoes with red onion. The dressing with the asparagus is really my go to Asian dressing that I use for many dishes and you should add this to your repertoire also. With the toasted sesame seeds you should always toast more then you need and keep them in a jar or Ziploc because for such a simple task it adds a lovely nutty flavor to any dish.

Ingredients: Makes enough for 6 people

1/4 cup soy
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup green onion finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
Squeeze from 1/2 fresh lime
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (more for garnish)

Directions:

Toast sesame seeds on medium heat in a small pan shaking the pan periodically back and forth
This happens quickly once they heat up…it will only take about 3-4 minutes to turn golden so DO NOT leave the pan or they will burn
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
In a large mixing bowl whisk together soy, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, fresh grated ginger with a microplaner, sugar and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and set dressing aside
Bend asparagus to find the proper “break” point then cut the ends off to even them up
Put asparagus in cold salted water and bring to a simmer
Cook til tender but NOT mushy
Drain and give them ice bath to shock …don’t need to make them cold just want to shock to retain vibrant color
Dry off asparagus on a paper towel and place on a serving platter
Cut dried asparagus into 4 pieces and add to dressing bowl, toss and pop into the frig to marinate the flavors for 1 hour to overnight
Serve with your favorite protein and sprinkle a dusting of toasted sesame seeds on top

Pesto Butter Log

March 18, 2019March 31, 2014 by Michel

Pesto Butter Log

Even though they have been far and few in between having those few warm days has inspired me to bring out one of my spring recipes for fresh basil pesto butter logs which I love because it’s so versatile. Really simple to do and when you combine the pesto and butter to form the log you keep it in the freezer like the Challah bread croutons taking the pesto butter log out to slice off what you need and then back into the freezer. How easy is that? Try a slice of pesto butter on grilled filet mignon served on a bed of perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion, sautéed chicken breast and spinach, on a piece of Sea bass or put a slice of pesto butter inside a turkey or beef burger when you are forming the patty. Cook it on the grill or stove top and when you bite into it lovely garlicky pesto oozes out! Another creative thing to do when you are cooking pasta sauce and you want to add in some basil flavor just throw in a slice from your pesto butter log!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of a quality butter – room temperature
1 recipe of pesto

Directions:

Make a fresh batch of pesto and combine it with room temperature butter using a spatula
Tear off a large piece of saran wrap and place down going horizontally on a cutting board that will fit in the freezer
Scoop out the combined pesto-butter mixture and place in a 2″ wide line going down the center of the saran wrap… it should be about 12″ long log
Pull up both sides of the saran wrap and this will help round the mound
Fold over the 2 pieces of saran going in the same direction so there isn’t any air in it and begin to roll the pesto log
Pinch the ends, twist and roll again to get a good roll log shape …still holding on to the pinched ends
Place the newly formed log on the cutting board and pop it into the freezer til frozen about 1 1/2 hrs – 2 hrs.
Once the log is frozen you can remove the cutting board and place the log into a Ziploc baggy and back into the freezer
Slice off 1/4″ slices when ever you need and pop the log back into the freezer to keep

Perfectly Mashed Potatoes and Red Onion

November 16, 2019March 28, 2014 by Michel

Perfectly Mashed Potatoes and Red Onion

There’s nothing like good ole mashed potatoes! It’s truly a comfort food. I really like the “yellow” potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes cause they have less moisture and more texture than say a russet when you boil them and they don’t fall apart. There’s an addition of very thinly slice red onion to this potato recipe that just adds that little extra flavor and really make a nice combo. Perfectly mashed potatoes can easily be made with out the red onion if you prefer and the only thing that changes is the omission of red onion. These yummy potatoes go great with a filet mignon and a slice of pesto log, stuffed roulades of chicken, sea bass with green goddess sauce II, sauteed chicken breasts and fresh spinach, or grilled Asian salmon.

