Lemongrass-Dill Shrimp are a popular item on my catering menu. Grill the shrimp  ahead and skewer them on decorative bamboo picks or fill a platter with fragrant jasmine rice and place the shrimp on top.  Marukai Market in Gardena sells the bamboo picks and other interesting kitchen products for entertaining.

• 1 pound shrimp (21-24 count size)

• 3 lemongrass stalks

• 1/3 cup chopped dill

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar

• ½ cup canola oil

Heat barbecue grill.  Peel, devein and rinse shrimp. Cut off bottom 4 inches of each lemongrass stalk and discard the top of stalk.  Trim stem end and remove tough outer layers. Finely chop the soft inner core.

Place chopped lemongrass, dill, garlic, shallot, salt and rice wine vinegar in a blender.  While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil.  Blend until smooth.  Add additional salt to taste.

Reserve half of the marinade to use as dipping sauce.  Combine the rest with the shrimp; set aside for 30 minutes.  Grill shrimp 2-3 minutes per side or just until shrimp turn opaque. Overcooking will result in tough chewy shrimp. Serve on bamboo picks with reserved dipping sauce.

Arugula, the peppery green leaf that adds a mustardy bite to a mixed green salad, is a delicious substitute for basil in the classic pesto recipe. Leave the oven off for this dinner, the arugula pesto is an uncooked sauce, simply stirred into the hot pasta. Add cooked shrimp or chicken for a protein boost. Tastes great at room temperature, bring plenty to share at the next concert on the beach. When purchasing arugula, look for dark green crisp leaves, free of brown spots and use within in a few days.

• 1 pound imported Italian pasta

• 3 cups packed arugula leaves, washed and stems removed

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon peel

• 2 garlic cloves

• ¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

• ½ cup chopped blanched toasted almonds, divided

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, stir in pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking liquid. Drain pasta, do not rinse and keep warm.

Place arugula, lemon peel, garlic, olives, ¼ cup almonds, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and the salt in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a thick paste. Add the olive oil and process until smooth.

Place the pasta in a large heated bowl and stir in the pesto. Drizzle with the reserved cooking liquid until the sauce is the desired thickness. Toss with remaining almonds, Parmesan cheese and diced tomatoes.

Chef Mary Ellen Rae is the owner of Personal Touch Gourmet and the former Recipe Tester and Food Writer for the Los Angeles Times Food Section. Chef Mary Ellen is available for private or group in-home cooking classes, private chef services and catering. Contact Personal Touch Gourmet at 310-403-5682 or MaryEllen@PersonalTouchGourmet.net

The writers and editors who sampled the devilled eggs that week must have filed that recipe away.  Because at the end of December the Food Section staff reviews  their favorite recipes and compiles a list of the Top Ten Recipes of the Year. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t one of my pastries that they had chosen, but the simple devilled egg.

Hard cooking eggs can be a little tricky.  Here are a few tips that I have found to work well.  First, use older eggs.  The fresher the egg the harder they are to peel.  Buy the eggs, keep for a week in your refrigerator before cooking, just be sure to use before the expiration date.  Then place the eggs in a saucepan filled with cold water.  Bring water to a gentle simmer, boiling the eggs can toughen the whites and cause a greenish-blue film to form on the outside of the yolk.  Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water.  After a minute, gently crack eggs on the counter and remove the shell.  The devilled eggs can be made a day ahead, just store the filling and egg whites separately in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Pipe the filling into eggs up to a few hours before serving.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Devilled Eggs (Makes 24 filled eggs)

12 large eggs8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, rinse and pat dry 2 tablespoons capers, drained and pat dry 1 medium shallot 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ½ cup mayonnaise 4 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided

Place the 12 eggs in a large saucepan filled with cold water.  Bring to a gentle simmer and set the timer for 12 minutes.   Fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold water and set aside.  Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, capers and shallot in a mini-food processor or by hand.

