Citrus and Curry Baked Mahi

WOW. Just one word to describe the incredibly delicious smells emitting from the oven as the mahi mahi baked to perfection. Curry powder... lemon and lime zest.... chopped shallots.... and olive oil... all working in harmony to create a dish that was fantastic. The curry fragrance that filled the house during the baking made me so hungry, I just couldn't wait to sit down and eat. Eating more fish for health is easy to do with a recipe like this one. Try it, and you'll be saying wow too :)

Citrus and Curry Baked Mahi-Mahi (serves 4)
1 cup olive oil
zest from 1 lemon and 1 lime
squeeze of lemon and lime
1 med-large shallot, minced
1/4 of a fennel bulb, minced (yes, my new favorite ingredient!)
salt, pepper to taste
1 T. curry powder
4 mahimahi fish fillets (or any white fish your prefer)

Put all ingredients into a gallon sized ziplock baggie and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours but not more than 24 hours.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place fish fillets onto a baking rack over a sheet pan. Make sure all your marinade is scooped on the fish fillets. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!

(serving suggestion: serve with rice, quinoa or other favorite grain)

Panna Cotta

In my ultimate dessert land, way up there, somewhere right next to Fresh Fruit Tart is a space reserved just for Panna Cotta. I love everything about Panna Cotta- the silky smooth texture, the creamy taste, the coolness as it touches your mouth, the way it looks so inviting on the plate contrasted with the berries it's usually paired with. Panna Cotta is an Italian jello of sorts. It's made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing that with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. If you've never tasted Panna Cotta, ordered it from a menu, or made it yourself, I suggest you try the following recipe and see for yourself how delicious this dessert is and how simple it is to make.

Panna Cotta (makes 4-5 1/2 c. ramekins)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.
In a large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla. Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2-cup ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.

(serving suggestion: in a small bowl, combine berries (or fruits) of your choice 1/8 cup of granulated sugar. Stir and let sit for at least 30 minutes. When serving panna cotta, spoon some of the berries over and around it.)

Maple Grilled Salmon with Cirtus Salsa

Let's get one thing straight here. Other than Ahi I don't care much for fish. I never order it in the restaurants (unless it's raw Ahi or blackened Ahi or Ahi prepared in a similar fashion), and I rarely prepare it at home. I love other types of seafood- crabs, lobster, shrimp, mussels, calamari, octopus... but fish, not so much.
That is, until recently. More specifically, January 1, 2010. I've been trying to cook and eat more fish. Why? Simply because of it's many health benefits- mainly the Omega 3 fatty acids and low fat, high protein content of fish.
Well, today I found another winner. A 9 out of 10 scoring. A two thumbs-up, please make this again sometime soon vote. A this is so good I'm going for seconds and thirds recipe. Really. The subtle sweetness of the pure maple syrup with the citrus-y zing from the oranges and grapefruit, the salty bite of capers, the fresh mint and slight spice from the red pepper flakes.... what can I say other than simply delicious. Please try it and tell me what you think.

Maple Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa (serves 4)
4 salmon fillets
4 T. pure maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. capers, roughly chopped
2 T. fresh mint leaves, chiffonade
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 T. chopped parsley
2 green onions, finely sliced
segments only of 1 orange and 1/2 grapefruit
2 T. olive oil
zest of 1/2 lemon, and 1/2 orange
1/8 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Prepare the citrus salsa: Mix together capers, mint, red pepper flakes, parsley, green onions, orange and grapefruit segments, olive oil, orange zest, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a bowl. Set aside.
In the meantime, heat a large grill pan on med-high heat, oiling with olive oil so fish won't stick. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on salmon. Brush with pure maple syrup. Repeat with other side of fish.
Cook fish for 4 minutes on each side (or until done), flipping once. Serve immediately with citrus salsa spooned over the top of the salmon.

Mustard Roasted Fish

Tonite I tried out a new recipe and I've gotta say that it's a winner. My girls ate a whole fish fillet each, by themselves! They kept going back for more and more and before I knew it, there was nothing left, which makes me very happy :) This is a recipe that I clipped out of Ina Garten's column in House Beautiful Magazine a couple of months ago and have been meaning to try out. I am glad I finally did- it was a hit! I paired the fish with steamed herbed baby potatoes and haricots verts with lemon zest. Tres magnificent!

