I got Mussels!!!

This is a simple post on a simple idea. We got this amazing new vinegar in at work right before Christmas. It was a fig and chili vinegar. "Hmmm  I don't know" I know that's what you're thinking. But trust me it was sweet! Well spicy actually. And that got me to thinking what could I whip up as a delectable treat to use this new flavor sensation? Well of course being French trained and preferring difficulty and accurate production over ease of use  the first thing to come to mind was an emulsified sauce of some sort.

Now a basic vinaigrette will just not do. Too passe. I mean don't I have better ideas than that like everyday? So maybe I should be looking to what I want the sauce to go with. Seafood seemed a natural choice for me this time. (BBQ recipe coming later). Scallops, mussels, yes shellfish. And what sauce is better with shellfish cooked to perfection than a creamy rich Hollendaise? So with the encouragement of a friend and a little ingenuity I present a sauce fit for any shellfish you find:

Sauce Johanna

2ea egg yolks
1tbl Waldburg Balsam Fig & Chili
1/2cup Clarified Butter
3tbl Chili Oil
1/2tsp Siracha

Whisk together the yolks, fig&chili vinegar, and siracha. Slowly drip in the chili oil while whisking. Make sure your clarified butter is hot/warm ~120f is good. Whisk in the butter a thin drizzle at a time until it is all incorporated.

The sauce was then gentle poured of our melange of fine bivalves as shown below. Please note that the plate also shows Miataki Mushrooms with Quince Glaze, and The shelfish are Mussels with Sorrel and Peppers.

Welcome to the surface of the moon....... Care for some Pizza?

Purple pizza No seriously Purple pizza. Not my fault really she made me. Well that's my story anyway. But this really is a good time to post this recipe. Being as it was made recently ie in the last weekish. And it is a modification of the crust from the Lamb en Croute. I would cut and paste the recipe but that would seem to be a tad bit redundant so instead I recommend just substituting 1/3rd of the chickpea flour with purple rice flour.


Now the baking on this does take a twist. In that you want to spread it out into a round on well greased  parchment paper and bake first at 450f until it looks like the surface of the moon. Then, and this is the step I forgot (DOH!!) turn the heat down to 300f and bake until totally dry, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before topping.

But now the interesting part the purple sauce!!! This is so simple and yet the flavors will floor you. Start with 1cup red wine reduce it over medium high heat until you have 1/4cup then remove from the heat and work in 1/2cup fresh goat cheese and black pepper to taste.

I know I didn't format that out nice but when it is only two ingredients I don't really think of it as a recipe. So after you spread our fine purple sauce on the surface of the moon, you can then top it ny way you like. So in keeping with the purple theme.....

Temporary segway here when I was younger every thing I made was green. You can ask my parents, green paint, green mud, green cake, green ... So odd how now it is purple.... but I'm sure the next thing I post will not be purple.

Ok so back to the pizza. Eggplant!! the perfect purple vegetable. Oven roasted of course, peeled and seeded. Which by the way allowed for interesting comparisons to filleting fish. It was kind of like skinning sardines. Hold at one end , bring the blade of the knife though the flesh to the skin turn the blade horizontal and pull back on the skin. I will demo this at some point. Now lay your fine fillet of roast eggplant on the pizza. Add some shaved parm and cook until lightly browned.

Dinner on Sunday Night

So the day was steady and bleek at work. Instead of visions of sugar plums dancing I had visions of plates of savory crepes. Something about lemongrass and creamy sauces has been stuck in my head for days now. So I sent a little txt birdy off to my favorite kitchen owner. And back they came with a message of Yum.................. So here goes;


Emily was so very kind to find a pair of pretty crepe recipes for me for inspiration while I was at work. Though when I looked them over they seemed more crape then crepe. Who lets people post these things. (man am I going to hear it for that). Any way they did give me a good ratio for oil to liquid and liquid to flour. I just adjusted from cold water and/or creme fraiche to Milk and egg. And here we go then;

Chick Pea Crepes
1ea egg
2ea egg yolk
3tbl Olive oil
1/2c milk

1cup Sifted Chick Pea Flour

Vigorously whisk together liquid ingredients. Incorporate flour 1/4cup at a time. Set batter aside until fillings are ready. To cook pour batter into a very hot skillet. Should take about a minute on the first side (until you see bubbles 1/2 way towards the center) then flip and ten seconds on the second side. Note that since these are gluten free they do not roll as nicely as most crepes. I will have to modify for rollability. Will try increasing eggs and using steamed rice flour......

Lemon Grass Sauce
2 egg whites
1tbl lemon grass puree
2 strips cucumber peel
1/2c yogurt
salt, pepper

Place all ingredients except yogurt into a food processor set on high and run until frothy. Add yogurt and puree until smooth. Store chilled.

Cucumber filling
1ea Leek
1ea Cucumber
1/4c White Wine
1/2tsp Poppy Seeds
1/4tsp Salt
Dice the leeks. Peel seed and medium dice the cucumber. Sautee the leeks in a hot skillet until they begin to caramelize. Add cucumbers, poppy seeds and salt. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and reduce while stirring. Should take 4-5 minutes on medium high. Reserve warm.

Now that that is all done we shall plate. Layers of crepe, Lemongrass sauce, then Strained Cucumber filling. Repeat. Then eat. Yum Yum.