Watercress soup with crab toasts

This recipe comes from "Daily Mail", the article it resides in mentions how traditional Chinese medicine considers watercress an excellent liver cleanser. Find the original article below the recipe.

SERVES 4

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 850ml (29fl oz) good-quality chicken stock (see our book for home-made)
• 400g (14oz) watercress, rinsed
• a little unsweetened almond milk or water, if needed
• flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

• ready-made fresh crab pâté and pumpkin seed crackers (we like Dr Karg)

♥ Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for a few minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the potato and cook for a few minutes more, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for around 15 minutes, or until the potato is cooked.

♥ Meanwhile, pick the watercress leaves from the stalks and set aside. Add the stalks to the pan 5 minutes before the potatoes have finished cooking, so that they just wilt.

♥ Take the soup off the heat and add the watercress leaves, then process to a smooth consistency in a blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little almond milk or water, if needed, to loosen it to your desired consistency. Serve with fresh crab pâté on pumpkin seed crackers.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2932841/New-soupermodels-Watercress-soup-crab-toasts.html#ixzz3oZqhqZlG
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Chilled watercress and lettuce velouté with oysters

If I'm honest I'll tell you I didn't know what a "velouté " was when I was posting this.
So, I looked it up, this is how Merriam-Webster defines it:

velouté

 

noun ve·lou·té \və-ˌlü-ˈtā\

Definition of VELOUTÉ

:  a soup or sauce made of chicken, veal, or fish stock and cream and thickened with butter and flour

The recipe I'm sharing today is from "Great British Chefs", you will find the link below. 

1

Place the oysters, flat-side up, in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 1 minute. The oysters should have opened. Carefully reserve the oyster juices in a cup

• 8 oysters, large and fresh

2

Remove the oysters from their shells and leave to cool. Then cut the lemongrass stalks into thin skewers and pierce an oyster on each. Chill until ready to serve

• 4 lemongrass sticks

3

Gently sauté the shredded lettuces with 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan for about 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured

• 1/3 iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 baby gem lettuce, shredded
• olive oil

4

Cut the stalks from the watercress and parsley and blanch for 1 minute. Add the watercress leaves and parsley leaves, then blanch for another 2 minutes

• 2 bunches of watercress
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley

5

Drain in a colander and plunge into a big bowl of iced water. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain, pressing down on the leaves to extract the water. Keep the liquor for blending and adjusting the texture of your velouté

6

Mix the lettuces and the wilted watercress and parsley in a blender with the reserved oyster juices and the butter. Blitz until smooth

• 1 knob of butter

7

Add seasoning to taste, then pour and rub the velouté through a fine sieve into a bowl. Chill until ready to serve

• sea salt
• pepper

8

Once ready to serve, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the skewered oysters for a few seconds on each side to reheat and lightly colour

• olive oil

9

Pour the chilled velouté into 4 soup plates and serve with two oyster skewers balanced on the side. ENJOY!

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/watercress-veloute-recipe

Super Simple Elegant Appetizer

How about 3 ingredients? For a lovely appetizer? YES!

Ingredient measurements depend upon quantity you wish to make

B&W Watercress

watermelon

brie

You can change the cheese, the fruit even. There are so many fruit/cheese combinations that will work for this appetizer idea.

Simply cube watermelon, slice cheese, and then place a sprig of watercress on top.

Simple. Elegant. Delicious.