Cauliflower and Grilled Shrimp Soup - Kruischeren Hotel

The Kruischeren Hotel is a former cloister located in Maastricht. This old church from the 15th century has been transformed into a very peculiar hotel by interior designer Henk Vos, acquiring thus the label of a "Designer Hotel". Fancy!  

The main door to the lobby gives a hint of what's inside: three lounges were created where once was the side chapels of the church. Look to your left and you will see the hotel bar with an inviting wine cellar above the ground. Look to your right and you'll see the reception desk with a panoramic elevator, then look up and you will see a library and....oh wow...the ceiling!

Huge light fixtures created by the German artist Ingo Maurer appears to be flying over your head. They are massive glass discs that seem almost like UFOs adding color and light to the path from the elevator to the restaurant on the "middle floor". Needless to say, I am in awe at this point and can't wait for dinner. 

We had a four-course dinner that started with a salmon ceviche trio, followed by a delicious shrimp with cauliflower soup, a perfectly cooked venison as main course and an ice cream trio for dessert. All washed down with a Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot.  Spectacular, spectacular!

Everything was delicious, I just didn't get the popcorn on my salmon ceviche, but I guess it was supposed to add a funny note to the dish...anyway...our favorite dish was the shrimp with cauliflower soup. Unfortunately, we only took a photo after we had cleaned up the plate. It was certainly a heavenly experience at the Kruischeren Hotel. 

So, after we got back in Houston I had to re-create the dish at home and the result was successful!  To make it a main course, I added some extra shrimp to it! :-)   

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper

For the shrimp:

1 1/2 pound  of shrimp - deveined, shelled, tail-on
2 lemons
salt
pepper
2 cloves of garlic

How to make it:

1. Wash the shrimp and place them in a bowl. Add crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste and the juice of two lemons. Cover and place bowl in the refrigerator while you prepare the vegetables. 

2. Remove and discard any leaves and the hard core of the cauliflower. Wash and thickly slice the florets. Set aside.

3. Peel and chop the onion. Crush the garlic. Set aside. 

4. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the onions and garlic. Sautee for about 5-8 minutes in medium heat until onions are translucent and the garlic is slightly golden.

5. Add the cauliflower, stir and sautee for another 3-4 minutes. Add water until the vegetables are covered. 

6. When the water begins to boil, cover the pot, lower the heat and let it simmer for 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. 

7. Set the pot aside and let it cool for about 10 minutes. 

8. Place contents of the pot in a blender and puree until smooth. The trick is to get rid of any lumps or grains, so you may want to do this in batches. The soup should be a silky and shiny cream. 

9. Add the juice of one lemon and stir. Taste it and adjust salt and pepper. Cover and set aside. 

10. Drain shrimp and discard the marinade. 

11. Heat a grill pan and drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over it.

12. When hot, add the shrimp. 

13. Grill shrimp for about 3 minutes, flip and grill for another 3 minutes. 

14. Arrange shrimp with tail up on a soup plate. 

15. With a soup scoop, pour the cauliflowers soup around shrimp and serve!

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Quick n' Easy Tomato Bruschetta

If you have ever been to Terminal C of George Bush International Airport you may have noticed a stylish wine bar and bistro called Le Grand Comptoir. This place has a wide selection of wine by the glass and appetizers like beef carpaccio, tuna tartare and my favorite tomato basil bruschetta, among other good stuff. It's no wonder Le Grand Comptoir has been collecting prizes since 2009. They won four of the top prizes at the 2011 Moodie Report global Airport Food and Beverage Awards.

Surely a nice way to pass time if you're waiting for a flight and a much better alternative than the greasy food we usually get at airports. 

Since I’m not a jetsetter and my visits to the Terminal C are limited, I had to reproduce that bruschetta at home (or at least try to). Here is what I came up with:

This is a great option for a quick snack or party appetizer. It's incredibly easy to make and everybody loves it!


Here is what you will need:


5 italian tomatoes
5-6 leaves of fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic
Salt
Black Pepper
1 baguette


I know it's not always easy, but try to get fresh tomatoes! They need to be ripe but still firm. That is very important for this recipe to work. I usually remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes in small cubes. Add as much salt and pepper as you like. The tomatoes will start releasing its juices (yum!). Chop the garlic in tiny pieces (you don't want anybody getting a chunk of raw garlic, do you?). Add the fresh basil and set aside.


Preheat oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes. Slice baguettes and place them in a baking sheet. They need to be golden and crisp, but not too toasted. About 5 minutes will do the trick, but keep an eye on it!


Serve it like the photo or place the tomatoes on the toasts just before serving.


Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!

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An unforgettable night at Mark's American Cuisine

Located in a red brick building that was once a church on Westheimer Rd., Mark's American Cuisine offers top-notch service, incredible food and an atmosphere so romantic that it will transport you somewhere near Tuscany! Last Sunday, my hubby took me there for dinner in celebration of our first wedding anniversary.

The interior of the restaurant was beautiful: high ceilings, a pointed window atop of the bar from where you could see the wine cellar, a pretty spiral staircase that led to additional seating area, candle lit tables, I guess you got the picture. It's the perfect place for a special date, a proposal or  an anniversary.

Our table was not hard to spot: My husband surprised me with a couple of red roses that he had ordered and the restaurant nicely displayed them on our table. Sweet!

We began our epicurean experience by ordering a bottle of  Ken Wright Cellars McCrone Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir. Outstanding!

A few moments later, our server presented us a verbal menu which he said it is changed everyday. I was impressed. Not only with all the exotic options available but also with his remarkable memory and impecable presentation, which made us want to order everything! We ended up sharing three appetizers before main course and dessert.

I had always thought that you could only get frozen Alaskan King Crab due to logistic reasons but I was wrong. Not always available on the menu, this appetizer had FRESH Alaskan King Crab served with herbed lemon-butter, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, broccoli and asparagus, topped with snow crab!

That did not last very long. Soon, the second appetizer came. I usually prefer raw oysters, but these roasted oysters were spectacular! The orange color dressing was a bit spicy and the green sauce had some sort of a basil/mint flavor.

We were already thinking "hmmm....maybe we ordered too much food" when we saw the third appetizer coming up. We changed our minds very quickly. I loved the way they presented this dish which is part of their Fall menu. A mini-pumpkin, cooked with cider, filled with tiny bits of apples, squash and a bunch of other stuff I don't quite remember, paired with a perfectly cooked lobster tail. Yeah, baby!

An apology to the vegetarians, but my husband and I are particularly fond of game meat. So, for the main course, my hubby ordered New Zealand venison with champagne-truffle risotto. There were two other side dishes which I think were not necessary. Other than that, the venison was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The champagne risotto was so tasteful it could be a stand-alone dish.

Venison

 I ordered the bison ribeye medium-rare that you see on the picture below. What a feast!

Bison Ribeye

After all that food, I thought we were going to pass dessert but hubby wanted to try the creme brulee, so I decided to make the effort and help him out! We also ordered a glass of Sauternes d'Yquem, brilliant dessert wine. The creme brullee was served with a "happy anniversary" chocolate plaque and a blue candle. Now, this was the cherry on the top!

Mark's is not exactly a cheap place (far from that!) but at least you can rest assured that you will get what you're paying for. Hands down to Chef Mark Cox!
                         

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