reciperesolutions
Recipe Resolutions
Starting in 2011, I made a New Year's resolution to try one new recipe each week. I had such a good time and learned so many new recipes I didn't stop! This is my new blog dedicated to documenting all the trials and efforts and delicious, delicious discoveries along the way. Search #brickhousemenu in the corner to see all of my favorites!
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Feast of the Seven Fishes!
I think from now on, each year, Iāll just copy notes from the year beforeās post and add to/edit accordingly. Thatāll make it much easier to track and then look up for reference in the next year to come! :)
Most of the courses were good enough that I just carried them over from last year. I did my big shop the Wednesday before and was going to plan out my day-of strategy ahead of time...but just ended up using the same guide I scribbled out last year. (It was so effective - no need to reinvent the wheel!) I started prepping/cooking at 9 am morning ofā¦and basically didnāt stop until nearly 7 pm. It was a long - but stress-free - day, as I mostly had enough time to get everything done. We added arranged seating with name cards, which took a few minutes to work out - luckily, though, almost everyone was late, haha, so it all ended up working out fine. For a 6 pm dinner, though, better to start closer to 8:30 and limit breaks!
All of my notes from last yearās recipes + a few updates are included below, including how many multiples I recommend for each recipe based on number of guests (keeping in mind these portions are in the context of a 7-course dinner). General notes follow!!
COURSE 1: Drinks and appetizers - guest supplied! I considered trying a new recipe - like bite-sized crab cakes - but ultimately decided to just leave this to the guests. It turned out great! All apps were fish themed in one way or another, and asking for white wine worked out perfectly, too, to kick off the night (with extra bonus points for fish-theme-labeled wine)!
COURSE 2: Seafood Chowder. Based on recipe comments, I modified the original recipe by substituting the evaporated milk for 1 can of creamed corn + 1 cup of heavy cream, seasoned heavily with S&P (like, probably 1 tbsp of each - taste to confirm!), and 3 tbsp of Old Bay.
I didnāt peel the potatoes (totally fine!) and chopped rather than diced them - they and the fish will break up once you start mixing/transferring things. After it was basically done cooking, I transferred from the stove to the crockpot and kept on warm - this was great to free up my big pot, as well as get it at perfect serving temp. Ultimately transferred it to my soup serving bowl and had my sous chef walk around the table with me for serving: people served themselves from the bowl, then I topped with crumbled thick cut bacon (prepped the morning of) and a dash of Old Bay.
15 people or fewer = x1 recipe is plenty
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12732/fish-chowder/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search&clickId=cardslot%203
COURSE 3: Caesar Kale Salad. This year I made the dressing in the morning and didnāt add it to the kale until right before serving. Julienning the kale was a great task for early party arrivers :) I also accidentally doubled the amount of garlic year 1 (half was supposed to be for the croutons) but it was just as fantastic as youād expect - this is the only way to do it.
I just did a sheet pan of large-chopped sourdough bread to make fresh croutons. Right out of the oven, I tossed them with some XVOO, S&P, and a lot of parm. Might be better to toss them with XVOO before they go in the oven? But they were good, and one large loaf of bread from Wegmanās was the perfect amount to match 15 people.
Also, donāt bother trying to use tongs to mix the dressing with the kale and croutons. Just dig right in with your hands. Sooo much faster and more effective. I also used 100% of the dressing to dress the salad, not a spec leftover. This was perfect. If you change the proportions, just go generous on the dressing side of things and store anything thatās leftover for another meal. (#worthit - though it starts tasting a little weird after 1-2 days.)
15 people = x3 recipe for dressing (use all garlic and parm called for); 2 large bunches of kale; 6-8 cups of oven-baked croutons
6 people = x2 recipe for dressing; 1 large bunch of kale; 3-4 cups of croutons
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14172/caesar-salad-supreme/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=Search&clickId=cardslot%2010
COURSE 3: Mediterranean stuffed, roasted red peppers with homemade ricotta. Always a win! I cooked these in the afternoon, then warmed the oven to 300 as we were nearing guest arrival time. That kept them good and warm (which is excellent), also out of the way. Tenting them with foil is also handy once theyāre out if they arenāt served right away!
