Lobster Benedict- Sous Vide

Lobster Benedict- Sous Vide

Lobsters are a creature with a delicate taste and texture. So by poaching it in butter, you get the purest and cleanest lobster taste ever. Making it Sous Vide you are getting the perfect texture to your liking. The temperature is controlling the texture. Well time is too, but by poaching the lobster for 45-60 minutes, temperature is the controlling factor. 

Different cooks choose different poaching temperature. Thomas Keller calls for 139℉ (59℃) and Modernist Cuisine calls for 115℉ (46℃).

Serious Eats tested different temperature, and this were their finings:

Temperature - texture

120℉ (49℃) - Soft and translucent

130℉ (54℃) - Tender and succulent

140℉ (69℃) - Firm

I decided to go with 135℉ (57℃) and the result was fantastic, I got a tender and somewhat firm juicy lobster. This one is a winner.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

Butter poached lobster tail:

• 4 lobster tails, shells removed and deveined

• 113 g salted butter (1 stick butter)

• sprinkle of salt

Benedict:

• hollandaise sauce*

• arugula

• 4 poached eggs

• 4 half slices toasted bread

Hollandaise in blender:

• 250 g salted butter, clarified

• 4 egg yolks

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• ½ lemon, the juice from

• 1 pinch cayenne

Directions:

Butter poached lobster tail:

Set you sous vide to 135℉ (57℃).
Place the lobster tails and butter in a vacuum sealer bag, sealing with the moist setting. Place the bag in the water bath, making sure that the lobster is fully submerged. Set timer for 50 minutes.
Remove lobster tails from the bag, discarding the liquid, when it is time to serve your benedict.

Hollandaise:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over very low heat.  Let simmer gently until the foam rises to the top of the melted butter. Once the butter stops spluttering, and no more foam seems to be rising to the surface, remove from heat and skim off the foam with a spoon. The foam is the milk solids from the butter. Ladle the butterfat into another saucepan leaving the water and residue behind. You can also pour the butterfat through some cheesecloth. Keep the butterfat warm.
The clarified butter should be about 172℉ (77℃).

Add the rest of the ingredients, except cayenne, in a blender. Blend until foaming. With the blender running add ⅓ of the butter in a slow steady stream, yes it will splatter. Once it emulsifies, turn the blender speed up to high and add the remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper and blend for another second. Sprinkle the cayenne on top when serving.

* Instead of regular hollandaise sauce, you can use the more healthier avocado hollandaise 

Benedict:

Toast the bread, place a handfull arugula on it, placing a lobster tail and a poached egg on top. Ladle a spoonful warm hollandaise over, sprinkling with some cayenne.

Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

Gruyere & Thyme Gougères

Gruyere & Thyme Gougères

Gougères are the perfect party snack served with a glass of sparkling wine. They are totally addictive. Gougères are small savory hors d'oeuvre made with choux pastry with addition of some kind of strong dry cheese like parmesan, gruyere, or a sharp cheddar. 

You can choose to fill the Gougères with some kind of creamy savory filling, or split them to make tiny sandwiches with ham or salmon. 

Makes about 30 small bite-sized puffs.

Ingredients:

• 250 ml water

• 100 g butter

• 130 g all-purpose flour

• 4 eggs

• 100 g gruyere cheese

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

• 1-2 pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Grate the cheese and chop the thyme, set aside.

Put water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. When the butter is all melted add all the flour at once, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and keep stirring until a dough is formed and it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny.  Remove from heat.

Keep beating the dough with the wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.  

Beat all the eggs in a bowl. Add a little of the beaten eggs, incorporating it thoroughly before adding more. Add the egg in small amounts until you have a thick paste but not runny at all. Stir in the cheese and thyme.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with an open tip, with the dough. Pipe quarter-size circular mounds about 2 inches apart, onto the parchment paper. To get the best tops on the gougéres stop pressing on the pastry bag before you lift it, make a small circular move with your wrist as you lift the tip of the puff. Dab the tops of each gougéres with a fingertip dipped in water to smoothen the tops. 

(You can freeze the gougéres unbaked, at this point, and bake them right out of the freezer, adding a few more minutes to the bake time.)

Bake them for 18-20 minutes, until they are puffed up and golden brown.

DO NOT open the oven while baking, it will cause them to deflate.

Let the gougères cool slightly before serving.

Serve the gougères as a snack with a good glass of sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

Lemon Risotto with Scallops

Lemon Risotto with Scallops

We have something with risotto and scallops in our house. It is a great luxury you normally will get at a restaurant. But you can easily make it at home. Just make sure to have every ingredients prepared and ready to go. By making it at home you are sure to get the risotto perfectly al dente, creamy, and seasoned to your tasting. 

This risotto can be an appetizer or a full meal. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 6-9 scallops

Risotto:

• 40 g butter

• 2 small shallots, finely diced

• 175 g arborio rice

• 120 ml (½ cup) white wine

• 850 ml chicken stock, heated

• 40 g grated parmesan

• 1 lemon, zest and juice

• salt & pepper to taste

• parsley, minced for a sprinkle on top.

Directions

Heat butter in a sauté pan, sauté the onion until translucent. Add rice and cook while stirring, until all the rice are coated and they start to crackle. 

Pour in the wine, and let it simmer lightly until the wine is absorbed. 

Start adding a small ladleful hot stock at a time, letting the rice absorb the liquid before adding more. You want the risotto to cook for a low simmer, stirring constantly. Cook the risotto for about 25 minutes, until the rice are al dente, and they have a little bite, without being crunchy.

Add lemon juice, lemon zest and parmesan and cook till its melted making the risotto nice and creamy. Season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste. 

Heat a skillet over high heat, add oil and butter. When the fat begins to brown and smoke sear the scallops for 1½ minutes on each side. The scallops should have a ¼-inch golden crust on each side, while being translucent in the center. Place the scallops on top of the risotto and sprinkle with more lemon zest and parsley.

Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!

Chardonnay Shrimp Pasta

Chardonnay Shrimp Pasta

I have to come clean. I love pasta - Big Time! And I do not discriminate, I love all pasta equally.

I love the taste, texture and how it is soaking up sauce. I do crave pasta.

When we have pasta for dinner, I have to plate it up in serving sizes, no family style pasta in my house. 

We went to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse as one of the first places when we just moved to the US. And I fell in love with their chardonnay shrimp pasta. And whenever we went back there this was my go-to meal. But at one point BJ's discontinued this yummy pasta dish, and I had to try to make my own version. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2-3 servings spaghetti, boiled al dente

• 1 shallot, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 4 slices bacon, diced

• 12-16 shrimps, peeled and deveined

• 1 cup (2.4 dl) chardonnay (I used a Picchetti 2014)

• 1 cup (2.4 dl) heavy whipping cream

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

• a little handful chopped parsley

• 1 lime, the juice from

• ½ cup (1.2 dl) grated parmesan cheese

• a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

Cook the spaghetti.

Cook the bacon. I cooked it almost crispy in the microwave oven, and then diced it. Set aside, letting it drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Melt butter and a splash of olive oil in a sauté pan, sauté the shallot until translucent. Add garlic and shrimp and sauté until the shrimp start to take color. Add wine, cream, rosemary, bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes till the shrimp is tender.
Add cooked spaghetti, diced tomatoes, parmesan, lime juice and parsley, and let it heat through for about a minute. 
Serve immediately sprinkled with some parsley and red pepper flakes.
Enjoy!

Almond Date Bites

December 7th.
Wow time flies when you are a bit under the weather. Somehow a whole week passed me by, and I didn't post anything at all. Sorry to leave you hanging. This is not good, when I promised you 12 Days of Christmas. Well, I can still make it, if I pull myself together. 

These Almond Date bites is a healthier take on the classic havregrynskugler/Oat "truffles", I made as an easy Christmas treat growing up.

Makes about 20-22.

Ingredients:

• 50 g raw almonds
• 200 g pitted dates
• 25 g rolled oats
• 2½ teaspoon cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)
• 1-2 tablespoons cold coffee
• imitation rum (optional)

Coating:

• about 100 g dark chocolate (I use Valrhona)
• 35-40 g shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

Pulse almonds in a food processor until you have a coarse flour. Add the dates and blend until fully combined. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix until it forms a sticky ball. 

Scoop out portions of the mixture using a small ice cream scooper. This will help you get an uniform size on the bites. Roll the bites into balls. Refrigerate for a couple hours, cover the balls with a thin layer of tempered dark chocolate and roll them in shredded coconut.

Enjoy!