Poached Salmon For All Seasons

This summer, when my sisters and I had our cooking weekend in the Hamptons, one of the courses was Poached Salmon. It's a specialty of my sister who lives in Florida and the recipe is more 'feel' than 'formal', usually the best kind! Growing up on Long Island our family ate a lot of fish, some of it self caught, but I've gotten away from cooking fish at home instead ordering it when we dine out. Watching the preparation however made me aware of how easy the poaching technique is and I wondered why I had gotten away from making it myself. 

Salmon is great in any season. It's a great course for Easter dinner and in the summer it's light and delicious served with salad greens and corn on the cob. When fall comes around, salmon is just as pleasing served with roasted potatoes and green salad or other green vegetables. I think it's the color that makes it a great autumn offering. Salmon is usually on the menu for our family Christmas dinner making it an attractive alternative to the non-carnivores in our large family. 

When poaching fish make sure that your stove temperature stays low and the liquid does not come to a boil. This makes the fish less likely to break apart when transferring to a serving dish. Poaching is also a much healthier way of cooking. This dish takes about 10 minutes to cook and not long to prepare...what could be better than that? The  salmon used here was purchased fresh from a fish store but just a note that Costco and other large warehouse stores have excellent fresh salmon  that wold work well for a lot of people. 

Poached Salmon

Ingredients

1 and a half pounds fresh salmon

1 cup white wine

salt/pepper 

fresh parsley chopped

1 onion chopped

1 lemon thinly sliced 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

In fry pan:

• Lightly saute sliced onion in olive oil without browning
• Add white wine and salmon simmering without boiling
• add chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste
• Add sliced lemon
• Simmer for 10 minutes or until salmon i not translucent.
• Transfer fish to platter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley arranging sliced lemons on top.

Just a note: The leftover salmon was served cold for lunch the following day. Chopped celery and just a small amount of mayonnaise were added. The lemons were discarded but the flavor added just a touch of citrus to the salad. Nothing went to waste!

Salem, Massachusetts: If You're In The Mood For Halloween

There are people that I've worked with and others who live near my home on Staten Island who are totally into Halloween. I mean seriously into Halloween! I'm talking graveyards on the front lawn, giant spiders attached to the sides of homes and and eerie bloodcurdling howls electronically projected into the street. I'm not one of them however, a scarecrow and handsome pumpkin does it for me, but I've come to appreciate these 'macabre' decorators as I walk around my neighborhood this month.

A green satin witch hat

This weekend we took a trip to Salem, Massachusetts. A Halloween lovers paradise just 40 minutes north of Boston, this historic town boats beautiful homes, tree-lined streets and a waterfront teeming with restaurants, boats and on this weekend, lots of witches. Yes, witches predominated as we strolled through the streets and perhaps that's because of the sordid history of this New England village. In 1692, Salem was the site of the famous witch trials and will be remembered forevermore as an example of mass hysteria and the dangers of "religious extremism, false accusations, lapses in due process, and governmental intrusion on individual liberties." (from Wikipedia) 

Salem is also famous as the birthplace of one of the most famous American writers: Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne, born on July 4th, 1804 and authored 'The Scarlett Letter', 'The House of the Seven Gables' and 'Twice-Told Tales' , three of his most noted works. The actual House of the Seven Gables still stands today in Salem and is a main tourist attraction.

A witch in a window box..of course!

There was a street fair in Salem this weekend and one of the most popular items for sale were beautifully decorated, almost couture-like, witch hats. They were everywhere and I wondered if this might be a trend that we'll start to see in the New York area this Halloween. I've attached a photo of one of the hats and some decorations that I thought were clever. I liked the pumpkin with buttons for eyes, nose and mouth, a great idea for those of us not into carving. 


Tomorrow I'll be sharing a poached salmon recipe that my sister from Florida made this summer. It's perfect for October...the lovely orange (well, salmon is kind of orange) color pairs well with a green salad and roasted potatoes. 

