Salmon Sashimi, Dry Ice Display

Salmon Sashimi, Dry Ice Display

Salmon Sashimi, Dry Ice Display

Our monthly seafood subscription from Alaska arrives in a smart environmentally responsible box. Shipped to us in Las Vegas, the fillets have always been rock-hard and frozen-solid due to the great packaging using -110°F dry ice.

When the box arrives, it always has a few small slabs of dry ice still intact. It was fun to use the remaining dry ice to present a piece of the fabulous Alaska sockeye salmon served sashimi style.

Salmon SashimiSockeye Salmon Sashimi
Garlic, Shallot, Olive Oil
Chili Crunch, Edamame, Tamari, Lemon
Smoked Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Since dry ice must be used soon after delivery, defrost a beautiful piece of sockeye using the “quick-thaw” method.

Remove skin and pin bones from the salmon and slice sashimi style. Arrange on a piece of slate chosen to fit over the dry ice display. Serve with chili crunch, edamame, and tamari in small bowls on the side. Also place lemon wedges and smoked Maldon sea salt flakes for serving, on the platter.

Finally, when ready to display, drizzle olive oil down the middle of the salmon and top with thinly sliced shallot and minced garlic. Orchids make a nice presentation too, while edible, they are here mainly for show.

Dry Ice Display

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Grilled Artichoke, Hatch Chile Garlic Mayonnaise

Grilled Artichoke, Hatch Chile Garlic Mayonnaise

Grilled Artichoke, Hatch Chile Garlic Mayonnaise

The year was 1978 at The Chart House in Aspen, Colorado. My date, Jeff, was instructing me on how to eat the curious appetizer that he had ordered. It was something I had never encountered before. It was an artichoke.

He happily showed me how to pull the outermost petals from the globe and dip each one in the ramekin of melted butter, how to scrape the meat from each petal with my bottom teeth. The nutty-earthy flavors, the divine melted butter, the fascinating method for consuming this unique vegetable…I was hooked.

Fast forward to today and it is hard to believe that I’ve been living in Las Vegas for two years now. In addition to the swimming pool, one of my favorite outdoor amenities of the new home is a built-in Blaze Grill.

After having a propane BBQ at my home in LA for all those years, it is such a pleasure to know I will never run out of fuel! And the fabulous Blaze is so much more powerful, the total grill BTUs equal 66,000! It’s hot. And awesome.

So we grill, and eat in the pool ALL THE TIME…today an amazingly good and very popular appetizer of grilled artichokes with our favorite Hatch Chile garlic mayonnaise.

Grilled Artichoke Recipe

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Springtime Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

Springtime Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

Springtime Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
Sour Cream, Meyer Lemon, Farmer Cheese, Chives & Dill

Ah springtime! Surrounded by vibrant colors, fresh herbs and flowers, a bowl of Meyer lemons, fresh English peas and asparagus…a pasta dish was just bound to take shape. A tangy, lemony, fresh, green, bright, herby fettuccine that is. Perfectly balanced, a perfect springtime meal for lunch or dinner alfresco…

Springtime Pasta Recipe

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Latkes with Farmer Cheese

Latkes with Farmer Cheese

Latkes with Farmer Cheese, Two Ways

Sweet with Pomegranate Arils
and
Savory with Fresh Herbs

Happy Hanukkah!

A jug of olive oil, which held enough oil to last for one day, burned for eight when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated. So we eat foods fried in olive oil to commemorate that ancient miracle. As far as symbolic foods go, potatoes fried in oil are pretty much everyone’s favorite.

This year I’m serving my latkes two ways, sweet and savory, both topped with farmer cheese. My favorite, Lifeway Farmer Cheese, is a cultured soft cheese made from an old world recipe with a distinctive tangy flavor, and it’s packed with probiotics to boot. You might say farmer cheese and latkes are a match made in heaven…

Latkes with Farmer Cheese

Latkes with Farmer Cheese

Latkes Two Ways

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Chilled Kefir Soup

Chilled Kefir SoupChilled Kefir Soup With Cucumber,
Herbs, Edible flowers, and Kefir “Waves”

This hot weather calls for a cool refreshing light lunch. How does Chilled Kefir Soup with Cucumber and Herbs served with home-baked seeded artisan bread and a glass of un-oaked chardonnay sound? How about we serve it Spa Style, in the pool. Put on your swimming suit and let’s do lunch!

Chilled Kefir SoupChilled Kefir Soup Recipe

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