Tag Archives: EXPERIMENTAL

Recipes

Experimental Recipe – Scallops Poached in Champagne

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Pretty much the entire month of October was taken up by preparations for a little gaming convention this past weekend, so I have been busy painting little soldiers instead of cooking and blogging…

Tuesday was my first full day off since then and I decided to have some fun with some scallops. Because I am a bit of a planner I wrote out a menu for the night’s festivities, something to give me a foundation to build upon.

menu plan on whiteboard

At least one Twitter follower thought it was “meticulous”. It’s just the way I do things.

Gathering the Mise

  • Scallops, preferably large dry sea scallops
  • Champagne, I used Freixenet
  • Radicchio
  • Arugula
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon
  • Green Onion Aioli
  • Red Onion
  • Green Onion
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Red or Yellow Sweet Bell Pepper
  • Shallot
  • Paprika
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preparation

First I started to marinate the Red Bell Pepper, some Green Onion and Red Onion in the Lemon Juice with some fresh-ground Black Pepper and a Teaspoon of EVOO.

aromatics marinating in lemon juice(Do this part first so the vegetables have time to absorb that Lemony goodness)

Next I put about 1/4 cup of the Balsamic Vinegar with the sliced Shallot in a pan over medium heat to reduce a little.

Poaching the Scallops themselves only takes a short time, so we save that step for last. The next thing I did was start to assemble the salad ingredients on the plate. Since the Scallops and the Balsamic reduction were going to be sweet I wanted there to be some bitterness to contrast that flavor, with the acid of the Lemon juice bringing all of the pieces together.

bitter greans for poached scallop dishCut out a thin slice of the Radicchio, this will be the base of the salad. I also roughly chopped some more for a garnish, alongside Green Onions cut on a bias and the Artichoke Hearts (the kind that come in a jar, packed in oil – drain them but do not rinse). I also gave the plate a dusting of Paprika and a few drops of the EVOO.

When the Balsamic was where I like it I took it off the heat and put it in the fridge to chill. I put another sautee pan on the heat and poured in a cup or so of the Champagne, turning up the heat too.

Time to finish building the salad. Pile some of the Arugula atop the Radicchio slice, add the marinated vegetables:

set up the salad

Finally, add your Scallops to the boiling Champagne and cook them to your desired level of doneness. I like mine firm, perhaps a little underdone. Place the Scallops on top of your salad, then drizzle with the Balsamic Reduction and Green Onion Aioli.

And Voila!

Scallops Poached in Champagne with Bitter Greens

Recipes

Playing with Pattypan Squash

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I found some lovely Patty Pan Squash at the Farmer’s Market and have been using them as side dishes. Just a simple saute in butter and garlic, maybe with a little shaved Parmesan Cheese.

patty-pan-squashBut, last night I decided to play around with them some, add more ingredients and see how they play together. I shaved the kernels off of a fresh ear of corn and threw them in a saute pan with the halved Patty Pans and some butter, on medium heat.

While the squash and corn were cooking I minced some Garlic, Red Onion, Green Onion and Radicchio, threw them in the pan, and turned down the heat a bit.

patty-pan-saute with garlic, onionsThe aroma was heavenly, earthy and sweet at the same time. The taste, well, it needed something. So it got a pinch of Salt & Pepper, some dry Cilantro and a 1/4 cup of Heavy Cream.

Better, but it needed some punch. Hey, Texas Pete is right there…Boom! Toss in some Feta Cheese crumbles and top with a shake of Paprika and now you’ve really got something:

patty-pan-with-feta-and-cream

Delicious.

This might make a pretty good “cream of” soup, too. Or a sauce for a Chicken and Pasta dish…

 

Recipes

Snails, Beets and Cream in Puff Pastry

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Last week, at the Leb Farmer’s Market, I was able to get my hands on some delightful fresh beets. It also happened to be my day off, so I decided to get funky and try something really different.

