Salmon Salad

Left over Salmon means Salmon Salad, but not the kind you got as a child out of a can!

Smoked Salmon,nectarine Salad

We invited Robert and Darryl for dinner. Their house is torn up for construction. We decided to smoke a salmon in the egg. We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon from Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Jan 15, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. This requires the salmon to be cooked low and slow in the egg. We love this recipe and it gives great leftovers (if we don’t invite too many eager eaters over). We have made it many times.

We started with a Nectarine Salad made with Almonds and Saba.

Left Over Steak Julia Child Stognoff

We had left over Cote du Boeuf and decided to make Beef Stroganoff. Robert suggested we make: A Fast Saute of Beef for Two from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. I feel the name of the dish is a bit of a joke, yes, it is a fast saute, once you have do the 20 steps that precede it! I wanted to feel it is healthy since it isn’t served over noodles. Making this dish reminded me of the one that Jill used to make with her secret ingredient of pickles! It was a warm Los Angeles night and we ate outside on our deck overlooking the city. 

A Fast Saute of Beef for Two Recipe

From The Way to Cook by Julia Child (Alfred A. Knopf)

This is a meal in one with beef tenderloin chunks, potatoes, and mushrooms. Do not let the long ingredient list dismay you. It's not that difficult to make.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

The Onions:

6 to 8 small white onions about 1 inch in diameter

1/2 cup chicken stock

A pinch of tarragon or mixed herbs

The Potatoes:

3 or 4 medium boiling potatoes

A pinch of tarragon or mixed herbs

3 tbsp minced fresh parsley

The Mushrooms:

6 to 8 large fresh mushrooms

1 tbsp minced shallot or scallion

The Meat:

2 center-cut beef tenderloin steaks 1-1/2 inches thick, or the equivalent cut from a piece of tenderloin

The Sauce:

2 tbsp minced shallots or scallions

1/3 cup dry French vermouth

1/4 cup beef or chicken stock

1/3 cup heavy cream (or 1/2 cup stock blended with 1/2 tbsp cornstarch)

Other Ingredients:

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Butter and light olive oil or peanut oil

Preparation:

The Onions:

Drop the onions into boiling water for 1 minute. Drain. Shave skin from the tip and root ends, then slip off the remaining skins. Pierce a cross 1/4 inch deep in the root ends, for even cooking. Simmer slowly in the covered saucepan with the stock, herbs, and a little salt until tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, continue with the rest of the items.

The Potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch slices; cut the slices into 3/4-inch strips, and cut the strips into cubes. Dry the potatoes. Set one of the frying pans over high heat, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil, and when the butter foam has almost subsided, add the potatoes. Saute without disturbing for 1 minute, swirl the pan by its handle to toss them, and leave for another minute to sear them. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and saute over moderate heat, tossing fairly frequently, for about 15 minutes. When lightly browned and tender, keep them just warm, uncovered, over a pan of barely simmering water.

The Mushrooms:

Trim 1/4 inch off the stems of the mushrooms and either wipe the caps clean with a towel or wash them rapidly, if dirty, and dry them. Quarter them. Saute several minutes in hot butter in your second frying pan, adding the shallots or scallions at the end, just as the absorbed butter reappears on their surface and they begin to brown.

The Meat:

Whether you are using steaks or a piece of tenderloin, cut off outside fat and slice the meat into 1-1/2-inch chunks. Dry them well before sauteing.

Midway point:

Everything is cooking at once except for the meat, which is lying in wait. The onions are simmering away in their saucepan; the potatoes are sauteing. When the mushrooms are done, turn them into a side dish.

Sauteing the meat:

Set the mushroom saute pan over moderately high heat, adding a little butter and oil. When very hot, almost smoking, add the meat. Brown, tossing frequently for several minutes, until barely springy when pressed -- the beef must be very rare because it gets a little more cooking later. Toss it with a sprinkling of salt, and scrape it into the dish with the mushrooms.

