Beer Batter Fish!

Is I write this post I have memories of my mother standing on one leg in the kitchen patiently frying shrimp, cod and smelt for Christmas Eve.  Anna Marie loved her fried fish!

This is a great recipe to use for the Christmas Eve Feast!

When not the holiday season, we also served Beer Battered Fish at our family restaurant to rave reviews!  We would usually batter cod, halibut and perch then serve them up "all you can eat" with piles of potato pancakes ( apple sauce and sour cream), french fries, tarter sauce and coleslaw.

So get some beer and some fish, make some batter, fry some fish, drink some beer.....

And if you are looking for an amazing seafood cookbook check out the one by celebrity chef Rick Moonen below!

Breading for Calamari

There is nothing better than a large plate of beautifully light and crisp fried calamari!  My friend Peter use to be manager at Centro in Chicago and they featured a large portion piled high on a platter with lots of Parmesan and lemon.

The following breading for calamari is similar but I added a few ingredients for flavor and heat.

I soak the squid in milk so it is tender.  You may serve this with marinara sauce and lemon. 

Try this also with shrimp as well. Here is a link to ChefTalk regarding some often asked questions about frying calamari.

This is great for the Christmas Eve Feast!

French Crème Brûlée Recipe

Ok, Creme Brulee isn't really Italian like Pana Cotta but it is in the same family. French Crème Brûlée is a classic which you will find often in fine dining and mid-scale restaurants.  You will see many versions of Creme Brulee out there featuring inclusions or additional ingredients to the base like, coffee, lemon, hazelnut and so on.

This recipe celebrates the baked silky, creamy, vanilla custard with a cracked caramelized sugar top! The classic!

Extremely popular when I was at Steven restaurant in Scottsdale as well as Chicago's Pump Room.  Heck...in every restaurant I worked in!

I suggest purchasing a brulee torch or a brulee iron to caramelize the sugar.

I also feel it is important to burn the sugar before you serve.