Kobe Style Beef and Lobster Tails (Surf and Turf)

Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 10-15 min

Ingredients:
2 - 4 oz Lobster Tails
2 - 5 oz Kobe Style Sirloin Steaks
1/3 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Melted Butter
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning


1 tsp White Pepper, fresh medium course ground
Pinch of Paprika
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Prep:
1) Use kitchen shears to cut a slit down the back center of each lobster tail trying to avoid cutting the meat.
2) Gently spread the shell and use your fingers to separate the meat from the shell trying to leave it attached at the base.
3) Once it's separated gently lift the tail meat out so it rests on top of the shell.
4) Mix panko, herbs, garlic powder, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning and 1/4 tsp white pepper in a small bowl until combined.
5) Spoon 2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp of panko mixture on top of each lobster tail. Sprinkle a small pinch of paprika on top of prepared tails and place tails on sheet tray.

Cook:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Heat a large skillet or griddle pan on medium to medium-high heat and add olive oil.
3) Sprinkle steaks with remaining white pepper and salt.
4) Place lobster tails in oven for 6-14 min or until the internal temp is 145 degrees.
5) Gently place steaks in heated pan and cook for 2-3 min per side for medium rare or 4-6 min per side for medium.


We enjoyed our surf and turf with a side of steamed broccoli.

Orange Glazed Salmon with Wilted Spinach

We apologize for the delay in creating a new post. We are ready to continue making delicious food! Please enjoy!

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min

For the salmon:
6 oz Salmon or Steelhead Trout fillet
1 1/2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 Tbsp Honey or Agave Nectar
1/4 tsp Minced Ginger
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1/8 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the spinach:
1 bag Baby Spinach
2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp Sesame Seeds
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Prep:
1) Combine soy sauce, orange juice, honey, ginger, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil in a small bowl, set aside.
2) Brush salmon with above mixture and coat with panko. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on top of panko.

Cook:
1) Pour remaining sauce mixture made in prep step 1 in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce sauce to approx 1/8 cup/2 Tbsp.
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3) Heat a medium oven-safe sautee pan at medium-low with 1 Tbsp oil.
4) Place salmon in sautee pan, skin side down, for 4 minutes or until you begin to see the fish turn opaque.

5) Place pan with salmon in oven for 8 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown and internal temp is 145 degrees.
6) Meanwhile, begin heating a large sautee pan with 1 Tbsp oil at medium heat.
7) Add spinach to large pan with salt and pepper.
8) When spinach begins to wilt, 30-45 sec, begin to stir and add balsamic vinegar. Cook for another 30-60 seconds until all spinach looks bright green and slightly wilted, remove from heat.

To plate:
Spoon warm spinach on large dinner plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Place salmon on center of plate and drizzle the reduced sauce.

Getting Married!!!!!!!!!!

Well we haven't posted in a while.


Our apologies, but the last few months have been hectic.

Charlie asked me to marry him (finally after 6 1/2 years) and I apparently said yes.

So we are planning to cater our own wedding and we have decided on simple tapas for an afternoon wedding in late March.

The menu will consist of:

Lemon caper chicken bites (Chicken Picatta)
Large Pasta Shells stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, spinach and roasted red peppers in marinara sauce
Texas sized Smoked Beef Brisket (28 Lbs) - with 3 BBQ sauces to choose from
Smoked Beef Sausage
German potato salad. (Mustard / Vinegar style)
Garlic Bread / Yeast Rolls

Relish Tray with Pickles from our company.

Beer / Wine / Champagne / Soda / Iced Tea / Coffee / Bottled Water

We will keep you posted...

UPDATE 4/3/12

Everything went very well with the food. It was hard to reheat the stuffed shells but we made it happen. I don't recommend keeping the picatta sauce separate from the chicken as the sauce should flavor the meat. Keeping them separate made the chicken a little dry.

Over all the crowd was happy and slightly impressed that we catered our own wedding along with all of the other preparations for the event.

 Wedded Bliss....

2nd Annual Gypsy Picnic - Austin 10/22/2011

Welcome to Austin, Tx, Charlie's and my hometown. Today we went to Auditorium Shores for the 2nd Annual Gypsy Picnic. This event showcases many of the food trucks/vendors in Austin and surrounding areas. We are showcasing some of our favorites and giving you a good look how a foodie enjoys Austin.

The weather was beautiful. Partly cloudy and about 85 degrees. We had a great time!

Of the 35 vendors we chose 3. Here are today's contenders...

Verts - Berlin Inspired Kebap

The Zubik House - Texas Czech Cuisine

East Side King - So good make your eye roll back!

First we had Verts Beef & Lamb Döner Kebap. It was a pita with beef/lamb with a cool, semi-spicy slaw topped with their house dressing. This was by far my favorite.

Next, The Kubik House and their Roasted Pork Shoulder Kolache with grilled onion and jalapeno. This item was comforting and delicious. The jalapenos were the Texas kick that all dishes need.

Finally, East Side King. We had their Fried Brussel Sprout Salad. I can't say enough to describe this dish. The flavors of sweet and slightly spicy slaw with the caramelized, fried brussel sprouts. The fresh cilantro gave a nice Thai bite with the onion, basil and jalapeno. This was Charlie's favorite for today.

