I recently picked up the cookbook “The Everything Restaurant Recipes Cookbook”.   The first thing I tried out of it, was the Olive Garden Chicken Scampi.  I love the Olive Garden’s Chicken Scampi.  Usually I order that and swap the chicken for shrimp. I didn’t follow the recipe fully, I adapted it to our taste, adding some broccoli and mushrooms.  This turned out fantastic.  Highly recommend you give this a try.

Olive Garden Chicken Scampi

Adapted From: “The Everything Restaurant Recipes Cookbook”

By: Becky Bopp

Scampi refers to meat or seafood that is grilled or sautéed in oil or butter and garlic.

White Sauce:

1 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

1/4 Cup Milk

Scampi Sauce:

3 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Crushed garlic

1/2 Crushed Red Pepper

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning (I omitted this, personal Preference)

Black Pepper, to taste

1/3 cup White Wine (Original recipe calls for 3/4 cup. I found that to be too much and had to add more chicken broth, to get the taste I wanted. Start with 1/3 cup and work your way up.)

1 cup Chicken Broth

Other:

2 Sliced Chicken breasts, cut in thin strips

Olive Oil

1 Green Pepper, thinly sliced

1 Red Onion, thinly sliced (I used white onion, that’s all I had)

1 1/2 Cups frozen Broccoli, thawed, Or fresh Broccoli, cooked until crisp, tender.

1 Jar/Can Button Mushrooms

10 cloves roasted garlic (I used jarred chopped garlic, didn’t have time to roast garlic)

1/2 package cooked Angel Hair Pasta (I used Spaghetti Noodles)

Directions:

1.  To create the white sauce, heat butter in a saucepan and add the flour, cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Slowly add the milk and cook for 3 – 4 minutes.  Set aside.

2.  To create the scampi sauce, heat butter over low heat.  Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper, and black pepper.  Cook for about 2 minutes on low heat.  Add the wine and chicken broth and stir until combined.

3.  Add 1/4 cup of the white sauce to the scampi sauce and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. (I used all of my white sauce, until I reached the consistency I desired.)

4.  Saute’ the chicken in a large skillet with a little olive oil.  Add the peppers, onions, broccoli and mushrooms. (If using fresh or jarred garlic add this now.) Saute for  8 – 10 minutes,  until the chicken and broccoli is cooked through.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

5.  Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente in salted water.  Drain. Toss lightly with a little bit of butter or olive oil.

6. (I did my scampi a plate at a time.)   In a skillet you cooked the chicken in (no need to wash the pan) add some drained pasta noodles.  Ladle scampi sauce over pasta. Add the cooked chicken mixture, and toss to mix. (Add more sauce if you like it a little more saucier!) Cook over low heat until heated through.  Transfer to a serving plate.  Garnish with parsley if desired and serve at once.   (This allowed me to make our pasta with the desired amount of sauce each person liked.)

Delicious!

Roasting Garlic:

For the roasted garlic, seperate the head of the garlic into individual cloves still in the paper.  Toss in olive oil, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 45 minutes.  When the garlic has cooled  to the touch, you should be able to squeeze it out of the paper shell of the individual cloves.

Quite awhile back, I ran across a cake at Dozen Flours Blog, where she raved about this cake. I came across some cubed butternut squash the other day at the grocery store, and picked it up with this cake in mind.  (Isn’t it funny how we will find recipes and store them in the back of our mind until such time as we run across the ingredients while shopping. )  While she suggest making this cake 1 to 2 days ahead of time for the reason that it improves in flavor, I did not plan ahead far enough for that. Still, the cake was delicious.  My sister-in-law and I both thought the cake was very good.  Super moist,  with a nice tight crumb. I can’t imagine how much better the cake would have been, had I waited another day to cut it.  I can tell you that I came back to another slice later in the evening and found it even better that when I had cut it.  I do believe, as mentioned in Dozen Flours post that fresh grated nutmeg is the way to go in this cake.  Powdered nutmeg, while still good just won’t give it the justice it deserves in this recipe. Would I make this again?  Absolutely! Delicious cake!  My sister suggested cinnamon, while it might be nice, I think if you use the freshly grated nutmeg and let your cake sit a day or two, you’ll be rewarded for your patience, without the addition of any other spices.  Try it both ways, I’d love to hear how the cake came out with cinnamon and nutmeg. I followed the recipe as given over at Dozen Flours blog, and although I had the candied ginger, I opted for a Toasted Almond Crunch sprinkled over the top of it instead.

