Cognac Berre Blanc Sauce

Last night I made a baked flounder over crabmeat stuffing with a cognac cream butter sauce.
The pic was too bad to post so I used the one from my sister site of this sauce but with flounder topped with shrimp.

I will tell you this.....it might not look professional but is sure did taste like it was straight out of  a professional kitchen.

This is the kind of sauce that would be a main staple for baked seafood.

Cognac Berre Blanc Sauce
makes about 1 cup

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 small shallot, minced
* 4 cloves garlic, crushed
* 2 tablespoons white wine
* 1/4 cup cognac
* 1/4 cup chicken broth
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the shallots and the garlic until tender. Add the wine & cognac and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the broth and taste for seasoning. Adjust the salt & pepper.
3. Add the cream and simmer until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Louisiana Inspired Seafood Sauce

Way back in January I posted a Louisiana BBQ Shrimp recipe over at my main blog Wish Upon A Dish.
Not the Emeril's version that was my first introduction to a non BBQ BBQ shrimp, but an Atlanta Chef's version.
This one had no cream and no spices. I wanted to try it, to compare it to Emeril's and because it was healthier without all the cream.

While I love Emeril's version, with a small change here and an addition there, this one could make one hell of a seafood sauce.

I went to work. If you are familiar with NOLA BBQ shrimp, you will be familiar with these ingredients.
Louisiana BBQ shrimp is not even BBQ'd. It's poached in a savory, spicy, cream sauce that screams BREAD PLEASE. I surmise that the Spanish influence of sizzling garlic shrimp helped fuel the sparks that started this dish. Whatever started it, everyone should try it at one time in their life.

This version is extremely easy with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Let's get cooking.

You will need a pound and a half of shell on, deveined large shrimp. A head of garlic, one large lemon, a stick of unsalted butter, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. See? Nothing unique.

I made this batch with a touch of cognac to be spooned over a beautiful snapper fillet that I roasted in the oven. The longer you simmer the sauce, the more mellow the ingredients become so for a simple fillet, it's perfect. If I was serving this in a big bowl with peel 'n eat shrimp, I would add minced fresh garlic right before serving.

<U>Louisiana BBQ Shrimp Sauce</u>
makes 1 cup

* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 3 large garlic cloves + 1 for garnish
* 1 tablespoons freshly minced rosemary
* Juice from 1 large lemon, the rinds chopped
* 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* Freshly ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon cream
* 1 tablespoon cognac or brandy

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan and saute minced garlic until it is fragrant. Add the rosemary, lemon juice and skins, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt & pepper. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Strain.
2. Place strained sauce back into the same pan and using the residual heat, melt the rest of the butter into the sauce. Add the cream and cognac. Stir to combine and serve.

Miso Marinade

I posted this recipe on my sister site (Wish Upon A Dish), last week, as an entry into a recipe contest sponsored by the Honey Board.
Contest has ended and I wanted to share it with you............

Honey provides balance to any dish, complementing and enhancing a variety of foods and flavors: sweet, savory, sour, bitter and salty.

We all know marinades and BBQ sauces use lots of brown sugar for not only the sweetness but for a molasses flavor.
Did you know that buckwheat honey also adds that rich, dark molasses flavor and color to these foods, making it ideal for browning and glazing?

Learning that information led to the development of this marinade and basting sauce using honey instead of the traditional brown sugar.

Now I have a great recipe, using whole foods to make it healthier and diappropriate. Although the Honey Board's recommendation is a substitution of up to half the sweetener in any sauce or marinade, my sweetener was 100% honey. It needed nothing else.

As a matter of fact I used the "bottom of a honey bottle" to make and to store my marinade. Just shake and use.

Many years ago I was introduced to miso. 
Still not an easy item to find, I was lucky and found mine at a local Asian market. Near a Whole Foods? You can buy miso there and if not, since it requires no refrigeration until you use it, this is also an excellent on-line source for all your miso needs.

Miso
What exactly is it? It's like yogurt and is generally made with soybeans.
It's fermented and contains a culture.
Most miso is consumed in Japan and is a side or condiment that is added to a meal uncooked.
Like yogurt, once you cook the miso you kill the live culture.
Like yogurt or any fermented food, it is an excellent tenderizer.
Unlike yogurt, it is classified by grain type, color, taste and background.

• mugi (麦): barley
• tsubu (粒): whole wheat/barley
• genmai (玄米): brown rice
• moromi (醪): chunky, healthy (kōji is unblended)
• nanban (南蛮): mixed with hot chili pepper for dipping sauce
• taima (大麻): hemp seed
• sobamugi (蕎麦): buckwheat
• hadakamugi (裸麦): rye
• nari (蘇鉄): made from cycad pulp, Buddhist temple diet
• gokoku (五穀): "5 grain": soy, wheat, barley, proso millet, and foxtail millet

Most Americans are familiar with miso in soup form, that uses dashi (bonito flakes), shiitake mushrooms and tofu. Not so familiar to Americans is it's use in salad dressings and marinades.

