Oysters with Chive Butter and Aïoli

Raw oysters on the half shell are quite the thing, but I also relish mine cooked. For this recipe, I filled the opened shells with chive butter (chives were the first to come up in the garden) and aïoli. The aïoli once heated becomes something between a holandaise and a creamy cheese. But you can also skip the baking and serve the oysters raw with the same ingredients. Either way, the flavours are terrific, so it's up to you!

 Aïoli recipe here.

You'll need:

• 12 oysters • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 tablespoons chive, chopped • 2 tablespoons aïoli

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the chives, simmer on low for a minute, and remove from heat. Shuck the oysters and lay them on a pan or baking sheet. Put a bit of the chive butter in each oyster and top with some aioli. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the aioli is golden brown. Serve right away.

Part 3 - Lunch: Flatbread Lobster Roll

I wanted to make a lobster roll that you could actually roll. I have nothing against the classic hot-dog bread buns, but I figured flatbreads are so easy to make, why not give those a whirl? My preferred way to eat lobster is straight up with a squeeze of lemon and soaked in garlic butter. Simple but effective. It's the same here, but rolled in a flatbread. Also check out: Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster Part 2 - Lobster Eggs Benedict Part 4 - Lobster Stuffed Shells Part 5 - Lobster Bisque

The flatbreads need a couple of hours to rise, so plan in advance. Don't worry about making too much, the dough keeps well in the fridge for up to a week and it's a triple purpose recipe; flatbreads, pizza dough, and small buns.

Yields 12 flatbreads

Flatbreads

• 3 cups white flour • 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water • 2 teaspoons yeast • 2 teaspoons salt

In a large bowl, mix the yeast and the water. Then, add the salt and flour and work with your hands until smooth. Add a bit of water if needed. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in volume. If time is on your side, you can even let it rise overnight. At this point you can store it, covered, in the fridge.

Take a chunk of dough just a bit bigger than a golf ball, roll it on a floured surface to about 1/8". Roll as much as you need. Flour in between the rolled flatbreads to make sure they don't stick to each other. Heat up a pan. Drizzle a bit of oil and put the flatbread on. It should cook less than a minute on each side. Set it aside on a plate covered with tin foil so it stays hot. Repeat.

Garlic Butter

• 1/4 cup butter • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

In a small saucepan, on low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic, simmer for a minute, and remove from heat. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

Roll it up

Put lobster meat on a flatbread (I used claws), drizzle with garlic butter, squeeze a lemon wedge, roll up and enjoy!

Haddock Amandine

Sole Amandine is a very old French classic, but, as we can all appreciate, the recipe is a simple one. Essentially, the dish is pan-seared filet of fish with a sauce of browned butter, almonds, and lemon. What I love about the recipe is that it works amazingly well with any type of fish; trout, haddock, tilapia - you name it. I had haddock in the fridge, so I went with that. But, you can also get creative - give your next batch of asparagus an amandine kick. The earthy sweetness of browned butter, the crunch of almonds, and the crisp, zesty taste of lemon go so well together, but the effect is still gentle enough to compliment a variety of core flavors. Try it out and enjoy!

This was originally a guest post for 2 Peas & A Pot. Serves 2 One filet is usually enough for two people. Adjust depending on the size of your fish.

Ingredients

• 1 haddock filet, cut in half • 1/4 cup white flour • 1/4 cup sliced almonds • 4 tablespoons butter • juice of 1/2 lemon • 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped • salt + black pepper

First off, season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour on a plate and gently flour the filet.

In a sauté pan, on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once it's bubbling, add the fish to the pan. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer in another pan or on a plate.

In the same pan you've seared the fish, add the remaining butter and cook it until it browns. This does not take long; so be careful not to burn the butter. Add the almonds, remove from heat and squeeze in the lemon to stop the butter from cooking. If you used unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.

Serve the haddock with the amandine sauce and garnish with parsley.

Cheddar Perogies with Sage Butter Sauce

You can serve perogies with any kind of sauce or none at all, they're amazing on their own. For this recipe, I went with a sage butter sauce because, well, it's just ridiculously good. Making your own perogies from scratch is quite a process, but you can always make double the recipe and freeze the surplus. Either way, the time you spend making perogies is definitely time well spent. Flour-wise, I go with Speerville Flours. Their whole white unbleached flour has a depth of flavor commercial flours just don't have. Unbleached flower is less processed and contains more of the original wheat kernel, making it healthier and darker in color. I just love the stuff!

Yields about 24 perogies Serves 4

Filling

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped • 1 1/2 cup grated aged cheddar • chives and/or parlsey, finely chopped • pinch of salt

Boil the potatoes until thoroughly cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Strain them and let stand for 5 minutes to let the extra moisture out. Mash and add the cheddar, butter, herbs and salt. Your filling is done.

ps: Don't throw out your potato skins; put them in a pan with oil + salt and in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes. You'll have nice, crispy potato chips to munch on.

Dough

• 2 cups white flour • 1/2 cup sour cream • 3 tablespoons butter, melted • 1 large egg • pinch salt

Mix all the ingredients together with your hands or a mixer until you have a smooth dough. If needed, you can loosen it up with a couple drops of cold water. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Assembly

Roll out half of the dough to about 1/8" thick. With a glass or dough cutter, cut out 3" circles, saving the trims. Put about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each. Dip your finger in water and pass it around the edges so the dough will stick together nicely. Close the perogies making sure they are completely sealed. Set them aside on a pan. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough. Form a ball with the trimmings, roll and make some more.

At this point you can put them in a bag with a dash of flour and freeze them.

Cooking

Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding a teaspoon of salt. Drop about half of the perogies in and cook for 5-6 minutes or until they float on the surface. Remove from water and put on a plate with a paper towel to dry them. Cook the rest of the perogies the same way.

Frying

In a saute pan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil. Once it's sizzling, fry some perogies for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve hot.

Sage Butter Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter • 8-10 sage leaves, chopped • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small sauce pan melt the butter on medium heat. Let it bubble until it browns just a bit. Add the sage, remove from heat and add the lemon juice. If you used unsalted butter, season with salt.