Two Coast Table

Lobster Roll

I can’t even begin to describe the craving I have had recently for a Lobster Roll. Lobster rolls are probably second on a list of my favorite foods, pizza being number one. I live in Massachusetts so they are readily available, but I wanted to try to make my own. I went to the grocery store to buy a lobster on Monday of this past week and they were SOLD OUT of lobsters! I was appalled. I didn’t give up and yesterday I tried buying one again and there behind the seafood counter was the lobster I have been waiting for. I had them cook it at the store so I could have it ready when I needed it at home.

Ingredients & Directions:

Four 1- to 1 1/4-pound lobsters
1/4 C plus 2 T mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 C finely diced celery
2 T fresh lemon juice
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 top-split hot dog buns
2 T butter
1/2 C shredded lettuce

(Note: I only made 1 lobster roll so I cut the recipe in 1/4ths) Twist off the lobster tails and claws and remove the meat. Remove and discard the intestinal vein that runs the length of each lobster tail. Cut the lobster meat into 1/2-inch pieces and pat dry, then transfer to a strainer set over a bowl and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour. In a large bowl, mix the lobster meat with the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the diced celery, lemon juice and cayenne pepper until well blended.

Heat a large skillet. Brush the sides of the hot dog buns with the melted butter and toast over moderate heat until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the hot dog buns to plates, fill them with the shredded lettuce and the lobster salad and serve immediately.

I served it with chips and ate it in about 30 seconds. I am totally regretting not getting more than one lobster.

(Steven)

18 July

Finding the Best Arancini in Boston pt. 2: Tavolo

There’s a lot of things I don’t like doing without Steven. These things include a) drinking on weeknights b) participating in snarky Gchats c) judging people on OkCupid. It’s like being ripped apart from my Siamese twin – it pains me to go through these activities alone.

Above all else, I really, really, REALLY don’t like eating arancini balls without him, especially when we’ve both pledged TOGETHER to find The Best Arancini in Boston. I would feel cheated on if I found out through Tumblr gossip that he had gone on a solo adventure without me.

But last Friday night, I suffered a brutal surprise attack when my waiter at Tavolo in Dorchester told me with a glint in his eye that they were featuring – you guessed it – arancini balls on the menu as a special that evening. A few moments of confusion passed. I mean, I never want to be that girl who passes up arancini but I also, like, value my friendship with Steven and didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Soon I started to sweat, my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and my date was wondering what the eff was going on.

But don’t worry, my moral dilemma quickly passed and I ordered the arancini with gusto, but not before texting Steven a picture of them with the caption “OMG OMG LOOK” written over it.

His response: “Omg I’m dying.” It was like he was really there.

My date had never tried an arancini ball before (I know, I know) and he couldn’t have had a better first experience. These were perfectly proportioned, hot, and crispy on the outside with macaroni and cheese-looking rice on the inside and melted mozzarella cheese in the middle.

It honestly doesn’t get much better than this as far as arancini goes. Now, I’m not trying to make Steven feel bad, but these are in the running for my favorite arancini balls in Boston. Tavolo is now basically tied with Teatro and their Arancini with Short Ribs & Truffle Aioli. Big statements, I know, but these were near perfect.

If anyone in Boston hasn’t been to Tavolo, hop on the red line and ride it out to the Ashmont stop ASAP. Yes, it’s a long ride, but it’s so worth it. Plus, the restaurant is right next to the T stop, so I don’t want to hear any bitching about possibly getting shot, ok?

Until the next (non-solo) arancini adventure,

(Guest Blogger Alison)

18 May

Workday Breakfast vs. Weekend Breakfast

On the occasion that I muster up the energy to make breakfast in the morning before work I usually like to eat eggs. One of my favorite things I own is the Egg Poacher Pan from Crate & Barrel. Sure, I can poach eggs the regular way in a pan with water, but with this pan it’s simple fast and I can do other things at the same time and not worry about it.

I will poach one egg and throw it on an english muffin or a mini-bagel with a piece of cheese. Sometimes when I am feeling ambitious I will make Eggs Benedict, but I usually save that ambition for Sunday morning.

(Steven)

27 February

Arancini

You know how sometimes you go out to eat and think, “Oh, that would be so easy to make at home. I should just do it.” Then you get home and think, but that seems like so much work and remember the last time you made risotto & how well that turned out?