You are now going to be very happy and will want to hug me. Two distinct reasons:

This marinade includes all 5 taste senses.....
Bitter & Sour - ginger and naranja agria (sour orange)
Salty - fermented soybeans (miso)
Sweet - honey
Umami - sake (seasoned white wine)

......making it the PERFECT MARINADE.

The nutritionals are blockbuster good.....
Although very high in sodium (over 400% DV), one cup (275 g) of miso paste is an excellent source of dietary fiber (59%) and protein (64% DV), as well as a good source of minerals. Miso paste is also high in amino acids, the basic building blocks of protein. An excellent source of vitamin K and a decent source of riboflavin (38% DV), miso also provides small amounts of other vitamins. One major benefit of miso is its extremely high omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content, although the balance is six times greater for omega-6 than omega-3. A cup of miso soup can be a complete meal depending on what other ingredients are included.

Now for the bonus reason.....
I have used it on pork, salmon and chicken. All with great success.  I can only imagine what it would do to a steak or better yet, mixed into a hamburger.
Trust me, you will never use another marinade. If you want other flavor components, like say, garlic, herbs or spices, go ahead. All compatible.

Miso Salmon
Prep time: 10 minutes
Unattended time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes an inch
Makes: 4 servings

Marinade:
* 1/4 cup sake (or gin)
* 1/4 cup Goya naranja agria (or fresh sour orange juice)
* 1/2 cup red or white miso
* 2 tablespoons amber honey
* 2 tablespoons buckwheat honey (optional) or 1/4 cup total favorite honey
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate. Shake before using.

Salmon:
* 4 (6oz) salmon fillets, skin on
* 1/4 cup miso marinade

1. In a bowl or large plastic bag add the salmon and marinade, turning to coat on all sides.
2. Heat a gas, light about 25 charcoal briquettes or heat a heavy-weight grill pan. While grill is heating, marinate your salmon.
3. Place the salmon, skin side down, directly onto the heated grill, over the heat and close the lid (or cover with foil) and cook for 10 minutes an inch. Thinner fillets will only take about 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat, tent with foil allow the fish to rest for 5 minutes.

Lousiana BBQ Shrimp

Fifteen years ago, when in Las Vegas, we made it our mission to check out two of my favorite chef's restaurants. Emeril's Fish House and B.Flay's Mesa Grill. The first dish I ordered was the infamous BBQ shrimp (for which Emeril sold aprons imprinted with the recipe). Now Vegas plays host to hundreds of star chefs, but back then you could still count them on your fingers.

My main meal was a crawfish stuffed mignon. Needless to say I came home, bought his cookbook and made both those dishes with great success.

That was the last time. Not sure why I had a hankering to make those shrimp after all that time but after we ate, I immediately put them back on the menu for February.

If you have never eaten a Louisiana BBQ shrimp I implore you to make them. Louisiana "barbecued" shrimp never touch an actual barbecue. Created at Pascal's Manale restaurant in New Orleans in 1954, the recipe has become a Southern staple. The approach may vary, but it's certain to include ample amounts of shrimp, butter, and garlic. This version is almost always served with French bread for soaking up the rich sauce but I made a small batch of Basmati rice.

Louisiana BBQ Shrimp
Makes 4 servings

* 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

* 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)

* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

* 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons), rinds reserved and sliced

* 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

* 1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco 

* 1 pound (about 30) medium to large shrimp, peeled

* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

* Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat a 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add butter and when it is melted and foamy add the shrimp and fry until the edges are crispy and golden brown. Remove to a bowl.
2.  Add garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice and rinds to pan. Stir in Worcestershire and hot sauces, and bring to a simmer.Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add shrimp back to pan and simmer until the shrimp are hot and the sauce is bubbling. Serve with baguette or rice.

Although there is a whole stick of butter in the sauce, serving rice allowed me to cut way back on the amount of that sauce I would actually eat if using bread.

Next time I make this, I will being recreating a lighter version with all the same flavors that make this dish phenomenal.

The Quickest 5 Ingredient Marinade and Glaze Ever

I am not a fan of marinating salmon. I find they can be harsh and too sweet as well as make the meat mealy. Acids will break down the flesh but with good wild salmon, you don't need to tenderize.
We all know never marinate fish longer then 30 minutes?

I developed this glaze for two reasons, to give the fish a little more flavor and to hopefully get The Nudge to like salmon.

His one major complaint was that it tastes fishy. Now, if you buy bad food it will taste bad, he just never had good salmon. So afraid the fish I cook would taste the way he's had it year's ago.

Year's ago you could not get really fresh salmon, only frozen and everyone cooked the crap out of it (sorry to offend, but it's the truth).

Well, it worked and I have been grilling these at least 2x every summer at his request.

