Our Easter Dinner

This year, Easter Sunday coincides with the Masters Golf tournament... I'm planning a festive meal, but simple and easy to prepare so I can watch TV at the same time. So this is my menu:

Assorted Deviled Eggs with 3 different toppings:
- Salmon sashimi with avocado, kiwi salad, with wasabi mayo dressing
- Bacon & Cheese
- Sundried tomatoes and crunchy vegetable chips

Roasted shoulder of lamb rubbed with olive oil, garlic and rosemary, salt & pepper. For a 4 lb cut, I roast for 15 mn in 450 degrees preheated oven on each side, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 2 and half hours (total 3 hours). It was tender and tasty.

Roast bell peppers stuffed with cheese - This is so easy to prepare and really tasty. I use a sharp knife to halve the mini bell peppers but not all the way (the tip with the stem is left whole), then I slide a piece of cheese (I have a platter of assorted sliced cheese in the fridge, so I use mozzarella as well as cheddar and Swiss cheese). After heating a little olive oil, I add some minced garlic then the bell peppers. After they are seared on one side, turn them over and sear the other side. Absolutely delicious!

Asparagus with Ravigotte sauce - After cleaning and cutting the bottom of the asparagus, I trim them nicely, and blanch them for about 3 mn in boiling water and drain them and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Just before serving, I melt some butter in the saucepan, and quickly saute the asparagus, and serve them immediately with the Ravigotte sauce. This is basically a vinaigrette with added chopped hard boiled egg, capers, shallots and parsley. It's the perfect side dish for lamb.

For dessert, I use store-bought chocolate tart shells and fill them with lemon whipped cream and top them with fresh berries. The subtly citrus flavored whipped cream is perfect for these fruit tartlets.
To prepare it, whip together 2 cups of whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar (I use Splenda), 3 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and grated zest of one lemon, until fluffy...

Vegetarian Pizzettes

Since the beginning of the year, I have decided to go vegetarian once a week, and it will be on Mondays! This week I got some flat bread from Trader Joe, and made a variety of pizzettes with different combos, mainly with whatever I can find in the fridge or in the pantry: mushrooms with asparagus, zucchinis, bell peppers, onion and chives, sundried tomatoes and pesto, and any combination of the above... Then I spread the pizzettes with 2 types of sauces, tomato sauce and cream sauce with added grilled garlic, then I sprinkle some grated cheese on top (mozzarella, parmesan, gruyere or goat cheese, and a combination of 2 or 3 cheeses).
Then I bake them on a preheated pizza baking stone at 450 degrees for about 20 mn,  and slice them and serve them piping hot for every body to try different variations: it's a wonderful vegetarian meal!

Acqua Restaurant in Basel, Switzerland

Attending Baselworld, the largest luxury watches and jewelry trade show in the world... Tonight we are having dinner with old friends at Acqua, a former garage converted into an ultra chic restaurant, attached to a bar, a disco, as well as outdoor lounges... The food and wine were excellent. The seared foie gras appetizer melts in your mouth and the pleasure lingers on your palate... The Fillet Mignon is cooked to perfection... For dessert, a nice tiramisu.  The menu is a bit heavy, but then again, one can indulge once in a while...

Baked Donuts

My sister gave me a mini donut maker - Here's my first try following the manufacturer's recipe, but decorating with coffee flavored glaze and sprinkles... They were pretty and quite tasty, and baked is definitely healthier than fried, but I would say that I still prefer the Krispy Kreme version...

Guido's Birthday Party

For Guido's Birthday Party, we are expecting about 60 friends, and we'll also have a live band. It will be fun! I like to make lots of appetizers and finger food.  From top to bottom: Prawn & scallop baked with a sauce made with artichoke, cream cheese, and grated cheese on a scallop pastry - Savory Eclair filled with salmon sashimi mixed with cubed avocado and mango in a soy flavored wasabi mayo - Gelee au Madere, a kind of aspic with boiled quail egg, asparagus, mushroom and pate - Baked brie with pesto.  For the main courses, I made a large platter of fried vermicelli with mushroom, eggs and Vietnamese sausages, Chinese Steamed Buns with Roast Pork Belly (a recipe from Momofuku) and Indian Butter Chicken with Turmeric Basmati Rice...
It was a crazy and fun party!

Buffalo Wings Cupcakes

I'm going to a casual potluck party... and am undecided if I should bring an appetizer or dessert... Why not an appetizer that's inspired by a dessert? First I bake a batch of corn cupcake. Then I made Siricha chili grilled chicken, and combined the two! It may sound and look a bit strange, but let me assure you that they are really delicious! Let me know if you want to have the recipe!

Ananda Trip: A Degustation Dinner

At dinnertime, there are various options: a daily special menu, a light & healthy  menu and a gourmet menu at the Ananda Spa, and every evening I have sampled delicious vegetarian dishes and other delicacies. But after the cooking class, the Chef has probably warmed up to us, and surprised us tonight with a special tasting menu:
A Thai mushroom soup to start, with the piping hot and spicy broth served in a teapot, an amazing sampler appetizer with fish fillets cooked 4 different ways, marinated in spices and grilled, deep fried with a sweet & sour sauce, grilled in a minced coriander & mint pesto (the most delicious) and panfried with yogurt and spices.
The main course is a tray of chicken curry with various condiments, fried okras, stewed spinach, lentil puree, and basmati rice.
The dessert samplers offer a perfect sweet ending!