Dear Blogger:

It seems that I have gone MIA for a few days...

Good news: yesterday morning, I was down a half a pound!

Bad news: I made the mistake of buying a pint of one of Ben & Jerry's Greek Yogurt Swirls ... and finished all of it in one sitting because it was so delicious.  Consequence: up 2 this morning. (Whoops.)  Hitting the gym again today (I took two days off) and gonna go hard.  (Lesson: if it's not bought portion-controlled, I have no self control... I hope to change that though...)


Looking forward, however, to tonight's dinner: salmon en papillote and artichokes with aioli.  I even bought a mortar and pestle to make the aioli!  Can't wait.

Here are the recipes (taken, once again, from Georgeanne Brennan's most recent book - note: I am using the aioli from the second recipe for the salmon instead of the bearnaise):

SALMON EN PAPILLOTE WITH SAUCE BÉARNAISE

Here, the salmon is cooked in parchment paper to seal in its flavors and protect it from the direct heat of the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

• For the sauce béarnaise:
• 1/2 cup tarragon vinegar or other herb-flavored vinegar
• 1 Tbs. minced shallots
• 1 fresh tarragon sprig
• 2 fresh chervil sprigs
• 3 white peppercorns, crushed
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 4 salmon fillets, each 1/4 to 1/3 lb.
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 thin lemon slices

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat an oven to 375°F.

To prepare the sauce béarnaise, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, shallots, tarragon, chervil and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to 2 Tbs., about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; let cool.

Combine the infused vinegar and the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl placed over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick. Stir in the salt. Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, allowing each piece to melt before adding another. Whisk until the sauce is completely smooth. Use immediately while the sauce is still warm. You will need 1 cup sauce for this recipe; reserve the rest for another use.

Meanwhile, cut parchment paper into four 8-by-11-inch rectangles. Fold the rectangles in half lengthwise and cut each into a heart shape. Lay the hearts flat and coat the inside of the paper with the 1 Tbs. butter.

Place the parchment hearts on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange a salmon fillet on one half of each heart. Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper, dot with 1/2 tsp. of the butter and top with a lemon slice. Fold the paper over and press the edges together. Starting from the top of the heart, fold the edges over twice, working your way along the paper’s edge to end with a twist at the bottom (tuck the twist underneath the packet). Repeat to make 3 more packets. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the parchment is puffed and starting to darken, 10 to 16 minutes. Transfer the parchment packets to individual plates and serve immediately with the sauce béarnaise.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of French Cooking, by Georgeanne Brennan & Sarah Putnam Clegg (Oxmoor House, 2009).

Steamed artichokes with aioli

INGREDIENTS:

4 medium artichokes

1/2 lemon

1 cup aioli* 

*(4 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 3 large egg yolks at room temperature, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper)

DIRECTIONS:

Working with 1 artichoke at a time, trim the stem even with the base. Snap off the small tough leaves around the base.  Cut off the upper third of the artichoke, then cut each artichoke in half lengthwise.  Rub the cut surface of the artichoke with the lemon half to prevent it from turning brown.

Select a wide saucepan large enough to hold the artichokes in a single layer.  Place a steamer rack in the saucepan and add water to reach the bottom of the rack.  Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.  Cover and cook until the base of an artichoke is easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the artichokes to individual plates.   Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, accompanied by the aioli.

aioli DIRECTIONS:

In a mortar, combine the garlic and salt.  Using a pestle, and working in a circular motion, grind them together until a paste forms.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolk with a whisk or electric mixer.  Very slowly drizzle in the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and gently whisk until a thick emulsion forms (after about 2 tablespoons have been added).  Then whisk in 1 teaspoon of olive oil at a time until all the oil is used.  Gently stir in the garlic paste.  Season to taste with pepper.  Use at once, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.