Grilled Spicy Moroccan Lamb with Mint Cilantro Chutney

We have a friend, Graeme, visiting from Australia and I wanted to make one of my favorite recipes. This recipe is a bit time consuming but if you love food and cooking...time isn't gonna be an issue. This flavors of this lamb dish are outstanding. The BBQ sauce is bursting with the right amount of spices and not too sweet (for my palate anyway) and the mint chutney accents the sauce quite well.  Even ones who claim they don't like lamb will love this dish !  Proven :)

Ingredients for Mint Chutney Mariande :

 two racks of lamb ( my rack had 8 chops per rack)

1 cup of fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

3 green onions , white and green part
1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TB chopped garlic - Christopher Ranch garlic in oil - had a nice roasted garlic taste, * you can use fresh

1 tsp kosher salt

big pinch of red pepper  to add some heat

**Use fresh Herbs not dry.

BBQ Sauce :

1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cups honey

1 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp anise seed, crushed until powder like

1 tsp crushed garlic

crushed red pepper flakes, big pinch, adjust for your taste buds

1 tsp ancho chile powder

How To :
Cut the rack of lamb into individual chops.

In a blender, blend all the chutney ingredients  

Toss the lamb chops with 3/4 of the mint cilantro chutney, save the rest for plating/drizzling. Chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.. or longer.

While the lamb is chillin' and hanging out in the refrigerator, in a pot add all the ingredients for the BBQ and heat over medium heat. Let the sauce cook long enough for it to reduce by half... it will thicken and the taste will be more concentrate.

Take out the lamb from the refrigerator and get the grill nice and hot. Cook the lamb about 4 minutes on each side...time will vary depending on thickness of the lamb and how you like your meat done. Medium is best and how I prefer it.

The Side :

3 yams  or sweet potatoes

3-4 TB butter
pinch of cinnamon

tsp kosher salt

Bake the yams in the oven until done(my oven was 355 convection for 40 minutes) Scoop out the pulp and mash with butter, cinnamon kosher salt.

Plate it :

In the middle of the plate, place a big dollop of the mashed yams, place chops standing up against the yam mash. Drizzle the BBQ sauce over each chop and some drizzle around the plate. Then take the left over chutney and drizzle around the plate.


Serve will Couscous.. your choice.  I usually make couscous with currants & herbs

Serve & Enjoy Every Bite !

Swedish Meatballs - Bork Bork Bork !

I know, I know....Bork! Bork ! Bork !... cliche and a stereotype but who doesn't love the Swedish Chef !? This was my first time making Swedish meatballs.  I haven't made them before because they are kind of like making, spaghetti & meatballs .. you'll get around to making them some day. The day has come and they were delish.  Don’t know why I waited. So simple too !

Prepare you favorite meatballs recipe or try this one :

Meatballs : 

1lb beef

1lb pork

½ cup melted butter

½ cup plain bread crumbs

1 large egg

½ fine minced, onion

2-3 tablespoon of parsley

1 tsp nutmeg

S & P

add flour to the pan, cook 1 minute

 that extra flavour !

cook until thick & creamy

How To :

For the Cream Sauce :

Saute 2 strips of bacon, minced

Then add 1 tsp minced garlic

To the same pan, add 2 TB of butter and 2 TB of flour, blend.

To the same pan, then  add :

1 cup half /half or cream

½ cup sour cream

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of beef stock

¼ tsp of all spice

¼ tsp of nutmeg

** you don’t have to do this step but I did.  I added 1 tsp of  “ Better than Boullion”  beef paste.  Just a little amped the flavour up.

Add meatballs to sauce, toss lightly.

Chop some fresh parsley and sprinkle over meatballs.  Mashed potatoes or noodle go great with this.

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Shrimp & Orzo with Pesto

 

One of my favorite go-to meals ! Quick, simple & delish

 

 

Ingredients :

Orzo – about a cup of dry, prepared according to directions.

 1/2 or more if you like, of Shrimp – seasoned with paprika, garlic, pepper, salt

 6-8 stems of Asparagus – cooked, slightly under,

1 - Zucchini – diced

1 -Red pepper – diced

Fresh basil, chopped

1 TB Garlic, chopped

2-3 TB Parsley, chopped

Zest of one lemon

about  1/4 cup, more if you want, of Sun dried tomatoes, in oil, chopped

Prepared pesto

Olive oil.

2 TB butter

How To :

Cooked the orzo, according to directions.  Set aside

Cook asparagus. Set aside.

Season the shrimp, add olive oil and butter to pan.  Cook until done , about 2-3 minutes, do not over cook.

In a pan, sauté zucchini, red pepper, garlic, about 3-4 minutes.

To the same  pan, add orzo, the cooked asparagus, the fresh basil, lemon zest, sun dried tomatoes and parsley. Toss all together.

Top with the cooked shrimp

Drizzle the whole dish with pesto sauce. ( you can buy this prepared in a jar, try not to omit)

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken

The amount of garlic in this old classic, Provencal , French dish may seem a little excessive but the slow roasting mellows this garlicky dish into a buttery goodness that is pleasing to the palate. To make the sauce memorable, mash some of the piece of garlic into broth to make thicker or spread some pieces of the garlic on a nice rustic piece of bread.  With little fuss to this dish, the aroma  itself will warm you on chilly Winter evenings and will surely be a memorable dish.  

