French Toast BLT

 

After the rousing success I had with the Beef Burgers with Bourbon Mushrooms, I thought I would try my hand at another recipe from that same 2016 issue of Sauce Magazine, namely, the BLT French Toast. I’m not going to lie to you, this did not sound good. I think I was more intrigued with the process, the fact that there was bourbon in the egg mixture, and that this was a savory dish involving French toast. As it turned out, I thought it was excellent, and something likely to be served at a high-end restaurant. I did not expect to taste the bourbon in the bread slices, but I did, and that really enhanced this knife and fork sandwich. It’s not difficult to make, but it takes some time due to the waiting in making the savory French toast. The garlic vinaigrette was a wonderful surprise, and I found myself really enjoying this restaurant quality sandwich that, I’m warning you, is big enough for two.

 Here is the recipe as printed. I cut it back by three.

French Toast BLT

5 eggs

2 c. heavy cream

¼ c. bourbon

6 1-inch slices challah

12 strips thick-cut bacon

2½ c. grated Gruyere

12 tomato slices* (about 3 small tomatoes)

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

3 c. spring mix

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

 In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream and bourbon until well combined. Pour in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the challah and soak 10 minutes. Flip the slices and soak an additional 10 minutes.

 Meanwhile, place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until just crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon off most of the bacon fat from the skillet.

 Add 3 challah slices and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining slices.

 Bake the bread slices until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Top with the grated cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 4 minutes.

 To assemble, place 2 strips of bacon and 2 tomato slices each on 3 challah slices and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Toss the spring mix with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Divide the greens evenly over the 3 prepared challah slices and top with the remaining 3 slices. Serve warm.

 Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

2 heads of garlic

¾ c. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 T. sherry vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

 Slice off the tops of the garlic so the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic heads in a small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and roast until the garlic is golden brown, fragrant and softened, 20 to 25 minutes.

 Let the garlic cool, then squeeze the cloves into a blender, discarding the skins. Add the vinegar and mustard, and blend until smooth. With the machine running, add ¾ cup olive oil in a steady stream until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*I used one large slice from a red Melissa's Produce Heirloom Tomato.

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The Renewal of Spring

Our first Daffodil of the season nestled in between a pair of chicken salt and pepper shakers.

For those of you who happened to have noticed that I haven’t posted in a while, I thank you; it’s nice to be missed.  It’s been a frantic couple of weeks.  I came down with the flu, my husband went into the hospital for an angioplasty and ended up staying for a quadruple bypass, and I have been running back and forth between two houses.  In such cases, one neither feels like nor has time to cook.  Fortunately, spring has sprung, the birds are chirping, the flowers blooming, I am better, the mister is out of rehab, and I’m almost ready for the big reveal on the decorating project that I first mentioned to you here.  So stay with me, there is more (LOTS more) to come!

Pattie

Salmon Cakes with Horseradish Thyme Mayonnaise

There is nothing like cooking with fresh herbs for the absolute maximum in taste. For those of you who grow herbs in your backyard or container garden, you already know what great flavor enhancers these are.  If you're considering growing them (something I strongly encourage), but are not quite sure where to start or which ones to plant, I recommend these six in my personal order of use/importance: chives, thyme, parsley, tarragon, dill, rosemary (alternately I'd say cilantro).

Chives for their versatility are always a must, but it may surprise you to see thyme ahead of parsley on my list.  I use thyme almost daily. This is one versatile and hardy plant: it happily tolerates heat and drought, an be propagated by seeds, cuttings or root division, is a good source of iron, and tea made from dried leaves is said to treat the common cold.

I divide it every year to share with friends and currently have three pots of it growing in the container garden, and another very large plant in the ground.  This little wonder herb enhances a wide variety of foods, makes an excellent flavored vinegar, is a must when making your own stock, and adds a special freshness to a salad when the small leaves are stripped from a stem and tossed in with the greens. One of my favorite uses is in this recipe for salmon cakes.  It is contained both in the cakes and the accompanying sauce, so they complement each other nicely and offer a fresh taste not found in other salmon cake recipes that do not rely upon fresh herbs.

Salmon Cakes with Horseradish Thyme Mayonnaise

For the Salmon Cakes:
2 cups loosely packed crumbled cooked salmon
1/2 cup panko
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 drops Tabasco
Pinch of Old Bay Seasoning
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten to blend

For the Horseradish Thyme Mayonnaise:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 drops Tabasco
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons butter

Mesclun spring mix lightly tossed with a mild vinaigrette

Directions:
Combine first 10 ingredients in medium bowl and stir gently to blend. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix in egg. Shape salmon mixture into 6 patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Arrange on plate.

Combine 3/4 cup mayonnaise, lemon juice, Tabasco, horseradish and 2 1/2 teaspoons thyme in small bowl. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Salmon cakes and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap separately and refrigerate.)

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add salmon cakes and saute until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Serve with on top of a bed of  lightly dressed, mixed greens, and top salmon cakes with sauce.