New Year's Eve Menu

APPETIZERS

• Antipasto platter
• cheese, salami, olives
• Funghi tagliati e fettine sottili, con mozzarella fusa e timo
• sliced mushrooms with melted mozzarella and thyme

SEAFOOD
Taittinger Brut Champagne

• Oysters rocafella
• Naked Cowboy, Kusshi, and Delaware raw oysters with champagne foam and mignonette
• Sea scallops crudo 
• with shaved fennel and extra virgin olive oil
• Baked clams
• parsley, oregano, shallot, parmesan and bread crumbs

PASTA
Michel-Schlumberger 2011 La Nue Chardonnay 

• Casonsei from Val Camonica
• Homemade pasta stuffed with a sausage, potato, and chard filling

MEAT
Canetto 2006 Reserve Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

• Tagliati di manzo con radicchio
• Thinly sliced beef with wilted radicchio and gorgonzola
• Edible rocks 

DESSERT
Loxton 2009 Late Harvest Zinfandel

• Salted caramel tart with chocolate ganache

Sweet corn risotto, scallop and shrimp skewers, Eric Ripert's arugula and yogurt salad

This plate of food epitomizes dinner in August to me. A corn risotto topped with a chopped tomato and basil salad, skewers of bay scallops and shrimp spiced with a creole seasoning, and a refreshing arugula salad with yogurt dressing.

The salad is from Eric Ripert's amazing cookbook A Return to Cooking. It almost works as a palate cleanser with the meal and is a perfect accompaniment to the creamy risotto and seafood. His recipe calls for goat's milk yogurt, chives and pine nuts. I omitted the pine nuts and chives and used regular yogurt and it still was delicious.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH YOGURT DRESSING

1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp minced shallot
1/4 tsp minced garlic
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
2 large bunches arugula

- In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

- To serve, place arugula in a bowl, and just enough dressing to lightly coat the arugula and toss.

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Lemons and Capers Topped with a Scallop and Creme Fraiche Drizzle

So, I have not been keeping up with blogging.  Fitting since I've barely done any cooking recently. However, after a couple of incredible stressful and busy weeks at school and 3 major projects submitted today, I arrived home and decided it was my turn to cook!

After an ill-fated trip to Whole Foods without a wallet during rush hour, I regrouped, gather my materials and started cooking!  I had randomly come across this recipe on Food 52 earlier in the day when looking up a farro and roasted mushroom dish I plan to make over the weekend. I've been eyeing the israeli couscous in my cabinet and waiting for the day I can recreate my israeli couscous, ramps, asparagus and mushroom dish from last spring, it's almost time!

With the scallop this dish becomes a meal, especially when accompanied by a little arugula, watercress and radish salad in a dijon vinaigrette. We drank an old standby, Kung Fu Girl Reisling from Washington which is always lovely and the price is right.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH ROASTED LEMONS AND CAPERS TOPPED WITH A SCALLOP AND CREME FRAICHE DRIZZLE


Couscous

1 lemon
1 cup diced onion
1 1/4 cups israeli couscous
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon capers
5 caper berries, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

-Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

-Slice the lemon very thinly, I used a mandolin. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

-Roast the lemons until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. I set the timer for 10 minutes and then checked in 1-2 minute increments so the lemons didn't burn.

-Remove from the oven, let cool, and chop. 

-Heat oil in a sauce pan, saute onion with salt and pepper until softened

-Add couscous and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. 

-Add 2 cups chicken broth, the lemon pieces, and capers. Bring to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. About two minutes before it is done, add the caper berries.

-Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in parsley
 
Scallop and Creme Fraiche Drizzle:

2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons chicken broth
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup creme fraiche
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 large scallops

-Saute the shallots in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until translucent.

-Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated. 

-Add the broth and reduce for about 3 minutes. 

-Add the lemon juice and zest and the creme fraiche and stir. 

-Simmer for 2-3 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

-Heat pan over high heat.  Sear scallops on each side for about 1 1/2 minutes or until scallop is just barely cooked through

-Lay down some couscous on a plate, top with a scallop and drizzle with creme fraiche

Mussels in Cider

MUSSELS IN CIDER  serves 4
from Nigella Lawson

10 scallions white parts chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
24 mussels
3/4 bottle of Crispin Cider
1 tsp butter
olive oil
salt and pepper

--  In a large pan dash of olive oil, saute scallions and garlic with a little salt and pepper until fragrant, about 2 minutes

--  Add mussles and cider to the pan, shake the pan, cover the pan and let cook until mussels open, shaking the pan occasionally

--  Add the teaspoon of butter, remove from heat and serve with a nice crusty bread

Seafood Paella

One of the best Christmas presents Jason received (and I'm not just saying that because I gave it to him) was a paella pan!  We also gave our good friend with whom we cook quite a bit a paella pan and rice of her own.  So it was fitting that last week we had our inaugural paella making party.  Ironically, the evening we purchased the paella pan, we caught an episode of Avec Eric on Hulu where Eric Ripert prepared a simple seafood paella in his home.  We used his recipe as the primary inspiration for our own, with the omission of the fish filets and slightly less saffron (I think professional chefs have easier access to this exotic spice than us mere mortals!).

On a side note, I have become a great fan of Eric Ripert.  His show, Avec Eric, is a delight to watch as he visits chefs and friends in locations all over the world, gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of the kitchen at Le Bernardin, and then prepares a simple (for Eric Ripert) and always beautiful dish for us in his own kitchen.  Most of all, he seems like a lovely, thoughtful and creative person.  The show is on PBS, but we watch episodes on Hulu. 

The quantities listed in this recipe are perfect for a 12 inch paella pan.

SEAFOOD PAELLA

1 chorizo link, sliced into 1/4 inches
2/3 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 pinch saffron
2/3 tsp turmeric
2 cups short grain rice
5 cups chicken stock (approximately)
1 cup frozen green peas
12 large peeled and deveined shrimp
12 mussles
12 cockles
1 roasted red pepper sliced
1/4 cup parsley
lemon wedges

--Place the 12 inch paella pan on the stove on medium heat

--Add a little olive oil and cook the chorizo

--Add the onion, garlic, saffron and turmeric and cook until onions are just softened

--Add the rice and stir to coat the rice for about 3 minutes

--Add a cup or so of chicken stock to the rice and stir.  Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, adding stock as needed to get the rice cooked

--When the rice seems to be getting close stir in the peas then nestle the shrimp tail up in the rice and cook for about 5 minutes

--Place the mussels and cockels hinge side down in the rice so they can easily open and lay the pepper slices around the pan like spokes

--Cook for another 4 minutes or so until the mussels and cockles open

--Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with lemon wedges