To finish off the blog for today, we have to show a little of Austin's craziness...The Jalopy!
This truck showcases the "Keep Austin Weird" theme. When your sandwich is done, it meets you at the end of a slide that they have attached to the side. Their sign proclaims "Our sandwiches are messy, keep them wrapped".

Hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we enjoyed our day and eating the food.

Spicy Salmon Cakes with Tangy Tartar Sauce

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time:  15 min
WW Points: 10 / Serving

6 oz Salmon fillet

Juice of ½ an orange and ½ a lime

1 small yellow bell pepper

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

2 Tbsp panko

1 egg

1 stalk of celery

¼ cup zesty bread crumbs

2 Tbsp canola oil

¼ cup fat free mayonnaise

1 heaping tsp capers and juice

1 heaping tsp dill relish

1 Tbsp lime juice

Orange zest

Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep:

1)      Small Dice – bell pepper, celery

2)      Mince – shallot, garlic

3)      Combine – mayo and the next 5 ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour   

4)      Marinate salmon in orange and lime juice for 2 hours

Cooking:

1)      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)      Season salmon with salt & pepper. Place in a baking dish and put in oven for 15 minutes.

3)      Remove salmon from oven and let cool until you are able to handle comfortably.

4)      Separate salmon flesh from skin. Discard skin and place flesh in a medium bowl.

5)      Combine salmon flesh with shallot, garlic, panko, egg, celery and bell pepper.

6)      Split mixture into 4 and form into burger shaped rounds. Coat rounds in zesty bread crumbs and set aside.

7)      Heat oil in a large skillet

8)      Place salmon cakes in skillet, making sure not to over crowd. When bottoms are browned, gently flip cakes. When both sides are browned, remove cakes onto a paper towel covered plate.

To plate:

1)      Top salmon cakes with a spoon of mayonnaise mixture.

2)      Serve with your favorite vegetable side, we used roasted asparagus.

Trip to Omaha - Fleming's Steakhouse

Hello All - We know it's been a long time since we last blogged. Charlie and I have been on 2 business trips to Omaha and each were 3 weeks. This blog post is dedicated to the great food we ate while in Omaha.

One of the most memorable meals was at Fleming's Steakhouse. We enjoyed some good drinks and had a fantastic experience. 

I ordered the Prime Rib Dinner. This meal included a Caesar salad, large slice of medium rare Prime Rib with 3 sauces (horseradish cream sauce, au jus and a honey mustard sauce), a side of sauteed green beans with a mushroom sauce and creme brulee for dessert. I started with the Caesar salad with anchovies. Now, anchovies aren't as gross as people make them out to be, they gave a great subtle salty flavor. The combination of the freshly shaved Parmesan cheese with the creamy dressing was delectable.

The prime rib was 'melt in your mouth' tasty, seasoned to perfection. The variation of of sauces gave a different experience to each bite; horseradish cream sauce had fantastic bite while being soft and creamy, au jus gave an extra intense meaty flavor to each bite and finally the honey mustard sauce made the meat tangy and sweet.

We ate the creme brulee without taking pictures first...they topped the hot, crunchy, sugary topping with mixed berries and a side of fresh whipped cream. It was cold and creamy in the center and made with vanilla bean. 

Charlie had a roasted Veal Chop. His meal included a Veal Chop cooked to medium with a Bearnaise sauce and a side of sweet carrots. The veal was juicy, tender and very flavorful; with a small dip into the Bearnaise, this dish was succulent. The carrots were cooked in what I could only imagine is a great heap of butter with a good spoonful of brown sugar, YUMMY!

Hope you all enjoyed reading about our great experience at Fleming's. We will be posting one of our food blogs soon.

Rainbow Trout w/ Wine Infused Mushrooms & Capered Zucchini

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Est. WW pts: 8

2 six ounce Rainbow Trout fillets

2 medium mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

1 medium zucchini

1 Tbsp capers

¼ cup white wine

½ tsp dried rosemary

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 Tbsp panko

½ tsp oregano

½ lime

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Orange and Lime slices for garnish

Prep:

1)      Mince Garlic

2)      Dice Zucchini

3)      Slice Mushrooms

4)      Rinse fish and pat dry. Mix rosemary, marjoram and panko. Sprinkle mixture on flesh side of both fillets. Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

5)      Turn oven broiler on high

Cooking:

1)      In a sauté pan heat ½ Tbsp olive oil on medium-low. Add garlic and mushrooms, stirring occasionally until then begin to soften. Add salt and pepper to taste and the wine. Cook until there is about 2-3 Tbsp of liquid remaining. Set aside.

2)      Heat large pan on medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Place fillets in pan skin side down. Cook in pan for 15 minutes. Place fish in oven and broil for 5 minutes or until panko begins to brown.

3)      Place a small saucepan on medium heat and add ½ Tbsp olive oil. Add zucchini, salt, pepper and oregano. Cover for about 2 minutes. Stir zucchini and cover again for another 2 minutes. Add capers and some juice from jar. Remove from heat.  

To plate:

Spoon zucchini to form a base for the fish. Drape fish allowing zucchini to show. Drain mushrooms reserving the liquid. Spoon mushrooms over fish and one side of the plate. Drizzle juice over mushrooms. Squeeze lime over fish and place orange and lime slices in any arrangement you would like.

 

When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste.  ~Laiko Bahrs