Plateau de Fruits de Mer

August 18, 2014 3 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Fruits de Mer is a seafood platter of raw and/or cooked shellfish usually served on a bed of ice. A long time ago I saw a beautiful fruits de mer platter in one of my favorite events books and have wanted to throw a party with a fruits of the sea platter.

Right before my Mohs Surgery to remove my skin cancer I really needed a good excuse to be distracted for the evening. I invited friends over for a big meal and made the above platter as an appetizer… boy, let me tell you. We didn’t need the meal! I actually made enough seafood for TWO of these large platters. Then we followed it up with steaks and veggies for dinner and then something for dessert. I’ve never been so full in my life!

Making this platter was much less intimidating than I originally thought. I used precooked crab and lobster… it would be even better with fresh shell fish, but it wasn’t readily available in my area. The whole thing was still delicious, but someday I plan to make it with all fresh shellfish. I’d also like to pair it with ceviche someday! YUM. Below is how I made this dish… know that it is completely easy to customize this dish to your cooking comfort level and your tastes. If you go to a great fish purveyor you can even asked for your lobster to be steamed and your oysters shucked… then there is NO work for you and your guests are completely wow’d!

Plateau de Fruits de Mer:

Great appetizer for a dinner party or can even be served as hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party. One large platter will serve 4 easily. I served this dish with a tarter sauce, cocktail sauce, chile lime sauce and butter.

To Build Platter (Just Like Above):

Cooking directions below this list!

Ice: Cover a large platter or bowl with ice.
Crab Legs: Add cooked and cooled crab legs to platter. It is also helpful to go ahead and pre-crack the crab legs so it is easy for your guests to take out the meat.
Lobster claws: I was fortunate enough to find lobster claws already cut and pre-cracked for me! While I believe fresh lobster would have been even more amazing… the convenience of these little suckers was too good to pass up! I did go ahead and boil them quickly in a flavorful broth (see below) and then cooled quickly before placing on the platter.
Shrimp: I got the largest sized raw, shell on (deveined) shrimp. After cooking I peeled the shrimp and placed on the platter. Easy peasy!
Oysters: I spent all day looking up how to shuck oysters. I’d been SO excited about shucking oysters. However, the whole foods that these puppies came from cleaned and shucked them for me! I just got them same day and kept them on ice until serving! So, no directions below on how to shuck oysters… but, check out this oyster shucking resource if you’re in the mood to get your shuck on!
Cucumbers filled with spicy salmon: This was a creation of my own. They turned out pretty good… though, next time I’ll go with a sashimi grade salmon rather than cooking my salmon first.

Cooking Directions:

Crab, Lobster, and Shrimp:

Get a large ice bath prepared and put to the side.
In a large pot bring 2 gallons of water, 1 pint vegetable stock, 3 Bay Leaves, a Tablespoon of black peppercorns, and 1/2 bottle of dry white wine to boil.
In batches cook the seafood. If cooking from live you want to do about 10 minutes for your lobster and crab. Move directly to ice bath once finished. For pre-steamed crab and lobster you’ll be infusing the shellfish with flavor and heating it back up to temp for about 8 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath. Finally, cook the shrimp. The shrimp will be dense and pink in about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to ice bath. Peel once cooled. Bring the liquid to a boil again between each batch.

Cucumbers filled with spicy salmon:

Ingredients:

two cucumbers, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch portions
10 oz of cooked salmon shredded (or, use sashimi grade salmon diced!)
1 Tablespoon Siracha
1 Tablespoon of Mayo (I used kewpie mayonaise)
Juice of one lime
Sprinkle of cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Using a melon baller or spoon take out most of the center of the cucumber portion. Leave a little on the bottom to hold in the filling.
Mix the salmon, siracha, mayo, and lime juice together in a bowl.
Fill the cucumber portions with mixture.
Sprinkle on the cilantro and enjoy!

What would you think if you went to a party and saw a Fruits De Mer? Would you ever try one at your own dinner table?

A Well Crafted Pantry

Open Faced Prosciutto Sandwich

August 13, 2014 No Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

There is nothing quite like a good sandwich. This sandwich is no exception. It is super simple to make, and freaking full of flavor. A big part of the flavor punch is due to the great ingredients. Believe me when I say that sometimes it makes a HUGE difference whether you buy quality ingredients over value priced items. Making a big stew? A few value items aren’t going to make a huge difference. But, when you have an item like this sandwich where there are few ingredients and you aren’t going to be changing the flavor profiles with a ton of seasoning and cooking… quality ingredients is where it is at.

