Scallops and Shrimp Seafood Pasta

When a friend of our daughter (and us) came for a visit, Don  put this together. Word of caution: you better love garlic.

  • 1 lb. scallops
  • kosher salt
  • 12 oz. really good quality wide noodles
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 12 large raw shrimp, fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined
  • 3-4 cloves minced garlic
  • Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 3 oz. butter
  • 1/3 cup white wine (or seafood stock, if you prefer)
  • Lemon wedges for garnish

Scallops: soak for 10 minutes in a brine solution (3 tbsp kosher salt in 2 cups of water) remove after 10 minutes and place on a rack to dry.

Pasta: Place a large pot of salted water on and bring to the boil. Add the pasta and set the timer for 7 minutes before the pasta is ready.

Sauce: To ensure the scallops are dry, pat them with a paper towel. When the timer goes off, put a large cast iron skillet on high heat and add the olive oil.

When the pan and oil are very hot, add the scallops and sear them for 1 1/2 minutes before you add the shrimp, garlic and parsley.

Cook a further 2 minutes, turn the scallops and shrimp and cook a further   1- 1 1/2 minutes. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down and just keep hot. Be sure not to overcook the seafo

Add the butter and stir to melt. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.

To Serve: Drain the pasta, reserving a cup or so of the pasta water. Add the pasta directly to the sauce in the pan. Stir gently to incorporate all the ingredients together. Add some of the pasta water if desired, and top with the lemon wedges. Okay, you have to count out the scallops and shrimp so everyone gets the same amount. Lesson learned too late, I assure you.

Serve immediately in individual pasta dishes, as this is best piping hot. Be sure to have a slice of crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

 

Demi Glace (Au Jus)

Last week Don made the individual Beef Wellington (on site) and this is the Demi Glace that he made to go with it. In a word: YUM!

  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 2 1/2 cups beef broth, separated
  • 1 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
  • pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 bouillon cube (if necessary)

Form a roux with the butter and flour and cook out for 2 minutes, add the red wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes to cook out the alcohol.

Whisk in the 1/2 cup of broth and incorporate with the roux, whisking to avoid any lumps. Gradually add in the 1 1/2 cups of broth, again whisking constantly.

 

Note: Depending on the richness of the wine, you may wish to add part or all of the bouillon cube. or even the rest of the broth.

Seared Scallops with Fresh Corn and Truffle Oil

The other night, for a birthday dinner for Kelly  (#2 by the way) Don made this dish. Let me tell  you from the start, you could just sit down and eat the corn sauce,  it is that great. but it takes all of it to really be special.

  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 2 ears of whole sweet corn, kernels removed (about 1 1/2 cups of kernels)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • pinch of salt and white pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 12 large sea scallops
  • few drops of black truffle oil
  • 1 tbsp. chopped chives
  • Angel hair pasta
  • butter

In a pan, heat the butter and saute the corn for about 2 -3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the cream and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook a further 2-3 minutes until the cream thickens.

In a fresh pan, heat the olive oil, Add the scallops and sear for about 2-3 minutes until they have a nice sear on each side.

Cook the angel hair pasta and fold in a bit of butter.  Place the pasta equally into 3 bowls, add the corn sauce on top and place the scallops over the top. Garnish with a few chopped chives.

Serve with a glass of chilled white wine and treasure each bite. OMGoodness!

 

Squash Carbonara Recipe

This is a very yummy dinner to serve your family and friends. For those eating a gluten free diet, this is one more to add to your list.

  • 2 large Spaghetti squash
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 3/4 cup crisp cooked bacon bits
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, cut in 1″ widths
  • 1 large egg
  • 6 tbsp. heavy cream (whipping cream)
  • 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
  • pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise and remove all the seeds/fibers. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down and bake for about 35-40 minutes. A fork should pierce the skin easily.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the garlic and bacon bits for about 3 minutes.

Add the peas and cook for about 4 minutes until the colour turns a bright green. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the cream, eggs and cheese in a bowl until well blended.

When the squash has cooked, pull the strands out with a fork to make your spaghetti. While still hot, stir in the cheese mixture and then the bacon/garlic mixture.

Garnish with more cheese if you can handle it and a sprig of fresh parsley.

Trout With Butter Garlic Mushrooms

I will start off by saying we forgot to take a picture because we ate this dish all up and then declared “hey, we didn’t take a picture”. Sorrrrry! It is delish.

 

  • 1 lb. mushrooms
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 4 – 6 oz. skin on Trout fillets
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Clean the mushrooms and cut in quarters. Mince the garlic cloves and strip the leaves off the thyme sprigs. With a paper towel pat the trout dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet that has a cover until it starts to shimmer. Add the trout, skin side up, and sear until a golden colour (3 1/2-4 minutes).

Remove the fillets, skin side down, on a plate (we know it is not cooked through yet). Melt the butter in the skillet and add the mushrooms and sear, without touching, until the bottoms are well browned. Now add the garlic and thyme. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper, cook stirring once or twice until the mushrooms are just tender (about 3 minutes).

