Reactivation: almond & basil-crusted salmon

Hello world!  It's been a while since I posted here.  Obviously the circumstances are to blame - not me.  You are asking: how come?  Well, my inspiration for writing was brutally beheaded time after time by the changing aura.

First, I wanted to complain about the bad weather (not an infrequent inclination of mine :P)  And the weather got much better...  So then I wanted to write about the sun, hot weather, ice cream, running through fountains, pleasant evenings on the terrace, and lying on the grass waiting for that first sunburn -- pretty much your average summery stuff.  Before I got to that, however, the weather changed again.  It got chilly and rainy, and the possibility of catching sunburn was exchanged for the possibility of catching a cold.  Nonetheless, at that point it seemed pointless and so-oh passé to complain about the bad weather, and I was left without topic, yet again.

 

This whole (questionably interesting) inner debate brought me to the conclusion that maybe I shouldn't base my blog posts on weather descriptions -- as fascinating as they may be (...for grannies waiting for weather reports whilst finishing knitting new scarfs). After all, this blog is about so much more than weather (theoretically, at least).

I guess what I'm trying to say by this whole litany of excuses and boring weather talk: I missed this blog, and will make sure to start posting on a regular basis again! The good thing is that I managed to take an insane number of pictures in the meantime -- all of insanely delicious food -- so I have plenty of great resources to draw from.

 

Thanks for bearing with me. And hold on to your hats: the reaaaaally good stuff is just about to start!   

 

Speaking of really good stuff: this almond & basil-crusted salmon is packed with flavors and utterly delicious.  The freshness of the basil paired with zingy lemon zest and buttery roasted almonds makes a perfect combination.  When you are making the dish, the most amazing harmony of scents fills your kitchen and hungry housemates intrigued by the smell flock to you.  I also like the combination of textures - meaty salmon, crunchy almonds and delicate herbs -- it really melts in your mouth.

 

The dish is very easy to make, so you can prepare it for a simple weekday dinner.  At the same time, the perfect flavor blend and appealing presentation make it a sure winner for dinner parties with friends -- your guests will love it!

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless salmon fillets (approx. 600 g)
• 100 g of whole unsalted & unroasted almonds
• small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper

 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180-200 °C.
• Chop the almonds coarsly and roast for a few minutes in a hot dry frying pan, until golden-brown.  Transfer to a bowl, add the lemon juice and lemon zest.  Let cool.
• Chop the basil and add to the almond mixture.  Add the butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
• Spread the crust on top of the salmon fillets.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes (check if your almonds are not burning -- if so decrease the heat).
• Serve with steamed veggies and/or garlic baked potatoes.

 

*I found the recipe (by doktorek) on a Polish discussion forum.

Bon appetit!

Outrageous lemon cake

If you like lemons -- this cake is perfect for you!  It's very easy to make and tastes amazingly.  I changed the original recipe by adding more than triple (!) the amount of lemon juice and zest to boost the lemon flavor.  Although they say baking is an exact science and you shouldn't experiment with the amount of ingredients, I got away with this by adding a bit more sugar and flour.

The result is a delicious, over-the-top lemon cake, enhanced by the very sour-sweet icing make purely of lemon juice & zest, and sugar. 

This cake is perfect for any occasion.  Exquisite enough to be served during special celebrations or holidays, but so easy that it can also be made on an ordinary day.  In fact, it's just so good, that there is no point in not making it all the time.

I first prepared it for the Easter holidays -- the lightness and freshness of the cake are a great reflection of the lightness and freshness of the coming Spring.  Meanwhile, any excuse has become good to prepare it, so I baked it during last Christmas season -- though strictly speaking there is nothing really Christmassy or Wintery about it.  But my family made it very clear they wanted this cake for Christmas too, and this was not up for any discussion.  "Who cares what it reflects, cut the bla-bla-bla, just bake the cake!"

If you have a nice bundt cake form, you can definitely use it, as the cake will easily take any shape and come out of the form.  You can also experiment with the decorating.  I usually ice it, and decorate it with caramelized lemon -- quick, delicious and the effect it easy on the eye.

So -- what are you waiting for?  Grab some lemons and bake!

The recipe is adapted from a recipe by gosiowo, that I found about 8 years ago on a Polish discussion forum.

Ingredients:

• 180 g of flour
• 130 g of good quality butter (room temperature)
• 100 g + 2 tbsp of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 package of lemon kissel (available in any Polish store, e.g. by Dr. Oetker)
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 additional lemon for decoration
• Confectioner's sugar for decoration

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Mix the butter, 100g of sugar and eggs until smooth.  Add flour, kissel, baking powder, lemon juice and zest and mix again to combine.
• Butter a round baking tin (23 cm in diameter) and sprinkle with flour or breadcrumbs.  Pour batter in tin.
• Bake cake for around 40 minutes.  Let cool.
• Prepare icing: gently heat 2 tbsp of lemon juice with the zest of 1/2 lemon and enough confectioner's sugar to make a smooth icing.  
• At the same time, slide the other half of the lemon (cut the slices in half if you want), put in a pan over high heat and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of sugar.  Let the sugar caramelize, turn the lemons and watch them closely.
• Decorate the cake with the icing and caramelized lemons.

Bon appetit!