Baked Fish with Pistachio Butter

I love to attempt dishes in my kitchen inspired by ones I have enjoyed in a restaurant. Recently, my husband and I had a wonderful baked halibut at a fabulous local restaurant called Peter's Inn. The owner of this establishment is an artist with food. His menu changes weekly and one never knows what sort of concoction he will come up with while playing in his kitchen, but we are usually quite impressed with the results. Such was the occasion when this buttery filet entered our mouths. The fish was firm, but delicate and covered in a pistachio butter. We devoured it in a matter of seconds and have been talking about it for weeks. I rolled up my sleeves last evening and made an attempt to recreate the delicate flavors. The results were more than satisfactory and I am sharing them below.

Pistachio Butter

1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios
1/4 cup butter
1 juiced lime
2 cloves garlic
10 basil leaves

Pulse in food processor and chill.

Place desired fish (I used salmon) in baking dish with 1/2 cup white wine.
Bake (uncovered) at 400 until opaque (about 15 min.)
Top with pistachio butter and bake for 10 min. more

Enjoy!

Infamous Strawberry Cake

When I was about ten years old my mother asked me to prepare dinner for the family while she worked. I was a little more than shocked to receive the phone call that gave me permission to enter the downstairs freezer. It was always locked with a key that was hidden out of us kids' grubby little hands and now I had mine on it. I did as she asked and placed a frozen pork roast in a pan, but only after I had made a creation of my own with a bag of frozen strawberries. The roast was raw and dinner was ruined, all except the delicious strawberry cake with strawberry icing. My mother was furious as she watched my father gulping down huge slices while asking why she couldn't bake like me. It has taken me 42 years to attempt that cake again, but I did so last week and it was worth the wait. The recipe is below.

Strawberry Cake

3 1/3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of half & half
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag organic frozen strawberries

Mix all, adding strawberries last and divide into 2 buttered and floured 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.
Let cool in pans, revert on baking rack. Let cool some more before frosting.

Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup creme
1/4 cup organic strawberry jam

Peach Perfection

There is something special about September, an excitement in the air ushering in a new season and saying goodbye to hot summer days and hello to falling leaves.  As always, I am rushing around trying desperately to get in all the must do's before the air cools, gathering up the fruits that remain of the season.  Peaches are one of my favorites.  They remind me of my mother, who was coincidentally born in September.  She didn't care for them because of their fuzzy skins and gagged when watching me gobble one down unpeeled or washed at the road-side stands.  She preferred nectarines, a bland, smooth cousin.  I would place a bet that if she had tasted the following recipe, I could have changed her mind!

Ginger Crust Peach Cobbler

8 peaches, skinned and halved-seeds removed
1 tablespoon turbinado cane sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Arrange peaches core up in 8 x 8 pan
Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon
Bake at 425 for 10 min

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ginger
3/4 cup cold butter cut into pieces
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pulse in food processor until grainy pebbles form

Add 1/4 cup boiling water.
Spoon over cooked peaches
Bake at 425 for 20 min.
Enjoy your last tastes of Summer...

Stuffed Artichokes are nothing to be afraid of,hon!

     When I was a kid, my mom warned me of the difficulty of making homemade pie crust.  For years, I never considered anything but store-ready to hold my luscious fillings, but then one day I thought I'd try anyway and you know what?  It was EASY.  That's right, all those years that I avoided mixing a little flour with a little butter and a sprinkle of water was for naught.  Mom was wrong.  Somebody had probably told her the same thing and they were wrong too.  The same holds true for artichokes.  Sure they look scary with their pointy leaves and thick, green stems and maybe the thistle is a pain to pluck out, but it can be done.  And make no mistake about it, once you have removed the tough outer leaves, clipped the remaining, dutifully scraped away the thistle and stuffed that glorious bulb, it will all be worth it!

     I love artichokes anyway I can get them, but my favorite is served at Carmine's in NYC.  Here is my version of that delectable wonder.  Enjoy!!!

Stuffed Artichokes - Carmine Style

2 globe artichokes (the BIG ones)
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 loaf of brioche (you can use any bread, but this one is decadent) - grated into crumbs
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese-grated

2 tbsp of minced sweet onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
5 basil leaves (fresh if you've got them)
1/8 cup olive oil

Prepare your artichokes by cutting the stem so that the bottom can fit flat in the pot. Remove outer leaves and cut 2 inches off top.  Remove thistle.  I do this by scraping with a spoon and using some muscle.  It might take a few tries, but hey, it's a good work out. Clip the rest of leaves until it looks nice--no brown ends and such.  Now stuff that bad boy with the above.  Place in large pot and pour the chicken broth in the bottom.  Drizzle top with olive oil until all is wet.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  You can thank me later ;)

