No vampires here, no sir.

New Year's Eve: different verse, same as the first.

We spent NYE in much the same way as Christmas Day last week; cooking, eating, and watching football. And lo, it was good.

I realized about halfway through dinner prep that everything I was making featured garlic prominently. And that's the way I like it!

Enjoy.

Menu:
Hot Mulled Cider
King Crab Legs
Herbed Garlic-Cheddar Rolls
Root Vegetable Mash
Lamb Chops with Rosemary Pan Sauce
Garlicky Green Beans
Blueberry Shortcakes with Lemon Cream




Hot Mulled Cider

Props to Nate for coming up with this as a menu item. I always love anything that lets me use oranges, which are in abundance in our front yard right now.

64 oz apple cider
2 oranges, sliced and pits removed
1" piece of fresh ginger, sliced into thin coins
10 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1. Combine the cider, oranges, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a stockpot and bring to a boil.
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Drop the bean pod in, as well.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and pour through a strainer into mugs.


Herbed Garlic-Cheddar Rolls



The hit of the meal! We're suffering through a cold-snap here in Phoenix (OK, you can just can your laughter. It's COLD, alright?), and I had visions of warm, soft bread-dough rising in my oven and the resulting homey hominess that would ensue as it baked. I could almost hear Tiny Tim knocking on our door.

There is a restaurant in my hometown, Rochester, NY, called Mario's. It's Italian, surprisingly enough. It has been around forever, and we used to go there regularly when I was little. They had a salad bar with a big basket of fresh rolls that was replenished throughout the night. I could down probably 10 of those suckers in one sitting, I kid you not. They were yeasty, chewy, herby, French bread rolls that I have never seen anywhere else, UNTIL NOW. These are those rolls, recreated accidentally, in my own kitchen.

Also, if you are afraid of baking bread, don't be. It's not hard. Pioneer women did it for ages, and so can you.

makes 16 rolls

1 head garlic
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 c warm water
1 T sugar
4 c flour
2 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T fresh oregano, minced
cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Peel any extra paper off the outside of the garlic head, keeping the head intact. Slice off the top of the head, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the head in foil and bake for 1 hour. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the water to activate the yeast. It should lightly bubble/foam after about 5 minutes, signifying it is ready.
4. In a food processor with the dough blade, add the flour, salt, olive oil, roasted garlic, cheese, and herbs. Pulse a few times until combined.
5. With the processor running, add the yeast mixture to the flour and process until it comes together in a ball, about 1 minute.
6. With floured hands, remove the ball from the processor and knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to your hands.
7. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough ball in the bowl and roll to cover with spray. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and set aside for 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
8. Heat the oven to 400F.
9. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide into 16 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rough ball.
10. Working in batches, bake the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a rack.


Root Vegetable Mash



A vet school classmate of mine made this for a dinner gathering once; I have made it several times since. It's a nice, easy twist on mashed potatoes.

serves 2, generously

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large sprig rosemary
1 cup low fat milk

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes, carrot, parsnip, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk and rosemary in a small saucepan. Be careful not to scald; you are simply steeping the rosemary in the milk until ready to stir into the vegetables.
3. Drain the water and mash the vegetables coarsely with a fork.
4. Remove the rosemary from the milk. Stir in enough of the milk to the vegetable mash to bring it to the desired consistency.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Lamb Chops with Rosemary Pan Sauce



serves 2

1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
4-6 small Australian lamb chops
salt and pepper
1/3 c dry white wine

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and saute for about 1 minute.
2. Set the lamb chops on the garlic/rosemary, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes, then turn to cook on the other side. Cook to the desired doneness, then remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the wine to the pan and deglaze, scraping up all the tasty browned bits. Boil the pan sauce for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Return the chops to the pan to coat with the sauce before serving.


Garlicky Green Beans



serves 2

1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp concentrated chicken stock, such as Better Than Bouillon
1/2 c dry white wine
2 generous handfuls fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2" pieces

1. Saute the garlic in the oil and butter for about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock concentrate and white wine and bring to a boil.
2. Add the green beans, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and the beans are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.


Blueberry Shortcakes with Lemon Cream



I had intended to make these from scratch, but didn't realize until I had already whipped my entire carton of cream that most shortcake recipes call for cream or shortening or some other ingredient I didn't have. So I grabbed the trusty box of Bisquick from the shelf and made a mental note to flog myself later. Hey, Bisquick is good stuff and it made a respectable shortcake biscuit.

You might ask, "These look good, but are they still good for breakfast the next morning?"

