Salmon & Salmon Skin Spinach Salad, Miso Chile Lime Dressing

Wild King Salmon Filet & Crispy Salmon Skin

Baby Spinach

Black & White Sesame Seeds

Bonito Flakes

Kizami Nori

Miso Chile Lime Dressing

My Citrus Salad Tree was planted a year ago. The first fruit to ripen is the Bearss Lime Tahiti Seedless, also known as a Persian Lime. This is a citrus tree that has 5 varieties of fruit grafted onto one trunk. In addition to the Persian Limes, there are Valencia Orange, Honey Mandarin, Late Lane Navel, and Minneola Tangelo (a cross between grapefruit and tangerine).

Each arm is tagged. 

I'm using the Persian Lime in this dressing.

Cannot wait for the rest of the fruits to ripen!

Miso Chile Lime Dressing:

• 2 t. Miso (shiromiso, white soybean paste)
  
• 1/2 c. Toasted Sesame Oil
  
• 2 T. Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
  
• 2 t. Soy Sauce (low-sodium)
  
• 2 T. Fresh Lime Juice
  
• 2 t. Red Chile Pepper Flakes
  

Whisk all ingredients together. Miso dressing is one of my favorites, I like to make different versions for different salads. In this version I substituted white miso for red, lime juice for lemon, and red chile flakes for ginger. My original recipe here.

Buy Fresh Wild King Salmon filet with skin on. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Slice off the skin leaving about a half inch of meat attached. Toss with salt and pepper.

Separate the dressing; one part for salad,  one part for marinade. Marinate the filet.

Place salmon skin slices (skin side up) and filet on a broiler pan. Broil under high heat for about 8 minutes until the skin is crispy and the filet is just cooked.

Toss the warm crispy salmon skin slices with baby spinach and miso chile lime dressing.

Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds, bonito flakes (shavings from dried smoked bonito, a type of tuna) and kizami nori (roasted shredded seaweed). Top with salmon filet.

The spinach wilts slightly amidst the crispy skin and warm filet. Really enjoyed the different textures and bright flavors here. I'm looking forward to creating more citrus-based dressings as the fruits on my Citrus Salad Tree ripen! Please let me know if you have an interesting recipe using any of the fruits mentioned above.

Osso Buco, Saffron Risotto, Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

Veal Osso Buco

Saffron Risotto

Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

When my dear friend of many years, Father Adam, comes to town we like to cook! Nothing we make ever takes less than three hours. It's always an adventure. Last time we made Mario Batali's Osso Buco with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata. I had purchased several fresh veal shanks then, and put the extras in the freezer. It was time to defrost them and give Suzanne Goin's recipe a try!

Osso Buco

Veal shanks were rubbed with garlic, lemon zest, thyme and rosemary then refrigerated over night. The next day they were brought to room temperature, seasoned and browned on all sides in olive oil.

The browned shanks are removed from the pan. Diced onion, carrot, celery, sage and garlic are added to the same pan, and cooked over medium heat until just starting to caramelize. Add 1/2 c. chopped canned tomatoes then 1 c. dry vermouth. Raise the heat and reduce by half.

Add shanks back to the pan with enough hot veal stock to almost cover the meat. Add parsley sprigs, cover, braise at 325° for about 3 hours.

Father Adam and I put the Le Creuset into the oven and went for a walk at Royal Palms State Beach.

Three hours later!

The meat was removed to a baking sheet. The sauce was strained, then we used a gravy separator to remove the fat. We reheated the sauce in a clean saucepan and adjusted the seasoning. It was so flavorful!

Saffron Risotto

Saffron threads were toasted in a small pan, then ground in a mortar. We mixed the saffron with olive oil and added diced white onion, thyme, crushed chile de arbol, salt and pepper. Cooked until the onion was soft.

Add arborio rice and stir to coat the grains.

Add 1/4 c. dry white wine, then when that has evaporated, add hot chicken stock gradually while stirring until the rice has absorbed the stock. When the rice is al dente, season with salt and pepper.

The shanks were removed to a baking sheet and broiled for a few minutes to get a nice brown crust.

Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

Frozen peas were defrosted and cooked in olive oil with minced shallot, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the pea shoots and heat until the leaves are softened and tender.

Beautiful Colors!

Dau Miu (snow pea shoots) are young pea shoots that are delicate and crispy with a flavor that's a cross between peas and spinach with a hint of watercress.

Falling Off the Bone!

This terrific recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. You can find Chef Goin's exact recipe here.

And be sure to check out Father Adam's unique blog, Monastery Daily Photo: Views From and Within A Roman Catholic Monastery in Northern California.

Saint Agur - Cheese of the Month

Saint Agur

Steamed Baby Beets

Candied Walnuts

Frisée and Garlicky Red Wine Vinaigrette

Serve with Crusty Baguette

This delightful salade composée has a wide variety and balance of colors, flavors, and textures. Yet it was very simple and fast to compose! The earthy baby beets and sweet crunchy walnuts were purchased ready to serve. The tangy vinaigrette is made in a jar with minced garlic and shallot, premium red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Just shake well and pour the vinaigrette over the beets and frisée. Slice a piece of creamy, buttery St. Agur and serve with crusty French bread. Voilà!

Melissa's brand peeled baby red beets are grown in France. They are trimmed, peeled, steamed and ready to serve from the vacuum sealed package. For full flavor I like them at room temperature.

St. Agur (pronounced Sant ah-GOOR) is made from pasteurized cow’s milk in the French village of Monts du Velay. It is very buttery, delicately sharp, and not too salty in comparison to other blues. Due to its creaminess, it seems to melt away in the mouth. A very well-balanced cheese, St. Agur is sowed with the penicillium roqueforti, and one, I think, even those who are not bigs fans of blue could enjoy. For more about St. Agur, please visit the Ile de France website here.

Cheese of the Month

April - Saint André

May - French Goat Cheese

June - Supreme

July - Brie

August - Saint Albray

Cheese Quote

"How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?"
"Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?"

Charles de Gaulle

1962

Do you have a favorite cheese?

Rosh Hashanah 5770

Dinner for A Sweet New Year

Crispy Rosemary Chicken Paillard and

Grilled Apples with Truffle Honey

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash, Spinach, Walnuts

Israeli Couscous Side Dish

Roast cubes of butternut squash with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook Israeli couscous. Add squash, baby spinach leaves, toasted chopped walnuts to the cooked couscous. The spinach will wilt in the hot couscous. Season with salt and pepper, finish with a drizzle of roasted walnut oil.

We are celebrating the Jewish New Year 5770

which began last night at sundown.

Squeeze lemon juice on sliced apples, then brush with olive oil. Grill over high heat.

Make breadcrumbs out of day old baguette, add fresh rosemary, pulse to combine.

Have you tried air-chilled chicken? During processing, the USDA requires that the carcass temperature be lowered to 40 degrees within 4 hours to retard the growth of bacteria. Usually chickens are placed in an ice bath with chlorine for about an hour. In contrast, air-chilled chickens are sprayed with a chlorinated water and laid out on a track under refrigeration. Some say this method is safer, less contamination with other chickens. The meat definitely has a different texture from not soaking in water for over an hour. And they say the skin comes out more crispy with the air-chilled birds too.

These boneless skinless chicken thighs are from Whole Foods Market. I usually prepare this dish with chicken breasts but tried thighs this time. These air-chilled chicken thighs were the best ever. So flavorful and moist.

I put the thighs, one-by-one, in a ziplock bag and pounded them with a mallet to a uniform thinness. Seasoned each with salt and pepper, dusted with flour, dipped in egg, and coated with the breadcrumb/rosemary mixture.

Sautéed until golden brown over medium-high heat in canola oil.

Truffle Honey

La BOUTIQUE de la truffe

The Italian Truffle Honey is made of acacia honey and white truffles 3% (tuber albidum pico). In addition to the fabulous truffle carpaccio I served with heirloom tomatoes, La BOUTIQUE de la truffe also produces this dreamy truffle honey. Drizzle the truffle honey over the chicken and apples.

