I Can Make That Too: Shrimp Salad in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Shrimp Salad from Petros

For me, eating cold shrimp has always meant Shrimp Cocktail, the classic appetizer that made dining out in the 1950’s a special treat.  I make it at home occasionally when I’m feeling nostalgic, but today shrimp for me is more of an ingredient in a stir-fry, soup or casserole.

Now thanks to a Shrimp Salad I ordered at Petros, a Greek restaurant in Manhattan Beach, CA, I have new respect for cold shrimp. 

I Can Make That Too: Mom’s Eggs Benedict vs. Fischer’s Viennese Café’s Version

Fischer's Viennese Cafe Version of Eggs Benedict

I credit James Bond with my introduction to Eggs Benedict, a wonderful, slightly decadent egg dish that, if made right, you’ll never forget.

Eggs Benedict is usually served for breakfast or brunch, but 007 had his with Jack Daniel’s as a late-night snack in “You Only Live Twice.”  I prefer mine for brunch because it gives me the rest of the day to digest all the butter the dish calls for.

Eggs Benedict are more complicated than an omelet and can go wrong in several ways.  But if you get them even partly right, the effort is worth it.

I Can Make That Too: Chicken Tikka in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Mom's Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka is basically an Indian shish kebab with lots of spices.  Traditionally these kebabs are cooked in a tandoor oven, which can heat up to nearly 1,000 degrees.  Indian restaurants have such ovens.  I don’t.  I researched online and found one for $600+. Not worth it.  I decided to use my own oven, which will heat to 545 degrees and makes perfectly respectable Chicken Tikka.

I Can Make That Too: Honey Shrimp in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Mom's Honey Shrimp

Until I ate some Honey Shrimp at Pho Show in Redondo Beach, CA, it never occurred to me to combine these two ingredients.  They work surprisingly well together.  And here I thought the best match-up with shrimp was cocktail sauce!

That’s because of my Western Pennsylvania childhood.  The only times I ever had shrimp was at restaurants, and they were always served as Shrimp Cocktail.  How ignorant I was.

I Can Make That Too: Penne Arrabbiata in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Eatalia Cafe's Penne Arrabbiato

The word “arrabbiata” is Italian for “angry.”  In food terms that’s code for “very spicy” or “as spicy as you can stand it.”  I prefer medium-spicy, with a glass of water standing by just in case.

I Can Make That Too: Spicy Potato Spread in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Chef Hannes Spicy Potato Spread

One of my favorite local restaurants in Southern California is Chef Hannes in El Segundo, not far from the Los Angeles Airport.  When you arrive for lunch or dinner, the first dish that lands on your table is a complimentary bowl of thick green spread accompanied by slices of French bread.

I wasn’t sure what I was eating, but I knew that I liked it.  I hinted to the owner, who sometimes also serves as the waiter, that I would like the recipe. All I got were two clues: garlic and potatoes.

I Can Make That Too: Peanut Butter Cups in Mom’s Kitchen vs. Store-Bought Peanut Butter Cups

My first encounter with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup came in middle school, when we had a fundraiser that involved buying candy wholesale and selling it full price to fellow students.  The Peanut Butter Cups sold out immediately.  Did I really buy them all?

Now, many years later, I’m okay with not getting too many Halloweeners.  That way I can take charge of the leftover Peanut Butter Cups.

I Can Make That Too: Crab Salad Appetizer in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Crab Salad from Chez Fernand

I’m always looking for the easiest possible dish to put on the table.  It helps if the dish also looks appetizing and even better if it offers a hint of sophistication.  Ultimately, though, it has to taste good.  Beautiful pictures of beautiful food are delightful, but if the actual food is simply fodder--or worse--what’s the point?

I was surprised to find this Crab Salad Appetizer on the menu at a small restaurant called Chez Fernand on Paris’ Left Bank.  It was simple, attractively presented and, best of all, delicious.

I vowed to make it myself and came up with this very easy recipe.

I Can Make That Too: Mussels in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Mussels from Mom's Kitchen

I started loving mussels when I lived in London and could buy fresh ones at the fishmonger’s stall in the Tachbrook Street Market, near Victoria Station. This was before mussel farming began in earnest, so the mussels I got were wild ones, often with barnacles attached to their shells.

Cleaning the mussels took ages and sometimes required a hammer and flat-head screwdriver to knock off the barnacles.  They had to go because they were likely to be full of sand.  I also had to yank out the mussels’ beards—a bunch of threads that help the mussel attach to an underwater surface.  That took brute strength.