SALMON RILLETTES, A CLASSY APPETIZER

Posted in Appetizers, Seafood by sallybr

My last post featured the main dish I chose for Phil’s birthday dinner. Now it’s time to share with you a nice appetizer from the same evening: salmon rillettes. When we lived in Paris, rillettes were a favorite item we ordered in restaurants. Often pork, sometimes duck rillettes. In one of the little neighborhood bistrots, Aux Artistes, they would serve them (as well as their country terrine) family style. A big dish would be brought to the table, so you could serve yourself some, then the waiter would take it away for others to enjoy. Very civilized in that unique French way. Hard to imagine the same situation in the US. What? You expect me to eat something that was already on someone else’s table? Manipulated by other human beings? You must be out of your mind! I say “Vive la différence!” And pass me the rillettes, will you?

I found this recipe in Karen’s site. She loved it so much that she confessed to having it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner several days in a row. That, my friends, is what food endorsement is all about. I knew I had to make it sooner rather than later.

SALMON RILLETTES
(from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

1 lemon

1/2 cup vermouth

1/2 cup water

1 bay leaf

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced in half, one half minced

5 to 10 white peppercorns

5 to 10 coriander seeds

2 to 3 green onions, cut into 3 inch slices

salt

1/2 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 ounces smoked salmon (peppered coho smoked salmon, if available)

3 tablespoons unsalted and softened butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 large shallot, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, crushed

1/2 tsp crushed red peppers

With a vegetable peeler, cut off a strip of the peel of the lemon. Finely zest the rest of the lemon and set the zest aside. Set the lemon aside.
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Place the unchopped half of the jalapeno into a small saucepan. Add the vermouth, water, bay leaf, peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the green onions and fresh salmon cubes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for three to five minutes. Drain in a colander. Discard the vegetables and place the salmon in a medium bowl.
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Mash the salmon roughly with a fork. Add the smoked salmon and mash with a fork. Add the butter and blend with a fork. Add some of the juice from the lemon, the lemon zest, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Add the shallots, minced jalapeno, crushed pink peppercorns, and crushed red pepper. Mix thoroughly. Stir in more lemon juice, to taste.

Pack the mixture into a canning jar or other container. Press the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a day before serving for the first time. The rillettes will last up to 3 or 4 days.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was incredibly tasty, just as Karen promised it would be, and got better each day. The mixture of smoked salmon with the lightly poached fish, the lemon, the spices, everything works together in perfect harmony. It is surprisingly mild in flavor. Plus, what a fun recipe to make! I don’t know why I never attempted rillettes at home, but now that I did, I feel like trying my hands at some pork rillettes, served ‘comme il faut’, with those small cornichons, and a crusty baguette. I will be catapulted straight back to Aux Artistes, although between you and me, the place brings mixed feelings. Yeah, the food was awesome, prices affordable, great atmosphere. but the owner, a gorgeous blonde, tall, bright-blue-wandering eyes, could not – I repeat – could not stop flirting with Phil. Oh, well… as a mentor of mine used to say… attractive people attract. I took it all with my best smile, sips of Bordeaux, and a few discreet but assertive kicks under the table. Let’s keep in mind though, that two can play that game. Not that I would ever… you know, I am just not the vindictive type…

😉

I hope you try this recipe on your next dinner party. Not only it is unusual and elegant, but you will be better off making it in advance. It’s the hostess’ dream come true!
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Karen, once again I should thank you for the constant inspiration!

ONE YEAR AGO: Special Important Announcement

TWO YEARS AGO: Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad

THREE YEARS AGO: Keema Beef Curry

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin with Soy, Ginger, and Lime

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SIX YEARS AGO: Swedish Limpa

6Jun2015

SEAFOOD GRATIN FOR A SPECIAL DINNER

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

Phil’s brother spent last weekend with us to play some golf and relax (forgive the oxymoron). I did not join them because I am a woman of principle and will not set foot on a golf course until the temperature reaches a comfortable level. For the record, that means above 80 F. With no excessive wind because that messes my accuracy with the driver, some irons, and the putter. What can I say? My game is one of exquisite precision. Instead of shivering and getting drenched on the course, I stayed in our kitchen preparing a special dinner for the gentlemen. I chose a recipe from Ina Garten, which is a bit of an unusual move for me, I find most of her recipes overly rich. This was no exception, but once in a blue moon it’s ok to indulge. Especially when we have a wonderful guest to share it with!

SEAFOOD GRATIN
(slightly modified from Ina Garten)

1 cup clam juice (I used homemade shrimp stock)
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. white wine divided (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
3 tbsp. tomato puree
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
8-ounces raw cod, cut into 1-inch chunks
16 oz. cooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and green parts
1 cup peeled, shredded carrots
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Combine the shrimp stock (or clam juice), cream, white wine and tomato puree in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and add the shrimp. Let cook 1-2 minutes, until pink and opaque. Remove to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the pieces of cod to the stock mixture until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to the same plate with the shrimp using a slotted spoon. Add the cooked lobster to the bowl.