"the truffle is the very diamond of gastronomy"

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

This truffle honey gives the chicken and apples complex intriguing flavors. Simultaneously sweet and earthy and exotic. It rocks! The open jar of honey was sitting on my counter top, truffle aromas filled the kitchen. (Link to these preserved truffle products here).

Crispy Rosemary Chicken Thighs Paillard

Grilled Apples with Truffle Honey

Wishing You a Sweet New Year

L'Shana Tova!

To observe Rosh Hashanah, traditional foods sweetened with honey and apples are served. They symbolize sweetness, blessings, abundance and the hope for a sweet year ahead.

L'Shana Tova Tikatevu

May Your Name be Inscribed in The Book of Life

For a Good Year

Last year's dinner here.

heirloom tomato with truffle carpaccio

heirloom tomato

truffle carpaccio

parmigiano-reggiano

toasted buttered baguette

Truffle Carpaccio 

la BOUTIQUE de la truffe

It would be dream-come-true to always have fresh truffles in my kitchen. Preserved truffles are the next best thing. Truffle Carpaccio is a preserved truffle product from Italy. It is made with summer truffles (tuber aestivum vitt), olive oil, and salt. It can be served on toast, tossed with olive oil and pasta, or for an intense flavor combination try a teaspoonful on top of a grilled rib-eye steak.

This makes a delightful first course:  Slice heirloom tomatoes (blot excess moisture), place on a baking sheet, top with a little sea salt and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place until the broiler until the cheese bubbles. Top each tomato with a teaspoon of truffle carpaccio. Serve with toasted buttered baguette, garnish with chives.

tomato & truffle carpaccio bruschetta

Toasted baguette rubbed with garlic, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and topped with chopped heirloom tomatoes tossed with truffle carpaccio and a little salt.

The truffle aroma is heavenly.

Gourmet Attitude in Manhattan is an importer of fresh truffles. They recently launched this line of truffle delicacies called "la BOUTIQUE  de la truffe" which includes the Truffle Carpaccio, Truffle Honey, and White Truffle Cream. We paired the Truffle Honey with panko-crusted chicken breast and paired the White Truffle Cream with angel hair pasta. Truffle heaven!

Kristy's Chèvre Chaud Salad

Chèvre Chaud

Mixed Baby Lettuces, Teardrop Tomatoes

Chopped Hard Boiled Egg, Toasted Pinenuts

Dijon Vinaigrette

Kristy's Table Setting

Last May we traveled to Paris to celebrate my sister-in-law's 40th birthday. And recently I went to visit my family in Chicago. Of course we had to get together and have a dinner party with "the gang who went to Paris for Kristy's birthday weekend." And I was more than happy to be the chef.

PARIS REUNION

Le Menu

Pommery Brut Champagne

Starter

couer de boeuf heirloom tomato

truffle carpaccio

parmigiano-reggiano

toasted buttered baguette

Salade

"Kristy's Salad"

chevre chaud, mixed lettuces, toasted pinenuts, 

hard cooked egg, teardrop tomatoes

dijon vinaigrette

Puligny Montrachet 2006 Domaine Carillon 

Plat Principal

grilled portobello muchroom

sautéed veal medallion

wild mushroom agnolotti

pinor nior veal stock reduction

fried sage

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" 2006 Pinot Noir

Le Dessert

fresh peaches

puff pastry filled with peach jam and brie

a drizzle of honey

whipped crème fraîche

Kristy's  Chèvre Chaud Salad

Form goat cheese into medallions and refrigerate. Dip chilled goat cheese medallion in a beaten egg, then in panko breadcrumbs. Fry in hot peanut oil turning once. When the breadcrumbs are golden, transfer to paper towel. Season with sea salt.

My favored Dijon Vinaigrette comes from Jacques Pepin:

• 2 tsp chopped garlic
  
• 3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/4 c red or white wine vinegar
  
• 1 c extra virgin olive oil

I also a 2 tsp minced shallot.
Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

This salad is named for my sister-in-law Kristy. Several years ago I made this salad for her and it became one of her favorites. Now, like enjoying a Chicago-style hot dog or having lunch at Joe's Stone Crab, this salad is also one of our culinary traditions. I make it every time I come to town.