lemon juice

  • Baked Stuffed Sole

    Baked Stuffed Sole
    Baked Stuffed Sole
    (Serves 6)


    6, (2 to 2½ oz each) sole fillets
    ¼ yellow onion, finely chopped
    1/3 poblano pepper, finely chopped
    2 cloves of garlic, minced
    1½ tblsp olive oil
    ¾ lb crab meat
    1 tsp dijon mustard
    ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
    1 egg, beaten
    1 tblsp Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, grated
    2 tsp fresh lemon juice
    1 stick unsalted butter melted


    NOTES: You can substitute the Poblano pepper with any color bell pepper, I just like the added spice of the Poblano.
     

    Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

    Heat up a saute pan on medium low heat with 1 tblsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, pepper and garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat with the oil and let soften for 2 minutes or so.

    Set the sauted vegetables on a plate spread out to cool. in a separate bowl add the crab meat, mustard, breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, melted butter and lemon juice. Mix together all the ingredients until they are mixed well. Don't forget to add in the cooled down onions, garlic and peppers.

    Grease a baking sheet or a baking dish with butter or olive oil. Give the fish a little salt and pepper or some cajun spice. Now depending on how you want to "stuff the sole" there are a few ways to do it.
    The first way is mound an egg shape size of stuffing on the dish or sheet and place the sole on top of it, smoothing down the sides of the fish over the edges of your stuffing mound.
    The second way lay the sole with the flat side up, place a handful of the stuffing in the center and wrap the fish around the stuffing, then place the either on their side with a toothpick holding the edge together or on the seam side down.
    The third way is the opposite of the first way, place the fish flat side down, mound an egg shaped handful of the stuffing on the center of the fish and spread out along the whole fish length.

    Bake center of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with rice pilaf or some mashed potatoes.

  • Ceasar Salad

    Ceasar Salad

    Ceasar Salad (Serves 4)


    5 anchovy fillets, about 1½ tblsp
    2 garlic cloves
    2 tsp Dijon mustard
    2 lg egg yolks
    1 tsp worchestershire sauce
    2 tblsp fresh lemon juice
    ¼ tsp salt
    ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
    ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
    ½ cup olive oil
    ½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
    ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    2-4 tblsp croutons


    NOTES:In my mind there are certain things that turn a good ceasar into a great ceasar, one is to use good parmesan cheese and grate it yourself using either a micro planer or the smaller grating grid on the cheese grater (that would be the one that looks like small round circles). This way the cheese blends into the sauce and is not seperate! The second is make your own croutons! I can not stress this one enough. All store bought croutons will super hard and taste like bread. Here is the crouton recipe I used in the restaurants I worked in: croutons.
     

    In a blender, add the garlic, anchovies, mustard, egg yolks, worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and parmesan cheese, blend until smooth.

    Now, while the blender is on high, drizzle in the olive oil, slowly at first until the oil is incorperated.

    Wash the romain lettuce well and dry it well, this is key so the dressing adhere's to the lettuce and doesn't just run off it! Add in enough dressing to coat the leaves lightly. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese and finish of by tossing the croutons in. Serve right away. Dressing is good kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. It should be used the same day you make it, due to the raw yolks.

  • Chicken Biriyani

    Chicken Biriyani
    Chicken Biriyani
    (Serves 4-6)


    5-6 boneless chicken thighs
    2 cups basmati rice
    16 oz plain greek yogurt
    1 tblsp chili powder
    1 tsp turmeric
    1 tsp garam masala
    1 tblsp ginger/garlic paste
    1 tblsp lemon juice
    2 green chili, sliced thin
    1 cinnamon stick
    6 cardamom seeds, cracked open
    1 tsp cumin seeds
    2 cloves
    2 tsp salt
    1 cup mint, roughly chopped
    1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
    2 thinly sliced yellow onions, deep fried until brown
    ¼ cup milk, warmed
    pinch of saffron threads


    NOTES:If you do not have saffron you can use 1/4 tsp tumeric in its place in the milk.

    Prepare the fried onions and set aside.

    Mix the yogurt, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, ginger/garlic paste, sliced green chili, cumin seeds, salt, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, ½ cup mint and ½ cup cilantro, lemon juice and ⅓ the fried onions together, now add the chicken mix well and let marinate 4 hours.

