Posts tagged chive
butter poached lobster toast

valentine’s day is just weeks away. every year for valentine’s day, wes and i celebrate with grilled lobster tails and my lemon caesar salad. but this year, i thought it would be fun to add a twist to our lobster tradition.

wes has been working on adding freshly baked bread to our repertoire, so i’ve pretty much been using it for EVERYTHING. and it is the perfect base for a delicious appetizer take on one of the best lobster cob salads i’ve ever had.

these little toasts are packed full of flavor and decadence, and are great for a party with your gals, a dinner party with friends or a sexy night in.

butter poached lobster toasts

serves: 24 mini toasts

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 6-8oz lobster tail. 1 stick butter (for extra flavor you could use THIS garlic herb butter). juice of 1 lemon. .25 cup white wine. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 small avocado. 1 tbs chopped chives. 10 arugula leaves finely chopped. 10 cherry tomatoes, thinly slice enough for each toast and roughly chop the rest. 3 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 tsp whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 24 bread squares (about 1 inch squared) using your favorite crouton/toast bread).

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start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. while your oven is preheating, lay your bread pieces on a baking sheet and lightly brush each with some of the olive oil. once your oven is preheated, toast the bread for 7-10 minutes till it is toasted but still a little soft on the inside.

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heat the butter in a sauce pan until it has melted. once it has melted, add in the garlic clove, half the lemon juice and the white wine. bring the mixture to a soft boil.

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cut the shell away from the lobster and slice the lobster tail in half.

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season well with salt and pepper and when your butter is softly boiling, add in the lobster.

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cook until the lobster is barely cooked through. cooking it too long, will give you a chewy lobster. 6-8 minutes should do it. use a spoon to continuously spoon butter over the lobster as it poaches.

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once the lobster is cooked, remove it from the butter and allow it to rest and cool. once it has cooled to room temperature, place it in the fridge till it has chilled. combine the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, mustard, remaining salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk it till well combined.

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once the lobster is chilled, slice it into small pieces and toss it in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, arugula and the chives.

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swipe just a little bit of avocado on each slice of toasted bread.

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top the bread with a half teaspoon of lobster mix. top each lobster toast with a sliced tomato and drizzle with your vinaigrette.

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serve and enjoy.

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xo, a

butter poached lobster toasts

serves: 24 mini toasts

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 6-8oz lobster tail. 1 stick butter (for extra flavor you could use THIS garlic herb butter). juice of 1 lemon. .25 cup white wine. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 small avocado. 1 tbs chopped chives. 10 arugula leaves finely chopped. 10 cherry tomatoes, thinly slice enough for each toast and roughly chop the rest. 3 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 tsp whole grain mustard. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 24 bread squares (about 1 inch squared) using your favorite crouton/toast bread).

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. while your oven is preheating, lay your bread pieces on a baking sheet and lightly brush each with some of the olive oil. once your oven is preheated, toast the bread for 7-10 minutes till it is toasted but still a little soft on the inside. heat the butter in a sauce pan until it has melted. once it has melted, add in the garlic clove, half the lemon juice and the white wine. bring the mixture to a soft boil. cut the shell away from the lobster and slice the lobster tail in half. season well with salt and pepper and when your butter is softly boiling, add in the lobster. cook until the lobster is barely cooked through. cooking it too long, will give you a chewy lobster. 6-8 minutes should do it. use a spoon to continuously spoon butter over the lobster as it poaches. once the lobster is cooked, remove it from the butter and allow it to rest and cool. once it has cooled to room temperature, place it in the fridge till it has chilled. combine the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, mustard, remaining salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk it till well combined. once the lobster is chilled, slice it into small pieces and toss it in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, arugula and the chives. swipe just a little bit of avocado on each slice of toasted bread. top the bread with a half teaspoon of lobster mix. top each lobster toast with a sliced tomato and drizzle with your vinaigrette. serve and enjoy.

summer tomato + arugula salad

at the moment, i'm doing something i haven't done in many moons. 

this post is being written as i'm flying through the air at ten thousand feet. 

airplanes used to be the only place i got alone time to sit and concentrate. these days my schedule is my own and the only directions i'm going are the ones i choose. and i chose to head to dallas with wesley for a long weekend with most of our besties to celebrate our friend julia's thirtieth birthday bash. 

this was our first vacation since my self employment began and it was a feeling like no other. yes, the idea that no money is being generated while i'm away is a bit scary, but the freedom i feel is ten times better. while eating and shopping in adorable mckinney texas, we made a point to check out a kitchen shop that julia thought we would enjoy. not ten seconds into soaking up every inch of the curated shop we were offered a shot of homemade infused gin by the owner. right there in the middle of small town usa, i knew i had found my new muse. 

this woman lives in a picturesque town with her loves, raises chickens, has impeccable style and writes for better home & gardens magazine. that's when she's not working on marketing and branding strategy for food companies or working at her shop that makes you feel like your in the best kitchen ever. (some of this info she gave me and the rest i gathered with some mild blog/instagram stalking). 

while in the ettiene market i saw my dreams come to life. it IS possible. people do have big crazy ideas and they make them happen. so i'm headed home with some amazing new (thank you coryanne) and old (thank you mckinney antique mall) kitchen toys. and a whole lot of inspiration. but before i go whipping up a bunch of new recipes, here is a new summer staple to add to your arsenal. summer tomatoes are here and i can't get enough of them. there are so many amazing varieties, why not mix a few?

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summer tomato salad
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 25 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 3 heirloom tomatoes, diced. 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered. 2 cups arugula. 4 slices bacon. .5 c blue cheese crumbles. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 1 tbs chives, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 

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preheat your oven to 400 f. while the oven preheats, place your bacon on a rack in the oven over a baking sheet. to help with clean up, you can line your baking sheet with aluminum foil. when the oven is hot, bake the bacon for 22-25 minutes until nice and crispy. when they are cooked, place them on a paper towel to dry off. when the bacon has cooled slightly, roughly chop the bacon. 

while the bacon is cooking, chop all the tomatoes. season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper. toss together the tomatoes, chives, blue cheese, chives and arugula. drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. toss well, top with bacon and serve.

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xoxo
a

summer tomato salad
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 25 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 3 heirloom tomatoes, diced. 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved. 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered. 2 cups arugula. 4 slices bacon. .5 c blue cheese crumbles. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs lemon juice. 1 tbs chives, chopped. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
preheat your oven to 400 f. while the oven preheats, place your bacon on a rack in the oven over a baking sheet. to help with clean up, you can line your baking sheet with aluminum foil.
when the oven is hot, bake the bacon for 22-25 minutes until nice and crispy. when they are cooked, place them on a paper towel to dry off. when the bacon has cooled slightly, roughly chop the bacon.
while the bacon is cooking, chop all the tomatoes. season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper.
toss together the tomatoes, chives, blue cheese, chives and arugula. drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. toss well, top with bacon and serve.