homemade mayonnaise

Butter-Poached Lobster on a Salt-Crusted Bolillo

/ Ren

Imagine the iconic New England lobster roll on a late summer evening.  Delicious, right?  Now re-imagine that as a Texican creation with homemade Key lime-ancho mayonnaise, fresh avocado and heirloom tomatoes served on a top-split, oven-toasted bolillo..

Butter-Poached Lobster on a Salt-Crusted Bolillo

For the Aioli (adapted from multiple recipes by Michael Ruhlman)

1 large, pastured egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon filtered water
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup avocado oil
2 teaspooons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Key lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the yolk, salt and lemon juice together in a large, non-reactive bowl.  While whisking, drizzle in a few drops of oil, then a few more to establish the emulsion.  Whisking continuously, add the remaining oil in a thin stream.  The mixture should be thick enough to cling to your whisk (i.e., not pourable).

Whisk in the remaining ingredients (except the salt & pepper), then season to taste with the salt and pepper.  Cover tightly and refrigerate 1 hour before using.  If the avocado oil has begun to solidify, simple allow the mayonnaise to come to room temperature and give it a quick whisk.

To Prepare the Lobster

1/2 pound Canadian or Maine lobster knuckle and claw meat
6 oz pastured butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 fresh bay leaves

Put the wine and bay leaves into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a quick boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until the wine has reduced in volume by half.  Add the butter and cook until you hear the milk solids begin to sizzle on the bottom of the pan.  Skim and discard the foam from the top, then regulate the heat until bubbles are barely breaking the surface.

Add the lobster and poach until just done, maybe 10 minutes.  Don’t let the butter boil and don’t let the lobster cook too long or it will be rubbery.  Transfer the lobster to a side dish to cool, reserving the butter for another recipe.

To make the Lobster Salad

1/2 pound poached lobster meat, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup key lime-ancho mayonnaise (more or less)
1/2 cup ripe, red heirloom tomato, coarsley chopped
1/2 cup fresh avocado, coarsley chopped

Lightly fold all ingredients together in a bowl, taking care not to let things get mashed up.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Bolillos

Use a bread knife to split fresh bolillos from the top, taking care not to cut all the way through.  Brush the split bolillos all over with lots of the leftover lobster poaching butter, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Place in a 400 degree oven until nicely toasted, then remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

To Serve

Mound the still warm, split bolillos with the chilled lobster salad.  Dress with a squeeze of lime and garnish with a grind of chili and a little fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

Atchafalaya Crawboy

/ Ren

Reminiscent of a New England lobster roll, this recipe uses red swamp crawfish poached in butter, garlic and Meyer lemon.  The flavorful tail-meat is then chilled and tossed with homemade mayonnaise, shaved celery, green bell pepper, scallions and Cajun spices.  Served on a top-split, toasted roll with dandelion greens, crunchy sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper and Tabasco sauce..

Atchafalaya Crawboy

For the Crawfish

1/2 pound red swamp crawfish tail-meat, preferably fresh
3 tablespoons pastured butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
2 oz semi-dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Melt the butter in a non-reactive pan set over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add crawfish, lemon juice and wine and simmer slowly until crawfish is barely done. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and allow to cool.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour.  The cooking liquid may be reserved for another recipe if desired.

For the Mayonnaise

8 oz olive oil
2 small pastured egg yolks
1 teaspoon fresh Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano, black pepper)
fine sea salt to taste

Whisk lemon juice, egg yolks and seasoning together in a bowl.  Add the oil in a very thin stream, whisking continuously to form an emulsion.  Season to taste with salt, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

For the Crawfish Salad

1 cup crawfish from above
1/3 cup mayonnaise from above
1 1/2 tablespoons celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon green bell pepper, diced
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed. Chill until ready to use.

To assemble

Top-split fresh sandwich rolls and toast under broiler until golden brown.  Spread with a little butter, then loosely fill with blanched and shocked dandelion greens.  Fill with chilled crawfish salad, then dress with Tabasco and lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

Classic Tuna Melt

/ Ren

Sustainable Pacific albacore, heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, celery, homemade mayonnaise and local pepper-jack cheese on toasted wild-yeast sourdough English muffins..

Classic Tuna Melt

Classic Tuna Melt

For the Tuna Salad

1 5.3 oz can hook-and-line-caught Pacific NW albacore tuna
2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1/4 cup thinly-sliced celery
1/4 cup finely-diced purple onion
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
sliced heirloom tomato
fresh chives
salt & pepper
sourdough English muffins
pepper-jack cheese

Split and toast sourdough English muffins. Place slices of pepper-jack cheese on top of the muffins, then add a thick slice of ripe tomato The cheese on the bottom will prevent the tomato from making the sandwich soggy.

Mound tuna salad on top of the tomato and compact into place.  Top with additional cheese slices and bake in a 450 degree oven until the cheese is bubbly.  Top with snipped chives and serve immediately.

Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes, Sauce Remoulade

/ Ren

Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes..

Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes with Sauce Remoulade

Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade

Makes 4 large Salmon Cakes

2 cans wild Alaskan Salmon, drained
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons celery, diced
2 tablespoons scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 large pastured eggs
2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked black pepper, more-or-less
1/2 tablespoon half sharp paprika or cayenne, more-or-less
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 pieces stale sprouted wheat bread, toasted and torn into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter

Warm diced red bell pepper, celery and red onions in a little butter over medium-low until softened, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate.

Lightly toss together salmon, scallions, parsley, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasonings.  Fold in cooled vegetables and refrigerate 1 hour.

Fold enough toasted bread pieces into the salmon mixture so that you can form patties that are cohesive and moist, but not wet.

Fry salmon cakes in ghee over medium-high heat until browned on 1 side, then flip over and cook 1 minute longer.

Place the pan in a 400 degree until the cakes are sizzling, about 5-7 minutes.

Allow to cakes to rest in the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.

Dress each cake with a tablespoon or more of cold rémoulade and optionally garnish with a bit of caviar.

For the Rémoulade

1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon fresh chives
1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh chervil
1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
2 cornichons, finely diced
1 small anchovy fillet, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Keep it Simple

/ Ren

Books, movies, TV, the Internet..  its easy to be overwhelmed by the ton of health and diet information that’s out there, some of it good, some not so much.  How do you tell the difference?

What it really all comes down to is that we must stop eating those mass-produced things that contribute to diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity and get back to eating fresh, whole, minimally processed foods.  You know, the stuff that our great grandparents ate and would still recognize today.

Throw away the processed sugar and flour, the pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and synthetic vitamins and eat the way nature intended.  Eat as if your life depends on it.

Here’s a simple, healthy and nutritious summer lunch of hard-cooked pastured eggs, homemade mayonnaise & mustard and just-gathered tomatoes, herbs and wild greens.  Totally delicious.  I’m heading back to work feeling good today..

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For egg salad, place pastured eggs in a deep pan and cover with cold filtered water; the eggs should be 2 inches below the surface.  Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.  Immediately cover the pan, remove from heat and allow to sit 10 minutes.

Drain the water, roll the eggs around to crack the shells, and cover the eggs with ice water.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before handling.

Peel the shells and dice the eggs into a bowl.  Add approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of coarse, homemade mustard for every 4 eggs, along with a squeeze of fresh lemon and good bit of sea salt and cracked pepper.  I’m adding fresh chives and tarragon, just because that’s what looks good in my container garden today.

To serve, dress field greens with oil & vinegar, mound egg salad on top and garnish with tomatoes and black olives.

(Mother Earth News) Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture.

Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene


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This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival