From Fine Cooking, issue 57

Well folks, it’s been nearly two weeks since my Achilles’ surgery and I’m happy to report that I’m pain-free and back in “the boot.” This is an infinitely more appealing option than the splint I left the hospital in as it allows for the possibility of airing your foot out once in a while, and of wearing something other than gym shorts and sweatpants. Regrettably, however, I’m still required to keep all weight off my right foot, which, of course, means crutches. These have taken some time to get used to, and though I’m still feeling pretty limited in my movements, I’ve actually gotten pretty adept at navigating the world on them (even stairs!). Of course, mastering the crutch walk also means learning to slow yourself down, recognizing that things which used to take maybe two minutes (brushing your teeth, putting a shirt on a hanger, loading a plate in the dishwasher) are now potentially hazardous activities and will therefore take roughly four times as long—if you’re lucky. Still, life has resumed a degree of normalcy, even if the most complex cooking tasks I’ve taken on have been limited to protein shakes and green salads. I’m hoping that in the coming weeks I’ll become sufficiently adept on the crutches (and comfortable standing on one foot for longer periods of time) to tackle more demanding dishes—and to photograph the process, as I must do for this site. Until then, however, I still have a few shoots in my inventory to work with—done in the weeks immediately preceding my tennis mishap—like this one for roasted salmon with crème fraîche and tarragon.

The recipe is actually a long-time favorite, pulled a decade or so ago from the pages of Fine Cooking. In fact, I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to bring it to you. The only explanation I have for this is that the dish is one I tend to be drawn to in spring and early summer, and as such represents a fairly small window within which to act. Of course, there’s nothing to keep you from making it at any time of the year—none of the ingredients are seasonal or challenging to find—it’s just that there’s something about the soft pink of the salmon and the bright flavor of its accompanying crème fraîche sauce (given a little zip thanks to the addition of vermouth, sautéed shallot, lemon juice, and tarragon) that makes it seem particularly well suited to these gentle, celebratory days of early summer. In both flavor and temperament it’s a dish that brings to mind one of those mainstays of the season—salmon with béarnaise sauce (a sauce that features many of the same ingredients).

It’s also considerably easier than this classic, with none of the potentially hazardous challenges of making a butter sauce. That’s due in large part to the fact that this version essentially prepares itself in the oven, while cooking alongside the salmon. To start you simply whip the crème fraîche with the lemon juice and tarragon, then sauté the minced shallot in a portion of the butter and the ½ cup of vermouth. Once the butter/shallot combination has cooked down to something thick and shiny (a few minutes will do it) remove the pan from the heat and gently lay in your salmon filets, which have previously been salted and peppered. Pour the crème fraîche mixture over the salmon, cover with a buttered round of parchment paper (buttered side down, to ensure the fish stays nice and moist during its stay in the oven), then slide into a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes or so (or slightly less, depending on how fast your oven is—this is not a dish you want to overcook).

Once the fish has lost its translucent quality, remove the pan from the oven and gently place the filets on a plate (one of those extra large fish spatulas comes in super handy here), keeping them warm under tented foil. All that remains is to thicken up the sauce slightly over medium heat (again, a few minutes will do it), whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and you’re done. Garnished with a little fresh dill or chives, and served alongside some sugar snap peas, and you have the perfect warm weather meal. A dish worthy of a special occasion, for sure, but also one with the ability to simply make a warm summer evening that much more special.

Happy summer!

Ingredients:
—3 tbs fresh lemon juice
—2 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
—8 oz ( scant cup) crème fraîche
—1/4 cup unsalted butter; more for the parchment
—2 tbs minced shallot
—1/2 cup dry vermouth
—4 skinless salmon fillets (6 to 7 oz), preferably center cut
—Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
—Minced fresh dill or chives for garnish

Special equipment:
—Parchment pape

Directions:
—Heat the oven to 350˚.
—Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside a large ovenproof skillet, sauté pan, or flameproof baking dish. Lightly butter one side of the parchment.
—Combine the lemon juice, tarragon, and crème fraîche in a small bowl and set aside.
—Melt 2 tbs of the butter in the pan or baking dish over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and vermouth and reduce to a glaze; remove from the heat. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer in the pan. Pour the crème fraîche mixture over the salmon, cover with the parchment butter side down, and bake until the salmon is just opaque throughout, 18 to 20 minutes. Don’t overcook!
—Transfer the salmon to a plate and keep warm. Put the pan over medium heat and reduce the sauce until it’s thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Remove from the heat, whisk in the remaining 2 tbs butter, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
—Put each salmon fillet on a warm dinner plate and spoon the sauce over each. Garnish with dill or chives.

