Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon

Panko is a Japanese type of bread crumb that is especially light and crunchy, popular with chefs because it doesn’t get soggy.

What I love about this way of preparing salmon is that the panko topping seems to hold in the salmon’s moisture while roasting, so the salmon doesn’t get dried out at all.

Some honey mustard spread over the top of the fillets provides the “glue” that holds the seasoned panko on to the fillets.

The result? Salmon that is perfectly tender, flakey, and seasoned. And it takes less than 30 minutes to make!

This recipe comes by way of my friend and neighbor Evie Lieb, who is a pastry chef, baker, and cooking teacher. This is one of her favorite recipes that she shared with a cooking class I attended. Evie now has her own food blog at www.evielieb.com. Check it out!

Recipe updated from the archives. First posted 2007.

Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp honey mustard or sweet-hot mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

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Dutch Baby

I’m a huge pancake fan. When I was little I would have happily forgone every other food in favor of pancakes, but unlike the other kids I knew, I never really liked syrup. I always preferred my pancakes plain, or with the addition of fresh blueberries or mashed up bananas added to the batter before it hit the griddle.

Occasionally my mom would indulge us by tossing in a handful of chocolate chips, which, at that young age, was just about the most exciting thing ever.

In my naive little breakfast world, I was happy. But as I grew up, I was introduced to a whole new world of adult pancakes—recipes that broke away from the standard, super-sweet trap of maple syrup and celebrated the flavor of the pancake itself, something I’d always held in the highest regard.

I was seduced by crepes, soufflé pancakes, and buckwheat flapjacks fried in bacon fat. My all-time favorite, though, became the Dutch baby.

For those new to the concept of a Dutch baby, it’s a pancake that is baked in a single sizzling-hot skillet that has been prepared with a tablespoon or two of butter.

The sides of the pancake rise high above edges of the pan, creating a light, puffy crust with a tender, eggy middle. Sprinkled with cinnamon and lemon juice, the Dutch baby makes a wonderful breakfast for both kids and adults.

Updated with new photos from the recipe archive, first posted Feb 2012.

Dutch Baby Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 egg white, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Sifted powdered sugar
• Splash of lemon juice

More topping ideas:

• Berries with whipped cream
• Applesauce or apple butter
• Maple syrup

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Mignonette Sauce for Oysters

Do you like raw oysters? My brother Matt lives in Point Reyes and has access to wonderful oysters from Tomales Bay.

Lately he’s been bringing a few dozen with him when he comes to visit. The oyster eaters among us gather and have quite the feast when he arrives.

My favorite accompaniment to fresh, raw oysters is this mignonette—a piquant sauce made with vinegar and shallots that you sprinkle on top of the oyster, much like a squeeze of lemon juice.

It’s a lovely balance to the briny, somewhat creamy oysters.

By the way, according to my resident French expert, “mignonette” translates roughly into “cute, small, and tasty”, and that’s exactly what this is.

Mignonette Sauce for Oysters Recipe

Make the mignonette at least 4 hours ahead of time, preferably a day or two, which allows for the flavors to blend, and the shallots to mellow.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup minced shallots (about 2 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup clear, unseasoned rice vinegar*
• 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of finely crushed white peppercorns (do not use pre-ground or powdered white pepper)

*If using seasoned rice vinegar, omit the sugar and salt

 

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Turkey Meatball Soup with Spinach and Orzo

These baby meatballs are so cute you’ll fall hard for them. Use your hands to mix them in a bowl with a little Parmesan and some parsley – you’ll feel like an Italian nonna!

Once shaped, the meatballs go into a soup with orzo and lots of baby spinach. It’s an easy, hearty meal that everyone will love.

Meatballs were traditionally made with scraps of meat, often pork or beef, and stale bread. They were a make-do meal for people who had little.

Today, most of us just buy ground meat at the store whenever a craving strikes. But meatballs are still an economical meal, especially when mixed with whatever sandwich bread or leftover dinner rolls need using up.

I like to quickly sauté the meatballs to brown their outsides, but you can skip this step if you’re in a hurry. Then, just cook them in chicken broth along with the orzo and spinach. A dusting of grated Parmesan added at the end brings out the flavor of the cheese in the meatballs and adds to the scrumptious tastes in your bowl.

Turkey Meatball Soup with Spinach and Orzo Recipe

If you want to skip the instructions to brown the meatballs, just drop them off a long-handled spoon directly into the simmering stock.

