Pan Fried Trout

Whenever we can get out to go camp, and catch a fish. Or just buy a trout at the grocery store :). It's best to use a cast iron skillet, but it doesn't matter that much.

Season the fish with salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like (I recommend oregano, basil). Pour 2-3 tbsp olive oil in the pan with minced garlic. Fry whole trout in pan, flipping it over once one side is brown and crispy.

Serve!

Cast Iron Clams

 This is perfect for camping, though you wouldn't think it would be.

Poke Handrolls and Toro Don

Dad took a trip to Hawaii and brought me back fresh Toro and Ahi Poke from Whole Foods on Maui. What did I do? Treated it with respect and made something cool with it!

What you need:
Sushi grade tuna, cubed
Toro (Tuna Belly) if the chef has it and it's very fresh- probably only appropriate for someone from a fishing town with Tuna
-Masago (Smelt Eggs, at Ikea surprisingly enough)
-Spring Onions, chopped
-One small piece of a fresh habanero pepper
-Japanese Mayonnaise
-Sesame Seeds (not necessary really)
- Rice topping (if you have it)
- Nori (Seaweed)
-Wasabi and Pickled Ginger

Hand Roll
Mix cubed tuna, masago, spring onions, small piece of pepper (or not), 2 tbspn mayo, sesame seeds.

Split seaweed into halves, place in the palm of your hand. Put a spoonful or more of rice, smash into your hand. Spoon in some of the mixture, kind of like a burrito. Fold corners into the center, creating a cone shape.

Sashimi
Cut the toro, make sure you do not cut with the grain as this will make the toro tough to eat. It's amazing what a good cut can do in making sushi. Browse the internet and look up how to cut it.

Sushi Rice
Follow directions on the box. If you have no box:
Rinse rice until water runs clear.
Add 2 cups of water to a pot, bring to boil.
Add 1 tbspn Rice Vinegar (dont worry if you don't have this, it's not that important)
Add 2 cups of sushi rice.
Turn stove to lowest, stir and cook for 15-20 minutes. Turn stove off, let it sit for another 5-10. Serve.

Put rice in the bottom of a bowl, add wasabi and ginger to corner. Plate like the picture, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

How to Cook Lobster Montage

MAINE LOBSTER

  

ROCK LOBSTER

 

Strawberries and Homemade Whipped Cream

2-3 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla flavoring

Pour whipping cream into a bowl, and, using an electric whisk, beat the cream until it begins to thicken.  Add sugar and vanilla flavoring. 


Continue to beat the cream, but make sure you stop once it gets a good thickness or it will turn too thick.  If this happens, add milk and try again (but not too much!)

Serve!

Red Wine Gravy

1/2 cup Cabernet (or other red wine)
Giblets (optional)
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Flour
1 cup chopped mushrooms
Pan drippings





(1) Fill pan 3/4 of the way with water, adding the giblets and mushrooms. Boil for 30-45 minutes, then simmer for as long as you have time until you serve the turkey with it. If you don't like or have giblets, then skip this step.

(3) Turkey/Chicken/Poultry comes out of the oven, remove and carve. There will be drippings/stuff on the bottom of the pan. This is for the gravy.  Remove stuffing (if it's Turkey and you have stuffing) and place in bowl (if you're paranoid about undercooked poultry, put it back in the oven for 20 minutes).

(4) Take the drippings pan and place it over the stove on low to medium. Strain the giblets and herbs. dd wine and spice with as many herbs as you like (I put rosemary and thyme, but you can add extra herbs), to taste. If you like exact measurements, then put in 1/2 tbs for each type of herb.  

(5) Put flour in a small bowl and add cold water.  Mix it into a paste, leaving no clumps.

(6) SLOWLY add flour mixture, a little bit at a time, while continuing to stir. Add a little, then stir and don’t add more for at least 1 minute. Keep adding until you find the desired consistency, but be very careful, because it will thicken all of a sudden... so border on caution while adding the flour, and if you have the time, wait to see if it thickens.

Serve with Turkey, or just use with Roasted Chicken!

Challah Stuffing and Turkey

STUFFING:
1 loaf challah, cubed and left to stale overnight
12 chestnuts
Fennel bulb
Diced Mushrooms (as many kinds as you want or like)
1 onion
1 tbs minced sage/thyme/tarragon/rosemary/savory
1 stick unsalted butter

(1) With a sharp knife, cut an X on the round side of each chestnut.  Spread the chestnuts in one layer in a pan filled with 1/2 inches of water.  Leave them in boiled water for 10-15 minutes.  Remove chestnuts when they are ready, shell, peel and chop them. (2) In a large skillet cook the chopped chestnuts, butter, herbs, onion, mushrooms and fennel until onions are clarified.  Add salt and pepper to taste (3) Keep challah cubes in a large mixing bowl, and stir in sauteed mixture.  Put stuffing inside the Turkey while it cooks. Otherwise, set oven to 325 and cook for 30 minutes.  BUT it’s much better if cooked inside the Turkey.

TURKEY:
Turkey
Butter
Herbs
Salt
Pepper

(1) Preheat oven to 325. (2) Place butter and herbs in a bowl and melt in microwave.  Rub all over Turkey.  Add salt and pepper. (3) Stuff with Challah Stuffing (4) Place in oven and leave for 4+ hours, however big your Turkey is.

Green Bean Casserole

1 bag fresh Green Beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Fried Onions

Okay, so this is very good, but it takes FOREVER to cut all the green beans. So think before you decide to make this dish fresh!! Otherwise, use a can of french cut green beans. This is the "normal" recipe, meaning my family in Philadelphia and Alabama use the same one... so it can't be too ethnic, haha.

French cut all of the green beans and wash them. Place green beans in a baking pan. Add can of mushroom soup, top with fried onions and put in onion, preheated at 325 for 30 minutes.

Traditional Egg Nogg

6 eggs- separated
3 cups 2% milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup Brandy
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Whipped Cream

Bowl 1:
1. Beat egg yolks
2. Add sugar and salt to yolk
3. Slowly stir in Brandy and vanilla extract
4. Add in milk and half and half
5. Spice with nutmeg and cinnamon, to taste.
6. Beat mixture until frothy

Bowl 2:
1. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form
2. Slowly add 1 tbsp sugar
3. Beat until hard peaks form
4. Fold meringue into the frothy mixture in Bowl 1

Serve:
Its really fun if you put it in china cups, but if not then I guess just do what you want a clear mug or cup seems to be pretty popular. Garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.



*This is not a cooked recipe, but when you add the Brandy it kills any bacteria in the egg, and if you choose to omit the Brandy, then the vanilla extract should do the same.  If you feel the need, do more research... the egg yolks are blended with Brandy and the egg whites are made into meringue.

Apple Pie

2 Premade pie crusts (or you could make the crust yourself, I'm clearly lazy by the end of Thanksgiving dinner, which is when this is usually made in my family)
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 c. Regular Sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla

4 different apples peeled and chopped (granny smith, macintosh, honey crisp, etc.)
1/2 lemon- juice
1/2 orange- juice
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Lay pie crust on bottom of pie pan and set aside.  Put all other ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with spoon until gooey.  Pour in pie pan.  Take other pie crust and roll it out, and cut vertical lines 1” wide.  Create the crust topping by weaving the pieces in an out.

Preheat oven to 370, bake for 50 minutes.