Nick's White Omelette

Nick rummaged for leftovers from yesterday's cooking extravaganza and come up with this for breakfast. A white omelette, comprised of six egg whites (leftover from the yolks I used for a pastry cream) topped off with a hard-boiled egg in the middle. Yum.

My First Tart

Yesterday, my friend Alice came over and we had a cooking party. Fortified with honeydew daiquiris, we spent the afternoon chatting, chopping, and whisking. She brought new potatoes and home-made piccallili and made potato salad. Marshall smoked some ribs, and I made some sauce. And together, Alice and I made a delicious berry tart. She used a sweet crust recipe from Baking Illustrated. I used a pastry cream recipe from Julia Child's Way to Cook. It was a marvelous end to a relaxing day.

Paella Party

Last night, we were guests at friends' who made a delicious paella. Lots of fragrant saffron, it was rich with chicken, chorizo, shrimp, halibut, and mussels. We planned our upcoming trip to Kentucky; I have a long list of groceries to procure Thursday afternoon. Looking forward to cooking on the houseboat.

Two-Star Baked Scallops

Mediocre reviews last night for Giada De Laurentiis' baked scallops wrapped in prosciutto. OK, maybe part of the problem is that I used bacon instead of prosciutto.

Pretty good, but I'd like the bacon to be crispier. --Marshall

I'm not sure about the sun-dried tomato sauce. --Maddy

Next time, I would grill these. And add more basil to the sauce. The arugula was delicious, however.

Gazpach-No

Tomatoes are in season, so I thought I'd try a chilled tomato soup recipe I saw on tv last weekend, flavored with fresh ginger and coriander. (OK, I didn't have any coriander, so I used curry powder instead.) A delicious, light dinner for a warm summer night, served with bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches and a crisp sauvignon blanc.

Dinner on a Stick

I had an urge for some satay this weekend, so I adapted one of Tyler Florence's recipes with a few substitutions/additions of my own. I made extra peanut sauce, that I plan to toss later this week with some soba noodles and chopped vegetables for a quick meal.

I used my microplane to grate the ginger, which worked ok, but I miss my ceramic ginger grater, which seems to have gone missing since the kitchen renovation.

Chicken Satay

Marinade
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

Peanut sauce
2 cups smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sambal olek
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons molasses
juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup hot water

Combine the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a ziptop bag, and pour the marinade over. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours but no more than 6.

Combine the peanut sauce ingredients. Add just enough hot water to acheive desired consistency.

Thread the chicken onto skewers. Grill over a medium fire until done. Serve with peanut sauce, steamed rice, and broccoli.

Later than week....

Slice some cucumber, purple onion, and red bell pepper. Add some bean sprouts. Add some cooked soba noodles. Pour leftover peanut sauce over and toss. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve. Leftover noodles are great cold for lunch.