Baked Salmon with Lemon Caper Butter

I freely admit that this recipe is completely ripped off from Matt at Wrightfood. This man is amazing at cooking seafood and even more amazing (if that’s possible) at photographing it! He wrote about an ingenious slow roasting technique for oily fish — let it come to room temp in olive oil and then bake at a low temperature for less than half an hour. Easy peasy.

And the sauce! Wow! The sauce is so. good. It’s the simplest thing in the world. He recommends adding herbs, but I don’t even think you need them. Which brings it to a grand total of three ingredients: lemon, capers, and butter. That’s it. That’s all you need. It’s a great sauce for any seafood. The lemon really stands out, but not enough to make you pucker. The capers bring their distinctive salty/briny flavor. And who doesn’t love butter? Did I mention it takes less than a minute to make from start to finish? Combined, they make a perfect sauce that can be served over any fish.

Serve this with a simple side, like roasted potatoes or some steamed brown rice. Everybody will think you spent hours slaving over the stove.

Read the recipe and the rest of the post here…

Meyer Lemon Bars

meyer lemon mascarpone blondies

Ok, I am beginning to think that I just don’t like Meyer lemons. I was uninspired by a pots de creme recipe last week so I needed to take another shot by making some lemon bars. And again, they were quite good – sweet and light. But I found myself longing for the tang of Eureka lemons. I like my citrus desserts to be sharp and sour.

For example, I love key lime pie. Key limes produce really tart juice and a slice of that pie is wonderful with a scoop of whipped cream on top. And now I’m going to give you my recipe for key lime pie. Really, it’s a pretty standard recipe that’s available all over the internet. It’s so easy that it needs three sentences.  Mix one can of sweetened condensed milk, 4 egg yolks, and 1/2 cup key lime juice until incorporated. Pour into a graham cracker crust and bake at 350°F until set, about 20 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours and serve with whipped cream. So easy! And so delicious!

But back to the bars. I liked them, but I didn’t think there was anything special there. I would eat them again, but I wouldn’t take the time and energy to make them again. Look out for recipes in the future where I use regular old Eureka lemons for that mouth-watering pucker.

Read the recipe and the rest of the post here…

Meyer Lemon Pots de Creme

meyer lemon pots de creme

Speaking of ingredients we’ve never cooked with before, I managed to get my hands on some Meyer lemons. I’d heard so much about their delicate flavor, their lack of pucker-inducing sourness, their almost sweet aftertaste.  I scoured the internet for the best recipe to make use of my precious lemons. And I found this one, for pots de creme.  French for “pots of cream.” I know, I should be a professional translator. Essentially, they’re little custard cups, made mostly with eggs and cream. You have to bake them in a water bath. See my notes towards the bottom of the post for tips about that.

Anyway, I was really excited about this recipe. And the little custards came out yummy. But it appears I’ve come to expect that pucker from lemony desserts. I actually missed it. These seemed kind of mild. Sure, they were creamy and sweet (but not too sweet) with just a hint of lemon. But I found myself wishing lemon was more of a star and less of an aftertaste. I’m not sure if I just didn’t use the right recipe to highlight the Meyer lemons or if I’m just a sucker for regular, super sour Eureka lemons.

So I recommend this recipe for people who like milder lemon flavor or creamy custards. I probably won’t make it again. I prefer lemon tarts or bars with a nice zip to the them. But I wouldn’t turn it down if somebody offered it to me, so it’s not like it’s bad. It’s just not for me.

Read the recipe and the rest of the post here…

Lemon Oregano Chicken

Lemon Oregano Chicken with pasta and broccoli

I was looking for a simple and quick dinner for a week night. I had some chicken thighs in the fridge and I was craving lemon. Luckily, I found a recipe that called for ingredients I had in my pantry. The chicken came out moist, flavorful, lemony, and delicious. Searing it in a pan before baking it in the oven really locked in the juices and made the skin nice and crisp.  I used bone-in, skin-on thighs, but you can certainly use boneless, skinless. (I just don’t think the chicken will be as moist). For a side dish, I just boiled some egg noodles and broccoli and then drizzled the remaining lemon sauce over the top.

I found that the original recipe called for too much fat, so I reduced it in the one given below. I also increased the amounts of garlic, lemon juice, and chicken broth so I had enough sauce for the noodles. Next time, I’ll use about a teaspoon of lemon zest in the marinade to increase the lemony flavor.

Check out my tips for getting moist and tender chicken every time. (opens in a new window)
Read the recipe and the rest of the post here…

Lemon Zucchini Pasta

Summer’s coming to a close and it makes me really sad. I love summer and this pasta recipe is my way of extending the season. The lemon, basil, zucchini, and beans really brighten up the flavors in this pasta dish.

We actually used brown rice pasta, making this a gluten-free recipe. You can use whatever pasta you have available.

Read the recipe and the rest of the post here…

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