Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Thursday

Related Photos

  • Warm and creamy, au gratin is perfect for a cold winter night. The Associated Press/Matthew Mead

    CSSFE0D.jpg
February 9, 2012

Seafood, chocolate are tastes of love

By ALISON LADMAN For The Associated Press

Warm and creamy, au gratin are perfect for a cold winter night. And what better way to say "I love you" than with a little indulgence of seafood and cream.

This dish goes together with just a little effort and you end up with an impressive and delicious dinner for two. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, sea salt and ground black pepper.

Seafood Au Gratin

Some grocers and seafood markets sell frozen lobster meat. That's the easiest way to get it for this dish. Alternatively, ask for a 1&¼-pound lobster at the grocer and have them steam it for you while you shop. That size lobster should produce about 4 ounces of cooked meat.

1 T. olive oil

1 small sweet potato, peeled and grated (about 2 cups)

¼ c. grated yellow onion

2 t. chopped fresh thyme

Salt and ground black pepper

3 ozs. haddock or other white fish

4 ozs. cooked lobster meat (about a 1&¼-pound lobster)

4 ozs. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 ozs. bay scallops

½ c. heavy cream

⅓ c. panko breadcrumbs

¼ t. smoked paprika

1 T. butter, melted

Heat the oven to 375°. Place 2 shallow ramekins or gratin dishes on a sheet pan and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a small saute pan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the grated sweet potato and onion. Cook until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the thyme and season with salt and black pepper. Divide the mixture between the 2 baking dishes, spreading it evenly across the bottom.

Cut up the fish and lobster into bite sized pieces. Arrange the fish, lobster, shrimp and scallops over the sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pour the cream over the seafood.

In a small bowl, combine the panko, paprika and a pinch of salt. Pour the butter over the mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle the panko mixture over the seafood. Bake until the cream is bubbling, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to nearest whole number): 700 calories; 330 calories from fat (48 percent of total calories); 37 g fat (19 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 265 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 46 g protein; 5 g fiber; 560 mg sodium.

• • •

Valentine's Day practically screams for a chocolate dessert. And this mousse is an easy way to incorporate chocolate without being overly indulgent.

Because this is a chilled dessert, you can make it ahead of time and not worry about things coming out of the oven at the right time when you're busy trying to impress your sweetheart with dinner. For a restaurant-worthy dish, spoon the mousse into parfait glasses and top with fresh berries.

Milk Chocolate Mango Mousse

1 c. frozen mango chunks, thawed

2 T. sugar

½ c. whole milk

1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk

1&½ T. cornstarch

⅔ c. milk chocolate bits

1 c. heavy cream

Fill a medium bowl with ice.

In a blender, combine the mango chunks, sugar, milk, whole egg and yolk, and the cornstarch. Puree until completely smooth.

Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the milk chocolate bits. Stir until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly incorporated.

Place the saucepan in the bowl of ice; ensure that none of the ice gets into the saucepan. Whisk the mixture until completely cooled and smooth.

Place the cream in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat it until medium peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add half of the beaten cream to the milk chocolate mango mixture and fold together to incorporate. Add the remaining cream and fold again to incorporate. Transfer the mousse to 4 individual serving dishes and refrigerate. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to nearest whole number): 500 calories; 310 calories from fat (60 percent of total calories); 34 g fat (21 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 195 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 2 g fiber; 80 mg sodium.

Text Only