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How To Turn Radiators Into A Delicious Dish…….

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“Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream”
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Pasta, garlic, cream and other “stuff” 🙂 – always quick and easy to prepare, yet very rewarding with big flavors and a lovely texture.
This is the kind of food I prepare when I “don’t feel like cooking”. After all, the whole preparation takes only a few minutes and is easy enough to be handled by a novice in the kitchen, all one needs is a few good ingredients and a passion for food, the rest will fall into place all by itself 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute garlic in olive oil until just starting to change color

: add salame julienne and onion julienne, saute until onions are translucent

: add julienned sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream, season with kosher salt and fresh-grated black pepper

: simmer until cream starts to thicken, remove from heat, add grated parmesan, check / adjust seasoning

: add fresh cooked radiatori with a bit of the cooking water, mix well

: plate on serving dish, sprinkle with freshly shredded parmesan

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Easy Does It # 28 – Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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So I am walking down the “forbidden” cake-isle at Publix, heroically ignoring every sweet temptation that beckons, almost reaching the end of the line and – BANG – there it was, the most delicious looking banana-walnut cake loaf you can imagine. Now, from my ( past 🙂 ) experiences with the Publix bakery department, their baked goods are pretty good, at least at the location I am shopping close to my home. I have been a huge fan of banana – walnut cake (and banana bread) ever since I had my first taste in the Caribbean many years ago. Sadly, I have not encountered many good versions over the years, with most of them being too sweet, too heavy, too dry and /or lacking strong banana taste or all of the above. Not so the one I got at Publix. Like so many of their baked goods, it was absolutely delicious. Very light, bursting with banana flavor and chock-full of walnuts, all for a very reasonable price.
(NO – I am not being endorsed by Publix, although maybe I should be 🙂 )
As soon as I got home, I dug into the first loaf, almost ate the whole thing and was a very happy camper (Probably shaved a day off of my life right there 😦 )
So the next day I had one more loaf and a bit from the first one. I decided to improve on a perfect thing and prepare “Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding”.
Originally, bread pudding (or cake pudding) was prepared to utilize stale bread or cake and revitalize it with the additional moisture from the egg/milk custard. Nowadays, people are usually less frugal. However, bread pudding and cake pudding have proven to be a popular dessert in countless variations, made with any kind of savory bread or sweet baked goods, from cake to doughnuts to cinnamon rolls and so forth, and with a great assortment of different custards and different nuts, fruits, dried fruits etc. There are fantastic versions out there, impeccably prepared and a pure delight to eat. Unfortunately, as with many other such simple concoctions, a vast sea of less than stellar bread puddings and cake puddings can and will be found, ruining the reputation of this wonderful dish. Too often, it is dry, tasteless and overly sweet and the bread or cake used would have seen a more honorable end to itself by being tossed straight into the garbage.
Not so the baby you see below. It was very light, very moist, with a superb thin, crisp, caramelized crust on the bottom, not too sweet and with the added goodness of vanilla and Greek-yogurt.
All in all, definitely the very best cake pudding I have ever tasted.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
The usual practice of whisking the milk and eggs together before soaking the bread or cake results in a more firm (dry?) version, which is more suitable for a commercial application where one lets the pudding cool down a bit before cutting it into perfect shapes.
My way of soaking the cake in the milk first, then adding the eggs and mixing it all carefully to avoid the cake pieces to break up results in a much more moist cake, encased in a light custard, which together form a marvel of perfectly textured pudding ; There – I said it – perfect 🙂
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P.P.S.
Because of the moist and almost creamy texture of the pudding, I decided not to turn the raspberries into a sauce as I originally had intended, which turned out to be a wise decision.
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Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: banana-walnut cake

: brush a ovenproof dish generously with butter

: whisk 3 cups of milk, 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1 tblsp sugar and a dash of organic vanilla extract

: cut the cake into large pieces, soak in the milk

: whisk 3 small eggs with a dash of organic vanilla extract and 1 tblsp of sugar or honey

: when most of the milk is absorbed by the cake, mix the rest of the milk with the eggs, carefull not to break-up the cake

: fill into ovenproof dish, top with butterflakes and sprinkle with sugar

: bake until custard has just set and bottom has lightly caramelized

: sprinkle with fresh raspberries and confectioners sugar

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

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Image: Property of Panoramio

