Seared Scallop with Shaved Lamb and Pea Puree

I LOVE this appetizer.

This whole dish was simple in seasoning, but has a few seperate components when put together make it burst with flavor. The small shaving of lamb compliments all the flavors of the puree and scallop.

I think this was my personal favorite of the luxury dinner night. If you can't afford or find lamb in your area then you could leave it out.. but if you have the chance to make it all you won't regret it.

Ingredients:



1 Batch of Pea Puree (see pea puree recipe post)
6 large Scallops
Count your Scallops - 1 per serving is plenty.. unless you know someone will like seconds do one or two more than needed- just in case!
Salt and Pepper to Season
Olive oil


Directions:


 Scallops

Pat your Scallops dry.
Coast liberally with olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a stainless steel pan on high. Add in a coating of olive oil.
When heated add your scallops, they should hiss happily when they hit the pan.
Let them sit approximately 1 1/2 - 2  minutes each side (they won't take long). Be careful they don't stick to the pan. You should have lovely crispy brown scallops.


while the scallops are sizzling cook your lamb...............


Shaved Lamb Rack of Ribs

Ingredients:

3 Lamb Ribs
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil


Directions:

Take a rack of lamb ribs and cut off 3.
Like with the scallops, Rinse ribs and pat dry with paper towel.
Heat Pan with olive oil on high temp.
Season ribs liberally with Salt and pepper on all sides.
Place ribs in pan and let them cook and sizzle to taste. I don't like rare lamb so I cooked my a little longer. It's up to you.
When done remove from pan onto a cutting board and slice very thinly.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER.

On a nice white plate scoop a dollop of pea puree. Add small shavings of hot lamb and then top with Scallops. Clean plate edges if needed and serve. Simple and beautiful.

Pea Puree

I decided to try a pea puree after the big "Top Chef" debacle of who stole the pea puree.

 It made me think .. what is all the big deal with pea puree.

I am glad I was cheeky enough to try it because I think it was the show stopper of my luxury dinner menu.

Give it a try, even your pea haters might reconsider their attitudes to little ball of green.

(This can be made the day before and simply re-heat when ready to serve)


3 french shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 slices Pancetta finely chopped (you can substitute a thickly sliced non smoked bacon in here)
135g (1 cup) frozen peas (YES FROZEN)
3 tablespoons chicken stock or water


Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cook the shallots, garlic and pancetta for 3 minutes, or until soft but not coloured. add the peas and stock. cook over high heat for 3 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated.


Cool a little, then puree in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste. (I used an emulsifier... I LOVE that thing. puree and keep puree-ing until it is pretty much silky smooth)

Trio of Pastry Cups

~Caramelized Sweet Onion and Feta~You are guaranteed to find each person will at least love one of these three if not all of them. They are teeny enough that you can snack and munch and save room for the rest of the meal.

~Grilled Bacon Mushroom and Fresh Herbs

~Brie and Cranberry Salsa~

Puff Pastry Cups

4 sheets Puff Pastry Sheets(found in the frozen section of your supermarket)

Allow your Pastry to thaw to complete.


Pre-Heat Oven to 400 F.
Spray a mini- muffin tray with non-stick spray. Also do a large regular muffin tray if you would like larger cups.


Roll your pastry to thin it out into a square shape. Cut it into squares (one sheet cut into 9 squares for me). Place the square in the muffin cups. Press it into the bottom to help it to form and keep shape as it puffs up. Trim the edges of pastry off the top of the muffin top edging.


Place in oven and cook until just barely crispy. Do not cook fully as then they will over cook when you fill them. You just want to firm up the middle .


Pastries will Puff up and you might think they are not cup shape. Just get the back end of a knife or spoon and while baking gently press in the middle. Repeat again once the come out of the oven and are a little malleable.

 

Fillings

Brie and Cranberry Salsa (Salsa must be done 3 days before hand)


Ingredients:

1 packet of Craisens (dried cranberries will do)
2 cups Red Wine Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
1 TBS chopped dried Rosemary
1 large Triangle of Brie.


Directions:


Combine Vinegar and Sugar in a re-sealable bowl. Stir and try to break down the sugar as much as you can. Add the rosemary.
Add Cranberries and mix, thoroughly coat them evenly.
Seal and refrigerate, when ready to place in cups drain it completely from the vinegarette, squeezing it out with a colander.

To Serve - Place as much brie as you can in your pastry cup without it overflowing. Bake in 400 Degree oven until Cheese is fully melted and bubbling slightly.

Remove and top with cranberries.


Grilled Bacon Mushroom and Fresh Herbs


Ingredients
4 cups Button mushrooms medium finely chopped
5 slices Meaty Bacon (chopped to same size as mushrooms)
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
olive oil
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tsp beef Bullion
3 garlic cloves smashed
salt to taste


Directions:


Get the leaves off your sprigs of herbs and finely chop them all together. Place aside.
Cut your bacon into good sized pieces. I like to know I'm really eating bacon when I take a spoonful of this toss.
With aluminium foil create a tray with good sized sides. (Give it enough room so you can bring the sides into the middle to form a mini lid).- If cooking indoors and not on a grill simply place the foil on a cookie sheet and cook on a high temperature in your oven.
Spray the foil with non stick spray.


Put the bacon and mushrooms on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on the herbs and beef bullion powder and salt on mixture.... roll up your sleeves and toss it through with your hands.


Nestle the smashed garlic cloves on the bottom under the mushroom mixture.


When ready place it on your grill and fold the edges of the foil inwards to keep some of the steam in. Let it sit on there without stirring for about 15-20 minutes.

When vegetables are starting to soften, drizzle on your Worcestershire sauce. With a spoon start mix/stir the vegetables and let them sit again, open the foil and continue to stir and then mix your toss until are completely cooked through.