The other day I had one lone boneless chicken cutlet and dinner to make on the fly.
Why not try this glaze on chicken. I butterflied one boneless breast, brushed the glaze on both sides and let it sit while the coals got hot.

The chicken had lots of flavor and the perfect grilled glaze without being too much.
Takes 5 ingredients everyone should have in their pantry, 5 minutes to put together and 5 minutes on each side to grill. No need to salt the meat but I did grind some pepper on it. The ginger does give it a slight amount of heat so not too much black pepper.

The key to getting the glaze to glaze correctly is to make sure your grill or grill pan is screaming hot and lubed.

Can be multiplied to how many pieces you are cooking. This amount will work on 4-6 chicken pieces, 4 salmon steaks and a dozen large shrimp.

Salmon Marinade and Glaze
* 1 tbls Colemans Dry Mustard
* 2 tbls dark brown sugar
* 1 tbls water
* 1 tbls Tamari (or soy)
* 1 tsp ground ginger

Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning only once. The longer it sits on the grill without moving the darker those caramelized grill marks will be and the better the flavor.
Do not play with your food, please.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Keeping with the vinegar theme (and with the healthy theme), I introduce you to a very flavorful Vietnamese Dipping Sauce. This 5 minute sauce is delightfully refreshing and the perfect accompaniment to grilled foods, whether it be vegetables, seafood or pork.

In this instance, it was paired with a marinaded grilled pork tenderloin. I could see this as a marinade for vegetables that would be a great garnish for a cold meat sandwich.

Delicious indeed.

If you want to switch the sugar out for agave or Truvia (my new favorite sugar sub) make sure to start with less, as the subs are all VERY sweet.

I cut in some mint for color as well as flavor but basil would be an excellent substitution.

You can find the pork recipe on my sister site, here.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
makes 4 servings

* 1/3 cup grated carrot
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 Thai or serrano chile, thinly sliced and divided
* 1 teaspoon shopped mint or basil

Place all ingredients in a bowl and let it sit so the flavors can meld.
Serve room temp.

Vinegars - What you don't know could hurt you

We all know how effective white distilled vinegar is to the cleaning of and in the disinfection to every household surface as well as in the washing machine, but are you also aware of its medicinal properties?

Vinegar increases insulin sensitivity, perhaps acting similarly to Metformin.
Now studies have found that vinegar at bedtime reduces fasting blood glucose in the morning, indicating that vinegar might promote insulin production.

Type 2 Diabetes is mostly found in people who are insulin resistant, thus making our bodies work harder to produce more insulin to break down the carbohydrates before they are converted to sugar.

Pretty amazing that a simple chemical like vinegar (acetic acid) could have the benefits of three different classes of diabetes drugs, and all for two cents a dose! It’s likely good for both Type 2 and Type 1, especially for lowering postprandial glucose. And postprandial glucose levels account for 30% to 70% of A1C values. Vinegar has got to be the most cost-effective medicine in history, but most people with diabetes still aren’t taking it.

How can vinegar be so powerful? I think it has to do with our ancestral diet. We used to eat carbohydrate in highly complex forms that took a long time to break down in the intestines. Vinegar may be a signal to our bodies to produce insulin and not resist it. Today’s highly refined carbohydrates are absorbed long before they start breaking down. Our bodies don’t get the ancestral signals that carbohydrates are coming, so they’re not ready for them. Drinking a bit of vinegar might trigger the hormones and transmitters that are now missing the boat.

This theory might be nonsense, but the benefits of vinegar are proven reality.

No, you don't have to drink vinegar before eating a high carbohydrate meal, but you can include vinegar for consumption at that meal.

I love vinegar, I always have. I am one of those people that adore tart and sour characteristics in food and have been known to ambush my family when it was my turn to make the salad dressing.

Back to the food.......

Ways to incorporate vinegars into your diet.

#1 - Salads
A no-brainer there

#2 - Dipping sauces
Asian choices are many

#3 - Vegetables
Just like lemon, it wakes up boring vegetables and works wonders on canned

#4 - Cold Sauces and Salsas
Think pickled vegetables (Salsa Verde, Salsa Cruda, etc) and mignonette

#5 - Bread Spreads
Think pickled vegetables (yes, again), mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup

#6 - Glazes
Think Chicken Milanese, Caprese Salad, Strawberries

#7 - Moisture Filler
Patties, Meatloaf, Fritters...surprised? It works.

#8 - Tenderizer
Marinades and mops

#9 - Flavor Boosters
Butters, Braises & Chutneys

#10 - Desserts
Did you know that strawberries with balsamic vinegar is the most underrated dessert of all time?

When you reduce vinegars, especially balsamic ones, they become naturally sweet. They actually turn into a sweet and sour sauce all by themselves but by adding spices and herbs to these reductions, you can create what no one expects, a sauce that is packed with flavor and is a powerhouse of good things for your body.

I would love to hear how you use vinegar in your everyday cooking.