Fresh, Wild, Copper River Salmon Served With Creamy Rosemary-Balsamic Caramelized Onions & Wild Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 pound fresh, wild salmon fillets (4)
1/4 pound fresh wild mushrooms such as Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, and or Porcini, coarsely chopped
1 medium, sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 - 4" fresh rosemary sprig, leaves reserved
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh, vibrant, peppery, fruity Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil such as Cobrancosa, Picual, or Frantoio 
1/4 cup Traditional Balsamic Condimento
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Directions

In a heavy bottom, large sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle sliced onions with a little sea salt and add to the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the wild mushrooms and rosemary leaves, (discarding any woody stems).  Sauté until both the mushrooms and onions become deep golden brown and caramelized.  Add the balsamic to the pan with the mushrooms and onions and de-glaze.  Simmer gently and cook until the balsamic is reduced by half.  Add the cream, and stir to combine.  Cook until the mixture thickens slightly, approximately another minute.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and reserve.

Lightly score the salmon skin in several places with a sharp knife without penetrating the flesh. Pat the fillets dry and season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a pan large enough to hold the fillets, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  Pan sear the fillets, for approximately two minutes per side, taking care not to overcook. 

Serve the salmon with the balsamic-mushroom sauce over the top.  Can be accompanied by pasta, quinoa or brown rice.

Serves 4

When Life Gives You Cherries, Make A Cobbler

   

I asked my husband to acquire Bing cherries on Friday.  I wasn't specific about where he should go to get them or how much I wanted.  When I arrived home from work, I found a bulging 15 pound box of ripe cherries sitting on the kitchen counter.  Knowing how much I love them, my dear husband, bless his soul, drove all the way to the Oakland Wholesale Produce Terminal and bought an entire bulk case.

Do you want to know the most amazing tidbit about this story, he paid $17.00 for the 15 pound case.  No, I didn't stutter, that's well under $2.00/pound.  And, before you assume that these were culls, I'll nip that notion in the bud.  These cherries were top quality - sweet, plump, dark burgundy, grown locally in Stockton, and for a fraction of what you'd pay just about anywhere else.  However, as I adore them, and have dozens of recipes utilizing them, I've learned that there's a phenomenon called "cherry fatigue".

The weekend started innocently enough with cherry preserves, cherry gelato and panna cotta with cherry compote.  Last night however, as I pulled the latest cherry creation out of the oven and called my family to enjoy it, I was greeted by the sound of crickets.  Apparently my husband and children went in to hiding.  They were indignant, accusing me of tyring to induce them in to a "cherry coma".   I had managed to turn this beloved spring fruit in to a WMD.

And yet, after exhausting a plethora of the culinary applications, the box still brimmed  formidably.  In fact, it looked like I had barely made a dent.  So this morning, I ignored my nagging conscience and placed a big handful of fresh cherries in to my youngest son's school snack.  I know when he opens up his little snack bag this morning and sees those cherries, he will be very, very angry.  But what to do?  I  cannot let them rot - I loathe food waste and still have a gazillion recipes up my sleeve which call for fresh cherries.
 
If you're inundated with cherries as I am, or simply want an inventive way to use this fleeting spring fruit,  please find my latest cherry creation below.

Bing Cherry Cobbler

For the Buttermilk Biscuit Topping
 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour + extra for dusting
2 tablespoons granulated sugar teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut in to 1/2" cubes
4-6 tablespoons chilled buttermilk
1 large egg beaten

For The Cherry Filling
4 cups ripe Bing cherries washed, stemmed and de-pitted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Wash and pit the cherries.  In a large bowl, toss the cherries with the lemon juice.  Whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar and flour and toss with the cherries, coating evenly.  Butter a 2 quart casserole or 6 individual baking dishes and distribute the cherries evenly.

In the bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add the chilled cut up butter and process or cut in to the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add the buttermilk a tablespoon at a time, gently mixing or processing in bursts until the dough becomes cohesive and can be rolled out.  Do not overwork  the dough or it will be tough.

Dust a surface lightly with flour and roll out the dough to 1" thick.  Use a biscuit cutter or a very sharp knife to cut the dough in to pieces to top the cherries.  Place the dough pieces over the cherries and brush with beaten egg.

Bake individual cobblers for 25-30 minutes or 45 minutes for a 2 quart cobbler, until the biscuits are golden brown and the cherries begin to bubble.  Serve warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream.
Makes 6 servings

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Bing Cherry Compote

Baked Char Sui Bao

BBQ Pork

1 pound boneless "Never-Ever" pork ribs
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dark toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
2 Tbs. catchup
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
 
For The Dough

1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
2 large eggs, (one reserved for egg-washing the dough)
3 tbs. safflower, peanut or sunflower oil
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. dry instant yeast

For The Filling 

1 Tbs. safflower, sunflower, peanut or grape seed oil 
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger
1 Tbs. crushed garlic
1/2 medium onion diced fine 
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. plum sauce
1 tbs. catchup
2 tsp. corn starch

Directions

Mix all the ingredients for the B-B-Q- pork marinade together well in a plastic zip-lock bag.  Add the pork and marinate, in the refrigerator for a minimum of  6 hours or overnight.  Preheat the oven to 375 and roast the pork on a baking rack for 2 hours, basting twice during the process with the reserved marinade in the bag.  Proceed to making the dough once the pork is in the oven.  After two hours, remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Cut in to small 1/4 inch pieces and set aside.  

