Shrimp Bisque And The Wrath Of Mother Nature

The other night, I felt a little bit like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as the hurricane force 80 mph wind shook my house. While the rain pounded, I was grateful that it wasn't snow like places just south and inland were getting. Then it's counted in feet and not inches. The next morning I went out to assess the damage and found some of my window screens littering the yard. A neighbors fence fell just a few feet away from my car and some huge pine tree branches just graced it on the other end as they hit my electrical lines. Miraculously, I still had electricity. But...why does my car all of a sudden have good car Karma?? Maybe it knows it is on it's way to car heaven soon! Anywaaaay....I had to go to the local market and since I knew it was an astronomical high tide along with the storm surge, I brought my camera. The sun was out, but the storm hadn't finished with it's ravage. The surf roared over the street, flooding it as it hit the houses in it's way. Tree branches were scattered all over the streets and one of our favorite beaches succumbed to the high waves. You could actually swim in the parking lot now. Where we sit on benches on a hot summer's day, looked solemn with each passing wave. As the tide receded, I wiped the sea spray from my camera and made my way to the store. I had intended on buying scallops for a bisque, but some fresh wild caught shrimp were on sale for $5.99 a pound. Change of plan...change of recipe...I would make Tyler Florence's Shrimp Bisque. It has orange in it, so I grabbed one of those. Orange and shrimp together are such happy flavors. I already had brandy, another happy flavor, so I just needed some leeks to fill in the blanks. Tyler calls for chives to garnish it, but I thought a few basil leaves from my kitchen basil plant sounded better....and they were. This bisque is fresh, sunny and bright...you just can't fool with Mother Nature.I hope all facing the aftermath of this storm and the other wrathful acts of Mother Nature, have an anchor to help get them through.

Shrimp Bisque
(adapted from Tyler Florence)

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, in the shell
1 orange, rinsed well
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, trimmed,halved lengthwise, and rinsed well
1 onion, trimmed, peeled and halved
2 celery stalks, cut into big chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup brandy
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells; refrigerate shrimp until ready to use. Using a vegetable peeler, peel several strips of orange zest and grate the remaining zest. Cover and refrigerate the grated zest for garnish.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter into it. Add the shrimp shells, leeks, onion, celery, carrots, thyme, bay leaf, strips of orange zest, tomato paste and cayenne. Cook, stirring often, until the shells are red and the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Take the pot off of the heat and carefully pour in the brandy. Return the pot to medium heat , cook for a minute more, then sprinkle in the flour. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add water to cover, about 2-3 cups and deglaze, scraping up all of the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low and simmer gently until the soup is reduced and thickened, 30-45 minutes. Strain into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve, return the bisque to simmer, add the shrimp, and cook for 2-3 minutes, just to cook the shrimp through. Give the bisque a final taste for seasoning, pour it into warmed soup bowls and serve garnished with the reserved orange zest and the chives.

Diane's notes:
I prefer basil instead of chives for the garnish, if you have some on hand. I also added some paprika to enhance the color and flavor. I just added a small amount at a time until the look and taste had more depth. Instead of deglazing the pan with water, I used a high quality fish stock or clam juice. Add more tomato paste for your taste. Since acidic foods like orange and tomato mixed with cream can cause a slight curdling, just give it a good whisking before serving. The heavy cream may be substituted for half and half, or any combination of milk or cream that suits your taste. To give the shrimp more flavor, I dusted them with paprika and gave them a quick cook over medium high heat in a cast iron skillet. This sears them with a nice crust and gives them a crunch at the first bite.
Shrimp Bisque recipe, click here.

Crab Cakes With Piment D'espelette Alioi

Gingerbread, sugar cookies, truffles, scones slathered in butter and jam...oh my! I want seafood now. And the only cake I want is a crab cake :-) I think they'll be a perfect way to ring in 2010. I actually can't believe we are entering a new decade in what still seems like a new century. 2010 sounds too much like a year that you would enter in a time machine and not with the clink of Champagne glasses. Alas, the future is now and there is no time like the present to celebrate the day. These crab cakes are great as appetizers, a light meal or for brunch. I prefer mine to be made with top quality crab, with as little filler as possible so that the true star shines through. I was able to get some really fresh crab meat from Whole Foods, but fresh crab meat is available in large food stores in most areas. My favorite recipe comes from Tyler Florence who I have a huge foodie crush on. He just knows how to take a dish and give it his own flavor. His version is simply made and goes perfectly with a Champagne toast. I made an Piment D'espelette Alioi that I created with some experimentation. I used the piment d'espelette that I bought at a Paris food market this fall. To make the sauce quickly, I used prepared olive oil mayonnaise (for ease and also to not use raw egg yolks), piment d'espelette*, garlic, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. This comes together in a snap and any leftover is good on just about anything! For an Asian sauce, I also want to try some chili sauces that Ju, at The Little Teochew and Zurin, from Cherry on a Cake have brought to us. Take a peek at their posts, I'm sure you'll be delighted.

