Curried Catfish with Apple-Corn Fritters

Recipe: Curried Catfish with Apple-Corn Fritters
Page: 212
Date Cooked: November 17, 2012

This recipe appeared to have a bit of a Southern flair to it. You have the catfish, apples, corn, and of course a fritter. This a definitely a complete recipe as well - there is a bit of a salad, an entree, and even a side. Accordingly, there are a lot of components to this recipe. I had to make one substitute, the recipe called for watercress but I used baby arugula instead.

Ingredients: Lemon, lime, apples, orange, corn, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, pepper, eggs, lager, all-purpose flour, arugula, corn oil, white wine, catfish fillets, milk, cornmeal, and curry powder

I peeled, cored, and diced the apples. I put the diced apples in a bowl and squeezed a little lemon and lime over the apples. I then juiced the orange, lemon, and lime into a small bowl and set it aside.

Right: Diced apples
Left: Bowl of citrus juices

I cut the kernels from the cob and sauteed the corn with some butter, salt, and pepper. I then let the corn cool for a bit.

Sauteed corn

I separated the eggs. I added beer to the egg yolks and whisked in some flour. I then added the corn and apples to the batter and set aside. I beat the egg whites till they formed soft peaks. I folded the egg whites into the batter and seasoned it all with salt and pepper.

Batter for the apple-corn fritters

I added a few tablespoons of the batter into hot oil for each fritter and let it cook until golden brown. I let the fritters drain on a paper towel and kept them warm in the oven.

Apple-corn fritters

I combined the wine with the citrus juices in a saucepan and let it reduce to half and turned off the heat.

Citrus-wine reduction

I put a cast-iron skillet on the stove to get hot. In the meantime, I seasoned the catfish with salt and pepper. I poured milk into a bowl. I also mixed cornmeal, curry, and flour into another bowl - seasoned with salt and pepper. I dipped the catfish in the milk, dredged each fillet in the curry-cornmeal mixture, and set it on a plate.

Seasoned catfish

I added butter to the cast-iron skillet and added the catfish fillets. The fillets fried until crispy and brown, just a few minutes on each side.

Fried catfish fillets

I reheated the citrus-wine reduction and whisked in some butter. I also seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Citrus-wine sauce

I was then ready to put it all together. I arranged the arugula on the plate and put a catfish fillet on the arugula. I spooned the citrus-wine sauce over the catfish and arranged the fritters around the plate.

Curried Catfish with Apple-Corn Fritters

Just based on the title of this recipe, I thought it was actually going to be a catfish curry. But coating the fish with the curry powder gave it a really beautiful color and was also quite simple. While making the fritters, I was a bit concerned. Before I added the egg whites, I couldn't really see how the batter was going to hold together. In actuality, they also were not difficult to make either.

So how did it taste.... It was good. The fish was cooked exactly right. The fritters were delicious. I loved the sweet and tart flavors of the apple. The first bite I took didn't have much of the citrus sauce and the dish felt flat. But when I did take a bite with the sauce it was really great. Overall, the dish was good and it looked beautiful on the plate.

Enjoy!

Lobster Salad Sandwich

Recipe: Lobster Salad Sandwich
Page: 106
Date Cooked: November 9, 2012

If you are reading this blog and are thinking, "Wow, she has gone lobster crazy!" I would have to agree. Apparently, because of last year's warm winter there are just too many lobsters on the East Coast. So at this time, grocery stores are having some intense lobster sales. Which means checking off those last few lobster recipes. You may happen to see some photos that look a bit familiar; and that is because I made the Lobster and Potato Chip Salad recipe at the same time as this one. This also happens to be the last of the 13 sandwich recipes.

Ingredients: Lobster (not shown), corn, olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, red bell pepper, basil, white wine, tomato, and baguette

I brought a pot of salted water to a boil, added the lobster, and cooked. I removed the lobster from the pot and began cracking the shells to get the lobster meat. I diced the lobster meat and put it in the fridge.

Left: Cooking lobster
Right: Diced lobster meat

I cut the corn kernels off the cob. I cooked the corn for a few minutes with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cooking the corn

I roasted the red bell pepper till blackened and blistered. I steamed, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and diced the red pepper.