Butternut Miss it Cake

Slightly adapted from Dozen Flours

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp. *Freshly* Grated Nutmeg

1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened

1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil

2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar

3/4 Cup Buttermilk

2 1/4 Cups peeled & Grated Butternut Squash, about 8 ounces.   (I used a 12 oz. pkg. Cubed Butternut squash, shredded in the food processor)

Icing:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

2 to 4 Tbsp. Buttermilk (I used 3 Tbsp.)

1/4 tsp. *Freshly Grated* Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Finely Chopped Crystalized Ginger (Optional) or Toasted Almond Crunch

Directions:

Cake:

1. Center a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt cake pan. (I used Cooking spray for baking.)

2.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and freshly grated nutmeg.  Set aside.

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 1 minute until thoroughly softened. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.  Add the oil, and beat for another minute. Scrape down the bowl and beaters.

4.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds before adding the next.  Add the vanilla and vinegar; mix until just combined.  Scrape down bowl and beater.  Add half of the flour mixture, beating just until combine, then add half the buttermilk, mixing again until combined. Alternate with the rest of the flour, and rest of the buttermilk; mixing until just combined. Scrape bowl.

5.  Stir the squash into the batter in two parts, mixing on low-speed.  Mix entire mixture on medium high-speed for 5 seconds.   Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

6.  Bake in the preheated 325 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool cake in bundt pan for 30 minutes.  Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:

1.  Whisk the powdered sugar, nutmeg, and salt together in a small bowl.  Add the vanilla.  Add the buttermilk a Tablespoon at a  time (I used 3 Tbsp.) until the icing is of pourable, but still thick consistency. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle cake with the candied ginger, or in my case the toasted almond crunch. Let cake sit for at least 45 minutes before serving to let the icing soak into the cake a little bit.  Serve.

Recently, I acquired the book “Master Chef Cookbook”.   (Follow the link and use the preview. Take a peek inside.) This cookbook has a lot of really nice recipes in it. The best part of it, is these recipes are guaranteed winners! Keepers!  This book is from the series, Master Chef Show, in the nationwide search for America’s best amateur chef. These talented home cooks showed the judges, and the world, what America is really cooking. Here you will find the winning dishes! Ahem, I digress, this is not a cookbook review post, this is a recipe (that I adapted, ever so slightly) for a killer Macaroni & Cheese!  This is, (although expensive, but worth it!)  the best Macaroni & Cheese that my family has had the pleasure of eating. (Voted best by my family!) This really is a good macaroni and cheese and comes highly recommended! (The picture shows how the mac & Cheese will look if you choose not to use the bread crumbs. I had to satisfy a dietary request and leave part of the panko mixture off. If you can get away with it, I suggest the panko Bread Crumbs. They give the dish a little crunch, flavor and texture boost!)

Chic Macaroni & Cheese

Slightly Adapted From: Master Chef Cookbook (See above Link)

Recipe Courtesy of Faruq Jenkins

For his signature dish, Frauq re-created his grandmother’s recipe for super satisfying cheesy goodness. “I wanted to put my own spin on my 80-year-old grandmother’s beloved macaroni and cheese while honoring her at the same time.” Faruq says.  Gordon Ramsey issued him a warning: “If you’re going to bring us mac and cheese, make sure it’s the best.”  Ultimately, Gordon was impressed – and praised Faruq’s crisp and flavorful bacon-crumb topping with soft, velvety pasta in cheese sauce bubbling below.

Serves 6.

