October 19, 2007

Secret Sauce welcomes author of The Relaxed Kitchen, Chef Brigit Binns.

In her latest cookbook and memoir, Brigit helps us choose dishes that cook slowly (without requiring much attention), and let meal preparation adjust to our busy schedules!

The most important lesson? Saving brain-power on complex dishes by buying a few great-quality, pre-made components, allowing last-minute kitchen time for enjoying a relaxing cocktail.

Brigit tells us why her Smoky Shrimp Escabeche is a winner on the dinner table: "Escabeche is a distant Spanish cousin of the Latin American favorite, ceviche, only in this case the fish is slightly cooked rather than raw, and instead of lime juice, the tart note is provided by vinegar.

To get a smoky flavor, I simply char a few tomatoes under the broiler, then whiz them up with some fire roasted peppers, and marinate with the wine-steamed shrimp for 8 hours or overnight (this way, the flavors have a chance to get really cozy). The resulting dish is restaurant-level complex, and all I have to do when guests arrive is transfer to some pretty glasses. Oh, and take a bow."

Procedure

• Preheat the broiler (or grill the tomatoes, if you have the grill fired up for something else). Place the tomatoes cut sides down in an oiled baking dish and place just underneath the heat source. Broil/grill until charred but not incinerated; ideally, you will have some black bits and lots of dark brown bits. Set aside.

• In the base of a large steamer, bring the wine to a simmer. Fill a large bowl with water and ice and place near the stove. Place the shrimp in the steamer basket, cover, and steam for 2 minutes. Immediately plunge the shrimp into the ice water; simmer the wine until reduced by about half.

• Retrieve the shrimp with a slotted spoon and spread on a clean towel while you prepare the marinade.

• Throw the charred tomatoes into a food processor and add the roasted peppers. Pulse on and off 2 or 3 times until nicely chunky, but nowhere near perfectly smooth.

• In a skillet, warm the olive oil over low heat; when it’s hot, add the garlic, and sizzle until golden. Add the thyme, parsley, and crumbled bay leaves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat and add the reduced wine, vinegar, paprika, lemon, ½ teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper, the tomato/pepper mixture, lemon slices, and cayenne.

• Transfer the marinade to a large, shallow, non-metal bowl and add the shrimp. Toss together and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, tossing every once in awhile. Return to room temperature before serving; taste for seasoning; adjust with salt or vinegar if desired.

Serves 6.

Brigit Binns is the author or co-author of nineteen cookbooks and editor of countless others. She has also co-authored cookbooks with some of the country’s most respected chefs, including Los Angeles’ Joachim Splichal, translating countless complex restaurant dishes into home-friendly food. Brigit lived in Europe for ten years, where she graduated from England’s Tante Marie cooking school, owned her own catering business, and edited the English-language magazine of Spain’s Mediterranean coast.

While pursuing her career, she has always entertained as though her life depended on it, and did have a disturbing habit of re-inventing the wheel for each dinner party–often with disastrous results.

But after three marriages on two continents and dinner party disasters in cities and towns across the globe, she’s finally learned the truth: Great cooking doesn’t have to be hard. These days, her kitchen is a very relaxed place!

Visit Chef Brigit Binns on the web @ brigitbinns.com.

Order a copy of Brigit Binns' The Relaxed Kitchen here.

• Get the recipe for Brigit's Mascarpone-Stuffed Dried Apricots

October 19, 2007

Here's yet another favorite recipe from Brigit Binns, Mascarpone-Stuffed Dried Apricots.

Says Brigit, "I love this dish because it perfectly embodies my belief that skipping steps is fine as long as you don’t skimp on quality, flavor, and style. Earthy-sweet dried apricots, creamy-rich and just slightly tart mascarpone, and a glass of Italy’s finest dessert wine are complemented by a few of the best almonds in the world, for the crunch factor. Here, it’s about the shopping, not the cooking—yet it’s hard to get more tastefully civilized!"

Kick up your feet and enjoy this deliciously easy dessert, Mascarpone Stuffed Dried Apricots with a Glass of Vin Santo and Marcona Almonds:

Procedure

• Cut each apricot almost—but not all the way—in half, crosswise, to make a stuffable pocket.

• Stuff each with a teaspoon of mascarpone, close it up gently, and place three apricots to one side of a large plate.

• Either make a small mound of the almonds on the other side of the plate, or place them in a small dish, such as a wide bamboo sake cup.
• Pour the vin santo into tiny glasses (grappa glasses work well) and place one next to the apricots.
• Repeat to plate five other servings.

Note: Bring the mascarpone to room temperature for 10 minutes.

Serves 6.

Vin santo literally means "holy wine."

You can find this recipe, Brigit's Smoky Shrimp Escabeche, and many more in her new cookbook, The Relaxed Kitchen.

Visit Chef Brigit Binns on the web @ brigitbinns.com.

Order a copy of Brigit Binns' The Relaxed Kitchen here.

• Get the recipe for Brigit's Smoky Shrimp Escabeche