Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Chinese Chicken Salad

April 9th, 2009

It is Barefoot Blogger Thursday and today’s recipe was chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen. Visit her blog to see the changes she made to this delicious dish. I have to say, I thoroughly loved making this chicken salad. What’s not to like about succulent chicken, fresh asparagus, red pepper strips and scallions in a tasty sesame, peanut dressing. And I enjoyed doing it in my Lake Lure kitchen.

It has taken us awhile to get the computers up and running. Reception is not good here in the mountains. Our original computer port was in the garage apartment up the hill from the cottage. We have been staying there while much of the construction has been going on. Now that we have moved permanently to the cottage, everything had to be dismantled and brought down the hill. I am not technically inclined, so I waited patiently (Ha!) while David cussed and wired. I took the time to sit on the deck and enjoy the beautiful Spring display all around me. Florida is wonderful, but the soft greens, pinks and whites of a changing landscape are breathtaking. Here is a view out the sliding doors to the water.

I did make a few changes to the recipe. After reading so many reviewers who said the chicken salad was too salty, I added just a pinch instead of the 4 teaspoons called for. Also I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts because that is what I had and there were just the two of us. I also halved the dressing and cut back on the peanut butter. The changes worked perfectly and we enjoyed a lovely lunch on a warming Spring day. Thank you McKenzie for the perfect choice of Ina’s recipe.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

8 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds diagonally
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

For the Dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large, bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers into strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the shredded chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Printable recipe

Whitefish with Lemon Vinaigrette

April 6th, 2009

This is the last post from Florida and it is appropriate because David caught sheepshead fish today. The fish dinner was inspired by Giada’s whitefish with lemon vinaigrette. This is such a satisfying combination. Radicchio and shallots are sauteed until wilted and then cannellini beans are added to fortify the mixture. The lemon and parsley vinaigrette lighten and intensify the sauteed fish. We have made this many times with tilapia and other mild fish, so it was a treat to actually make it with fresh caught fish. There is much to do before we leave tomorrow, so this is short and to the point. Here is Giada’s recipe.

WHITEFISH WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 large head radicchio (about 12 ounces), coarsely chopped

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup fish broth ( I used chicken stock )

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 (5 to 6 ounce) whitefish fillets, such as tilapia

All-purpose flour, for dredging

Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the radicchio and saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth, and cook until the beans are heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season the radicchio mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 14-inch ( or 2 smaller ) nonstick frying pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper. Dredge the fillets in flour to coat completely. Shake off the excess flour and fry 3 fillets in each pan until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Spoon the radicchio mixture over the center of the plates. Top with the fillets. Drizzle the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blend the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Printable recipe

One Potato, Two Potato

April 4th, 2009

We are back from our motorcycle trip south. Instead of going to Sanibel we decided to ride A1A, which skirts the east coast of Florida. We had beautiful ocean views the whole way and ended up stopping in Jupiter, near Palm Beach. Now I have to tell you, I could not be near Palm Beach without shopping on Worth Avenue.

Every famous designer in the world has a shop on this posh avenue. Above is the Hermes store. David was thrilled that I came away empty- handed. I mean really – would you pay $980.00 for flowered beach pants? I think not. Instead I spent my money on a lovely lunch of Cuban crab cakes with black beans and rice and a nice white zinfandel.

Now that we are back in Palm Coast I am cleaning the refrigerator and pantry in preparation for our return to Lake Lure. I had sprouting potatoes that needed to be put to good use, so I made a potato galette, pictured above. I love potato dishes. If you hand me two baking potatoes, my first thoughts are not of baked potatoes, but something more complicated like a gratin or a scalloped casserole. And I am always on the look out for good recipes. We had a wonderful signature potato dish at a bistro in Jupiter and I am going to see if I can get the recipe from the chef. I ‘ll report back if I have any success. It is best to use russet or Idaho potatoes for galettes as they are starchier and you need that for them to adhere into a cake. The outside is crispy and the interior is creamy with flecks of thyme. Four wrinkly, knobby potatoes were turned into a thing of beauty. The magic of cooking!

POTATO GALETTE

4 medium Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled
3 Tbls butter, divided
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, minced

Melt 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Grate potatoes and add thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add to skillet and press down and cook until underside is nicely browned. Place a plate over the skillet and invert potato cake onto the plate. Add 1 1/2 tablespoon more butter to skillet and slide potato cake back in to brown the second side. Serves 4.

Printable recipe

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

March 29th, 2009

This has been my recipe of choice for grilled salmon for years. It came from Hot off the Grill by Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay has a way of combining ingredients that sing with flavor. We were fortunate to eat at Mesa Grill when we were in New York and I have to say, we had one of the best meals ever. For the two of us, I bought a 1 1/2 pound piece of center cut salmon and we had leftovers which I used to make the Barefoot Contessa’s Salmon Salad served on a bed of lettuce. I will include that recipe also.

