Salmon Oscar

On February 28, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Virginia9 Comments

During our trip to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, we had a very delicious meal that the restaurant called Salmon Chesapeake. It was salmon topped with lump crab meat with a cream sauce. For our attempt to replicate this meal, we went with a cross between a Veal Oscar and a stuffed flounder. We love Hollandaise sauce with salmon, so we decided to use that as our sauce, which worked out really well. This isn’t a complicated recipe at all, but it looks and tastes wonderful, so it is a perfect dish for entertaining. We ate it as a weeknight dinner with some asparagus, which made for a perfect combination. We used a packaged powder mix to make our Hollandaise sauce, but you can certainly make it from scratch if you prefer.

Salmon Chesapeake in Alexandria, Virginia

INGREDIENTS

4 Salmon Filets – 4 oz each
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Lemon
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 lb Lump Crab Meat – cleaned of all shells
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Mayonnaise
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Clove Garlic – minced
1/4 Green Pepper – finely chopped
1 Egg
1 1/2 tbsp Spicy Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the salmon with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Zest the lemon over the salmon and then drizzle with the juice of half of the lemon. Place the salmon, skin-side down, onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with a non-stick spray. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crab, mayonnaise, mustard, breadcrumbs, egg, green pepper, garlic, and the juice from the other half of the lemon and mix until well blended. Transfer to the crab mixture to a small casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Place the salmon and the crab mixture into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If necessary, put the salmon on a higher rack than the crab mixture. Cook the Hollandaise sauce according to the directions. Remove the salmon and crab mixture from the oven and begin to plate. Spoon 1/4 of the crab mixture on top of each salmon filet and then drizzle with the Hollandaise sauce. Serves four.

Our Version of Salmon Oscar with Asparagus

Cabbage Rolls with Tomato Sauce

On October 11, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Romania3 Comments

One of the classic meals that we had while we were in Romania were cabbage rolls. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to recreate them exactly as we had them, so we decided to go with a little different take on our attempt. We found the cabbage rolls in Romania to be a little dry and not particularly flavorful, so we wanted ours to be moist. This recipe is closer to the cabbage rolls that we had as children and we found them to be very tasty. Cabbage rolls may not be the most photogenic of meals to prepare, but it doesn’t always have to look good to taste good.

Stuffed Cabbage and Grape Leaves with Polenta in Romania

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Small Cabbage Head
1/2 cup Cooked White Rice
1 tbsp Onion – finely chopped
1 Egg – lightly beaten
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 can Tomato Sauce – 8 Oz
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp White Vinegar
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese – shredded (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the core of the cabbage and place the cabbage in a large saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and begin removing the cabbage leaves as they become soft and translucent, approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Separate the leaves and set aside to cool. Add the oil to a medium saucepan and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes until soft and then add the ground beef, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Cook until the ground beef is browned and then add the rice and set aside to cool. In a medium sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, remaining salt and pepper, and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir the beaten egg into the cooled meat mixture and then spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mixture into each cabbage leaf. Roll the cabbage leaf like a burrito, tucking in the sides as you roll. Place the cabbage rolls into a baking dish and the spoon the tomato sauce over top of the cabbage rolls. If using cheese, sprinkle over top of sauce and cabbage rolls. Place the baking dish, uncovered, into an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for an hour or until the sauce is bubbly and hot.

Roasted Duck with Plum Glaze

On August 23, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes5 Comments

One of the meals that we had quite often while we were in Europe was roasted duck. Since we were there through autumn and winter, game foods such as duck, goose, elk, deer, and rabbit were commonly found as the specialty for the season. Usually the duck was served with some sort of a berry sauce or glaze, so when we decided to recreate those meals here at home, we decided to create a plum glaze. We purchased a full duck and deboned the breast ourselves, but you could certainly have a butcher do that for you. Not only did our version turn out to be delicious, we actually believe that it might have been even better than any version that we had in the restaurants of Europe. That is certainly not a boast that we would dare to make very often.

Our Roasted Duck with Carrots and Green Beans

INGREDIENTS

Whole Duck – Quartered and the Breast De-boned
1/2 cup Plum Jam
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Fresh Rosemary – finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme – finely chopped
1 clove Fresh Garlic – minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small sauce pan, combine the jam, vinegar, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat on medium-low heat until all of the ingredients are fully combined. Using a paring knife, score the skin of the duck, making sure to get through the skin, but not penetrating the meat. Baste the duck with about a quarter of the jam sauce and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large cast-iron skillet with the olive oil to medium heat. The pan should be hot enough to sear the skin, but not too hot or the skin will burn before the fat from the duck is rendered. Place the duck in the skillet skin side down and sear for about 15 to 20 minutes until the skin is brown. Baste the non-skin side of the duck with another quarter of the plum sauce while the skin is crisping. Flip the duck over, baste with another quarter of the plum sauce and put the skillet with the duck into the oven. Cook the duck for 20 to 30 minutes, basting one more time half way through. Remove from the oven and let stand, tented, for about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite side dish or vegetables.