Reel Chow Blog

Culinary Postings from the Original Gourmet Craft Service Industry Insider

Seared Scallops with Beet Ginger Purée

Reel Chow Original Recipe!I love scallops and definitely don’t eat it often because wild caught anything is pricey. However, I couldn’t resist my craving so I bought and seared scallops yesterday. Being me, I wanted to make it my own, so I served it with beet ginger purée.

This dish is very delicate and savory, but also light. The beet ginger purée was simple to make. I first boiled one beet. Once it was cooked, I let it cool, then removed the skin and placed it in my smallest food processor, adding a drizzle of light olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and fresh squeezed/crushed ginger. It came out extremely succulent, and not bitter at all!

My husband does not like beets very much. He smirked at the plate I served him until he took a bite. He was pleasantly surprised, just as your lunch or dinner guests will be when you serve them this quick and easy dish. Ron said it was the best-tasting beet he’s ever eaten. He’s now a convert to my Seared Scallops with Beet Ginger Purée. You will be, too.

Seared Scallops with Beet Ginger Puree

Seared Scallops with Beet Ginger Puree. ©Reel Chow

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Grilled Triploid Oysters

While in California, we were excited and determined to grill fresh oysters on the barbecue. I went to Captain Kidd’s Fish Market in Redondo Beach and bought a dozen Triploid Oysters from the Ekone Oyster Company in Washington State.

Oysters

Oysters from Captain Kidd's. ©Reel Chow

Captain Kidd’s is an amazing seafood joint, with a wide range of fish and crustaceans available. It’s exceedingly clean, and the employees are friendly, engaging, and quick to give advice if you ask for it. You can buy anything raw to bring home, or have it cooked their while you wait. There’s not many places offering services like that these days.

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Bella Mushroom Bites

Reel Chow Original Recipe!For Reel Chow, my Bella Mushroom Bites are a big hit on set and at corporate events. People who don’t like mushrooms often comment to me they’re happily surprised by these bites.

I’m a tough judge when it comes to mushrooms, even though I really love them—in salads, mushroom soup, risotto, or on top of pizza and veggie burgers—with almost anything. Depending on the type of mushroom being used, sometimes they need help from spices and fresh herbs to kick up the flavor a bit. You can run the risk of making dishes taste a little too earthy with mushrooms. They require careful and thoughtful use in the kitchen.

For the Bella Mushroom Bites, I used baby bella mushrooms (a.k.a. cremini mushrooms). They are more flavorful than white button mushrooms, which are typically used in salads. Baby Bella mushrooms are definitely one of my favorites. Rate them right up there with chanterelles, shitake and portobello.

Bella Mushroom Bites.

Bella Mushroom Bites. ©Reel Chow

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Pork Chops with Braised Apple and Fennel

Reel Chow Original Recipe!Lately I have been obsessed with the flavor combo of apples and fennel. The applesauce recipe I recently posted was made with green apples, as opposed to this pork recipe.

I love pork served with a side of fruit, just like the classic pork chops and applesauce. I also love experimenting with sauces, as I mentioned in an earlier post.

The sauce I made for my latest pork dish had aged balsamic vinegar, chardonnay, fennel, red apple, dried sage and oregano. The sauce was sweet and just a bit tart from the balsamic vinegar, which I really enjoyed. I hope you will, too. It’s called pork chops with braised apple and fennel.

Organic Pork Chops with Braised Apple, Fennel and Sage.

Organic Pork Chops with Braised Apple, Fennel and Sage. ©Reel Chow

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Vanilla Applesauce with Fennel

Reel Chow Original Recipe!One of my favorite things to do is take an American staple and jazz it up a bit. Applesauce has been around since at least the 18th century, when it first appeared in British cookbooks, but it was probably being made before then. Several types of meat, including pork, were often actually included in the sauce itself. This is in keeping with simple cooking where not a lot of separate pots or fuel was available. Today, pork still is often served with a side of apple sauce, of course. Here’s the story of how I came to try my hand at this centuries-old kitchen staple, and how you can make my version, too.

My sister recently gave me whole vanilla beans, so I decided make applesauce with vanilla and fennel. I chose green apples for their tartness, the fennel for a slight licorice flavor, and the vanilla to add a subtle sweetness. I added some soy milk to cut the acidity a bit. You can also use butter or heavy cream.

Vaniila Applesauce with Fennel.

Vaniila Applesauce with Fennel. ©Reel Chow

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Classic Tunafish Sandwich with a Healthy Twist

Reel Chow Original Recipe!With Fashion Week happening in New York currently, my days have been so busy booking jobs with clients. Luckily all my work for Stitched Tailors can be done with my Mac and iPhones from the comfort of my home office here in our loft.

Time flies and before I know it, it’s 1 p.m. and I haven’t had anything to eat. I have the choice every day, like most busy Americans do: order in, take out, or drive thru. These are the “I’m hungry—have to eat now” choices which ultimately cause me to work out extra hard at the gym, not to mention are generally not good for us. Unfortunately, for the next week and a half, I don’t have time for serious workouts. The only other choice is to look in my pantry and refrigerator for real food. Fortunately, I was able to feed my hunger in my own kitchen, and do it in a much more healthy way than fast food.

Jenn's healthy tunafish sandwich

Jenn's healthy tunafish sandwich. ©Reel Chow

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Black Bean Taquitos with Manchego

Reel Chow Original Recipe!For Super Bowl Sunday, I got to thinking about what snacks to serve guests. Every year my husband makes super spicy buffalo wings, which are delicious but not for those with a sensitive tongue, like myself. After I eat one, I can’t taste anything afterwards for about an hour or so. This Sunday, I am contributing a homemade dish, with plenty of flavor, minus the spicy kick.

To be honest, I did have some hiccups along the way while making this dish. The yellow corn tortillas tortured me! Here’s why.

I do not own a microwave. We actually had ours removed during our kitchen renovation. My husband Ron doesn’t like microwaves because it does tend to make food chewy and soggy, but most importantly we didn’t like the idea of having a not-so-safe appliance in our kitchen. At least, that is, until my corn tortilla incident. Either way, cutting down on radiation isn’t a bad idea.

Black Bean Taquitos with Manchego

Black Bean Taquitos with Manchego ©Reel Chow

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