Do not go to the section of the market where they sell a little tub of compound butter for $5.99 +. Homemade is easier, less expensive and tastier. Compound butters are one of those simple but flavorful ways to make a mound of pipping hot cornbread just a little more impressive or taking a grilled piece of fish or meat to another level. What I love most about compound butters is how creative you can get, from using fresh herbs to dark bourbons. Go crazy. Have fun.
The key to a great compound butter is definitely in the butter. Don’t waste your time with those “fake no-name butters”; you want to impress, so splurge a little and use a really good unsalted butter. If I am making a savory butter, I season with salt, at the very end. If it is a sweet butter, I just use a little more flavoring to make it a bit more intense.
I recently wrote a recipe for an event that Jacqueline Church is hosting this summer – BBQ Bonanza 2011. We had to write about a topic that is true to her heart; sustainability. That is sustainability at the grill. For this recipe I used a gorgeous piece of salmon that was just waiting to be grilled. The quality was very good, and I wanted to keep it simple but refreshing. I took one of my favorite ways of grilling salmon, simply stuffing a whole one with fresh herbs, butter and white wine, and turned it into a compound butter.
For this particular compound butter recipe I used fresh Italian basil, a little shallot, and a lot of lemon zest. The salmon was simply seasoned with a little pepper and then grilled on a salt slab. Right before serving, I topped the salmon with slices of this very refreshing compound butter. The slow heat that was left in the grill as well as the smoke wrapped around the salmon and butter, creating a very moist and flavorful piece of fish.
Do you use compound butters? If so, what is your favorite flavor combination?
* this recipe is for Basil Butter, if you want to use another herb, omit the basil and substitute with 3 tablespoons of your favorite “fresh” herb. As well you can opt to leave in the lemon and wine.
1 stick high quality unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1 lemon, zest only
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon white wine, optional
kosher salt, to taste
In a small mixing bowl mash the butter with a fork, until creamy. Add the seasonings. Stir to combine. Roll the butter into a log using parchment paper. Put into the freezer for 30 minutes. Slice into slices and put onto your favorite piece of grilled fish or meat.
A few of my favorite flavor combinations are:
Lime zest with chipotle pepper, served over chicken
Blue cheese, with chopped porcini mushrooms, served with grilled steak
Rosemary and orange zest, served with lamb
Cranberry and port, served with pork
Maple syrup and bourbon, served with scones
Honey, served with cornbread
Blueberry and lemon zest, served with ricotta pancakes
We were contacted by the fine folks over at the Copper River Salmon Board last month about becoming partners during the summer months, when Copper River Salmon is abundant. We were intrigued, but at first felt we should decline. Why you are probably asking? Mainly because we had given up buying salmon at our local market, because of the quality that was being sold as well we were comfortable about our fish industry being on the up-and -up. We have missed eating salmon, so the timing was right. After a couple emails back-and-forth, and some research on the Copper River, we said yes. After all, deep down in our bellies, we were more than honored to be one of the five that was chosen as part of the Copper River Fresh Catch Crew.
Let me tell you a bit about Copper River Salmon before sharing with you about what you can expect from us over the next few months. Copper River Salmon is wild and sustainably harvested, like all Alaska salmon, but the season is short, and the availability depends on Mother Nature. What makes this salmon so special? Well, mainly the Copper River. Nestled in a rugged, and wild eco-system in Alaska lies the Copper River. It is icy cold, pristine, and as pure as they come. These elements make the perfect recipe for producing amazing salmon. For hundreds of years, the river has produced an array of salmon, from King to Pink. Copper River salmon travel up to 300 miles from the ocean to their spawning ground the Copper River, a journey that is rugged and requires energy in the form of fat. Fat, in the form of high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, not only produces the amazing flavor of the Copper River salmon but also the great texture.
May brought us fresh Copper River King Salmon. We were so excited when a package arrived on our doorstop; so fresh, that we could still smell the cool, crisp waters glistening over the silvery skin. King is the largest of the salmon from the Copper River. They can weigh up to 50 pounds; can you imagine how exciting it would be to catch one of these beauties. We received a gorgeous fillet. It was a deep red color, had very firm flesh, and silvery skin. We had a feeling it was going to be special, so we keep it simple. We grilled the fish on cedar planks. We were taking a chance by using the cedar planks as we had never used them; but, once we got the grill going, and laid the planks that had been soaked in a mixture of white wine and water, on top of the hot grill, we knew we were in for a treat. A gentle smoke wrapped around the fish; it smelled of green grass and hot cedar. It was perfectly cooked, and the flesh peeled off of the skin in large pieces of fleshly fish. Along side the grilled fillet we served a dill pesto, which really complimented the slightly smoky salmon. The King salmon had an amazing buttery flavor, and a firm texture, that flaked with every touch of the fork. We both loved that the salmon was not “fishy”, instead it had a really clean taste, and melted on our tongues with every bite.
