'Foodie' for thought

Sandra Bell

Foodie — noun — A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet.

My name is Sandra Bell and I confess, I am a foodie. I live and breath food. Not just fancy gourmet extravagances, but all kinds of food. Down home cooking, ethnic cuisine, taco stands to 5 star restaurants, none of them escape my appetite.

My fondest childhood memories revolve around being in the kitchen (thank you mom) parties and entertaining. I grew up like a gypsy, traveling around the world with my parents. My father was in the Oil industry on the sales side, so our house was always full of foreign guests which my mother constantly fed. Her job title in our household was event coordinator and caterer. We lived in South America so many of my influences were Latin, our love for food and fun was evident. To this day my phone conversations with mom focus on food and what we have been cooking.

As I grew up, food was always on the front burner of my brain. My best laid plans for vacations revolved around local eateries and native foods. Even my love for camping took on a new meaning. No can of beans for our camping group, I would spend my time making homemade corned beef hash for breakfast, shrimp scampi for dinner and dutch oven cakes or cobblers for dessert. Now I know why I was always being asked to go on camping trips. My two best friends are wine reps, they too adore cooking. I once ended a potential relationship with my friend’s brother because the guy did not like seafood, he ultimately would not fit in well in my foodie world.

When I finally got married, I married into a family of foodies just like my own. His mother is all about fresh food. My husband was never allowed to eat fast food when he was little. Neither was I. I knew we were a match made in culinary heaven. Our wedding was in New Orleans, breakfast at the famed Camellia Grill and dinner at Pascal’s Manale (we had 20-plus family and friends all in tow on a food odyssey). Our beautiful little wedding cake was a New Orleans tradition, Gambino’s caramel Doberge cake surrounded by an array of red velvet petit-fours. So what if the cake was a light brown color and did not match my dress, the first bite was to die for. We spent our days roaming around looking for the best Muffalatas and oyster po-boys. We brought back pounds of andouille sausage and boudin instead of the proverbial Mardi Gras trinkets.

Our one year anniversary trip to New York proved no different. His aunt and uncle (NY foodie fanatics) took us to culinary havens such as Zabar’s, Fairway and the famed French Culinary Institute. No Statue of Liberty snow-globes for us, we returned with 6 kinds of cheeses, smoked salmon, stuffed garlic and sweet pickled South African peppadews.

I spent more than 18 years working in the conservative corporate world of financial and insurance products but being a full time foodie became my goal. Why not work with passion and what you are passionate for! Ben and I came up with a restaurant concept that would combine our love of food with our love of music. The Stardust Room was born.

So now, I have been asked to pass my love of food on to you foodies out there. There is so much more to cooking than following a recipe. I will be offering tips & techniques, food history & origin and even some fun foodie facts.

My first recipe here is not for the faint of heart. This recipe was developed for an invitational chef’s competition in Houston. The top 100 chefs in Houston and surrounding areas were invited to compete. We had to showcase a dish using the sponsor’s ingredients of cheese, wine and seafood. It was an honor to be asked to compete with the “big boys,” I made it to the top 20 with this dish. The legendary chef James Beard once said “my emphasis is on options, my motto is “why not” and my hope is to provide you with inspiration as well as practical guidance”. I hope to follow a bit in his footsteps, or at least his coat tails!

Note: A variation of this dish is served at The Stardust Room. Instead of crab and lobster cakes, the shrimp sauté is served over our creamy cheddar and green chili grits. Look for “Shrimp & Grits” on our menu. Spinach is used normally but due to recent events red Swiss chard is a beautiful substitute.



Triple Crown of the Sea Cakes

stardustroomtexas@yahoo.com



1. Handy Int'l Lobster & crab cakes 2x12

2. Ocean Duke 26/30 raw p&d; shrimp tail on Portico

3. Anka Gourmandise with walnuts

4. Savanha Chardonnay (2004)

5. Pana Pesca Canadian Rock Crab meat claw/arm



Lobster and crab cake prep

• olive oil

• Drizzle pan (1 teaspoon) softened unsalted sweet cream butter

• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon quarter wedge fresh finely chopped dill

• 1/2 teaspoon Gourmandise cheese with walnuts1 quarter inch sliver sliced in half

• Handy Int'l lobster & crab cakes (thawed) 2 cakes



Shrimp and red swiss shard prep

• softened unsalted sweet cream butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Savanha Chardonnay

• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon

• 1 quarter wedge chopped garlic

• 1 teaspoon Ocean Duke 26/30 raw p&d; shrimp tail on (thawed)

• 4 Red Swiss Chard

• 1 large leaf / de-stemmed and hand-torn chives

• 1 teaspoon capers

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• pinch fresh ground black pepper

• pinch Pana Pesca Canadian Rock crab meat claw/arm (thawed)

• 1 for garnish



Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil in warmed non-stick saute pan , add butter and melt over medium/low heat

2. Saute two crab cakes in butter /olive oil mixture and dust each side with fresh dill , drizzle with lemon (about 4 minutes on each side or until light golden brown) 3. Remove from pan and transfer to serving plate, top each cake with 1/2 of the Gourmandise cheese and walnut sliver. Place in warmer and allow cheese to slightly melt (this can take place while preparing the shrimp and chard topping)

4. Using same pan — melt butter, olive oil, lemon and Chardonnay over medium -low heat

5 Add garlic, shrimp & red Swiss chard

6. Add chives, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and fresh ground pepper

7. Saute gently until shrimp is opaque pink and chard is wilted (about 5 to 6 minutes maximum to avoid overcooking shrimp)

8. Remove the crab cake platter from warmer (or holding oven) and gently place the shrimp and chard mixture artfully across the cakes (pour any remaining juices from pan over the entire presentation)

9. To complete the dish, top with one Canadian Rock crab claw over the center

10. Serve as an entré for one or as an appetizer for two with the remaining Sava