Grilled Rack of Lamb, Haricot Vert Amandine

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Herbed Hawaiian Red Salt

Mint Vinegar Sauce

Haricot Vert Tossed with Roasted Walnut Oil, Marcona Almonds

A special thank you to Peter of Kalofagas blog, and ultimately Bobby Flay, for the idea to crust the lamb with herbed salt. Here I took fresh mint, parsley and dill and blended in a food processor with Hawaiian Red Salt.

Hawaiian Red Salt

A small amount of harvested reddish Hawaiian clay called alaea enriches the sea salt with iron-oxide.

The traditional red salt originated on Kauai, where red volcanic clay mingled with sea salt during heavy rains. Evaporation created Hawaiian Red Alaea Sea Salt.

The herbed salt looked like little jewels, watermelon tourmaline crystals to be exact. Beautiful!

The rack was removed from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking. It is massaged with fresh ground pepper and the herbed salt. (You can also wrap each bone with strips of aluminum foil to keep them from blackening).

Place lamb rack on the hot grill with a remote thermometer inserted into the meat. Close the lid and turn the fire to medium. It is important to watch as there may be fire flare-ups. If so, douse with a sprinkle of water. Turn the rack over once. When the temperature reaches 140 degrees (for medium-pink) remove the lamb from the grill and let it rest. Once the lamb was removed from the heat the temperature went up to 155 degrees while resting, then when it came back down to 140, it was sliced. I like to use the temperature to determine when the meat is ready to be sliced.

Very little of the juices were lost when slicing by waiting for the temperature to come back down. This method gave us juicy and smokey medium-pink chops exceptionally well-seasoned with the herbed salt and pepper.

In the meantime it is a snap to make a tasty mint vinegar sauce to complement the lamb. And to whomever it was that came up with the idea to pair not just mint, but vinegar too, with lamb, thank you very much.

The haricot vert are steamed then tossed with Hawaiian red salt, roasted walnut oil, and Spanish marcona almonds.

If you haven't cooked a rack of lamb on the grill, you just might want to give this smokey version a try!

Hollywood Bowl Picnic

 Summer Evening in LA 

Picnic and Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural outdoor amphitheater in the United States. It is a friendly sociable place where Southern Californians gather to picnic and enjoy outstanding music. Last Wednesday, we thoroughly enjoyed the music of Chris Botti and Orchestra. Chris is an engaging entertainer, refreshingly humble, gracious and funny, not to mention a fabulous trumpeter. He's my new fav. You can hear him here.

The gates open at 6 PM for the picnickers  to set up their tables and enjoy a meal before the show starts at 8 PM. We set up our box then went around to socialize with our neighbors and check out their picnics before dinner.

I spy... Veuve Clicquot Champagne

Our Mediterranean place settings and picnic menu:

Appetizer

Green Olive Tapanade, Dates, Sprouted Flatbread

First Course

Shrimp, Herbed Tomato & Feta

Grilled Ciabatta

Main

Cold Thin-Sliced Beef Tenderloin – Savory & Sweet Mustard Rub

Lemon Caper Aioli

Arugula Salad – Rosemary Vinaigrette

Cannellini Bean, Haricot Verte, Roasted Tomato, Marcona Almond

Dessert

Grilled Apricot

Greek Yogurt, Honey, Chocolate Mint Sprigs

Coffee

Since table setting is one of my hobbies, I get a kick out of some of our neighbors' tables...

this one is totally groovy!

These gentlemen had a manly setting and a nice bottle of Zin

Adorable little fresh flower arrangement,  jaunty table cloth & napkins

Centerpiece is a gourd with sprigs of lavender with sophisticated white linens

After the meal, the chairs are turned around to face the stage, everything is packed up and stored stuffed under our seats, and then...

...we enjoy the show!

Bravo Chris Botti and Orchestra!

