I admit it that before the previous weekend that I had never poached salmon. There...it's out in the open and I'm not ashamed anymore. What was I waiting for/what was I scared of? After doing the deed, I found that I denied myself a valuable way to prepare fish at home. I used an Everyday Food method.
The flaky salmon was then used for a fresh take on the classic - mom used to make those - salmon patties made from the canned salmon. The salmon was in the same shape as canned cranberry sauce when if flopped out of the can. Remember the soft bones were included too. Nothing wrong with that but using fresh salmon and breadcrumbs (instead of cracker crumbs) rocked the boat. Now, we are talking croquettes and not patties. Carol Burnett in her vivid memoir, One More Time, wrote about growing up on salmon patties in a tinny Hollywood apartment with her Nanny and sister. She grew sick/tired of the fried protein patties courtesy of a low budget pantry. Does she ever crave one today?
After poaching the salmon, cook one medium chopped onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes . When cool add onion, egg, salt, pepper and bread crumbs to combine salmon. Form into patties then coat in breadcrumbs. I placed them in the fridge until ready to fry in a healthy oil. Brown on each side and serve on a bed of arugula. Everyday Food suggests serving with a yogurt sauce - yummy -with a grated granny smith apple, and tablespoon each of mint and cilantro. Your patties are now croquettes.
These pieces are sold individually and imported from Germany to commemorate the inauguration of Obama and the arrival of First Dog, Bo. HERMANN-Spielwaren GmbH is one of the oldest manufacturer of fine bears. Both pieces are made of mohair. Mr. President is stuffed with the traditional wood shavings.
I have no idea if these will obtain the status of collectible presidential buttons, spoons or plates. However, they are fun and remind me how I had such a different feeling this time last June when the Democratic Primary was drawing to a long, bitter close. Now we have a great President and a great Secretary of State. They will fit in nicely with the Steiff and R. John Wright bears. I promise that politics will only be limited to fun stuff on this blog. There is already enough "noise" out there to make you "mad as hell". Network should be required viewing.
We served this cold and berry fantastic desert this past weekend. Recipe is from Everyday Food (I actually made the whole meal using the recent issue - more on that latter). It is a very good pie and does not taste like the fake fillings contained in Hostess Fruit Pies. Of course, I do crave jellied manufactured fruit textures from time to time but not when using pristine in-season strawberries. The recipe recommends letting the pie set-up in the fridge from 4 hours to overnight. I would recommend going the overnight route. If you use a larger pie plate than recipe calls for, be certain to make extra crust and filling. One item that may be hard to find or expensive in the recipe is the unsweetened cranberry juice. I cheated and used the kind only sweetened with apple juice. To justify the expense of the better cranberry juice make Cape Cod cocktails for pre-dinner or pre-guest fun.
Note: Remember not too cook some of the strawberries for added texture.
