I Am In Love Again!

The snow this past week put a halt on my original Valentine post, so I decided Doc @ What Cooking With Doc could have this dish for his site as per his request.

No, I am not in love with Doc! However he is a cutie, can cook, loves to travel, and is a real doctor!

I am IN love however...with my husband, and ALSO with a new product that I found at Trader Joe's...

Dark chocolate covered Edamame…

Yes, they are intriguing aren't they? They also have chocolate covered Pom Seeds, and I cannot wait to play with those in a recipe...

Little chocolate crunchy nibbles, oh I knew there was trouble after the first bite!

I also knew I had to use them in a recipe that you might not expect...a butter poached lobster salad, with endive, leafy lettuce, radicchio, red onion, blue cheese, and dressed with a port wine dressing.

In order to read more and see the finished salad, you have to go over to Doc's site...I am only posting the 'how to' photos here...

For your mise en place you will need-

The key to this salad is making the Port Wine Dressing first- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 ½ tablespoon EVO, ¼ cup (Six Grapes) Port Wine: Mix well.

Clean and prepare to heads of endive, cut in half; 1 small head of radicchio, torn into pieces; 1 small head of leafy green lettuce torn into small pieces; ¼ thinly sliced red onion; handful of blue cheese crumbled; handful pecan pieces, or chocolate covered nuts (I am sure most would work)- dress salad before you add lobster and plate all together. Dressing will go to the bottom of bowl, so sprinkle more just before serving.

Butter Poached Lobster (I used three 1 ½ lb tails):

This is a typical recipe you will find for butter poaching, the only difference is I cut my tails into about ¼ inch pieces, horizontal cuts, and then cooked them.

When you are about an hour from serving the lobster tails, take them out of the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature.

When ready to poach the lobster tails, in a pan large enough to hold the lobster tails and using a thermometer, bring the prepared Beurre Monte up to at least 160° degrees F., but not over 190° degrees F.

Depending on how large and how many lobster tails you are preparing, will determine how long to poach them; it usually takes from 5 to 7 minutes (do not overcook. They should not be rubbery but of a soft consistency (almost as if not completely cooked). The lobster should be white and not very opaque in color. When done, remove them from the Beaurre Monte and serve.

Definition of Beurre Monte: Butter is an emulsification of 80% milk fat, 18% water, and 2% milk solids. Heating butter above 160 degrees will cause it to "break" or separate into its different composition parts. A Beuree Monte is a technique of keeping melted butter in an emulsified state between 180 degrees and 190 degrees, which is sufficient to poach meats or vegetables.

Determine how much butter you will need for the Beurre Monte by placing the lobster tails in a large enough pan, side by side; add just enough water to cover. Immediately remove the lobster tails, drain them, set aside; and measure the water in the pan. You will need this amount of butter to cover and poach the tails.

In a saucepan, bring the 1 tablespoon of water to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low and begin adding the chunks of butter (a little at a time) whisking to emulsify. Once the emulsion is started, more butter may be whisked in faster. Hold the temperature of the Beurre Monte between 160 and 190 degrees F. for poaching.

DO NOT BOIL OR THE MIXTURE WILL BREAK! The mixture should have the consistency of a very thick butter sauce. NOTE: Beurre Monte can be set aside on the stove after being prepared. You should use the beurre monte within an hour after you make it.

Wine: Newton Chardonnay, St Helen, Napa Valley, '06, $48-  Complimented the buttery lobster, and all the other ingredients, and when you are done eating, you can sip on some Six Grapes Port left over from the dressing with your dessert! (I noticed online the price varied $32 and up, $69 Dean & Deluca, so I do feel it was mid-range).

I made a Rum Raisin Goat Cheese Pie for our dessert- I will post that with Wine-Down Wednesday...

Parallel Chops

One of the things I miss most about Dallas, Texas is the selection of markets. I miss the Fiesta Market for its large selection of Hispanic ingredients; I miss the Hong Market in Richardson for its large selection of Asian ingredients (Well in Jersey I do have a few of those pretty close); although I do not have to miss my Indian markets in Richardson, because they are almost on every corner of Jersey.

Hubby and I do miss living almost next door to Central Market. A hub of gigantic proportion of one stop retail and specialty shopping under one roof. Sure Whole Foods can provide much of what this store holds with my desire for organic, natural, and fresh global ingredients, but CM is the Disney World for foodies...


















If you go over to the web site, or take a tour (yes you can call ahead and be given a tour by one of their valued employees), you will find out that H-E-B opened the first Central Market in Austin in 1994, have the store design explained, and how it was quickly dubbed “an amusement park for food lovers.” The European-style fresh market concept amazed shoppers and chefs alike, and the store quickly became one of Austin’s most popular tourist destinations. In fact, it boasts an average of 2 million visitors each year! Then somewhere down the line they got smart and opened them in our area. I had been to the original one in Austin and I was envious!

My favorite market is filled with produce, ethnic ingredients, chocolates and candies, dry goods, frozen foods, a deli next to the huge bread department that is around the corner from the ready made foods for that "Oh, I do not feel like cooking all this stuff in my basket tonight" moment, and many more rows of ingredients you might want. Hubby's favorite is the large wine and beer selection. That is like a hubby day-care for me. I can shop for hours, and when I am ready to leave I just go to that department and pick him up!

We took my friends here in Little Elm who had never ventured into Central Market, and they were amazed. When we hit the meat and seafood department...their jaws dropped. Purchasing some brisket, ribs, a pork roast (pulled pork post), and some big pork chops...I was determined to have 'death by meat' on this trip. I knew I was saving up the past months with my healthy cooking and eating, but hey its vacation and at least I am cooking much of the time.























