Fish For Easter

 Many will be baking ham or lamb this Easter Sunday. However for something different try fish. There is the religious symbolism of it but there's also a fresh flavor to it .It's also easier to prepare and cook than the other two traditional meats. It's a different spin fitting in with the lightness of Spring.

Regular contributor and chef Genevieve Ko gave this recipe in yesterday's New York Times Food section.It is a refreshing turn from the over saltiness of ham and the sometime dryness of lamb. It may be hard for some to switch. Ham for Easter has been the mainstay ofr many German and American families. Pigs were slaughtered din the fall, Their haunches were brine cured and ready around Easter. Lamb also is a hard meal to give up.It has religious significance and baby lambs were sacrificed in the Spring. Yet these are also labor intensive to prepare and cook. Fish isn't. salmon is a good choice,It's low calorie and light, perfect for a warmer weather meal.Ms. KO recommends using wild salmon which works well with the butter honey glaze. Home chefs can also use fatty farmed salmon which will give the meat a richer flavor. as with steak season  with salt an hour before cooking. This will draw the moisture out of the flesh as the fish chills in the fridge , giving a firmer texture.It can be salted four hours before cooking or even a few minutes before.

What would go with this? Ms. Ko has pickled Persian cucumber which sits a top of the fish. after an hour the cucumbers still maintain their crisp freshness. Keep in mind that the longer the cucumber marinate in salt and the honey mustard marinade  the soggier they'll become which actually works to their favor.They become tangier in taste while the mustard seeds plump from the honey-vinegar brine. The brine is first put on the cucumbers. Use rice wine or white wine vinegar   for a lighter flavor. Lemon zest is added to it as well for zing and brightness. What to serve with it? Roasted potatoes work along with asparagus. Ms. KO throws a sheet pan of the stalks  in the oven as the salmon roasts at 425 degrees  Farenheit. A arugula salad works here as well along with other fresh greens to welcome Spring. As for a starch think white or even brown rice. It is the perfect side for the fish and cucumbers.

Try salmon for Easter. It's a refreshing flavor that anyone will enjoy. Start a new tradition  with this fantastic dish.

Grill Those Veggies

 It's grilling season and that means plenty of dogs and burgers along with chicken steak, and seafood on the barbecue. Yet it also means veggies too. There's nothing like a nice side of grilled asparagus or fresh from the coals corn. Any veggie, even an avocado can be turned into a barbecue delight.

Steven Raichlen, the man most associated with the PBS favorites Primal Grill and Barbecue University wrote this informative guide in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Chef Raichlen is usually associated with grilling all things meaty  however here he goes for all things veggie. Like grilling any kind of meat or seafood , cooking and cooking times vary. What works for sturdy cauliflower will nor work for delicate asparagus and vice versa. Chef Raichlen breaks them down into categories which will make for easier grilling and more delicious dishes. There is also direct and indirect grilling. The first is perfect for soft vegetables such as mushrooms and zucchini along with bok choy and kale . Indirect grilling is done for meatier veggies like cauliflower or potatoes, both Idaho and sweet. It's cooking them in a closed grill (like the Egg) over a medium heat.

Chef Raichlen also includes some recipes as well. There is a delicious grilled zucchini that's also pretty.It's slicing the zucchini on a mandolin outfitted with a finger guard. This will turn the gourd into ribbons and then pushed onto wood or metal skewers . They should resemble old fashioned ribbon candy. Oil the grill with vegetable oil first to prevent sticking. You can add barbecue butter .a tasty blend of melted butter, barbecue rub or spice mix ,garlic and lemon zest. This would be a great side with chicken. Another recipe calls for corn with sesame soy butter. The butter is a mix of melted butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, and mirin or honey.  The cobs should have their ends cut off on one end while the husks should be pulled down and then tied with butcher's string. They're then basted with the soy sesame butter and browned three minutes on all side. After they're cooked, baste with more butter nad sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives.

It is grilling season but instead of meat try veggies. They're a nice side or change up from the usual chops or wings. Get some green on the barbecue this summer.

Spring Reawakenings

 If it's Spring it means cleaning time. That means getting into those dusty and cob webbed corners. It's amazing what could be found there. It's usually a long forgotten treasure that can be reused or repurposed.

