Category: World Oyster At Home

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Venetian Lobster and Squid Ink Pasta

About a year ago I ate a fabulous dinner of lobster and squid ink pasta in the heart of Venice. Thanks to a tour guide, who said that it was his favorite traditional Venetian dish, I ordered it at Le Magazin, a restaurant not far from our hotel. This dish requires a whole cold water lobster for maximum presentation and flavor; however, you can dispense with it and use only the meat.

The first time I tried to recreate the recipe, it didn’t taste quite right. Last summer, with Maine lobsters on sale and my garden brimming with fresh grape tomatoes, I decided to give it another go. I used dried squid ink spaghetti, although any long black pasta will do. If you can’t bring yourself to eat squid ink pasta, substitute regular spaghetti or linguine for a less dramatic but still delicious dish.

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Twists on Three Easy Summer Salads

Grilled Pineapple and Watermelon with Fresh Herb Dressing
Grilled Pineapple and Watermelon with Fresh Herb Dressing

Easy summer salads are a mainstay in my kitchen during the hotter months. Still, I get tired of the same old/same old. Enter inspiration from restaurants and friends. Although I previously shared a recreated Watermelon Greek Salad, a dish that easily falls into this category, I tackled three new recipes this summer, each with a twist on a classic.

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Archives Life in the Time of Coronavirus World Oyster At Home

Art in the Time of Coronavirus

Art in the Time of Coronavirus: one of Van Gogh's Sunflower series
Art in the Time of Coronavirus: one of Van Gogh’s Sunflower series, as seen in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Viewing art in the time of coronavirus has shifted from physical museums to virtual tours. While this happened, something else shifted underneath society. We have mutally discovered how the arts keep us sane and connected during lockdown. Whether an entire town singing from balconies or an individual dancing with himself in front of a mirror, we’ve discovered that creativity and expression help assauge aloneness. When people sing together in a Zoom mosaic of faces and voices, they strengthen connections despite physical distance.

All those who have said that studying the arts is useless should heed what’s happening. The arts sustain us. They allow us to soar beyond our small spaces and into the world. They reach across language barriers, oceans, and cultures to establish a human bond where perhaps none existed before. For that reason, I’ve chosen to focus this article on the visual arts currently locked away in collections but now available for all of us to visit, virtually.

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Life in the Time of Coronavirus: Traveling Your Backyard

Life in the Time of Coronavirus: A magnolia bloom starts to open
Life in the Time of Coronavirus: A magnolia bud starts to open

During life in the time of coronavirus, traveling your backyard can relieve stress while reminding you that you are part of the world. While we hunkered down inside, spring arrived. Birds belt out their mating songs, and long-dormant plants push through the leaf litter and mulch. Those of us fortunate enough to own our own property can spend hours outside without leaving its borders. After all, lots of spring work lies ahead. But even city dwellers can avail themselves of the outdoors. If you can’t walk outside, open the windows. Look and listen carefully. Mindfulness doesn’t apply only to eating and meditation.

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Flours in the Time of Coronavirus

Flour in the Time of Coronavirus: Different specialty flours
Flour in the Time of Coronavirus: Different specialty flours

You’d think that I’d be in great shape when needing flours in the time of coronavirus lockdowns because I’m a pantry stocker. Not a prepper. Just someone who likes to have staples on hand in case the urge to bake hits me. Now, though, with store shelves bare and delivery options even scarcer, I’ve had to adjust. In particular, my flour supply has dwindled because of my bread making, and I can’t find any in stores or online to replace it. Many of us work out our stress and extra time in the kitchen, and nothing is more frustrating than not being able to secure ingredients.

I’m more fortunate than most. Not only did I have an extra bag of all-purpose flour on hand but also I had various other kinds in more limited quantities. I even have the ability to mill my own flour. (More on that at the end of this article.) Not all flours are equal, though. Some can be substituted for others in certain situations, while others cannot.

A little ingenuity can help you score a different kind of flour than you usually buy. If people don’t know how to use the other types, they will gravitate to the all-purpose and whole wheats flours. That means that alternatives sell out more slowly than the popular ones. Still, you need to know the properties of the flours left behind. I’ve compiled a list of types and their properties below.

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Archives Life in the Time of Coronavirus Restaurants World Oyster At Home

Life in the Time of Coronavirus

Life in the Time of Coronavirus: Making curbside pick-up into a special evening
Life in the Time of Coronavirus: Making Curbside Pick-Up into a Special Dinner

Most of us are at home, adapting to life in the time of coronavirus, struggling with losing a job or being kept from loved ones or wanting to scream at the walls closing us in. World Oyster, usually devoted to travel and fine dining, will temporarily shift its focus to dealing with the isolation and to supporting the local community. Life in the time of coronavirus means that we all have to be creative.

Because several nearby restaurants offer curbside pick-up, my husband and I decided to support them while treating ourselves to a special evening. After all, we still have to tend to ourselves. We started with curbside pick-up from Cascade at Durham Springs and found ways to create an intimate, elegant dinner in our own home.

To set the stage for the evening, you will have to do some pre-planning. After you’ve decided which restaurant you’ll support, consider how to enhance your upcoming meal with ambience. Think dining, not eating. Take it as far as you’d like.

Curbside Pickup Restaurant: Cascade at Durham Springs

Location: 5065 Lehnenberg Rd. Kintnersville, PA

Phone: 484-907-2100

Pick-up hours: 4 pm-7 pm, Tuesday through Sunday

Wine recommendation: The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

Recommended music for pop music fans: It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense by Ingrid Michaelson

Recommended music for classical lovers: One of the late Mozart Piano Concertos.

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Caramelized Onion Boule With Cheese and Meat: Recipe

My version of Caramelized Onion Mini-Boule With Cheese and Meat
My version of Caramelized Onion Boule With Cheese and Meat

The caramelized onion boule with cheese and meat at Cascade the Restaurant wowed both my husband and me on a recent visit. The presentation was phenomenal, and the flavors complemented one another. We especially loved the flavor of the mini-boule at the center of the board. I vowed to reproduce it at home, from the bread centerpiece to the aesthetics of the whole arrangement. Note: “boule” is the French word for a round loaf of bread.

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World Oyster Kitchen: Sous-vide Ice Cream Base

World Oyster Kitchen: Sous-Vide Ice Cream Base, Cinnamon Bourbon
Sous-Vide Ice Cream Base: Cinnamon Bourbon

I never thought of making a sous-vide ice cream base until recently, when I happened upon a mention of it in an article. It was a huge ah-ha moment. I mean, I’ve used sous-vide for years and never once thought of this application. The controlled environment of a water bath would ensure that the custard base cooked to the perfect temperature without curdling. I could mix it and walk away while my Anova sous-vide circulator did its thing. Perfect! But I didn’t want to use just any recipe. I’ve sampled excellent ice cream all over the world, and I wanted my homemade version to taste just as good.

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World Oyster Kitchen: Watermelon Greek Salad Recipe

World Oyster Kitchen: Watermelon Greek Salad Recipe
World Oyster Kitchen: Watermelon Greek Salad Recipe

For World Oyster kitchen, I recreated a Watermelon Greek Salad recipe I discovered on my Norwegian Cruise Lines trip to Alaska. At the time, I was so hungry that I scarfed down the salad before I thought of photographing it. I’ve had to rely on memory and a little experimentation.

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