Salmon with Lentils

What a healthy and tasty dinner! I’m always on the lookout for recipes that are easy and fast enough to prepare on weeknights after work, and this one delivers. The lentils start by soaking in boiling water for 15 minutes, and then they are simmered for 20 minutes with sautéed vegetables until tender. Meanwhile, you have time to prepare the salmon, which only really takes minutes. Delicious!

Source: Salmon with Lentils, Barefoot in Paris

Ingredients
½ pound French green lentils (lentilles du Puy)
¼ cup good olive oil, plus extra for salmon
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 ½ cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
1 ½ cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 ½ cups homemade chicken stock or good canned broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
4 (8-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, skin removed

Directions
Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sauté pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

For the salmon, heat a dry oven-proof sauté pan over high heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil and season the tops very liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, place the salmon fillets seasoning-sides down in the pan and cook over medium heat without moving them for 2 minutes, until very browned. Turn the fillets and place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salmon is cooked rare. Spoon a mound of lentils on each plate and place a salmon fillet on top. Serve hot.

Barefoot Coconut Cupcakes

We’ve been trapped in Snowmageddon over the past week, with record-setting snowstorms pounding the DC area. McHubby and I have been digging ourselves out of the snow for days. With our current weather conditions and a few days away from Valentine’s Day, it seems to me like a great time to bake! Cupcakes are so trendy these days. They are the perfect individual sized desserts. Obviously, I was happy to see these cupcakes chosen as the next Barefoot Bloggers recipe selection, (thanks to Jamie of Jamie’s Green Kitchen), especially since McHubby and I both love coconut.

This recipe was pretty easy to make. Just be sure to use room temperature ingredients. And the frosting is definitely worth the effort! These cupcakes are as tasty as they are beautiful. They certainly make being trapped in a snowstorm more fun!

Source: Coconut Cupcakes, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:
nocoupons1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
1 ½ pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Chocolate Waffles

I wanted to try chocolate waffles, thinking they would be decadent for breakfast served with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or divine for dessert served with ice cream and chocolate sauce. These waffles have a great flavor without being overly chocolatey.

Source: Chocolate Waffles, DIANA38

Ingredients
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ cups milk
6 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the butter and chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power for 1 minute, then stir. Continue to cook for 15 seconds at a time, stirring each time until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

When the chocolate mixture is fairly cool, stir in the milk, egg whites, and vanilla. Pour this into the dry ingredients, and mix just until blended.

Preheat the waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Spoon waffle batter onto the hot iron in desired amounts. Close, and cook until the iron stops steaming, and waffles are easy to remove. Repeat with remaining batter.

Lime in the Coconut Pie

I’ve wanted to try this recipe for a while. I’m not sure what I was waiting for, especially now that I’ve tasted it! This is a quick and “easy-as-pie” recipe that takes almost no effort to make. I used key lime juice for a sharper lime flavor. I also added 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the heavy cream and used a piping bag and large decorating tip for the whipped cream.

This pie was simply sublime! The coconut is a lovely subtle complement to the more dominant lime flavor of the pie. I’ll definitely make this recipe again, especially since I have a feeling this pie won’t last very long.

Source: Lime in the Coconut Pie, Danny Boome

Ingredients
1 prepared frozen 9-inch pie crust
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lime juice (about 4 to 5 limes)
3 tablespoons coconut rum
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes, divided
1 cup heavy cream
3 thin slices lime, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove crust from freezer and let thaw for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk together lime zest, egg yolks, condensed milk, lime juice and rum. Mix well. It may look like it's starting to separate but mix it well and it will come together. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the coconut flakes on the bottom of the crust then pour the mixture into the crust and top with the rest of the coconut.

Bake until the center is set, but still jiggles a bit when the pan is nudged, about 20 to 25 minutes. When baked, cool the pie completely on a wire rack. (At this point the pie can be chilled up to a day ahead and topped when you're ready to serve.)

For the topping, beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Spread cream over cooled pie; garnish with lime slices. Serve immediately.

Barefoot Shrimp Bisque

Who doesn’t love a good bisque, especially when the weather turns cold? Bisques are soups made of cream and pureed seafood, often lobster or shrimp. Evidently, an authentic bisque uses crustacean shells that are “ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup.” No offense to the purists out there, but I’m quite content without any ground shells in my soup. This shrimp bisque is so flavorful, I don’t think you’d miss the shells!

For this Barefoot Bloggers recipe selection, chosen by Jennifer of Our Blessed Home, I used chicken stock instead of seafood stock, (simply because that’s what I had in my pantry). The pot of leeks, shrimp, Cognac, and sherry offered an irresistible and rich, lovely fragrance. Once all the elements of the pureed shrimp, half-and-half mixture, and simmered stock were combined, this classic soup was perfectly seasoned. This was a delicious and elegant dinner soup that we’ll enjoy again and again.

Source: Shrimp Bisque, Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup Cognac or brandy
¼ cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
⅓ cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 ¾ cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

Scallops Provencal

These scallops were so delicious! McHubby even said that they were the best scallops he’s ever had! The best thing about this recipe is that it takes so little time to prepare, so it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner even after a full day at work. I used sea scallops, which are much larger than bay scallops. The flavor of the sauce in this dish is perfectly balanced with the wine, shallots, and lemon.

Source: Scallops Provencal, Barefoot In Paris

Ingredients
1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided
½ cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in ½

Directions
If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and sauté for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Chive Risotto Cakes

I love risotto—it’s one of my favorite comfort foods of all. These risotto cakes are not difficult to make, but it does take time and planning, requiring at least 2 hours of refrigeration before forming the cakes and pan frying them. I could not wait to dive into these golden brown, cheesy cakes. The panko offers a delicate crunchy coating. I’ll definitely be making these again!

Source: Chive Risotto Cakes, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ cups grated Italian fontina cheese (5 ounces)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Directions
Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 ¼-inch) ice-cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and ¾-inch thick. Place 4 to 6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.