Excellent question. Yes, yes they are. I'm always happy to do culinary research for you.

makes 3 biscuits

Lemon Cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T powdered sugar
zest of 1/2 of a lemon

1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. Add the vanilla, sugar, and zest, and whip to combine.

Blueberry Sauce
1 T butter
1/4 c red currant jelly (any berry jelly would work here, or even a nice lemon marmalade)
6 oz fresh or frozen blueberries

1. In a small skillet, heat the butter and jelly until melted.
2. Add the blueberries and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, mashing some of the berries with the back of a spoon.
3. Let cool slightly before serving. It will thicken a bit.

Shortcakes
1 heaping c Bisquick baking mix
juice and zest of 1/2 of a lemon
1 T sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 T butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl to make a soft dough.
3. Drop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to make 3 equal biscuits.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
5. Remove from oven, slice in half, and top with blueberries and cream.

Holy Smoke!

We had a very laid-back Christmas. We didn't travel anywhere and we didn't have anyone over for dinner. It was just the two of us, so we cooked all day and then ate all night while watching basketball and football. It was great. I think Jesus would approve.

The only thing I'm not posting is the recipe for the Sweet Potato Gratin. It did not turn out well for some reason; it was very watery and just didn't set up. Everything else was pretty fantastic.

Menu:
Smoked Brisket
Snow Crab Legs
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Sweet Potato Rosemary Gratin
Steamed Broccoli
Rote Grutzl
Lemony Lemon Tapioca Pudding
Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding


Smoked Brisket

OK, there are ten billion brisket recipes out there. They're probably all good. This was our first time smoking a brisket; so far, we have done a Thanksgiving turkey, and salmon, and now brisket. We're 3 for 3.

Quoth Nate, "That was the best piece of meat I have ever eaten in my LIFE."

So I guess he liked it?

All of the meats we've tried so far have cooked a lot faster than most recipes predict, and I can't really explain it, but I'm not complaining. Also, most of the recipes I came across for brisket said to buy more than you think you need because the meat shrinks during the smoking process. So I bought 5 pounds (yes, for two of us...I wanted leftovers, OK??), and I would say we ended up with, oh, 4 7/8 pounds after shrinkage. So, yeah. We have some leftovers.



5-lb brisket with ~1/4" fat cap on one side
spice rub of your choice (I used a one of those McCormick Grillmasters rubs with lots of cracked black pepper...probably anything would work fine)

1. Sprinkle the spice rub generously on both sides of the brisket the day before.
2. Heat the smoker according to instructions (we have a Brinkmann vertical electric water smoker and used hickory chips), fill the water dish about half full with water, and pour two beers in to top it off. I have no idea if the beers make a difference, but it felt more gourmet that way.
3. Smoke the brisket, fat side up. I soaked my wood chips in water and added more every 30 minutes; that seemed to be about when the smoke started to die down. Also, a few times I just used dry chips, which also works fine, but I think they burn more quickly (um, duh). Mine reached the recommended internal temp of 140-145 F in about 3 1/2 hours.
4. Remove the brisket from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing across the grain.



My brisket was a touch tougher toward the middle, at the thickest part. So I sliced the ends to serve for dinner (and they had that beautiful rosy ring round the edges...yum) and wrapped the rest up in foil and stuck it in the oven at 275 for another 30 minutes or so before slicing it to pack away in the freezer.

Snow Crab Legs

This is one of our favorite special occasion foods. But honestly, they're so easy to prepare, we could seriously have them every night. Usually I go for Alaskan King Crab, but Whole Foods only had these little ones. They were good, but definitely not as meaty. To prepare them from frozen, wrap them in foil and heat in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can put them in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and heat in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Easy peasy.


Baked Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favorite comfort foods. I am sure I am not alone in that. Many years ago I learned the technique of using part chicken broth in the cheese sauce (called a Veloute sauce), which lightens and brightens an otherwise heavy cream sauce.

I have made this cheese sauce with many varieties of cheese, usually with whatever is left in the cheese drawer. It's great with a sharp cheddar as its base, but very nice with any other cheese as a supplement: parmesan, gruyere, goat, feta, swiss, blue, what have you. I've never met a cheese I didn't like. Nutmeg gives it a nice, deep flavor, and I often sprinkle smoked paprika or chipotle in there for some kick.

This is a basic mac and cheese recipe that can be baked or made on the stove top, and can also be embellished with broccoli, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, or anything else that sounds good on a tired weeknight.


Ugh. Pay no attention to the sad excuse for a gratin in this picture.

