Mmmm... Scallops...

I have long maintained that scallops are my favorite "luxury" food item. (Lobster runs a close second, but it's so affordable and easy to find around here that I am spoiled enough to not really think of it as a "luxury" item anymore... Yay, New England!) I grew up on frozen scallops from Costco and thought I loved scallops then. My first fresh diver scallop (from the mussels lady at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market, sold fresh in the shell) made me realize what a fool I'd been. Since that day, I've been obsessed with high-quality dry-packed diver scallops... and I finally found a great way to always have them on hand and the perfect way to cook them.

Sunday Cookbook Adventures: Faux Gras

One of the recipes that has very much intrigued me since I first looked through Happy in the Kitchen is the Faux Gras, which Michel Richard claims tastes ridiculously similar to foie gras. It definitely does have a very foie quality to it, and even if you don't believe that you should believe that it is the most elegant chicken liver pâté you will ever taste...

Sunday Cookbook Adventures: Ridiculously Awesome Lobster Burgers

A new cookbook has entered my life, and keeps putting a smile on my face. Whether I'm reading through recipes, discovering a cool new technique, or enjoying the amazing finished product, this book is downright... fun. My first real foray into the world of Michel Richard was making these mind-blowing Lobster Burgers.

Sunday Cookbook Adventures: Wafer-Thin Potato Crisps

I got an amazing new cookbook a couple weeks ago, sent to my by a fantastic aunt who loves cooking, but not in the way where dinner requires 13 hours in the kitchen. (Am I the only one who loves that kind of cooking?) Anyway, she sent it to the right person because this book is totally rocking my world. The first dish I completed from the book (which I prepared as a component of some kick-ass Lobster Burgers) is one of the very first that caught my eye when I first opened the book: The Wafer-Thin Potato Crisps.