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IPA Crab Salad Sliders with Apple Daikon Slaw

IPA Crab Salad Sliders 2

There are some rules to Party Food.

Not a lot, just a few. After all, parties are about lack of restrictions.  First, there needs to be a bit of portability involved. One hand, no utensils type of portability. If you’ve every tried to navigate the consumption of food that requires a knife and fork while trying to mingle, you understand the hard and fast nature of that rule.

You also need something low maintinace. Something you can set down and leave for your guests to grab, sans explanation.

Lastly (only three rules, after all, this is a party), you want something fairly quick and easy to put together. After all, you have other dishes to make, and dishes to wash, and people to mingle with.

But if you can work in beer, there are some bonus points involved.

IPA Crab Cake Sliders with Apple Daikon Slaw

Ingredients
  

For the Slaw

  • ½ large honey crisp apple cut into thin matchsticks
  • 3 ounces daikon peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • ¼ cup green onions sliced
  • 2 tbs IPA
  • 1 tbs raw honey
  • ¼ tsp mustard powder

For the Crab:

  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 tbs IPA
  • ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • pinch chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbs IPA
  • 8 wt oz lump crab meat
  • 10 Slider Buns

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together the IPA, honey and mustard powder in a small bowl. Add the apples, green onions and daikon, toss to coat. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl add the sour cream, IPA, Old Bay, onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, and IPA beer, stir until combined. Fold in the crabmeat.
  • Spoon crab meat into slider buns, top with slaw.

IPA Crab Salad Sliders_

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes2

No matter how often you move, there are things that you forget. Every time. You forget that you won’t know which drawer to put Sharpie markers and batteries in (they always end up in the same drawer), you’ll turn to grab the knife from where is "used to be," you won’t know where the Target is, or where to take your dry cleaning, or where to buy the best prosciutto and you can forget about that guy who offered to sharpen your knives for free if you bring him cookies THAT guy doesn’t exist in your new land.

I have a gypsy soul, I’ve never missed my own bed, I don’t have the home sick gene, I’m never nervous about new roads or new words or new food. I look forward to building a new database of people and place. But there is a learning curve with a new place. Things I didn’t know that I didn’t know. I’ve had to adapt to a new climate, one that was not 80 degrees on Christmas, and involves a near wardrobe change when I need to run out to the car to grab the beer I left in the back.

But the upside is that beer would have been overly warm in my old land, in this place, it was the perfect 43 degrees and ready to drink.

Now I just need to find a guy to trade knife sharpening for baked goods and I’ll be half way there.

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
  

For The Potatoes

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and chopped
  • 6 tbs unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sage minced
  • ½ tsp thyme. minced
  • ½ tsp rosemary minced
  • 3 tbs IPA beer

For the Salmon

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • ¼ cup shallots
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup stout
  • 2 tbs molasses not blackstrap
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 4 4-6 ounce Salmon fillets

Instructions
 

To Make the Potatoes:

  • Add the potatoes to a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Allow to boil until fork tender. Drain and return to pot.
  • Add the remaining potato ingredients, stir and mash with a potato masher until well combined.

To Make The Salmon:

  • Preheat oven broiler.
  • Add the oil to a pot over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
  • Add the shallots, cook until softened and slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the soy, stout, molasses, smoked paprika,onion powder and chili powder. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray (or drizzle with vegetable oil.
  • Place salmon on the foil, skin side down.
  • Brush liberally with glaze.
  • Broil for 3 minutes, re-brush with glaze, and place under the broiler for 3 more minutes. Repeat (re-brushing and broiling) until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
  • Serve over potatoes.

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes_

Hello Seattle + Spicy Steamed Mussels in Beer

 

Photos in this post were taken in Seattle with vintage Polaroid cameras by my  incredibly talented sister Kim van Groos 

Check out her Flickr, it’s very impressive.  

Space Needle Kim vanGroos Polaroid

I told you last week that I’m in the process of saying goodbye to Los Angeles. A process made easier by the fact that it will end with a move to Seattle, a city that I’ve loved for years. A city with a vibrant love for food, people who are aware and grateful, plus a craft beer scene that is one of the best in the world.

Colorful Grass Kim vanGroos Polaroid

I’ll get to discover a new city, fall in love with the local beer, cook with the incredible produce. I’ll also be near my sister who took all these photos, as well as my other sister who almost died with me in Morocco. I’ll be around the world’s best hops and the country’s best seafood. The idea of wandering around a new city, losing myself in the streets and the strangers is incredibly exciting. Especially a city like Seattle that has so much to offer.

Pikes Place Kim vanGroos Polaroid

I’m not limiting my explorations to Seattle. The entire Pacific Northwest, from Medford to Bellingham, has an incredible craft beer scene that I can’t wait to explore. The beer, the people, the pubs and the events, I plan to jump in with both feet, grab a pint, and become a part of what’s happening up North.

I want to share it all with you. Not just on the blog, but also on Instagram and Twitter. I want you to see the beer I find, the salmon I catch, the people I meet, the butcher shops, the breweries, the farmers markets, the coast and everything else that’s waiting for me up there.

Glare Kim vanGroos Polaroid

As I pack the boxes and say goodbye to Los Angeles, I wanted to make something that has a bit of Seattle in it, a reminder of what I have to look forward to.

Seafood and beer it is. Can’t wait to dig in.

Spicy Steamed Mussels In Beer

I start my trek North in two weeks. Join me, it’s going to be a big move and a big adventure. I’d love to have you along for the ride.