    Rinse/wash the rice twice with cold water to remove some of the starches. Then cover with cold water and let the rice soak for 30 minutes.

    Warm up the milk and mix in the saffron threads and let sit, set aside.

    In a large pot of boiling salted water, we're going to par cook our rice, first add the following seasoning to the salted water, 4 cardamom pods, a split green chili, a cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 1 tsp cumin seeds. Drain the water from the rice and put the rice in the boiling seasoned water. Turn the burner to high if not already and add the rice and give it a stir. Once the rice comes back to a boil, it is almost done. Taste a grain after 1 minute, it should be par cooked to al dente, but no more then that, as it will finish on the stove. Drain the water retaining the rice and spices.

    Time to layer it for the final cook. In a large heavy duty pot, start by cooking the chicken and yogurt spiced marinade for 4 minutes. Now remove ½ the chicken and a little of the yogurt and set aside. Add ½ the rice and spices on top of the portion of chicken, keeping the layers fairly even, then add the rest of the chicken on top of the first rice layer, sprinkle some of the browned onions on top, add ⅓ cup chopped cilantro and mint and then the rest of the rice, the rest of the browned onions, another ¼ cup of cilantro and mint and finish it off with placing spoonful's of the saffron milk across the top. Put a tight fitting lid on and cook at medium/high for 5 minutes and lower to low for another 30 minutes. Let sit for an additional 15 minutes with the lid on.

    Serve with a side of Greek plain yogurt and lemon wedge. Enjoy!

  • Chicken Dum Biryani

    Chicken Dum Biryani
    Chicken Dum Biryani
    (Serves 6-8)


    Biryani Masala
    (Toast the following spices)
    2 tblsp coriander seeds
    1 tsp cumin seeds
    2 tsp caraway seeds
    2 tblsp green cardamom pods
    5-6 black cardamom pods
    3 pieces of 1" cinnamon bark
    1 tblsp whole black peppercorns
    7-8 spicy red chilis
    7-8 bay leaves
    2 tsp whole cloves
    3 blades of mace (1/2 tsp powder)
    1 tblsp methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) add this last after toasting all the other spices

    Chicken
    1-1½ lbs chicken thighs and legs bone-in no skin or boneless skinless thighs (or any combo)

    Onions
    2-3 yellow onions thinly sliced and fried until golden (or 7oz of pre-fried onions like these: Ramdev Fried Onions)

    Chicken Spices
    3 tsp salt (to taste)
    2 tblsp Lemon juice
    4 tblsp ginger/garlic paste
    3 green chilies, made into a paste
    2 tblsp Kashmiri chili powder
    ½ tsp turmeric
    2 tsp coriander powder
    1½ tblsp of the biryani masala
    3-4 tblsp oil, saved from cooking the onions or a neutral oil like canola

    After Marinating the Chicken Spices
    1 cup Indian curd or yogurt

    1 potato, peeled, cut into ¾ cubes, optional
    1 carrot, peeled, cut into ¼ discs, optional
    ⅓ cup of frozen peas, optional
    8 sun dried prunes, cut in half, optional
    5-6 tblsp ghee
    2 cups Basmati rice, (no substitutions)
    1 bunch of cilantro (coriander), minced
    1 bunch of mint, minced
    a pinch of saffron, soaked in a tblsp of milk and a tsp water for at least 20 minutes, optional

    Rice Spices
    2 bay leaves
    1 inch stick of cinnamon
    1 tsp caraway seeds
    3-4 green cardamom pods
    4-5 cloves
    1 star anise
    4-5 black peppercorns
    1-2 chilis, slit, optional
    juice of ½ lemon
    salt for the water, (like your making pasta)
    a sachet: small piece of cheesecloth (5" x 4") to bundle up the rice spices, optional


    NOTES:Biryani may seem like a lot of work, but once you take that first bite you'll know that it was all worth it! If you want to go that extra step, you can smoke the chicken before adding anything to it using a half tsp of ghee poured onto a few hot coals that are sitting in a small metal bowl and then covering it and the raw chicken with a bowl or container for 3-4 minutes. Traditionally the cook uses some bread dough to seal the lid onto the pot so no steam escapes, do this or cheat like me and seal it with tinfoil. You can even use a long damp piece of cheesecloth.