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing pan

1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk

2 Cups shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 small Onion, diced

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 Large Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Dry Elbow Macaroni, cooked al dente and drained

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground  Black Pepper

2 Cups Shredded Fontina Cheese

1 1/2 Cups Havarti Cheese

6 Bacon Strips

1 Cup Panko (Japanese) Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Using the additional softened butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 10X8 baking dish.  In a pot over medium-low heat, combine the 1/2 cup of butter, evaporated milk, and Cheddar.  Sprinkle in the cayenne and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture thickens into a creamy cheese sauce.  In a small skillet, with a little bit of olive oil, saute the onions until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant.  Set aside.   In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs  until foamy. Add the cooked macaroni and mix to coat the noodles evenly. Add the onions and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Slowly pour in the hot cheese sauce, stirring to combine.  Add the Fontina and Havarti cheeses and toss to evenly distribute.

Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium low heat.  When pan is hot, add the bacon and fry for 5 minutes, or until crisp on both sides.  Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel.  When it has cooled, crumble the bacon into a bowl and add the bread crumbs and Parmesan.  Remove the mac and cheese from the oven and sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until lightly toasted golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

For a great presentation, punch out a piece of the mac & cheese with a round 3 inch biscuit cutter.

What a busy, busy, September, (daughter and niece got married), October, November, December and most of this January has been for me! Please forgive me as this blog has been put on the back burner as life had taken over.  And even in all that hustle, bustle, bake-a-thon that went on here, I have only a few pictures to account for it. Sad, I know.  Anyways, I wanted to post and let you know that I have not abandoned my blog here, and I will be back, with excitement, baked goodies and a  burning desire to share it with all of you.

A favorite recipe that I had come across in the Holiday season is a cookie recipe, that quite frankly has replaced MOST of my sugar cookie recipes. Unless requested, this is the cookie dough that I make almost every time now.  This recipe has nutmeg in it, so you if have anyone with nut allergies, leave it out and continue with the recipe. Once you try this, you may not go back to regular sugar cookies. The recipe comes from a Red book magazine.

My daughter’s wedding test picture

Sweet & Spicy Cookies (Snowflakes)

Slightly adapted From: Redbook

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour plus cooling

Makes about 54 cookies

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups eggs

Another Test picture for my daughter’s wedding – Miette Style

Directions:

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, cloves, and nutmeg.  In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugars until creamy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  With mixer on low-speed, beat in flour mixture, half at a time, until blended.  Divide dough into thirds; wrap in plastic wrap and press into a disk shape.  Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 2 hours.  (I skip this process, as you can roll these without them being refrigerated.)

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease several large baking sheets.  Roll 1 piece of dough  at a time, on lightly floured surface with floured rolling-pin, to scant 1/4 inch thickness.  With 3 to 4 inch snowflake (or any desired cookie cutter), cut out cookies.

My beautiful niece & husband cutting their cheesecake

Cookies, my sister in law and I did for Grand kids to take to school!

3.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges.  Cool on wire racks.

Note:

If you’d like to make the snowflake cookies, you will need a straw, royal icing, coarse sanding sugar, silver dragees, and ribbon.  When cutting out the cookie dough, use a straw to make a hole in the top of the snowflake.  Bake as directed.  Decorate snowflake with royal icing, sanding sugar and silver dragees.  When cookies are dry, run a ribbon through the hole at the top of the cookie.  Makes beautiful tree decorations.

So there you have it.  Some of my baking escapades these past months. I wish I had pictures of everything I had made, the blog wouldn’t have been neglected  this long. Such is life. I’ll be seeing you soon!

My daughter, sister-in-law and I made these coffee cakes for the holidays. I’ll be posting the recipe soon!  (Look for Nanna’s Old World Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe! It is a delicious coffee cake.)

