March: Goodbye Blood Oranges - Hello Spring Salmon

March denotes the end of blood orange season -- at least in my part of the world -- but it also heralds the arrival of fresh Spring (or Chinook) salmon. So while I had the opportunity to obtain both of these ingredients, I pulled out a recipe I've cooked many, many times that beautifully marries them together.

You use the blood oranges to make a version of the classic Sauce Maltaise (hollandaise made with orange juice instead of lemon). In this case the blood orange juice gives the sauce a lovely pink hue, which somehow makes me think of spring.
1/2 cup blood orange juice (you can substitute regular orange juice)
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of butter, softened
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix together the orange juice, vinegar, grated ginger and white wine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil Reduce to 1/4 cup then strain and set aside. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, whisk together the egg yolks and the reduced orange juice mixture until pale, hot and slightly thickened. Whisk in the butter 1 tbsp. at a time, until it is all incorporated. Season to taste and keep the sauce at room temperature while the salmon is cooking.

The salmon is steamed in a Chinese bamboo steamer. Line the bottom of the steamer with parchment paper (this prevents the bamboo from absorbing the salmon flavour and it also makes clean up a breeze) then place the salmon fillets (7 oz fillets per person) on the parchment.

The steamer should fit within a large saute pan or wok. Fill the pan with water to just below the bottom of the bamboo. Slice a 2 inch piece of ginger and add it to the water, then bring the water to a simmer. Next place the steamer containing the salmon (covered with its domed lid) over the ginger water and cook for 8 minutes or until done. Note - don't season the salmon with salt and pepper until after it's done so that less of the milky white protein is released.

Place the salmon fillets on plates, spoon the sauce over top and garnish with a twist of sliced blood orange and some finely chopped chives.

Serve with a rich, oaky Chardonnay.

Mexican Feasts and Friends

I cooked dinner last night for an amazing group of new friends (with much help from my sous-chefs) to celebrate what I hope will be the first of many reunions of the San Miguel Lost in Margaritaville Class of 2011. Of course the meal had to be a Mexican feast to properly evoke the wonderful memories of our week south -- so I turned, as I often do when looking for inspiring Mexican food, to Chef Roberto Santibanez. I was not disappointed.

We began with a Watercress, Orange and Avocado Salad. The dressing is a tangy blend of sweet and spice (as so many Mexican dishes are) and calls for pomegranate molasses. This is not easy to source, but if you live in Vancouver you can find pomegranate molasses at Naz Mediterranean Products & Halal Meats on Fraser (elsewhere check out a local Middle Eastern market or try making it yourself). We served two different white wines to accompany this first course -- an Austrian Gruner Veltliner and an Oregon Pinot Gris -- both offer a nice crisp, fruity balance to the lime in the dressing of the salad.

The salad was followed by a self-serve buffet, which included:

• Swiss Chard with Beets, Goat Cheese and Raisins 
• Mushrooms in Escabèche with Red Bell Peppers and Chiles de Arbol: An escabeche is a marinade that begins with the slow cooking of onions, garlic, bay leaf and various spices in olive oil and vinegar. The main ingredient can vary -- from vegetables to meat to seafood, but it's always recommended that you make an escabeche a few days ahead, as it only gets better after a few days in the refrigerator.
• Serano Ham and Poblano Corn Pudding: I served this pudding in individual ramekin dishes, which worked well. The recipe calls for poblano chiles -- milder than other green chiles -- that are charred, peeled and seeded. It also calls for instant corn masa mix which is available in many Latin markets.
• Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast with Hazelnut Mole: Santibanez says that "according to lore, the original mole (derived from the ancient Nahuatl word molli, meaning a concoction) was served with turkey that had been fattened with hazelnuts". This particular mole includes fruit (apples, plantain, prunes) chiles (guajillo and ancho), spices and hazelnuts.

We paired two different reds with the main course: 2009 J. Lohr Estates South Ridge Syrah from California, and a French syrah, grenache and mourvèdre blend -- 2007 E.Guigal Côtes Du Rhône. 

For dessert I served Mexican Chocolate Mousse with Burnt Rum and Cinnamon-Almond Cookies. I'll also add a word of caution when flaming the 3/4 cup of white rum that gets added to the mousse -- stand back, stir in with a VERY long spoon, and have a fire extinguisher on hand!

It was a grand evening and I am sure this group will share many more memorable feasts together in the not to distant future. Next -- Ottawa with beaver tails in Byward Market?