Party of Two

Fish: Place first 6 ingredients into bowl of a food processor; buzz until smooth. Place herb mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and cover with another piece of plastic; roll until roughly 1/16” thick. Place sheet into freezer and chill until hard. Remove plastic from one of the sides of herb sheet and place halibut fillet on top, presentation side down. Trim herb sheet to fit fillet exactly and then invert, so the herb mixture is on top. Roast in a 500 degree oven until fish is opaque, and herb crust is crispy, roughly 5 minutes.
Terrine: place crabmeat, breadcrumbs, egg whites, and half the tarragon in the bowl of a food processor; buzz until smooth then transfer to piping bags as needed. Line a terrine mold with plastic wrap and lay one layer of leeks on the bottom. Pipe a thin layer of crab mixture on top. Working up the sides of the mold, add a layer of leeks and then a layer of crab puree, to reach the top of the mold. Sprinkle inside of terrine with remaining tarragon, seasoning, and arrange lobster meat in the center of the terrine. Pipe more crab mixture on top of lobster to reach the top of terrine mold and place remaining leeks on top. The entire terrine should be encased in a leek ‘suit’. Use excess plastic wrap to encase the terrine, ensuring that it is nice and tight. Immerse terrine mold in warm water to (but not over) the top of the mold. Bake at 350 degrees until terrine is firm, roughly 25 minutes. Remove from water and chill overnight.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and the red chili flakes. Once the skillet is hot, add onions. When the onions are beginning to soften and turn translucent, add the fennel. Season with salt. When the fennel begins to soften, turn the heat down to low. Slowly caramelize the fennel and onion, transforming them into something very soft and sweet. When the vegetables are caramelized, add garlic and white wine; next increase the heat, and cook until the wine has almost entirely evaporated. Add heavy cream and cook until the cream has partially reduced. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender and add lemon juice. Purée until smooth. Add scant amounts of water if the purée is too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. If desired, this purée can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two ahead of time before completing this dish.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, however undercook the pasta by one or two minutes. While the pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat and add the fennel purée, stirring occasionally. When the pasta is cooked, transfer to the skillet with the fennel purée, making sure to reserve a cup of the pasta water. Add a little of the pasta water to the skillet and stir. Add butter and crab. Toss pasta to mix well. Add almonds and basil. If the pasta looks too dry, add more of the pasta water. Taste pasta while it is still in the skillet and adjust seasoning as needed. Before serving, use a fine microplane to garnish with lemon zest.

Cornstarch Slurry:

1/2 cup corn starch
1/8 cup water (use just what is needed to thicken)
Combine all ingredients into saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out vegetables. Put back on heat, bring to a boil, and add cornstarch slurry till slightly thick.

Allow the sauce to cool and place 2 cups into bowl. Add airline chicken breast or chicken part of your choice. Coat chicken completely with sauce then wrap bowl in plastic and refrigerate for 1 day or 2 your choice. Take chicken out of sauce. Grill till done, bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or in a Crockpot in sauce with an added 2 cups water for 2 hours.
Enjoy with your choice of side. I found that rice and a green vegetable are the best combinations.

In a large cast iron skillet or heavy duty fry pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and saute the eggplant and onion, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add more oil as needed to help keep the eggplant from sticking (about 2-3 tablespoons more). Cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the eggplant is cooked through and lightly caramelized. Add in the sliced garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Toss briefly in the oil before spreading the beans out into a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 1-2 minutes, allowing the chickpeas to crisp up and brown slightly. Stir, and continue to cook until browned to your liking. If using, add the ground cumin and paprika near the end of the cook time, cooking just until the spices are fragrant.

Add the eggplant mixture back to the pan and stir to combine and warm through. Add lemon zest and parsley to the pan; taste and adjust seasoning with some of the lemon juice, salt and black pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt with about 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper and some of the lemon juice. Set aside.

To serve, top the cooked rice with the eggplant-chickpea mixture and place a dollop of the yogurt on top. Drizzle with your favorite hot sauce and additional parsley or lemon zest.