Serves 2

2 cups whole wheat macaroni, rotini, fusilli, or any other shape you like
1 T flour
1 T butter
1/4 c low fat milk, warmed
1/4 c chicken or vegetable broth, warmed
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle* pepper
black pepper to taste
additional shredded cheese to top, about 1/2 oz
fresh bread crumbs
cooking spray

1. Boil the pasta in water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the flour and the butter over medium heat until smooth.
3. Combine the milk and broth and gradually whisk into the flour mixture, a tablespoonful at a time. You're making a smooth white sauce here, and if you don't start slowly, it can break apart and you'll be left with hot milk with floury lumps. If that happens, there's no rescuing it; toss it and start over.
4. After you've added all of the liquid, stir constantly over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then lower the heat and whisk in the cheeses.
5. Season with the nutmeg, chipotle, and black pepper.
6. Transfer the pasta to a small baking dish or individual ramekins. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle additional shredded cheese over the pasta.
7. Top with breadcrumbs and spray with cooking spray.
8. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.

*Rant #1: It's pronounced chi-POTE-lay. Not chi-POLT-ay. Just look at the letters, the t comes BEFORE the l. Argh! It drives me bonkers when people mispronounce this word! Second only to mispronouncing nuclear!!! (GWB, I'm looking in your direction...). Also, espresso does not have an X. You take an EXpress train, but you drink an ESpresso. Oy; I should stop now.

Lemony Lemon Tapioca Pudding
adapted from a recipe found on the blog Pinch My Salt




The inspiration for this pudding came from having received a few Meyer lemons from a friend (if you've never smelled a Meyer lemon, you're missing out...they are so flowery and perfumy I have been known to just hold them to my nose while writing up charts at my desk).

I was trying to think of what dessert would do them justice, and I thought I'd try to make some variation of rote grutzl. But rote grutzl's body comes from the raspberries, and I couldn't figure out how to do that with lemons, so it morphed into more of a creamy pudding. Then I stumbled across a recipe for candied lemons, and lo, it was a Christmas miracle. Or something. It was tasty, anyway.



You can definitely stop before adding the cream, but it's pretty darn luscious with that added bit of sin. Come on, it's Christmas. Splurge.

1/4 c small pearl tapioca
1 c whole milk
1 large egg yolk
1/4 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 of a vanilla bean, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c fresh lemon juice, preferably Meyer
1/4 c well-chilled heavy cream
5 candied lemon slices, diced (before they've been dredged in sugar)
additional whipped cream for serving

1. Soak the tapioca in water for 30 minutes, then drain. Do not rinse.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, egg yolk, sugar, and salt.
3. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture, then drop the bean pods in. If you are using extract, this will get stirred in later.
4. Heat the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. When small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring, for 15-20 minutes, until the tapioca is soft and translucent. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest (and vanilla extract). Let cool to room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and chill until you are ready to fold in the cream.
6. Stir the diced candied lemon pieces into the pudding.
7. Whip the chilled cream until soft peaks form. Fold it into the pudding.
8. Serve chilled. Top with whipped cream or lemon marmalade.


Rote Grutzl



One of my favorite holiday desserts. Probably not authentic, but I grew up with this version from the Rochester Junior League cookbook, Applehood and Mother Pie.

1 bag of frozen raspberries, 10-12 oz.
1/2 c red currant jelly
1 1/2 c plus two T cold water
3 1/2 T instant tapioca
heavy cream, either whipped or not

1. In a medium saucepan, combine everything except the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't boil over.
2. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate overnight until. It will thicken as it cools.
3. Serve chilled with cream.



Candied Lemons

I used a recipe posted on this lovely blog, Figs With Bri. This is a two-day process, just so you're prepared. It's easy, though, and the actual interactive parts don't take much time or effort; you're mostly just waiting for the lemons to sit and absorb the syrup. I used regular lemons for this, but I bet it would be over the top with Meyer lemons . As an added bonus, I'm pretty sure I accidentally made marmalade. The cooking syrup smelled too good to throw away, so I put it in a container in the refrigerator while I pondered what to use it for. The next morning I was rewarded with a container of sweet lemon marmalade, also fabulous atop the lemon tapioca!

4 lemons, sliced into 1/4" slices
2 c sugar
extra sugar for coating (about 1/2 cup)

1. Place the lemon slices in a large saucepan and fill the pan with enough water to submerge the lemons. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rinds are tender.
2. Set a large cooling rack over a layer of paper towels next to the stove. Transfer the lemons slices to the rack to drain.
3. Pour two cups of the cooking liquid into a smaller sauce pan and add the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
4. Remove the syrup from heat and pour into a large bowl. Add the lemons and stir to coat. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours.
5. Transfer the syrup and lemons to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The syrup will have reduced; if it gets absorbed completely before the time is up, turn off the heat to avoid scorching.
6. Use a slotted spoon to arrange the lemon slices in a single layer on a sheet of wax paper or foil. Let sit at room temperature overnight.



