Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Photo Courtesy of Rezaz

Asheville North Carolina is a mecca for fine dining. One of the top hot spots in town is a Mediterranean restaurant called Rezaz (pron. “ray-zuhs”), located just blocks from the entrance to The Biltmore Estate and which may have been developed with the aid of services like the new hampshire tax id.  Chef/ owner Reza Setayesh has traveled and trained widely resulting in a worldly palate. His emphasis in the dining room is on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, but at his Chef’s Table anything goes. He loves to give free rein to his culinary expertise.

When Sam ( My Carolina Kitchen ) and her husband Meakin invited us to join them, along with BIL and SIL Stuart and Sandy, for  a chef’s table dinner we immediately accepted.  Meakin arranged for us to enjoy a 5 course French Provencal dinner with wine pairings.  The kitchen was warm and inviting on a rainy night.

A nice touch was the pandelier overhead.  It is a metal sculpture made from saute pans used during the restaurant’s first decade.

We were fortunate to have a highly trained waiter to explain all of the chef’s dishes to us.  Our anticipation was rewarded with the following courses.

The first course consisted of three seafood preparations.  At the top left is a Smoked Salmon Rillette served with a toasted baguette and sliced radishes.  Bon Appetit has a similar recipe here.  Next to the salmon is Moule Curry (Mussels in a curry sauce with breadcrumbs).  At the bottom is a Trout and Crab Galantine ( A Trout roll stuffed with crab) with arugula pesto.

Our second course was a Pan Seared Sushimi Grade Cobia (Swordfish) a la Provencal, Sauteed French Gnocchi, Seared Scallops and Summer Vegetable Ratatouille.   My, oh my, this was delicious.  Summer on a plate for sure.

The next course was one of my favorites.  It was a Duck Leg Confit in a Cherry Gastrique Sauce.  The duck was moist and crispy from cooking in its own fat.  With it were Yukon Gold Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach.

The next entree course was a study of three lamb preparations; a Grilled Lamb Chop, Lamb Navarin (Stew) and Lamb Gigot (Roast with French thyme and wild rosemary).  It was served with a Parsnip and Potato Mash,  and an Arugula Pesto.  It was wonderful, but we were getting full.

For dessert we had a Summer Berry Clafouti and a Lemon and Berry Sorbet with a Touille Cookie.  The sorbet was so refreshing and the clafouti was just the right size.  Next time I make one, it will be a bright mix of berries like this.

As we drove back over the mountain from Asheville to Lake Lure we were sated, happy and thankful that we could spend such a lovely evening with friends.  It was a truly memorable experience.

We had a wonderful evening on the lake with our dear friends Penny of The Comforts of Home and her hubby.  The weather was near perfect and I had an easy meal planned.  David had made smoked shrimp on the grill as an appetizer before we hit the water.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture of them or any part of the meal that followed the boat ride.

The lake is magical in the evening. It is true what they say about clouds having a silver lining.  When the sun is going down, sometimes this awesome phenomenon occurs.  Lake pictures courtesy of Penny.

We headed back to the cottage before it got dark and had dinner on the porch with lively conversations and good cheer.  It was a lovely evening.

I photographed the chocolate cassis cake this morning.  Chocolate Cassis Cake is an Ina Garten recipe.  It is a decadent flourless cake that incorporates creme de cassis, a black current liqueur.  Sam of My Carolina Kitchen has also made this cake.  Her pictures are heavenly.

Penny brought me a jar of fresh herbs from her garden.  I will make good use of them.  This cake is worthy of a celebration amongst friends.

CHOCOLATE CASSIS CAKE  (The Barefoot Contessa)

For the cake:
Baking spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons crème de cassis liqueur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the glaze:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons crème de cassis liqueur
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To serve:
2 (1/2 pint) boxes fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons crème de cassis liqueur

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round spring form pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray it again with baking spray.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cocoa powder, flour, cassis, and vanilla and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), beat the eggs, sugar, and salt on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until pale yellow and triple in volume. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and carefully but thoroughly fold them together with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until just barely set in the center. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then release the sides of the pan. Invert the cake carefully onto a flat serving plate, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely.

For the glaze, melt the chocolate and cream together in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the cassis and vanilla. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and spread over just the top of the cake.

Fifteen minutes before serving, toss the berries gently with the sugar and cassis. Cut the cake in wedges and serve with the berries on the side.

Printable Recipe

We are on a short trip in Northern Georgia.  I wanted to find a cabin in the woods away from everything so that we could totally relax with help from my CBD flower extracts for a few days. David, who is interested in adventure and watersports, has expressed a desire to try fly fishing.

In the 1960s, Richard Brautigan wrote a book called Trout Fishing in America, which became a cult classic for a generation of young people. Despite having little to do with actual trout fishing, the book’s title is still relevant to David’s interest in the activity.

We have trout streams all around us in North Carolina, but David has only fished them once or twice.  Since the cabin we rented was on a trout stream, he decided to gear up and give it a try. This trip was supposed to be about complete relaxation after all.  Notice the hot tub in the background.

The stream is below the cabin.  We loved listening to it, but it was not the best stream for fishing.

It was too small.  David was able to find better fishing on a larger stream.  Unfortunately he had no better luck there.  But never fear.  He retreated to Betty’s store in Helen, Georgia and came home with these beautiful dressed trout.  I seasoned them inside and out and put lemons and bacon around the outsides.  The recipe came from Nancy Fuller from the Food Network.

