Posts tagged avocado
Nice to meet you Mexico! – Stuffed avocado with shrimp and octopus cocktail
Aug 24th
Encatada de conocerte México! – Coctel de camarónes y pulpo
Not that I am starting to deviate into Mexican cuisine, but since I just got back from Cabos San Lucas last night, I wanted to pursue my Mexican and seafood adventures with this refreshing and delicious cocktail. The abundance of avocado, seafood, lime and hot peppers is what I loved most about Mexican cuisine. I knew the traditional Mexican dishes you get in California, such as quesadilla, tacos, burritos and fajitas, but never really explored further their more delicate and fragrant cuisine.
So this small and easy dish was inspired by what I discovered in a small restaurant in La Paz right in front of the ocean, a beautiful and fresh octopus cocktail served in a glass. In France, we do use avocado shell to serve avocado based appetizers, the only problem is that you need a large haas avocado or you won’t be able to fit a lot of the stuffing. You can of course use a large cocktail glass to serve this, or two avocado halves per person.
I had never been to Mexico before this trip just because usually during the summer vacation I go back home. For many reasons, I could not go home this year. So I had to find a place close by where I felt I was completely “dépaysée” (away from my natural environment) and recharge my batteries.
Los Cabos, in Baja might not be the typical Mexican city but I loved it. You can find Starbucks and Costco which I thought were somehow out of place, selling American fruits to the locals at outrageous prices. We get Mexican mangos and they get American peaches.
La Paz was a lot more Mexican than Cabos and a lot cheaper too. The warmth and hospitality of the locals, the cuisine, the burning sun, the ocean and everything else that makes Baja very special. That long and narrow peninsula has so many wonderful assets ;its where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, where the desert meets green plains, where you can relax and pamper yourself in the amazing spas, or get more adventurous and drive along the coasts and discover tiny and colorful Mexican villages.
The beach… I am not really a beach maniac, and did not lay down to get a tan, but even with a 100 sun block and in the shade, you get burnt…I was lucky enough to not have a bikini incident, so everything was perfect.
I have never met people so adorable and hospitable, people would go out of their way to help you with a genuine desire to do so and sincere smile. I will be back!
Now that I am back to real life, I will have to catch up with everyone and see what’s cooking and what everyone has been up to during this last month. I apologize for being such a terrible “supporter”, but I will get back in touch with everyone very soon.
Ingredients for 4
- 4 ripe avocados, cut in half
- 1 lemon
- 12 medium size shrimps, deshelled
- 150 g cooked octopus, cut in small pieces
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs lime juice
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 tbs mixed herbs (cilantro, chives, tarragon, etc…)
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1 tsp red onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook octopus for a few hours in salted boiling water. Let it cool and cut in small pieces. Saute shrimps in olive oil and add to the octopus.
Cut avocado in halves, using a teaspoon, scoop some of its flesh, leaving about 5 mm of avocado on the shell. Cut the scooped avocado in small pieces. Coat the avocado halves with lemon juice to prevent them from darkening.
In a mixing container, add all other ingredients and mix well.
Mix diced avocado with seafood, and pour vinaigrette on mixture. Spoon into the avocado halves. Decorate with lime slice and serve.
The no-guilt fish – Brioche toasts with smoke marinated herrings, grilled onions and egg, avocado sauce
May 22nd
Le poisson qui ne rend pas coupable – Toasts de brioche, aux filets de harengs marines, oignons grillés, oeuf et sauce à l’avocat
Thanks so much to everyone who shared its experience with bad hair cuts the other day, not that I felt better when looking at myself in the mirror but at least I know I am not the only one, and that I am not overly picky. It makes me feel like opening a real hair salon with talented stylists. Oh well, one of those things you cannot dwell on for too long, besides hair grows back, and in the meantime, there are always wigs!
I don’t know why but lately I have been losing weight and not eating much…I somehow lost my appetite, j‘ai perdu mon appétit! that does not prevent me from cooking but I eat with less enthusiasm.