"To me, music that breaks your heart is the music that stays with you forever," muses the best-selling jazz artist Chris Botti when talking about his new album, Italia. "It's one thing to be melancholy and one thing to be sophisticated, but when you get the two of them together in a way people can relate to, then I think you're on to something.  You want the sophistication to lie in the purity of the sound, the beauty of the arrangements, and the quality of the performances." 

A special thank you to Val, James and Terri for a wonderful evening under the stars.

Wild Caught Petrale Sole, Two Sauces

Fresh Wild Pacific Northwest Petrale Sole

Honey Teriyaki and Tahini Drizzle

Cilantro and Pickled Ginger

Here I lightly flour and season the fish then sauté in half butter half olive oil over medium heat. The sole is plated then drizzled with Honey Teriyaki and Tahini sauces and topped with Cilantro and Pickled Ginger.

The Royal Foodie Joust is a monthly competition involving creativity and three ingredients hosted by The Left-Over Queen. The current month's ingredients are picked by last month's victor, Peter of Kalofagas, who chose ingredients that sang to me:

• Seafood
  
• Cilantro
  
• Sesame
  

Wine Recommendation: M.Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rosé

Do I expect to win the JOUST, just by drizzling two bottled sauces on a piece of fish and topping it with the third ingredient? No way. But I so loved the synergism of the elements of this dish, I do believe it is worthy of sharing.

Other Petrale Sole Recipes:

Panko Crusted Petrale Sole with Crème Fraîche Caper Sauce

Avocado Cucumber Salsa over Panko Crusted Pertale Sole

Sole Meunière in honor of Julia Child

Summer = Rosé

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2006

A gorgeous mix of aromas and flavors of cranberry and dark tart cherry.

Surprisingly complex, with a dry intriguing peppery finish.

Established in 1808 in France's Rhone region, Maison Chapoutier has been passed from father to son to grandson. All of their wine labels have been embossed in Braille since 1996.

Maurice de la Sizeranne (1857 - 1917) President of the Association of the Blind in France and owner of the famous La Sizeranne vineyard in Hermitage, was blind since age 9. He was the inventor of the first version of abbreviated Braille. M. Chapoutier's trademark pays tribute to this man while making sure their wines are accessible to people who are blind. 

In Sizeranne's book "The Blind as Seen Through Blind Eyes" (Putnam, 1893), he asks, "May not we be instrumental in giving hope and happiness to those who are less fortunate than we, by aiding them to become self-sustaining?" Over three quarters of a century after Monsieur Sizeranne's passing, it would know doubt would please him that this producer is doing just that. The Braille label provides the following information: 

• M. Chapoutier 
  
• Appellation 
  
• Name of the Wine 
  
• Vintage
  
• Color
  

 

Steamed Green Curry & Shrimp Custards

Love of Steamed Savory Custard - Part II

Please refer to the previous post for the basic recipe. This time we tweaked it and came up with something that pleasantly surprised us. We used half of the coconut milk in the original recipe and substituted light cream. We also added a teaspoon of Thai Green Curry paste to the milk infusion.

So here is my lovely bamboo steamer which is the optimal vessel for steaming this custard as it absorbs excess moisture and prevents condensation from dripping on the food. It sits atop my new toy: A Viking Portable Electric Induction Cooker (I will definitely post more on this baby later). 

Shrimp were cooked in olive oil with salt and pepper until just slightly underdone. Cooled and sliced into thirds horizontally. The lemongrass/ginger/green curry custard was ladled into the cups. Several shrimp slices were added, then cilantro, chives, and razor-thin sliced Serrano pepper. Since the shrimp sinks to the bottom, we held back a slice of shrimp per cup, then added it 5 minutes before the end of cooking so there would be a shrimp on top too.

The ramekins worked great yesterday but aren't these cute dishes, lid and all? We picked them up at Mitsuwa that morning. Steam without the lid, it is just for presentation purposes. Oh, and we enjoyed this alfresco as well...lovin' summertime!

