Roast Salmon w/ Mustard, Tarragon, and Chive Sauce

So this is the recipe from epicurious that I was talking about. I was only making dinner for three people, so I cut this recipe in half. Regular recipe serves 8 to 10 (if you're making for a crowd, click here). Smaller version of the recipe below. You can make this meal in about 35 minutes.

Roast Salmon w/ Mustard, Tarragon, and Chive Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden’s; I used a spicy brown Grey Poupon)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I used 2 teaspoons of dried b/c that's what I had)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
One 1 3/4- to 2-pound whole side of salmon with skin (about 1 1/2 inches thick at thickest part)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (I didn't have any on hand, so I sprayed the bottom of my sheet with a little cooking spray to keep the fish from sticking). Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Season mustard sauce lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on diagonal on prepared sheet. Spoon 1/4 cup (give or take) of mustard sauce atop salmon, then spread over, covering completely. Sprinkle salmon generously with salt and pepper. Roast just until salmon is opaque in center, about 15 minutes (I like my salmon cooked all the way through, so I let it stay in 2 or 3 more minutes). Using parchment as aid, transfer salmon to platter. Cut crosswise into pieces and serve with remaining mustard sauce.

This dish was delicious and very easy to make. If you're not a fan of the flavor of tarragon, you could easily substitute for another herb like fresh dill. I paired my salmon with a cauliflower puree and chive corn muffins (also from the weekly planner for that week).

Cauliflower Puree
This recipe said it served one, but it easily fed two. If looking to make for four or more people, double this recipe and use a whole head of cauliflower instead of half. Cooks in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients
1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups -- about half a head of cauliflower)
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
pepper
chopped chives for garnish

Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with cream and butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), or mash with a potato masher or a fork. Season with pepper and garnish with chopped chives.

Chive-Corn Muffins
My biggest gripe with corn bread is that it's often too dry and crumbly. The yogurt in this recipe keeps these muffins nice and moist -- and the cayenne provides a little kick. I threw a handful of shredded cheddar cheese in my muffin mixture, but this recipe is certainly fine as is.

Makes about 10 standard muffins or 30 mini-muffins.

Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 10 standard muffin cups (each about 1/3-cup capacity) or 30 mini-muffin cups with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl. Stir in chives. In another medium bowl whisk yogurt, eggs, and melted butter. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until blended (add shredded cheddar here if you wish). Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, using about 1/3 cup batter for each standard muffin cup or about 1 generous tablespoon for each mini-muffin cup.

Bake until muffins are puffed and golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes for standard muffins and 14 minutes for mini-muffins. Transfer pans to rack and let muffins cool in pans. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Leave muffins in pans; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven just until warm, about 5 minutes.) Remove from pans and serve.

Post-it: August heat and misc. seafood tidbits

This weekend as I was sitting in a crab boat with the mid-morning sun beating down on my head, doing my best not to be a total fuss pot after being woken up at 6:30 to go out crabbing for our family's annual crab feast, my cousin uttered a few sage words: "August is God's way of reminding you to be thankful for fall."

I couldn't agree more.

I just checked weather.com to see what the temperature is by my house and it's 101 degrees. This triple digit absurdity makes me look forward to feeling a cool September breeze on my face. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to rush summer out or anything. I love summer. But when it gets this hot, I get very sluggish and tired. Then again, maybe that's because I'm not getting enough sleep. Sigh.

I have a post about a recent recipe that I tried, but for the moment I just feel like writing random stuff. (It's my blog and I can do that.) I think I'll label these type posts "Post-its."

There is an interesting article in the Washington Post today about Tilapia and how it's consumption has gone way up among the average shopper, but that chefs are not big fans. Snooty Bob Kinkead, chef-owner of Kinkead's in Foggy Bottom and Colvin Run Tavern in Vienna, called it "insipid," "spongelike" and "inferior." "Not in my restaurant," he declared. "Never sold it, won't sell it." Whatever, Bob.

In other D.C. seafoody news, the owners of Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place) are planning to open up another restaurant in Old Town Alexandria on King Street in September. Will be looking forward to checking that out. They make a Lobster Roll sandwich that is out of this world, not to mention the oysters there are always fab. Here's hoping the new place is a little bit bigger.

Shrimp, take two.

Yesterday, I decided I would try again on a shrimp dish for one. Thankfully this one turned out quite good. The following is a slight adaptation of a recipe I found on the Food Network (it won't be the last one you see here) of Nigella Lawson's "Shrimp with Garlic and Chili Pepper." The only thing I changed was the use of a fresh red chili. I substituted dried red pepper flakes since the grocery store was out of red chilies. I'm pretty sure it turned out just as good.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp for One

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 fresh red chili, minced OR 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 - 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 pound unshelled medium shrimp
1/2 cup white wine
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Pour olive oil into a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Then add the chili flakes and garlic and, over moderate to low heat, fry for two minutes, stirring all the time.

2. Turn heat to high, add the shrimp, and fry for another two minutes or until they turn pink and are just cooked.

3. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble up about one more minute or so.

4. Season with salt, then turn into your bowl (hell, you can eat this right of the pan if you want to), and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Eat with a few hunks of baguette -- half the enjoyment of a dish like this is dipping your bread in the sauce!


Suggested accompaniments for this dish:
French Baguette
Fresh ear of corn
Mixed greens salad with goat cheese, pine nuts and tomatoes with Paul Newman's Basalmic Vinaigrette

NOTES: Points of interest, that may or may not be useful... (probably more so to those that don't cook much, and less so to those that do.)

Parsley. I've heard several chefs/cooks attest to the fact that Italian flat leaf parsley is better than curly leaf. While I am inclined to agree with this, if curly leaf is what you have in the fridge, use what you got. The difference in taste is minor and in a dish like this, we're mainly going for the fresh green color to brighten things up.

Wine. I used an inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc (RH Phillips on sale for $9.99). As Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa would say, don't cook with any wine you wouldn't mind drinking. I'm not particularly picky in this category -- my budget won't allow for it at this point in my life! Any dry white wine will do.

Garlic. If dealing with a fresh head of garlic is not something you're accustomed to, pick up a small jar of pre-chopped garlic. These can usually be found somewhere in the produce section of your grocery store. If my memory serves me right, 1/2 teaspoon = 1 fresh clove of garlic. Buying the jar is obviously more expensive than buying a head (say like $3 vs. $1), but it does save a little prep time.

Shrimp. I like to buy the "easy peel" shrimp if they are available. This means the guy behind the fish counter has already taken care of de-veining the little buggers (shells are still on, which is what you want). That said, I've eaten plenty of shrimp in my day that was not de-veined and have been just fine, so go with whatever is available.

Salt. When I cook, I like to use kosher salt because it has a little more flavor, but again, use what you have on hand.

What did this meal cost me?
1/2 pound shrimp: $4.87
wine: $9.99
baguette: $.99
corn: $.25
tomatoes (bought two): $2.83
goat cheese: $3.99
spring mixed greens: $2.50
Total: $25.42

(Items I didn't need to purchase: garlic, olive oil, pine nuts)

Obviously, any time you add alcohol to the mix, it's going to up your grocery bill, but if you don't drink the bottle down in one evening, you'll be able to enjoy a glass here or there for the rest of the week. Same goes for salad ingredients.