Fish in Parchment Paper

Have you ever wondered how they make fish stay moist? Have you ever wanted to make something you know costs lots of money in the restaurant? Then fish cooked in parchment paper is for you.

This truly is an easy recipe. And you can do all sorts of variations to it with vegetables and seasonings. But for my first try I wanted simple.

Fish in Parchment Paper
Recipe courtesy of chow.com

1 (6-ounce) firm-fleshed white-fish fillet, such as halibut, cod, or haddock (the fillet should be between 3/4 and 1 1/4 inches thick)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf, cut in half (optional)
Fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, tarragon, or chervil (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 thin lemon slices
1 tablespoon dry white wine or water

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Draw out a large piece of parchment paper (about 17 by 11 inches) and, with one of the longer edges closest you, fold it in half from left to right. Using scissors, cut out a large heart shape.
3. Place the fish in the center of one half of the parchment heart. (The heart should be large enough that there is at least a 1-1/2-inch border around the fillet.)
4. Set the parchment heart on a baking sheet. Drizzle the fish with half of the olive oil, rub the oil all over the fillet, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Lay half of the bay leaf and a few sprigs of herbs (if using) on top of the fish. Break the butter into little pieces and arrange them on top of the herbs.
6. Place the lemon slices over everything and drizzle with the remaining oil.
7. Fold the parchment heart over to cover the fish. (The edges of the heart should line up.) Starting at the rounded end, crimp the edges together, folding them over themselves and leaving the last two inches at the pointed end unfolded. Slightly tilt the package up and pour in the wine or water. Finish crimping the edges, then twist the pointed end around once and fold the “tail” under.
8. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake 10 minutes for a 3/4-inch-thick fillet or 12 minutes for a 1- to 1-1/4-inch-thick fillet.
9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the parchment package to a dinner plate. Serve immediately, cutting into the parchment tableside using scissors or a knife.

I used a little dried herbs instead of fresh and also just water because I didn't have any wine open. I will definitely be making this again.

Hodgepodge - The SUPER Version

Joining up with Joyce for this week's hodgepodge question. I promise it will be SUPER!

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching as the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49's in the Superbowl. What was the last event you attended that could be described as super?

I can see that we are going to get lots of different kinds of answers on this question. I'm going to go with Whitney's high school graduation. It was super because both her grandmothers were here and that it symbolized all the hard work she had put into school by graduating with a 4.0 GPA. It closed out a chapter in her life and opened up a new exciting one. So that's why it was super.

2. Share something you're a fan of these days?

I'm a fan of my ipad. I love the portability and ease of taking it everywhere.

3. How do you feel about wings? In case anyone is confused, I'm talking the edible appetizer kind. What's your preferred seasoning on a wing-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings?

We used to make wings and then we stopped. I think because they tend to be greasy and I really try and avoid greasy food. But when we did make them we liked them HOT. So hot that I would have a coughing fit immediately on first bite. And I better have taken some heartburn medicine beforehand.

4. As long as we're talking sports today...have you followed the Lance Armstrong story? Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks?

Didn't watch, don't care.

5. What's a question you hate to be asked?

What do you want for Christmas? I'm terrible at lists although last year I did a good job I think of writing stuff down.

6. The coaches in this Sunday's big game happen to be real life brothers. Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er's and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens. Were you and your sibling(s) competitive? In what way? Are you still? If you're an only child how did you handle competition growing up?

I'm competitive in the sense that I hate to lose (although getting older I'm a little better than when I was young). I don't think I was competitive with my brother only because we didn't do anything the same. Neither of us were into sports so that probably helped.

7. What's your favorite game involving a ball and when did you last play?

Baseball is my favorite game and I've never played. But I've watched many, many games.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Whitney sent me this video. It's a pep talk by Kid President. You have to watch it. Things to take away from it...It is easy to be boring. So don't be boring.

Meatloaf - The Chew Way

I decided that comfort food was needed on the weekend. Normally when I make meatloaf I just wing it with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But I wanted to try something new and went with a recipe from The Chew.

Carla Hall's Meatloaf
Recipe courtesy of The Chew

1/3 cup Milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 small onion (grated)
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 eggs
1/3 cup prepared horseradish (I left this out)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs and milk until breadcrumbs are coated. To bowl add the remaining ingredients and mix until combines.

Pack mixture into a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf in a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan. Bake until the loaf has an internal temperature of 155°F, 60 to 75 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

This was super flavorful and actually a little too moist. The grated onion and carrot had a lot of water so I think that made the mixture loose. I usually cook my meatloaf on a cooling rack on a sheet pan so the fat can drip out of it. The meatloaf was so loose that it sunk through the rack. Next time I will try and add more breadcrumbs.