 

6 pieces of chicken ( breasts, thighs, drumsticks or wings) or one whole chicken cut up.

40 garlic cloves, skin removes, keep them whole

1 large shallot, rough chopped


1 cup chicken stock

1 cup white wine, dry

3 sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

2 TB Fresh chopped parsley

cracked pepper and grey sea salt

How To :

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven, add olive oil to coat the bottom,  add the pieces of chicken skin side down  unless golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  In the same dutch oven,  add half of the garlic and shallot, thyme, bay leaves and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the pieces are golden.  Add back the chicken pieces, top with the remaining garlic, add the wine, the chicken stock, parsley.

Cover and cook for about 2 hours in a 375 oven.  In the last 15 minutes, I turn the heat up to 400 with the lid off to crisp the skin and reduce the liquid some.

 

Enjoy !

 

Meat Pies - A Canadian Christmas Tradition

Meat pies have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.  Meat pies are a Acadian French tradition, a staple  from the east coast of Canada. The Quebec version, " tourtiere" , is a different version  of the French pie as  it uses ground pork , sometimes ground beef, along with other ingredients.  Some Acadian- French make it with rabbit as well, the French I knew did anyway,   I do not,  but, I have  tried it with rabbit and it is good.  Growing up in my Mother’s home, she used turkey ( or chicken) beef and pork and that is what I use today. Traditionally, Meat Pies are served around the holiday season.  In my house growing up, it was custom to have it for Christmas Eve or for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Some eat the pie cold or warmed, with gravy, cranberry sauce or even with  molasses over top.  When making meat pies, you don’t simple make one pie, you make several, 4-6 at a time and have them over the Winter months on chilly Winter evenings. The amount of pies depend on how much meat you cook.  It’s labor intensive but very much worth all the work.  I give them out for gifts at Christmas time , along with homemade jarred cranberry sauce, mustard pickles and harvest beets.  Friends who have not heard of them before are pleasantly surprised and enjoy them very much.

Here is my version of Meat Pie.  Nothing is measured, things are approximate.   Having a little more of one thing is not going to make a difference.  This time, I was able to get four fully stuffed pies.  For this recipe I used chickens.

2 -   3-5 lbs chickens or a turkey

1 -   5-6 lb beef,  chuck roast

1 -  5lb pork,  butt roast

 

In a large stock pot or pot, fill with water and submerge the chickens, you may need to do two separate pots if your pot is not large enough to hold the two chickens.  I keep the chickens whole., you can cut them up if you choose. In the same pot, chopped up two onions, add sea salt and cracked black pepper and 1 Tb of Summer Savory.  Summer Savory may be hard to come by  where you live but try to find it.  It's a unique herb, similar to savory, but better in taste. I order mine online from a Canadian food store.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the chickens for about 2 hours.  To check if done, twist a chicken leg back, if it resists breaking, it's not done, or if you see blood running from bone.. not done.   The leg should break free from the rest of the chicken easily. this next step is important ***  DO NOT THROW OUT THE CHICKEN STOCK/BROTH.*** you will need it for the pies.

Cook the beef and pork at the same time, place the pork and beef in a roasting pan, season with grey sea salt and cracked black pepper.  I cover the bottom of the pan with beef stock.  Cook the pork and beef  on 375, for about 3 hours.

 

 

I put small chunks of potatoes in my meat pies, a chunky mash. Not a lot, maybe 3-4 potatoes for all the mixture.  So get the potatoes cooked, when done, set aside.

I have said this before, in my other recipes  - I DO NOT BAKE.  I have made homemade pie crusts before, but quite frankly, I don't have the patience for dough and buying a good pie crust is more practical for me.  But, have at it if you are inclined to make fresh pie crust.

When the meat is done. Let it cool before you start shredding and cutting up the meat. Any juices from the beef and pork pan,  add to the chicken stock pot. With the chickens, remove the skin and bones .  Do the same with the beef and pork.  On a flat surface.. put all the meat in front of you and chop up all the meat.  How big or small the pieces depends on how you like it.   When all the meat in combined,  place in a roasting pan or something big enough to hold all the meat, add about 2 tablespoons of Summer Savory ( I used dried).  Start off with less if you want and taste the mixture to get it where you want it.  Add sea salt and black pepper.  Again, after adding, taste the mixture to the right consistency of saltiness.  Start with a little, you can always add, but you can't take away.

Once you get the salt, pepper, summer savory mixed in.. add the potatoes.  This is where you add the meat stock.  There is no real way to measure this or to tell exactly how much to add.  This is the way I can tell when I have added enough.  With the meat all placed in pan/pot, start adding one cup of meat stock from the chicken pot.  After adding one cup, toss the meat in the stock to see if you need more. The way I can tell when there is enough stock/liquid is a put a handful of meat in my hand and squeeze ( not too tight)... the liquid should not drip from your hand but should be visible when you squeeze.  In the end... I think I used about 2 cups of broth.

 

In prepared pie start put the meat mixture into the trays.  I like my pies full.  Place the dough over top, seal edges.

