Salmon and Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
by Jes Mostek
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***You're making twice as much asparagus as you'll need for this meal, so you can have some for soup on Thursday.
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Recipes:
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Broiled Salmon
by Jes Mostek
serves: 4
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For Salmon, I usually figure about 1/2 lb. per person, but if you have light eaters, or if you have a lot more planned in your meal, scale it back a bit. |
| Ingredients: |
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2 lb. |
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salmon |
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1 |
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lemon |
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3 T. |
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olive oil |
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salt and pepper to taste |
| Directions: |
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If you're using salmon that was frozen, be sure to thaw it in the fridge (or sealed in airtight plastic packaging submurged in a sink full of cold water) completely before cooking.
Rinse and pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Arrange fish, skin-side-down on a foil-covered cookie sheet or broiler pan. Drizzle olive oil over surface of fish and sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Cut the lemon in half lengthwise and then into several thin slices.
Cut several shallow lines across the surface of the fish, (perpendicular to the length of the fish fillet). Stuff each cut with a slice of lemon. Arrange the lemon slice so that it is standing up, rind-side-up.
Broil, 5-6 inches from the heat source for 10-20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and has a uniform color throughout (lighter than its color when it was raw). Check the fish every few minutes after the first 10 minutes of cooking. The cooking time will vary, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
Serve with fresh-snipped parsley and additional fresh-sqeezed lemon juice or Hollandaise Sauce.
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Hollandaise Sauce
by Jes Mostek
serves: 4
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This recipe may seem complicated, and I was intimidated by this sauce for years, but once you make it once, you'll reallize how incredibly quick and easy it is to look like a gourmet cook!
Follow the instructions I set down below and you'll make a perfect Hollandaise sauce the first time and you'll be an expert in no time! |
| Ingredients: |
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1/2 c. |
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unsalted butter |
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3 |
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egg yolks, beaten |
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1 1/2 T. |
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lemon juice |
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salt & pepper |
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water |
| Directions: |
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In a small to medium-sized sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat, whisking occasionally to keep it homogenous. As soon as all the butter is melted, but before it starts to boil, remove the pan from the burner.
Whisking rapidly, add about half of the melted butter to the egg yolks. Pour the egg and butter mixture back into the pan with the remaining melted butter and stir vigorously to ensure that the eggs don't cook and that everything is well combined.
While the pan is still away from the burner, add the lemon juice, continuing to stir constantly. Return the pan to the stove and turn the burner on to medium-low heat. Add the salt and fresh ground pepper.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly (although you no longer have to whisk rapidly) until the mixture thickens and the first bubbles appear to indicate that the mixture has reached its boiling point. (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat immediately as you don't want the mixture to reach a full boil, or it may curdle. The thickening of the sauce is caused by the egg yolks being cooked.
If your Hollandaise sauce does curdle, this can be reversed by simply putting your mixture in the blender for a few seconds.
If your Hollandaise sauce is too thick to suit your tastes, simply add some more lemon juice or water, 1/2 tsp. at a time until your sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Also, if you don't like so much pucker-power in your Hollandaise sauce, you may substitute some of the lemon juice for water.
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Steamed Asparagus
by Jes Mostek
serves: 4
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Be sure to compare prices, pound for pound of the fresh asparagus versus the canned or frozen asparagus. While it's in season, the fresh produce is less expensive than buying it canned. |
| Ingredients: |
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1 bunch |
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fresh asparagus |
| Directions: |
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To steam the asparagus, first snap the cut ends off of the asparagus with your hands, one at a time, rather than using a knife. The natural break will occur at the border between tender and tough & stringy, and this will be the difference between it being a good or yucky experience for first-timers, especially.
Fill a large pot with a tight-fitting lid with about 2 inches of water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Place the asparagus spears, blunt ends down in the boiling water. Place the lid over the asparagus. Still over high heat, return the water to boiling and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes, just until the asparagus changes color from a kind of drab green to a bright green and the vegetables are crisp-tender or al dente. They should still retain their shape and a bit of crunch without being totally raw.
Again, you'll have a hard time selling limp asparagus to kids, but if it crunches, still somewhat resembles trees or Jack's bean-stalk and is accompanied by a great dip or sauce, what's not to love? Plus, it holds the promise of, well, that's not for the dinner table, but they'll think it's hysterical later.
Serve with ranch dressing, melted butter, or Hollandaise Sauce
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