Seafood

Just me for dinner tonight. Well, not really dinner, more of a snack while I was making the lemon tart for tomorrow. These are good and quick to make, but very spicy.

• Salt & Pepper Shrimp with Garlic & Chile (Fine Cooking #97, February 2009, p. 90)

Kent came for dinner tonight, a pre-ZAP planning meeting (we're all volunteer leads for the Good Eats & Zin event). Whole Foods had both halibut and their sustainable Chilean sea bass... sea bass is my favorite, and it was half the price. So I went with the sea bass. We really liked the fish and the salsa a lot. The blood orange salad didn't do much for us.

Larry loves carrot cake. I don't but I make it occasionally anyway. He loved this version. The cream cheese frosting is spectacular.

• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Sear-Roasted Sea Bass with Blood Orange Salsa (Fine Cooking #97, February 2009, p. 42)
• Blood Orange & Radicchio Salad with Hazelnuts & Shaved Parmigiano (Fine Cooking #97, February 2009, p. 42)
• Lemony Salt-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (Food & Wine, October 2006)
• Classic Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (Fine Cooking #97, February 2009, p. 72)

Wine: Four Vines 2005 Naked Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County, California). Tonight's dinner just wasn't going to match with a red, with all of the oranges, so we reluctantly pulled out one of our few whites. If I'm going to drink a California Chardonnay, I like it unoaked, like this one. Pretty good.

I made these shrimp salad rolls for a quick and light weeknight dinner. We love lobster rolls (the best in the area are at Old Port Lobster Shack), but Larry wasn't overly crazy about these. I liked them and would make them again for myself.

• Shrimp Salad Rolls with Tarragon & Chives (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 82a)

These scallops are a quick and really delicious weeknight meal. We really loved the addition of hoisin to the scallops.

• Hoisin-Glazed Scallops with Spinach & Cilantro (Fine Cooking #9, January 2009, p. 114a)
• Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta (Fine Cooking #57, May 2003, p. 86C)

A somewhat quick weeknight dinner. I prepped everything while the squash was roasting. Cooking the fish and the final squash preparation went really quickly. I'm not a huge fan of tilapia, but I liked it like this.

• Vietnamese Tilapia with Turmeric & Dill (Fine Cooking #95, November 2008, p. 94a)
• Spaghetti Squash with Indian Spices (Fine Cooking #95, November 2008, p. 56)

Jay was over for Sunday dinner - I try to do fish on Sundays as much as possible, mainly because it's healthy but also because that's what Jay likes to eat! This salmon was excellent. I loved it, even though it was fully of mushrooms. Shiitakes aren't so bad because the texture isn't so chewy and they're sliced up in this recipe. We also loved the squash. I was looking for something different and was unsure about the grapes, but it actually turned out really nice. The pudding - good, but not thick enough.

We really liked this simple dinner. I tend to like fish with Asian flavors. The noodles were really good, too.

• Lemon-Ginger Poached Halibut with Leeks & Spinach (Fine Cooking #95, November 2008, p. 94a)
• Mint & Scallion Soba Noodles (Gourmet, June 2001)

Jay joined us for grilled salmon tonight, cooked on the grill and marinated in soy sauce, green onions, honey and brown sugar. We liked everything on the menu tonight. I thought the leeks were different and really special. Jay especially liked the little chocolate cakes.

• Grilled Salmon
• Butter-Steamed Leeks with Fresh Tarragon (The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, p. 283)
• Corn Sauté with Ginger, Garilc & Fresh Cilantro (Fine Cooking #87, September 2007, p. 37)
• Warm Potato Salad with Pancetta and Brown Butter Dressing (Food & Wine, July 2008
• Little French Fudge Cakes (The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, p. 313)

Wine: Williams Selyem 2004 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, California). Really good, fruity and supple. I've never had a Pinot for Williams Selyem that I don't like.

These shrimp were very good and really quick to make, but I think they would have been better if I would have uses shell-off shrimp for the soak in the brine. Larry loved the green beans (he was craving Chinese long beans), but they were a little spicy for me.

• Plumped Ginger-Caramel Shrimp (The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, p. 227)
• Schezuan Green Bean (Hot Vegetables, p. 57)

The star of tonight's dinner was The tomato salad. All tomatoes came from our yard. The salads are pretty big (and really beautiful) and I was somewhat full after eating mine. I wasn't crazy about the tuna burgers, but I'm not a big fan of tuna in the first place.

• Fresh Tuna Burgers with Ginger & Cilantro (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 48)
• Thai-Style Dipping Sauce (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 48)
• Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with Parmesan Crisps & Herb Salad (Fine Cooking #94, September 2008, p. 43)
• Farro with Portobellos & Thyme (Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way, p. 217)

Wine: David Bruce 2005 Pinot Noir (Central Coast, California). Eh.

I really liked this salad. The dressing is made with avocado and is made in the food processor so it comes together really quick. I used frozen shrimp that I poached in lime-flavored water, as suggested in the cookbook - a great trick to achieve flavorful shrimp quickly.

• Crisp Cucumber Shrimp in Retro Goddess Dressing (The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper, p. 34)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I've been eyeing the beautiful steelhead fillets at Whole Foods for a while now, so we finally decided to try it. Neither Larry or Jay had eaten steelhead before either, so I decided to just broil it with some salt and pepper. It was delicious! Kind of buttery and a little rich. The flavor is similar to salmon but not as strong.

• Broiled Steelhead
• Potatoes Fondantes (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 59)
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Olive Oil

Wine: Copain 2004 Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Not Larry's favorite, but I love Copain wines more and more.

A fairly quick dinner tonight. I had planned on doing something different with the green beans but was too tired so I just tossed them with sliced shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted them. The scallops were good, nothing overly special.

• Seared Scallops With Tarragon-Butter SauceGourmet, March 2008
• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Chives (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 61)
• Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Garlic

Jay wasn't in town tonight, so we invited our neighbor Chris over for dinner instead. We probably won't be having much more salmon this year due to the cancellation of the season, but this was really good. I love lentils. I thought the idea of the potatoes was good, but they weren't as creamy as I like my potatoes. We all loved the tart, though.

• Salmon With Lentils And Mustard-Herb Butter (Gourmet, March 2008)
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes With Caramelized Shallots (Epicurious, November 2007)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Honey and Pine Nut Tart (Dolce Italiano, p. 145)

Wine: Copain 2004 Hacienda Secoya Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Copain Pinots are becoming a favorite for me, and nothings more perfect with salmon than Pinot Noir.

I have been wanting to make these scallops ever since I saw the recipe, but I was waiting until I could get fresh peas, which I love. This recipe makes a lot of puree, and it could probably be halved. It was really good, though. We were surprised that we liked the potatoes so much. I tend to like potatoes that have been roasted, with that nice brown and crisp exterior. I used fingerlings for these and they turned out delicious. Very buttery and creamy.

• Seared Scallops with Pea Purée, Crisp Pancetta & Gremolata (Fine Cooking #92, back cover)
• Braised Fingerling Potatoes with Thyme & Butter (Fine Cooking #91, p. 42)

Tonight's dinner was a little rushed at the end - it seemed like prep took me forever, and then the last ten minutes I was doing everything at once. Everything somehow finished on time and was good, though. Larry and Jay liked the salmon a lot. I had waited to make this so I could gather some specialty ingredients for it - sumac powder and fennel pollen. Both optional, but I'm glad I waited. The sumac is an interesting spice. The fennel pollen gets sprinkled on top just before serving. And the green beans? I took about 3 on my plate, because I don't particularly like green beans, especially sauteed crisp-tender like this. But these were good!

We also really liked the cake, although it could have spent a few minutes less in the oven. I had a hard time judging doneness for some reason.

• Spice-Rubbed & Sear-Roasted Salmon with Honey-Glazed Fennel (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 49)
• Sauteed Green Beans with Roasted Red Pepper (Test Recipe)
• Smashed Red-Skinned Potatoes with Boursin & Scallions (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 47)
• Citrus-Glazed Polenta Cake (Dolce Italiano, p. 86)

Wine: Loring 2004 Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, Californa). I like this wine, but I think it's a little too Pinot-y for Larry.

Yet another really good meal tonight. It was just Larry and I since Jay's out of town. Everything was so easy to make. We loved the potatoes, and the carrots were very sweet but delicious. The halibut, newly in season, could have been cooked plain with just salt and pepper, but it was good like this too. The recipe called for cod, but it was perfect with halibut (the recipe is also in the cookbook Cooking New American.

• Halibut Fillets with Mustard-Tarragon Crumb Crust (Fine Cooking #12, December 1995 2007, p. 49)
• Baby Yukon Potato Salad with Shallots, Chives, Bacon & Lemon Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #91, March 2008, p. 43)
• Maple Pan-Roasted Baby Carrots (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, p. 53)

Whole Foods was fresh out of halibut, so I went with my other favorite fish - sustainable Chilean sea bass. We loved the flavors in this fish and I actually think the sea bass was a better choice. We really liked the cabbage, but I will never make it again because the process of cooking fish sauce at a high temperature about killed us (noxious odors and we couldn't stop coughing).

• Chinese Five-Spice Chilean Sea Bass with Pickled Red Pepper & Ginger (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 47)
• Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with Garlic, Fresh Chile & Basil (Fine Cooking #84, March 2008, p. 56)

This recipe called for Haddock or Cod, but halibut season just opened up so I picked halibut instead. We loved this dish. Lucky Amy got to try it early as a Fine Cooking tester, and even got her name in print in the magazine! The mashed potatoes were good, but I prefer the buttermilk mashed potatoes I usually make instead.

• Sear-Roasted Halibut with Horseradish Aïoli & Lemon-Zest Breadcrumbs (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 48)
• Butter Lettuce with Creamy Black Pepper Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Fine Cooking #92, May 2008, p. 60)

Wine: Ramazzotti 2005 Zin-Giovese (Dry Creek Valley, California). The article suggested a rosé, which we don't buy a lot of - but this one was nice with the fish.

This fish was good, but not something I'd make again. The batter was a little odd in texture and wasn't crisp enough. The potatoes were really good, though.

• Oven-Fried Beer Battered Fish (Test Recipe)
• Garlicky Roasted Potatoes with Herbs (Cooking Light, December 2006)

This chowder was really easy for a quick weeknight meal, and very tasty too. Definitely something to make again. I keep canned crab on hand that I get at Costco, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. My milk curdled a little bit because I let it boil. Still good.

• Corn and Crab Chowder (Bon Appétit, January 2008)

This fish looked good, and Larry and Jay thought it was okay, but I didn't like it. I used Chilean sea bass from Whole Foods (instead of cod), usually one of my most favorite fish. This method of preparation left the fish too moist. Plus I don't like mushrooms. The fennel was good, and the orzo was excellent. I love orzo. These cookies are a big hit, too. Very chocolate-y.

