MEXICAN STYLE GRILLED SHRIMP

It's summer time and after just having a modern Mexican lunch; I've been inspired to continue the Mexican flavors for tonight's dinner.

I had large shrimp which I decided to cook for tonight.

                                  INGREDIENTS:
24 peeled large fresh shrimp
1 lime - juice squeezed
2 large cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp of salt
1-1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup of olive oil

Wooden skewers (1 foot long each)

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes and thread 6 of them in each skewer.

Mince the garlic before combining with ingredients

To skewer the shrimp:  Make sure you try to take as much minced garlic into the curled shrimp.  Lay them on the grill (if grilling) or on a broiler pan (if broiling) and evenly pour the rest of the marinade on top.  Grill or broil 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with a wonderful tangy accompaniment such as minced green mango with minced cilantro and a stalk of minced scallions.  Season this mixture with sea salt.  Put it in a cup, press it, then unmold on the platter before serving; as pictured above.

Goes well with salad on the side and some freshly cooked corn Mexican style which I'll cover in another blog.

Serves 3-4.

PAMPANO - Modern Mexican Restaurant

Celebrating 20 years of dining out, it's Restaurant Week in NYC through July 24, 2011.  Over 300 restaurants participate offering Three-course prix-fixe dining.
Lunch $24.07 and Dinner $35.

www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek

For lunch today, I went to eat at Pampano with some friends.  Pampano is an upscale restaurant offering modern Mexican cuisine by Richard Sandoval.  Richard Sandoval has several restaurants.  This one offers dynamic seafood!  The restaurant has a large second floor sitting with a large outdoor dining.

And here's what I had for lunch:

FIRST COURSE:

Shrimp Ceviche was my choice for Appetizer or first course.  It was different from the usual ceviche I've had before.  The sauce was mild and creamy.









SECOND COURSE

I chose the dish called PINTADO.  It was sea bass in a light mild soup broth with pieces of chorizo and garbanzos.
I actually liked it.  Very mild and light for the summer.

FOR DESSERT:  I chose something out of the menu as an option because they ran out of the chocolate flan.  They offered us the dessert pictured on the right which was a moist corn cake made from fresh corn, served with coconut ice cream with berry sauce.

The service was very nice and we sat on the second floor but not outside the patio as it was a very hot summer day.  Pampano has outdoor sitting on the second floor where you can eat 'al fresco'.

If you're in the mood for light fare seafood, this is the place to go.  Their prix-fixe price is only through July 24! 

They do have a short order taco place at the atrium below ground at 850 Third Avenue serving delicious tacos at very affordable price.

PAMPANO

209 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 751-4545

Open Mon-Wed 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm; Thu-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm; Sat 5pm-10:30pm; Sun 5pm-9:30pm

BASTILLE DAY - in NYC

Today, I attended the Bastille Day celebration on 60th street between Fifth Avenue and Park.  There were more people this year it seems than there were last year.  There were more vendors serving my favorite grilled Merquez sausages.

Each year, Bastille Day on 60th is celebrated commemorating the historic friendship between France and the United States through France's celebration of their own independence on July 14, 1789.

Here are some live videos and photos I took of the event:
The first one was sponsored by Le Souk in Greenwich Village, a Moroccan-French restaurant.

The above video may help you create your own Merquez sausage buns next time.  They heated up the baguettes on the grill, then cut them into portions.  They sliced it and spread both sides of the bun with harrisa.  Place some Romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes and drizzle a spicy mayo combination on it.  But the secret is the light but crisp baguette and whatever they put in that mayonnaise.  It was delicious!

They had balloon people that created hats and figures for kids.  Watch this guy make a dog a a pole where the dog could actually slide.

What's Bastille Day without Crepes!  These were the most reasonably priced crepes and therefore had the longest line.  I had the peach and strawberries.

My favorite canelle -

A canelé is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. The dessert, which is in the shape of small, striated cylinder approximately two inches in height, is a specialty of the Bordeaux region of France but can often be found in Parisian patisseries as well. Made from egg, sugar, milk and flour flavored with rum and vanilla, the custard batter is baked in a mold, giving the canelé a caramelized crust and custard-like inside.

Regular size canele.  But they had mini ones which I bought.  It came in chocolate, pistachio, rose water and plain.

There was grilled steak sandwiches with what looked like sauce Bearnaise - but they said it had no egg.  They called it tarragon sauce.  (It might just as well be sauce Bearnaise)

It was a fun afternoon.  There was entertainment and raffle booths for a trip to Paris and lots of French food! They also had a lot pastries from Payard and macarrons from Macarron Cafe.  They charged $15 for wine tastings.