What can you expect from us? Well, the Copper River summer salmon season runs May through September. The salmon that is available will be different throughout the season: End of May/beginning of June brought us King Salmon, Sockeye in June/July and Coho in August. Come September it is time for smoked salmon. Throughout the Copper River Salmon, season we will be sharing delicious recipes that we have developed using seasonal Copper River Salmon. As well we will be sharing with you where you can find this amazing fish in our area. WE have dedicated a page on Chez Us, where we will update it as we see the Copper River Salmon available in our area. If you run across some, give us a shout-out, and we will add it to the page.
If you live outside of the Bay Area you will want to follow one of the four writers who is closest to you to see where you can find the freshest Copper River Salmon.
Do you have a favorite way to prepare fresh salmon? Please share with us, and we may feature your recipe on a future Copper Rive Salmon post.
Recipe: Dill Pesto
1 cup fresh dill
3/4 cup italian parsley
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
1 small shallot
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dijon
1/2 lemon juice and zest
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
In a food processor add everything except the olive oil; process until a smooth paste is formed. With the food processor running, add the olive oil. Keep running until mixed well; about 2 minutes. Serve alongside your favorite fish.
Short ribs are available year round so why do I only make them in the summer months? I love them, I should be making them year round. Now I cannot blame it on the balmy sunny summer weather for peaking this interest in me as we live in San Francisco. I really should be making these more often as they are amazingly delicious. Slightly spicy. Slightly sweet. And a little bit zippy thanks to the addition of fresh ginger.
I am going to apologize immediately for the recipe as it is made by taste. I don’t measure anything, I just pour, mix and pour a little bit more. We prefer them a little spicier so I add a lot of sriracha as well we love ginger so I go a little heavy on that. I feel the longer you marinate them the better, so allow at least 3 hours if not overnight. Then fire up the grill and cook them to perfection. These ribs are perfect served with grilled white corn or a hearty green salad. No matter what you serve with them you are going to love sinking your teeth into their meaty and juicy goodness.
Enjoy! Have a safe and memorable long weekend!
What will you be grilling this Memorial Day Weekend?
ps… recipes are below. Having problems with google docs & PDFs … no pretty pictures but the recipes are there. Will try to fixed next week!
I have said it over and over again, we are big Donna Hay fans. Her recipes are fresh, seasonal and very simple. For the current (and the relaunch) round of HHDD, we picked this fresh beef skewer recipe.
This is a great recipe to have on hand for those evenings when you want a good meal but don’t want to spend a lot of time making it. I had dinner on the table within 60 minutes. The combination of cool rice noodles and slightly spicy beef is fantastic. The beef is marinated in half of the dressing which was made with fresh lime juice, a little peanut oil and fresh red chilies. Making rice noodles is one of the easiest things …. put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water and let sit for 8 minutes. After they were cooked and drained well (I even patted them dry, just a little), I tossed them with kaffir leaves, cilantro, basil, snowpeas and the left over dressing. This would have been great even on it’s own; but, the caramelized grilled beef skewers were a perfect partner for the cool crisp salad. We loved this recipe!
Now, get out there, pick up the ingredients and join us in this round of HHDD (Hay Hay it’s Donna Day). Get your entries to me by midnight on the 30th of April 2010. All the delicious details can be found here.
Charcoal. How much thought have you put into charcoal? Or better yet, the charcoal you use? If you are anything like us, none! In fact, this is how it usually is at our house: 1) I buy a bag of unnamed lump charcoal and bring it home; 2) Lenny is standing at the grill, with the charcoal, newspaper, a chimney and is cursing me; 3) I start to rant about how I want to use charcoal that is good for the environment, blah blah blah; 4) Lenny starts saying how he &^%* sure this charcoal is not any good, and he is now ready to switch to gas; 5) I take over and start the grill and vow next time to pick up a bag of Kingsford. Let me say this, I normally do not buy Kingsford as I was under the assumption, they use chemicals in their processing, and I want our grilling experience to be as pure as possible; hence, why we don’t use gas.
Last week Current Lifestyles, and Clorox invited us to be part of a press trip at Kingsford University. We were very intrigued about Kingford University. As well it was thrilling to be included with an outstanding group of writers, publishers and food bloggers who all shared a common interest, the love of great barbecue and wine. We hope you will enjoy the following write up which includes videos, to give you that “feel like you are there” experience as well as lots of great grilling tips from World BBQ Champion, Chris Lilly.
The event kicked off with a meet and greet dinner at Pican, in Oakland, CA, where Chef Dean Dupuis wowed us with his southern cooking. It was the perfect way to begin our university training, mingling with our fellow students, who where someamazingwriters, chefs, bloggers, and BBQenthusiasts. One of the highlights for us that evening was Chef Dupuis’ amazing fried chicken with truffle honey; we have never thought to drizzle the sweet, earthy honey over chicken, what an outstanding combination.