    After toasting the Biryani Masala spices, allow them to cool down and then grind them into a coarse or fine powder depending on your preference. This makes enough biryani masala for deveral batches of biryani, store in a jar or sealed baggie, out of the sunlight, for up to 3 months.

    In the thick parts of the chicken make deep slashes into the thicker parts of the chicken to allow the masala spices to better penetrate the chicken. (If your using boneless thighs you can make slashes at a medium depth)
    If you are smoking the chicken, you can do that now.
    In a large bowl, add salt to the chicken, lemon juice, then all the rest of the chicken spices, mix well, cover and let marinate 24 hours.

    The next day, rinse your Basmati rice three times (removing excess starch from the rice) and then cover with water and let soak for 1½ hours. After the rice has soaked long enough, put on a large pot of boiling water, once boiling, add the spice sachet with all the rice spices and the Basmati rice (or add the spices without the sachet, you may want to pick these out before adding to the main pot, or go Indian style as I am sure in Indian households they don't mind eating around the whole spices.

    Par cook the rice for about 4 minutes, we want the rice 90% cooked, don't stir the rice too often as we don't want to break the individual rice grains. After the 4 minutes, strain the water from the rice (and if you want the whole spices if you didn't use a sachet), remove the sachet and discard if you used it. Set the rice aside

    In the bowl with the chicken that was marinating over night, add the 1 cup of yogurt and add 80% (about 5 oz) of the fried onions and ⅓ of the chopped cilantro bunch and ⅓ the chopped mint leaves and if your using the optional ingredients, add in the prunes, potato, carrot and peas. Mix well.

    In a heavy bottomed pot, add 2 tblsp of ghee over high heat, when melted, keep the heat up high until it is roaring hot and now add your chicken pieces with its marinade and the potato cubes. Stir often cook on high heat for 5-6 minutes, cooking the chicken 85-90%, taste the masala for salt content and adjust as needed.

    Now turn the heat to low, make sure the chicken pieces are spread out in one layer and add ⅓ of the chopped cilantro bunch and ⅓ the chopped mint leaves add 15% of the fried onions (about 1½ oz)
    Add all the rice on top of the chicken layer, smooth the rice into an even layer. Drizzle 3-4 tblsp of the ghee over the rice and then sprinkle/drizzle the saffron liquid over the rice.
    Now add the remaining 5% fried onions (about ½ oz) add the remaining ⅓ bunch of chopped mint and cilantro (coriander leaves). Seal the lid with a rolled out piece of bread dough, or tinfoil (or cheesecloth). If you can weight the lid down with something heavy, that helps too!

    Cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat. Then turn off heat and let rest for 10 minutes.

    I believe traditionally the whole pot is turned upside down a into a platter and served, or just scoop it out with a serving spoon. You can sprinkle some garam masala over the top and serve with a side of Indian yogurt to cool down the spices.

  • Chimichuri Sauce

    chimichuri sauce
    Chimichuri Sauce
    Makes 1 cup
    ½ cup of Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons finely minced fresh oregano
    4 garlic cloves, finely minced
    ½ cup finely minced green onions
    1 small red chili pepper (red Fresno or red Korean), deveined, seeds removed and finely diced (can be replaced with 1-2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes)
    2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    ½ cup of olive oil
    Salt and pepper to taste
    pinch of ground cumin

    NOTES: Serve as an accompaniment to empanadas, or use as a marinade for beef.

    Mix all ingredients together, chill for 1/2 hour. Keeps for a week covered in the refrigerator.

  • Cocktail Sauce

    Cocktail Sauce
    Cocktail Sauce
    (Makes 1 cup)

    1 cup ketchup
    ¾ tblsp lemon juice
    1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    1 tblsp horseradish sauce

    NOTES:

    Whisk together and taste. Add a dash more of anything you don't taste, like extra lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce or if you like it spicy, add more horseradish.

    Serve in a nice small dipping bowl for shrimp, calamari or other fried seafood! Usually accompanied by wedges of lemon.
  • Lemon Cheesecake

    Lemon Cheesecake

    Lemon Cheesecake (Serves 8-12)


    1¾ cups graham cracker
    ¼ cup packed brown sugar
    1 tsp lemon zest
    ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

    2 lbs cream cheese (32 oz), room temperature
    1 cup fine white sugar
    1 cup heavy cream (8 oz)
    3 tblsp lemon juice, fresh
    2 tsp grated lemon zest
    1 tblsp water
    1 tsp unflavored gelatin


    NOTES:
     

    In a large bowl, mix the graham crackers, brown sugar, the tsp of lemon zest and the ½ melted butter together.
    Line a springform pan with parchment paper. Bake the crust for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.

