Lobster Pad Thai ~ Deconstructed

lobster pad thai elegant-style, lobster tail

Broiled Lobster Tail with Chili Glaze
Rice Noodles, Spicy Pad Thai Sauce
Sunny-Side-Up Quail Eggs, Garlic Chives and Blossoms, Mung Bean Sprouts
Chopped Peanuts, Thai Red Chili, Cilantro, Lime Wedges

Lobster Pad Thai Deconstructed is the second in a series of distinctive Pad Thai dishes having special qualities, ingredients, or plating style ~ it’s Pad Thai with a twist…

One of Thailand’s most popular dishes is commonly made with stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, red chili pepper, bean sprouts, garlic chives, garlic, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, crushed peanuts, coriander and lime ~ the Taste With The Eyes Pad Thai Series incorporates all or most of these ingredients into delicious recipes with unique flair!

chili glazed lobster tail

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please come for tea & sherry

tea sherry party

Home-Grown Fresh Lemon Verbena Tea
Bodega Dios Baco Oloroso Sherry
Mini Sherry Tea Cakes with Marcona Almond & Rosemary
Roasted Black Figs, Honey, Fig Balsamic Syrup, Black Pepper, Sea Salt
Cream Sherry Glaze

sherry tea cakes, beautiful high tea image

“You are formally invited to a virtual British afternoon tea party that will take during the week of August 27th! We thought it would be great to follow up our Greek adventures, the original place of Olympics, with a British-inspired culinary theme, the location of this year’s summer Olympics.

Bring a gourmet sweet or savory treat – either a makeover of a classic or your own unique creation. Some general items on a traditional tea menu include: sandwiches, sausage rolls, Victoria sponge, cakes, and scones.”

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What makes this the perfect garden party salad?

garden party shrimp salad, lemon basil shrimp salad
garden party shrimp salad

shrimp, navy bean, arugula, cucumber, olive, tomato, red onion
chunky lemon basil dressing

What makes this the perfect garden party salad? Breezy summery colors ~ pink, green, yellow, red. Contrasting textures from creamy beans to crunchy cucumber. It’s light enough to enjoy on a hot summer day, yet substantial enough to be a satisfying entrée. Ease of preparation, everything is made ahead and refrigerated in separate containers. The salad is composed just before serving ~ it’s casual and informal. The dressing is bright and pizazzy, whole lemon adds a bold note… As for the flavor, please be my guest and Taste With The Eyes!

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Loup de Mer à la Provençale #CookForJulia

loup de mer julia child
Loup de Mer à la Provençale
Prepared in Honor of Julia Child’s 100th Birthday

Crispy Skin Mediterranean Sea Bass
Provence-Style Salad with Anchovy
Roquette, Green Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Olive
Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

Original Photo by Paul Child

“Simca, Paul, Patricia, and I… penetrated into this beautiful courtyard and were seated at a little white table beneath a leafy trellis. It was a splendid lunch, moving from apéritifs to pâté of fresh duck livers and truffles, thick slices of pain brioche, a timbale, tomatoes and a green salad. But the real reason we were there was for the loup de mer.”  Julia Child, My Life in France

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One Leg of Lamb, Two Presentations

lamb tower ten ingredient

Roasted-then-Grilled Leg of Lamb Medallion
Soy Sauce-Olive Oil-Garlic Marinade, Cracked Pepper Crust

Minted Edamame Puree, Whole Wheat Couscous
Grilled Zucchini, Shiitake, Tomato

lamb au poirve

Roasted-then-Grilled Leg of Lamb Medallion
Soy Sauce-Olive Oil-Garlic Marinade, Cracked Pepper Crust

Minted Edamame Puree, Whole Wheat Couscous
Grilled Zucchini, Shiitake, Scallion

Nine ingredients remain the same. Only one ingredient varies – swap a grilled tomato for a grilled scallion to create two totally different presentations. We served these leg of lamb dishes as a test for the “Lean on Lamb” challenge to create healthy recipes for entertaining. The challenge is to cook a leg of lamb as the main-course for 8 people using no more than 10 ingredients (excluding salt & pepper) with a prep time of under 30 minutes.

After preparing 4 lamb dishes over several days, we decided on Leg of Lamb, Curry Quinoa Crust as the one to submit to the contest. That dish, served over Steamed Spinach with a Curried Heirloom Tomato Salsa with Mint and Avocado & Serrano Chile with Lime had it all – color, flavor, texture, balance plus the seasonal element. Though our Lamb Medallion Stack, Warm Anchovy-Pine Nut Vinaigrette with a Dijon Mustard Anchovy Crust, Polenta Cake, Spinach, Parsley, Tomato was pretty popular too, especially with that warm savory vinaigrette.

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