Hi, I'm June. I live in Jersey City, NJ, just across the Hudson from the Greatest City on Earth... with my kitty whose name is Julia Child Kitty. You can see her
here She also doubles as my "Office Assistant!"
I'm a native Chicagoan, a Cubs fan, love hot dogs, and have lived in lots of places around the US. I love France. Must've been French in a previous life, but my favorite place to travel to is wherever I'm going next!
I'm a Chef/Consultant, and I write a web site every month,
www.feastivals.com I love to travel which is why I set up my Culinary Tours company. Wine is my passion. The more I learn about it, the more there is to learn, and I am voracious!
When I closed my catering company 12 years ago, I had to find another way to make a steady living, so I started temping in NYC, which led to a boring job with lovely people at an insurance company. Thank goodness for my consulting work! I will retire from the insco in August 07, and hope to spend a bunch of time traveling toresearch my 2nd book. You can find the first one
here.
My favorite music is Jazz. Real Jazz. Miles Davis, Ray Brown, Joe Williams, Diana Krall-type music. not that stuff they call "smoooooooth."
Favorite food? Bay Scallops from Massachusetts! the sweetest morsels on the planet, and my favorite way to cook them is this: (recipe from "Feastivals Cooks at Home," reprinted by permission)
Scallops Tommy
Scallops are my favorite food, and this is my favorite way to prepare them. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Sulim Tomás -- “Tommy”, when he was chef of the long-gone Half Shell restaurant in Boston. Be careful not to buy watery scallops. The water indicates that they’ve been treated with chemicals to keep them fresh. These chemicals will make them taste like soap suds. Not the flavor you’re looking for.
makes 6 servings
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced white onions
1/2 cup fish stock or 1/4 cup each water and dry white vermouth
2 pounds scallops – Nantucket scallops preferred (if you use the larger sea scallops, slice them in two or three)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or marjoram (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Sea salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 cup Fino Sherry
1. Poach onions in stock until translucent and soft, but not mushy. Add scallops to the simmering liquid and turn it off. Let the scallops sit in the liquid with the onions until they are cooked. (It's important not to overcook the scallops or they will become rubbery.
2. At the same time, melt the butter in a sauté pan. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter until they are brown.
3. Preheat the broiler. Place the scallops and onions in a shallow ovenproof dish. Top with the mushrooms, fresh herbs, and salt and white pepper to taste. Sprinkle the sherry over. Broil close to the heat source for about 2 or 3 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
Teacher’s Tip: Serve over a pilau of brown and wild rice or saffron fettuccine.
Wine Tip: My favorite wine with this dish is Les Fourchaumes, a Premier Cru Chablis from Domaine Laroche.