Crabmeat And Spinach Flan With Smoked Tomato Buerre Blanc Food

SEAFOOD LASAGNE "A LA FRANCAISE"

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter. When hot add shallots, carrots and celery, cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and crab and saute, stirring continuously for 3 to 4 minutes or until seafood is just cooked through. Stir in Cognac and evaporate over high heat. Stir in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes, uncovered, or until mixture is quite thick. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Make a roux: Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and add 4 tablespoons flour. Whisk in cream and milk and simmer five minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the gruyere cheese; season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg Cut the pasta sheets into strips 3 to 4 inches wide and long enough to fit into your gratin or baking dish. Boil, a few sheets at a time until 3/4 done. Drain and cool on clean cloths. Generously butter 3 quart capacity baking pan. Spread a thin film of cream sauce over bottom of baking dish. Arrange a layer of 4 overlapping sheets of lasagne. Spread a thin film of cream sauce over pasta, then seafood mixture. Top with pasta and repeat, reserving 1/3 cup of cream sauce for top layer. Finish with a layer of pasta, cream sauce and remaining 1/4 cup of gruyere. Bake, loosely covered with foil for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes or until hot throughout and only slightly golden on top. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes then serve.

CHEF JOHN'S BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Place wine, lemon juice, cream, shallots, and cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until liquid is reduced by about 75%, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in about 2 cubes of butter. Keep butter moving until it melts. When melted, add a few more cubes, whisking continuously so butter emulsifies into the wine/lemon juice mixture.
• Continue to add butter, a few cubes at a time until all of it has been incorporated and the sauce has a thick, luxurious texture, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste for seasonings and add a pinch of salt and cayenne, if desired. Serve immediately.

SPINACH AND LUMP CRABMEAT AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Microwave spinach according to package directions.
• Drain liquid and set aside.
• Melt butter in medium skillet.
• Add crab meat and saute for 3 minutes on medium heat being careful not to break up crab meat too much.
• Remove crab meat, leaving liquid in skillet.
• In same skillet, stir in flour and cook on low heat until well blended.
• Add Monterey Jack cheese and cream cheese, stirring on low heat until completely melted.
• Add Half and Half and seasonings, stirring continuously on medium heat until mixture begins to boil.
• Remove from heat immediately.
• Add spinach and crab meat and carefully fold into sauce.
• Pour into a 9x9 shallow casserole dish or 6 individual ramekins.
• Sprinikle shredded cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes or until is melted.

LOBSTER SCHNITZEL WITH KEY LIME BUERRE BLANC

Steps:

• Remove the meat of the lobster tails, making sure to keep them intact. One by one, pound the tails thin: Cover the top and bottom with plastic wrap, place on a hard surface and use a smooth mallet to gradually pound the tail to less than 1 inch thick and uniform. Repeat with each tail.
• Place the panko and flour and in separate shallow dishes. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Place the egg in another dish. Place the dishes in the order of egg, flour and panko. Take a lobster tail and rinse with the egg, letting the excess drip off before placing it in the flour, lightly coating both sides. Finally press the lobster into the panko, pressing on both sides to coat evenly. Set aside and repeat with the remaining tails.
• Reduce the wine and shallots to one-fourth in a medium saucepan over medium high-heat. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Add the key lime juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the cold butter. Check for seasoning and keep warm.
• Heat the clarified butter in a medium-to-large skillet over medium heat. Sear the lobster tails until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side (these can be done in batches). Be careful not to overcook: the lobster is done when it begins to become firm to the touch.
• Serve with the sauce and enjoy.

POMPANO WITH CRABMEAT AND CITRUS BEURRE BLANC

Steps:

• Mix wine, shallots, and lemon juice in small saucepan. Boil over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup. Add cream; boil gently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs and milk in bowl. Mix flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish. Dip each fish fillet into egg mixture, then coat both sides of fish with flour mixture. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.
• Whisk sauce over medium heat until heated through; remove from heat. Add butter a few pieces at a time and whisk just until melted. Stir in lemon peel. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Place 1 fish fillet on each of 4 plates; top with crabmeat. Spoon sauce over; sprinkle with parsley and serve.

PAN SEARED GROUPER WITH ENGLISH PEA PUREE, CHANTERELLES, SUNCHOKES AND RAINBOW CARROTS AND MINNEOLA BUERRE BLANC

Steps:

• For the pea puree: Blanch the peas in boiling salted water until bright green, then drain, shock in ice water, then drain again. Cook the leeks and shallots in the clarified butter until translucent, then add the peas until warmed. Put the pea mixture in the blender, add the mascarpone and blend until smooth (the amount of cheese could vary depending on desired consistency). Chill puree until ready to serve.
• For the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the carrots with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, covered, on a baking sheet until tender. Let cool, and then dice. Peel the sunchokes, placing them in water so they do not discolor. Slice, drain and saute over medium heat in clarified butter until tender, and then chill.
• For the grouper: Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees F. Heat a saute pan until hot, then add clarified butter and heat until hot. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, then sear the pretty side of the fish until begins to brown, then transfer to the oven for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not flip or move fish. Remove the pan and add the whole butter, garlic and thyme.
• For the beurre blanc: Meanwhile, combine the wine, shallots, orange juice and thyme in a saucepan and cook until reduced by 95 percent (almost 1 tablespoon liquid remaining). Remove from the heat and whisk in the chilled butter to combine. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• To serve: Preheat a saute pan. Saute the mushrooms in some clarified butter. Add the other vegetables and warm, adding a small amount of stock if needed to prevent the vegetables drying out.
• Baste the fish with the melted butter and pan drippings. Arrange with buerre blanc on the bottom, then vegetables, then grouper, and garnish with pea puree.

PAN-FRIED MAHI MAHI WITH PLANTAIN MOFONGO AND PASSION BUERRE BLANC

Steps:

• Rub mahi mahi with adobo and 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy skillet until it reaches 365 degrees F. Cut plantains into small medallions, and then deep-fry until fully cooked, about 3 minutes. Remove from oil and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate. When drained, place plantains in a mortar.
• Combine garlic and chicken chicharones with the plantains in the mortar and mash them together until mixed. Set mofongo aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove fish and let it rest on a plate. Add passion fruit juice and wine to skillet and let reduce over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Whisk in butter, a few cubes at a time, until the sauce thickens.
• To serve, place mofongo in the center of the plate with mahi-mahi on top. Cover with the beurre blanc.