Chocolate chews
From Tassajara Cookbook, by Karla Oliveira
Makes about 4 dozen

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In double boiler, melt together the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, butter and coffee. Meanwhile, beat eggs and brown sugar together until light in color and thick. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Let chocolate mixture cool slightly and then whisk into eggs and sugar. Stir in vanilla extract and then gently fold in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

• Cod with Mushrooms, Garlic & Vermouth (Fine Cooking #90, December 2007, p. 86a)
• Orzo with Lemon, Garlic, Parmigiano & Herbs (Fine Cooking #90, p. 44)
• Braised Fennel with Tomato, Green Olives & Capers (Fine Cooking #90, p. 50)

Just a nice bit of halibut for Larry, Jay and I tonight, cooked stove-top on the grill pan. I love halibut this way, and it's got such a delicate flavor it really doesn't need anything besides some salt and pepper. This corn saute was our favorite out of the three I've made recently. The roasted veggies were pretty good like this.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Corn Sauté with Ginger, Garilc & Fresh Cilantro (Fine Cooking #87, September 2007, p. 37)
• Roasted Root Vegetables with Moroccan-Style Spice Rub (Fine Cooking #88, November 2007, p. 56)

Wine: Parker Station 2005 Pinot Noir (Central Coast, California).

Tonight was a quick dinner for Larry, Jay and I. Seared scallops and spinach are always quick, plus they're both healthy and yummy. Larry threw some sweet potato slices on the grill. I made another test recipe. Spice cake is a favorite of Larry's. This was pretty good, not the best. I wasn't that crazy about the cream cheese frosting.

• Seared Scallops
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes
• Wilted Spinach with Garlic
• Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting(Test Recipe)

Amy and I had these sandwiches the first time when she was visiting and we went to the Ferry Plaza farmer's market. Chef Chad Callahan was showing a demo, and we got big samples of the sandwiches. I really like these because they're different. I made these up ahead of time and stored them tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until it was time to eat them.

Saigon Salmon Sandwiches
(makes 4 servings)

Marinade
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 scallions
3 large cloves garlic

Sandwiches
4 wild salmon fillets, without skin (about 5 oz. each)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons tartar sauce or mayonnaise
4 Acme torpedo rolls or solft rolls, lightly toasted
2 cups grated carrots
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree until the aromatics are minced finely. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade. Immerse the salmon fillets in the remaining marinade and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove the fish from the marinade; sprinkle with the black pepper and brush evenly with the oil. Grill or broil the chicken over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or to desired doneness.

4. Spread the tartar sauce or mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Layer the carrots and jalapeno on the bottom halves. Place the salmon on the vegetables, drizzle with the reserved marinade and top with the cilantro.

• Saigon Salmon Sandwiches (Fish, Sausaulito)

Tonight we had Susan plus her three kids, Edith and Jay over to celebrate Jay's birthday. We grilled up some plain chicken breasts for the kids, and the adults got yummy seared salmon and spinach. This cheesecake is really delicious.

• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach (Bon Appétit, April 1999)
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio with Chives, Tomatoes & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)
• Triple-Chocolate Cheesecake (Fine Cooking #57, May 2003, p. 53)

Wine: We served three Pinots from three different producers, all out of the Russian River Valley. They were all delicious.
- 2003 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California)
- 2005 Sonnet Kruse Vineyard Pinot Noir (York Mountain, California)
- 2002 David Bruce Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California)

This quick weeknight dinner, and it was really good. We loved these burgers. Definitely a make-again.

• Wasabi Salmon Burgers (Eating Well, June/July 2005)
• Butter Lettuce and Radiccio with Tomatoes & Lemon Poppyseed Dressing (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p. 48)

I instantly knew I would like this salad when I saw the recipe. Crab, shrimp, avocado, butter lettuce and toasted coconut. Yum! Larry even liked it - even though he's not crazy about coconut. It added a nice bit of crunch and sweetness. I want to make this again.

• Coconut Crab & Shrimp Salad (Cooking Light, October 2005)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Jay was here for Sunday dinner as usual. The fish was excellent, but I used halibut instead of flounder (not available). The peas were to die for. I picked up a bunch at the farmer's market. Larry especially liked them. I'm a huge fan of bread salads, but none of us were that crazy about the fattoush.

• Broiled Flounder with Parmesan "Caesar" Glaze (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 65)
• Fattoush (Fine Cooking #15, July 1996, p. 35)
• Fresh Peas with Lemon and Chives (Fine Cooking #45, July 2001, p. 46)
• Lattice-Top Blueberry Pie (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 68)

Wine: Rosenblum 2005 Rousanne (Santa Barbara County, California). Rousanne is one of the few whites that I really like. This is a really nice wine, floral and spicy, and perfect with dinner tonight.

This was a relatively quick weeknight dinner, but we weren't crazy about the shrimp. I like my shrimp seared or sauteed or broiled or grilled - something that will brown it a bit on the outside. This dish probably would have been better broiled. The fennel-feta-tomato combination was good, though.

• Baked Shrimp with Fennel & Feta (Fine Cooking #73, September 2005, p. 86C)
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo (Cooking Light, March 2004)
• Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Jay and Larry both loved the sea bass (as usual, the sustainably-raised version from Whole Foods). I liked it but I thought the cumin was a little overpowering for the delicate flavor of the sea bass. Larry's really into cumin right now. We all really liked the salad a lot too.

• Cumin-Crusted Chilean Sea Bass (Cooking Light, December 2001)
• Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing (Cooking Light, March 2003)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 51)

Wine: Williams Selyem 2004 Sonoma County Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, California). Yum, I love this style of Pinot Noir. Soft and tastes a little like a sour cherry candy, with a bit of spice.

We were just so-so on the linguine tonight. I don't know what it was about it. Larry said he didn't like the chorizo - but it's the good Spanish chorizo I normally buy. I thought there was too much linguine (I used whole wheat, by the way). I made half a recipe, which should have served 2-3, but I think we could have served two more people. I don't like having leftover seafood.

• Linguine with Shrimp & Chorizo (Fine Cooking #83, January 2007, p. 82A)
• Butter Lettuce with Poppy Seed & Tarragon-Crème Fraîche Dressing (Fine Cooking #86, July 2007, p. 49)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

This was a good weeknight dinner. We both really liked the shrimp. The recipe is also in Fine Cooking's Quick & Delicious 2006 special issue. I used bagged frozen shrimp from Whole Foods - already cleaned but not peeled. Even faster, the bagged frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's is peeled and cleaned.

Jay was here again for the last of the weekend's halibut. This was also good, but I like the crust from last night's a little better. The tzatziki was especially tasty. I need to make this orzo more often. It's very flavorful and satisfying.

• Fennel-Marinated Halibut with Fennel Tzatziki (Cooking Light, September 2002)
• Wilted Fennel & Spinach Salad (Fine Cooking #63, Feb/March 2004, p. 83C)
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo (Cooking Light, March 2004)

Wine: Grk 2005 (Korcula, Croatia). We picked up this white wine last fall in Croatia. We got one of the last bottles of the 2005. This wine was allegedly brought to the region in 500 B.C. It's from the Lumbarda region of the island of Korcula (an absolutely beautiful place). This wine is pretty famous in Croatia. I liked it.

This is an all-Jay weekend - he was here for dinner again tonight, since I bought over two pounds of halibut today. I love halibut and this dish is really delicious.

• Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli (Cooking Light, March 2004)
• Butter Lettuce with Poppy Seed & Tarragon-Crème Fraîche Dressing (Fine Cooking #86, July 2007, p. 49)
• Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions (Cooking Light, December 2002)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. No real plan for dinner, other than I wanted to make fish and the chocolate mousse that had been calling to me from the latest issue of Fine Cooking. The halibut was good - if I make it again, I'll cut back on the sherry vinegar. The potatoes (recipe also found in Fine Cooking's Quick & Delicious 2004 special issue) and gratin (recipe also found in Fine Cooking's Side dish 2007 special issue) were also good.

The mousse was a big hit. Not only was it really, really easy to make, it was utterly delicious. Jay especially loved it.

• Sear-Roasted Halibut with Roasted Red Pepper Purée (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, p. 84A)
• Butternut Squash Gratin with Onion & Sage (Fine Cooking #17, November 1996, p. 44)
• Pan-Fried Red Potatoes with Pancetta & Rosemary (Fine Cooking #71, May 2005, p. 10)
• Bourbon-Chocolate Mousse (Fine Cooking #85, May 2007, Back Cover)

Wine: Sea Smoke 2002 Botella Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills, California). Excellent, excellent wine. Our friend Ralph gave this wine to Larry for his 40th birthday. We've managed to purchase two bottles of this in the past and have absolutely loved it. It's relatively inexpensive, but so difficult to get. We're on Sea Smoke's mailing list, and were only allocated one bottle last year. This vintage has bright cherry fruit and is really well-balanced.

After a week of mediocre cruise food, I was really ready for a homecooked meal. I picked up some (previously frozen) king salmon at Whole Foods - fish sounded good. This dish was easy to make, and the sauce was nice with the potatoes. It didn't really wow me - or Larry or Jay, either. I think I like salmon seared better, so it gets that crispy crust. I like my regular wilted spinach better too - just garlic and oilve oil. These are my favorite mashed potatoes lately - heavy on the buttermilk, light on the butter.

I've been craving crab, and since I love avocado I thought this salad would be yummy. It was good, but not as good as I had hoped. I don't know, it needed something more.

I was all set to make a pork roast tonight, and at the last minute decided on halibut instead. I love fennel and tomatoes together. Everything was really good, even the Brussels sprouts. I made one substitution and used pecans instead of hazelnuts, since I'm not a halzelnut fan. All of these recipes are also in Fine Cookings Quick & Delicious 2006 special issue.

• Halibut Braised in a Tomato-Fennel Broth (Fine Cooking #60, November 2003, p. 55)
• Red Potatoes Roasted with Onions, Thyme & Sherry Vinegar (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 53)
• Browned Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts & Lemon (Cooking New American, p. 193)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2003 Reserve Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). A nice Pinot. The folks at Sapphire Hill are really nice and make pretty decent wine.

I picked this out only because I happened to have this issue of Fine Cooking sitting out. I've suffered from an icky cold all week, and by the time I finished cooking I just wanted to go to bed. So Jay and Larry got to enjoy this meal without me. They said it was good - especially the ragout and the salad.

• Chicken & Shrimp Ragout with Curry Spices (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)
• Toasted Almond Rice (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)
• Spinach & Cucumber Salad with Yogurt-Mint Dressing (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, so I made fish - he usually prefers fish to meat, and I realized I hadn't made salmon in over a year. It's so difficult to make the right choices when it comes to fish. Tonight I picked up previously frozen king salmon, which is still in abundant supply. This was an excellent dish - I loved the beans and kale.

• Broiled Salmon with a White Bean, Kale & Bacon Ragoût (Fine Cooking #63, March 2004, p. 82c)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Williams-Selyem 2001 Russian River Pinot Noir (Russian River , California). Yum. So glad we're on the mailing list at Williams-Selyem.