I remember my mom preparing herring the French way with potatoes and onions in some sort of a warm salad and I loved it…Herring is very consumed in Germany and Scandinavian countries, but in Northern France too. The great thing about herring is that unlike tuna, it’s not an endangered specie, so you can eat it without any guilt.
I love dishes combining many different textures, but not too many strong flavors or it tends to be chaotic for your palate. This one is among my favorite “egg” dish, just because it has a lot of fresh and crunchy ingredients allied with smooth textures and is a full meal in itself. You don’t need to have anything else…
Its preparation si fairly simple, and does not require to spend an infinite time in the kitchen. Lately, due to my lack of appetite, I haven’t felt like spending hours in complex dishes, and I try to remain “simple”. For those of you who are in the same type of mood, I suggest you give it a try.
You can substitute smoke herring with marinated salmon, it just happened that I saw a familiar herring brand at the store, the same kind I would find in France, and I bought just to read the packaging and felt closer to home.
The herring comes just smoke, you need to marinate it in mixed herbs and olive oil for a few hours or overnight to infuse it in some aromatic scent and decrease its smokiness.
Ingredients for 2
- 2 eggs
- 2 brioche slices
- 2 smoke herring fillets (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and mixed herbs such as dill, thyme, parsley, etc…)
- 1 red onion slice cut crosswise
- 1 carrot, shaved in ribbons
- 1 Belgian endive, cut crosswise in thin strips
- 1/2 radicchio, cut in strips
- 1 scallion, chopped
For the avocado cream
- 1 avocado
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbs plain yogurt
- 1 pinch cayenne
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp extra strong Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Marinate herring with herbs, lemon juice and olive oil overnight or at least for a few hours.
In a grill pan or skillet, grill onions. Set aside. Start preparing the avocado sauce by mixing all the ingredients with an immersion blender, adjusting broth quantity if the sauce is too thick.
Using a ring mold, cut brioche in circles and grill each side on a grill pan.
Combine endives, radicchio, carrot ribbons with vinaigrette. Toss well.
Cook egg sunny side up, and using the same ring mold where you cut the brioche, cut egg in a round circle. Add salt and pepper.
Place salad at the bottom of a plate, add brioche toast, herring some onions, top it with egg, some onions and scallions. Serve with avocado cream on the side, or sprinkle some on top of the egg (before adding scallions), and serve.
Ready for a chill? – Chilled avocado and cucumber soup
Mar 26th
Prêts pour l’été? – Soupe d’avocat et concombre froide pimentée
Il y a du citron mais pas de vanille! Doesn’t this feel like summer? I am so ready for it…well a real summer somewhere…where it’s warm and sunny, where you can wear tank tops without a sweater on top, and where the fog doesn’t make your hair curl (it was my teenage nightmare, now I cut it, so no more curls). Oh well, I’m sure I can find this place, I just have to drive 20 miles North or South from the city. In the meantime, I got myself in the summer mood with a chilled soup. I made this a while ago and since I had a lot of ripe avocados left, I thought it would be a good remake.
When I think of avocado, I think about skin care products, avocado’s flesh is incredibly smooth that I just want to spread it on my face, extremely delicate and subtle. Cucumber is also a wonderful ingredient for skin care as a matter of fact, so eating this soup makes me feel like I am just getting double benefits, nutritious and beautiful skin, even though I doubt that I will wake up tomorrow with a smooth and peachy skin like you see on magazines! Anyway, on peut toujours rêver, you can always dream about it.
I bought so many of those mini glasses for mise en bouche while I was in France, and they did not even break in the suitcase, so now I have to use them, and this chilled soup is perfect for these mini presentations. Actually I like to use mini glasses for avocado soup, avocado being quite high in calories, it’s better to serve it in small portions than regular plates.
What’s more perfect for informal dinners where you want to serve small bites and cute apéritifs to nibble on without feeling stuffed?
