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I was able to enjoy most of this before the rain hit and I had to move inside.
Now it’s fiesta time 🙂
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Ingredients :
Cantaloupe melon, vanilla yoghurt, ice, milk, barceló añejo rum (the more the merrier 🙂
Cheers !
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Cantaloupe Melon & Barceló Añejo Rum Smoothie
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Cantaloupe Melon & Barceló Añejo Rum Smoothie
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Cantaloupe Melon & Barceló Añejo Rum Smoothie
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Last nights dinner finally gave me an opportunity to use the red beet I bought a few days ago. Originally I had bought it to make a salad, but I changed my mind and integrated the beet into my garlicky mashed potato. Good stuff ! 🙂
Here is how it went :
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The Ingredients
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Cooking Potatoes & Beets In Salt Water
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Sauteing Onions And Garlic In Butter
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Mashing Potatoes & Beets
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Adding Butter, Cream, Kosher Salt & Cayenne Pepper
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Mashed Potatoes & Red Beets
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Top With Sauteed Onion & Garlic
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Season Steak & Scallion With Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Saute To Preferred Doneness
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Skirt Steak, Garlic / Herb Butter, Sauted Scallion & Red Beets / Potato Puree
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Skirt Steak, Garlic / Herb Butter, Sauted Scallion & Red Beets / Potato Puree
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Skirt Steak, Garlic / Herb Butter, Sauted Scallion & Red Beets / Potato Puree
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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In this classic dish you should splurge – use the best caviar you can afford !
(I used grey mullet caviar, which is pretty good, especially for this dish.
Beluga, Imperial, Ossetra, maybe next time 🙂
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Scrambled Eggs & Caviar
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Ingredients :
Eggs, Very fresh !
Heavy cream,
Caviar, the best you can afford 🙂
Scallions, finely sliced
Butter,
Kosher salt,
Cayenne pepper,
Method :
Whisk the eggs lightly with heavy cream, salt and pepper.
Heat a pan,
Add the butter to melt, add the eggs and cook until done to your likeness.
Pour into serving dish and top with caviar and scallions. Enjoy !
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Dear Friends,
I had to think long and hard what I’ll do without Maria. I came to the conclusion that she would not have wanted me to give up life at this point (I was close, but thanks God for Bella…).
I am aware that the pain of losing her will never go away, but I will have to take care of Bella and myself in order to honer the memory of Maria.
Since Maria was the biggest fan of “ChefsOpinion”, I have decided to start posting again and hope that she still enjoys reading it wherever she is and sharing the dishes with me in spirit.
I hereby dedicate all future posts to Maria and our love for each other, our love for sweet Bella and our love for good food everywhere 🙂
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Todays lunch had all the usual ingredients of my cooking style :
Lot’s of taste, texture and simplicity.
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Spaghetti With Walnut, Cashew & Cilantro Pesto, Dried Cranberries and Pecorino Romano
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Spaghetti, cooked al dente, some cooking liquid reserved
Walnuts, shelled
Cashew nuts, shelled
Olive oil,
Cilantro,
Cranberries, freeze dried
Pecorino romano, finely grated
Kosher salt,
Black pepper,
Method :
In a blender blend nuts, olive oil, cilantro, salt, pepper and cheese until your preferred texture is reached, If too thick, add more oil, if too thin, add a bit more cheese. Remove from blender and add the cranberries. Let steep for at least two hours.
Mix with freshly cooked and drained spaghetti and a small amount of the cooking liquid. If required, add more cheese and/or cooking liquid.
To serve, sprinkle with more cheese and freshly grated black pepper.
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good ! (Mostly, Sometimes 🙂
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Just look at the ingredients and you’ll understand why I prefer this to another famous steak sandwich, named after a city I will not mention here.
Maybe it’s just me, but shredded “Real” steak, pita bread, greek yoghurt, fresh vegetables, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and lot’s of roasted garlic puree !
Tell me if I am wrong, but in my opinion, this sandwich just rocks !
P.S.
Apollodoros means “gift of Apollo” from the name of the God APOLLO combined with Greek δωρον (doron) “gift”. Hey, I created it, I’ve got to name it 🙂
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“Apollodoros” Steak Sandwich
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Hard to believe, but many folks have never come across a poached pear on a restaurant menu, much less eaten one. What a shame, since this is such a versatile culinary gem. In classic restaurants you would come across them as part of different dishes often, be it by them self with a bit of Creme Chantilly or vanilla sauce, or part of a cheese course, maybe part of a dessert , or served as garniture to a savory dish such as pork, poultry, game or pork. But now I suspect it has become old-fashioned? For me however, if it looks good and tastes good it will never be out of fashion, so yesterday I treated myself to this beautiful, decadent and luxurious dish. Later in the evening I added a good shot of “Schladerer Zwetschgen Schnaps” to the remaining spiced wine and enjoyed it hot as a night cup.