Holiday Coffee Cakes

Clark’s Quiche

“This recipe is excellent served for breakfast with fruit or at lunch or dinnertime with a salad. This recipe makes two 9 inch pies. The reason for this is because if you only make one you will hate yourself the next day when there are no leftovers. The Quiche microwaves well the next day. In fact most people say that the flavors have blended better on the second day… If in the strange case that you are filled up with one pie, this is a great gift to give a friend or relative, or if you are stingy…it freezes well with tin foil.”

Clark’s Quiche
Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 1 Hr
Ready In: 1 Hr 25 Min
Original Recipe Yield 2 (9 inch) pies
Ingredients
1/2 lb thick sliced bacon
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 Tbs dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.

2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir in ham and cooked bacon. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies.

4. Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Yield: Original Recipe Yield 2 (9 inch) pies

Source
Author: By: Clark Hamblen
Web Page: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/clarks-quiche/detail.aspx

Notes:

I made my Quiche with breakfast sausage instead of the ham and bacon. Turned out perfect.  This Quiche is delicious!

If you like Quiche, do give this recipe a try.  It got rave reviews from those who tried it, and I will be adding this to my regular rotation of recipes.

This salad makes for a great meal that even the Grand kids will eat, doesn’t take too long to make, and tastes delicious. What more can you ask for? (Click on picture for a better view.)

Ranch Chicken Salad

By: Fire up the oven

Romaine Lettuce

Red Onion, cut in thin slices

Cucumber, diced

Tomato, diced

Fresh Corn on the cob, Removed from cob

Bacon, cooked & Crumbled

Freshly Grated Cheese (Your favorite)

Red or Green Pepper, diced

Breaded Chicken Patties, cut in strips (I bought some at Gordon’s Food Service)

Homemade Ranch Dressing (Or store-bought)

In a large bowl, cut up lettuce.  I usually put the remaining ingredients in small bowls, so everyone can put the topping they want on their salad.  Cut the chicken into strips.  Make salads according to your tastes.  This salad is so good.  Especially with a homemade Ranch dressing.  I add croutons to my salad too. Yum!!

Do you have a favorite salad you make, that  your family regularly requests?

Every year my little Grandson (David) has a request for his birthday cake.  This year he turns 4 and he had a hard time picking between Power Rangers and Sponge Bob. So, to make my little man Grandson happy, we decided on a Power Rangers Birthday cake and Sponge Bob and Patrick Cookies. (Which by the way, the cookie cutters for Sponge Bob and Patrick are available here, at Karen’s Cookies.  Look for Thomas the Train, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, and I also know that Mickey Mouse is available at Copper Gifts.  Although, out of stock at the moment.)

My Grand kids had fun helping decorate the cookies.  My daughter Barb, (David’s Mom) as always, did a fantastic job on the Birthday party. The kids had so much fun and got to do Trick or Treating after the party. She lives in Howell and they had The Legend of Sleepy Howell weekend, with trick or treating in downtown Howell sponsored by downtown businesses. Here they are all dressed up.

Does your hometown do special events and trick or treating where you live?

You know it’s rare to find a cookbook that inspires you to want to make every recipe in it!   The recipes are simple, easy to follow, with most ingredients readily available at your local market, producing spectacular results.  (Sources are listed for the few ingredients that might require a specialty store.) Beautifully photographed, well written, and inspiring, this book will turn you into an Italian Dessert Guru:  Dolci:  Italy’s sweets by Francine Segan.

Francine Segan is an acclaimed food historian and author of four cookbooks, read more about her here.   In Dolci: Italy’s Sweets, Segan introduces us to the real Italy.  None of the recipes in this book are actually hers.  She gathered recipes from all corners of Italy.  Her recipes come from hip young food bloggers, grandmas in remote villages, from important Italian pastry manufactures and pastry chefs at small cafes. From thousands of recipes, she has selected the very best – a list that includes both the classics and desserts that contemporary Italians prepare in their homes today.

Chapters Include; Cookies & Bite sized sweets, Cakes & Sweet Breads, Refrigerator Cakes, Pies, Freezer Desserts, Spoon Sweets, Weird & Wonderful, unique & Unusual Desserts, Holiday Traditions, After Dinner Beverages, and last but not least; Basics.

