Friday, May 29, 2015

Blogging Platform, Drought and Fishing.

I am not a happy camper. For most of this week I have not .been able to post my blog from Windows Live Writer. I am not really sure why, but I have found something which implies Blogger has made changes and Microsoft has not been keeping Live Writer up to date. What I now have to do is either write my blog at Blogger or write it on my PC and then copy and paste it. For now I am going to paste because it is easier to do so. One cannot paste the photos though so I have to upload them separately. I looked at another platform but I didn’t really know what information they wanted from me. Alex J. Cavenaugh tells me he writes his blog in Word and my favourite Dragon says he writes his directly on the Blogger site. I want to do it the way I have for several years, I want, I want, I want. Drums heels on floor.

Still no rain, the farmers must be tearing out their hair by now. I am wondering how long asparagus is going to be available which, at the moment, is my main concern. I suggested to Matt that we should,
in fact, take a trip up North. Our second year here, I think, we travelled up to the Thunder Bay area and there was a drought at  that time too. This enabled us to go fishing on a local lake and to catch 6 or 7 Whitefish which are normally only caught in the winter because they swim deep in the summer. The funny thing is, we didn’t even know what we had caught, it being our first summer holiday in Canada. We gave some of them away to the camp site owners but kept some for us to eat. We barbecued them and they were delicious. Only time I have really enjoyed fishing.

I have never tried this recipe, although one of my favourite foods, lobster isn’t the sort of thing one buys every day. or even very often.

Asparagus and Lobster Crêpes with Fines Herbes Hollandaise Sauce


1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed
Cooked meat of 1 large lobster, or 2 lobster tails (about 1 1/2 lbs lobster before cooking)
sprinkling of salt plus 1/2 tsp.

Fines Herbes Hollandaise

2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cubed
2 Tbs lemon juice
white pepper to taste
1 Tbs fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 Tbs fresh chives, finely chopped
1 Tbs fresh chervil, finely chopped.

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a large pot, steam or boil asparagus until just tender, about 10 mins, cool under cold water, drain and set aside.
3. Coarsely chop cooked lobster, set aside
4. Prepare crêpes.
5. Divide the asparagus into 8 separate bundles. Place a bundle in each of 8 crêpes, sprinkle with salt and roll to enclose. Place asparagus in a glass baking dish, top with lobster and cover with foil. Just before serving, and no sooner, place in heated oven for 15 mins to warm through.
6. In a small saucepan over medium high heat reduce (boil) vinegar, water and 1/2 tsp salt until approximately 3 tbs remains, remove from heat.
7. Lower heat to medium-low, add yolks to pan and return to heat, whisking constantly until foamy and lightly thickened. Make sure not to scramble eggs; if the eggs begin to cook too quickly pull off the heat and whisk vigorously to cool slightly before continuing.
8. Begin to whisk butter into pan 1 cube at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, whisk in lemon juice, white pepper and fresh herbs. Use immediately.
9. Place two asparagus crêpes on each plate and top each with some of the warmed lobster. Spoon hollandaise overtop, serve immediately

Servings: 4

Source: Food and Drink Spring 2010


Author Notes
If preparing this for a dinner party, the asparagus, lobster, crêpes and vinegar reduction can all be prepared beforehand so that the only thing left to prepare is the hollandaise. Make sure to use a good quality butter so that the hollandaise has great flavour.

Have a great day
 

33 comments:

  1. Good luck getting the platform sorted. I love whitefish!! Not a big lobster fan - as gout runs in my family... I'm careful of all shellfish.

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    1. Thanks Dixie. So do I, but I love lobster as well. Not sure what shellfish has to do with gout. Thought it was just uric acid that caused it. I'm on pills for that although I have never had gout.

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  2. The recipe looks scrumptious as always Jo. I post my blog directly to blogger. I thought everyone did. Obviously not. Sometimes I do something in Word then paste it. Have no trouble usually. Hope you get it sorted. :-)

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    1. Thanks Denise. I started with a blog platform, then went to Blogger then to Live Writer which I like. Not sure how I am going to proceed now.

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  3. There's you praying for rain and here I am (in the UK) chanting, "Rain, rain, go away; come again another day!"
    I always post directly to Blogger too. We all get used to doing things in our own way so it's annoying when things change for no apparent reason!

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    1. They are doing the same in the southern states PL. Didn't realise you were in the UK. Where abouts?

      It is annoying having to change.

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  4. I use Firefox and post directly to Blogger but always have difficulty uploading pictures and usually have a 'fight' for 5 mins till Blogger capitulates and posts the photos. I think its a ploy to force me to use Chrome where I have no problems posting pictures) but I don't like to be forced so, like you, I sit and drum my heels but won't give in!! Sue

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    1. I haven't used Firefox for a long time Sue, don't even have it any more. Not sure how I am going to proceed in future. Most frustrating.

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  5. On another blogger blog I'm part of we had a lot of trouble with using Word. Our techie person there hates it. Don't ask me why though. She's the one who knows how things work.