Steamed Savory Custards

We've fallen in love with steamed savory custard. So much so, that we ate 3 different versions within 48 hours. This one is the Crab & Shiitake rendition. Our recipes were adapted from one we read in Martha Steward Living which can be found here.

Coconut milk is infused with lemongrass and ginger: The coconut milk is brought to a simmer, chopped lemongrass and ginger are added. Removed from heat and let stand for one hour, then strained.

Lightly beaten egg yolks are combined with the cooled lemongrass ginger laced coconut milk, seasoned with salt and pepper.

The custard is poured into ramekins. Crabmeat, then shiitake slices and chives are added to the custard. The crab sinks to the bottom while the vegetables float, which makes for a lovely presentation.

The custard is cooked in a bamboo steamer until set, about 25 - 30 minutes for these 8 oz. ramekins. Steaming the custard is essential to create the delicate ethereal consistency.

We enjoyed our custards alfresco along with a fresh baked buttered baguette and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. This made for an enchanting light and elegant summer weekend brunch.

More Michael Mina

Tapioca-Crusted Snapper

Dried Fruit Basmati Rice, Chile-Lime Vinaigrette

Ahi Tartare

Pine Nuts, Mint, Ancho Chile, Sesame Oil

Our waiter, Bryan, prepares the Ahi Tartare for us.

Apropos of earlier in the evening when we attended a Red Dress Gala in support of Women's Cardiac Care, Bryan shapes the tuna into a heart. 

Spinach Soufflé, Parmesan Cream

Roasted Marrow Bones

Passion Fruit Panna Cotta

Lemongrass Consommé, Coconut Sorbet

I think I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is a luxury resort that has come to reflect the dynamic environment that surrounds it --- where sun-washed stone and bright green cottonwoods rise up to meet the pale-blue sky and majestic purple mountains. But it tops my list for these reasons:  Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak Restaurant and my absolute favorite amenity,  a copy of his cookbook in every suite! Now that's my kind of bedtime story :)

A special thank you to Mandy, Rachel, Jana and Laura for an enchanted evening...

...cheers girls, YAY for Pink Champagne AND a good cause!

Coffee & Conversation

This photograph entitled Coffee & Conversation is my submission to CLICK, a theme-based monthly food photography event. The theme this month is "coffee and tea."

What is the nature of this conversation?

• Is it serious or light-hearted?
  
• Micro or macro?
  
• Is it about food?
  
• About putting the camera away already?
• All of the above?

Evelyn Dawn's Salmon, THE RECIPE

Hi Lori Lynn

I hope this does it.

Evelyn Dawn's Potato Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

• Salmon
  
• Flour
  
• Eggs
  
• Hash Brown Potatoes
  
• Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
  
• Salt and Pepper
  

Cut Salmon on a bit of an angle into 3.5 ounce portions. Dust in Flour. Dip in Egg. Roll in Hash Browns to which you have added Salt and Pepper and coarsely chopped Italian Parsley. Put aside.

Lemon Dill Sauce:

• 3 cups White Wine
  
• Juice of two Lemons and their Zest
  
• 1/2 cup of chopped Shallots
  
• One bunch of chopped Fresh Dill
  
• 1 cup unsalted Butter
  

Heat first four ingredients in a sauce pan. Reduce by 1/3. When reduced, strain and slowly add 1 cup of all melted butter. This is your sauce. Keep warm.

The Salmon is pan sauteed in Olive Oil on one side, flipped and then put into a 450 degree oven for 7-10 minutes depending on how you like it cooked.

The Salmon is served pan Roasted Side up...on top of Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Carrots that have been sautéed in olive oil and Mirin (can be found in all Asian markets).

For plating...Vegetables on the bottom, Salmon on top, coat with Lemon Dill Sauce and a dash of fresh Lemon Juice. Garnish with Flat Leaf Parsley.

Enjoy!

Or you can come to Gina Lee's Bistro in Redondo Beach and we'll do the dishes.

Gina Lee