The Dinner Party

The dinner party turned out to be a success! Instead of making pan seared scallops, my mom decided baked wild salmon would be cheaper.

I forgot how much work went into hosting a dinner party! Making sure all the guest had drinks and hors o’dourves.

The wine went very well with the meal, since my parents couldn’t find the wine I recommended, they got another wine. With the help of a person at the store, they got a nice chardonnay.

Here is a recipe for the baked salmon, really easy to make with simple ingredients.

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 lemon wedges

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place fish on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray; lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish with dill, salt, and pepper. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with lemon wedges.

Here is the recipe for the baked potatoes

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 medium unpeeled red potatoes, halved lengthwise

Pour butter into a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over butter. Place potatoes with cut side down over cheese. Bake uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until tender.

Instead of grated, my mom used shredded, turned out delicious.

The asparagus was just simply steamed and then sprinkled with salt and pepper. Not to complicated but excellently complemented the other dishes.

To top it all off, I made some of the hollandaise sauce which turned out to be quite a success. Even with the high butter content, it was almost all gone.

Bon appetite!

Wine 101

My mom asked me to suggest a good wine for the dinner party on saturday.  For those who are unfamiliar with wine, here is a simple reference that I found online.

I’m thinking about getting a white, since if since the food on saturday is not red meat.  Some white wine which I found to be very good for this meal is the highly raved Sauvignon Blanc Sunny Mountain 2008,  or the  Chardonnay Henri Perrusset Mâcon Farges 2007.

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Here are some tips from Stacy Slinkard at About.com that I found to be quite helpful.

Rule #1 states that there are NO rules when matching your favorite wines with your beloved recipes, sure there are hints and popular, even “famous” matches, but ultimately the best match is what pleases your palate. It is truly personal preference. That said, here are some hints to help you determine what might be palate pleasing for you personally.

Flavor Interactions First let’s consider flavor interactions. You are only able to detect four distinct flavors with your tongue: sweet, sour, salty and bitter; while your nose is able to decipher over 200 different aromas. Between the combination of sensory uptakes from both your tongue and your mouth you are able to experience a vast array of flavor characteristics and nuances. As you begin to pair wines with foods, keep in mind that the flavors of the foods can both contradict and compliment wine selections, and both can be good. For example, a sweet Riesling can make a bag of salty chips taste even more appealing by contrasting the saltiness while yielding some of its intrinsic sweetness, or when paired with a rich dessert like cheesecake the sweetness of the wine would likely mellow in flavor due to the overriding influence of the cheesecake.

Heavy vs. Light Next, consider whether a dish is “heavy” or “light” in nature, the difference between a meal consisting of steak and potatoes or one that tends toward a chicken and vegetable stir-fry. In general, most people seem to prefer heartier foods paired with fuller-bodied red wines and lighter fare to be complimented by more delicate white wines. Again, these are preference generalizations, a place to start and then experiment with your own combinations. Some tend to find it easier to remember red wines with red meats and white wines enhance white meats.

Other Factors to Consider Other factors to take into account when looking at pairing potentials is the foods acidity. Acidic foods, like a Greek salad or lemon-based sauce work well with wines that share an acidic undertone (Pinot Grigio for example). While foods that lean to the sweeter side, like a chicken apple salad, tend to pair well with wines that are just a bit drier than the food they are to compliment (for example an off-dry Riesling):

Dinner tonight….

After getting home from school pretty late I did not have time to prepare a nice meal. Instead my mom went to the store and got some Sole fillets. I hoped she would use the recipe I gave her that was featured in the movie Julie and Juila- Sole Meunière. The only problem was my mom did not have any capers or parsley, which is what the recipe called for as well.

Here is the the recipe of the Sole Meunière : http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=682811

What my mom cooked though was pretty good. Instead of cooking the Sole in a frying pan, she steamed the Sole and added chopped up green onions, and extra light olive oil.

I thought the Sole was a little bland though, so I added a little of my hollandaise sauce, it was quite satisfying after that.

She also prepared some rice, which I’m not very fond of. I’m more for other starches, such as noodles, breads, and potatoes.

So what I did was look in the pantry and I found some potatoes. Reading the recipe I posted before, I did a little variation.   I boiled the potatoes then then had it cook for an additional 15 minutes until soft. Then I transferred to a bowl and used the potato ricer that I found to mash them.

What I discovered is that a potato ricer does a lot better job and reducing lumps then mashing with a regular potato masher or with a fork. I also added some butter about 4 tbps and some milk for creaminess.

