New Creation: Lamb with Polenta

This dish was really an excuse to use two different foods I have been meaning to cook for the first time. They weren't perfect together, but they weren't bad.

Lamb is an interesting thing to cook with. It looks like steak when its raw, but once cooked, its more the color of pork. Its not something I am familiar with, but its been fun to play with it.

Polenta is basically the Italian version of grits, made with yellow cornmeal.

For this dish I rubbed the lamb with Chinese 5 spice, which I have had before at a favorite restaurant. It is a mix of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seed, and black pepper. its a great comforting blend of flavors.

Once rubbed down, I pan seared the lamb on both sides, then put it in the oven to finish the cooking process. The polenta is cooked simply, in salted water. Once it thickens, you add butter. very simple, and quite creamy.

To plate I just put a spoonful of polenta on the plate and placed a few slices of lamb cut on the bias, and garnished with thyme.

This dish was a nice start to something that could be great.

One thing I am going to play with is the seasoning for the lamb. It was great, but it was very raw, like it needs something to enhance the flavors or round them out. Maybe more of a sauce. And I think the polenta could be great made with something more. For instance with coconut milk. Or something like that. Or mushrooms. Just something more to add another flavor profile. Time to brainstorm. Yay.

While it wasnt a perfect dish, its a great start, that has a lot of potential. Not every meal has to be a masterpiece. this one was just a rough sketch. :)

Always in the kitchen,

Mel

New Favorite: Shrimp Scampi

I thought this dish would be just okay. But I LOOOOOVED it. And so did my husband. Winner in my mind.

The key to this dish is to not overcook the shrimp. They don't take more then a few minutes to cook. When overcooked they are very tough. And that doesn't make for a great dish. Another important part of this dish is to time the pasta right.

This dish is insanely good and full of simple and great flavors. Once the shrimp is cooked, the rest goes pretty fast, so its crucial to the dish that everything is prepped before you start cooking.

At first i was kind of skeptical about this, but you start off with both oil and butter in the pan. It creates great flavor in the dish. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sautee for one minute and add the shrimp and salt and pepper. Cook until just pink or about 5 minutes. Remove from heat add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Add the pasta and combine.

This dish is fantastic. With a fresh feeling and just a little bit of kick.

Always in the kitchen,

Mel

New Recipe: Peach Cream Tart

I was really excited about this dish. It is full of fresh peaches. And I got to buy a new pan for it :)

It was pretty simple. I mixed up the crust, which consisted of flour, butter and sour cream. Then pressed it into the tart pan and cooked it until it was set, but not brown.

The recipe then called to peel the peaches, but to save time, and in my opinion makes for more fruit, I blanched them and was able to just rub off the skin.

Basically, I just heated up a pot of boiling water, and dropped the peaches in, a few at a time for 5, or 6 seconds for the tough ones. Then plunged them immediately into a ice water bath. And I was able to just rub the skin off.

Once that was done, I sliced them up and arranged them all pretty in a spiral. The filling was pretty simple. It was just eggs yolks, sour cream, flour, and sugar. Once it is beat together, you just pour it over the peaches.

It baked for an hour, and then cooled.

One thing I thought was cool about this recipe, was that there was a glaze for the top, which was just fruit preserves and a little bit of frozen lemonade concentrate. It added alot to the dish.

However, other than that, this dish was quite a disappointment. It called for 6 peaches, and the final dish did not showcase this wonderful fresh fruit that I wanted.

While the sour cream I thought would add a great texture to the crust and filling, and it did to the crust, but what it did to this dish was create an overwhelming sour cream taste.

My question and dilemma:

Is it possible to have the great texture in a dish that sour cream gives it without the distinct flavor it creates? Or is there another ingredient that gives the texture and not taste?

Another interesting thing. I have this great peach cobbler recipe, but it always turns out better when I used canned peaches versus fresh. this was the case with this dish as well. Are fresh peaches not that great cooked? Or are they just better canned? Or only fresh and not cooked?

things to think about.

Always in the kitchen,

Mel

Food Facts: Shallots

So I have about a week and a half of great new dishes I have made, but have not started to post them til now, cuz I lost my camera..... :( But I found it today!! Woo Hoo!

Time to play catch up!

Ok. Shallots.

Shallots appear next to the onions and garlic in the grocery store, but according to some it is its own vegetable. As far as I am concerned its really just an onion that is sweet, milder and easier to work with than an onion. "Shallots are much favored by chefs because of their firm texture and sweet, aromatic, yet pungent, flavor." (source: wiki)

Also, they grow just like garlic, with clusters of cloves.

I used them in the Orzo Pasta dish and they complimented the other flavors well, despite being raw. I really enjoy the depth these onions give my dishes.

Word of caution, they can be difficult to find in some grocery stores. Often I can find them by the onions, garlic, potatoes or fresh ginger. If they aren't there, ask a clerk or find a better grocery store.

Yay for new ingredients!

always in the kitchen,

Mel