That's what happened to me today when I decided to clean in the crevices by my stove. I stored a slew of pans there, from cupcake to pizza. I also found some interesting things, I've forgotten about.

One is the broiler plate. form my Mom's original stove that we replaced four years ago,

I don't think this can fit into my new oven but I do have another use for it. It can be used to grill veggies , especially corn and even meats on the outdoor grill. Veggies like asparagus and eggplant slices usually fall through the grill plate's wide opening.This makes cooking them impossible. Using this will make grilling any kind of veggie  a snap.

Another treasure I unearthed is my madeleine pan.

I have never made them and now am looking into a vegan recipe.The recipe usually requires two large eggs, which I can use Vegg baking substitute for this and a whole stick of butter. I may just experiment and try I Can't Believe It's Not Butter which gives a nice buttery flavor. The other flavors come from the addition of vanilla and lemon zest.Madeleines are a labor intensive with halving the dry ingredients and adding them to the wet ingredients after careful stirring. Then there's chilling the batter for an hour before baking. The result is worth it howevermm

You never know what you'll unearth during Spring cleaning. Some items may be useful, some may be repurposed.  They 're all treasures and should be tried out. Some good stuff may come out of it.

Your Perfect Gingerbread House

One of the staples of the holiday is a gingerbread house. It is as ubiquitous as Santa, and cookies. It is also the dream of every home baker to create the perfect one. Unfortunately, it's one of the hardest baking projects any baker can tackle . However, there's a guide to help build that perfect house.

Luckily Julia Moskin becomes our Property Brothers in today's holiday issue of the New York Times Food section. She has got the former White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses, to give some tips as well as a cut out pattern to create the perfect house. (Keep in mind that the recipe is printed on the pattern for the house's front and back while the decorating tips are printed on the pattern that will make up both the house's sides and roof). Guests and especially the baker will want to nibble on the creation so the gingerbread itself has to be tasty. Chef Yosses suggests adding orange and lemon zest to cut the spiciness. Also a pound of butter also helps,giving it more of a butter cookie vibe. The spices are there - in heaping teaspoons, mostly ginger and cinnamon  which ,along, with molasses , give the cookie its' rich deep tan color.The pieces are baked in batches. The dough has to be refrigerated overnight before baking and it needs three days to a week to dry out for construction.. The walls will have to be rebaked for fifteen minutes when the candy windows are added.This is done by cutting out a circle and placing crushed hard candy in the middle. Again the suggestion is using one color for the window although you can use two ot three colors for a festive stained glass look.

The hardest part is the decorating and assembling. The icing will also act as the glue that holds the whole thing together. It is royal icing, made with a pound (!) of confectioner's sugar , two egg whites and one teaspoon of lemon juice. The egg whites will give the icing the stiffness it needs to hold everything together. The lemon juice gives it that crisp whiteness that makes lovely snowflakes and and snow dusted tiles. Putting it together will be the hardest part. Have help at the ready. Chef Yosses recommends using thick sealable one gallon plastic bags for the icing instead of the traditional pastry bags..Luckily you won't need any special tips, Just snip off a corner and use your dominant hand to guide the lines. Two bags are needed for construction and decoration. For constructing snip a hole measuring 3/8 ths of an inch while the decorating bag get's a 1/8 th of an inch opening. rest the bag in your palm and manipulate the opening with your thumb and forefinger. Decorating can be done in the traditional manner or with brightly colored candy like Gumballs and gum drops.. Assembling will be the hardest part . It starts with a steady wooden board or even an inexpensive cutting board. You can also go to an art store for a canvas painting panel. Use a can, mug or jar to prop this up. Make sure that the front wall sits inside the side walls. When the four walls are in place, then carefully (what else?) place one roof slab. This may slip so  add more icing and prop it up with a  ramekin or small glass. Wait until the icing dries before placing the other side.

A gingerbread house is a real thing of beauty not   home chef's unicorn. Do it properly and it will be the highlight of your holiday and baking career/It is easier than you think so go bake that house!.

Sheet Pan Dinners With A Twist

One of the latest trends in home cooking right now is sheet pan meals. These are an easy cook and mix of the main meal and sides. Now there's another layer added to this - pasta. It gives a new texture and taste to a popular dish.