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Spicy Steamed Mussels in Beer

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 entre portions, or 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients
  

  • 4 strips thick cut bacon
  • 1 cup diced white onion
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lbs diced tomatoes about 2 large
  • 1 jalapeno sliced
  • 1 tbs red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup pale ale
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 ½ lbs black mussels cleaned and de-bearded
  • ¼ cup green onions diced
  • Bread for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or deep skillet cook the bacon over medium high heat. Remove the bacon from pot, chop and set aside. Pour off about half of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon still in the pan.
  • Add the butter and cook until melted.
  • Add the onions, cook until slightly browned.
  • Stir in the garlic, then add the tomatoes, jalapenos, red pepper flakes, beer, lime juice and chopped bacon. Bring to a low simmer.
  • Add the mussels, cover and allow to cook until mussels have opened, about 5 minutes.
  • Discard any that didn’t open. Sprinkle the green onions over the pan.
  • Serve with crusty bread.

Adapted from Epicurious

Spicy Steamed Mussels In Beer3

 

Drunk Shrimp Diablo

 

Drunk Shrimp Diablo. 15 minutes, spicy, beery and delicious.

I have a confession to make.

I’ve been hiding my Instagram account from you under a different name. I changed my Instagram name to The Beeroness last week after I realized that you want to see my life. This is the hang-up for me, the part that’s so hard to wrap my brain around: that invisible people on the other side of the computer actually want to see what my life is like. Sure, it speaks to a hideous level of insecurity on my part, but why wouldn’t I let you in?

Drunk Shrimp Diablo. 15 minutes, spicy, beery and delicious.

After all, you trust me with your Thanksgiving turkey, and to give you a Beer Cheese Dip for your football party, and you even ask my advice on what to do with the remains of the Blueberry Kolsch homebrew that didn’t exactly go as planned.

Drunk Shrimp Diablo. 15 minutes, spicy, beery and delicious.

So why has it taken me so long to show you pictures of my dog, or the behind-the-scenes of my cooking segment on CBS, or that time I stole wood from a construction site to make a prop table? Maybe I still can’t believe that I’m a person that people would want to know about. That you care about me as much as I care about you coming to visit my blog.

After all, you are the reason I’m able to spend my life cooking and drinking beer.

I owe you a lot.

Drunk Shrimp Diablo

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 cup diced white onions
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 2 tbs garlic chili sauce
  • 2 tbs red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cayenne
  • 2/3 cup IPA or Pale Ale beer
  • 1 lbs raw shrimp deveined (shell removed if desired)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
  • Add tomato paste, chili sauce, red chili flakes, chili powder, cayenne pepper and beer, Stir over medium heat until well combined.
  • Add the shrimp and tomatoes, cook until shrimp are pink and have curled, about 6 minutes.

I use this Chili Garlic Sauce from Huy Fong, and this amazing cast iron skillet that I can’t get enough of (affiliate links).

Drunk Shrimp Diablo. 15 minutes, spicy, beery and delicious.

 

 

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel_

I started this adventure masked as a blog just over two years ago. I decided when I first hit publish that this wasn’t a "let’s see how this goes" endeavor. This is was a full force, every piece of my life, both feet, all chips on the table undertaking. I was all in.

My stack of "I Need To Figure This Stuff Out" was much larger than my "I’ve Got This" pile and the more I fought towards the goals I set, the larger that first stack got. Lucky for me, my reaction to "You can’t do that" has always been, "You watch me." And somewhere along the road I stop hearing people say "no" to me and started to hear them say "Someday I’ll wish I’d said yes to you."

I guess it’s working, and I have a few gold stars to show for it. The first printing of my book,  The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), sold out in less than three months, I’m a regular beer expert on a radio show, I have people from all over the world share photos of the dishes they have made from my site with me over Facebook and Twitter (I LOVE this, keep doing it, highlight of my day), and in the past year I’ve been interviewed by dozens of magazines all over the world. I’m humbled by this in an enormous way, that what I’ve worked nights, weekends, poured so much time and money into is being realized. That I’m able to do this, share this love with you, and find a place in craft beer.

A few days ago an interview I did with the print magazine Imbibe hit newsstands. I stood in Barnes & Noble, trying really hard not grab the guy perusing motorcycle magazine standing next to me and yell, "THAT’S ME!" and shove page 21 in his face. I refrained.

So I’m doing it to you instead, I’m shoving page 21 in your face and yelling. But to you, I’m yelling "Thank you."

Beeroness in Imbibe_

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 fennel bulb sliced into ¼ inch slices
  • 3 cloves garlic mined
  • 1 cup white ale or wheat beer
  • 28 wt oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp crushed red peppers
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 cod fillets 4-5 ounces each
  • Rice potatoes or pasta for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the fennel slices and cook until caramelized on each side, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the white ale, scraping to deglaze the pot.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, red peppers, paprika, basil. tarragon and salt, bring to a low simmer.
  • Add the cod fillets, pushing gently to submerge.
  • Simmer until cod is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 8 minutes (Note: do not boil or fish will become tough, keep tomato sauce at a low simmer).
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove cod from the pot, add to a serving platter.
  • Bring the tomato mixture to a strong simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced about 10 minutes.
  • Plate the cod, top with tomato mixture.

