Kiwis

We have just returned from a two week trip to New Zealand and it was a Red Devon Tour. Those of you who know your cows, know this as a heritage breed and one that we have been working with for the past four years.

I am not big on tours but this one turned out to be well organized and there were no great problems with people being late to get on the bus or to dinner. There were 28 of us and only seven were Americans. The rest were from Brazil and Australia plus our New Zealand hosts. All were fun travelers and we got along well.

New Zealand is known for its beauty and lots of sheep and cattle. In fact, there are more dairy cows than people.  We were not disappointed. The view from the mountains to the sea was gorgeous. The cattle were just so fat and seemed so well taken care of. Of course it was summer there, and the grass was very good. We toured only the north island from Auckland to Wellington. The south island will have to be done another time.

New Zealand is consistently rated as one of the best places to live and is one of the most active nations: Kiwis (as they are called) seem to be born with a love of the outdoors, and families tramp (hike to us), caravan, sail, and play rugby, cricket, and netball together. Most Kiwis are well educated, and they value travel highly. They are concerned with their future. The Department of Conservation now focuses on environmental issues, reflecting the national love of the outdoors and the importance of the landscape to the country’s burgeoning tourism industry. Although New Zealand is making great strides in sustainability, the country aims for a “100% Pure” lifestyle. They are having problems just like the rest of us with obesity and crime, just on a smaller scale.

We visited several Red Devon farms and found the breeders and their wives so very nice. They always had tea for us and lots of food: freshly baked scones, fruitcake, oaty cookies, corned beef sandwiches (made from the Red Devon cows), and fresh cream (also from the cows) for the scones. Because of the tour, we got to visit places other tourists would never see.

We not only visited farms, but museums, a boat tour of a glowworm cave, harbor tours, and a little time was given for shopping. New Zealand is known for their possum fur which combined with merino wool and some silk, make wonderful caps, scarves, and jackets. The possum was an invasive introduction until they decided to farm them and use the fur.

Most of us only think of the kiwi fruit or kiwi bird when we think of New Zealand. We did see groves of kiwi plants and they do make kiwi soap and jam. The kiwi birds are hard to find as they are nocturnal, but we did go to a museum and saw one kiwi bird. They are not very attractive, with a big grey body and a long beak. But there is an effort to protect the birds since only about 1 out of 9 eggs survive. Our hosts work with saving kiwis in their off time from the farm.

The story of the kiwi fruit is interesting. A missionary brought Chinese gooseberries to New Zealand. Another man developed a bigger better variety. They were popular with Americans during WWII and New Zealand tried to export them to the US but as they were berries they were considered growing on the ground and there would be higher duties. They changed the name to Kiwi melons but melons still grew on the ground and had high duties----so Kiwi fruit they became. Kiwis are New Zealanders, or the birds. The edible kiwi is a ‘kiwi fruit.’

I was very impressed with the food. When we asked our guide what you think of when you mention New Zealand food, she said “fresh”. I would tend to agree. We had wonderful grass-fed steak several nights, good seafood, excellent vegetables, and wonderful desserts. Every evening we had a three course meal! Sometimes I was so tired I thought I would not get through the meal but somehow I did! Another great thing about New Zealand is the wine! It is especially known for its sauvignon blancs. In the South Island, Marlborough is the country’s largest grape-growing area, producing more than 70% of New Zealand’s wine.

I could go on and on about the trip and will devote one more article next week about our visit. One thing of interest which I did not know was that the dessert, pavlova, is said to have come from New Zealand, even though Australia claims the creation of this dessert also. The story goes that in 1926 the prima ballerina Anna Pavlova came from Russia to perform in New Zealand and then in Australia in 1929. After this visit a dessert named pavlova was named for her. You will see this dessert on many menus, and most of us know of this as a very sweet meringue dessert served with some cream on top of the meringue with fruit on the cream. Of course they use kiwi in New Zealand. I made one of these and they are easy and very good. You could use strawberries with the kiwis also. It is considered the national dessert of New Zealand.

Pavlova

8-10 servings

Ingredients

½ cup egg whites, at room temperature (from about 4 eggs)

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

2 kiwi fruits, peeled and thinly sliced, or 1 cup another ripe fruit, such as peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer), whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff, smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes more. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to it a sheet pan, use a pencil to draw or trace a circle 9-inches in diameter. Line the sheet pan with the parchment, pencil side down (you should still be able to see the circle). Spoon the egg whites into the circle, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top and sides of the disk. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is slightly browned to the color of café au lait, about 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and let the pavlova cook in the oven at least 30 minutes, to room temperature.