I was craving fish tonight. We don't usually eat Chilean sea bass - unfortunately, my favorite fish is on the "don't eat" list because it's overfished. So I miss out. However, Whole Foods just started carrying it (previously frozen) from a sustainable fishery. And oh, how I missed it. Really, really good. I loved it in this dish. The fennel was creamy, and the spicy tomato set it off really nicely. The kale was good, too - I used dino kale, as usual.

• Chilean Sea Bass, Fennel, Tomatoes (Gourmet, March 2003)
• Kale with Pancetta & Marjoram (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 85)

Jay came for dinner - I made the rest of the dishes from the tapas party, and added the butternut squash salad again, because I thought Jay would like it (he did). Both Jay and Larry thought they would rather have plain chocolate instead of the toasted bread with chocolate, but I liked it. The shrimp was okay, a little bland.

• Seared Shrimp with Pimentón & Sherry (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 82)
• Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Salad with Spiced-Pecan Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 58)
• Toasted Bread with Chocolate (Fine Cooking #81, November 2006, p. 82)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2001 Reserve Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, California). Drinkable, but nothing fantastic.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I didn't have any pineapple juice concentrate, so I used orange instead. The whole dinner turned out really well, and Larry especially liked the green beans. The recipe calls for asparagus, which I hate - so I used young, tender green beans instead. The bamboo rice didn't especially impress Larry and Jay. It's pretty, and tastes kind of like green tea, but it's not a showstopper. The scallops and green beans are also in the Fall 2003 Quick and Delicious special issue.

• Seared Scallops with Pineapple-Ginger Sauce (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 82b)
• Ginger-Sesame Green Beans (Fine Cooking #45, July 2001, p. 46)
• Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
• Bamboo rice

Wine: 2003 Sapphire Hill Bastoni Vineyard Palomino (Sonoma County, California).

For Jay's birthday, I made him halbut on the grill pan (yum), and he requested something chocolate-y for dessert. No problem there. The Chocolate Pot Pies are always a hit. He also mentioned that he had a good hot bacon vinaigrette on a spinach salad at a restaurant recently, so I thought I'd try this recipe - it also has roasted sweet potatoes in the salad, and it's really good. I'm on a salad kick lately.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Hot Cider-Bacon Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #13, February/March 1996, p. 36)
• Summer Wheatberry Salad (Fine Cooking #28, September 1998, p. 39)
• Chocolate-RaspberryPot Pies (Just a Bite, Gale Gand, p. 228)

Wine: Pisoni Estate 1999 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, California). We picked this up a few years ago at a liquor store in Monterey. It wasn't a wine that was easy to get, nor was it inexpensive. However, it was a little dissappointing. Not that it was a bad wine. But a Pisoni-made Pinot from Santa Lucia Highlands? I expected fabulous.

I picked up some fresh halibut yesterday, not knowing how I was going to cook it tonight. A glance at this issue of Fine Cooking revealed a yummy-sounding recipe for halibut along with recipes for potatoes and a salad. Jay was here for dinner, and he and Larry liked everything.

The dates were an experiment based on a dish we had earlier in the month at a restaurant. I only used a drop of honey in the cheese mixture, but they were still very sweet. Good, but I think I prefer dates stuffed with goat cheese.

I thought the potatoes were good, especially since they had no butter. I loved the sage with the halibut but wasn't that crazy about the prosciutto wrapped around it. I loved the salad because it was different, and I obsess over finding interesting salads. I especially love Boston lettuce and I liked the texture that the hard-boiled eggs (pushed through a fine sieve) added to the vinaigrette.

Larry requested the crisp, but I didn't have any. Reports came back positive. I thought it was a good dinner overall, especially since I didn't even start making it until 6, and we were at the dinner table by 7:30.

• Lemon Mascarpone-Stuffed Dates (Food & Wine, January 2006)
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter Sauce (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Smashed Parslied Potatoes (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Boston Lettuce Wedges with Mimosa Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p.90c)
• Blueberry-Cherry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and we decided to have halibut again since it was so good last week. The recipe calls for Swordfish steaks, but I used Halibut fillets on the grill pan instead. I'm not that crazy about swordfish - and anyway, imported swordfish is on the "avoid" list at Seafood Watch. This was really tasty. The recipe is also in the Fine Cooking Fall 2004 Quick & Delicious special issue. The spinach was too cooked for my taste, but Jay and Larry really liked it - I definitely need to make more next time. This recipe is also in the Fine Cooking Fresh 2006 special issue.

• Halibut with Browned Butter and Red Pepper Sauce (Fine Cooking #52, September 2002, p. 86B)
  
• Spinach Braised with Chickpeas (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 82C)
  

Jay came over for dinner tonight. Halibut is in season, so we put some fillets on the grill and made a nice sauce to go with it. It was really good. Paired with a bunch of grilled veggies, it was a really, really nice dinner.

• Halibut with Tomato-Tarragon Cream Sauce (Weber's Art of the Grill, p. 127)
• Grilled Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes and Summer Squash

Wine: Rio Seco 2003 Roussanne (Paso Robles, California). Larry and I picked up this nice wine on our last trip to Paso Robles. It's a good summer wine.

Amy and I made seared scallops for dinner, and we even let Gary have some too. We picked an herb butter sauce for the scallops so we could soak up the sauce with more Ciabatta. The secret to perfect scallops is to buy dry (untreated) scallops, dry them off carefully, and try to get the freshest, most sweet smelling scallops possible. Central Market came through with nearly perfect scallops. We also picked up some marinated fresh mozzarella and used the oil to dress our salad greens.

• Seared Scallops with Herb Butter Sauce (Fine Cooking #72, July 2005, p. 49)
• Ciabatta (No Need to Knead, p. 49)
• Salad Greens with Marinated Fresh Mozzarella

Wine: Kim Crawford 2004 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand). Yum - I think New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite white wine.

I was kind of hoping for flounder tonight, but Whole Foods didn't have any. So trout it was for Fish Friday. This was good, but not good enough that I'd make it again. I much prefer the mustard-crusted trout that I make from Cooking Light. I think Larry felt the same way.

• Roasted Trout with Lemon & Walnut-Browned Butter (Fine Cooking #78, May 2006, p. 86C)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Red Potatoes with Butter and Dill

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and this meal was easy, easy easy. The trout can be prepared in about ten minutes, and so can the potatoes. Larry loves these potatoes. The trout ended up with some sunflower seeds on top because the bread I used was whole wheat with sunflower seeds.

Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout
1 1/2 (1-ounce) slices sourdough bread, torn
2 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse until crumbly. Place the trout, skin side down, on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Combine mustard and tarragon; spread over top of fish. Sprinkle fish with breadcrumbs and paprika; lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

• Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout (Cooking Light, December 2003, p. 208)
• Skillet-Roasted Rosemary Potaotes (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 18)
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic

Wine:
- Sapphire Hill 2002 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Unremarkable. More of a weeknight wine.
- Rosenblum 2003 Rosie Rabbit Late Harvest Zinfandel (California). Yum, yum, yum! We had this yesterday at a Rosenblum open house (they have one every quarter). Jay brought this over and it's really yummy.

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and it was an especially good meal. Larry and I picked up salmon and apples at the farmer's market, and I made the delicata squash and spinach because that's what I had in the house. Yum!

- Larry and Jay both loved the salmon and squash, and so did I. Larry says it's a definite make-again. It was really quick and easy to make - always a plus. I loved the creamy tarragon sauce and the shallots.
- I love delicata squash, and it's perfect this way - just sautéed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Deborah Madison rocks.
- I was thinking about making an apple dessert - turnovers in particular. I mentioned it to Larry, and it turns out that apple turnovers are one of his very favorite foods. How did I not know this after all these years? I used Mutsu apples for the turnovers, the only apples I ever use for baking (also known as Pippin). The turnovers were pretty easy to make, although a few of them started to fall apart in the oven. I was torn between this recipe and one in Baking Illustrated. The Baking Illustrated recipe used grated apple and the pastry looks flakier. I ended up choosing this one because the pastry needed less time in the refrigerator. And I'm not sure about using grated apples, although I trust Cook's Illustrated recipes. These were really, really delicious. Not too sweet, with a light and flaky pastry.

• Seared Salmon on Baby Spinach (Bon Appétit, April 1999)
• Delicata Squash Rings (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, p. 440)
• Apple Turnovers (Fine Cooking 41, November 2000, p. 81)

Wine: Martinelli 2001 Bondi Home Ranch Pinot Noir. Yum. We drank the whole bottle. Pinot and salmon were made for each other.

My friend Scott strongly hinted that he would love for me to make him some of the Sweet Black Pepper Fish that he saw on this site last week. I complied, because I love getting requests for dishes (no menu planning), and this one was really easy to make.

-I used orange roughy, because the grocery only had halibut steaks. I think I like this with halibut better, but it was still good. Also, I think this dish benefits from big chunks of cracked pepper.
- I've wanted to make these cookies for a long time, and once I saw that Amy had made something similar, I became obsessed with making them. Amy's recipe came to her via Cookie Madness. I like that hers are more shiny - probably from using egg whites instead of whole eggs. Mine included a bit of butter and a LOT of chopped bittersweet chocolate (along with regular sugar). It was also a batter, not a dough. I tried three methods of dropping them onto the cookie sheets: using a pastry bag and large decorating tip (ick - nuts have to be chopped tiny to use this method, and it was way too messy), using a tablespoon (hard to make nice round piles of batter), and finally a small scooper. The scooper was the winner. I didn't think I'd like the pecans that much, but they are nice in the cookies. These are really my kind of cookie. Luckily I gave most of them away (Scott and Brian were the lucky recipients), because I can't keep my hands off of them.

• Sweet Black Pepper Fish (Cooking Light, January 2004)
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic
• Chocolate Brownie Cookies (Fine Cooking #34, September 1999, p. 49)

Larry picked this fish recipe out of Cooking Light's Simple Summer Suppers special issue. I figured I needed to make it, because I had marked the same recipe out of the magazine earlier this year. It was excellent. Larry raved about it, and wants me to make it again soon. I used halibut for the fish (my favorite). This was amazingly simple to make.

• Sweet Black Pepper Fish (Cooking Light, January 2004)
• Sugar Snap Peas with Ginger and Shallot

Wine: Ridge 2001 Lytton Estate Grenache (Dry Creek Valley, CA). This wasn't our dinner wine, but our "cooking" wine. It's nearing its end so I wanted to open it while it was still good. And it was. Fruity and very food-friendly.

I had one of those rare bad cooking nights tonight. However, the most important part turned out well - the dessert. I had it in my mind that I wanted to do fish tonight. Larry and I picked up The Turtle Bay Cookbook last year in Monterey - the authors were doing a cooking demo and a book signing at at cookware store. We had eaten at the Turtle Bay Taqueria a couple of times during our trip.

