Picnic Under the Stars

We don't have many traditions here in Le Casa de Fleur; we don't want to sacrifice new experiences in the name of nostalgia. We also, truth be told, don't get out much. That being said, one thing we do try to do on a regular basis is attend Movies in the Park* hosted by our local fancy mall, Biltmore Fashion Park.

Every fall and spring on Friday nights they play movies (for free!) on a big screen in the central grassy quad in front of Saks 5th Ave (one of the many perks of living in the desert is that you can have outdoor venues like this). The movies run the gamut from classics to more recent cult favorites. It's usually wildly well-attended, and if you want a good spot on the lawn, you have to get there before 6pm for the 7:30 show. People bring lawnchairs and blankets and picnics and wine...it's fun and I'm happy to make a tradition-exception for it.

*Also known as of late, in our house, anyway, as Movies in the Parp, an homage to this hilarious blog post.

Usually I am racing to get there after work, but this weekend I was actually off and we were able to go snag seats together. Natch, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pack a real-style picnic, as opposed to our usual take-out option.

The movie was Chinatown...the menu was totally unrelated.

Menu:

Oven-Fried Chicken
Corny Corn Bread
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Fruit Salad

Oven-Fried Chicken

There are a zillion recipes out there for oven-fried chicken; here is my version. It was good, but suffered from being refrigerated in that the lovely crispy coating became pretty soggy, but it tasted good and made yummy leftovers the next day. It could also use more salt, if you're looking for more of a KFC-type chicken.



serves 2-3

2 skinless chicken drumsticks
2 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
1 skinless, bone-in chicken breast
2 c lowfat buttermilk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sesame seeds
dash cayenne pepper
2 c corn flakes, crushed
cooking spray

1. Combine the buttermilk, garlic powder, and tabasco in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 400.
3. Set up your dredging stations: mix the flour, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and cayenne in one shallow dish. Spread the corn flake crumbs in a second shallow dish.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Using your right hand, take one piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, and dredge in the flour mixture until coated. Use your left hand to sprinkle flour over the bare spots if needed.
6. Using your right hand, dip the flour-coated chicken back in the buttermilk.
7. Dredge the chicken in the corn flake crumbs.
8. Place on the parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
9. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
10. Bake at 400 until cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.



Corny Corn Bread

I made my previously-posted Corn Bread recipe, making the following changes: I increased the buttermilk to 1 1/4 c and added 1/2 c frozen corn kernels to the batter. I thought the result made the cornbread moister...Nate thought it was drier than last time. Huh. I don't know what to tell you.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

A lightened version of the standard. These were very tasty, even without loads of sour cream and bacon.



serves 2

1 large Russet baking potato
2 T Neufchatel cream cheese
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
splash skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 c broccoli, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prick the potato with a fork and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until soft.
3. Cut the potato lengthwise and gently scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
4. Mix the Neufchatel, cheddar, salt, pepper, and broccoli with the potato, adding just enough milk to make it easy to mix.
5. Divide the filling between the two potato skins. Place on a baking pan and bake again at 400 for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

Southern Comfort

Oh dear, Poor Elaine must be positively wasting away on her diet of corn cobs and dirt while I neglect my duties to feed her....Sorry, E, it's been a busy few weeks. We've been eating, and even cooking some, but what with vacations, work, house stuff, and the general silliness that is the way-too-short-24-hour-day, I just haven't had the motivation to report.

But I'm back on the wagon, and it is good.

I was craving some Southern homestyle food last night for who knows what reason, so I whipped up a mighty tasty cornbread pudding with greens, cooked Southern style (i.e., to death), and topped the whole mess off with some grilled shrimp. Honestly, the shrimp was such an afterthought compared to the substantially filling pudding that next time I wouldn't even bother.

And, ooh! I was just brilliantly inspired! This would probably make a fabulous stuffing for Thanksgiving: omit the milk and eggs and moisten everything with broth before stuffing the bird. Drool.

I'm a little proud of this one, I have to say. Enjoy.

Menu:
Smoky Cornbread Pudding
Steamed Greens
Sliced Tomatoes

Smoky Cornbread Pudding

This was a star. Not only was it beautiful and scrumptious, but it necessitated coming up with my very own cornbread recipe that rivals any store-bought version. AND I used some of my bottomless supply of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, so I give myself points for that.

I had originally made a batch of cornbread using some cornbread mix I had in the cupboard. It tasted kind of bitter and dry after baking, and when I checked the expiraiton date on the bag, it was 2 years expired...now, I'm not usually one to get all hot and bothered over a little thing like an expiration date on a dry good, but I had already had two servings of milk from a jug in the fridge that both Nate and I agreed had gone bad but kept drinking anyway, and even though I have (so far) survived that gastric challenge (it was a whole gallon! What a waste!), I didn't think I should push it with the Bad Food Gods. So I tossed the cornbread and scrounged for another option. And here it is. Love.

My Very Own Cornbread

makes 16 pieces

2 eggs
1 T canola oil
2 T honey
1 c buttermilk
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c stone-ground cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and honey.
2. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
3. Pour the batter into an 8x8" baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.



Cornbread Pudding

This is a dry-ish bread pudding, which I thought was fine. But if you prefer a moister, less crumbly version, try increasing the eggs and milk and letting the bread cubes soak in the egg/milk mixture for a few minutes before mixing everything together.



serves 6

4 c cubed cornbread
7 oz turkey kielbasa
1/2 of a medium onion, sliced into fat rings
1 poblano chile pepper
2/3 c skim milk
1/3 c packaged egg whites, or the whites from 2 eggs
corn kernels from 1 cob, about 1 cup
1/4 c cilantro, minced

1. Heat the grill to medium. Place the poblano chile, sausage, and onion over medium heat and grill until char marks appear (the chile should be lightly charred and blistered). Remove from the grill.
2. Peel the skin from the chile, remove the stem and seeds, and dice.
3. Dice the sausage and onion.
4. Toss the cornbread, corn, sausage, chile, onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish coated in cooking spray.
4. Stir together the milk and the egg whites and drizzle over the cornbread mixture.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20 minutes.



Steamed Greens

I usually like my greens lightly blanched and still mooing when I eat them, but sometimes I have a hankering for Southern-style stewed greens. Tougher greens like collards or chard hold up a little better, but this work for spinach, too.

serves 4
3 cloves garlic, minced
cooking spray
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 c chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
8 c chopped greens: collards, mustard, kale, chard, spinach, or a combination

1. Saute the garlic in the cooking spray for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the red pepper.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add the greens, a few cups at a time, cover the skillet, and let them cook down for a minute or two until you have enough room to add more. When all of the leaves have been added, cover the skillet and turn the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until uniformly dark green and very very soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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?