The meat is fully cooked, so all you are doing is cooking the pie crust.  Cook pies until golden brown.  Approximately 30-45 minutes, in a 375 oven.  Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it.

Serve how you want.. start a tradition of your own.  Cranberry sauce is my favorite. I encourage you to try the molasses though :)

 

Enjoy ! Happy Holidays.

 

 

Asian Style Salmon with Sauteed Mushrooms & Spinach

This is one of my favorite meals.  It's really simple, light and takes very little time to make.

Ingredients :

2 salmon filets

1/4 cup  Sweet Soy sauce - this is a thicker soy sauce and touch of sweetness
1/4 cup pineapple juice ( you can use orange juice or just omit it)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp minced ginger - I use the ginger in the tube you find in produce department
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB Sesame oil

Black and white sesame seeds to sprinkle on salmon when they goo in the oven.

How To :

In a baking dish, add all above ingredients, place salmon in dish, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake 375 for approx. 13-15 minutes. Ovens vary, keep an eye on it.  That's it !

Prepare couscous. Only takes a few minutes. Simple !

While the salmon is cooking, slice mushrooms.  Add butter and oil to pan until heated, add mushrooms, sauté until golden.  At this point, I add a little more butter, turn off the stove and add the spinach and toss.  If you keep the heat on, the spinach becomes soggy, everything becomes too wet and unappealing.  So just a light toss in the butter. Serve

1 package of white buttons mushrooms
1 small package of fresh spinach leaves

2-3 TB butter
2-3 TB olive oil

Couscous or rice  - or the salmon is just fine with the spinach and mushrooms.

* Note.  Throughout the salmon cooking, I spoon some of the soy mixture of the salmon.

 

Grilled Halibut with Ginger Tamarind Sauce & Garlic Lemon Aioli

Halibut - one of the best  from the sea !

T 3 lb filet of Halibut, of enough for 2-3 people.

4 Tb Sweet Paprika
4 Tb Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Thyme
1 tsp  Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1.2 tsp cracked black pepper

Cut fish into large chunks, place into a bowl.   Drizzle  enough olive oil to coat the fish.  Then sprinkle the fish with the paprika mixture.  Let sit in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce.


Ginger Tamarind Sauce

2 TB Tamarind paste ( avaible in Asian section or Asian  stores)
1/4 cup lite soy sauce, use 'lite' , it will be too salty with regular soy.
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp mince ginger, I use the ginger paste in the tube, available in the produce section

Whisk all ingredients together.  Set aside.

Garlic Lemon Aioli

1/2 cup mayonnaise - use your own recipe or store but if you must.
1 TB mince garlic
zest of small lemon
juice of lemon




Put all ingredients in a small blender and blend for 2-2 minutes until smooth.


Grill Halibut for about 2-3 minutes per side. Don't over cook.. take it off grill when you think it's still slightly raw.. it will continue to cook.




I served this on a bed of couscous, then placed the fish on top and drizzled with each sauce.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Asian Pork with Rice Noodle

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork, turkey or chicken

3 Tb sweet soy sauce

2 tsp ginger, minced (I used ginger in a tube from produce section)

2 TB garlic, chopped

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 1/2 cup beef broth ( aka stock)

1 TB cornstarch

3 stem of green onions

Broad rice noodles.

How To :

In a pan with some canola oil, add ground turkey or chicken to pan, along with garlic.  Saute until  meat is cooked, breaking pieces up at you saute. 

Add remining ingerients except for cornstarch and about 3TB of beef broth.

In the meantime, cook noodles according to directions on package.

When all ingredients are blended with meat in pan, add the cornstarch mixture to meat and cook over medium heat until it thicken slightly.

Sliced green onions and sprinkle over top of noodles.

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Tuscan Pork Loin

When you cook a pork loin, it  could possibly end up dry and tough, I think  a lot of people avoid a pork loin for this reason... not this one.  It turned out tender and moist.

Ingredients :

pork loin - approx 2 lbs
1/4 olive oil
6 garlic cloves, kept whole
fresh rosemary leaves
3 dried sage leaves
1 cup of dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
cracked black peper
gray sea salt

How To :

In a dutch, on stove top, add oil to pot, over medium high heat, add  garlic cloves, sage and rosemary.    Saute for about 5 mintes until the cloves become golden brown.
Season the  pork loin with salt and pepper.  Sear on all sides for 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove the loin after all sides have been browned.
Add the cup of white wine to pot, this will loosen the bits browned on the bottom of the pan, cook
1-2 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, return prok to pot, add chicken stock,  partially cover with lid and cook for about 1.5 hours or until pork is tender.

Turn the pork every 20-30 minutes
.

**** Don't let the sauce get too low, if it does, add more stock or more wine.. or both.

When the pork is ready, remove from pot. 

The sauce in the pot will be somewhat thin,  you can keep it this way or I added a little flour and thicken it to make a delicious sauce.  I also smashed the garlic cloves a little so it will swirl though the sauce

If you buy a pork loin with two sections, see  my diagram on how to keep it together.( at bottom)

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Gnocchi, Zucchini and Mushroom pan roast

This is delsih !  Makes a great vegetarian dish or even a meal on it's own.

