Crab and Orange Summer Duo

Here's something different and fresh for your next dinner party.

I had already discussed verrines in a previous post a few months ago. They're  appetizers and desserts served in a little glass, like a parfait. They've been very popular in France among homecooks over the past few years. You see them everywhere!

This crab and orange verrine recipe is the perfect answer to a warm day. They're wonderful served as an appetizer. I make them ahead of time and leave them in the fridge until ready to serve. 

My personal tip is "don't forget the orange". It really makes the whole dish and adds absolute freshness. I've made it with pink grapefruit as well, and it's also wonderful. 

If you're wondering what kind of glass to use, I personally found tiny glass prep bowls at Ikea (it's important to be able to see through to see the layers), but you could use anything small, narrow and small. The smaller, the better. 

Crab and Orange Summer Verrines

(makes 6 individual verrines)

1 ripe avocado, cubed + 1 tbsp lemon juice

6 oz of good quality lump crabmeat, drained

1 orange, segmented 

Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp French mustard

1 tbsp ketchup

10 drops of Worcestershire sauce

1 drop of hot sauce (I use Cholula)

Salt, Pepper

Goat Cheese Whipped Cream:

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup fresh goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp chopped chives

Measure the heavy cream for the Goat Cheese Whipped Cream, place it in a large bowl, along with the beater or whisk, and leave in the freezer until ready to use. 

Segment your orange and reserve in a bowl, in the refrigerator. 

Prepare the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Prepare the goat cheese whipped cream. Take the bowl, the cream and the beater out of the freezer. Season with salt. Using an electric beater, start whisking at low speed until foamy. Switch to high speed, until you see very soft peaks (after about 2 minutes). Quickly whisk in the goat cheese, pepper and chives. Do not overbeat. Reserve in the refrigerator. (You could cut thin pieces of orange segments and incorporate it in at that stage to add some flavor. Just make sure to keep enough orange segments to decorate the top of each glass) 

Peel and cube the avocado into a bowl. Pour some lemon juice over it and gently stir with a spoon. Add the crab meat and some of the mayonnaise sauce. Incorporate one tablespoon at a time, tasting every time, to make sure the consistency isn't too creamy and the flavors too strong. Less is more. Use only what's necessary.

Fill in the bottom of 6 little verrines or glasses with the crab/avocado combo, that's the first layer of the verrines. The second and last layer is the goat cheese whipped cream. Smooth out the top with the back of a clean tablespoon. 

Decorate each glass with an orange segment and one or two chives. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Tomato, Goat Cheese and Honey Pasta Salad

Juan and I recently moved into a new place. It's been tough but we're slowly getting our place into order. I think what I hate the most is having to find a new place for every little thing. And that's what it's down to now... Thank goodness for storage baskets!

One of the first things I cooked for us in our new kitchen was a tomato, goat cheese and honey pasta salad. I don't know if it's pregnancy hot flashes or what, but it felt warm enough that I did not want to use the stove or the oven for too long. 

I made up this recipe but I have also been inspired by the wonderful tomato and brown rice salad that my friend James made a few weeks ago, at a food blogger potluck. It reminded me of how much I love Spring and Summer cooking, for simple salads like these. 

So I switched a few ingredients here and there, added a few more, and the result was a succulent, fresh, satisfying and just plain no-frills summer salad. I always like to change a few things when I make up a recipe, but I just love the combination of the sweet honey, the tart goat cheese and the oniony flavor of the green onions. 

Tomato, goat cheese and honey pasta salad (serves 4)

about 2 cups of dry mini Fusilli pasta

2 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp honey

4 medium Heirloom tomatoes, cut in large dices

4 tbsp chopped green onions

1 cup basil, chopped

1/2 cup goat cheese, cut in large pieces

1 tsp of Herbes de Provence (optional)

Bring some water to a boil, salt the water and add the pasta. Return to a boil and cook according to the package directions. Drain and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the vinegar, the salt and the pepper together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk together. Whisk in the honey. Transfer the pasta into a bowl and stir in the vinaigrette. 

Stir in the tomatoes, the green onions and the basil. Lastly, add the goat cheese (and herbes de provence if you choose to) and gently stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Adjust seasoning of necessary. 

Tomorrow's Forecast: Too Darn Hot

Today's temperature: 94 F (34 C).... Tomorrow's: 98 F (36 C)....

Sure, it's nice to live in such a sunny place as Austin, but sometimes, I could really do without the unbearable heat and humidity. In France, temperatures go down as the sun sets, but in Austin, they remain stagnant; It's too hot to eat outside. It's too hot to do lots of things outside actually!

My favorite time of the year at my parents' in France? May and June. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner outside on the terrace. It's a very tranquil spot: our house is on a hill and it overlooks the green mountains of Bugey.

We enjoy the tomatoes from our garden, the salads, the strawberries, still warm from the heat of the sun.

Regular dishes we enjoy during that time of the year are radishes with goat cheese, ratatouille, cold asparagus with vinaigrette, melon-port and cured ham, sauteed new potatoes and salad. I could go on and on. I love the dishes from that season!

On our terrace, dinners turn into long wonderful hours of talking about everything and anything. We soak in the cooler temperatures of the evening as we water the flowers and the garden to digest. The crickets sing their hypnotizing serenade, the frogs from the pond below our house croak and a few glow-worms light up the backyard. It's nighttime in my dear village of Bouvesse and I leave you with a recipe for you to enjoy on a hot evening, wherever you are!

My goat cheese and spinach tart is great served cold (the way I do it) - or at room temperature with a green salad and a simple vinaigrette. It's great because it can be made ahead and kept for several days!

1 store bought pie dough

1 shallot, chopped

1 pack of frozen spinach (about 1 cup cooked) - or use fresh spinach, whatever you have -

pinch of nutmeg

4 eggs

1 cup of heavy cream

7 oz of fresh goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence

1/2 teaspoon of salt

lots of fresh ground pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Lay the dough onto a round tart dish, like this one.

Press down gently and poke the dough with a fork.

Cook the shallot in some olive oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove and reserve. Cook the frozen spinach in same pan, according to directions. At the end, add some nutmeg. Let the spinach cool a little.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs and the cream and the shallots. Add the goat cheese (make sure you crumble it) and mix a little more. Add the salt, the pepper and the Herbes de Provence.

With your hands, squeeze the excess water from the spinach and lay on the dough. Pour the eggs-cream-goat cheese mixture on top. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until nice and brown.

Let the tart cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.