Whiskey-Marinated Salmon

By Paul Briand

The Saturday edition of the Wall Street Journal is a relatively new source for cooking ideas. Sometimes, the recipe ideas are a little out there -- at least for someone like me -- but sometimes the ideas are right in my wheelhouse.

This recipe for Whiskey-Marinated Salmon  from last Saturday is a case in point. It’s easy, it’s tasty, and I just happened to have a new bottle of Wild Turkey on hand for the occasion.

The Wild Turkey came from my future son-in-law’s stag party the weekend before, but that’s a whole other story.

Note: This is the recipe as originally presented. I only had about half as much salmon, so I halved the recipe. I used the dish to top a large salad.

Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dark (toasted) sesame oil
7 tablespoons soy (preferably light) or tamari sauce
¾ cup whiskey
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
A few drops Tabasco or similar hot chili sauce
3 pounds salmon filet cut into 8 equal pieces, skin left on

Directions
1. Whisk oils, soy sauce, whiskey, sugar, garlic and Tabasco together;
2. Using a large zip-lock bag, place the salmon in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight;
3. Place salmon pieces on grill, skin side down. Cook 5 minutes. Slide a spatula between skin and fish and turn each piece of salmon over, resting it on its detached skin. This protects tender salmon from direct contact with hot grill;
4. Cook until desired doneness is reached, 2-5 minutes. If broiling, broil on one side only until done, 5-8 minutes.

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Garlic Bread Spread Buns

By Paul Briand

You like garlic bread, right? Well, how about applying the same technique to hamburger buns?

What you get it is a burger with an extra kick.

This recipe is enough for four buns. Halve it, double it, do whatever to accommodate the number of burgers you’re making.

Ingredients
4 hamburger buns
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Heat the oven broiler to low;
2. Combine the softened butter with the garlic;
3. Spread the mixture on each half of the buns;
4. Sprinkle with a coating of the cheese;
5. Toast under the broiler until brown;
6. Serve with your burgers and favorite condiments.

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Asian-Style Three Bean Salad

By Paul Briand

I ran across this recipe in the USA Weekend newspaper supplement, and with a Father’s Day cookout coming up I thought it would be the perfect complement.

Fresh ginger is important here. (And here’s a tip, courtesy of celebrity chef Rachael Ray: If you have leftover fresh ginger, put it in a sealable baggie and store it in the freezer. Then just use a grater to get the desired amount you need.)

And I enjoyed the edamame, a first time ingredient for me.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
One 10-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup 100 percent fruit apricot preserves
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
One 15-ounce can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Put the green beans and frozen edamame in a steamer basket over several inches of boiling water and steam them for 4 minutes;
2. Drain well, then transfer the beans to a large bowl and put them in the refrigerator to cool for 15 minutes or longer;
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, apricot preserves, sugar and ginger;
4. Add the black beans and scallions to the green beans and edamame, drizzle with the dressing, and toss to coat;
5. Season with salt, and serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Crab Bisque Mac ‘n Cheese

By Paul Briand

Pinterest is a recipe magnet.

This relatively new social media site is a go-to location for foodies - the people who love to make good food and the people who love to eat it.

I saw this "pin" on Pinterest recently. That led me to a Fox News station, which acknowledged the recipe as originally coming from the Milk Marketing Board.

I made this as a side dish for a Father’s Day cookout. My only qualm was because of my own boo-boo. I made this a day ahead of time, and overcooked it somewhat. I then reheated it the day of the party, and overall it emerged too dry for my tastes.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth, canned or homemade
1 cup diced canned tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sharp Wisconsin cheddar, shredded, divided
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, divided
8 ounces cooked crabmeat; fresh, thawed or canned and drained
1 tablespoon dry sherry
8 ounces penne pasta, cooked al dente according to package directions, drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees;
2. In large, deep saucepan, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter until sizzling. Add onion; sauté over medium heat about 3 minutes or until tender;
3. Add remaining butter. When sizzling add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is golden;
4. Over medium heat, gradually whisk milk and chicken broth into flour butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and smooth;
5. Stir in tomatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring just to boiling point and remove from heat;
6. Add 2/3 cup each of the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Stir until the cheese is melted;
7. Stir in crabmeat and sherry. Stir in the pasta, mixing well;
8. Transfer mixture to an 8-by-10 lightly buttered casserole (or slightly larger.) Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the casserole and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

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Grilled Steak with Thyme Butter, Mushrooms and Onions

By Paul Briand

It’s grilling time, boys and girls. This is all done on the grill. It’s simple, easy clean-up, and - most of all - very tasty.

Ingredients
1 ½ pounds of Porterhouse or T-Bone steaks, enough steak for four
1 sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil
1 medium sweet onion, cut in half, thinly sliced
1 8-ounce package of mushrooms
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Heat the grill to medium high;
2. Place onion, mushrooms, pepper, butter, and thyme in center of aluminium foil;
3. Fold the foil over the mixture, creating a packet;
4. Grill, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes;
5. Season the steaks with pepper and salt to taste and grill, turning once, to desired doneness;
6. Serve each cut of steak topped with buttered thyme and onion mixture.

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Chicken Sausage Stir Fry

By Paul Briand

We had some chicken sausage left over from the casserole recipe that my wife Jane had prepared.

So I whipped up a very easy, very quick stir fry. It was a bit of a fusion thing - combining an Italian-like sausage of garlic and mozzarella with stir fried vegetables in a soy and rice wine vinegar sauce.

Ingredients
For the sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
For the stir fry:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 links of turkey sausage, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound sliced vegetables (carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bell pepper, green onion)
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

Directions
1. In bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and ginger. Set aside;
2. Heat oil in wok (or large skillet) over medium high heat, add sausage and saute until meat starts to brown;
3. Add onion and vegetables and saute for two minutes;
4. Stir in soy sauce mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat and cover for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender;
5. Stir in cornstarch mixture, bring sauce back to boil until sauce thickens. Serve.

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Chicken, Wild Rice and Cherry Tomato Casserole

By Paul Briand

My wife, Jane, found this very simple - and very tasty recipe -- in Real Simple magazine ad.

It’s a chicken-based recipe but she jazzed it up a bit with some chicken sausage prepared with Mozzarella cheese and garlic. She diced up a link and added it to the mix.

Here is the recipe as originally presented.

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 ounces mushrooms, bottoms trimmed, sliced thin
2 (5-ounce packages) long grain rice and wild rice
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
4 chicken breasts, sliced into ½-inch slices
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 cups hot water
1 package cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees;
2. In a large casserole dish, combine first nine ingredients, top with tomatoes;
3. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes (or until liquid is absorbed).

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