Salt and Pepper Salmon and Dill Creme Fraiche with Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions

Salt and Pepper Salmon

1 salmon fillet (about 2 pounds), skin on, 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions
Run your finger up and down the center of the salmon feeling for any pin bones. Remove any that you find with a needle-nosed pliers or tweezers. With a sharp knife cutting across the width of the salmon, divide it into 4 equal portions. Lightly salt the salmon and let sit a couple minutes; this will help you get crispy skin.

Heat a 2-count, about 2 tablespoons, of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking. Season the salmon with pepper, and rub about 1 1/2 tablespoons butter on the skin side of each fillet. Add the salmon to the pan, skin-side down. To get super crispy skin, cook the salmon almost to completion, about 6 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook until flesh side is nicely seared, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a platter and top with a dollop of dill creme fraiche. Serve with the Smashed Potatoes.

Dill Creme Fraiche

1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon roughly chopped capers
4 cornichons, finely chopped

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined.

Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Lemon, and Pearl Onions

1 1/2 to 2 pounds red bliss potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (10-ounce) box frozen pearl onions, defrosted
Pinch sugar
Splash freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 slices lemon
2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen peas, defrosted
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 heaping tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed just above the rubber band

Directions

Put the potatoes into a large pot, cover them with cold water, and add a large pinch of salt. If they're large, cut them in half. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain. Stick a fork into the potatoes, 1 at a time, lift them out of the colander and peel with a paring knife. Toss the potatoes into a bowl and roughly crush them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the pearl onions, sugar, and lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the lemon slices, peas, and lemon zest and continue cooking until the peas are hot. Season with salt and pepper. Dump the vegetables over the potatoes in the bowl, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil add the parsley and dill and taste for salt and pepper. Scatter the watercress over the top, fold it in just until it wilts and call it a day.

My thoughts: To quote my husband, "This is the best dish you have EVER made!" This was the first time I made this recipe and based on his reaction, I would say it was a success. The recipe is from Tyler Florence's Ultimate. I didn't follow the recipe exactly. When cooking the salmon, I melted the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds and used a brush to generously spread evenly on the salmon skin. I substituted sour cream for creme fraiche. Although the recipe calls for 1/2 cup, I used an 8oz. container of sour cream cause I didn't want to waste anything and just added more dill and a drained 3 fl. oz. jar of capers. I couldn't find cornichons so I didn't use them. I plan on using the extra creme fraiche as a dip for pita slices. When I picked up all the ingredients for the potatoes at the grocery, I thought 2 lbs. weren't enough so I used a 3 lb. bag of red potatoes instead. Peeling the potatoes was a pain, literally. I thought I was going to burn my fingers off.

In the end, the salmon was just the right amount of crispy. The dill "creme fraiche" pulled everything together and was delicious. The potatoes were light and lemony and a definite step up from my usual go to betty crocker instant mashed potatoes. Hahaha.

The recipe was pretty easy. So easy I could probably make it on a week night too especially since the creme fraiche can be made ahead of time.

Noah loved cooking with Mommy and Daddy today . . .

Apple Charlotte with Cinnamon Sabayon

For the filling:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 medium Granny Smith apples
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the batter:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins
2 tablespoons sugar, for ramekins, plus extra for top
20 slices brioche bread, crust removed

Cinnamon sabayon, recipe follows

Begin by making the filling. Set a large saute pan or roasting pan over medium heat and add butter. Peel and cut cheeks off apples then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Once butter has melted and just starting to foam, add apples, scraped vanilla bean and pod, lemon juice, and brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat well and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until apples are just tender and liquid has evaporated. The sauce will caramelize slightly and should be a nice, rich dark color.
In a shallow dish, make the batter by combining eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until fully combined. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and generously butter and sugar 4 (1-cup) ramekins. Invert a ramekin, or use a round cutter, on half of the bread slices to use as a guide to cut out circles. These will be the bases and top of the charlottes - you should have 8 in total. Cut the other slices of bread in half lengthwise. Working with the circles. lightly coat in the batter and place in the bottom of each ramekin. Lightly dip the other rectangles of bread in batter as well, then use them to line the walls of each ramekin - standing them upright around the perimeter leaving an overhang that you will later use to fold over and seal the charlotte. It should take about 6 strips per ramekin. Fill each mold with apples and some of the caramel from the pan. Fold over the edges to seal it up completely and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If the tops brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. When done, the bread will have puffed up slightly, the edges will be brown and the sugar on top will have caramelized. Allow to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto individual plates. Serve with cinnamon sabayon.

Cinnamon Sabayon:
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup calvados or apple liqueur
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Splash water

To make sabayon, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set over a pot of boiling water on low heat, i.e. a double boiler. Whisk (you can use an electric whisk to make it easier) until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and the volume almost doubles.

The filling . . .


The batter . . .


Fresh out of the oven . . .


My thoughts: We substituted apple liqueur with an equal amount of rum, but the rum was a tab bit too strong. Also be sure you use clear apple liqueur and not sour apple schnapps which is green and will affect the color of the sabayon. Be sure to butter the ramekins thoroughly as we had difficulty removing them from the ramekins. Very tasty dessert and easy to make. Like an apple pie with a twist.