Ingredients:
Prepare your own gnocchi or buy packed imported gnocchi ( most are delish)
2 zucchini, cut down center, and cut into little half moons
about a cup of baby portobello mushrooms
about a cup of white button mushrooms
olive oil
fresh chopped garlic, or jarred Christopher Racnh minced garlic
a sprig of Rosemary, needles swiped off into pan
203 TB of fresh parsley
Cracked black pepper
gray sea salt
2-3 TB butter
Marsala wine

Prepare gnocchi until done, remove from boiling water. Set aside.
In a pan, add olive oil and add mushrooms, saute until almost golden and add zucchini.  Add garlic and herbs.
Add gnocchi to the pan and saute with the zucchini and mushrooms.
Add butter.

Add a big splash of marsala wine and salt and pepper.

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash in a Creamy Porcini Mushrooms Sauce



This is before it goes into oven

I started off thinking I was going to make a butternut squash sauce for this recipe but decided to keep chunks instead.  The sweet, creamy consistency of this dish is delightful.  I wanted to make to gnocchi from scratch but was missing flour at home so used a package of imported gnocchi from Italy, I buy from a massive international marketplace here that specialize in imported foods.  The gnocchi is quite good, very light and fluffy.  I served this with a  Mediterranean braised beef roast - recipe below.

Ingredients :
one butternut squash, cut into cubes, coated with olive oil, bake in 375 oven for about 30 minutes.

1 package of gnocchi, or about 2 cups of home made gnocchi

3 TB olive oil
1 shallot, diced fine

1-2 oz of dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water to soften them
1 tsp of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
juice of one lemon
fresh parsley
a good pinch of nutmeg
about 3 Tb of parmesan cheese
 2-3 Tb butter
salt and cracked black pepper

How To :
First prepare and bake the squash in the oven while you prepare the remainder of the recipe. This will take about 30 minutes.

After 15 minutes of cooking time for the squash,  cook the gnocchi, this takes about 10 minutes after the water has come to a boil.  The gnocchi are done when they start to float to the top of the pot.  Don't forget to add salt to the water.

In a pan, on medium heat, add olive oil and shallots.  Sautee for about 1 minute. Add cream to the pan, the porcini mushrooms, thyme, lemon juice and the nutmeg.  Let cook and reduce some for about 5 minutes. Then add the parmesan cheese, stir well, this will thicken the sauce.  Add fresh chopped parsley.  Add the cooked gnocchi, lightly toss in the cream sauce.  Add the butternut squash gently.
Then place the gnocchi  and cream sauce in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, place in oven, turn on broil and cook until the cheese is golden.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Mediterranean Beef Roast

I made this beef roast to go along with the gnocchi and

butternut squash in creamy porcini sauce.  I love

roast beef and am always trying to come

up with different ways of making it.  I thought I

was taking a chance by adding oilves to

the roast but I was wrong - it turned out

quite tasty, hope you will like it

if you make it.

Ingredients:

1 - 2lb beef chuck roast

1-1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 large tomato, cut into chunks

1/4 of red onion, diced

two stems of rosemary, or one long one

about 20 pitted kalamata olives

kosher salt and cracked black pepper

How to :

Season the beef well with salt and pepper

  Add oilve oil to med-high heat pan, let oil get hot

sear beef on both side, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Transfer to a oven pot with a lid

add broth, wine, tomato, onion and lives and rosemary.

If there are any bits left in the pan

you sear the beef in, deglaze it with some beef broth

and add to the roasting pot.

Cook at 375 for about 2-3 hours, or until fork pull apart tender.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Rosemary Crème Brûlée

Don't get turned off by this- you will be  surprised. 

I knowthe idea of herbs and

dessert doesn't sounds thrilling but the flavour

of rosemaryis subtle and pleasant.

Serve slightly warm.

Ingredients :

 2 1/2 cups of heavy  cream

5 eggs yolks ( 6 smaller ones)

3 TB sugar

2- 3 Rosemary sprigs

In a pot, heat cream just before a boil.  Place clean Rosemary

sprig in the pot.  Let stand for abut an hour to infuse

the cream.

In a bowl, place the egg yolks, add sugar and whisk until frothy.

Take out the rosemary, and little by little  add cream to the egg mixture

blend quickly to stop scrmabled eggs from happening.

Place mixture into creme brulee dishes or ramekins. 

Pour HOT water into a large rectangular pan ip to about 1/4 of an inch, then place the

creme brulle filled dishes into the pan with hot water.

This keeps the custard from drying out.

Bake in 325 oven, for about 3- 35 minutes.  Ovens vary so watch carefully.

I test one by place a finger in center of one, if its liquid-y, not done.

If it appears like Jello... voila ! It's done.

Enjoy !

Seafood Fishcakes with Lobster Cream Sauce

I have an abundant amount of seafood  that my Husband caught in Alaska so I have been trying to come up with some new recipes. We both love fishcakes, so, I came up with a fishcake  that would use a combination of the  fresh frozen (  fresh- frozen , that sounds like an oxy moron) Alsakan seafood we have.  I have also used something from another seafood mecca - Prince Edward Island, famous for it's Malpeque Oysters, Blue Mussels and Lobster. I have several tins of Lobster paste from P.E.I. and  thought this would make an awesome sauce , and it did.- It's delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup crab - I used Dungeness, broken, sorted

1 cup Halibut, rough chop

1 cup smoked salmon, broken up pieces

1 TB olive oil

1/4 cup  red onion, fine chopped

1/4 cup red bell pepper, fine chopped
1/4 celery, fine chopped
1 TB chives, chopped
2 TB  fresh parlsey, chopped
1 TB basil, fine chopped

3 TB bread crumbs

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
zest of one lemon

Mix all ingredients, for into a ball about the size of a peach, form into a patty and coat with panko bread crumbs.   Fry until golden on both sides.  Finish off in the oven , 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until heated through and cooked.

*  about 1 cup of panko bread crumbs for  coating the fishcakes before frying

    oil for frying

This will make 4-5 big , thick fishcakes

Lobster Cream Sauce

1- 1 1/2 cups cream

3-4 TB lobster paste

1TB of  Blackened Seasoning, Cajun seasoning or Jerk seasoning - Blackened is best I think.

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 TB Paprika - sweet

3 TB Butter

Heat cream in a pan, then add lobster paste, whisk until blended. Add remaining ingredients.  Keep on medium heat and let is reduce and thicken some.  Taste test the sauce for spiciness.. add a little more blackened season if you want more spice.

Drizzle sauce on plate, sprinkle with slices green onion.  Place fishcakes.



Lobster Paste from Prince Edward Island

ENJOY EVERY BITE !

Paris' Moulin Rouge... The Famous, The Legendary, The... What the Hell is on My Plate !?

I wish I had some photos from my evening at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but I don't. Cameras were absolutely forbidden in the showroom and I can honestly say I didn't see one camera flash throughout the evening. Normally I would have sneaked in my camera and took  photos but I didn't want to get my camera taken away from me... I was imagining me in an argument with a French waiter, in broken Francais... pleading with him to give me the SD card from my camera back to me. I didn't bring back photos but I did bring back memories.....and post traumactic stress syndrome...OK, not that bad but it was an experience.

The Moulin Rouge is world famous and expensive ! We paid €245 each for the evenings entertainment, which included dinner and a show. Wow... this is a lot of money. Going in I knew the Moulin Rouge was not famous for it's dining experience but rather the cabaret show. The Moulin Rouge (French for red windmill) has been around since 1889. The cabaret show in the beginning was a seductive show put on by the courtesans for "male" clients, it was after all a high class brothel back then. The show was deemed indecent and vulgar in those days which caused outrage – what prudes - but, today it's more tasteful. Parts of the show the women are topless. Each women had the exact same size breasts and looked as though each woman's breasts were from the same mold. Perfect.

I was impressed with the ambiance of the theater... aged but still  romantic. Red table lamps, small bowls with candles, red drapery adorn the room, small intimate tables on the upper levels and an over all red glow through the hall. The waiters looked dapper dressed in tuxedos. Vintage french poster paintings and Toulouse-Lautrec art work.

Before I get into the entertainment let me tell you about the meal. Mon Dieu ! I have to label this meal as the worse meal I have ever had. We had some red wine...not great at all, water down and also were told that we would have a half bottle of champagne each, not so but not disappointed by this  because the champagne lacked flavour ... and bubbles. The first course was a broth with three little bits of something resembling a vegetable. Tasteless, I don't even know what kind of soup it was. Then the entree... oh dear. Pomme frite that were cold, rubbery and the oil they were fried in probably hasn't been changed since the Formidable show in 1999. The fries were accompanied by  a chunk of dry, over cooked cold piece of meat that had no resemblance of beef. Keeping an open mind, I sliced off a small piece to try but had to get rid of it in an napkin because it just wasn't breaking down. We joked at the table that it was probably horse meat. The chunk of dry animal came with a bearnaise sauce that tasted as though it had been sitting in a burnt-on-grease-pot-that-hasn't-been-washed-for-years taste to it. If I were the chef, I would have been embarrassed to serve this.

The dessert... an icy vanilla ice cream with chopped strawberries which tasted like vinegar, above all things. Needless to say I didn't finish that either. I hadn't eaten much during the day as we were touring the Louvre and the Eiffel tower and was famished at this point. I asked the waiter, no pleaded with the waiter “Can I please have something with chocolate in it, anything?” he says, “Non ! zit does not come wis zee meal” I say, “I will pay for it, please, I didn't eat any of the meal, I'd just like anything with chocolate.” His reply “if I give you chocolat, zen everyone vill vwant zee chocolat” I say, “No, really , they won't, they want me to have the chocolat, really they do”.  The people at the table were insisting " We don't want any, give her the chocolate".  He was not amused and walked away and didn't return. Merde! No chocolate for me.

I looked around at other tables to see what their meals looked like and they looked OK, nothing like what we were served. According to the tour guide, she said we were on the lowest spectrum of the menu options...really?  I would not have guessed. !