Whip the cream and the brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled pavola and spread out to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi around the edge or whatever fruit you have chosen. To serve, slice into wedges with a serrated knife.

 

Duck

Duck hunting in Louisiana is probably the best in the country. Since we live close to Louisiana we have many friends that duck hunt, but until this year no one gave us any ducks. I was thrilled when one of our friends gave me 4 ducks which his grandson had killed----two mallards and two teal.

Ducks gravitate to Louisiana because of the endless coast marshes which provide an ideal habitat. Many stay for the winter, while others continue on south to Mexico. It is not easy hunting, I hear, since they have smartened up by the time they get to us. The blue-winged teal is the first to arrive and it is a really small duck but fine eating. The main duck season begins in November and lasts about 60 days. Among the other species to come are the gadwell, mallard, green-winged teal, pintail, wigeon, mottled duck, shoveler, resident wood duck, and lesser scaup.  You don’t need to pull off the fat since it is fine in gumbo and for roasting.

My new issue of ‘Garden and Gun’ had a recipe for duck breasts and suggested using mallards. I had two of these and also went ahead and used the teal also. The recipe was easy and it turned out to be delicious. So if you get some ducks try this instead of gumbo!

 

February/March 2014 Issue of ‘Garden and Gun’

Cast-Iron Seared Duck Breasts with Orange-Ginger Marmalade

Ingredients

6 skin-on breasts from 3 wild ducks, preferably larger ducks such as mallards, blacks, or pintails

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. honey

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

5 Tbsp. duck fat or peanut oil

Preparation

Clean duck breasts of any excess feathers and be sure to check for any hidden birdshot. Combine duck breasts, rosemary, garlic, milk, and honey, and let sit overnight. Drain; pat dry with paper towels, and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add duck or peanut oil. Once the skillet is hot, add duck breasts, skin side down. Sear about 2 to 3 minutes, or until skin is crispy, then flip and continue cooking for about 5 to 7 minutes, basting the breasts with fat. Cook them to an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees, then place on a cutting board and let rest for several minutes.

Slice duck breasts thinly and place each slice on a piece of grilled sourdough (recipe below). Drizzle with orange-ginger marmalade (recipe follows).

 

Orange-Ginger Marmalade

Ingredients

4 oz. sweet orange-marmalade

1/8 cup water

¼ cup orange juice

1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Preparation

Combine marmalade, water, orange juice, and ginger in a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then swirl in butter and hold warm.

 

Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf quality sourdough

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Cut loaf in half lengthwise, and then slice each half into thin pieces and coat with olive oil. Grill or toast lightly.

Donald Link and Kumquats

When ‘Food and Wine’ did a survey of where people would go to have a great vacation and good food most people wanted to go to New Orleans. I totally agree. Even though I have been lucky to eat in a lot of interesting cities I always come back to New Orleans for the best food.

Donald Link is just a great chef and so innovative. His restaurant Cochon is just one of my favorites. He has a new cookbook called Down South, which I do not have but I can put it on my wish list. In ‘Food and Wine’ magazine a review of his cookbook gave us three lessons from Donald Link.

Lesson one: He folds mascarpone with sour cream for his onion dip, this deepens the flavor and then adds a splash of Cognac or brandy.

Lesson two: Don’t throw fish fins in the garbage. He fried them until crispy, and called them “chips”. (I’m not so sure about this one!)

Lesson three: Instead of barbecues sauce, Link serves grilled chicken breasts with a vinaigrette made from black and green olives, olive oil, sherry vinegar and lemon juice.

‘Food and Wine’ also had a recipe from Mr. Link using kumquats and mint. Kumquats are in season and we have a lot of them so this is a good use of them. The cold has reduced my mint to zero but I have been able to bring the kumquat tree in during the bad freezes. Kumquats are hardier than some other citrus. This recipe could not be healthier and more beautiful in presentation.

Taken from February 2014, issue of ‘Food and Wine’ magazine.

Poached Tuna with Kumquats and Jalapeño

Makes 2 servings

Two 6-ounce tuna steaks, cut 1 ¼   inches thick

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 small jalapeño--stemmed, seeded and minced

4 kumquats, thinly sliced

¼ cup mint leaves, torn

Season the tuna steaks with salt. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil and lime juice. Stir in the minced jalapeño and sliced kumquats. Add the tuna steaks and cook them over moderate heat, turning once, until they’re rare, about 4 minutes.

