Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Miso Buttered Salmon

Miso Buttered Salmon
Miso Buttered Salmon
 
So now that you know how to make miso butter,  what do you do with it?  The truth is, there are a myriad of things that you could use miso butter on, one of my favorites is on veggies.  Especially corn.  Page loves corn, and I buy organic non gmo corn at the farmers market whenever it's in season.  I shave it and freeze it.  Then I throw it in a pot with no water and allow the water to cook off, once it has I add in miso butter, and let the butter  brown.  The kernels get the nutty flavor from the brown butter, with an unami flavor from the miso--talk about delicious!!  Besides corn, I love it on green beans, sauteed spinach, asparagus, brussel sprouts, cabbage--just about any veggie you can think of, miso butter makes it better.   Do you know what else miso butter makes better?  Meat! Almost every kind of meat.  Steak with miso butter is a revelation! Seafood with miso butter is ascension!   This recipe is so delicious, I find it hard to eat salmon any other way.  Every bite of this deserves it's own moment of silence, it's own moment of indulgence.
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Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb salmon steak, patted dry
2-3 Tablespoons of miso butter
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt more if you desire
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 425F.  Season salmon steak with garlic salt.
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Using a butter knife apply a thin layer of miso butter on the top and sides of the salmon.
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Place the salmon on a foil lined baking sheet, then place in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.  In my experience 10 minutes is usually the perfect time, you only want to go longer if you salmon steak is thicker than 1 inch.  Longer than 15 minutes and your salmon is probably over cooked.
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Remove the salmon from the oven.  It should be nice and caramelized on top.  Serve and enjoy!
 
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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

DIY Onion Soup Mix--Copy Cat Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

DIY Onion soup mix
DIY Onion soup mix
There are three seasonings that I can rely on my mom to have in her cupboards at all times: Lawry's seasoning salt, Lemon pepper, and Lipton's Onion Soup Mix.  In fact while writing this, I was tempted to call her, and have her take a picture of what is inside her cupboards, just so that you guys could see, but she's not that technologically savvy.  She barely knows how to get the pictures that I send her of Page through text.  When I was growing up my mom would rent  4-5  movies and make a bunch of snacks for us watch over the course of the weekend.  One of those snacks was a sour cream and onion dip.  She'd take a container of sour cream and mix in a package of the Lipton Onion Soup mix--simple but delicious.  We'd happily nosh on potato chips, celery, and carrot sticks dipped in the onion dip while we watched the latest movie release from Blockbuster video--yes I just dated myself!  Oh the memories!  I haven't had that dip in years!  I'd say a good 10-12 years, maybe longer.  It's not something my mom makes any more.  I wanted to make it for me and my hubby, but I didn't want to buy the Lipton's seasoning. I had an idea of what was in the seasoning--or at least I thought I did-- dried minced onion, onion powder, dried green onion--but to be sure I called my mom and asked her what was on the ingredient list.  Sure enough she had a box in her cupboard and  the ingredient list she read to me was anything but simple. Besides the MSG, onion powder, and cornstarch, there were a list of ingredients that had  nothing to do with onions. So I set out to do what I do best and made my own--without all the added preservatives and coloring.  I used the organic onion powder that I made myself, and added minced onion and a few herbs.  A perfect match! Tastes just like I remember it! Delicious!!
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Makes the equivalent of 1 package of Lipton Onion soup mix
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons of organic dried minced onion flakes
3 teaspoons of organic onion powder
1 teaspoon of organic dried chives
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of celery salt
Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, if you don't plan on using this right away, transfer it to an air tight container for later use.
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Mango Creamcicles

Mango Creamsicles--Mango Half and Half Bars
Mango Creamsicles--Mango Half and Half Bars
Yesterday marked the official kick off of the summer season, and nothing screams summer more than a creamsicle! They're the perfect blend between a popsicle and ice cream--half popsicle and half ice cream--doesn't get much better then that!  If you don't have a Zoku Quick Pop Maker--order one! It will more than pay for itself.  If you just refuse to spend the extra $10-12 to upgrade from your popsicle molds, then go ahead and use your popsicle molds, but you will not get the creamy center  you get from a typical half and half bar.
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Ingredients:
1/2 cup of mango puree
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of organic coconut cream can sub with heavy cream or half and half
1 teaspoon a vanilla extract
2 tablespoons  of maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
Directions: To a cup add the cream vanilla extract, maple sugar, mix well and set aside.  To another cup add the mango puree and water, and mix until mango puree is thinned out.
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If using classic pop molds, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.  Divide mixture evenly among molds and freeze for 6-8 hours or until frozen solid.
If you are using the Quick pop maker, Pour the mango juice into the molds and allow to set for 2-3 minutes.
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At the 3 minute mark siphon out the remaining unfrozen juice with a straw or a unused infant aspirator–I purchased one just for this.  Zoku sells a tool kit for $20 which includes a siphon tool, but the aspirator is $3 and does the job equally as well.
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 After you have removed all of the juice, pour cream into the molds, and allow to set for another 4-5 minutes, then follow the directions for removing the pops.
 
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Miso Butter--How to Make Miso Butter

How to Make Miso Butter
How to Make Miso Butter
Butter is delicious all on its own, I love adding it to sauces, slathering it on piping hot corn on the cob, or a simple piece of toast. There is not much that butter doesn't improve.  However, miso butter is the younger, prettier, and more sophisticated sibling of butter. It's everything butter is, but better! I was introduced to miso butter by David Chang after watching a chef series he did.  Frankly, I don't know why I never tried making miso butter before.  I have had it several times at restaurants, and was always fascinated whenever chefs mentioned using it. I guess it just never occurred to me to try to make it at home--until it did--and now I can't live without it.  Most chefs recommend using a 2 to 1, or 3 to 1 ratio of butter to miso.  I found my sweet spot is larger on the butter side, so my ratio is more of a 4 to 1. Tomorrow I am going to share one of my absolute favorite ways to use miso butter, until then here is how you make it.
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Prep time: 5 minutes
 
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of white organic miso
7  tablespoons of grass fed butter--cut into cubes--it makes mixing easier
Directions: To a medium size bowl add the butter,
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Then the miso.
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Using  the back of a large spoon, mix and mash together the butter and miso paste until well combined.
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You'll know the butter is fully mixed when you no longer see streaks of brown or yellow.
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Once the butter and miso have been well combined, transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate for later use.
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This butter is amazing on almost everything, from steaks to veggies and fish!  See you tomorrow;-)
If you like this recipe try my recipe for How to make Butter or How to brown butter