Continue to cook the sauce until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Combine 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small bowl with the flour and mash together with a fork. Whisk the butter-flour mixture with the salt and pepper into the sauce and continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium sauté pan melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of wine and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Add the cream sauce and cooked vegetables to the bowl with the seafood and toss to blend well. Divide the mixture between individual gratin dishes. If not baking right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When you are ready to bake the gratins, heat the oven to 375˚ F. Place the filled gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Add the Panko, parmesan, parsley and garlic to the bowl and toss with a fork to combine. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared gratins. Bake 20 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Several pointers for success in this recipe: use jumbo or very large shrimp, and cook them briefly in the mixture of heavy cream and white wine. They will bake later and you don’t want your seafood overcooked. Same is true for the fish, choose a fish with firm white flash, cod or halibut will both word well. If you can splurge, sea bass would be amazing, but when I saw the price of those, I could not bring myself to grab some. Use any method you like for the lobster tails. I almost went with sous-vide, but in the end simmered them in a little lemony water. The secret of cooking seafood is to never boil the liquid too hard. They are delicate creatures that will tighten on you and turn rubbery very easily.

I had home-made shrimp stock frozen, and in my opinion that worked much better than bottled clam juice. Great that I remembered having that liquid gold in the freezer. And, what’s even better, it was properly labeled! HA!

This is a perfect dish to entertain, because you can assemble the whole thing in advance and do the final baking while you prepare any side dishes of your choice. I served it with a bucatini in olive oil with lemon zest, very simple. And roasted asparagus. Dessert was a duo of sorbets, chocolate and raspberry, both recipes should be on the blog in the near future. Ok, near future is a relative term when it comes to my posts. But hang in there, patience will pay off.

😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Cooking Sous-Vide: Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Loin

TWO YEARS AGO: Farewell to a Bewitching Kitchen

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen. June 2012

FOUR YEARS AGO: Goodbye L.A.

FIVE YEARS AGO: 7-6-5 Pork Tenderloin

1Oct2014

CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY WITH PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED SHRIMP SKEWERS

Posted in Celebrate Wednesday, Seafood by sallybr

This is one of those super simple recipes that deliver a ton of flavor, turning a mid-week dinner into a special event. Since seafood in general doesn’t need to be marinated for a long time, you can do the whole prep after arriving home from work. But, if you want to make things even easier, make the marinade, clean the shrimp early in the morning, and keep both items in the fridge until showtime. Since we have the luxury of coming home for lunch every day, that’s when I normally get this type of prep work done. A small investment of time at noon, and voilà: painless dinner later in the evening.

(Cooked: June 4th – Blogged Oct 1st)

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED SHRIMP SKEWERS
(slightly adapted from a recipe by Rachael Ray)

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 scallions, white parts finely chopped and green parts thinly sliced on an angle, divided
1 teaspoon Hungarian red pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 jumbo shrimp, tails on and deveined
12 slices prosciutto

Combine the olive oil, scallion whites, red pepper and lemon juice in a medium size bowl. Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper, add to the marinade. Toss to coat, and leave for 30 minutes in the fridge. Wrap each shrimp with a slice of prosciutto and thread onto a metal skewer. If using wood skewers, soak them in water for a few hours.

Grill the shrimp until firm and opaque, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving plate and decorate with sliced scallions, if you like. I had some fennel fronds in the fridge, that’s what I added.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The Hungarian pepper I used for this marinade was a gift I mentioned in this post. I love its complex flavor and mild level of heat. I searched and it is available on amazon.com, but the price made me hyperventilate a little. Lucky me, I do have very nice friends… Red pepper flakes (or fresh Fresno peppers) can be used instead, of course.

My package of prosciutto came with only 10 slices, so some of the shrimp (I actually cooked 14) went to the grill naked. They did not seem to mind, and we definitely did not mind either. I grilled those for about 30 seconds less on each side. I also like to use a double skewer, a trick that prevents the shrimp from spinning around and makes flipping a lot easier.

Most recipes would call for bacon instead of prosciutto, but I don’t quite get that. By the time the bacon is properly cooked, seafood will be severely over-done. I find that prosciutto works much better, as all you need is to get some grill marks on it, so the timing can agree with the seafood wrapped inside it. Alternatively, if you prefer the flavor of bacon, you can pre-cook before wrapping delicate seafood with it. Check Melissa’s method with a click here.

Our dinner that evening was a nice take on surf-and-turf… Juicy shrimp, and deliciously grilled hanger steak. Light, flavorful, and a breeze to prepare! Cannot beat that.

ONE YEAR AGO: Linguine with Cauliflower Pesto

TWO YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: A Tribute to Daniel

THREE YEARS AGO: Nutella Drop Cookies

FOUR YEARS AGO: Dreaming of butternut squash

FIVE YEARS AGO: Simply Elegant: Salmon Curry (one of my very favorite dishes!)

20Jun2014

SALMON SOUS-VIDE WITH MISO-MAPLE GLAZE

Posted in Seafood, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

I am very picky about salmon, for my taste it should not be cooked even slightly past medium-rare. Our default method is grilling, and all credit should go to Phil for hitting it perfectly every single time. I don’t even try to grill it myself, when it’s my turn to cook dinner and I happen to be craving a nice piece of salmon, I bat my eyelashes in his direction, and he cooks it for me…. Now let’s consider the sous-vide approach: you can choose the temperature that takes the fish to that exact point you love the most, seal a bag, press a few buttons, and call it a day. No need to bat eyelashes! HA!

