“Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière
When you think about Kansas, you might be overcome with images of vast beach front, torquis blue water, palm trees, coconuts and daily caught fresh sea food, am I right? Of course not, this is KANSAS. There are no oceans, it’s literally the most landlocked state in the country. Seafood is a delicacy here, and if you want fresh seafood it’s an expensive one. We have all the usual popular varieties of fish such as salmon and trout, but beyond that it’s hard to come by good seafood unless you want to pay a hefty amount for it. Under some circumstances it’s justifiable, but for a typical Tuesday night dinner it’s not entirely worth the cost. That’s why this is called “Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière and not Sole Meunière - it’s just not available for consumption here. That being said, a good fish meunière can be made with whatever you have available, in the end it’s really all about the butter anyway.
“Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière (serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 filets of flakey white fish (barramundi, trout, flounder, sole, whitefish, tilapia)
1/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, vegetable)
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
lemon wedges
Instructions:
1. Season the fish, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt for both filets front and back and pepper to taste. Dredge fish in the flour and shake off any excess.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium high heat in a frying pan. When the butter foam has subsided, place the filets in the hot butter. Depending on the thickness and type of fish, cook anywhere from 2 minutes to 4 minutes per side. The fish should flake when pierced with a fork. When finished, remove to a plate.
3. Add remaining butter to the pan and heat until foamy and sizzling. Meanwhile, sprinkle the parsley on the fish filets. When the butter foam has begun to subside, pour over the fish. The parsley should sizzle as the butter hits it. Serve with lemon wedges.
The easiest, best Pear Galette you’ll ever bake
Ahh, it’s finally November! The “ber” months are always my favorite time of year. The weather finally begins to cool off from the scorching hell that is the summer (I love the summer but I loathe the heat) and the holidays are upon us. In October Mariah Carey begins to thaw from her cryogenic freeze and by Nov 1st it’s “All I want for Christmas” for two months straight. I’ve always considered Halloween to be the first holiday during The Holidays, but next year since Joel and I will be getting married on October 7th, my anniversary will become the new first holiday of The Holidays, at least for me. The autumn mood is in full force and yesterday in celebration of November I made a Pear Galette.
Pears are one of those fruits that I don’t eat often, maybe a few times a year, and it’s usually in a dessert. I think of pears as the same way as I think of tomatoes - good but only reaching their full potential when they’ve been introduced to heat. A true glow-up of sorts. This is honestly one of my favorite things I’ve ever baked.
Pear Galette
Ingredients:
1 piecrust, store bough or homemade (see this recipe for homemade)
4 Anju pears (other types will work, but I personally like these the most)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons flour
1 large egg, beaten
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Mix together sugar, spices, and flour in a bowl and set aside. Cut the pears in half and core (remove seeds and the tough area immediately around them). Slice the pears thinly either vertically or horizontally (it doesn't matter - I cut mine vertically). Set aside.
2. If you’re using homemade dough, roll the dough into a circle 12 inches across and then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If using a pre-made dough, unravel from its packaging and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Arrange the pears onto the dough being sure to leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of dough around the edges uncovered. If you want, you can do some type of concentric pattern for aesthetic purposes (to be honest I tried doin this but ended up just placing them in a way that was quick and easy, no biggie - it’ll still taste the same). Sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture on the pears, making sure to get in between the pear slices. Fold the uncovered dough around the pears over the top of the galette and then brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mix over the egg washed dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Galette should be nicely browned and bubbling.
The Story of a Carrot Bandit
Every year since the pandemic, so I guess that’s three summers now, I’ve planted a small garden in the backyard. I don’t think I’m unique in that endeavor, I saw many people online doing the same thing. Had it not been for the pandemic I might not have started the garden or begun cooking as much as I have been. Despite the gloom that was the pandemic, I guess you could say one silver lining (a dull silver, though) was finally having the time to do something I’ve always wanted to do.
This year I grew green beans which are honestly such an easy vegetable to grow and really not at all fussy. You can put the seeds right in the ground and have green beans to eat in a few weeks. Unfortunately, as unfussy and easy as they are, they died early on because they didn’t get watered for almost three weeks while we were on vacation. Whoops. Nothing survives the sweltering hell scape of Kansas summer without water.
I also grew corn, leeks, various herbs (they also died..), tomatoes, and, unintentionally, basil. Basil is a wild herb, and I mean wild as in shocking. I haven’t actually planted a basil plant since 2020, but every year the basil grows everywhere. As summer has come to a close and fall is upon us, the basil has sprouted, matured, flowered, died, and new seeds have begun to sprout again. It’s all over the garden, it grows in between the other plants, in any pot near enough for the seeds to have been carried to by wind, and would certainly be growing in the yard if it weren’t for the lawn mower. I’m not complaining though, the aroma of fresh basil has perfumed our patio for months and attracted all varieties of bumble bees and butterflies.
