Grilled Oysters

Grilled Oysters

I went on a weekend getaway with my hubby. We went to Tomales Bay north of San Francisco. I love getting out of the city, away to small-town USA. Just a few hours driving takes you into the country side. Point Reyes Station is a small town with all the things you need. A few stores, a hole in the wall coffee shop (Toby's coffee bar makes very good lattes!) and a handful of restaurants using mainly local ingredients. 

I hadn't done my research properly, I know that now. I totally missed that we were going to cheese-country, but more about cheese in another post.

The view

The real reason for this trip was to go back to Hog Island Oyster Farm. We went there last year and both of us have been craving their grilled oysters ever since. I know we could get our fix in downtown San Francisco, but it would not be the same. There is something special about sitting on wooden benches eating oysters while enjoying the beautiful view of Tomales Bay.

We brought some oysters back with us. I wanted to try to make these scrumptious grilled oysters at home. And my, oh my, oh my - the home grilled oyster was just as tasty as the ones at Hog Island Oyster Company.

serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 12 oysters (small oyster from Hog Island Oyster Company or any local oysters)

• 1 lemon

Butter:

• ½ stick (55 g) salted butter, cold

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey

• 2-3 tablespoons chopped chipotle chilies in adobo-sauce

• 1 sprinkle of salt

• 2-3 garlic cloves

And:

• 1 knife for shucking the oyster (I used a Dexter-Russell)

• salt for the serving plate

Direction:

Dissolve the sugar in the bourbon/whiskey. Add all ingredients to the a food-processor and mix until you have a smooth paste. Chill the butter until semi firm.

At the grill:

Heat your grill to a medium heat (400℉/200℃)

Shuck the oysters like in this video.

Place about ½ teaspoon of the butter in the open oyster and place them on the grill. Close the lid and peak a few times for the butter to melt and the liquid to start bubbling, let the oysters bubble away for about a minutes. Remove from the grill and let them cool for a brief moment before eating.

Passion fruit Ceviche

Passion fruit Ceviche

Ceviche is one of my favorite appetizers. I love the texture, the tanginess and in this version, the sweetness from the passionfruit. It all comes together in a perfect combination.

This time I served the ceviche with wonton chips, but even potato chips or crisp pita bread will work.

Eating Raw Seafood - What You Need To Know:

It's always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of food-borne illness. However, if you choose to eat raw fish anyway, one rule of thumb is to eat fish that has been previously frozen for 24 hours. FDA

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 400 g halibut, salmon or a mix of both, cut into small cubes
• 2 passion fruits, the juice of
• 2 limes, the juice of
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 Serrano chili finely sliced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado chopped

Directions:

Combine the lime, sieved passion fruit, and chili in a bowl. Add to the fish and make sure that it gets thoroughly coated. Cover the bowl  and let the fish marinate in the refrigerator  for 20-30 minutes.

When ready to serve, add the rest of the ingredients and mix it gently.

Serve the ceviche with crispy wontons or chips. 
Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Forret til 4 personer.

Passionsfrugts ceviche

Ingredienser:

• 400 g frisk hellefisk, laks eller en kombination
• 2 passionfrugter, saften fra
• 2 limes, saften fra
• 1 spsk friske koriander blade
• 1 Serrano chili, i tynde skiver
• ¼ rødløg. i tynde skiver
• 1 avocado i tern

Fremgangsmåde:

Bland limesaften, passionsfrugtssaften med chili i en skål. Tilsæt fisken  og sørg for at den bliver blandet godt med saften. Det er saften der tilbereder fisken, så det er vigtigt at al fisken er vendt i saften. Dæk skålen til og sæt den i køleskabet i 20-30 minutter. 

Lige før serveringen, blandes resten af ingredienterne i. Det hele hældes i en serveringsskål og serveres med chips.

Velbekomme!

Cold Asparagus Soup

Cold Asparagus Soup

I have always known an asparagus soup as a white hot creamy soup. And there is nothing wrong with the classic soup, not at all. But for me it's more a soup for the winter months. The fine new delicate white asparagus you're able to get in the stores or farmers markets in the spring has a sweet and delicate taste, which is perfect in a cool soup like this. 

Serves 10 as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches white asparagus, washed, peeled and sliced, save the tops for later
• 3 leeks, only the white part, washed and sliced
• 750 ml water
• 1 tablespoon chicken paste (I use Better than Bouillon*)
• ¾ cup (1½ dl) white wine, use a non oaky one
• ½ cup (1 dl) dry sherry (I used a cooking sherry)
• 227 g creme fraiche (I used Cowgirl Creamy Creme Fraiche)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt to taste

Toppings:

• dry chorizo, thinly sliced and fried to crispy
• asparagus tops (save some of the tops, and blanch them briefly)

Directions:

Bring water, chicken paste, wine and sherry to a simmer in a medium pot over high heat. Add asparagus and leeks and cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 8-12 minutes, for thin to medium thick asparagus. Transfer asparagus and leeks to a blender with a small amount of the liquid. Add the creme fraiche and some of the lemon juice, and blend until smooth. Add more of the cooking liquid if the blended soup is too thick.  Season the soup with salt and lemon juice.

In the leftover cooing liquid, give the asparagus tops a quick blanching. (Bring to a boil, and quickly cool down in ice water.) Put the tops in the refrigerator.

Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Just before serving fry up the chorizo until crispy.

Serve the soup in small glass bowls with a small amount of topping.

Enjoy.

