Mussels on the half-shell in Cilantro

It was in 2006, on our anniversary and I was huge, huge pregnant so we couldn't go anywhere to have a special anniversary dinner or celebration. So, I decided to cook special. Yep! It was only (apparently) 12 days before our beloved child was born and I was so heavy, watery, swollen, and hard to move, yet I cooked.

I dug into my recipe bank (which was not as 'much' as now) and found one of the recipe books we got as our wedding gift. It's called "Romance Without Reservation" by Lori and Michael Fagien (I put this link in case you're interested, but this is the only site I could find).

Anyway it's simple and so exotic and you can have it at your own home... enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 dozen mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
¼ C olive oil
¼ finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoon minced shallot
½ Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Directions:
Discard any mussels that have broken shells or that do not clamp shut when tapped. Pour 1 inch of water into a large pot. Add the mussels to the pot. Cover, raise the heat to high and bring to boil. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, just until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Remove the open mussels. Continue to cook, uncovering the pot as necessary to remove the mussels as soon as their shells open. Discard any that do not open.
Heat the broiler. In a small bowl, combine the oil, cilantro, shallot and salt.
Pull off and discard the top shells of the mussels. Arrange the mussels on a baking sheet. Spoon the cilantro mixture over them and sprinkle with pepper. Broil just until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes.

NEW YORK PUMPKIN CRÈME CARAMEL

What else you are thinking of when it comes to Fall/Thanksgiving Time? Of course; Pumpkin! Beside Apples recipes, Goodhousekeeping of October 2007 edition (recipe actually can be found only online) gives the readers a new great recipe for Pumpkin: New York Pumpkin Creme Caramel. The making was easy and fun - and it turned out so great!! Only, you have to pay real good attention on the recipe order to make it a success. I used (again) Grand Marnier for the "orange-flavored liquor" for this recipe. And, oh... I did not only make it once, but twice, the second one turn more 'risen' - I guess because I battered the eggs longer. Other tips: even though the recipe said "WHISK the eggs with the pumpkin bla-bla-bla...", I did NOT do so, I used MIXER to make a great solid well-mixed mixture (for the eggs, pumpkin, Grand Marnier, etc. - the third mix). When we served this to our pastor and his family during an evening dinner we invited them over, they were so thrilled that my pastor suggested me to open a restaurant... (I guess the 'excitement' of cooking can be blown right away by the business side:)LOL).

Ingredients:

- 6 strip(s) (about 3” by 1” each) orange peels

- 1 ¼ Cup(s) sugar

- 1 can (12 Ounce) evaporated milk

- 1 Cup heavy or whipping cream

- 1 Cup (solid pack) pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie mix)

- 6 large eggs

- ¼ Cup(s) orange-flavored liqueur (I used Grand-Marnier)

- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract (Pampered Chef Madagascar Original Vanilla)

- 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1 pinch nutmeg

- 1 pinch salt

Directions:

- In 1-quart saucepan, heat orange peel, ¾ cup sugar, and ¼ cup water to boiling over high heat. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

- With fork, remove orange-peel strips and discard.

- Continue cooking sugar mixture, keep stirring (don’t let it sit still) uncovered, until it turns amber in color, about 3 minutes longer.

- Pour caramel into 9" by 5" loaf pan, swirling to coat bottom. (Hold pan with pot holders to protect hands from heat of caramel.) Set aside.

- In heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat evaporated milk, heavy cream, and remaining ½ cup sugar just to boiling over medium-high heat.

- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, with wire whisk (this part I used MIXER instead), mix pumpkin, eggs, orange liqueur, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until blended.

- Prepare hot water at this point to be used on the custard baking process. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into pumpkin mixture until blended.

- Pour pumpkin mixture through strainer into 8-cup glass measuring cup, then into caramel-coated loaf pan.

- Place loaf pan in roasting pan; place on oven rack. Carefully pour boiling water into roasting pan to come three-quarters of the way up side of loaf pan.

- Bake 55 minutes or until knife comes out clean when inserted 1 inch from edge of custard (center will jiggle slightly).

- Carefully remove loaf pan from water. Allow crème caramel to cool 1 hour in pan on wire rack.

- Refrigerate crème caramel overnight.

- To un-mold, run small spatula around sides of loaf pan; invert crème caramel onto serving plate, allowing caramel syrup to drip down from pan (some caramel may remain in pan).