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An Easy, Elegant Appetizer

March 21, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 8 comments

A bit of a Whole Foods splurge replaced going out for a birthday dinner, and I have to say I wouldn’t have had it any other way. As I mention in my About page, I truly do feel like the produce section, heck, most sections, of Whole Foods is like beautiful food art.

Among the things purchased? Mango juice for smoothies, sparkling Italian soda for cocktails, and Amazing Grass Kids Super Food, which happened to be on sale. The kids version is much better-tasting, and I am really looking for ways to amp up my nutrient intake.

I also picked up something I have been wanting for some time, a bottle of blood orange olive oil. It smells so beautiful, and I can not wait to make up some recipes that center around it.

Our original plan was to make up a bunch of appetizers for our dinner, but we ended up stopping at just a couple, crostini with smoked salmon spread, followed by Whole Foods’ guacamole, which happens to be one of my all time favorites. The smoked salmon spread idea came to me in the seafood aisle at Whole Foods, and I loved it so much that I had to share!

It started with half of a tub of crème fraiche. I love this Vermont Creamery brand. I also really love the story behind the company.

I added the crème fraiche to my mini food processer with a few slices of sustainable smoked salmon from Maine. It cost a little more, but the more I learn about sustainable fish, the more I want to try to buy from companies concerned with sustainability.

To make the spread, I very simply pureed the salmon with the crème fraiche until completely blended. It really isn’t the prettiest looking spread, but it was delicious. I think next time I would add in a tiny bit of chopped red onion for a bit of flavor and crunch.

While I was making the spread, I had baguette slices, drizzled in olive oil, baking at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until golden and crunchy.

I whipped out a jar of grated ginger, a Whole Foods purchase from earlier in the weekend. Embarrassed smile

To serve, I topped the baguette slices with some smoked salmon spread and slivers of ginger. The ginger gave it a fresh brightness which paired well and provided a contrast from the creamy crème fraiche and smoky salmon. Chopped red onion, capers, tomato, or sweet/spicy peppadew peppers would also be great toppings. I am thinking the next time I have company, I will have a top your own crostini bar!

I am actually going to a Scottish smoked salmon event tonight, so I will have even more salmon (and whisky) for you tomorrow.

Spending my birthday evening in my kitchen was so relaxing; we even ate these picnic-style on the floor!

I think some people might think it strange that I wanted to prepare my own birthday feast; do you prefer to go out for special occasions, or do you have some great memories of preparing a special occasion meal in the comfort of your own home?

Technorati Tags: appetizer, Food, recipe, salmon, Whole Foods

Tags: appetizer, Food, recipe, salmon, Whole Foods

Holy Hollandaise

February 22, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 14 comments

YUM! Why have I never made Hollandaise sauce before? It is so easy! While this newfound knowledge is certainly not good for my waistline, it is most definitely a culinary milestone for me.

As I have mentioned earlier, I watched a lot of cooking shows in Ireland, and one of them, Economy Gastronomy, inspired me to make an easy Hollandaise sauce at home. The recipe, which utilizes the food processor to make the sauce, is at the end of the post and can also be found here.

It could not have been easier, egg yolks, mustard, and lemon whizzed up in the food processor mixed with hot melted butter.

The Hollandaise was creamy, rich, and lemony. I immediately ate about 10 pieces of raw asparagus dipped in it.

While the Hollandaise was the star of the show, I of course needed a meal to put it on. I roasted six potatoes at 420 until they were golden and cooked through.

I gently steamed some asparagus.

And used the recipe from Economy Gastronomy to poach up some salmon steaks.

A simple bath of white wine and water with bay leaves provided the perfect place to poach two beautiful salmon steaks.

Everything came together perfectly. It was quite the gourmet meal for a girl who stayed out until almost 2 am Sunday!

Do you have a culinary milestone to share? Or is there something that seems too daunting for you to make at home?

Ingredients

For the poaching liquor:

250ml white wine
2 onions (about 400g), peeled and diced finely
3 bay leaves
500ml water (or fish stock if you have any)
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the hollandaise:

150g salted butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 salmon fillets
700g Jersey Royals or new potatoes
A few sprigs of mint
12 spears English asparagus, woody ends snapped off

