This is one of my favorites,when I was updating the menus at a little Italian restaurant that I friend of mine owned this is one that I put onto the menu. When the package of dinner comes to your table it is like opening a present. You tear open the parchment and and the scented steam pores out it is a fun experience. It is really a beautiful dish too I couldn't do it justice in my pictures, I may have to sign up for a photography class... anyway the effect in real life is cool you open up the parchment and think something like "wow that is cool... it smells great" you see the picture and think "bag of garbage" sorry.
It it really simple to make, on the bottom is Cous cous that is really simple for the two I made:
3/4 cup Cous cous
3/4 cup boiling chicken broth
Put the dry Cous cous in a bowl add the chicken broth cover and let sit for about 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.
Take a 12x12 inch piece of parchment, spray the bottom with a little pan spray then, on each sheet put:
3/4 cup Cous cous
2 TBS Diced Onion
2 TBS Diced Bell Pepper
5 ounces of raw peeled Shrimp
2 TBS Pesto Sauce (I just bought some at the grocery store, I like to make it myself, but that wasn't happening this week)
Pull up the sides like a big Hershey's kiss tie it up and put into a hot oven for 20 minutes. The shrimp is perfectly done, everything is infused with the Garlic and Basil flavor and odor, The cous cous comes out with a little bite to it but flavorful and light. It is great.
It makes me a little sad, because it really is
a cool dish, I just couldn't get the right picture
It does sound delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not great at photos, either. The ones I took when I first started out were about the lamest things ever.
One thing that might help is to re-evaluate where you are taking your photos. The light source is making your images yellowish. The center of my kitchen (where I first began taking pictures) did that, too. I moved near a window and got a white board to put behind the finished dish, and it worked wonders!
Thanks! I can use the help, it makes me so sad when I do a really cool dish and the pictures aren't right.
ReplyDeleteLove the little parchment packages! I did one once with sea bass and sake.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to use couscous too.
I have a sneaky little secret re photos. I do a closeup with lots of lights and usually end up in Photoshop trying to get the colors right. I am not a photographer so need all the help I can get to make the photos look tasty. I am doing a Valentine cupcake post and it was pink when I made it. I should have put more food dye in it and made it red because it showed up white in the photo. So I put more red in the entire photo via Photoshop
- and now it looks pink. Lame, but I didn't know any other way.
Keep in mind the photos in magazines are all doctored up by pros. AND there are a lot of really talented bloggers out there who are camera pros.
Oh that sounds yummy, you just gave me an idea for a canape for work. What do you think about that dish but wrapped in filo and baked individually??? I'm going to make some, Thanks
ReplyDeleteCamilla, I am honored, thanks this would be great as a little beggers purse or filo wrap.
ReplyDeletethis looks really good and easy. i found your site through the dinners and dreams blog (nisrine is my daughter in law, so i am of course enchanted with her and it). i will be checking your blog regularly from now on, as i really like the way you cook!
ReplyDelete