Melon & Strawberries in Honey Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 c. honey
1 tbsp grated orange rind
2-3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
1 large cantaloupe (about 1 1/2 lbs), seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 1/2 cups)
1 cup strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved or quartered, depending on size (about 3/4 cup)

1. Combine the honey, orange rind, orange juice, and Grand Marnier in a bowl large enough to hold the melon and strawberries. Add both fruits and toss thoroughly.

2. Refrigerate until serving time (can be assembled up to 6 hours ahead).

3. At serving time, divide the fruit mixture among 4 goblets.

I used a "Tuscan Extra Sweet" Cantaloupe. It looks pretty much like a regular cantaloupe, except for greenish ridges on the outside that are supposed to fade in color as it ripens. It really was quite sweet and the rind was very thin. I think because of that, I didn't end up needing the whole thing - half of the melon yielded close to 3 cups, diced.

I also ran into some issues with my honey, which had crystallized. Running the bottle under hot water melted it enough to get it out of the container, and I even zapped the sauce in the microwave after mixing to try and get all the honey dissolved but I still ended up with some gritty bits in the bottom. By the time we ate the dish though, it either all disappeared, or we just didn't notice since I strained out the liquid as I served.

Cheats & Changes:
I left out the Grand Marnier since we had small children eating with us. I also once again used my handy microplane to zest the entire orange, which I think came out to more or less 1 tablespoon. I juiced half of the same orange which yielded just over 3 tbsp.

The Verdict:
Like most of the rest of this menu, I thought this was good, but not a knockout by any means. And like the cole slaw, this was also a dish that benefited from having some time to marinate/macerate before serving. The melon I bought was so so sweet that I'm not sure the honey sauce really added anything. I think this would be better with either just the strawberries, or perhaps some melon that hasn't quite ripened. However, the kids loved it and had at least 3 (toddler-sized) helpings each. But I suppose they'll scarf down anything that's marinated in sugar or honey.

Sea Bass in Potato Crust

Ingredients:
4 fillets of sea bass (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 lg Idaho potatoes (1 lb total)
1/2 medium leek (about 3 oz) washed, and finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbsp cottonseed or safflower oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt

1. Remove and discard any bones or sinews from the fillets. When cleaned, each fillet should weigh about 5 oz.

2. Peel the potatoes (or leave them unpeeled, if desired) and wash them. Using hte side of a cheese grater with the large holes, shred the potatoes. (You should have about 2 1/2 cups.) Drain well in a colander, then place in a bowl with the leek. Mix well.

3. At cooking time, place the oil and the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, and heat until hot. Meanwhile, sprinkle half the salt on the fillets.

4. When the oil and butter are hot, place four, small, evenly spaced mounds of the shredded potatoes and leek (about 1/3 c each) in the skillet. Press a portion of the fish into each mound, and cover the fish with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining salt.

5. Cook the potato packages over medium to high heat, uncovered for 6-7 minutes. Turn them carefully with a large spatula and cook them for an additional 6-7 minutes. They potatoes should be nicely crusted on both sides and the fish inside lightly cooked. Serve immediately.

I ended up with two large fillets from the fish counter, and I had a bit of trouble cutting them into even portions since both pieces tapered at the end. After hemming and hawing a bit, I opted to cut them into 6 smaller pieces in the hopes that they would cook more evenly. Well, I didn't do a very good job since the pieces varied from 4 1/2 to 7 oz in weight. Oops. I tried to make sure the guys got the bigger pieces since I knew they would have bigger appetites. Troy confessed after everyone left that he was still a bit hungry.

Cheats & Changes:
I think I had way more than a pound's worth of potatoes, which turned out to be a good thing since I almost ran out. Although to be fair, I didn't do a very good job of portioning the potatoes either as I put them in the pan.

I wanted to have my potatoes grated and ready to go before our guests arrived, so I held them in a bowl of ice water to keep them from discoloring. I drained them thoroughly and patted them dry with paper towels before cooking. I used just olive oil (my preferred cooking oil) for browning the potato-fish packets, and I found I needed more than the 2 tablespoons to get them nice and brown. But the tradeoff was that they were a little greasier than I would have liked. I think I might have made my potato layers too thick.

The Verdict:
I thought this was good. I'll confess, I don't cook fish at home very often. It's one of those things that I usually prefer to have in a restaurant, but it's nice to know that I could throw together something like this on my own. The prep was not nearly as time-consuming as I thought. The potato crust method seems a little bit dated, but then this cookbook is 13 years old, so I guess I can't complain about that. I was worried about over or undercooking the fish, but I think the potatoes made it pretty forgiving.

Troy liked this. I think his exact words were, "Hashbrown-wrapped fish, what's not to like?" I think I would have preferred my fish cooked a little more simply, so I'm not sure I'd go to the trouble to make this again.

