BIG, Bold and Beautiful by Jenny Lorish April 10, 2019 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Springtime: a season to renew, refresh and hit the restart button. Nothing brings a smile to my face like a beautiful springtime day. The birds are chirping, plants are popping out of the ground, the smell of the air is crisp and clean, the sun feels warmer and everyone seems happy. After a long, cold winter, I’m always ready for a celebration. Getting together with friends and family for some of the seasons fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, and libations is the best way I can think to do a toast and welcome all that is new. Recently, my family went to Newport Beach, CA for Spring Break. Everything was green and lush. The sun was shining everyday and it felt, as my son Thomas says, “like a blanket on my skin”. We had many adventures and saw some beautiful sights. We also ate most of our meals at restaurants. There are many wonderful places to eat in SoCal. Before we left for our trip, we planned out the places we really wanted to hit. Many were recommended by family who live there. What surprised me most was that every restaurant was super healthy and had many vegetarian and vegan choices. Being pescatarians, my husband and I had no problems at all. Fresh fish, fresh veggies, fresh everything. One of my favorite things to do when I return home, is to recreate some of the recipes of the food we ate. Ceviche, salads, grilled fish tacos, etc. At one restaurant we ordered the crudité bowl. When it came to the table I laughed out loud. It was a huge bowl stuffed full of beautiful vegetables with an olive tapenade sauce and a tzatziki sauce for dipping. We devoured it. It was so fresh and crunchy, and with the sauces it had the perfect umami. If you want to get your children to eat their vegetables, this presentation will do it! Now that we are back, I’m ready to start my re-creations and celebrate Spring with my friends and family. First on the menu is sure to be the crudité bowl. Next, will surely be many of the delicious and amazing food and drink we enjoyed. But I really want to share this, oh so easy, but oh so BIG Crudité Bowl recipe with you. It’s not really a recipe per se, as it is an arrangement, customized how you like. I will be sure to make this ahead of time in one of the biggest and prettiest bowls I own. My version will include long leafs of romaine lettuce stacked vertically in the bowl to start. Then, whole peeled smaller carrots, and radishes with some of the tops left on. I will also add spears of cucumber, vertically sliced red and yellow peppers, and one minute blanched green beans. (Recipes for the dips, below) So, I’m going to go ahead, invite my favorite friends and family, set glorious table and go BIG! At Marcel’s, we celebrate Spring with fresh new merchandise for decorating and outfitting your kitchen with style. We have all the kitchen tools and gadgets to help get you started, BIG beautiful bowls included. We also host many cooking classes to help you be the best cook and entertainer amongst your family and friends. Stop in and let us help you with your Springtime entertaining! Tapenade & Tzatziki Dip 2019-04-11 00:27:09 Print Ingredients Tapenade Dip 1/2 cup black olive, puréed 3 big bunch basil, puréed Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil Tzatziki Dip Two 7-ounce containers Greek yogurt (like Fage Total) 1/2 English cucumber, diced Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill 1 clove minced garlic Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Tapenade Dip Mix all ingredients well. Can be made up to a week ahead of time. Tzatziki Dip Mix all ingredients well. Can be made 1 or 2 days ahead of time. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Summer Vegetable Gratin June 28, 2018 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Summer Vegetable Gratin 2018-06-28 16:41:25 Serves 4 Print Base 1 garlic clove, minced 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce 2 teaspoons italian seasonings Gratin Ingredients 2 large beefsteak tomatoes 1 red onion 1 large eggplant 1 zucchini 1 summer squash 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese 4 sprigs fresh thyme Salt and pepper, to taste Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together base ingredients in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Wash the vegetables. Cut each vegetable into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange vegetables and cheese over base, alternating colors. Top with fresh thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and bake for 39 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Notes This is a great side dish and can also be a main served over pasta. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Quick-Sautéed Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic March 21, 2018 by Jill Foucre 2 Comments Quick-Sautéed Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic 2018-03-21 13:32:51 Print Ingredients 1 pound large peeled, deveined but tail on raw shrimp 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil) 1 teaspoon salt 1 lime zested and juice 1 large chipotle in adobo, seeds and ribs removed and minced 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro Instructions Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil. When oil is hot, add the shrimp, salt and garlic and sauté, stirring often. When shrimp are almost done, add the lime zest, juice, chipotle and cilantro. Sauté a minute more until shrimp are done. Remove from heat. Notes Sautéing requires very high heat and very little fat. Great for shrimp or sea scallops. A wok works great, otherwise a large skillet so you can move the fish around. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Vegetarian Street Tacos March 13, 2018 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Vegetarian Street Tacos 2018-03-14 00:40:41 Print Ingredients 1 ripe peeled avocado 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup mexican cream (crema), greek yogurt or sour cream 3 tablespoon finely chopped red onion 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded 1 lime 1 teaspoon honey 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles) 1 ear of corn 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup sliced portabella mushrooms 1 cup black beans 1 package small “street” style corn tortillas 6 tablespoons crumbled Cotija or feta cheese Fresh cilantro, chopped Instructions Place avocados in a blender; add crema, chopped cilantro, lime juice from 1/2 lime, salt and pepper, to taste, blend until smooth and creamy, set aside. Combine red onion, shredded cabbage, lime juice from 1/2 lime, and honey, salt and pepper, to taste. Toss together and set aside. Char corn on open flame of the stovetop, turning with tongs. Cool and cut off the cob, set aside. Heat heavy pan to medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes, or until most of liquid evaporates. Add in corn and black beans; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in adobo sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Place warm tortilla on plate. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado mixture in center of each tortilla. Top with slaw, 1/4 cup mushroom mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and cilantro leaves, if desired. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Beet Farro Pistachio Goat Cheese Salad March 13, 2018 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Beet Farro Pistachio Goat Cheese Salad 2018-03-14 00:33:29 Serves 4 Print Ingredients 4 beets - sliced into quarters 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup farro 2 cups fresh spinach 2 tablespoons pistachios 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese Balsamic vinegar Instructions Turn oven on to 400. Prepare beets; coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes or so until done. Let cool. To prepare farro—combine 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup farro in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Let cool. To assemble the salad - place the farro and beets on the spinach. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and crumble goat cheese on top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/