Earlier in August we had been shopping at a specialty food shop and picked up some Escargot dishes, so snails were on my mind and in my pantry. I wanted to do something a little more imaginative and “fun” than just cooking some snails in garlic butter.

The result was much more fun and satisfying:

beets-cream-snails-puff-pastry
I was on my second bite when my Lovely Bride asked if I’d taken a pic!

Wow, was this ever delicious!

The preparation is quite simple and straightforward, the shopping list inexpensive. You can probably make this in about 40 minutes, start-to-finish.

Shopping List

  • Carrot (1 large)
  • Beets (2 small)
  • Fennel (1 head)
  • Shallot (2 medium sized)
  • Green Onion (1)
  • Butter (3 Tbsp)
  • Olive Oil (3 Tbsp, Medium, for frying)
  • Dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) (1/2 Cup)
  • Heavy Cream (1/2 Cup)
  • Snails (1 can)
  • Puff Pastry sheets

Preparing the Puff Pastry

First I pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees, then I buttered the phyllo dough sheets and layered them in a muffin-tin:

Phyllo dough "purses" for the Snails and Cream
Phyllo dough “purses” for the Snails and Cream

Count out 6 or 7 snails into each “purse”

snails in puff pastryTop the snails with a pinch of salt and finely-chopped Fennel fronds.

Beet Cream Filling

  • Brunoise 1/4 Cup of each:
    • Carrot
    • Beet
    • Fennel Stalk (the white part)
    • Shallot

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a non-stick saute pan on medium heat, add the Carrot, Beet and Fennel. Cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the Shallot and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the wine and cream, lower the heat, and reduce to a very thick sauce. Stir frequently to avoid scorching. When the sauce is thick enough, remove from heat and reserve until you are ready to bake the Puff Pastry purses.

Reduced Beet Cream Sauce
Reduced Beet Cream Sauce

When you are ready, add two tablespoons of the sauce on top of the snails in each purse. Crimp and gently  twist the purses closed and bake in the oven until golden (about 8-10 minutes).

Prepare the Garnish

Fried Beets and Shallots

  • Julienne the second Shallot and set aside
  • Cut the second Beet into slices, about 1/8 inch thick, set aside
  • Chop the Green Onion finely, on a bias
  • Heat the Olive Oil in the saute pan and fry the Beet slices until they are crisp
  • Fry the Shallot until caramelized to a nice golden brown
  • Drain the fried garnish in a paper towel

To serve, line your plate with fried Beet chips, place the purse on top, then sprinkle with fried Shallots and Chopped Green Onions.

Beet Cream with Snails in Puff Pastry

Enjoy with a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc.

Recipes

Experimental Recipe – Green Onion Aioli

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Last night I had a friend over after work. We drank a couple of beers and talked about food and cooking. He is going to come over next week to spend some time with me in the kitchen, I am going to teach him how I make some of my favorite dishes (yes, there will be pics and posts!).

I had him try some baby potatoes with garlic aioli – a recipe that I made out of a Tapas cookbook I picked up this weekend – and he just about fell over. It’s a dead-simple thing, making aioli, but getting the proportions right is the key.

This morning I woke up thinking about that aioli, and how would it taste if I subbed out the garlic for green onions? I let the thought simmer on the back burner of my mind while I took care of some housekeeping and decided to try an Experimental Recipe.

Extracting the Green Onion Flavor

The most important part of this experiment, for me, was getting the most flavor out of those fresh green onions. They are one of my favorite garnishes, with such a lovely green flavor and lightly pungent aroma.

I took five of them, cut them down to 2″ lengths, and put them in the NutriBullet with a 1/4-cup of water and about a 1/4 teaspoon of fresh-ground peppercorns (I am using a blend of Black, Pink and White peppercorns right now). I pureed this for about 40 seconds, making sure all of the stems were broken down.

The result was an intensely green onion-flavored froth with an amazing aroma.

Green Onion Puree
Green Onion Puree

The second step was to get some of that extra water back out of the puree. I put it into a small pan and reduced it on low heat for about five minutes, stirring gently to release the air. When it began to look more ‘liquid’ I took it off the heat to cool down to room temperature. I also stirred in one tablespoon of Champagne Vinegar so it could start working on permeating the onion puree.

