Seafood Boil

Seafood Boil
Recipe by Dragon and Peter Minaki of www.kalofagas.ca

Sometimes the best meals are not the ones you plan....they are ones born out of an idea, a craving, a passing thought. That is how this Seafood Boil dinner came about.

We had already made plans for dinner but instead, Peter's suggestion of "I want lobster" was all it took to get our creative juices going and this wonderful meal prepared. Yes, lobster, but why not crab...why not both?

Off we went to the local Chinese supermarket and the seafood department provided the rest of the inspiration. We not only got lobster and crab but picked up clams and shrimp....a seafood boil was on the menu.

We gathered our supplies and headed home to cook. When you break it down, a Seafood Boil is simple to prepare. It's all about timing how long each ingredient takes to cook and making sure things are added to the pot in the proper order. Once all the ingredients were prepped, the Seafood Boil came together rather quickly....which was a good thing considering we were hungry by this point! :)

We prepared the table by layering some old newspapers down as a tablecloth, added a couple of finger bowls with water & lemon slices, lobster crackers, seafood picks and wine glasses....no plates required and it's an easy cleanup.

The Seafood Boil was drained then poured right out onto the newspaper. We squeezed some lemons and limes over the seafood and topped it with fresh basil and thyme....then we feasted!

So a little spontaneity, some inspiration and a whole lot of fun in the kitchen lead to a most memorable dinner. I think Germain Greer said it best..."The essence of pleasure is spontaneity." Enjoy!


Serves: 4

Ingredients:
24 cups of water
2 large onions, quartered
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Old Bay Seasoning (or salt or your preferred seasoning)
3 bay leaves
5 birdseye chilles
the peel of 1 whole lemon
1 handful of mixed peppercorns
2 heads of garlic, sliced in half
1 cup of white wine
1 long piece of dry (cured) chourico sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (or other cured sausage like Andouille or Kielbasa)
8 new (red potatoes), about palm-size
4 corn on the cob, peeled and cut into three
2 live lobsters, about 1.5 lb. each

2 live crabs, about 1lb. each
1 lb of littleneck clams, rinsed
1 lb of medium shrimp, deveined
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
wedges of lemons & limes for garnish
1 cup basil leaves + sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil along with Old Bay, peppercorns, chillies, lemon peels, wine, garlic, onions and sausage. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes (whole) and boil for 10 minutes.

3. Add corn, lobster and crab and boil for another 10 minutes.

4. Add clams and boil for 5-6 minutes or until just opened. Take pot off the heat and add shrimp and olive oil and let stand for 5 minutes (shrimp are cooked when pink). Drain the liquid and enjoy!

Enjoy some more photos from our dinner.

Blueberry Basil Sorbet

Blueberry Basil Sorbet
Recipe by Dragon and inspired by Soma, Toronto

I fell in love with Soma's Blueberry Basil sorbet when I visited their shop in Toronto's Distillery District recently. The flavour combination was intriguing and the taste did not disappoint. I knew I had to try to recreate it. So I went to my kitchen and played. The first attempt was tasty but the flavour wasn't the same and the consistency was not creamy, in fact it was rock hard and had to melt slightly before we could eat it. Sigh.

So I did some research on how to make sorbets creamy and gave it another try. I increased the amount of syrup, added some honey to improve the viscosity, added a little alcohol to keep it from getting too hard and an egg white to help make it 'creamy'.....the results were amazing. This sorbet was fresh tasting, creamy and dreamy. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Makes: 6 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
15-20 basil leaves, torn
zest of one lemon, cut into long strips
pinch of salt
2 pints of blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon framboise or vodka
Juice of one lemon
1 large egg white

Directions:

1. In a saucepan combine the sugar, water, basil leaves, lemon zest and salt. Bring to a quick boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then remove the pan from heat. Let the syrup cool completely then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

2. In a blender, puree the blueberries with honey, framboise and lemon juice until very smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

3. Strain the syrup and add it to the blueberry puree. Mix until it is well combined.

4. Add the blueberry mixture and egg white (if using) to your ice cream maker and following your manufacturer's instructions, churn the sorbet until it has thickened (mine took about 30 minutes). The sorbet will be soft but it will firm up in the freezer overnight.

5. Transfer the sorbet to a container and cover the top of the sorbet with some plastic wrap. This will prevent ice crystals from forming on top. Cover the container tightly and leave it to chill in the freezer overnight.

Orange & Honey Madeleines

Orange & Honey Madeleines
Recipe by Dragon

I added a Portuguese twist to this classic French cookie by adding two ingredients often used together in Portuguese baking, orange and honey. The two flavours work well together and a simple dusting of powdered sugar is all you need to finish these darlings off. I love these with a morning coffee, an afternoon tea or a midnight snack with milk...or just about any time of the day. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
zest of one orange
1 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two Madeleine pans by brushing them with softened butter. Set aside.

2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

3. Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, milk, orange zest, juice and honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add melted butter and mix until blended.

4. Gently fold the flour mixture into egg mixture. Don't over mix.

5. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it about two-thirds full. Bang the pans on the counter to remove bubbles.

6. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking and rotating 180 degrees, until the madeleines are golden around edges, 7-9 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert, and unmold. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to one day.