John Thorpe’s Baked Salmon Dinner

Sunday night, my neighbor John, made dinner and handed me a plate over the balcony. Our balconies almost touch – so we are always borrowing stuff and handing back and forth. I just had to post, as this meal was not only beautiful – it was extremely delicious!

I am posting the recipes – based upon the recipes that he gave me and normally I would make a few optional suggestions as well. But I have to tell you – this was so wonderful – just the way he made it!

 
Baked Salmon

2 Cloves – Garlic, minced
6 Tbsp – EVOO
1 Tsp – Dried Basil
1 Tsp – Kosher Salt
1 Tsp – Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp – Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp – Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 (6oz) – Salmon Fillets

In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place the salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with the marinade and seal. Place the sealed salmon in the glass dish and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork.

Potato Cakes

2 – Yukon Potatoes, shredded*
1 – Shallot
Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper

Peel the potatoes and submerge in cold water until ready to prepare. Shred the potatoes using a grater or a ricer (think hash brown type of texture). Dice up a shallot and mix in with the potato mixture. Salt and Pepper to taste. Make oblong patties (the moisture in the potatoes should hold the mixture together).

Heat the canola oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, using enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of at least an 8^th of an inch.

Carefully place patties in the oil and fry until gold and crispy on each side. Remove and place on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Broccoli Soufflé

1 Head – Garlic
1 Tbsp – Olive Oil
2 Cups – Broccoli Florets (cut into 1-inch pieces)
4 Tbsp – Unsalted Butter (½ stick)
3 Tbsp – All-Purpose Flour
1 ¼ Cup – Milk
¾ Tsp – Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
3 oz – Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese
(Cut into small cubes about ¾ cup)
4 – Egg Yolks
6 – Egg Whites
Few Drops of Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Remove the papery outer skin of the garlic. Place the garlic head on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle it with the olive oil and wrap it up inside the foil. Bake for 1 hour.

Open the foil and set the garlic aside until it is cool enough to handle.

Separate the garlic into cloves and squeeze the garlic out of the skins and into a small bowl. Stir until smooth; it should render approximately 2 tablespoons of garlic puree. Cover and set aside (keep at room temperature).

Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter an 8-cup soufflé dish.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the broccoli florets and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again well, to get out the excess moisture. Coarsely shop the florets and set aside.

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the milk, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick and boiling, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the garlic puree. Then add the cheese and stir just until it has melted and the sauce is smooth. Set the sauce aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the egg yolks, one at a time, into the cooled sauce. Then stir in the broccoli florets.

Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they become frothy; then continue beating until stiff but not dry. Stir in one quarter of the whites into the sauce. Then quickly and gently fold in the remaining whites until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the prepared soufflé dish.

Bake until the soufflé is golden, puffed and still moist inside; approximately 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.

 
Southern Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream

8 – Fresh Peaches, peel and pitted and
Sliced into thin wedges
½ Cup – White Sugar, separated into ¼ Cups
½ Cup – Brown Sugar, separated into ¼ Cups
¼ Tsp – Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp – Ground Nutmeg
1 Tsp – Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tsp – Cornstarch
1 Cup – All-Purpose Flour
1 Tsp – Baking Powder
½ Tsp – Salt
6 Tbsp – Unsalted Butter, chilled and
Cut into small pieces
¼ Cup – Boiling Water

MIX TOGETHER
3 Tbsp – White Sugar
1 Tsp – Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in the butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from the oven and drop spoonfuls of the topping over them. Sprinkle the entire cobbler with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serve with Haagen-Dazs Five Vanilla Ice Cream.  Or any vanilla ice cream of your choosing.

*Also not that John uses a Cinnamon Grinder, a new tool for me in the kitchen, so I am sharing the information with you.