The following morning was spent at Kingsford University learning everything there is to know about charcoal. We started with a history lesson on Kingsford. Did you know Henry Ford started making charcoal in the 1920′s? Mr. Ford learned the process of turning scraps that were left over from making the Model T, into charcoal briquettes. Kingsford was built when a relative of Fords, E.G Kingsford started the site for making Mr. Ford’s charcoal – the rest is history. After our history lesson, the staff at Kingsford University gave us an in-depth discussion of how charcoal is produced as well as a sneak peek at their new product that will launch in 2010. Kingsford charcoal is produced by using more than 1 million tons of wood scraps. That is right, no trees are cut down for the production, and the only chemicals used are natural. Using the waste wood a char is produced in a controlled environment and then mixed with coal and small amounts of borax, sodium nitrate, cornstarch and limestone. After an educational morning, we moved out to the patio to fire up some grills, where we were wowed by Chris Lilly.
After lunch, we headed up to Healdsburg for the next part of our Kingsford University education. Healdsburg in our opinion is what the wine country is really all about, and there is no better time to be there then in the fall. Warm days, crispy evenings and beautiful fall colors add to the intoxicating smell of wine being made all around you. After checking into the lovely Healdsburg Hotel, we headed to Seghesio Vineyard for dinner. Our hosts Peter and Cathy Seghesio made us feel like we were finally home. They completely opened up their lives by sharing their passion of wine with us. Seghesio has been in the Healdsburg area since the beginning. Edoardo Seghesio planted his first zinfandel vineyard in 1895 and since then four generations of the family have been making Zinfandels and Italian varietal wines.
(this is part one of the series of videos on how to make Chris Lilly’s famed 12 hours pork butt – check out Chez Us Eats for the rest of the series)
After a wonderful meal that was served in the winery’s Redwood Room and was prepared by Chef Jon Helquis, formerly of Chez Panisse, we were formally introduced to BBQ Master, Chris Lilly. Chris is a legend among BBQ fans and has won numerous awards. Chris is Vice President of the acclaimed Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q and is the head of their competition team. Chris took the stage and gave us an in-depth demonstration on how to make his famed 12 hour pulled pork, which he injects with water and apple cider. I had a blast being able to get in there and do some actual hands on injecting; great way to get rid of some frustration! And yes, these pork butts cooked for 12 hours; Chris was a champ and woke up at 3 am to man the grill!
The next day Chris continued to WOW us on the fine art of grilling. We learned about grilling, making BBQ rubs, and finally the moment we had all been waiting for the unveiling of the 12 hour pork butt. This our friend was well worth the wait, by far the best pulled pork we have ever had, and we are not just saying that. After a filling lunch, we spent the afternoon with the stellar team at Seghesio who gave us a brief course on wine blending, and everyone was able to blend their own bottle of wine.
With a free afternoon to ourselves, there was only one thing to do, and that was to take advantage of the fruits of the Healdsburg bounty and head out to do some wine tasting. We decided to head to Michel-Schlumberger, they are considered the Healdsburg’s Bordeaux house in a valley of zin. Not only are they making Bordeaux style wines, but they are also doing so organically. Now when one sees a bunch of hungry thirsty food bloggers coming through their door, one probably wants to run; instead we were greeted by staff with open arms. Not only were they eager to have us taste their wines, which were really luscious and sexy; but, they took us on a mini tour of the vineyard. November at the Michel-Schlumberger is the perfect time – the colors of the vines, the coolness of the earth under your feet and the warm sun on your back – the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
After a few hours of down time at the hotel, we returned to Seghesio for our fare well dinner. Chris continued to educate us on grilling with Kingsford, with a hands on demo on how to make perfect grilled pizzas. These were not your ordinary pepperoni pizzas. These pizzas were gourmet, such as Asian-influenced spicy shrimp pizzza; yum. Chris got everyone to don an apron, and to get there to create their own pizzas. The group really enjoyed being hands-on. The evening was not only fun but also very informative. Come along by checking out these informative videos.
(this is part one of the series of videos on how to grill pizza – check out Chez Us Eats for the rest of the series)
We spent the rest of the evening eating, listening to music, talking to new friends and old, and cherishing the past three days that were not only educational but very fun.
We would like to give a special thanks to Chris Lilly, Kingsford Charcoal and Current Lifestyles. We had no idea that learning about charcoal would be so delicious. As well a big thank you to the Seghesio family for opening their home to us!
The big question asked of us after the event: Would we make the switch from Brand X lump charcoal over to Kingsford? We already have!!
Following you will find one of Chris Lilly’s recipes from his new cookbook, Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book. It is for a beef tenderloin, which would be the perfect for your next dinner party.
