Shrimp Damian & Asparagus Mike Wells in the kitchen at Damian’s Cucina Italiana

Damian’s Cucina Italiana celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. Some of the most popular dishes there are named after people they know. Manager Johnny B. Mandola and chef Napoleon Palacios show food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone how to make Shrimp Damian and Asparagus Mike Wells.

Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, listen to Cleverley’s radio show Saturdays from 9 a.m. until Noon on CBS Sports Radio 650. (By the way, she gives out restaurant gift cards on every radio show!)


Shrimp Damian
Damian’s Cucina Italiana
Makes One Serving

Ingredients

  • 4 Large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail left on
  • 1 fluid ounce Clarified butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chopped Shallots
  • Pinch of lemon zest (wash lemon first)
  • 1/2 fluid ounce Chicken stock
  • 1/2 fluid ounce White wine
  • 1/2 fluid ounce Fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 ounces Cold butter
  • Pinch Chopped Italian parsley
  • Salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions
1. Heat clarified butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, garlic, shallots and lemon zest.
2. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add chicken stock, wine and lemon juice.
3. Cook until liquids have reduced a little bit (about 1 minute). Add cold butter, parsley and salt & pepper to taste.
4. When sauce reaches a creamy consistency, remove from heat and serve. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Oldest family-owned restaurant in Houston part of Houston Restaurant Weeks

Christie’s Seafood & Steaks began in 1917 as a small food and drink stand on Galveston’s waterfront.
In 1934, patriarch Theodore Christie moved the restaurant to the Texas Medical Center where he sold up to 10,000 fish sandwiches a week! Now located on Westheimer Road in Houston, Christie’s Seafood & Steaks is considered to be the oldest family-owned restaurant in Houston.

Christie’s Seafood & Steaks is known for seafood dishes and guests enjoy original recipes from 1917 for seafood gumbo and remoulade sauce. Theodore’s daughter, Maria, shows food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone how to make an entrée from the Christie’s Seafood & Steaks Houston Restaurant Weeks menu:
Blackened Gulf shrimp topped with sautéed jumbo lump crabmeat with house wine butter and dirty rice.

Houston Restaurant Weeks takes place from August 1 through August 31, 2012.
Christie’s Seafood & Steaks will donate $3 from each Houston Restaurant Weeks lunch and $5 from each Houston Restaurant Weeks dinner sold to the Houston Food Bank.

Diners can make a $10 donation to the Houston Food Bank by texting HRW to 20222. (Message & data rates may apply and all purchases must be authorized by the account holder. See details at: www.HoustonRestaurantWeeks.com.)

Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston,
listen to Cleverley’s radio show Saturdays at Noon on Talk 650 AM.
(By the way, she gives out restaurant gift cards on every radio show!)

Halibut with leeks and crab Beurre Blanc from Brasserie 19

Chef Amanda McGraw is one of the few female executive chefs in Houston and she runs the kitchen at one of the busiest restaurants in town: Brasserie 19. Halibut is a delicious fish and McGraw shows food radio talk show host Cleverley Stone how to make it with melted leeks and a crab beurre blanc. Chef McGraw says that people should not be afraid to make a beurre blanc sauce and she demonstrates how to do it.

For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston,
listen to Cleverley’s radio show Saturdays at Noon on Talk 650 AM.
(By the way, she gives out restaurant gift cards on every radio show!)


Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut with Jumbo Lump Crab, Melted Leeks, Herb Beurre Blanc (yields 4 servings)
Chef Amanda McGraw, Brasserie 19

Tip: Have your sauce & vegetables prepped and ready before starting the fish.

Alaskan Halibut Ingredients

  • 4-7 oz center cut portions of Alaskan halibut, no pin bones, no skin
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or grapeseed oil
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground white pepper
  • ½ C chicken stock

 

Directions
1. In a sauté pan over high heat add oil.
2. Season both sides of fish. Place fish presentation side down in pan. Reduce heat to medium high. Do not touch it or flip it.
It should be a nice golden brown sear. Fish should cook about ¾ of the way on one side before flipping.
3. Flip over, add stock and continue cooking about 3 more minutes until done. 7 minutes per inch of thickness.

Melted Leeks Ingredients

  • 6 cups sliced & washed leeks, white & light green part only
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • ¼ lb butter, unsalted
  • 1 tbsp vegetable or grapeseed oil
  • kosher salt to taste
  • ground white pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pan, add leeks, reduce heat to medium. Do not allow leeks to brown.
Sweat leeks down for about 5 minutes.
2. Add white wine. Reduce wine out until the leeks are just wet.
3. Add butter, salt & white pepper.

Baby Carrots Ingredients

  • 1 bunch baby carrots
  • Water
  • Salt

Directions
1. Wash carrots.
2. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots & blanch carrots until just tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Chill in ice bath, dry, slice in half lengthwise.

