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We had a great lunch at Dolche in Norwalk to benefit the leukemia Society.
Great to see Danny Meyer again, he is a GREAT public speaker and a true inspiration in the food service business.
Very much looking forward to the auction item we won:
Dinner for 4 at the chef’s table of Danny’s new restaurant: North End Grill.
what an honor to meet one of my culinary heros at the Greenwich Food & WIne Festival!!!!
Thanks to everyone who braved the snow last saturday and came out to CHILIFEST in Westport. We entered the Creative Category of the the competition with a Seafood Chili, and ended up with more votes than anyone in both categories!!! We are proudly displaying the trophy behind the bar!!!
We had a great time at the Serendipity Food & Wine event last weekend (http://serendipitygreenwich.com/), here’s Matty and I with the guys from Rusted Root:
We got a great response for our salmon dish( Jaques Pepin LOVED IT!!!:). So many people at the event asked for the recipe (including Sarah Moulton, Food Network & PBS), so I decided to post it here. I hope some of you try it, let me know how it turns out!! Or you could just come to the restaurant and we’ll make it for you!!
Pecan Crusted Salmon Butternut Squash-Barley “Risotto”, Haricots Verts & White Balsamic Glaze
For Four Servings:
4 Portions Salmon Fillet
1 Butternut Squash
1 Vidalia Onion
3 Portabella Mushroom Caps
1# Dry Pearl Barley
8 Cups Chicken/Vegetable Stock
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
½ Cup Pecan Pieces
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon Seasoned Breadcrumbs
2 Cups White Balsamic Vinegar
1 Cup Sauvignon Blanc (or other fruity white wine)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Honey
1# Haricots Verts (French Green Beans)
White Balsamic Glaze (can make a week in advance):
– Cook vinegar, wine, sugar & honey over medium heat, reduce to about one cup, or until syrupy.
– Cool & set aside, need not refrigerate.
Barley:
– Peel & Dice Butternut Squash, toss with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast in 350 oven until just tender (about 7 minutes).
– At the same time lay portabella caps, top side down, drizzle with olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Roast in 350 oven until just tender (about 5 minutes). Let cool & dice.
– Put Stock in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
– Dice onion and sauté in olive oil in large shallow pan until translucent. Add dry barley, constantly stirring to toast the barley.
– One ladle at a time, add hot stock to the barley (like making risotto), wait for stock to be absorbed before adding more. Cook to desired consistency (I like my barley a little al dente).
– When barley is cooked toss together with roasted squash, portabello, thyme and soy sauce (add a pat of butter for richness).
Pecan Crust:
– Place pecans, parmesan & breadcrumbs in food processor, pulse quickly until finely chopped (do not let run too long or pecans will turn to butter-like consistency).
Haricots Verts:
- Trim ends of green beans, blanch in salted boiling water for two minutes, and then place directly in ice water to cool (“shocking” vegetables in an ice bath stops the cooking process immediately and helps keep them colorful & crisp).
Salmon:
- Press one side of salmon fillets into pecan mixture. Heat an oven proof saute pan over medium high heat (always start with a hot pan), add olive oil and a little piece of butter. When butter starts to bubble add salmon pecan side down. Cook for 2 minutes, turn over and place in 350 oven for approximately 5 minutes, add blanched haricot verts to pan, cook another 3 minutes (to cook salmon medium-rare, ovens vary).
Plate:
- Serve salmon over warm barley, drizzle with the white balsamic glaze.
- Lovely served with an oaky Chardonnay.
After three years behind the helm of The Restaurant @ Rowayton Seafood
I find I still have to stop and gaze out on our beautiful scenery, and
our sublime sunsets. The splendor of our little spot on the river
inspires me on a daily basis to create food that will do justice to
our surroundings. We strive to create contemporary American dishes
along with classic New England fare (like our scrumptious Clam
Chowder). The fact that we have our pick of the freshest seafood at
our very own fish market, and the wide variety of local purveyors in
the Northeast region gives us the highest quality of ingredients with
which to create. My crew and I have worked very hard to bring this
quality to the table in unique and creative ways and we were recently
rewarded with high praise from Zagat, along with various awards in
local magazines.
Along with our fish market we have recently partnered with the
Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Seafood Watch Program to serve
sustainable seafood in an effort to support healthy oceans and promote
species regeneration, so that we may continue to serve the finest
seafood for years to come.
Chris North, Executive Chef, was trained by Peter Kump at the New York
Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education) and comes to
The Restaurant after an impressive career at establishments in New
York City such as Cafe Luxembourg, Aquavit, and Jean Georges. Chris
was also a contestant on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen and ran Bonn Nuit in New
Canaan, CT.
Maple glazed Wild Salmon
Butternut squash ragout & cranberry relish
This is the perfect winter seafood dish. Easy to shop for and easy to prepare, and guaranteed to be please!
Serves 4:
4 7-8 oz. pieces of Wild Salmon Fillet (Available at Rowayton Seafood Market!)
¼ Cup Maple syrup (the better the quality, the better the dish)
——————————————
2 medium sized Butternut squash
8 Roma or Plum tomatoes (fresh)
1 medium Vidalia onion
1 bunch Fresh Thyme (or 1tsp. dry)
2 cloves garlic (smashed & minced)
2Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the better the quality, the better the dish)
——————————————
1 Cup frozen cranberries
zest of one orange
zest of ½ lemon
1tsp. sugar
2 Tbl. Orange juice (squeeze from the zested orange)
Butternut Squash Ragout (better if made a day or two in advance):
- Peel & seed squash, cut into equal sized pieces about 1-inch square
- Quarter tomatoes
- Peel & chop onion (as big or small as you like)
- Pick thyme leaves from stems
- Smash & mince garlic
- Mix all in large bowl, toss with Olive oil, Season with salt & pepper
- Cook in roasting pan in preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender (stir halfway through cooking to combine flavors)
Cranberry Relish (better if made two or three days in advance):
- combine all in food processor
- process until desired consistency (make it as smooth or as chunky as you like it)
- store in fridge until ready to serve
Salmon:
- brush salmon lightly with olive oil, season with salt & pepper
- sauté in a hot-oven proof pan on medium-high for one minute per side
- lightly coat salmon with Maple syrup and place pan in 350 oven for approximately 5 minutes for medium rare (cooking times vary with thickness of Salmon & varying oven temperatures)
Serve Salmon over Butternut squash ragout topped with a spoonful of cranberry relish. Bon Appetite!
