Battle Pina Colada

T and I have been toying with the idea of battling Iron Chef style.


Pineapple & coconut were to be our challenge.

Considering the broad palette of ingredients that we normally use including these, it was quite suprising that neither of us had ever taken apart a coconut. I grabbed a hammer, and we began to experiment.

We each presented 4 dishes. Taria fried wonton wrappers which were dusted with coconut and parmesan. These were served with a pineapple guacamole.
Next, she combined angel hair with diced pineapple and tomatoes, and mussels cooked in a coconut Riesling broth.
She then made a classic pimento cheese using roasted red peppers, Wisconsin cheddar, mayonnaise, and pineapple. This was spread on pumpernickel and pan toasted Monte Cristo style.

Last was the lobster and coconut fried wontons with pineapple reduction. These were made with grilled lobster and marscapone.

I began with a classic Thai curry, but substituted pineapple juice and miso paste for much of the chicken broth. I grilled the chicken quickly on a hot fire before they finished cooking in the sauce. This was garnished with steamed baby bok choy and rice.
At this point my meal was seabound. I breaded fresh baby squid in flour and cornstarch, then into coconut milk. They were finished in toasted coconut and baked. They topped Yukon gold potatoes that were mashed with coconut milk, chinese chives, and beech mushrooms. The sauce was made by reducing pineapple juice with jalapenos, pineapple, and palm sugar.
My third course contained a sea scallop rolled in a mixture of cocoa powder, cayenne, and chili powder, then pan seared. This was topped with grilled pineapple and a coconut sauce
For my last dish, I grilled whole shrimp and topped with a pina colada sauce. I started by sauteeing pineapple, scallions, and sugar. Then, I added coconut rum and coconut milk.


After eating, I decided to whip up one last thing. My wife was disappointed that she did not receive a single desert, so I thought of what to do with the leftover coconut cream. I combined it with mocha dark chocolate bars, milk, and nutmeg to make the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted.Our original time limit of 2 hours was finally exteneded to at least 2 hours 45 minutes. Not bad for a first time considering sharing space and cooktop, and without sous chefs.

Weeknight Meals

I am debating the format of this blog, and need input. I am a slacker, procrastinator, and everything else your mom told you not to become. I find myself neglecting my posts due to lack of time, so I have decided to post shorter entries and focus only on the pics. Let me know what YOU think. What do YOU want to see? Below are some of my recent weeknight dinners.

Satay Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables

Rotisserie Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Spinach


Rotisserie Chicken Udon

Lomi Salmon & Heirloom Tomatoes with Sticky Rice

Beef & Broccoli

Easy biscuits

Sorry I have been MIA for a while now. The holidays, being sick, yada, yada, yada... Anyway, I have been planning some great new things. I will be posting a few blogs over the next week to catch up. The theme will be weeknight meals. A few weeks ago I was conversing with a friend. Once I gave a quick run down of what I was cooking, he said, "you know, another Tuesday night meal". Well, YES! I do cook like this most nights. For me, it is a nice release at the end of the day.

Everyone loves the biscuits served by many seafood restaurants. You know the ones I am speaking of. Puffs of buttery cheesy garlic goodness that melt in your mouth. These are easier than you think. Just grab a blue box of baking mix and make the drop biscuit recipe you find on the side. Add some grated cheddar to the recipe and bake. Once they are almost done, brush with melted butter mixed with garlic powder. When you take them out, brush again, let them soak, and keep brushing until the butter is gone. The key is to let the butter soak into them.

Enjoy, and remember to come back over the next week.

Chicken fried fish?!?!?!

What southern boy doesn't like biscuits and gravy? Well I had never made it before, but found myself with some of mom's yeast rolls and some fresh pork sausage. I decided to start simple....cook the sausage, saute some onions, add flour, milk, and pepper. It was perfect. This was done as a side note to dinner, but found itself intertwined.

I prepared flounder fillets topped with a mixture of crab, scallops, panko, egg, and butter. After broiling them for a bit, they were placed atop rice pilaf and topped with the gravy. I figured we put gravy on fried chicken and steak, why not fish. Out of all the fish dishes I have ever cooked, this one is my favorite so far.

Turkey day!

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. All holidays give way to overcooking and gluttonous feasting, but this is the only one that focuses on the food. I always try to go over the top and end up making way too much. This was no exception. I ended up with 7 dishes.

Turkey
Sweet potato gratin
Deviled eggs
Cranberries
Lamb ribs
Vanilla ice cream
Roasted green beans

I won't bore you with the details of each, but here are a few that I am always questioned about.