Asparagus Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of asparagus

Directions
1. Use same pot of water as used for carrots. Bring to a boil, blanch asparagus until just tender, about 2 minutes.
2. Chill in ice bath, dry, cut in thirds on a bias.

Beurre Blanc Sauce Ingredients

  • ½ lb jumbo lump crab, remove any shell pieces
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • A few sprigs of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled
  • 1 bunch chives, minced
  • Lemon juice to taste

Directions
1. In sauté pan add shallots, thyme, bay leaf, white wine, vinegar.
Reduce until au sec (nearly dry), add cream, reduce by half.
2. Remove from heat & gradually whisk in butter.
3. Season, strain, add lemon juice to taste, add warmed crab & chives.

Haven Dishes for Houston Restaurant Week

Haven restaurant is participating in Houston Restaurant Week, continuing through August 21st.  Executive chef and partner Randy Evans shows us how to make three dishes that are on his menu: Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Squash Blossom Sauce & Corn Relish; Flat Iron Steak with Roasted Potato Hash & 1015 Onions and Texas Fruit Ambrosia.  Evans is a graduate of the culinary program at the Art Institute of Houston. Prior to opening his own restaurant, Haven, he was the executive chef for Brennan’s, a Houston dining landmark. Evans also shows us a sample of a 3 course dinner that will be available at Haven during Houston Restaurant Week benefiting the Houston Food Bank. For details visit www.HoustonRestaurantWeek.com.
====================
Appetizer – Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Squash Blossom Sauce & Corn Relish
Serves 5
Ingredients for Crab Cakes
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Creole seafood seasoning
Juice of ½ a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
1 tablespoon oil
1 recipe squash blossom sauce (see recipe below)
1 recipe corn relish
1 recipe pea shoot salad
Ingredients for Squash Blossom Sauce
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 small 1015 onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
1 small boiling potato, peeled and roughly chopped
12 large (3 to 4-inch) squash blossoms
½ cup milk
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large ear of corn, husked, kernels cut from the cob
1/2 cup crème fraiche
Salt to taste
Ingredients for Corn Relish
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup roasted corn (about 1 ear)
1 tablespoon fire-roasted poblano peppers, skinned, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced 1015 onion
2 squash blossoms, sliced into strips
Ingredients for Pea Shoot Salad
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Steen’s sugarcane vinegar
1 teaspoon Steen’s sugarcane syrup
¼ cup sweet pea shoots
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation for the Crab Cakes

1. In a bowl, combine the corn, peppers, mayonnaise, parsley, seafood seasoning, lime juice, salt and pepper; add crab and fold together, taking care to not break up the crabmeat.
2. Then pack the mixture into 2½-inch metal cookie cutter rings. Heat oil in a large cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat.
Place rings in the pan. Cook crab cakes for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Set aside.
Preparation for the Squash Blossom Sauce
1. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and potato, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Add the blossoms to the broth and simmer 3 more minutes.  Add the milk; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more.
Add the zucchini and corn, simmer a couple of more minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, taste, and season with salt. Puree the mixture and set aside.
Preparation for the Corn Relish
1. In a small sauté pan heat the oil over medium high and add ingredients and cook until onions are translucent.
Adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside.
Preparation for the Pea Shoot Salad
1. In a bowl combine the oil, vinegar and syrup. Add pea shoots; toss and season to taste.
Presentation
1. Ladle Squash Blossom Sauce to cover plate. Center a crab cake on it and gently slide off rings.
Top with Corn Relish and Pea Shoot Salad and serve.
====================
Entree – Flat Iron Steak with Roasted Potato Hash & 1015 Onions
Flat Iron Steak with Roasted Potato Hash & 1015 Onions
Serves 4
Ingredients for Steak
4 flat iron steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients for Potato Hash
4 new potatoes, quartered
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small onion, julienned
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients for 1015 Onion Relish
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large 1015 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon cold butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation for 1015 Onion Relish
1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over low heat.
Add onion and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until caramelized.
2. Add wine and cook until reduced.
3. Remove from heat stir in cold butter. Season the onions with salt & pepper.