    Using a mixer on low speed, mix the cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
    Beat in ½ of the cream, lemon juice and zest.
    In a sauce pan add the water and gelatin, let sit 5 minutes.
    Put on low heat until gelatin dissolves, whisk in the rest of the cream.|
    Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and blend together. Beat the mixture till fluffy on low speed.

    Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust. Gently tap the pan on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Bake for 55-65 minutes, the edges will be set, while the center will still have some jiggle to it. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door open but leave the cheesecake in the turned off oven for an hour.
    Now remove the cheesecake from the oven and release the springform, you may need a butter knife to run around the edges to release the cheesecake fully from the springform pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely. At this point you can spread on some lemon curd or decorate the top with some candied lemon pieces. I like mine as is. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

  • Mayonnaise, Vietnamese

    Mayonnaise, Vietnamese
    Mayonnaise, Vietnamese
    (Serves )


    3 egg yolks
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tblsp sweetened condensed milk
    pinch of salt
    1 cup vegetable oil
    1 tsp lemon juice


    NOTES: To make regular American mayonnaise, add a tsp of mustard (Dijon or yellow is fine) before streaming the oil in and omit the garlic, salt and sweetened condensed milk. Only mustard, egg yolks and oil. Always use an oil that is neutral, do not use extra virgin olive oil or olive oil. Add 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic to your American mayonnaise recipe and you now have Aoili (garlic mayo).

    Add the minced garlic to a food processor and then the three egg yolks and lemon juice, turn the processor on high and once the yolks are mixed up start to drizzle the oil in very slowly and sparsely at first, once the mayo starts to come together you can increase the stream of oil, but still slowly. Once the oil is finished you should have a creamy may, now add in the sweetened condensed milk and the salt. Lasts about a week covered in the refrigerator.

  • Poke (Tuna)

    Poke - Tuna
    Poke (Tuna)
    (Serves 4)

    1 lb Tuna, sushi grade, medium dice
    ¾ - 1 tblsp Soy Sauce
    4 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
    2 tsp Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

    2 tsp Sesame Oil
    2 tsp Sambal Oelek (Chili Paste)
    2 tsp lemon juice
    1 scant tsp sugar
    1 pinch sea salt
    1 tblsp Mayonnaise
    2 small thai chilis, minced, optional
    1/2 Avocado, diced small, optional

    Sprinkle over the top
    1 tsp Black Sesame Seeds, optional
    2 or 3 small sheets, Nori, toasted snipped into thin strips, optional
    1 tblsp green onion, sliced thin
    1-2 tsp Tobiko, optional

    NOTES: You can substitute Sriracha for Sambal Oelek, just add a touch more of rice wine vinegar. A susbtitute for Mirin could be a dry sherry with a ¼ tsp of sugar added or a sweet marsala wine or even a dry white wine with a ¼ tsp sugar added. I don't reccommend the dark soy sauce, as it muddies up the look, (although the flavors fine!)
     

    Mix the soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, sesame oil, lemon juice and chili sauce together mix until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside half of this mixture.

    Add the diced tuna and mayo to half of the mixture, mix well, now mix in the green onions and chilis if your using them. Taste, adjust with more of the mix if it's needed.

    Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, up to an hour. Remove from fridge, mix in the chopped avocado, taste and adjust with more of the mix if it's needed, or a little more mayo or Sambal Oeelek depending on your taste, top with the remaining ingredients if you're using them.

    Enjoy on it's own or serve with Sushi rice or even with some toasted nori squares. Yum!