Ingredients:

6 large Yukon Gold potatoes
2 Tbsp salt for the water when you boil the potatoes
1/4 cup each heavy cream & half and half
1/2 medium red onion thinly slice on mandolin or knife
3 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp for the top
Optional 3 oz Cream Cheese (if making ahead mix in softened cream into finished mashed potatoes)
1 recipe for pesto log if grilling a steak

Directions:

Thinly slice 1/2 of a medium red onion and set aside
Peel the Yukon potatoes and be sure to keep the potatoes in a big pot of cold water while you finishing peeling the others
Cut them into 3/4″ pieces and put them back into the water while you are finishing cutting the rest
When you are finished cutting the potatoes drain the water by titling the pan ( you don’t need to worry about draining every last drop) and then run fresh COLD water back in so it’s about 1 1/2″ over the potato level
Add 2 Tbsp salt to the potatoes and bring the potatoes to a boil on high heat … This will take about 8-10 minutes
When they begin to boil turn the heat down and simmer for 12-13 minutes til they are fork tender but not mushy
Drain the potatoes and put them back into the pan to keep them warm while you rice them (if you don’t have a ricer just keep them in the pan and begin to use your electric mixer to mash the potatoes…once they are massed -keeping slightly lumpy add red onion and butter and finish combining with a spatula, then add half and half with one last stir)
Using a large bowl begin to put the potatoes thru the potato ricer let them stands fall into the bowl
When you are half way there add thinly sliced red onions and 3 1/2 Tbsp butter to rices potato pile
Finish putting potatoes thru ricer letting potato fall onto red onion and butter
When you are finished mix gently with a spatula just to combine then add half and half and mix til just combine
Taste and add salt and pepper and serve

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March 2014 Farm and Vine Dinner at the Ocean House

March 18, 2019March 27, 2014 by Michel

March 2014 Farm and Vine Dinner at the Ocean House

It was an elegant and outrageously fun evening at the March 2014 Farm and Vine Dinner held at the grand Victorian Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. The word grand certainly describes the magnificent furnishings and decor of the Ocean House. When you enter it’s as though you existed in a different era of time…it’s quite a wonderful feeling. At the Farm and Vine Dinner the teamwork was impeccable from the food servers, the staff at The Ocean House, Chef Jean-Francois Bruel and John Williams, the wine maker. All with a warm and sincere welcome throughout the whole evening!

It began with Frogs Leap, Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2012 and hors d’oeuvres consisting of rabbit porchetta, wild mushroom pomponette, and Plymouth Rock Oysters with sea urchin custard…what a way to start the evening! Considering I love uni and oysters so much you can guess which was my favorite. We then sat for the next three courses and John Williams the wine maker from Stags Leap introduced each pairing to us at every course. He was entertaining, engaging and informative about wine and the history behind it.

The next pairing John took us through was a Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2012. This went with the first course which was a sea scallop ceviche made with celery, blood orange, and pickled Buddha hand lemon. And on to the Four Story Farm Avian Poularde cooked sous-vide style giving the bird a moist and creamy texture that just melted in your mouth.

The Mast Brothers Smoked Chocolate desserts, chocolate cremeux, chocolate sable with a salted pecan-crown maple syrup ice cream was the perfect way to end this gourmet evening. And my favorite wines of the evening were the reds a 1999 Merlot, Napa Valley and a 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley both Frogs Leap, and as he said they were perfectly ready!

For the grand finally, Janice McEachen, the Ocean house food forager and director of culinary education who was also lovely to meet, introduced Chef Jean-Francois Bruel, his sous and dessert chefs to all of us. Then it was a meet and greet with them and also John the wine maker where everyone mingled and talked some more eventually moseying on over to the bar area for Irish coffees! I highly recommend trying to catch the next Farm and Vine in May. See the links below for events and dates. If after reading my restaurant review you like the idea of a ceviche then try my sea scallop ceviche.

Farm + Vine Dinner
with
CHEF JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRUEL

Passed Hors D’ Oeuvres
Four Story Hill Farm Rabbit Porchetta with Orleans Mustard
Plymouth Rock Oysters with Sea Urchin Custard, Caviar Lime

First
Nantucket Bay Scallops
ceviche with blood orange

Second
Four Story Hill Farm Avian Poularde
swiss chard, young turnips, cilantro, wild rice fricassee, lemon thyme jus

Third
Mast Brothers Smoked Chocolate
cocoa sablé, coffee maple crown crémeux, salted pecan ice cream

The next Farm and Vine Dinner is May 7, 2014. If you want to find out more about this dinner and some of there other things they have going on there go to
http://oceanhouseevents.com/farm-vine-ocean-house

I am so excited about the events at Ocean House that I want you to meet and see the wonderful people that bring these events together so here is a link to see some of Janice’s activities in the scrapbook at the Ocean House
http://oceanhouseri.com/scrapbook/food-forager-janice-mceachen/

To see The Ocean House “March 2014 Farm and Vine Dinner” check out their scrapbook which they so graciously provide for us at the following link here
http://oceanhouseri.com/scrapbook/march-farm-vine-dinner/

Sea Scallop Ceviche

March 18, 2019March 26, 2014 by Michel

Sea Scallop Ceviche

Sea Scallop ceviche is an easy and really delicious way to cook seafood. Ceviche is actually a way to cook or cure by means of marinating in some kind of citric acid like limes or lemons…how easy it is. In addition to marinating in lime juice you add in everything that you would add in for a salsa and voilà you have ceviche.