Lightly season salmon with salt and pepper. Brush dijon onto the top of salmon. Place salmon dijon side down into bread crumbs.
Set a saute pan over medium heat, and once hot add oil to pan. Place salmon panko side down in pan. You should hear a light sizzle.If the pan is too cold, the panko coating will fall off. If the pan is too hot the panko coating will burn. Gently shake the pan until fillets move freely,this will prevent them from sticking. Let cook one to two minutes. Once the sides are just beginning to golden, transfer the pan to a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Here is the trick: do not flip the salmon over before transferring to the oven. Leave it panko side down. This will create the perfect, crunchy golden-brown crust. Bake in oven for eight minutes. Once done carefully remove from pan with a flat spatula in one quick motion.

Trim broccoli flourettes and chop into bite size pieces. Set in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted and barely bubbling, add flour and mix with wooden spoon. This is a roux, which is used to thicken sauces, but is very simple if done correctly. Cook roux on low to medium heat for one or two minutes stirring with wooden spoon constantly. Now swap the wooden spoon for a whisk. Add to the pot half of your heavy cream and whisk vigously. The cream will begin to thicken almost instantly. Whisk until there are no lumps and cream is thick. Now add the rest of the cream and whisk again. Once cream begins to boil, remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, add in a beaten while whisking. Then pour the cream sauce into the bowl of broccoli. Add half of the cheese and mix. Pour into a 13×9 casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees covered for 25 minutes to 30 minutes. Then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes uncovered or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

On a large, clean work surface, pour flour in a mound. Make a well in the center about 4 inches wide. Pour whole eggs, egg yolks, squid ink, and salt into well and, using a fork, beat thoroughly. When combined, gradually incorporate flour into the eggs until dough feels firm and dry, and can form a craggy-looking ball, 2 to 5 minutes. Press the heel of your hand into the ball of dough, pushing forward and down; continue until dough develops a smooth, elastic texture similar to Play-Doh. If dough feels too wet, add flour in 1 teaspoon increments. If dough feels too dry, add water slowly using a spray bottle. Wrap ball of dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest on countertop for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a sheet of parchment paper on a tray or cutting board and dust lightly with flour. Unwrap rested dough and cut into quarters. With a rolling pin, flatten the quarter of dough into an oblong shape about 1/2 inch thick. Set pasta maker to widest setting and pass dough 3 times through the machine at this setting.

Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using rolling pin, flatten dough to 1/2-inch thick. Pass through the rollers 3 additional times. Narrow the setting by 1 notch and repeat. Continue passing the dough through the rollers, reducing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. It should now be very delicate and elastic to the touch, and slightly translucent.

Place rolled dough onto a work surface or baking sheet lightly dusted with flour or lined with parchment paper, folding the dough over as necessary so that it fits; sprinkle with flour or line with parchment between folds to prevent sticking.

In a medium saucepan, bring shrimp to a boil for 4-5 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove shrimp from hot water and chill in an ice bath. In a blender, place remaining ingredients and blend until a smoothie-like consistency. Add salt and pepper. Serve the shrimp as pictured or on a platter, garnished with fresh cilantro and limes.

Set a large saute pan over high heat; once hot, add olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and sweat 1 minute (do not brown). Add shrimp to hot pan; do not overlap the shrimp. Cook 1 or 2 minutes or until shrimp begins to turn bright red. Flip shrimp over and add tomatoes; cook an additional 30 seconds. Make sure the pan is very hot - this next part moves fast. Add white wine to HOT pan to deglaze. Immediately add lemon juice, parsley and red pepper flakes. Quickly stir pan to combine ingredients. Let wine bubble for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. No longer or shrimp may over cook. Add butter to bubbling wine and remove pan from heat. Immediately swirl pan and continue swirling off the heat until butter is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and serve with garlic bread as an appetizer or over linguini for a main course. This is a simple, fast recipe that is delicious and always sure to impress!