Our table location was excellent, literally right in front of the stage. I had the front seat, my friend sat to my left. I thought the seat I was in was great until the stage slid out and moved directly infront of the table... it was so close to our table that I could not change position in my seat at all during the evening, my legs were locked into position and when the dancers were on stage I was rocked back and forth all evening. This also put me very close to the dancers, so close that I had a shoe inches from face from the girls doing the splits, feathers from their costumes slapped on my head ( no joke) beads were popping off the costumes and bounced off my forehead (I have the red feather two beads here at home now to prove it). It was also hot and stuffy in theater which was unpleasant, I could smell the musty costumes which probably were not washed from the night's before performance. The dancers had so much self tanner and make up on them you could see the color run down the front of their bodies from sweating. I was really disappointed with the condition of the costumes – their shoes were really scuffed and torn, costumes were frayed and strings were hanging, sequence was missing, holes in their panty hose... just worn out. Not just one or two wardrobes...most of them. You would think with the cost of the ticket, their costumes would be better taken care of or replaced.

The current show is called “Féerie”...which means something to do with dancing fairies and a show. I was expecting just a bunch of topless girls doing the Cancan dance and yelling, which we did see but there were several different forms of entertainment throughout the evening. My favorite part of the show was the talking dog, a Bichon Frise. The Bichon had a remote controlled contraption attached around the front that covered it's mouth and when the man asked questions, the Bichon replied..very cute. An observation about the show... the audience wasn't overly generous with applause. I felt like they were claps of pity rather than praise. The contortionists, what can I say..they were good but it's really not my thing. The female of the twisting duo was so thin, like- bones- protruding- thin, I wanted to throw a greasy cheeseburger at her and plead, “Eat this ! Please, I beg you... it has extra cheese ”

Another act, the stage parted on both sides and a huge tanked filled with water came up to stage level and there were snakes pythons in there !! That was a surprise ... and interesting. One of the show girls jumped into the tank and had the snakes wrapped around her... ewww. I  could smell that some kind of barn animal was going to be involved and then out came the miniature ponies and the showgirls did an jockey style act with them. There were different dance routines and acts as well p entertaining, no less.

I get why someone would want to come see the Moulin Rouge - it's historical. Would I go see the show again... maybe, if I was sitting at one of the tables near the back. Would I eat the food... nope, I'd sneak the cheeseburger I wanted to throw at the skinny chick and some chocolate the waiter denied me !

Halibut with Wasabi Beurre Blanc & Sweet Soy Ginger Glaze with Sesame Rice Noodle & Veggies

This dish reminds me of going to a sushi restaurant with the combination of wasabi & soy with your sushi.  Mixed with a little bit of honey, this gives the sauce another dimension and smooth out the flavours quite well.  Not a whole lot of the sauce is needed on the plate... think of it as background music and the  drizzle of the Sweet soy ginger sauce as the pause between tracks, noticeable but lingering.

Again, I am using Halibut since I have a freezer full of it.  Actually, having a freezer full of Halibut is a good thing because it encourages me to try new recipe ideas.  So here is the latest addition to the Halibut Diaries.

Ingredients

Beurre blanc
2 Tb of wasabi paste
1/2 cup of lite Soy sauce ** use lite, less sodium because it will be too salty
1/4 cup white wine
1 TB of crack black pepper
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
2 TB honey

Sweet Soy Ginger Drizzle
1 TB Mirin
1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce
1TB honey
1 tsp mince ginger
 1 tsp cornstarch or tapioca

Sesame Rice Noodle
a package of flat rice noodles
Snow peas, about a cup
red pepper, 1 small
2-3 TB sesame oil
2 Tb ginger, minced
1 TB garlic, minced
splash of soy sauce

Halibut
sprinkle of sansho * see side bar or can be omitted
ground black pepper
gray sea salt

How To

The first thing I did was the fish, this will take the longest, but not that long.  Season the fish filets, pan sear on both sides, apporimately 2-3 minutes per side depending on the thickness.  Doo the noodles at the same time.

Noodles, bring a pot of water to a boil. Take off heat and add the rice noodles. It only takes about 3-4 minutes for the noodles to be soften. In a pan, add the sesame oil, add snow peas and red pepper, ginger and garlic. Then add the noodles to the pan, toss with the vegetables. Then you can add a splash of soy sauce at the end, toss. ** you don't even need the soy, there is lots of flavour without it, this time I added it.


 Sweet Soy Ginger drizzle - put all ingredients ina  small pot, heat until thicken.  Set aside or keep over a small flame.

Beurre Blanc - in a pan heat soy sauce, wasabi and black pepper. Heat thoroughly and take off heat then add  the butter piece by piece, whisking each  piece until melted, then add another piece, whisk.  You will end up with a thick butter sauce.  Add honey at the end.

Garnish - black sesame seeds.

Plating

Drizzle the plate, in a circle with the beurre blanc.   The add some of the rice noodles in the middle of the plate.  Place a filet of fish over top of rice noodles.  Drizzle with the Sweet  Soy Ginger glaze.  Finish the plate off by sprinkling some black seeds over top of fish.

Enjoy Every Bite  !

Coconut Curry Halibut

Ingredients

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 TB Curry powder
1 tsp garlic
2 TB  ghee - or clarified butter
1 TB oil

Two filets of Halibut

In a pan, add ghee and oil, heat.  Then add the 2 TB of curry powder,  let the  curry  powder incorporate with the butter.  Let it bubble in the pan, without burning for about two minutes. 

Add the chicken broth and coconut milk.

To thicken - add about 1 tsp of tapioca, cornstarch or flour ( or as much needed) and let cook until sauce thickens.

For the Halibut filets, season with cracked black pepper, kosher salt and sprinkle of paprika.  Grilled or sear on both sides until done.

I served with jasmine rice and  ribbons of sauteed zucchini and carrots.

Simple, fast and very tasty !

Enjoy Every Bite

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

 (Sigh) I am going vegetarian for the next month to see if I will REALLY miss meat in my diet.  I cannot do without fish or cheese, so I cannot say I am going  vegetarian. But... if you do see a meat recipes on here, it's from an previous meal  I wrote about - promise.  My first recipe, I didn't do anything too veggie crazy.. there is cheese in this Roasted Vegetable Lasagne.  I thought roasted the vegetables would give the veggies more depth of flavor and goat cheese would be nice as well.  This is made in a loaf dish.


Ingredients :

4 -  no bake lasagne sheets
8 - slices of eggplant
8 - long slice of zucchini
12 - slices of roma tomatoes (I took out any excess seed/pulp)
1    package of mushrooms slices
1 -  red bell pepper
4-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
cracked black pepper
minced garlic

Marinara sauce

Grated parmesan cheese
fine shredded mozzarella cheese
crumbled goat cheese

* I didn't measure the amount of cheese I put on, I just sprinkled in between the layers. Use as much or little as you like.

How To : 

In a pan, with some olive oil, add garlic and sautee mushroms.  Set aside.

Drizzle the eggplant, zucchini and red bell pepper with olive oil and cracked black pepper.

Grilled both sides until some nice grill marks are there, remove - Don' t over cooked on grill.


* When I took the bell pepper off the grill, I diced the pepper so I could sprinkle it in between the lasagne layers.


Assembly:

by layer:
1 spread some marinara sauce
2 lasagne sheet
3  place two zucchini layers
4 places two eggplant slices
5 sprinkle the goat cheese
6 sprinkle some mushroom
7 drizzle some marinara sauce
8 sprinkle some chopped basil
9 place tomato slices
10 sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Repeat layers. 

I finished the top layer with marinara sauce, sliced tomotoes, drizzle with olive oil and a parmesan and bread crumb mixture.

 ENJOY EVERY BITE.. I DID

Memories of Provence

When we think of France, of course we think of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. I know most people want to see the Eiffel tower but it really was not what I had in mind. After reading many travel memoirs of Provence, that is where I wanted to be and that's where we were going for two nights.


We weren't going to stop in St. Paul de Vence but we decided last minute that we will stop for a short visit before going back to Nice. I am so happy that we did! It ended up being one of the highlights of my European vacation and one of the more memorable meals in Europe.

St. Paul de Vence is a captivating fortified medieval village perched on a hill between two valleys in the Southeast part of France and is inspiration for many artists past and present. Russian painter Marc Chagall being one of the famous artist who has lived there is also buried in the St. Paul de Vence cemetery.

The town oozes with art galleries, terrace cafes & restaurants, tourist shops and of course many tourists. I have read that St. Paul de Vence is one of most popular tourist destinations in France. Thankfully, we arrive in April so the tourist season hasn't really hit full force yet so we miss the shoulder to shoulder action.

We make our way through the entrance and art is already evident from the stones in the street in shape of daisies. Meandering streets lead the way to many little artist's shops and one particular shop catches my eye. I go inside and decide between two small paintings, one of brilliant red poppies or a field of multicolored wild flowers. I buy the sweet 5x5 painting of poppies. The artist puts her hand to her heart, pleased, that it was her painting I chose. I always like to get a photo with myself and the artist holding the piece of their art so I take a photograph with the her before I leave the gallery. Happy with my purchase, we walked a little further down and decide to stop at this quaint restaurant named “La Terrasse”. The Plat de Jour is what caught my eye....two choices Lasagne bolgnese or the Soupe de Poisson al la Provençal ...um, lasagne in France ? I don't think so ! Soupe de Poisson it is . We walked in, it was a small restaurant with only about 5 tables and I asked if we could go out back just to look before we sat down. When we went out to the back.... amazing view of the Provencal countryside. This is where we are sitting. I cannot believe we almost didn't go out to the terrace.


We ordered a glass of French white wine and the plat de jour, the soupe de poisson. A friend and I sat there, pleased with our choice of location for lunch and taking in all the beauty of the Provençal countryside. From the terrace, on the left you can see the French Riveria and to the right the valley just as I imagined it would be from reading the travel memoirs. The view is breathtaking and I take as many photos as I can to capture the moment.

Our soup arrives. It's presented in individual white soup tureens. Served with toasted baguette, shredded Gruyere cheese and traditional rouille. The lady serving us asked if we knew the procedure for the baguette and cheese and she showed us. The raw piece of garlic is rubbed on top of the toasted baguette to infuse the flavor of garlic into the bread, then you smear some of rouille on top, sprinkle some of the the cheese and place itinto the soup letting the cheese melt into the warm soup.