I need to offer a word here about renting get-away cabins.  It is always wise to bring your own skillet and knives.  Unfortunately I did not follow my own advise this time. There was not one skillet in the cabin big enough to cook the fish, let alone bacon and eggs for breakfast. The skillets that were here were small and useless.  I tried to fry our eggs one morning and I defy anyone to make an over easy egg in what I had to work with.  The knives were a joke. And did I mention the can openers that did not work?   What I can’t understand is how this cottage has not addressed these issues.  Surely someone before me has complained.  Doesn’t anyone cook anymore?  But in spite of my handicaps, I managed to put some really good trout on the table.

I think I worked harder on this dish than David did trying to catch it.  By the way, he loved it.  It was a really good trout recipe that may need some tweaking.  My bacon was not totally crisp the way I like it. I think it would be good to cook the bacon briefly before wrapping it around the trout, although you want it to be still pliable.  The seasoning on the inside of the trout was spot-on.  I am hoping that when I am home and have better cooking equipment, I will make this trout even better.  We are off to The Montaluce Winery in North Georgia on my next post.  Now it is my turn to indulge.

BACON WRAPPED TROUT

Two 8-ounce rainbow trout, butterflied and dressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives and thyme
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon, plus 4 thin lemon slices
4 slices bacon

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle the inside and outside of the trout with salt and pepper.  Combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the herbs, capers, garlic, lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a small bowl and divide the mixture between the two trout.  Fold the trout back onto themselves, lay 2 lemon slices on top of each fish, and then wrap each trout with 2 slices of bacon holding the lemons in place.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and coat lightly with the remaining tablespoon olive oil.  Place the trout, lemon-side up, in the pan and cook for 3 minutes, then place in the oven.  Roast, flipping halfway through roasting to ensure the bacon is crisp, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Printable Recipe

If you want to try something a little different for St. Patricks Day, I highly recommend this riff on the traditional corned beef and cabbage.  The colcannon is a mixture of cabbage, mashed potatoes and bacon.  If you are lucky you can find authentic bangers which are British pork sausages.  They got their name because they are said to make a bang sound when they split while cooking.  But the star of this dish is the brown sugar and Guinness Stout gravy.

The sausages are cooked in the beer and then the beer and brown sugar are thickened with a butter and flour mixture.  The taste is excellent with both the sausages and the potato, cabbage mash.  Unfortunately, I did not put much of the gravy on my plate when I photographed it.  I corrected that mistake when I dug into it.

As far as I know the original recipe came from Tara at Smells Like Home.  You can visit her site to see a better picture of the dish with the gravy.  If you can’t find bangers, any mild sausage will do.  I used an Italian turkey sausage.  The dish is garnished with scallion tops.  It is well worth a celebration.

BANGERS AND COLCANNON WITH BROWN SUGAR GUINNESS GRAVY

For the bangers and gravy:
6 Irish bangers (or mild sausage)
12 oz Guinness beer
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter mashed with 1 1/2 tbsp flour
Pinch of Kosher salt
1-2 tbsp chicken stock, as needed

1. In a 12″ sauté pan, brown bangers on all sides over medium heat. Add beer to pan, reduce to a simmer. Braise bangers until they are fully cooked and the beer reduces by half, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove bangers from the pan and whisk in brown sugar, butter/flour mixture, and salt until the mixture is smooth.  Bring gravy to a gentle boil and reduce to a simmer until thickened.  If the gravy thickens too much, add 1-2 tbsp of chicken stock as needed.

For the Colcannon:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed(I used Yukon Gold, but russets would do too)
2 3/4 tsp Kosher salt, divided
4 oz bacon, diced
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain and keep warm in the saucepan you boiled them in.
2. While the bangers brown and potatoes boil, cook bacon in a 12″ skillet over medium heat until almost crisp, rendering as much bacon fat in the pan as you can.  Add 2 tbsp butter, allow to melt, and then add the cabbage. Sauté mixture until cabbage is almost tender but a slight amount of crunch remains, about 10-15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
3. Add heavy cream and 1 tbsp butter to the pot

Printable recipe

Okay.  Everyone says you should plate your food in a white bowl so that it shines on its own.  Today I did not do that because the only bowl I could get to was this one.  I think Ina’s couscous looks just fine in a colorful bowl.  I am having some issues right now.  My kitchen is out of service due to a major leak under the sink.  David is working on it, but it has turned into a long, long …. process.

I have been washing dishes in the bathroom and trying to avoid his work area.  That is one of the reasons that Ina’s couscous sounded like a good choice for dinner; minimal sink time and easy cooking.  What makes it different from the original recipe is the use of Israeli couscous. Israeli couscous is larger and alternately called pearled couscous. I have paired the couscous dish with my Apricot Chicken, which is another easy recipe.  Just put it in the oven on a foil lined baking pan and you are done.  I have broccoli ready to steam on the stove and dinner will be ready.  My kitchen is a mess, but at least we will eat well.

I kinda think this looks like a work of art, but then I am probably a little punchy from cooking on the fly.  Hopefully dinner will be good.  David is still under the sink.  I have done my best and so has he.  Unfortunately, the work will continue for a while.  Take-out tomorrow night sounds like a good idea.

INA GARTEN’S CURRIED COUSCOUS RE-INVENTED

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
Directions

Melt the butter in the boiling water and add the couscous. Cover tightly and cook the couscous on low for 8 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place couscous in a large bowl.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Printable recipe