When I was home for the holidays I spent 95% of my time in the kitchen. I cooked, studied, went apartment hunting, and caught up with old friends. At one point my dad felt obligated to ask, “Don’t you ever get sick of the kitchen?”
My perfectly honest answer: Never!
There is something about the kitchen that keeps me calm. The organization, rhythm and love that exists in this environment are omnipresent comforts. Every kitchen is different. Some big, industrial and scary. Others petite, rustic and functional. It does not matter if I am familiar with the kitchen or if I even like the kitchen for that matter. To me, the kitchen is not just the heart of the home, it is home.
One day, I was sitting in the kitchen and my parents proudly displayed a huge portion of salmon to me. I wanted to make something different. Something elegant and hearty at the same time. I removed the skin (It had a lot of scales on it that I did not want to get into the food) and decided to make a coating. I portioned the salmon into 3 fillets, lightly coated each with a mixture of honey and dijon, and dipped each piece in a mix of panko bread crumbs and hazelnuts. I sauteed each piece coating side down until the crust was golden, and finished them on the second side.
To go with the hazelnuts, I wanted to make a bright sauce. I took white wine, fresh squeezed orange juice, black peppercorns, shallots, sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf and reduced it by about 1/2. Strain the mixture, swirl in butter, taste and season. The sauce has a butter mouth feel with acidity from the wine, and lots of good orange flavor!
Served with rice pilaf and buttered green beans.
Even the dog liked it…Well…we did not have any leftovers on our plates for him, however; he had no problem helping clean!
Simple and Satisfying,
Nora
Glad you like the new kitchen. We have yet to grill on the range. Love, Mom