rainforest recipes

with Savory Polenta and Balsamic Baked Peppers on a Bed of Fresh Cilantro.

Doesn't that sound like a dish you would order in a high end restaurant? It not only sounded like it ... it tasted like it as well!

Last weekend I was invited to dinner by a long-time (over 30 years!) friend. Marg had recently finished a course in "Hotel and Restaurant Management" and if the meal was any indication, the course was a huge success! This meal was so delicious, yet easy to prepare that I immediately decided I had to make it again for Mom and I at home.


Dilled Haddock

Ingredients:


1 haddock fillet, cut in portion sizes
chopped fresh dill (to taste)
salt and pepper
butter for sauteeing the fish
sour cream (not shown in picture)
Greek yogurt (not shown in picture)

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Place haddock fillets in the melted butter and sprinkle with fresh chopped dill and salt and pepper.


2. Saute the haddock fillets for a few minutes each side until fish flakes easily with a fork.


3. Remove fillets from pan and set aside. Add a mixture of half sour cream and half Greek yogurt to pan with the warm butter/dill mixture, and stir while heating gently.


4. Add fillets back to pan and continue heating gently.


5. Serve with Savory Polenta and Baked Balsamic Peppers on a Bed of Fresh Cilantro (recipes tomorrow)


Verdict:

The flavor of the haddock with fresh dill in sour cream was superb, and combined perfectly with the polenta and peppers. I loved it so much that I am planning to make it one more time before I leave New Brunswick (the land of fresh fish). I think it would be delicious using only the yogurt, but since I still have sour cream left, I will make it the same way.

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Posted by Anne Lossing at 3:26 AM 1 comments  

Labels: balsamic vinegar, Fish, haddock, peppers, polenta

I'm a bit behind on my posting of my Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe this week ... the small amount of computer time I can eke out while visiting family and old friends goes rapidly just by checking and answering the most important e-mails.

This week's recipe, picked by Tessa of Handle the Heat, is not only a dessert recipe, but one that just might make a great new addition to the Gringo Perdido menu ... so I was looking forward to making it and trying it. I read other comments saying that there weren't enough graham crackers in the recipe, so I upped them from 14 to 20. Then, I missed the instruction to bake the crust for 10 minutes :>( which resulted in a slightly gummy crust, but it was still very edible. I also used 2% milk since that is what Mom had in the refrigerator, and besides, I'm not convinced that cutting back so far on fats is necessary for good health or weight loss.


Double Chocolate Pudding Pie
From The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:


14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup boiling water
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups 1 percent low-fat milk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

In a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the crumb mixture into bottom of pie plate and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.


In the meantime, make the pudding. Put the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.


In a medium saucepan mix the 2/3 cup of sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt.


Gradually add half of the milk, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes.


Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted.


Stir in the vanilla and reserved gelatin.


Pour the mixture into the pie crust and let set for 3 hours in the refrigerator.


Whip the cream and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Before serving, garnish the pie with the whipped cream.


Verdict:

It was excellent ... a rich creamy chocolate pudding flavor! I think that I could actually cut down a bit further on the sugar and use coconut milk in place of at least part of the regular milk ... an experiment I plan to try when I return to Guatemala. And the next time, I will remember to bake the crust first!



For more information about Craving Ellie in My Belly or to see the other Double Chocolate Pudding Pie creations, go here.

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Posted by Anne Lossing at 4:50 AM 3 comments