Soft Shell Crab With Shrimp Risotto, Brown Butter and Truffles Optional (but not really)

This Friday was a seafood extravaganza. A crustacean coup. A sinful evening of two of my favorite things: carbs and crab. A coincidence they have the exact same letters? I think not. Like a lot of what I cook - soft shell crabs are incredibly easy - but they look 100% gourmet. If you can sauté anything - you can do this! And risotto is the same. If you can stir, then your chances of making a delicious risotto are over 90%! The other 10% is being able to add liquid, and monitor flavor. A simple brown butter sauce and the flavor of shaved black truffles take the risotto to a whole new level. The other way to make food gourmet is to take picture of it from overhead - even a grilled cheese looks artsy from the top down. Get your pinchers ready to cook - after the jump!

Homemade Crab Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce

Summer is here!

I'm a huge fan of pasta, and thanks to my wonderful friends and family, my pantry is overflowing with awesome kitchen gadgets. The result of this? Let's make pasta from scratch and put all my new scrapers, mixers and boards to work. It's also hot in Dallas, Texas - and there is something wonderful about walking into the cold seafood department and seeing delicious crab meat on special. It just feels like summer - light and and airy. A pound for $11? Sign me up! For a summer pasta dish - a combination of crab, ricotta, lemon and a light but flavorful tomato sauce makes a fantastic lunch or dinner - if you are thinking to yourself - making the pasta is too much work - it's not - but try it with store bought refrigerated pasta sheets, and skip to that step. Just use a biscuit cutter to cut out  your rounds and you will have the same professional effect. The filling and sauce take about an hour of time! Super easy - and when you are done - you'll be on the porch with the best summer dinner on the block. You could do this with shrimp too! Get the scoop - after the jump.

Bistro Dinner - Herb Gnocchi, Pan Seared Red Snapper, and Flngerling Potatoes with Brown Butter Sauce

 Hello Gourmaybe readers - it's been a "while" and there are no excuses - except for -  I got married, went on a honeymoon to Chile (best trip ever) but have been neglecting my kitchen and my blog!  So now, it's time to get back to business with a meal that is just amazing and with a little extra prep work, can be a snap for a weekend or even a weeknight. To get blogging again in top form - I was inspired by Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook - a favorite of mine, and a wedding gift. If I had my way - I'd eat french food on a daily basis - what's not to love? Butter? Cheese? Chives? Eggs? I love them all and all at once. I ended up with a great hearty salad  - we don't eat "chick" salads in my house. A delicious pan seared red snapper was our protein, with sides of homemade gnocchi and potatoes all in a brown butter and parsley sauce. I did the gnocchi ahead, and prepped the potatoes, and the cooktime was literally 30 minutes when dinner rolled around. Here's how to do it! I have shortcuts, and easy explanations to take the mysteries out of the advanced french techniques. This is kind of a Meuniere scenario - but I feel that brown butter sounds easier. Get in le kitchen, after le jump!

Macadamia, Cashew and Sea Salt Brittle

It's BAAAAACK! Are you looking for an easy holiday gift? So was I until I found this delicious brittle. Every year since 2008, I have baked gifts for friends and family. Food for me is an experience to be shared, and I love it when I can make something that my friends can enjoy. Over the years, I've made different variations on my gifted treats: brittle and truffles, brittle and cookies, brittle and cake, but there's one thing that is always the same: the MACADAMIA CASHEW & SEA SALT BRITTLE! Brittle is something my Grammy used to make (classics peanut brittle) but this brittle is on another level! It's chock-full of macadamia nuts, and cashews (although I'm sure you could make it with other nuts too). It's sweet, it's savory, it's decadent and buttery. It's easy enough to make large batches for a whole list of friends or a small party. It's got enough salt to include "salt" in the name of the brittle - so it's got to be good. This is truly delicious. Most people describe it as "addictive" and I include myself in those people, so I usually only make it once a year to avoid shoveling a whole bag into my mouth. I hope you try it and love it too. Recipe after the jump!

Spectacular Kale and Artichoke Dip

I am a fan of all things that you probably should consume in mass quantities: Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Wine, Cheese, etc. So it comes as no surprise that one of my favorite things in the world is the classic, cheesy, creamy spinach artichoke dip. It's something that can be really good, or really bad, depending on the execution. I like mine with a thick base, and lots of the veggies. Because spinach is sometimes watery even when drained quite a bit, I tried this with kale. The result - amazing. Kale stands up so well - I even like the flavor better! Since I like about a 70/30 veggies to base ratio, I actually don't use all the base that this recipe makes, but you can add more or less depending on your taste. Did I say this is amazing? This is amazing. You won't even care what you eat it with, but I'd suggest some sturdy tortilla chips or pita chips or a large spoon. I use a different blend of cheeses: Parmesan, White Cheddar, a little bit of Feta and Fontina, and of course, cream cheese. I don't use sour cream, which many do. Get the secrets of the fantastic dip after the jump.

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Tapenade

Even though it's just SLIGHTLY cooler in Texas, I am mentally ready for it to be full-blown fall. Nothing says fall to me, like a leg of lamb. It's also one of those things that looks incredibly impressive and intimidating for a dinner party, but is super easy - just rub and roast. When it comes to a side, creamed corn came to mind, because let's face it, corn is cheap, lamb is expensive, and it works for fall without being as heavy as a sweet potato etc. Corn is also just sweet enough to balance the salty, savory flavors of the tapenade and lamb rub. Look for the Chive and Parmesan Creamed Corn recipe coming soon! This lamb recipe was inspired by Esquire's Eat Like A Man Cookbook. My fiance bought this book, which I told him looked like a caveman's diet guide, but after this recipe, I'm thinking about hitting the treadmill harder and cooking all of them anyway. Grab a new bottle of olive oil, cause you'll burn through a bottle with this one! Like I said, this will be so much easier than you can imagine! Make the rub and the tapenade the day before, and you will be a most relaxed hostess.Get the recipe after the jump!

Lobster Pappardelle with Lobster Mushrooms, Basil and Bacon

Sometimes recipes are worth a little extra labor - in honor of Labor Day weekend, this is one of those recipes. It is actually not that difficult at all to make - and if you are having a dinner party with really lucky, and deserving friends, then this would be spectacular. The labor comes with breaking down the lobsters. You can find a great video on how to do that easily on my last lobster post (Lobster Mac and Cheese). There is nothing to me that works better than a great pair of kitchen shears - takes a lot of that labor off your hands! I took advantage of a Lobster sale ($8.99/lb) to make this dish. I splurged on Lobster Mushrooms. If you can't find them, use Shiitake.  If you do the sauce and meat a day ahead (which you can) - the rest is a snap! The result is a dish that is delicious in a way that makes you want to skip the meal before and after, just so you can have more of this. The fresh herbs balance the cream and richness of the lobster. Try it and you will add this to your recipe box for sure! Get the breakdown after the jump.