Weekend Wrapup

Remember how I said we would order the new door this weekend. We went to Lowe's but they wouldn't let us order the door until the installer comes out to measure the door opening. So now I have to wait a couple of days to order the door. But we did buy the new locks for both the front and back door. I didn't realize that they don't have door knobs on front entry doors anymore. They are all these push button things and only have a deadbolt. Very strange.

I made two new recipes over the weekend: meatloaf and roast chicken. I can't believe I've never roasted a whole chicken before. It was super easy although the breast meat really wasn't flavorful. I think I could get it that way with a little amped up seasoning though. But now we have leftovers for most of the week.

Tonight is a big event at church for women. Over 1,000 tickets sold already for Girlfriends with special guest Holly Wagner. I got talked into head ushering tonight. Good news is I get to reserve my seat. I'm bringing someone I met while ushering who is new to the church and would like to be able to spend some time with her.

Eggs with Sweet Potato/Apple Pancakes

As many of you have gathered, I'm obsessed with The Chew on ABC. I've had the cookbook since November and hadn't made anything. Partly because I'm afraid to bend the pages too much since Michael Symon autographed it. But he said use it to cook, so cook I did.

The first recipe I made was actually from Daphne Oz. Normally I wouldn't have made something of hers but she used sweet potatoes and I'm trying to expand what I use them for. Plus I thought this would be easy to make and Dan would eat it.

Eggs with Sweet Potato and Apple Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of The Chew

Ingredients

5 fresh eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 sweet potato peeled and grated
1/2 onion grated
1/2 apple grated
1 carrot grated
2 egg whites lightly beaten
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a pan lightly poach eggs.

In a medium-sized skillet heat 1/3 cup olive oil to medium-high heat.

Grate the sweet potatoes, onion, apple and carrot. Ring out the shavings in a cheese cloth or paper towel (this is to ensure the pancakes won't be soggy). Then in a large bowl, place shredded sweet potatoes, grated onion, grated apple, grated carrot, 2 egg whites and 1/4 cup flour. Then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.

In a medium-sized skillet, Combine and drop: enough batter into hot oil to make 2 1/2-3 inch pancakes. Add more oil, as needed, and fry cakes in batches until golden on each side.

I wasn't sure what size of any of the vegetables to use. I used half of a Fuji apple since I like those. I also used a smallish onion and my sweet potato was medium large. I made three pancakes the first night and then the second day I cooked up the rest for lunch.

This was really nice. I decided that I didn't even need the egg to complete the dish.

Now it is time for me to tackle some more recipes from this cookbook.

Friday Fragments

Yes it is another edition of Friday Fragments. The best way to end the work week.


We have one item off the home improvement list...fix the ice maker in the fridge. Of course that still leaves three pages of other things. But we should go order the door this weekend.

Stupid criminal this week is from Columbia (the country). Seems as if three men tried to rob a grocery store but their getaway vehicle was a little loud and woke up the neighbors. You ask what was the vehicle...why a donkey of course. You just can't make this stuff up people.

I'm not going to talk about weather because we are lucky. Other than Thursday all week was in the 50-60 range. I would like rain however. Pretty please.

Oh my, Glee did the big butt song. I've heard the crooner version before but this was ten times worse. And I think it was one of the worst episodes that they have ever done.

I hit Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday after getting my hair done and they still had some Christmas clearance stuff. I got two cute snowman soap dispensers for 60 cents each. They had Yankee Candles in the fall and winter smells 50% off but they still are so darn expensive. I'm going to wait to see if they come down in price some more and then I'll get some.

I broke my comb this morning. Do you think that is a sign?

Have a great weekend.

Ham and Swiss Quiche

I was trying to clean out the freezer and had all of these ingredients. So I decided quiche it was.

Ham and Swiss Quiche
Recipe courtesy of about.com

Ingredients:
1 9" pie pastry
1 cup half and half
4 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. honey mustard (I used Dijon)
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1-1/2 cups cubed, cooked ham
1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss or Havarti cheese
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained (I only used about half of this)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To make Ham and Swiss Quiche, prepare pie crust and set aside. In medium bowl, mix half and half, eggs, mustard, flour, salt, thyme, and pepper and beat until combined.

Layer ham, Swiss cheese, and spinach in prepared pie crust. Pour egg mixture into pie crust and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set.

The key to making this work was layering the ham/cheese/spinach in the pie crust before pouring in the eggs. I've never done that before and it made for much more evenly distributed tastiness.