7. Dredge the slices in sugar to coat. Let dry for 3 hours before storing in an airtight container, in single layers separated by wax paper.



Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
adapted from Small-Batch Baking, by Debby Maugans Nakos



This is a great little book that I don't use nearly enough. Actually, tonight was the first time I've used it, and it's been languishing on the shelf for years! I look forward to making more from this.

I basically followed the recipe, but I used challah for the bread and layered sliced bananas on the bottoms of the ramekins before adding the bread pudding mixture. Mine made three servings, not two, but I think my ramekins were a little small. Also, I used Dewar's in the butterscotch sauce instead of Jack Daniel's, and I sprinkled chopped candied almonds over before serving. **

Puddings
unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the ramekins (I used cooking spray)
3/4 c half-and-half or whole milk (I used whole milk)
1/4 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 T unsalted butter
pinch salt
1 large egg
white of 1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c day-old "hearth-baked" bread cubes (1/2" cubes), such as ciabatta, country French, or country Italian

Tennessee Butterscotch Sauce
1/2 c sugar
2 T Jack Daniel's or bourbon whiskey
2 T water
1 1/2 T unsalted butter

1/2 banana, sliced thin (optional)
chopped candied almonds or toffee bits (optional)
whipped cream

1. Grease the ramekins. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Heat the half-and-half, brown sugar, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk the egg and white together in a medium bowl. Gradually pour the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg, whisking vigorously as you pour to avoid scrambling the egg.
4. Stir in the vanilla. Then add the bread to the cream mixture and stir well to combine. Let the mixture stand, pressing down on the bread to submerge it, for 10 minutes or until saturated.
5. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and bake until puffed and golden, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.



6. To make the sauce, heat the sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and dark amber colored (about 20 minutes).
7. Remove from heat and carefully pour the water and whiskey down the side of the pan. It will hiss and bubble violently and the sugar will separate.
8. Return to heat and stir until melted again, then remove from heat and stir in the butter. It will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator.



9. Unmold the ramekins and spoon the sauce over each pudding to serve. Serve with cream



**Rant #2: Why can't I find toffee bits ANYWHERE? I can find chocolate-covered toffee bits and Heath bars and Heath Bar bits and Skor bars, but I'm not about to scrape the chocolate off just to get to the toffee. There are some people in this world who don't like chocolate!!



All I want for Christmas is that entire brisket you're slicing up.
My life: it is hard.

The Miracle of Thanksgiving.

Oy. Has it really been a month? I ate enough in the past week to make it feel like a month, that's for sure...

Thanksgiving came and went, and of course we ate like kings. I'm sorry to say I did not record a single thing during the entire 5 day event. You'll just have to trust that food was prepared and eaten by the ton.

And now, leftovers!!! Huzzah!!!

And for some bizarre reason, Hanukkah falls directly after Thanksgiving. So, natch, we have a challenge: try to use the multitudes of turkey-day leftovers in traditional Macabee fare. I think we did pretty well, even if it wasn't exactly "traditional".



Menu:
Mashed Potato Latkes
Broccoli Slaw Latkes
Jalapeno Sour Cream
Applesauce
Kale Salad with Bread Stuffing Crumbs


Mashed Potato Latkes



makes 6 pancakes

These were tasty, as all things mashed-potato-derived should be. There's nothing that can truly replace shredded potato and onion latkes deep-fried in oil, but these were fine in a pinch and a great way to use up the bucket of leftover spuds.

2 c leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 scallion, minced
cooking spray

1. Beat the egg well in a small bowl.
2. Stir in the potatoes and scallion and mix well.
3. Heat a frying pan to medium and coat with cooking spray.
4. Form the potatoes into flat patties and fry until each side is golden brown. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.


Broccoli Slaw Latkes



makes about 5 cakes

Basically a shredded veggie pancake. Super easy if you use bagged broccoli slaw, but it would be only minimally more work to shred carrots/broccoli/cauliflower/zucchini or whatever vegetable you want to incorporate.

1 egg
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2 cups shredded broccoli slaw
1 scallion, minced
4 T matzoh meal (or bread crumbs)
cooking spray

1. Beat the egg well. Mix in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. Mix the broccoli slaw and scallion with the egg until combined.
3. Stir in the matzoh meal.
4. Heat a frying pan to medium and coat with cooking spray.
5. Drop the slaw mixture onto the pan and flatten gently.
6. Cook on both sides until browned.




