Sep
26
2012

Seafood Pasta

No Butter, No Cream

Seafood Pasta

Just a very good olive oil and some dry white wine make a great tasting sauce to my seafood pasta, ready in 15 minutes. Simple!

Ingredients:

400g of pasta (I use whole wheat spaghetti or linguini for this recipe)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion minced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 pinch of chilli flakes
16 medium shrimps
½ pound of small scallops
¾ cup of dry white wine
24 little clams in their shells
1 spring of thyme
2 tablespoon of parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

  While you cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, heat your olive oil in a large skillet and sauté your onions and garlic with the thyme, for about 1-2 minutes.

  Rinse all your seafood thoroughly. Add the shrimps, the scallops and sauté for another 1 minute then pour in the wine. When it starts to boil, add the clams, put the lid on and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the shells have all opened up.

  Incorporate your cooked pasta and the fresh parsley, mix well and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

  Note: Adding a little dash of olive oil over the finished dish will bring out all the flavors.

Buon Appetito!

Sep
20
2012

The Best-Ever Mash is With Feta Cheese!

The Story Behind My Amazing Discovery

The Best-Ever Mash is With Feta Cheese!

It has been such a beautiful, busy and active summer, I had to go and rest a few days at my favorite hideaway, the Sivananda Yoga Ashram, (sivanandabahamas.org) in the Bahamas.

Honestly for me, there is nothing like waking up at 5:30 in the morning, sitting for long meditation sessions and practicing four hours of yoga a day, to get me back on track and in shape. No electronics, no coffee, no alcohol, just stretching and breathing peace.

I happened to be there last weekend, during the Rosh Hashanah celebrations and of course, I was in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon, busy cooking for the feast, with a group of fantastic yogis from all over the world, mostly from Israel. I was assigned to the making of a Moussaka, a Greek dish traditionally made by layering eggplant over ground lamb, topped with potatoes and béchamel sauce. Since the Ashram only serves vegetarian dishes, we replaced the meat with lentils and decided, instead of using a béchamel, to make very creamy mash potatoes to top the eggplants. That’s when I thought it would be great to mix the potatoes with an almost equal quantity of grated feta cheese, to make it as creamy as possible. It turned out to be the most amazing mash potatoes I ever tasted, no butter, no salt (the feta is salty enough!), just a little milk.

I didn’t think it was possible but it almost beats my previous lifetime most amazing mash: the mash potatoes and truffles I once had in Burgundy, in the beautiful Bernard Loiseau’s Relais & Château. Now, I am curious, what is your best-ever mash?

Sep
11
2012

Apple Cheesecake Recipe

A Sweet Bite of Eden!

Apple Cheesecake Recipe

When we bite into a freshly-picked apple, it becomes clear why the apple was the symbol of pleasure in Eden. Juicy, sweet and so comfortingly…yummy! I love the idea that in the Greek mythology, the apple was created by Dionysus as a gift to his mistress, the goddess of beauty, love and pleasure, Aphrodite. May this variation of the apple cake make you a goddess in the kitchen as well as granting you a sweet new year!

Apple Cheesecake in 4 steps

1. Make a crumble with 2 cups of rolled oat, ¼ cup of flour, ¾ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of non-salted butter, at room temperature. Reserve ½ cup for garnish and press the rest in a 8” springform pan. Bake in the oven at 350°, for about 10 min and reserve.

2. Cook 3 cups of peeled and sliced apples, with 2 tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup of brown sugar, for about 3 to 5 min. Add 2 tablespoons of cream 35%, mix and continue to cook for another 3 min. Reserve.

3. With an electric mixer, beat 250g of cream cheese with ½ cup of brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt, and the juice + zest of 1 lemon.

4. Place the apples on the baked crumble, cover with the cream cheese mixture and garnish with the reserved crumble. Bake in the oven at 350° for 45 min. or until the center of the cake is firm. Allow the cake to cool completely before you refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Ideally, you will want to make this cheesecake ahead of time, like the night before, but it will also keep well in the freezer, for up to 3 months. 

Happy Apple Season!

Grab an apple cider and check out even more Golden Delicious apple recipes that will have you feeling fab about fall.