Dock's Oyster Bar and Seafood Grill ~ NYC, NY

You walk off a busy Manhattan street into a large bustling restaurant to find delicious seafood!  This restaurant is always crowded, which speaks to it being consistently good. I've eaten here several times over the years, charmed by their traditional lump crab cakes.
Today I treated myself to a delicious price fix lunch... a lightly dressed salad, Gumbo and Key Lime pie!  

  Country Comfort Cookbook Review ~ you'll want to come back too!  

The Weekend Cook ~ Lobster Rolls

Thanks  Sonali for sharing her recipe and story with us!

Serves 4

"One of my favorite classic lobster dishes is New England lobster rolls. There is something about the sweet, tender lobster meat in the warm, buttery roll that gets me every time. Now, I know that there is a lot of debate as to which is the best lobster roll recipe. Some purists simply put steamed lobster in a buttered, toasted bun with no mayonnaise or other accoutrements. I, however, prefer my lobster rolls with a light coating of lemony mayonnaise, some finely chopped celery for crunch, and Boston lettuce to keep the bun from getting soggy."  Chef and Dr. Sonali Ruder

Lemon-Chive Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk, room temperature

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt

6 ounces canola or other neutral-flavored oil

2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon water, room temperature (optional)

2 teaspoons chopped chives

Lobster

2 cups cooked and diced lobster meat

¼ cup homemade lemon-chive mayonnaise or plain mayonnaise

3 tablespoons finely chopped celery

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Rolls

4 top-split hot dog buns

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 leaves Boston lettuce, sliced

Lemon-Chive Mayonnaise

Place the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl, and whisk together.

Mix the canola and olive oils together in a measuring cup with a spout. While constantly whisking the egg mixture in the bowl, slowly pour in the oil in a steady stream until emulsified.

If the mixture gets too thick, add water to thin it out.

Taste the mayonnaise, and season it to taste with salt and more lemon juice, if desired. Stir in the chives. Store any extra mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.

Yields 1 cup.

Lobster

Mix the lobster, mayonnaise, and celery together in a bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Rolls

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush the inner and outer surfaces of the buns with butter. Open the buns and toast them in the skillet until golden brown on both sides. Arrange some lettuce on each bun and top with equal portions of the lobster mixture.

Serve immediately.

*Visit  Sonali’s blog ~  The Foodie Physician Here she shares her two passions - medicine and cooking, as she develops healthy recipes. It's a winning combination!

Eating Across America ~ Roots Bistro Goumand in West Islip, NY

If you are looking for the perfect restaurant ....look no more!  Roots has adeptly combined ambiance and casual comfort with ambrosial food presented so artistically food,  that YOU TOO will find yourself asking who the artist is?  Add going with a very dear friend and you have the ultimate dining experience!

After a quick glance at the menu YOU TOO will detect a hint of French influence with dishes like Moules Frites  and Poussin en Cocotte  however YOU TOO will find selections to satisfy everyone's palate... like spicy Chicken served on brioche, Roots Royale Burger or a enjoy a twist to the traditional BLT served with Lobster and caramelized bacon.  

Featured below is their superb Spring salad filled with hand- carved vegetables ~ rainbow carrots, pickled beets, cucumber, marinated heirloom cherry tomatoes, caramelized kale dressed  with a lemon oil and banyuls vinaigrette and  Parmesan crisp!

"Toques" off to Executive Chef Philippe Corbet and Chef James Orlandi and the owners of Roots! 


Country Comfort Cookbook Review ~  the ultimate ("fondamental") experience in farm to table dining!

Tuesday's Tip ~ Nuts and Seeds

Anytime you come across nuts or seeds (such as almonds, hazelnuts,  pumpkin  or sesame seeds), regardless if the recipe is for a savory dish or a sweet dessert, I always recommend toasting them. Nuts and seeds contain an exuberant amount of natural oil, which, when heated, will be extracted and produce a golden color and strong aroma.
This task, however, does require caution, as nuts are one of the most commonly burnt items in professional kitchens.
I would not advise adding additional oil or butter to the pan, as the natural oil that is released when heated is all that will be necessary to gently toast the nuts. Below are two methods for toasting:
• Spread the nuts or seeds in a single layer on a sheet tray, and place in a preheated 375ºF oven for 2 to 10 minutes depending on their size.
• Spread the nuts or seeds in a single layer in a sauté pan. Toast on the stove top while constantly stirring or flipping them (if the nuts stay in one place in the pan over direct heat, they will scorch or burn rather than toasting evenly).
 