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Click here for a short Video of Hotel Wiedenfelsen
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It seems about time that I dedicate a dish and name it for the place which started it all for me, the wonderful, elegant and classy “Hotel Wiedenfelsen” in the Black Forrest in Germany.
Before and during the time I was lucky to be am apprentice in this gem of a hotel, the tourist industry in Germany was dominated by hotels like this.
Medium in size, family-owned hotels and restaurants which were the pride of families which, in many cases, had operated these hotels and restaurants for generations. Sadly, because of changing demands, the industry took a sharp turn during the 70’s and many of these wonderful places became obsolete in a fast changing landscape of mostly chain-operated hotels. Only the strongest and the luckiest survived, while the rest gave way to cookie-cutter operations without charm and soul, or they just ceased to exist (including Hotel Wiedenfelsen). It has since seen various attempts to re-invent itself under different ownership, but has never managed to come even near it’s former glory).
Things were of course very different during the hotels heydays, the time during which I had the fortune to be accepted for a three-year apprenticeship under the tight and competent leadership of the Executive Chef (and son in law of the then-owners) Karl Mueller. Karl was a generous and warm person, taking care of us apprentices as if we were family. He was also extremely professional, strict and a severe applier of high culinary standards.
Although ours was a relatively small hotel (about 70 rooms, two restaurants and one banquet space), the standards with which our hotel operated were very high and impeccable indeed.
It was mostly because of these high standards of the whole family who owned and operated “Hotel Wiedenfelsen” that I have become the person I am and the chef I was for nearly five decades. Admittedly, it took an iron hand, a (seemingly at the time) short leash and not a few “fresh ones” to shape me (and a bunch of other apprentices) into the professional I became, but, looking back today, I am grateful to the Mehr family and the Mueller family to have never given up on me and guided me into the right professional and personal direction.
All of this (and more) went through my head yesterday while I was cooking this dish which was the first lamb dish Chef Mueller taught me so many years ago………..
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Thanks Karl, Uschi, Herr und Frau Mehr. God Bless ! 🙂
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Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: remove excess fat from a de-boned lamb leg

: cut into cubes, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: saute lamb in olive oil until browned

: add sliced onions and garlic paste

: add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and same amount (volume) of water (or red wine if you prefer)

: season with finely chopped fresh rosemary, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, a dash of ground cumin and a dash of dried or fresh oregano

: simmer slowly until lamb is tender but NOT falling apart

: add cooked chickpeas and small raw carrots

: simmer until carrots are tender

: add diced bell peppers, simmer two more minutes

: add grape tomatoes, remove from heat, check / adjust seasoning

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: serve stew over pasta, rice, mashed potato or cous cous

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

: Bella – first bite as usual 🙂

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HOSPITALITY21’S TOP 10 CHEF BLOGS

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Dear Friends,
It is with pride and happiness that I can announce another inclusion of “ChefsOpinion” into a ” Best Of ” list by a prestigious hospitality publication, “Hospitality 21”
To read the article and to find out more about the other inductees, click the link below:
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HOSPITALITY21’S TOP 10 CHEF BLOGS
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Thank you Hospitality 21 and all friends, readers and subscribers of ChefsOpinion .
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chef Hans Susser

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Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Cod used to be the cheapest fish you can buy – but look at it now : 4 pieces for $ 38.00 at the fishmonger ! 😦
But once in a while I have to splurge a bit and this cod just fit the bill 🙂
Tomorrow we’ll have dry bread again……
Not really, but I really wish basic food items would be priced a bit more affordable. Shops get fancier all the time, advertising cost’s millions and all these costs have to be covered by the food we consume.
But then again, we are blessed to have this abundance available to us, unlike many (most?) folks in the world who consider them self lucky just to fill their belly every (some) day with whatever scraps they can find.
So with that in mind, on to last nights feast –

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Bon Appetit ! Live is Good (For some of us at least, blessed as we are)

P.S.
if you wonder what happened to the other 3 pieces of fish – Bella had one and I had three 🙂
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Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

Sautéed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over picture
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: Carrots & Scallions

: season cod filets with granulated garlic, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dust with rice flour

: saute in butter until just done but not dry

: meanwhile, simmer carrots in perrier water and butter with a bit of sugar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper until perrier has evaporated

: saute carrots in the remaining butter until starting to caramelize, set aside

: add scallions, saute one more minute

: almost……..

: serve cod and carrots with fresh lemon wedge and thai chili sauce

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

: Sauteed Cod Filet & Honey-Glazed Carrots

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Sauteed Veal Liver “Hawaii”

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Here is how old I am:
When I got to name a new dish and it has pineapple in it, the first thing that comes to mind is “ala Hawaii”, just like in the good old day’s when everything was more simple and less complicated. What can I say, old habits die hard 🙂
However, this garnish of pineapple, tomato and scallion in red wine cream suited the veal liver perfectly and I thoroughly enjoyed it for tonight’s dinner.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Sauteed Veal Liver “Hawaii”

: dust slices of veal liver with flour, saute in peanut oil until done to your liking. One minute before done, discard oil and replace with fresh butter, season with salt and pepper, remove liver to absorbent paper

: almost ……

: sauteed veal liver medium rare

: deglaze pan with red wine, add heavy cream and demi glace

: simmer until nape texture, check / adjust seasoning. Meanwhile, saute pineapples, tomatoes and scallion in butter

: veal liver in read wine cream

: Sauteed Veal Liver “Hawaii”

: Sauteed Veal Liver “Hawaii”

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video on the bottom of this page.
(You don’t have to watch it, just click once) Thank you 🙂
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Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

