Roasted Apple Dessert

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup  walnuts, chopped medium fine
• 1/3  cup  pecans, chopped medium fine
• 1/4  cup  firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cardamom
• 1/4  cup  rolled oats
• 4  tablespoons  cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 6  medium Pink Lady or Fuji apples, or other firm baking variety
• 1 1/2  cups  apple cider
• 1 orange, zest and juice

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a small bowl combine walnuts, pecans, orange zest, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and oats. Add butter cubes and toss to combine.

2. Peel the top third of each apple and, using a melon baller, scoop out the stem and enough of the core so that the walls of the apple are about 1/2 in. thick. Take care, however, not to break through the bottom of the apple, or the filling will leak out when baking. Make the hole a bit wider at the top.

3. Using a small spoon or your fingers, generously stuff each apple; mound extra filling on top.

4. Put the filled apples in a baking dish. Pour cider and orange juice into the pan around the apples, cover the dish with foil, and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake, basting every 15 minutes, for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, until apples are easily pierced with a sharp knife (they may split open a bit at the bottom). Serve apples drizzled with the sauce from the pan and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside.

Dover Sole Roulades with Warm Tomato Vinaigrette and Sautéed Fava Beans

This is a great meal to impress your friends and family. It is much easier than it looks. It is a prefect spring dish. If you can't find fava beans you can use fresh or frozen lima beans. Also, Dover Sole might not be easy to find so you can substitute flounder, haddock, or even catfish. You will want to cut these substitutions into thinner strips because they are larger than the Dover Sole. If you have the time and you want to save a bit of money you can make your fish stock by boiling shrimp shells. Enjoy this taste of spring!


Serves 4



5 cups fish stock
12 Dove Sole fillets
12 shrimp, peeled and divined
2 oz basil
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 medium sweet onion, quartered
5 garlic cloves, 3 smashed and 2 minced
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 t champagne vinegar
4 T olive oil
2 lbs fresh fava beans, shelled
Salt and pepper for seasoning
12 toothpicks

Place a medium sized pot filled with cold water over high heat and bring to a boil. Make an ice bath. Season water with salt. When water is boiling add fava beans and cook for 2 mins. Using a slotted spoon remove beans to the ice bath and when cooled take out of the bath and let drain.
In a blender add the tomatoes, onion, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 3 smashed garlic cloves, and half of the basil. Season with salt and pepper then blend. While blending add half of the olive oil in a thin stream and blend until smooth and set aside.
Take one of the Dover Sole fillets and season with salt and pepper. Place basil on top of the fillet then place a shrimp across the fatter end of the fillet. Roll the fillet up and place a toothpick through the center of the roll and place in a large roasting pan. Repeat process with the rest of the fillets, basil, and shrimp. When finished, slowly pour the fish stock in the roasting pan and season the fillet rolls with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the fish and shrimp are cooked through. Baste the fish with the stock every five minutes so that the fish will stay moist.
While the fish is cooking place the tomato vinaigrette in a sauce pan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Shell the fava beans and place medium sized pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, minced garlic, and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Sauté for 1 minute and then add the beans and sauté for 5 minutes stirring constantly to keep beans from sticking to the pan.
Take the fish out of the oven. Divide up the vinaigrette between four plates and then divide the beans between the plates. Gently place three of the fish rolls on each plate and take out the toothpicks. Serve and enjoy!

Pan Roasted Arctic Char w/ White Bean Puree and Pesto

Artic Char is a great fish! The flavor is a cross between Trout and Salmon. If you can't find Artic Char then you can use Trout or Salmon instead. The pesto really adds a freshness to this dish and a pop of flavor. Enjoy!


2 Fillets of Artic Char
2 cups of canned white beans
4 cloves of garlic
2 cups of chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
2 handfuls of fresh basil
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 dollops of butter
Salt and pepper

Pesto
Place basil, lemon juice and zest, 2 cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper into a food processor and blend until broken down then while the processor is running add the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue to blend until a paste is formed. Place in a container and put into the refrigerator. Hint: This can be done up to one day ahead.

Bean Puree
Place beans, stock, ground fennel, and 2 cloves of garlic in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Season with salt and Pepper. When this comes to a boil lower heat to medium low and cook for another 15 mins. Place in a blender and blend until silky smooth. Keep in the blender until ready to serve. Hint: It would be best to blend bean mixture while the Artic Char is in the oven.

