All posts filed under: Quick Dishes

Lobster Sandwich

Published by

This lobster sandwich is served on a toasted croissant and is flavored with diced cucumber, tarragon, lemon zest, poppy seeds, mayonnaise, and whole-grain mustard. The tarragon adds a bright herbal anise-like flavor which unexpectedly goes well with lobster. Poppy seeds and seafood are an unexpected combination that works so well that David Chang specifically mentioned this flavor pairing in his Momofuku cookbook. Lobster and butter are also another great combination — this sandwich gets its butteriness from the croissant. This isn’t a traditional Maine-style lobster roll–that’s what makes it unique. Source: Modified “Boiled Lobster” from “The Art of Simple Food” by Alice Waters. We used “Crab Sandwich” from “Tartine Bread” by Chad Robertson as our recipe for the lobster sandwiches, but we left out the chervil that the recipe suggested, since it isn’t available in our markets.

Kumquat Marmalade

Published by

The first time I had kumquat marmalade along with a some sort of pastry such as a muffin or scone, I loved how the sour citrus contrasted with the sweet baked good and the refreshing sourness was so much that I wanted to make some. This recipe makes a fairly sour marmalade; it is perfect contrasted against something sweet, something mild such as quark, or even as a refreshment to nibble in between bites of a strongly flavored cheese plate (e.g. Stilton cheese). A small spoonful of this is also nice on top of an open faced jambon-brie sandwich (ham and brie, preferably black forest on top of a slice of bread which has been pan fried in butter). This recipe only makes 1 jam jar of marmalade. You don’t need to sterilize the jam jars if you plan on eating it in just a few days. Sterilize the jar if you want to store it for longer. I didn’t think of it this time, but next time I make this it would be nice to include a tiny …

Oatmeal

Published by

When I was a kid, I hated hot oatmeal. I didn’t like the mushy texture combined with the overwhelming sweetness of the toppings that are often added to give the bland oats some flavor. However, this recipe changed what I think of oatmeal; it makes oatmeal that is slightly creamy, has texture, and a pinch of salt makes it just barely savory. The old-fashioned oats and a couple tablespoons of half-and-half give it a creamy base and the steal-cut oats add a chewy texture. Now I eat oatmeal regularly. Oatmeal is really easy to make and since oats keep well, it is easy to keep oats around for anytime that you want this dish. The amount of chewiness can be adjusted by how long you cook them; longer cooking produces softer oatmeal. The quantities can easily be multiplied to produce more than one serving. You can top the oatmeal with any toppings of your choosing, though I prefer oatmeal plain since I don’t like very sweet things. Source: The recipe is based on “April Bloomfield’s Porridge” posted on TheWednesdayChef.com; the original …

How to Open an Oyster

Published by

Preferably use an oyster knife, which is a stiff pointy knife with dull sides. The dull sides help to prevent you from cutting yourself if you slip. A table knife will not work–the oyster knife must be very stiff in order to give you leverage to pry open the shell. Many kitchen supply stores and supermarkets sell cheap oyster knives. It is also helpful to have a thick glove, preferably made of kevlar (for your left hand if you are right-handed or a glove for your right hand if you are left-handed) to help prevent injuries if your knife slips. Insert the tip of the oyster knife into the bottom v-shaped hinge of the oyster where the two shells meet. Wiggle the knife to wedge it deeper and to find the weak point of the hinge. Give the knife a few sturdy pushes into the shell. If you have found the weak point than the top shell will loosen. If not, then keep wiggling and pushing the knife until the top shell dislodges. The oyster …

Salmon Chirashi with Ponzu Daikon Radish Sprout Salad

Published by

  Sushi for a weeknight: Sushi doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. There are many types of sushi that are so quick, easy, and affordable that they can be made for a weeknight meal. One example is chirashi, which literally means “scattered sushi”; it is usually presented either as sushi rice topped with a decorative arrangement of ingredients or as sushi rice and other ingredients mixed together. This style of sushi is quick to make since there is no need to roll sushi or shape the rice for nigiri. If you set out nori with this dish, then handrolls can also be made at the table, which is something that William and I enjoy greatly; it is fun because everyone gets to make their own sushi. The handrolls look especially pretty with some daikon radish sprouts in them. My recipe for salmon chirashi has three components: sushi rice, salmon sashimi, and a salad of daikon radish sprouts dressed with ponzu sauce. Sushi rice is quick to make, especially if you have a rice cooker, since you just …

Sushi Rice

Published by

Sushi rice is very easy and quick to make since it requires only three steps: washing the rice, cooking it, and tossing with a vinegar marinade. The most important thing is to use a short grain Japanese style rice and to make sure you cook it well (it shouldn’t be mushy). Preferably buy a rice grown in Japan or California. Japanese style rice is generally one of two varieties: sasanishiki or koshihikari. Koshihikari has many subtypes, including hitomebore, akitakomachi, hae-nuki, hi-no-hikari, kirara, tama-nishiki, kagayaki, and tamaki-mai; often koshihikari will be identified by only its subtype. These types of rice give the best texture for sushi. Preferably use rice that was harvested more than 6 months ago. Some rice may be labeled as “new crop rice”, which is rice that is sold just after harvest from October through February. When it is freshly harvested, the grains are moister since the grains have had less time to dry out; it is too moist and tender for sushi though it is wonderful as table rice (use less water than normal and use the …

How to Make a Sushi Handroll

Published by

Sushi hand rolls are extremely quick to make (much quicker than rolls or nigiri which take much more time to shape), and can be made at the table by individual diners if you lay out all the ingredients. The handroll shown above has sushi rice, salmon and daikon radish sprouts. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi. To make a hand roll, fold 1 sheet of nori in half along the longest edge. Place the nori shiny side out (the shiny side is always outside for anything you make with nori), and put a few Tbsp of sushi rice on the diagonal from the top left corner to the bottom middle. (Optionally you can dab wasabi on the seaweed first or on top of the rice). Lay long strips of fish and other ingredients on top of the rice. Gently fold the bottom left corner up to the middle top, and continue rolling to make a cone. Eat with soy sauce and wasabi, preferably immediately after it is made since the nori will lose its crispness …

Dashi

Published by

Dashi (wikipedia definition) is a type of Japanese soup stock; one of the most well-known uses of dashi is as the base that you add miso paste to make miso soup, however dashi is also used in many other applications in Japanese cooking, similar to how French cooking uses stock. Dashi is extremely easy and quick to make. All you need to do is measure out ingredients, boil water, and strain. It is made from just three ingredients: konbu (giant kelp), katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and water. Quantities for these ingredients are given in the recipe below; however once you have made dashi a few times, you can eyeball the quantities since it isn’t necessary to use exact quantities. In fact, if you compare various recipes for dashi, you’ll notice that they often differ from each other in the amounts and ratios of konbu and bonito flakes used–I’ve seen recipes which use nearly twice as much konbu and bonito flakes and ones that use only half as much as my recipe below; you can adjust the …