Holiday Baking: A Cautionary Tale

When my three children were in grade school my friend and I (who had three boys) were feeling very creative around the holidays. Inspired by professional looking gingerbread houses in Good Housekeeping magazine, we got together at her house on a half-day of school to make a cookie confection that would rival any of the homes in the magazine's December issue.  We were full of ambition and we thought, talent,  and we decided it would be a great activity for the kids. They thought otherwise.

As I recall, we were aiming for a grand mansion, not unlike the one Little Orphan Annie lived in with Daddy Warbucks. Or perhaps we were really fantasizing about the kind of home we'd prefer to be living in.....victorian, perhaps, with a wrap-around-porch, turrets and gargoyles, shutters on all of the windows...no detail would be spared.

We gathered around her large kitchen table and the mixing began but when the boys decided that the wooden spoons and brown batter made great catapults similiar to those used by the Ewoks to launch primitive rock projectiles at the occupying Imperial force during the Battle of Endor, we knew we were lost. Our only hope were the girls, but they liked the Ewoks too, and...well....good mothers that we were we sent them into the living room to watch a video while we did the baking. 

It didn't get any better. Pieces broke, everything was uneven, nothing fit like we'd planned. The only thing that worked was the Royal Icing. As it approached the dinner hour and it was time to go home, we once again gathered the kids around the table to view our creation: a two sided tent! But it was a beautiful tent loaded with candy canes, mints and mini-marshmallows attached by the glorious Royal Icing. If Santa's North Pole had a campsite, this would have been a five-star accommodation.


I never attempted another gingerbread house and I'm not sure if my friend did either but with Halloween  approaching I found some spooky cookie cutters and a bag of Pillsbury cookie mix (yes, cheating is allowed when a resurrecting a trauma is at stake) and I made a batch in anticipation of a weekend trip to Massachusetts for my grandson's third birthday. Royal icing is involved.


What follows are two recipes for the icing. I'm using the first one (the easier one) and you can see by the photos that it didn't disappoint. Perhaps I'll tackle gingerbread in December!

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites

• 2 large (60 grams) egg whites
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Royal Icing Using Meringue Powder

• 4 cups (440 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (30 grams) meringue powder
• 1/2 teaspoon extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup (120 - 180 ml) warm water

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water. To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing.

The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Makes about 3 cups

Use food coloring and sprinkles to decorate. 

Baking Substitutions: A Public Service Announcement

A bit dramatic perhaps, but this blog is one you might want to bookmark just as the holiday baking season is about to begin. I came across an article from almost 10 years ago that I'd saved and of course misplaced but now it's on 'the daily suse' for you and I to use.


This is about ingredient substitutions for baking. We've all had this happen to us at one time or another. The kids are asleep, you're ready to make a batch or two of cookies or a cake for the office party...and you've forgotten a key ingredient! It's snowing out or there's a nor'easter heading your way and you just can't get out. More drama.


Check out this list and worry no more. All measurements are based on one cup so if you need more (or less) you'll have to do the math.


If you're out of:           


self rising flour                         
USE: 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 and a half teaspoons baking powder + 1/8 teaspoon salt


cake flour                                  
USE: 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


light-brown sugar                    
USE: 1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses


molasses                                    
USE: 3/4 cup dark brown sugar + 1/4 cup water


whole-wheat flour                    
USE: 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + t tablespoons wheat germ


Buttermilk                               
USE:  1 and 3/4 tablespoons of cream of tartar to a cup of milk, or  add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of milk and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also just use plain yogurt or sour cream instead of buttermilk.


I'm going  to add wheat germ and cream of tartar to my shopping list...I just bought some fresh molasses especially for some upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned!  As always, there are a bunch of websites out there with longer lists but these are some basic substitutions. Check online for others if necessary.....and happy fall baking!

