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Menu Plan for Winter II: Week 7, Friday
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Daily Recipes:
Poached Egg on Fried Gnocchi
Salmon en Croute
Cauliflower Gratin
Cooking time: 40 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
Poaching eggs is really quite simple and a skill everyone should have. I admit it intimidated me at first; but it's easy.... As is the Salmon en Croute. The puff pastry is a bit easier to work with than phyllo, and makes a more traditional 'En Croute'. The puff pastry is the 'carb' for this meal.
Poached Eggs with Gnocchi
Total time: 25 minutes
Gnocchi, boiled first, then fried, gets a wonderful, crunchy exterior. We add 2 slices of chopped Prosciutto and top it with a poached egg. You could also use spaetzle or small dumplings.
Ingredients:
- 20 - 24 fresh gnocchi 1/4 - 1/3 of a package of fresh gnocchi
- 2 slices Prosciutto, 1.5oz (50gr) or other dry-cured ham
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbs butter
- 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs wine vinegar, any flavor
Instructions:
- Gnocchi:
- Heat water in a medium pot for gnocchi. When boiling, add the gnocchi and cook just until they all float, 1 - 2 minutes.
- Drain and rinse lightly with cool water.
- Heat butter and oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add gnocchi and sauté until light brown, stirring and turning occasionally, 12 - 15 minutes.
- Roughly chop Prosciutto and add to skillet when gnocchi is first starting to brown.
- Eggs:
- Fill a medium skillet with water. The water should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep. Heat water over medium-high heat.
- Add vinegar.
- When water is softly boiling, reduce heat and poach eggs: one at a time break egg into a small saucer. Swirl a spoon in the water where you will put the egg - off to the side. When water is swirling drop egg into center of swirl. With slotted spoon try to keep the white together.
- Do next egg.
- With regular spoon scoop some hot water over tops of eggs. Poach for 3 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still very soft. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon.
- To finish:
- Arrange gnocchi and Prosciutto on small plates. Top with a poached egg, salt and pepper, if desired. Serve.
Salmon en Croute with Tarragon Cream Sauce
Total time: 35 minutes
Cooking a whole salmon in puff pastry is a classic party dish. This is a scaled down version for individual servings. For a dinner party they can be assembled ahead and baked at the last minute. The salmon stays moist and perfectly flaky. I've given the dimensions used in the photos. If your salmon is a different shape, you need enough pastry to cover it. Trim any excess.
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of salmon, skinned - about 3" wide by 4" long by 1" thick (5cm X 10cm x 2.5 cm) 7oz (200gr) each
- 1 large or 2 small sheets of puff pastry If they are not big enough you can roll them out a bit (using a rolling pin).
- 2 tsp dried or fresh dill weed
- 4 tsp whole grain mustard
- Tarragon Cream Sauce:
- 1/3 cup (5oz, 150ml) chicken stock less 2 tbs
- 1/3 cup (5oz, 150ml) white wine
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon substitute 1 tbs fresh
- 1 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in
- 2 tbs stock
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) Greek yogurt, crème fraiche or sour cream
Instructions:
- Lightly roll puff pastry dough if needed. It needs to be just large enough to cover the salmon with an overlap of 1/2 - 1 inch (1.25 - 2.5cm).
- Lightly cover an area roughly the size of the salmon with dill.
- Skin salmon if needed, and cut/trim.
- Place salmon on top of dill.
- Spread 2 tsp mustard on the salmon.
- Depending on the shape of your fish you can bring opposite corners together (if it's square-ish) or fold over (if it's long-ish).
- Press the meeting edges of the puff pastry together to seal. It's okay if there are gaps in the 'package' as long as the pastry is sealed together enough to hold it's shape as it bakes.
- Repeat with the other piece of salmon.
- Bake at 400F (200C) for 15 - 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove and serve with Tarragon Cream Sauce on the side.
- Tarragon Cream Sauce:
- Finely chop shallots.
- In small saucepan over medium heat sauté shallots in butter until tender.
- Add tarragon, wine and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch in 2 tbs stock and stir into simmering stock. Cook until thickened - should be quite thick.
- Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.
- Cover and keep warm until serving.
Cauliflower Gratin
Total time: 35 minutes
Sliced cauliflower, sprinkled with shallots and topped with cheese: a simple gratin.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 head cauliflower
- 2 shallots
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) chicken stock
- 1/3 cup (1.5oz, 45gr) Gruyère or other cheese Cheddar
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Break the cauliflower into large florets, then slice thickly.
- Roughly chop shallots.
- Shred cheese or cut into thin slices.
- Lightly oil a small glass baking dish.
- Lay half of the cauliflower evenly in the dish.
- Sprinkle with shallots and top with remaining cauliflower.
- Top with cheese.
- Pour the chicken stock over the top.
- Cover with a lid or foil and bake, 400F (200C) for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer, to brown the top.
- Remove and serve.
Cooking Schedule: 40 minutes |
Heat butter, oil in skillet |
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