Good Wine, Good Food, Good Friends
Crepes are incredibly easy to make and they are delicious. A great recipe to make with kids. You can also make them sweet or savory which makes crepes a great option for a weekend brunch.
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I used a sous vide to cook my swordfish, then I finished it on a non-stick pan. I understand most people don’t have a sous vide at home so I will list directions for both: The sous vide method and the conventional stove/oven method.
No matter what method you use, you will need to season the swordfish, so let’s go over that first. Season the swordfish filet with salt, pepper and powder mustard. Make sure to season both sides. Trader Joe’s sells their swordfish in packages of two so I seasoned them both and put the second one in the freezer. If you want to make two filets, just double all other ingredients.
Let’s go over the conventional method first. You can skip to the sous vide if you’d like.
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF and pre-heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat.
Once the pan is hot, add 1tbsp of vegetable oil and spread well. Place the swordfish gently into the pan, away from you. Cook for 2 minutes until the swordfish turns a light brown color, then turn and cook the other side. Once you turn the swordfish add the thyme, sage, ginger and butter. Don’t forget to baste the swordfish as it cooks. Cook for 2 more minutes until the other side is golden brown as well.
Once both sides of the swordfish have a light brown color to them, place the swordfish on an oven safe plate/tray and bake it for 10-12 minutes until cooked.
Skip to The Vegetables Section to continue.
Pre-heat your sous vide to 140 – 145ºF.
Once you have seasoned the swordfish, place it in a vacuum seal bag along with the sage leaves, thyme sprigs, ginger and butter. Vacuum seal the bag and place it in the sous vide bath for one hour.
After one hour, take the swordfish out of the sous vide bath and place it in an ice bath for a minute or two. This neutralizes the temperature and brings it to (or closer to) room temperature.
To finish, we need to give the fish some color. The fish is already cooked and has amazing flavor and aroma. We just need to add some color as a finishing touch.
Pre-heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Once hot, add vegetable oil to the pan, then place the swordfish and herbs gently into the pan. Cook for 60 seconds on each side. Although with a sous vide method the fish does not really need to rest, set it aside to cook the vegetable and sauce.
Boil some water with 1 tbsp of salt. When the water reaches a boil add the green beans and cook for 4 minutes. When done, transfer the green beans from the hot water into an ice bath.
Add the carrots to the same pan where you cooked the swordfish and season with salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes at medium-high heat.
Add the green beans from the ice bath to the same pan and sauté them for about 60 seconds. This gets them hot, and infused with all the flavor in the pan.
Add about 1/4 cup of beer (or wine) to the same pan you cooked the swordfish on and turn the pan to high heat. After the alcohol evaporates (1-2 minutes) add the juices from the sous vide bag (if you used a sous vide) and 1/4 cup of chicken (or vegetable) stock. Reduce on high heat for 2-5 minutes.
I decorated this dish with some garlic aioli around the plate and pearl onions on top of tiny beds of broccoli puree. Then I added some radish slices and poured the sauce directly on top of the swordfish.
This is a simple dish that looks stunning and truly tastes delicious. The fennel sauce made with Goose Island IPA is so well balanced that it does not overpower the halibut. The halibut is light and aromatic, and the veggies are just a perfect way to pair it.
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This is a stunning dish to serve as an appetizer. Not only does it look beautiful, it also tastes amazing. The tomatoes are served around a bed of spinach, with garlic aioli and balsamic reduction, topped with a perfectly poached egg in the center.
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Salmon is easily paired with anything. It is perfect as a light lunch or dinner that won’t leave you feeling like you are gonna roll out of your chair. Hen Of The Woods mushrooms, on the other hand, are packed with flavor and aroma. They are earthy, salty and delicious, and they go great with salmon.
Continue reading “Salmon With Hen Of The Woods Mushrooms”Master this simple, yet delicious, sauce and you will become the king of sauces among friends. You can apply the same technique that you learn here to any other sauce you make.
Good consistency is one of the hardest things to achieve in a sauce. Flavor, on the other hand, is easy! Just add chicken stock or use the same pan you cooked your steak on and you will see. If you master making a roux, which is the base for this sauce, you will learn to control the consistency of your sauces like a true chef.
Place the butter and chopped onion in a pot and bring it up to medium-high heat. The onion makes it easier to avoid clumps of flour in the roux. Once you have mastered this technique, you can remove the onion and make the roux with just butter (or other fat) and flour.
Mix and spread the butter and onion as the butter melts. To ensure that the butter does not burn, remove from the heat as needed. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour. Remember to remove form the heat as needed, people always forget to do this.
Temporarily removing the pot from the stove allows you to control the amount of heat that is applied while you whisk. Once the flour has fully mixed in and there are no crumbs put the pot back on the stove and continue to whisk until the roux turns into a slightly yellow paste. If it turns brown, you’ve gone to far, it is burnt.
Add in the milk, salt and white pepper and whisk. Continue to whisk often until sauce thickens. When the sauce is creamy and it coats the back of a spoon, pour the sauce through a strainer into a bowl. Add a touch of nutmeg. Done.
Tip: If it gets a little too thick after add some more milk to get you back to desired consistency.
The béchamel is ready to use or serve. You can always wait for it cool down and then refrigerate this sauce and use it later.
This is by far the best duck I’ve ever had!
This is a recipe for 2 duck legs, but the same exact process can be applied to duck breasts – same quantities apply. Takes 2 – 3 days to make.
Continue reading “Duck Confit”Nothing will stretch your money further! By buying a whole chicken you not only get more meat, you can also make your own home-made chicken stock – which trust me, It completely changes the way your food comes out. You simply have more control, and therefore can achieve the taste profile you are going for.
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Imagine going to your friend’s house for dinner when all of a sudden your friend brings out freshly toasted bread and says: “Here, dip this bread into the candle and eat it. The candle is made of duck fat.”. That would blow your mind, right?! Well, here is the step by step on how to make your own duck fat candles.
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This is a light and quick dish to make. Perfect for lunch or to entertain when there is not much time to cook. Tilapia is so versatile, and so easy to cook with; It always comes out great.
Continue reading “Rosemary Ginger Tilapia”