Due to the popularity of seafood in sous-vide cooking, one can easily spend hours comparing methods, recipes, and finishing techniques. A gazillion recipes out there. I did quite a bit of research on the subject before settling on this recipe. It rewarded us with a perfectly cooked filet, topped with a salty-sweet glaze of miso and soy. Of course, if you don’t have a sous-vide you can still cook it using other methods, roasting in the oven, grilling, then spread the glaze and run the meat under the broiler to give it that healthy glow and intensify the flavors.

SALMON SOUS-VIDE WITH MISO-MAPLE GLAZE
(slightly modified from Cooking Madly)

450g (1 pound) fresh salmon
500g (2 cups) water
25g (3 tablespoons) salt
20g (1/4 cup) sugar
70g (1/4 cup) white miso
60g (1/4 cup) maple syrup
14g (1 tablespoon) red wine vinegar
1g (1/2 teaspoon) smoked paprika

Whisk together water, salt, and sugar until dissolved. Prepare salmon by removing skin (optional) and pin bones and cover with brine. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

While salmon is brining, whisk together miso, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Discard brine and thoroughly rinse salmon. Place in a vacuum seal pouch with ½ of the miso sauce and seal. Cook sous-vide for 20 minutes at 122°F. Start broiler preheating at the same time.

When salmon is cooked, open bag and discard liquid. Place salmon on a baking sheet, brush a small amount of sauce over the top, and broil until the top starts to brown.

Finish with remaining sauce and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: At first I was a bit skeptical that brining would be necessary, since the main reason for it is retaining moisture. In my mind, that would not be a concern when cooking sous-vide. But in fact there is a rationale behind it. Have you noticed that sometimes a white liquid forms on the surface of salmon as it cooks? That is albumin, a protein that sometimes gets pushed out during cooking. Some methods are more prone to this sipping of albumin, poaching being one of them. There is nothing bad as far as taste is concerned, but if you want to avoid that, brining works best.

Obviously, in the name of proper scientific conduct, I should have cooked two pieces of fish – one brined, one not – to compare the effect of brining on overall texture and taste. But sometimes it feels nice to leave the scientific approach at work, and not take cooking too seriously. That’s what I did… 😉
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This marinade is spectacular, and I have also used it on pork tenderloin. I love how just a few simple ingredients can perform magic: miso is like nothing else, vinegar cuts the sweetness, smoked paprika heats things up, and maple makes my heart sing. At the risk of repeating myself, if you do not have a sous-vide gadget, simply cook your salmon the way you like it, and use this marinade to brush the surface at the end of cooking. It caramelizes beautifully… It might just make your heart sing too… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Avocado “Hummus”.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Moving is not for sissies!
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THREE YEARS AGO: Awesome Broccolini
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FOUR YEARS AGO: Pizza! Pizza!
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FIVE YEARS AGO: From Backyard to Kitchen

12Apr2014

SMOKED SALMON APPETIZER

Posted in Appetizers, Seafood by sallybr

If you want to serve an elegant appetizer for your next dinner party, but would rather pick something simple to prepare, this recipe is just what you are looking for. All you need is a couple of endives, some smoked salmon (get the best quality you can afford), and a little Boursin cheese thinned with creme fraiche.

ENDIVE WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE
(inspired by Gluten Free Blondie)

1 or 2 endives (see comments)
Boursin cheese, room temperature
creme fraiche to taste (you can also use sour cream or yogurt)
smoked salmon, very thinly sliced
ground black pepper
fresh dill leaves, minced
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Cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom of an endive spear. Start pulling off individual leaves. As you uncover leaves that are still attached at the base, cut another 1/2 inch off the bottom. Continue separating the endive leaves until you get to leaves that are too small. One endive will give you about 12 leaves large enough to serve in this type of appetizer.

In a small bowl, mix the Boursin cheese with enough creme fraiche to give it a nice spreading consistency. Arrange the endive on a platter. Spread each leaf with about 1 teaspoon of the Boursin mixture. Top with a sliver of smoked salmon. Sprinkle all of the salmon and cheese topped endive with freshly ground, coarse black pepper, and a little dill.

Refrigerate until serving.
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ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We loved this appetizer, it is luscious enough with the creamy cheese, but the use of endive instead of a cracker gives it a much lighter feel. Next time I will go one step further and add a couple of capers to each of the servings. Two endives were butchered to get enough leaves for the platter you see in the photo. You might do a lot better than me, but just in case, save yourself some trouble and bring an extra endive home. I made it 2 hours before serving and the leaves retained their texture reasonably well. I would not make it more than 3 hours before serving.

I hope that next time you have a dinner party on the horizon, you’ll consider this recipe.
So simple to put together, but it will impress your guests for sure.

ONE YEAR AGO: Clementine Cake

TWO YEARS AGO: Springtime Spinach Risotto

THREE YEARS AGO: The end of green bean cruelty

FOUR YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle