The Recipes
Becky Selengut, chef-owner of Cornucopia, was aboard for the duration of the Grand Tour and held many well-attended, well-appreciated cooking classes. She kept so many of us well fed while demonstrating that on-board cooking can be fresh and creative and as delicious as anything made in our home kitchens. She also kept us laughing with her unique perspective as a novice boater.
All of her cooking was delicious, and many of her recipes became instant hits among GB owners. Here are some of the most requested recipes from the Grand Tour:
Lemon Scones
Mango, tofu and herb salad with toasted coconut and a sweet chile-lime dressing
Sweet Potato Cakes with Smoked Black Cod and Herb Crème Fraiche
Thai pumpkin soup with chile and lemongrass
Saffron-infused Fennel Soup with Almonds and Parsley Oil
For more information about Becky's services as a private chef and cooking instructor, visit www.cornucopiacuisine.com. You can also visit her online guide to seasonal cooking, www.seasonalcornucopia.com, and read her food blog, Hardtack at Sea.
Lemon Scones
Makes 8
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup), unsalted, cubed
2 6-ounce containers lemon yogurt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon thyme or lemon balm, chopped
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda in a bowl and whisk to remove lumps. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or in the food processor until the butter is pea-size. Add the yogurt, lemon juice and lemon thyme or balm. Mix together gently with a spoon and then turn out onto a floured board. Form into a round about 3/4 inch tall and then slice into 8 equal triangles. Bake until brown on top, about 12-14 minutes.
Mango, tofu and herb salad with toasted coconut and a sweet chile-lime dressing
I was inspired to come up with this recipe from a dish I had at Malay Satay Hut, a wonderful Malaysian restaurant in the International District in Seattle. It's almost embarrassing to tell people that the sauce essentially comes out of a bottle.
2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil
1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu
generous pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup coconut, unsweetened, flaked (some reserved for garnish)
1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice
1/2 cup basil, rough chopped
1 tablespoon mint, rough chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1 cup of cucumber, medium diced
1 cup of bell peppers, any color, medium diced
zest of 1 lime, plus juice
1 cup sweet chile sauce
lettuce cups or rice crackers
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 1/2" by 1/2" cubes. Add to the pan and sauté until brown on all sides, sprinkling with the sea salt and soy sauce. Remove to a piece of paper towel.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, toast the coconut until lightly brown. In a large bowl, add mango, herbs, peanuts, toasted coconut, cucumber, bell peppers, lime zest and juice and sweet chile sauce. Toss tofu into bowl and mix everything together well. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with lettuce cups, or rice crackers (shrimp chips are also nice with this salad). If you grill some prawns, they would be extra amazing served around the edge.
Sweet Potato Cakes with Smoked Black Cod and Herb Crème Fraiche
Makes 20 small portions
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, grated (on large side of box grater-about 6 cups)
1 scant tablespoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour (plus more if needed)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dill, chopped
1 tablespoon minced shallot
Canola oil, for frying
1/2 # smoked black cod (you can substitute with salmon)
1 cup crème fraiche mixed with 1/4 cup chopped chives, 1 teaspoon chopped dill and whisked until firm
Dill sprigs for garnish
In a large bowl, mix grated sweet potato with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. With two hands, squeeze out all the excess water. Discard liquid. Whisk eggs. Add eggs, flour, pepper, dill and shallot to the sweet potato mixture.
Form a bit of mixture into one cake. Film the bottom of a sauté pan with canola oil over medium high heat and fry one "tester" cake until it is brown on both sides. Transfer to some paper towel or a flattened paper bag to soak up any excess oil. Taste. If it needs more salt and pepper, adjust the rest of the mixture. Form and fry the rest of the cakes and keep them warm in a very low oven.
When you are ready to serve, place a small piece of smoked black cod on each cake, dollop with a bit of spring herb crème fraiche and garnish with dill sprigs. Serve immediately.
Thai pumpkin soup with chile and lemongrass
Serves 4
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, small dice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" piece ginger, grated
5 cups large dice pumpkin or 1 medium size butternut squash, diced
1/2 cup white wine, vermouth or sake
3 stalks lemongrass, smashed
2 jalapenos, split
3 kaffir lime leaves
3 slices galangal, smashed
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 lime
fish sauce, as needed
1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
toasted pumpkin seeds
Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil. Saute onion for 2 minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add garlic, ginger and pumpkin and sauté a few more minutes. Deglaze with wine.
In a piece of cheesecloth, add lemongrass, jalapenos, lime leaves and galangal. Wrap up and tie with a knot. Add to soup along with stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes.
When pumpkin is soft, remove cheesecloth with aromatics. Puree 1/3rd of the soup in the blender and then return to the pot.
Add the juice of one lime, several tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Check to see if there is enough salt. Serve, garnished with pumpkin seeds.
Saffron-infused Fennel Soup with Almonds and Parsley Oil
Over the years I've developed a fond appreciation for all things licorice. Considering the fact that I despised black jellybeans as a child, I suppose I'm making up for lost time. I developed this soup recipe around my love for the licorice tasting fennel root, one of my favorite adult ingredients.
Serves 8
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, large, medium-diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 garlic cloves, slice thin
3 fennel bulbs, sliced
1/4 teaspoon saffron
1/2 cup vermouth
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, save 1/4 cup for garnish
1 quart vegetable stock
lemon, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parsley-garlic oil
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
In a medium-sized soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt and stirring occasionally, cook for 5 minutes until starting to lightly brown. Add garlic and sliced fennel and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add saffron threads and vermouth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any stuck or browned bits. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and the stock and raise the heat to high. When the soup has come to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the fennel is very soft, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until very smooth. If extra smoothness is desired, press soup through a fine sieve. Return the pot to the stove and taste for seasoning. Add lemon juice to brighten up the flavors (start with the juice of half a lemon and then taste again). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Parsley Oil:
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and dip the bunch of parsley into it until the leaves turn a vibrant green, about 5 seconds. Pull out and immediately dunk into a bowl of ice water. Squeeze all the liquid out and cut off the top of the bunch, discarding the bottom stems. (Some little stems between the leaves are fine). Put the parsley, garlic, salt, oil and lemon zest into a blender or small food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Taste for salt.
To finish the soup, serve in shallow, wide bowls. Top with a spoonful of parsley oil in the middle with some toasted almonds on top.
Notes: Passing the soup through the sieve is optional but if you want a truly luxurious texture I encourage you to do it.
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