Baked salmon with nuts

This recipe is from LeAnn over at She Cooks:

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon filets, approximately 6 ounces each
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted but not hot (room temperature)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 lemon

Creamy Dijon Sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Remove the skin from the salmon and pat with paper towels to dry the filets completely. Lightly salt and pepper the filets.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon, butter and honey.

In a shallow dish, combine the breadcrumbs, pistachios and parsley.

Brush the Dijon mixture onto the salmon and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place in prepared baking dish. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the salmon. (Reserve the other half for garnishing.)

Place in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Prepare Creamy Dijon Sauce while salmon is baking.

Combine heavy cream and Dijon mustard in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Whisk in butter until melted. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, spoon a small pool of sauce onto plate and place salmon filet on top. Drizzle a little more sauce over the salmon. Garnish with a slice of the remaining lemon. You can also garnish with a sprig of parsley and a few pistachio nuts.

Brownies

Hmmm... don't seem to have a Brownie recipe. Strange. This one might do:

Mocha Brownies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (or instant coffee powder)

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13 pan. In a bowl set over, but not touching, barely simmering water in a pan, combine the butter and chocolate. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted.

In a small bowl, dissolve the coffee powder in the boiling water. Add to the cooled chocolate. Then add the granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out slightly fudgy, 25–30 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Cut into squares and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve at room temperature. Store in a covered container (if they last that long!).

Simply the best lentil dahl ever...

So simple, I am still taken by surprise every time I check that I have remembered the recipe correctly. It is very quick and easy in the microwave but can be done in a pan just as well.

Melt 2 chopped onions in 25g butter until as well cooked as you like them – any stage between transparent to brown and crispy on the edges.

Stir in 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 large tablespoon curry powder and 2 teaspoons turmeric. Add 225 g rinsed red lentils, stir well to coat, then 450 ml of stock – vegetable if you want to stay vegetarian but chicken or even ham adds good flavour.

Bring to the boil, simmer until lentils are cooked – at least 20 minutes in the microwave or 30 minutes on the hob. The lentils should be soft and collapsed and the whole dahl porridgey in texture. If in doubt, keep cooking – can’t really go wrong. A stir once or twice is a good idea, especially in the microwave. (Use a large bowl or dish as it all swells up into the liquid.)

Add 4 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander – mix in or just throw on the top of the dish.

Best with naan bread, but rice will do.