Taste With The Eyes

These huge fresh beautiful scallops come from Baja California, Mexico. They are served over mixed lettuces tossed with Olea Farms lemon blush olive oil from Paso Robles, California and toasted pine nuts.

The scallops are dusted in flour, dipped in egg, then rolled in Panko breadcrumbs before frying in hot peanut oil until golden brown. Then seasoned with sea salt.

Ingredient Still Life.
Cilantro Mint Vinaigrette inspired by Wolfgang Puck.
Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Hot Chili Sesame Oil, Hawaiian Honey, fresh ginger, mint, parsley, and cilantro are pureed in a food processor then peanut oil is added slowly to make the vinaigrette.

Bahía Magdalena
A very beautiful coastline offers plenty of beaches, inlets, marshes and mangrove swamps that are the sanctuary of resident and migratory sea birds and its waters are rich in species for commercial and sports fishing. The great Bahía Magdalena is not only the gate entrance to the Pacific, it is a natural reserve of gray whales that arrive to its waters to fulfill their biological cycle during the months of January to March. From bajaquest.com

Buen Apetito!

Steakhouse Style Dinner Very Easy To Prepare: A super tender Filet Mignon with an intensely rich and flavorful Madeira sauce.

To get a nice crust on the outside of the filet: salt and pepper the meat, then dip it in olive oil. Put the filet in a very hot pan and sear each side for three minutes without moving it. Finish cooking by putting the skillet right into a 450 degree oven to reach desired doneness depending on the thickness of the steaks. This steak took 3 minutes in the oven for medium. Let the meat rest before serving.

MADEIRA SAUCE

Cook 1 cup of Madeira wine with 1/4 cup of minced shallots and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and reduce by about a third.

Then add 1 cup of beef stock and reduce further.

Whisk in 2 T. of butter and add fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.

Great with Hot & Garlicy Spinach and Soybeans.

Spinach, edamame, thinly shaved garlic, red pepper flakes, and toasted sesame oil make this side dish pop!


Garlic is sauteed briefly in toasted sesame oil, then add boiled soybeans and red pepper flakes.

Add baby spinach and a little sea salt and cook just until the spinach is wilted.

Excellent served as an accompaniment to the Filet Mignon with Madeira Sauce.

GUMBO – Freeze date 5/27/07 and brought back to life 10/01/07.

I cooked a delicious Chicken Andouille Sausage Gumbo last May.
I used FROZEN okra in the recipe.

After over 4 months in the freezer, it’s gumbo time again!
To freeze successfully, chill the container in the refrigerator for a day before putting in the freezer (don’t go from room temperature straight to the freezer). The flavors seem to develop better this way, too. Remember to label the container.

“Strummin’ my six-string
On my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp they’re beginnin’ to boil…” JB
I cooked up some shrimp to add to the gumbo…
The shrimp were FROZEN. I defrosted them under cold running water, removed the shells (they were already deveined) and gently boiled them in water with some unsalted butter and made some fluffy white rice…


Stir in some gumbo file (powdered sassafras leaves) when the gumbo is hot. File is an authentic seasoning and thickener. Always stir it in after the gumbo has been cooked, right before serving.

“Just forget about the mumbo jumbo
Hello to the world of gumbo…” JB

Spoon the gumbo over rice, and add the shrimp.

Do you have a set rule for how long something can last in your freezer? I thought maybe over 3 months was too long, but this was even better than I remembered it!

Who doesn’t love a great sandwich? The Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato sandwich does not need updating, it just needs fabulous ingredients. There is a good reason it is a classic!
Toasted Ciabatta bread, Niman Ranch bacon cooked in a skillet (not a microwave), homemade or good quality mayonnaise, heirloom tomatoes with a little sea salt, and garden fresh mixed lettuces.
I didn’t have a pickle, so I served it with Caper Berries marinated in White Balsamic Vinegar. They’re delicious!

Do you have a classic dish that should not be messed with?
This post was inspired by Pim of chez pim, she says don’t mess with her Pad Thai.