I don’t know about you, but my favorite dishes to prepare are appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. It’s where I have the most fun, probably because they are related to entertainment and that’s really one of my favorite activity (if that can be called one).
This soup needs to be consumed chilled, so you can prepare it in advance and leave it in the refrigerator until serving. It’s quick, tasty and delicious, so a “keeper” in my food world.
Ingredients for 15-20 mini glasses
- 1.5 avocado
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
- juice of 1 Meyer lemon
- 3 tbs Greek yogurt or regular yogurt
- 2 scallions, chopped
- cayenne pepper
- 1 cup or more vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Remove the flesh of the avocado, mix with cucumber and add lemon juice. Mix all ingredients well. Add all other ingredients and, using a hand blend, mix to obtain a smooth consistency.
For the broth, I added it gradually until I got the consistency I wanted. Avocado being creamy, you might need to add more broth.
Refrigerate for a few hours, and serve chilled.
The sandwich for uncomplicated people – Spicy chicken herb patty sandwich
Mar 21st
Le sandwich pour les gens pas compliqués – Sandwich aux boulettes de poulet épicé et herbes
One day I was challenged and told that I am incapable to do simple things, all I do is complicated (maybe that matches my complicated mind as well, since I am known to be une fille assez compliquée!) so I did not like that statement too much and decided to make something simple that I don’t really eat, because I am staying away from meat and lots of white bread, so I prepared it for some friends who came to visit…who are quite traditional and quite French, and of course meat eaters. Vous voulez du simple? hein? ben voilà des sandwiches!!!
When I cook for the French, I don’t have to worry about the health issue, they have a tendency to lean towards heavier meals. I just want to clarify maybe one misconception about the French, they don’t eat light food, well my friends don’t and most French I know don’t (overweight problem in France is becoming an issue)….and the Friday night steak and Fries with extra fries and extra sauce at Café Bastille is the living proof of my statement! Now I know there IS a new generation of people, foodies and chefs promoting a new cuisine using less grease and more fresh ingredients, emphasizing of natural flavors and preservation of nutriments. But overall people tend to be quite traditional in their eating habits.
There is a new sandwich place in San Francisco called Ike’s Place, and I have been driving by almost every day, the line of people on the sidewalk waiting to get served is insane, never seen something like that here, feels like Russia during the bad years. I am just wondering how this could be possible, waiting one hour in line for a sandwich? I never wait for an hour not even not even for my favorite restaurant, so it seems like sandwiches are more popular than ever…well Ike’s Place for sure is.
If you are in the mood for some fancy and delightful chicken sandwich try this one…the patties are mixed with herbs and spices topped with melting cheese, peppery arugula and an avocado sauce! Watch out Ike! I might be complicated but I make great sandwiches!
Ingredients for 4 sandwiches
- Flat bread or also called “pain rustique”, or herb focaccia
For the spread
- ½ tsp curry powder
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbs red onion finely chopped
- 1/3 tsp. chili flakes
- salt and pepper
Sandwich ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 16 slices pancetta
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 2 tsp parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tsp oregano, finely chopped
- 2 tsp basil, finely chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp capers
- 12 garlic stuffed green olives
- 4 jalapeno peppers, sliced
- 2 heirloom tomato, sliced
- 2 cups arugula
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the spread: Peel avocado and remove the kernel. Crush avocado with a potato masher. Add curry powder, lemon juice, onions, chili, salt and pepper. Mix well and place in the refrigerator until use.
For the patties: In a mixing container, mix ground chicken with garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, lemon zest, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well to obtain a smooth consistency paste. Make 2.3 oz (or 6 cm) diameter patties and 0.4 inches thick.
Grill pancetta until golden brown on both sides.
Grill on a grill pan for about five minutes on both sides. Two minutes before removing from grill add Fontina cheese and cover with a lid to enable the cheese to melt. Remove when the cheese has melted but before it starts liquefying.