Thin-Sliced Beans with Citrus-Zest and Chives

Thin-Sliced Beans with Citrus Zest and Chives
(My adaptation from recipe in the 2008 Food and Wine Annual Cookbook by Heidi Swanson)

(Serves 4)
2 Tbsp - EVOO
¾ Lb – Green String Beans & Yellow Wax Beans, sliced diagonally ¼ inch thick
½ Cup – Water
2 – Cloves of Garlic
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Lime
2 Tbsp – Chives, snipped
½ Lemon – Juice (freshly squeezed)

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the beans and cook over moderately high heat, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the water; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook the beans until crisp-tender, (2 to 3 minutes). Add the zest and chives and cook, stirring, until the beans are tender, 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Baked Potatoes & Carrots with Guava

Baked Potatoes & Carrots with Guava

(Serves 4)

1 Cup – Guava Paste
2 Tbsp - Butter
3 - Large Potatoes, thinly sliced (round pieces)
2 – Carrots, round slices ¼ to ½ inch thick
1 Tbsp – Chives, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat the guava paste and butter in a small saucepan until the paste has melted. Put the potatoes and carrots in a small baking or casserole dish. Pour the guava-butter mixture into the pan and toss the vegetables until everything is nicely coated.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the potatoes have a nice crisp on them. (Depending on the size of the slices you make you may need to adjust the cooking time – check after 20 minutes and cook until desired consistency is reached.)

JT and Justin Come to Dinner

Two of my friends came to dinner earlier this week and the menu was Southern-Style Crab Cakes with a Lime Remoulade and Roasted Potatoes & Tomatoes Medley.

The crab recipe was inspired by the container that I picked up from Publix. The Potatoes recipe - I keep making and changing as I go...adding things here and there...the recipe noted in this post is the one that I made for the guys.

I don't have pictures of the dish - because I had not yet decided to actually start the blog early until today.  Future posts will hopefully have photos.

Southern-Style Crab Cakes with Lime Remoulade

8 - ounces Lump Crab Meat
8 - ounces Crab Claw Meat
6 Green Onions
2 Tbsp. Country-Style Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream                                   
½ Bag of Oyster Crackers
2 - Limes                                                
¼ Cup of Buttermilk
1 Cup Mayo                                
1 - 7 oz. Packet of Italian Seasoning Mix
4 or 5 Sprigs of Fresh Parsley

First make the remoulade and chill it at least one hour prior to serving:

In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of the mayo, 1 Tbsp of the mustard, 1/2 Lime (juiced), sour cream and buttermilk. Personally I whisk each ingredient in separately in the order that I mentioned. (Yes I think it makes a difference - but that is a personal choice).  Once it is well blended - cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now to the crabcakes:

Chop onions into ¼ inch pieces, including green stems. Place in a large bowl. Squeeze juice from ½ a lime over the onions and give a quick stir. Add ½ cup mayo, dressing mix and 1 Tbsp

Crush the crackers (I use a Zip-Lock type of freezer bag and crush until they are almost the consistency of breadcrumbs…but with some lumpy pieces too.) Add crab meat to the bowl and then approximately ½ of the crackers. Remember you want them to be able to hold up on their own – but you don’t want to use anymore crackers than necessary…they should be very moist. Shape into patties about ¾ inch thick.

Preheat large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once it is nice and hot (it should sizzle when you put the cakes in). Place remaining crackers in a plate and spread out and right before you put the crabcakes in the pan – dredge them on each side in the cracker mixture to form a bit of a crunch barrier.

Cook about 15 minutes until nicely brown.

Once crabcakes are removed from the pan, slice ½ lime and quickly squirt juice onto the cakes.

Serve the chilled sauce with the crabcakes. Slice the remaining half of the lime as a garnish and put a parsley sprig on each plate.

(Optional: chop a few parsley leafs and sprinkle onto the plate of cakes).

                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Roasted Potatoes & Tomatoes Medley

2 lbs – Potatoes (Red, Yellow, whatever you have at home)
1 ½ cups - halved tomatoes (cherry, heirloom, any smaller type tomato)
½ cup each – Kalamata Olives and Spanish Olives (chopped) You can use one or both.
¾ cup – Basil
3 cloves – Garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp – Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 Tsp – Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1 Tsp – Chopped Fresh Sage
1 Tbsp – Sherry Vinegar
*Optional – Shaved Parmesan Cheese*

Preheat oven to 400°

In the baking dish, toss the potatoes 1/3 if both the olive oil and the minced garlic. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove dish from oven and toss in the remaining oil, garlic, tomatoes and olives. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove and toss in the herbs. Finish baking for 10 to 20 minutes. (Shaking pan and stirring occasionally).

Remove from oven and sprinkle with Sherry Vinegar.

Sprinkle with cheese if using. I also sometimes sprinkle a few fresh Basil leaves (chopped) right before serving…again optional.