Grab Bag

Surf & Turf

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Saturday’s usual steak dinner with friend’s. Life is Good !
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Surf & Turf

: Steak, Shrimp, Mushroom, Potatoes, Grape Tomatoes, Garlic.

: Surf & Turf

: Grilled To Perfection

: Sauteed To Perfection

: Garlic/Herb Butter, Wasabi

: Darryl

: Bella & Darryl

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Breakfast Of Champions # 27 – ” Smoked Salmon Sandwich “

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You might have noticed in the past few posts when I used smoked salmon that the salmon is sliced much thicker and narrower than we usually cut it. I buy my salmon mostly at publix and while they have different quality salmon to offer, I prefer this “inferior” cut. It is cut from trimmings of the belly, which can not be sliced into the thin, wide slices we usually serve. But in my humble opinion, the texture and taste is far superior to the regular “pretty”part we usually buy.
There you have it – cheaper and better 🙂
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Breakfast Of Champions # 27 – ” Smoked Salmon Sandwich “

: Sour Dough Bread, Sautéed In Garlic Butter

: Herbed Boursin Cheese

: Salmon

: Onion Rings

: Hard Boiled Egg

: Caviar

: Diced Marinated Cucumbers

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Pork Blade Steak Gratinated With White Asparagus, Spicy Asiago Yoghurt & Fresh Horse Radish

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Most folks I know would shun a blade steak as inferior cut, too lowly to use as a steak. But let me assure you, as far as pork steaks go, you will be hard pressed to find a better cut. The blade has a wonderful texture and taste, very juice, tender and yes, very economical (we don’t say cheap 🙂 )

Season steaks with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Season yoghurt with sea salt and cayenne pepper, mix with some grated asiago cheese. Season asparagus with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Grill steak until medium well. (It will continue cooking to well done while it gratinates). Place steak on baking dish, sprinkle with freshly grated horse radish. Top with asparagus. Brush asparagus tips with melted butter. Nape asparagus with yoghurt, sprinkle with asiago cheese and scallions. Gratinate until golden.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pork Blade Steak Gratinated With White Asparagus, Spicy Asiago Yoghurt & Fresh Horse Radish

: Pork Blade Steak Gratinated With White Asparagus, Spicy Asiago Yoghurt & Fresh Horse Radish

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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Product Review : BettaSnax

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Once in a while companies send me samples of their products to review on ChefsOpinion. I am more than happy to do these review’s and since I don’t get paid or compensated in any way to do so, I can always give my honest, professional and private opinion. If here is a product I don’t like for any reason, I inform the company and refrain from reviewing it.
This time I received sample snacks from “BettaSnax”, which I am happy to write about and inform you of my tasting experience.
These are the snacks I sampled :
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BettaSnacks

: BettaSnacks – S’MORES BISCOTTI

: BettaSnacks – ORIGINAL BISCOTTI

: BettaSnacks – FRUIT & NUT BISCOTTI

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According to the manufacturer, these snack’s contain:
No cholesterol, no preservatives, no dairy products, no artificial flavors.
What’s more, they are low in fat and low in calories.
(Sounds like a winning formula to me) 🙂

ORIGINAL BISCOTTI CHIPS

” ORIGINAL BISCOTTI CHIPS” – These are my new commercial snack heroes.
Super tasty, great texture, slight hint of vanilla, slightly sweet.
I want these with my espresso, with my cheese, or just by them self as a healthy, satisfying snack.
Superb product.
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FRUIT & NUT BISCOTTI

“FRUIT & NUT BISCOTTI CHIPS” – These gave me a totally different taste impression.
Since they are much sweeter an fruitier, I can fully appreciate their flavor and texture but for me personally,
they lack the sophistication and “biscottiness” of the “ORIGINAL”.
Good product.
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S’MORES BISCOTTI

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“S’MORES CHIPS” – My least favorite product. They taste slightly burnt, the texture feels crumbly.
My neighbors kid’s absolutely love them, but I have to say no tho them.
Acquired taste ?
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Conclusion : The “original biscotti chips” will be a staple of my pantry, to be served with coffee, ice cream, cheese or just by them self. I love them and wish I’d discovered them earlier.

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Note :
1) I wish the manufacturer would consider a more attractive, elegant packaging. While the bag serves it’s purpose fully, the colors and writing are a bit dreary and unattractive in my opinion.

2) The online shop also seems to have some teething problems, I was not able to place an order.

3) The picture on amazon – come on, you can do better 🙂
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Chicken Fricasse & Potato Dumplings

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Although chicken and pasta any style is one of my favorite dishes, this afternoon I gave myself a choice between hausgemachte spätzle and kartoffelknödel.
Kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings) won today, so I will probably make some hausgemachte spätzle (small flour dumplings) in the coming few days.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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Potato Dumpling Recipe – Click Here

Hausgemachte Spätzle Recipe – Click Here
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Chicken Fricasse & Potato Dumplings With Scallion And Fried Onions

Step by step instructions below :
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Saute Onions & Mushrooms in Olive Oil

Remove From Pan, Reserve

Saute Salt & Pepper Seasoned Chicken

Add Merlot

Add Diced Tomatoes

Add Porcini Powder

Add Brown Chicken Stock, Simmer Until Tender. Check Seasoning

Add Brown Chicken Stock, Simmer Until Tender, Add Mushrooms And Onions, Check / Adjust Seasoning

Chicken Fricasse & Potato Dumplings

Chicken Stew

Potato Dumplings With Scallions & Fried Onions

Chicken Friccasse & Potato Dumplings

Fricasse Vom Huhn mit Kartoffelknoedeln

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Pulpo A La Plancha (Griddled Octopus)

If I would be confined to a small island for the rest of my life and given a choice of just 10 food items I could have available for the rest of my life, octopus would definitely be one of them.
Today I was in the mood to have something simple, with no fuzz, little preparation and minimal cleanup. Here is what fit the bill :

” Griddled octopus with iceberg and tomato in raspberry vinaigrette “.