'Tis the Season To Be Spooky

It was inevitable. I was walking this morning with my two grandsons today and we were pumpkin peeping. Lots of neighbors have begun decorating for Halloween with pumpkins, gourds and scarecrows and on a cool, sunny fall day it was a great activity. After nap time, I decided to go to the mall and check out their decorations and this is where it got a bit ugly...Penney's was in the process of putting out their Christmas decorations!


No really, it just gets earlier and earlier. By the time Christmas comes around, these decorations will be old and dusty and we the customers will be so sick of looking at them. I realize most stores do not decorate for Halloween or Thanksgiving but a little restraint is in order!


But sticking to Halloween, I looked up the history of the jack-o-lantern. This information is from a website who edited it from the history channel and of course it's probably folk lore on top of all that but enjoy the tale and resist stringing the popcorn for at least until after Thanksgiving!

People have been making jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

More Halloween/Fall decorations coming next week. Meanwhile, if you don't want your inner holiday clock upset, stay away from the malls!

String Beans With Tomatoes: Summer's Bounty Comes To An End

Today I decided to clean out the fridge and take inventory of my fruits and vegetables. This year was the first year I grew vegetables and herbs in a small garden in my backyard. Left over from my diligent dirt dabbling were about a pound of string beans and three plump plum tomatoes. 


While trolling my unorganized collection of recipes recently, I'd come across a recipe that included these very ingredients. There were a few other items needed but mostly things anyone would have in their pantry or refrigerator. 

Pierre Franey

The recipe was something I'd saved from the New York Times dated December 9, 1992. The column was called the 60 Minute Gourmet, a column I had heard of written by Pierre Franey, who I (embarrassingly) had not. Apparently the 60 Minute Gourmet was Franey's column for 20 years starting in the late 1970s and he was an acclaimed chef with best-selling cookbooks to his credit. Here's a bit of biographical information from a cookbook review site: 

Pierre Franey's recipe columns appeared regularly in The New York Times for nearly twenty years, under his own byline and with Craig Claiborne. His other books include The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet and The New York Times More of the 60-Minute Gourmet, both of which were bestsellers. He died in 1996. Bryan Miller the New York Times' restaurant critic and a long-standing collaborator with Pierre Franey, emphasizes the ease of Franey's recipes, "Pierre always bought ingredients at local stores so readers wouldn't be exasperated by trying to locate Peruvian blue onion or Mexican jicama."

Anyway, I was glad that I'd saved it and am able to share it with you today.  The string beans and tomatoes were a side dish to a Roast Pork Tenderloin main course but I unfortunately didn't have that in my freezer. But this recipe seriously took about 10 minutes to prepare and it was delicious. 


String Beans With Tomatoes


Ingredients:
1 pound fresh string beans
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 ripe plum tomatoes, about 1/2 pound
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 bay leaf


Directions:

• Cut tips off beans and cut into 2-inch lengths
• Bring enough water to boil to cover the beans when added. Add salt to taste, then add the beans. Cook 5 minutes until tender. 
• Core tomatoes and cut into half-inch cubes
• Heat oil, butter in a skillet and add garlic. When cooked but not brown, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cook for about 2 minutes while stirring. 
• Add beans, stir and cook for about 1 minute.
• Remove bay leaf and serve hot. 

Franey's cookbooks are available on Amazon and for those of us with little time, I'm sure they will make precious acquisitions. 

Chicago: A Wonderful Town

The Trump International 

Hotel and Towers

This weekend my sisters and I got together for a 'girls' weekend in the wonderful city of Chicago. We had all passed through the city briefly in 1965 changing train stations on a family trip to Los Angeles. I had not been back but two of my three sisters had and I was perfectly willing to be 'led' around a city that I heard so much about but had never really visited.


