Seduction Meals is about food + romance and the premise that everyone should learn to master one dish that is their signature dish—a Seduction Meal, to enchant and captivate that special someone in your life...
Sometimes the name of a recipe will conjure up images of temptation or extravagance such as Gem Oysters on the Half Shell with Champagne Mignonette and Fresh Horseradish. Or how about Heirloom Tomato & Gorgonzola Salad with Garlicky Croutons and Balsamic Syrup, or Valhrona Spiked Mousse served with Cinnamon Financiers and Citrus Sorbet in a Snap Biscuita.
Here is a recipe that instantly caught my eye--Angry Lobster on a Bed of Nails. I couldn't help but think of Nine Inch Nails or Joel Peter Witkin, but I had to stop myself knowing that David Burke, a master of presentation and culinary seduction, would have something magical under his sleeve; which of course, he did.
The dish is named for its clever presentation. Here David uses a round frog, a small holder with spikes used for flower arrangements, and places this on large plate. He then impales lemon eighths around perimeter of the frog and impales lobster pieces in the center. I have included the recipe below as well as a video I found of ChicTV illustrating a step-by-step demonstration. Of course for those that live in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas or Connecticut you may make a reservation at one of Chef Burke's wonderful restaurants and have this intriguing dish placed before you.
As we welcome the warm weather, sunny skies and Spring flowers, we begin to favor lighter meals made with fresh ingredients. Here is an intriguing recipe: Strawberry gazpacho served over a mound of jicama salad, topped with goat cheese and a sprig of thyme.. The picture below says it all. Enjoy! Strawberry Gazpacho Serves 24
Ingredients
6 lbs. Fresh California strawberries, stemmed and chopped
2 1/4 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
9 cloves garlic
3 jalapeño peppers
1 1/2 cups Sherry vinegar
Salt and black pepper as needed.
Jicama Salad
8 cups Jicama, peeled and julienned
2 bunches chives, cut in 1 1/2-inch length
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper as needed.
1 1/2 pounds fresh goat cheese
Directions To make Strawberry Gazpacho, in blender, purée strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, jalapeños and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. yield: 24 cups
To make Jicama Salad, combine jicama, chives, oil and thyme; season with salt and pepper. yield: 8 cups
Plating the Dish Mound 1/3 cup Jicama Salad in center of soup plate. Carefully ladle 1 cup Strawberry Gazpacho around salad; top with 1 ounce goat cheese, formed into a ball and garnish with a small sprig of thyme
Recipe courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission.
If you love curry you will love Camellia Panjabi's wonderful cookbook, 50 Great Curries of India. This is the ultimate celebration of authentic Indian curry,
encompassing both classic and unusual dishes from across India. You will find curry recipes for vegetables, beef, lamb, shellfish, and seafood.
I tried her recipe for Shrimp with Scallions and Fenugreek Leaves, with with a few alterations. I added scallops, a teaspoon of curry, and increased the garlic. This dish was a big hit in my home.
Shrimps and Scallops with Scallions & Fenugreek Leaves Recipe adapted by Camellia Penjabi recipe in 50 great curries of India
Directions: Soak the scallion greens and fenugreek leaves in a bowl of water with 1/4 tsp of salt added. Leave to soak for 15 minutes (This lessons the bitterness of the leaves). Drain, pat dry, set aside.
Mix 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, the red chili powder, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Add the shrimps and scallops, covering them well with the mixture and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
In a deep skillet, the oil, and when hot, add the chopped white part of the scallions, the chiles, curry, garlic and ginger. Saute on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until the scallions are translucent. Add the remaining turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon of water and cook for another minute.
Add the cilantro, soaked scallion greens and fenugreek leaves and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Just before serving, add the shrimps and scallops, the remaining scallion greens, and saute with the soaked greens for 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add 1 cup of water, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the shrimp and scallops are cooked. Taste to check seasoning. Add a little lime juice if desired. Serve with rice or cous-cous
Wake up to Tyler's Brioche French Toast Waffles with
Caramelized Apples and Bacon. Served with a mocha cappuccino whipped up
with an immersion blender.
BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST Yield: serves 4 Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
4 thick slices (1-1/2 inch slices) brioche bread non-stick spray powdered sugar, for dusting French toast batter:
3 eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Make French toast batter in a shallow dish: combine all the ingredients and whisk together.
Lay pieces of brioche in the batter and flip to soak evenly.
Heat up your waffle iron and spray with non-stick spray. Toast each piece, one at a time until golden brown and crispy about 3 minutes.
Keep warm in the oven while you toast the rest.
Serve crispy brioche French toast topped with caramelized maple apples and roasted bacon.
Dust with powdered sugar.
CARAMELIZED MAPLE APPLES Yield: serves 4 Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup of maple syrup
Directions
Peel and cut apples into small wedges.
Set a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add butter. Once butter melts and foams, add apples and toss to coat.
Saute until apples are just tender on the outside and start to caramelize about 10 minutes.
Add maple syrup and simmer for 2 minutes until sauce is thick and syrupy.
From its origins in 19th-century Russia, Beef Stroganoff has become popular in much of Iran, Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil, with considerable variation in the actual recipe. The dish is named after the Stroganov family, a distinguished Russian family involved in the settlement of Siberia, although the exact history of the name is unknown. (from wikipedia)
This variation of Beef Stroganoff is made with braised sirloin steak, mushrooms, leeks, egg noodles, a touch of red wine used for de-glazing, all held together with a light sour cream sauce.
