The Other Woman Cooks

Here in New England we love surf and turf. Add to that it's finally grilling season and let the games begin!  Steaks, burgers, BBQ ribs and chicken ... the list is long and mouth watering. Paired up with steamers or better yet, lobster, and we East Coast huggers are in heaven. But how to turn the usual summer menu into something special can be something of a challenge. Starting courses are a great way to set up the taste buds for a juicy main attraction.  Last night, we hosted our first backyard dinner party. And of course, surf and turf was on the menu. Check out our appetizer course, an attempted replication of a small plate Farmer Paul and I enjoyed more than 20 years ago at a bistro in Quebec City. It took us several tries over as many years to come up with a version that tickled our taste buds as much as the memory of that original dish. It's still not quite right, but this recipe is so good and so easy that we stopped experimenting. Follow up with a chopped salad...

Just the word lemon causes my taste buds to perk up. There are all kinds of lemons... Lisbon lemons are small and seedless. Eureka lemons are the most common. Meyer lemons are a sweeter variety and have a hint of orange flavor. There are even pink lemons and thanks to a good friend with a yard full of tropical fruit trees, I've been lucky enough to try one!   Lemons are the most common flavor enhancer after salt and pepper. Lemons yield more juice at room temp than a lemon that is cold. However, since lemons are susceptible to mold it’s best to store them in the refrigerator crisper drawers. To maximize your juicing, leave your lemon out for a couple of hours before juicing. Roll the room-temperature lemon on the counter and apply light pressure with your hand as you roll it. Then cut and squeeze. The zest is also an amazing flavor enhancer. But for  today’s recipe all you need is the juice. So if you're jonesing  for a lemony rich appetizer or super tasty...

My first encounter with soufflé was in a nice French restaurant in, believe it or not, Lowell, Massachusetts -- a rich puff of egg and cheese served with a deliriously savory drizzle of melted herb butter. I thought soufflé-making must be the apex of culinary achievement. One that I might reach someday if I managed to win the lottery, then be accepted for a French cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. Then I found a recipe for individual asiago cheese bread puddings dusted with grated parmesan, and decided to give them a go one New Year’s Eve. They were puffy, delicious and easy. And they looked and tasted a lot like traditional soufflé. Not exactly the real thing but pretty darned tasty. My next experiment was to try different bread/cheese combos until I came up with just the right balance of flavor. Pair the cheese puffs with mini-caribou meatballs (pictured), and spiced shrimp as a small plate buffet accompanied by arugula and grape tomato salad. Add a pitcher of warm sangria and invite ...

Comer cuando se bebe, bebe cuando se come: Eat when you drink, drink when you eat . That is the philosophy of tapas. Tapas is Spain's greatest food innovation with a tradition of friendship and sharing and a ritual that is integral to the Spanish lifestyle. Tapas food is real food - fresh local ingredients presented with flair. Spain is second only to Japan in fish consumption and some of the finest fish are caught in Spain's coastal waters. Many exquisite shellfish are found along the warm Mediterranean as well. And while Spanish food is not particularly spicy, tapas - by the small quantity served - are often used to liven up a meal with a hot flavor usually tamed with a glass of excellent Spanish beer or wine in summer or a warm sangria in cooler weather. Tapas. The Spanish version of Eat, drink and be merry! PEPPER CURRY SHRIMP BROCHETA 18 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (approximately 1 pound) 1/8 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper Dash sal...

Looking for an easy way to wow your dinner guests on the cheap? Watch for mussels to go on sale in the seafood department of your local grocer and try this simple recipe. Before you wine snobs out there start shaking your heads at my serving the leftover Pinot Grigio to my guests, read this piece by Lettie Teague at Food & Wine . Serve mussels with hot crusty bread to sop up the flavorful liquid at the bottom of the pan. Easy Mussels 2 pounds mussels (rinsed) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 shallot, grated 1 cup Pinot Grigio 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley In a 3 quart capacity French oven, melt the butter on a medium hot stovetop burner. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add wine and continue cooking until liquid is reduced by half. Turn up the burner to medium high. Add clean, rinsed mussels and cover, steaming until mussels shells open fully to indicate doneness. Toss parsley on top of cooked mussels. Serve with any crusty bread heated through in your oven wh...