Reduce the heat to a medium temperature and now return the trout skin-side down in the pan letting them nestle into the mushrooms. Cover and cook until the desired doneness (2 -5 minutes). Use a thermometer to see that it registers between 135 – 145 degrees for a medium rare cook. Longer if you want it more well done.

Serve with a crisp garden salad.

This is so yum!

 

Crepes That Taste Like Apple Pie

The other day Don said he wanted to make something special for Sunday Breakfast. Yippee!!! says me. This is what we had. The batter for the crepes comes from a very old entry by Martha Stewart. The rest is Don’s invention.

This recipe is made in 3 major steps. Please read through first then go for it.

Crepe Batter

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • punch of salt
  • 2 cups milk, room temperature (more if you need it)
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 5 tbsp.  melted butter, plus more for the skillet.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and whisk together the milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the flour, whisking to combine. Whisk in the butter. Strain this into a medium bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to use, it should be the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush with butter. Ladle 3 tbsp. of batter if making small crepes. Wwe used 1/3 cup for the larger crepes. Turn and tilt the skillet to evenly coat the bottom of the crepe.  Cook until the top of the crepe appears to be set, the bottom is firm and golden brown in spots and the center is lifted by pockets of air (about 1 minute).

Run a spatula around the edge of the crepe to loosen. Slip the spatula under the crepe and GENTLY flip in one swift gesture. If it doesn’t land perfectly, that is okay, Simply use the spatula to unfold it or rearrange it. Cook until the bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, again about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate, and use parchment paper to insert between the crepes when cooking. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with butter, if needed.

Serve immediately.

To make ahead and save your nerves, continue on

Making the Spread

  • 8 oz.  cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Put this in a blender and pulse until completely smooth. Set aside and keep at room temperature.

Apple Pie Spice

To maker the spice, use:

  • 4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp. allspice
  • 3/4 tsp. ginger
  • 3/4 tsp. cardamom

Whisk these together to completely combine.

Now the Filling

  • 3 cups diced granny smith apples (3-4 apples)
  • 2 tsp. of the spice mixture
  • 6 tbsp. butter
  • 6 tbsp. brown sugar
  • a generous handful of toasted pecans, chopped

Add the sliced apples and apple spice together and toss to coat.

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan and add the brown sugar, stirring until the sugar has melted. Add the apples to the pan and let simmer for at least 15-18 minutes until the apples are soft, but not mushy. Keep warm until serving.

Ready to Plate

Prepare the crepes by spreading the cream cheese mixture evenly on each crepe. Put a dollop in the center and spread it like making a pizza. Add  generous amount of apples on one end, and roll each crepe over . Put a drizzle of pancake syrup over the length of each crepe and a dollop of whipped cream on each one.

We added a couple slices of bacon and WOW!

For 3-4 people there are enough for 2 each (extra for tomorrow).

*Note” this will make 32 six inch small crepes or 12 ten inch larger crepes

Sunday Stuffed French Toast

I keep telling people that it sure sucks to live here but when you have a super cook like Don, I just can’t help myself. Here is the fantasy meal we had yesterday.

  • 4 slices of Brioche bread (day old) and must be Brioche to work.
  • 8 oz. whipped cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. milk
  • 2 tbsp. sugar, more if you want sweeter
  • 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. butter for the pan (or more if needed)
  • icing sugar, maple syrup or fresh fruit

To begin, create a cavity for the filling in each piece of bread by laying one slice of bread on a board, using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit into the bottom of the bread but do not cut through all the way. You just want to create a pocket.

In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese, 1 tbsp. milk, 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Be sure to taste and if you want it a bit sweeter, simply add more sugar.

Transfer this mixture in a zip-lock bag and snip off a corner to make a piping bag. Inset the tip of the bag in the pocket and fill each slice with the mixture that same way you would fill a donut. Use an offset knife to evenly distribute the mixture and clean off the edges. Be sure to watch carefully so there is enough for all 4 slices.

Break the eggs in a wide but shallow bowl and beat them with a whisk. Now add the remaining milk, sugar, extract and salt.

Coat a non-stick pan with butter and place over a medium low heat until the butter begins to sizzle and foam up.

Place the bread slices, one at a time into the bowl and let the bread soak up the egg mixture for a few seconds and turn them over to soak the other side. Now place into the waiting non-stick pan. Work only in batches that will fit your pan.

Transfer the finished slices to a plate,  clean the pan, add more butter and continue cooking the remaining slices.  Plate individually, add the toppings of your choice, pour a fresh coffee and ENJOY!

Breakfast Puff Pastry Blossoms

This is what you can do when you have left over puff pastry. Yesterday I made my Pastry Straws for our company coming for a glass of wine and a visit. This was not happening when Covid hit and was a real pleasure.

But – we had half of the pastry left over and it can’t be re-frozen so Don, in his cooking wisdom, made these up. OMG! Are they ever delicious and so beautiful to look at.

  • 1/2 pkg. puff pastry, thawed of course
  • 3 slices of bacon, cooked crisp (very crisp) chopped
  • 4 eggs, whisked well
  • generous pinches of  grated cheddar cheese or more to taste.