Grill bread on both sides on a grill pan, or regular grill. Add 1 tbs avocado spread on each slice of bread. Add arugula, tomatoes then add patties. Top with jalapeno peppers, sliced garlic green olives and capers.
A different kind of tartare – Salmon tartare with wasabi, sesame seeds and avocado
Mar 16th
Un tartare un peu différent – Tartare de saumon, wasabi, sésame et avocat
This is such an overdue post, since this salmon has been one of my favorites for such a long time. I used to make a similar tartare with ahi tuna (or as we call it in France thon rouge, red tuna), but due to the extinction of wild tuna in East Atlantic Coast and Mediterranean Sea, I stopped buying it and consuming it. I think that’s the least we can do to protect the species. In France, many famous chefs such as Joël Robuchon, Gaël Orieux, Alain Ducasse and many others are committed to not serve Ahi tuna and other endangered species in their restaurants. According to the experts by year 2050, fishes will have disappeared from the oceans.
Sometimes I feel so guilty for consuming animal products, and definitely want to contribute more to protecting our planet, and maybe one day become a complete vegetarian…but I am not there yet.
I fall in love with wasabi oil, it’s one of those flavored oil that I barely use, most of the time flavored oils have an artificial flavor, but I found this wasabi oil (I don’t remember exactly where) that is incredibly tasty and enhances all kinds of fish tartares and gives it a crisp and fragrant Asian “note”, le saumon a une petite note asiatique!
There are many versions of salmon tartare, and many ways to prepare it, but this one is quite appealing and very pleasant if you like Asian flavors. The beauty of it, is it’s perfect when you have guests, you can prepare it ahead and refrigerate it, you just need to plate it at the last minute. Et voilà, c’est prêt! I think that’s what I’ll make for my Saturday night dinner party.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 5.30 oz (or 300 g) of fresh salmon, finely diced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 tbs ponzu shoyu
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbs wasabi oil
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1/2 daikon radish, thinly sliced
- sichuan pepper
- salt
Preparation
In a mixing bowl, combine salmon with all the ingredients except for daikon. Mix carefully all ingredients together. Refrigerate for about one hour.
Place daikon in a small plate and arrange salmon tartare on top.
Decorate with avocado, sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with toasted baguette.
A Crunchy bite – Spring salad with fresh chick peas, baby carrots, avocado and ricotta salata
Mar 2nd
Méli-mélo croquant – Salade de printemps aux pois chiches frais, carottes naines et ricotta salée
After the seafood month, I thought it was about time to celebrate springs, at least in California. The beauty about California is that they grow a lot of fruits and vegetables and you get quite a lot of different varieties so it’s easy to eat local and get a healthy diet but most of all varied. It’s been raining quite a lot but then clears up and it’s a sign that springs is on its way.
Unfortunately France has been devastated with a lot of storms and floods, but the area where my parents live has been less severely affected.
After a trip to my favorite store last weekend, to the other side of the Bay, I saw that many springs vegetables were starting to be on the shelves, among those, some beautiful fresh chick peas in their green pod.
It has been a while I haven’t seen fresh chick peas, I remember my grandparents in Italy would grow them in the garden and my mom would eat them raw with a little salt, the same way you could eat fresh raw fava bean. So of course, I had to buy some, and of course I had to buy a lot. So more chick pea dishes are coming this way. 
Fresh chick peas can be eaten like the dry kind, and cook as fast as peas, so if you over cook them, they’ll get mushy.
There is usually one or sometimes two peas in one pod, unlike peas or fava beans. They’re delicious raw and have a sweet flavor that are delightful in salads. Round baby carrots are very sweet and flavorful and their crunchiness is perfect on a spring salad like this one where all ingredients are raw.
I remembered this wonderful salad in Tel Aviv where they had cut the cucumbers as sticks and left it unpeeled, so that’s what my cucumbers look like.