Prepping the red bell pepper

I blended basil, olive oil, and the white wine together to create a basil dressing. I also diced the tomato.

Right: Basil oil
Left: Diced tomato

I combined the corn, tomato, lobster, and basil oil in a bowl.

Lobster salad sandwich filling

Then it was on to assembling the sandwich. I split the baguette in half and lightly toasted it under the broiler. I topped the baguette halves with the lobster salad and served the sandwich open faced.

Lobster Salad Sandwich

Jonathan Waxman compares this to a lobster roll and I'm not sure that is a fair comparison. A great lobster is something on it own. Having said that, this sandwich was really good. It was light, fresh, and packed full of flavor. I really liked the basil-oil-white wine dressing, it worked. The sandwich works with a tried and true flavor combo - basil, tomatoes, and corn. All in all a great sandwich.

Enjoy!

Lobster and Potato Chip Salad

Recipe: Lobster and Potato Chip Salad
Page: 86
Date Cooked: November 9, 2012

As I come to the end of this project, I have been ticking off the last few recipes in each category. This salad recipe was the last of the 10 salad recipes listed in A Great American Cook. Thus having made 9 of Jonathan Waxman's salads I was familiar with his vinaigrette technique. However, the write-up to this recipe informed me that Alice Waters taught him the balsamic vinegar and olive oil base for a vinaigrette. The spin on this vinaigrette is the addition of the red pepper juices after blackening, blistering, and steaming.

Ingredients: Lobster (not pictured), russet potato, olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, red bell pepper, green beans, oak leaf lettuce, balsamic vinegar, and basil leaves

I brought a pot of salted water to a boil, added the lobster, and cooked for about 8 minutes. I pulled the lobster out of the pot, let it cool, removed the meat from the shells, and cut into small chunks.

Left: Cooking lobster
Right: Bit-sized pieces of lobster

I peeled the potatoes. I tossed the potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. I spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and baked them till golden brown.

Making potato chips

While the potatoes baked, I roasted the red pepper till blackened and blistered. I let the pepper steam in a bowl . I peeled the pepper, stemmed, and seeded it. I then cut the pepper into strips and reserved the red bell pepper juices.

Blackened and blistered red peppers cut into strips

I brought a saucepan of salted water to a boil. I topped and tailed the green beans. I added the beans to the water and cooked for a few minutes.

Cooking green beans

I washed and dried the lettuce. Tossed the lettuce with the basil, green beans, and lobster. I then tossed it all with the vinaigrette. I arranged the salad on a plate and decorated it with the red pepper strips and potato chips.

Lobster and Potato Chip Salad

The salad was really good. It felt light and fresh. There were various textures on the plate - the crunch of the potato chips and the crispness of the green beans worked well with the other components of the salad. The vinaigrette was simple and didn't overpower the lobster. My one complaint would be the size of the green beans, perhaps cutting them in half would have worked better. All in all a well-rounded salad with lots of flavor.

Enjoy!

Lobster and Tomato Bisque

Recipe: Lobster and Tomato Bisque
Page: 66
Date Cooked: October 29, 2012

Though I enjoy lobster bisque, I tend to find the dish to be a bit on the heavy side. This recipe tries to balance the heaviness of a typical lobster bisque with the inclusion of tomatoes - both red and yellow.

Ingredients: Lobster, red onion, garlic olive oil, red tomatoes, dry white wine, heavy cream, onion, yellow tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, salt, and pepper

I brought a large pot of water to a boil and steamed the lobster for 10 minutes. I removed the lobster, let it cool, extracted the meat, and reserved the shells. I also reserved the cooking liquid. I diced the lobster meat and placed it in the fridge.

Steamed lobster

This recipe required making two tomato soups - red and yellow. I first prepared the red tomato soup. I put the lobster shells in saucepan along with olive oil, minced red onion, and minced garlic. I sauteed the mixture for a few minutes. I then added the diced red tomato, white wine, and reserved lobster liquid to the saucepan.

Basis of lobster and red tomato soup

The soup simmered for 45 minutes. I strained the mixture into another saucepan and stirred in the cream and diced lobster meat; and seasoned with salt and pepper. Quick note: the redness of the soup was incredibly apparent before the addition of the cream, which later turned it a red-orange color.