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel 3

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

 

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

While flavor may be a great go-to reason to cook with beer, don’t overlook the more practical applications of beer cooking. One of the cornerstones of Practical Beer Cooking is the inherent meat tenderizing properties of beer, making it the perfect brining liquid. While infusing the meat with flavor and uping the juiciness factor, beer also lends it’s powers to giving you extra tender meat. While land dwelling meat is often the target of brining, most scallops need a good long soak in a hoppy brine.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Scallops are a deceptive beast. For the most part, these sweet and mild little sea treats look simple to prepare. But a few minor issues could be robbing you of that restaurant quality greatness. The first, and most damaging issue is that the majority of grocery store scallops will come soaked in a phosphate solution that, while whitening and preserving, infuses the scallop with a soapy taste. This phosphate solution also permeates the meat, leaking out during cooking and preventing you from getting a good sear. So, really, you need to flush the beast to get a great meal out of it. The phosphate soaked scallops are generally referred to as "wet" scallops and those that are not soaked in anything are referred to as "dry" scallops. While dry scallops are still available, they are harder to come by, more expensive, and much more rare the farther you get from the water. If your scallop is white and sitting in a pool of milky liquid, it’s a wet guy. If it isn’t labeled "dry packed" you can bet your dinner that your new found culinary delight has been hanging out in phosphates for a while.

The cure to this is really simple, and relying on those meat tenderizing properties of beer will give you a great wash to get your scallop back to a dry pack quality. Allowing the scallops to brine will work the phosphates out, giving you the ability to sear those beautiful scallops without that nasty milky liquid seeping out in the pan, ruining that beautiful sear you want. Make sure to allow them to dry really well before searing to get that great golden crust that always drives us crazy.

For this recipe I used a smokey stout for the sauce (the Sauce of Dreams, that I sort of want to take a bath in), the slight notes of smoke are really beautiful and add a bit of a Texas Barbecue flavor to these nicely seared scallops. I used Still Life by Beachwood Brewing, a really nice stout, with beautifully layered flavors. Look for a stout or a porter (both dark beers that are interchangeable when cooking) that have notes of smoke or espresso.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Ingredients
  

For the Scallops:

  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 2 tbs salt
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 12 jumbo scallops
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs olive oil

For the Corn Puree

  • 4 ears of corn
  • 5 tbs butter
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup cream or half and half

For the Sauce

  • 1 cup stout
  • 1 tbs molasses don't use Blackstrap
  • 3 tbs balsamic
  • 1 tbs soy

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl stir together the pale ale, salt, water and lemon juice.
  • Add the scallops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • While the scallops brine, make the puree. Cut the kernels off the corn cob, set aside.
  • In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the kernels, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cream. Allow to simmer until corn has softened, about 8 minutes. Add to a blender or food process and process until smooth, about 5 minutes. Pass through a fine mesh strainer or chinois (this will remove any fibers and give you a really creamy puree).
  • Make the sauce: Add the stout, molasses, balsamic and soy to a sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a strong simmer, cooking until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes (should easily coat a spoon). Sauce can be made three days ahead of time and stored in the fridge, but with thicken as it cools. Heat slightly to thin.
  • Remove the scallops from fridge and place on top of a stack of 4-5 paper towels. Add another layer of paper towels and allow to drain and dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper on both sides.
  • Add the butter and olive oil to a pan over high heat. Allow the butter to melt and get very hot, nearly smoking.
  • Add the scallops, flat side down, and allow to cook until a dark golden brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until seared on the opposite side. Remove from pan when a slight hint of translucent pink still remains at the center, don’t over cook.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

IPA Ceviche Lettuce Wraps

Beer Ceviche Wraps 2

We tend to feminize or masculinize food. Beer is man food, as is bacon, grilled red meat and bourbon. While tea, lavender, scones and blueberries tend to been feminine. Chocolate seems to be neutral go-between, grabbing it’s gender label once the final product is presented. Chocolate Stout Cake with Maple Bacon Frosting: Man Cake. Chocolate Strawberry Mousse: Girly.

Although I don’t ascribe gender to my food, I can clearly see the lines drawn in the sanding sugar. These daintly looking no-cook treats will fool you like the little vixens they are. One look at these mango and shellfish filled lettuce cups and you firmly place these in the Chick Food category. But with a sharp bite of beer and a punch of spicy heat, they would beg to differ.

Along the lines of my  I think now is a really good time to tell everyone minor motorcycle crash story, It’s past time to tell you that alcohol intensifies heat. While there is no way to tell the precise Scoville Units in any given jalapeno pepper, I can tell you that number will be dramatically increase after those suckers have spent an hour soaking in a high ABV IPA. So if you don’t want to turn on the oven, and don’t mind a little capsasin abuse to the mouth, this is a great meal.

If you’re man enough.

Beer Ceviche Wraps 4

 

IPA Ceviche Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb raw shrimp diced
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 1 manila mango peeled and diced
  • 1 tomato diced
  • ½ red onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced, seeds removed
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 2/3 cup IPA beer
  • 4 heads endive
  • 1 head radicchio

Instructions
 

  • Place the shrimp in a small bowl. Cover with ½ cup lime juice and ½ cup lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until the shrimp have turned pink, about 2 hours.
  • In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients (except the radicchio and the endive), allow to marinate for at least one hour.
  • Just prior to serving, drain the shrimp, add to the mango bowl and toss to combine.
  • Scoop a few tablespoons of the ceviche into the leaves of the endive and the radicchio, serve chilled

Notes

For a lower heat level, reduce Sriracha to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp


Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

None of us really know what we’re getting into when we launch that very first blog post, that Hello World! salute that enters us into the abyss of Blogland. We start these little cubbyholes in the internet Universe out of curiosity, desperation, boredom or just the hope that maybe our lives will take a dramatic tilt. We see the Holy Trinity of blog talent, the online mistress Trifecta we have to master when it comes to blog success: Food, Photos & Writing.

This by itself is a huge undertaking, the hope to be really fantastically,mind-blowingly amazing at three really specific careers, wrapped up in one title, delivered to you at our chosen URL. But that, unfortunately is just the perfectly placed cherry on top of the seasonally appropriate Sundae. Beneath that homemade cardamom whipped cream and strategically placed sprinkles melts an amalgamation of skills that we don’t just need to attempt, we need to master.