- My fishmonger didn't take the skin off of the mahi mahi. Instead of trying to cut the skin off (I really, really don't like cooking fish with the skin), I decided to use Amy's trick of broiling it on aluminum foil, so the skin sticks to the foil and the fish comes right up. I had all sorts of issues with this fish. The crust started to burn before the fish was thoroughly cooked. The skin didn't stick to the foil. This dish might have been better with halibut.
- The peach butter was odd. It didn't help that I completely forgot about it and we didn't have it with the fish at all. But when I made it, the texture was odd. Too much juice in the peaches, I think. It's been in the refrigerator all day and still is a bit goopy.
- The beans. Oh, where can I start. I usually have good luck with Bobby Flay recipes. These had a nice smoky flavor. The recipe says to cook them for an hour at 300 degrees. They have a cup of rum in them - how is all that alcohol supposed to cook off at 300 degrees? It didn't. After a half hour I finally paid attention and looked at the beans - still very saucy and smelling like rum. I bumped up the temperature to 425 so I could cook my crostata at the same time.
- The crostata was delicious and gorgeous. The puff pastry is so buttery. Larry thought it would be better with apples - in time, I will make another one. I just wanted to have one last dessert with summer fruit before I move on to apples.

• Carribean Spiced Mahi Mahi with Habanero-Peach Butter (The Turtle Bay Cookbook, p. 195)
• Honey-Rum Baked Black Beans (Bobby Flay's From My Kitchen To Your Table, p. 76)
• Peach Crostata (The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, p. 498)

Wine: Rodney Strong 2001 Chalk Hill Chardonnay (Sonoma County, California). Wow - surprisingly good. We don't usually like California Chardonnays, but this one is excellent, well balanced and not over-oaked.

This recipe uses the barbecue pork I made earlier in the week, in addition to shrimp and veggies. It was really yummy. I made my own curry powder (slightly spicy) and the noodles had just the right amount of heat. Larry really liked this dish.

• Singapore Noodles (Fine Cooking #74, November 2005, p. 65)

Another fast dinner tonight. Just salt and pepper (my favorite seasonings) for the halibut, and I cooked it on the grill pan. It was excellent. I picked up some Taboulli salad from Whole Foods on my way home. We finished the last of the one-pound carton of spinach I picked up two nights ago.

• Pan-Grilled Halibut
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic
• Taboulli

Tonight's dinner was yummy, and came together in 15 minutes. I was craving scallops.

• Pan-Seared Scallops
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic

This recipe is also in the latest Cooking Light special issue. Jay was here for dinner so we decided to make fish. Larry did most of the prep. The salmon was okay. Not fabulous. I've had better.

• Salmon with Orange-Fennel Sauce (Cooking Light, September 2002)
• Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs and Basil (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p, 51)
• Wilted Spinach with Sauteed Garlic

Wine: Williams Selyem 2001 Russian River Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Williams Selyem is a well-respected producer of Pinot Noirs. It takes six months to get on their mailing list (we're on it), so we have several of their wines. Larry was underwhelmed. I thought this was a nice Pinot, less fruit forward than I like but still nice. If I remember right, it is one of their lower-priced wines. It would have benefitted from a couple more years in the bottle.

Larry and I picked up some really nice wild salmon at the farmer's market this morning, so I make it for him and Jay for dinner. They both loved it. Although the salmon has Asian ingredients in it, it isn't so much that the entire meal needs to be Asian-themed.

The recipe for the salmon is also in the recent Cooking Light special issue, Simple Summer Suppers.

• Miso-Glazed Salmon (Cooking Light, November 2002)
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)
• Roasted Cauliflower

Wine: Sonnet 2003 York Mountain Kruse Vineyard Pinot Noir (Paso Robles, California). Love this wine. Perfect with salmon.

Amy and I made dinner for Jay and Larry tonight. We used frozen scallops, since the fresh sea scallops at Whole Foods were so pricey. Everyone really liked this dish. We had to add a bit of water to the lime juice in the pan in order to fully deglaze it.

• Scallops with Lime and Spinach (Fine Cooking #7, February/March 1995, p. 34)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Sapphire Hill 2001 Chardonnay. A nice Chard. We all enjoyed it, and it went well with the scallops.

Amy and I decided to make an easy salad for dinner tonight, since we're still recovering from last night's tapas party, and we're getting ready for another party tomorrow night. This was really easy and light. We both thought there was too much oil in the dressing, and Amy thought it needed something.

The recipe is also in the first Quick & Delicious special issue (green cover), and there are some slight differences - that recipe calls for canned beans instead of dried, and adds shrimp, to make it a main-dish salad. We decided to add grilled shrimp, but marinated it first using the recipe for Chili Lime Shrimp from Gourmet.

• Black Bean & Corn Salad (Fine Cooking #40, September 2000, p. 45)

Amy and I made tapas for eight tonight - we had Les, Katie, Rafael, Mark and Catherine over. Rafael is from Spain, so the pressure was on. We had a fairly ambitious menu, but we were well prepped and everything came together easily.

- I've made Patatas Bravas in the oven before, and I may try that method next time, but with the same Bravas salt and red sauce from this recipe.
- The mushrooms and mini-chorizos were both a big hit. The Sausages in Sherry, not so much. We got the mini-chorizo at The Spanish Table.
- The cava sangria was excellent (recipe follows). The recipe is from Jaleo, a tapas bar that Larry and I visited in Washington, DC last year. It called for a Spanish liqueur called Licor 43. It's made with vanilla and spices and is excellent. We used an very reasonably priced cava that a staff member at The Spanish Table recommended, called Parxet Cuvée 21 Brut Cava.

Jaleo Cava Sangria

Makes 1 Liter

1 bottle of cava sparkling wine from Spain, chilled
3 oz. Licor 43
3 oz. Brandy
3 oz. White Grape Juice
500 cl. Ice
3-4 Fresh Strawberries
1/2 of a Fresh Peach
4-5 White Grapes
1 bunch of Fresh Mint

Cut the fruit into bite-size pieces (or smaller). Pour the ice into a 1-liter pitcher (or larger). Slowly pour the chilled cava down the inside of the pitcher and not directly overthe ice (to keep the bubbles from fizzing away). Pour the Licor 43, brandy and white grape juice into the pitcher. Add the fruit and mint.

- We thought we would cook the shrimp in the oven. We both agreed it would have been better on the stove (according to the recipe).
- The pudding cups were excellent. I love orange-flavored chocolate. And the small ramekins were perfect.

• Fried Squid (César, Oliver Said, p. 161)
• Patatas Bravas (César, Oliver Said, p. 124)
• Alioli (César, Oliver Said, p. 195)
• Catalan Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 37)
• Gambas al Ajillo (Tapas, Penelope Casas, p. 13)
• Sizzling Sausages with Sherry (My Kitchen in Spain, Janet Mendel, p. 261)
• Manchego Cheese with Membrillo
• Istara Cheese
• Pau Goat Cheese
• Piminetos de Padron
• Mini-Chorizo
• Crema de Chocolate (César, Oliver Said, p. 191)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I was craving fish. This was okay, not great. Jay and Larry liked it. I thought the cod was too delicate to flip in the pan, and I didn't like something about the herb mixture.

For the spinach, I sauteed some garlic, added the cranberries to warm them up, then removed the pan from heat and added the spinach and salt and pepper. Yummy.

• Pan-Roasted Black Cod with Herb Rub (Fast Fish, Hugh Carpenter, p. 26)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Wilted Spinach with Garlic and Dried Cranberries

Wine: Rosenblum 2001 RustRidge Chardonnay. Not bad for a Chard.

Larry wasn't sure about this fish dish at first, but it grew on him. I really liked it. Different than the usual fish. The potatoes were excellent as usual - one of my favorite ways to have fingerling potatoes, and the yummy byproduct is some nice herb-infused oil.

• Halibut Fillets with Pine Nut & Parmesan Crust (Fine Cooking #12, December 1995/j January 1996, p. 49)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)

Wine: David Bruce 2001 Truchard (Carneros, California). I love David Bruce Pinots. This is typical of the winery style - up-front fruit, ripe, concentrated, elegant. Yum, yum. We drank the whole bottle.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I've been meaning to make this dish for several weeks, but I've been unable to find grouper. It would also be good with halibut, cod, or any other firm white fish, but I really wanted to try grouper. The dish was easy to make, although I needed to add a bit more olive oil to the pesto in order to get it to puree in the blender. The mini food processor may have worked better. I used a bamboo steamer to cook the fish - it took about 20 minutes to steam, much longer than I anticipated. Both Larry and Jay really liked this dinner. The recipe for the grouper is also in Fine Cooking's Quick and Delicious special issue (the one with the red cover).

• Steamed Grouper with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Fine Cooking #15, July 1996, p, 53)
• Mushrooms & Spinach with Soppressata Crisps (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 49)
• Orzo with Butter and Pecorino Romano

Wine: Crane Canyon 2001 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Not bad. Nothing special. From a small producer.

I bought beautiful scallops at Andronico's this weekend. Huge, and very sweet smelling. This dish was excellent - Larry and I both really liked it. It's only got a few ingredients and is easy to make. I made extra walnuts for snacking. The recipe calls for savoy spinach, which should be in season now, but I couldn't find any. I used baby spinach instead. This recipe is also in Fine Cooking's new Cooking Fresh special issue.

• Scallops with Lime and Spinach (Fine Cooking #7, February/March 1995, p. 34)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: David Coffaro 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Dry Creek Valley, California). Nice with the scallops. Decent for a Sauvignon Blanc. More in the Australian style rather than the grassy Californian style.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I haven't made this meal for about a year and a half, when Amy was here for Big Kahuna. I thought salmon would be nice since it's in season again. I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so it took me forever to put everything together. We had leftover crab cakes (the mix will keep nicely overnight).

• Crab Cakes with Chipotle Aioli (Viking Home Chef, Fabulous Fish & Shellfish class)
• Salmon with a Ragoût of Lentils and Root Vegetables (Fine Cooking #57, March 2003, p. 40)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Winter Greens with Currants, Pine Nuts and Brown Butter (Fields of Greens, Annie Somerville, p. 254)

Wine: 2001 David Bruce Bien Nacido Pommard Clone Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, California). A really nice, classic Bruce Pinot. Perfect with the salmon.

I was going to make this hash this weekend, for breakfast, but never got the chance. Since Larry's not a big fan of hash, I made it tonight, just for myself. I think I like traditional corned beef hash better, even though I don't really like corned beef on its own. Something about that mix of salty-crispy meat and potatoes really appeals to me. The salmon hash was good, though - the dilled créme fraîche was really yummy. I just had it plain, without a poached egg on top.

• Salmon Hash with Dilled Créme Fraîche (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 51)

It was just me for dinner tonight. This is a nice one-person meal that's quick to make and really yummy. I love seared scallops.

