Ingredients:

-Wild Petrale (1/3 pound per serving)
-Fresh scallops (3 per serving). Mix in a bowl with olive oil and a bit of coarse sea salt
-1/2 bottle good quality Prosecco (you can substitute a dry white wine)
-1 stick of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
-Salt & pepper
-Parsley for garnish

Preparation
Bring a pan of water to boil underneath a steamer basket. Lightly salt the Petrale Sole on both sides and carefully roll into a circle. Place into the basket and steam until cooked through yet still moist. Meanwhile take a sautee pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee your scallops for 20-30 seconds per side. Scallops cook quickly and can easily be dried out. As soon as you see the “striations” form in the skin it’s time to turn them. Once both sides are cooked, add 1/4 cup of Prosecco or dry white wine to the pan. This will slow down the cooking process by lowering the temperature. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes over low heat. Turn once.

Procecco sauce
Place a medium sauce pan on a high flame. Add the 1/2 bottle of Prosecco or dry white wine and reduce until 1/2 cup remains. Lower the heat to medium high. Begin adding the cold butter 2-3 cubes at a time and stir in vigorously using a whisk. Continue this process until you have incorporated all of the butter and the sauce is reduced to an adequate thickness. It should gently coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Place the rolled Petrale Sole on a warmed dinner plate along with 2-3 scallops. Spoon the Procecco sauce over and around the fish. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately

Ingredients (serves 4):

-1.5 pounds petrale sole
-1 spring onion or regular onion
-2 cups of squash blossoms, stamen removed
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-salt & pepper
-grape seed or similar oil

Then I took a tablespoon of butter and sauteed a finely chopped torpedo onion until soft and translucent (not browned). Next I added the leaves from my basket of little squash blossoms and sauteed another 2-3 minutes until the leaves were completely wilted. I took the whole mixture and added to a food processor with about 3/4 cup of cream. Once blended together I put back into a sauce pan and brought to a simmer over low heat.
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Finally, I fried the rest of my blossoms whole (minus the stamen in the center which I removed) in a small pot of grapeseed oil.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

-2 pounds halibut
-1 cup preferred olives
-1 lemon
-1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
-olive oil
-white wine


CONFIT
Take 3 different types of your favorite olives (such as picholine, nicoise and Greek – you’ll need about a cup), the rind of 2 lemons (just the yellow part, cut into thin strips), one garlic clove (chopped coarsely) and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme. In a medium size pot heat 1/2 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sautee for 1 minute (do not brown). Add all of the other items and cook–stirring frequently–for 2 minutes. Set aside.
FISH
On the same day you intend to serve the dish go to your fishmonger and buy the freshest fish possible. I like to use Wild Halibut but take whatever is most fresh. I’d stick to a white fleshy fish such as halibut or sea bass. However, even black cod or mahi mahi would work well. For 4-6 people I’d get about two pounds of fish. This is after all intended to be a small package.
PARCHMENT PAPER
Go to a good market of cooking store and buy a roll of brown, unbleached parchment paper. If you cannot find any then you can use aluminum foil but the presenation is not as interesting.
ASSEMBLING AND COOKING THE DISH
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut a large square piece of parchment paper for each serving (you’ll want to have enough room to plate the fish and wrap the package up). Cut your fish into individual serving pieces and season lightly with salt. Place a piece of fish in the center of each parchment package. Using a spoon place a good dollop of confit on top of each fish. Be sure and add a bit of oil too as this will help keep the fish moist. Add a little more extra virgin olive oil on top. The fish should be coated in oil but not soaking in it. Add a bit of white wine to create a steaming environment, perhaps 1/2 cup.
Carefully fold each package together on all sides and bring together at the top and seal by folding the paper. Place each packet into a roasting or baking dish and insert into the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes. Check for doneness after 10 minutes. Carefully open one package and insert a knife into the fish. If it goes through easily the dish is ready. To plate place a parchment package on each dish and cut it open using a sharp knife. Garnish with a fresh sprig of thyme.

Next lift up the 2 points on either side of the crab’s shell and pull out the gills and discard.
Now turn the crab over and cut off the small flap called the “apron.” Rinse the entire crab and pat dry with a clean towel. The crab is now ready for cooking…or you can wrap in plastic and store in a cold refrigerator for up to one more day.

Ideally you want live crabs. If they are moribund they start to decompose and can be distasteful. After you’ve cleaned them they will die right away. I like to cook them right away after cleaning. To check if your crab is fresh and tasty good, smell the underbelly. It should smell clean and astringent, like sea mist.
Here’s how I prepared mine. I put a small amount of flour (a cup) into a bowl and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then I took a medium sautee pan and filled with 1/4 inch of good quality olive oil over a high flame.
Then I dipped the crabs into the flour mix and shook each one gently to release any excess. Once the oil was very hot (but not smoking) I added each crab to the sautee pan. I cooked each side for approximately 2 – 2.5 minutes.

Ingredients (serves 8-12):
-3 cups heavy cream
-1 cup milk
-1 pinch of saffron threads (not powder) equal to about 1 teaspoon
-1.5 ounces (42 grams) of unflavored gelatin
-Zest of one lemon
-3/4 cup of sugar

In a large, heavy sauce pan add the cream, sugar, saffron and lemon zest. Stir well over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, turn off the heat, give it a good stir and let it rest for 10 minutes.

At this point we need to incorporate the gelatin and it’s critical to add just the right amount. I typically use the little packages of unflavored from the super market. They come with 4 envelopes in each box. I use exactly one and a half envelopes for this recipe. Each envelope has 1 ounce or approximately 28 grams in it. So the total here is 1.5 ounces or about 42 grams.

Using a large whisk pour in the package and a half of gelatin. Whisk well, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan and ensure the gelatin is well integrated. Once you are sure everything is well mixed pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Add the milk and stir together.

Using a ladle pour your mixture into serving containers such as small ramekins or little wide cups. Though you can later remove the panna cotta and carefully pour onto a plate (by taking a warm knife and going around the bowl and dropping each one out) I like to make it easy and just serve it straight from the refrigerator in a nice serving dish.

​Carefully place your panna cotta uncovered into the regfrigerator and let set for about 3 hours. To serve remove from the refrigerator and garnish with your favorite seasonal fruit. In this case I used strawberries and finished with some very good balsamic vinegar and a hint of mint. You could also just take some lemon zest and go over the top or serve them as is.

This fantastic dessert hails from the town of Santander in the far north region of Cantabria. The first time Lola made it for me I could not believe how light and savory it was. It's a bit of a cross between a cheese cake and flan. The addition of yogurt gives it a very light, almost tangy texture and it's incredibly easy to assemble.

This classic French dish relies on the most fresh and pristine ingredients to create a type of soup that is very light and has lots of flavor and depth. Serve with crusty bread and garlic aioli.

These meatballs are incredibly easy to make and perfect for feeding a crowd. Instead of frying or browning the meatballs I poach them from a raw state in the San Marzano tomato sauce. The result is an incredibly moist and succulent meatball with a delicate texture. They can be served on their own with a vegetable side such as braised greens or with spaghetti for a classic comfort dish.