Shrimp Flambées à la Vodka Recipe

Vodka Shrimp Flambé: Yes, "Flambé" is French, it means in "in flames". This is how you can give a peculiar taste to your food and make a nice show for your guests at the same time :) I first tried this recipe with Mango Vodka and OMG, it was delicious! The shrimps really had a mango taste... My husband loved this dish!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (about 450 g) fresh tiger prawns, peeled (keep the tail, it's nicer) and deveined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons Mango Vodka
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.

2. When the oil is hot, add the chili pepper flakes and let brown for 1 minute.

3. Still on high, add the shrimp and cook them on both sides for about 1 minute.

4. Lower the heat and add the vodka.

5. With a long match, set the vodka on fire and shake the skillet until flames die down. BE VERY CAREFUL.

6. Add the chopped parsley on top, stir and serve immediately, either with rice or mashed potatoes

How to prepare a Chocolate-Raspberry Trifle

Here is my own version of the Trifle. I used leftovers of a chocolate cake and only needed a couple of additional ingredients to prepare this great and easy dessert. You can use leftovers of chocolate muffins and well, and replace the raspberries with raspberries, blueberries or any other berry you like. Yummmm!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 20 minutes + 1 hour in the fridge
No cooking time!
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (about 450 g) raspberries
- milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream (very cold)
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- leftovers of chocolate cake/muffins (or chocolate cake bought already made)
***2 clear glasses to serve the trifles***

1. Cut the chocolate cake into small squares. You'll need about 5/6 pieces per person.

2. Clean the raspberries and prepare the raspberry sauce: in a blender, blend 3/4 of the raspberries with a bit of milk with one teaspoon of sugar. Add the milk slowly until the texture is smooth but not liquid. Reserve.

3. With a hand mixer, whip the cream, adding one teaspoon of sugar, little by little.

4. In each clear glass, layer the ingredients in this order:
- raspberry sauce
- whipping cream
- chocolate cake & raspberries
- whipping cream
- chocolate cake & raspberries

5. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and serve cold.

Fast & Delicious: Citrus Scallop Carpaccio

No cooking time, super simple and delicious, this recipe is for you! It is very stylish and tastes great. Try this Scallops Carpaccio, you'll love it. You can also prepare this carpaccio with other fish pieces like salmon, cod or rockfish.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes + 3 hours in the fridge
NO cooking time!
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 4 big sea scallops
- juice of a 1/2 lime
- 1 mandarin, preferably organic (or tangerine, or even a small orange)
- 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
- salt and pepper/red pepper berries

1. Rinse the scallops and pat them dry.
2. Slice each scallop thinly horizontally.
3. Arrange on plates in layers.
4. Grate the mandarin zest and reserve.
5. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, the lime juice, the mandarin zest and a pinch of salt.
6. Drizzle the citrus olive oil over the scallops. You can use a pastry brush to make sure all the pieces are coated.
7. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Grind some pepper or red pepper berries on top, and serve with a sprouts salad and toasted bread.

How to make delicious and original Chocolate Truffles

Continue celebrating the Holidays with fresh homemade truffles! It is very simple and you do not need to wait for Christmas to prepare these treats. You only need 3 ingredients to prepare the base and then, use your imagination to coat each truffle!

For about 60 truffles
Preparation time: 30 minutes + 2-3 hours in the fridge
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (10cl) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 pound (200g) good quality dark chocolate
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50g) butter
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau
- ingredients for coating: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chopped almonds/peanuts/pistachios, dried fruits, shredded coconut...

1. Grate the chocolate or cut it into small pieces and place it in a bowl.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave.

3. Gently boil the whipping cream on medium heat and pour it slowly on the chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the melted butter to the chocolate. Then add the Cointreau. Stir well.

4. Pour the chocolate in a baking dish which is not too deep so that the preparation is not too thick and can harden easily.

5. Cover your dish with plastic film and place in the fridge for about 3 hours.

6. Take the preparation out of the fridge. Use a spoon to scoop regular size chocolate balls. Roll them quickly in your hands to create a round shape. Place the truffles on a parchemin paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes.

7. In the meantime, prepare your coating ingredients and pour them in different dishes.

8. Take the truffles out of the fridge and roll them, one by one, into the desired coating. It can be cocoa powder for traditional truffles or coconut, pistachios, dried fruits etc. for more fancy truffles.

Enjoy!

Happy 2011 !!

We wish you all the best for 2011! May the new year bring you health, happiness and plenty of delicious recipes ;)