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A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett

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peas

Pan Seared Scallops with Pea Puree and Mint Oil

August 13, 2011

Do you ever feel like you go through the same dozen or so recipes over and over?  Sometimes we all just get into a bit of a rut with dinner,  even me.   One of the wonderful things about writing this blog is that it forces me out of it. Adding this pan seared scallops with pea puree recipe and a refreshing burst of mint oil is sure to inspire you to get into the kitchen, even when you don’t feel like cooking. This dish can be served as an appetizer or as an entree.

Back in my restaurant kitchen days,  I’d work 14 hour days and the last thing I wanted to do at 2 a.m. was fire up the stove and cook for myself.  Most of us went to a diner after work or made a PB & J when we got home.

Sometimes I miss those days, believe it or not.  Not quite enough to do it all over again,  but the rush of a restaurant kitchen is pretty seductive.  The sound of ticket after ticket spitting out in front you, giving you all of your orders… you start calculating in your head just how people are out there waiting for your food!

A professional kitchen is like a well choreographed dance.

Everyone moves within inches of one another, speaking to each other every few minutes communicating your expected time to the pass.  There is a camaraderie unlike any other environment out there if you’re lucky.

I have told this story many times to people over the years…  there was a single moment early in my kitchen days when all of us working at a certain well-known restaurant stopped what we were doing and looked up at each other.

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Filed Under: Seafood Tagged With: mint, peas, scallops, seared scallops

Is Dinner Ready Yet?

April 2, 2011

One of the things most of us feel we never have enough of (besides money) is time.  Being at work at an obscenely early hour and not returning home until 10 hours later, I rarely feel I can take a leisurely approach to dinner.

Most people say to me “I’m sure the last thing you feel like doing when you get home is cooking” and sometimes they’re right,  but a girl’s gotta eat…

A common misconception with people who may not have Chefs in their lives is that we come home and make seared foie gras.  Hardly…
Like teachers, fireman, etc. most chefs do it for the love of the job.  Being a chef isn’t always a lucrative gig.

One thing a chef learns quickly when creating a menu is food costs.  This translates well into our own kitchens, because like i just said, we aren’t all Tom Colicchio or Mario Batali with restaurant empires.

Dinner most nights needs to be quick, not terribly expensive, good for me and most of all NOT leave a mess of dishes to clean up.  If there is one chore I LOATHE it’s washing dishes.

Here’s one of my old favorites that fits the bill quite nicely:

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Filed Under: Beef/Pork/Poultry, Dinner Tagged With: chicken, herbs, peas, shallots, wine

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Hi there and thanks for stopping by!  I'm Cheryl, Chef by day and Blogger by night!

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