The soup was outstanding and I savor every slurp with a smile – an extraordinary fish flavor, hints of saffron, orange and garlic. We finish the last spoonfuls of soup and contiue on awalk through the village.

On the drive back to the hotel, with my fingers still scented with garlic, I am reminded of my Provençal experience... the amazing view, narrow streets of this charming village, beautiful art and the best fish soup to have ever touched my taste buds. I am already dreaming of a return visit to Provence.
View of St. Paul de Vence

Lamb in Red Wine Cherry Sauce

6 lamb loin chops

salt & pepper

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup  sour cherry juice, no sugar

1/2 cup beef broth

1 Tb garlic, crushed

1 TB herb de provence

2 TB honey

1 TB balsamic

1/2 cups dried cherries

In a Dutch oven with some olive oil , season on both sides and sear until golden.  Add remaining ingredients. 

Place in 350 oven for 90 minutes, take off cover in last 10-15 minutes, rasining heat to 400 to reduce some of the liquid.

*  I added a dollop of butter in the last 15 minutes in the oven.

Enjoy Every Bite !

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Asian Chicken

1 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup of lite soy sause

2 TB sweet soy sauce

1 TB sesame oil

1 TB minced ginger

1 TB minced garlic

fresh cracked pepper

8-10 mushrooms, chopped

Bib lettuce

2 green onion

In a pan, on medium high,  with some sunflower oil, add ground chicken.  Add the soy sauce, sweet soy, sesame oil, ginger, garlic.   When almost cooked, add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes more.  Add green onions when chicken has completed cooking.

Hoison Sauce

1/2 cup hoison sauce
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
2 TB honey
2 TB pineapple juice or orange juice

Add all ingredients in a small pot, heat thoroughly.
Taking one whole bib lettuce leaf, place  about 3-4 TB of chicken mixture in center, drizzle with hoison sauce, wrap it up to keeping the  ingredients  tucked inside and enjoy this light delicous dish !  Doesn't leave you feeling heavy and over stuffed !

Note *  I have used iceburg lettuce for this as well, tasted just as good.

Enjoy Every Bite !

A Table for Two at Mill Bay Coffee Co.

A jewel of a coffee house ! Mill Bay Coffee & Pastries.




My husband and I walk in and I say to him, “I love this place !” and I see “my” new niche, by the front counter in a corner, tucked away from the rest of the room...a table for two. The coffee house is very charming, somewhat of a French country style, lots of creative art decorating the room. Each wooden table is different and it feels “like home” here - I feel at home here.

I place an order for a decaf-latte-little foam-grande and then wander the room. Joel Chenet, along with his wife, Martine (both from France) preside over Mill Bay Coffee & Pastries and Monsieur Chenet is a well accomplished Chef and has headed many restaurants. Martine, I have read is also involved in the food industry. Numerous certificates and awards adorn the room. There is a newspaper article clipping near the counter with Mr. Chenet pictured with Alton Brown from the Food Network, I believe Mr. Chenet was participating in a food festival in Monterey , California.

My latte is heavenly, a fine roasted Alaskan coffee...I ask what brand I am drinking...Three Sisters decaf. I get a cranberry scone and my Husband gets a piece of Apple pie. OK, let me say this....even though my husband doesn't cook (when he does, it's great) he can be a critic when it comes to food and the one thing he is very critical about is apple pie. In the twelve years we have been together he has yet to have had a good apple pie. His complaints – too runny, too dry, apple pieces to big or thin, dry pie crust, no flavor. We take a seat and he takes a bite of his apple pie... he really likes it and says it's the best apple pie he has tasted. He likes the pastry crust and there is no “runny- syrupy filler”. I try a bite – he's right. It is probably the best apple pie we have had. The pastry crust is wonderful - sweet, flaky, moist. The apple filling also has fantastic flavor, perfect size apple pieces. Finally, a great apple pie. My cranberry scone is the best scone I have ever had. Melt in your mouth, almost like short bread with the right amount of sweetness. I will be comparing every other scone from this day forward to the scones at Mill Bay Coffee.

I took some photos of the coffee house before we leave but as we passed by the dessert display case I couldn't resist taking a photo or resist taking home a treat. We decided on a colossal Salmonberry Coffee cake which looks like a huge muffin. Later, after dinner, we enjoy the coffee cake... delicious, sweet, moist and tart clusters of Salmonberry.

We have been to Mill Bay Coffee several times over the Summer... my husband always gets the oatmeal with fruit compote and really enjoys it. The oatmeal is unlike any oatmeal I have had before, a wonderful home made taste, thick and not soupy like a lot of oatmeal I have had. It is served with maple syrup, brown sugar and a mixed berry compote (this makes it !)

I usually get the Breakfast Muffin ...hmmm good . A big, moist muffin with bits of ham, sausage, cheese and chunks of potato. Filling and satisfying. I have also tried the Viking crepe... with smoked Salmon, not with big chunks of Salmon but whipped into a a creamy dill sauce and pieces of potatoes throughout. Very good !

A Table for Two

Our Summer here in Kodiak is coming to a close. We have one more day here.... one more latte.