Beet-Cured Salmon Gravlax – Easier and Slower Than You Think

Even though I only do it once every few years or so, making salmon gravlax at home is a fun weekend project, and with very little effort, you can produce some very impressive results. I’ve always done this with the traditional fresh dill sprigs, but after enjoying a beet-stained version at Plaj, I decided to try my hand. And, also stain my hand.

If you’re just doing a small tail piece like I did, these times and measurements should get you close to what you see here, but if you're feeling adventurous, and want to do something larger, then you may have to do some research for techniques that work better when doing a thicker piece of fish.

Those slightly more complicated methods involve turning, draining, and basting, to account for a longer curing time. So what I’m trying to say is, you can avoid all that by just doing a smaller piece, which, unless you’re hosting a large party, should be plenty. Speaking of large parties, and the litigious people that sometime attend them, please be sure to get your salmon from a reliable source.

I think a brick works great for a press, but anything that weighs a few pounds would be fine, as long as it’s large, and flat enough to distribute the weight evenly. A book with a few cans of soup on it would do the trick. Regardless of how you press yours, once unwrapped, sliced, and served on a toasted bagel, I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. So, I really do hope you give this gravlax technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 to 10 ounces of Gravlax:

8 to 12 ounce tail section of fresh salmon with skin on (scaled)

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup white sugar

cayenne and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste

enough grated beet and/or fresh dill springs to thickly cover fish

- Press with something heavy, and let cure in fridge for 1 1/2 days, or until salmon is firm, and translucent when sliced. You can carefully unwrap, and poke to test, and then rewrap, and let cure longer if need be.

Bourbon Pepper Pan Sauce – Learning a Skill That Always Thrills

Mastering pan sauces is one the easiest things a home cook can do to raise their culinary game, since it allows one to produce dishes most people only see in restaurants. And not just any restaurants. The really good ones.

By the way, if you’re still looking for a Father’s Day gift, a nice bottle of bourbon, with a little splash going to finish a home-cooked steak, would make quite the one-two punch of manly goodness. And, even if your dad isn’t a sitcom stereotype, who doesn’t enjoy a well-executed pan sauce?

If you’re making this for meat that’s coming off a grill, you can still do the sauce separately, and just keep it warm until the main course is ready. Start with the sautéing garlic in butter step, and finish as shown. Of course, you’ll have to add some coarsely ground black pepper to the sauce, but that’s about the only adjustment.

Like I said in the video, this sauce’s rich, sweet, peppery flavor profile also works wonderfully with pork chops, and grilled chicken. You can also switch up the Bourbon for another liquor, since this really is just a technique video. Regardless of what you use, or what you serve it with, I really do hope you give this great pan sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for two portions:

1 clove minced garlic, sautéed in 1 teaspoon butter

1 ounce bourbon

1/2 cup chicken broth or veal stock

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons cold butter

salt and cayenne to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Frangipane Tart – Have Your Cake and Eat Pie Too

Not only is this simple frangipane tart a perfect way to enjoy fresh summer fruit, but it’s also great for those times when you can’t decide whether you want cake or pie. This sort of seems like both to me, and unlike many fancy looking pastries, this one is not at all complicated to make.

Even made free form, with pieced together leftover puff pastry, this was a fairly simple operation. As I mentioned, most people use pie dough for this, and if you do, simply follow the exact same procedure for the pre-baking. Once whatever crust you’re using is baked about halfway, and cooled, it’s ready to fill, top with fruit and bake.

Another great reason to make this is that there’s a good chance one of your guests will ask you which bakery this came from, which will give you the opportunity to say, “Bakery? No, I made this.” But say it really casually, like it was no big thing. This travels well, so don’t be afraid to fish for compliments with this at the next picnic. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Fresh Fruit Frangipane Tart:

For the filling:

1 1/2 tablespoons soft butter

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup almond flour, or very finely-ground blanched almonds

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the tart:

enough puff pasty or pie dough for a 9 or 10 inch shallow tart pan

enough fresh fruit to do the job

For the glaze:
3 tablespoons apricot jam 
2 teaspoons water
Bring to a boil in small pan or microwave. Let cool to just warm before brushing on.

- Pre-bake pastry shell at 400 F. for 15 minutes or until it starts to get golden-brown.

- Fill, top, and bake at 375 F. for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and the almond filling is set.
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Whole Chicken Pie – Finally, a Great Pie with Bones

There’s a restaurant up the street that serves a whole chicken wrapped in brioche, and ever since I saw it, I’ve wanted to do that video. I’ve never actually had it, since it’s $100, and you have to order it a day in advance. I love chicken, but I think I’ll save my hundred dollar bills for more sensible things, like lighting Cuban cigars.

Anyway, I was planning on doing a bread-wrapped bird, when I saw a photo for what looked like a pie crust wrapped chicken. Suddenly, I remembered doing something similar in culinary school, except they made us call the pie dough, “pate brisee,” for some reason, but same idea. That’s when plans changed, and the brioche went bye bye.

When bread’s used, you usually have to peel the soft, flabby skin off before enjoying the meat, but that’s not as big an issue here. Pie crust doesn’t insulate nearly as well, and so the skin gets cooked more thoroughly. This was very noticeable on the breasts, where the skin and crust fused together into some sort of marvelous hybrid. The thicker skin around the thighs didn’t render out quite as well, but even if you do pull off the skin, the meat is moist, tender, and very flavorful.

If you use a 3 1/2 pound chicken for this, then the roasting/resting time should work out, but if your bird is larger, you’ll have to add more time, and should probably use a thermometer to check your work. By the way, this is a technique video, and everything from the stuffing, to the pan sauce ingredients should be adapted to your tastes, but no matter what you use, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

*This was inspired by the chicken photo from this article about Chef Barbara Lynch.
Ingredients for One Whole Chicken Pie:

1 whole chicken, between 3 1/4 and 3 1/2 pounds

kosher salt as needed

1 recipe buttercrust pastry dough (this was just barely enough)

1 egg beaten with 2 teaspoon of water

For the veggie stuffing:

1/2 yellow onion, small dice

1 small carrot, small dice

1/2 rib celery, small dice

1 to 2 tablespoons minced rosemary or other fresh herb

kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

2 teaspoons olive oil

For the sauce (this is for 4 portions, I only made 2):

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup veggies from inside chicken (pull out while chicken rests, but replace the crust)

salt to taste

2/3 cup white or rose wine

1/3 cup pan drippings and/or splash of stock

4 tablespoons cold butter cut in cubes

Note: This is a rich butter sauce, but a gravy, so you only get a few tablespoons