• Seared Scallop Salad (Fine Cooking #44, April/May 2001, p. 90)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. Halibut season is upon us, so Larry and I picked some up at Costco this morning. At 6pm, I really had no menu plan and started digging in the pantry and refrigerator. The halibut was excellent, the orzo was yummy, and the beets were really good also. Amazing how a simple, last-minute dinner can turn out so well.

Larry and Jay had some of the leftover roulade after dinner. Larry said it's definitely better the next day. Jay seemed to really like it.

• Grilled Halibut with Creamy Guacamole Sauce (Gourmet, October 1992)
• Orzo with Butter and Parmesan
• Oven-Roasted Baby Red, Golden and Chiogga Beets

Wine: Eric Ross 2001 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). A nice everyday Pinot we got through Locals Tasting Room.

I love bulgur, but this dish wasn't anything special. It was a decent weeknight dish. I'd characterize it as typically Cooking Light: good, not fabulous. Larry really liked the shrimp but thought the risotto was just okay. I skipped out on the garlic bread tonight, but I had a bite of Larry's - so good.

• Lemon-Mint Bulgur Risotto with Garlic Shrimp (Cooking Light, March 2005, p. 127)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I needed to do something with the leftover salmon from Sunday night. I didn't exactly make this recipe, just the salmon burger part. I used pesto from Trader Joe's, and the only other ingredient in the burgers was salt and pepper. We had the burgers on toasted whole-grain bread with mayo and microgreens. Very good, but they'd be better grilled since the aroma really stuck around the house.

• Salmon Burgers Provençale with Tomato Relish (The Carefree Cook, p. 84)

We had our regular grilled salmon tonight (Jay was here for dinner), but instead of marinating in honey (along with garlic, soy sauce and green onion), I used maple syrup. Larry and I both think honey works better. We had potatoes and salad leftover from last night, and I decided to try something different with the rest of the Brussels sprouts that were still in the refrigerator. Everyone liked these. I didn't have pancetta, so I used Niman Ranch cured bacon - which was a fairly significant change to the recipe, but it was still pretty good. Oh, and I didn't add the water at the end of the recipe.

I had all sorts of problems with these cookies. I really wanted them to turn out, because I had something similar from Central Market the last time I visited Amy in Austin. The dough was way too dry - I reviewed what I did, and don't see anything different - except I weighed my flour like I usually do, instead of measuring. I usually calculate 5 ounces per cup - maybe that was too much? Larry thought these tasted just like the tops to my chocolate pot pies. The spice is very subtle - I'd like to add a bit more pepper.

• Grilled Salmon with Garlic, Green Onion, Soy Sauce and Maple Syrup
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta (Gourmet, January 2001)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 51)
• Spinach & Basil Salad with Tomatoes, Candied Walnuts & Warm Bacon Dressing (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 55)
• Spicy Chocolate Cookies (Real Simple, November 2004, p, 258)

Wine: David Bruce 2000 Brousseau Vineyard Pinot Noir (Chalone, California). Oh, so yummy. Much more full bodied than last night's Pinot, but still had hints of cherry.

I've been wanting to make these scallops for a while now. They're really good, and the sauce is a breeze. The recipe calls for homemade Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato salsa (from the same cookbook), but I used Frontera Jalapeño-Cilantro bottled salsa instead. The recipe can also be found on the Frontera Kitchens web site, here. Larry thought the sauce would be really good with chicken.

I've been using my new convection toaster oven (Cuisinart) to roast cauliflower, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper. It turns out really well - almost melts in your mouth, toasty brown on the outside and tender on the inside.

• Seared Sea Scallops with Jalapeño Cream (Salsas That Cook, Rick Bayless, p. 106)
• Roasted Cauliflower

Larry's dad is still here so I made dinner again last night. I followed Amy's example and used halibut instead of cod tonight. It was good, and the halibut holds together better than the cod. I had a head of regular cauliflower and a head of purple cauliflower. No taste difference, but I liked the way it came out (visually).

• Pan-Seared Halibut with Creamy Fennel Ragout (Gourmet, December 2003)
• Roast Cauliflower with Shallots, Tarragon and Lemon (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 52)
• Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Walnuts & Ricotta Salata (Fine Cooking #53, November 2002, p. 94C)

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California).

This is what Larry picked out for last night's dinner. Unfortunately, I fell asleep right around the time I should have been making dinner, so it didn't get made. I made it for my lunch today, instead. I used farmed salmon, from Trader Joe's. It was a nice, mild fish - Norwegian farmed. This was really easy to make, and I like the top-of-stove to oven roasting technique. Larry really liked it.

• Indian-Spiced Roast Salmon (The Best of Cooking Light, Quick and Easy Around the Clock, p. 82)

I wanted fish tonight, and was close to making an Asian-inspired recipe with a white fish. The fishmonger at Whole Foods suggested rock cod as a substitute for (very expensive) striped bass. At the last minute, I decided to make this recipe instead. I had two bulbs of fennel in the refrigerator, so I made a full recipe of the ragout. It wasn't exactly low-cal, but it was excellent. We mainly ate the fennel and skipped eating most of the creamy sauce. Larry loved this dinner. It was really easy to make and came together quickly.

• Pan-Seared Cod with Creamy Fennel Ragout (Gourmet, December 2003)
• Delicata Squash Rings (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, p. 440)

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California). We still have a few bottles left. A nice white.

Jay came for dinner tonight. Larry chose this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks. It was good - Larry really liked it, and Jay and I thought it was just good. Jay didn't really like the texture of the bay scallops. I used frozen peas instead of fresh, because fresh were nowhere to be found. I'm not a huge fan of pasta with seafood, but I liked the orzo, and the sauce was nice.

• Hummus (Fine Cooking #10, August/September 1995, p. 66)
• Lemon Seafood Pasta (Hot Pasta, Hugh Carpenter, p. 38)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Green Salad with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Hilary came early for dinner tonight and helped cook. She made the rice and helped prep the other stuff. The tacos were good as usual, although we had a lot of food.

- I did my usual black beans, with onion and garlic and chili powder.
- I made salsa with grilled yellow and red roma tomatoes, cilantro, onion, lime juice and jalapeño peppers. The tomatoes were from our garden. I coarsely chopped the tomatoes when they were done. It turned out great.
- This cake is very good. Really dense and rich, and very chocolately. I've redeemed myself from the disastrous chocolate soufflé cake of a few weeks ago. I like that it's very simple and doesn't need frosting.

• Sautéed Pimientos de Padron
• Tuna Tacos
• Corn Tortillas
• Black Beans
• Guacamole
• Arroz Verde (Fine Cooking #35, November 1999, p. 45)
• Bourbon Chocolate Cake (Fine Cooking #64, July 2004, p, 66)

Mango Margaritas

I made the lentils for this last night so I could have it for lunch. I love lentils, and this recipe is good and quick. I flaked smoked trout into a plastic container to bring to work with me also, and I'll mix it with the lentils when it's time for lunch. This recipe says to broil a trout filet, but I've never made this with anything other than smoked trout.

• Trout with Lentils (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 184)

Dinner came together in an hour tonight. We stopped in at Ikeda's on our way home from Reno, where we picked up a beautiful piece of wild salmon. It was the best we've had in a long time. The flavor of farmed salmon just isn't the same. We looked at but resisted the pies.

- This salad tends to be disappointing outside of the prime summer months. The tomatoes are key - they need to be ripe and flavorful. It's easy to make and is a really nice summer dish.
- We are in the midst of a super-productive period with our Piminetos de Padron. I don't mind, I could eat them every day. Some got pretty large this past week. The ones that are sold at the farmer's market are pretty small. I've decided that the flavor of the larger peppers is the same as the smaller ones, but the small ones are much more tender.

• Sauteéd Pimientos de Padron
• Manchego Cheese
• Grilled Salmon (Marinated in soy sauce, green onion and honey)
• Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs and Basil (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p, 51)

Wine: 1999 Limerick Lane Collins Vineyard Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, California). Can be really good but I think this bottle was a little past its prime. A Pinot would have been better with the salmon but I was craving a juicy Zinfandel.

I've been wanting to make these soufflés for quite a while. I wasn't sure how they would turn out. I used my favorite canned crab from Costco (in the black can, refrigerated section). I had to buy lemon thyme since the stuff I was growing died.

- These were really easy to make, and not too time consuming. The base can be made ahead of time, which would save quite a bit of time. I liked them. They were really light and the flavors worked well together. I don't think it's something I must make again very soon, though.
- The butter sauce was good, but neither Larry and I thought it went well with the soufflés. It overpowered the delicate flavors. I didn't have chervil, so I used the parsley and tarragon option. Really, it just tasted like a tarragon sauce. I think it would be good with a white fish.
- I had picked up some really nice red carrots at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market yesterday. Unfortunately, once the carrots are peeled they look just like regular carrots. I think the flavor is a bit deeper than regular carrots, but the visual appeal was lost. I don't know how the glazed carrots would be with unpeeled carrots.

• Crab and Lemon Thyme Soufflés (Food and Wine, July 1999)
• Chervil Butter Sauce (Food and Wine, July 1999)
• Glazed Carrots (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001 p.24)

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California). My instant pick for pairing with the soufflés. I consulted Andrea Immer's Great Tastes Made Simple after I had chosen the wine, and she suggests a Riesling or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for light crab dishes. The Forth was perfect with it.

I love the fish tacos we get in Baja California, but I have a hard time finding authentic fish tacos in the Bay Area. I thought I'd try to make them myself. They were really good, pretty authentic and not too hard to make. We picked up handmade corn tortillas at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market in SF this morning - good, but really thick so it made the tacos a little awkward. Larry really liked these.

• Sauteéd Pimientos de Padron
• Beer-Battered Fish Tacos (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p.71)
• Black Beans

Mango Margaritas (Williams-Sonoma mix)

Ron and Jay were here for dinner tonight. I like having fish when it's fresh in season, but I have a hard time pairing reds to fish unless it's salmon. Tonight's pairing was good, but I think a lighter-style Pinot would have been nice also.

- I love making fish this way, even though I never eat the mushrooms. I've only done white fish like this. It's good for company because it can (needs to be) made ahead, but serving is kind of a pain. I usually end up just plating the fish instead of making people open the pouches at the table.
- The feedback on this asparagus was good. It was really, really easy.
- The crisp was good, but so far the favorite this year is the triple-berry.

• Halibut Fillets En Papillote (Fine Cooking #45, June/July 2001, p. 29)
• Fennel & Red Onion with Arugula (Fine Cooking 62, January 2004, p. 48)
• Roasted Asparagus with Buttery Breadcrumbs (Fine Cooking #64, April/May 2004, p. 49)
• Peach-Blueberry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Wine: Testarossa 2000 Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Mountains, California). This is a nice, non-typical California Chardonnay. Light on the oak.

