Smoked Salmon Blini with Caviar & Dill

These were very good, not too complicated to make if you buy store made puff pastry and look quite pretty and sophisticated.  Some people might not like the idea of caviar but you could always make some with and some without. A great little appetizer for New Year's Eve with some champers!

I basically followed this recipe although instead of creme fraiche I had to use plain Greek yogurt as the store was sold out just before Christmas. I thought the yogurt was just as tasty and slightly better for you too.

For the record, I am calling these blinis but they in fact are not traditional blinis at all! From OChef: "Blini are small, yeast-leavened, buckwheat pancakes that originally come from Russia. Classically they are served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon". Also, one is a "blin" while 2 or more are "blini".

Scallops with crispy sage in an Irish whiskey balsamic reduction

This was a spur of the moment recipe. I was dying for scallops. I had no plans for this so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I think I was subconsciously inspired by my recent trip to Kentucky where everything is infused with whiskey.

I am pleased to say that this experiment passed! It sounds like a very, very odd combination of ingredients but it just works. All measurements are estimates because when I'm making stuff up, I'm not good at paying attention to what I'm doing.

Ingredients & Preparation:
Serves 2 (double the recipe for 4 etc.)

• 8 oz of sea scallops
• approx. 3 tbsps of balsamic
• approx. 4-5 shakes of Frank's hot sauce
• few shakes of sea salt
• approx. 1 oz of The Macallan (Irish Whiskey 12 year old)
• approx, 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of heavy cream
• 10-12 fresh sage leaves
• 3 tbsps olive oil
  

The first thing I did was mix all the ingredients together in a small glass jar (except the sage, olive oil and scallops). Shake to mix (with lid on!). Pour the sauce over the scallops in a small bowl.

Now on the stove, add olive oil to a frying pan and heat. Once heated, add about 3/4 of the whole sage leaves and fry them up about 1 minute per side. Be careful they don't brown or burn. Once they are ready, set aside and let cool.

In the same frying pan, add your scallops and sear on each side until just cooked through (they will be opaque). Set scallops aside. Remember your crispy sage leaves? Smash those up in the bowl they are in until they are in little pieces. Add the remaining sauce from the marinade plus the crispy sage bits and cook it down a little bit. Then add a dash more whiskey from the bottle and reduce further. At this point the sauce should be more of a reduction. Nice and thick.

Place the scallops on the serving plate/bowl and drizzle with the reduction and garnish with some more fresh sage. Serve with whatever side you like - rice, orzo, fettuccine, or a simple salad of greens for an appetizer.

Fantastic!

Buttered Linguine with Seared Scallops, White Wine, Chili & Parsely

Could there be anything better than a fresh, big, succulent sea scallop? I personally, don't think so. While they are quite expensive where I live, you can make do if you are on a budget by only buying a few and cutting them in half.

This recipe takes only a couple of minutes once you have all your ingredients ready to go. Get everything laid out before you start. You will want to eat this as soon as it is ready - I would have eaten it directly out of the pot if no one had been looking.

Thanks again to my food boyfriend Jamie Oliver for his brilliance.

Ingredients & Preparation: (from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver)

Serves 4

• 12 scallops, trimmed (now I assume he means Bay scallops, but I used Sea scallops so you really don't need 12 if that's the type you are using or he is Jamie Oliver and can afford 12 big sea scallops)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium sized fresh red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 lb of fresh pasta (Jamie suggests taglierini in the original recipe - I used linguine)
• 1 good handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of butter
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

On a board, place each scallop on its flat side and slice it across in half. Put the olive oil in a hot pan and add the scallops, garlic and chili, which will sizzle and sear right away. As soon as the scallops have coloured on one side, pour in the wine, letting it reduce slightly.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Add the pasta to the scallops with the parsley and butter and remove from the heat. Toss and taste for seasoning. Serve.

This is an excellent meal - you must try it!

Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables & Pesto Vinaigrette

I've never cooked orzo before but it is a great pasta shape! Looks like rice but isn't - it's a tricky little noodle. The fresh, seasonal flavours of this dish are amazing after about 1 day when they've had a chance to really get incorporated with everything. This pasta salad can be served cold or at room temperature. Another great option for a potluck, picnic or a summer evening on the porch.

Ingredients & Preparation: (Original recipe from epicurious, Bon Appetit June 2008)

Serves 6

• 8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 6 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
• 2 medium zucchini or summer squash (about 9 ounces total), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
• 3 tablespoons purchased pesto
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 2 heirloom tomatoes (8 to 10 ounces total), cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I did not add mozzarella because we were having mozzarella sandwiches as well)

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper with oil mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Whisk pesto, lime juice, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette. Place shrimp in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons pesto vinaigrette; toss to coat.

Grill zucchini and bell pepper until crisp tender, about 3 minutes per side for zucchini and 4 minutes per side for bell pepper. Transfer to work surface. (I baked my zucchini, shrimp & peppers in the oven and that worked well - about 10 minutes at 350F.)

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; grill until charred and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place shrimp in bowl with orzo. Chop zucchini and bell pepper; add to bowl with orzo. Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill. (I made mine the night before and I think that it turned out just fine!)

Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold or at room temperature.

Mussels in White Wine, Herb & Garlic Sauce

When my husband and I were in Belgium a few years ago we ate a lot of Moules et Frites at the beautiful cafes in Brugge. This weekend I had a craving and decided to try and make them at home. I had no recipe (and I didn't measure anything - sorry!) so I decided to go by memory. Unfortunately the grocery store didn't have any fennel or chervil which is what I wanted to use so I improvised with some other herbs. The result was delicious!

Ingredients & Preparation:
Serves 2-4 people as an appetizer

• 1 bag of mussels from the fish counter (they should be cleaned & ready to use)
• 1 handful of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• 1 handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs of tarragon, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup of 10% cream
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• few grinds of fresh black pepper

Heat olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots and garlic are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, salt, pepper, the herbs and celery. Let that cook down for about 1 minute. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. At the last minute, add the cream to the broth. Take the mussels out and put them into a big serving bowl (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve with warm crusty bread for dipping.