Fresh (Really, Really Fresh) Brown Butter Perch Cooked on Ice

This video recipe for brown butter perch features my first on-ice cooking demonstration, and if I could've woken up before 8 AM, it would have featured my first ice fishing demonstration. I've always felt that an alarm clocks' effectiveness has an inverse relationship to how nasty the weather is.

I love perch. I love everything about them – the sweet, delicate flavor, the striking coloration, and the stubborn fight they put up for their size. So, when some friends of mine invited me out to their little slice of frozen heaven to ice fish for them, I jumped at the chance.

I will resist the temptation to steal my own thunder, and explain in detail what you're going to see. In fact, I usually only do that when I need another paragraph to wrap around a third photo I really want to add. But, I will say that the recipe you're about to see can be easily recreated in your kitchen, and is perfect for those of you who continue to claim you can't cook fish.

The key is getting the butter to a perfect nutty brown. Technically it's still butter, but something happens when it's toasted like this, and it really does become another ingredient altogether. Add some freshly-plucked-from-ice-water perch, and a little squeeze of lemon, and we're talking involuntary eye rolling.

I'd like to thank my dear old friends, the Fitzpatrick's, for inviting me to their top secret perch hole(s), and for having such incredibly cute kids. I haven’t smiled this much editing a video in a long time. Enjoy!

Bonus Coverage: Check out this great ice fishing post by my friend Tamar on Starving Off the Land!  

8 oz Fresh perch fillets

2 tablespoons butter

lemon as needed

For the seasoned flour:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and/or a tsp of Old Bay

Predicting the Super Bowl Winner with Chicken Wing Bones

I feel kind of guilty. I've been publishing this blog for four years now, and I this is the first time I'm letting you in on my magical method for picking the Super Bowl winner. I can't tell you how or where I learned how to do this (long story short, I'd be killed by a very tall, dreadlocked gypsy if I did), but I can tell you it's a sure thing. 

Normally, I'd never give insane advice like withdraw your children's college funds, and bet everything on the game, but here, it would be crazy not to. ;-) Enjoy!

Speaking of Buffalo Chicken Wings – They're Now Available in Convenient Dip Form

My friend, Stephanie Gallagher, About.com's Guide to Cooking for Kids, just posted this video recipe for an Buffalo Chicken Dip. If you want all the taste of Buffalo wings without the bones, check out this easy appetizer. You can get the ingredient list here.

This Clams Casino Dip Will Cover the Spread at Your Super Bowl Party

I love clams casino, and I made that fact known publicly in this post last year. Certainly, a tray of hot clams casino would make a handsome addition to your Super Bowl spread, but large, fresh clams aren’t cheap, and you're probably looking for something a little simpler, and that can be made ahead of time.

This clam dip appetizer (which is technically a "spread" as I explain at the end of the video), contains the same basic ingredient list as traditional clams casino, and while it really tastes nothing like its hot namesake, I think any fan of the clam dip will be very happy with it.

You'll see a caption during the video saying to make the dip at least four hours ahead of time for best results. This time allows the flavors to develop and really makes a difference. What I failed to add was that you should also take the spread out of the fridge and let in sit out for an hour or so before the party, so it can warm up a bit.

By the way, if the setting looks a little unusual, that's because I'm back in New York's snowy Finger Lakes area visiting my mother, and filmed this at my Aunt Angela and Uncle Billy's home. Many of you have enjoyed Aunt Angela's cabbage rolls recipe, as well as Uncle Billy's famous Chicken D'Arduini and homemade pasta (and if you haven't, click on the links and check them out). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice

1 pound cream cheese

6-8 strips bacon

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 jalapeno, seeded, minced

1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup small diced celery

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup minced green onions, save tops for garnish

1/2 lemon

hot sauce to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Getting Ready for the Storm of the Decade

Photo (c) Flickr User kkrisus

I arrived at my mom's this morning after a tiring, but uneventful red-eye flight from San Francisco. Unfortunately, it seems as though a massive blizzard is headed our way, and it looks very likely my drive down to the QVC training will be iced out.

As anyone from these parts will tell you, rain is no problem, snow is no problem, but an ice storm is another thing altogether. Freezing rain collects on trees and power lines, causing catastrophic damage as gravity and Murphy's Law do their thing. Not to mention that when it comes driving surfaces, a sheet of black ice really sucks.

I hear the blizzard will slam 2/3rds of the country over the next 3 days, so if you're in its frigid path, please be careful! In happier news, I'll be attempting to film a Super Bowl-themed clam casino dip recipe tomorrow. Stay warm and stay tuned!