Melissa Clark decided to tackle this and write about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Any sheet pan meal is an easy make.It's just spreading out your desired ingredients on a baking sheet that's usually reserved for cookies and square  pizzas. She makes a roasted broccoli pasta. This is unusual in the sense that the main ingredient isn't a meat such as chicken or pork but pasta. Ms. Clark uses chiocciole , a  macaroni shaped kind, however, home chefs can also use fusilli or ziti.Using pasta does require the extra step of boiling it, but then it's really no different than boiling the wide noodles for lasagna. Vegetables are a must for any sheet pan meal. Broccoli is used because it roasts well,,with the florets becoming crispy. That and the pasta, which will become crisp too will pair nicely with the addition of fresh ricotta.The cheese will burnish and caramelize.Ms. Clark also adds a good sprinkling of Parmesan spiked breadcrumbs and lemon zest for more zing.

Even novice home chefs can create this tasty dish, perfect for a weekday dinner or weekend lunch.It does start off with a very hot oven. Ms. Clark recommends a 425 degree Farenheit oven Use a rimmed baking sheet. The broccoli is tossed with olive oil along with red pepper flakes, a pinch of sea salt  and cumin for flavor( you can swap out the pepper if it proves to be too spicy). Roast until tender and brown between eighteen and twenty-five minutes. Toss halfway through to make sure that all the florets are evenly cooked. The sheet pan is removed from the oven and it's time to turn on the broiler. At this point, the pasta should be boiled and then drained.It's also at this time that the
 breadcrumbs have to be spiced. Ms. Clark uses panko bread crumbs but I don't see why regular or homemade ones can 't be used. Toss the breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan,  lemon zest and salt and pepper. The pasta and broccoli are then tossed together on the pan then dollops of  the ricotta is added..It's then sprinkled with the breadcrumbs , along with getting a generous drizzle of olive oil. Broil for about two to three minutes or until browned and crisped. It's served with a squirt of lemon juice. Other veggies such as cauliflower and eggplant can be subbed in for the broccoli  while Camembert can be used for the ricotta.

A sheet pan meal is an easy meal. Add pasta to make it special and tastier. It's a nice spin on a new trend.

The Best Christmas Gifts

What does a foodie and home chef  want  for Christmas? Anything that deals with food and the kitchen. Well, I don't know about any of you out there but I got my wish in the form of a madeleine pan and n eight piece glass baking set. It has definitely set the juices flowing again.

As you can see I received the much-coveted madeleine pan. I love madeleines and have been dying to bake them for a long time. Now with a tin and working oven I am definitely going to try my hand at this. These cake-like cookies are a bit labor intensive. but worth it the work, The recipe requires melted butter to be gently folded in along with freshly grated lemon zest. Baked madeleines are then dusted with granulated sugar while still warm. There are recipes for lavender infused ones and chocolate. The first is made with lavender infused honey while the chocolate ones are more like miniature baked cakes.Once I master the original recipe I'd like to move on to the espresso ones with espresso  icing. There is even a  savory madeleine recipe that involves  Parmesan cheese and rosemary or chives. These would be perfect for a brunch or an afternoon snack, along with being a bread for salad Nicoise.

My second gift is an eight piece bake set from Anchor-Hocking. This is exciting too because there's a wide range of dishes and treats I can bake. The larger casserole dish has got me thinking and researching chili bakes, those yummy yummy combos of chili and cornbread. They're kind of like a Southwestern shepherd's pie.but with the extra zing of chili powder. There is a covered  smaller sized dish for smaller bakes , such as bread puddings or strata,I am looking forward to making pies and quiches with homemade crusts too,.I've just found an easy quiche crust recipe that calls for olive oil, flour and cold water. Another recipe I 'd love to tackle is deep dish pizza, layered with mozzarella and veggies.I could also make a childhood favorite, Crazy Crust Pizza using Bisquick. The set also comes with two ramekins for custard or possibly for melting butter or margarine in the microwave. There are all sorts of possibilities with this amazing set and I;'m looking forward to trying out  scores of great recipes.

I've got my Christmas dishes and am chomping at the bit to try them out. I can't wait to tackle the complicated but oh so delcious madeleine recipes and the other baking recipes with my new Anchor Hocking set. It's going to be a fun winter ahead, as I try all sorts of new dishes in my cozy kitchen.