First off, turkey. I have no qualms about using a frozen turkey, but recently I have been using fresh. I decided that this year it was only fitting that I try a fresh kosher turkey. My normal routine consists of a 6 pack of honey brown beer, along with some broth and marinate for 1-2 days. Then, I rub the bird down with oil and spices inside and out, and under the skin. I add 1/2 a chopped onion inside and that's it. Roast breast side up on 500 for 30 minutes, then flip the bird and drop the temperature to 350. Don't open the oven till it's done at a breast temperature of 155. After at least 45 minutes of sitting, it will be perfect.


This year my experiment was lamb ribs, Denver ribs to be exact. I found these on sale at the farmer's market and had to try them. They contain much more fat than beef or pork, and I was told to treat them like any other lamb cut. I wrapped them with molasses, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rosemary. Once they were done, I seared them on the grill and then roasted them in the oven for a few hours. They came out great. I already went back for 2 more racks.

The Ultimate Captain's Platter

Well, it's that time of the month again. Taria and I have been brainstorming for the past few weeks and were itching to get cooking. I reorganized my pantry, and ended up with far too many ideas to complete, so this is what made the cut. We cooked at a leisurely pace for 5 hours, but were still exhausted at the end.

I started with some nice salmon steaks cut fresh and marinated in truffle oil, along with some local fresh goat cheese.

The salmon was grilled on a cedar plank, and accompanied by a ball of fresh local goat cheese and carrotsauce. This was made the same way as applesauce, but with carrots, and added a nice sweetness to the dish. This blended nicely with the creaminess of the cheese and the earthiness of the salmon.

Next, I had some jumbo shrimp, approximately 12U (12 per pound). I usually go for the bigger ones, which yield more meat/shell ratio and less shrimp to clean.

I pan seared the shrimp, crumbled some goat cheese, fried garbanzo bean and topped over spinach with a warm bacon vinaigrette.

I found that I had crab, caviar, and capers, so I decided to make devllied eggs. These were probably the richest deviled eggs ever. I used a traditional combination of dijon, mayonnaise, paprika, etc, but added some cream cheese to send them over the top.

I boiled down some mushroom broth and added wontons that I made from truffle oil, shelled edamame, roasted edamame, and sauteed shrimp.

Taria mixed chicken sausage with gruyere, which was then breaded and fried. This was finished with a lemon aioli.

Next, she made bison meatballs which were wrapped in dough to make empanadas, which were accompanied by homemade ketchup.

She then grilled Ahi tuna which was marinated in coconut milk. This was served with grilled peppers tossed in a tarragon sauce, and grilled white asparagus tossed in balsamic.

The rest of the shrimp I breaded to make coconut shrimp and served over white sweet potatoes mashed with coconut milk.

This time, a Pinot Grigio.


For desert, I used fresh figs and local honey harvested by my doctor (yes, he has bees). I mixed this with fresh fig and honey goat cheese and spooned into muffin tins lined with pie dough. These were served in a pool of coconut froth.

The funny thing is, this time we decided to cook smaller portions so we didn't end up with so much food. Obviously, that didn't work.

What would Spongebob do with leftover pumpkin?

I love summer squash, but also enjoy winter squash.  There are many creative things to do with a pumpkin. It does not have to be limited to desserts.

Let's also look at scallops. Many people despise these tiny ocean treasures because they have never experienced a properly prepared one. I prefer the larger sea scallops to the smaller bay scallops. I always choose the ones with the most orange tones. The color is obtained when the females carrying eggs are harvested, and the shock causes the eggs to rupture. Fishermen usually throw these back due to the discoloration, but a good fishmonger will have a few. You are left with somewhat of a 'caviar' filled shellfish. These tend to taste a bit sweeter.

Preparation is simple. First, rinse in cold water and pat dry. Then, I mix equal parts olive oil and butter in a pan to saute. Butter for the taste, and olive oil for the higher smoking point. Many people use the same fat to fry in all of the time. This is what results in a kitchen full of smoke. I use peanut oil for high temperature frying (which is why Chinese takeout is always so good). I use olive oil for sautes, and butter for light sweats and such. Once you have the scallops in the pan, a little salt and pepper is all you need. Too many flavors will overwhelm them. Also, do not cook them too long. This will make them rubbery and fishy.


One thing to do is simmer some fresh basil with olive oil to make a simple basil oil. This is great for an appetizer. This time, I served them over some Asian udon noodles, which are usually made of buckwheat. They are usually served in a broth, sort of like a noodle soup.

Then came the broth. I simmered some cooked pumpkin puree with chicken broth, white wine, and some spices until it thickened slightly.


I know this one may be a little out of the comfort zone for some readers, but if you like pasta, pumpkin, and seafood, you never know.