Kale Salad with Bread Stuffing Crumbs



Inspired by a salad served at True Food Restaurant in Phoenix. Mine was just as good and quite a bit cheaper. This was also a nice way to use leftover stuffing, and I will probably freeze the rest of the stuffing to have on hand just for the purpose of making bread crumbs.

Dressing:
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 T olive oil
pinch of sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Crumbs:
1/4 c leftover bread stuffing or shredded bread
2 T shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese

1 bunch flat-leaf kale, chopped

1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Spread the stuffing on a toaster pan and toast until dried. Set aside to cool.
3. Toss the kale with the dressing and divide into desired number of servings.
4. Toss the cheese with the crumbs when cool and sprinkle over the kale.

If a python bites you in the forest...

Dinner plans for the last two nights were usurped by various other functions like Biology/Philosophy grad department parties and veterinary continuing education events. I know, you thought we were nerds down here on Rue de Fleur; but now you know just what kind of jet-setting socialites we really are.

Topics discussed this weekend at the events in question (and extra points for whomever can match the topic with the event):
1) Are pythons conscious; i.e., do they make a conscious decision to bite you, or is it just instinct?
2) Bacterial infections contracted via the transitive property while having improper relations with a mortician in a strip club...
3)The travesty that is the current movement toward NOT killing a bunch of animals for the purpose of learning how to do surgery...
4)Space travel
5)Futurama quotes
6)Antibiotic resistance (terrifying)

Good food was had by all each night, but none of it was cooked by me or Nate. So we're back on track tonight (drum roll.....)!

Nate requested salmon burgers and corn. Far be it from me to discourage this recent interest in exotic foods, so I pieced together a few different recipes and came up with my own version. I hope it was everything he hoped for and more. This was a bit more involved than a typical weeknight dinner, but these burgers could be made ahead and frozen and thrown straight on the grill. Also, I think these could be made with canned salmon instead of raw, which would be a lot faster.

The Menu:
Salmon Burgers with Lemon-Dill Aioli
Arugula and Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Grilled Corn!
Steamed Broccoli


Salmon Burgers with Lemon-Dill Aioli




I cobbled this recipe together after reading about ten different recipes for salmon burgers. The technique was borrowed from a New York Times article by Mark Bittman; Bittman's recipe did not call for egg, but every other recipe did, so I used two egg whites. Boy, that mixture got awfully goopy...I should have listened to Mark. The guy knows what he's doing. Next time I'll either cut the eggs out altogether or just use one white. I put the burgers in the freezer for about two hours before grilling, otherwise I think they would have fallen apart.

Burgers
makes 3 4-inch patties

8 oz salmon fillet, skinned
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika, half-sharp (or 1/4 tsp cayenne)
2 scallions, sliced, white part only
1 T grated ginger root
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 T dried breadcrumbs
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
salt and pepper

Aioli
2 T mayonnaise (I used light, olive-oil mayo)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried dill (this would probably be nicer with fresh)

1. Cut the salmon into chunks.

2. Put about 1/4 of the salmon into the food processor with the garlic powder, ginger, and paprika and blend until pasty. (I know, gross. Pasty fish. Just go with it.)

3. Add the rest of the salmon, the scallions, and the lemon zest and pulse a few times until combined and the salmon has been cut into 1/4" pieces. Do not over-process.

4. Fold in the egg whites and the breadcrumbs.

5. Form into 3 patties, wrap with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer to firm up.

6. Oil or spray a grill pan and place patties over medium heat. Grill about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how frozen they were to begin with.




6. Blend the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and lemon zest with the dill in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat.



Arugula Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This salad was inspired by a recent post on the lovely Zen Kitchen blog. I had a bunch of arugula to use up, and this was perfect. I decreased the potatoes, added grilled corn, and used the salad as a base for the salmon burger. This salad could easily carry grilled shrimp, chicken breast, or just stand alone.

Serves 2

1/4 pound small red creamer potatoes
1/2 c grilled or steamed corn kernels (about 1 ear)
1 small shallot
1 tsp plus 1 T olive oil, divided
2 T wine vinegar (I used a citrus champagne vinegar, but use whatever you like)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste




1. Peel a strip around each potato. Steam for 15 minutes, then thread onto a skewer, baste with olive oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.




2. Grill over medium heat until crisped, about 3 minutes per side. Let cool and place potatoes in a salad bowl. Stir in corn.

3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small pan and saute sliced shallot for about 1 minute. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Stir in shallots. Whisk in 1 T olive oil until smooth. Taste for seasoning; add a pinch of sugar if too tart. Toss the potatoes and corn with the dressing.

4. Toss arugula with potato mixture and serve.

I can has salmon burger?