National gourmet coffee day was last month. It made me start thinking about my coffee crusted ahi and decided to play around with the idea. Crusted with lemon pepper and coffee grounds, seared and topped with a fresh relish. It came out really good.

Give it a try – I think you’ll like it!

Prepping the Ahi

This will be the very first thing you do. It’s going to have to chill.

Whisk the lemon pepper, coffee grounds and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Roll the ahi ^[1] steaks in the mixture and coat on all sides.

Place in a single layer, cover and refrigerate at least 30 min.

Making the relish

Place the onion, tomatoes and capers in a large bowl. Gently stir.

In another small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt with 4 turns of fresh cracked pepper.

Pour the mixture over the vegetables and gently stir. Set aside and let rest at least 30 minutes. Letting it sit for a bit allows the flavors to meld and compliment each other.

Cooking the steaks and serving

Heat a heavy grill pan on medium high to high heat. Brush on the oil. This is why grapeseed oil is used. It can tolerate high heats before it starts to smoke.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the steaks on the grill.

Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. To make it rare, the internal temperature should be 90 to 100; medium rare, 130 degrees.

Remove the steaks from the heat to a warm plate. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes.

Top each steak with 1/4 of the relish, then drizzle it all with white truffle oil. Truffle oil is pretty expensive at the grocery store. I ordered mine from Amazon

Serve with orzo or rice.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Birthday to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! Tomorrow is their birthdays and to celebrate the day, let’s be a hobbit for a day and celebrate the Shire.

Invite some friends. But one key thing to note – hobbits do not get birthday gifts. Instead, they give their friends and family small gifts in thanksgiving and in recognition to service and kinship.

What do Hobbits Eat?

Hobbits love their food – and they take it very seriously. They don’t eat three meals a day, they eat seven! And here they are:

• 7:30am – Breakfast
• 9:30am – Second breakfast
• 11am – Elevenses
• 1pm – Luncheon
• 2:30pm – Afternoon tea
• 5:30pm – Dinner
• 9pm – Supper

That’s a lot of meals!! So what do they eat for each meal? Their fare is simple – not fancy or with heavy sauces, but lot of herbs and a bit of salt. That’s it.

Breakfast

Always include a variety of pastries and breads with plenty of cheese and jams! First breakfast is the time to load up on the carbs. Here are a few ideas for the main course of a hobbit breakfast:

• Tea and scones with strawberries and cream
• French toast with berries – Strawberry French Toast Casserole ^[7]
• Honey Cakes
• A plate of meats and cheese with breads and rolls and jams and jellies. The bigger the selection the better!

Second Breakfast

Second breakfast is Bilbo’s favorite meal. While it always includes fresh bread and jams and a rasher of bacon (because you can never go wrong with bacon), it’s heavy on the protein.

• French toast with a good side of sausage
• Boiled eggs
• Quiche with mushrooms and cheese
• Wild Mushroom omelet ^[8]
• Cold meats and cheese

You would think a hobbit would be satiated by now. But they get so hungry, an elevenses is required.

Elevenses

This meal is a mid-morning tea designed to curb a hobbit’s hunger until the next meal. What do they eat at these teas? Well some tea and coffee, of course, as well as some easy to eat pastries – two or three choices would be fine.

• Muffins – hobbits love berries. A blueberry oatmeal muffin ^[9] is perfect!
• Bread pudding
• Strawberry shortcake ^[10] (Hobbits love strawberries!)
• Tea cakes
• Scones with clotted cream – try these cranberry orange scones ^[11]
• Savory scones, like Bacon and Cheddar Scones ^[12]

Luncheon

The hobbit lunch is hearty and warm. Below are some ideas for that dish, but be sure to have a rich bread and some ale to finish of the meal.

• Fish and chips ^[13]
• Shepherd’s Pie ^[14]
• Scotch Eggs ^[15] – one of my favorites!

Afternoon Tea

This is a social meal. This is when the hobbits carry on about what their neighbors are doing and who has taken an adventure (frowned upon by the elders).  This must be served with tea and sweets.