Mustard Roasted Fish (serves 4)
4 (8 oz.) white fish fillets such as red snapper or tilapia
8 oz. creme fraiche
3 T. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. whole grain mustard
2 T. minced shallots
2 tsp. drained capers
sprinkle of paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In an ovenproof baking dish place fish fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Combine creme fraiche, both mustards, shallots, capers, salt and pepper (to taste) in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish until it's barely done (fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done). Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temp. with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top. Bon Appetit!

Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Creme

Since it's Sunday I wanted to make something special for tonite. Fruit tarts are one of my all time favorite desserts- first of all, they're absolutely beautiful to look at with all the colorful glistening fruits artfully arranged on the top of a creamy middle and buttery crust. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fruit tart snob though. I won't settle for just any run of the mill fruit tart. It has to be filled with pastry creme, non of this fluffy whipped cream in the middle for me. You may be thinking, what is pastry creme then? Well, it's the same custard-y smooth rich filling that's in eclairs. Yum yum yummy yum....
After heading to the store for ingredients, I immediately set to work on the pastry creme. It's not very difficult to make, but it does require a few hours in the refrigerator to set after cooking. The girls helped me to stir and simmer the custard and were more than willing to lick the spoons :)
After the pastry creme was sufficiently chilled, Sophie helped me to spoon the filling over the crust. I arranged the fruits on the top and after eating dinner, it was finally time for dessert.

Noelle just couldn't wait to eat her slice. The fresh fruit tart with pastry creme was delicious, but the sweetest treat of all turned out to be the girls help in the kitchen and their giddy excitement about the dessert we made together.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Creme (makes 1 11 inch tart)
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks, chalazae removed (see note at bottom)
3 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 T. unsalted butter cut into small cubes
pie shell
fresh fruit (berries, orange segments, kiwis etc...)
1/2 cup apple or red currant jelly

Heat half and half, 6 T. sugar and salt in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in remaining 2 T. sugar and whisk until sugar has begun to dissolve and mixture is creamy. Whisk in cornstarch until combined and mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
When half and half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk about half of the simmering half and half into yolk mixture to temper. Return mixture to saucepan, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Return to simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture is thickened and glossy. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer creme to medium bowl, press plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours.
Thaw pie crust and press into tart pan with removable bottom and bake according to directions on package. Remove from oven and set aside to completely cool.
When tart shell is completely cool, spread cold pastry creme over bottom. Arrange fruit on top of pastry creme. Bring jelly to a boil. When completely melted, brush or dab onto fruit. Serve immediately or refrigerate uncovered for up to 30 minutes.

*note: chalazae are the cordlike strands of egg white protein that are attached to the yolks. Remove them gently with your fingers.

Caramelized Onion and Grapefruit Salad

The other day I was watching Giada on Food Network television and saw her making a caramelized onion and grapefruit salad that looked so interesting and fresh that I decided I just had to try it sometime soon.
Today was the day.
The salad seemed simple enough to make with 3 components to put together: the dressing, the caramelized onions and the salad. There were a couple of changes I made to the original recipe.
1. Giada's recipe called for cucumber, which I didn't have in my refrigerator, so I decided that celery would be the perfect bright, crunchy substitution.
2. I adore honey. My mom had brought me back some kiawe honey from Hawaii and instead of using a scant teaspoon like it instructed, I increased it to a Tbsp.
3. I changed a few of the proportions of the dressing and added lemon zest.