SALMON WITH BROWN SUGAR AND MUSTARD GLAZE

8 salmon fillets, 6 ounce each

3 Tbls brown sugar

1 Tbls honey

2 Tbls butter

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 Tbls soy sauce

2 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls ginger, finely chopped

2 Tbls oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool. Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down ( I had the butcher remove the skin ) on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes. ( We cooked it a little longer )

If you grill a whole fillet of salmon, you will have enough to make the full salmon salad recipe. I halved all of the ingredients and used what salmon I had left.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA’S SALMON SALAD

2 pounds cooked salmon, chilled

1 cup small-diced celery ( 3 stalks)

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

2 Tbls minced fresh dill

2 Tbls capers, drained

2 Tbls raspberry vinegar

2 Tbls good olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Break the salmon into very large flakes, removing any skin and bones, and place the salmon in a bowl. Add the celery, red onion, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Season to taste. Mix well and serve cold or at room temperature.

Printable recipe – Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Printable recipe – Salmon Salad

An Award and Reflections

March 27th, 2009

I am thrilled and honored to have received The Sisterhood Award from Sam Hoffer of My Carolina Kitchen, a fellow North Carolina food blogger and food columnist. Sam has been supportive of my blog from the very beginning and I have enjoyed reading and commenting on her blog. I am anxiously awaiting the publication of her memoir, Living on Island Time, about her ten years living in the Abacos. The Sisterhood award is an award from bloggers to bloggers in recognition of a blogspot which shows attitude and/or gratitude. I am grateful to her for cheering me on.

I wish to pay this forward to the following sister bloggers who have, in their own ways, made me so glad that I am doing this blog.

1. Sharon of . . . thrice shy who has been cheering loudly from my very first post. She is a food columnist for the Rutland Daily Herald in Vermont and has definite attitude and we all need to heed her words on eating locally grown food. We went to the same high school! This writing thing can be credited to our English teachers, Mr. Scott and Mr. Klett ( my late father-in-law ).

2. Mimi of French Kitchen in America. I admire her style and philosophy and wonderful posts on France. And though our blog design is similar, I promise I did not copy her on purpose.

3. KatieZ of Thyme for Cooking the Blog. Katie makes me laugh at the pitfalls and joys of renovating a French farmhouse. I can relate so much to what she is going through, as we were doing the same thing last summer in Lake Lure and face more of it this summer.

4. Penny of The Comforts of Home. We share the same name and live within 30 miles of each other in NC and have much in common. I would not have known of her if it had not been for my blog.

5. Irena Chalmers of the Food Jobs Blog. She was the one who sparked my interest in cooking when I was in my twenties through her cooking school. She is now teaching at the Culinary Institute of America and has recently authored Food Jobs; 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers. There is even a section in the book on food blogs. If you have ever entertained the idea of making a career of your food passion this is the book for you.

In keeping with the tradition of passing this award forward here are the rules. The sisterhood award is an award from bloggers to bloggers in recognition of a blog spot which shows attitude and/or gratitude.

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude.

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog, or sending them an email.

5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

REFLECTIONS

In a little over a week we will be returning to Lake Lure. The Winter in Florida has been good for us. We have good friends here and we have been able to relax and enjoy a simple life with no more demanding tasks than walking the dog, fishing, boating, cooking and reading. I started my blog here in our cozy office and it will seem strange to have to hunt a spot in our unfinished house to plant my lap top. But there are so many things that I am looking forward to. I haven’t had the chance to initiate my huge gas stove to cook griddle cakes, trays of cookies at one baking, and stir frys with my new wok ring. Then there is the fireplace. I want to experiment with hearth cooking. Napa Style has wonderful accroutrements for cooking over fire.

The above picture shows the antique stained glass door to the pantry. It is just propped up in the opening for the picture, and there are no shelves yet in the pantry. We brought this door with us from our old house because we could not part with it. The trim work, doors, shelves for my bookcase, and closet fixtures all need to be done. This second floor has the new kitchen, family room and master bedroom and bath which are still not complete. Here is the family room next to the kitchen. We have commissioned a good friend, Lake Lure artist Carole Lang, to paint an oil of Lake Lure to go over the mantel.

And that is just the upstairs of the addition. Below is the original old cottage which will include an office, sitting room, laundry and exisiting two bedrooms and bath.

As you see, we have much work to do this summer. The goal is to have it all finished by Labor Day. That is a very special time for us. Our extended family on our DIL’s side will be visiting for our annual Labor Day holiday and we are determined to get it done.

In the next few days we are taking a motorcycle trip to Sanibel Island to enjoy the last of our Florida down time. We are looking forward to Easter with Michael, Kristen and little Rachel in Cary, NC. I am looking for a small apron for her because she is is almost three and I want to make Chicken Strips with her. And maybe it is time to update our picture together.

We had our favorite Grilled Salmon last night. Before we go on our trip I will post the recipe. Thanks for visiting my blog.