Poached Salmon

Poaching gently simmers fish in a flavorful liquid.  Here the liquid is champagne, lemon and butter.  The salmon has delightful flavor and served with the cool rosemary sauce it's a real treat.  Don't use your best champagne, Cooks or Andre champagne works fine.  Do use fresh rosemary.  My last tip is that reduced fat sour cream doesn't have the same smooth texture that regular has so its best to use regular sour cream.   I served this with roasted baby potatoes and roasted asparagus.  Just toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven.  The potatoes will take longer than the asparagus so put those in first.  The asparagus will only need about 7-10 minutes. 

For the Sauce: 
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

For the Salmon:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 green onion finely chopped
1/2 cup champagne
2 lbs salmon fillets
 

Make the Sauce:  Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl.  Whisk until smooth, cover and keep cool in refrigerator. 

Make the salmon:  Combine butter and next 3 ingredients in a large skillet.   Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Carefully add the salmon and reduce the heat to low.  Cover and poach for about 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Remove the salmon from the liquid.  Serve with the chilled sauce. 

Recipe from my favorite Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

Chorizo Stuffed Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

It's Monday and I didn't have to work tonight so I thought I would spend a little extra time on dinner. This unexpectedly only took a few minutes to put together and 25 minutes to cook.  An awesome dinner in less than an hour. Sweet! This is one of those that you can make for guests and really wow the pants off of them.  Not literally but you know what I mean.   

For the Chicken:
4 garlic cloves
1/4 lb pork chorizo
4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (look near the mexican cheese section)
1/2 cup jack cheese, grated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
chopped cilantro for garnish

For the Sauce:
4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (if you get chopped tomatoes, use enough to equal 4 whole dried tomatoes, about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 TBSP basil, chiffonade
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Make the Chicken:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Chop garlic and saute with a little olive oil for about 2 min.  Set aside.  In same pan cook the chorizo over medium high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until browned.  With a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and drain on paper towels.  Place chicken breasts in a plastic zip lock bag and pound thin with a meat pounder/tenderizer or a rolling pin. 

Take your time so that the chicken breasts stay in one piece.  Rotate the chicken around as you pound it.  Lay the chicken out onto your work surface and spread evenly the chorizo, cotija, jack cheese and a little of the garlic. 

Don't overfill with filling or it will be hard to roll up.

 Roll up each breast up, tucking in the sides and gently squeezing as you go. 

Place the chicken seam side down in baking dish.  Sprinke with thyme, salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. 

Pour the wine around the chicken.  Bake for about 25-30 minyes until cooked through.   Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Make the Sauce:
In a blender or food processor, add sun dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, garlic and basil. 

Basil chiffonade.

Blend until smooth. 

Slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve slice the chicken into 1/2 inch thick slices and drizzle with sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Prepare yourself to hear the oohs and ahhs and mmmm's.

Recipe adapted from Linda Martin @ Sweet Basil Cooking School 

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

Have you had any blueberries yet this summer?  They are so good, sweet and juicy.  Just perfect.   This is a great one dish breakfast and perfect for a brunch or pot luck as it is made in a casserole dish.  Easy and delicious.  It doesn't get any better.  Oh and did I mention the blueberry syrup.  It's pretty darn good too! 

For the blueberry stuffed french toast:
1 lb french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 8oz package cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
10 large eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (maybe a little more)

For the blueberry syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 TBSP butter

Make the french toast:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Put half of the bread cubes on the bottom of the dish.

Scatter the cream cheese pieces over the bread and then sprinkle on the blueberries.

Place the remaining bread cubes evenly over the blueberries.

 In a large bowl mix the eggs, maple syrup, whole milk and heavy cream.

Whisk well and then pour evenly over the bread mixture.  Press bread down to moisten and then add a little more cream if some of the bread is dry.  It can be covered and chilled overnight at this point.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the syrup:
In a small saucepan mix the sugar, cornstarch and water over medium heat.   Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thickened.  Stir in the blueberries and simmer for about 10 minutes.  The berries will start to burst.  Add the butter until it is melted then transfer to serving bowl and spoon over the blueberry french toast.

Spinach Quiche

Here is an easy quiche recipe perfect for a brunch!  Use a deep pie dish if you have one.   This was part of our Fathers Day brunch.  What a lucky dad if I do say so myself :)

Ingredients:
9 inch pie pastry
1 TBSP butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach,
    thawed and well drained
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/8 tsp pepper

Prick bottom of pie crust with a fork and bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions and red bell pepper, saute until tender.

Add cream cheese and  milk to mixture, cook over low heat, whisk until the cream cheese is melted.

