Seared Scallops are Incredibly Easy!

Because of some delicious scallops I ate in recent weeks at The Marc and Botero (Las Vegas) and because of a sale on scallops at Costco, I wanted to try to make my own at home. Little did I know how easy they were to prepare! I followed the advice of Alton Brown from the Food Network. The prep time was minimal and the cooking time was next to nothing! They also tasted fantastic! Here I thought that you had to have some superstar chef skills to prepare seared scallops properly.

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Seared Scallops
Adapted from Alton Brown at The Food Network
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
8 large scallops (I used Olivia brand scallops from Costco - they were huge: size U10!)
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Defrost scallops in the fridge overnight or in a resealable bag under cold water. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

2. Salt and pepper the scallops.

3. Heat a saute pan over high heat, and add oil and butter. When the fat is smoking hot, add the scallops. Sear the scallops for 1 minute and 45 seconds on each side. Adjust cooking time according to scallop size. They are ready when they have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while being translucent in the middle.

4. Remove from heat immediately. They will still continue to cook. Serve immediately.
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In order to complete the meal, I decided to serve the scallops over a bed of cheesy polenta with a side of Greek salad.

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Cheesy Polenta
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add milk, water, and some salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Reduce heat to low, and gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cover and cook approximately 10 minutes or until cornmeal is soft and creamy, while stirring every few minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and butter. Stir. Gradually stir in cheese and serve.
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The salad was prepared without a recipe, but I used a combination of an English cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, crumbled feta cheese, and kalamata olives. The dressing was based on another recipe from allrecipes.com
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Greek Salad Dressing
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large jar with a lid (or in a deep bowl), combine all ingredients prior to the vinegar. Pour in the vinegar and mix vigorously (or whisk vigorously if using a bowl). The dressing can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.
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Harvest Room - Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

Harvest Room
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
10065 100 Street
780-424-5181

A voucher deal for lunch at the Harvest Room came up on Travelzoo recently. For $39, two people can have a 2-course lunch and a soft drink (a $76 value). The menu for this voucher was set at a choice of the feature soup or a salad to start, and a choice from 4 entrees.

Upon ordering, we were presented with a large plate of assorted breads. I had the poppyseed topped one and it tasted standard to me.

bread!

Andrew and I both had the grilled pear and cranberry salad. It consisted of spring mix, dried cranberries, cinnamon-grilled pears topped with toasted almonds and crumbled goat cheese. This was a lovely and fresh salad, with a light sprinkling of honey-vanilla vinaigrette. The salad was well-made with the right amount of sides to complement the mixed baby greens. We both appreciated how the salad was not doused with dressing.

cranberry.pear.salad

My entree was the herb roasted chicken with pumpkin risotto. The risotto was marvelously rich and creamy with sweet cubes of pumpkin. The chicken was savoury and succulent. A cinnamon cream accompanied the chicken on top of the risotto. I felt that the chicken was seasoned well enough and that the risotto was rich enough as is that it didn't need the additional cream.

pumpkin.risotto.with.herbed.chicken

The roasted pork belly was Andrew's choice. It topped a bed of wilted spinach on top of blood sausage mashed potatoes. The pork belly was juicy and was filled with an aromatic smoky flavor. The potatoes were very buttery and also velvety and smooth. The blood sausage bits were a pleasant accompaniment to the mashed potatoes.

irving.farms.roasted.pork.belly

We peeked at the dessert menu after our meal, but were actually quite stuffed from our heavy meals, so we passed. But some of the choices included a creme brulee, chocolate brownie, pecan pie, and cheesecake.

The Harvest Room has a warm, elegant and historical feel to it, with high ceilings and bright windows which offer a magnificent view of the river valley. Their menu items aim to support and feature local food producers.

centrepiece

It was a bit difficult to contact the front desk staff of the harvest room as we had to call a few times to make reservations when the phone wasn't being answered. Upon our arrival, we also had to wait about 5 minutes before anyone greeted us, and another 5 minutes before we were seated (due to patrons on the phone who don't understand the concept of holding the line). Otherwise, the service was pleasant and speedy, and we were checked on multiple times by both our server and the hostess. I would love to return to the Harvest Room again in the future. I have decided that the next meal adventure I would like to try there is the breakfast buffet ($24). Let me know if you would like to join me!

4.5/5

La Ronde

La Ronde
Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe
10111 Bellamy Hill
(780) 420-8366

We received a gift card to La Ronde from Danny several months ago but haven't gone until we were reminded of it by our friend Thomas recently. He recommended that we try the Chateaubriand there. We went on a Wednesday evening, and by chance, we discovered that they had a Monday to Wednesday special on a Chateaubriand dinner for 2. For $89, the meal comes with caesar salad and 16 oz of Chateaubriand, flambéed and served right at the table.