For the Dough

If using a bread machine to make the dough, follow the manufacturers directions.  If making the dough in a mixer or by hand, mix all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the sugar and salt and whisk to combine.  Combine the flour and yeast and mix in to the wet ingredients.  Knead for up to three minutes and then allow to double in volume for up to two hours, covered in a warm place.  After making the filling below, preheat the oven to 350 and divide the dough in two equal pieces and roll in in to 10 inch long ropes.  Cut each rope in to 8 pieces. 

For the Filling

Mix together all the sauces, water and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  In a wok or saute pan over medium flame, heat the vegetable oil.  Add the diced onions and saute until tender and translucent but not browned.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.  Add the diced pork and the sauce mixture.  Cook until thickened and heated through.

To Assemble

Shape the pieces in to balls and then roll out in to 6" diameter rounds.  Place two tablespoons of the filling in to the center of each dough circle, like a pouch, pinching the edges tightly to seal.  Place seal side down on to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Allow to rest, covered for 30 minutes.  Brush each bun with a beaten egg and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.      

Makes 16 pork buns

Cherry Buttermilk Gelato & Chocolate Meringue "Profiteroles"

I went to the farmer's market and found the most amazingly succulent Bing Cherries.  I was so overcome with their beauty that I was compelled to purchase 8 pounds.  While my family is more than happy to eat such cherries out of hand, I was planning to make gelato and knew that the cherries would shine if incorporated. 


I thought about adding a supporting cast such as chocolate chunks or vanilla bean to the cherry gelato, but when an ingredient is so pitch perfect, it's almost sacrilegious to make it share the stage. 

Below, please find my recipe for buttermilk cherry gelato.  The inspiration to make the chocolate meringues to sandwich the gelato were born from the fact that I'm always left with copious amounts of egg whites, a byproduct of gelato making. 

Cherry Buttermilk Gelato

2 pounds fresh, ripe Bing Cherries, washed and de-pitted
1 1/2 cups cultured buttermilk
1 1/2 cups half & half
5 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Place the pitted cherries, water and 1 cup of sugar and lemon juice in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Stir frequently, gently crushing the softened cherries with the back of a spoon until the sugar is melted and the cherries become soft and rupture, approximately 10 minutes.  Add the buttermilk and half and half and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring until the mixture reaches 180 degrees.  Do not allow the mixture to boil. 

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and salt in to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on medium speed until the egg yolks become light yellow and double in volume, about 3 minutes. 

Remove the cherries mixture from the burner.  Add 1/2 cup of the steaming hot liquid to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking to combine.  Add the egg yolks back in to the cherry mixture in the saucepan and stir to combine.  Place back over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Allow to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate in a sealed container until chilled. Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.

Poulet Grand-Mère

This is a tasty, simple recipe that makes a great weeknight dinner while being easy on the pocketbook.  The olive oil mingles with white wine to make divine pan juice perfectly suited for dipping crusty french bread in.  It's also lovely served over pasta, rice or quinoa.

Poulet Grand-Mère


Ingredients
1 whole free range chicken split in half
2 pounds small new potatoes

1 pound of whole cremini mushrooms
2 large carrots roughly chopped in to 1/2" pieces
2 onions peeled and cut in to wedges about 1 inch at the thickest part
10 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 cup high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil
4" sprig of fresh rosemary
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Thoroughly whisk the olive oil with the wine. In a 9" x 13" roasting pan, toss all of the prepared vegetables with half of the wine marinade and season liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the rosemary leaves over the vegetables.

Rinse and pat the chicken halves dry.  Position a roasting rack above the vegetables.  Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the remaining wine-olive oil marinade over the chicken, being sure to coat all pieces thoroughly.  Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides and arrange, skin side up on the rack above the vegetables.

Roast the chicken and vegetables for 45-60 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the largest pieces of chicken register an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve the amazing pan juices with a side of noodles, quinoa or rice and make sure you have plenty of crusty bread on hand to sop up the juices with. This is could also be a one dish meal.

Serves 6.

Whole Wheat Cobrancosa Extra Virgin Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

If you have a garden and are growing zucchini, you will gaze at it every day and swear that the squash doubled in size since the previous day.  Such a prolific vegetable begs for inventive uses. 

Sometimes simple, healthy, and hearty win the day.  This recipe is all of that and delicious as well. Necessity was the mother of this invention, as zucchini season is now upon us. 

Whole Wheat Cobrancosa Zucchini Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup super fresh cobrancosa extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 350degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, olive oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts (if using) until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake on the center rack for 45 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Blueberry & Fresh Lemon Olive Oil Gelato

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup Fresh Pressed Lemon Augrumato Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

For the Blueberry Puree

Combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of sugar and lemon zest together in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Stir occasionally,  being mindful that l that the pot does not boil over or burn. 

Keep the berries on medium heat until they release their juices and the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and strain, pressing the skins to release all the juices.  Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.   Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, place in a sealed bowl to chill for least two hours.

For the Gelato Custard Base:

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, cream and salt. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow, for about five minutes.  Drizzle in the olive oil and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Slowly add 2 cups of the hot milk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating until combined.  Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, continuously whisking, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or until it reaches 175°F.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger one partially filled with ice water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

Add the chilled blueberry puree to the custard and stir to combine.  Place the mixture in to the ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the gelato to a chilled container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, before serving.