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

Of course we need to be a skillful recipe developer, photographer, food stylist, culinary-guru and engaging author. But that’s not all, your plate isn’t nearly full enough, pull yourself up to the buffet of online careers and load your platter. You will also need to add to the aforementioned list: SEO expert, web designer, social media darling, PR pro, marketing expert, branding aficionado, and business manager. After all, if you hired someone for each of those positions you’d be in the hole for over 200K.

But who else is going to register the LLC, build the website, apply for a trademark, get a PO box, take those gorgeous photos, not to mention edit them, write the posts, send DMCA take down notice, answer the emails, write the recipes, cook the food, do the interviews, fix that broken code, install the right plugin, promote the content, network with the right people and ohmygodican’tdoitall!

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

We need to give ourselves a break. These are ten really difficult jobs, ten careers for which colleges all over the land offer 4 year degrees. We can’t be good at them all and we can’t really afford to hire them all out.

We need to learn to make peace with it the things that aren’t were we want them to be. It’s a triage in a way, the biggest blood loss goes to the front, the rest can wait. In the midst of these panics, we need to remember the list of thing we are really good at is longer than the list of things we shame ourselves for. Because, odds are, there is someone out there wishing to be as good as you are at something.

Don’t forget that when you start to panic about creating a newsletter or figuring out copyright laws. You are really good at more that you are really bad at, the ship will float, it just takes time.

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 5 cloves garlic grated with a microplane (or minced)
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp red chili flake
  • 3 tbs tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup wheat beer
  • 4 tbs butter cut into cubes
  • 1 tbs honey
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • pinch salt
  • 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium high heat stir together the smoked paprika, garlic, cayenne, chili powder, red chili flake, tomato paste, beer, honey, pepper and salt. Add the butter and bring to a strong simmer, stirring frequently until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • In a separate pan heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and cook until ust starting to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce into the shrimp pan, cook until the sauce thickens and shrimp are cooked through.

Spicy Beer Shrimp5

Fried Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping Sauce

When I edit photos, I just pick the ones that I think are the stand outs (often only one or two) edit those, export and review what I’ve done.

It wasn’t until I pulled this set up in review that I saw that it seemed to tell the story of shrimp desperation. Maybe it’s just me, spending too much time behind this computer with limited human interaction, but this is what I see:

First, the recently transformed shrimp, fresh out of a scorching oil bath, sees potential solace in an a pool of amber liquid.

Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping5

He makes his move, hesitant at first, he throws himself towards the cool pool of dipping sauce that will surely quench the scorching heat that radiates in his coconut crusted core. He’s close, but there’s still a ways to go before he can dip his heated middle in the apricot flavored oasis. He pushes on, hoping a few more flips will land him in his sticky sanctuary.

Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping4

He pulls all the strength he can muster after his recent collision with the deep fryer and launches forward, landing cleanly in the middle of the delicious basin. It’s not enough, he wants more. He takes a moment to gather his strength.
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping2

One more explosive shove and he’s there, right in the middle of the refreshing wellspring. He lets out a deep sigh. 
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping

It’s ok to judge me for that. I’ve mostly spared you all from the incessant rambling of my haywired brain, but today has been a long day, you’ll have to forgive me. And my shrimp crazed ramblings.
But I do hope you come back tomorrow, I’ll have a lovely cocktail for you that will go well with this delicious shrimp.

Fried Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

  • Oil for frying
  • 12 shrimp, raw, deveined, shell removed (tail still on OK)
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup sweetened shaved coconut
  • ¼ cup almond slices
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tbs water

For the Sauce:

  • ¾ cup apricots, chopped (fresh but soft work best)
  • ¼ cup thai sweet chili sauce
  • ¼ tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbs soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Add 3 inches of canola oil to a pan, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side. Bring the oil to 375 to 400 degrees, adjust heat to maintain that temperature range.
  2. Add the coconut and almond slices, pulse until well combined, add to a small bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the salt and flour.
  4. In a third bowl whisk together the egg whites and water.
  5. One at a time, dredge the shrimp in flour, then coat in egg whites, and finally roll in coconut mixture.
  6. Drop into the hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on a stack of paper towels.
  7. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small food processor or blender, blend until smooth.
  8. Serve shrimp with dipping sauce.
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping3

New Orleans Barbecue Beer Shrimp

 New Orleans BBQ Beer Shrimp

 There is a magic to sharing a dish of food with a group of people, it’s unifying. We can all have our separate plates, and play nice, but placing a big pot of food in the middle of a table seems to breaks down walls. For this same reason, I love those big sharable 22 ounce beers that require that beer glassware I love so much.

New Orleans BBQ Beer Shrimp3

At the moment, my grill is broken so I need other options for, fun, get-your-hands-messy, food that can feed the Sunday Supper guests I keep begging to come over and eat my food at the end of the week. This was great, it only took about 15 minutes, really delicious and it has an unholy amount of butter.

If you can handle it, get the head-on prawns for some added flavor. And don’t forget that bread to mop up that fantastic sauce.

New Orleans BBQ Beer Shrimp2

New Orleans Barbecue Beer Shrimp

Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 2 sticks butter, melted
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • ½ teaspoon hot chili sauce such as sriracha
  • 1 cup pale ale
  • 1 pounds raw shrimp deveined, shell on

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (besides the shrimp), bring to a simmer.
  • Add the shrimp, cook until shrimp have turned pink. Avoid over cooking or the shrimp will be tough.
  • Serve with crust bread to mop up all that beautiful sauce. And lots of napkins.

