Cooking Class At The NC Aquarium With Chef Nate Bean From Black Pelican.

I love our cooking classes at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

Mr. Hawthorne and I have been attending the Seafood Series
each winter/spring at the aquarium for the past several years.

Monday, April 14, we enjoyed a class
presented by Chef Nate Bean of the Black Pelican.

First on the menu was Chef Bean's 

Pecan Encrusted Rockfish with Brandy Scallion Butter

over Wild Rice

with a Spinach, Grape Tomato, and Red Onion Sauté.

When I saw this on the menu, I was excited.

I've made a wonderful Pistachio Encrusted Mahi Mahi,

so I was really looking forward to Pecan Encrusted Rockfish.

The rockfish (striped bass) filets

were bathed in a little olive oil,

then dredged through a breading of

crushed pecans, panko, brown sugar, and salt and pepper.

The filets were sautéed in olive oil and finished in the oven,

if I remember correctly, and I might not.

Chef Bean also made a Brandy Scallion Butter with

 scallions and garlic sautéed in butter,

then brown sugar was added,

and then the brandy.
The brandy was flambéed.

This was then poured over the filets.

Gotta tell ya,
I love a flambé!!!!!!

 And this one was superb.

 I even got a little worried.

That's what makes for a great flambé.

The flames were shooting up 2 feet

and the exhaust system at the aquarium kitchen

is not the most efficient.

I was fully expecting the sprinklers to come on at any moment.

That's great flambéing!

Nice job, Chef Bean!!

Next, the sauce was seasoned with salt and pepper

and enriched with pats of butter.

Wild rice and white rice were combined

and cooked in chicken stock.

The dish was completed by spinach, cherry tomatoes,

 chopped red onion, and minced garlic

sautéed in olive oil.

As always, I go visit the turtles.

As usual, they were exquisitely happy to see me.

This alligator was just chillin'.

I had to check to see if he was breathing.

I love the otters.

I noticed the male had a shaved patch on his head.

When I asked the wonderful Beth Wilcox of the Aquarium

about the otter,

she told me he'd been having seizures

and had been under the care of NC State Vets.

This little otter is 16-17 years old.

He's monitored throughout the day

and kept out of the water at night to prevent drowning.

Our next dish was pan seared rockfish

served with a Bacon Shallot Jelly,

 Blue Corn Polenta, and Sautéed Brussels Sprouts.

For the Bacon Shallot Jelly -

bacon

shallot

green onion

garlic

salt and pepper

chicken stock

brown sugar

honey

corn starch

Blue Corn Polenta

chicken stock

garlic

blue corn meal

butter

Sautéed Brussel Sprouts

halved blanched brussel sprouts

bacon

caramelized onion (slow cooked for 1-2 hours)

honey 

salt and pepper

Sorry, but I am not a fan of the blue corn.

Why blue?

This is not appetizing to me at all.

However, sunny yellow polenta is appetizing.

I know.

I know.

They taste the same.

But they don't.
Not to me.

One tastes yellow.

The other tastes ...  off color.

And that's not really blue.

It's not a pretty color.
I wouldn't know what to call that color.
Except ugly.

Imagine if that polenta was yellow  ...  NOT the color it is.

Wouldn't that be more appetizing?

Or is it just me?

I should tell you right here and now -

I don't like refried beans either.

It's the visual.

And I get the same visual with "blue" polenta.

All in all, outside of my "Whoa Moment!"

what with the blue stuff, this was a terrific meal.

Cooking Class At The North Carolina Aquarium.

  Chef Nate Bean of the Black Pelican

conducted our cooking class last week

at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. 

I always look forward to this series

which starts every year in late winter

and continues into early spring. 

 I like this picture.

It took a few minutes before somebody 

realized the projector was still projecting.

 

 

 We're having scallops today,

so Rosie is a happy camper.

 That's Buster shooting pictures.

He knows not to shoot pictures of Rosie -

Witness Protection Program and all.

 

 I smell scallops.

 I smell shallots.
The aromas are delightful.

Loved this.

The scallops were sautéed in butter and olive oil,

then set aside.

Excess oil was poured out of the pan,

then Chef Bean added in shallots and cooked for a minute or two.

This smelled delicious.

Next he deglazed the pan with vermouth,

added lemon zest and let it reduce and thicken.

Enrich and emulsify with pats of butter, whisking it in.

Add lemon juice and chives.

The scallops were served with a mixed greens salad.

Mr. Hawthorne and I loved the dressing.

It was a strawberry balsamic vinegar dressing

and I will be making this.

We love strawberries and strawberries

 are in our refrigerator at all times.

Here's a tip I've discovered:

If you have slightly tart, not totally bursting ripe, strawberries,

you can make them really outstanding

by simply slicing them and macerating in balsamic vinegar and sugar.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 

1 pint strawberries

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 TB Dijon mustard

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender and purée.

 One must commit to the flip.

That's the key.

 Next, we're having more scallops and angel hair pasta.

Chef Bean sautéed a tablespoon of chopped garlic

in a tablespoon of butter.

He added in 1/4 cup of parsley,

a tablespoon of lemon juice,

and 1/2 cup white wine.

Let reduce a bit,

then add in beurre manié

(1 TB flour kneaded into 1 TB butter)

Let thicken a bit.

Season with salt and pepper.

The cooked angel hair pasta was tossed in the sauce,

along with chopped grape tomatoes.

The scallops were sautéed in butter and oil.

A trip to the aquarium is not complete

without a visit to the otters.

There are two otters here - a male and a female.

I'm trying to remember 

what one of the aquarium workers

 told me a few years ago,

 and I think the female is responsible for contraception.

Wow.

There's a stretch.

This one kept coming over

to pose for me.

I hate that delay on my little digital camera.

I miss the best shots because of that focusing delay.

Rattlesnake.