Larry harvested basil and peppers from our garden today. I couldn't help but use both - pesto made from just-picked basil can't be beat. Larry is doing a great job cultivating the basil and it's starting to take over the barrel it's planted in. Everything was very good, even the squash. I usually don't like squash if it's cooked too much, so I sautéed it at very high heat.

- We ate these peppers at a tapas bar in Barcelona, Spain a few years ago. We were addicted, and were disappointed to find out that the peppers were only grown in the Galacia region of Spain. We were thrilled when we found a local farmer selling the peppers - Pimientos de Padron - at our farmer's market. I believe Happy Quail Farms is still one of the few (if not the only) farmers growing these peppers. Picasso's in San Jose buys the peppers from Happy Quail Farms as well and will serve them if you ask (in season). Yum! They are also available at Tienda.com. Lucky us, we found out that the plants were being sold at the Santa Clara County Master Gardner's Tomato and Pepper sale this spring. We are now the proud owners of three thriving Pimientos de Padron plants. Tonight we picked our first crop - only eight or so. I fried them in hot olive oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt. So good! Just like in Spain. We got a few spicy ones too - usually about a quarter of them are spicy.
- I'm pretty picky about how I like my salmon. Grilled with our soy marinade, or pan-fried or broiled. I like it to have that caramelized crust on it. I liked this, though. The pesto was just so good. I was out of bread for the bread crumbs, so I used an english muffin instead. It came together pretty quickly.
- Berries are all over the farmer's market right now. The raspberries I got were okay, but the blackberries and strawberries are fantastic. I had leftover blueberries from Costco (big and juicy), so I made these mixed berries for dessert instead of a blueberry pie like I had planned. This was a nice, refreshing dessert.

• Pimientos de Padron
• Pesto-Crusted Salmon (Fine Cooking #33, July 1999, p. 82)
• Summer Squash with Garlic and Herbs (Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters, p. 311)
• Haricots Verts with Lemon Brown Butter (Gourmet, November 2002)
• Mixed Berries with Vanilla Bean Syrup (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 52)

Wine: David Bruce 2001 Windsor Gardens Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). When we first opened this, we weren't sure about it. It was kind of closed and didn't knock our socks off. However, it opened up nicely and was good with the salmon. Well-balanced.

I've been wanting to make this shrimp ever since I saw it on the cover of Cooking Light. It was as good as it looks. I picked up fingerling potatoes and haricots verts from the farmer's market this morning, so that's what we had with the shrimp - although I don't like green beans so I didn't eat any. Larry thought they were a bit too lemony, so less lemon next time. The potatoes were excellent.

The avocado oil does nothing for this dish - it's mild flavor is overpowered by the spices in the shrimp. Any oil with a high smoke point will do.

• Spiced Shrimp with Avocado Oil (Cooking Light, May 2004, p. 156)
• Haricots Verts with Lemon Brown Butter (Gourmet, November 2002)
• Crisp Herb-Roasted Fingerlings with Scallions (Food & Wine, April 2004, p. 127)

Wine: Eric Ross 1999 Occidental Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, California). Yum. An excellent wine from a small producer.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. We had excellent tuna tacos when we were in Zihuatanejo this month. George at Amado's (on Las Gatas Beach) gave me the general idea of how they make theirs, so here's my formalized version:

----------
Tuna Tacos
Yellowfin or albacore tuna, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup minced garlic (minced in a food processor)
Corn or grapeseed oil
3 T soy sauce

Heat 1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed) in a small skillet over low heat. Add the minced garlic to the oil and cook about 20 minutes, until the garlic flavor mellows.

In a separate skillet, heat 3 T oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until soft and golden. Add 2T of the garlic paste (save the rest for another use) and cook for 30 seconds. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sliced tuna and cook until no longer raw. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Sauté for three minutes. Serve with fresh corn tortillas.
----------

- When we had the tacos at Amado's, they served them with a spicy salsa that had chunks of avocado in it. Yum. they used yellowfin tuna. I just used frozen albacore steaks from Trader Joe's. I was unsure about the texture as I was slicing - I'm not a fan of frozen fish, but it worked fine for this.
- We also had black beans tonight - I sautéed some onion and added some of the garlic paste, a couple of diced roma tomatoes and a couple of cans of black beans and a tablespoon or so of chile powder. I like the onions to get kind of golden so the beans have a bit of a smoky flavor. I cook them for a half hour or so to let the flavors meld.
- I used some cherries tonight in the crisp, in place of some of the blueberries. Larry liked Friday's crisp better (more blueberries). I added a cup of oats to the topping, and I really liked the result - it held together better and was a bit more rustic.

• Tuna Tacos
• Corn Tortillas
• Black Beans
• Guacamole
• Triple Berry-Cherry Fruit Crisp with Oatmeal Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Margaritas

A week of eating tons of guacamole in Zihuatanejo, Mexico last week made it necessary to cook something relatively healthy tonight. These shrimp cakes were very good. although Larry thought I could make them more spicy. I didn't toast the curry powder since I make my own by toasting and then grinding my own curry spices.

Larry wanted some sort of lemon cake tonight to go with the strawberries we picked up at the farmer's market this morning. I didn't really feel like doing any heavy baking, so I made up some of my very favorite packaged scones from Moreish Treats. The Blueberry Coffeebreak flavor are our favorite so far (we're slowly working our way through the different flavors), but the lemon are definitely a close second. I added some fresh lemon zest to the mix before I added the cream.

• Coconut Curry Shrimp Cakes with Papaya-Lime Sauce (Cooking Light, May 2004, p. 170)
• Fresh Strawberries with Moreish Treats Currantly Seeking Lemons™ Scones

Wild salmon is in season, and we hadn't made salmon in a long time. We also got fresh asparagus, which Larry got all to himself since I hate asparagus with a passion.

- We got fava beans in our organic delivery this week. I've never had fava beans, nor have I cooked them. I couldn't resist, though - they just seem like the epitome of spring at the farmer's market. Everything I read says to be sure to plan lots of time to prepare fava beans. I now understand why. We tried a raw bean straight out of the pod, and bleah! Very bitter. Deborah Madison has a really nice sounding spring vegetable braise in Local Flavors, but since I had prosciutto on hand I went with a Fine Cooking sauté instead. After I had shelled the beans and parboiled them, the tough bitter skins came off easily. The result was tender, fresh beans. Yum! Larry thought this mixture of flavors would be great with asparagus, also.

Jay came for dinner tonight. We were in the mood for fish. It's wild salmon season again, but Whole Foods had California Sea Bass so we went that route instead. We weren't disappointed.

- The beans were just okay, but I thought they needed something. Not sure what. The sea bass, on the other hand, was excellent.
- The Artichoke salad was good, although I picked out the mushrooms. Chanterelles were nowhere to be found at the two closest semi-gourmet markets, and I didn't feel like going to yet another grocery store, so I settled for a mix of shiitakes and portabellas. I think thinly sliced and sautéed fennel would be nice as well. It had been a long time since I trimmed an artichoke, and it made me remember that I really don't enjoy the task. Bleah.
- The dessert was just okay. I like making desserts that make me want more. This was so-so. Jay and Larry liked it but didn't think it was fantastic. It's got hardly any fat and very little sugar. I don't know if I'd make it again.

• Grilled Sea Bass with Lemon and White Beans (The Rose Pistola Cookbook, Reed Hearon/Peggy Knickerbocker, p. 148)
• Artichoke, Fennel and Mushroom Salad (The Rose Pistola Cookbook, Reed Hearon/Peggy Knickerbocker, p. 78)
• Apple Strudel with Fresh Berry Sauce (The Joslin Diabetes Great Chefs Cook Healthy Cookbook, Frances Towner Giedt/Bonnie Sanders Polin, Ph.D., p. 264)

Wine: David Coffaro 2002 Barbera (Dry Creek Valley, California). I love Barbera. This is a really nice one, despite its youth.

Martin was here for dinner tonight. I made his favorite fish, halibut. I decided to make the cornflake-crusted recipe again because it was so good.

• Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 182)
• Wilted Fennel & Spinach Salad (Fine Cooking #63, Feb/March 2004, p. 83C)
• Orzo with Butter and Parmesan

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California).

I used smoked trout for this instead of broiling a trout filet. It came together quickly - about 45 minutes from start to finish. It was excellent, perfect ending to a warm spring day.

I made my regular poppy seed cake a few days ago. I used my new Silicone Zone bundt pan, with the hopes that I could skip greasing and flouring the pan. I'm not sure I'll be using the pan again. The cake stuck at the bottom, and was not one of my best poppy seed cakes.

• Trout with Lentils (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 184)
• Mixed Greens Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

It's halibut season again, so we had fresh Alaskan halibut for dinner. I'm always looking for new ways with fish, and I'm trying to cook very healthy during the week since I tend to cook less healthy on the weekends.

- The halibut was excellent and very easy. I would normally just use full fat mayo even though the recipe calls for fat free mayo (for the aioli), since I generally don't think the quality of reduced fat/low calorie ingredients is very good. I decided to try Spectrum Naturals Light Canola Mayonnaise (from Whole Foods). It's really nice, and has no saturated fat. It's a bit tangy and has a slight oil flavor, like homemade aioli does. It worked well in the aioli.
- Larry really liked the kale. I thought it was okay, but I'm funny about vegetables. This version is slightly sweet from the apples and cider.

• Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 182)
• Oven Fries (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 182)
• Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider (Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2004, p. 130)

I've never cooked striped bass before. I liked it a lot - much more than the cod we had last night. It's got a mild flavor and a slightly firmer texture. The fish were being sold as whole fish at Whole Foods, so I had the fishmonger filet two of them for me. They weren't cheap. This was an excellent dinner.

• Asian Marinated Striped Bass (Cooking Light, March 2002, p. 186)
• Rice Noodles (Cooking Light, March 2002, p. 186)
• Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger and Soy (Perfect Vegetables, p. 34)

We had a lot of meat this week, so it's fish for us this weekend. I thought I'd try out some more Cooking Light recipes - the new issue came out last week and there are some things in there that look pretty good. Tonight's dinner was okay. It was easy. It's nice to have a variety of fish.

- I'm not especially crazy about cod, but it's alright every once in a while. Larry loves pesto so we was happy to have the basil sauce with the fish. I wasn't overly crazy about it.
- The cauliflower was good, again. I made some last night with thyme instead of tarragon and it wasn't as good. The tarragon really makes a difference.

• Pan-Seared Cod with Basil Sauce (Cooking Light, March 2004, p. 188)
• Roast Cauliflower with Shallots, Tarragon and Lemon (Fine Cooking #50, May 2002, p. 52)
• Orzo with Butter and Parmesan

I made dinner for Larry tonight for Valentine's Day.

- The scallops were good, but next time I'll use less lime juice - it was a bit tangy. I seared the scallops in a bit of butter and olive oil instead of using cooking spray.
- The soufflés were pretty good. I've been craving chocolate so this hit the spot, although I think I like the berry soufflés better.

