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Eva Louise

Oyster Romance

March 29, 2013 by Eva Louise 2 Comments

oysrterThis past week, Stingray and I needed a little romance in our life. Nothing says “hey there, Big Boy” like oysters and luckily we just happened to have a dozen briney Wellfleet oysters in the fridge.  I picked up a cheap proscecco and a couple of extra groceries to make it a meal: a soft cheese and crusty bread to serve with a crisp macintosh apple.  I felt like I needed to cook something, so I picked up a bunch of asparagus and steamed them, poached two eggs and made a (kind of) homemade béarnaise.

The stars must have seriously been aligned for operation romance, because right before I was about to serve dinner I remembered some shrimp I had in the freezer to help me really make this a bangin’ dinner.  I boiled and peeled them and set up all the proper shellfish fixins’: lemon, cocktail sauce, horseradish and a homemade mignonette sauce (vinegar and shallots) and we were ready for a partay. Can’t wait until we get another dozen oysters…

 "Yin and Yang"

“Ying and Yang”

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: food, love, oysters, romance, shellfish, vegetables

Halibut Top Ramen

February 27, 2013 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

photo (11)Last week I did a post featuring a fried halibut sandwich with one of two halibut fillets we had. The fate of the second fillet is featured above– an Asian-style halibut soup with tender ramen noodles, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, baby bok choy…and about 100 herbs and spices. I really got into it and made the soup using my wok and a wooden sushi spoon as a ladle. (I’ll admit, I was even  a whisker away from wearing a Hello Kitty apron…)

Like many of my recipes, the ingredients are interchangeable but the trick here is  to layer them properly to get the right depth of flavor and the right consistency (ie not mushy, not too salty or bland). So below I’ve outlined, not a recipe, but conceptual steps to take to make a tasty Asian-style soup.

aromatics/sturdy vegetables and proteins + seasonings and oils + broth +  noodles +  delicate vegetables and fish + serve+ garnish = so awesome.

Step 1: Saute mushrooms and aromatics (onions, garlic, shallots etc.). If you’re using beef, tofu, shrimp or chicken as your protein, cook them here to get maximum flavor and color. They are sturdy enough to withstand the boiling broth.

Step 2: Season liberally with all your “Asian-style” pantry goods: soy sauce, dash of rice wine vinegar, green onion, ginger, mirin, seasame oil, lemongrass.

Step 3: Add broth: I mix 1 carton of chicken broth and 1 carton of vegetable broth. Combinations of beef, mushroom or fish stock would be equally as delicious.

Step 4: In separate pot, boil noodles only until tender. Drain and set aside. Ramen – the jerry curl of noodles – is my noodle of choice since they are easier to grip with chopsticks.

Step 5: while the noodles cook, add delicate vegetables: bok choi, spinach, leeks, zucchini and fish: haddock, cod, salmon, halibut etc. and stir gently for about 2 minutes.

Step 6: Add a generous scoop of ramen noodles into the bottom of a pretty bowl then ladle soup making sure to get all the good bits; the vegetables and protein.

Step 7: Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, hot chili oil, whatever your heart desires.

Filed Under: Dinner, Seafood, Soups & Stews Tagged With: Asian, dinner, food, recipe, seafood, soup, vegetables

A Labor of Love: Chocolate Pomegranate Torte

February 14, 2013 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

image

“I’m sweet and complicated and difficult…just like love”

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s an insanely good recipe from  Fine Cooking  for a chocolate pomegranate  torte to make for your loved one tonight. It’s lusciously chocolaty and combined with the tart burst of juicy flavor from the pomegranate seeds, it’s just short of being…well, orgasmic. 

Admittedly, I find this recipe to be advanced because it has three parts: a torte base, a layer of homemade pomegranate jelly, finished with a ganache glaze.  As the recipe is written now, no lover will doubt your undying love and commitment  if you make them this cake.  Granted, they might find you flustered and sobbing hovered over the saucepan of pomegranate juice mumbling, “Why hasn’t it turned to jelly yet?! Why…why?!” but surely they will appreciate your efforts once the cake is done.  Nothing says “I love you” like a crazed cook in the kitchen.

Despite my praises for this ravishing confection,  I do plan to rewrite this recipe after a few more tries because it’s just too damn complicated for me.  Expect a revised version in the future.

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: chocolate, dessert, food, fruit, holiday, love, recipe, valentine's day

Just for the Halibut: Lager-battered Fish Sandwich with Garlic Truffle Fries

February 13, 2013 by Eva Louise 4 Comments

photo (6)This week, Stingray and I made use of two snow-white halibut fillets we had in the freezer (fate of the second fillet to be revealed tomorrow). I was lucky enough to have him make me this outrageous fried fish sandwich for Sunday supper. Despite having a reputation for being the ultimate convenience food, sandwiches are actually a luxury dinner item at our house.  They often require ingredients that we don’t keep on file (bread and sliced cheeses),  and require a keen attention to detail to make them extra tasty (hence why he cooked and I didn’t). Stingray did a basic beer batter for the fish, with classic accompaniments: lettuce, tomato, sliced cheese. He hit it out of the park by buttering and toasting both sides of the bun before serving. I was feeling kind of useless in the kitchen, so my contribution was a  dill aioli and some garlic truffle fries.

For the batter:

  • 1 bottle lager
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp fish seasoning
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus ½ cup
  • Canola or vegetable oil

1. In a large bowl, mix together the beer, baking powder,  pepper, cayenne pepper, seasoning and salt. Whisk in the flour until the mixture resembles thin pancake batter, add more flour if needed.
2. Fill a medium-sized pan with about a ½ inch of  oil and heat over medium-high until it begins to shimmer. Season the halibut, dredge lightly in the ½ cup of flour (helps the batter to stick), dip it into the batter, and cook the fish until crispy and flaky, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the fillets and rest on paper towel lined plate, pat gently to coax away excess oil.

For the aioli:

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1-2 crushed cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon (juice and zest)
  • 1/2 cup dill, finely chopped
  • s/p to taste
  • 2 T olive oil

Add all ingredients to food processor, blend until smooth.  Taste, and adjust flavors as you like. Smear on toasted buttered buns before stacking fish fillet, cheese, tomato, lettuce.

Garlic Truffle Fries

  • 2 blemish-free Russet potatoes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • olive oil
  • 4 T finely chopped parseley
  • truffle salt
  • truffle oil
  • s/p to taste

1. Place cookie sheet in oven and crank  to 400. Slice potatoes into long wedges. In a large bowl, coat potato wedges liberally with olive oil. Mix in 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2T parsley, salt and pepper.
2. Distribute potatoes onto hot cookie sheet and bake undisturbed for at least 15 mins before flipping.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until tender and crispy.
3. Before serving, gently toss with remaining 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 2 T parsley, a drizzle of truffle oil and several pinches of truffle salt. Serve and enjoy.

 photo (8)

Filed Under: Dinner, Seafood, Sides Tagged With: bread, cheese, fish, food, halibut, recipe, sandwich

Swiss Miss Fondue: Part Deux

February 6, 2013 by Eva Louise 1 Comment

photo (1)So…fondue…turns out it’s a little harder to make than I thought.  Mine was lumpy and separated, looking more like an aerial shot of the sinking city of Venice than a creamy delicious pot of cheese. Aren’t you just supposed to dump cheese and wine into a pot and  melt it?!

Regardless, I went over to Sissy’s house early in the morning on Thursday  to drop off her new fondue pot and the delectable bounty from Zurich. Since we’re two sister’s with no self-control, we broke open the macarons and ate the whole box…with some cheese eggs… and toast. 

photo (5)

photo (3)

Afterwards, on a really expensive sugar-high, I went to her local grocery store to pick up  salad materials, bread and some dipping vegetables for the fondue. Later that night when I came back over, everything was all set and ready to assemble. Despite my fondue not fondue-ing properly, it was simply delicious. With foie gras, a crisp salad, good wine (Switzerland has failed me on this front, I’m sorry) and fantastic company, we dipped and dined to our hearts’ desire, making for (what I think was) the perfect belated birthday celebration.

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: cheese, family, fondue, travel

Swiss Miss Fondue: Part One

January 30, 2013 by Eva Louise 5 Comments

photoTonight I’m finally back in action in New York City after a long business trip in Geneva, Davos, and Zurich, Switzerland. Unfortunately I missed my sister’s birthday while in the Swiss Alps so to make it up to her, I’m hosting her at her new apartment for a night of proper Swiss fondue, complete with crusty bread, dijon new potatoes and fresh salad (sketch above). Beyond the basics, I have some other delicious surprises waiting for her including fois gras, a luxurious bottle of kirsch, a good bottle of Fendant, chocolate truffles and a dozen decadent macarons made in Zurich less than two days ago.