AMORINO GELATO Gourmet Italian-style Ice Cream

It's summer time in NYC! Amorino Gelato openned a store in Greenwich Village - and that's great!  Below is a quick glimpse of the new Amorino Gelato which openned June 2011.

They have definitely been able to recreate the famous Italian gelato from Italy.  They have branches in London and Paris.

They feature a special flavor for each month.  For July, it's Ananas (Pineapple) Sorbet.

What differentiates Amornio Gelato besides its creamy delicious ice cream is that they offer a warm brioche stuffed with your choice of 2 flavors of ice cream;  and their cornetto.

On the left is the brioche sutffed with your choice of ice cream flavor.







On the right is the Cornetto.

A small cornetto can contain as much as 6 flavors of  ice cream and sorbets of your choice.  The medium and large one can contain even more.  I was definitely pleased!

On the left is the warm brioche cut up to reveal the Amorino Chocolate flavor ice cream with salty caramel gelato.

AMORINO GELATO

60 University Pl
(between 10th St & 11th St)
Manhattan, NY 10003
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

(212) 253-5599

www.amorino.com/en/

Menu

DUCK - Asian style Version 2

This is a variation of the other duck recipe - Asian Style I originally put out.  This one is an easier version.  The difference is how I prepared the duck.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 can of 7Up or Ginger Ale
1/4 c of soy sauce
1TB of powdered 5 Spices (available in Asian stores)
3TB of corn syrup
Canola oil

Sauce for Brushing:
1/3 c of Plum Barbecue sauce (I used F&W - Fischer & Wieser Hot Plum Chipotle Sauce for brushing

Marinate the duck breasts in the first 4 ingredients for 4 hours. Place in pan half filled with hot water (bain marie) on rack.  Brush the duck generously with the Hot Plum Chipotle Sauce or Plum Barbecue sauce.  Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated 350 degrees F oven.  Remove and let sit for 30 minutes before slicing.

Pictured above 4 duck breasts served

Garnish or Accompaniment uses 1 bunch of chopped scallions and 1-1/2 inch peeled and shaved ginger sauteed in safflower oil seasoned with sea salt generously.  I cooked this in a small saucier pot as pictured. 

Can be served as dinner with rice on the side and Siracha sauce on top of the rice.  Above, served with salad and the ginger scallion condiment.

FOR LEFT OVERS:
We used left over slider buns or hot dog buns to make sandwiches.
The sandwich had siracha, cilantro, the scallion-ginger condiment, pickled relish - mayonnaise is optional.
Try it, we loved it!!

ALFREDO OF ROME

If you're in Midtown Manhattan by Rockefeller Center, my favorite dishes to order at Alfredo of Rome are the following:

For appetizer, or main course for lunch accompanied with a Caesar salad on the side, I highly recommend their super thin slice pizza with paper thin slices of pears, Gorgonzola cheese and truffles.

You can serve this pizza as an appetizer for up to 6 people; or you can have it as your main course (because I love it) with a salad on the side.


You have to order their Alfredo Fettuccine.  After all, THIS is a signature dish.  The recipe came from Rome.
It's the best Alfredo Fettuccine I've ever had.

Pictured on the right is a dessert from their menu that I've never tasted elsewhere.
Please try this.
It's called Fennel Tart drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce, served with Sambucca ice cream on the side.

(Fennel is in the anise family)
I happen to love fennel in my salad or with pork.
This pastry has lots of sweet fennel inside.  I think it's a healthy dessert!
(That's me)

Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, adding a refreshing contribution to the ever popular Mediterranean cuisine. Most often associated with Italian cooking ...
www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid 

This Tiramisu is soooo good!  It's addictive.  It's one tiramisu I love!

ALFREDO OF ROME

4 West 49th Street
New York, NY 10020-2205
(212) 397-0100

Open Weekdays 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm; Sat 12pm-4pm, 5pm-10pm; Sun 1pm-3:30pm, 4pm-9pm

STEAMERS - How to Eat Them

It's summer time and it's steamers time in the New England Sea coast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft-shell_clam

To cook steamers, buy them fresh from a reliable purveyor or fishmonger.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of steamers
1 of water
2TB of melted butter in each ramekin for each person.
(Serves 4) for appetizer or 2 for lunch.

Pour the water in a large stock pot.  Soon as it boils, put all the steamers in.  Cover the pot with the lid and cook for about 5-10 minutes.  As soon as the steamers open, they are cooked.

Steamers have a "skin" around the valve and a tail that you have to skin before you eat.  The skin around the valve keeps the juice inside the steamer.  Some skins break.

To serve, you should use the broth to dip the "peeled" or opened steamer first in the broth; then in the melted butter.  If you don't have enough broth; you may add water to the broth you cooked it in.  Watch the video: