Ah yes, another throwback to San Francisco where time was limitless and the only Blackberry was in my mousse (next week’s TBT).
Watch the video for instructions but like most ceviche, it is mostly just a mix of dicing, squeezing and chopping a variety of the following:
– Raw fish of choice
– Vegetables (peppers (hot or not), onions, radish)
– Herbs (cilantro, parsley)
– Citrus to ‘cook’ fish (Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruit)
– Fruit (pineapple, green apple, citrus supremes etc)
– Finishers like avocado (mousse or regular), olive oil, salt, etc.
Make your own melange and let me know if it is deliciouso!
Now that the heat is relentlessly pressing down upon us day in and day out, it only makes sense that social convention and seasonal cooking habits dictate that now is the time to stand over a pit of coal and singe the hairs off your hand. Thankfully, society also encourages the ice cold beer to play the foil opposite the tongs or spatula. Slice open a watermelon, boil or grill some fresh corn and you’ve got yourself a rockin’ BBQ.
As some of you may recall, I put together the following grilling video as an audition to Grill It with Bobby Flay. Since then, I have been spreading my idea for a slider joint that takes on a similar theme. I’m still working on the restaurant, but in the meantine you too can check out some inspiration I am working with.
The three sliders in the video represent three of the four cities I have lived in. ATL was left out mostly as a time constraint, but here is the missing slider:
ATL,capturing that savory southern heart attack – a waffle bun with a chicken cutlet, fried okra, bacon polenta and spicy gravy
MMMmmm…
The rest of the sliders appear in the video with the following representation:
NYC, a play off of Bagels and Lox – a mini hollowed out poppy seed bagel with a lemon/dill/caper Neuchâtel sauce and a lemon marinated salmon fillet and an arugula dill salad
SF, capturing the healthy West Coat essence – organic grilled chicken breast on sourdough rounds with a cilantro pesto, Monterey jack and salsa fresca
DC, my hometown and thus a Braswell Recipe – seasoned80% ground beef with lettuce, cheddar (the magic is in the meat mix)
I started making soups at the wee age of about 6 years old. I would take a can of chicken broth, add sliced deli meats and raw onions, and experiment with seasonings to my heart’s content. My parents were angels, supporting my curiosity and likely even pretending to taste the soup and smile. Sometimes the volume would be absurd and before my parents knew what i was up to I had a gallon sized batch in the works.
Thankfully, I continued to mature and once I got to a point where some instruction would work, my parents enrolled me in a week-long cooking class in Bethesda at the Academie de Cuisine. I was 13 at the time and my mom pushed to get me in the 14-18 year old group.
One of the tastiest parts of this experience was my first brush with Vichyssoise. This soup was creamy, a gnarly green color, and served at room temp or cold! It was much different from the brothy soups I had spent days of trial and error trying to ‘perfect’.
It continues to be one of my favorites to make due to the relative ease of preparation and the silky richness you can get from relatively cheap ingredients. Make it for a party or make a batch and keep it in the fridge for up to about a week.
Enjoy!
*Leeks and Potatos are not really summer vegetables, but the soup is delicious cold and it’s green unlike the winter months…
Another old post but one of my favorites, this recipe is perfect as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre at a dinner party. It can even be tossed with some mixed greens for a salad, but personally I like to focus on the fresh crisp of the peppers and the smooth creamy scallops. The couple of times I have made this it has been a huge hit – I guarantee it would for you too!
This is a fun dish because there is an abundance of fresh looking colors, but as well some interesting science involved! In ceviche, there is no heat used to cook the seafood. Instead, the citrus juices denature the proteins of the fish just like cooking does. It’s important to know that citrus juice doesn’t really kill bacteria the same way heat does, so you need to make sure you are using fresh fish from a trusted source. As well, don’t worry if the scallops you use are pink and different colors as that is normal. Not all scallops have that similar opaque cloudy white color.
Have your own twists you add to ceviche? Would love to hear your tips and tricks!
This sweet dessert is a BCC first!
Make a batch of these and pour tea for your thirst.
Sweet and sour, they take just an hour.
Only eggs-butter-lemons, salt-sugar & flour!
Bring a batch to the office, many thanks will be par,
…Brought to you by me and guest host, C. Englar!
Braswell's Cooking Corner 