Never crush or chop the nuts before you toast them. Only do so after they have toasted and cooled. When chopped ahead of time, the inconsistent shapes and sizes will cause them to toast unevenly, and the smaller fragments will burn while the larger ones do not get enough color. This will make your entire mixture taste bitter.
 
You should also never toast two or more different varieties of nuts or seeds in the same pan at the same time. Each is a different size, and will require different cooking times. As such, always toast different nuts and seeds in separate pans.
 
Nuts and seeds are often quite costly, especially in a professional environment. Because of this, I always instruct my cooks to toast them in separate small batches. This way, if you do, in fact, burn them, you will not lose the entire stock, and the monetary damage will not be as severe. 

The cooking time varies depending upon the size and shape of the nuts and seeds, as well as the heat source and temperature. Because  there are several variables, it is difficult to say exactly how long they will take to toast, but what is an absolute surety is they do not take much time, at all. I frequently check them in 2-minute increments
until well-toasted. You will often smell the scent in the air when they are ready. Halfway through the cooking process, I will often rotate the pan to avoid unevenly cooking due to “hot spots” in your oven. I also use a heat-resistant or flat metal spatula to flip the nuts or seeds often to ensure even color. Chef Nicole Roarke

Country Cooks Across America ~ Coffee Cake

This recipe was shared with us by our dear family friend, Fernanda.  It's become one of our favorites. I  know you'll love it too! 

Cake

2 sticks unsalted  butter, soften 

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda 

Filling

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cups sugar

4 TBL. cinnamon

1 cup ground almonds (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 375. Toss filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Sift flour sugar, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl mix together butter,  eggs, sour cream and vanilla.  Add butter mixture to the flour mixture and mix until combine.  Generously spray the bottom and sides of a bundt pan with baking spray. Pour in half of batter, sprinkle 3/4 of the topping, fill with remaining batter and finish with rest of the topping. Bake for 40 minutes.

 Catering tip! Bake in a 9x12 pan (makes it easier to cut into 2 inch square pieces) 

The Weekend Cook ~ Beefsteak Tomato, Red Onion, and Mozzarella Platter with Basil Drizzle

This dish is typically seen with balsamic vinegar drizzled on
top. Now I only serve it with this tangy dressing that my
friend Chris shared with me.
Serves 6–8
Dressing
½ cup good-quality mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
15 "fresh" large basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1–2 (16 oz.) logs fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Dressing
Place all the dressing ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor and blend. While blending, slowly pour in the oil. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, stop blending, pour into a separate container with a spout, and reserve.
Salad
Assemble the platter by alternately arranging tomatoes, red onions, and mozzarella. Immediately before serving, drizzle the sauce over the platter.

Eating Across America ~ Osteria Laguna in NYC

I LOVE starting  with  a salad ... true confessions ...I  LOVE when someone else is slicing and dicing and I  get to enjoy the results!.... I LOVE a restaurant that features not only a large variety of salads but one which offers salads that  you can substitute for a meal by giving you the option of adding  a protein.   If you are trying to make healthy choices or you want to eat light .... a good salad can be oh so satisfying!

Today I tried the Arugula Heirloom Tomatoes with Grilled Prawns, Carrots and Roasted Beet Salad drizzled with lemon dressing.  The menu boasts, "A Taste of Venice in Midtown".... after eating this salad it brought me right back to eating in Italy... where everything is prepared simply and is lightly dressed! It was absolutely delicious. 

The menu features an equal impressive selection of Risottos like Saffron Duck Ragu with Orange Zest and even more types of specialty pizzas to choose from.  Broccoli Rab with Sweet and Spicy Italian Sausages caught my eye.

 If you are a follower of my blog, you know that I am wooed by the ambiance.... again you are taken to Venice....as you are seated in a country dining room at rustic farm style tables.

Country Comfort Cookbook Review ~ you too will transported by good food and a charming ambiance.