Life is Good !
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Port Wine & Beoujolais Poached Pears
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Bartlett pears, peeled
Port wine,
Beaujolais
Cinnamon stick,
Sugar,
Star anise,
Method :
Mix port wine and red wine 50/50. Add a bit of orange juice, cinnamon, sugar and star anise , bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Let cool to room temperature. Add the pears,(they must be covered by the liquid), bring to a slow simmer for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool down to room temperature. Serve with chocolate dusted whipped cream.
Bon Appetit !
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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
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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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Sitting outside in the fresh air the whole evening and most of the night, having good conversations, listening to good music, drinking good wine and just having a great time for many hours has usually different results. Some folks get tipsy, some get tired, some get overly excited about the topics of the night. However, my friends and I usually can agree to one thing around the time midnight strikes: Time to eat ! And no matter how many times my buddies find their way to the fridge and the bar to get more drinks, somehow they always forget where I keep the raw food and the pots and pans.
So, as usual, friday night we all decided we had to have a substantial midnight snack.
Also, as usual, everybody decided that the only one “qualified and sober enough” to do the job of feeding us all would be me 🙂
Here is the crowd pleaser we wolfed down last night:
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Chickenbreast & Zitoni Tagliati In Spicy Red Wine & Mascarpone Cream
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Ingredients :
Chicken breast, cut into large “chunks”
Zitoni tagliati, cooked al dente, some cooking liquid reserved
Broccoli florettes, blanched
Onions, sliced (lots of them)
Tomatoes, sliced
Scallions, finely sliced
Pecorino romano, finely grated
Mascarpone,
Red wine, (use the one you are drinking)
Butter,
Kosher salt,
Sriracha, (lots of it)
Roasted garlic paste, (lots of it)
Method :
Saute chicken in butter until 160 F, remove , set aside (The carry-over heat and re-heating will take it to a safe 165F). Saute onions and garlic until onions are golden and garlic is fragrant. At this point your butter will have turned into “buurre noisette”, light brown with a nutty flavor. Add red wine and let reduce by half. Add chicken with its juices, vegetables, pasta and seasoning, saute until heated through. Add mascarpone and pecorino romano. Mix until a creamy sauce develops. If the sauce is too thin, add more cheese, If too thick, add some of the reserved cooking liquid and / or red wine. To serve, sprinkle with more pecorino and the sliced scallions.
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
Always value good friends, good conversations, good food, and good wine 🙂
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After all, cantaloupe and yoghurt is good for you and makes for a light, healthy meal 🙂
This is all I needed to finish up this day. It’s a gorgeous evening, light breeze, no humidity and the temperature just right.”Kashmir” playing on the radio while I am having this drink. Life is Good !
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Green Goddess Cocktail:
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1/2 large cantaloupe melon,
3 cups creme de menthe,
2 cup vanilla yoghurt,
2 cup champagne,
2 cup ice,
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Blend in mixer until smooth. Cheers !
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“When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.
When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I wrote down, ‘happy’.
They told me I didn’t understand the assignment.
I told them they didn’t understand life”.
– John Lennon
More Led 🙂
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Green Goddess Cocktail
Green Goddess Cocktail
Green Goddess Cocktail
Green Goddess Cocktail
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Here is Tuesday’s no-fuss, quick, easy, tasty dinner.
Many a moron (unfortunately, there is a never-ending supply of those) will say chicken breast is dry, tasteless and boring. (Yes, if you don’t know what you are doing).
But, put some love and knowledge into your food and everything can be made enjoyable, even a simple chicken breast 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Paillard Of Chicken With Broccoli Rabe, Peppers & Sun Dried Tomatoes
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Ingredient’s :
Chicken breast, pounded thin between two oiled sheets of plastic film
Broccoli rabe, blanched
Sun dried tomatoes, finely julienned
Red bell pepper, finely julienned
Onion, finely julienned
Dijon mustard,
Cayenne pepper,
Corn meal,
Corn starch,
Garlic paste,
Butter,
Method :
Mix cornmeal cornstarch, salt and pepper. Season chicken with mustard, dredge paillard in mixture, shake of excess and saute in butter until golden brown and medium well (the carry-over heat will take it to a safe 165F). Remove chicken to a warm serving plate. Saute onions, peppers, tomatoes and garlic until fragrant, add broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper and saute until heated. Add to the chicken, dig in and enjoy 🙂
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ChefsOpinion 