Eggplant Cushions

Ingredients:
2 eggplants (about 1 3/4 lbs total), each about 3-4 inches in diameter
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 oz leftover bread, preferably from a baguette, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 c. mixture chopped fresh chives and fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tsp virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim the eggplants, peel them, and cut them into thick slices, each about 1 1/4 inches thick. You should have about 8 slices.

3. Pour the canola oil on a large baking sheet, spreading it evenly. Press the eggplant slices in the oil and sprinkle them with half the salt. Turn the slices over, arrange them in one layer, and sprinkle with remaining salt.

4. Bake the eggplant slices in the 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the eggplant flesh is very soft.

5. Meanwhile, place the bread cubes, herbs, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and process for 15-20 seconds. Transfer the crumbled mixture to a bowl and toss it lightly with the olive oil. Once the eggplant slices are removed from the oven, spoon the crumbs on top of them.

6. About 10 minutes before serving time, preheat the broiler.

7. Place the eggplant slices so that the stuffing on top is at least 6-8 inches from the heat. Broil for 5-6 minutes until the topping is nicely browned. Serve immediately.

Cheats & Changes:
I did not have a baguette handy, so once again, I used leftover soda bread from the other night. I also totally forgot to peel the eggplant first, which was very dumb as I cannot stand eating the skin. I probably used twice as much oil on the pan as called for in the recipe since eggplant soaks that stuff up like a sponge.

The Verdict:
Much tastier than I thought it'd be. I loved the bread crumb topping. I had thought about subbing panko for the bread, and now I'm glad I didn't. I think the fresh bread made for a nicer texture. It was chewy and savory and garlicky good.

T is not normally a fan of eggplant at all, so I was really shocked that he ate both pieces on his plate. I suspected that he did it out of politeness, but he says he really liked it. Usually the texture of eggplant is what bothers him, not the flavor, and in this case the bread crumb topping made up for the softness of the eggplant.

Again, this recipe was very easy to make and slightly less boring than just broiling or grilling eggplant, which is usually what I do with it. Also a nice way to use up stale bread. I'll definitely make this again.

Curried Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 small head cabbage or half a large head (1 1/4 lbs)
1 carrot (4 oz) peeled
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp Tabasco hot pepper sauce
1 tsp curry powder

1. Trim the cabbage, removing and discarding any damaged parts, and shred it on a slicer or by cutting it into thin slices with a sharp knife. (You should have 5-6 lightly packed cups.) Shred the carrot (1 lightly packed cup).

2. In a bowl large enough to hold the finished slaw, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt poppy seeds, Tabasco and curry powder. Add the cabbage and carrots, and mix well. Serve immediately or cover, refrigerate, and serve later. The cole slaw will keep, refrigerated, for up to one day.

So even though the recipe says to serve immediately, I'd recommend letting it sit, refrigerated, for a few hours first. I made this about 2 hours in advance and tasted it both right after mixing and just before serving, and I thought it the flavors had melded more and the cabbage had softened up a bit after having time to marinate.

Cheats & Changes:
We had guests joining us for dinner tonight, and I was a bit short on time today. So despite what I've said about wanting to work on my knife skills, I used a pre-packaged cole slaw mix for the cabbage and carrots. I almost always have a bag in the fridge to add to stir-frys, wraps, etc. It's very handy.

I also used "light" mayonnaise because I forgot that was all we had in the house (T & I have been trying to diet). Otherwise, I would have splurged and bought the full-fat variety, which of course always tastes better. I also ended up leaving out the poppy seeds (despite making a special trip to the store for them) because they were out of them in the bulk section and I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on a big bottle when I only needed about 10 cents worth. Yeah, I'm weirdly cheap that way.

The Verdict:
Pretty tasty, although a bit salty, which is saying something coming from me, the original salt fiend. It wasn't overtly mayonnaise-y, and the curry powder added some nice heat, but it wasn't overpowering. In fact, most of my tasters tonight could not quite identify what seasoning was in the slaw until I told them.

T and our guests enjoyed this too and none of them are usually fans of cole slaw. I think the acidity of the vinegar cancelled out the mayonnaise, but in a good way. This dish is very easy to throw together (especially if you don't have to do any chopping) for a quick side/salad, but I'd reduce the salt by half. I might also reduce the vinegar and/or up the sugar by a wee bit next time as I thought it had a little too much tang as well.

Menu Three: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I have to admit, I'm really starting to enjoy this little project. It's nice to cook real food on a regular basis. I usually only cook 3, maybe 4, days out of 7, and the rest of the time we eat leftovers, "scrounge," or eat/take out. So even though I still have yet to edit yesterday's photos and get those up, I'm already planning on cooking again tomorrow night, this time for guests!

Tomorrow night's menu:
Eggplant Cushions
Sea Bass in Potato Crust
Curried Cole Slaw
Melon and Strawberries in Honey Sauce