Transfer the tuna steaks to a carving board and slice them 1/3 inch thick, then arrange them on plates. Stir the torn mint into the sauce, spoon over the tuna and serve.

Kumquats can be eaten raw for a great little snack. You eat the whole thing---you can even eat the seeds. They can be used in duck recipes and also used for a great boost for salsa. Try this recipe to add to meat for dinner.

Kumquat Salsa

Makes about 2 ½ cups

2 cups chopped cleaned and thinly sliced kumquats

½ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Dash of cayenne pepper

Pinch of kosher salt

Combine all ingredients. Add more or less red pepper and cayenne to desired heat. Let sit for 1 hour for the flavors to more fully blend.

Great served with steak or seafood such as halibut, black sea bass, or salmon.

 

 

Trifle for Valentines

When I had my Bobby Burn’s dinner in January (which was very successful) I did a trifle for my dessert. At that dinner I realized how wonderful a trifle would be for Valentine’s Day. I had chosen a recipe with raspberries and pears. The raspberries made the dish so beautiful and the red so appropriate for Valentine’s Day. I realize by the time you see this recipe Valentine’s Day will be past but this recipe could be used for anyone you love and want to surprise and maybe you are celebrating Valentine’s this weekend. My husband loves trifle so it is fun to cook it for him. We had our first trifle on our honeymoon in British Bermuda. A trifle can be made of any cake (pound cake or even ladyfingers) and made with a stovetop custard. You can use any fruit you like and any liqueur if you so wish. Trifles are great for a large group since they can serve many people. I had to give to give some of my trifle away there was so much. Have fun with it and enjoy!

From Step-by-Step Cookbook, Good Housekeeping, 2008.

Raspberry-Pear Trifle

Makes 16 servings

2 ¼ cups milk (use whole milk)

¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

6 large egg yolks

¼ cup almond-flavor liqueur (amaretto)

3 cans (16 ounces each) pear halves in extra-light syrup

1 package (10 ounces) frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed

1 cup heavy or whipping cream

1 store-bought pound cake (10-12 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes (I baked a yellow cake from a mix.)

8 pairs amaretti cookies, coarse crushed (about 1 ½ cups) (I found at Central Grocery in New Orleans while picking up a muffuletta for lunch.)

Fresh raspberries for garnish

In 3-quart saucepan, heat 1 ¾ cups milk and ¾ cups sugar just to boiling over medium heat. Remove from heat. In medium bowl, with wire whisk, mix cornstarch, salt, and remaining ½ cup milk until smooth; beat in egg yolks.

Into yolk mixture, stir small amount of hot milk mixture; gradually stir yolk mixture back into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Remove custard from heat; stir in liqueur. Pour custard into clean bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface of hot custard to keep skin from forming as custard cools. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, until chilled.

Drain pear halves, reserving 1/3 cup syrup. In blender at low speed, blend thawed frozen raspberries with their syrup and reserved syrup from pears. In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy cream, gradually adding remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, until stiff peaks form. Reserve 1 rounded cup whipped cream for garnish.

Gently fold remaining whipped cream into chilled custard. In 4-quart glass trifle or serving bowl, place half of cake cubes, top with half of raspberry mixture.

Arrange half of pear halves over raspberry mixture. Reserve ¼ cup cookie crumbs for garnish; sprinkle pear halves with half of remaining cookie crumbs.

Spread half of custard over crumb layer. Repeat layering. Garnish trifle with reserved whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and reserved cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours to blend flavors.

 

 

 

Sweet Potatoes

I happened to watch a PBS program called The Chef’s Life, about Vivian Howard who is a chef in Kinston, North Carolina. I rarely watch cooking shows, but she just seemed fresh and interesting and since I have lived in North Carolina most of my life I was interested. She and her husband came back to Eastern North Carolina (even though they did not wish too) because Vivian’s parents gave them the money to open a restaurant, but it had to be in Kinston. She and her husband opened The Chef and The Farmer and have been running it successfully for 8 years. She is also building a house beside her parents and has twins. The show is about her struggles with all this.

I like her use of local farmers and their local ingredients. She does a lot with pork and sweet potatoes, very typical produce in Eastern North Carolina (and the South in general). I watched some of her videos on cooking sweet potatoes and got some great ideas on new uses with them. She incorporates pork with the sweet potatoes and it is a great combination. These two recipes below are my favorite. They are attractive to serve and interesting to cook. Your family and friends should like these.

