Plenty O Fish in the Sea

Except those two that met their end in our salt domes, of course.  Melanie scoped out this gem of a recipe courtesy of Alton Brown.  She really deserves the gold medal on spearheading (ba dum bum bing) the fish-tastic evening!

Disclosure:  Melanie & I laughed out loud when were realized a 5-6 pound whole fish would never fit in the oven so a pair of fine two-and-a-half-pounders were substituted.  OK, so the 5-6 pound fish was also elusive in St. Louis, but then, two fish are twice as nice as one.


Ingredients:


1 striped bass, 5 to 6 pounds, gills removed, fins trimmed
4 egg whites
1/2 cup water
2 (3 pound) boxes of kosher salt
1 handful parsley
1 fennel bulb, (with stem) quartered
Several sprigs thyme
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/2 orange, sliced thin
Olive oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cover the bottom of a baking sheet large enough to hold the fish with parchment paper.

Rinse fish inside and out with cold water and drain. Dry with paper towels. Stuff body cavity with herbs and citrus, saving a few lemon slices for garnish. Set aside.

Pour 1 box of salt into a large bowl, add egg whites and water, then the second box of salt. Use your hands to work mixture to a mortar-like consistency. Lay down a 1/2-inch thick bed for the fish to lay on with a 1-inch clearance on all sides. Lay the fish on this bed and pile the remainder of the salt mortar on top. Work into a smooth dome completely encasing the fish. (Don't worry if the head or tail poke out a little.)

Cook approximately 35 minutes. Check for doneness by pushing the probe of an instant read thermometer through the salt into the fish. When temperature reaches 130 degrees, remove from oven, and rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Open the fish at the table by hitting the dome several times with a small hammer and lifting off the slabs of salt. Brush away any stray salt. Gently pull out dorsal (back) fin. Using a fish knife or serrated pie server, make a single incision all the way down the back of the fish and around the gill plate. Then lift the skin off working from the head to the tail. Remove meat from top side of fish, going down one side of the spine then the other. Grasp the tail and remove the skeleton, (it should come up intact). The meat revealed below will slide right off the skin.

Sprinkle meat with a little virgin oil and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Gougeres

This gougere recipe is the best, most versatile one I've found. For example, instead of the Cheddar and pecans you can use blue cheese, rosemary and walnuts (this is the variation I brought to Jill's party), or simply go with a traditional Gruyere without nuts at all.

I always brush the tops of the gruyeres with a beaten egg before I sprinkle on the Paremsan. Also, the recipe notes that you can use a stand mixer but I never have. It's a bit of a workout by hand, but I think it keeps the dough from getting tough.

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cheddar-pecan-gougeres.aspx

The recipe makes a bunch, but that's a good thing because these freeze really well -- just heat them in a 350-degree oven for a couple of minutes or let them thaw an hour at room temperature.

Apple Filled Acorn Squash Rings with Curry Butter

Here is the recipe for the acorn rings from Saturday night...(BTW - great party, great food, great start to Fall - WTG Jill). I modified this a little - I used 1/2 the butter in the second part and brushed it onto the rings (I did not drizzle any on the stuffing). I used the hot curry spice blend from Penzy, I didn't have dried currants so I used dried sour cherries, and I threw on several chopped pecans during the baking process. Also, I probably cut my rings a little thinner than 1 inch. The recipe said to cover with foil - I didn't, but I did line the pans with foil as I'm lazy and wanted an easy clean-up.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Apple-Filled-Acorn-Squash-Rings-with-Curry-Butter-105808

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced (about 2 1/3 cups)
2/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dried currants
8 1-inch-thick unpeeled acorn squash rings (from 2 medium), seeded

Directions:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add apples, apple juice, and currants. Sauté until liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer curry butter to bowl. Brush 2 large rimmed baking sheets with some curry butter. Arrange squash in single layer on sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scoop filling into center of rings. Drizzle remaining curry butter over squash and filling (mostly on squash). Bake squash rings until squash is tender when pierced with skewer, about 40 minutes. Using spatula, transfer squash rings with filling to plates.

Clo's Zucchini

This quintessentially French dish (take something healthy and sauce it 'til it's unrecognizable) was taught to me in high school by a foreign exchange student who's been a friend ever since. It's very general -- all the amounts can be varied depending on how thick/cheesy/saucy you want the dish to be. Bon appetit!

Yield: 1 8-inch casserole dish

6 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup flour
1 2/3 cups milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
4 oz. Swiss cheese, grated

Cook the zucchini in boiling water until fork-tender. Drain in a colander. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and let it cook about two minutes, then add the milk all at once, whisking vigorously until all the lumps are gone. Continue to whisk while it cooks. When the sauce thickens, remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper and about three-fourths of the grated Swiss. Pour the zucchini into an 8-inch casserole dish and cover with the cheese sauce. Stir just until the zucchini is covered. Top with the remaining cheese. Broil until the top browns and bubbles. (Or you can refrigerate the dish for several hours, then bake it at 325 until warmed through, about 45 minutes. Broil the top before serving.)

I can claim no credit for these cookies; the recipe comes directly from the L.A. Times. Well, I can claim to have cut it out, and I did substitute gluten-free baking mix for the all-purpose flour, but other than that ...

