The salad I would serve to follow this hearty fish stew has a nice balance of bitter greens, the crunchy texture of raw fennel and the slight sweetness of Clementines or tangerine segments. A basic vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for this salad.
For dessert, a chocolate lovers' form of heaven is this torte made with bittersweet chocolate....I use Splenda
® instead of granulated sugar in both the torte and the raspberry coulis.| 2 lbs | thick fish, cut into 2-inch pieces (swordfish, mahi mahi) |
| 1 lb. | lobster tail meat, cut into 1" medallions |
| 1 lb | 16-20 size shrimp, peeled and de-veined |
| Marinade for fish: | |
| 1 | onion, minced |
| 1 | clove garlic, minced |
| 2 | green onions, minced |
| 2 | limes juiced |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt |
| Broth: | |
| 1/2 cup | olive oil |
| 1 | onion, finely chopped |
| 3 | cloves garlic, minced |
| 1" | piece of fresh ginger, minced |
| 1 | Scotch bonnet chile or other hot chile pepper, seeded and minced (use rubber gloves to prepare) |
| 1 | bunch green onions, finely chopped |
| 1 | bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced |
| 1 teaspoon | curry powder |
| 1 teaspoon | chili powder |
| 1 teaspoon | ground cumin |
| 1 | sweet red pepper, cored and seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1 | green pepper, cored and seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 5 | ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 6 | cups clam broth or fish stock |
| 2 | cups coconut milk |
| 6 | sprigs fresh thyme |
| 3 | bay leaves |
| salt, freshly ground pepper | |
| Juice of 1 lime or to taste |
1. Prepare fish as directed. Combine onions, garlic, green onions, lime juice and salt in bowl. Add fish, lobster and shrimp and let marinate 30 minutes.
2. To prepare broth, heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, chile, green onions, half the parsley, curry and chili powders, cumin, and red and green peppers. Cook mixture until soft but not brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 3 minutes more. Add clam broth, coconut milk, thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Ten minutes before serving, remove swordfish or mahi mahi from the marinade and add to the soup. Bring soup to a low boil. When fish is almost cooked in 3 to 4 minutes, add the remaining lobster pieces and shrimp. (discard marinade) Lower heat and gently simmer until all seafood is cooked, a few minutes more. Stir in lime juice. Taste and add salt and pepper to balance the flavors. Remove bay leaves. Sprinkle soup with remaining parsley and serve. Makes 8 servings
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
15 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
18 Tablespoons (2-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
7 egg yolks
9 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ˝ Tablespoons dark rum or brewed espresso
1 ˝ teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
5 egg whites, at room temperature
3 cups fresh raspberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Heat oven to 300°F. Grease a heart cake pan and dust with cocoa powder.
In the top of a double boiler pan, combine the chocolate and butter. Set the top pan over but not touching barely simmering water in the bottom pan and melt, then whisk until well blended. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg yolks, 6 Tablespoons of sugar ad dark rum, vanilla and salt on medium high speed until pale and very thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.
In a deep, clean bowl, using a mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium0high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until medium-firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Scoop half of the egg whites onto the chocolate mixture and fold them in gently. Fold in the remaining whites just until no streak remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until the torte puffs slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out very moist but not liquid, about 40 minutes. Do not overcook. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes.
To remove the pan sides, center the pan on a tin can and let the sides slide down. Let the torte cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Just before serving, garnish the torte with the raspberries and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Yield: 12 servings
Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Dessert, 2002
Copyright © 2004 Ann Hall Every, CCP