• Pan-Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato-Cream Sauce (Cooking Light, January 2003)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Baby Spinach and Arugula Salad with Shallots, Cherry Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
• Chocolate Soufflés (Cook's Illustrated, September 1996)

Now that halibut and salmon season are over, I have a hard time picking out fish for dinner. I found sea bass at Draeger's so I made one of our favorite fish dishes.

I made the mango couscous in an effort to recreate a boxed version we love that is no longer available. This wasn't bad, but it was missing something. Next time I may add chopped dried mango to the boiling water.

• Seared Sea Bass with Spicy Lemongrass Crust (Fine Cooking #22, September 1997, p. 59)
• Mango Couscous (Food & Wine, January 1998)

The cod tonight was coated with flour, then dipped in frothy egg whites mixed with scallions and jalapeño pepper. I really liked the results, and I'm going to make this again.

• Crisp Cod with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce (Fine Cooking #56, March 2003, p. 82C)
• Super Slaw (Bon Appétit, July 1998)

I started to put together the salmon marinade tonight when I realized that we didn't have any bourbon. I used dry Sherry instead.

- The salmon was very good, similar to the salmon we usually make.
- I've been interested in bread pudding for the past few months. This was interesting and it grew on me. Larry thought it was "an odd mix of flavors" and wasn't that crazy about it. It was really easy to make and came together quickly.

• Bourbon-Glazed Salmon (Cooking Light, September 2001)
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Individual Orange and Chocoate Bread Puddings (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 86C)

Another excellent scallops recipe from Fine Cooking. Larry loved the spinach, and I thought the fennel was excellent this way. The recipe serves four, so I cut it in half. I ended up adding more spinach because it wasn't enough. Next time, I'll make the full recipe and just cut back on the amount of scallops. The recipe also calls for segmented oranges, but I didn't think they added anything to the dish. Instead of adding the orange juice to the top of the finished scallops, I added it to the pan to deglaze it, then drizzled that on top of the scallops. Yum!

• Seared Scallops with Wilted Fennel & Spinach Salad (Fine Cooking #63, Feb/March 2004, p. 83C)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I like making shrimp because it's good, low in fat and cooks quickly. I chose this recipe out of the new Cooking Light because it was selected as a "staff favorite", and I figured we'd balance out the low cal with fattening garlic bread (yum!). I didn't like this very much, and I won't make it again. I don't know why I didn't like it, I just didn't. It was too much like eating plain shrimp, I think.

• Shrimp in Green Sauce (Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2004, p. 159)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Packaged Lemon and Spinach Couscous

Wine: Ridge 2000 Llewelyn Zinfandel (California). Yum, yum, yum! A big, juicy, jammy zin - just how I like them.

Since our trip to Spain in 1999, Larry and I are always on the lookout for good, authentic tapas here in the Bay Area. César in Berkeley is an upscale tapas bar in Gourmet Ghetto, and is pretty authentic. I received the cookbook for Christmas (thanks, Larry!), so we had tapas for dinner tonight.

Everything was excellent tonight, except for the Mushrooms. I don't like mushrooms, but Larry wasn't crazy about these either. The calamari (I used fresh Monterey Bay squid) was very simple to make, and it was excellent. The potatoes were really authentic with the alioli. My new deep fryer worked like a pro - everything was very light and not greasy at all (high temperature oil is the secret).

We picked up some authentic ingredients at The Spanish Table, including Pimentón and mebrillo (quince paste), which tastes amazing with Manchego cheese (place thin slices of each together).

• Fried Squid (César, p. 161)
• Patatas Bravas (César, p. 124)
• Mushrooms al Ajillo (César, p. 111)
• Alioli (César, p. 195)
• Manchego Cheese with Membrillo
• Sourdough Bread

These were pretty good, but I need to use much less chipotle than is called for in the recipe. I think it overpowers the scallops. These were very fast, very easy. The article shows them with a Yellow Pepper Rice, which also looks good - but I'm allergic to rice so I didn't make it.

• Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce (Cooking Light, December 2003, p. 198)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Spinach Salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Wine: David Coffaro 2001 Estate Cuvee (Dry Creek Valley, California). This wasn't a good wine for dinner - I opened it beforehand and we each had a glass while I was cooking. It's very good, juicy. Still a bit young, surprisingly.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I'm making an effort to cook healthier food at least once a week, so I found a recipe from Cooking Light - I got a subscription as a Christmas gift this year. I usually don't like trout, but it was good this way. Next time, I'll make an effort to just put a thin layer of the mustard mix on the trout.

• Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout (Cooking Light, December 2003, p. 208)
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Glazed Carrots (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001 p.24)

Wine: Crane Canyon 2002 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Excellent Pinot - a lighter style, so it was good with the trout. We found this at Locals Tasting Room in Geyserville. It was fairly reasonable for a Pinot.

I took my new deep fryer for a spin tonight. Normally, we wouldn't have a dinner consisting of so much fried food, but I couldn't resist.

- I fried two types of fish - cod and tilapia. Larry liked the tilapia better, I liked the cod. I thought the tilapia had a much better texture, but I liked the mild flavor of the cod much better. The batter was nice and light. It needed more salt. The fish wasn't greasy at all (the temperature of the oil was kept very high).
- The hush puppies were also very light and good. I'd like to try a few different recipes just for comparison. This recipe made way too many hush puppies for two of us. The recipe is also not totally clear, which is uncharacteristic for Fine Cooking. It calls for corn flour, but never really says what to do with it. I figured that it's used to thicken the batter, which should be the consistency of mashed potatoes.

• Fried Fish (Good Eats, Fry Hard)
• Hushpuppies (Fine Cooking #29, May 1997, p. 59)
• Creamy Coleslaw (The Best Recipe, p. 43)
• Gordon Biersch Oven Garlic Fries

Trader Joe's is stocking albacore tuna again. They haven't had it for several months now. To celebrate, we had the yummy tuna and bean salad again. And, of course, garlic bread.

• White Bean Salad with Fresh Tuna Confit (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 69)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Jay was here for dinner tonight. I usually try to do fish when he's over, so I decided to try cod for a change.

- This was pretty good. I like cooking most fish in parchment paper. Everything can be prepped ahead of time, and it only takes a short time in the oven to cook.
- This is a great way to cook butternut squash. I had never sautéed it, but it turned out well.

• Basic Lemon and Herb Fish En Papillote (Fine Cooking #7, February/March 1995, p. 55)
• Braised Winter Squash & Potatoes with Mustard & Shallots (Fine Cooking #31, February/March 1999, p. 37)
• Slow-Sautéed Asparagus with Pancetta (Fine Cooking #44, April/May 2001, p. 43)

Wine: Forth 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California). Wow, is this a great California Suavignon Blanc! It's tropical and a little off-dry, but has none of the grassiness that typical California Sauvignon Blancs exhibit. It's also only $12 a bottle.

Since it's the end of halibut and salmon season, I was looking for a new way to cook fish.

- I never cook sole, but this was excellent. I cut back on the amount of butter (there's a lot!). It came together very quickly.
- Every time I make fennel, it turns out good. I think it's highly underrated. This was no exception. It's very simple and fast.

• Classic Sole Meuniére (Fine Cooking #44, May 2001, p. 47)
• Fennel & Red Onion with Arugula (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 48)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Costco had fresh steamer clams this weekend, so I decided to make some clam chowder. I love making soup. Clam chowder made from scratch isn't that difficult - it takes some time to clean the clams and take the meat out after they've been steamed, but once everything is prepped, it comes together quickly.

- I made the dip for a potluck event today. It was good. Very easy to make, and improves with a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
- My clam chowder isn't really thick. It's more soupy. I used a combination of milk, cream, and half-and-half tonight, because I wanted to use up the cream and half-and-half. I've made it with just milk in the past and it's just as good.

• Chipotle Chile Dip (Hot Appetizers, Hugh Carpenter, p. 20)
• New England Clam Chowder (Viking Home Chef, Seafood Specialties class)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Martin and Jay were here for dinner tonight. Larry requested tuna and scallops again, because it was so good the night before.

• Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi
• Seared Sea Scallops
• Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Delicata Squash Rings (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, p. 440)
• Baby Spinach Salad with Croutons, Cherry Tomatoes, and Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing

Wine: Zayante 1999 Reserve Zinfandel (Santa Cruz Mountains, California). Another excellent Zin. Different than last nights, but still excellent. Zayante is a local winery. We don't get very much wine from them because the winery is difficult to access.

• Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi
• Seared Sea Scallops
• Mashed Russet Potatoes

It was tuna melts again tonight, since I poached a couple of pounds of tuna today. It gets used up quickly, between the melts, and Larry's favorite tuna salad and his tuna sandwiches. It's almost effortless to poach it, so I try to keep some on hand.

I've gotten into the habit of modifying this recipe - I use a little mayo plus some of the ingredients from the Remoulade (gherkins, tarragon, shallots, dijon mustard, lemon, and capers) to make the tuna salad, instead of using the oil from the poaching.

• Olive-Oil-Poached Albacore Tuna, Remoulade, and Cheddar Cheese Sandwich (Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book, Nancy Silverton, p. 76)
• Chips

Wine: David Coffaro 2000 Cabernet Franc (Dry Creek Valley, California). I opened another bottle of red, just because I like a glass of wine while I'm making dinner sometimes, and because I'm trying to clear out some cellar space. This was okay. Needs a good steak to go with it.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. We had a busy weekend and I didn't feel like making anything fancy, so we had the bean and tuna salad again. Jay liked it a lot.

• White Bean Salad with Fresh Tuna Confit (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 69)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Ridge 2000 Lytton Estate Grenache (California). Not the best pairing for the meal, but I opened it mainly because I wanted a glass of wine before dinner. Wow, it is a really nice wine. Fruity with balance, nice tannins.

Larry and I had a filling lunch today, so we wanted something light for dinner. I had fresh poached albacore tuna in the refrigerator, so I used that instead of making the tuna confit from the recipe.

Trader Joe's is now carrying fresh albacore tuna, and at a great price. As long as they carry it, fresh poached tuna is going to be a regular item in our refrigerator.

This is a great recipe for two - I halved it, and is a fast and make-ahead meal.

• White Bean Salad with Fresh Tuna Confit (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 69)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Mark and Catherine came for dinner tonight. I made fish since Catherine's a pescatarian. I made the entire dinner ahead of time, with the exception of broiling the fish and dressing the salad.

- The trout rillettes were very good. I'm not a big fan of trout, but these came together fairly quickly - very little prep outside of making sure all of the little bones in the "boneless" fillets were picked out.
- I broiled the halibut again, like Amy and I did in Austin. The herb cream sauce turned out much thicker this time - I had to thin it with milk.
- I made the gratin in the morning, and just reheated it before dinner. It turned out nicely.
- I'm always looking for new pumpkin desserts. I absolutely hate pumpkin pie, so I try to find ways to like pumpkin. This cheesecake was a big hit - I think I'll make it for Thanksgiving. I didn't like it, but I'm just picky (pumpkin is gross). I loved the crust (made from gingersnaps). I think it would be a great crust for a plain cheesecake, instead of graham.

