Cedar Plank Salmon

Cedar Plank Salmon

From allrecipes.com

Several years ago I was having dinner on a business trip with some fun clients and I discovered Cedar Plank Salmon.  I thought the Cedar Plank part was just a name and was shocked to find that you actually cook it and serve it on a piece of wood!  The wood provides two benefits:  it adds a smoky flavor to the salmon and it helps keep the fish moist.  I was with clients, so I had to stop myself from licking the plate!   Needless to say, after I returned from my trip I started searching for Cedar Plank recipes and found this one.  The marinade actually came from a recipe for Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, but it tastes excellent with this salmon.    

This is my daughter's favorite food of all time.  She had been living overseas for the last three years, but is home now.  Cedar Plank Salmon was the first food she asked me to prepare.    So here you go!  Hope you like it as much as we do.  

Cedar Plank Salmon

From allrecipes.com

1- 12” untreated cedar plank (available at a regular grocery store)

4-5 skinless boneless salmon fillets

Marinade

3 TBL soy sauce

3 TBL Balsamic vinegar

3 TBL honey

1 tsp ground ginger

1 TBL Olive Oil

½ tsp roasted garlic (optional)

Soak cedar plank in warm water for 1-2 hours.  Add a splash of bourbon to the water if desired.

Combine marinade ingredients.

Place fish in a dish, pour marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When you are ready to begin grilling, remove fish from marinade.

Pour marinade in a saucepan or small skillet,.  Simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce has reduced by one-third and is a  syrupy consistency – about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. If sauce reduces too much, add a little water.

Grilling Instructions

Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat.  Place plank on grill smooth side down.  Turn after 5 minutes. Then grill additional 3-5 minutes.   Plank is ready when it starts to smoke and crackle just a little.

Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Place fillets on the smoking planks.  For best results, cover plank or at least the edges of the plank with the salmon.  Edges of the plank left uncovered are likely to catch fire!  I learned this the hard way! 

Close lid of grill and cook for 10 minutes.   

Move plank around the grill to facilitate even cooking.  Brush with sauce.  

 .  Continue cooking an additional 5-10 minutes until fish turns opaque in the center or raw pink color is nearly gone (but not completely gone) .  Another indication of doneness is if fish remains firm and separates slightly when pressed. (This is called the smoosh test). Best to error on being underdone rather than overdone. Remove from grill, cover with foil and let finish for 5 minutes.  

If the idea of dealing with the planks is a turn off, you can still do a really good job using either  an outdoor grill plate (cast iron - Crate and Barrel) or even in a skillet on the stove top.  Use the same cooking technique and it will be delicious! 

This is my daughter Bridget.  She is happy that I am posting her favorite!

Korean Barbecue Flank Steak

Korean Barbecue Flank Steak

By  Peter Yoon

Peter Yoon is a good friend from our parish.  Our sons have grown up together - friends since kindergarten.  Many years ago, our son asked if he could have dinner at the Yoon's "cuz Dr. Yoon is making his flank steak!".  He described in intimate detail how delicious it is, especially the crispy edges on each piece.  Peter's technique is to slice the meat while still raw, then marinate, then grill.  This way, each piece is more tender than if the steak were grilled whole, then sliced.  He then creates a lettuce wrap loaded with steamed rice and the flank steak.  I must confess that I don't always make the lettuce wrap because it tends to fall apart and be messy to eat.  But it is a yummy,  summertime meal, either way you choose to serve it!  

Flank Steak

Marinade

¼ cup soy sauce

2 TBL Mirin (Japanese sweet wine found in Asian section of grocery store)

2 TBL Sesame Oil

1 clove crushed garlic (or dab of roasted minced garlic)

1 TBL sesame seeds

2 TBL sugar

Slice  raw flank steak thin against the grain.  (having the meat slightly frozen makes slicing easier)

Place sliced flank steak in baking dish

Pour marinade over steak, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours

Grill rare about 2 minutes per side.  

Serve in lettuce leaves with white jasmine rice

This is a picture from my son's high school senior prom.  Doug is on the far right.  My son is 4th from the right.  

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

By Peggy Fonke – Inspired by Parade Magazine  (Nov. 11, 2012) 

I would like to make a confession:  Until recently, I was not a Brussels Sprout fan.  The only way I knew to prepare them was steamed with butter.  I always perceived them to be bitter and nasty.   My husband, on the other hand, loves them  and, to my surprise, so does my vegetable-resistant brother Bob.  So we made a number of attempts at finding a more interesting approach to Brussels Sprouts.  I used the basic structure of a recipe that appeared in Parade Magazine which calls for pan roasting and includes cranberries and walnuts.   I added a light, tossing sauce.  This dish is light with a nice balance of sweet, tangy and sprouty.   I am now a Brussels Sprouts convert.  I have even served them at a dinner party!  Never thought I'd see the day!