Recipe: Buckwheat sugar cookies

October 29, 2008
Total time: 35 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time
Servings: Makes 2 dozen cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup flour (or gluten-free baking mix)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, salt and cinnamon, using the back of a large spoon. Stir in the vanilla extract and nuts.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, then add these to the butter mixture, beating the butter into the flour with the spoon to form a dough. Turn out the dough onto a work surface and roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours until chilled and firm.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the log crosswise into one-quarter-inch-thick cookies. Arrange on a nonstick, buttered or parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

4. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the cookies begin to turn golden brown at the edges. Rotate the sheet halfway through for even baking. Using a metal spatula, immediately remove the warm cookies and cool on a wire rack. The cookies will keep, tightly wrapped, for 2 weeks at room temperature.

Each serving: 73 calories; 1 gram protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 10 mg. cholesterol; 25 mg. sodium.

Licking the Platter Clean, Tinkles & Potty in the Chocolatti?

Last night's celebration topped them all! Thanks again to all for dealing with my undying laughter. That was truly the hardest I had chuckled in YEARS. My mom would be so proud :)
Just in case you haven't picked up the newest edition of Sauce Magazine (may), here is the farmer-inspired recipe that I used for last night's dish. I am pretty sure it was liked by all b/c it was the largest plate of food on the table and was licked clean (yes, I did the honors on that
one :)

Spring Vegetable Salad With White Chocolate Vinaigrette
Courtesy of Niche Restaurant's Gerard Craft
4 Salads or One Huge One

16 Claverach Farm baby carrots, divided (I used about 22 from WFM, these aren't out yet)
32 peeled fava beans
Good olive oil for drizzling & coloring puree
salt to taste
4 Claverach radishes (I used Berger farms)
3 shallots, sliced
2 springs of thyme (or more if you are like me)
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 T. water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup (or more) Claverach (or other) pea shoots - I used Berger Farms sunflower shoots
4 oz. goat cheese

*Blanch 1/2 of the carrots in heavily salted boiling water. When tender, place them in bowl of ice water.
*In the same pot, boil the fava beans until they are tender. (Remember the only way to know if a vegetable is cooked is to taste it). Place the beans in the ice water. Cut the blanched carrots in half lengthwise and reserve cold.
*Place remaining carrots in a pan just large enough to hold them and cover with water. Cook, covered, on high until the carrots are tender. Then place in a blender with enough water to make them move. Puree until very smooth.
*At this point, add enough olive oil until the puree turns bright orange. Season with salt, chill and reserve cold.
*Thinly slice the radishes and reserve.
*For the white chocolate vinaigrette, sweat the shallots and thyme in a small pan until transluscent. In a seperate pan, combine the white chocolate and water and cook on medium heat. Stir until completely melted. Come the white chocolate with shallots and thyme in a blender and slowly drizzle in your vinegar. Season with salt to taste.
*Toss the carrots, radishes and favas with juice of half a lemon in a mixing bowl. Drizzle in olive oil til your heart desires and add salt to taste.
*To assemble, place a few dollops of carrot puree in random spots on a salad plate. Scatter carrots, radishes and favas equally around the plate.
*In a seperate bowl, toss the shoots with white chocolate vinaigrette and a little salt. Scatter the shoots (and handfuls of the vinaigrette) equally around the plate.
*Crumble the goat cheese around the plate and finish salad with a drizzle of olive oil.

***NOTE: Becky, I just noticed at the bottom of the recipe: The favas are better if the skin is removed before they are cooked! I didn't do this and I loved the beans... but who knows!

Finally... The Recipes!

As promised, here are the 2 recipes from the Slow Food Trivia Night. Thanks for inviting me in "Amy" to post!

Thick Tomato Spread
2 cups Tomatoes, fresh, chopped
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (i bought these off the olive bar at whole foods market and soaked them in water to hydrate a bit more)
2 T. Ginger, chopped
1 T. Garlic, minced (Um, I NEVER use what a recipe calls for on garlic - USE MORE!)
1 T. Miso (or soy sauce if you wish)
1 T. Onion, chopped (again, I am sure I used more...)
1/2 cup Basil leaves
4-6 Dates, pitted (I used 4 large Medjool dates from bulk bins at Whole Foods Market)
My special add-ins:
handful of olives
splash of apple cider vinegar
fresh cracked pepper
pinch of cayenne

Directions: Throw all ingredients into a food processor and puree!!!

Served with...
Buckwheat Pancakes/Flatbread
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water, or a little more (I ended up using quite a bit more as the batter thickened)
1 Tablespoon oil (or more)

Combine ingredients using enough water to make a medium-thin batter. Let it stand a few minutes while the griddle preheats. Spoon tablespoonsful onto a hot griddle. As batter thickens, add a little more water, so cakes stay thin.
**I ended up thinning out the batter a few times with more water and oil.
**You can make these as big or small as you like depending on how you want to use them.
**Enjoy them morning, noon, or night! Top with fruit or make them into sandwiches. They freeze well too!
**Options: Replace up to 1/3 of the flour with ground nuts or seeds; Add cinnamon to the batter; Use other flours such as quinoa or amaranth!