Boston Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Boston Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Time: 10 minutes
Effort: Very Easy
Serves: 2

Ingredients
8 leaves of crisp boston lettuce, washed and dried
1/2 cup blue cheese (such as Danish Blue, Stilton etc.) coarsely crumbled
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise or home made (I always make home made mayo)
2 tbsp. plain yogurt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Fresh radishes for garnish

Place the lettuce leaves on serving plates, arranged in a circle.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until creamy, and spoon onto the arranged lettuce. Serve immediately.

Variation:
Coarsely chop 4 rashers of bacon and fry until crisp. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the salad and dressing and pour the hot bacon fat over the top. 

Crusted Baby Rack of Lamb

Crusted Baby Rack of Lamb

Time: 45 minutes
Effort: Easy
Serves: 2

Ingredients
1 baby rack of lamb (8 baby chops, prepared "hotel style")
4 tbsp Canola oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs or Panko
4 garlic cloves, minced very fine
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. fresh or dried thyme
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. Sherry or Port

Heat oven to 475F. 

In a medium bowl, combine well the bread crumbs with 2 tbsp. canola oil, parsley, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture on to a sheet of parchment paper and set aside.

In a heavy skillet, heat the remaining canola oil until very hot. Add the rack of lamb and sear on both sides until browned. Remove from heat, and spread the mustard evenly on both sides of the chops - avoiding the bones.

Lay the rack on the bread crumb mixture and using the palms of your hands, coat the chops with crumbs, pressing firmly down so it sticks well. Lay the chops in a roasting pan, wrap the boney ends in foil so they don't burn, and cook on the top oven rack for approximately 25 minutes or until the crumbs are nicely browned. (This will produce a medium-rare roast). If you prefer them more well done, cover the whole roast with foil and roast for another 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, deglaze the skillet with balsamic vinegar and Sherry or Port and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Cut the roast in half and serve over the Sherry/Port sauce with your favorite vegetables.

(Shown here served with crispy brussels sprouts and bacon; oven roasted baby potatoes).

Shrimp & Spicy Guacamole

Shrimp & Spicy Guacamole

Time: 15 minutes
Effort: Easy
Serves: 2 - 4

Ingredients
12-14 large shrimp, pre-cooked & peeled, tail left on
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 large, ripe avocado
1 medium hot red pepper, minced (I used the marinated ones in a jar)
1 tbsp. home made mayonnaise or a good quality store bought kind
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
Taco rounds for dipping

Place the shrimp in a medium sized bowl and drizzle with 1 tbsp. lemon juice, combine well and set aside.

Halve the avocado and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until almost smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and drape the shrimp along the edge.

Serve immediately with small taco rounds for dipping (optional).

Steelhead Trout Tartare

Steelhead Trout Tartare

Time: 15 minutes
Effort: Easy
Serves: 1

Ingredients
1 medium to small steelhead or rainbow trout filet, sushi grade, skinned
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. chopped capers
1 tsp. chopped spring onions
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 egg yolk (from a small egg)
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper (a generous amount!)

On a large plastic cutting board or ceramic plate, coarsely chop the trout filet and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and salt to taste, combining well. 
Scoop the mixture in a small bowl or ring-mold and turn onto a plate and serve immediately. (I served it as a main dish, alongside cold asparagus with dijon vinaigrette and slivers of sweet roasted beets).

Fried Baby Octopus & Squid

Fried Baby Octopus & Squid, served with Baked Zucchini Flowers & Smashed New Potatoes

Time: 15 minutes
Effort: Easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1/2 lb each baby octopus and baby squid, cleaned and washed
1/2 Canola oil (or any other neutral oil of your preference)
1 tsp crushed garlic
Sea salt & Pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Lemon wedges
Extra virgin olive oil

After cleaning and washing the octopus and squid, pat them dry in several layers of paper towels.
Using a large skilled, heat the oil on high until very hot.
Add the squid and fry, turning from time to time, until golden. Remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the extra oil.
Add the octopus and fry until golden, then add them to the plate of squid. 
Reduce the heat to medium, strain out all the oil and replace the seafood into the pan. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cilantro and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, combine well. Saute for about 1 minute. Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon. 
(This dish is also great cold, as an appetizer or served on top of a fresh green salad).

Matane Shrimp & Avocado Mousse Verrines

Matane Shrimp & Avocado Mousse Verrines

Time: 20 minutes
Effort: Easy
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cooked Matane shrimp*, thawed and well drained
2-4. tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp. garlic paste
Salt & pepper to taste
6 lime slices for garnish

Once the shrimp have thawed, or if using fresh, squeeze out the excess liquid using your hands - careful not to crush the shrimp as they are delicate!
Place them in a medium bowl and add 2 tbsp. lime juice, spring onion and salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside to marinate.
Halve the avocados and scoop out the pulp into a blender or food processor. (I used a food processor this time) Add 1 tsp lime juice, the garlic paste and salt. (no pepper) Puree until smooth - making sure to scrape the sided while pureeing. There shouldn't be any lumps at all. Taste. You may wish to add more lime juice or salt or both. 

To serve: Using transparent glass verrines spoon in enough shrimp mixture into each one until it fills each verrine half way. Then, using a small spoon, gently spoon in the avocado mousse to fill to the top. Make a slit into each lime slice and drape over the edge of each verrine and serve. (You can refrigerate them for a few hours if you wish, but make sure to cover with plastic wrap otherwise the avocado mousse will turn brown on the top).

*Matane shrimp are wild shrimp that come from the Gaspe region of Quebec, Canada. They are very small and have a unique sweet/salty/sea flavour and should not be overpowered with too many seasonings. You can substitute them with salad shrimp if you wish.