Adapted from the original New Orleans BBQ Shrimp recipe from Pascale’s Manale

 

 

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze over Orzo Summer Salad

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad

This is that savory strawberry recipe that I was telling you about. I made this three times, and loved it more and more each time. This is how I love to eat on a regular basis: fresh produce, healthy fats,  no dairy (I love dairy and I eat it, but I try to eat as little as I can, which is a challenge), and so much flavor that I’m proud to serve it to dinner guests, which I did.

I made it once with quinoa, and of course that’s healthier for us, but the orzo just tasted special. I love the brightness and slight sweetness that strawberries add to savory dishes, so even if hadn’t taken on a strawberry ambassadorship with California Strawberry Commission, I’d still be in love with the idea of coming up with strawberries on the savory end of the scale.

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad2

Speaking of salmon, I’ve recently started to learn about sustainable seafood and what that means. Did you know that Target is known for a commitment to sustainable seafood? I have to say that was a little surprising to me, I thought I had to shop only at high end fish markets and expensive grocers to stay commited to the cause.

We can blame irresponsible fishing all we want, but the only place we can take action is in the store. It sounds like a giant undertaking, but really, just knowing where to buy fish and what types to avoid and you can jump on board. I love fish and eat it often, and it’s not very difficult to avoid the types of fish that are in danger and buy the fish that caught responsibly, like Alaskan salmon.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze over Orzo Summer Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup dry orzo
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ¼ cup diced red onions
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

For The Salmon

  • ¾ cup strawberries, chopped
  • 1 cup balsamic
  • 1 tbs honey
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 4 salmon fillets

Instructions

  1. Cook the orzo in lightly salted boiling water until al dente, drain and allow to cool to room temperature, toss with remaining salad ingredients.
  2. Add the strawberries and balsamic to a food processor or blender, process until smooth. Add to a saucepan with the honey. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes (can be made up to five days ahead of time).
  3. Add the pistachios to a food processor, process until they resemble bread crumbs, about 3 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, pulse a few times to combine. Add to a small bowl.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (too hot and the salmon will burn before it cooks through).
  5. Place the salmon into the pistachio mixture (non-skin side down), pressing the pistachio mixture into the salmon. Place the salmon into the pan, pistachio side down, allowing to cook until golden brown, flip and cook on the skin side until cooked through.
  6. Divide the salad between four plates, add the salmon on top of the salad, drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Notes

Taking the salmon out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking will allow it come to room temperature and cook more evenly, allowing you to avoid burnt crust and undercooked middle.

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad4

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella. The winning dish for The Today Show recipe contest: Healthy One Pot Meals. only 380 calories, 20 minutes and one pot!

Life’s funny, isn’t it? One minute you’re sitting there enjoying a nice Mother’s Day breakfast that your husband made you, and the next minute you’re talking to The Today Show and agreeing to take a last minute flight to JFK so that you can stand behind a podium for 3 minutes and pretty much say zero words on National Television. Something like that.

 Today Collage

Photo credit: Erwin Laureano

The real prize in this competition was the journey. I flew to New York on Tuesday, was able to have dinner with my new friend Ashely, and drinks with my old friend David. You could pretty much preface any request with, "wanna a free trip to New York and have dinner and drinks with some friends?" and I’d pretty much say yes to whatever followed.

NYC

Wednesday morning I was taken to NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, through the celebrity filled green room, and into hair and make up. Then up to a tiny studio that they referred to as The Spa, which included no studio audience, just lots of producers, cameras and a beautiful camera friendly kitchen. This was all for Joy Bauers Joy-full Cook Off. She wanted healthy one pot meals that where easy and family friendly. She choose my dish, along with two other amazing dishes to be taste tested on live TV by Kathie Lee and Hoda, who would choose the winner.

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella. The winning dish for The Today Show recipe contest: Healthy One Pot Meals. only 380 calories, 20 minutes and one pot!

The other dishes were amazing, and to be honest, I didn’t really care who won. I’d already collected my prize of flight to New York, hotel room, and dinner and drinks with friends, I was all set. But it turns out, Kathie Lee and Hoda are huge fans of skinny shrimp dishes and choose mine. I won!

Here’s clip of me saying pretty much nothing on the Today Show and winning a basket of NBC related swag:

Joy-ful Cook Off

 

And here is the winning dish, 380 calories per serving, gluten free, dairy free, 20 minutes, one pot.

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella

Yield: yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 380 calories

Ingredients

  • 12 large shrimp, peeled and devined
  • ¼ tsp sweet paprika
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika, plus ¼ tsp, divided
  • ¼ tsp onion powder, plus ¼ tsp, divided
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 8 ounces pre-cooked low fat chicken sausage, sliced
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • pinch saffron (about 10 threads)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 2/3 cups chicken broth
  • ½ cup peas (frozen is fine)
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsly, chopped

Instructions

  1. Place shrimp in a small bowl, sprinkle with ¼ tsp sweet paprika, ¼ tsp smoked paprika and ¼ tsp onion powder, toss to coat.
  2. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat, cook shrimp until seared, about 3 minutes per side (don’t over cook). Remove from pan, set aside.
  3. Add chicken sausage, cook until browned, remove from pan, set aside.
  4. Add the onion and bell peppers, cook, stirring frequently, until onions and peppers have softened, about 6-8 minutes.
  5. Add garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste, stir until combined.
  6. Add saffron, salt, pepper, remaining smoked paprika, and onion powder, chicken broth and peas, bring to a simmer. Add quinoa stir and evenly distribute quinoa. Add the lid to the pan at a vent, adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cook without stirring for 16-18 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid has absorbed.
  7. Place the shrimp and sausage on top, replace lid and cook for 1 minute or until shrimp and sausage is warmed.
  8. Sprinkle with parsley just prior to serving.