I was inspired to blog about a ceviche dish after attending the Farm and Vine Dinner at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. The first course was a sea scallop ceviche with celery, radish, blood orange and lemon and it was amazing.

Ingredients Makes 4 Appetizers:

1/2 lb of sea scallops
1/4 red onion finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
8 cherry tomatoes finely chopped
2 large radish finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
1/2 jalapeno finely chopped (1 whole jalapeno if you like it spicy)
1/3 cup cilantro chopped (1/3 cup after it’s choppeD)
juice from 1/2 lime
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar – (I get the “seasoned”)
juice from 6 limes for the shrimp/scallop marinade
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Tabasco
Bag of blue corn chips (optional)

Directions:

Wash the sea scallops and pat them dry on paper towels
Remove any fibrous side mussel that’s attached to the side of the scallop
Slice up all of the scallops and put into a medium non-reactive bowl like a glass, stainless steel or plastic bowl (put the scallops back into the frig until you are ready with the lime juice)
Finely chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, radishes and cilantro and set aside
Roll the limes to soften them up and squeeze into the bowl with all the sliced scallops.
Make sure there is enough juice so all the scallops are submerse in the lime juice and place into the frig until they are opaque…it will take a couple of hours but you can leave them in overnight.
Drain all the liquid out and add the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 lime, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, all the chopped veggies and herbs, dash of Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste
Serve in martini glasses with blue chips

Fennel & Citrus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

March 18, 2019March 25, 2014 by Michel

Fennel & Citrus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

How refreshing is that…thinly sliced fennel, ruby red grapefruit and honey tangerine segments, with hearts of palm and dressed with a tangerine vinaigrette! We can’t forget the sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds for a little nuttiness and of course the challah bread garlic croutons to complete the salad. This dressing actually originated out of The Joy Of Cooking and of course I tweak it by adding Dijon and rice wine vinegar. I wanted these particular fruits and vegetables in the fennel & citrus salad because these are some of my favorites and they work so well together.

Typical in making most salads there are more than a few components coming to the party so you have to organize yourself a bit. Toast the sesame seeds 2 days before. I like to toast more than I’m going to use this way I always have some around and keep the extras fresh in a Ziploc. They will keep for a couple of weeks. Cutting the grapefruit and honey tangerine segments can totally be done the night before and it is so worth segmenting the fresh fruit instead of canned. You can also make the dressing 1 or even 2 days ahead as well. These few steps make everything go so easily when you are putting together the salad.

If you like vegetables and salads you may want to try my baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, roasted beet salad with mint and feta, or roasted chick peas, asparagus salad with yummy garlic-Dijon dressing, or zucchini torta.

Ingredients for Salad – Serves 6 individuals … one large salad bowl :

1 bag arugula
2 red ruby grapefruits segmented
4 honey tangerines segmented, SAVING JUICE
1 fennel head, cored and thinly sliced
1 can or jar hearts of palm (whole or sliced) sliced into 1/8 ” pieces
1/2 avocado thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

INGREDIENTS FOR TANGERINE DRESSING:

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed honey tangerine juice
1 medium shallot finely chopped
1 garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Dijon
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar “seasoned”
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions for fennel & grapefruit salad and tangerine dressing:

Cut the ends off of the grapefruits and slice down the sides, then begin to slice in between the pith layers to segment the grapefruits like in the photo above and place in a small dish
Begin to segment the honey tangerine too, placing the segmented pieces in a separate bowl reserving the tangerine juices…be sure work over the bowl to catch all of the juices while you are cutting the segments because you will need this to make the dressing
Finely chop the shallot and set aside for the dressing
Slice the ends off of the fennel bulb and cut out the middle core, thinly slice on mandolin or knife, set aside
Thinly slice 1/2 of an avocado as shown above
Toast sesame seeds in a small pan on medium heat… this will only take 3-5 minutes so don’t leave the stove because they will burn…slide pan back and forth and swirling around like a jiffy pop (this way the seeds turn golden evenly)
Add garlic (that was put thru garlic press) and salt to a medium bowl and mash the two together
Add in shallots, Dijon, rice wine vinegar, honey tangerine juice, and lemon juice
Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the good olive oil to emulsify ingredients
Place into a canning jar and set aside
Put arugula in large salad bowl and dress it with 1/4 cup of dressing and toss
Taste arugula here and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper if needed
Begin to add grapefruits, honey tangerines, avocado slices, hearts of palm slices, and fennel
Drizzle 1 lg spoonful of dressing around the tops of fennel and avocado (just a little)
Top with toasted sesame seeds and challah bread garlic croutons