Very slowly whisk about 1/4th of the hot mixture into the eggs. then add the remaining hot mixture. 
Whisk in the spinach and pepper.

Pour into the prepared pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until it is set. 

Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ooey gooey warm cinnamon rolls from scratch?  Yes please! You can make these the night before and bake them in the morning. You may be able to tell that I was up late at night making these.  The pictures are a little dark.  We had a father day brunch and they didn't last but a few minutes after I pulled them out of the oven.  I got one and when I went back to get another they were gone.  Next time I'm making a double batch for sure.

For the Cinnamon Rolls:
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 package active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
2 TBSP butter softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 oz block) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Make the frosting:  Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Beat at low until light and fluffy.  Stir in vanilla.  Set aside. 

Make the cinnamon rolls:  Heat sour cream in a small saucepan on medium low heat until it reaches 105-115 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together the warm sour cream, 2 TBSP butter, 3 TBSP sugar, salt and baking soda.  Add egg and yeast.  Blend well.

Add 1 1/2 cups flour and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.  Gradually stir in just enough flour until a soft  dough is formed.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 4 or 5 times.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into an 18x6 rectangle.  With your fingers spread the 2 TBSP softened butter over the dough leaving the top 1 inch plain.

Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough leaving the top one inch plain.

Roll up the dough, starting at the bottom and then seal at the top.  Put a little tiny bit of water at the top of the dough to seal it.  Slice the roll into 12 (1 1/2 in) slices.  Place the slices in a greased pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts for about 30-45 minutes.

They will almost double in size.  From this point you can keep them covered and place in fridge overnight if you want to bake them in the morning.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden.  As soon as you take them out of the oven spread a layer of frosting on them.  If they aren't gone before they are cooled add another layer of frosting.   Enjoy!

Baja Fish Tacos, Chipolte Mayo and Fresh Salsa

These are my favorite fish tacos and they are really easy to make.  You can always use store bought salsa but fresh is just so much better.  These are made with salmon. I know it sounds weird but even if  you don't like salmon I can almost guarantee you will love these tacos.  My sister in law even said "I don't like salmon but these are good!"  You can use any white fish though.  Serve these with a cold beer or a margarita!

Chipotle Mayo:
1/2 cup mayo
2 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Salsa:
1 cup fresh tomatoes chopped
1 fresh jalapeno chopped
1/4 cup white onion diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Fish:
vegetable or canola oil for frying
1 salmon fillet (about 8oz), skinned boned, cut into strips 1 inch thick strips
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 tsp dry mustard
beer, enough to make the batter the consistency of pancake batter, about 1 cup
salt

Tacos:
8 flour or corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cabbage

Make the chipotle mayo:  In a small bowl mix the mayo, milk and chipotle chili powder.   Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the salsa:  In a medium sized bowl mix together the chopped tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, cilantro and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let stand at room temperature until ready to use.  

Shred the cabbage and set aside.

Make the fish:  Heat 1 inch of oil in a heavy sauce pan on medium high.  On my stove that is 6.5 out of 10.  Place the fish on a work surface and cut into 1 inch thick strips.

I covered my cutting board with a sheet of wax paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and dry mustard.   Add enough beer until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter.  Mix until just combined.  Don't worry if the batter is lumpy.

Dip the fish into the batter and carefully lay the fish into the pan.  Cook until the fish is a deep golden brown about 3 minutes then flip over until the other side is golden brown. 

Lay the cooked fish on paper towels and sprinkle each piece with a little salt.

 Heat the tortillas and build your fish taco with all the fixings. 

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

 

 

The original version of Nutella was made in little loafs wrapped in foil so that it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children.  But many children, as you can imagine, would throw away the bread and only eat the Nutella.  This is when they decided to make it into a spreadable version and is the Nutella that we all know and love today.  Two of my favorite people are Nutellaholics.  You know who you are.  This recipe is for you and the rest of the Nutella lovers out there.  The past two days I have been testing out cheese cake recipes.  I take 2 slices, one for me and one for Cameron (hehe) and then send the rest to work with Will.  It's called portion control!  Let's see if this one even makes it out of the house. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups chocolate graham crackers such as teddy grahams, crushed

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts any kind, i used pecans

1/4 cup butter melted

1 tsp vanilla, divided

2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 jar (13 oz) hazelnut spread such as Nutella

1 tub (8oz) extra creamy whipped topping

Make the crust:  mix graham crumbs, nuts, butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until well blended and then press evenly onto bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.  Place in fridge. 

Make the filling:  Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a large bowl until blended.  Add the hazelnut spread and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Mix well and then stir in the whipped topping.  Spoon it gently into the crust.  

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  This is enough cheesecake for about 10 people.