Welcome to Lee’s Bistro. Pull up a comfy chair, help yourself to a cup of tea, a glass of wine or whatever else tickles your taste buds, let’s chat while I cook.

I’ve just started my next book—the working title is Gateway to Her Heart—set in San Francisco and California wine country, which means I’ll be doing lots of research on vineyards, wineries, wine, etc. For the Bistro’s grand opening, I thought it would be fun to serve up a five-course dinner, with a wine paring suggestion for each course.

I’m starting with recipes for seafood appetizers, and will periodically post other menu items (soup, salad, entrée, and dessert), recipes, and wines. Please check back!

Dinner for Eight at Lee’s Bistro

Appetizers
Shrimp Bites, Mussels on the Half-shell, Scallop Ceviche
served with chilled Sauvignon Blanc

Shrimp Bites
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 heads of Belgian endive
24 medium-sized shrimp, deveined and cooked

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and dill in a small bowl. Separate the endive leaves into 24 spears, wash them, and pat them dry. Spoon about half a teaspoon of the mayo/sour cream mixture onto the base of each endive spear and top with a shrimp. Fresh shrimp are best, but frozen (thawed) shrimp will also work. Refrigerate till serving time.

Mussels on the Half-shell
24 mussels
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
garnish: diced sweet red pepper and fresh cilantro leaves

Mix the olive oil, parsley, lime juice, hot sauce and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.

Tap the mussels and discard any that remain open. Scrub the mussels, remove the beards, and steam them in a covered saucepan in 1/4 cup of boiling water for about 4 minutes. Steaming will make the mussels open up. Discard any that remain closed.

Carefully remove the mussels from the shells, put them in the bowl with the marinade, and gently stir them till coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Separate the shells and keep half of them.

To serve, place one marinated mussel on each shell and garnish with a cilantro leaf and a small piece of red pepper.

Scallop Ceviche
1/2 pound scallops, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced English cucumber
2 tablespoons finely diced sweet red pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced sweet yellow pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Cook the scallops in a large amount of boiling water for about 1 minute, just until firm. Drain them, put them in a bowl and toss with olive oil, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Just before serving, drain off any excess oil and stir in the lime juice, salt, and pepper flakes. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Mix in cucumber, red and yellow peppers, and mint. Serve in 8 small, individual appetizer bowls. Another serving suggesting is to use 8 porcelain Chinese soup spoons.

If your guests are already seated, arrange three shrimp bites, three mussels and a serving of creviche on a small plate.

Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc is a light wine, yet acidic enough to pair well with the citrus marinades on the mussels and scallops. Serve chilled.

For more recipes, please check out the Friday Food for Thought recipes on my blog, The Writer Side of Life.