15 people = x2 recipe (genuinely only x1 recipe for ricotta, though)
https://reciperesolutions.tumblr.com/post/186616160460/roasted-red-peppers-and-cherry-tomatoes-with
COURSE 4: Charred asparagus with citrus bagna cauda sauce. This is a fantastic dish - but I HAVE to pay attention to making the sauce right! Itās sooo simple yet I keep misstepping (messed it up year 1 by adding the juice too early; messed it up this year by only doing one portion of juices or zest for an otherwise quadrupled recipe!).
Best way is to make the sauce a few hours ahead of time (up to the point of removing from heat THEN mixing in ALL the citrus juices) then just reheated it all right from the pan right before serving.
Donāt bother trying to broil the asparagus - itās not worth it if youāre making more than one batch. Just do it all on the grill! Then throw the asparagus into the oven at 300 with the roasted red peppers to keep them warm prior to serving. Used my mini food processor to chop the almonds, and this worked really well for the right texture: a lot of little crumbles and just a few medium chunks. This is an AWESOME dish!
15 people = x4 recipe
6 people = x2 recipe
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/char-broiled-asparagus-with-citrus-bagna-cauda
COURSE 5: Girelle and shrimp with sundried tomato cream sauce. Consistently a showstopper, no question!! For a double batch, I used the beer boil kettle (giant pot) on top of a stepstool with the giant beer brewing spoon we have in order to mix it all...this probably could have been managed in my regular pasta pot, though it would have been close.
Key is to remove the shrimp when they are about half cooked (and no more), as to really get the sauce to the right glistening consistency before serving, it requires ample time and patience stirring with the shrimp and pasta all together. I think next year, I might try sundried tomatoes in XVOO rather than from an airtight bag - maybe also throw in a little Romano to give the sauce some extra body. Ā¾# pasta to 1# medium shrimp is also the correct portion (Iāve done large shrimp in the past but I think med would be a little better), so this does require a little math given the unusual pasta bag sizes.
I used the wok for the shrimp, which worked perfectly, and basically cooked the shrimp as people were coming in (then tented the big beer pot I was mixing things into with foil). When I served the asparagus and peppers, I put the water on for the pasta and also started working on the sauce. All of this becomes super easy and pretty fast if you have the ingredients portioned out and ready to go before everyone sits down at the beginning of the feast!
15 people = x2 recipe
12 people or fewer = x1 recipe (by the time this course comes around, thereās not a lot of room left!)
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-with-shrimp-in-tomato-cream
COURSE 6: Salmon with red pepper-walnut sauce. Definite crowd pleaser (even to the non-salmon-lovers)! For 11 fillets this year, I bought FRESH salmon from Wegmanās (never been frozen!) and I think it was worth it. We cut the fillets in half so they were square (a non-traditional cut from the traditional fillet shape) and this was great, both for cooking and serving (sauce on top). Came to 4-6 oz fillets per person. And you can definitely cook to the minimum times recommended for the fillets.
I prepped the fillets ahead of time (as people were arriving), and the sauce was whipped up in the blender, ready to be cooked down once the fillets were finished. This turned out great, as it meant minimal time away from the table for the final course prep. (Just tent the fillets as the sauce is cooking down.)
15 people = x4 recipe (just math it to max 1 piece of salmon per person - by the time we get to salmon, no one has room for anything more than that lol)
https://reciperesolutions.tumblr.com/post/613784150286237696/pan-seared-salmon-with-red-chili-walnut-sauce
General notes:
1) Prepping it all in advance is gold. Reusing my general schedule (reviewed the night before) of when Iām prepping/cooking what day-of is gold. Having salad stuff for people to help with upon arrival is gold. Having all cooking ingredients portioned out for the final two courses to just throw on the stove while everyoneās eating is gold.
3) When people ask what they can bring: āWhite wine or a fish-themed dessert! Or if youāre feeling really ambitious, an appetizer (but itās gotta have fish in it)!ā We also bought an extra box of white wine in advance, and that rounded us out perfectly.
4) Drinks at 5:30. Dinner at 6. Make sure this is included in the initial invitation so everyone knows when to show up!