Artic Char
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat frying pan over medium high heat. Add the 2 dollops of butter and when melted add the seasoned Artic Char skin side down. While cooking in pan spoon melted butter over top of the Artic Char. Cook this way for 5 mins then place pan in the oven for another 5 mins.

To plate, Place Char atop bean puree and then spoon pesto over the fish.

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

This is a favorite of my friends and clients. It works great as a marinade as well on fish, chicken, and pork.  I also use this when cooking veggies and in pasta salads. You can use other fresh herbs as well but I have found that rosemary and sage are not the best for this. Enjoy!




 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 small handful of basil, finely chopped
1 small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil


In a jar or small bowl combine lemon zest and juice, basil, parsely, minced garlic, pinch of pepper and salt. If you are using a jar, add the olive oil and shake until all ingredients are combined. If you are using a bowl, slowly whisk in the olive oil. 

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

This salsa makes a great snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Half yellow onion, quartered

8 tomatillos

1 clove of garlic, peeled

A good hand full of cilantro

1 Lime, zest and juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed and chopped

1 teaspoon of honey.

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend well and serve. This will keep in the fringe for 4 days. Enjoy!

Spring Salad with Poached Chicken in a Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

I love this salad for the spring! A lot of people don't like poached chicken but I find this recipe to be very refreshing and the chicken is moist and has quite a bit of flavor. The Lemon Herb Vinaigrette is very popular with my friends and the kids love it too. 
Save the cooking liquid after poaching the chicken and you will have a wonderful stock.



2 large bone in chicken breasts, rinsed and dried
1 large carrot, chop
1 t peppercorns
1 t dried sage
1 Fennel, Herb part cut off stalks and set aside, stalks largely chopped, and bulb thinly sliced
4 Spring onions, whites cut on a diagonal and green parts largely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, 1 finely minced, 3 whole with skins removed
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1 bag of herb lettuce mix
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 small handful of basil, finely chopped
1 small golden beet, julienne
1 small red beet, julienne
3/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper

• • Fill a medium sized pan with cold water and place over high heat. Add 1t salt, peppercorns, 3 whole garlic cloves, carrot, fennel stalks, dried sage, and chicken breasts. Bring it to a boil then turn down to a simmer and place a lid on the pot. Cook for 30 mins or until chicken is cooked through. Take the chicken out of the liquid and place it in the fridge to cool. Then take the chicken off the bone and remove the skin. Pull the chicken apart, cover and place it back in the fridge. This can be done a day ahead.
    
    In a jar or small bowl combine lemon zest and juice, basil, fennel herbs, minced garlic, pinch of pepper and salt. If you are using a jar, add the olive oil and shake until all ingredients are combined. If you are using a bowl, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set vinaigrette aside.
    
    In a large bowl toss together fennel, radishes, spring onions, greens, and chicken. Lightly dress with vinaigrette and divide onto four plates. Toss the beets together, then divide them between the salads and serve. Place the vinaigrette on the table so that your guests can help themselves to more if they like. Enjoy!

Celery Root Puree

I love Celery Root! It is over looked a lot but it is better for you then many other root
veggies. The flavor of the celery root (also known as Celeriac) has a slight celery
flavor with a hint of potatoes. It has 5-6% starch by weight, which is less then most
root veggies. Celery root takes on other flavors really well. Here is one of my favorite
ways to eat celery root.

 

Serves 4 people as side for main course

1 1/2 lbs. Celery root
3 cups warmed chicken stock
2 pads of butter
6 cups cold water
2 teaspoons salt
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Put the cold water in a medium sauce-pan over high heat until the water starts
to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, peel the celery root by taking a sharp
knife and cutting off the outside of the celery root. Next, cube the root. Add the
root to boiling water along with 2 teaspoons of salt. Boil until celery root in very
tender-- about 20 mins. When tender, strain and place in food processor along with
salt, pepper, and butter. Blend until it breaks down. Add the chicken stock to the
processor and continue to blend until silky smooth. If it is to runny, place back in
the sauce pan over medium heat until it thickens. Make sure and stir every once in a
while.