Thursday, September 9, 2010

Challenge Dinner


Challenge Dinner
Originally uploaded by CaptainShen
This is my submission for the third (I think) challenge at Mark's Daily Apple. The challenge involved making dinner and taking a picture of it. As you know, I have trouble taking pictures of my food, but I seem to have just made it over my phobia in order to share.

"What is it? How can I do that?!"

Is the previous statement the exact same thing you uttered upon seeing this masterpiece? Well, then boy howdy. You'd better read on.

Summer Evening Salmon
Menu:
Baked Salmon with Thyme, Basil, Dill, and Lemon Butter
Sauteed spinach
Rainbow Jiconut Salads*


First, procure an ultra-mini STAUB Cocotte. From where, I don't know. I would tell you that a regular ramekin will do, but that is a straight lie, for this recipe will simply fail if this exact proportion of awesome and adorable is not present.

Now that you've got your ultra-mini STAUB Cocotte (don't ask me how to say that), spoon about a tablespoon of butter into it. I was lucky enough to still have some real "Mountain Butter," churned by some farmers or somesuch in Georgia, from last time I was in Georgia at the farmers market. Anyway. Turn the oven to 200 and put the little Cocotte guy into the stove while it preheats. You could get your baking pan out, rinse and dry your salmon, hang a tire-swing, whatever. In a moment, it will have melted, and you should remove it and let the oven finish doing its preheating thing.

Chop up herbs. So many of them. I used basil and thyme that I was growing, as well as a little heap of dried dill. Spoon them into the butter, squeeze in some lemon, and go to your little baking pan. Drizzle the melted butter over the entire salmon fillet, top and bottom, so that it has a nice thin coating. Put the salmon into the oven (inside the pan, dummy) and shut that door. Look at the clock and mathmatically calculate what time it will be forty minutes from now.

Put the rest of the little butter Cocotte into the refrigerator. Now, go type your post about the meal and then sautee your spinach. Thats easy, man. 1/8 a finely chopped onion, sauteed in bacon dripping (with thyme, to match it to the salmon), then add the spinach leaves and move them around until they wilt.

Serve the salmon with the Herb Butter, spinach, and Rainbow-Jiconut Salads*.

Delight in your genius!

*Recipe soon to come.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's eat well. Embarrassing.

Shaleah said...

Hahaha, who is this?

It was an old slogan from a Hawaiian sportswear brand, I believe.

Dan said...

Hey that food looks good!!! I just found your blog via Primal Toad's list. Have added you to my links.

Shaleah said...

Ah, Thanks Dan! I'm glad you've arrived because now I've found your site. I love LOVE the approach. Thanks for the link!