To make the meatballs in advance, set the rolled meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then drop the meatballs into a plastic freezer bag. Defrost them overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 2 slices white bread or 1 soft dinner roll (about 3-inches across), left out overnight
• 1/4 cup whole or reduced-fat milk (60 ml)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (32 g)
• 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat or at least 85% lean
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 8 cups chicken stock (2000 ml)
• 1/2 cup orzo pasta (70 g)
• 5 ounces baby spinach, with any long stems removed (165 g, or 8 loosely packed cups)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (128 g), for serving

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Almond Pound Cake with Orange Glaze

If you are looking for a special pound cake to prepare for a special gathering, consider this one! It is both dense and light, as all pound cakes should be; it’s rich with the aroma of almonds from the almond paste in the batter, and speckled with orange zest throughout.

We’ve included a simple orange glaze though the cake stands perfectly well enough on its own without it.

One of the things I love about pound cake is that you can slice it ever so thin. I’m one of those people who asks for a small slice of whatever treat is being offered, and then proceeds to go back for 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths. (“Why don’t you just take a bigger piece to begin with???” “Sweetheart, I do it just to annoy you.”)

Whether you take your first slice thick or thin, enjoy it elegant and unadorned, or top it with berries and whipped cream for an impromptu shortcake. If you are feeling especially adventurous, drizzle it with some amaretto for even more heady almond flavor.

Almond Pound Cake with Orange Glaze Recipe

Whenever baking with eggs, you'll get more rise if you start with eggs that are at room temperature. If you want to quickly bring chilled eggs up to room temp, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.

Tip on using Odense almond paste—grate it using the large holes of a box grater.

This recipe makes enough batter for one 5x9x3 inch loaf pan, which is a rather large loaf pan. If you have a 4x8x2 1/2 inch loaf pan, either make two loaves, or cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 5 ounces (140 g) almond paste (we recommend Odense almond paste), grated
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup (120 g) plain (full fat) Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 1/2 cups (200 g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup (43 g) powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

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How to Caramelize Onions

Caramelizing onions, by slowly cooking them in a little olive oil until they are richly browned, is a wonderful way to pull flavor out of the simplest of ingredients.

Onions are naturally sweet; and as caramel comes from the simple cooking of sugar, when you slowly cook onions over an extended period of time, the natural sugars in the onions caramelize, making the result intensely and wonderfully flavorful.

You can use onions prepared this way on top of steak, or for onion soup, tarts, pizza, or onion dip. Or you can do what I did with this batch, eat it straight up. What are your favorite dishes to make that use caramelized onions? Please let us know in the comments.

By the way, I put together a time-lapse video of the caramelization process, which you can see at the end of this post. Enjoy!

 

How to Caramelize Onions

Quantities depend on how much caramelized onions you wish to make. In this example, 5 large raw onions yielded about 2 cups caramelized onions.

Ingredients

• Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
• Olive oil
• Butter (optional)
• Salt
• Sugar (optional)
• Balsamic vinegar (optional)

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Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Olives

This recipe is brought to you in partnership with The California Olive Committee.

Looking for ideas for a special dinner? Consider pork tenderloin! It’s terrific for entertaining. The challenge is that because tenderloin is such a lean, tender cut of meat, it can easily be over-cooked and dry.

You can address this in a couple of ways. The most important thing is to not overcook the pork. Pork tenderloin can quickly go from perfect to overdone, so use a meat thermometer, pay attention and pull the meat from the heat when it gets to the right internal temperature.

Another thing you can do to help keep the moisture in the meat is to marinate the tenderloin in a lightly briny solution. Ideally, a sweet and salty marinade will not only infuse the meat with flavor, but will also act as a gentle brine to help the tenderloin retain moisture as it cooks.

The following recipe is a twist on a classic Mediterranean chicken recipe with green olives and dried fruit. In this recipe I’m using pork tenderloin instead of chicken, and marinating the pork with buttery California green ripe olives, sweet dried figs, salty capers, garlic, and oregano.

Canned California Ripe Olives are perfect for this dish. Mild and delicious on their own, when you brine them with the pork the olives absorb the flavors of the spicy briny marinade. Biting into one of the olives in the finished dish is like biting into a juicy flavor bomb. Paired with the sweet figs and salty capers, the olives make a lovely complement to the pork. 

By the way, did you know that raw olives right off the tree are much too bitter to eat? (If you ever try biting into a raw olive, you won’t do that again, trust me, I’ve tried it.) The olives need to be cured to remove their tannins and bitterness and to bring out their flavor.

A historical tidbit—the method of processing California Ripe Olives was invented in the late 1800s by a woman named Freda Ehmann. Freda’s same recipe is still used to make the canned California Ripe Olives you buy in the store today. Check out her story here!

Pork Tenderloin with Figs and Olives Recipe

If the dried figs are very dry, plump them first by soaking them in water for several hours.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1 teaspoon caper juice
• 3/4 cup California green ripe olives, halved
• 6 dried figs, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

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