Preparation for Potato Hash
1. Pre-heat an oven at 400°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine ingredients and place on a baking pan in a single layer.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Preparation for Steak
1. Rub steaks with oil and season with salt & pepper.
2. Grill over high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
Place under broiler and cook until desired doneness.
3. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Presentation
Place a spoonful of potato hash in center of the plate.
Place the grilled steak on top of hash and top with onion relish.
====================
Dessert – Texas Fruit Ambrosia
Serves 12
Ingredients
2 peaches, peeled & sliced
2 plums, peeled & sliced
4 figs, quartered
2 Rio Queen navel oranges, segmented. Reserve the juice.
½ cup blackberries
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup pecan pieces
2 tablespoons toasted coconut
Ingredients for Lemon Curd
½ cup lemon juice
½ tablespoon lemon zest
1¼ cup sugar
4 eggs
1 sticks butter
Ingredients for Peach Sorbet
(makes 12 cups)
4 cups peach puree (made from 4 cups of sliced fresh peaches, pureed)
4 cups simple syrup (2 Qt water: 2½ cups sugar: 2 cups corn syrup)
5 cups water
Juice of half a lemon
Preparation for Lemon Curd
1. Over a double boiler, add lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and eggs.
Stir constantly – if you stop, the eggs will curdle.
When mix has become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from heat.
2. Add butter cubes and stir until completely incorporated.
3. Transfer curd to a shallow rectangular baking pan, cover with plastic directly
over top and refrigerate.
Preparation for Peach Sorbet
1. Combine the puree and simple syrup.
2. Add enough water to bring the mixture to between 16 & 20° Baume.
(You can use a saccharometer to measure this. Usually available at kitchen supply stores.)
3. Add the lemon juice.
4. Process in ice cream maker.
Presentation
1. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients (fruits, pecans, toasted coconut, lemon curd)
except the sorbet.
2. Gently fold the ingredients to combine them. Try not to break up fruits into small pieces.
3. Place a scoop of fruit mixture in individual dessert bowl and top with a scoop of the peach sorbet.
===========================
Web links: www.HavenHouston.com, www.HoustonRestaurantWeek.com, www.Cleverley.com
==================================
For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, catch Cleverley’s radio show,
Saturdays at Noon on Talk 650 AM. (PS: She gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!)==================================

Flounder Stuffed With Savory Blue Crab Cornbread Stuffing

Since teaming up in the early 1970s, Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick have established more than 80 restaurants throughout the country. Known for their fresh seafood dishes, executive chef Bill McKinley shows food radio talk show host, Cleverley Stone, how to make flounder that’s stuffed with blue crab and cornbread. 
 
Flounder Stuffed With Savory Blue Crab Cornbread Stuffing
Serves 6
  
Ingredients
2 cups blue crab cornbread stuffing (recipe below)
1 whole flounder, tail on, bones removed
3 oz. fish stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 oz. lemon butter sauce
 
Preparation
1. Fill flounder with prepared stuffing.
2. Place whole stuffed flounder in a casserole dish.
Pour fish stock over the fish and top with butter.
3. Place casserole dish in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until flounder is cooked through and browned.
 
Blue Crab Cornbread Stuffing
  
Ingredients
½ pound lump blue crab
½ pound blue crab claw meat
½ cup diced onions
½ green bell pepper, diced
¼ cup roasted red pepper, diced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
¾ cup butter
4 cups prepared corn bread, crumbled
3 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
 
Preparation
1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan.
Add onions, peppers, and garlic and “sweat” until tender, not browned.
2. Add remaining ingredients and fold mixture lightly, just to incorporate.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
=============================
Web links: www.McCormickAndSchmicks.com www.Cleverley.com
=============================
For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, catch Cleverley’s radio show,
Saturdays at Noon on KIKK 650 AM. (PS: She gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!)=============================

Recipes: Red Jalapeño Crab Dip and Truffled Popcorn

Source: H-E-B

Red Jalapeno Crab Dip
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 package Colossal Crab Meat
  • ½ Cup of Chef Dean Fearing’s Red Jalapeno Dressing.
  • 2 Tablespoons Adam’s Reserve House All Purpose Rub
  • 1 tub H-E-B Ready, Fresh, Go! Pico de Gallo ( Mild or Mango )

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, season the Colossal Crab meat with Adam’s Reserve House All Purpose Rub.
  2. Gently mix in with a rubber spatula H-E-B Ready Fresh Go Pico De Gallo and Chef Dean Fearing’s Red Jalapeno Dressing.
  3. Refrigerate for minimum of 20 minutes.
  4. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Other Serving Suggestions:

  • Use as a topping over baked Seafood or Chicken.
  • For tortilla roll-ups, drain pico de gallo before using in recipe. Spread dip over top-sides of flour tortillas; sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley, if desired, and roll each tortilla up tightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill. Cut crosswise into ½-inch thin slices, arrange on a platter and serve.
  • For an easy appetizer or light dinner spoon dip into avocado halves. Serve on a bed of lettuce on a platter or individual appetizer plates.

Truffled Popcorn
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Bag Unsalted Microwave Popcorn
  • 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp Adams Reserve Truffle Salt
  • ¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese(optional)

Directions

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter and add Truffle Salt.
  2. While butter is melting pop popcorn in microwave according to instructions.
  3. Drizzles melted Truffle Butter over popcorn and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese is desired.