* I use Better Than Bouillon pastes in my dishes. I think it has a better flavor than the dry bouillon cubes or other brand name stocks. And I think that the paste has seen real ingredients like chicken, beef and vegetables. But I do believe that du get the best flavor by using your own homemade stock. But to be honest, I rarely have time to make homemade stocks. 

Inspired by "Spise med Price"

The Danish version:

Kold aspargessuppe

10 portioner som forret. 

Ingredienser:

• 2 Bundter hvide asparges, vaskede, skrællede, gem toppene til senere.
• 3 porrer, kun den hvide del, vaskede og skivede
• 750 ml vand
• 1 spsk kyllinge pasta eller en hønsebouillonterning
• 1½ dl hvidvin
• 1 dl tør sherry 
• 227 g creme fraiche (minimum 18%, men helst 38%)
• 2 spsk citronsaft
• salt efter smag

Toppings:

• chorizo, tyndskåret og stegt sprød
• aspargestoppe (blancheret kort)

Fremgangsmåde:

Kog vand, bouillon, vin og sherry op i en gryde sammen med de skrællede asparges (minus hovederne) og porrer. Kog indtil aspargesne er møre, men stadig har lidt bid. ca.  8-12 minutter, alt efter tykkelse. Kom de kogte porrer og asparges over i en blender sammen med lidt af kogelagen, creme fraiche og lidt af citronsaften. Blend det indtil du får en jævn og ensartet suppe. Tilsæt mere af kogelagen, hvis suppen bliver for tyk. Smag suppen til med salt og citronsaft.

I den overskydende kogelage blancheres aspargeshovederne. (De bringes i kog og køles hurtigt ned i isvand.) Kom de blancherede hoveder i køleskabet indtil de skal bruges.

Afkøl suppen i køleskabet i minimum 3 timer før servering, eller natten over.

Lige før suppen skal serveres steges tynde skiver af choizoen til den bliver sprød.

Server suppen i små glasskåle eller glas, og kom lidt aspargeshoveder og choizo på toppen.

Velbekomme!

Tzatziki

Tzatziki

This spread is a perfect starter for summer BBQ's. 

Ingredients:

• 1 english cucumber
• salt
• 17.6 oz. (0.5 l) non-fat Fage Greek yogurt
• garlic
• olive oil

Direction:

Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1-2 tablespoon salt, place it in a sieve, and place it over a bowl. Let the cucumber drain for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

Mix in the greek yogurt with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and garlic. Set aside.

Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can, and add the cucumber to the yogurt.

You can serve it immediately, but I like the flavors to blend in the tzatziki, so I let it sit in the refrigerator for an hours before serving. Just before serving drizzle some good olive oil on top.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, with a good sourdough bread or Pita Bread. 

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

• 1 agurk
• salt
• 0,5 l fedtfri Fage græsk yoghurt
• 2-4 fed hvidløg
• olivenolie

Direction:

Riv agurken, og bland den med 1-2 spsk salt, for at vandet drænes ud af agurken, så tzatzikien ikke bliver vandet. Kom agurken i en sigte og sæt sigten over en skål. Lad det dræne i 2-3 timer (optimalt) i køleskabet.

Bland yoghurten med 1-2 tsk olivenolie. 

Pres så meget væde ud af agurken, som muligt, og kom den i yoghurten.

Du kan servere tzatzikien med det sammen, men smagen bliver bedre, hvis den får lov at hvile i køleskabet i en times tid.

Lige før serveringen hældes lidt god olivenolie over.

Kan serveres kold eller ved stuetemperatur, med godt surdejsbrød eller med pitabrød.

Velbekomme!

Sunchoke Soup with seared Scallops

Sunchoke Soup with seared Scallops

Last weekend I went to the local farmers marked, the perfect place to find farm-fresh produce in season. It was here I found sunchokes, aka Jerusalem Artichokes, sunroots or earth apples. 

You can eat the sunchokes raw in salads or cooked in soups and gratins. The raw sunchokes has a nutty taste, while the cooked are sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Sunchokes has a high content of vitamin C and K.

I decided to make sunchoke soup, a  creamy soup perfect for an appetizer, but filling enough to use as a main course. 

Serves 4 as an appetizer or serves 2 for a main course.

Ingredients:

• 400 g sunchokes, peeled and chopped
• 300 g potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 dl (1¼ cup) whole milk
• 1 dl (little over ⅓ cup) cream
• 2 teaspoons chicken base
• 6 dl (2½ cup) water
• salt and white pepper, to taste

Topping:

• 6-8 scallops
• 2 tablespoons dry chorizo or paprika sausage, chopped and fried
• 3 teaspoon chives, finely chopped
• a few drops truffle oil
• sunchoke chips (1-2 sunchokes)

Directions:

Soup:

Cook the sunchokes and potatoes in milk, cream, chicken paste and water until tender. Blend the soup mixture in batches. If using a traditional blender remove the middle-nob so the steam can escape and cover with a kitchen towel so you will not burn yourself on soup splatters. Puree until smooth. Season the soup with salt and white pepper. Keep the soup hot while you sear the scallops.

Sunchoke chips:

While the sunchokes and potatoes are cooking. Brush 1-2 sunchokes clean. Slice the sunchokes very thinly into a bowl of ice water. Heat grape seed oil in a saucepan. Pad dry 3-5 slices  and fry them in the hot oil until they turn golden. Let the excess oil drip off on some paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.

Scallops:

Heat some grape seed oil in a skillet and fry the scallops on high heat until golden on both sides. Just before removing scallops from the skillet, season them with salt and white pepper.

Pour the soup into a serving size bowl. Top the soup with 1-2 scallops  and the rest of the topping. 

Enjoy.