Recipes

Mom's Gone Wild Part II - A fun girls night in WP - great food, wine and company - thanks ladies!

Garlicky, Lemony, Shrimp Pasta

1 lb linguine

1 lb shrimp

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 lemons, zested and juiced

1 bunch flat leaf parsely, chopped

olive oil

2 tbs butter

In a large pot, cook pasta in lots of boiling salted water. Drain when al dente and toss with a few teaspoons olive oil to prevent it from sticking.

While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.

Add garlic and sautee until soft and slight transluscent- don't brown or it will be bitter.

Turn up heat to high and add shrimp. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sautee about 2 minutes and flip. Add lemon juice.

Cook another 2 minutes until shrimp are just pink.

Remove from heat.

Place pasta in a large bowl. Stir in shrimp, lemon zest and parsley. Add olive oil and adjust seasoning as necessary. Sprinkle a little parsley on top and serve with crusty bread and salad.

We were treated to Karen's delicious arugula, parmesan and toasted walnut salad with vinaigrette. Delish!!

Estes Park

We are staying in a beautiful cabin that belongs to a true foodie. Her kitchen shelves are lined with cookbooks so I have been buried deep in cuisines from around the world. Funny thing is I always go for the French everytime. So here are a few I have been playing with in the delightful gourmet kitchen equipped with a gorgeous Viking stove....heaven!

Tarte Tatin

1 package puff pastry

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp butter - room temp

3 lbs halved apricots or sliced fresh peaches

Preheat oven to 400

In a heavy, oven proof skillet, make a caramel with sugar and water. Heat over med high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture becomes golden. Whisk in butter. (Mixture will bubble and hiss a bit, keep stirring to calm it down)

Place fruit in concentric circles into the caramel.

Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry into a disk a bit larger than the skillet and place over fruit. Carefully tuck in edges around the fruit.

Bake in oven until pastry is puffed and golden.

Remove and let sit for 30 minutes. Place large round plate over pan and carefully turn out tarte from skillet onto plate. I usually use 2 oven gloves.

Serve warm or at room temp.

Salade Nicoise (Serves 4)

1 1/2 lbs tuna steaks

1 large bag salad greens

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 lb green beans

2 large tomatoes, quartered

2 hard boiled eggs, quartered

1/2 cup artichoke hearts

1 lb yukon gold potatoes*

1/2 cup Nicoise olives (or kalamata)

In a large pot, bring potatoes to boil.

Add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes in boiling water and remove and blanch in ice water. Do the same with the green beens. Cook potatoes until tender, Drain, cool and slice.

Season tuna and grill steaks about 2 minutes a side on a hot grill so center is still rare.

To assemble: On a large platter

Place salad greens over platter

Layer sliced potatoes on top.

Layer asparagus and green beans.

Slice tuna and criss cross over beans and asparagus

Place quartered tomatoes and eggs alternately around rim of platter.

Scatter artichoke hearts and olives over the top.

*For a low carb option, you can use roasted beets instead of potatoes*

Serve with French Vinagrette

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Stir together garlic, mustard and vinegar in bottom of a bowl.

Slowly drizzle in oils whisking constantly so the dressing thickens and absorbs the oil (emmulsifies). Season to taste with salt and pepper