Beautiful Bouillabaisse

Have you ever had Bouillabaisse?  Most people get scared off by the name, thinking if they can't pronounce it they won't be able to make it.  Read on and I'll show you how easy it is to make it, even if you can't say it!

Something to savour!

I love Johnsonville Italian Sausage, it is so robust, and bursting with flavour!  This month I have the opportunity to once again partner with Johnsonville Italian Sausage, and already I have made some incredible mouth-watering main dishes!

Holy Herdez!

I rarely post more than once in a day, but I have recently tried two new recipes, that left me licking my lips they were THAT good!

A bowl of soup

It's the middle of September, and across some of the country it's getting cooler. That means it's the perfect time for a bowl of soup!

Party for the mouth

Last night I *FINALLY* got around to making the Shrimp, corn and coconut soup w/ roasted poblanos !!!

• 3 poblano peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup fresh corn
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Coco Lopez cream of coconut
• 2 pounds 91-110 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 ounce brie cheese, cubed
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation method

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 40 mins

1.

Place poblanos on a skewer and blacken them over the stove top burner. Put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam a little. When cool, rub off the skin with a paper towel or peel the skin off with your fingers. Mince the poblanos.

 

~~~See my personal notes if you don't have a gas stove~~~

 

2.

Heat olive oil and butter in a four- to five-quart pot over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Then sauté onions and celery and fresh corn about four minutes*. Add flour, cilantro and garlic and cook for three minutes stirring occasionally. Add wine and prepared diced poblanos stirring frequently. Add coconut milk, coco Lopez and the rest of the ingredients and simmer for fifteen minutes. Ladle soup into bowls to serve.

I first sampled this recipe at the Chefs of the Coast stockpot cookoff in Biloxi, MS. Chef Chris has effectively created a "party for the mouth" with this soup!!  The first thing that I notice taste wise is that the flavours meld together perfectly, while still keeping their own uniqueness.  As I sampled the soup I could detect the sweetness from the coconut, the heat from the poblanos, the burst of cilantro, and the creaminess from the brie cheese & cream.  The flavours seemed to dance in my mouth!

It has a bit of a kick combined w/ a perfectly balanced sweetness. I made some slight changes in the method of preparation.

Notes:
I'm not lucky enough to have a gas stove, so I cranked up my oven, placed the poblanos on a cookie sheet and allowed them to roast in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. While the poblanos were roasting, I sauteed the onion, celery and 1/2 cup of corn.
*Once sauteed I took this mixture and blended it up for added creaminess. Afterwards I transferred the blended mixture back to my stockpot, and added the remaining 1/2 cup of corn and finished cooking per instructions. Thank you to Chef Eric for sharing this recipe!!!!