However you ring in the New Year, whether it is quietly at home or at a large party celebration, I wish you the very best for a safe, happy and healthy 2010. Happy New Year! Ching-Ching!!
Crab Cakes
(Adapted from "Tyler's Ultimate", by Tyler Florence)

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (made from 3 or 4 slices of white bread with the crusts removed)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large egg white
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus whole leaves for garnish
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Over medium heat, lightly cover the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onion gets somewhat caramelized. Put that into a bowl and fold in the crab meat, bread crumbs,mayonnaise,egg white, lime juice, and cilantro, mixing until just well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into 6 fat crab cakes. Put them on a plate and put them into the refrigerator to chill.

In a large sautè pan, just cover the bottom with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they are nice and crisp. Loosely cover if they need more time to cook in the center.
Piment D'espelette Alioi

1 cup good quality olive oil mayonnaise
1 teaspoon, or more to taste, piment d'espelette**
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
olive oil
*piment d'espelette is a mild chili pepper from the French Basque area of France. It has a mildly hot and slightly sweet round flavor.
**Ground cayenne pepper may be substituted, just use about half of the amount.

Into the mayonnaise, mix the pepper, lemon juice, minced garlic, and Dijon mustard. Stir to mix well. Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil to reach the consistency you prefer. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes one cup.

Piment D'espelette Aioli recipe click here.
Crab Cake recipe click here.

Men With Mussels, Curried Mussels That Is

There is a restaurant in Paris called Academie de la Biere, or literally translated, The Beer Academy. It sounds like the ultimate Man Cave, but it is a fun restaurant with half as many beer choices than days on the calendar! Now there's a thought! The long tables are often filled with young men as they "study" the choices at the Academie! You can click on the pic to see the many beers to choose from. I'm not a beer drinker and always look for recommendations, since some of these beers are from Belgium micro breweries. Sometimes you may even be given a sample before committing...what's not to like about that? If you can't decide, you can always default to wine. And then there are the mussels and frites...mussels meunière, mussels moutarde, curried mussels...and even m-m-m-more choices. If you are lucky you have a friend beside you who likes to share!! I always look them over, making sure to only eat the ones that open, since all it takes is one bad one to send you to a place you don't want to go to!Yesterday I went to my local fish market and bought 2 pounds of Prince Edward Island mussels. I wanted curried mussels and thought I'd add some coconut milk to give them a different punch. With Asian undertones they don't taste like their Parisian inspiration, but they are delicious alone as a starter or as I had them, with linguine.

Curried Mussels With Coconut Milk
(I adapted this from an epicurious.com recipe and changed some of the ingredients for my taste.)

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder*
1 1/2 cups dry white wine**
1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 3-4 inch piece lemon grass, sliced lengthwise
2 small bay leaves
2 pounds mussels, cleaned, scrubbed and debearded
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

*The quality of the curry powder defines this this dish, so use the best you can get.
**I chose a Chardonnay for its fuller flavor that works well curry.
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add coconut milk, wine, lemon grass and bay leaves; simmer 10 minutes. Add mussels. Increase heat, cover and boil until mussels open, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, place mussels in 4 bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Boil sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes or more. Season with salt and pepper; discard bay leaves. Spoon sauce over mussels. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 4.

Click here for tips for cleaning mussels.
Curried Mussels With Coconut Milk recipe (pdf)

Kiss and Makeup

My friend, Beth had to exchange something at the large department store, Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Trying to exchange or return something in Paris is not a gratifying experience....in general the attitude is, if you buy it, you own it. So we had braced ourselves for an uphill battle. A few conversations and a half an hour later, she had graciously exchanged her item. We looked at each other with an amazing sense of accomplishment. I wish I had taken a picture to document it!! Walking through this architectural beauty with a stained glass ceiling ,and balconies that Marie Antoinette would have approved of, I noticed women getting makeovers at the cosmetic counter. As a promotion, world class makeup artists were there for 2 weeks. Since we were on a roll, we decided to see if we could have our makeup done. Undaunted, the charming artiste began to work his magic on us. Afterward, feeling pampered, pretty and pretty hungry, we went locally for dinner. Beth had researched restaurants, and we decided to give the nearby, Carte Blanche a try. After settling in, our waiter brought us an amuse-bouche of layered crab, tomatoes and avocado. An amuse-bouche is just like a kiss...something bestowed upon you to show the talent and intent of the giver. It is a prelude of what's to come. We were ready for more and ordered from the menu! We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our meal, even with a mediocre dessert. After patting our lipsticked lips with the crisp white napkins and with shopping bags in toe, we headed home.

Here is my adaptation of "the kiss", with a little cayenne pepper to keep it hot...the makeup is on your own!

Crab, Tomato and Avocado Amuse-Bouche

For the crab layer:
2 ounces crab meat, with a squeeze of lime

For the avocado layer:
1/2 ripe avocado, smashed until almost smooth with a squeeze of lime and a
dash of cayenne pepper

For the tomato layer:
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
dash of cayenne pepper

You'll need 4-2 ounce shot glasses.

Mix all of the ingredients for the tomato layer in a bowl. Stir to meld the flavors and adjust the salt and cayenne pepper according to taste. Evenly divide the layers between the 4 shot glasses. In each glass, add one layer of the crab and then a layer of tomato mixture, draining most liquid from the tomato mixture as you spoon it into the glass. Top with the smashed avocado and serve with several crostini.

To make the crostini, thinly slice a baguette, brush with olive oil and toast.

Serves 4.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Crab, Tomato and Avocado Amuse-Bouche recipe (pdf)