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

By Peggy Fonke – Inspired by Parade Magazine  (Nov. 11, 2012)

½ - 1 pound fresh brussels sprouts – try to get the small ones -   trim and cut in half (if larger ones, quarter)

2-3 TBL oil (vegetable or canola)

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup dried cranberries

Tossing sauce:

1 TBL olive oil

2 TBL red wine vinegar

2 TBL honey

1 TBL sweet red pepper/chili sauce (found in asian food aisle)

Salt and pepper to taste

 In a large skillet, heat oil. 

Meanwhile, whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Into hot oil, add cut brussels sprouts and stir fry for about 5  minutes until cut sides start to brown.  (there should be enough oil to coat sprouts without leaving excess in pan)

Toss in walnuts and stir fry for about 1 minute

Toss in cranberries and stir fry and additional minute.

Continue cooking mixture until sprouts are desired tenderness (just a minute or two more).

Transfer mixture into a serving bowl. Add desired amount of sauce and toss until well coated.

Serve immediately. 

Coolest Gift

Several years ago, my sister gave me one of my favorite gifts of all time:  An engraved pyrex baking dish.  I can't tell you how much I love it!  Every time I use it I think of her and how much I love her!

 

 Thanks Kathy! Best sister ever!

Fonke Beans

Baked Beans

By: Clarence Fonke

When we are invited to a barbecue, I am often asked to bring the "Fonke Beans".  This is a cherished recipe handed down through my husband's family, created by his father, Clarence Fonke.

Clarence was a PHENOMENAL cook and for a time owned and operated a local diner, THE HIGHWAY CAFE.  He loved to cook and cared very deeply about his creations.  Of the many dishes he created, his beans were his signature dish.   Like many of his recipes, his beans contain just a few simple ingredients.  The magic is in process.  Clarence's beans take a full three hours to cook and are worth the time.  And the beans must not be disturbed while cooking, so never, never stir them mid cook.  As I learned the hard way, they will turn to paste if stirred prematurely.   They are rich, sweet and crazy good.  So when you make these beans, say a prayer for Clarence.  We miss him.

 Baked Beans

By: Clarence Fonke

 

2 - 40 oz cans pork ‘n beans (any brand)

1 ½  - 2 cups brown sugar (packed)

12 slices of bacon, raw cut into 1” pieces

1 cup ketchup

2 tsp dry mustard (can sub prepared mustard)

Place beans in large roasting pan. 

Layer remaining ingredients in order. 

Cover.  Bake for 1 ½-2 hours at 325.  Then uncover and bake for another 1 ½-2 hours.  
Let beans rest for at least 30 minutes. Do not stir until just before serving. 

Stir gently so all ingredients are blended yet beans remain whole. 

Recipe can be easily reduced  or doubled to fit the size of the gathering.  Pictures reflect a double batch.

Pad Thai

I love Pad Thai.  It's what I order every time I go to a Thai restaurant.  Pad Thai reminds me of lunches with my favorite, coolest boss, John, who loves Thai food.   I am often tempted to try and recreate restaurant dishes that I love, but I had always perceived Pad Thai to be over my head.  I searched for recipes on-line and found some that contained peanut butter, which sounded a little shady.   But I found this recipe on-line (Savory Sweet Life)  and decided to give it a try. I was surprised that it does not contain any peanut sauce, but instead uses a combination of tamarind (which is a fruit juice concentrate),  fish sauce (which is very salty) and sugar which, of course, I love!  I found these ingredients at Global Market in Kirkwood, MO.  The sauce can be cooked in advance and stored in the refrigerator.  One batch of sauce as directed in this recipe is good for at least two batches of Pad Thai. 

The nice part about this recipe is that all the ingredient prep can be done ahead of time.  So I recommend cooking all the ingredients in advance and taking a break before assembling.  

I find this dish to be flavorful, yet light - really nice for summertime.  So here is the recipe.  I hope you like it! 

 Pad Thai

Inspired by Savory Sweet Life

Serves  2-4 as a main dish

1/3 cup fish sauce

½ cup sugar

½ cup tamarind juice concentrate

1 tsp hot sauce

4 ounces dried rice noodles (very thin - rice straws work well)

6 TBL vegetable oil divided

1 cup onion chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

2 eggs

1-2 cups chopped chicken, pork or shrimp

1 cup bean sprouts

1/4  - ½ cup cilantro - chopped

1 cup chopped peanuts – (I like honey roasted)

Prepare sauce:

In a sauce pan, dissolve sugar in the fish oil .

