The Black Cat Returns

It’s been a long time since I blackened anything. It was all-the-rage back in the late 90’s. Blackened tuna steaks, chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks—you name it, someone blackened it. It was sort of considered the “goth-kid” of cooking preparations. The other day at the market I spotted a catfish that reminded me of this. He was whispering to me… said something about sharing with others the beauty of a nice, plump, sweet and juicy catfish filet rubbed down with Cajun herbs and spices, pan seared to create a dark golden, luscious brown crust just waiting to be split open and enjoyed. Though his sacrificial boasting made me question his intentions I decided to take him up on his offer and dive in. The black cat returns tonight!
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Boursin Cheese from the Garden

After all the recent rain your herb garden is probably overgrown like mine. It’s time to chop down them weeds and make something nice and tasty. Homemade boursin cheese is an excellent way to do just that while saving a few bucks at the same time. Invented by the French-born Frank Boursin in the late 50’s, boursin is a dip/spread that is made up of cream cheese, garlic, herbs, black pepper and shallots. It’s great to use as a dip for veggies or crackers during those summertime barbeques, or paired with roast beef for the best sandwiches to eat when fishing, or if you want to fancy it up, used in place of Swiss cheese in a chicken cordon bleu presentation. Read more

Chimichurri for the Grill

 A real summertime spread isn’t complete without the green king of South American grilling sauces, chimichurri. Chimichurri is a sauce that is similar to pesto in that it is made of smashed herbs, garlic and seasonings emulsified with oil. It originally hails from Argentina, where various histories of its invention always hinge on someone from the UK being misunderstood by locals as saying “chimichurri” when they meant something else. Despite the misinterpretation, the recipe holds true to a few basic ingredients—though it can change per region and country. This particular recipe hails from the Patagonia region of Argentina and makes an excellent marinade and serving sauce with any type of grilled steak, chicken or fish. Read more

Jerked Lobster, Breaking all the Rules

They called me crazy, nuts, threatened to take away my chefing credentials, but luckily I fought them off and said, “there will be jerked lobster on the menu tonight!” And what a jerked lobster it was. Savory and slightly spicy, the sweetness of the lobster counter-balanced the jerk while a hint of cilantro-born freshness kept it light. With a superb dipping butter and two carefully considered side dishes (to be posted at another time), this jerk rub is truly gentle enough for lobster, providing you don’t go overboard with it.
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Forget the Eggs…

Let’s eat the Easter bunny instead! I never understood how we began to think rabbits lay eggs anyway… and why are they chocolate half the time? Regardless, I’m a big fan of rabbit. Roasted, fried, sautéed, stewed and especially braised; I love it each and every way. This Easter I say give up the ham and painted eggs and go out and shoot yourself a rabbit! Oh… well if that idea makes you a bit squeamish, you can always head down to Antonelli’s Poultry off Federal Hill to pick one up instead—I warn you though, don’t stray into the backroom or you’ll wish you had shot your own rabbit! Read more

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