Christening the Grill - Steak and Lobster with Spicy Herbed Compound Butter

I'm experiencing a little difficulty sliding back into my blogging groove after the move. My life feels out of sync, in transition, and up in the air, and it's disrupting the summer flow! Concerts in the Park are in full swing, the 4th of July holiday weekend is at my front door, and John's son, Alex, will be on a plane tomorrow for his summer visit.

John made it back from his business trip in time to join the tail-end of my Saturday afternoon photo shoot at Il Fornaio, for the Homemade Pasta Cooking Class. Chef Marco packed the house with his sexy Italian accent, warm smile, engaging conversation, and amazing pasta rolling expertise.

At one point, Marco had pasta draped over the arms of everyone around the entire table!

On Sunday morning, we gave Dooley a much-needed bath in his semi-private garden sanctuary. When those Newfs need a bath, they really need a bath!

And on Sunday evening, we made the short walk over to Spreckels Park to relax and listen to Althea & Company, a great Bonnie Raitt tribute band.

For concert fare, I prepared Baked Pork Loin with Fig-Citrus Stuffing, from Pig: King of the Southern Table.  If you're a lover of all things pork, this cookbook is a no-brainer.

The stuffing was incredibly moist and flavorful with the acid-sweet balance of the citrus and figs. The pork loin cooks on rack above some beer, too, for a little hoppy aroma.

On Monday night, John spoiled me rotten with steak and lobster, while he christened his new toy - a brand spankin new grill, with all the bells and whistles! Rather than simply melting butter for the succulent lobster, he whipped up Wolfgang Puck's Spicy Herbed Compound Butter.

Compound butters are mixtures of butter and flavoring ingredients, such as herbs, spices, zests, or aromatic liquids, used to enhance flavor in various dishes. After whipping together the butter and chosen add-ins, the butter is packed into a ramekin, or shaped into a log wrapped in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and chilled until it is firm enough to be sliced. These butters can be melted on top of seafood, meats and vegetables, used as a spread, or used to finish various sauces.

Our lobster received a generous slather of butter during the grilling process, and a dab more once he hit the plate.

Grilled Lobsters with Spicy Herbed Compound Butter
Adapted from Wolfgang Puck

1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 red or green jalapeno, seeds and white membranes removed, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley (we used basil)
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Live lobsters

In a food processor, combine the butter, garlic, jalapeno, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and chives. Season with salt and pepper and process until well combined. Transfer enough butter for the lobsters to a small container (you will need about 4-6 tablespoons butter for each lobster you are grilling). Place the remaining butter on a sheet of parchment and roll into a log, twisting the ends to seal. Refrigerate for another use.

To prepare the lobsters, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Place the lobsters in the boiling water and blanch just until the shells turn red, but the meat is not cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the lobsters and let cool slightly. Slice the lobsters in half lengthwise. Brush the meat and inside of the lobsters with some of the herbed butter, about 1 tablespoon per lobster half. Place the lobsters on the grill, flesh side down and cook until the meat has grill marks and starts to turn opaque and firm up, about 5 minutes.

Turn the lobsters over and grill an additional 3 to 4 minutes, brushing with more butter, if desired. Remove the lobsters to a large platter. If desired, serve with some of the reserved herbed butter.

As we sat outside in the courtyard, soaking up the last warming rays of the sun, sipping wine, and savoring every bite of this very special dinner, my life eased into the place it needs to be...with John by my side and Dooley snoozing comfortably at our feet.

French Fridays with Dorie - Burrata, Tomato and Roasted Strawberry Salad

Strawberries are the angels of the earth,

innocent and sweet with green leafy wings reaching heavenward.

~Terri Guillemets

My participation with French Fridays with Dorie this month has not been up to snuff, but I'm ready to jump back in the game. I skipped Week One's Warm Weather Vegetable Pot au Feu, in favor of a Summer Salmon, Arugula and Couscous Salad, and Week Three's Roasted Rhubarb. I did make a go of Week Two's Cola and Jam Spareribs, but was rather disappointed. Despite buying two slabs of tender baby back ribs, the Chinese five spice powder, ginger, apricot preserves and can of Coke for the basting sauce didn't float my boat. In Dorie's defense, that was also the Sunday my Dooley-dog got sick, and we were off to the vet emergency room just as the ribs came out of the oven.

I'm looking forward to some interesting recipes scheduled for July, like Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote and Coconut Lemongrass-braised Pork. If I can find my way around my new kitchen, you'll see a few more FFwD posts in July.