Left: Lobster and red tomato soup
Right: Lobster and red tomato soup with cream and lobster

Then it was on the yellow tomato soup. I diced the onion, yellow bell peppers, and yellow tomatoes. I sauteed the onion and remaining garlic with olive oil in a saucepan. I then added the yellow bell pepper and tomatoes to the mixture and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes.

Prepping the yellow tomato soup

I then strained the soup into another bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Again, here the yellow color of the soup was apparent and quite striking.

Yellow tomato soup

This bisque can be served hot or cold. I opted for the hot version and reheated both components. It was upon plating that I realized the error in Jonathan Waxman's instructions. He says to divide the yellow soup into bowls and swirl in the red soup, making a decorative pattern. However, there was much more red tomato soup than yellow. Furthermore, the picture in the book seems to indicate pieces of red tomato in the soup, which doesn't make much sense - because he instructs you to strain both soups.

Jonathan Waxman's stock photo of the lobster and tomato bisque

Given the discrepancies of the cookbook, I had to change my plating plan. I divided the red tomato soup into bowls and swirled in the yellow tomato soup. The color differential isn't as stark as the picture in the book, but I think much of that has to do with the addition of the cream as well.

Lobster and Tomato Bisque

If you look closely, you can see the yellow tomato soup swirled in there. Aside from the picture and instruction discrepancy, the soup was good. I enjoyed the acidity of the tomatoes and bell peppers in the bisque, which both lightened and brightened a typically rich soup. The flavors worked, but it wasn't the best lobster bisque I've had. I felt that a better soup could have been made with those ingredients. I guess I am a bit iffy on the final verdict of the this recipe. Good but maybe not worth all the fuss. However, I may make the yellow tomato soup portion again - it just looked so beautiful.

Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon, Quail Eggs, and Endive

Recipe: Smoked Salmon, Quail Eggs, and Endive
Page: 91
Date Cooked: October 25, 2012

The combination of potatoes, smoked salmon, and eggs is pretty typical. This recipe just ups the ante, particularly with the use of quail eggs and endive. Jonathan Waxman mentions a few locations to get quail eggs, such as Chinese supermarkets or a specialty store like D'Artagnan (http://www.dartagnan.com/). While D'Artagnan is great for many products, my advice to you is to definitely go to the Chinese supermarkets if you can. A pack of 15 quail eggs will cost you almost $9.00 from a specialty store. Yet a pack of 10 quail eggs at the Chinese supermarket cost only $1.50. A price differential you just can't beat.

Ingredients: Red potatoes, unsalted butter, salt, pepper, lemon, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, Belgian endive, smoked salmon, quail eggs, and dill

I washed the potatoes and cut them into wedges. I put butter in a skillet to melt, added the potatoes, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and put the skillet in the oven for the potatoes to roast.

Roasting potatoes

In the meantime, I prepped the vinaigrette. I juiced the lemon in a bowl, added rice wine vinegar, and whisked in the olive oil till the vinaigrette emulsified.

Making the vinaigrette 

I cut the bottom ends of the endive and arranged the spears around the plate. I spooned some of the vinaigrette onto the endive spears and placed the salmon on top of the endive. I tossed the roasted potatoes in the remaining vinaigrette and added the potatoes to the plate.

Assembling the salad

Then it was on to frying the quail eggs. I fried them in a pan with some butter, just until the yolks set.

Frying quail eggs

I placed the fried quail eggs on top of the salad and served immediately.

Smoked Salmon, Quail Eggs, and Endive

The salad was good. The salmon really shined and I enjoyed the tartness of the vinaigrette. I also have grown to appreciate potatoes in a salad, something Jonathan Waxman has done before (Warm Dandelion, Bacon, and Potato Salad). Furthermore, the quail eggs did have a different taste and texture when compared to chicken eggs.

The most time consuming aspect of this recipe for me was handling the quail eggs. The small size of the egg makes it a bit tricky. But after a few eggs, I seemed to have gotten the trick.

Overall, it was a great salad. However, I'm not sure I would go to the hassle of using the specialty ingredients if I played with these flavor profiles in the future. Perhaps a different type of lettuce would be fine and a chicken's egg would also be suitable.

