Cedar Planked Sesame Soy Salmon

First made for 4th of July 2015

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 whole salmon side fillet

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak one cedar plank in water for a few hours, or according to the directions.  Too long will inhibit the smoking, too short will cause a fire!

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and top the salmon.  Let sit for about an hour

Lay the salmon, skin side down on the plank, place on the grill and cover till done (about 12 minutes)

Juicy Burgers and Beer Boiled Brats

Brats were stepped up a notch this year on the 4th by boiling them first in beer.  It imparted a subtle favor and saved grill time since they were already cooked through.

Ingredients are simple:  brats and beer (I used Sam Adams Summer Ale)

Beer Boiled Brat

1. Place 18 brats in stove-proof container.  I used a deep square casserole
2. Pour about 1 bottle of beer and boil on the stove until the brats are done
3. Finish off on the grill

Great Burgers

I found these tricks to produce a juicy patty.  This led to a patty that tasted like beef and was moist and juicy

1. Use 80/20 ground beef for great flavor and moistness
2. Take the beef out of the packages and gently loosen the meat with your hands.
3. Grate about a tablespoon of fresh onion into the meat for each 1/3 pound patty and combine gently
4. Add about a teaspoon of water for every 1/3 pound patty
5. Gently form the patties.  Don’t squish or press too gently.  Make the patties about 3/4 inch wider than the bun.
6. Make a slight indentation in the middle of the patty to prevent puffing
7. Salt and pepper the tops of the patty no more than a few hours from grilling.  No need to salt and pepper prior to making the patties

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Chops with Green Onion Oil

For Father’s Day Dinner, we took out one of our Vietnamese cookbooks that B gave me as a gift last year to make pork chops seasoned with lemongrass, one of our favorite ingredients.  I love the smell-citrusy, earthy and slightly sweet.  We ate the chops with white rice garnished with green onion oil and served with a side of green leaf lettuce, raw cucumber and seasoned fish sauce.

VIETNAMESE PORK CHOPS

INGREDIENTS

3 pork loin chops about 1 inch thick

2 TBSP oyster sauce

2 TBSP fish sauce

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sugar

2 small stalks of lemongrass, finely minced

2 cloves garlic

4 green onions cut into 1/4 inch pieces

5 TBSP oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and let sit over night before grilling

GREEN ONION OIL

In an 8 inch fry pan, heat 1/3 cup oil with about 4 green onions, cut into thin rounds on medium heat.  Heat gently to allow the onions to infuse into the oil for a few minutes.  Leftovers can be kept for a later time.

French Macarons and Korean BBQ

Macorons are the most ambitious dessert I have ever attempted. My friend, A, took a class and offered to teach us We made a little party out of the evening, with the girls beating, folding and whisking and the boys watching football.

On the menu for dinner: grilled flank steak with Korean BBQ marinade. I asked my mom for her recipe, and she faxed me a page out of a cookbook published in both Korean and English…..back in 1976! The directions weren’t the most stellar, so B only used it as a guideline. The steaks were beautiful and B got lots of complements. I was very proud of him! He did all the prep and cooking himself since I was suffering from the worse bout of sciatica that morning. I wasn’t able to walk let alone make it to work on time that morning.

Note the publisihng date!

FLANK STEAK

INGREDIENTS

2 while flank steaks (about 3 pounds total)

1/2 c sugar

1 Korean pear, pureed

1 TBSP pepper

1/2 c soy sauce

6 TBSP sesame oil

3 TBSP sesame seeds

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

2 TBSP fresh ginger, minced

1 TBSP fresh garlic, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

Marinade for about 4 hours, turning occasionally.  Grill about 4 minutes on each side

Take remaining marinade and bring to a boil in a small saucepan.  Strain and serve over rice and meat.

Now for the macrons!  They are infamous tor being very particular and precise technique is key for them to rise, to have feet and to have their pillowy chewy texture.  A and V painstakingly followed everything to a tee, and every singe batch was a success.  I really can’t argue with the necessity to not use a spatula if its wooden handle is wet, but I’m really tempted to prove the macaron myths wrong.  I’ll have to save it for another day.

We ended up making 3 different batches which took about four and a half hours!  In my opinions, we had some great fillings:  PB&J and PB & Nutella.  We also made a batch of spiced macarons with dulce de leche and gingered mascarpone.

I’m thinking about revisiting the macaron effort for the holidays.  They would make great little stocking stuffers, but for now I’ve got a fridge full of macarons and condiments!

MACARONS with PB&J and PB&NUTELLA

Yields 2 dozen 2 inch macarons

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups of almond flour

1 pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Place dry ingredients EXCEPT granulated sugar in food processor to mix well

Beat eggs in a completely dry stand mixer bowl until white and foamy.  Then slowly add granulated sugar and continue to beat until stilff peak form (like refrigerated Crisco)

Using a flour sifter, add the dry ingredients to the egg whites in three batches, gently folding in between (don’t push down on the eggs).  Fold until a consistent ribbon of batter drips from the spatula

Add coloring at with the last batch of dry ingredients is adding (gel coloring is preferred)

**A trick A taught me is that you can’t overbeat the eggs, but you can certainly overfold which will result in flat macarons, so better to overbeat!

Pipe onto parchment paper and let set for 30 minutes at room temperature

Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on the center rack

Allow to cool on pan for 10 minutes before removing the macarons

Carefully spread the fillings and assemble

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

SPICED MACARONS with MASCARPONE and DULCE de LECHE

Add 1 tsp each of cinnamon and ground ginger along with a pinch each of ground cloves and ginger to the dry ingredients

Mascarpone Cream:

Combine 2/3 cups mascarpone cheese + 2 TBSP dulce de leche + 1 tsp fresh grated ginger + 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt till smooth