Take the chops out and placed them in a brine over night of some brown sugar, garlic and salt water. The next day bake them with a Chicago style seasoning (my friends hubby is from Chicago and a big fan of this mixture... hickory smoke, Tellicherry black pepper, sugar, onion, garlic, lemon zest and citric acid), a sprinkle of brown sugar along with a pat of butter for a nice crispy coating. They came out very juicy, and tender. Everyone was satisfied with this meal.
























I also took some red onions, walnuts, and caramelized them with brown sugar. This was a nice addition to some baked white potatoes, and a can of french style green beans (I am anti-can anything, and only cook fresh; unless you are desperate) they keep in the pantry. I have some time left on my vacation, and I plan on hitting them one more time...











If you are in the area of one of these Texas towns; then I recommend you visit one of my favorite parallel markets...

Central Market Locations:

* Austin-North Lamar
* Austin-Westgate
* Houston
* San Antonio
* Dallas
* Plano
* Fort Worth
* Southlake
* Cafe on the Run at H-E-B (only in the Austin area)

Come back later on and see what I do with this CM purchase...

Big FAT Lies- Healthier Choices

Hope everyone had a great weekend! In spite of my 'foot' still being in a cast, I had my foot up in the pan on Saturday, at my 'Open Mic' Retreat. We all met down at a State Park in South Jersey, and it was beautiful. No bugs. No rain. No bears! Just some good ole poetry, acoustic music, and my cooking with the help of an wood burning fire; then a good night sleep at a hotel. Yep, we cheated. Hubby took a tumble out of the canoe into the lake, so we needed a softer place for his back to rest...

In a 'Family Circle' magazine, March 9th issue there was a short article I have been wanting to share, Diet Success, by Allison Baker. She talks about not believing everything you hear. When it comes to dieting. Some common (yet false) information can set you on the wrong track. The piece goes on to explain a few myths I thought were interesting. This ties into the Stonyfield Farm Yogurt that many of us have gotten to try lately. I will be doing three post on this subject, and will address the first myth...after a short note-

'SIT UP' you slump'ers! That is right, many of us are on our computers for many hours in a day, and we do not realize how sitting up not only can make you look slimmer; it also can help you slim down. Slumping in a chair can crowd your internal organs, and cause our digestive systems to become sluggish. Sluggish digestion can lead to weight gain. I believe it, because once I read that when you take medication, you should sit up for at least a half hour for it to take affect. So if you lay down after taking something for a headache, yes, it will take longer to help with the pain!

MYTH #1

reduced fat = low fat?

The real deal: Just because a food contains 25% less fat than the full-fat version (the definition of "reduced") does not mean it is healthy. A scoop of ice cream with 130 calories from fat has a reduced variety with 100 fat calories-still 15% more fat than you should be getting from a single food.


















This brings me to the 'Choices' part of the post. We really love meat in our house, but I have been cutting back, and only make it maybe twice a month. Lamb is a better meat choice, because it is lower in fat. Many people share the flavor of Lamb is overwhelming. I often suggest they flavor pack ground lamb with seasonings like garlic and oregano. Begin by seasoning some oil with red onions and garlic on a low medium heat; add some oregano; then adding the lamb meatballs that also have been seasoned with a few of your favorite spices. Throw them on some skewers, or in the pan. Brown, and add some yummy yogurt dip!

Gyros comes to mind!

Take a 5.3 ounce container of plain yogurt, and add a pinch of cayenne, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, finely chopped cucumber, a little salt and white pepper; toss and leave overnight in fridge to meld. Oh yeah it had a kick, but I like mine that way...

















What does history tell us about yogurt?

Greek yogurt (yiaourti, or yohgurt) has been around for thousands of years; yogurt itself could be as old as 10,000 years; which is much older than the oldest Greeks. It didn't get popular outside Greece until the first wave of Greek emigration to Western Europe.

To make Greek yogurt, milk is heated and then cooled a bit; then active cultures are added. The mixture ferments, and then while it is still warm; yogurt is strained to remove the whey. The resulting yogurt is thicker and more acidic than traditional American-style yogurt. Once the whey is removed a higher concentration of protein, fewer carbs, and less lactose are present. When you consume a higher protein content you feel fuller, and with less lactose, it's easier to digest. The texture adds richness without extra moisture, and is best when making a spread or a dip like I have.

I have read that the Greeks regarded yogurt a food of the gods, and if that is true then hubby has some explaining to do...

Go check out Oikos Organics to get a coupon for a trial size of their yogurt, and read about how they are helping the planet in so many ways. I also received an email from Kristina who contacted me about receiving the coupons, and she has sent me some information you just might find interesting...

You'll never look at dinner the same way!

You'll be reading and seeing lots of stories in the coming weeks about FOOD, Inc., a very powerful documentary about our food system. The film opens June 12 nationwide, and includes Stonyfield Farm CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg. It's produced by the same folks who brought us Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth."

FOOD, Inc looks at how food is grown, processed and sold, and the people behind the system – the company ‘suits,’ the struggling farmers, the mega-processors, the exploited workers and the confused consumers -- some of whom have paid the ultimate price for trusting a food system that’s lost its way.

Gary's main message in FOOD, Inc is that you have the power to demand that our food system produces food that is safe to eat. You want to know your choices are the right ones for your baby, your family and yourself.

Stonyfield is proud to be part of this film and prouder still that the questions raised in FOOD, Inc. point to organic food as the answer to the issues of food safety, corporate greed, and the oppression that puts many family farmers and others out of business.

We encourage you to learn more about FOOD, Inc. and share that info with your readers -- turns out that what they decide to put on their plates truly has an impact on their health and the health and sustainability of our planet.

Check out the trailer, an interview with the director, and more -- and we'll be offering a "Food Inc." lid promotion in June with $30 worth of FREE down loadable coupons from Stonyfield and other partner companies.