Method

Put all the ingredients for the poaching liquor in a wide saucepan or roasting tray. Keep the liquor over a low heat for 20 mins to infuse, but make sure it stays below the boil – don’t let it start simmering and reduce away.
Scrub your Jerseys and put them in a pan of cold water with some salt and the mint sprigs. Bring to a simmer for 20-25 mins.
Once the spuds are on, lay the salmon fillets in the poaching liquor, skin side down, keeping the heat very low. Season and cover, and after 10 mins lay the asparagus spears in the liquid too, put the lid back on and cook for a final 5 mins.
While the salmon is poaching, melt the butter for the hollandaise, and whizz the yolks, mustard and lemon juice in the food processor for a couple of mins until light and fluffy. Once the butter has melted, bring it to a rapid boil, then immediately drip-feed it into the whirring food processor. As soon as it’s all incorporated, tip the sauce into a bowl and season with salt to taste and some freshly ground black pepper. (There’s a visual argument for white pepper here, but the flavour is different.)
All that remains is to gently lift the salmon on to a suitably pretty serving dish – good idea to use a couple of fish slices to lift it, and move decisively. Keep and freeze the poaching liquor for future use. Don’t strain it, but pick out the bay leaves. Tumble the spuds on to the plate and finish with some jaunty lemon and the finest English spears of the season.

Economy Gastronomy is on BBC2 on Wednesdays from the 5th August at8pm. The book to accompany the series ‘Economy Gastronomy’ by AllegraMcEvedy and Paul Merrett is available now published by Penguin Books,£20.

By Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett

Technorati Tags: asparagus, cooking, dinner, Hollandaise, Hollandaise sauce, poached salmon, potatoes, roasted potatoes, salmon, white wine

Tags: asparagus, cooking, dinner, Hollandaise, Hollandaise sauce, poached salmon, potatoes, roasted potatoes, salmon, white wine

Whiskey and Brown Sugar

December 5, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 12 comments

One of my all time favorite recipes brings together whiskey, brown sugar, and salmon, to make a flavorful, healthy, and hearty meal. I have posted this recipe before when I made it in Ireland, but I thought it was worth posting about again as this is truly a great, quick meal.

I set out to buy scallops at Dorchester Market, my little local shop that happens to sell amazing fish and meat. Their fish selection is small, not always available, and changes in types of fish, but it is always SO fresh. Their scallops are some of the best I have ever had, reasonably priced, and brought in the minute they are caught. If you live in the Dorchester or South Boston areas, I would definitely recommend checking out Dorchester Market.

So, they did not have scallops, but they did have beautiful salmon, and for just $5, I bought this giant filet that ended up being the perfect serving for two.

I started by placing the salmon skin-side down in a pan with a light coating of olive oil, cranking the heat to medium, and putting a lid on it.

While the salmon started heating up, I mixed Jameson Irish Whiskey, brown sugar, and Kerrygold butter until the crumbly texture of wet sand.

I love Kerrygold. Sometimes I eat it on crackers. They are whole grain crackers, which makes this a healthy snack Winking smile

Once the brown sugar, butter, and whiskey form a nice paste, I added in a shake of red pepper flakes. I love the contrast of spicy and sweet, but you can of course leave these out.

Once the salmon was starting to look like it was cooked about halfway through, I used a spoon to rub the brown sugar and whiskey mix on to the flesh side. I cooked it for a bit longer, then flipped the salmon over so that the coating would caramelize. This is a good time to open a window’; the caramelizing sugar COULD cause the smoke alarm to go off.

Once the salmon was nice and flaky, I served it atop a smashing butternut squash puree. Simply boil butternut squash until soft, stir in a bit of Kerrygold, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper, then either mash with a potato masher or puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

Simply a restaurant-quality meal at home, this took me about 25 minutes from start to finish, filled our house with great smells, and made for the perfect at home date meal.

We paired it with a bottle of Bonny Doon Riesling to Live, one of the wines we picked up on our visit to Bonny Doon last month. This sparkling Riesling is bright, crisp, and toasty, with flavors of biscuits and lemon curd. The bubbles are plentiful, making it great for a celebration, and as with all Bonny Doon wines, it is perfect with food.

And if you shop for wine based on the label or bottle, it offers a pretty unique label and beer-cap style top.

Out of everything I have blogged about, I think I would recommend this meal the most. It is a recipe that I sort of dreamt up myself (though I am sure I am not the first or last to think of it!), and it pleases every time. If I was to have my own version of the “Engagement Chicken”, this would be it.

In non-food news, I am excited to share that I registered for the Napa Valley Marathon yesterday! I am hoping to also run Boston but am waiting on confirmation. Let my running season begin! (But I promise not to post too many running posts!)

Do you have a go-to recipe that always impresses guests?

Technorati Tags: Bonny Doon, brown sugar, butternut squash, Food, recipe, riesling, salmon, whiskey, wine