Seared Scallops with Bacon Braised Chard

The fabulous Domestic Diva is back with another of her healthy farm to table recipes. I spent quite a bit of time with her last week between our time at Camp Blogaway and hitting some fab restaurants while I was in LA, it was a foodie and food blogger's dream. Don't forget to check out her blog Domestic Divas and her articles on West Hollywood Patch after you drool over this recipe.

Braising anything with bacon just sounds sinful, doesn't it?

Even something disgustingly healthy like chard.

However, we all need a little bacon in our lives from time to time. Otherwise it's like going through life with lumps of coal in your stocking and sugar-free, fat free ice cream in your freezer.

I'm shuddering right now as I type this, and you're probably shaking your fist angrily at the sky and shouting, "They make sugar-free, fat-free ice cream? What kind of world are we living in!" A Skinny Cow world, but I digress with my existential bacon musings...

Guest Blog on Domestic Divas: Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream

It's been awhile but the wonderful Domestic Diva and are getting back into our semi-monthly guest posts.  She just shared my amazingly delicious Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream over on her blog.  I highly recommend you check it out.

She'll be contributing a Meatless Monday post nest week, which I can't wait for as she is the one who got me into the whole Meatless Monday thing.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Ricotta with Summer Berries and Balsamic Syrup

For this super easy an delicious summer dessert check out my guest post over at Domestic Divas. Enjoy!

Domestic Diva's Tilapia with Spring Onions & Heirloom Tomato Salad

The lovely Domestic Diva is back to share another fabulous and fresh fish dish with us. I can't wait to try this one! When you are done checking it out don't forget to head on over to her blog for delicious recipes ideas, wine tasting notes and much more. - Jen

The Diva is back on Piccante Dolce! I'm here to bring you one of my favorite, simple summer recipes. This dish is light, refreshing and simple to make and captures the flavors of spring. Tomatoes are just about to come into season, and I managed to score some beautiful, organic heirlooms this week. If you want to transform it for the grill, instead of tilapia, this dish can be made with a steakier fish like Mahi-Mahi or Halibut and instead of oven roasting the spring onions, the foil packet can be thrown on the grill. So with further ado, here's the recipe!

Domestic Diva's Tilapia with Spring Onions & Heirloom Tomato Salad

2 tilapia filets
1/2 cup white wine
1 sprigs tarragon
1 tsp lemon juice
1 heirloom tomato, cut into thin slices
1 bunch spring onions, tips removed
2 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
1 tbsp good olive oil plus more for drizzling
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the spring onions on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold them up in the foil and roast them in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they're tender. Remove from the oven.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a saute pan. Salt and pepper the tilapia filets. Add them to the pan, cooking for a few minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add the white wine and reduce in half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, place a bunch of spring onions on the bottom of the plate. Top with a piece of fish. Spoon the white wine reduction over the fish. Layer the tomatoes on top, add a sprig of tarragon, and season with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Drizzle with some good olive oil. Enjoy!

Domestic Diva's Fennel & Apple Poached Halibut

The Diva here with another fab guest blog for Piccante Dolce! To celebrate spring, I wanted to do cook a recipe with clean, crisp flavors. Halibut, one of my favorite fish, has just come into season. Usually, I grill or saute it, but I decided to do something different this time around. I opted to make a homemade vegetable stock with a fennel and apple base. Then, I poached the halibut in the stock and served the warmed broth with the fish. Poaching is a great way to cook fish - and also very healthy. I added whole wheat noodles and delicately poached cremini mushrooms to the recipe to give it an earthy touch. I topped the fish with fresh drizzled olive oil and julienned granny smith apple. The resulting dish felt like the very epitome of spring! Light, fresh, clean, delicious!

Domestic Diva's Fennel & Apple Poached Halibut (inspired by Charlie Trotter)

2 4oz halibut fillets (salmon also works great)
3 cups homemade vegetable stock (see ingredients and recipe below)
1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 granny smith apple, julienned
1 small fennel bulb, julienned with tops preserved
2 tbsp good olive oil
2 cups whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente
salt and pepper

Vegetable Stock:

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1 tbsp peppercorns

Directions:

To make the vegetable stock, simmer all of the ingredients in filtered water for at least an hour. Strain and return to stovetop.

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Add the julienned fennel and mushrooms, cooking them in the broth for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Next, add the fish to the broth and poach for a few minutes until cooked through. Remove from the broth and season with salt and pepper.

Finally, season the broth with salt and pepper, keeping it warm.

To plate, place the noodles in the bottom of a wide bottomed bowl. Place some of the mushrooms and julienned fennel around the bowl. Add the fish and then ladle some of the warm poaching liquid around the bowl. Top with the julienned apple and drizzle with good olive oil. Sprinkle some fennel tops around the bowl. Enjoy!