While I’ve dined on cheese fondue many a time, I’ve never actually made it, so I look forward to reporting back once the birthday party is over. Happy Birthday, Kippy!

Filed Under: Life & Travel Tagged With: birthday, cheese, family, fondue, food, sister, Swiss, Switzerland, travel, wine

On the (Herb-crusted) Lamb with Mushroom and Leek Bread Pudding

January 2, 2013 by Eva Louise Leave a Comment

lamb1

Herb-crusted lamb with mushroom and leek bread pudding – fast friends that seemed so natural together after just one encounter. The herb-crusted lamb isn’t anything revolutionary (just luscious) but a savory bread pudding?! Totally revolutionary. Inspired by Ina Garten, I actually followed the recipe (!) and it turned out beautifully.

Herb-crusted rack of lamb

adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

  • 2 racks of lamb, about 1-1/4 lb. each, chine bones removed, rib bones frenched, and meat trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 cup soft fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
 

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 475°F. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, and breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Moisten the mixture with enough olive oil to make the mixture hold together.

Heat a large dry skillet over high heat. Put the lamb, meat side down, in the skillet. With tongs, hold the lamb against the skillet for a minute to give it a nice brown crust. Turn the meat to sear it on all sides for a total of 4 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet and paint the meaty side of the rack with the mustard. Roll the meat in the herb mixture to coat it. Sear and coat the second rack in the same way.

Transfer the racks to a roasting pan just large enough to hold them. Cover the rib bones with strips of foil so they don’t burn and roast until medium rare, 20 to 25 minutes (120-140°F internal temperature). (I forgot cover the bones and smoked out the whole kitchen). If you want a crispier crust, finish cooking under the broiler for 2 minutes. Let the racks rest for 5 minutes before carving.

Use a carving knife to cut between the rib bones. Arrange the chops on warm serving plates. Serve hot. (The chops will cool quickly, so the best strategy is to carve the racks at the table.)

Ina Garten’s Mushroom and Leek Bread pudding

  • 6 cups (1/2-inch-diced) bread cubes from a rustic country loaf, crusts removed
  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 ounces pancetta, small-diced (optional)
  • 4 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts (4 leeks)
  • 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and 1/4-inch-sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1/4 cup medium or dry sherry
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 extra-large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (6 ounces), divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Stir in the leeks and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir in the mushrooms, tarragon, sherry, 1 tablespoon salt and 11/2 teaspoons pepper and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, stir in the parsley.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chicken stock and 1 cup of the Gruyere. Add the bread cubes and mushroom mixture, stirring well to combine. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquid. Stir well and pour into a 2 1/2-to-3-quart gratin dish (13 x 9 x 2 inches). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is browned and the custard is set. Serve hot.

Filed Under: Dinner, Sides Tagged With: cheese, food, herbs, lamb, meat, mushrooms, recipe, vegetables

Flipping the Script: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pears and Stilton

December 28, 2012 by Eva Louise 3 Comments

morefood

Fine Cooking Magazine – to me, the mother of all cooking magazines. Filled with consistently delicious recipes (minus this culinary abomination. Starfruit + chicken? *dry heave*), many with an exciting but not obnoxious level of difficulty, it really is my main source of inspiration. In addition to receiving the hard copy  in the mail, I also signed up for the “Make it Tonight” emails, offering  instant inspiration for dinner that night. I highly recommend it.

Last week this Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pears and Stilton recipe popped into my inbox, so I decided to add it to my Christmas Eve Dinner plans. It’s a simple winter salad over a bed of escarole with vinaigrette. I flipped the script and made it more substantial by putting the roasted butternut squash, prosciutto (recipes calls for bacon) and Stilton (blue cheese) into puff pastry.  I baked it at 400 for about 25 minutes and served it with the escarole and pears and it was honestly slammin’. While I bow down to the mouth-watering Fine Cooking Magazine, I think I might have outdone them on this one.

Filed Under: Sides Tagged With: cheese, Fine Cooking, food, fruit, magazine, pear, salad, starter

A serious bouche-amuser: Crispy Polenta and Garlic Shrimp

December 26, 2012 by Eva Louise 2 Comments

foodmodel1

…because everyone has a food model handy.

