Smoked Salmon Faux Frittata

I don't know what else to call it. A frittata is started on the stove, then transferred to the oven. I must confess that I do not have an oven-safe skillet. Thus, the "faux."

Preheat the oven to 300° and oil a baking dish. In a frying pan, cook thinly sliced onions until they are translucent. Add flaked smoked salmon and sliced black olives. Pepper to taste. Warm through and set aside.

Whisk six eggs together with a splash of milk and a couple spoons of sour cream.

Add the salmon, olives and onions to the baking dish. Spread some diced tomatoes and chopped fresh basil over the top. Cut a package of cream cheese into cubes and evenly space them in the pan. Now gently pour the egg mixture over the top.

I baked this for 30 minutes and then turned the broiler on for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with some slices of avocado and enjoy. This came out better than I could have hoped. Simply delicious!

Bon appétit!

South of France Lemon Cheesecake

When The Boss Carlo left the library, she selected this cheesecake for her farewell party. Now the music cataloger is leaving, and she selected this one as well. And it will be payday. So, two birds, one stone.

This is the easiest cheesecake to make. I assert the superlative confidently. You shall see Dear Reader. You shall see. And then you will believe.

First of all, there is no crust. Simply line a 9-inch cheesecake pan with parchment paper as I have preached all along.

In a large bowl, stir a couple pounds of ricotta cheese with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add sugar and flour and mix until incorporated. Then six eggs are added, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Finally (yes, finally) lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and a little cinnamon are added.

Pour the batter into the pan and pop it into a 300° oven for 75-90 minutes. This cheesecake will be done when a knife can be inserted in the center and come out clean. (Other cheesecakes are done when lightly browned and or jiggly in the center).

This is a refreshing diversion (if one were to be needed) from the usual cheesecake. The texture differs from the "normal" cheesecake. As you can see from the picture, a large crack developed on the top of the cake as it cooled. Fortunately, it won't affect the taste.

Bon appétit!

Smoked Salmon Ravioli

Homemade pasta filled with homemade smoked salmon? Sure. Why not? I have an old ravioli maker from my grandmother. Still in the original box no less. And I have a hand-crank pasta maker as well. I was set.

I mixed the pasta dough with my hands. There really is no other way. I didn't have semolina flour so I used regular all-purpose flour. Two cups flour, two eggs, two tablespoons each of olive oil and water. The dough is a little rough to knead together. After it is well-mixed, let it rest for 15 minutes.

I set up the pasta maker on the counter and divided the dough into quarters. Working with a quarter at a time, I cranked it through the pasta maker, progressing from setting one through four, running the developing sheet through each setting a couple of times.

I lightly floured the ravioli maker and lay the pasta sheet across the top. Taking about a tablespoon of shredded smoked salmon, I pressed it into each indentation of the ravioli maker.

Then make another pasta sheet to go on top. Prior to laying it on though, brush a little water on the pasta in the tray. This will help in sealing the ravioli. Lay the sheet on top and gently work out any air bubbles that may be present. Then, using the small rolling pin from the ravioli maker, seal and crimp the ravioli. Gently remove the ravioli from the mold and onto a cookie sheet. I have found that popping these into the freezer makes separating the ravioli a whole lot easier.

I made a second set of twelve raviolis, and froze them all. I returned to the freezer later to gently shake the raviolis to help keep them from freezing together.

The raviolis are cooked in gently boiling water. They only need a couple minutes to cook the pasta and heat the salmon filling. I served these with sun-dried tomato tapenade, slices of steamed zucchini, sliced avocado and shaved Parmesan cheese. Garlic bread on the side. Of course.

Bon appétit!

Black Forest Cheesecake

Cheesecakes do not get much easier than this one. For the Benton County Mental Health mid-month staff meeting, I prepared a Black Forest cheesecake.

I used chocolate double-stuffed Oreos for the crust. The cookie filling serves as the binding agent so the butter can be eliminated. This is not a health choice, but a choice that makes things simpler.

Cream cheese and sugar are beat on high for three minutes. Then two eggs are added, one at a time, and incorporated. The sides are scraped down and six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled, and vanilla are added.

The mixture is poured onto the crust and the cake is baked at 350° for 45 minutes.

After allowing to cool for a couple hours, the cake is refrigerated overnight. For a topping, I used a can of cherry pie filling.

Bon appétit!

Asparagus Pesto

I found another recipe in the New York Times that looked both interesting, and more importantly, easy. Asparagus pesto! I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it proved a good starting point.

I broke off the tough ends from about three pounds of asparagus. I cut the spears in half and boiled them for about ten minutes. Just until tender, but not mushy.

After draining the asparagus I put them in the food processor and added a couple handfuls of filberts, some garlic, grated Parmesan cheese and a little salt. I turned on the processor and slowly drizzled some olive oil in until the mixture was the consistency I was after. To be honest, I didn't know the consistency I was after. It was about a quarter cup of oil though.

To serve, I offered the pesto in a bowl with slices of baguette. It was scrumptious.

Bon appétit!

Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

Since I already had the food processor out, I thought I'd try something else. Something new. Something from my imagination. I still had a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes from last year's harvest and decided I'd invent a tapenade.

First, I brought a pot of water to a boil and added a bunch (there was no measuring involved) of dried tomatoes. I boiled them for 5-10 minutes. Enough to soften them, but not so much as to turn them mushy.

I drained them and added them to the food processor. Then I added a few handfuls of filberts, fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and some balsamic vinegar. As the ingredients were processed, I slowly drizzled in some olive oil. I wanted a coarse yet spreadable mixture. I got it.

I served my creation with slices of baguette, and it was absolutely delicious. I couldn't have been happier with it!

Bon appétit!

Grilled Salmon

For our Sunday entree, I planned to grill the remaining fillet from the salmon that Brian had delivered a few days earlier. I was going to a baseball game prior to dinner so this had to be kept simple. In hindsight, I could not have made it simpler.

I chopped up some thyme, Italian parsley and dill. In a bowl I mixed some olive oil and naranja agria, then added the herbs. I used a spoon to kind of mush the herbs a bit in order to get the juices flowing. I popped this into the fridge until I returned from the game

Naranja agria is bitter orange juice and is available at Latin grocery stores. It is fantastic for marinades!

When I returned home, I fired up the grill and laid the salmon on the rack. Then I spooned the marinade onto the fish. C'est tout! After 10-15 minutes it was time to eat.

Sometimes I think I need to perform a lot of fancy culinary tricks to achieve deliciousness. This was a time when I was reminded that sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest.

Bon appétit!