Remove from grill and spoon into your pastry cups.


Caramelized Sweet Onion and Feta


Ingredients:


2 Large red Onions (Finely Chopped)
1/2 cup TBS Butter
Salt to Taste
1 cup chopped Feta Cheese.
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2 eggs


Directions:


Heat pan to medium. Melt 1/2 butter in the pan and add the onion. Cook it on medium low heat. As onions cook keep adding parts of the butter to keep it moist. They will cook for approx. 20-30 minutes. At the end when the onions have darkened without burning add the balsamic vinegar.


Whisk egg and cream together, adding salt for seasoning.


Place a small amount of onion in the bottom of your pastry cup. Top with some Feta then pour in the egg cream mixture. Place in oven and cooked until set. (egg should be softly cooked through like a quiche)



Cranberry and Herb Salsa

This zingy little chutney/salsa is the perfect accompaniment to baked brie, or on salads.

I also save the vinegar sauce used for marinating and turn it into a salad dressing!

Ingredients

1 large packet of Craisens chopped (dried cranberries will do)
2 cups Red Wine Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
1 TBS chopped dried Rosemary



Directions


Combine 1/2 the vinegar and all the Sugar in a saucepan. Heat on low until the sugar dissolves, allow it to cool to room temp.
When cooled combine the remaining vinegar and herbs with the cooked sugar mixture in a re-sealable air tight container.
Add chopped dried rosemary
Add Cranberries and mix, thoroughly coat them evenly.
Seal and refrigerate.  When ready to serve strain the vinegar marinade (if you want to keep this for salad dressing reserve in a bowl). Try to squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can from the berries.


To Serve - This is a great palate cleanser for cheese platters. Serve chilled.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Kiss

Here's a  little twist on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Your hands will get a little more messy and it takes time, but they are so cute and make wonderful gifts!

Cookie recipe courtesy of Libby Parr

Ingredients

 1 cup butter flavored crisco (or shortening)
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
For dipping another 2 cups semi sweet chocolate - or your favorite dark chocolate.

DIRECTIONS



Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheets (grease).

In a large bowl, mix together the crisco shortening and white sugar until smooth or fully incorporated. Beat in the eggs one at a time whipping them in well.

Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowel; stir into the pumpkin mixture.

Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.

Scoop a small spoonful into your hand and roll fast into a ball. (if you roll your hands slow it will just stick to your hands) then roll some more unevenly so you create a cone shaped ball.

Place onto cookie sheet. This is a very firm dough. however you place it and shape it is how it will stay. It doesn't spread on the sheet so you don't have to worry too much about spacing.

Place in the oven and let cook approximately 8-10 minutes, until the tip is just barely turning golden.

While cookies are baking over a double boiler melt your remaining chocolate pieces until nice and runny.

Remove cookies from oven, cool on rack and continue to bake until the rest of the batter is used up.

Take your cookie and dip the pointy top into the chocolate, hold it in the air to let it start to set and get it's "kiss" look.

Then place a plate of them in the freezer to help them set up while you continue to dip the rest of your cookies, remove set up cookies and rotate remaining cookies into the freezer.

Chicken and Shitake Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

My Handy dandy sister in law Camille hooked my up with this great recipe. If you are a fan of the P.F. Chang lettuce wraps then this is the post for you. The smokey flavor of the mushrooms, the slight crunch of the water chestnuts, the coolness of the lettuce, it all works together perfectly for a really tasty Asian inspired meal. Thank you Camille!

Cooking Sauce:

1 TBSP hoisin sauce

1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP Oyster sauce
2 TBSP water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch (cornflour)
Iceberg lettuce leaves, or any preferred lettuce leaves (keep in mind you need a good head of lettuce since you need an intact leaf to hold the chicken mixture)

Remaining Ingredients
8 shitake mushrooms minced (you can use dried you just have to soak them with boiling water for 30 minutes and remove the woody stems before use)

1 tspn cornstarch

2 tspn red wine vinegar

2 tspn soy sauce

2 tspn water

salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (approx 680 grams)

5 TBSP fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

2 small dried chilies (optional.. I did not use them this time)

1x8oz can bamboo shoots, minced

1x8oz can water chestnuts, minced

1 package cellophane Chinese rice noodles, prepared according to package

Directions

Make sure all your ingredients are prepared and ready for use. The key to Asian cooking is having it all prepped because it cooks so fast.

Mix all ingredients for cooking sauce in bowl, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, sherry, soy sauce, water, salt, pepper and chicken.  Stir to coat chicken thoroughly.  Stir in 1 tspn oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate. 

Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat.  Ad 3 tbsp oil, then add the chicken and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes (until cooked). Set aside.

Add 2 tbsp oil to pan.  Ad ginger, garlic, chilies (if you are using them), and onion; stir fry about a minute or so.

Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry an additional 2 minutes.

Return chicken to pan.  Add mixed cooking sauce to pan.  Cook until thickened and hot.

Break cooked cellophane noodles into small pieces and cover bottom of serving dish with them.  Then pour chicken mixture on top of the noodles.

Spoon into lettuce leaf and roll. 

I served mine with Coconut Jasmine Rice.

Vote for My Luxury Fall Dinner

Here we go again.

The voting booths are open for a couple days. If you put it off you know you will forget. It's pretty simple if you have already done it before you will already be all set up. You need be a member of Food Buzz.  Simply go to this link.

http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/3/view/1199

Then Click on the love heart on the top of the page to vote. It will tell you "To confirm your vote you need to login to food buzz or join". Simply follow the yellow brick road.

So many of you have commented and I love it. Thanks for all the feedback and by all means keep it coming. I love hearing your thoughts.

Hopefully I will be doing this again next week for the Photo Challenge.