5) I served the courses in waves again this year: app as people arrived, then soup + salad, then peppers + asparagus, then pasta + salmon. (I like the waves concept rather than just everything on the table at one time.) This year, thanks to good advanced prepping (/extra time since people almost all arrived late, haha) and things warming in the oven, I got lots of table time - and the break before the main entrees was barely noticeable! (Though we had a party game planned just in case.)
6) I used 46 cloves of garlic. Bought it peeled and ready to go. Worth it, lol.
7) Best to do the big shop Wednesday the week-of, at the earliest (Thursday is probably better). Gives you enough time in case theyāre out of anything, yet ensures the integrity of some of the produce; if you do it Thursday, it also means you can buy the fish fresh instead of frozen (salmon and cod). The cod can probably be frozen no problem, but the fresh salmon was really excellent if a reasonable option. (If high quality frozenās the only option - good option still! - just keep in mind itās super annoying to tear apart individual wrappers.)
8) Expect leftovers. Reserve leftovers for us FIRST, then give away at will! :)
9) 15 is a big number to cook for. Double check all āstaplesā being used: we had to do a last minute run/neighbor call for Old Bay and Vermouth, since my regular on-hand stash was only half of what was needed for so many portions. Also, I slept in an extra five hours the next day: Plan for nothing the next morning and a generally low-key Sunday.
10) We did seat arrangements this year with little handwritten nameplates. Took a few minutes to work it out; it turned out great to balance the table! With 11 people, people on opposite ends didnāt interact much with each other (good place for the introverts!) but basically everyone else had a larger interaction-radius than I expected (2 people L&R, 3-4 people across).
11) After all the main courses, I did a cute little trivia (āguess how many pounds of fish,ā āguess how many anchovies,ā āguess how many cloves of garlicā), then had the people with the closest guesses reach under their chairs - for a little trinket prize! (Spoiler: all the seats had trinkets under them :) For people new to the table, there were cute little pop-open mini-cards. For veteran Feasters, I printed out little photos (~2ā³x3ā³) of them+us from sometime over the last year. Everyone got a little candy cane wrapped up, too. It was great! I was originally trying to find crackers to put on everyoneās place setting this year (since Iād done the pop-up cards last year - didnāt want to repeat) but couldnāt find any. Not a big deal, though - I really liked how the photos turned out! I liked this little layer added in, and the nameplates worked well to personalize everyoneās.
Iāve hosted a LOT of potlucks in my time but really liked the sit-down-dining style of this dinner party with the multi-courses. Definitely a lot of work to do regularly but worth it once a year! Also one of the most interesting observations for me was being very full by the end of the night but not totally overstuffed and feeling grossly overeaten. I like to think thatās a testament to the well designed menu and dishes that - save one or two with some cream - were really pretty healthy. We also had a GREAT turnout for appetizers (goldfish snack!) and dessert (two parties brought tiyaki)! All in all, a WILD success and I canāt wait until Christmas next year!!
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Crumb cake! As an extra special breakfast dessert this Thanksgiving, I wanted to recreate a favorite childhood treat. I scoured the internet and found two recipes that looked different (and good) enough to try, with the hopes that one or a combination of the two would yield the most delicious results.
The first one was quite simple to put together - took very little time or effort. I thought the crumbs were classically good but the cake was fine (just nothing to write home about). The second one took more effort (and actually only made a 9x9 cake, not a 9x13 cake like the first) - but I thought the cake was much better...though not as tasty on the crumb side.
My final crumb cake took the cake from recipe 1 and the crumbs from recipe 2! Future notes included below:
Crumb topping: https://www.smalltownwoman.com/crumb-cake/#tasty-recipes-51258-jump-target NOTE - cut this recipe in half when using the cake recipe below!
Cake: https://www.smells-like-home.com/2011/04/new-york-style-crumb-cake/#mv-creation-9-jtr NOTE - I used the regular flour conversion she referenced, but it would be a lot easier to just buy some cake flour in advance.
For my final version, I think I overmixed the crumbs (they just seemed too dry) - so be sure to have some extra melted butter available, rather than mix too much and have all bits and pieces crumble into tiny granules. This was definitely a winning coffee cake, though, and it was just as good a few days later (heated slightly in the microwave)!
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Chocolate pudding! Iāve never made pudding from scratch before, and this recipe involved miso and brown sugar and I was intrigued.