In order to understand the above picture, you need to understand my family around Christmas time.  We’re Jewish, with a Catholic dad. This means– thankfully–we are not subjected to the Chinese Food + TBS movie on Christmas Eve cliché, but we’re not exactly celebrating Jesus’ birthday either. So, naturally, we do as any other family in a similar situation does… put on a series of elaborate Christmas dinners, where the five of us take an imaginary adventure to some other time/place in bizarre costumes and toast to each other with bad accents, acting in line with offensive and/or inaccurate stereotypes. (Some gems from years past are below).

This year, I was passed the baton and was charged with taking my family on a culinary journey on Christmas Eve. Equipped with a sous-chef (my little brother), I, Frau Lulu, countess of a small Swiss village, served my esteemed guests an elaborate four-course meal in my modest country home. First on the menu, presented above ever so elegantly by one of my guests, the internationally recognized singer-model  Ze Frau Emilie, was the amuse-bouche: polenta discs with garlic shrimp, marinara sauce and goat cheese.

Serves about 14 discs, 2-3 per person

  • 1 tube pre-cooked polenta (in the pasta aisle)
  • 12 shrimp, raw, de-shelled and de-veined
  • garlic
  • marinara sauce, preferably homemade
  • goat cheese
  • S/P
  • Italian seasoning

food11)  slice the polenta into about 12-14 even slices. Season them each with S/P and Italian seasoning

2) heat a large skillet with olive oil to medium-high heat and saute the polenta. About 10 mins

3) While polenta cooks, heat another skillet. Mix shrimp with 2 T olive oil and 3 crushed garlic cloves in a small bowl. Season with S/P and place gently into skillet.  Once the shrimp hit the pan, do not flip them for 2 minutes to ensure they get good color. Turn off heat once they are pink and seared.

4) Once the polenta are crispy, place them on a large ungreased cookie sheet. Place 1 shrimp on each polenta disc, then add 1 teaspoon of marinara. Crumble an ample amount of goat cheese on top of each disk.

5) place in the oven and broil for about 5 minutes.  Watch constantly to make sure nothing burns.

6) wait about 5 minutes before transferring to a pretty plate. Serve and enjoy!

Here are some of those gems mentioned above:

Disco Christmas

Disco Christmas 2010

"Arabian Nights"...yea, this happened too.

“Arabian Nights”…yea, this happened too. Christmas 2011

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Dinner, Pasta & Grains Tagged With: appetizers, cheese, christmas, family, food, holidays, polenta, seafood, siblings

Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli

December 23, 2012 by Eva Louise 3 Comments

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage-Infused Olive OIl

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage-Infused Olive Oil

Christmas is coming and one of the nice things about this time of year is, of course,  gathering with family. There are several of my recipes that I reserve especially for these times, so I can take advantage of the extra man-power. Homemade butternut squash raviolis definitely fall into this category.  A simple but labor-intensive dish,  these raviolis are a great way to incorporate the whole family so everyone feels like they are part of the meal.

I adapted my recipe from Emril Lagasse’s and used wonton papers instead of fresh pasta dough. For my sauce, I used olive oil simmered with rosemary and sage, instead of the butter that Emril’s recipe calls for. One trick I use to finish this dish is to purposely allow the starchy pasta water to drip into the serving dish when I transfer the raviolis. This makes the sauce sauce-ier and more delicious.

Butternut squash and Parmigiano-Reggiano are the stars of this dish, but they could be easily substituted with different combos like crispy prosciutto and ricotta, goat cheese and mushrooms, salmon and chives (with a cream sauce instead). You could even do sweet raviolis with cinnamon-apples and mascarpone with a caramel sauce…mmm.

blog3

Cubes of squash are simmered with chicken broth and herbs while onions are softened. Their powers combine in the Cuisinart to make the filling.

A little Ecuadorian princess delicately folds the wonton papers filled with sweet and savory squash

A little Ecuadorian princess delicately folds the wonton papers filled with sweet and savory squash into perfect raviolis

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta & Grains Tagged With: cheese, fall, family, food, holidays, pasta, vegetables, vegetarian, winter

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Welcome

I’m Eva Louise and welcome to Mind in the Butter! This is my food bloggy, showcasing my favorite dishes and recipes often inspired by and cooked for my loved ones. My goal with this blog is to eventually document every single dish I make so when I’m old and stale, I will be able to remember and celebrate memories from my favorite place…the kitchen!

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