Add tamarind juice and cook for 1 minute.  Season with hot sauce and possibly additional sugar.

Set aside or store in a jar in refrigerator.  Can be made ahead of time and will be enough for several batches. 

 Prepare Ingredients:

In a medium pan, cook rice noodles as directed.  Rinse in cold water and dry on a paper towel.  Set aside.

In a large skillet heat oil and saute onion and carrots until tender.  Set aside.

Scramble eggs and set aside.

Saute meat or shrimp until cooked through.  Set aside.

Assembly:

Add more oil to skillet , heat and stir fry noodles for 1 minute. 

Add  cooked onion/carrot mixture and toss to blend. 

Add cooked meat or shrimp and egg  and toss to blend.

Add 4-6 TBL of Thai sauce (or enough so noodles are well coated).  Toss mixture in sauce until well coated.

Toss in bean sprouts, cilantro and peanuts just before serving.   

Shrimp with Mushroom Orzo Pasta

Shrimp with Mushroom Orzo Pasta

By Peggy Fonke (Inspired by Katie Luby and All Recipes.com)









This recipe makes me think of the time when my daughter was in college. She invited a date over for dinner, but ran out of time to cook. So I got the call asking if I could whip up something for her to serve. So I pulled this creation together and ran it to her apartment, where she took full credit for the meal. He was impressed and she owed me a big one!




This combines two recipes together. I received the spicy shrimp recipe from my dear friend Katie Luby. Katie's husband, Tim and my husband, John were best friends and roommates in college. Katie and I hit it off as we share a love of cooking and trying new recipes. I had been making this shrimp as an appetizer for years.













Much more recently I found a recipe for Orzo pasta with mushrooms through All Recipes. I altered this recipe to include an Alfredo-type sauce then added the marinade from the spicy shrimp to the pasta and BAM! The combination is magic.










Here is the recipe:



Shrimp marinade

1 TBL olive oil

1 TBL Creole Seasoning

2 TBL lemon or lime juice

1 TBL parsley

2 TBL honey

1 TBL soy sauce

pinch of cayenne pepper



1 lb uncooked shrimp – peeled and cleaned

Place cleaned/peeled shrimp in a small zip lock bag. Add marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Skewer and grill until shrimp turns pink (about 2 minutes per side). Do not over cook in order to keep shrimp moist and tender.

SAVE THE MARINADE FOR THE PASTA!



Pasta

3 TBL Olive oil

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup chopped onion

1 cup orzo – uncooked

11/2 cups water

½-1 cup white wine

½ cup Parmesan cheese

½ - 1 cup half n half

In a large skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil until mushrooms no longer weep. Remove lid to allow excess liquid to cook down and mushrooms to brown.

Add uncooked orzo to skillet, and brown.

Add 1 ½ cups water and ½ cup wine to skillet.

Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed.

Test pasta to make sure it is tender. If not, add a little more water and continue to simmer until tender.

Gradually add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.

Add half n half and if desired, a little more white wine and simmer to achieve desired thickness. 

Stir in the marinade from the shrimp.

Mixture should be a little soupy while simmering. Once it begins to cool, it will thicken.

Top with grilled shrimp.



It's one of my favorites! Enjoy!

Introduction

Hi.  I'm Peggy Fonke.  I'm starting this blog at the suggestion of my daughter.  You see, several years ago, I started creating a family cookbook.  At that time, I had an old, sticky, overflowing recipe box that was impossible to navigate.  I also realized that many of our family recipes were in my head, not written down.  If I were to get hit by a bus, how would the family know how to make our food?   So I started documenting my recipes electronically in a power point document. I upload it on an iPad to use while I'm cooking.  My hope is that the having access to the recipes will inspire my family to love cooking as much as I do.  

It's important to note that I'm not a trained chef.  Far from it, I am an ordinary person (married with children) who happens to love to cook.  I have a day job that I work from home.  But I spent 15 years working outside the home so I know what it's like to be gone all day then have to whip up something for dinner.  

The recipes I use have come from a wide range of sources:  family, friends, Internet search or my own attempt at recreating food I've had at a restaurant or someones home.  Most of my recipes are more like guidelines.  Feel free to tweak things until it looks, feels and tasted right for you.  

I've learned a lot over the years of cooking for my family.  Here is my favorite tip:

Every recipe tastes better if you add a little bit of sugar. Sugar magically compliments and blends all the other flavors.  It doesn't necessarily make it taste sweet, it just makes it taste better.