"These brownies were a happy accident", says Michael Ricchuiti of Ricchiuti Chocolates. "Whenever I'd make marshmallows I'd be left with a bowl of oddly shaped trimmings that tasted great. My wife Jacky suggested I toss them in a batch of our brownies with some nuts and test them out at the Saturday morning Farmers' Market. They were a hit. Make them and you'll see why."
if you like to grill, here is a wonderful recipe by Tyler Florence you will love: Grilled Tuna Steaks and Tomatoes served over a white bean puree topped with black olive tapenade. Once you have all the ingredients set up (mis en place), this is a pretty easy recipe to whip together. Grilled tuna steaks prepared Mediterranean style. And the taste? Superb.
Ingredients Yield: serves 2-4 Time: 50 minutes
For the Tuna:
2 sushi-quality tuna steaks, such as Ahi (6 to 8 ounces) each, about 1 inch thick
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes
1/2 cup orange chile oil (recipe follows)
2 cups fresh Israeli arugula leaves, for garnish
Fresh mache, to serve on the side
White Bean Puree:
2 cans (14 oz) white cannelini beans, drained
2 cloves garlic
2 anchovy filets
1/2 cup white chicken stock, heated
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Black Olive Tapenade:
1 cup pitted kalalmata olive
1 small garlic clove
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon of fresh tarrgaon
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Orange Chili Oil:
1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons dried red chili flakes
2 strips of orange peel
Start by making the orange chili oil first as it needs to sit for an hour Make
the chili oil by adding the thyme, rosemary, chili flakes and orange
peel to the oil. Put aside and let it sit for at least one hour to let
the flavors infuse.
Clam Miso Soup, a delightful way to step into Spring. Light, satisfying, and deliciously flavored to tempt the most discerning gourmand. This creative slant on a classic Japanese dish is worthy of top billing for your next Seduction Meal. Serve with a chilled glass of premium Saki and toast to your good fortune.
Miso soup is a staple in Japan, where it can be found at breakfast, lunch, or dinner meals, usually served in a small bowl to the side of the main dish. Miso is an excellent source of protein, and so this soup is a great source of low-fat energy. Many people make miso soup using instant soup or instant dashi packets. Unfortunately these products usually contain a great deal of salt and MSG. Making dashi from scratch is quite easy, and once you've done that you're half way to being done with the soup.
What is miso? Miso is fermented tofu. As the tofu ferments it becomes a richly flavored, aromatic paste that is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Which miso should I use in my soup? There are two commonly found types of miso: light miso, and dark miso. You can actually use either in miso soup with great results. Light miso has a milder flavor that the Japanese like to use in miso soup served in the morning with breakfast or in the afternoon. It is commonly paired with silken or fried tofu, green onions, and sometimes seaweed. Dark miso (aka red miso) has been fermented longer, and has a much more robust flavor. Miso soups made with dark miso are usually served in the evening at dinner. You sometimes find stronger flavored ingredients in these evening miso soups, such as baby clams.
Another James Beard Extravaganza--the Modern French Degustation dinner was a culinary delight from start to finish. Let me start by saying the Fluke Crudo with Pomegranate, Grapefruit Granita, and Crispy Leeks was out-of-this- world delicious as was the chestnut soup with foie gras croutons served with a 50-Year-Aged Sherry Vinegar, and Brown Butter Crème Fraîche. Just divine!
Chef Jason Weiner presided over this gourmet event at the James Beard House. He was most recently executive sous chef at the acclaimed AQUA in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas after working at the original AQUA in San Francisco for five years. Today, along with his business partner Eric Lemonides, they serve up imaginative, bold French Bistro fare at their restaurant Almond in Bridgehampton; and lucky for me, the newly opened, much closer, Almond on 22nd Street in NYC.
Hors d'Oeuvre
Housemade Pastrami with Grain Mustard
House-Smoked Bluefish with Dill
Truffled Twice-Baked Fingerling Potatoes
Salt Cod Croquettes with Saffron Aïoli
Paired with Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon Cuvée Dames Picpoul de Pinet 2007
Dinner Fluke Crudo with Pomegranate, Grapefruit Granita, and Crispy Leeks Paired with Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon Cuvée Dames Picpoul de Pinet 2007
Chestnut Soup with Foie Gras Crouton, 50-Year-Aged Sherry Vinegar, and Brown Butter Crème Fraîche Paired with Triennes Sainte Fleur Viognier 2007
Seared Diver Scallops with Guinea Hen Ravioli, Salsify, and House-Cured Pork Jowl Paired with Domaine Antugnac Pinot Noir 2007
Roast Veal Rib with Caramelized Mirepoix and Spinach-Oyster Coulis Paired with Domaine de la Guicharde Côtes du Rhône 2007
Banana Cake with Caramelized Bananas and Homemade Banana Ice Cream Paired with Taylor Fladgate 10-Year-Old Tawny Port
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The dish is named for its clever presentation. Here David uses a round frog, a small holder with spikes used for flower arrangements, and places this on large plate. He then impales lemon eighths around perimeter of the frog and impales lobster pieces in the center. I have included the recipe below as well as a video I found of ChicTV illustrating a step-by-step demonstration. Of course for those that live in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas or Connecticut you may make a reservation at one of Chef Burke's wonderful restaurants and have this intriguing dish placed before you.