Serves 4

The post 06/26/13 • SALMON WITH CREME FRAICHE appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.

From the Aug./Sept. Fine Cooking

One of the questions I’m constantly asking myself when deciding what to post each week is whether a particular recipe falls within that sweet spot that will make it either so ridiculously easy that you don’t need me to tell you about it, or so complex that you’ll immediately dismiss it as unrealistic. This recipe for corn salad falls squarely in the former category—so squarely, in fact, that even as I was taking the photos you see here, I still wasn’t convinced that they would make their way onto the site. Ultimately I changed my mind, though, and here’s why: it’s a recipe worth knowing about. And perhaps more importantly, it’s just the sort of recipe I seem to go looking for each August . . . and if I’m searching for it, I can only assume that some of you are as well. I should clarify that it’s not so much the ease I’m after this time of year (though the benefits are obvious when the weather gets warm and sticky), but rather one that will transform the corn I love but by mid-August have generally wearied of eating in the traditional way into something just a little bit more interesting—and that ideally won’t require an accompanying roll of dental floss.

In other words, what I’m looking for is some version of corn that doesn’t completely transform the starch into something else entirely, but that will gently nudge it in a new direction, and hopefully in the process do away with the cob altogether. Something like the corn salad I bring to you here. Many Augusts ago a friend made a similar dish for me, and though she promised to pass along the recipe, it never came through (or if it did I promptly lost it), and my subsequent searches and efforts at replication fell short—all of which meant that a good corn salad took on for me a kind of holy-grail-of-summer-cooking quality. So when I saw this recipe for corn and cherry tomato salad in the new issue of Fine Cooking it immediately caught my eye because it called into play the two key ingredients I recall from that earlier salad. But the fact that the whole mixture was tossed with a generous splash of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped fresh tarragon had an undeniable appeal as well. (If I start sucking on the inside of my cheeks while reading a recipe as I did here, it’s generally only a matter of time before I’m assembling it in the kitchen.)

In any case, with the addition of a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, those four ingredients—the corn, the tomatoes, the lemon juice, and the tarragon—are essentially all there is to this recipe. Which in large part explains my hesitation in bringing this to you: there just didn’t seem to be enough to it. But then again, this is corn we’re talking about—an item that at its very freshest can be enjoyed unadorned (i.e. no salt or butter needed) and with minimal, if any, cooking—so maybe that light touch is exactly as it should be.

While this salad is a long way from naked, the cooking component is definitely a minimal one, limited as it is to a quick sauté (two minutes or until just softened) of those two cups of fresh corn kernels in the company of a single tablespoon of the extra-virgin olive oil. After that, you can switch off the stove and forget about it. In fact, all that remains is to transfer the corn to a medium-sized bowl, give it a chance to cool slightly (five or ten minutes will do it), toss with the remaining ingredients, and you’re ready to go.

There’s something about the combined flavors here—the sweetness of the corn, the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon juice, and the aromatic quality of the tarragon (which is always so good in the company of vinegar or lemon)—that makes this the perfect accompaniment for grilled steak, though the same argument could certainly be made for either chicken, or a meaty fish like salmon. Either way, it’s an easy, zippy salad to have in your summer cooking arsenal. I, for one, am glad to finally have it in mine.

On an unrelated note, many of you have been asking how Lily has been getting on—Lily, of course, being the new Lab-mix addition to our household discussed at length in last week’s posting. The short answer is fantastic!—she and Sid have hit it off and are constantly wrestling and playfully mouthing each other, and any anxiety she may have had about things like stairs, elevators, and car horns seems largely to have disappeared. And she’s recently discovered the comforts of our bed, which along with the sheepskin rug at the top of the stairs, has quickly become her favorite spot in the apartment. A few challenges remain, namely her tendency to go to the bathroom in her crate—due either to anxiety or the fact that for the first few years of her life this was status quo—but we’re getting there. And each day she seems happier and more at home!

Ingredients:
—3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
—2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 medium ears)
—1 pint halved or quartered (depending on size) cherry tomatoes
—1½ tbs fresh lemon juice
—1 tbs chopped fresh tarragon
—1/4 tsp kosher salt
—Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
—Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes.
—Transfer to a medium bowl to cool slightly. Add the halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the lemon juice, the tarragon, the kosher salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Toss and serve.

Serves 4

The post 08/16/12 • SIMPLE CORN SALAD appeared first on THE RECIPE GRINDER.