While the book is beautifully photographed, the down side is the number of pictures.  There is not a lot of pictures, and for most of the recipes you’ll have to make it to find out what the finished product looks like.  I personally do not find this a deterrent. While I love to see more pictures in a book as most of us are visual, the book will still inspire you to make the contents within. With or without pictures.

Chocolate & Jam “Little Mouthfuls”

Filled with chocolate, ground almonds, and grape jam, these tiny, two-bite pies have an intriguing combination of flavors.  If the idea of making pie crust seems daunting, you’ll love this recipe.  Unlike most dough for pies and tarts, this one doesn’t require rolling or chilling and is just pressed into molds.  Made with olive oil, not butter, these mini pies are healthy as well as tasty.   Like so many dish in Italy, bocconotti vary from region to region.  This recipe is from Abruzzo, where they are filled with either a cooked reduced dessert wine called “Vin Cotto” or with a jam made from the local exquisite Montelpuciano grapes.  In Calabria, they are filled instead with just marmalade, and in the Lazio region, with sweetened ricotta. – Francine Segan

From: Dolci: Italy’s Sweets

Bocconotti

Makes about 3 Dozen

Region: Abruzzo, Calabria, and Lazio

6 Large Egg Yolks

1/2 Cup (100g) Sugar

1/2 Cup (120 ml) Olive or other Vegetable Oil

1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Grated Zest of 1 Lemon

1 7/8 Cup (225g) All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup (180ml) Grape Jam

1/3 Cup (45g) Almond flour or very finely ground blanched almonds

2 oz. (55g) Dark Chocolate, grated on a cheese grater

Pinch of Ground Cinnamon

(click pictures for another view.)

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. (180 Degrees C.)  In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until golden-yellow and creamy.  Add the oil, vanilla, and half of the lemon zest and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour, mixing until a dough forms. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine the jam, almond flour, chocolate, cinnamon, and remaining lemon zest and stir until well combined.

Lightly oil 36 mini muffin cups or 2 inch (5 centimeters) tart molds.  Press about 1 rounded tablespoon of the dough into the bottom of each mold.  Top with a heaping tablespoon of the jam mixture.  Take another tablespoon of the dough and press it flat with your palms.  Top the filling with the disk of dough and press it flat with your palms.  Top the filling with the disk of dough and press it into the edges of the mold to seal  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Verdict:  These little tarts are delicious. Easy and fun to make, they come together fast. The best part?  Eating them!   If you have the time, homemade jam would be best here.  If not, store-bought works just as well.  I see no reason these couldn’t be made in whatever flavor jam you might like.  I also plan on making them with the sweetened ricotta filling.

This beautiful, high quality, inspiring cookbook will attract all dessert lovers, especially, with its simplicity of the recipes, and in the ease of obtaining such spectacular results. This is a book that I will reach for over and over.  Recommended?  Highly! This book will not disappoint.

Full Disclosure:  I was given this book in exchange for a review.  The above review is my honest opinion of this book and the contents with in.

Recently, I was sent Anita Lo’s new cookbook “Cooking without Borders”.

Anita Lo is the owner and chef of the Michelin starred Annisa.  She has been featured on Chopped All Stars, Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America, the Martha Stewart show and more.  This is her first cookbook.    In Cooking without Borders, she offers more than 100 recipes celebrating the best flavors from around the globe, including chapters on appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, and desserts.   These recipes show home cooks everywhere how easy it is to think globally and prepare creative and delicious food.

What intrigues me and draws me to this cookbook is the combinations of flavorings, tastes and textures.  This book does not reflect the cooking that I have done in the past.  This book was fun, although taking me out of my comfort zone in the fact that so many of the ingredients in this book I have been foreign to and have never tried.  I will continue to use this book to broaden my tastes and experience some of the flavors from around the world.