The salad was easy to prepare and put together. I tossed all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl, dished it into plates and took my first taste.
It was love at first bite. You have the bright citrusy flavor of the grapefruit, the crunchy bits of romaine and celery along with occasional bits of slightly sharp scallion and earthy thyme, all dressed in a simply delicious vinaigrette that's sweet from the honey and sour from the red wine vinegar at the same time. Add the mellow caramelized onions and it's elevated to salad nirvana. It is salad perfection. Here's my version of the salad

Caramelized Onion and Grapefruit Salad (2 servings)
caramelized onions
3 T. olive oil
2 onions, very thinly sliced
1 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, heat the oil over med. heat. Add the onions, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Lower heat to med-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes
dressing
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 T. honey
1/8 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest and honey. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until blended. Season with salt and pepper
Salad
1 1/2 pink grapefruits
6 oz. romaine hearts (a little more than half of a 10 oz prepared bag)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
2 scallions, finely sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Peep and trim the ends from each grapefruit. Using a pairing knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and add them to a large salad bowl. Add the lettuce, fennel, celery, scallions and thyme. Add the cooled caramelized onions to the salad, and pour dressing over the top. Toss until all ingredients are coated. Serve and enjoy!

Oeuf Cocotte (Egg Casserole)

It's been a busy week- getting back into the school routine (waking up early- ugh!), getting the girls to dance class, and resuming french lessons. Since it's the end of the week, I wanted to make a dinner that was uncomplicated and delicious. Simply put, oeuf cocotte, which is french for egg casserole. It is a rustic kind of dish made with a couple of eggs cooked in a ramekin with a few other delicious and equally simple ingredients. Pair it with a glass of white wine, a few slices of toasted french bread and that's it. So without any further complications, here's the recipe:

Oeuf Cocotte (Egg Casserole- 2 servings)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp each fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 T. half and half
1 T. freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
2 small pats of butter
4-6 eggs depending on your appetite (I usually eat 2, Chris eats 3)
salt and pepper to taste

Put a pat of butter, the minced garlic and 1 T. of the half and half into each oven proof ramekin. Broil on high for 2 minutes or until the butter has melted and the half and half is bubbly and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and lower temperature to low broil. Crack 2-3 eggs into each hot ramekin and return to oven. Broil on low for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the eggs are baked, but still slightly runny. In the meantime, chop your herbs and mix together in a small bowl. Once your eggs are cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle tops with salt, pepper, parmigiano cheese and mixed herbs. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

Pilaf with Pesto, Tomatoes and Parmesan

I've been on a bit of a "health kick" lately- blame it on a combination of the New Year and the result of freely overindulging during the holidays. Anyhow, I'm currently on a mission to encourage myself and my family to try new foods, and embrace more fruits, veggies, raw nuts and whole grains. Tonite I decided to try the Kashi brand 7 whole grain pilaf with the following loose recipe (no measurements in the ingredients, it's all just to taste) and guess what? Chris and I both really enjoyed the chewy nutty flavored pilaf mixture. The pesto, fresh basil and tomato flavors really combined nicely together to make a healthy, but more importantly- delicious, quick and easy dinner. Bonus: Noelle had seconds and asked me to make it sometime again!!

Pilaf with Pesto, Tomatoes and Parmesan
Stir prepared pesto into cooked grains (I used Kashi 7 whole grain pilaf cooked in vegetable broth, but leftover brown rice, orzo, or couscous would work equally as well). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with freshly grated Parmesan, chopped basil and halved cherry tomatoes.

Provencal Chicken Stew

It's been one of those rainy, cold and dreary days that's got me thinking about Chicken Stew. Not just any bland flavorless chicken stew, but the kind of dinner that has you sitting down in front of a big warm bowl of deliciousness that's been bubbling away in the slow cooker for hours filling the home with wonderful aromas. You know what I'm talking about. People walk through the door and immediately say "mmmmmmmm what is that cooking? and you answer, "Provencal Chicken Stew" and they say "wow, it smells fantastic, you sure must've been busy cooking this dinner" and you smile because you know that the slow cooker did most of the work for you. All you have left to do is sit down and enjoy the dinner that effortlessly came together melding the briny flavor of kalamata olives with the sweet taste of crushed tomatoes and white wine, herbs and garlic. Say it with me, MMMMMM. It's time to get your slow cooker out from the cabinet and get started :)

Provencal Chicken Stew (serves 4-6)

3/4 c. plus 2 T. all purpose flour
salt, pepper, to taste
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces and skinned
1/4 c. olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2- 2/3 c. dry white wine
1 (14 1/2oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. freshly chopped parsley for garnish
1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade, for garnish
1 c. kalamata olives for garnish

combine the 3/4 c. flour and salt in a plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely.
Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning once for 8-10 minutes, creating a lightly browned crust. Remove the chicken from the pan and add to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently for 10 minutes so some of the tomato liquid evaporates. Pour the onion mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Add kalamata olives to top. Cover and cook on low for 3-8 hours. At 3-4 hours, the chicken will still be firm and hold it's shape. At 6-8 hours, the meat will be falling off the bone.
Diving the chicken among dinner plates and garnish with the parsley and basil.