Citrus Sweet Potatoes with Pork Cracklins

Serves 4

4 large roasted sweet potatoes

½ cup butter

1 orange

1 lime

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

Peel the sweet potatoes in a food processor. Melt butter and sugar until they come together as a liquid. Zest the orange and lime into the processor and add the juice as well. Begin processing and stream in the hot butter and sugar mixture and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with maple vinegar sauce and top with cracklins. I bought some cracklins in the grocery and they were a bit hard. See if you can find some local vendors with fresh cracklins—or make your own with some pork fat rendered. As I am learning lard is not such a bad oil if it is from pastured pork.

Maple Vinegar Sauce (This sauce would be terrific over any pork dish)

½ cup butter

¼ cup chopped shallots

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Black pepper

Nutmeg

Melt the butter and sweat the shallots. Add the maple syrup and cider vinegar. Reduce for about 5 minutes. Add the black pepper and nutmeg

Place some sweet potato puree on the place and add a tablespoon of maple vinegar sauce on top of this and top with cracklins.

 

Candied Yams with Bacon Pecan Syrup (Yes, I know that yams are technically different but sometimes the names are used interchangeably and cooking is much the same for both.)

Serves 4-6

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1 ½-inch-thick rounds

Canola oil for frying

Salt

In a large pot, boil sweet potatoes until tender. Allow slices to cool completely. Press them between 2 pieces of parchment paper or oil, working in batches, so the slices flatten slightly and the edges spread. This can be done 2 days ahead. To finish, fill a deep skillet with an inch of canola oil and heat until simmering. Fry sweet potatoes for about 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels, and season generously with salt. To serve, stack sweet potatoes, top with syrup, and garnish with sliced scallions.

Pecan Bacon Syrup

2 cups bacon, cut into small dice

2 cups pecans, chopped

2/3 cups sliced scallions (white part primarily; plus more for garnish)

2/3 cups lemon juice

¼ cup molasses

2 1/3 cups maple syrup

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoon butter

Heat skillet over medium heat and render bacon until almost crisp. Add pecans and scallions, and toast for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until mixture has reduced by almost one-third. Whisk in butter just before serving.

 

 

 

 

Funeral Gumbo

I went to an Episcopal funeral recently and it lasted two hours, which is much longer than most but that did include the internment in the churchyard. The deceased was an interesting man, quite an eccentric. One of his daughters gave an interesting portrayal of life with her father. Of interest, our own priest from Andalusia, Peggy Scott, was in attendance and assisted with the Eucharist.

Now I have talked about funeral food before but at this specific funeral I realized how important these Episcopal women take their dishes. Maybe this is true of the Baptists and Methodists! My good friend Martha had prepared her special “funeral squash casserole.” She told me she had gone to the grocery store the day before to prepare this and knew the ingredients by heart as she had done it so many times. She arrived with the casserole in a warming bag to make sure it would be just perfect. Well, when she went to check on her casserole after the service it was not on the table in the parish hall. “Where is my squash casserole?” she asked. The person in charge said the family had asked for fried chicken, ham and pick up food. This made Martha go steaming through the parish hall. She said she wanted her casserole and she was going home. So let this be a warning to anyone in charge of funeral food; never refuse a gift of food for the dead. The person in charge looked at those of us in the kitchen, “I guess I shouldn’t have said that.” I took deviled eggs: no problem getting rid of them! And there were other casseroles on the table too.

This was a Louisiana funeral and they served gumbo. Not exactly a pick up food---it needs a bowl and a spoon.  Also on the dessert table was King Cake. It is the season for both and you know you are at a Louisiana funeral when you see these foods. I am still trying to make the best gumbo. I have been doing some research on how to make a roux and did an experiment with microwave roux. It was not bad. I used this roux for a new gumbo recipe and it was really good also.  If you are in a hurry this microwave roux takes 7 minutes compared to 45 for the other over the stove. I thought it tasted about the same. I love seafood gumbo the best but this recipe does have sausage included also.

This would be a great recipe for this cold weather. It makes a lot and you can freeze for several months.

 

From ‘Louisiana Cookin’ January/February 2014.

Microwave Roux

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour in a 4-cup glass measuring cup; combine oil and flour, and whisk until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, on high about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave, and carefully stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. A blond roux should have formed after about 5 minutes.  Continue cooking in 1 to 2--minute increments, or until desired color forms, stirring between each.

Oyster and Seafood Gumbo

Makes 8 to 10 servings

½ pound Andouille sausage, sliced

½ pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup dark brown roux, recipe above (I prefer the taste of a dark roux.)