  • Salmon Mousse

    Salmon Mousse

    Salmon Mousse


    (Serves 60)

    6 cups fully cooked salmon chunks or 6 cans (45 ounces or 2+3/4lb) salmon, drained, bones and skin removed If cooking fresh: add to a small bowl the following ingredients, mix and pour over salmon, add a pan of water to the oven, then bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes (up to 10 minutes longer for thicker cut of salmon): 2 tblsp olive oil,
    1¼ tsp salt,
    pepper, to taste
    2 tsp parsley, minced
    2 tsp basil, minced
    2 tsp dill, minced
    2 tsp lemon zest, minced
    1 shallot, minced

    Let the salmon cool:
    6 packages (48 ounces) cream cheese, softened
    12 tablespoons chicken stock
    12 tablespoons sour cream
    6 tablespoon finely chopped white onion
    6 teaspoon lemon juice
    3 teaspoons salt
    12 tablespoons minced fresh dill for garnish OR 2 oz caviar

    NOTES:

    In a large Mixer, beat cream cheese, chicken broth and lemon juice until smooth.
    Add the salmon, sour cream, onion and salt, mix well until blended.

    Pipe into shells or onto crackers, etc.
    Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

    Sprinkle with dill or top with caviar.

  • Shrimp Butter

    Shrimp Butter
    Shrimp Butter
    (Makes 1 cup)

    2 cans baby shrimp, 10 oz, mashed
    1½ sticks butter, soft
    1 onion, chopped, small
    2 tblsp lemon juice
    3 tblsp mayonnaise
    ½ tsp dried parsley
    ½ tsp black pepper

    NOTES: You can substitute cream cheese for mayonnaise, or even add a combination of both.

    Mix all together, refrigerate over night. Serve with crackers.

  • Sweet Potato Pie

    Sweet Potato Pie
    Sweet Potato Pie
    (Makes 3 - 9 inch - pies, serves 6-8 per pie)


    Pie Crust 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 1/2 tsp sugar
    1 tsp salt
    1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter
    3/8 cup (6 tblsp) ice water

    Pie Filling
    3 lb large sweet potato, 4 potatoes
    1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
    2 cups white sugar
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
    1/4 tsp ground ginger
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    4 large eggs
    1 tblsp self-rising flour
    1/4 cup buttermilk
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 tblsp fresh lemon juice


    NOTES: Trust me, you'll want to make all 3 pies! I made 2, 9 inch pies and a random amount of 1 inch and 4 inch personal pies. Check that the crust is not getting too dark 45 minutes into baking. If you have the time, I recommend the slow method, oven at 350°F. 1 inch pies for 30 minutes, 4 inch pies for 50 minutes. As pie protocol dictates, if the crusts edge get too dark, cover the crusts with foil and finish baking.
     

    In a food processor, pulse several times to combine the all-purpose flour, and 1/2 tsp each salt and sugar.

    Add the cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea size pieces remaining.

    Add 6 tblsp ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if needed, add up to 2 more tblsp ice water, 1 tblsp at a time). Do not overmix.

    Turn out onto work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Split the dough into 3 equal pieces. Flatten each piece of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

    Place the dough on a floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Using the knuckles of your hand, press edges of dough to help prevent cracking when you roll it out. Repeat for each piece of dough.

    Roll the dough to a 14-inch round. Using parchment paper, lift and wrap the dough around the rolling pin, being careful to unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Fit it into the bottom and along the sides of the plate, being careful not to stretch or tear dough. Repeat for each piece of dough.

    With a paring knife, trim the dough 1" over the plate then fold under and seal to form a rim. Crimp the rim with a fork or your fingertips. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork. Repeat for each piece of dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

    Boil or bake potatoes until tender.

    Remove the skin and discard, place in a mixer and blend until smooth.

    Pre-heat oven to 365˚F.

    Add the melted butter, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Combine well.

    Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well in between each egg.
    Add the flour, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon extract and mix well.

    Fill each of your pies with 1/3 of the pie filling.
    Bake for about 1 hour or until the center of the pie is set.

  • Tzatziki Sauce

    Tzatziki Sauce
    Tzatziki Sauce
    (Makes 1¼ cups)


    2 cloves garlic
    1 cup Greek whole milk yogurt
    1 tblsp lemon juice
    ⅓ large English cucumber
    ¾ tblsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 tsp salt
    1 tsp mint or dill (or both)
    Salt & Pepper to taste


    NOTES:
     

    Peel and then dice the cucumber, sprinkle salt on it and leave in a colander, place a weighted plate on top of the cucumber to help drain the liquid. Dry the cucumber with a paper towel.

    In a food processor, add the garlic, run the processor, then add lemon juice and while running the processor drizzle the olive oil in slowly. Mix with the herbs, S&P and cucumber, stir all into the yogurt. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so the flavors can merge together.

    Enjoy!