rolling with lobster, California style (and a little French influence)

September 24th, 2012

  

 

rolling with lobster, California style
(and a litle French influence):

lobster “roll” California style

Lobster season. In America, lobster is generally enjoyed two ways: steamed and served with a bath of melted butter; or, if you are on the East Coast, in a “lobster roll”(lobster meat combined with melted butter and mayonnaise served in a roll). However, we cannot forget that it is also the season for apples and Asian pears (and in California, heirloom tomatoes and avocados are delicious right now). 

seasonal fruit 

It is in the nineties in southern California (and will be for some time).  In this heat, hot, heavy food does not sound appealing. Sliced, Asian pears, apples, tomatoes and cucumbers all look like wheels and it seems to me that with these seasonal fruit wheels we can create our own “roll” that uses the West Coast bounty and is compatible with this summer weather. These thoughts inspired this week’s simple pleasure: lobster “roll” California style (mille-feuille de homard à la Californie).

apple wheels sliced 

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lobster “roll” (California style)

September 24th, 2012

 

lobster “roll”  California style
(mille-feuille de homard à la Californie)

serves 4

what you need:

lobster 
4 lobster tails 
1 cup seafood stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 sachet (1 bay leaf, fresh Italian parsley, fresh cilantro, black peppercorns, 1 strip lime peel)

salad
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
1-2 apples, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Asian pear, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1-2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1-2 tomatoes (preferably Green Zebra), sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced

dressing
2 teaspoon gros sel de Guérande (or sea salt)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup avocado
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh minced Italian parsley
pinch piment d’espelette
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)

lobster apple and avocado ingredients

garnish
pinch piment d’espelette
pinch minced fresh Italian parsley Read the rest of this entry »

flaxseed and pepper crusted seared Ahi tuna with two watermelon radish sides

January 5th, 2012

 

picnic weather, watermelon radishes, and keeping that New Year’s resolution:

 flaxseed and pepper crusted seared Ahi tuna served with
roasted golden beets and watermelon radishes with blood orange segments and 
a cucumber, watermelon radish and celery cru

The most common New Year’s resolution is to eat better, meaning healthier, lighter foods. The new year brings with it a renewed sense of determination and purpose but like all goals, our ambitions need inspiration and newness to keep them going. 

Yesterday at farmer’s market I overheard a father say to his child that the radishes she wanted looked good but “what do we do with them?” Inspired by his query, I bought some of those beautiful watermelon radishes (thank you Michael at McGrath Family Farm), and armed with a 2012 agenda of healthy habits and summer weather all around me, I thought this week we should take these watermelon (radishes) on a picnic so this week’s simple pleasure is not one but three recipes which are not only good for you but taste great and, when combined, are an average of 350 calories. So grab your “pic-i-nic” basket, we are taking a picnic in January with our seasonal market treasures and keeping our New Year’s resolution in tact all at the same time. This is going to be a good year. Read the rest of this entry »