*Note- You may be familiar with slow cooker recipes that dump all ingredients into the cooker and turn on. This is not one of them. Do not skip any of the steps, as each in important to creating a dish that is perfectly seasoned, delicious and well cooked.

Cheddar Dill Scones

Scones... YUM. There's just something about the rich, buttery, flaky dough that tastes like comfort food to me. I remember the first time I tasted a scone. I was in the fourth grade and in an after school cooking class. The teacher taught us how to make traditional scones with lemon curd. It was love at first bite. I went home, so excited to share the scone and curd recipe with my family. Scones with currants, cinnamon chip scones, cream scones, lemon poppyseed scones, pepper and parmesean, cheddar and scallion scones- it's all good. Sophie and I have baked this version from Barefoot Contessa. You can use a biscuit cutter, free cut them or make them into hearts, as we did. Weither savory or sweet, scones are definitely worth making.

Cheddar Dill Scones
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced small
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp white cheddar, grated
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

*Suggestions: If you don't like the flavor of dill, chives would also work well for the herb flavoring. We haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure crisp, crumbled bacon would be delicious in these scones too! :)

Almond Crusted Chicken with Spinach and Arugula

Okay, first, I've got to come clean with you. Once again, I devoured my food without taking a photo- I'm trying to work on remembering that, and I promise to do better next time. That said, this is a photo from Body and Soul magazine that shows the recipe. All I've got to say is it was so delicious!! Seriously. I usually don't really enjoy salads unless someone else makes them for me (I know, kind of wierd, right?) but this had the right combo of flavors, it was substantial enough to satisfy me for lunch, it's healthy and it was super simple and easy to make.

Almond Crusted Chicken with Spinach and Arugula (4 servings)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup unsalted almonds, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper to taste
3 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and place a cookie rack on top.
Halve the chicken breasts through the middle so you end up with 4 breast fillets of chicken. Place in a plate and move to the side while you make the crust.
Stir all remaining ingredients together to make an almond crust. pat generously over front and back of all chicken pieces and lay on top of cookie rack. Slide baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part.
Cut almond crusted chicken into strips and lay on a bed of spinach and arugula that has been lightly tossed with the dressing of your choice (I recommend Trader Joe's low fat cilantro dressing). Finish with a squeeze of lemon over the top and enjoy! MMMM MMMMM GOOD!

Steamed MahiMahi with Fennel, Parsley and Capers

Today I decided to try out a new ingredient- Fennel.
I've been hesitant to try this bulbous root because
1. I've been told it tastes like Licorice.
2. I don't like licorice
But this is a new year, and with the start of a new year comes the resolutions that inevitably follow. One of my resolutions was to try out new foods, so here we were, the fennel bulb and me.
As I sliced the fennel for my recipe, I decided to try a small slivered half moon piece and low and behold! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that while it does taste like licorice, it also has a clean, slightly lemony taste as well. I've decided that I like raw fennel, but enjoy cooked fennel even better. If you've never tasted fennel before, I recommend you try it, you never know when your taste buds will surprise you :)

Steamed Mahi Mahi with Fennel, Parsley and Capers (2 servings)
2-3 pieces of mahi mahi fillets
1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. capers
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 med. onion, sliced
2 T. olive oil
salt, pepper to taste

Salt and pepper both sides of your fillets, and set aside. Add all remaining ingredients to a large pan and add water, just to cover. Heat on med-high until boiling and then lay the fish fillets on top of vegetables. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until fish fillets flake easily with a fork.
Serving suggestion: serve with brown rice. Lay fish fillets over rice and scoop the cooked fennel, onions, capers and parsley alongside. You can drizzle the fish and rice with some of the poaching liquid if desired.