When the eggs are done, remove with slotted spoon and place in ice water. Chill for a few minutes and peel.  Slice in half lengthwise.  Remove the yolks and use a spatula to smash the yolks through a fine-meshed strainer.  Stir together the yolks, tomatoes, capers, shallot, mustard, mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons basil in a small bowl.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the filling and pipe into the egg whites.  Sprinkle with remaining basil and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Alternately, spoon filling into a resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner and squeeze into egg whites.    

Chef Mary Ellen Rae is the owner of Personal Touch Gourmet; specializing in private and group in-home cooking classes and catering.  Contact Personal Touch Gourmet at 310-403-5682 or MaryEllen@PersonalTouchGourmet.net

Looking for a culinary inspiration? Spring time is my favorite season at the farmer’s market. Create a simple salad with a mélange of flavors and textures using red grapefruit, jicama and pea sprouts. Red grapefruits are high in vitamin A, C and potassium adding a sweet-tart component to the traditional green salad. Using some of the vinaigrette as a marinade for grilled shrimp, turns this salad into a main dish.

Note: This recipe developed by Hermosa Beach Resident Mary Ellen Rae was part of an article written by Donna Deane and published in the Los Angeles Times Food Section.

Salad:

• 1 large red grapefruit

• ½ pound Jicama

• 1 cup pea sprouts

• 2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, green part only

Cut off both ends of the grapefruit. Cut away the peel and white pith, holding the grapefruit over a bowl to collect the juice, (save the juice for the vinaigrette). Using a knife, slice between the membranes to release the segments. Cut each segment into 3 pieces. The collected juice should measure around ¼ cup, set aside. Peel the jicama, cut in half and slice into julienne strips. Add jicama to the bowl with the grapefruit along with the pea sprouts, sliced snow peas and green onions. Gently toss to combine.

Vinaigrette:

Whisk the grapefruit, honey, tarragon, mint, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slowly add the oil and whisk until the mixture emulsifies. Drizzle several tablespoons of vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. Add additional vinaigrette as desired, reserve the rest for another use.

Chef Mary Ellen Rae is the owner of Personal Touch Gourmet; specializing in private and group in-home cooking classes and catering. Contact Personal Touch Gourmet at 310-403-5682 or MaryEllen@PersonalTouchGourmet.net

Plump, sweet blueberries are the star of summer fruits. Filled with high levels of antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber, blueberries are low in calories and delicious to eat alone or in fresh fruit salads, over ice cream sundae’s or baked pastries. Perfect now through the end of October; look for berries that are firm and dry with smooth skin.

Avoid containers that have crushed berries or juice stained bottoms. Remove moldy or crushed berries before storing in the refrigerator. Buy extra blueberries now and freeze for use in the months to come. Place unwashed berries in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze. When solid, store in airtight container for several months. Use frozen berries when baking cakes and muffins to reduce the chance of color streaking the batter.

Cardamom, an uncommon spice in the U.S. is native to India and Sri Lanka. The heady fragrant black seed found in green cardamom pods are used extensively in Indian, Asian and Scandinavian cuisines. Third in line of most expensive spices behind saffron and vanilla, cardamom stays freshest when purchased in small quantities and used within several months. For optimal flavor, buy the whole pod and gently crush to remove seeds. Grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder just before using. Penzeys Spice in Torrance, Indian and Middle Eastern markets sell cardamom for the best price.

Blueberry Cardamom Coffee Cake
Note: This recipe developed by Hermosa Beach Resident Mary Ellen Rae was adapted from an article on cardamom written by Chef Rae and published in the Los Angeles Times Food Section. Remove butter, eggs and milk 30 minutes before using.

Serves: 16

Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 8 – inch baking pan and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time blending well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Set mixer to low speed, add half the milk alternating with half the flour. Add remaining milk and flour, and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spread half the batter into the baking pan; sprinkle half the topping over the batter. Scrape out remaining batter and smooth out to edges. Sprinkle remaining topping evenly over batter. Bake until top is a deep golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly, serve warm or at room temperature.

Chef Mary Ellen Rae is the owner of Personal Touch Gourmet; specializing in private and group in-home cooking classes and small event catering. Contact Personal Touch Gourmet at 310-403-5682 or MaryEllen@PersonalTouchGourmet.net