The real stars of this year’s harvest though were the carrots. Last year when I planted them I didn't get as many as I would have liked and I pulled them up too early. I stuck them back in the ground after pulling them up with the hope they might magically acclimate back in their surroundings and continue growing, as if ripping something from its warm home in the earth wouldn’t have had any negative affect. Turns out that doesn’t work. With that lesson learned, I was ready to give carrots another shot this season. I waited much longer this year to pull them up to the point that they started to flower and the leaves were looking less vibrant than they had a few weeks prior. I’m not sure when to actually harvest carrots, but that seemed like a good time. They certainly did not disappoint - I had over three pounds.
Now, you might be wondering where in this story the bandit comes in. Maybe you even guessed who the bandit was. Well, look no further.
In the true nature that is Pax, it was not even a full thirty seconds after uprooting the first carrot that he had it his mouth and was running around the yard with it. You know how dogs put something in their mouth completely aware that it’s something they shouldn’t have, so they look at you like “what about it mf"?” and then run around when you attempt to retrieve the item? This was one of those moments. He doesn't even like carrots so he clearly took advantage of a moment to antagonize me. Cute little jerk.
Bandit Carrots, aka Saucy Carrots (serves 4)
1 1/2 cups hot water with 1 1/2 teaspoons Better than Bullion
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, quartered and cut into strips
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper (you can use less, I just like pepper)
salt and pepper
parsley, crossly chopped
Sauce Thickener
1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions:
1. In a saucepan combine the water with billion, carrots, sugar, butter, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and turn heat down to low. Slowly simmer carrots for around 25 mins, or until carrots are tender and easily pierced with a fork. When finished, remove carrots with a slotted spoon to a side dish. Boil down the remaining liquid over high heat for a minute. Off heat, beat in the sauce thickener and briefly return to heat and stir - the sauce should immediately thicken. Check for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Add carrots back to pan and gently coat with the sauce. Return carrots back to side dish, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Everyone’s Favorite Chicken Piccata
My oldest sister will probably hate me for saying this, but it’s only because it’s true! She’s one of those really picky eaters who hates everything. A perfectly cooked risotto? It’s too “oniony” she’ll say. A beautifully prepared Coq au Vin, a true masterpiece of French cooking? It was “okay”, she’ll retort. Any amount of pepper on food? Forget about it. Fish of any kind? She’d rather starve. There’s no pleasing her when it comes to food. The irony of it all is that when we were kids she loved saying “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!”, even though the only one ever throwing a fit about food was her. Decades later and not much has changed.
But there is one dish that even she cannot deny is perfectly delicious and that is Chicken Piccata. It’s hard not to love a breaded chicken breast doused in a buttery lemon sauce - in fact, that’s my theory of why she likes it, it’s almost a chicken strip. Of course, she hates capers (I know, I know…) so she picks those out, but aside from that I think she’d agree that Chicken Picaata is everyone’s favorite.
Chicken Piccata (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, butterflied (split)
1 cup flour
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon water
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 large lemons), juiced and rinds reserved
1/2 cup dry white vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 to 2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
Coarsely chopped parsley for serving
For the sauce thickener
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Butterfly the chicken breasts by placing your hand on top of it to apply pressure and using a sharp knife cut through the breast, keeping as center a line as possible as you cut through. Place the breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out (use a rolling pin or a skillet) until the breasts are about 1/4 in thick. Season with a few grinds of salt and pepper, set aside.
2. Mix the flour with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper on a plate. On another plate, beat the eggs with the water. On a third plate, measure out the Italian bread crumbs. Beginning with the flour, coat each chicken breast and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture, and then dip in the Italian bread crumbs. Set aside on a plate, and repeat the process for each chicken breast.