I actually made this week's Mozzarella, Tomato and Strawberry Salad almost a month ago,  for Concert in the Park, along with Cherries as Olives. Both were fine additions to the gourmet spread put out by our culinary gurus for the first summer concert of the season. I put a little twist on the salad by roasting the strawberries, and used luscious, creamy burrata.

Roasted Strawberries
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
via Leite’s Culinaria
Makes about 2 cups

2 pints small to medium strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 tablespoons tawny or ruby port
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Freshly cracked pink peppercorns

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with the oven rack adjusted to the middle position.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the strawberries in half or in quarters, depending on size. In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. Add the strawberries and toss very gently to coat. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Roast just long enough for the juices to thicken, but not long enough for the juices to burn, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the roasted strawberries and juices while still warm from the pan into a bowl. Drizzle with port and balsamic vinegar, and gently combine. Use immediately or let cool and refrigerate for up to several days.

To complete the salad, gently combine the roasted strawberries with about 16 grape tomatoes, halved. If you are not using roasted strawberries, Dorie's recipe uses about 16 small strawberries, hulled, and halved, and 16 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved. She then seasons the strawberries-tomato mixture with fleur de sel, freshly ground pepper and a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve family style, by placing about a 1/2 pound of burrata on the platter, with the strawberry-tomato salad on the side, and garnish with basil chiffonade, a drizzle of olive oil, and crushed pink peppercorns. Lightly toasted baguette slices complete this summery and colorful picnic-in-the-park platter.

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, with over 2,000 members, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.  As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

Coronado Concerts in the Park - Make it Raw, Baby

We're already four concerts into the Coronado Concerts in the Park summer season, and I've only posted one short recap of the first one at the end of May.  Packing for the move turned everything upside down, then Dooley got sick, and now we're in the midst of unpacking and getting used to our new home. John left for a short business trip early Sunday morning, so I was left alone to create something "raw" for the culinary theme of the evening.

Nina, one of our core cooking friends, just started a blog called Fresh! On My Plate, a collective endeavour to inspire new enthusiasm for the art of designing what we eat, so we may derive full enjoyment and benefit from nature's bounty... We've loosely followed her June weekly themes for the concerts this month: Farm to Table, Cooking Clean, and Make it Raw.

Alec & Nina

Sashimi came to mind for Make it Raw, so I chose to recreate Hamachi Sashimi with Tangerine Vinaigrette, from The Fish Market's Top of the Market restaurant. I raved about it in my Where the Wild Things Are post back in May, and was able to purchase a beautiful piece of hamachi from The Fish Market's retail fish market yesterday.

Sous chef Johnny's hamachi is served with tangerine vinaigrette, macadamia nuts, and micro greens. I borrowed Bobby Flay's tangerine vinaigrette and spicy almonds from his Preserved Duck Salad with Tangerine Vinaigrette and Spicy Almonds for my version. I have about half of the vinaigrette left over, and just might have to do a repeat of my recent Salmon, Arugula and Couscous Salad to use it up. There's quite a few pieces of spicy almond brittle bits left for salads, or just nibbling.

Tangerine Vinaigrette

4 cups fresh tangerine juice
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon chile de arbol powder
½ cup pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan over high heat, cook the tangerine juice until it is reduced to ¼ cup and becomes a syrup.  In a blender, combine the tangerine syrup, vinegar, mustard, honey and chili powder and blend for 30 seconds. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Almond Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup lightly salted almonds
1 teaspoon chile de arbol powder

Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil or nonstick spray, set aside.  Combine the sugar and water in a medium nonreactive saucepan and cook over high heat until a dark amber color. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and chile powder. Carefully pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and let harden at room temperature. Let harden and coarsely chop.

Hamachi

I purchased 1/2 pound of fresh, sashimi-grade hamachi, which yielded approximately 16 slices. I tossed the micro basil in tangerine vinaigrette, and also drizzled vinaigrette over the hamachi.  I garnished the plate with spicy almonds, micro basil leaves, tangerine supremes, and fleur de sel.

***

We were also celebrating Father's Day at the park, and the father-daughter duo of Alec and Sonoma danced the night away...

I cheated a bit on the raw challenge - reducing the tangerine juice to a concentrated syrup, and simmering the sugar and water to a rich amber color, did require some heat.  Nina cheated as well, with her Ahi Poke on Crispy Won Tons.

Kai and Olivia made their way up to grassy dance floor surrounding the gazebo for a few of their own father-daughter dances...