The Sauce:

Spoon all but a tablespoon of fat out of the pan, stir in the minced shallots or scallions, and saute a moment; then pour in the wine, the stock, and any juices from the onions. Boil rapidly and let reduce almost to a syrup before adding the optional cream (or the stock/cornstarch).

Final simmering:

Scrape the beef, onions, and mushrooms into the pan and bring to the simmer, basting with the sauce, just to warm the beef through without overcooking; it should be rosy rare. Taste the sauce carefully and correct seasoning.

Serving:

Toss the potatoes over high heat to crisp, adding a tablespoon of butter, the herbs, and parsley. Strew the potatoes over the meat and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

The Way to Cook22 by Julia Child (Alfred A. Knopf)

Bobby Falls off the Wagon!, Chez Panise Pot Balsamic and Onions

Indian Candy

Gazpacho made by Tom from Tomatoes from his garden

John's wonderful Birthday Gift

John Carpenter had gifted me for my birthday a fantastic magnum of 1982 Pomerol wine. To drink this wine required a special dinner and good friends.

Bobby who loves to cook meat, but isn’t supposed to eat it volunteered to cook grill it. He also isn’t supposed to drink. Bobby fell off the wagon, big time. But he assured me it was worth it! It was a warm Los Angeles night and we were able to eat outside.

We started on the front patio with Indian Candy and Gazpacho. Indian Candy is dried Salmon that I suppose our American Indians created. It is chewy and tasty. Tom is a devoted gardener and he Gazpacho was from his own tomatoes and vegetables.

The three huge Cote de Boeuf steaks were much more than all of us could possibly eat. Robert cooked them perfectly. He gets bonus points for carving.

To accompany the meat we made Potatoes and Onions Roasted with Vinegar and Thyme from Chez Panisse Cooking by Bertolli and Waters. This is a great potato recipe.

We had an amazing amount of desserts to top off the evening. Cathy and I baked a delicious Fig Upside Down Cake. This is a real winner and easy to make. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Sep 4, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

We also had a Peach Crisp from McCall’s Meat and Fish and Pastries from Proof Bakery.

It was a special night crafted around John’s great wine.

Potatoes and Onions Roasted with Vinegar and Thyme

Chez Panisse Cooking

Bertolli and Waters

For 4

Although they are good next to just about any roasted or grilled meat and poultry, I like to serve these potatoes and onions with braised dishes. The potatoes are half peeled, leaving a spiraling band of skin attached. This not only makes them look appealing, but allows the vinegar to penetrate them during their slow roast. If they are to brown evenly, it is important to turn the potatoes and onions (about every thirty minutes, and more frequently during the last half hour) to coat them with the vinegar and butter.

8 white (the size of a golf ball) boiling onions (9 ounces)

12 small (the size of a golf ball) red potatoes (1 pound)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

6 sprigs thyme

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Peel the onions. Starting at the top of each potato, pare away a 1/4-inch-thick band off the skin, leaving half of it in place. Put the onions and potatoes in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Melt the butter and pour it and the vinegar over the potatoes and onions. Add salt and pepper and mix until they are coated. Burv the thyme sprigs in the vegetables and cover the dish with foil. Bake in the oven for 2 hours, stirring the vegetables each half hour to recoat them. Be sure to cover them after stirring. When done, the onions and potatoes should be a deep brown color.

salmon from market left over potatoes

Just a nice picture of the sunset from our deck.

We had some left over Potatoes. We heated them up, placed them on some Greens and topped with some Fresh Smoked Salmon from the Hollywood Farmer's Market. A perfect Sunday Brunch.

Shumon Cooks Again

 Eggplant in coconut and ground peanut sauce and paneer 

Bangladeshi Dinner

Harsha Appears

Our friend Harsha appeared at our front door. We hadn't seen him in probably a year or more. He spends his life traveling all over the world. Although he has a house in San Francisco he prefers to stay in hotels and only lives in SF about a month a year. He is a strict vegetarian so we fed him nuts and a salad. It is amazing to hear his stories. After dinner and conversation he left us and we have no idea where he is going and when we will next see him. He recently taken his parents to see the pyramids in Egypt. He loves to hike in the Himalayas. He really should blog!