For my recipe, I have to admit that I did stick to some of the comforts that I know; nevertheless, this dish was intriguing in its ingredients, tastes and textures.  Somethings I subbed.  The recipe calls for sea urchin, and at $55.00 a pound where I live, this ingredient was left out.  I swapped the Chinese Mustard greens for baby broccoli, first because I couldn’t find Chinese Mustard greens, and second, I love baby broccoli.  (Broccoli Rabe was a listed acceptable substitution.) This recipe was used in the Elimination Round in Top Chef.

Pan Roasted Sea Scallops with Uni, Bacon, and Mustard Greens

From: Cooking Without Borders by: Anita Lo

Serves: 4

For our elimination challenge in the first Champions Round of Top Chef Masters, we were each asked to present our fellow competitors with a signature dish – subsequently, one of our opponents would have to reinvent and make the dish his or her own.  As none of my signature dishes could have been done in the two hours allotted, I chose this rich scallop entrée because it’s indicative of my cooking.  The seared golden mollusk sits on a white potato puree, surrounded by a ragout of orange sea urchin, dark mustard greens,  and burgundy-hued bacon.  Although the shellfish is the star, the salty meat is the lynchpin; with the bitter greens, the bacon recalls the Southern collards -and – pork pairing; with the same leaves mustardy notes, it draws on that condiment’s ability to enhance pig parts;  with the briny sea urchin, it calls a chowder to mind; and, with the sweet scallop, it references a staple of New American cuisine.  My Potato puree is based on David Bouley’s . His is composed of fingerlings and butter in equal amounts, plus a bit of heavy cream  I  apply less butter and combine fingerlings with Idaho potatoes, which maintain fluffiness and make for a more foolproof outcome.  When Hubert Keller reinterpreted my dish on that television show, I don’t remember his straying that much from the original, but I believe he substituted  peas for the mustard greens.  Home cooks have a chance to put their own twist on things; for example, caviar could be used in place of sea urchin, or that component could be left out entirely. – Anita Lo

For the potato puree:

1/2 cup peeled & roughly chopped fingerlings potatoes

1 small Idaho potato, peeled & roughly chopped

3 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

A few grinds black pepper

For the scallops:

1 tablespoon neutral flavored vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds extra-large sea scallops, connector muscle removed (3 or 4 scallops per person)

1 teaspoon salt

Black Pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon Cognac

1/4 cup Lobster stock or clam juice

2 tablespoons bacon lardons,  cooked to render fat

1/4 cup wide stem Chinese mustard greens, cut (on bias) into bite size pieces

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

Pinch of chopped fresh tarragon

20 pieces sea urchin

1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Make the potato puree:  Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.  Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook until the potatoes are tender.  Drain well and pass through a food mill.  In a small saucepan, heat the cream and the butter over medium high heat until the butter is melted and the cream is steaming, then whisk the mixture into the potatoes until well blended and smooth, do not over whisk, which will make the potatoes gluey.  Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in a warm place.

Make the scallops:  Heat a pan large enough to hold all the scallops in one well spaced layer.  Add the oil, and when it’s smoking, add the scallops and season with the salt and pepper.  Lower the heat to medium high and cook until golden brown.  Turn and cook to desired doneness.  (I like them medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side.)

Meanwhile, make the sauce:  Heat a small saute pan over medium high heat. Add the cognac, bring to a boil, and cook for 30 seconds to cook off some of the alcohol.  Add the stock and lardons and bring to a boil.  Add the mustard greens and butter and stir to emulisfy.  Add the chives and tarragon, then add the sea urchin and a little lemon juice to taste.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding the salt and pepper.

To Serve:  Place the potato puree in the center of each of 4 large serving plates.  Circle the puree with the sauce and try to distribute the lardons and mustard greens evenly.  Top the puree with the scallops and serve.

Serves 4.

