“We all eat, and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly.” – Anna Thomas

Hello everyone!  Gosh don’t the weeks churn over quickly and here we are again ready to try a new recipe from one of my many cookbooks.  I am leaning on Raising the Salad Bar again this week, mostly because of the hot weather but also because Catherine Walthers takes an ordinary salad and makes it spectacular.  What I love most is that after one of these beautiful salads I don’t ever feel as if I have over eaten and there is a sense of clean eating.  So this week I chose salmon with a gorgeous tangy salsa.

The chef’s out there may be saying not to do it because it may curdle the custard but I won’t know till I try.  I may very well have done something wrong but I did follow the recipe to the letter.  Anyway, not to worry this is what this blog is all about.  The good, the bad and the ugly from all my recipe books.  The poor old flan only scored 3/10.

Until next week….

From my table to yours with love x

Seared Salmon with greens and Mango Salsa Vinaigrette

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 salmon fillets with skin
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp oil
• 6 c mixed greens washed & dried
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red onion minced
• 1 tbsp jalapeño pepper seeded and minced
• 1/2 tsp garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin ground
• 1 ripe mango cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1/2 c tomato finely diced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 -3 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

 

1. To make vinaigrette, in a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice and honey. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until dressing is emulsified. Add the red onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, mango, tomato and salt; combine. Stir in coriander leaves. If not using the dressing immediately, cover it and store in the refrigerator. Bring the dressing to room temp before serving.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°c. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add the salmon, flesh side down, and sear until a golden brown crust forms, about 3 - 5 minutes. Carefully slide a spatula under each fillet and turn over. Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking, approx 6 to 8 minutes, or until salmon is almost opaque throughout, but still moist.
3. Divide the greens among 4 individual plates. Carefully lift the salmon fillets, leaving the skin in the skillet, and place one fillet at the centre of each plate. Whisk the vinaigrette and generously spoon it over the fish and greens.

Notes

Source: Raising the Salad Bar - Catherine Walthers

Summertime Rockmelon Flan

Start this recipe the day before

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 c plain flour
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 90 g butter
• egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 kg rockmelon
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tsp orange rind grated
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 2 tsp gelatine
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 c thick cream
• 1/3 c apricot jam
• 1 tbsp grand marnier or similar

Method

 

1. Sift flour and icing sugar into bowl, rub in butter. Add egg yolk and enough water to mix to a firm dough. Roll dough out onto floured surface, large enough to line 23cm flan tin. Cover pastry with greaseproof paper, cover paper thickly with beans or rice. Bake in moderately hot oven 7 minutes, remove paper and beans, bake further 7 minutes; cool.
2. Fill pastry case with rockmelon mixture, refrigerate until set, top with rockmelon balls, brush with jam mixture, refrigerate 1 hour until set.
3. Scoop melon into balls. Scoop out remaining flesh, chop roughly; reserve ½ cup. Blend or process reserved rockmelon with sugar, orange rind and juice. Sprinkle gelatine over water, dissolve over hot water (or microwave on high 40 seconds), cool to room temperature, add to melon mixture; stir in cream. Heat jam in pan, strain, stir in Grand Marnier.

Notes

Source: WW Light & Luscious Summertime Cookbook