Me Poppy`s Favorite Salad

This post is a direct result of a request made by the teachers at my children's school. I had prepared for them a small luncheon as their end-of-year gift. Fairly simple really, two salads, a tureen of Vichyssoise and some Nutella Brownies (click on chocolate in my tabs and give it a shot).

My salads pretty much change every time I make them because I use whatever I got in arm's reach.

I even sometimes like to throw stuff in that even I least expect. Like poppy seeds.

Before I write out the recipe I would like to tell a story about a man I used to work with at a restaurant that shall remain nameless. A very nice man with a very strange diet. He had some, how shall I put it . . . digestive issues. First he would cook some noodles (and when I say some, I mean a few pounds worth) and boil the pasta for about 20 to 25 minutes. Not exactly al dente. Then he would wash the pasta in running cold water for another 5 minutes. Then he put his drained pasta in a large garbage bag with some olive oil and tons of poppy seeds. Shake it like a polaroid pictcha and vacuum seal each portion. He would live off the noodles for probably a week or so. I felt bad for him because he loved food so much and whenever he would succumb to temptation and have himself a pastry or something, he would get sick. Then go back to his poppy all'olio. Necessity is the mother sauce of all inventions, I suppose.

Boiled Starch Salad with Honey-Glazed Salmon and Poppy Seed Dressing

1 package of Penne (my wife likes the regate, I like the lische, to each their own)
1 side of Salmon
20 g of Honey
Splash of Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, finely diced
1 Green Pepper, finely diced
1 Red Onion, finely diced
1 Roma Tomato, finely diced
Small Bunch of Dill, finely chopped
250 ml of Lemon Poppy Dressing (see below)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 325.

In a tall stockpot, boil pasta in salted water and follow directions on package. Drain pasta and toss in oil. Reserve for later. Save 100 ml of pasta water. Add honey and stir to dissolve.

In a hot skillet, heat oil and sear salmon. Turn over and pour honey water over. Cook in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the fish and add to pasta.

Add peppers, onion, tomato and dill. Add dressing and lightly toss to coat evenly. Taste and then adjust to seasoning.

Serves 6 - 8 people or 4 - 6 teachers

Lemon Poppy Dressing

25 ml Dijon Mustard
50 ml Lemon Juice
200 ml Olive Oil
35 g Poppy Seeds
25 g Sugar
Salt and White Pepper to taste

In a blender or with a mixer, blend mustard and lemon juice until completely mixed. Slowly drizzle oil while whisking vigorously. Add seeds and sugar. Add salt and pepper sparingly.

A Humble Chef`s Tip: if you find the dressing is too acidic for your tastes, feel free to add more oil. If the dressing gets too thick, slowly whisk in small amounts of hot water. This trick will work with any emulsified dressing or sauce. i.e Hollandaise, Caesar, Mayonnaise.

Variation: with pasta salad, there are no limitations. I draw the line with adding anything deep fried.

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A Derivative Post with a Derivative Recipe

Spring is nearly here and I have yet another recipe with my favourite vegetable: asparagus. However, in my first recipe, asparagus is used to make a puree soup. The next one we use it in a pasta. Here it is cooked and used in a salad. As many of you obviously know, asparagus is best in spring because only the young shoots are eaten. Extremely healthy with a high amount of fibre, calcium and every vitamin in the alphabet.

There are three basic styles of dressings used for salads: the first is the obvious one where fat is added to an acid and emulsified, creamy dressings such as ranch or mayonaisse and, finally, cooked dressings. Like Hollandaise. I have already talked about Hollandaise in a previous post. And since asparagus is so healthy, then you are required to use something fatty to go with it. Obviously.

Hollandaise has a classic method that can be a little tricky for the first time. However, if you are adventurous, there is an alternative method. Similar to Beurre Blanc, you whip your eggs over simmering water with a pinch of sugar. Once it triples in volume, then you monter au beurre (whisk in cubed butter) and return to heat if it gets a little too cool. With this method, your hollandaise is less likely to split.

This sauce is known as Maltaise; one of the many derivatives from Hollandaise. Thanks to my Professional Cooking textbook, I am able list off some the many derivatives. Bearnaise is with a tarragon reduction. Foyot is with a hint of demi-glace. Choron uses tomato paste. Paloise is similar to bearnaise but uses mint instead of tarragon. Very nice with Leg of Lamb. Suffice to say, there are too numerous to name. Especially since nobody is really going to make any of them. Obviously.


A Bloomin' Sauce with Bloody Oranges on a Hammy Sparrow-Grass Salad

30 Asparagus Spears
3 Belgian Endives (for garnish)
1 Yellow or Orange Pepper, julienne
6 oz. Prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut into strips
1 Box of Spinach
8 Egg Yolks
Splash of White Wine
200 g Clarified Butter, warm
2 Large Blood Oranges, juiced
Pinch of Cayenne
Pinch of Paprika
Ice for Ice Bath
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a tall pot, bring salted water to a boil. Blanch asparagus until tender. Remove and shock in ice bath. Drain and pat dry. Using prosciutto, tie up asparagus into bundles of 5.

