Pan Seared Sea Scallops in a cream sauce with Angel Hair pasta and Asparagus

27 Jul 2010 at 10:15

topchefjef

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Ingredients

6 ounces Angel Hair pasta

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon white onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt to taste
white pepper to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
6 large sea scallop, side muscle removed, patted dry
salt to taste

Directions

1. Prepare pasta according to package direction.
2. In a skillet sauté white onion and garlic in butter over medium high heat without browning until transparent.

3. Deglaze the pan with wine reducing to half. Add the cream, reduce again by half; add the vanilla and salt to taste.
4. In another skillet with oil and butter over high heat, quickly sear scallops for 2 minutes each side, do not overcook.

5. Spoon sauce onto plates; twirl pasta around a long-tined fork (to make this job easier, I put one serving in a teacup), slip off onto plates atop the sauce.
6. Add 3 scallops per plate, garnish and serve.

Bloody Mary Flank Steak, Grilled Romaine with with Blue Cheese-Bacon Vinaigrette, Potato Salad

25 Jul 2010 at 09:29

topchefjef

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This was a good summer grilling recipe. Three components, and all were delicious!

Flank Steak

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable juice
1/2 cup vodka
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-pound flank steak

Directions

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients except for the flank steak in a 1-gallon zip lock bag. Add the flank steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the grill to high or heat a skillet over high heat. Remove the flank steak from the marinade and wipe the excess liquid off with paper towels. Grill or pan sear both sides, then lower heat to medium and cook to medium rare.

Let the flanks steak rest, covered, with a clean towel for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut on the bias against the grain and serve.

Grilled Romaine

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 heads romaine lettuce, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the grill to high heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add the onions and bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy. To the same pan add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Brush the romaine lettuce with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, place on the grill cut side down, and quickly sear.

Serve the lettuce, cut side up, and drizzle the balsamic dressing over the lettuce. Sprinkle with blue cheese and garnish with cracked black pepper.

Appetizer: Cucumber Cups filled with Crab and Bacon Mousse

24 Jul 2010 at 15:32

topchefjef

Appetizers, Recipes

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Someone invited me to a after-dinner party, and asked me to bring an appetizer. I wanted to do something creative and different — making a departure from your standard Swedish meatball madness.

Ingredients

1 English cucumber, unpeeled
3 ounces crab
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons horseradish
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut cucumber crosswise into 1-1/2-inch slices, then cut these slices diagonally. Scoop out centers with a melon baller leaving 1/4-inch walls.

In a processor combine cream cheese, heavy cream, horseradish, pepper and smoked. Fill cups with this mixture, garnish with herbs and serve.

Weekly Menu 07.25.2010

24 Jul 2010 at 10:57

topchefjef

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Shortened week this week. We are going “up north” to Higgins Lake, MI for a family vacation. The last meal (Sloppy Joes) is an easy one, because we leave on Friday morning.

Sunday: Pan Seared Sea Scallops in a cream sauce with Angel Hair pasta and Asparagus
Tuesday: Ballotine of Chicken Breasts Stuffed w/ Spinach & Leeks
Wednesday: Gai Pad Krapow
Thursday: Beer Braised Beef Tips, Broccoli, and Cheesy-Potato Cups

Grilled Tofu and Chicken Pad Thai

24 Jul 2010 at 10:52

topchefjef

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Turns out the local grocery stores lack tamarind paste. There’s a shocker. I omitted it, and added some squeezed lime and worchester sauce — which seemed to do the trick. The original recipe is below, with the tamarind paste.

Ingredients

8 ounces extra-firm tofu
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for brushing
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1/4 cup tamarind paste, reconstituted in 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound Thai rice noodles, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions

Heat grill to high. Brush both sides of tofu and chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the tofu on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly charred, remove, and cut into thin slices.

Grill the chicken for 4 minutes per side or until slightly charred and just cooked through, remove, and cut into thin slices.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan on the grates of the grill or side burner on the grill. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft. Add the ancho powder and cook for 10 seconds. Add the tamarind mixture, vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar, and peanut butter and bring to a boil.

Place the cooked noodles, tofu, and chicken in a large bowl. Pour the boiling sauce over the noodles and toss gently until until combined.

Fold in the green onion, cilantro, and bean sprouts and top with the chopped nuts. Serve with grilled limes on the side.

BBQ Pork Fried Rice

23 Jul 2010 at 10:32

topchefjef

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My first thought about this recipe is that I wanted to take something basic and family friendly like pork fried rice, and put a little twist on it. I wanted to grill the pork loin to bring in a little bit of a different taste. However, Michigan weather just didn’t cooperate. It rain, so I pan grilled it, which worked, but not as I hoped.

Ingredients

For the pork:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce

For the rice:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced snap peas
1/2 cup peeled, diced carrot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cups long-grain white rice, cooked and cooled
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped green onion

Directions

Pork: In medium bowl, add soy and oyster sauce, ginger and garlic, and sesame oil. Add pork and let marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Heat grill to medium-high, and grill pork on both sides until done. Heat remaining marinade to 165 degrees F and use to baste meat as it cooks. When meat is almost cooked through, glaze both sides with sweet and sour sauce and let finish cooking while sauce caramelizes on meat. Remove from grill, allow to stand for 10 minutes, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Rice: While pork is standing, heat oil in wok or large skillet on high heat until oil almost begins to smoke. Add ginger, as well as all vegetables except garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked, then add garlic. Before garlic browns, add rice and mix rapidly so rice does not stick to sides of wok or pan.

Once entire mixture is thoroughly combined, pour beaten eggs over rice and vegetables, and toss again rapidly until all egg is cooked. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Mix thoroughly and then add pork.

Garnish with green onions
. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Scampi w/ Artichoke Hearts over Angel Hair

22 Jul 2010 at 08:31

topchefjef

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Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
1 pound large shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and quartered
1/3 c dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
cooked angel hair

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp, artichoke hearts, wine, and lemon juice and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates and serve over pasta.

Weekly Menu 07.18.10

18 Jul 2010 at 08:12

topchefjef

Weekly Menus

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Sunday: Porterhouse, Grilled Corn, and Broiled Potatoes
Monday: No Meal
Tuesday: Ham Steak, White Asparagus, Baked Beans and Apple Sauce
Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi w/ Artichoke Hearts over Angel Hair
Thursday: BBQ Pork Fried Rice
Friday: Grilled Chicken and Tofu Pad Thai
Saturday: Bloody Mary Flank Steak, Grilled Romaine with with Blue Cheese-Bacon Vinaigrette, Potato Salad

Grilled Pepperoni and Mozzarella Pizza

17 Jul 2010 at 20:44

topchefjef

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Vince & Joe’s is a great market. They have some great artisan style pizzas there and will sell you the dough, which comes in very handy for me, because I have yet to make pizza dough worth a snot. I decided to grill this weeks pizza. Also, I cut the dough in half — making two pizzas. I know that weren’t perfect rectangles, but, I like the trapezoidal look to them. Plus, I could tell the boys that one of them was a heart, and the other was a warrior mask.

Directions

Roll each piece into a 7-by-12-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Brush an inverted baking sheet with olive oil and lay both crusts on it.

Lift each piece by the corners and lay on the grill, oiled-side down; cook until the dough puffs and the underside is stiff and marked, about 5 minutes.

Flip the dough with tongs, brush with olive oil, spread with the tomato sauce and top with mozzarella.

Arrange the toppings, and cover and cook until the cheese melts, about 5 more minutes.

Chicken Caprase Sandwiches on Onion Rolls

16 Jul 2010 at 20:38

topchefjef

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This is basically a redo of this recipe. A new picture, however!

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