Shrimp & Scallop Chowder with Coconut Cream

March 18, 2019March 24, 2014 by Michel

Shrimp & Scallop Chowder with Coconut Cream

This shrimp and scallop chowder is made with coconut cream instead of heavy cream giving it another layer of flavor on top of the richness of the shrimp and scallops. This is not one of those chowders chalk full of potatoes, in fact, there aren’t any potatoes at all! I am a little tired of ordering chowder when I’m out and always getting a mouth full of potatoes whether it be a clam or a fish chowder and wondering when I was going to run into some seafood. Some had a nice broth to them but were packed full of potatoes and the seafood was scarce. So I got right down to business here and completely skipped the potato all together with my shrimp and scallop chowder. I think you’ll find yourself sipping the broth slowly to savour all the delicate flavors and richness while enjoying the large chunks of shrimp and scallops. This is a great starter to a dinner party and remember to serve this with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives and Tabasco of course. If you like seafood you might want to try my crostinis, smoked salmon & cream cheese-caper spread, clam puffs, baked coconut shrimp with hot pepper jelly, mussels in a lemongrass-fennel sauce, or even sea bass with green goddess II sauce.

Ingredients – Makes 4 Servings of Shrimp and Scallop Chowder:

1 lb. medium size shrimp – cleaned, deveined and tail shells off
3 extra large sea scallops (4/5 large or 5/6 medium)
2 cups clam juice
2 cups half and half OR you can use 1 can of coconut milk instead if you don’t want to use a milk product
1/2 cup coconut cream (I love the coconut cream sold at Trader Joe’s)
1/2 cup cream sherry (pink)
1/2 white wine (1/4 to deglaze pan with veggies (the other 1/4 cup is for when you add in the shrimp and scallops at the end)
1/4 cup sweet Spanish onion – finely chopped
1/4 cup celery – finely chopped
1/2 Tsp dried Thyme
1 large bay leaf
Chopped fresh chives
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp corn starch slurry (1 Tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp simmering broth)
1 Tsp Siracha or Tabasco (Siracha is a hot chile sauce that is sold by the Tabasco) this also gives the broth a little bit of color on top of flavor

Directions:

Wash and pat dry scallops and shrimp on a paper towel
Take the tails of all the shrimp
Cut shrimp up into 3/4″ pieces
Take the side muscle off the scallops …you will see an extra part of scallop meat sticking out of the side, this is a fibrous side muscle that you must take off
Slice the scallops in half horizontally and then in 3/4″ chunks and set aside with the shrimp
Finely chop celery and onion
Add celery, onion and salt to olive oil in medium pan
Sauté the veggies for 10 minutes on medium/low heat until completely translucent and slightly golden in color on the edges.
Deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup of the white wine stirring the pan with a spatula
Let the wine-veggie mixture simmer for 3 minutes
Add in coconut cream, half and half, clam juice, and sherry and bay leaf
Bring to a low simmer for 15 minutes
As the broth begins to simmer make a corn starch slurry by adding 3 Tbsp of the broth to 1 Tbsp corn starch and mix with a fork til combined and add to broth
Add in dried thyme, Siracha and simmer for 5 more minutes (adding this Siracha doesn’t really spice it up just adds a layer of flavor…you will want to serve chowder with Tabasco on the side for extra spice
Add in shrimp, scallops and 1/4 white wine and put on a low simmer for about 4 minutes til shrimp and scallops are just cooked thru …DO NOT BOIL because this will make the fish tough!
Remove bay leaf
Serve and garish with a sprinkle of chopped chives and don’t forget the Tabasco

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Pasta Sauce 101

Delicious Salads at R.J. Julia’s

Grilled Asian Salmon

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

Pesto Butter Log

Perfectly Mashed Potatoes and Red Onion

March 2014 Farm and Vine Dinner at the Ocean House

Farm + Vine Dinner with CHEF JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRUEL

Sea Scallop Ceviche

Fennel & Citrus Salad with Tangerine Dressing

Shrimp & Scallop Chowder with Coconut Cream

Farm + Vine Dinner
with
CHEF JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRUEL