Category: Tasty Recipes

Halibut, Farro, Creamy Colorful Vegetable Salad

Halibut over Creamy Farro Vegetable SaladPan-Seared Kodiak Alaska Halibut
Farro, Watermelon Radish, Carrot, Cucumber
Mexican Crema Dressing

When Captain John Skeele gets his way, he likes to fry his halibut. John thinks that frying naturally complements halibut’s texture and locks in its flavor.

So if the captain of Alaska Fishing Vessel “Sunfish” says this is the way he likes to cook halibut, I am definitely going to give it a try.

Captain John Skeele’s Halibut Technique

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Crumpets and Souvenirs

How To Make Perfect Crumpets

Queen Elizabeth Coronation Souvenir

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Well over a century ago, Londoners Jack Hanson and Lucy Robinson were sweethearts. Early in the 1900s, Jack left England for Chicago to follow his dreams. Shortly thereafter and still a teenager, Lucy left her family and followed her true love to America. They married and lived a happy life.

By 1952 Lucy was a widow, a mother of 7 and grandmother of 17 when Princess Elizabeth, while visiting Kenya, received the news of her father’s death and her own accession to the Throne of England.

Lucy decided to take one of her grandchildren back to London to visit the family she hadn’t seen in many many years and to celebrate The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which was to take place in Westminster Abbey on the 2nd of June 1953.

They boarded the RMS Queen Elizabeth and sailed to England. The granddaughter that accompanied Lucy was my mother. She was 19 years old at the time.

Crumpets and Souvenirs

How to Make Crumpets from Scratch

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Poulet Reine Elizabeth (Coronation Chicken)

Poulet Reine Elizabeth (Coronation Chicken)

Poulet Reine Elizabeth (Coronation Chicken)

Originally listed on the menu as Poulet Reine Elizabeth, Coronation Chicken as it is now known, was created for Her Majesty’s guests at the 1953 Coronation Luncheon of Queen Elizabeth II by Chef Rosemary Hume of The Cordon Bleu Cookery School, London.

In honor of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we are recreating Poulet Reine Elizabeth. It was described back then as cold chicken, boned and coated in curried cream sauce. The delicately seasoned chicken was proclaimed a huge success at the luncheon.

Coronation Banquet Menu

The traditional recipe had subtle wine and herb flavors with a creamy pale pink color, unlike modern versions that are mostly bright yellow and often include such ingredients as golden raisins, grapes, celery, almonds, mango chutney, and cilantro. Most notably, Chef Hume’s 1950s recipe contained a good dollop of fresh whipped cream, whereas today’s cooks often substitute yogurt or crème fraîche.

The following cold curried chicken recipe closely resembles that original one, served at the Coronation Day banquet to three hundred fifty people in the Great Hall of Westminster School. It is plated on my newly acquired Royal Staffordshire English Ironstone vintage dinnerware.

Coronation Chicken Recipe

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Bay Scallop Marsala Fettuccine

Bay Scallop Marsala Fettuccine

Bay Scallop Marsala Fettuccine

I’m going to apologize for not sharing this bay scallop pasta dish sooner. It’s always a big hit – delicious, easy, quick, fabulous.

The cost for premium frozen bay scallops from Baja, Mexico are about $3 per person, and the rest of the ingredients are also very reasonable.  The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of Marsala wine per serving, I definitely recommend “the good stuff.”

It’s a super-flavorful, stunning pasta dish thanks to briny, slightly sweet and buttery scallops; the complexity of marsala wine; earthiness of mushrooms; and rich cream. I bet if you prepped everything in advance, it could be on the table in less than 20 minutes?

Be sure to use fresh pasta here, its tender velvety texture pairs wonderfully with the creamy marsala sauce.

Bay Scallop Marsala Fettuccine

Bay Scallop Marsala Recipe

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Cold Poached Salmon, Horseradish Sauces

Cold Poached Salmon with Three Horseradish Sauces

Cold Poached Salmon with Three Horseradish Sauces
Creamy, Red Beet, and Golden Beet

I was contemplating a starter course that would possibly appeal to more people on Passover. Those of us who absolutely adore our Eastern European Gefilte Fish are apparently and sadly, few and far between.

But is there anyone among my relatives who doesn’t love salmon? Of course, we will always honor tradition and keep serving gefilte fish. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This year, we also serve another elegant first course – a lovely, flavorful Cold Poached Salmon with THREE Horseradish Sauces and lots of fresh herbs. The entire dish can be prepared in advance, so it is easy and ready to go when it is Time to Eat during the Seder! Edible flowers are optional, but they sure do add to a pretty spring-like presentation.

Cold Poached Salmon, Horseradish

Cold Poached Salmon and Horseradish Sauces Recipes

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