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    1. Grin. I used to be a bit techie, but it all seems to have gone racing past me these days Helen.

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  6. I'm obviously a spazz, as I've never even heard of MS Live Writer :)

    I always use word, format it the way I want and then cut and paste... works for me... cos that's all I know!!

    Fishing... man, there's a sport I could never do... I can barely sit still at the desk, let alone the lake.

    Have a great weekend, Jo, (and yes, I'm doing ok :)

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    1. Lovely to hear from you Mork. I used to love Live Writer. They've screwed me up right royally now.

      Matt liked fishing, I liked catching fish, but sitting around for hours, no thanks.

      I am pleased to hear your are doing OK. You know we were all worried.

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  7. I feel your pain there. I always write on blogger. No other option seems good enough. an offline blogger editor would be so much better though.

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    1. I guess I will be going back to Blogger, Guy, not sure yet, off line is so much easier though. Ve shall see.

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  8. I always write directly into Blogger too and usually there's no problems until it comes to commenting in other platforms - does my head in! And I go through Safari - Firefox doesn't seem work for me.

    Barbecued fresh fish has to be one of the yummiest ways to have it - sounds so good, camping, fishing and cooking your catch.
    And yes, it's still raining here and freezing cold to boot.
    Have a good weekend Jo
    Fil

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    1. Guess I am one of few who use a blogging platform other than blogger itself.

      It is delicious isn't it Fil. How about sending us some of your rain.

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  9. I heard someone else was having trouble with Live Writer. It figures, once someone gets the hang of something and it works well, Blogger changes things around and things won't work then. I just write directly into Blogger; I guess I'm lazy :)

    betty

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    1. Yes, I went to a forum Betty and see that in fact Live Writer haven't been updated since 2012 so can't blame Blogger for everything.

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  10. Chrome is my browser and I've always written my blogs directly on blogger. I don't know any other way to do it! We are dying for rain here too. I wish OK and TX could send us and the west coast some of theirs. It's going to be a buggy year too....so many flies, worms/caterpillars and mosquitoes. Ick.

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    1. I use Chrome and IE JoJo, not sure why, just never got rid of IE I suppose.

      I wish they could too, I hope we aren't going to get lots of bugs here, definitely Ick.

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  11. Too bad Texas can't pipe their water to all the dry places.

    I write my posts directly on blogger too. Al and I have a lot in common- besides the fact that I'm a human chick and he's a dragon.

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    1. I bet they wish they could too Liz. They really are having a rotten time down that way.

      You can't be a human and a chick. Only chickens are chicks.

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  12. Oh I write directly on blogger. I never even thought of anything else:) It is supposed to rain tomorrow and then a cold front moves in so we have a high of 27 or so today and by Sunday a high of only 15(celcius). I love lobster-yum and fresh fish is always great

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    1. Seems many people do Birgit. I do hope it does rain soon. I know the farmers are worried.

      I love lobster but haven't eaten it in quite a while.

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  13. I always write my post in word then paste it to Blogger. I remove reformatting though and then choose a font and size from blogger. I found if you have a numbered post like a list it doesn't transfer properly. Mmmm. Recipe looks delicious.

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    1. I meant I remove the formatting not reformatting!

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    2. The thing with Live Writer etc. Pinky, they don't need anything doing to them. You can just transfer the whole thing - aumotatically - of course.

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  14. I hate it when anything changes in how I use my computer. When our Internet Service Provider switched companies, I thought I'd go insane trying to figure out how to use my email. I was receiving them fine, but I couldn't send. It took five hours on the phone with a very patient tech. I still have a bad taste in my mouth over the whole ordeal, though. So I'm not going to switch to Live Writer etc., because I want to keep using Blogger the only way I know how to. If something gets changed, I'll be lost. What happened to the days when technology meant turning off a switch or turning on a switch. That was so much easier. You know, like vacuum cleaners. :-)
    Best,
    Deb

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    1. Oh I so agree Debi. Live Writer appears to be on its way out anyway.

      I think vacuum cleaners are getting pretty complicated and we recently had to rent a new car and Matt, who has no tech knowledge at all, was totally lost.

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  15. Hi Jo,

    I've never even heard of that format. However, I do know how infuriating it can be when the lack of communication leaves you with a guessing game. I know sometimes I check to find out why something has gone and no answers are forthcoming. Then, magically, it gets fixed with no explanation. Wishing the best with it all.

    I just go into my blogger dashboard and somehow publish one of my infrequent posts.

    Enjoy your weekend and I hope the rain arrives soon.

    Gary

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    1. I am not sure how I got to start using it Gary, been a while now. But if MS are no longer supporting the programme, I guess I have to change.

      A lot of people seem to do as you do by going to blogger dashboard.

      I hope so too.

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  16. Interesting. I've never heard of Windows Live Writer, before. I usually write my by hand on paper or directly into Blogger.

    Hope you find something that works for you.

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    1. On paper Ivy? I don't think I use paper much any more for anything except a shopping list. I guess you scan stuff a lot though don't you?

      Thanks.

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