Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Salade de Chèvre Chaud
Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Salade de Chèvre Chaud is a classic French salad that features warm goat cheese as its star ingredient. It starts with a bed of mixed greens and herbs topped with cucumber and radish for added texture and flavor and color.

Medallions of fresh tangy goat cheese are coated with panko breadcrumbs and fried in oil to a golden crunchy exterior and creamy interior. The dressing is a classic Dijon vinaigrette. And the addition of edible flowers makes the salad pop!

The Salade de Chèvre Chaud can be served with two or three medallions for a main course or with a smaller salad and one medallion as a starter course. Crusty baguette is always welcome on the side. And rosé is the perfect accompaniment.

Salade de Chèvre Chaud

Recette de Salade de Chèvre Chaud

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Chilean Sea Bass, Mole Coloradito

Chilean Sea Bass, Mole Coloradito

Chilean Sea Bass, Mole Coloradito

A little while back, I shared a recipe for Duck and Sweet Potato Enmoladas with a New Mexican Mole inspired by Chef Fernando Olea at Sazón restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was named Best Chef Southwest 2022 by the James Beard Foundation for his unique interpretation of contemporary and traditional Mexican dishes.

The Chef is famous for his various moles including New Mexican Mole, Mole Verde, Mole Negro, and Mole Coloradito. Not only does the Chef offer a tasting of his exceptional moles at the restaurant, he also sells them online so we can enjoy them at home!

Mole Coloradito is prepared using one of Chef Olea’s traditional family recipes. Incorporating both guajillo and arbol chiles, he creates a harmonizing blend of savory and spice which are combined with tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice and many other ingredients. This somewhat spicier mole pairs wonderfully with pork or white fish.

Chilean Sea Bass, Mole Verde at Sazón Santa Fe
Mole Verde paired with Chilean Sea Bass at Sazón Santa Fe

Chilean Sea Bass, Mole ColoraditoChilean Sea Bass, Mole Coloradito Recipe

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Mock Turtle Soup and the Threatened Desert Tortoise

Mock Turtle Soup

🐢 Mock Turtle Soup 🐢
and
The Threatened Desert Tortoise

We are fortunate to live on the border of an area known for its rich cultural heritage, and its unique geological and ecological features. In 2002 Congress designated the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area to preserve and protect 48,438 acres of southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert for future generations.

Our community is separated from the conservation area by a little traveled road called Democracy Drive. Turns out, the other day while on Democracy Drive I spotted this not-so-little fella meandering into the middle of the road.

Concerned for his well-being, I stopped, kept my distance, took some pics, but not being familiar with desert tortoise protocol, there was nothing I could do at the moment.

desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

I went to the Ranger Station on Nawghaw Poa Road to find out more about him. They said the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is the largest reptile and the only wild land tortoise found in the southwestern United States.

And the Mojave desert tortoise was federally listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as a threatened species on April 2, 1990.

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area

They said to handle all tortoise carefully and only if authorized to do so! Tortoises can be injured and can die from improper handling. Do not approach tortoises unless absolutely necessary, as your presence can induce stress in the animal.

When you must approach a tortoise, move slowly and approach from the rear of the animal. Pick up the tortoise gently and keep it level at all times. When handling large tortoises, grasp the animal with both hands, one at each side of the animal.

I was told that persons handling tortoises should wear surgical type gloves to inhibit the transmission of diseases. If gloves aren’t available make sure to sanitize your hands. Since I won’t be moving an endangered desert tortoise anytime soon, they did say another alternative would be to call the ranger station if a tortoise is in danger and they will come to take care of him.

If you are in Southern Nevada, and see a desert tortoise in danger call the Sloan Canyon Park Ranger at 702-233-6339. Additionally for any lost turtles, especially desert tortoises, call the Wild Desert Tortoise Assistance Line at 702-593-9027.

Mock Turtle Soup and the Endangered Desert Tortoise

Turtle or tortoise? It depends on who you ask or where you are in the world, but most people recognize tortoises as terrestrial or land-loving with stubby feet (better for digging than swimming) and a heavy, dome-shaped carapace. Aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles are known as just that, turtles. Turtles tend to have more webbed feet (but not always) and their shells are more flat and streamlined.

Mock Turtle Soup

Now let’s talk about the soup!

Turtle soup is traditionally made from sea turtle, snapping turtle, box turtle, or terrapin depending on the region of the world. It has NEVER culinarily been made from desert tortoise! However, it was the local desert tortoise that inspired me to research and prepare Mock Turtle Soup.

Mock (imitation) turtle soup contains no turtle and can be made from many different kinds of meats including ground beef, oxtail, calf’s head, veal shoulder and others.

On his terrific blog Hunt Gather Cook, James Beard Award-winning author and chef Hank Shaw, writes that turtle meat tastes like a cool combination of chicken thigh, clam and pork with at least four different textures and colors coming from the same turtle.

It was his description that lead to my recipe for Mock Turtle Soup which includes grilled chicken thighs, crisped and diced pork belly, and chopped clams. This super-tasty combination of heterogeneous ingredients results in a unique soup that is quite compelling with its various flavors and textures. And although I have not tried snapping turtle, I suspect this soup may imitate the flavors and textures quite well.

Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area

Mock Turtle Soup Recipe

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Summery Strawberry Watermelon Salad

Strawberry Watermelon Salad

🍓🍉🇺🇸 Strawberry Watermelon Salad 🍓🍉🇺🇸
Feta Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Balsamic Glaze

A fantastic seasonal Strawberry Watermelon Salad paired so well with our Memorial Day BBQ of grilled Tri-Tip au Jus and Corn on the Cob, it would be excellent on Flag Day or the 4th of July or really any day for a cookout this summer! ☀️

This salad was inspired by one of the dishes we enjoyed last month at Primal Steakhouse Las Vegas. It was quite a celebration at Primal where they set things on fire and employ lots of smoke in their cocktails and dishes. 🔥

Their Watermelon Salad was surpringly fresh and delightful, a perfect counterbalance to all the rich smoky foods including bone marrow shanks, bacony seared scallops, four cheese lobster mac, smoked NY steak, and more.

The service was super-fun and super-friendly. The themed atmosphere was charmingly mysterious and medieval. Guests are fully encouraged to unsheathe and pose with the assorment of swords from a coat of arms hanging on the wall, as well as take pics wearing helmets fashioned from the middle ages!

Themed restaurants unfortunately can vary widely in the quality of their food. This one impressed us by offering delicious upscale food and entertaining service, as well as a unique and memorable dining experience.

And while our dessert crème brûlée was set ablaze, the server handed me a heavy 4-foot-sword to heave into the air while all the folks in the dining room sang “happy birthday” and finished with “off with his head!”

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Corned Beef and Green Beer

Corned Beef and Green Beer

🍀🍺 Corned Beef and Green Beer 🍺🍀

While Corned Beef and Cabbage is often associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States, it certainly can be enjoyed year-round. It’s a hearty and satisfying dish, loved by many, and almost impossible to mess up!

Now, Green Beer is definitely a once-a-year tradition. Serving green beer on St. Patrick’s Day emerged in the US as a fun and festive way to celebrate the holiday. While it may not have deep historical roots, it has become a popular tradition associated with the celebrations. One drop of food coloring in a glass of beer does not affect the taste, and adds a magical element to the festivities!

Green Beer

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

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