Mixing Your Aioli

      Puree:

    • 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 5 Green Onions
    • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • pinch of salt
  • 5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoons Canola Oil

Separate the yolk from a large egg and put it in a small dish to warm up to room temperature. When the yolk and puree are right, add them together in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of lemon juice and whisk.

Note: When I initially made this I did not include the lemon juice. When I tasted the finished product I found it needed a little more ooomph, so I whisked in the lemon juice… Boom! Perfect.

Once the sauce has achieved a creamy, uniform consistency, start drizzling in your olive and canola oil while whisking briskly.

Serving Ideas

I had some blanched veggies left over from the other night’s dinner so I used them for dipping:

Blanched Chilled Veggies with Green Onion Aioli
Blanched Chilled Veggies with Green Onion Aioli: Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Carrot, Mushroom and Snap Peas

I have to say that it is simply amazing with the asparagus and the snap peas.

Give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think.

Recipes

Experimental Recipe – Chilled Seafood with Cilantro/Jalapeno Puree

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Last week the Lovely Bride and I took a 9-day vacation, away from the frozen forests of New Hampshire to the warm(er), sandy shores of the Carolinas.

We spent a couple of days in Charleston, SC, and had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing food. At The Ordinary we had a lovely dinner of small plates, paired with some wonderful local beers and (non-local) wines. One dish that really grabbed me was the Chilled Razor Clams:

Chilled razor clams in a cilantro-jalapeno puree
Chilled razor clams in a cilantro-jalapeno puree

On our return I decided to take a shot at re-creating this sauce. The following is my Experimental Recipe for this dish, I have only made it once and it could use a couple of tweaks. This is enough for two good-sized appetizer portions.

roasted garlic and shallots

Start by roasting some garlic and 1/2 shallot in a little olive oil in the oven, 30 minutes at 350 degrees. While this is going you can prep the rest of the puree.

I used my new digital scale to record the measurements for this recipe, the units are in grams (no I’m not going to convert them). You can get an inexpensive digital scale at many department or specialty food stores (and I recommend that you do).

For making the puree I used my NutriBullet, as it does an amazing job of it!

  • 1/4 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored 35g
  • 1/3 Jalapeno pepper, seeded 12g
  • bunch of Cilantro leaves (no stems) 16g
  • 1/4 yellow Bell pepper, seeded 38g
  • Peruvian Pink Rock salt 2g (this is optional, I picked this up at Southern Season and couldn’t resist trying it. You can use kosher salt)
  • 1 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp ground Cayenne pepper
  • roasted Garlic 3g
  • roasted Shallot 17g
  • leftover roasting oil 5g

Put all of this into your blender and puree:

pureed cilantro peppers and roasted garlic
yes, it’s a very bright green!

Chop one scallion on the bias and dice up another 1/4 of the Granny Smith apple for garnishing the plate. Put all of these components in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Chilled Seafood!

March in New Hampshire is no time to be looking for Razor Clams, so I substituted shrimp and the little scallops, about 1/4 pound of each. After they were peeled, rinsed and patted dry I tossed them into a skillet for a good sear on both sides.

When they are done take them out of the skillet and on a plate/container to be put into the fridge for chilling.

At dinner time spoon about three tablespoons of the puree into a small soup bowl, put some diced apple and chopped scallion on top, then add the shrimp and scallops. You can garnish with other items too, I used bell pepper rings, you can go with radish slices, maybe even a little sour cream.

Voila!

chilled seafood with cilantro jalapeno puree

Experimental Postscript

When I make this dish again I am going to add more Jalapeno and Cayenne, to give it a bit more heat, probably double what I used here. The acid levels were good and the punch of the Cilantro was well-balanced by the apple and yellow Bell pepper. Maybe some Cayenne-infused sour cream on top…

Please feel free to share your thoughts.