3. In a large skillet big enough to hold at least two of the breasts, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot and shimmering but not smoking, sear the chicken breast on each side for 4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a sheet pan or other type of baking dish. You might need to work in batches, doing two at a time. If the pan seems dry, add extra olive oil. When all the chicken breasts have had their turn cooking in the pan, bake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
4. While the chicken is in the oven, make the sauce. Wipe out the pan (no need to rinse it). Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in the same pan over medium heat. When the foam from the butter begins to subside, add the shallot and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, vermouth or wine, chicken stock, and the lemon rinds. Boil down for about 4 - 5 minutes or long enough to boil off the alcohol. Remove from the heat and add the capers and stir in the sauce thickener. Place back on the stove and bring to a simmer, the sauce should immediately begin to thicken, about a minute or two. Remove again from heat and swirl in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
5. Plate the chicken once it’s finished in the oven. Pour sauce of each breast and sprinkle on some of the chopped parsley. Garnish with extra lemon slices. This dish is served best with roasted or mashed potatoes, and a salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
White Pepper
Instructions:
1. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Put potatoes in a pot and add enough cold water to cover potatoes by an inch. Add salt (this may seem like a lot but trust me on this). Bring to the boil and cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Reserve 1 cup of the potato water and drain the rest. Add 1/2 cup of the water back into the potatoes along with the stick of butter. Using a potato masher, fork, or electric mixer, smash and stir potatoes adding more water as needed for desired consistency. I prefer to leave mine smooth but with small potato chunks.
Farmer’s Market, Lululemon, and a Peach Tart
You might not expect it, but Kansas City has a pretty incredible open air farmer’s market. I don’t live in Kansas City of course, but my mom and sister have lived there off and on over the years, so every time I’m in town I wake everyone up early and drag them there with me. Mom and Joel love it, my sister is probably indifferent towards the whole thing, and my niece will go, albeit begrudgingly, and usually requires some incentivizing - this time it was a promise to stop by Lululemon (yes, Lulufreakinglemon). My niece is almost ten, so she’s getting to that age where she wants all the same things that her friends have and apparently all ten year olds these days want Lululemon. I don’t get it, but who am I to judge? When I was around her age, maybe a little older, all I wanted was Abercrombie. I guess it’s the same odd thing. Anyway, I obliged and went and bought her a tank top that she wanted. Her smile and excitement afterwards made it worth while, plus I get the all the Cool Guncle points for buying her first piece of apparel from Lululemon.
I was able to pickup a few things - some leafy greens for salads, chestnuts (which, as we speak, are sitting in the freezer unused because I honestly don’t know what to do with them), a bottle of blackberry liquor made from a local distillery, and my favorite find of the day: fresh peaches. Not those hard, flavorless, and dry variety from the supermarket but fresh, fresh, juicy peaches.
So what is one to do with all those fresh peaches? Make a peach tart of course. Enjoy all of the buttery, flaky goodness of the crust and sweetness of the peaches in this delicious “whip it up in no time” desert. Feel free to use a store bough crust, I know it’s time consuming and tedious to make one from scratch. But if you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen, the recipe for a pie crust is below.
Peach Tart
Ingredients
Pie Crust - Partially Baked (recommended but store bought is of course perfect, too)*
*If using store bought, follow package directions for a partially baked pie crust.
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 oz cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice cold water
9 inch pie, cake, or quiche pan
Instructions:
1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the cold butter and shortening. Using your finger tips, rub the ingredients together breaking apart the butter into smaller and smaller chunks until the mixture looks lumpy and flaky. At once, add the water. Using your hands combine all the ingredients and form the dough into a loose mound. If the dough seems unusually dry, add a tablespoon of cold water.
2. Remove the dough mound onto a floured surface and smear in an upward motion using the heel of your hand. Regather dough in a mound and smear until the butter is well incorporated. Regather and kneed gently to form into a ball, avoiding any large cracks in the dough. Dust lightly with flour and wrap in parchment or waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins, or overnight.
3. When ready, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the dough on a floured surfaced and work into a flattened circle with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough away from you, so that it’s several inches past the diameter of your pie or cake pan. Form into pie pan and remove excess dough, keep for later. Prick the crust with a fork on the bottom and around the edges. Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill the inside with something heave such as dry beans to keep it from puffing. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the parchment paper and dry beans, and place back into the oven for a further 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Ingredients:
Peach Filling
Mixed berry fruit spread or jam
3 ripe peaches, cut into slices about 1/2 in thick
3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and optional almond extract. Using your fingers, smush the ingredients together until it’s all mixed and has a sand like texture. Set aside.
2. Using a spatula, smear the bottom of the pie crust lightly with the fruit spread. This acts as a way to glue the peaches down and also creates a layer to protect the crust from potentially becoming too soggy. Arrange the peaches in the pie crust in a concentric circle - don’t worry if it’s not perfect or if you need to overlap the peaches to fit them all in. Sprinkle on all of the sugar mixture (yes, all of it).
3. Bake for 35 minutes in the center rack of the oven. It should be bubbly and mostly all of the sugar mixture should be absorbed into the bubbly filling but some will remain crusted on top. If you feel it needs a little more time, add an extra five minutes or so, but don’t exceed 40-45 minutes.