Please sure to check out more photos over here and rest of the educational videos from the Kingsford University Event over at Chez Us Eats.
3 ½ cups minced mushrooms such as baby bella or shitake
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 whole beef tenderloin (approximately 6 pounds)
1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt
Melt the butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the minced mushrooms, garlic, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and salt. Simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to soften. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Remove any silver membrane from the tenderloin with a sharp knife. Fold the tail of the tenderloin back onto itself and tie it with cooking twine (this creates a roast with a uniform thickness to ensure even doneness). Season the tenderloin with kosher salt. Drain any excess liquid from the mushrooms. Pat the mushroom mixture evenly over all sides of the entire beef tenderloin, making a thin crust.
Build a fire (wood or combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void. When the cooker reaches 225˚F, place the tenderloin on the void side of the grill and close the lid. Cook for 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 120-125˚F for rare, 130-135˚F for medium rare, or 140-145˚F for medium. Let the tenderloin rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
This is an easy dinner for a hot summer night or for when you are counting (cutting) calories. Marinated pork is pan grilled and then gently rolled in a bed of fresh herbs and assorted veggies to make these tasty spring rolls.
Last night was perfect for dining al fresco, which meant we wanted something simple and light for dinner. Yes, we are actually starting to have some warm *summer* weather out in San Francisco. I decided spring rolls would be a good dish to have as I wanted to use up some veggies we had before they went bad. I marinated some thinly cut pork cutlets with some garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. We then pan grilled the meat and sliced thinly. Now, one is suppose to use lettuce in their spring rolls but we did not have any, so we were heavy on the herbs. We used fresh purple basil, cilantro and mint and we used a lot of it. As well we rolled the meat and herbs with thinly sliced red pepper, cucumber and carrots. The combination of the herbs with the slightly spicy and sweet pork came …. very flavorful!! We served this spring rolls with Nuoc Cham.
Recipe: Nuoc Cham
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/8 cup lime juice
1 clove garlic minced
2 small red chillies, sliced thinly
Place the fish sauce, sugar, water, lime juice, garlic and chili in a non-metallic bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Camping does not mean you have to have food that you need to hydrate, nor food that comes from a can and you heat up. One can eat well while camping by being a little prepared and ingenious!
The beginning of Sunset while we cooked & sipped on wine.
We had such a great time camping in the Sierras a couple weeks ago, that we have decided to head up for a couple nights. We have some fun things planned like, sunning, reading, biking and of course eating – wait until you see this! In the mean time we wanted to share some highlights from the last trip and when we get back this weekend we will let you know how you can eat well, while getting away from it all!
We are huge taco fans ever since we had the “real” tacos of Sayulita. When ever I have a little extra fish or veggies and tortillas laying around, I opt for the simplicity of delicious tacos. This week has been all about cleaning out the fridge and freezer so this is exactly what I decided to do, when I found tortillas, snapper and some chipotle in the freezer. With the addition of one small cabbage, a little red onion and sour cream in the fridge, I knew we had something good brewing.
I seasoned the snapper with some cumin seeds (loving cumin these days), sea salt and black pepper, very simple and very flavorful. Then we quickly grilled them until charred and crispy on the outside but still moist inside. When the fish was marinating and grilling, I created a chiptole creme sauce and a slaw out of cabbage, red onion and a little rice vinegar. I find rice vinegar so clean and not complex, it really complimented the other flavors. Last minute I wanted some black beans but could not find any, so I substituted chick peas and made a re-fried mash with them. I used my basic re-fried bean recipe but with chick peas – equally delicious. The flavors of the snapper, chick peas, cabbage and chipotle all came together really well – slightly spicy but cooling with the cabbage. A great little taco!
Recipe: Snapper Tacos with Refried Chick Peas
1/2 lb snapper, cleaned and patted dry
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
sea salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 can chick peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red chili, minced
1 glove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
sprinkle of rice vinegar
sprinkle of canola oil
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1 chipotle pepper, minced
tortillas
Heat the grill. While the grill is heating, season the fish with cumin, salt and pepper, set aside until ready to grill. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the chick peas with liquid, chili and garlic, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Stirring occasionally and gently mashing when doing so. Once the chick peas are soft and liquid is almost gone, about 15 minutes, turn off the heat and mash to the consistency that you prefer. I like to have a few whole beans just left, on the rather rough side. Then add the butter and bring up the heat to medium and heat through while stirring. While the beans are cooking you can make chipotle cream by combining the sour cream with chipotles, set aside. To make the slaw combine the cabbage, red onion, rice vinegar, canola oil and salt, set aside. After you have grilled the fish, you are ready to put together your taco. Warm a tortilla on the stove top, lay on a plate, put a small layer of the chick peas, top with the fish, the slaw and then the chipotle creme. Serve. Eat.
