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Tomales Bay Oysters on the Half-Shell Mignonette Sauce (Serves 2)
12 ea. fresh oysters (we used local Tomales Bay)
Mignonette Sauce:
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbs. virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
fresh ground pepper to taste
Rock salt
Method:
1. Combine shallots, olive oil, vinegar, and season with pepper. Set aside.
2. Place a kitchen towel over your hand, place an oyster on top of the towel,
tightly gripping the oyster in the palm of your hand. USING AN OYSTER KNIFE
ONLY, wedge the tip of the blade into the narrow point at the end of the
oyster, working the blade back and forth. Gradually you will feel the muscle
release. Run the the blade along the length of the oyster and pry it open.
Loosen the meat from the muscle so you can "slide" it out of its
shell. Repeat with all 12 oysters. Discard the top shell.
3. Place a bed of rock salt on your serving plate. Place 6 oysters in a
circle pattern. Drizzle the mignonette sauce over top of the oysters using
a spoon.
4. Serve immediately.
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Butter Lettuce with Blood Orange, Fennel, and Cilantro Cumin Vinaigrette
(Serves 2)
1 head butter lettuce
1 blood orange, peeled and sliced in thin slices
1/2 bulb fresh fennel, diced
Cilantro Cumin Vinaigrette:
1/2 cp. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. grainy Dijon mustard
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1.5 cps. virgin olive oil
several sprigs minced cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
1. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form dressing. Season to taste.
3. Using dinner plate, place washed greens onto plate, arrange blood orange
slices and diced fennel in a pleasing pattern. Gently dress salad with vinaigrette.
Hint: Don't "overdress" the greens- use a light hand.
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Thyme and Citrus Baked Salmon Filets (Serves 2)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 (4 oz.) fresh salmon filets
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. minced fresh grated orange ring
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Put oil on bottom of baking dish and rub salmon in oil.
3. Combine thyme and orange rind and rub over fish. Season to taste w/salt
and pepper.
4. Bake approximately 15-18 min. until gently firm to the touch. DO NOT
OVERBAKE. The fish should be rare to medium rare inside.
Whole Wheat Couscous with Kalamata Olives & Sundried Tomatoes (Serves
2)
1 cp. whole wheat couscous
1 cp. water
1/2 cp. Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cp. sundried tomatoes, rehydrated if dried, and sliced in thin strips
Method:
1. Boil the water in a sauce pan. Add cous cous, remove from heat, cover
with lid and let sit 5 minutes.
2. Fluff couscous with a fork. Add olives and sundried tomates and mix gently.
Artichokes
Fresh artichokes
1/2 lemon (juice)
1 tsp mayonaisse (or butter)
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
Method:
1. Remove course outer leaves of the artichoke. Steam artichokes until tender
(5-7 min).
2. Mix together lemon juice, mayonaisse (or butter), dill, and dijon mustard
to use for dipping.
3. Remind your guests that the best part of the artichoke is the tender
bottom heart.
4. Make sure you have a little bowl for the leaves.
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Sorbet in Phyllo with Fresh Raspberries (Serves 2)
1 small tub good quality raspberry sorbet
3-17 by 12 inch phyllo sheets, thawed if frozen, stacked between 2 sheets
waxed paper and
covered with a towel
1/2 cp. fresh raspberries
mint sprigs for garnish
Cooking spray in "butter" flavor
4 small porcelain ramekins
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Take the first sheet of phyllo, spray with cooking spray, and repeat
until all sheets are stacked on top of each other. Cut until a 6 in. long
square is produced. Stack all sheets of dough, spraying between layers.
3. Invert the 4 ramekins, place on top of a cookie sheet. Gently drape the
phyllo squares over top of the ramekin bottoms, very gently pressing down.
You want the shape of the ramekin to be produced during the baking process.
4. Place the ramekins/phyllo into the oven and bake approximately 15 min.
until lightly golden.
5. Allow the pastry to cool to room temperature and GENTLY remove the ramekins.
6. Scoop out the sorbet and artfully place into the phyllo cups. Decorate
with raspberries & mint garnish.
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