Wine Tasting Notes: Sea Smoke 2005 Southing Pinot Noir

To go with the clean, crisp flavors in this dish, we decided to pair a nice pinor noir from Sea Smoke, one of our favorite California producers. The 2005 pinots have been drinking great these last few months, and this was no exception. This wine, made from grapes grown in the Santa Rita Hills, one of my favorite places to find great pinot noir, had great cherry fruit on the front end, good tannins and nice acidity. I recommend checking out Sea Smoke and getting on their mailing list. Suggested Retail Price: $50

Blood Orange Tart on Domestic Divas

Check out my first guest post over at Domestic Divas. It's a delicious blood orange tart that I tried to make healthier by subbing in agave nectar for sugar and whole wheat flour for white. Enjoy!

Domestic Diva's Corn "Chowder" with Fresh Shucked Oysters and Crispy Bacon

The Domestic Diva coming to you with a guest blog for Jen H.'s divalicious Piccante Dolce! My BDFF Jen H. is the queen of whipping up mouth-watering comfort food, but with a healthy twist! We'll be regularly guesting on each other's blogs, so stay tuned for more great recipes and culinary inspiration!

Who doesn't love things that are piccante and dolce? We all need a little bit of spice and sweetness in our lives, whether it's in the bedroom, or the kitchen! In the spirit of hitting all flavor profiles, I made one of my favorite recipes: Domestic Diva's Corn "Chowder" with Fresh Shucked Oysters & Crispy Bacon. This dish has it all: spice, sweetness, tartness, salt and BACON! Now, I call it a chowder, but the soup is dairy-free, rendering this a healthier dish. The key to this recipe is the way all of the components come together harmoniously to give the soup great depth of flavor, from the sweet corn, to the fresh oysters, to the tart lemon, to the rich, meaty bacon. This soup is hearty enough to be served as a meal unto itself, especially when you pair it with thick sliced, toasted bread and a great salad (see picture above) like I did last night!

A few tips for making this recipe. First, using homemade chicken stock will make a huge difference! For a quick way to make stock, check out my recipe for Domestic Diva's Crock Pot Chicken Stock (click here)! Second, to coax extra corn flavor into the broth, I reserve two of the corn cobs and simmer them in the soup. Third, the fresh oysters are key to this dish! If you're worried about shucking them, usually they'll do it for you at the seafood counter of your local store, but try to preserve the oyster juices. Finally, special kudos goes to my Top Chef Brother for inspiring this soup - his restaurant has the most amazing oysters!! So without further ado, let's get down to business and start cooking!


Domestic Diva's Corn "Chowder" with Fresh Shucked Oysters & Crispy Bacon

2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion - diced
1 garlic clove - chopped
pinch of chili flakes
3 ears of corn kernels removed and two cobs reserved
8 small Yukon gold potatoes - diced
4 cups homemade chicken stock (store bought will work too)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp tarragon - chopped
2 slices bacon
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 oysters - shucked and juices reserved
salt and pepper


To make the soup, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Then, add the garlic and chili flakes, cooking for an additional minute.


Add the corn kernels and potatoes and saute for three more minutes.


Add the corn cobs, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.


Once the soup is cooked, remove the two corn cobs and salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the oysters, in a small pot, add the oysters and their reserved juices. Lightly poach the oysters in their own juices over medium heat for a few minutes. Add a dash of lemon juice and then salt and pepper to taste.


To prepare the crispy bacon, throw the two strips down in a frying pan over medium high heat, cooking until crispy. Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain the fat.


To plate the dish, ladle some soup into the bottom of a bowl.


Then, add two oysters and some of their juices to the center of the soup.


Crumble crispy bacon on top and sprinkle with tarragon. Finish with a squeeze for fresh lemon juice. Enjoy!




Wine Pairing Notes: Saxum 2006 Broken Stones

Diva Rating: 3 1/2 stars

There's something about a great bottle of wine that makes me salivate! We paired this fabulous wine, a combination of 63% syrah, 24% grenache and 13% mourvedre, with this soup! My boyfriend, Kuzak calls it, "a backwards Rhone," based on the unique blending of grapes. We love Saxum Winery (click here for their website), a superstar Paso Robles winery, and this wine met our every expectation. Full of great fruit (raspberry, blackberry) and plenty of backbone, this opulent wine gave great early on and drank well throughout the night. I gave it a Diva Rating of 3 1/2 stars, a strong score if you know how selective I am about my wine. Broken Stones is a big wine that will no doubt drink well for many years to come! If you've never tried Saxum, seek them out. I promise that you won't be disappointed!