A good eggplant is hard to find

I've always dreamed of a non-bitter eggplant and I finally found one tonight.  Unfortunately, I don't know why it was so deliciously not bitter.  Last year I grew small eggplants, assuming that freshness was my problem.  WRONG!  Those little eggplants fresh from my garden were the most bitter eggplants I've ever had.  I will say that tonight's eggplant was a beautiful, shiny, unblemished specimen from Sprouts grocery store.  I'll try them again to see if they have the right producer.  Here's an awesome use of my yummy eggplant.

Ratatouille 

3 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 small eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 ¼ cup chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes cut in half)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
pepper

In large skillet over medium-low heat add oil, onion, garlic, and bay leaf.  Stir occasionally until onion softens.  Do not allow garlic to overcook.

Add eggplant and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes and salt.  Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and stir in basil.  Add pepper to taste.  Parmesan cheese would be a nice topping.

Fish Friday

I cook fish once or twice a week and my most frequent choice is salmon filets with various marinades.  It is so easy to cook it in the oven for a delicious dinner in minutes.  Since hubby likes his salmon on the well-done side, I have a tried and true method of cooking it.  I start it off in the oven skin side up for about 4 minutes then turn it over and finish it off.

Orange glazed salmon, sautéed spinach,
sautéed zucchini & yellow squash, tabouleh

Orange Glazed Salmon

(adapted from Cooking Light April 2015)

2 (6 oz) salmon filets
1-2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs grated orange rind
1 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

Turn oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.

In a small bowl, mix syrup, orange rind, orange juice, mustard and garlic.

Dry fish with paper towel.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of fish.  Lightly spread some syrup mixture over fish on side without skin then lay fish skin side up on pan.  Lightly spread olive oil over skin to keep it from burning.  Bake in oven for approx. 4 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip fish skin side down and spread remaining syrup mixture over filets.  Bake 4-8 minutes more.  Test that the fish flakes easily and is cooked to your desired degree of doneness.

Note:  I cook this fish in my toaster oven!  So easy!!!

Best Frosting Ever!

After trying a few delicious cupcake varieties at Gigi's Cupcakes, I decided to develop my own Kentucky Bourbon cupcake.  I'm not a fan of mile high icing, I usually scrape off most of it because it is too sweet so I wanted to find the perfect "not too sweet" frosting.  I think I found it - "eureka!"

Kentucky Bourbon Cake

(adapted from Golden Grand Marnier Cake by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

½ cup mini chocolate chips

¼ tsp bourbon

1 ½ tsp cake flour

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 ½ tsp vanilla

¼ cup sour cream

2 ½ cups sifted cake flour (250g)

½ cup + 1 Tbs finely ground toasted pecans

1 cup sugar (or 200g superfine sugar)

1 ½ tsp baking power

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

¾ cup sour cream

½ cup bourbon

½ cup sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place 24 cupcake liners in pans or use 9 cup Bundt pan greased and floured.

In small bowl, combine ¼ tsp bourbon with mini chips.  Add flour and toss to coat.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine eggs, vanilla and ¼ cup of sour cream.  Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (cake flour through salt).  Stir until combined.  Add softened butter and ¾ Cup sour cream.  Mix on low until dry ingredients are incorporated.  Increase to medium speed and beat 1 ½ minutes.  Scrape down sides.  Add egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 sec. each batch. Stir in chocolate chip mixture.

Pour batter into Bundt pan or fill cupcake tins.  Bake Bundt cake 55-65 min or bake cupcakes 25-30 min until toothpick comes out clean and cake springs back when pressed lightly.

Shortly before cake is done, create syrup.  Heat 1/2 cup of sugar and bourbon until sugar is dissolved.  Do not boil.  When cake comes out of oven, use a toothpick to poke holes all over top.  Brush ½ the syrup over cake.  If making Bundt cake, remove from pan after 10 min and brush remaining syrup over cake.

Frost with "Eureka" Buttercream Frosting.   Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and finely chopped pecans, if desired.

“Eureka” Buttercream Frosting

(adapted from Bobby Flay's Red Velvet Cake)

Frosting:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar (make your own by pulsing sugar in a food processor, measure after processing)

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard.

Make a thick paste with flour and a small amount of the milk mixture.  Add the flour paste to remaining milk mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Alton Brown loves quinoa

We went to the Alton Brown show last night and during the question/answer session, he was asked "what is your favorite food of the moment?"  Answer:  quinoa (keen-wah).

It was funny because I made quinoa for dinner before going to the show!

Quinoa salad, salmon,
sautéed spinach with bacon, and asparagus

Here's the delicious recipe adapted from Cooking Light, June 2015.

Quinoa Salad

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (I use regular cucumber, quarter it lengthwise then cut the seeds out before slicing crosswise)

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and pour in a large bowl.
2. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, cooked quinoa, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.  Taste and add more salt if needed.
3. If desired, gently stir cooked flaked salmon into salad.

Pan Seared Salmon

2 - 6 oz. salmon fillets with skin
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Sprinkle salmon evenly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons oil to pan.
3. Add fillet, skin side down; cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 4 minutes or until skin begins to brown. Turn fillet; cook 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Easy Broiled Salmon

2 - 6 oz. salmon fillets with skin
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Set oven to broil.
2. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
3. Prepare salmon:  sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of salmon fillets.  Drizzle olive oil over both sides of fillets and place fillets skin side up on prepared baking sheet.
4. Cook on top rack of oven about 6 in. from broiler for 4 min.  Turn fillet skin side down and cook 4 min.  Test that fish flakes easily with a fork or for your desired degree of doneness.  For salmon to fully cook through, you may want to cook a couple of minutes longer.  Salmon is delicious on the rare side and is done if it flakes even if the inside is translucent.  It will cook a bit more after removing it from the oven.