Sausage for Tom

We had Tom over for dinner. He brought us a Gazpacho Soup made from his home grown tomatoes. It was chilled and delicious.

We decided to make Grilled Sausage and Radicchio from a recipe in the New York Times. We purchased the Sausages from McCall’s Meat and Fish. The fennel sausages are just wonderful, big and plump and juicy. I made enough so Tom and I could have leftover sausages. Unfortunately the Radicchio was very bitter even with the addition of Balsamic Vinegar. Sometimes that happens. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 13, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

I have been experimenting with grilling using more natural wood and less briquettes. I think it makes for a smokier taste to the grilled foods.

Surprisingly, at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market they had shelled lima beans. So we made a Lima Bean Puree using a recipe for Fava Bean Puree. You can find the recipe on our blog of: April 26, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

For dessert we made Fig Clafoutis from Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. It is a wonderful dish and relatively easy to make.

Fig Clafoutis

Bistro Cooking

Patricia Wells

One fall weekend years ago we were driving around in the Savoy and walked into a pretty little restaurant for dinner. Sitting on the counter was one of the most beautiful fig tarts one could imagine. I was mentally putting in my order for dessert, when I heard the owner say, complet—all booked. There would be no dinner there, what's more, no fig tart. Ever since, fig desserts have reminded me of that mythic tart. This clafoutis, rich with the flavor of honey and figs, always reminds me of Provence. The exact number of figs used will depend on their size.

4         tablespoons (2 ounces) un-salted butter

2         heaping tablespoons full-flavored honey

½         teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

10 to 12 (about 2 pounds) large fresh figs, stemmed and halved

lengthwise

6         large eggs

½         cup Vanilla Sugar

1         cup milk

2/3         cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Confectioners' sugar

1.            Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.            Butter and sugar a 10!/2-inch ceramic baking dish or pie plate.

3.            Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool.

4.            Warm the honey and cinnamon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll each fig half in the honey mixture. Arrange them, cut sides up, in the prepared baking dish.

5.            Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly incorpo­rate the milk, hour, salt, and melted butter. Be sure that the mixture is well blended.

Pour the batter over the figs. Bake until the batter is firm and golden, from 30 to 35 minutes. Re­move to a rack to cool. When slightly cooled, sprinkle on confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room tem­perature.

Yield: 8 servings

Pasta with Lentil Sauce

This is a summer time treat. We have made this multiple times. Obviously we love it. It is not your father's pasta (especially not mine who believed firmly that pasta had to have meatballs in it). This is Italian Lentil Pasta, a vegetarian pasta, that would fool any meat eater. The lentils make the sauce thick and hearty. You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 22, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

Thai Pork Fried Rice

Once again we went to Chi Spacca at Mozza and had the Tomahawk giant pork chop. It is amazing. More than Cathy and I can eat. We brought the left over pork home and once again made Thai Pork Fried Rice. You can get the recipe from our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

The Magic Fails

Sometimes the magic works and sometimes the kitchen god's play havoc with you. This time they did. We had a fantastic Corn Risotto at Barbrix. We attempted to recreate it at home. Didn't work. If you want this dish go to Barbrix and let Don make it for you! It is good (when he does it!).

We had some left over lobster and decided to make a Lobster Chowder using Lobster Stock we had made. When we go out to a restaurant and have lobster, we always bring home the shells and boil them to make Lobster Stock which we freeze. This was MUCH better then the failed corn risotto. I really like it. We used a recipe for Red Shrimp Chowder With Corn  from the New York Times and upgraded it to Lobster. This recipe is a keeper. You can get the recipe on our blog September 8, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

69th Birthday at Barbrix

Menu for the Birthday Dinner

Where is the food?

Chilled Corn Soup

The "Original" Salad - my favorite!

Latkes

Lobster Paella

Doesn't this look Great

Dessert