Take for instance the butter in this sandwich. Sure, I could go with just any ole butter. But, a nice rich Irish or European style butter will lend a nice base for this sandwich. Heck, a great butter on a piece of bread with a sprinkle of salt is a treat in itself!

Open Faced Prosciutto Sandwich with Fig Spread and Black Pepper Cheddar

This recipe tells you how to build an individual sandwich. The amount of sandwiches you can make depends on the size of the bread that you buy and the amount of prosciutto comes in a package. Because these things are not standard, I didn’t elect to dictate serving size.

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Ingredients:

1 slice of prosciutto (I use Del Duca Sliced Prosciutto)
1 slice (about 1/4 inch thickness) of Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar Cheese (I use the kind from Tillamook, it is amazing.)
1 thick spreading of good quality butter (I use Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter)
1 thick slice of freshly baked bread– I used an Italian loaf that was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside
1 thick spreading of fig spread (I use Dalmatia Spread Fig)
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Spread butter on thick slice of bread.
Season with salt and pepper
Spread fig spread onto butter
Top with slice of black pepper cheddar
Top with slide of prosciutto
Enjoy!

We enjoyed these at a picnic along with my open-faced crab sandwiches. But, these would also be fantastic made in miniature and served as appetizers at your next party!

A Well Crafted Pantry

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

November 22, 2013 11 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Over the past month I’ve had several conversations with friends (and foodies) about Thanksgiving and the upcoming meal prep and plans. While some friends couldn’t wait to get to making their traditional items, others were commenting on the fact that they’d love to experiment with new items. Me? I fall into the “loves to experiment” category.

The past few several years we have spent Thanksgiving with friends because we live so far away from family. I love that am able to experiment often with new dishes to bring to our Friendsgiving dinner table. Areas that I find the easiest to experiment with for holiday dishes, even with all kinds of tradition-loving folks around, are the appetizers and desserts!

Which is why when Whole Foods Market approached me with the idea of creating a new holiday dish with ingredients from their store, I immediately went for creating an appetizer and a dessert selection. I created bacon wrapped scallops and elevated them with a fig butter spread. I also made a fun dessert I will share soon!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Fig Spread

Ingredients:

12 Whole Catch Sea Scallops (Thawed)
12 slices Wellshire Bacon
AFA Organic Fig Spread
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Butter
Bamboo Skewers (optional)
Aluminum Foil

Directions:

1. Cut a length of foil off so that it will cover the bottom of a cookie sheet (a sheet that has at least a 1/2 inch edge) crumple up a bit, and then spread onto the cookie sheet. This will be a place for your bacon to rest on and drain as it cooks in the oven. Lay out slices of Wellshire bacon on the foil. Place bacon in cool oven, set at 350 degrees F, and cook for approximately 30 minutes. You’ll want to check your bacon to make sure it is done, but still pliable. Avoid crunchy bacon as it won’t wrap well around the scallop.

2. While bacon is cooking, spread some of the Fig spread on a platter or dinner plate. Spread using the back of a spoon.

3. While bacon is cooking, and after your platter is prepped, toss your scallops in a bowl with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

4. Take Bacon out of oven when done and let cool some.

5. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Put tablespoon of butter in pan. The pan needs to be hot to sear the scallops just right. Place about 6 scallops in the hot pan. DO NOT MOVE. Just let the scallops sizzle for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn the scallops using a pair of tongs. Then, let that side sizzle for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. The scallop will come opaque in color and firm. Move out of pan and onto a plate. Sear the remaining scallops.

6. Take bacon pieces and wrap around the scallops. Place on the platter with fig spread. Or, alternatively, place a few on a bamboo skewer and serve on skewer.

Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.

When eating the scallops make sure you get some of the fig spread in each bite. It is divine! Serve as an appetizer or with a green salad as a light lunch or dinner.

Appetizers

Plateau de Fruits de Mer:

To Build Platter (Just Like Above):

Cooking Directions:

What would you think if you went to a party and saw a Fruits De Mer? Would you ever try one at your own dinner table?

Open Faced Prosciutto Sandwich with Fig Spread and Black Pepper Cheddar

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Fig Spread