Tasteblazer

Roasted Salmon with Hazelnut Crumbs

I found this recipe for roast salmon with hazelnut crumbs in last week's (June 15) Boston Globe food section.  It's really simple, only I had never thought to pair salmon with hazelnuts before, and had to try.  Serving size adapted for single gal eating at home (lest you feel sorry for me, it is a weeknight, after all.)

Roast Salmon with Hazelnut Crumbs (serves 1)

1/4 cup hazelnuts
A handcup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 lb. boneless salmon filet
A bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper
Lemon juice

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2.  Toast hazelnuts for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.  Reduce oven heat to 250 for the salmon.
3.  Let hazelnuts cool, and peel skin off before tossing them into a chopper or food processor.  Chop or grind to bits, add panko, and give the mixture another whirl to blend.
4.  Rub salmon lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper.  Spritz some lemon juice.  Press the nut and panko mixture onto top of filet.
5.  Roast for 30 minutes or until done.  (I had the filet in a toaster oven, and in the last minute or two I turned the setting to "Broil" to apply heat to the top only, to add a bit of extra crunch to the top.)
6.  Take the salmon out, pair with side of rice or veggies, and enjoy.

That's what should have happened.  Until I decided that I wanted wine to go with dinner.  Breaking with the traditional white wine with fish rule (according to all the food magazines it's trendy now to break wine rules) I wanted to open a nice 2001 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Banneret Rhone I got as a gift.  Now, I have an ancient corkscrew that is about as old as I am.  It doesn't go down very far, and the part used to leverage doesn't stay on the bottle.  Needless to say, I spent about 10 minutes tugging without success, until the screw finally came out, along with the top half of the cork. 

You know those happy/sad drama masks that are used as a symbol for theater?  I was the epitome of the sad mask. 

My fish and rice were done, but I left the appliances plugged in to keep them warm.  I put the wine in a paper bag, got in my car, and drove to my friendly neighborhood wine & spirits store, and explained my dilemma. 

"Ah, you have a really dry cork.  That's why," they said, and recommended a corkscrew that you leverage down from both sides (does it have a technical name?) 

I ran home and baked the salmon for another few minutes, and dish turned out fine. 

Things learned today:  1.  Hazelnut flavor goes great with salmon.  2.  Invest in a good corkscrew.

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken

For Father's Day, I made my dad a dinner that encompassed two of his favorite flavors, namely coconut and fried things.

I got the recipe from Cooking Light, but my adaptation isn't very cholesterol friendly.  (It's a manly holiday! Who cares about fat?)  I used regular coconut milk because the supermarket was out of light, and kept the skin on most of them because, frankly, what's the point of eating fried chicken without the skin?  Of the two drumsticks I did skin (for mom's sake), I noticed that the panko and coconut flakes had a much harder time staying on. 

Anyway, on to the recipe.

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken (makes 8 drumsticks)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
8 chicken drumsticks (you can also use wings, breasts, heads, whatever)
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Cooking spray

1. Open the can of coconut milk and mix in lime juice and hot pepper sauce.  Pour into a large ziptop plastic bag (or 2 small bags).  Add chicken and seal.  Marinate in the fridge for half an hour to an hour, depending on how desperately hungry you are. 

2.  Go do something else.  Like dishes.

3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4.  Combine panko, coconut flakes, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish.  Mix with your hands.  Remove chicken from marinade and dredge in the mixture, 1 piece at a time. 

5.  Place chicken on a baking sheet  lined with parchment.  If you don't have parchment, use aluminum foil but add a light coat of cooking spray.  Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray also. 

6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden bornw.  Carefully turn chicken over with tons and bake for another 30 minutes or until done.

I wasn't a big fan of the biscuits so I'm not going to give the recipe.  (But if they look too good in the picture and you really want the recipe, just go on Epicurious.com and do a search for biscuits.  It was in a 1999 issue of Gourmet.)  They were a bit too salty and crumbled way too easily.  Next time I'll try a buttermilk recipe and see how that goes.

