Orange & Dill Seabass with thai potato cakes

Lemon and fish is a classic combination – but sometimes I prefer to use another, sweeter citrus fruit with my fish.

Tonight, I’ve simply taken a whole sea-bass (the other two I’ve frozen), and placed it on a sheet of foil with a knob of butter, some salt, the juice of an orange, and a generous teaspoon of chopped fresh (well, frozen) dill.   Crimp the edges of the foil to create a sealed packet, pop onto an oven proof dish (as protection from leaks!) and put into a hot oven. [sorry, no temperature here, I’ve turned the dial to six o’clock on my oven – but it’s a very temperamental fan assisted one so your guess is as good as mine]

When I was baking this morning, I popped some potatoes and a sweet potato into the oven at the same time.    I’ve taken equal amounts of sweet potato and regular potato; puree them with an egg and a dollop of Green Thai curry paste.

Mix in a handful of fresh bread crumbs then using a large spoon, scoop out  balls of the mix and roll in more bread crumbs.    They’d probably be tastier deep fried but I don’t deep fry anything.   I’ve popped them in the same oven that the fish is in.    I’ll turn them over after about 15 minutes and let them cook another 20 for good measure.

Instead, I’ve put them in a well oiled oven proof dish and I’m baking them.

Forgot to take a picture – but I had the potato cakes with sweet chili sauce.  Somewhat overdid the fish (it fell apart as I was serving) – but that’s the way I like my fish.

White chocolate sauce

This is gorgeous with fresh berries.

• 75g of white chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or a generous splash of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche

in a double boiler, melt the white chocolate.   Add the cream and vanilla.

Stir well.

Allow to cool and serve spooned over fresh fruit.

Bananas Foster Oatmeal Bread

I have a bunch of bananas that are going off on my counter – and I have no room in the freezer.

What I want is a recipe that will use up as many bananas as possible, preferably without the guilt that comes with adding lots of sugar or fat.    So I started from this recipe for Banana Oatmeal Bread.    From the get-go, I know that I want far less sugar in this loaf and I want it to be something a bit special.

So I’m going to modify this recipe somewhat.   I’m going to eliminate virtually all of the sugar except for 1 tablespoon of sugar that I’ll add to the butter/banana/egg mix to help with the creaming process and two tablespoons of dark brown sugar that I’ll mix with a tablespoon of rum, some ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.    I’ll pour that in the bottom of my loaf tin and then add my batter over it.

I wanted more fibre in this loaf, so I’ve used self-raising flour and halved the amount of baking powder.   I also added 2 tablespoons of wheat bran along with the oatmeal.   I used only 50g of butter.

I’ve skipped the nuts because they would add more fat that I actually want in this dish.

In the end, there’s less than 3 tablespoons of added sugar to this loaf and only 55g of butter (including what I used to grease the loaf tin).   By putting the rum/sugar/spice mix in the bottom, I’ve ensured that it will caramelize and the loaf will still be satisfyingly sweet and have a real treat quality to it – but without a whole lot of empty calories.

Here is the modified version:

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 50g  butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed banana (approximately 2 bananas)
• 1 cup self-raising whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned type oatmeal (do not use instant or quick cooking!)
• 3 tablespoons of wheat bran
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons rum
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon melted butter
• Ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste
• 2 tablespoons of dark sugar.

• Cream butter, sugar, egg and bananas.
• Add baking powder and salt, mix, then add oatmeal & flour.
• Add the nuts.
• In a separate bowl, mix all of the glaze ingredients and pour into the loaf tin.
• Pour in the batter slowly.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Check middle with a toothpick, if toothpick comes out clean, it is done.
• Take out of oven and turn out of pan.
• Slice and serve.

Notes:

• This is quite a dense loaf.   I’m having it for breakfast on Day 2 and it’s quite hearty.   I’ve toasted two slices of it and am having it with a touch of butter and it’s as filling as my usual bowl of porridge.
• If I was making it again, I might double the recipe as it’s only about half the height of a regular loaf. 
• If you don’t want a lighter version, you might prefer to use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 plain flour.   

Basic vinaigrette dressing

There isn’t much else that evokes childhood summers spent with my French grandmother than a simple salad with a proper, homemade vinaigrette.    There’s really no reason to buy dressing for your salads when it’s so easy to make and so lovely to adapt to a particular mood.

The most basic vinaigrette is simply an acidic base (vinegar or lemon juice, typically) and oil.    I like mine with a bit more kick so this is the recipe I usually use:

To a splash of red wine vinegar, add a pinch of salt.  Then add a dash of mustard (I only ever use Maille!), a clove of crushed garlic, and any additional seasonings you want (chopped herbs for instance).

If using shallots or onions, finely chop and add next.

Finally add the oil and whisk to mix.

Set aside for ten minutes or so.

The important thing here is to always add the oil last.    If you don’t, it will coat the other ingredients and the flavors will not blend so well.

Also, never add the vinaigrette to the salad until you are ready to serve.  (It’s fine to prepare it at the bottom of the salad bowl then toss it at the last minute.)   Otherwise, the acid will cause the leaves to wilt and may make any tomatoes mushy.

 

 

Grocery List (July 3 2011)

I think that, like most non-vegetarians, I plan most meals around a portion of meat or a substitute (fish, generally, but sometimes I do make vegetarian options).

For this week’s meals, I’ve purchased:

• Sea bass (3 whole fish)
• Prawns (pre-cooked)
• Lean beef mince (I’ve frozen the 2.5kg pack in 10 equal portions)

In addition, I’ve purchased the following vegetables:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Asparagus
• Baby spinach
• Onions
• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes
• Mushrooms

Finally, I purchased a supply of fruit for snack and dessert purposes:

• Cherries
• strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• peaches
• apricots

The season is very short here so I try to make the most of it.    I have assorted grains, pulses, and beans in my larder already; and some good quality oils and vinegars.   I also have a well stocked spice rack.

Total cost of this week’s shop was £103.   I’m hoping that out of that, I will get two weeks worth of meals.