Anyway, I have been out to eat a few times in the past few months and one thing I keep seeing everywhere is Arancini. It’s basically a ball of rice/risotto, some cheese in the middle, covered with breading (typically panko) and then fried. It’s like that SNL sketch, Delicious Dish, where all you want to do is talk about how good these balls are while you are eating them. The first time I had them they were bite-sized & served with nothing. The next time I had them they were large and served with truffle honey. I found a recipe online that served them with marinara sauce and I thought that would be a great accompaniment with the Chicken Marsala that I was going to make for dinner.

Ingredients & Directions:

3 C cooked mushroom risotto, cooled
12 mozzarella cubes, 1/2 inch
1 C all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 C Panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 C of marinara sauce
2 T of Parmesan Cheese (I actually used Asiago)

I made the mushroom risotto beforehand following this recipe (without peas..I hate peas!).

The Garlic Zoom

One of my new favorite kitchen tools is the Garlic Zoom from Chef’n. I got this in the swag bag from the We Are Not Martha 2 year Blogiversary. This is super easy to use and what I think is the best part is how easy it is to clean. The blade pulls out and you can just rinse everything. I use garlic in almost everything I cook. Granted I could just use a knife to cut the garlic, but what fun is that?

(Steven)

5 February

Burgers, Drinks, & Exercising: A Night Out with Yelp

This past Friday night Yelp put on another Yelp Elite Event at Revolution Fitness in the South End of Boston. I was not sure what to expect since most of their events are at restaurants or places seemingly more suited for events. I was quickly comforted that this was a Yelp event thanks to being served a cocktail seconds after checking in at the door. That’s how it’s done.

I can not stress it enough how amazing Yelp is to its members, especially its Elite members! If you are unfamiliar with Yelp (please say you’re not) or if you don’t know what a Yelp Elite member is check out their website for more info.

The drinks were all made with Rain Organic Vodka and served by Jackson Cannon of Eastern Standard.

Here is a list of the cocktails & ingredients (exact directions were unavailable):

Survivor: Rain Organic Cucumber Lime, maraschino, fresh lemon
The Circuit: Rain Organic Lavender Lemonade, blood orange, angostura, ginger beer
Forest Yoga: Rain Organic Red Grape Hibiscus, bianco vermouth, Regan’s no. 6, flamed medjool date essence
Helixing: Rain Organic Honey Mango Melon, agave nectar, fresh lime

Code Blue was also passing out samples of their Recovery Drink which was definitely helpful on Sunday morning after spending the night out with friends.

Food is customary at Yelp events and since it was at a gym all the food served this time was healthy. B.good served mini hamburgers and I was pleasantly surprised since I usually don’t eat hamburgers unless they are from McDonalds. I have never been to an actual b.good location, but I am definitely going to try it out now. Veggie Planet also served the passed apps, my favorite was the Sweet Potato Crostinis. They also served a veggie wraps that I enjoyed. I didn’t eat the Red Pepper Jelly & Goat Cheese made with Bonnie’s Jams (don’t hate me I don’t like Goat Cheese), but I heard they were delicious.

The location itself, Revolution Fitness, was fabulous. I would recommend joining this gym if you live in this neighborhood. I would be there in an instant it I could afford to join any gym. The equipment is brand new, it’s clean, and I even met the owner who was friendly and informative. Leighann, the Yelp Boston community manager, never ceases to amaze me with all the work that goes into planning these events. I look forward to the next Yelp Elite event.

Here is Sara (from Yelp), Dustin, and the delicious Sweet Potato Crostinis.

(Steven)

26 January

Cupcake Class at BCAE

This past Wednesday night I helped out at Dustin’s ‘How to Bake the Perfect Cupcake” class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. If you know me, you know I love cupcakes, and I would never pass up an opportunity to bake and eat them for three hours. We made 13 different cupcakes and eight different frostings. Amazing, right?

The class was broken up into stations and each of the stations worked on a different cupcake and frosting. While the cupcakes were cooking, Dustin talked about different tips and answered questions.

One of my favorite tips is his use of the ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins. You get the same perfect amount in every cupcake without the mess you might get when using a spoon.

The best frosting of the evening was the peanut butter frosting. I included the recipe.