Rustic Salmon

A few years ago, I was at a weekend seminar in Los Angeles. At lunch, I went downstairs to the restaurant and ordered this incredible salmon dish. When I saw how easy it would be to make, I had to recreate it at home. So here it is: my Rustic Salmon. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For the recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 boneless, skinless salmon filets
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 2 russet potatoes
• Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
• 1 lemon
• ½ to 1 cup of fresh green beans, ends removed and cut into 2” pieces
• ½ cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup hollandaise sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika (optional)

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by partially cooking the potatoes in your microwave oven for about 7 minutes (time may vary depending on your microwave oven).

In the meantime, place 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium high heat. Season the salmon on one side with either the Cajun or Creole seasoning. Place the salmon, seasoned side down in the hot oil. It should sizzle immediately when you place it in the pan.

Once the edges begin to get a little opaque, put the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the salmon just begins to flake. Remove the salmon from the pan and set it aside.

While the salmon is in the oven, prep the lemons for broiling. Slice a bit off each end of the lemon so it will stand straight on the plate, then cut the lemon in half. Place each half on a piece of foil under your broiler and depending on your broiler, cook for 5 to 10 minutes. You just want to get a nice char on the lemons.

Heat another pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Coarsely chop the potatoes and place them in the hot pan.

Once they start to brown, add the green beans and toss or stir to combine. Once the green beans have cooked for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and olives. Toss or stir to combine. Continue cooking until the beans are al dente and the tomatoes and olives are heated through, about 5 minutes. If you like your vegetables cooked more thoroughly, feel free to cook a little longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, spread a generous portion of the potato and vegetable mixture on a plate. Break the salmon into bite size pieces and place it atop the potato and vegetable mixture. Finally, drizzle to hollandaise (as much or as little as you like) over the entire dish. Sprinkle the dish with a bit of smoked paprika. Before serving, garnish with the char broiled lemons.

Enjoy!

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Chicken and Applesauce Dog Biscuits

Your dog will be even more of a best friend if you make them these chicken and applesauce dog biscuits.  After all, what dog doesn't love chicken?! In addition, this recipe uses all natural ingredients so you'll know you little pooch is getting the best. Savory chicken bouillon with naturally sweet applesauce my this a wholesome treat you furry friend will love.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 T. molasses
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 egg
• 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in a half cup of hot water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients into a mixer. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. The dough will be pretty stiff.

 

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut shapes out for your furry little friend.

 

Bake for 30 minutes until they are nice and crunchy. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. This allows air circulation so the biscuits don't get soft.

 

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Sarah's Baby Shower

Hey Everyone. Last weekend, my wife and I catered our niece Sarah's baby shower. Here's some of the food we made. 

 

 

This was the fruit plate. The baby's head was made from a cantaloupe. The eyes are red grapes and the blanket is thinly sliced cucumber woven together.

 

These are Chinese soup spoons filled with Vietnamese chicken salad. 

 

These are Zuni rolls. Flour tortillas filled with mesquite smoked turkey, bacon bits, green onions and Havarti with dill. Fried to a golden brown, sliced and served with a roasted raspberry chipotle sauce.

 

These are mini tomato cheese herb tarts made with mini heirloom tomatoes.

 

These are crab puffs. Choux pastry dough (profiteroles, eclairs, etc) is baked into little puffs then filled with a crab salad.

 

This is a french herb potato salad.  Multicolored fingerling potatoes tossed in a vinaigrette with basil, dill and cilantro.

Now for the desserts!!!

 

Here we have a tropical lime mousse pie. A light and refreshing lime mousse flavored with just a hint of dark rum and served on a toasted coconut and graham cracker crust.

 

Who can resist the good ol' rice krispy treats?!?! These are served on a stick, dipped in white or dark chocolate and accented with sugar candies. These were a hit!

 

Red velvet cupcakes. A specialty in the south but right here at home in sunny SoCal.

 

PB&J bars. A nutty spin on your traditional peanut butter cookie with a red raspberry jelly filling.

 

Nutty Chocolate Chip/Chunk Cookies. Need I say more?

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a great Spring or Summer appetizer when tomatoes are in season. The tomatoes are combined with fresh basil, garlic and olive oil and served on toasted baguette bread. I grew up on home grown tomatoes so I always stress to people that if you can't grow your own, try to find a local farmers market to get them. It will make a world of a difference, especially in this recipe.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced to about 1/4 of an inch
• 10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices of baguette bread
• 2 TBS olive oil

Combine the tomatoes, basil and garlic in a medium size bowl. Add the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Brush one side of the bread with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the oiled side down onto a hot grill pan, BBQ or under your broiler. Grill both sides of the bread until its evenly toasted.

Finally, arrange the bread onto a plate and mound the tomato mixture onto the center.

Enjoy!

Tomato Cheese Herb Tart with Artichokes

This is a great dish for an appetizer or, paired with a simple green salad, makes a delicious light lunch. The herbs really bring out the flavor of the roasted tomatoes and artichokes. If you have access to home grown tomatoes, its even better. I used red beefsteak tomatoes but you can also experiment with heirloom tomatoes or use a mix of red, yellow and orange tomatoes for a fancier presentation.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 ready-made pie crust or your own, about 12" in diameter.
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 9 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Next, slice your tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Discard the ends (or save them for a sandwich or other dish). Cut each slice in half.

Arrange the slices on paper towels. This will draw out the excess moisture from the tomatoes so that your tart doesn’t end up soggy. Allow the tomatoes to drain on the paper towels for 45 minutes.

Apply a light coat of cooking spray to the tart pan to ensure easy removal after its baked. Using a ready-made pie crust or your own, press it into an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. If you do not have a tart pan, you can use a baking sheet. It'll work fine. You just won't have the fluted sides when its finished.

 We are going to blind bake this first. Blind baking means to pre-bake the crust with weights to prevent it from puffing up. Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of your crust. Cover it with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use glass beads purchased at any craft store (as I did) or dried beans.

 Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for a couple more minutes until the crust is a pale golden color. Don’t worry if your crust cracks a little. The cheese will act as glue, holding everything together.

Now we are ready to assemble the tart.

Begin by layering the Swiss cheese slices on your cooled crust.  

Next, add the tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a circular pattern.

Now its time to add the herbs. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of dried basil, oregano and thyme. I used dry herbs to keep it simple but if you choose to use fresh herbs, make sure to double the amount.

 

Season the tart with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Sprinkle the tart with the artichoke hearts followed by the Parmesan cheese.

 Bake it until the cheese melts and the tomatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Once the tart pan has cooled enough to where you can touch it, remove it from the pan by sliding the sides down. The tart should slide right off the bottom.

Enjoy!