Enjoy!

Lamb T-Bones and Eggplant

Recipe: Lamb T-Bones and Eggplant
Page: 185
Date Cooked: October 22, 2012

This recipe follows a pretty common pairing - lamb and eggplant. And if it's not broke, why fix it? Furthermore, the recipe includes additional typical ingredients paired with lamb - eggplant and red wine. I may be getting to the punchline early, but the recipe is simple and ingredients really get a chance to sing.

Ingredients: Onion, garlic, Zinfandel, olive oil, lamb T-bones, parsley, rosemary, eggplant, Kosher salt, and black pepper

I sliced the onion and smashed the garlic. I put Zinfandel, olive oil, and garlic in a large bowl and mixed it together. I added the lamb t-bones to the bowl and turned to coat with the marinade. I sprinkled the onion, a few sprigs of parsley and rosemary to the bowl. I let the lamb marinate for 3 hours in the fridge, turning the lamb twice.

Marinating the lamb

I prepped the grill. I cut the eggplant in half, coated it with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Prepping the eggplant

I grilled the eggplant halves, cut side down for a few minutes. While the eggplant remained on the grill, I patted the lamb t-bones dry and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I then turned the eggplant over on the grill and added the lamb t-bones. After a few minutes, I turned the t-bones over. The t-bones cooked until medium-rare.

Eggplant and lamb t-bones on the grill

I removed the eggplant and lamb t-bones off the grill. I let the lamb rest for a few minutes and then plated. I placed an eggplant half and two lamb t-bones (they were small) on a plate.

Lamb T-Bones and Eggplant

Simple. Simple. Simple. The seasoning was really just salt and pepper, and it worked. The eggplant was great and I loved the beautiful grill marks. The lamb t-bones were cooked to perfection - perfectly medium-rare, tender, and juicy. Like I said at the start of this post, this recipe was really about the pureness of the ingredients. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Enjoy!

P.S. I cannot believe it, this is my 100th recipe!!! Only 15 more to go!!!

BBQ Chicken and Grilled Asparagus

Recipe: BBQ Chicken and Grilled Asparagus
Page: 150
Date Cooked: October 14, 2012

The ingredients for this recipe were quite simple. Also, it felt like a healthy meal. Or at least in Jonathan Waxman terms, fairly healthy. I enjoyed Jonathan Waxman's recipe for Perfect Roast Chicken so I was excited about bbq-ing a whole chicken as well.

Ingredients: Chicken, Kosher salt, pepper, green beans, olive oil, asparagus, new potatoes, red wine vinegar, frisee lettuce, and unsalted butter

First, I prepared my charcoal grill. I then proceeded to butterfly the chicken and rubbed it with salt and pepper. I snapped the tough parts of the asparagus stalks. I also cleaned the potatoes. I placed the chicken skin side down on the grill and arranged the potatoes and asparagus around it. I covered the grill and let it cook.

Prep for the grill

In the meantime, I brought a pot of salted water to a boil. I topped and tailed the green beans and then cooked them in the boiling water for a few minutes. Once cooked, I tossed the green beans with some olive oil.

Cooking the green beans

I removed the asparagus from the grill and turned the potatoes. I mixed together the red wine vinegar and oil. I seasoned the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. I tossed the beans and frisee with the vinaigrette. I also tossed the asparagus with some butter and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

Left: Grilled asparagus tossed in butter
Right: Green beans and frisee salad

I pulled the chicken and potatoes off the grill as well.

BBQ chicken and potatoes

I then got ready to plate. I cut the chicken into pieces. I placed the bean and frisee salad on a plate, topped it with a piece of chicken. Finally, I set some potatoes and asparagus on the plate as well.

BBQ Chicken and Grilled Asparagus

The chicken was delicious - cooked perfectly and had this great grill flavor. The vinaigrette in the frisee and green bean salad provided the acidity for the meal. And the buttered asparagus gave some fat to the dish. But really, I thought it felt balanced and very all-American. I definitely will be bbq-ing a whole chicken again! It was almost too easy - butterfly the chicken, place it on the grill - skin-side down, and let it cook. All in all, simple and yummy.

Enjoy!