• Smoked Trout Rillettes (Fine Cooking #42, January 2001, p. 44)
• Grilled Halibut with Tomatoes and Herb Cream Sauce (Bon Appétit, April 1998)
• Sweet Potato and Leek Gratin (Fine Cooking #47, November 2001, p. 58)
• Baby Spinach Salad with Pears, Blue Cheese and Walnuts, dressed in Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
• Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust (Fine Cooking #60, November 2003, p. 77)

Wine:
- David Bruce 2001 Central Coast Pinot Noir (Central Coast, California). This is the lower-end David Bruce Pinot, but after a few months in the cellar, it's a really nice wine.
- Barossa Valley Estate 2002 Spires Chardonnay (Barossa Valley, Australia). Another nice Australian Chardonnay. I'm impressed. I'm definitely a convert to Australian Chardonnays. This one was a great value as well.

I picked up halibut at Costco tonight, and Jay came over for dinner. I had fennel in my Planet Organics delivery this week. I was looking to do something different with it - I've only braised it before, which is good.

- The halibut recipe isn't really a recipe but an article about cooking fish in parchment paper. I like to use halibut or sea bass for this, because I like salmon to be seared rather than steamed. The raw fish is topped with sauteed mushrooms and dabs of compound butter - I made tarragon butter tonight. Before sealing up the parchment with some egg white, I add a little white wine. This is a good dish for guests, because it can be made an hour or two ahead of time and only takes about ten minutes to cook.
- The fennel recipe had an error in it. It called for 1/3 cup of olive oil total, but in the directions calls for 1/4 cup twice. The smaller amount is definitely right, and I'd probably even use less than that. Larry and Jay both liked it, though. I originally wasn't sure about it, but I thought it turned out okay.

• Halibut en Papillote (Fine Cooking #45, July 2001, p. 29)
• Fennel and Onion Compote (Fine Cooking #41, November 2000, p. 51)
• Pasta with butter and parmesan

Wine: Villa Maria 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand). Neither Jay nor Larry liked this wine. I've bought it before and like it and I thought it was good with dinner.

Amy and I made dinner again tonght, for her husband Gary.

- The slaw was a great compliment to the spicy chipotle mayonnaise. It's just julienned cucumber and jicima with salt, pepper, and sweet rice wine.

• Crab Cakes with Chipotle Aioli (Viking Home Chef, Fabulous Fish & Shellfish class) and mixed greens
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Cucumber and Jicima Slaw

Wine: Villa Maria 2002 Reisling (Marlborough, New Zealand). This was the first New Zealand Reisling I've ever had. It was herbaceous and good with dinner, but very different that any of us expected. I think we were expecting something a little more off-dry.

I'm in Austin, Texas, visiting with Amy and Gary this week. Jay is also in town on business, so tonight Amy and I made dinner for the four of us.

- The fish recipe calls for sea bass, but Central Market only had Chilean sea bass. We chose the more environmentally correct halibut, which worked well with the sauce. The sauce would also be great with chicken. The tomato relish could have been made with a greatly reduced portiion of olive oil - Amy drained the relish before we put it on the fish.

• Grilled Halibut with Tomatoes and Herb Cream Sauce (Bon Appétit, April 1998)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Mâche salad with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil

Wine:
- Milton Park 2002 Chardonnay (South Eastern Australia). This wine was under ten dollars a bottle, and was very good with the fish. The wine steward at Central Market recommended it. I liked it because it wasn't overly oaky, but still has some fruit and body.
- Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy 2002 Sancerre Cuv�e Les Co�tes (Loire, France). The wine steward at Central Market described this wine as "the ulitmate pairing" for our main dish. All four of us disagreed. It was much drier than the Chardonnay, but it grew on me as I drank it after dinner.

Jay, Amy, Gary, Lauren and David were here for dinner tonight. It was a pre-race dinner; Amy, Lauren and David are doing the Big Kahuna Half-Ironman in Santa Cruz tomorrow.

- The salmon recipe calls for broiling - Larry grilled it with olive oil, salt and pepper instead.
- The crab cakes are always a big hit, and they're easy to make. I use the canned crab from Costco; it's perfect for these and very reasonably priced.

• Crab Cakes with Chipotle Aioli (Viking Home Chef, Fabulous Fish & Shellfish class)
• Salmon with a Ragout of Lentils and Root Vegetables (Fine Cooking #57, March 2003, p. 40)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Spinach salad with hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and Smoked Bacon Vinagrette (Festive Favorites, p. 51)
• Blueberry-Blackberry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52) with vanilla ice cream

Wine: Rochioli 2000 Estate Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Yummy! Very fruity and full-bodied.

Jay came for dinner tonight. I had purple cabbage and green beans from last week's organic delivery, so I wanted to use them up.

- The Halibut recipe can also be found in Fine Cooking's Quick and Delicious special issue. It calls for steaming the fish; I just stuck it under the broiler.
- I just learned how to make red cabbage this year. I don't really like cabbage. This is a good side dish, especially for pork. It's slightly sweet.
- Slow sauteed vegetables are easy and hassle-free. I like to do these for company, although I don't eat them (bleah). I never add the ham.

• Halibut with Scallions, Organge, and Sesame Oil (Fine Cooking #15, June/July 1996, p. 53)
• Braised Red Cabbage with Red Zinfandel (Fine Cooking #31, March 1999, p. 37)
• Slow-Sauteed String Beans with Shallots & Ham (Fine Cooking #44, May 2001, p. 44)
• Heirloom Tomatoes

Jay came for dinner, but he brought a salad. I don't blame him. This is one of Larry's favorite dishes, but I like it less every time I make it. I think it's the asparagus, which I hate. It's not Jay's favorite either. It's a great dish for company, because it comes together quickly once all the prep is done.

I had all this fruit in the house, and decided to make a warm fruit gratin (bananas, blueberries, raspberries, plums, peaches). It's not very often that I fail miserably at something new, but I certainly did this time. The pastry cream didn't seem to thicken properly, and I'm going to need to move the oven rack much further away from the broiler next time - after three minutes in the oven, it was completely charred. Ugh. I'm going to try it again.

I'm noticing how much garlic bread we eat.

• Ginger Butter Pasta with Salmon (Hot Pasta, Hugh Carpenter, p. 58)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)
• Warm Fruit Gratin (Fine Cooking #39, July 2000, p. 57)

Wine:David Bruce 2000 Sonoma Pinot Noir. Yummy. A wonderfully balanced Pinot. I'm disappointed that it was our last bottle.

Tonight was quick and easy tuna melts. I usually poach fresh albacore, but good oil-packed tuna in a jar will work in a pinch, like it did tonight. I usually don't like tuna, but I love these sandwiches.

• Olive-Oil-Poached Albacore Tuna, Remoulade, and Cheddar Cheese Sandwich (Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book, Nancy Silverton, p. 76)

We had a dish simlar to this when we went to Tom and James' for dinner last week. Tom's salad was better, but this was still good. I need to find out his secret.

• Chili Lime Shrimp with Avocado and Coriander (Gourmet, December 1997)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I found Tombo Tuna at the store (it's hard to find anything but ahi tuna) today and poached it in olive oil for tuna salad and sandwiches. I saved the olive oil (strained) when I was done to use in a remoulade for tuna salad. This tuna is far superior to what you find in a can.

The poaching method is from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book:

Lay sliced lemons (1/4" thick), a sprig of rosemary, and two bay leaves at the bottom of a medium saucepan. Lay the tuna (12 oz.) on top of the herbs and lemon and add olive oil to cover. Add a couple of teaspoons of salt and some pepper. Cook on low until the first bubble appears. Turn the tuna over, remove from heat, and cover. Leave until the tuna is cooked through.

I still had uncooked salmon scraps left from last night, so here's what I did with them - it's Larry's favorite. I personally don't really like this, because I hate asparagus, and it flavors the entire dish.

• Ginger Butter Pasta with Salmon (Hot Pasta, Hugh Carpenter, p. 58)
• Spinach, baby arugula, and cherry tomatoes dressed with a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

No wine tonight, but Pinot Noir would have been nice with this.

Since salmon season opened, I've been buying wild salmon instead of the Atlantic Farmed Salmon at Costco. Wild salmon has a cleaner taste, and it's better for the environment. However, this week, I just bought it at Costco, since I was there. Jay came for dinner.

• Hummus (Fine Cooking #10, Aug/Sept 1995, p. 66) with baked herb crackers
• Grilled salmon fillets, marinated in soy sauce, thinly sliced green onion, and honey (I don't know the proportions, I just throw it all in a ziploc bag)
• Hearts of romaine with Caesar Dressing (The Best Recipe, p. 42)
• Roasted Corn Salsa (Viking Home Chef, Grilled Main Dishes class)

Wine: David Bruce 2000 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir (California). Scrumptious. I wouldn't drink anything but Pinot Noir with salmon.

Amy mentioned a recent recipe she tried, and I've been wanting to try it ever since, so that's what we did tonight.

Frozen scallops are supposed to be a bad thing. However, I think Trader Joe's frozen sea scallops are a great thing to have in the freezer, and they taste great. I had planned on defrosting scallops for dinner tonight, but I ended up going to the farmer's market in Los Altos, and I picked up some huge, yummy scallops at the fish vendor.

- Homemade Caesar dressing is quick and easy to make, and it is so much better than anything out of a bottle. I don't use anchovies in my Caesar dressing. I don't really like anchovies, but the main reason it that it's just another thing I need to have on hand. My dressing recipe calls for slightly cooking the egg before adding it to the dressing. I don't do this, just because it's extra time, and because I don't have an issue with eating raw eggs.
- The scallops recipe called for grilling the scallops. I love them seared in a skillet with a little grapeseed oil and butter, so that's what I did tonight.
- The sauce is was really yummy, but I thought it might be better with chicken. It could be that it's just too hot for anything to be overly appetizing, or it could be my preference for light sauces with scallops.

• Scallops with Roasted Red Pepper Butter Sauce (Cooking Light, July 2003, p. 149)
• Hearts of romaine with Caesar Dressing (The Best Recipe, p. 42)

Wine: Leftover from the other night - Konrad & Co. 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)

Tonight I made halibut (from Costco). We like halibut, but I find it hard to come up with new ways to cook it. This recipe was just okay:

- I used a lot less capers than was called for.
- I use turkey bacon (usually Wille Bird, but this time it was Dietsel) for the vinaigrette.

• Halibut with Fried Capers and Lemon (Food & Wine, June 2003, p. 126)
• Parmesan Orzo (orzo pasta with a little butter and parmesan cheese)
• Spinach salad with hard-boiled egg and Smoked Bacon Vinagrette (Festive Favorites, p. 51)

Wine: Konrad & Co. 2002 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand). Nice. Great nose, citrus and pear.