• Blackberry tarts ^[16]
• Cookies, like lavender shortbread ^[17]
• Berry Crisp ^[18] or cobbler

And then moving on to dinner …

Dinner

The largest meal of the day, dinner must include breads with cold meats and cheese and tall mugs of dark beer. Here are some main course ideas –

• Meat pies – chicken pot pie ^[19]
• Cheddar soup, with leeks and bacon and beer ^[20]!
• Roast beef and vegetables ^[21]
• Steak and potatoes
• Rabbit stew

And nope – they aren’t finished yet! Are you full? Are you ready for more?

Supper

Ahhh. The last meal of the day. Supper has to keep the hobbit until the next morning. A platter of cold meats and cheeses and some fresh breads and cold butter, are served with a main course – and of course, a large mug of ale.

• Hot Soups – hearty soup, like this beef and bean soup with bacon ^[22]
• Roasted Chicken ^[23]
• Salad with hard boiled eggs and cheese

And then, after another mug of ale, it’s off to bed to rest up for the next day. A hobbit’s life is quite busy.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 Tomorrow marks the 111th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. This “unsinkable” ship set out on it’s maiden voyage on April 10, 1912, heading from Southampton, England to New York City, USA. Built in Belfast, Ireland, this luxury liner was declared sea worthy in early April of 1912. And so she set sail on her maiden voyage. At 11:40pm, and iceberg was spotted and the ship’s side was scraped shortly after. By 2:30am, the entire ship was under water.

We’ve all heard the story of the Titanic. But did you know there were multiple restaurants for the first class? There were also two galleys. The one used for first class (also shared with second class) was equipped with the most current cooking supplies and a staff of 69 chefs, bakers, butchers and the like. The menus were lavish and used the best ingredients.

The third class, or steerage, had very simply prepared food and were served in a large dining room with long tables. The main meal for this group was served at noon.

So what did the Titanic passengers eat for their last meals?

A note before we begin, it is important to note there are no surviving recipes. Everything went down with the ship. Passengers sent menus to family and friends as souvenirs and that is all that is left 0f the meals they ate on the Titanic. Using the menus and historic food trends, recipes have been developed by several groups. The recipes here are my rendition of the menu items.

The pantry was certainly full. There was 1000 pounds of grapes, 40 tons of potatoes, 75,000 pounds of fresh meat and a lot of eggs!! Just to mention a few — The upper classes got the more exotic of the ingredients, while third class got the most basic foods.

Third Class Dinner on the Titanic –

The menu for steerage was very basic. Here is an actual menu for the day of April 14 – Note that the third class menu has all of the meals for the day on one card.

The dining saloon held long communal tables and no fancy decorations. Just a very utilitarian seating. There wasn’t enough room for all the passengers to eat at the same time, so the were fed at two different servings.

For this group, I have included a basic roast beef and potatoes recipe. I didn’t include everything on the menu. And just for reference, cabin biscuits were dry, hard soda cracker like things – also called hardtack.

A third class ticket on the Titanic cost $15 to $40 – about $400 to $1,100 in today’s economy.

Here is the recipe for third class roast beef and potatoes. 

Start by seasoning the beef and searing it in hot oil on both sides. Place it cast-iron dutch oven with the onions, garlic and water. Bring it to a boil, then roast for about 3 hours.

While it’s cooking, boil the whole potatoes until they are fork tender.

Remove it from the oven, add the carrots, potatoes and the last cup of water. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve it with buttered corn and the gravy from the bottom of the pan.

Printable Third class recipe:

Second Class Dinner on the Titanic –

Second class had a bit better menu than the steerage passengers. They shared the same galley as the first class and were served popular British foods of the time. Rarely did they get a taste of the French cuisine the first class passengers got.

The dining saloon was a bit fancier than steerage. There were mahogany tables and oak paneling on the walls. It was also big enough to feed all the second class passengers at the same time.