First impression: Chicago is very clean, and I think it has a lot to do with the lack of street vendors. Though we may all decry the congestion they create street side in New York, those pesky vendors do come in handy when it's cold or nasty. Where can you get an umbrella or pashmina for $5. when you leave work unprepared on a cold, rainy evening? And lets not forget the hot dog vendor who saved Times Square from a terrorist explosion! But their absence was OK with me, maybe vendors should be exclusively New York..and yes, I'll stop my obvious biased affection for my home town!


We stayed at the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue conveniently located across from Nordstrom's and right in the middle of the Magnificent Mile. Why had I never come back? Chicago is a shopper's paradise and I love to shop! I was soon to find out that the city is a dining paradise as well... that is if you make or can get a reservation. We had decided to eat in a restaurant called The Purple Pig on Michigan across from our hotel on Friday evening. There was an hour and a half wait but when a customer named "Al' didn't show - we were ushered in after only 15 minutes! Chicago, my kind of town!

Bill Rancic

For Saturday, my sister had recommended the Architectural Boat Tour. Chicago, it seems, was the birthplace of the skyscraper and has continued its dominance in tall and cutting edge architectural wonders that grace the river bank as well as the rest of the city. There are some noteworthy skyscrapers: the Sears Tower (now named Willis), the John Hancock Building, the Aon Center and the Trump International Hotel and Towers which was built after season one of 'The Apprentice' (remember Bill Rancic?). The tour skirted the banks of the 156 mile long Chicago River. The river is the reason why Chicago became an important location. It created a link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi. In the 19th century the flow of the river was reversed away from Lake Michigan which it emptied into, towards the Mississippi River basin. This was done for reasons of sanitation. The river is also dyed green on St. Patrick's Day.


After our tour, we opted to regroup in the hotel lobby to discuss our dinner plans. A friendly Chicagoan gentleman sitting nearby (waiting for his wife to finish shopping!) offered a few suggestions: Gibsons, Hugo Frog's and Rosebud but all were booked. Our concierge recommended a restaurant called Sepia and it was great (all links below). Earlier that day we spotted a restaurant called The Original Pancake House and quickly decided that it would make a perfect Sunday breakfast destination! 

The Allerton Hotel and it's 'misleading' sign!

An interesting note: Near our hotel was an older hotel called the Allerton. It had a bright neon sign atop the hotel displaying the name and in smaller neon letters the word TIP, TOP, TAP, obviously a rooftop nightspot sounding for all the world like a place where Fred and Ginger once hung out! We were intrigued.  After dinner on Saturday night we decided to go for a drink only to discover that the Tip, Top, Tap has long been closed but the name remains prominently displayed because of the landmark designation of the building. Such a  disappointment! Here's a bit of the history of the hotel and the Tip, Top, Tap from Wikipedia: 

In the 1940s and 1950s, the hotel housed a swanky lounge on its upper story, called the "Tip Top Tap." Although the lounge closed in 1961, the sign proclaiming its existence is still displayed on the Allerton Hotel.[2] By 1963, the room was home to a new restaurant, the Cloud Room, when Don McNeill moved his broadcast of "Don McNeill's Breakfast Club" to the location. While the show was broadcast from the Allerton, McNeill's guests included regular Fran Allison.

After the Allerton Hotel was declared a Chicago landmark, it was closed from August 1998 through May 1999 for a $60,000,000 renovation. The restoration work reversed the hotel's trend toward seediness. When the hotel reopened as the Allerton Crowne Plaza Hotel, the twenty-third floor, which had housed the Tip Top Tap and the Cloud Room, opened as the Renaissance Ballroom. At the same time, a lounge opened on the second floor called Taps on Two, and featured one of the Tip Top Tap's signature drinks, a Moscow Mule.

Moscow Mule? An interesting history for sure and a great city to visit, just remember to make a reservation in advance!

Reference: 

• www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/
• http://www.thepurplepigchicago.com/
• http://www.hugosfrogbar.com/
• www.originalpancakehouse.com
• http://sepiachicago.com/