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This was one of Maria’s favorite dishes. Whenever we went to have chinese food at a restaurant or when she wanted to have something special at home, she would ask for salt & pepper scallops or salt & pepper shrimp.
So, enjoying this meal tonight was a bittersweet affair. I really loved the food, but it is so damn tough to be reminded of a lost loved one all day long, by everything one see’s, hear’s and does, even by the food one eat’s. At least I had Bella next to me , sharing the food and giving me good company 🙂
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For the scallops, season with kosher salt, five spice powder, white pepper, ground szechuan peppercorn and granulated garlic. Mix egg white and rice flour into a thin batter, dredge scallops in it and saute in peanut oil until cooked almost through. Remove and rest on absorbent paper until serving.
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For the rice, saute garlic paste, finely diced onion and grated ginger in peanut oil until fragrant. Add day-old rice and fry until rice starts to puff. Make a well, add more peanut oil and scramble some whisked eggs in it until set. Add sliced scallion, kosher salt, white pepper and sesame oil. Stir fry until all ingredients are well mixed. Check seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
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To serve, top the rice with scallops and sprinkle with finely sliced scallions

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (even when it’s sad sometimes)
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Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Egg fried rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

: Chinese Salt & Pepper Scallops With Egg Fried Rice

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
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Curried Langostino And Egg Salad Wrapped In Roti Prata ( 印度煎饼 )

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While I was preparing tonight’s pratas (parathas, roti canai), my cravings for the final dish became so strong that I did not even bother to decorate the food a bit.
I just could not wait to dig in, as I remembered with great affection the tasty roti’s I had in India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Caribbean (mostly Jamaica, sorry Trinidad) 🙂
The accompanying salad of langustinos and eggs in curry mayonnaise might not sound very exotic, but it is definitely something you could find in any of the less traditional restaurant’s in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, where fusion cuisine has become part of the daily culinary life.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Click for Roti recipe here
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Curried Langostino And Egg Salad Wrapped In Roti Prata ( 印度煎饼 )

: 印度煎饼

: Roti Prata

: Roti Paratha

: Roti Canai

: Curried Langostino And Egg Salad Wrapped In Roti Prata ( 印度煎饼 )

: Curried Langostino And Egg Salad Wrapped In Roti Prata ( 印度煎饼 )

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Dear Friend’s, to help support this blog, please be so kind and click on the video below. ( You don’t have to watch it, just click once ) Thank you 🙂
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Sauted Scallops & Shrimp In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

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Tonight I wanted to have something comfortable, belly warming, traditional, for dinner. I realize that seafood in mustard sauce might not sound traditional to some younger folks out there, but when I was a youngster, fish and other seafood in various types of mustard sauce was a commonly found item on many restaurants friday menu. Even at home, “Fish mit Senfsauce” was a typical friday dinner item, usually served with “Salzkartoffeln” (boiled potatoes).

” Jacobsmuscheln und garnelen in senfsauce mit basmati reis ”
( Scallops and shrimp in mustard sauce with basmati rice )
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Persian Rice (Polo) Recipe Here
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Sauted Scallops & Shrimp In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

: Sauted Scallops & Shrimp In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

: Jacobsmuscheln und garnelen in senfsauce mit basmati reis

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Ingredients :

Scallops,
Shrimp, shelled & deveined, tail on
White wine,
Heavy cream,
Whole grain mustard, (I prefer Maille)
Butter, clarified
Butter, whole
Sriracha ,
Sea salt,
Lemon juice,

Method :

Season scallops with sea salt and saute in clarified butter until halfway cooked. remove from pan, set aside. Season shrimp with sea salt and sriracha sauce and saute in whole butter until halfway cooked, remove from pan, set aside. deglaze pan with white wine, add heavy cream and juices from the cooked shrimp and scallops and reduce until a light sauce has formed. Remove from heat, add mustard and lemon juice, check seasoning. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Return seafood to the pan, return to heat until heated through. Make sure you don’t let the sauce simmer anymore or your seafood will get tough and dry. Serve with basmati rice.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

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Garlicky Shrimp Brochettes & Potato Salad In Dijon Mayonnaise

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Early evening dinner before going to sleep and back to another happy work week. (Do I have to mention I was NOT the lucky winner of the $ 6 million Jackpot ?)
I wonder, if I would have won, would I go to work tomorrow…………
Anyway, back to reality and a great meal. I used a shameful amount of roasted garlic puree to season the shrimps and I hope nobody wants a kiss before tomorrow 🙂
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Garlicky Shrimp Brochettes & Potato Salad In Dijon Mayonnaise

: Garlicky Shrimp Brochettes & Potato Salad In Dijon Mayonnaise

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Simmer un-peeled potatoes until done. Remove from water, let cool. Peel, slice into thin rounds. Mix with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, a bit of vinegar, mayonnaise, chopped cilantro, sliced scallions and dijon mustard.

Season the shrimp with sea salt, chili flakes and roasted garlic puree. Saute in butter until almost done. Squeeze one lime over brochettes, turn once and remove from pan.
To serve, spoon some of the lime butter over the shrimps and accompany with potato salad.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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