I initially ordered a small (250 mL) bottle of French merlot, but I was informed that they no longer carry it and instead was offered a glass of the Mollydooker Scooter Merlot from Australia, which I enjoyed.

The caesar salad was also prepared before our very eyes. A large cart full of ingredients was brought to our table side and our server started preparing the dressing from scratch. He made some delightful conversation with us in the process. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, and the finished product was salty (in a good way), garlicky and cheesy. I quite enjoyed the dressing. Our portions were rather large but we finished our entire plates.

Preparing the dressing

 

caesar.salad

The Chateaubriand was another table side production. This time, two people were involved in the process. The steak, potatoes, and vegetables were neatly placed onto a large serving tray. At our table, the "bouquetière of vegetables" were first divided among our two plates, and then a shot of whiskey was poured over the beef and flambéed. The tenderloin was then sliced and served. We had asked for the meat to be cooked medium to medium-rare, but the first bite felt a bit too dry and overcooked to about medium well. But upon further bites, it fortunately improved. The centre was moist and tender, and the outside seared portion was savoury and flavorful; the texture resembled a tender beef jerky.

Table side serving of Chateaubriand

Plated Chateaubriand

Since the salad was quite filling, we decided to only eat half of our meals so that we would have room for dessert (and a yummy lunch for the next day!). We ordered the Pistachio and White Chocolate Slice ($12). It was filled with an apricot purée and paired with a white chocolate-covered raspberry popsicle. There was also a nest of hard candy threads on the side. I thought the entire arrangement was eclectic but didn't really think everything fit together. On the main portion of the dessert, the white chocolate and pistachio parts of the slice were delicate and creamy with a thin layer of cake, but I could have done without the tart apricot filling. It seemed a bit odd to have a popsicle on the side. I liked the tart raspberry interior but not necessarily with the white chocolate coating. Andrew enjoyed the entire popsicle, however. Lastly the needle-like candy was amusing. The pointy ends hurt my gums and tongue as I closed my mouth down on it, but I couldn't stop eating it since was so unique and magical looking! Again, it seemed like an odd addition to the dessert.

pistachio.and.white.chocolate.slice

This was our first time to La Ronde and it was a great experience. The restaurant completes one revolution every 90 minutes and the views were lovely from 24 floors up the Crown Plaza Chateau Lacombe Hotel. We were treated with fantastic service, and our server was pretty humorous as well. I would love to go back especially when he's working.

Edmonton's Spring thaw

4.5/5

Faculty Club Wine Tasting - March 2012

For this wine tasting event, there were 8 wines from the Cameron Hughes label. Cameron is not considered a winemaker, however. What he does is he buys the surplus stock of wines from luxury winemakers who have trouble selling a particular harvest, bottles them under his own name and sells them for a fraction of the price. The promotional material for this event dubs him as the "Robin Hood" of the wine world. The result is that each wine is often in limited and varied quantities.

Most of the wines under this label are produced in California and surrounding area. Few are imported. There are confidentiality agreements that prevent him from divulging the originating vineyard of the wine. As such, it would be difficult for a consumer to try similar wines from the same producer.

Jackie's idea of wine "tasting"

Since it may be difficult to track down the various lots we tried that night, I'm going to refrain from mentioning them here. However, the Cameron Hughes wines are considered high quality, ultra-premium wines that would normally sell for upwards of $100 a bottle. His prices in Alberta start at $20 a bottle, so keep your eye out for these wines!

Wine winners

My winning bottle

As always, there are many wine-related door prizes handed out at these tasting events. This time 3/10 people at our table went home with something! Last time, it was 2/7. I must say our track record is getting better! :) Let me know if you're feeling lucky enough (or just in the mood to sip wine) to join me at the next tasting.

Wine Tasting Group 2.0

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake

I first tried this loaf when Tara and I took a trip down south to Three Hills to visit our friend Adrionne. She served this along with tea and other goodies. Adrionne and I used to be roommates and we would regularly swap recipes. It wasn't until I tasted this loaf that I realized how much I missed getting recipes from her! She sent us home with a chunk each (which got quickly scarfed down on the trip home) and I eagerly anticipated the day I would make it myself. It's a loaf that's two-toned, moist, chocolatey, nutty, and spicy all in one!

chocolate.chip.pumpkin.cake

The original recipe is from Taste of Home. Here it is with my modifications:
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flower
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 can pumpkin (I used half of a 798 mL can - freeze the rest for another batch)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the pumpkin and applesauce, beating well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans

3. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion. Spoon the chocolate batter into a well-greased bundt pan; top with pumpkin batter.

3. Bake at 325°F for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.
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Enjoy with tea!