Chicken Sausage and Safron Shrimp Quinoa Paella

 

Salt Roasted Whole Fish with Grilled Artichokes

Salt Roasted Whole Fish with Grilled Artichokes

It’s been a strange few weeks for me, cooking wise. I’ve been getting back to the food I love, remembering why I ever picked up a whisk in the first place, challenging myself as a cook and remembering the food I fell in love with. If you follow my other blog, you are aware of this shift I’ve taken.

I’m happy, and relived in a way, chasing the Traffic Dragon is exhausting and cooking what I love makes me happy, and for the first time in a while I’m excited to share a dish.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish9

The first time I ever had a salt packed roasted anything was while traveling through Italy as a broke college student. I’d worked three jobs and saved for six months to send myself over seas and had ended up in the small city of Trieste. I’d wandered into a restaurant that was far too fancy for my tiny budget. I saw pesci listed on the menu and just pointed to it. There weren’t any prices on the menu and I just hoped that the fish I order wasn’t too expensive.

Grilled Artichokes5

What came to my table was a salt packed whole fish on a cart. I panicked for a second and then decided to order a glass of wine and enjoy it. It ended up costing $60, a small travelers fortune, but it was worth it. I lived off bread and cheese for a week, but I’ll never forget that fish.

Lately I’ve been trying to remember food I’ve fallen in love with and that fish came to mind. It’s a classic, old world, technique that isn’t used much in the US, but it’s brilliant at locking in flavor with zero added cooking fat.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish4

I found a video online by Tom Colicchio about salt roasted fish, just like the one I had in Italy. It paired well with the artichokes, and grilling is my absolute favorite way to make artichokes now, something you need to try this summer if you get a chance.

The fish is simple. Just start with a whole fish that’s been gutted. Most markets sell these cheaper than large fillets because there is less labor involved.

Mix the salt and the egg white, make a bed of salt on an oven safe serving platter (or rimmed baking sheet)

Salt Roasted Whole Fish

 

Put lemon and herbs in the cavity, then pack the remaining salt around the fish before roasting.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish2

 

It comes out of the oven a light golden brown and steamed to perfection. Very impressive, and pretty easy.

Salt Roasted Whole Fish 11

 

For the artichokes, just cut them in half down the center

Grilled Artichokes

 

Grilled Artichokes2

 

Use a melon baller and a sharp paring knife to remove the hair and the purple leaves, then boil for 25 minutes,

Grilled Artichokes3

baste with melted butter and grill until you get those beautiful grill marks.

Grilled Artichokes4

Salt Roasted Whole Fish

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lb whole fish, gutted and cleaned (sturdy fatty fish like: salmon, arctic char, whitefish, sablefish, bass)
  • 3 thin slices of lemon
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 4 egg whites
  • 2 cups coarse Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Pre heat oven to 400.
  2. Whip the egg whites with a fork for about 1 minute. Add the salt, mix until it resembles wet sand.
  3. Lay about ¾ cup of salt mixture on an oven safe serving platter (you can also use a baking sheet with sides) add the fish to the top of the salt bed. Stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon slices and rosemary.
  4. Add the remaining salt to the top of the fish. Pack the salt around the fish (it’s fine if the head and tail are sticking out).
  5. Roast at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 125F and the salt pack is light brown.
  6. Remove from oven, the salt pack should break away cleanly.

Grilled artichokes

Ingredients

  • 2 large globe artichokes
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 4 tbs unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • vegetable oil for grill
  • Dipping sauce, if desired

Instructions

  1. Prepare a pot of lightly salted boiling water.
  2. Slice the artichokes down the center, lengthwise. Using a melon baller and a paring knife remove the hair from the choke as well as the inner purple leaves, leaving a cavity in the center of the each artichoke half.
  3. Boil in the pot of lightly salted boiling water until the outer leaves tear away easily, about 20 minutes.
    Mix the lemon juice, melted butter, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  4. Brush a preheated grill (or a grill pan) with vegetable oil. Brush artichokes lemon butter mixture, grill cut side down, until nice grill marks appear, about 8 minutes. Baste artichokes with melted butter while grilling.
  5. Serve warm with dipping sauce, if desired (pesto butter, garlic aioli, herbed mayonnaise, lemon butter).

Salt Roasted Whole Fish5

Citrus Cooked Scallops with Smoky IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos

Citrus Cooked Scallops with IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos2

I’ve finally found some clarity when it comes to this struggle that’s been twisting around inside me over the past few weeks.

I told you about that feeling of creative stagnation, and the realization that I’ve been pandering to the masses rather than cooking what I love.

Both of these feelings, that I figured were separate, came into sharp focus this past weekend as originating from the same issue.

Citrus Cooked Scallops with IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos3

A very dynamic woman, a catalyst of inspiration, stood in front of me saying, "But what do you want? But what do YOU want?"

What do I want? Looking around at people who inspire me, who make incredible, insightful, layered and important food, thoughts began to form. I want to write things that matter. I want to make food that feels compelling and substantial. And in the midst of this realization, someone mentioned my Cheesecake Fudgesicles, and I cringed.

Citrus Cooked Scallops with IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos

I want to stop making stupid food.

The issue is that stupid food gets shared, pinned, and trafficked. Smart food is scary, intimidating and gets ignored.

But what do I want? I want to be taken seriously, I want to be respected and I want to grow as a cook.

I have to stop making stupid food.

The conflict is that I need to pay my bills, and stupid gets noticed. This is just how the world works, in almost every area. InBev makes billions more than Russian River, Carly Rae Jepsen sells more records than Delta Spirit and Oreo Funfeti Cake Batter Fudge will get more traffic than homemade Duck Confit Raviolis with Stout Cherry Sauce.