Would I be pleased if I got this at a restaurant? Yes. Would I make it again? No. It was good, but more interesting and complex than delicious. (It was also a fair amount of effort, for pudding.)
The miso cut the sweetness of this but was very forward as a flavor profile - and kind of as a texture, too? It didnāt quite have that silky smooth texture that I want in pudding, and I think I attribute that to the miso addition.
I will say, I threw together some homemade whipped cream to dollop on top and I REALLY liked that addition - whipped cream was definitely essential in my opinion, not optional.
For as much as Iām obsessed with them, Milk Streetās desserts have never really done it for me. This one is probably among the best Iāve made of theirs but still doesnāt really hit the mark I want for a dessert.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/chocolate-pudding-brown-sugar-miso
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Double recipe trial...for science!
The search function on Milk Streetās website wasnāt working last week as I was writing one of my posts. So instead of just waiting it out, I scoured through their āentreesā manually. Good/bad idea...ended up with about a dozen new recipes bookmarked, ha. Including two that made me do a double take: Iāve decided Iād like to find a really good go-to fresh tomato spaghetti recipe. Well these two both caught my eye, and then I realized theyāre soooo close to identical...but not quite. Both recipes:
Fresh tomatoes (Left: grape toms cut in half, Right: toms cored, seeded, and chopped)
Pepper for spice (L: crushed red pepper flakes, R: jalapeno)
4 cloves sliced garlic
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c fresh basil [or parsley, which I didnāt use for either]
1/2 c grated Romano [or parm, which I didnāt use for either]
The instructions were exactly the same, save for two minor discrepancies. They both started with cooking the spaghetti just shy of al dente, reserving 3/4 c pasta water, then sauteeing the spice peppers and garlic in XVOO 1-2 minutes in the old pasta pot.* Then:
L: Add [grape] tomatoes, cooked spaghetti, 1/2 c pasta water, S&P
R1: Add [c/s/c] tomatoes, stir to combine, then put half the tomato mixture into a small bowl on the side.
R2: Add cooked spaghetti, 1/2 c pasta water, S&P
Both said to add more pasta water as needed to better sauce the pasta. Then:
L: Remove from heat, add basil and toss. Serve sprinkled with the cheese on top.
R: Remove from heat, add basil and half the cheese and toss. Serve with reserved tomatoes spooned on top, and remaining cheese on the side.
Voila! So you can see, they sound remarkably similar, but I trusted the nuance differences had to be enough to warrant separate recipes. And (even just looking at the pics) I think they did. I was instantly drawn to the L spaghetti because of its better color - R spaghetti just looked dry (even though it wasnāt - but I love my sauces, so pasta looking dry is a big foodie turn off for me).
After going back and forth with a few bites from the L vs. R, I ultimately preferred the L texture more but actually the R flavor more. I think the tomato seeds and juices cooking down with the spaghetti just gave that edge for the sauciness that I crave, but you could actually taste the tomatoes āmoreā in the R dish. I think mixing the cheese in R ahead of serving also made a positive difference.
What I did learn were some foundations, and thatās what was most valuable to me from this. Generous XVOO, small amount of something with a kick, garlic. Then do a thing with tomatoes, and cooked spaghetti, and pasta water; follow with fresh herbs and cheese. Itās a flexible and adaptable recipe, and I hope to carry these lessons on as I continue my quest :) Also, to note, I used campari/cocktail tomatoes for both (but obliged by the cut in half vs. c/s/c instructions as written - because I do want something thatās versatile for whatever I have on hand/looks good).
Left (/upper) photo: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/spaghetti-aglio-e-olio-with-tomatoes-and-basil (I used half the red pepper flakes called for)
Right (/lower) photo: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/spaghetti-aglio-e-olio-fresh-tomatoes (I used about half of a tiny jalapeno)
*It actually would have been really helpful to break down the two recipes comparatively like this before making this dish :) It was a little annoying keeping the two straight while cooking them simultaneously, jumping back and forth between practically identical recipes. A helpful note for future endeavors!
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Fettuccine alfredo! Classic, though I donāt think Iāve actually tried this traditional technique before: basically padding a serving bowl with butter, then tossing the pasta with tongs in the buttered bowl while you throw in handfuls of parm. I liked the silken texture of the sauce - it was just enough to cling gracefully to each strand (rather than being globbed on). The technique is definitely legit, and itās as much about using the pasta water (you donāt even drain the fettuccine, you just transfer it via tongs with water still clinging to it) as it is the cheese and high-quality butter.