That last dinner was served in three courses –

•  1st course – Consommé with tapioca
• 2nd course – Baked haddock with sharp sauce; curried chicken and rice; spring lamb with mint sauce; roast turkey with savory cranberry sauce; green peas; puree turnips; boiled rice; boiled and roast potatoes.
• 3rd course – Plum pudding (also known as Christmas pudding), wine jelly, coconut sandwich, American Ice Cream, nuts, assorted, fresh fruit, cheese, biscuits. (Note: American ice cream varied from the French in that it had no eggs in it)

A second class ticket cost $60 – about $1,600 today.

Here is the recipe for second class Haddock and Sharp sauce –

Season the haddock and cover with the other ingredients. Bake for about 20 t0 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

While it’s cooking, make the sharpe sauce. Cook the onions in the butter until they are opaque.

Add the brown sugar, flour and mustard and simmer until it is fragrant.

Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Strain it and set it aside.

Serve the fish with the sauce over it.

Printable second class recipe:

First Class Dinner on the Titanic –

First class were served the most luxurious food on the ship, prepared in elaborate ways. And they were served many courses! In the time of the Titanic, they say that wealth was measured by girth – in other words, the larger you were, the richer you were. The first class menu will show you why!

Passengers on first class could eat in the main first class saloon or in a smaller, ala carte restaurant – the Ritz. This little Parisien cafe was open to dine anytime between 8 and 11 pm.

That last, first class dinner on the Titanic was served in ten courses, followed by fruit, nuts and cheeses with fine port wine, coffee and cordials – and for the men, cigars. The evening ended with passengers in the smoking room, sipping scotch, smoking cigars and listening to music.

• 1st course     – Hors Oeuvre Varies, Oysters, 
• 2nd course   – Consommé Olga, Cream of Barley,
• 3rd course    – Salmon, Mousseline, Cucumbers,
• 4th course    – Filet Mignons Lili with Potatoes Anna or Sauté of Chicken Lyonnaise with Vegetable Marrow Farcis,
• 5th course    – choices were; Lamb, Meat Sauce, Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce, Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes, Green Peas, Creamed Carrots, Boiled Rice, Parmentier, and New Potatoes,
• 6th course    – Punch Romaine,
• 7th course    – Roast Squab and cress,
• 8th course    – Asparagus Vinaigrette
• 9th course    – Pate de Foie Gras, Celery,
• 10th course – Waldorf pudding, Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly, Chocolate and Vanilla Eclairs and French Ice cream (French ice cream was rich and made with eggs, where as the American ice cream was simply cream and sugar)

First class tickets in a simple berth was $150 – $4,000 today. A more luxurious choice was the Parlour suite at a mere $4,350, or in modern numbers, $116,000!

Here is the recipe for First class Filet Mignon Lili and Potatoes Anna – 

The first thing to do is prepare the potatoes. Slice 2 large, peeled russet potatoes super thin (I used a mandolin).

Rub a 2 quart casserole dish with butter.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Layer the potatoes in a spiral in the bottom, brushing each layer with melted butter and salt & pepper.

Put the pan on the burner over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. You want to brown the bottom of the potatoes.

Set these aside until just before the beef is done.

Now, on to the sauce.

Melt half the sauce in a medium sauce pan. Lightly saute the shallots in the butter.

Stir in the tomato paste, stirring until it becomes thick.

Stir in the broth, wine, port and cognac. Add the rosemary and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until it has reduce by half.

Strain the mixture then return to the pan.

Stir in the remaining butter and remove from heat. Set aside.

Prepare all the ingredients for the filets.

Salt and pepper all sides of each steak. Let them sit at room temperature.

Now it’s time to cook the potatoes. Place the dish in a 450 degree, preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned.

Move to a broiler and broil 1 to 2 minutes, until the top is golden. Rest at least five minutes.

Back to the steak. It gets a little tricky here. Do the next two steps while the potatoes are in the oven –

Melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy skillet, then add the vegetable oil and garlic.

Sear the steak on high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook about 5 to 10 minutes on each side, remembering to turn it and cook the sides. The internal temperature should be 130 degrees ^[29]. The temp will go up as it rests so don’t go over that.  Set the steaks on a hot plate.

But don’t forget to keep the potatoes going!