Note:  There are endless different kinds of mustard greens and any of them will work in this recipe.  You have, to name a few, the red frilly variety, the green frilly type, and the Chinese type called gai choy that are either small, or as I prefer for this preparation, wide stemmed.  Those stems are often, pickled, or as here, braised.  The cooking process tames the sharpness.  They retain their mustardy bite but won’t overpower the other ingredients.  Although quite strong, broccoli rabe, a cousin of these greens, is a viable alternative, if you use it here, a little bit will be enough. ~ Anita Lo

This is a high quality, beautifully photographed cookbook.  If you’d like to learn some recipes from around the world,  or if you’d like to expand your repertoire, this is the book for you. Now that we have even greater access than ever before to ingredients from all corners of the world, there’s no better time to enjoy these flavors at every meal, presented by one of our country’s most innovative chefs.

Recently I was sent Yvette Van Boven’s New cookbook “Home Made The Ultimate DIY Cookbook, featuring over 200 From – Scratch Recipes”, in exchange for a review.  Does this book deliver?  Oh, yeah and then some!

This book has everything in it!  Not only does it have everything in it, but it’s also a beautifully photographed, Do it yourself, wonder.   From Making Jam, Bread, Ginger Coffee, Teas, Cocktails & Liqueurs, Soups, Preserving Fruits, Preserving Meat & Fish, Gnocchi, pastas, Smoking foods, Roast it, On the side, Cheese Making, to making homemade, DIY, Ice creams, Sorbets and Semifreddo’s, Desserts with eggs including Zabaglioni, custard, fondant, pavlova, tarts, and everything in between.  Making chocolates, marzipan, shortbread’s, cookies, and truffles.  A chapter with making mustard’s, ketchup, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and there’s even a chapter to cover man’s best friend, our four-legged companions, “Do not forget the Dog”.

For my recipe, I decided (and it was a hard choice, out of all these delectable recipes) on Parisian Apple Tartlets.  These were some of the best Apple tarts I have ever tasted. And the recipe is user-friendly and easy to follow.

Parisian Apple Tartlets

From: Homemade – by Yvette Van Boven

For 6 individual tartlet bases:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 sticks chilled Butter

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

For the Filling:

3 Tart Cooking Apples, with red skin

1/3 Cup Superfine Sugar (Regular sugar works just fine here)

2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup Heavy Cream

Seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean

Mix of 1 Tbsp. Sugar & 1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon

2/3 Cup Apricot Jam

2-3 Tbsp. Calvados

6 Tbsp. Creme Fraiche

Directions:

Combine the tartlet base ingredients swiftly into an even dough. This is easiest in a food processor.  Use a few drops of ice-cold water if necessary. (I did end up using 1 Tbsp. of Ice water)

Leave the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Then roll out the dough on a countertop dusted with flour and use to cover 6 well buttered individual pie dishes.  Prick the bottoms with a fork.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/Gas 4.

Blind bake the tartlet bases for 10 minutes (If you are making a large pie, say 9 inch diameter, bake a little longer, i.e. 15 to 20 minutes).

Quarter the apples, remove the cores, but not the attractive peel. (I peeled mine, I have tart green apples, and I don’t like the skin of the apple!, I know – Shame!) Cut the sections into very thin slices. Stir the sugar through the flour. Stir in the eggs to make a nice paste.  Heat the cream, vanilla, and bean, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.  Remove the bean, and add the hot cream to the flour-egg paste, while stirring.  Pour that cream into the prebaked pie crusts and cover with the overlapping apple slices.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mix.

Bake the tartlets in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes (a larger version will be done in approx. 25 minute).  Leave to slightly cool.

Heat the apricot jam in a pan.  Dilute with a tbsp. of Calvados or water.  Press the jam through a strainer over a bowl and spread the collected apricot jelly on the tartlets.  Serve the tartlets with a tablespoon of unsweetened good quality creme fraiche.

Makes 6 individual tartlets.

This is one of those books that you will reach for time, and time, again.  An encyclopedia of Do it yourself treasures that has everything in it that you can imagine, and always wondered about how to do.  The quality of the book is first-rate, the pages nice and thick, not at all flimsy, and a nice touch that I really liked, 2 ribbons attached to the book to mark your place.  (Although, you’ll need many more book markers, to save the recipes you’ll want to try.)