This was good...but it was missing something to me. I tried a few grinds of black pepper (perhaps I was craving cacio e pepe with this?), but that didnāt do it. Maybe some crispy pancetta (perhaps I was craving carbonara with this?) - honestly, that was probably it. The alfredo tasted more like it was a foundation for something rather than able to stand on its own.
That said, I really liked the technique, so I think Iām going to try deriving a cacio e pepe and/or a carbonara from this in a new trial. Also, it was definitely perfect for fresh pasta (which I had frozen a few weeks ago).
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/fettuccine-alfredo
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Eggplant-wrapped ricotta gnocchi* with sage brown butter! I continue to be impressed with the complex flavors and innovative combinations in the OTTOLENGHI cookbook - yet theyāre surprisingly simple recipes to put together. This one required an overnight set in the fridge, but outside of that, it was actually pretty simple - but soooo impressive looking, sounding, and tasting! Iāve had this recipe bookmarked for a while, was excited to finally tackle it.
These were really interesting and tasty, though they were maybe a little *too* light and fluffy inside for me... I kind of wanted them to be just a little firmer. Iām pretty confident this is strictly a personal texture preference, though. They said the quality of the ricotta was paramount, so I homemade it, and I was surpised at how much I really liked the nuttiness the pinenuts added to the dough, especially in tandem with the sage brown butter - that was such a clever inside-outside complementary flavor profile from two totally different ingredients (Iām so impressed with their culinary expertise - I donāt often get to observe that in my own kitchen). And of course, I loved the light crunch of the sage. I was also 100% vibing with their call for 20 sage leaves: just enough so that nearly every bite of dumpling (gnocchi) gets a delectably crunchy little leaf!
This would be a really good dish to serve at a potluck (with a warm pad underneath, so the butter stays melted!) or have at a party. You donāt need something else with it for a single regular meal, but I kinda want something else...so leave that part to the other guests :)
From the OTTOLENGHI cookbook, so no link!
*I am slightly embarrassed to admit I donāt think I really understood the true definition of gnocchi until recently. (In my defense, I was never super into gnocchi.) Iām used to little potato gnocchi pillows not as the standard, but as the actual definition, and thatās it - but Iāve recently seen a huge deviation from this. Turns out (I just looked it up, ha), gnocchi are just little Italian dough dumplings, traditionally made with a little flour and potato - but not necessarily.
So, gnocchi are ādumplingsā in the āSouthernā sense of the word (āchicken and dumplingsā) - which, while weāre on the topic, also always confused me. I hear ādumplingsā and I think of Asian dumplings: hollow dough pouch filled with a distinctly non-dough filling (pork, veggies, etc.). This is totally different than a dollop of seasoned dough set in something to simmer! Iām not knocking any of the above, but why do we have the same word for such different kinds of foods?! Thatās like calling a slice of sheet cake and a brownie the same thing.
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Tagliatelle with miso-mushrooms and fresh chive ricotta! WOW. Iāve been craving fresh pasta either expertly perfect in its simplicity or totally unique in its complexity lately and nothingās quite done it for me...until this dish. Honestly, I always considered fresh tarragon a French herb more than Italian, but holy cow, you whip me up some fresh or bronze cut pasta with a little butter, starchy pasta water, and a handful of fresh tarragon...ah, itās BEAUTIFUL. Who knew?!
But then you layer in the super savory, umami-saturated mushrooms (which I later realized tasted so familiar because of this recipe! ha) - and balance them with little puffs of perfectly herbed ricotta - just WOW. Combinations I never would have expected but they come together just divinely.
I was already making some homemade ricotta for another recipe this week, so I just portioned some of it out for this one, too (even though it didnāt call for fresh ricotta - can never hurt!). Probably not necessary though! Itās also good to truly measure out the miso (you donāt want its profile to be too strong).
Superb.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/tagliatelle-with-portobellos-and-chive-ricotta
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Roasted eggplant with saffron yogurt and pomegranates! This was a beautiful plate, and really pretty easy to throw together. Made for an excellent lunch for two.