The vinaigrette is simple, I wanted a fresh, light and fruity vinaigrette that would enhance the natural flavors of all the ingredients therefore avocado oil combined with pomegranate vinegar did accentuate that particular delicious flavor you get in raw vegetables.
Ingredients for 2
For the salad
- 1/2 frisée salad
- 1/2 cup fresh chick peas
- 6 round baby carrots, peeled
- 6 purple baby carrots, peeled
- 2 radishes, paper thin sliced
- 4 Persian cucumbers, cut in sticks
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 1 tbs sunflower seeds
For the vinaigrette
- 3 tbs avocado oil
- 1 tbs pomegranate vinegar
- 1 tbs mint, chopped
- 1 tsp scallions, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together and mix well.
In a mixing bowl toss salad with some vinaigrette. Divide the salad in each plate, add the rest of the vegetables. Add ricotta salata on top, sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Top with remaining vinaigrette.
Like Pisa tower – Tower salad of crab, grapefruit, pomegranate, avocado and watercress
Oct 11th
Come la torre di Pisa – Torre con granchio, pompelmo, avocado, melagrana e crescione
I have wanted one of those rings where you make salad towers for so long and could not find any…after digging Sur La Table, I finally found one completely random since it was hiding in the spatula and spoon section. I was as excited as if I found some gold nugget! I love that store, I can spend hours just looking at every little item. They do have a lot of gadgets but in that respect I am a kitchen utensil geek. Not that I have a lot, because I don’t have any more room in my kitchen and when you have no more space available, the rule should be “you buy something new, you throw away something old” but I cannot throw anything away, I always feel I would need it at some point, I get so attached to my kitchen tools that the kitchen is filled with everything new, old, useless, and useful, and even broken.
A friend of mine came for dinner and she brought me a couple of beautiful pomegranates, she calls them jewels…and they do look like jewels, like little rubys. So I had to use them. Besides, we went out for dinner a couple of weeks ago in a nice Italian restaurant, and we got so disappointed by their crab salad (the crab was canned, and I hate canned crab), it was sitting on top of some sad romaines leaves and sprinkled with cheese! Cheese and crab don’t go with my tastes. Some Italian restaurants should stop trying to please Americans and offer them authentic cuisine instead. I am sure Americans would love it. I think they’re the most adaptable people when food is concerned because they’re so exposed to different cuisines. Honestly that so-called “crab salad” was basically a Cesar salad with canned crab (and believe me Cesar did not eat that salad).
Actually I noticed that many restaurants do use canned crab! what a shame! (and not cheep joints, nice restaurants that I will not bad mouth but it bugs me). I would charge a little more for the salad, but would use fresh crab! Some restaurants are cutting corners where they should absolutely not do it. So anyway, I promised my friend I would make her a nice crab salad with lots of fresh ingredients that would make her forget about the precarious one we had.
I love grapefruit so much with crab, smoked salmon and shrimps in salad, that this tower has somehow become my signature crab salad. It’s fruity, flavorful and so refreshing. You can also use shrimps and smoke salmon as I mentioned if you cannot find crab. It has a different twist but it’s as good. Also pomegranate vinegar is a must, it really enhances the salad beautifully.
Ingredients for 4
- 1.5 lb king crab legs
- 1 red grapefruit, quarters peeled
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 bunch watercress
- 1 endive, chopped crosswise
For the vinaigrette
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp pomegranate vinegar
- 1 tsp grapefruit juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbs chives, chopped
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients together and mix well.
First remove crab meat from its shells. Remove excess water and set aside.
Wash endive and watercress. Cut endives and remove stems from watercress, keeping the leaves.
Cut pomegranate lengthwise and remove seeds.
Using ring, place some crab at the bottom of the plate, add a layer of avocado, drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 2 quarters of grapefruit, some pomegranate seeds, endives and watercress and add a little vinaigrette. Press firmly so that tower will stand still. Start again with a second layer of the same ingredients.
Remove ring and decorate with some pomegranate seeds and vinaigrette around the tower.