Chilled Blueberry Soup for those Hot August Blues

I will turn fifty-one in a few days and just got back from NYC for a birthday visit with my daughter, Stevie, who never lets me down when it comes to birthday celebrations.  This one was no exception; a dinner at Palma (with waiters that looked like Fabio) did not disappoint, and Stevie's general enthusiasm for all things New York kept me upbeat even when the weather turned gloomy.  August is my favorite month.  Perhaps because it holds my birthday, but also because the changes that take place in those thirty-one days are many.  We begin the month happily thinking about beach trips and summer vacations and a week or so later, we are on to purchasing (or at least planning to) school supplies and fall necessities.  In the midst of all this change we sometimes forget to just breathe and enjoy the moment.  Today, I did just that.  I started the day with a great hot yoga session, wrapped up an ending for an essay that was waiting, and looked in the fridge to see what I could create.  The blueberries beckoned and this is what came to me:

4 cups blueberries (fresh)
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup of water
cinnamon stick

Place all in a pot and boil until blueberries pop.  Blend in processor until smooth.  Add 1 cup of greek yogurt.  Cool. Garnish with mint leaves and enjoy.

Young at Heart with Lemon Chicken

Last week I went on a trip to Disney World with my granddaughter,Kailyn, who is an adorable eight-year-old too smart not to notice that Tinker Bell flies over Cinderella's castle with a little help from a high-wire. It was an exhaustingly fun trip and I couldn't help but notice the vast differences between the way I enjoyed it this time versus the way I did when my kids were small and I was in my thirties. Basically, this time I was in bed WAY earlier and I was on my way to the parks WAY later, and when Kailyn asked for a third bowl of cereal and a day at the pool, on our last day, rather than heading to MGM Studios, I said yes. I did not try to convince her that she would be missing out on something great, although that may very well have been true, because nothing sounded better to me than lounging under a palm and watching her slide down the pool-slide for the fiftieth time instead of waiting in hot, long lines. As the trip ended, I conceded that I had lost some momentum, that age had slowed me down for sure, but I also congratulated myself on being that much smarter than my thirty-something self. I once made the recipe that follows for a large family crowd, at the spur of the moment, after my father-in-law's retirement celebration. In my thirties, I much preferred whipping up a dinner for twenty than dragging my kids to a restaurant. Back then, it was simply not a problem. Now, however, I am happily preparing it for only 2. Enjoy!

 Lemon Chicken (Organic)
 2 Free-range (and organic) boneless,skinless chicken breasts
 1/2 cup flour
 1/4 cup oil
 3 tablespoons of butter
 1 lemon
 1 egg
 1/2 cup half and half
 Slice the breasts in half (creating a thinner breast) and place between parchment paper. Pound thin with a mallet and dust in flour. In a bowl whisk an egg and 1/4 cup of the half and half and add 1/2 tsp of grated lemon rind and 1/2 of lemon juice. (save the other half of the lemon for later) Place each flour coated breast (one at a time) in lemon-egg wash and then coat with another layer of flour. Place in hot skillet with the melted butter and oil. This will cook fast because the chicken is so thin. You want to stand at the skillet and turn the meat as soon as it appears a golden tan. Place the chicken in a baking pan and top with 3 (very thin) lemon slices. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Take the other 1/4 cup of half and half and whisk to the skillet droppings. Pour over top. Reheat when ready to serve. I will have this with Capellini and an arugula salad, and I will not forget the wine!

Making Joy with Christmas French Toast

I was very blessed this Christmas to have all of my girls (my two daughters,Stevie and Niki, as well as my niece, Alana) come home and share a breakfast of Challah French Toast with a cranberry-orange syrup. I have always loved Christmas morning, but this years seemed almost magical. Perhaps it was because of the light frosting of snow that had fallen over the city creating a picture perfect postcard just out my apartment window, or maybe it was just knowing that after a year filled with immense change and risk taking, all was well and as it should be. Either way, this year I felt the gratitude for all of my blessings overwhelm me - especially the addition of my first grandson, Dylan. I hope all of you enjoyed your holiday this year as much as I, and wish everyone a very happy, and blessed new year. French Toast with Cranberry and Orange Syrup. For Syrup 3 naval oranges 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup cranberries 1/4 tsp cinnamon Squeeze the oranges juice into a small sauce pan. Place burner on medium heat, add sugar and cranberries and it simmer down into a thin syrup. For French Toast Slice Challah 1 1/2 inch thick Place in bath of 6 eggs whisked, 1 cup half/half, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Be sure to get both sides coated well. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter into hot pan, and sauté the French Toast on both sides, pressing down on bread while cooking. Place hot on a plate and top with 1 tablespoon of the hot syrup per piece. Enjoy!