I loooooooove roasted eggplant and this preparation (2ā³ rectangle strips) was so much better than just cutting the normal circles that I tend to do. The nuttiness of the pinenuts contrasted with the little bursts of pomegranate seeds and the fresh basil leaves were also really pleasant. My yogurt sauce came out a little thin and, frankly, I donāt think I needed to add as much to each plate as a did (this made more than was necessary, as its tang was a liiiiiiittle more than I needed/wanted) - a hearty drizzle of it would be been better, rather than the pool of it at the base of each plate.
At the end of the day, this was interesting and was very well received by my famed taste tester, but honestly, I would have been equally satisfied with just the roasted eggplant completely plain and on its own!
From the OTTOLENGHI cookbook, so no link today.
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Fennel and sumac salad with pomegranate. Very fresh and crisp with the raw fennel shavings, and I liked the creaminess of the feta (which I doubled, ha) against the burst of flavor from the pomegranate seeds. But...ha...
This ended up being two recipes for one meal (see next one coming...) because it was supposed to serve four, so I expected it would make a decent lunch for two. But I was wrong! Iām still learning to gauge what vegetarian recipes are (when unspecified) really JUST meant as sides or starters vs. entrees. This was definitely a starter recipe. Sooo I think my judgement was a little harsh against it because I could tell in a single bite it was not going to satisfy me for lunch - and I just donāt usually put in the effort for a complex side (though, to be honest, this was actually really simple - just looked/felt really complex, which is honestly a great perk).
Recipe is out of the OTTOLENGHI cookbook! No link today.
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Greek lemon meatballs! Iām really expanding my meatball repertoire (and loving every minute of it). We ended up with some (but not a whole lot) leftover rice so this was an excellent use. They were great - totally different flavor profile than Iām used to with meatballs - who puts dill in meatballs?! The lemon and dill were just so fresh and lightening.
Maybe next time some cauliflower puree to capture all that sauce...? (Crusty bread is also always a great option...) I wonder, actually, if you made these as little meatball sandwiches with the lemon pour-over as a dipping sauce, instead, like French-dip-style...oo, this might be my next iteration for this!
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/greek-beef-rice-meatballs-ladolemono-tn-med
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Lemon fettuccine! Fresh fettuccine with slivers of lemon, this was simple and tasty. Definitely an easy, tasty dish to throw together if youāve got the fresh pasta on hand (though nothing spectacular - ultimately, I think I just wasnāt really into the strips of lemon peel, or needed a little more cling of a sauce). Paired nicely with a toss-together of roasted vegetables!
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/lemon-garlic-fettuccine
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Stuffed portobello mushrooms! Had a few caps leftover, and I do love mushrooms, so I found a recipe that worked with what else I had on hand. This was good! Fresh tasting with the earthy notes of the mushroom still coming through. A light but satisfying lunch for one.
I looooove vegetarian stuffed mushrooms. My next quest may be to find a really great recipe for them...
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16789/grilled-stuffed-portobello-mushrooms/
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Porcini-crusted beef tenderloin with mixed mushrooms and cauliflower puree! Wow. We were gifted a beautiful 8 pound beef tenderloin (thatās a LOT of meat, ha!). It was either sous vide or Milk Street, and this recipe jumped out to me first - it sounded soooo good. And it WAS.
Two critical notes.
First, for a tenderloin double the size called for by the recipe, I added just 10 minutes more to the recommended time (65 minutes total - though I first checked on it at 55 minutes). AND LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFULLY IT TURNED OUT! Honestly, this looks sooo much better than the recipe photo - it was **absolutely perfect.** I donāt think Iāve ever cooked such a perfect piece of meat - this even rivals some of my sous vide-ing. I would say for a normal recipe amount, check on it 10 minutes before the low end of the time range recommended.
Second. HALVE the pepper. Holy cow, this called for so much pepper - which I donāt normally think too much about (because itās pepper, and Iām not THAT intolerant of spice) - but it was really just slightly beyond my heat threshold. Which was all good by all other eaters, but kind of devastating for me (because it wasnāt just on the dry rub for the meat - it was also incorporated into the mushrooms).
Oh, and this had to be prepped the DAY before eating. Making that note here, because I almost missed that in the recipe instructions...