Season water with sea salt, lots of smashed garlic and crashed black pepper corn. Add octopus and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on size) until tender but not mushy. Texture is very important for a successful octopus dish, so pay attention! Remove octopus to ice bath. Let cool, remove from water, pat dry. Season with sea salt, granulated garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Brush with olive oil. Cook on hot griddle or cast iron pan until a nice char has developed. In the meantime, mix olive oil, lime juice, garlic paste, fresh ground black pepper and lot’s of chopped cilantro and oregano. Plate the octopus, drizzle with the seasoned olive oil. Serve with a green salad and your choice of potatoes, rice or sour dough bread.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Pulpo A La Plancha (Griddled Octopus)

: Pulpo A La Plancha

: Griddled Octopus

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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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Toast “Soupi”

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Simple dinner today after too much food during the past few day’s.
The inspiration to this came from the classic “Toast Hawaii”.
I just thought I’ll kick it up a notch 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Toast “Soupi”

: Peaches, Gorgonzola, Asiago, Swiss, Bagels, Butter, Scallions, Chili Flakes.

: Ham

: Peach

: Gorgonzola

: Swiss

: Asiago, Scallion, Chili

: Gratinate

: Toast “Soupi”

: Toast “Soupi”

: Toast “Soupi”

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Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

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After yesterday’s less then stellar lunch experience I needed to get something nice and satisfying for dinner. I still had some seafood from the day before, some button mushroom and small potatoes.
Now this was a dish worth paying for 🙂

Season raw seafood with sea salt and sriracha sauce and saute in whole butter until halfway cooked, add cooked seafood, saute until heated through, remove from pan, set aside. Add
Garlic paste, saute until fragrant. Deglaze pan with white wine, heavy cream and juices from the sautéed seafood. Simmer and reduce until a light sauce has formed. Remove from heat, add mustard and lemon juice, check seasoning and adjust 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 or sautéed potatoes. (I did place sautéed parsley potatoes and garlic mushroom on the bottom of the plate but forgot to take the picture before topping them with the seafood. If you look closely, you’ll see a potato peeking out under the crayfish in the last picture) 🙂 >
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Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

: Lobster, Crayfish, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Mussels, King Crab.

: Seafood In Whole Grain Mustard Cream

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Bonefish Grill – Weston, Florida : Mediocre – At Best

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Today I had the fortune of meeting an old friend again after we hadn’t seen each other for many years. We went to have lunch at the bonefish grill in weston, florida. My friend has been there before but only monday evenings, because like me, she does not like to wait in line at a restaurant and usually there is a long line to get in. After hearing this I expected a first class experience. Weston is a affluent area and folks usually have the means to pay good money for good food. Upon entering and being seated at a nice table, the first thing I noticed was the brown butcher paper covering the tables. Now, while this might be appropriate at a hamburger joint, I find this completely inappropriate at a restaurant in this price category. Next thing, no waiters. Instead, cooks? in their uniform acting as servers. Despite this though, I thought our server / cook did a good job, he was friendly, quick and efficient.
As for the food, it was not bad, but far from being good. Mediocre would be my honest , generous judgement.
The ceviche was generous in portion size, but taste and quality was lacking. It was drenched in oil and all we could taste was old bottled lemon juice. My crab cakes consisted of a good amount of crab meat, but texture and presentation was second rate at best (A five year old must have cut that lemon wedge). The sauce that came with it would probably have been rejected by any mc donald customer, so dismal was the taste. The fish and meat of the main course was of decent quality and the fish was cooked nicely, nice char on the outside, very juicy on the inside. The steak was cooked way too fast, so that the outside just below the char was grey until almost the center, where there was a small strip of medium, as my friend had ordered. There was ample gratinated crab meat but no sauce bernaise (Garniture “Oscar”). The accompanying green asparagus were rather woody and void of any seasoning. The size of my “large Portion” of fish was laughable, I was wondering what the “small portion” would have been like. My garlic mashed potatoes might have waved hello to some garlic located across the kitchen, but the two definitely never met. . . . . . The presentation of all dishes found their highlight in dry chopped parsley sprinkled about all the food and plates.
This, plus two diet coke each and tip came to $100.
I have to say, more power to the people who own and operate this place and find enough gullible customers who come back again and again and pay these prices for second rate food.
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Ceviche

Crab Cakes

Steak “Oscar”

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass

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Chirashizushi (Scattered Sushi) (ちらし寿司

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I am trying today to continue with my quest for a healthier living. After a substantial, healthy breakfast, I decided that sushi will be light and healthy enough. Usually I would have been right, but there was a problem – I, as usual, was so looking forward to it that I prepared way too much and therefore ate too much, as usual 😦
But boy, was it worth the sin 🙂

The “Chirashizushi” included:

Lobster, crayfish, crab legs, octopus, mussels, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, nori, black sesame seeds, egg, scallion, sushi rice.

Sushi Rice Recipe Here (# 3 of the good part)

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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