Update-palooza

This is a bit ridiculous, I know (and I'm sorry!), but I have a few updates to make. I figured I'd do them all in one post to try and be as least obnoxious as possible. I'll also keep the pictures down to one or two per recipe.

In order of first appearance on the blog...

Grilled Salmon with Blueberry Pan Sauce
We enjoyed this! I decided to use the entire amount of balsamic since we both love it, and I'm glad that I did. It was very blueberry-y (obviously), but I thought it paired really well with the salmon. Unfortunately, I didn't have any mint (and didn't want to make a special trip to just get that), so I made it without. As you can see, I served it over a bed of fresh spinach. Yum!

Thai Ground Pork Salad
We seriously loved this. I don't really have much else to say other than that. I pretty much made it exactly as written, except omitted the cilantro (my food arch nemesis... but seriously, the only ingredient I've ever come into contact with that I don't like. And by don't like, I mean despise) and made up for it with extra basil and mint. I also added a bit of extra Sriracha and jalapeno because we like things spicy. Oh, and as you can see I had to use iceberg lettuce instead of Boston (sad!). AND I used regular onion instead of shallots. Hmm, I guess I changed more than I thought, but nothing too drastic. Anyway, we loved it and are looking forward to the next time we have it!


Thumbprint Cookies
YUM! I made these today, and had to restrain myself to only eat two. They're delicious. I had a haunting suspicion that I'd love them given the Nutella and espresso and hazelnuts, and I was definitely correct. So tasty, and I love that they're semi-healthy. (Not really, but they're from Cooking Light, so I can believe that... right?!) I put a little extra salt in because I love when certain cookies have a bit of saltiness to them, and I was so glad I did. It worked perfectly with the sweet Nutella.

Blueberry Pork Dinner Party

I had made plans for a dinner party with my brother and his girlfriend, so I decided to use this recipe, since it plates so nicely. (It's always nice to serve guests a pretty dish, isn't it?)

For budget reasons, I decided to use pork rather than salmon. It worked out nicely; it turns out our guests had eaten salmon for dinner the night before, anyway.

First, a disclaimer: my husband helped me with the roast. The dinner party was moved a day early at the last minute, so we had to tag team to do all the cleaning and cooking that I thought I would have more time to do.

One thing that surprised me about this recipe was that it calls the sauce a "pan sauce" (which implies that it's made by deglazing a pan after frying up a piece of meat), but it doesn't require deglazing at all. So I thought I would try the deglazing method.

First, my husband marinated the roast, and then seared it in the pan. Then he set it up to go in the oven. He cleverly put some of the blueberries, along with some of the marinating liquid under the roast.

The pork had left this lovely stuff in the pan when it was seared. Following his suggestion, I deglazed it with the blueberries and the drippings from the roast. Genius.

By this point, the sauce was already packed with flavour, from the roasted blueberries, the stock in the marinade, and the drippings from the roast. Roasting fruit, as you probably know, really adds whole new dimension to its flavour. I added more fresh blueberries, some maple syrup and brown sugar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and thyme.
To make use of the rest of the blueberries, I made this refreshing salad with blueberries and goat cheese, and a lime-curry-yogurt dressing (plain yogurt, honey, lime juice, curry powder).
And the main course: roast pork with savoury blueberry balsamic sauce, potato salad with mint and peas (to make use of the rest of the mint), and fusili pasta tossed with pesto, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.
The sauce turned out very multi-dimensional and I loved that. It was very intensely flavoured and I probably should have diluted it a little. This particular sauce didn't really need the mint because it turned out so savoury from the pork drippings. Even if I don't make this exact sauce again, I'll definitely use the basic method (roasted fruit pan sauce) again.

Market finds: Salmon & Blueberries

I love salmon, but I never buy it. I hate buying frozen fish because it just never tastes right to me. So, I knew for this recipe that I wanted some fresh salmon. Last week, I'd had some bad luck with the fresh trout from my local grocery store.

It stank. Fish shouldn't stink like fish. That means it's old.

So, I headed off to the St. Lawrence Market. You know that episode of the Simpsons where Homer dreams of the Land of Chocolate? And he frolicks through the place taking bites? Yeah, that's me at this market.

This is the South Market (picture taken from their homepage)

If you ever visit Toronto, make this one of your stops. Great custard tarts, cheese samples and a honey vendor in the basement that will let you taste all of his wares.

It was a beautiful day for walking to the market, see? Twenty-five degrees and zero humidity. LOVE it.

Facing away from the Market, down Front Street

So, when I got home with the wares, I was eager to start cooking.

Okay, the wine was for me, not the salmon.

Now, I'd read the reviews for this over on epicurious, and they weren't the most flattering. Most seemed to say that the vinegar overpowered the blueberries or that the combination of blueberry and salmon was just plain weird. I was comfortable with the sweetness of my blueberries (local Ontario ones!) having sampled more than my fair share, but all the same, I reduced the vinegar down from 1 tbsp to 2 tsp.

I served the whole thing with israeli couscous with sunflower seeds and some grilled zucchini. We even brought out the wedding china for the meal! And, I must say, the whole thing plated up beautifully.

Not bad, huh?

Now, I definitely ran into a big problem. Even with the reduction of the vinegar (and my confidence in my berries), the balsamic flavour overwhelmed the flavour of the blueberries, which was a real disappointment. It was pretty harsh. I added a ½ cup of additional berries, which helped a bit, but didn't solve the problem. I think replacing the balsamic vinegar with something more mild - like rice or champagne vinegar (or even lemon juice) would make a difference. The blueberries need something to complement them, not to work against them. Even with those changes, I'd recommend adding the vinegar a little at a time, and checking the seasoning as you go.

I will say, the mint MAKES this dish. I wasn't convinced that it would add anything good to it, but it really harmonizes the flavours.

For dessert, we had leftover Yellow Plum & Apricot Cake that I'd made the previous day:

It's delicious! Try it!

Oh, and we got a great wine to work with the salmon: Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 2009. It's got great berry flavours and really balances the richness of the salmon.

Not an insipid Beaujolais-Nouveau! Bright berry flavours here.

Overall, I don't know that I'd make this recipe again (definitely not until the balance of flavours gets figured out), but I did enjoy it. It's a 3 star dish as I made it. I do think the sauce would also work with venison or bison. I think the use of blackberries in place of the blueberries could also be the tweaking this recipe needs.

Week Two Recipe: Grilled Salmon with Blueberry Pan Sauce

This summer, I have developed a new appreciation for blueberries.

I have encountered different versions of blueberry balsamic sauces at various restaurants, topping everything from pork chops to ice cream. This recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine says that it's perfect for a rich fish like salmon, but I'm interested to see what you pair with it.

Grilled Salmon with Quick Blueberry Pan Sauce

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Active time: 40 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus additional for seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus additional for seasoning
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 7-ounce salmon steaks or fillets with skin (each about 3/4 inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint, divided

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add blueberries, 1/4 cup water, and vinegar. Stir to blend. Mash berries with potato masher or back of fork and cook until sauce thickens, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before using.
2. Brush grill rack with oil. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush salmon on both sides with oil; sprinkle with coarse salt, thyme, allspice, and black pepper.
3. Grill salmon until just opaque in center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Stir 2 tablespoons sliced mint into warm blueberry sauce. Spoon sauce over salmon and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint. Serve immediately.

Note: An additional note from the editors on BA's website suggests adding a dash of lemon juice to the sauce to bring out the blueberry flavour.