Although I can eat nachos like a champ, and I’ll never pass up a good brownie, when it comes to building a food resume I need to ask myself: what do I want?

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

I want to make smart food, I want write things that matter.

Taking a step back from the trenches of Google Analytics and the Traffic Trap of caring more about numbers than content, I thought about what I love when it comes to writing and food.

Writing: The piece I wrote on Homeboy Industries for Honest Cooking iPad magazine is the best thing I’ve ever written and possibly the only thing I’ve ever written that is truly important.

Food: Even though a food blog may never really matter in any real way, I used to cook food that a friend once described as “with food.” He said I could never just make a cake, it had to be a Chocolate Stout Cake with Orange Mascarpone Filling and Smoky Chocolate Ganache, everything I made had a “with” somewhere in the middle of the tittle. Layers, flavors, thought, and time spent on the food I really love somehow got replaced with Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes and Green Beer Cheese Soup.

Beer Pickled Jalapenos2

Everything I’ve made for the blog is delicious; the issue isn’t really with the recipes, but with me. Cupcakes are fine, so are Beer Cheese Nachos and Oreo Funfetti Slutty Nutella Red Velvet Brownie Cake Pops, especially if that is what you want to make, then do that. It’s not about “right” food and “wrong” food, it’s about finding what I want, and figuring out how to get there.

There is a magnetism to the S’mOreo Cake Pop posts, because it brings in readers, and seems to make people happy, things that I care more about than I should when it comes to what do I want?.

I’ll lose traffic, I can guarantee that. I can promise that my numbers will go down.

But I can also promise that nothing that I post will be difficult. Maybe you want to come on this journey with me and make layered “with” food, even if it doesn’t sounds as sparkly as those Red Velvet M&M S’mores Krispy Treats.

I just need to have faith in what I want, faith that the Universe will conspire in my favor, faith that this will lead to path in which traffic won’t matter, faith that seeking the answer to what do I want? will lead me down the right rabbit hole.

 

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs salt
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 cup beer I used an IPA
  • 6 large jalapenos thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Stir just until the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer, pour into a jar.
  • Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the jalapenos to the jar, replace the lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
  • Jalapenos will last for several weeks.

 

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs salt
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 cup beer I used an IPA
  • 6 large jalapenos thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Stir just until the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer, pour into a jar.
  • Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the jalapenos to the jar, replace the lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
  • Jalapenos will last for several weeks.

Citrus Cooked Scallops with IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos-1

Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp5

 Avocado season in California is pretty fantastic, avocados are so easy to come by. Of course, they’re great for you. Lots of minerals, antioxidants, healthy fat, but to be honest this is a food I’d eat even if it was bad for me. It’s flavor, texture and even gorgeous color has me hooked. It’s also my go-to when I want to add creaminess to a vegan meal.

I’ve told you before that Risotto is one of my favorite meals and adding one of my favorite members of the produce family just makes it better. Top it with some beer butter shrimp and you have yourself a dinnertime winner.

For this I used Allagash White, one of my staples of my beer cellar (I wish I had an actual beer cellar, until I figure out how to make that happen my beer selection takes up residence in the bottom shelf of my fridge). Allagash White is clean, bright, and has great spice and citrus flavor. It does not have the typical strong banana notes that most Witbiers have, which puts it over the top in my book, I hate bananas. It has an accessible complexity that makes it great beer to use when introducing people to craft beer.  It’s a great example of the genera, and of craft beer in general.

Allagash White

Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

Ingredients
  

For The Risotto:

  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 large avocado chopped (skin and seed discarded)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbs chopped shallots
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 1 cup Wheat Beer plus 2 tbs, divided
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbs chopped chives

For The Shrimp:

  • 1 cup wheat beer
  • 3 tbs butter
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
  • In a food processor or blender add the cream, parmesan and avocado, process until smooth, set aside.
  • In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and oil, cook until transparent, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds
  • Stir in the rice, cooking until the rice is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 cup of the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
  • Add about ½ cup of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the rice is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
  • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the avocado mixture, 2 tbs beer and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
  • To make the shrimp, add 1 cup beer to a sauce pan over medium high heat, reduce by about half, add the butter and stir until melted. Whisk in the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp have turned opaque in the center, about 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove shrimp from the cooking liquid.
  • Plate risotto, top with shrimp and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Avocado Risotto with Beer Butter Shrimp

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette

I could eat this salad every day.

I realize that quinoa has become a food trend that will inevitably run it’s course, I don’t care. I’ll love it and I’ll eat it long after it’s no longer cool.

The first time I made it, I cooked it the same way I cook rice and the results were pretty sad and mushy. I did some digging and figure out a few quinoa tricks and started to cook it this way. It has more flavor and better texture and it isn’t mushy at all, now I’m hooked.

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette4

After I made the jalapenos dressing I wandered around my kitchen looking for more things to eat it with, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I started making my own dressing, it takes about 30 seconds. It’s great to be able to through a bunch of ingredients in a blender and those little ingredients come out as a delicious sauce.

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • ½ cup dry quinoa
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 cup baby arugula, washed
  • 6 ounces lump crab meat, drained
  • 1 heirloom tomato, chopped
  • Yield: 4 side dish portions

For The Jalapeno Vinaigrette:

  • 1 large jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, rough chopped
  • 1 small shallot, rough chopped
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tbs aple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Add the quinoa to a dry pan, toast until you can smell it cooking, about 3 minutes. Add the water, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the lid at a vent. Cook for 16 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature.
  2. Add quinoa, arugula, crab meat, and tomatoes to a bowl , toss to combine.
  3. In a blender add the jalapeno, garlic, shallots, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Drizzle desire amount of vinaigrette to the salad (this recipe makes more dressing than this salad needs, save the extra for future salads).