In a frying pan, heat juice of blood orange until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

In a steel bowl, combine eggs with wine. Over simmering water, whisk eggs until it triples in volume; about ten minutes. Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in clarified butter while whisking vigorously. When finished, add blood orange juice and cayenne. Reserve for later.

Arrange on plates, spinach, peppers, endives and asparagus bundles. Drizzle dressing on top, garnish with paprika and serve immediately.

Variation: instead of spinach, use whatever lettuce you like. With the exception of iceberg. But lollo rosso, frisee and mache. These all work well.

A Humble Chef's tip: to clarify your butter, melt butter, remove milk solid then place in your fridge for an hour. Take out, pierce a hole and drain excess water and heat up again.

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Chocolate Wrapper

Ever try to make phyllo pastry? I'll be honest here. I haven't. Even in cooking school, we used store bought. I cannot imagine a reason to justify me making this pastry from scratch. I imagine some readers may be disappointed by my honesty but here I have to be. If someone asked me for a recipe, I would look foolish.

For this recipe, I strongly recommend using the finest chocolate available to you (I used Milk Chocolate Pyramids from a great chocolatier downtown) and of your preference. White, dark, milk, whatever.

Keep this simple and you'll have no trouble at all.

Milk Chocolate Pyramid Wrapped in Phyllo with Strawberry and Blackberry Coulis

8 Milk Chocolate Pyramids
3 Sheets of Phyllo, cut in 16 rectangles
10g Unsalted Butter, melted
Icing Sugar for Garnish


Preheat oven at 325 celsius.

On your countertop, lay out 1 sheet of phyllo. Using a pastry brush, apply small amount of butter. Lay another sheet and lightly brush some butter. Place chocolate in center and fold up pastry to cover. Place on some parchment on a cookie sheet.

Repeat with other chocolates.

Back for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown on top edges. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Dust with icing sugar and serve with coulis.

Serves 8.

Strawberry and Blackberry Coulis

1 pint of strawberries, washed and trimmed
1/2 pint of blackberries, washed
40 g sugar
Splash of Vanilla Extract
Splash of Maple Extract (optional)

In a small sauce pan, heat berries and sugar and extracts. Add splash of water and cover. Bring to boil on medium high heat. Remove cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using a blender, purée until smooth. You can strain through a fine mesh chinois to remove seeds though not completely necessary.

Let cool completely and place into a sqeezee bottle.

Serves 30 desserts.

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5 Minutes To Cook Dinner? No Prob!

Having tried a no carb diet for two weeks, my inspiration has been pretty geared towards salad and cold food with a twist. Since it is summer time, you can have some variety and not have to pay an arm and a leg for the ingredients. Besides, lighter fare is usually easier to make and digest. I love rich foods but in the summer, who wants to have cream sauces or rich desserts all the time? Well, maybe some crazy French people might.

This is a salad that I would never have thought of unless I was on a restrictive diet and forced to do some research. My co-dieter found a recipe that seemed simple enough but with a little variation we turned it into something that worked for us.

When cooking vegetables, keep it simple. Blanch in boiling salted water. That's it. Don't complicate it. Also, it is important to note that when blanching any green vegetable keep the lid off. This prevents acids from condensing and dripping back into the water. Unless you want your vegetables to look like the way your mother cooked them (perhaps you feel a sort of nostalgia towards shitty looking, mushy, over cooked veg), then by all means allow the chlorophyll to bleed and consume yuck. Or, you can simply bring water to a boil, add salt, cook your vegetable no more than 4 minutes and a enjoy crunchy, tasty salad.

My tone of voice may seem slightly sarcastic, however, if you grew up the way I did hating vegetables, then you may understand my annoyance.

Vegetable Salad

2 Broccoli Crowns, cut into florets
1/2 Head of Cauliflower, florets
About a Dozen Waxed Green Beans, washed and trimmed
50 g Pinenuts, toasted
50g Dried Cranberries
150 ml Ranch Dressing (Recipe follows if you are keen)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large soup pot, bring water to a boil. Add salt and taste water; it should be a little salty but not overpowering. Have an ice bath ready to refresh the cooked vegetables. Start blanching with cauliflower, then beans and finish with broccoli. They should not take more than 4 minutes to cook through. After blanching, place vegetables in ice bath and chill through. Drain and pat dry.

Place them into a large bowl and garnish with pinenuts and cranberries. Drizzle dressing and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Ranch Dressing

250ml Mayonnaise
400 ml Sour Cream
300 ml Buttermilk
40 ml Vinegar
20ml Lemon Juice
Pinch of Worcesteshire Sauce
Small Bunch of Chives, finely chopped
20 g Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large bowl, whip all ingredients together until mixed well.

Chill overnight.

Makes about 1 Liter.

Variation: If you feel indulgent you can change the dressing to Chantilly Dressing. Since most vegetables are over 90% water, then feel free and treat yourself. 100ml Whipping Cream whipped and folded into 400 ml of Mayo, Tobasco, Worcesteshire 1 lemon sqeezed. Mmmm.

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