I also tried plating with the meat on top of the cauliflower and the mushrooms on top of the meat - honestly, it ended up looking pretty bad, ha. This was a much nicer presentation! Cutting it nice and thin was great, though (was in anticipation of having leftovers and making some great sandwiches the next day).
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/porcini-crusted-beef-tenderloin-with-mushroom-sauce
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Salmon Chraimeh: the next trial on my little adventure to creatively use up all this fresh salmon currently on hand. Basically, this is salmon poached in a spiced tomato sauce.
The salmon was still buttery in its texture - so I think that might just be a testament to Wegmanās fresh catch quality. Otherwise, this dish was just okay. The spiced tomato sauce (which I used a fraction of the peppers called for) was flavorful but I wasnāt wild about it with the salmon. I think their red pepper walnut salmon is leaps and bounds better than this, if Iām craving some chunky dressing on top of a salmon filet (that recipe seasons the salmon really well in complementary flavors to the sauce - this is just straight poached).
I suspect part of the problem is Iām really just not into poached fish. Iāve had it a few times, in a few ways, and it just never does it for me. So, lesson learned there! Still a good meal here, just not anything special to write home about.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/salmon-chraimeh
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Miso-glazed salmon! A certain someone bought about half of a fresh salmon from the supermarket instead of frozen filet portions, which weād just run out of a few days ago. We had our typical grilled salmon with dill sauce recently (hence the run-out), so I figured Iād try out a few new salmon recipes to shake things up! This was DEFINITELY a winner.
Wow, this was really good - another unexpected and wonderful use of miso! While I love grilled salmon, broiled salmon is also excellent. The crust had just a slight caramelization, which was delectable, and the sesame seeds and scallions were an excellent finish following the sauce. The salmon itself was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious, too - outright buttery in its texture. It was a fresh filet from Wegmanās, which is my first choice for sourcing fish, but I suspect the miso marinade had something to do with it, too. Just great.
There was enough sauce to drizzle over an easy steam of frozen green beans, though it would be worth it to whip up some fresh Asian green beans instead for this! Or perhaps some Japanese eggplant...
With this recipe, I also learned the absolute BEST hack for broiling meat. The assembly usually goes cookie sheet, foil, then wire rack. But the wire rack is a huuuuuge pain to clean afterwards. UNLESS you spray it with cooking spray beforehand! Oh my gosh, this makes the biggest of differences. The meat slides right off, and scrubbing afterwards is a breeze.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/miso-glazed-broiled-salmon
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Miso tofu soup! This was great. Warm, light, filling with a clear broth that just felt clean to eat - all around really good meal. I am really loving white miso in all kinds of dishes!
I think the biggest realization with this one was that shiitake mushrooms are completely unrecognizable when dried - or maybe there are just different kinds of shiitakes?? Iām used to a pretty well defined shiitake profile but I couldnāt find that profile dried ANYWHERE - I was searching all over for it! Basically they look like regular mushrooms...
As another note, shopped for this one while at an Asian supermarket, which had everything I was looking for in one trip (including the mushrooms, as it turned out...). Not sure my neighborhood supermarket would have turned out as successful.
Another tofu dish makes it onto the Brick House Menu!
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/miso-soup-mixed-vegetables-tofu
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Japanese eggplant! Oh man, I just LOVE eggplant prepared in any Asian style. I was at an Asian supermarket and picked up a perfect little eggplant. Made this as a side to dinner...it was completely gone by the time dinner started. It was just so easy to pick at it while I was cooking...tried to leave about half for my famed taste-tester, in reality I think it was less than half though in the end...
Tasty, though. Wish they had a liiiiiittle bit more of a crust on the outside, with the same fluffy steamed texture they had here on the inside, but still really good. Will be making again!
[[EDIT:]] On a second take, I tried lightly dredging the raw eggplant in cornstarch before hitting it in the pan. Buuuuut I also didnāt use Chinese eggplant - just regular eggplant. Because this is a steam preparation, should have realized I wouldnāt be getting that desired crust...not sure if it was the cornstarch or the eggplant variety that dulled the flavor of this dish, too. So this is best kept to its original recipe! :)
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/sweet-savory-skillet-steamed-eggplant-cookish
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