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette2

 

Scallops On Smoked Sweet Corn Puree With Stout Balsamic Glaze & My Year According To Instagram

2012, according to Instagram

2012 instagram2

1. Drinks with Greg of Sippity Sup after the Herbavoiracious Book Release Party

2. Sharing a beer sampler with Jessica of How Sweet It Is during a break from BlogHer Food Conference in Seattle

3. Road trip to Big Bear with my gorgeous friend Linda, of Salty Seattle

4. The road trip with Linda was for the wedding or Matty, and Andrew of Eating Rules, amazing ceremony.

5. Chillin' on the field of Dodger Stadium with Andre Ethier. No biggie.

6. A much needed vacation to Santa Barbara with my amazing little family.

7. My first cooking segment! On CBS news in Los Angeles

8. Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner! I won the  Foster Farms regional cook-off in San Diego.

9. Trip to San Francisco and Napa valley for the Foster Farms National Cook off Finals. I didn’t win, but I did get an amazing weekend trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley, the opportunity to cook at the CIA, and some cash out of the deal. Not bad.

10. I signed my first book deal! with Adams Media.

11. How amazing is my husband? Seriously.

12. Feast of the Seven Fishes at the home of Greg of Sippity Sup. With Joy The Baker, Kristin of The Cuisnerd, and The AMAZING Table Set Guys, Nathan, Andy & Greg.

13. Joy and I had a couple of drinks. And then picked up sharp knives. She made a salad, and I mostly just giggled.

14. Christmas Eve at The Dresden a long running tradition. Although most people just know it as "That Place They Filmed The Movie Swingers" It’s a Los Angeles  landmark.

15. I rearrange my entire living room to take pictures. Of food. During my lunch break.

16. I gave my daughter a trampoline for Christmas and she doesn’t want to get out of it. Ever

 

Scallops smoked sweet corn puree stout balsamic glaze

I had such an incredible year, truly a year that was blessed by the blogging community and those who have supported me, the online friendships that turned to lasting ones and the connections we feel through food.

One of the my favorite events this year was The Feast of the Seven Fishes, a small dinner party and Fancy Schmancy Pot Luck thrown by Greg and Alaska SeaFood (see numbers 12 &13 above). A truly incredible night, hoisted up by the stellar seafood, an epic example of how essential it is to buy the good stuff when cooking a meal from the sea. Alaska Seafood is focused on providing the world with incredible, sustainable, wild seafood and were they gracious enough to provide each of the seven cooks who participated with the best Alaska has to offer.

feast seven fishes

(Photo: Andy Windak)

The results were outstanding. Some of the most incredible food I’d had all year.

Check out this amazing video of the evening put together by Andy.

Here is the progression of the Feast of The Seven Fishes dinner:

Hors d’oeuvre: Kritisn, Grilled Blue Star Oysters

Amuse Bouche: Nathan, Rye Crisp with Maple Cream, Rye Beer-Marinated Salmon Roe, Green Chile Sugar and Fennel Top

Frist Course: Me! Seared Sea Scallops with Smoked Sweet Corn Puree & Stout Balsamic Glaze (recipe below)

Soup Course: Brian, Seared Ponzu Halibut with Forbidden Rice

Third Course: Andy, Uni Capellini with Scallop, Bonito and Nori Crumble, Rye Toast with Pine Nut Porcini Butter

Fourth Course: Joy made this Crab, Apple & Pomegranate Salad

Dessert: Greg Caffè e Frittelle Dolci

 

Seared Scallops Smoked Sweet Corn Puree And Stout Balsamic Reduction

There are two ways to buy scallops, "wet" and "dry." A wet scallop with be soaked in a phosphate solution to preserve it. This makes it taste soapy and gives it a bit of a rubbery texture, but the vast majority of scallops sold in US markets are wet. Dry scallops are more expensive, harder to come by and infinitely tastier.

If you can’t find dry scallops, the best way to treat a wet scallops is a quick brine.

Here is my quick brine recipe that works wonders to get those phosphates out of your tasty seafood.

If you can find some dry Alaskan scallops, I highly recommend that you grab them.

Also, I used this smoker. It’s less than $50 and stores in your cabinet, perfect for me and my occasional smoking needs.

Scallops On Smoked Sweet Corn Puree With Stout Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

  • 5 ears of corn, shucked
  • 1 stick butter, divided in half
  • 1 leek, chopped, white and very light green parts only
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup stout beer
  • 2/3 cup balsamic
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 2oz pancetta
  • 12 scallops
  • Maldon salt & fresh cracked black pepper

Yield: 6 appetizer portions

Instructions

  1. Brine scallops if necessary.
  2. Smoke one ear of corn for 8 minutes over alder-wood chips according to smokers manufactures specifications. (in lieu of this add 1/4 tsp smoked paprika or replace the salt with smoked salt).
  3. Cut the kernels off all ears of corn, including the smoked ear of corn. Set aside.
  4. In a large pot, melt 1/2 stick butter. Sautee leeks until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and corn kernels, cook until softened, about 8 minutes. In a food processor or blender, puree until very smooth, abut 5-8 minutes.
  5. Pass through a chinois or strainer.
  6. In a medium sauce pan, add the stout, balsamic and honey. Boil until reduced to a thick syrupy consistency, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
  7. Dry the scallops well by placing between two stacks to paper towels.
  8. In a pan over medium high heat, melt the remaining 1/2 stick butter.
  9. Season the scallops on top and bottom with salt and pepper.
  10. Sear on both sides until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side.
  11. Cook the pancetta until crsipy.
  12. Plate the corn puree, top with two scallops per plate, drizzle with balsamic glaze, then top with crispy pancetta.