Pairing:  For tropical flavored dishes I almost always go for beer over wine.  The Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre Ale had hints of green grapes and was good for getting my dad out of his Heineken rut.

BBQ and Seafood at East Coast Grill

East Coast Grill is consistently ranked as one of the best restaurants in the Northeast, so I had to try it before I left Boston.  I've eaten in Inman Square a few times, but since I don't live in the area and the closest T stop is a 15 to 20 minute walk away, Cambridge Street doesn't usually figure into weekend plans.  But what a shame...with cozy neighborhood restaurants like East Coast Grill, Ole Mexican Grill, Punjabi Dhaba, and Magnolia's within a three-block stretch, Inman is where I'd live if I were to stay in Boston.   At the moment, I'm also immersed in Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page's Becoming a Chef, and chef/owner Chris Schlessinger is mentioned on practically every other page.  Needless to say, I couldn't wait until my farewell dinner to eat at the restaurant.

We went on Friday, and the hour and a half wait gave us ample time to study the menu and handwritten specials on the outside.  Seafood or barbeque?  I'm a seafood fanatic and always seeking places with with freshest fish, but Schlessinger has co-written 8 books on barbeque and is a noted fanatic on the topic.  I had to incorporate both into my meal.

For the appetizer I forced myself to forgo the raw bar in favor of the "Chile-Crusted Black 'n Blue Tuna Tacos," pan seared tuna with arugula, jimaca, and an orange chipotle glaze.  The tuna skin was perfectly crisp, and the raw inside was velvety and tender. 

As for the barbeque entrees, there's no need to decide between different styles or cuts of meat.  The Uncle Bud's trio platter offers a sampling of Memphis style dry rubbed pork spare ribs, Texas style beef brisket, and Eastern North Carolina style shredded pork.  I wasn't a huge fan of the tanginess of the shredded pork, but the spare ribs and beef brisket were delicious.  Served with corn bread, cole slaw, and watermelon, the platter is one hefty feast.  (And I love the aesthetic effect of steak knife stabbing corn bread.)

I didn't get to try the "WMD...Wings of Mass Destruction...From Hell! Smoked, Jerked, then Grilled & 2Hot4U Real Inner Beauty Sauce, Fried Plaintains & Grilled Pineapple ," but I'm sure I'll be back for them. (This is enthusiastic menu writing at it's best.)  And being the heat-seeker that I am, I may have to return to Boston in October just for the restaurant's Hell Night.

Food alone is not what attracts hoards of locals and tourists alike to East Coast Grill.  The service is impeccable, with attentiveness from waitress, hostess, manager, and busboy alike.  Even the bartender flashed us an "Hope you're enjoying your meal, and by the way I love working here!" smile.  I like observing the workers when I eat out.  Through the course of my meal, waiters passed each other with smiles instead of exasperated looks, busboys strolled by humming to the music, and at the end of the night the manager and hostess shot the breeze over a meal at the bar. 

The positive energy definately transfers to the diners, making the food taste even better.

East Coast Grill - 1271 Cambridge St., Inman Square

Bond St.

I had been itching to go to Tomoe Sushi since reading about it from The Amateur Gourmet, but based on the line on Friday it looked like we wouldn't be eating for 2 to 3 hours, minimum.  Luckily, Bond St. was on my list of places to try, and just a few blocks over in Noho. 

The swanky interior of the fusion restaurant couldn't have been further from the tiny hole-in-the-wall that was Tomoe, but we were seated right away at the sushi bar.  What follows is a night of incredible sake-ing and sushiing.  And because of the sake-ing, I can't remember exactly what was in every dish, but I'll do my best.

For an appetizer we had a mushroom risotto topped with an airy ball of dried squid.  Simply put, it was amazing. 

The sushi platter itself was a visual delight.  In the center was an elaborate display of the Sushi Sextet, which included octopus, raw lobster, eel, and salmon tartare, as well as two other fish I can't remember.  Was it delicious?  Yes.  Is that an eel's backbone used as a garnish?  Yes.