1 (10-ounce) package red pearl onions, peeled and halved (I used a red onion peeled and chopped.)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 quarts seafood stock

3 bay leaves

2 dried chili peppers

1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 dozen oysters, in liquid

Cooked white rice

Garnish: Fresh parsley and crushed red pepper

In a large Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat until browned; remove from pan, and set aside. Add bacon, and cook until browned. Remove and set aside; discard drippings.

In the same pan, add roux, and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once simmering, add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, Cajun seasonings, salt, pepper, stock, bay leaves, and dried peppers. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes. Add reserved sausage and bacon; cook 10 minutes more.

Add shrimp, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add oysters and cook, uncovered 5 minutes. Serve over cooked white rice. Cajuns always add rice to their gumbos. Garnish with parsley and crushed red pepper, if desired.

 

Bobby Burns 2014

This year I am doing a Bobby Burns dinner in honor of the great poet of Scotland. His birthday is on the 25^th of January, and this is a Saturday night this year so I only though it appropriate to have a party on this evening. I did this party two years ago and it was much fun, but I am changing my menu this year. I have several different single malt scotches to choose from since we were in Scotland last August. I also bought some more haggis. Now some people would like to skip this course!

The first supper was held in memoriam at Ayrshire at the end of the 18^th century on 21 July, the anniversary of Burns’ death.  It was first held on his birthday in 1802 and the poet is now celebrated on or near his birthday by Scots and others celebrating their heritage and the poet all over the world.

The menu is something like this: a first course of Cullen Skink (the name is enough to turn one off) but it is a cream based soup with smoked haddock. A second course of haggis served with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) since this will make the haggis taste better. The main course is salmon served in parchment paper with some slices of precooked potatoes and a topping of asparagus, snow peas, and some spices. A nice trifle is for dessert. A cheese course will be the last to be served with oat cakes. I made my own oat cakes two years ago but have some I brought back from the last trip.

The meal begins with the Selkirk Grace.  This was known in the 17^th century as the Galloway or the Covenanters Grace.  It was said by Burns himself at the table of the Earl of Selkirk in July 1793 and has since been referred to as the Selkirk Grace:

               Some hae meat and canna eat

               And some wad eat that want it

               But we hae meat and we can eat

               An sae the Lord be thankit.

 

Below are recipes for the soup and salmon course.

Recipes taken from the cookbook called “Scottish Cookery.”

 

Cullen Skink

Serves 4

1 oz. unsalted butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 fresh bay leaf

1 oz. plain flour

12 oz. new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces

1 pint semi-skimmed milk

½ pint water

12 oz. undyed smoked haddock fillet, skinned (could not find so I will use smoked whitefish)

3 oz. sweet corn kernels

2 oz. garden peas

Freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

2-3 Tbsp. single cream

2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

Crusty bread to serve

Melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan, add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bay leaf and stir, then sprinkle on the flour and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the potatoes.

Take off the heat and gradually stir in the milk and water. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, discard any pin bones from the fish and cut into small pieces. Add to the pan together with the sweet corn and peas. Cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables and fish are cooked.

Add pepper and nutmeg to taste, then stir in the cream and heat gently for 1-2 minutes, or until piping hot. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with crusty bread.

 

After the soup will be the haggis with the ‘Address to the Haggis’

               Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face

               Great chieftain o’the pudding-race!

               ………

               Is there that o’re his French ragout

               …..

               Looks down wi’ sneering scornfu’ view

               On sic a dinner?

 

Salmon in Parchment

Serves 4

1 lb. baby new potatoes

4 salmon steaks

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine strips

6 oz. asparagus spears, trimmed

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 oz. unsalted butter

4 large fresh parsley sprigs

Preheat the oven to 375°F about 10 minutes before required. Parboil the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes until they are barely tender. Drain and reserve.

Cut out 4 pieces of baking parchment, measuring 8 inches square, and place on the work surface. Arrange the parboiled potatoes on top. Wipe the salmon steaks and place on top of the potatoes.

Place the carrot strips in a bowl with the asparagus spears, sugar snaps and grated lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss lightly together.

Divide the vegetables evenly between the salmon. Dot the top of each parcel with butter and a parsley sprig.

To wrap a parcel, lift up 2 opposite sides of the paper and fold the edges together. Twist the paper at the other 2 ends to seal the parcel well. Repeat with the remaining parcels.

Place the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Place an unopened parcel on each plate and open just before eating.

After dinner toasts are made to the Queen and/or the President, and then a toast to the Lassies followed by a toast to the Laddies.