Using the pan drippings and the remaining butter, gently saute the artichoke hearts. At the same time, place the foie gras slices in the pan and gently brown on both sides.

NOTE: The original dish had foie gras on the top with thinly sliced black truffles on top of that. I could not find truffles so I used foie gras with truffles in it.

Now, it’s time to serve it up!

Place a hefty scoop of potatoes in the center of the plate.

The steak goes on top, then the fois gras.

Lay the artichoke hearts beside the potatoes and drizzle sauce over the whole dish. Garnish with a couple of chives.

Printable First Class recipe:

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Now that you have all the menus, you can plan your next Titanic party! Will you go steerage, second class or all the way with first?

Leave me a comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

There is a Polish proverb that says, “Fish, to taste right, must swim three times – in water, in butter, and in wine.” That’s exactly what this cod does. It swam in the sea (water), is seared in butter, then lightly poached in white wine and served with rice.

Here’s how you do it:

Pat the cod fillets dry,

then gently rub the spices on both sides.

Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until it’s just softly brown.

Lay the fish and one sprig of fresh basil in the butter. Sear the fish on both sides.

Add the wine and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, gently for about 3-5 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

Remove the fish with a slotted spoon to a plate and keep warm.

Continue simmering the sauce until it’s reduced by about a fourth. You should have about 3/4 of the liquid remaining.

In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter, then add the flour. Heat, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly browned.

Stir the flour mixture into the wine and butter ^[34] in the skillet and mix well. Some good wine choices are riesling (what I used), pinot gris, or sauvignon blanc.

Add the half and half and whisk, cooking until the sauce thickens.

Put the cod back into the pan until it’s heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with hot rice and topped with chopped fresh basil.

This recipe is so easy and it can be used with any kind of fish fillets or wine.

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe or to give as a gift!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Seafood is an incredibly good food source to work into your diet. Fish and shellfish are known to be packed with the nutrients, vitamins, and omega 3s that are essential for strong bones, brain development, and a healthy heart and immune system. It is also low in fat and cholesterol. Adding more seafood to your weekly meal plan is a guaranteed way to help you stock up on all the nutrients you need, and it is easy to do. To help you up your seafood intake in an easy and manageable way, here are some simple seafood meal ideas.

Fish tacos

Fish tacos ^[39]are perfect for family nights or meals. They are super simple and can be as varied as you want them to be. Simply cook up some white fish, add any seasoning or flavor you want and serve up with some warm tortillas. You can get creative and mix up a salsa or salad to add to your tacos too. Tacos are the perfect versatile and easy-to-make option. 

Fish pie

Fish pie is another perfect family meal or one that owes itself to batch cooking, making it a perfect mid-week nutritious meal. You can add as many different types of fish as you want, typically cod and haddock work best. You can also make it a lower-fat, healthier version by swapping out the full-fat milk for a skimmed alternative. Oh and don’t forget to throw in some peas and serve up with green veg for added goodness. 

Lobster rolls

You can make easy lobster rolls ^[40] with a handful of ingredients in a matter of minutes. Lobster rolls are a great treat and are a fresh and tasty lunch best shared with friends, they are perfect served with a side of fresh slaw and potato chips. 

Fish and Baked Wedges

A spin on the classic British ‘fish and chips’ but with a healthier twist. Typically the Brits like to deep fry their fish and chips but this alternative can still give you the same great taste but less cholesterol. Swap your fried fish for oven-baked and replace fries with home-cut potato wedges baked in the oven with a low-calorie spray. A great tasty alternative is to change your white potato for sweet potato or add a little cajun seasoning ^[41]to give them a kick. 

Fish Chowder

Use your favorite white fish and salmon to create this healthy and tasty dish full of Omega 3. Fish chowder makes the perfect delicious dish for those cooler days. Be sure to add leeks and sweet corn to up your vegetable count, chives for extra taste, and omit the double cream if you want to keep the calorie count down. 

Lobster and potato salad

This is a flavorsome fresh favorite that is the perfect addition to your summer barbeque. Not to mention one that will wow your guests.