Eggs Benedict

This morning I got up early to make eggs benedict. This morning since I was a bit tired, I used a egg cooker for the poached egg instead of putting cooking it on the stove. The egg turned out ok, a little funny shaped but still good.

The sauce from last night was still quite delicious. I also added a little ham, and used an english muffin instead of plain toast.

I made one for my Dad as well, since my Mom can not eat buttery foods anymore He told me it was very good, but he wouldn’t eat it anytime again soon… too rich for him, he said.

Here is the finished dish:

I couldn’t wait for breakfast…

Well after dinner, I had some time on my hands, after critically analyzing how to poach an egg- all the youtube videos and referring to the Julia Child method. I wanted to give it a shot. And surprisingly it turned out quite well. After I made it though, I said, what the heck and I toasted some bread and used my newly made hollandaise sauce.

OMG…. It was the best tasting egg dish I have ever had, where have I been for this long!!!!

If you never tried Eggs Benedict before, it it a must. But be warned… nutritionist will look down upon you. But I say, if it’s in moderation… enjoy yourself!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

p.s. sorry no picture for tonight, I was hungry and ate it all…

I couldn’t wait for Julia….

Being bored at work today, I was looking at recipes. I decided tomorrow morning to cook something other than my typical morning omelet. Eggs Benedict, but first I needed to know how to make the classic Hollandaise sauce. And what better recipe then Julia Child’s top secret one (you’ll know what mean if you seen the movie Julie and Julia).

BLENDER HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
In a blender, combine the egg yolks, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-high, add the butter and heat until foaming.

Blend the egg yolk mixture at top speed for 2 seconds then, with the blender running, remove the cover and pour in the hot butter in a thin stream of droplets. By the time two-thirds of the butter has been added, the sauce will be a thick cream. Continue pouring, but don’t pour in the milky residue at the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings.

If not using the sauce immediately, set the blender carafe in tepid, but not warm, water.

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So I made it tonight, it was simple and straight forward. I learned how to separate an egg whites from the yolk, thanks to my mom, it saved me a few dollars from buying a yolk separator.

Here is a picture of the finished sauce.

Dole Whip!

In thinking about the week ahead at work, I developed a craving for something sweet. One of my favorite desserts is a Dole Whip. They do not sell these in stores, but only in a few locations in the U.S.- in front of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and Disneyworld and a few places in Hawaii.

It is a refreshing dessert that really beats the heat in the summertime.

Here is the secret recipe I found online.

1 Qt Dole Pineapple Juice (actually it was a full can of the 1 Qt, 14 oz can)
3 cups sugar

Mix together the sugar and pineapple juice until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Add (mixing well):
4 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Refrigerate the mix for at least a couple hours (or as long as you want). Freeze in an ice cream maker.

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Now all I need to find is an soft-serve maker….

Dinner Party

It looks like my mother is planning on inviting some of her previous coworkers over for a dinner party this saturday. I figured since I was going to cook anyway, why not do it for more. If it goes over well. I think this will really will show I can do it.

Saturday’s Dishes

Since Julia’s cookbook has yet to arrive. I used the app on my iPhone called Epicurious to find these recipes.

Seared Scallops with Tarragon-Butter Sauce

This recipe was featured in the March 2008 Gourmet magazine by Andrea Albin.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Preparation:
Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.
Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to low and add 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.

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I learned that dry white wine could be a chardonnay or a pinot noir, but what I read online many people use dry vermouth, Noilly Pratt to be exact. It is also what Julia used in her dishes.

Earthy Mashed Potatoes

This recipe was featured in the November 2004 Gourmet Magaine.

Ingredients:
2 lb large potatoes (any kind)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Special equipment: a potato ricer

Preparation:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Wrap each potato in foil, then prick potatoes through foil several times with a fork. Bake potatoes until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Heat milk, butter, salt, and white pepper in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until butter is melted.

While milk mixture heats, unwrap baked potatoes and, while still hot (use a kitchen towel to protect your hands or hold potatoes with tongs), pull off skin with a paring knife or halve unpeeled potatoes and scoop out flesh with a spoon, transferring it to a bowl. Discard skin.

Force hot potatoes through ricer into hot milk mixture in pan and gently stir with a large heatproof rubber spatula just until combined.

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ok…I’m hungry right now just thinking about these dishes

Welcome to The Neophyte of Cooking

As you are probably thinking…. just another blog about cooking… well, yes.  But mainly it is a tool for me to see how much I have progressed in my cooking experience.    Thanks to my friends for their support, I WILL become a better cook, and I WILL show my parents I do have the potential and ability to make some delicious dishes.   Just wait and see…..