Next to the Sextet, the rolls hold their own ground.  The soft shell crab roll may sound like a standard at any sushi bar, but this came with a wasabi cilantro cream sauce that made me question why I ever had only lukewarm feelings for wasabi and cilantro.  The eel roll topped with almonds puts most other eel rolls to shame. 

For dessert we had both the banana chocolate dumplings and a lychee panna cotta.  The dumplings are certainly an unusual concoction, but the skin was a little too hard.  The panna cotta was the better dessert and, and along with the appetizer and sushi rolls, will make you a true believer in the marriage of Eastern and Western flavors.

Bond St. is no Tomoe or Honmura An, but what the restaurant lacks in authenticity it makes up for in creativity and flavor of the dishes.  We were mesmerized just watching the sushi chefs create their elaborate displays.  This is why I love sitting at the bar.  You get both dinner and theater in one.

Bond St. - 6 Bond St., Noho

My First Visit to Craftbar

A late lunch at Grimaldi's means limited room in the stomach for a full dinner.  We were in the Flatiron District, huddled under an umbrella to avoid the rain, and decided to duck into Craftbar for some drinks (the first of many that evening.)

I had only seen interior shots of the old restaurant on E. 19th, and this new interior is decidedly more elegant.  Still, the feel is more friendly than stuffy.

With wine and Grey Goose on the rocks in hand, we decided there was no reason not to order food too. (After all, who knows how long the rain will last?)  My appetizer of soft shell crab with fresh morels was delicious.  As was the pecorino fondue with hazelnuts and toast.

The best part about Craftbar?  It's 5 minutes away from the ICE, where I'll be every weekday starting September.  I see regular lunch spot potential.

Craftbar - 900 Broadway, Flatiron

New York Fast Food

Last weekend Jacob came to New York to help me apartment hunt, which means more of sampling the city's famed fast food places.  Once I become a New Yorker, it's likely that at some point someone will engage me in a heated debate over where to find the best slice, burger, bagel, etc.  I must be able to argue with conviction, based on thorough research.  It's a hazing ritual, I'm sure.

On the last visit we had hit Katz's (amazing), John's Pizzeria in Times Square (very overrated), and the Doughnut Plant ("I never knew a doughnut could taste sooo good," said J.)  On a subsequent solo visit I had a slice at Joe's in the Village and a chicken schwafel (a schwarma and falafel hybrid) at Chickpea.  This time, it's off to the Shake Shack and Grimaldi's.

I had seen online pictures of the long weekend lines at Shake Shack that put the lines at Disney to shame, but luckily it was 3 or 4 on a Friday afternoon, so there were only about 20 or 30 people ahead of us.   We were a bit hungry, and ordered a Chicago style hot dog, a Shack burger with a mayo-based sauce, fries, vanilla shake, and vanilla custard with a chocolate truffle mix-in.  A bit hungry. 

The burgers are reminiscent of In-and-Out in their use of fresh ingredients.  The meat is a mix of sirloin and brisket ground across the street at Danny Meyer's Eleven Park Madison, which means it's airier, fattier, and tastier.  The fries were also perfectly crisp.  And the custard?  Heaven.  But warning: the chocolate truffles are so big you simply keep chewing for 5 minutes. 

Next up: Brooklyn

This was my first visit to Brooklyn, but we didn't wander very far because I had a pending apartment viewing.  Nevertheless, Dumbo has a lot to offer in terms of scenery: the river, the bridges, the Grimaldi's sign...

We were seated pretty quickly and there was great AC to escape the heat and humidity outside.  It was also great to watch how fast and efficient the pizza makers were, making perfect pie after perfect pie.  The ingredients are so simple, fresh mozzerella with tomato and basil and whatever toppings your order, but the beauty comes in the form of the massive coal fired oven that turns out perfect crusts.  This is definately the best pizza out there. 

Shake Shack - Madison Square Park

Grimaldi's - 19 Old Fulton St.(between Front and Water), Dumbo, Brooklyn