Roll out the pastry to approximately 8″ x 8″ square. Cut into 4 equal portions. Spray a large muffin tin with Pam and set the pastry in. The top corners should stand up over the top. Put some water in he two muffin sections not being used.

Whisk the eggs together until light and airy. Place equal portions of the chopped bacon on the bottom of each muffin portion. Divide the egg portions equally into the cups and top with the cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven of 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Don said adding a bowl of fresh berries/pineapple etc. was awesome.

By the way, you have no room to eat two of these. One was just super.

Teriyaki Trout Burgers

Oh my goodness! You gotta love these treats.

This recipe is for 4 burgers, so if you have more mouths to feed, simply adjust the recipe.

  • 4 x 6 oz. Trout fillets
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 cup teriyaki sauce (we use Edo of Japan’s Teriyaki  sauce)
  • 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp. grated ginger
  • 1/2 pineapple, cored and cut in 1/2 inch slices
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 4 Brioche burger buns

Sprinkle the trout with the salt and sugar. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and rinse them completely. Pat dry with paper towels.

Heat the teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it is reduced by almost half.

Preheat the bbq to a medium temperature and grease the grills with 2 tbsp. of the oil. Rub the remaining 1 tbsp. oil on the pineapple and trout.

Grill the trout for 3-4 minutes each side until you have reached your level of doneness, brushing with the teriyaki sauce.

Grill the pineapple slices 3 minutes each side. Remove the trout and pineapple from the grill.

Heat the buns on the top rack of the bbq.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sesame oil and ginger well.

To assemble these delightful treats, spread the mayonnaise on both insides of the bun, place a fillet on the bottom bun and drizzle with any remaining sauce and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Top each one with a pineapple slice and lettuce leaf. Add the bun top and you are ready to dine. Make sure you have a few napkins handy and, of course, a glass of chilled beverage (your choice).

Hamburger Helper – New Way, Homemade

When my daughter was very young, and I was a single Mom on a limited wage, this was an alternative to meal I used from time to time. but it came in a box.

Don made his own version and it is yummy. You want to have an easy, quick meal to serve, go for it. It is very tasty.

  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 small garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • fresh parsley for garnish

Add the oil to a large skillet and heat to a sizzle. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and broken up. This will help in an even browning.

Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender for 2 minutes.

Now add the tomato paste and mix well to incorporate the ingredients and season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Add the milk, broth and macaroni. Stir this well and cover. When it has started to boil reduce the temperature and simmer for 9-10 minutes. The macaroni should be tender but not mushy. Stir this really well so it does not burn or stick to the pan.

Add the cheddar cheese and simply stir until the cheese has melted.

Sprinkle a light touch of chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Potatoes – Greek Style

We all have tried a zillion recipes for potatoes. I bet you haven’t tried this one. Don did these up when we had Souvlakis (from Costco yet) the other night. OMG! These are so yummy, we made him go out and buy more potatoes to make more and then we will remember to take pictures. We ate them all the other night and then realized “oh oh did we take a picture?”

Remember the name: Lemon Greek Style Potatoes

  • 4-5 potatoes, peeled and sliced in wedges
  • 2 tsp. Oregano
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 390 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, place the wedges in an even layer and drizzle the olive oil over them. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.

Combine the chicken stock, lemon juice and garlic and pour into the pan.

Cook, uncovered, in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed and the potatoes are crisp and golden.

Halfway through the cooking time, gently stir them to ensure an even browning.

Okay, get ready to chow down. I mean it when I said we cooked the Souvlaki from Costco. Easy-peasy and so good. Don, of course, doctors them up a tad to make them really tasty and special. Glass of chilled wine, small side salad and you are going to be happy!

Grilled Shrimp Salad

The nice weather has finally arrived and this is a great way to enjoy a lunch on the deck or a starter for dinner. Your choice…but maybe you’ll want both. A salad with a protein is always welcomed.

Soak wooden skewers in water for about an hour.

  • uncooked pineapple wedges cut into 1 inch chunks 12-15
  • 20-30 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4-5 cups mixed greens
  • add your favourites such as: green seedless grapes, halved,
  • 4-5 strawberries- hulled, baby tomatoes, toasted pecans or salad toppings, raw mushroom slices
  • The above ingredients will serve 4-5 people.

Marinade

  • 1/2 cup Pear juice
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice
  • 5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • pinch of salt

In a blender, puree all the ingredients until really smooth.

In a small bowl briskly drizzle the olive oil and whisk into all the ingredients to form a dressing type of marinade.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade. Add the shrimp and toss to coat well. Set aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate large bowl, prepare the salad and your toppings.

Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup of the reserved marinade
  • 2 tbsp. wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsps. pear juice
  • 1/2 tsp, Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat your grill to a high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and thread them onto the soaked skewers. Cook each side for 1-1 1/2 minutes until they are opaque throughout.

On separate skewers, thread the pineapple cubes and cook a few minutes longer than the shrimp so the centers become soft.

Serve the salad onto individual plates, add the shrimp and pineapple cubes and drizzle the Vinaigrette over the top. Here you get to use as much as you want on your plate.

Warm rolls and you have a wonderful meal.