Cook the Books

Toasted bread heels or crostini

2 lemons, zested and juiced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil, the highest quality you can

afford

Place some toasted bread heels or crostini on a plate. Place the sliced lamb steak on top (with any juices left over from the resting) and pour the salsa verde and beans over the top. Garnish with lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil.

Shrimp and Brie Purses with Apricot Vinaigrette

Bill Park, sous-chef at LTK Bar and Kitchen

Boston, MA

www.ltkbarandkitchen.com

Serves 4-6

Apricot Vinaigrette:

? cup jarred apricot chutney

8 dried cherries

? cup apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

? cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

Salad (per person):

2 oz. arugula

3 apple slices

1 tsp. sliced almonds

5 dried cherries

Toss ingredients with as much vinaigrette as you like and set equal portions on individual plates.

For pastry assembly:

1 package frozen puff pastry squares, thawed

1 wedge Brie, approximately 6-9 oz.

12 shrimp, cooked and roughly chopped

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Gently roll out each square of puff pastry dough to stretch them a bit. Poke a few holes in each piece with a fork. Place roughly 1? oz. of Brie in the center of each square and top with 1? tbsp. of the shrimp. Brush the corners with the egg and then pull the corners to the center and tighten around the middle to form purses.

Set purses on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with arugula salad.

Oysters with Asian Pear and Fennel

Bill Park

Serves 4

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 bulb fennel, cored and finely diced

1 shallot, finely diced

1 Asian pear, peeled, cored, finely diced

? cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

? tsp. turmeric

Pinch of cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

12 Oysters in the shell

Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the fennel and shallot until tender. Add the pear and wine and saute for a couple minutes and then add the cream, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Set whole, unopened oysters on a baking sheet and bake until they pop open, approximately 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard the top shells, and top each oyster with a hefty spoonful of the fennel-pear mixture. Garnish each oyster with a bit of parsley before serving.

Seared Scallops on Polenta with Red Pepper and Chive Jam

Bill Park

Serves 20 as passed appetizers

Red Pepper Jam:

2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

? tsp. black pepper

Place peppers in a blender and puree. Set the puree in a saucepan with the sugar, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium heat until almost dry. Cool and reserve.

Polenta:

3 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp. butter

2 cups polenta

1 cup heavy cream

? cup shredded Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil or butter

Heat the chicken broth and butter in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, continuing to stir constantly until the polenta has thickened. Add small amounts of cream and cheese, alternating until you have the flavor you want. Season with salt and pepper. The polenta should be very thick. Lay the polenta out on a greased cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 1” x 1” squares and sear in a hot saute pan with a bit of olive oil or butter until just golden brown on both sides. Reserve unless you are serving right away.

Scallops:

40 small sea scallops

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large saute pan and cook scallops for about three minutes until done.