Kai's Beef Carpaccio was amazing, with arugula, shaved Parmesan, and a drizzle of Dijon vinaigrette

Beef Carpaccio
Alton Brown, via Food Network

8 to 10 ounces beef tenderloin, from the tip end of the roast
4 handfuls arugula
Your favorite vinaigrette
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Shaved Parmesan

Wrap the tenderloin in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, unwrap the tenderloin and thinly slice the beef into approximately into 1/8 to 1/4-inch pieces. Lay out sheets of plastic wrap and place each slice onto the plastic. Top with another piece of plastic and gently pound the meat with a meat mallet until paper thin. Repeat until all of the meat is sliced and pounded. Divide the meat evenly among 4 chilled plates. Serve with greens tossed with vinaigrette, salt, pepper and/or Parmesan.

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We're never short on desserts!  Carmen went raw with these stunning mini Cheesecakes, but I also spotted Olivia's Trifle and something chocolaty on the dessert table.

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I'm sensing some frustration with the raw menu...

Cherries as Olives

Coronado's Summer Concert in the Park series has arrived. Three of our "cooking couples" moved over to the island this past year, and we anticipate another summer of extravagant, gourmet themed picnics. We didn't plan a theme for the first concert last evening, but our spread was simply amazing.

Alec treated us to Lomo al Trapo, Salt Crusted Beef Tenderloin Grilled in Cloth, from Primal Grill with Steven Raichlen, Volume One. I forgot my camera, but it was quite a sight to see Alec on his hands and knees in the grass, wrapping up the tenderloin in salt and cloth, and then cradling it in his arms as he walked over and placed it directly on a bed of fiery embers. After cracking off the crust of what appeared to be a burnt log, pieces of the most succulent, perfectly cooked beef tenderloin were snatched up as fast as he could slice it (see a YouTube video, here).  More fingers came dangerously close to the knife as Brent sliced pieces of his grilled Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin.

In addition to the very special beef and venison tenderloins, we savored Shrimp with Garlic Aioli, Perfect Roast Chicken (Bouchon), smoky Grilled Asparagus, garlicky Caesar Salad,  Kale and Couscous Salad, Cherries as Olives (Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen), and Burrata, Tomato and Strawberry Salad (Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours).

In addition to Roast Chicken, and the Burrata Salad, I shared a bowl of Cherries as Olives, and was thrilled to receive so many oohs and aahs. Chris even suggested starting a side business - they're that good! I adore cherries, in so many different ways, but this simple olive marinade preparation, used with cherries instead, is pure genius. I wish I could take credit and start a booming business with these, but chef José Andrés is the hero here.  Grab a bag of fresh cherries while they're in season, and try these for yourself.  I'd love to hear more oohs and aahs after you do.

Cherries as Olives

Adapted from Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen

1 lb. (4 cups) fresh cherries

1 orange

1 lemon

5 garlic cloves

4 fresh rosemary sprigs

6 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh bay leaves

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Spanish aged sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 cup Marcona almonds, optional

Stem and pit the cherries and put them in a medium bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, remove half the zest from the orange and lemon. Peel the garlic cloves and smash with the flat side of a kitchen knife. Add the zest, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the cherries in the bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt, and pour over cherries. Gently toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and marinate overnight. Allow cherries to come to room temperature before serving. Fold in almonds, if using, just prior to serving.

I missed the tip to add Marcona almonds for added crunch, but that just gives me another reason to make these again, and again, and again...

Americans have fallen in love with Spanish food in recent years, and no one has done more to play matchmaker than the award-winning chef José Andrés. In this irresistible companion volume to his public television show Made in Spain, José reminds us—in the most alluring and delicious way—that the food of his native Spain is as varied and inventive as any of the world’s great cuisines. To prove it, José takes us on a flavorful tour of his beloved homeland, from Andalucía to Aragón. Along the way, he shares recipes that reflect not just local traditions but also the heart and soul of Spain’s distinctive cooking.In the Basque Country, we discover great fish dishes and the haute cuisine of some of the finest restaurants in the world. In Cantabria, famous for its dairy products, we find wonderful artisanal cheeses. In Valencia, we learn why the secret to unforgettable paella is all in the rice. And in Castilla La Mancha, José shows us the land of the great Don Quixote, where a magical flower produces precious saffron.The dishes of Made in Spain show the diversity of Spanish cooking today as it is prepared in homes and restaurants from north to south—from casual soups and sandwiches to soul-warming dishes of long-simmered beans and artfully composed salads. Many dishes showcase the fine Spanish products that are now widely available across America. Many more are prepared with the regular ingredients available in any good supermarket.With more than one hundred simple, straightforward recipes that beautifully capture the flavors and essence of Spanish cooking, Made in Spain is an indispensable addition to any cookbook collection.


UPDATED FEBRUARY 3, 2012


This recipe works fabulous with fresh blueberries!  Serve with toasted baguette slices, and brie or goat cheese.